The Sun.
London, England, 1830-05-19 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIES.

Mr. KEITH DOUGLAS, adverting to a motion of
his which stood on the Paper, for a Select Committee to
inquire into the distressed state of the British West India
colonists, thought the Government ought to take upon it-
self the responsibility of proposing a measure to Parlia-
ment upon the subject, and spare him the necessity of per-
forming a duty for which he was much less qualified than
were the advisers for the Crown.

Mr. BERRIES feared, that so great were the embar•
rassments of the colonists, that nothing which Govern•
meat could do would afford them relief.

Lord CHANDOS said, that the Government had made
promises, but had never given the West India interest any
relief. He must be convinced of the intention of the Go-
vernment to take the matter up, before he would consent
to abandon the motion.

Sir ROBERT PEEL was satisfied of the depression of
the West India interest; but he did not see how any mea-
sures could be undertaken for its relief during the present
Session. His Hon. Friend, who had spoken before his
Noble Friend, seemed content to acquiesce in the recom-
mendation that Government should take the matter into
its consideration. He would so far pledge the Govern-
ment that he would undertake that it should investigate
the matter, anti should give him notice of its intention at
so early a period, twat he should be able to bring forward
his motion on the fir,t week of the next Session of Parlia-

tnent. If his Hon. Friend postponed his proposition till
next Session, there would then be tune to make the in-
quiry more complete, and find some practical remedy.
When he mentioned the late period of the present Session,
it was with no intention to cut any reflections on his

Hon. Friend. Ile knew that his Hon..Friead had been
anxious to bring forward the subject, but the state' Of the
Order Book had been such, that he had not been-able,
The best course, he believed, for his Hon. Friend would be
to acquiesce in the proposition of Government—allow it to
examine the matter in the mean time, it undertaking to
give such an early notice to his Hon. Friend that he roigh,
submit his proposition to Parliament the first week in the
next Session, if he were not satisfied with what the G°.
vernment should find it proper to recommend.
Mr. K. DOUGLAS, being perfectly satisfied that tile
Government would undertake the inquiry with sinceril
and determination, he should find it his duty to accede to
the proposition of his Right Hon. Friend.
Sir A. GRAN I' expressed his satisfaction at the matte
being left is the hands of Government, as it was both
able to investigate the subject thoroughly, and applf
practical remedy. He begged leave, however, to call the
attention of his Right Hon. Friend (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer) to the state of overwhelming distress in whic"
the West Indies were involved, if some practical rev:wat
might not be found in equalising tho duties. At presto
the duties pressed most unequally, because the duty 01,
the same on the finest as on the coarsest sugars. Til°
would give the lower classes an opportunity of getting :be
coarse sugars cheap. The Hon. Gentleman also :wow ,
mended a lower rate of duty for sugar in Ireland, whi'
he thought was justified by the Chancellor of the ROW
quer having departed from the general principles in le r
ing a different duty on spirits in Ireland and England. ,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER 01
though he was not in general a very orderly person
laugh)—he must show his sense at present of what!;
due to the usual course of proceedings, by refusing Le
enter into the subject, as there was no question before IP
House.
Mr. HUME protested against the manner of dispn"
of the question.

- FIRST FRUITS.—IRELAND. r,
Sir JOHN NEWPORT rose to bring forward a 113".
.
tion that would make a large revenue that was ones t— •
disposal of the Crown, and bad been appropriated by I'
for the service of the church of Ireland. We understood
him to say, that be had brought forward, in 1818, a o°'
tion similar to the present, and it was then rejected by •
majority of 17. He had again submitted the subject 0
the House in 1824, and then it had been negatived byt
majority of 12. He then, for the third time, meant to sub'
mit a motion which would have for its object to carry into
effect the benevolent views of the Crown, which apPrt"
priated a great branch of its revenue to the service of the
Episcopal Church of England, but which bad failed to se'
complish the object intended, owing to the negligence tit
the Members of the Government and of the Legislature,'
not properly enforcing the benevolent views of the (W.' P;
It was in 1710 that Queen Anne bestowed on the Char:a
of Ireland the first fruits, or the first year's revenue of
secant benefices, for the purpose of repairing the churcbe!,'
and buying glebes, and other useful purposes. (Pet
Anne had also remitted the Is. in the pound, or
twentieths, which the clergy were bound to pay. Ilithe
clergy of England had not been returned the to
13tt,,
they were bound to pay, and they continued to 'd
these tenths. Their benefices also, which were van
lued in the time of Henry VIII., Elisabeth, eliee
Charles 1., were valued at a much higher 11,
than the benefices of the Church of Ireland. The revers
derived from the Irish first fruits was so inconeidert;
able that the Parliament had frequently been obligee r
make grants to keep churches in repair, and provide ie.f
other ecclesiastical objects, for which these first fruits, I
properly appropriated, would be sufficient. In the ton
years ending January 1821, according to returns lai,cll,„j
the table of the House, the first fruits of Ireland
yielded 3,722/. ; and in the ten years ending with •""i
nuary 1830, they bad yielded only 5,1401. A salary e
127/. was paid out of the former sum, and 7401. out i
the latter. But during these last ten years fifteen Bi.hor
rice and four Archbishoprics had fallen vacant; and the
first fruits of all their revenues ought to have been paid;
and yet only 5,1401. was paid as one year's revenue of 6'
teen Bishoprics and four Archbishoprics. Durief,
seven years of the same period, the first fruits in Engtate.
had yielded 14,000/. Many of the benefices of
had never been valued at all, and several had been Tall
at a rate far below their value. While this fund bed
been misappropriated, the grants of Parliament to tb°,,,
Iriah Church bad amounted to 686,000/. According
the valuation for the first fruits, ninety-three parishes we
estimated at 258/. 12s. ; but fifty-seven of these parisbr
had compounded for their tithes, and these fifty-se/1g
alone paid the incumbents 18,259/. The Right 110°'
Baronet then referred to the observations of the Prints°
lioulter, contained in a letter addressed to the Arch.'
bishop of Canterbury on December 24th, in 1724, is,
show that the Irish Clergy had always been
to contribute to the wants of the Church, and bad`
always appropriated to themselves the revenues whie-
ought to have gone to beautify and repair churebe°'
He then entered into a comparison of what was C 0
tributed under the name of first fruits by the Eagi'li
and Irish Bishoprics : Derry, he said, 'Which Nae .ji
rich see, having an annual revenue of 20,000/. p'
C)
first fruits 2501. ; while Rochester, a very poor ee!ii
paid 322/. Another Irish see paid 93/., Cloyne
10!. 10s., Killaloe paid 201, Clogher paid 350/ ; svh),-1
Winchester paid more for first fruits than the whole of tyl
Irish Archbishoprics and Bishoprics. The Hon. Bove%
then contended that Mr. Shaw, the patentee of the its
fruits, was bound by his patent to inquire into and e,i
amine the first fruits of the Irish benefices. There coo'
be no question that the funds derived from the first 100
small and insufficient as they proved, never were ape'
propriated to the objects fur which they were intend et
and that they were uniformly distributed among the rice
and the well beneficed Clergymen, to the neglect of tl:b
Church and the injury of the poorer class of the 10
Church. It was expedient that a Committee should be ird
pointed to inquire into the merits of these valuations, 03,
into the general administration of the produce of tbe fund'
Lord LEVISON GOWER opposed the motion.
proposal of the Hon. Baronet to revise the valuation
the fund would have the effect of taxing the people, WWI
out benefitting either the Church or its Ministers ;
at the same time, if he was to give his assent to tb,
motion, he would be admitting that the Church of Irelaa°l
was established for the benefit of the Clergy, and not 61
the benefit of the people. To such a proposition he cool
never give his assent ; and therefore felt it hie duty t°
move the previous question on the Right Hon. Baronet'
motion.

Mr. RICE said, that the magnitude of the question ,1°
this case was little understood. The country had beenl
years paying 50,000/. a year to this First Fruit Fund,
it was not until after the most strenuous exertions on P",:
part of his Right Hon. Friend (Sir J. Newport) that Pi
eyes of Parliament had been opened to the folly and este;
vagance of the vote. In his opinion this moduli of 1) e
Right Hon. Friend was one of great importance to tb
Church of Ireland, aid if it were carried, would be 11'1
tended with great advantages to the Church, and 01,°
o t;
attain the end of confirming and consolidating its pn
He should most cordially support the motion of his Rig'
Hon. Friend.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER WO,
altogether opposed to the motion, from which he did 19,
anticipate any such advantages as the other side suppose°:(
He begged to say that this was not entirely a question
Bishops' incomes, confessedly large, but not larger the
the necessities of their Sees required, but affected the in
comes of all the Clergy in the country.
Sir J. NEWPORT replied.
The House then divided.
For the motion.... 65
Against it 94
Majority —29

Dr. PHILLIMORE postponed his motion.
Sir C. WETHERELL postponed his motion generallP,
Mr. BROUGHAM asked if it was the intention to
the Attorney-General to give the House an opporiunis
of discussing the subject relating to the Court of Chancery,
For one year it had been put off in hopes of the Lag
Chancellor's Bill. This Bill came down and was the°
withdrawn. He said this, because, if there was 01,
some reasonable prospect of this measure reaching tb,
House, it would be necessary for some Hon. Member at II"
side of the House to make it imperative.
Mr. M. A. TAYLOR had not brought forward hit:
motion, in the hope that the measure would be brougl"
forward by the Attorney-General. He concurred in thi
expectation of his Hon. and Learned Friend that thi°
great and important question would be brought under tio°
consideration of the House.
Mr. Secretary PEEL expected the Bill would cod
down to-morrow or Thursday. He had been
.in the
country for some days and knew nothing of the motion'
If the measure was not brought forward in the time hello,
named, it would be free to any Hon. Member to origins°
a motion upon the subject.
BIRMINGHAM CANAL.
Mr. DUGDALE brought forward his motion regardisil,
the Birmingham Canal, in order that the House migl"
adopt such measures as seemed expedient to protect the
public from such projects in future. He observed that th:
estimate of the undertaking, made by Mr. Telford, psi
453,0001., and a list of subscribers, to the amount °,
394,0001., had been delivered in, in due course. It tures'
out, by inquiry before the Committee on the Standing Or
dere, that this list of subscribers consisted in many 01
stances, of indigent persons, not competent to pay the dr

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