The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-06 00:00:00

alined to take advanta'e of the attend( in he had excited. As
his (Mr. Horsman's) name was appem led to that Report, he
felt it his day, although with sine per tonal inconvenience, to
be present on this occasion. Now, having lis:cned attentively
to all that fell from the Right Hemeure dale Baronet, must
say, that all the mystification and oenfusion titer h lied an
example of that evening, was in his owls speech. „ fished
he could add., that also was tines illiugly lining 1,-,
But that certainly had not been the case ; :het apeeedt v.T.s
intended to produce much effect :, and had eerteirdy coat
much preparation, for with all hi a willingness to give fait
credit to him in that line, he di. i not think he ecl!d have:
given vent to such a long train.. of ignorance and inconsis-
tencies, without a very great deal of "preparation indeed. The
Commissioners had a very difficut t task to perform; but, al.
though they had all parties to ei,i•ounter, the 5- fi.dshcd their
task to the satisfaction of each. Ele was convinced that the
Right Hon. Baronet who brotight fterward the resent metiee
was actuated with a view to a emit ing elisetion reth„.r tl:an
by a religious feeling,, but- he sheeald not be so forgetful of
the past, as not to recollect that it as hiseown friends who
had placed the Church of Scotland iv its present situation.
The present Government had not had ati opportunity to confer
benefits on -the Church of Scotland. - -They had not even the
power to remove the mischiefs which their predechsera
introduced. He (Mr. ilarseuraii)- had' lately had an oppor-
tunity of observing from personal inspection the state of the
Church of Scotland, and of forming a co 'eat opinion respect-
ing it, and be could state that the opini'.ons which had been
expressed concerning it were not correcie The Right Hon.
Baronet did not state correctly that the Corereissioners had
taken a year and a half to make up their Report aorie. The
Right Hon. Baronet ought to have known thatlast year the.
Commissioners were actively employed in making .110e..e.nt
quiries in Scotland to which the cloth Vdemher for• Dume •
frieshire had referred. At the end of the last Seseien of Par-
liament the Commissioners had written to him to far that they
very much feared that they Would not be alio to make. up their
report in time to be ready for thenextemeetingeof Parliament,
and so urgent were the requests of the Commissioners, e.-td •
such their anxiety, that, contrary to advicerogiven hint on ac-
count of the state of his health, he gave up -every day from the
rising of the last Session of Parliament, to the sitting of the
present one in travelling through the couittry, making inqui-
ries and assisting to make up the Report. He had acted in
this way in opposition to advice that was given him, and at a
sacrifice which he was now offering of not hiving been able to
attend to his duties in Parliament during the course of the
present session. Having gone through evensive districts in
Scotland, he had had an opportunity of pemonal observation,
and making inquiries of the Ministers throe...meta the country,
and he did not hesitate to say that the Church of Scotland was
the most perfect establishment that these countries possessed.
It had none of those enormities by which the Churches of End-
land and Ireland were disgraced. It had no rerenuee de-
rived from a famished population to suppore the dOctrines of
a small minority of the people. It had no large revenues to
bribe its friehds—no rich translations—no retainers of
deaneries and prebendaries. The Church of Scotland was
digraced by no monstrosities. It was an woeful and popular
Church—popular from its unpretending character, and useful
from the conduct of its Ministers: The Clergy, instead of
being chosen from among the scions of Aristocracy, were
taken from amongst the people. • With ince mes seldom less
than 1501. per annum, and seldom exceeding- 3001., they lived
in moderate independence, and no Establishment possessed a
more zealous, efficient, or labouring Clergy than were the
Clergy of the Church of Scotland. Such was the character
which they possessed previous to the time when they were ad-
mitted to political privileges under the Reform Bill. What
the it character would be now was still a matter of experiment.
Previous to 1832 the cry of the Church in danger had not
been heard in Scotland. The people then had no votes,
and there was no cry raised there then. But then a change-
came, and the Church, which had heretofore been looked to
merely as a means of religious instruction, became a new
engine of power. Accordingly, when a new Government
was
_formed in 1834, the Church was put up to auction,.
and' the first bid wss made by a paragraph in the King's
Speech in 1835.. That Speech had been called by a high au-
thority a series of claptrap:, and i.e ce uld take upon himself to
say that a greater claptrap than that in reference to the
Church of Scotland was never introduced into any speech. It
was a skilful move; it was made an excellent handle for agita-
tion ; and-he could say that such agitators as the Members for
Ednburghshire aed:Bute had never been before known in Scot-
land. Such proficieuey in the art of agitation had already been
acquired by the Hon. Member for Edinburghshire that when
lie had another year's practice he would back him against any
one. But let them see the use that was made of the Church.
as an instrument of agitation. It was the first topic at all their
public meetings—it was foremost in all their written docu-
ments—and it was the first toast. at all their festive meetings.
Was it not in accordance with a pledge given by the Hon. Mem-
ber for Bute at oneof these public dinners that he had brought
forward his motion to-night? In November last a public dinner
was given at Dalkeith, middle Church was, as usualebrouglit for-
ward. The toast was replied to by a Minister of the Church of
Scotland, who, in the course of his speech, stated that his Ma-
jesty's Ministers had entered into a league with,the Papists of Ire.
lay a and the revolu ts of Great Britain, and that the ob-
ject of their Lillian e was tie subversion of the Protestant
fath. The Hon. Member for Bute, who spoke subaequcnt'y,
complimented the eloquence of the reverend speaker—drew
a pathetic picture of the wants of the Church of Scotland
—and complained that whilst 500,0001. was granted to the
Church of England, not a single sixpence was granted to the
Church of Scotland, acd\ he stated that he was prepared to
make himself a martyr in support of the interests of the Church,
or of any one w' o v o tld come forward to advocate them.
The Hon. Member pledged himself that when Parliament
met he would bring the subject before the Legislature, and
exert himself to obtain justice for Scotland.—( Ministerial
cheers.) The Hon. Member for Selkirk was also present,
and made similar professions. The Hon. Member was alto
ready to conic forward to assert the integrity of the Church of
Scotland ; and if the Hon. Members for Bute and Edin-
bucghshire were willing to become martyrs in the cause he
supposed that he would be ready to do the same. After the
gathering at Edinburgh another took piece _at Glasgow, at
which forty-five clergymen of different degrees attended.—
( Loud cheers.) The Hon. Members opposite cheered this ; -
but he begged to tell them that such exhibitions on the part of
the Clergy were differently regarded in England and in Scot-
land. The Clergy of England exercised civil functions, and
were mixed up with the State ; but in Scotland, on the con-
trary, the Clergy had always been withdrawn from interference
in political concerns, and the spectacle of forty-five Clergyd
men attending at a political meeting was a sight which the
people of Scotland had never before seen.—(Loud cheers
from both sides of the House.) From his own experience he
was of opinion that the more a Clergyman shore as a poli-
tician the less he would he distinguished as a divine. —( Mi-
nisterial chaers.)
Major C. BRUCE rejoiced to find both from the length
and eloquence of the address which the House had just heard
that the health of the Hon. Member was not so seriously af-
fected as his friends had apprehended.—( A laugh.) The
lion. Member for Cgekermouth had commenced his speech
by an attack on his Hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh-
shire, and lectured him on the unpopularity of prepared
speeches. The Hon. Member seemed to think that to con-
sider the subject in respect to which a notice had been given
swat a course which ought not to be pursued. However, he
would not attempt to say that the Hon.- Member himself was
entirely free from the imputation which he had endeavoured to
cgs: upon his lion. Friend. He was sure that no one who
heard him would gainsay that the Hon. Member, after the ad-
dress which he had delivered, was riot liable to such en impu-
tatio A laugh) The Hde and Gallant Cot en an en-
tered into a deteiled explanation of the entire circumstaraces
of the meeting referred to, from which it appeared that, it
being proposed that the son of Lord Moncricf should se-
coud a resolution, some objection was made and Lord Mon-
crief was substituted; but so far from Dr. Ch.:liners having
had any connection with this transaction he was all the time
ill in bed.—( llear.) Now he would say let the House judge
from this statement of all else that had been advanced by the
Hen. Gentleman. He would say ex uno disce ornncs: Whit
dependence could be placed cn the a curacy of statements
which might have been forced on the credulity of the Hon.
Member when he had been led into such a mistake with refe-
rence to this fact ? The lion. Memb. r had accused Hon.
Members at his side of the House with making the Church of
Scotland a party question. He did not think it necessary to
repel that nccustfon. But did the speech of the Hon. Member
show a total f Worn from party spirit—a complete and perfect
avoidance of, party asperity ? He would leave those who had
heard the Hon. Member to form their own conclusions. The
lion. Mcmher's speech showed that on a question which ought
to be sacred from political excitement he was unable to keep
himself free from the intermixture of party and polhical opi-
nions.--( Hear.) The Hon. Member opposite. had made it a
charge against the Clergy of the Church of- Scotland that
forty-five of their members had attended at a public banquet
at Glasgow—at the Peel banquet.—( Hear, hear.) But
when the Hon. Member took upon himself to .state that
the Clergy of Scotland took - no part in politics until
the franchise was forced . upon them, he would ,pleaso
to
remember that the Clergy of • Scotland were indebted to
those who sat at the same sido of the Holm:. with the Ho-
nourable Member for Cockennouth for having the franchise
forced upon them against. their will.-_( Resoin hear.) hIo
( Major C. Bruce) had opposed the extension of that franchise
to the Clergy at the time when the Scotch Reform 8.11 was
before the House, and several of the Clergy had thanked
him for having done so. But this franchise having- been con •
ferred upon the Clergy,. how. were they to . act ?--( Hear.)
When the Legislature had forced civil duties upon the Cler.
gy of the Church of Scotland, would it have become ahem to
shrink from clischargiaos those duties ?—( Cheers.) lie
knew .they would discharge these duties conscientiously,
whether they voted fur Whig, Radical, or Conservatise._
Hear, -imam hear;) Some few years ago the Hon. Member
for Bute had moved for a select Committee to inquire into
tha entire subject. That motion had been met with an
hmendment by the Secretary. for the Home Department, to
the effect of issuing a Commission to inquire into the entire
subject.. His lion. Friend, who thought at the, time it would
he advantageous to his purpose to have the Government with
him, assented to the proposition of the Home Secretary, and
Consented to withdraw his motion. He (Major .C. Bruce)
Wasehe only Mcmber.at the time who had refused his assent
to shat amendment. He expressed his -decided reluctance
to agree to it. His Right Honour-able Friend the Mem-
ber for Tamworth, who rose after him, took a different
idew of the subject, and on account of the advanced period of
thee session (it was then July) spoke in favour of the amend-
ment. He, on that account, was willing to yield to an autho-
rity which he had always felt disposed to respect, and with-
drew his opposition. The motion, for the issuing of a Com-
mission was consequentl )unanimously carried. The reason
Why he (Major C. Bruce) felt disposed to place no confidence
in a Commission was, because he distrusted the intentions and
dispoSition of the Government with respect to the Church of