The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-19 00:00:00

THE bill to enable religious congregations in Scot-
land to obtain sites for places of worship has passed
the second reading by a majority (tellers included) of
ts 2 to 27. The proportion of Scotch members in the
division lista is 22 for and 7 against the second read-
ing. The majority is a most miscellaneous assort-
ment of politicians, representing constituencies of the
most varied complexions. The whig member for Edin-
burgh and his colleague, the victor over MACAULAY,
stand side by side in it. The Peelitee LINCOLN and
Ssiou.err, the conservative Lord DRUMLANRIO, the
men of the new movement, SLIM and 141‘Gamoa,
the whig MAITLAND, and TRAILL the representative
of the Duke of SETITERLAND, are there in motley
combination. Blue-docking Edinburgh, tory Dum-
friesshire, Paisley radical among radicals, the pocket
burgh Buteshire, and Fife from which a class of pe-
culiarly constituted intellects derive their Scottish
denomination—all, in so far as can be learned from
the votes of their representatives, concur in approving
the bill. It is a Scotch measure, and this overwhelm.
ing preponderance of Scotch support ought to be con-
clusive in favour of its passing.
The opposing members who favoured the House
of Commons by stating their reasons for disapproving
of the bill, betrayed singular ignorance of the prom-
sions of the measure, and the circumstances white
led to its introduction.
The bill is not intended, as was complacently as- I
burned by some of them, to favour any one sect.
When sites are required by the members of any
religious congregation in that pert of Great I
Britain called Scotland" are the words of the
first enacting clause. It does not go to create " a
second church establishment ;" it favours equally all
Christian and Jewish sects. It does not empower
any congregation to compel any landed proprietor to
afford them a site; its provisions can only be called
into exercise when the site " cannot be otherwise ob-
tained in a situation suitable for the members of such
congregation." The application for a site must be
duly and formally made in the Court of Session ; in-
timation must be given to the owners of the land or
their agents; the averments of the applicants mast
be substantiated by evidence before the sheriff of the
district; the price or annual rent must be fixed by
his award, or the award of arbiters. Every possible
precaution is taken to guard landowners against vexa-
tious applications, the unnecessary appropriation of
any part of their land, and the refusal of fair com
pensation. On the ground of undue encroachment on
the rights of property there can be no valid objection
to the measure, and it favours no one class of re-
ligion:sta more than another.
'the measure hes really been rendered necessary by
the state of landed property in Scotland, and by the
conduct of some landed proprietors. In the High-
lands, and in tho south of Scotland, there are large
entailed estates embracing whole parishes within
their boundaries. The proprietors of some of these
have, in a narrow-minded spirit, pertinaciously re-
fused sites to congregations of the free-church ; and
at the time of the Secession under the ERMINES, the
same conduct was pursued in some instances by the
great landowners of that day. What has been
may be again. Owners of tracts of land
equalling in extent some independent Ger-
man states, may refuse sites to religious denominations
against which they entertain a prejudice, the power
of erecting a place of worship, a residence for their
minister, and school for their children in the uninha-
bited glen, which is the only convenient centrical
place of assembly for them. It is not in these wild
regions as in the densely peopled lands of " merry I
England," where some hut or hovel may easily
be found and devoted for the purpose. There
is no alternative between the power to build,
and assembling in the open air, exposed to
all the inclemency of Scotch mountain regions.
The lord of miles upon miles of highland or
border land has it in his power to compel the infirm,
through age—the delicate, from sex or unripe years,
to incur disease if they perform their religious duties
or seek instruction, or to desert the communion to
which they are conscientiously attached, which per-
haps may debar them access either to spiritual or
secular enlightenment.
The tone of some of the opponents of the measure
is singularly lowered. We do not hear now proud
and confident denials of the persecuting conduct
which has rendered this measure necessary. They
are spoken of with regret ; it is alleged that but for
the committee of last session they would ere this have
been entirely desisted from ; they are said to have
existed under a Fate of things which cannot
recur. Under these pretences a delicate bug-

gestion is thrown out that the measure may
be withdrawn ; that it is no longer needed; ass"
that it is objectionable to enact a general
measure to meet individual casks. 'there is not one
word of truth or sound policy in these insinuation'.
But for the committee, persecution fur conscience Ade
would have gone on increasing, and amid bsue-faced
denials of its existence. The same oppressive condos"
over which the free church has triumphed, may be
renewed against other sects, new or old. In the
tribution of landed property which exist', and is
likely long to exist in Scotland, nothing but a general
measure can guard against repetitions of this. abase
of the power which wealth and rank confer. It is es.
sential to the maintenance of religious liberty in Se*
I iand that the bill be passed into a law.

THERE is nothing like a little wholesome agitati
ly
louwern,
rbwolghfii ctroei
eanvna
ndo
exhibitppc e
sre invfaot
hutrepe
the affairspoaw ralike,eemr o andv
remedyatl ofortunet,ehf wewhich
iitl.hrl helloettssho classety
eex.
themselves. And even where persons labour
ill
apparently powerless, vigorous and combined scum
Petted. readers will recollect the meetings and sassaia
tions of copyholders of Wolverhampton and it/
vicinity ; their energetic protests against the
siveneve of that ft tidal tenure, their striking expo.
sates of its practical operation upon the improvng
copyholder, and their detetmined appeals to
the legislature for redress. Well, we line
pleasure in recording that the lords of the manse
of Stowheath, which comprises Wolverhamptca,
Bileton' and Willenhall, have come forward with a
general offer of enfranchisement to all the copyholders
upon terms which seem to be perfectly equitable. la
the hope that lords of manors throughout the king.
dom will follow the enlightened course adopted bydis
Duke of SUTHERLAND and Mr. T. \V. WEIRD, di
lords of the manor of Stowheath, we shall state the
plan they have pursued. On the first of thepreseet
month the solicitors of the lords issued a joint eh,
cuter, in which they state they are instructed to
offer to the copyholders of that manor enfmnelnet,
ment of their respective properties." They say that
the property is so diversified that it has requited
much deliberation to arrive at any general rules on tha
subject, " especially as copyhold enfranchisement has,
until recently, been regarded as an occasMnalmatterke
individual accommodation, and not a systematic
alteration of tenure." However, in this, as in teat
other matters where people set to with a will, ilia.
culties at first appearing great are soon overseas;
the" lion in the path," when faced, becomes a docile
animal. The solicitors intimate that there is not •
likely to be any compulsory power of enfranchisement
to a greater extent than such as might enable any
copyholder to require it on terms usual when a rem.
pulsory use of property takes place. That may be
so in fact, for the class which comprises lords of
manors are practically the makers of the laws; bat
the principle on which enfranchisement of copybold
should be enforced is altogether different from that cc
which " property " is compulsorily taken, u, for
instance, to make a bridge, • street, or a railway.
Whatever may be its legal definition the lord of a
manor has morally no property in the copyhold tete-
ment. It is mere right to vex the actual owner of
the property. It is the power to fine a man for im•
proving his own estate before he can sell or mangle
it, or transmit it to his children. Thus mach we
think necessary to say on the broad and palpable du.
tinction between such rights ate those of loth of
manors in the copyholds held under them and the
ordinary property in house or land ; for it is rather to
be hoped than expected that the lords of manors go-
nerally will so speedily imitate the example of the
lords of the manor of Stowheath as to render a law for
the compulsory enfranchisement of copyholds
unnecessary. Every copyholder of Stowheath is de-
sired by the lords to " at once have the power of ob-
taining the freehold of his property on the mot
equitable terms, with the greatest facility and at tbe
smallest legal expaise." The fines due on alienating'
in this manor, according to the custom, are two yens'
improved value, and the report of the Copyhold Coo.
missioners shows that on such the price of entree-
chisement averages from fete to six years value. The
solicitors in the present instance say, " We propme
in this manor to take a scale, varying from tiro")
four years' value only, according to the rental ad
nature of the property ;" and they add, " this abate
ment from the usual charge will be so considerable that
we have only felt justified in recommeir'ing it by a
reference to the number of houses and buildings hat
of the manor, and by the desire of the lords to *
enfranchisement within the immediate reach of My
copyhold tenant." This is justly consider=
copyholdcrs at large to be a liberal and
concession. Building land and other property basis
prospective advantages will not be dealt with sees*
ing to that scale, but according to its particular cie
cumstanees ; " but," says the circular, " there is skit
proportion well understood and acted upon in sok
cases, and nothing beyond that fair proportion
be expected." The lords have also appointed ato
spectable surveyor of Wolverhampton to adjust the
price of enfranchisement in each case, who
ad
charge a fee of 10s. 61. only, the lords tolie• f
taking themselves to defray the other experam
of valuation. When the price has been arranged by
the surveyors, abstracts of the titles of the lords to
their respective interests in the manor, which of course
will form the freehold title of the enfranchised
copyholder, will be open to the inspection of any copy-
holder, at the offices of the lords' solicitors ; where a
short printed form of the enfranchising deed
" settled by counsel," may be had. On payment of
the price, and the steward's fees (on which we mud
say a word presently), the deed presented by the
copyholder will be executed by the lords without
expense to the person whose estate is enfranchised.
And the circular concludes thus—" Some appre-
hension having prevailed that, where pro-
perV is in mortgage, enfranchisement might
be difficult or expensive, we think it right to state
that such is not the case. On the contrary, a condi-
tional surrender, by way of mortgage without admit-
tance, passes no legal estate, but by the simple oc-
currence of the mortgagee in the enfranchisement is-
strument, he will obtain a legal limitation of a free.
hold, instead of a surrender of copy hold interest, he
his security, and the owner of the property will haw
the benefit of the enfranchisement subject to them**
gage. The form of the instrument to meet these cases
may be had at our respective offices." Thia is a vile
resolve on the part of the lords, carried out in
fair and business-like way; and the lords hariu
thus agreed to enfranchise, the facilities afforded by
the act of parliament and the commission will come
into operation.
There is only one other part of this circular whirl
•-equires to be noticed, namely, the steward's few.
These have been settled, in the case of Stowheath
manor, upon the following scale; where the con-
sideration paid for enfranchisement does not amount
to 501. the steward's fee will be 2/. 10s. ; if 501. sod
under 1001, the fee is 31. 10s.; if 1001. and under
150/., fee 41. 10s. ; if 1501. and under 300/., fee
51. 10s. ; if 3001. and under 5001., fee 61. 10s.; and if
5001.tohreupsawmaerdsd,eg7re1.8100sf .apTprohivsaiscualetdhoese
renitotofmte:et
with
scheme, being considered to bear most hardly Om
the smallest copyholders. It is, however, worth some-
thing to have the fees reduced to a certainty. co lbg
the copyholder will know precisely- what eufrandise
ment will cost him, and even should he think the is
somewhat heavy he will have the satisfactios d
knowing that he pays it once for all ; that fret
thenceforth he is emancipated from serf-tenon,
and becomes a freeholder. And let us hope that this
offer of enfranchisement from the lords will be cni•
dveuarsatrlioly:dsipsotrindcted,
andto thatby thiencompyohoyledarsers
cop
pthinyhoit
will have ceased to exist.

LONDON SOCIETY FOR THE Pitt4E.CTION OF TOOG
FEKALllB.—Yesterday a meeting of subscribers and 0000
interested in promoting the objects of the above instituters
was held at their office, Moira-chambers, IronmongessXlo
Gresham-street, City ; J. T. Barlow, Esq., in the char
The secretary reported that these are now in the iglus ,
Tottenham 70 young females, the eldest under 15 years
age, who are fed, clothed, religiously educated, end fitted(o
respectable servitude. It was unanimously reached that II
consequence of the numerous applications daily made. 10a
which the funds of the society had hitherto precluded. al
additional of the most urgent cases be admitted. The asylums.
if sufficient support was afforded, contains accontrnodYi
for more than 130 inmates. The society hos, during
thoe,
years of its existence, caused the suppression of above 57
notorious houses of ill-fame in various parts of Load
".
roeecution is now pending against an individual wh
No )tesl
his carriage, livery servants, and country-house t ortu•
fleet, and who is the proprietor of 50 houses of an infanolo
description, principally at the west end, and one of *lacks,
actually the next door to the residence of one of ths ceastio;
sioners of the excise, and it is hoped that after months es
laborious application, a clear case has been made out a3anui
this ihaixidaal, wLich wiil appros the whale of the bQs°°