The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-09 00:00:00

EXETER-SATURDAY.

We have had a good deal of local euiternent here this week,
oaing to the discovery of the chance of recovering to the gity
a charity property worth 1,500/. a year. In the year 1632
one Elize Hele a benevolent man who bestowed large estates
in charity, left certain manors, one-fourth part of which should
go for the maintenance of a school, and the remaining three-
fourths for the building of workhouses or almshouses, &c. or
such other godly, pious, and charitable purposes as certain
parties, his executors, should think fit; one fourth had been
duly appropriated ; that is, asehool was established, but for
many years past it had only been used as a source of patronage
to the old corporation, who generally gave the mastership to
some tool or tool's relative of their own, who regularly charged
for the education that he dispensed in this free grammar school.
The consequence of this order of things was, that the citizens
instead of regarding the establishment as a blessing looked
upon it as a mockery, and no public interest was ever taken in
it in proportion to its real value. To this school as I have said
one-fourth of the property was appropriated, the remainder was
to be applied (as it accumulated) to other godly and pious
works ; but it was found when the charity Commissioners came
some years ago, that the pious and godly appropriation of the
three-fourths was to the heirs of the executors. The conse-
quence of this appropropriation was that the property relapsed
to the Crown ever since 1825, and it was discovered the other
day that two parties were quietly petitioning the Crown to
obtain a grant of it. One of these parties were the heirs of
the executors—the other consisted of the Church charity trus-
tees of this city. The first wanted the money for their own
personal benefit, the second to increase their power and in-
fluence, and to augment the charities that are left exclusively
to one section of the state—the Established Church. Mr.
Mark Kennaway, with the vigilance and talents that are al.
ways at the disposal of his fellow townsmen, having discovered
these secret movements, immediately obtained a public meet-
tug, and the subject was brought fully before the city on Mon-
day last. The parsons mustered in great numbers, and a
regular fight took place. Mr. Kennaway, in a very able
speech, proposed a resolution that steps should be taken to en-
deavour to obtain a grant of the property from the Crown fur
the benefit of the city at large ; the church party wanted to
add, "to be applied in conformity with the will of the
donor," or words to that effect. The object of this motion
was evidently to clog the grant with something that would
limit its utility, and it was therefore resisted, and on the

Chairman putting the amendment it was negatived by a very
large majority. The clerical party were headed by the Rev.
Dr. Bull, a multifarious parson, who gets more in one year
than all the apostles got for their preaching in the whole
course of their lives. In fact, it may be said as regards money
matters, that it costs less to establish primitive Christianity in
the world, than it takes to maintain this Rev. Doctor to keep
it going in one limited district. He was followed by the Rev.
Mr. Bartholomew, the Rev. Precentor Lowe, Mr. Ralph
Barnes, the Secretary and legal adviser of Bishop Phillpotts,
and Mr. John Daw, the attorney to the Church Charity Trustees.
You never saw such a badgering as they gave Mr. Kenna-
way, constantly arguing on perverted quotations of his speech,
and as fast as he set them right on one point they fell wrong
on another.

After the resolution was carried, a memorial was proposed
by Mr. Snell to the Lords of the Treasury. The clergy first
objected to this that the meeting was not the proper
place to frame a memorial in, and insisted on the appointment
of a Committee. This point was about to be conceded, when
they immediately discovered that they would not pledge them-
selves to take a memorial even from the Committee, unless
the complexion of the Committee pleased them ; in other
words, unless they could have their own way. The conse-
quence was that the memorial was withdrawn, and a public
meeting called for Monday next, to take the question finally
into consideration, when both parties will no doubt muster
strongly, there being a report in the town that the Parsons
intend to pack the hall.
The speakers among the Reformers were J. Tyrrell, Esq.,
Recorder of Tiverton ; Mr. Sayell ; Mr. Osborn ; Mr. M.
Kennaway ; Mr. Holwell ; and Mr. Snell.
The Mayor presided, and received the unanimous thanks of
the meeting.
CLERICAL FORGIVENESS.—A memorial has been sent off to-
day to the Duchess of Kent, in behalf of the Rev. Fisher
Turner, who is anxious to get the living of Stanbridge in
Essex, which it is understood is in the gift of her Royal High-
ness. The Rev. Gentleman is an out-and-out Tory, and a
very dull untalented Divine—the only claims that he possesses
on the consideration of a Reform Government. The memo-
rial has been signed by forty clergyman, who, however much
they may hate the Government, are very forgiving when there
are any favours to be disposed of. This " forty par-
son poll er " of recommendation will probably prevail.