The National Register. — London, England, 1817-05-12 00:00:00

~.b r , jp4):, No. 483.—V01.. X. POLITICAL DisQtTistvoN. I'IMITSTANT AsCFNUENCY. The oft ..n.agitated question of Catholic Emancipation was again brought *is - marl on Friday in the Commons House, and at three o'clock on the morning of the lid lowing day rejected with the fullest assemblage of Mem bers that had been witnessed fitr a very considerable time. Nearly five hundred were present. Four hundred and sixty-six of these divided on either side, and seve ral were observed to pair ofT. Protestantis►a is triumphant. Much as we are dis posed to value the characters of many who have prefer rod and supported what arc called the Catholic claims, therefore it would be disingenuous anti ungrateful in the members of nut. Protestant Church to undervalue the success which has thus crowned their common faith, cemented the best institutions of our ancestors, and dis pelled the gathering gloom of superstition's returning night. England must be saved by her Lexislature.— Those who understand the real driti of the propositions which were about to be submitted for the adoption of the House, supposing the motion for a Committee had been carried, most be aware that nothing less than the Hierarchy of Boni° would have satisfied the Aggre gates of Dublin, an•i that religious emancipation is but another name for political domination. Time was, indeed, when despotism and popery were considered as synonimous or convertible terms ; anti if that wholesome dread which hitherto has pre served this nation from the re-enthronement of both subsists in any due degree, the result of Friday's de bate, m 1,4114 however consoling in other respects, to operate by w.ty of caution on all protestant minds.— Notwithstaaling the comparatively small proportion which the advocates of catholicism ut present bear in the representative field, their pretcasions have just been dismissed by only a majority of twenty-four. With this instructive and striking fact before our eyes, what in all probability would be the fate of protestant ism, were the privileges of election and representation to be promiscuously thrown open in this country to the adherents of the Catholic Church ? Really the professors of prutestantism are infinitely more indebted to such persons as Dr. Gaudolphy and his orthodox friends, than to many of those represen tatives whose duty and interest ought equally to have induced them to shield and support the estab- Wished Church of England. Dr. Gaudolphy, and those who think with him, have at any rate the merit of speaking out : thus sounding the alarm to protes tant ears, and ronsing the defenders of our invaluable faith to exertions which otherwise they might never have made. Destruction, when once perceived in its approaches to us, is half-averted. But let us examine this question in another point of view. Superstition, says Lord Bacon, is worse than atheism. It is better, he adds, to have no notion of God, than to entertain one that is unworthy of him. Surely it will hardly he denied that the Roman Catholic Churches have still much, very much, of superstition in and belonging to them ; and that, as no illiberal writer remarks to us, their system to say the least against it, one of the grossest corruptions of Christianity that its believers are acquainted with. Even with all the illumination of the present day, will any one ven ture to deny that the Roman Catholic Church, like the Pharisees of old, still attaches quite as much importance to its Traditions as to the volume of Scripture? We as sert this respecting those individuals who are Catholics at heart, who believe in the superiority of their mother church, and consider it their duty to extend her sway; for us to the motley swarm of professors in every church, whose temples are their spiritual wals,who con sider themselves to be christianisai because they sit sleeping under them, these are not characters to bq in cluded in an estimate of any faith. alio nal : 1 1k rt WM* Our Mn, C'oniititution anb ilaS33l. oNDAV, MAY 12, 1817. IMPERIAL PARLIAVENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. No business of any Public laiiportance took place on Mon day or Titesdny. WEDNFAIMY, MAY 7. The Lned Chancellor acquainted the Manse that he had re ceived a letter, through Lord E.moutla, from the Baron Von CApellen, tlet in. Chief of the Squadron of the King of the Netherland , employed in the attack on Algiers, 4e kno iell:zint: the receipt of the Lord Chancellor's cceinnoni rating to him the Vote of Thanks of their Lord-hips' House for his gallautry and condnct at the attack on Algiers. THUTISUAY, MAY 11. The Earl of LIVERPOot. gave notice that he would to morrow move for a Committee au the Poor Laws. The Earl of Domounnstonta 'peesented the Catholic Peti tions, and, after a few obvertastions on the necessity and utility of removing the Catholip disabilities fur the pnrpose of conciliating the people, he concluded by thing Friday se'amight for the debate on the inestion, it shaman be rejected in the other Howse, which be' wan unwilling to snppose.— Adjourned. FRIDAY, MAY 9. Owen's Divorce Bill was read the third time, and passed. The Duke of BEAUFORT presented n Petition from certain Merchants said Traders in Bristol, against Extents in Aid. POOR LAWS. The Earl of Lies:avow, called the attention of the House to the important subject of the Poor Laws. From all that he had heard and thought upon the subject, he was of opinion that great advantage might result from an investigation, un dertaken by the Lords themselves, which, by bringing infor mation before the House, would enable them either to origi nate the measure, or to meet arty measure coming from the oilier House with limpet intelligence and pi eparat• . His Lordship concluded with mewing for du appointment of a Committee, to consider the state of tlw Poor Lows. The motion was agreed to, and the Committee appointed, and ortlt red to meet on 31onday ni CORRESPONDENCE. BETWEEN Ts; • MAGISTRATES or lIEWILSHIRE AND THE SECRET A KY or STATE. Lord HOLLAND said, it Wall reported in the public prints that the visiting Magistrate of the county of /Solis had made • representation to tbe Secetrary of State, which was given, together with the answer. It would give him great pain to think that such answers should proceed trout the Secretary ofSiate. For the present, he should content himself with asking, whether any objection would be wade to the pro duction of the correspondence ? The Karl of LIVERPooL was aware that some correspon dence 114 d passed. His Noble Friend would certainly be hi the House on Monday, and he would recommend to the Noble Lord to put oti his question until then.—Adjourned till Monday HOUSE OF OF COMMONS. MONDAY VAT 3. Y OF LONDON TITHE. BILL. Sir W. moved the second reading of the London Tithe Bill. The Hon. Bart. felt the importance of the Bill, and the strength of the ground upon which it stood. He knew that some Gentlemen were averse to the Bill; but when lie knew that the persons for whom lee appeared paid at the rate of 2s. 9d. in the ponnd, they might have cause to complain.— The Corporation,howevcr, wished to meet the question fairly, and as suite of the partshe4Ciecriciinequally rated, he hoped that the parishes would unite anit allow the Clergy, to have a fair compensation, so that the rate might not fall heavily on one parish to the detriment of another. Dr. PHILLIMORE thought he could convince the House, that the Hitt ought nut to go a second reading. 'the Art of Ilenrs VIII. was framed with a view to set at rest for ever the jitference in respect of Tithes. Now the object of the present Bill, was to set aside a statute w hick had been acted upon for three centuries. The preamble of the present Bill set out with stating what was not true. Alter the calamity of the fire of Lecithin, an Act was passed for the express purpose of satisfying all doubts in respect to Tithes, in consequence of the tire and the redaction of so many houses. The pre sent Bill did not state that any doubts existed as to the policy of the present Acts on the object. Conceiving, therefore, the measure as unjustifiable, - he would move, as au Antendinent ; that the Bill lie read a third Opie.illis day six months. SirJ. SHAW observed,that nothing but disputes had existed since the passing of Aets althded to by the Hoi . and Learn ed Gentleman. The parish of Christ Chnrch only paid 24d. in the pound, they not being included no the airangenient made iu the reign of Charles the Second, after the tire of Lim don) while other parish's paid 2v. 911. according to the sum fixed under the Act of Henry the Eighth. The present Bill would go to an amicable adjustment of all these differences; utid therefore he should support the bill. Sir W. St oTr reviewed the pruvisnais of the Act of Henry VIII. which, he contended, was slittititilt fur all the pea.. poses now prayed fur; that Art bad been ',larded and fenced around by subsequent .tcts. The Art settaing the assessment of Tithes, had been enrollot iu she ',toper court ; part of the lay impropriations were is the hands of the Exchequer, and certainly were as much outlined to the protection of the law, as the rights of any tHlow vested proprietors. Much as he respected the Magistrates .f the City of L ttttt ion, lie cemlll not consent to shut out the pet sons Iteldine vested riles lion the Courts of Justice, and plate them in the hands sod at the disceetion of the Magisteney. MIN Alderman Avaias•enforeed the opinions of his col. leaguv, in support of the Bill. Sir J. GRAHAM stated, that no impropriater hail ever en forced hie tight to the O. 9d. iliough he was as touch entitled 9,!d. twit as the housekeeper was to the trot* of his pi nn the 117 s. 3,1. With respect to impropriators, he knew one Gentle mairs ancestors, had purchased, in the year 1728, for 10.001. a lay inuirolorintorshii,o, a hick now wenld he worth to wirehair from id to 5(0,0001. and vet he had net demand. ed his right 0f25.9.1. ; still he hail a right to it fur the sake of his lmi:y.and Me would advise him, as a lawyer, to demand it. He hoped the Bill would tie unanimously rejected. Mr. IturreitwouTu stated a circumstance iu respect Ia lay impropriatious, in w hich the purchaser had imeneilia demanded his 2s. 9d. which increased the valuc of his pus chase several thousands. 'flue was in the parish of Sr Dunstan in the West The Homo thin divided.—Tor the second readinz now 21 —Fur the Aoloothnrnt 146--31:ijority against the Bill 124. FIRST REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. Mr. D. GILBERT moved the Order of the Day for the House going into a Cummitte e on the Filet Report of the Finance. The House being in a Committee, the lieu. Gen tleman proceeded to open the subject, by stating his opinion on the existence of Sinecure Places, to which he objectesi on several grounds ; amongst other grounds of objection %Ma he entertained to Sinecures were, first, that they were always liable to be influenced by favouritism , that they were fre quently granted in reversion; that if they were not always disposed of through favouritism, they were always a subject of suspicion ; and last, though not least, that there was a e! y existing against them from one end of the country to the other. These were some of the reasons which had always influenced him to vote for their abolition as far as was prac ticable, and not because he felt that their abolition would afford any material relief to the country. If Sinecure Pinot* were door away, it would be necessary to place in the hanft of the Crown some other mode of rewarding public 'civic's. This the Committee had frit, and had, in consequence, recom mended, that the Crown should have a power of granting pensions cominenssinite with the services performed by the individuals to be rewarded ; and lie Mendel have to propose Resolutions for Bills to this effect. The Hon. Gentleman concluded by moving a Re-solution, that the Chairman be instructed to ask for leave to bring no a Bill to abolish the Others of Chief Justice in Eyre. Mr. Dawson read the Report of the Finance Committee, and could not but consider the proposition now hraight for ward as most dangerous. He entreated the House to pause before they swept away what the judicious prouing hook of 1792 had left. He denied Chit the influence of the Crow■ was too great. The character of the present House of Com mons proved that it was nut ; fur he believed tittle never had been a mole unmanageable House than the present *ss.—s. [A langh.]—He objected much to the proposed mode of rewarding public services with pensions. He contended, that by adopting this system of pensions, a charge of 27,00 n. would Ise incurred by the nation in five yeas., aunt 190,0001, in au years. The Him. Gentleman also objected to the abo lition of the old State Oakes ill Scotland, which, lie said, were valued by the people of that part of the Empire as the only remains of this ancient indepe tidant regal state. Lord CASTLEREAGH did not consider the influence of the crown ar having increased shier 1792. He did not however agree with the Hoe. Gent. alto spoke last, tied by this mea sure our Pension List would, in tire years, be inciemed to 27,0001.; or in thirty yeais to lets.outal ; on the contrary, if die Hon. Gentleman had read the Bid carefolly, he would have fiend that at 110 period could the pensions amount to more than 42,00e1. and that must be tinder very peculiar cir cumstances. fair probability was, that she sum would never exceed 30,9001. and thou( could not accrue in less time than twelve years. The measoire would, to a certain extent be productive of some saving, though not a very material one. 'flee Hon. Gentlenose who haul proposed it had nest.. des. el ibed it as hitch. The whole anoient of these sinecure places, as they were called, thought several et' them weer not ►ine. cures, did nut exceed 100,0001. ; and iheretere, if the w hole of these vibe's acre• swept away. the saving would be Moue tee lat. He should now cone to the second branch or .he questioe —the patronage of the Crown; and so far ass lie train eousiderine the innitenee of the Crown mu-remit .g, 11141 could he thr a moment suppose the present superstore would opt rate to abridge the paireniage of the Crone, he would give it his strongest opposition, as a measure pregnant with the greatest public disadvantage. He knew fith wed that au of had gene Mound, that if government %mild Kis e up sinecure places, all distress would cease. The fallacy of this opinion needed no argnmrut to make it apparent. He was ready to allow that some of these offices haul , w course of time, risen to a height of profit nese r cotitemplated when they were established. Two of them ieniained at the co nee- tnent of the present Session not under the control of meta. To one of them • Noble F tend of bit( (Lord Camden) hail put an coil. —Herr bevel—Hot nothing would p u t , n cud to the feeling which existed 111 the pantie mind agaiii•t sane. rules; and therefore tie thour.ht, if possible, they sl ld he given up to the %ibises of the people, and some other le of carrying on the public business adopted. The Noble Lord then, at considerable length, rotted into a defence of the nt slow proposed, mod expressed his hope , that it would be adopted t persuaded, as ha was, that it would go far to meet the wishes of a great portion of the community. Mr. J. I'. (iRANT eyelid nut agree with the Solite Lord, or with the Cheirmvn of the Committee, tL tl this 11041311 re would nave any satisfaction to the people. Ought nut the 'suttee's first business to have net n to ^tithe a balance by tweca the expenditure and income? But 110 ;he so 464.5 ed we should have lb% Artily Estimates voted, the .!xtvvy Lsti males agreed to, the Ordnance Emiiiiates eatrieil the House; and 14 , 1 would come that which inieht to have been tint, the balance of Income and Expenditure from ihe nllolll'll . Committer. The Hon. Gentleman th en procc ,., e d to comment 1111 the forming of the report. He sad, the Cum. raittee had recommended the retaining certain Ohre*, and abolishing others, %mount assigning any ressous. 0 e of the Joint Papeasieri scab to be dune arra y . Aoreases I' l: ~*