The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-29 00:00:00

tem is yet In its worst activity, creating discontent and
murders in the centre and south of Ireland. This lisle of.
things cannot endure much longer, without convulsing
that island from end to ern!. The tithe laws are the bane i
of the peasantry ; they press upon them heavy as Egyptian
exaction on the Israelites. They cannot maintain two I
churches : it is too hard they shouhl have to pay the Pro-
testant Clergymen enormously for doing nothing, beside
contributing to the support of their own Pastor too. The
Tithe Bill of last Session has been rejected by two out of
three of the assembled parishes in Ireland: it has failed in
rendering any relief to the people at large: its only effect
hes been to rouse the avarice and raise the incomes of the
Clergy of that country, already enormously overpaid.
Lord Kingston, on Thursday night, in the House of
Lords, gave a striking picture of the effects of this Bill,
and the abominable tithe system, as now prevailing in
Ireland. Dr. Woodward, a Protestant Clergyman in the
South, bad (Lord Kingston stated) let his tithes in Ibo 9,
the period of war and high prices, for 1.6001. a year, and
now he wants, under the new Bill, 2,0001. front the
parish, as a moderute composition in these prosperow
times, and the beneficent Minister was pros cling to re-
cover the ::ssessment he chose to impose, by all the legal
horrors of the tithe code. The receiver-general of this
worthy and disinterested clergyman, Lord Kingston stated
to be a fellow of the name of Delany, a tithe-proctor, so
rapacious and exacting, as to have acquired, through that I
country generally, the name of " Cruel Delany." This is ;
the man the meek and benevolent Dr. Woodward employed
on his missions of mercy among the peasantry. It is in
this way the unfortunate people are •seourged and plun-
dered by the agents of the tithe system. With such facts'
as these before the public, who can wonder at the dreadful
rtsultsithat so often and so eenerally follow ? In fact, the
Bill of last Session seemed framed for the exclusive benefit
of the clergy ; its'object appeared to be to give back to the
church the tithe of grass-land, of which it had been de-
prived by the agistment law of the Irish Parliament. We I
know that many of the Irish clergy viewed it in that light,
and hailed its enactment as a restoration of church property.
The landed proprietor and the grazier have been assessed
heavily, to increase the overgrown incomes of the Clergy,
without bringing the slightest relief to the impoverished
and despairing peasant. The Established Church of Ire-
land has long been the richest in the world. Were not the
revenues of this Church already sufficiently monstrous
without adding to them by the repeal of the agistment law,
which exempted grass lard? Tithes, at their first introduc-
tion into Ireland, probably formed only a just and reason-
able support for the clergy. The tithe, as collected thee, paid
the Bishop, repaired the Church, and gave relief to the in-
digent, beside maintaining the incumbent. Yet how dif-
ferent was the state of that country then from what it is
now. Its population was not one...seventh, nor was one-
twentieth of the land now employed in tillage or agricul-
ture then cultivated or grazed. In process of time the
Clergy considerately got rid of all charges on their tithe ;
they left the indigent to be maintained and the Church
repaired by other means, and they took the entire produce ,
of the tithes to theensAves. The Church in Ireland, as
here, rose, from being a humble teacher of the Gospel, to
be a mighty power in the Stre. It is now enormously
rich, and proportionably influential. At the period of the
enactment of the agistment law, its revenues were very
large, but they have been since fully doubled. The vast
increase of population and of tillage has been the cause of
this increase of income. In Ireland the Clergy are enor-
mously rich, and the vast majority of the people
are as miserably poor ; the latter are heavily as-
sessed, without say return whatever, for nine-tenths
of the Irish people are Catholics, and by them,
who never enter a church, are the overgrown revenues of
the Protestant clergy paid: hence may be traced the heart-
buntings, and the deep discontents that every where
agitate the peasantry, and which never will subside while
the tithing system last in that island. We do not wonder
at the general indignation and rejections that followed the
Relief Bill of last Session; an indignation that was at its
height when it appeared "that to increase the already
monstrous revenues cre the church was the main object of
the Bill, and that though the landowners and gentry of
Ireland were to make large sacrifices, the clergy on their
part were to snake none, while the people were to obtain
no substantial relief whatever. On the contrary, the
latter were to be additionally burthened, and the whole
gain and profit were to go into the pockets of the church.
It was asked, and truly asked, where were the claims of
the clergy to this increase? Why should the landed pro-
prietors snake large sacrifices, and the church make none?
Why should the gentry of Ireland yield their lands to the
gripe of the tithe proctor, and the impoverished peasantry re-
ceive no equivalent benefit whatever? The poverty of the
fanners and agriculturists in Ireland is notorious. The
wealth of the established church is just as well known ; the
Bill of last Session assessed the ruined fanner, still further
to enrich the church. Was this relief, or such legis-
lation as should have been dealt to Ireland? Or, with
such a Bill as this before us, are we be surprised at
the results that have followed? This Bill, with all its
extensive and tedious machinery of vestries and commis-
sioners, has utterly failed in every good purpose, and must
he repealml. Ireland never can, and never will be tranquil,
until the. whole system of Tithe Laws is put an end to.
No Government—no itupartialjnstice—no conciliation, can
do anything without it. This code, oppressive as if
framed by the Inquisition, is the curse of li-eland, and
carries with it oppression and misery among the peasantry
at large. To enrich an unworthy few, it spreads suffering
and wretchedness among millions. The filet and the moat
effective relief that can be given to the Irish people, is
the complete repeal of this desolating and oppressive code.
It is the parent, at once, of suffering and of crime;
misery and murders both follow in its train. What benefits
does the established church confer on Ireland, to compen-
sate for the infliction of such frightful evils? •

Our space was so much pre-occupied en Sattirday, that
we had no opportunity of observing; as welted intended,
upon the letter tigned " A Non-Paorateroa," in our co-
lumns of the day before, upon our remarks on a late elec-
tion at the India House. In what we said upon that sub-
ject we had no bias of personal interest or of party feeling.
If this writer chooses to call forth still further observations,
be is welcome to all the service which those persons, whose
confederacy he so promptly advocates, can possibly derive
from them. We doubt much- the authenticity of his sip
nature. If he is indeed netifrat, he belongs, we suspect,
to an armed neatralily. He is pleased to say, that in some
respects he dots not question the.propriety of our remarks.'
Were he really "A Nun—PraariMar" we should demur to his
competency, as a judge, to decide the question either way.
Hut we will waive our plea to the jurisdiction, and go at
once into the merits. "With regard to the combination
of the houses of agony," says this Non-Proprietor, " I will
allow, for argument's sake, that they may be highly dan-
gerous lb the interests nod welfare of the country ; but, on
the othei hand, I thiuk.a eoanter-combination anion the