The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-05 00:00:00

ST. ()LAVE. HART-STREET.

CITY TITHES UNDER 3;TH HENRY VIII.

A Com ICA r. Pose F.—A ri adjourned Special General Vestry of
:he inhabitant a the Parish of St. (Mate, Ilart-street, was held on
Thersday last.s to muskier and adopt meamres respecting the Re-
port and other document', laid before the Vestry on the Cc!' ofJuly
last.
The Reese*, the Rev. Dr. ()wen, again took possession of the
Chtir, against the manifest inclination of the parishioners, and he
ancel t•rn not to delay, for the sooner they began the runner they
would finish. It was very warm weather, but (laughter rm weather
it was
generally hot enough in that vestry. )
3D. lou NGER immediately rose to express his deep regret at
Ong the Rector in the Chair.
Dr. OwEN—I think this is premature. The minutes of the
Leg Vestry had better be read, and then you may say what you will.
M.. ousteen assented.
The minutes of the last Vmery, including the Report of the
Committee, were then resd.
Mr. YouNnEts, buil! he had fit excessive pain in observing the
hold eel indelicate assumption of rite Rector in taking the Chair,
partirulerly as it led to angry discussion, next by the frequent im-
proper interruption of Dr. Owen, the free discussion of the parish-
Meer. was impeded. :le felt it his duty in the outset. to submit
a motioa or. that suhitc: ; then, after taking a short Tt view of the
Report of the Committee, end complimentiug them upon the emu-
met sire and temperate tone they had taken thronghout the whole
of the correspondence and proceedings now printed for the use of
the parishioners, which he trusted would meet the eve of the
Richt Rev. Prelate, the lend Bishop of London, end every true
friend of the Established Church, he concluded by moving a
Resolution to the Ofect that it was highly improper and indelicate
tor Dr. Owen to preside at a Vestry convened to discuss the per-
tormance of his clerical Maths, and was in direct opposition to the
ramongtrances of the parishioners, who solely submitted to it be-
cease he maimed the Chair by authority of law.
Dr. Owts—The law is the hest authority by which I take the
Chair. and we do not meet here to consider my clerical duties.
Mr. You sture-:.1 think we do, and I now again complain of
the obstruction which you, as Chainuan, have always put in the
interfere or free disrusilon. You have no right, as Chairman, to
ith the farm or substance of my motion. (Hear.)
Mr. Ct.tret said he cordially seconded the motion, which was
then carried, with only three dissentients.
Mr. FRISST. the Churchwarden, anti one of the Tithe Com-
mittee of the parish, then addressed the parishioners. Ile said
t!..ey were snet theyeb to consider the unfortur ate eubjects comprised
h
it
Report of Committee, who would be glad to hear the sen-
timents ache Vestry on their proceedings.
Mr. Ilswiessra said the Report of the Committee had his
hetry concurrence, and he should therefore move that the same,
haring been circulated amongst the parishioners, and maturely
oak:trek!, since the 6th of July, should be now approked and

contifinetl.
M. As ctssox seconded the motion, whiet. was carried unoni-

mously.
31r. JACIESOW then moved a resolution, declaring that the inha.
bitsma of this parish are patrons of their bring, and were protected
tom any increased claim for tithe by ancient And long.accustomed
p.iynitot, which existed when they presented the present Rector to
living, which then produced to him, and had produced to his
pretteteoivr%, about 25411. per anrum. (flee.)
D. Owxs—l'ili put this motion, but it is an assertion without
proot.
Several Parishioners—It's true. (chat part is without proof ?
Dr. Chiww—lt does not lie with me to prove it. 1 call upon
you to prove it.
Mr. 01; NGER—If you cannot contradict it with proof yourself,
you have no right to call for proof from us. These are the kind of
rnerruptions I,y you, as Chairman, of which I complain. You are
rredding here, against justice and propriety.
Dr. Os es—What ! Do you mean to say lam to sit bete as a
mere ciplk r 7 No, no.
Mr, At NSLEY seconded the motion : which was carried unani.

courtly.
Mr. JACKSON then moved a Resolution, declaring that, after the
Rector's induction, the parishiooens,st his solicitation, consented to
pay Is. in the pound fur tithes ; but that he, in violation of his
*gement, had since exacted 2a. (hl. in th^ pound, under the Act
of n Henry VIII., which, until the last thirty years, had Leen ob-
*clew, and the decree under it had recently bmo found by a Jury
not to have beeu enrolled.
Dr. Os E N.—l deny the assertion contained in this Resolution,
and wish this denial to be made public. I never made any such
promise generally ; 1 did promise, here and there en individual,
that I would not raise his tithes, and I have scrupulously performed
thts promise with respect to every aid inhabitant to whom I made
it. But I never made any general promise; nor can any one of
you produce any Resolution of Vestry, any scrap of paper, or do-
cument, to show that I did.
Several parishioners here loudly declared that the D.xtor had I
entered into a general verbal agreement with the pi rishien ;ea to I
take to more than Is. in the pound ; but he now taunted them with
not being able to show any written document to bind them. Was
this honourable ?
A PantsitioNts—When the draught of the list petition to
Parliament was read, you stated that it was, Dr. Owen, by your
individual application to the parishiooms, that they consented to
give you Is. in the pound, in consequence of your being about to be
married. You now say it was only to extend to old inhabitants;
but even if it was so, is it creditable to lou, under mental re.
servation, to charge the widow, the partner, or the child of an
old inhabitant, 2s. 9d. in the pound, when you agreed to take Is.?
The Biahop of London, when reminded of this, said that you,
Dr. Owen, might, in the joy of your heart, when you was pre-
sented to the living, have assented to take Is. in the pound, but
that was not binding. How the Bishop could reconcile this to his
con-cience I do not know.
Dr. OwEN—I felt grateful to the parishioners for having pre-
sented me with the living, and that was my reason for doing it, but
I a: vet did it generally,
51r. Jacesow—You admitted to me that you did.
117. HowELL—Dr. Owen. if you deny that the tithes were only
"'ail. when you came to the living, pray let me ask you, what did
you and your predecessors first receive ?
Dr. Ow EN—Upon my honour, I cannot say. (Laughter.)
Mr.
Mr Routosow, the Churedwarden. said that as long as his
have partner, 31r. Rolland, lived, moody, to the year 1817, he only
psid M per annum, being 1.. in the pound ; but he (Mr. Robin-
son) now paid the doctor 201. a year. (that.)
Mr. HowELL—My house, No. 58, 31ark-lane. paid the Doctor at
first only IL lit, per annum, anti it now pays him 211.; and I beg
to stowed the motion, convinced as I am that it is founded in
truth.
Others of the parishioners rose in grim array, to Mate how they
had been mulcted tin tithes; but the Doctor heeded them not, dc.
Oaring it was his eight, and that be would have no more.
The motion was carried unanimouely.
51r. Yo ENG e lt, in moving the next Resolution, said that every
VA p City took showed the crobarrasament caused by the Ihetor's
presiding. However,as to the real justice of the case, lie wished
the world at large mild read the Report of the Committee. He
declare I that he was not influenced by any personal motives against
Dr. Owen. The Doctor was mistaken if lie thought hint his
enemy. lie was his friend, sad the friend of the Established
Chugs. and was only desirous of rooting out abuses.
Ti.e motion was carried unanimously.
Mr. BARLI.AMB said, it was extremely unpleasant to him, an
the Doctor was in the chair, to submit the next motion, but he felt
at was his duty to do so.
Dr.Owxyr-51y dear Sir, don't consult my feelings; I'm a Stoic
In all those things. (Hear.)
Mr. BanaLa on—My amigo relates to the small payment made
to the Curate; mud I know not how Ole Doctor can reconcile it to
himself to pay the Carmel ao little, and revive himself so much.
zaears
The motion states, that it a Iron returns to the House of
Common.,, that in this , for the last twenty-two years,
to the :Nth of April, I , the clerical duties, with slight excep.
icons, have been performed by Cutouts, at from IW. to 100!. per
annum.
. Dr. OwEN—No City Rector pays so much to Curates as I have
a roe; and it is not true that I have neglected my clerical duties.
Tsis is only what my Dioemen has to do wi h. I can prove that I
have atteotled more than any other ( ity Rector.
Several Parishioners—The more shame for them.
A PAlusilloNEn--The sins of others are not to be cited in jus-
tifiration of your own.
Dr. Ow EN-1 will prove that I officiated twenty-six times in
1825.
A PaatantoNto—The return to the louse of Commons is
only to the 25th of April in that year. You may be right ; but du
you think it just to take Lula w-Year for that?
Dr. OwEN—This is a question of right, and the Bishop is the
proper pawn to apply to ; but if you talk about that, you should
Ka taftlaz. You should go:to a Prebend of De ',ate, who receives

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