The Sun.
London, England, 1807-02-04 00:00:00

SCOTCH CLERGY BILL.

Mr. RENRIK presented a Petition from the
Commission of` the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland, praying that the Scotch Clergy Bill
pending before that. Honoilrable House may not be
passed into a law, as such would be, in the appre-
hension of the Petitioners, productive of divers
ef-
fets injurious to the rights of the Clergy of the
Church of Scotland ; and further praying, that the
Petitioners might be heard by their Counsel at the
Var of that House against the said Bill.
Air. WILBERFORCE said, lie had not yet had
sufficient opportunity of acquiring the necessary in.:
fo-mation upon the subject—but that from the little
information he had obtained, he was induced to
think Mat it would be more advisable.to hear Corm-
Sel- before the House should'go into a Committee
on the Bill, because then. Genlletnen would in that
case be in possession of the leading obje6tions urged
by the Petitioners against theßillTand perhaps it
would appear that all such might be so modified in
the Committee as entirely to satisfy all parties ; an
objeel that, whether he consid6red the charaCter of
the Learned Lord with whom the Bill originated, or
the great respeability of that class of men who had
now petitioned
.against it, was. with him one of no
inconsiderable importance:

Tl 4 SPEAKER felt it his duty ,to acquaint the
House, that as the Bill in question had been read a
second time, it was not the regular usage to hear
Petitioner by. their Counsel at the Bar in any stage
tit) intermediate as that in the present instance.—
When the Bill was committed, it would be-for the
Committee to exercise its own discretion ; but :hat
it .was more usual for the House to hear Collilsel
upon the Report being-Or:mg:it up.
Mr., WILBERFORCE apologised for this unin-
tentional informai;ty, as he had not been aware
that-the Bill in question bad
.been read a second
time.' .

Mr. i4D:111 begged leave to observe, that no
Counsel could be heard in the present stage of the
Bill ; and were it even pot: irregnlar, it would be
inconvenient; for he was satisfied that the obje&ions
of the Clergy of Scotland, for whom he entertained
the most unfeigned respe&, went rather to the appre-
hended modifications of the Bill than to the prin-
ciple of the Bill itself; for it was neither in the ne-
Jure, -nor was it any part of the objedt of the Bill,
to take away any
,Privilege, or to infringe upon any
right. He assured the Hon. 'Gentlemen -and the
douse, that notliing was more foreign to the minds
of those With whom that sill originated' than any
sentiment hostile to the true interests of the . Scotch
Clergy. The objet, of the Bill was Merely to
.nv-p. end, for a limited time,: and a very limited
time, certain proceedings pending before the Com-
missioner's of Teinds, relative to the augmentation
of ,Stipends. The Court of SessiOn, of which
those Commissioners were Members, would ter-
minate its sittings on the 10th of March, and not
resume them before the l'2th of May ; but the
tjme of suspension .was not to exceed the first day
of the subsequent Session. 'Where then, he asked,
was the giound for any reasonable complaint of
de-
iv, when the recess was to commence so soon, and
the time of suspension was to be limited by its ter-
ruination ?

The LORD ADVOCATE of SCOTLAND
should desire no Vetter testimony to the sincerity of
goM wishes to the Church of Scotland than that
of the Scotch Clergy.themseNes.---Taught, he might
say, frorn his infancy to hold that respeaable class
of the community in proper estimation, he did
not think that he could be supposed 'capable of
`deliberately introducing into that House any mea-
asure that could in the slightest degree tend to
detraa from their privileges, or to alienate their
ri Tits; so -far from. it, that he had it in his inten-
tion to submit, upon a future day, to that House,
some measure for rendering- theM more secure and
iiertuannt.. He was, however, as willing as any
Gentleman in that House could be, to hear the Pe-
titioners by their Counsel :''he was anxions..that no
possible channel of information upOn that subje&
skionld be closed. The principle of the Bill was not
objected to, but the modifications which the Bill
Should undergo when in the Committee. He was
persuaded that when the blanks were filled up in
the the Petitioners would then see the
ci, ar and lutninouS poiiit of view, and feel,
,as be di new, how groundless were their .aure-
Lenns. -Who he had the honour of submitting
that ILE to the House, he felt happy in' the. con-
sciousne-s of introducing a regulation that he be-
lieVed v,cirt'd 'be beneficial -to• the Church of Scot-
land; but if .t shaliappear otherwise—if there is the
g-outli to susped that it may be produ&ive of
any consNuences injurious to the S., ots Clergy, he
should feel greatek happiness in immediately
~,ithdrawing it.

L 0 IV D 0 N,,

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1807.

We received this morning Jamaica. Papers to the
13th of December, from which we have made seve-
ral Extras. They confirm the accot;ni of the sur-
renaer of Curacoa.

No intelligence whatever reached town this morn-
ing
from the Continent ; but a report was circu-
lated, that Government had received Dispatches
confirming the accounts of the total defeat of the
French ; and it was also stated, that *General BEN-
NINGSEN'S.Letter to the KING of PRUSSIA had been
discovered to be a forgery. We arc enabled, in the
most positive manner, to contradi& the whole of
This 'repoct. No Messenger arrived from the Con-
tinent either. yesterday 'or this morning, nor is
there 'the slightest reason to doubt the authen-
ticity of General BENNINGSEN'S Letter. There
certainly is some contradiction between-that Letter,
and. the French Bulletins, because it is positively
stated in the latter that Gen. 4uxuovnEN was en-
gaged on the 2Gth. It is'singular that if the, two
Corps were so near each other as two German miles,
Gen. BENNINGSEN should not have known that cir-
cumstance. The next .dispatches from the Conti-
nent-wilt, we trust, clear up doubts upon this must
interesting subje6t..

A report was current this morning in the City,

that Buenos Ayres bad ..been re•taken from the
Spam:v(ls. That place seems destined to be the
subject pi eternal reports. We can only say, that
Government have not received any anch account.

His MAJESTY arrived in town to-day, to hold a
Privy Council, when it is supposed the Sheriffs for
the ensuing year will be appointed.

Earl SPENCER h 4 been confined with a cold and
fever'since Thursday. Sir WALTER FARQUHAR at,
tends him, and will not allow him to up much.
Yesterday the Cabinet Ministers:dined with Vis-
count OIDMOUTH.

Yesterday the Malden Committee sat in close de-
liberation from.ten till four,' and then adjoUrned to
this ..morning at eleven o'Ciock.
Mr. PL7MER made his reply on the 'part of the
Petitioner, Mr. CREEVEY, in the Thetford Com-
mittee, which he close& at, .three o'clock ; aftier
which the room was cleared, and the Committeoat
about twenty minute, and then adjourned to eleven
this morning.
WHIG CLUE.—The first meeting of this Society,
for the present season, took place yesterday, at the
Crown and Anchor Tavern. The Duke of NOR-
FOLK presided in the chair. The meeting had a nu-
merous attendance of the most respeEtable of the
Members. “. The Ktrtn.," fg the QUEEN," and
many other loyal and Consitutional toast's were drank.
The day was marked by festivity and good humour,
which was-heightened by several patriotic and plea-
sant songs. The Company did not seprate till. a- late,
hour. •

The. followincr, is. an Abstra& of the 'effeEtive
strength of the Volunteers of Great .Britain ; 'dis-
tinguishing Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery ; ac-
cording to the latest Returns, dated the Ist of De-
cember, -1806:
. ,
Cavalry— Field Officers t6o'; ' Captains, 49; ; Subalterns,
1'032; StAlOfficers; 745 ; Serjeants. 1556 ; TrUmpeters and
Drummers, 520 ; Rank and. File, 25, lap.
Infantry—Field Officers, 1238; Captains, 3154 ; Sub-
alterns, 7456 ; 'Staff Officers, 1786 ; Serjeants, I'3,S2s
'num Rters and Drummers, 6762 Rank and File, 259,501.
Otlicers,a9; Captains, cst ; SUbalterns.
309 ; Staff Officers, 5'5 ; Serrants, 554 ; Trumpeters and
DrumnierS, 223 ; Rank and Pile, 10,482..
Total--FieldOfficers, 1427;, Captains, 440 ; Subalterns,
8797 •, Staff Officers, .25?6 ; Serjeants, 15,986; Trumpeters
and Drummers; 7505 ; Rank and File, '295,103.
Whitehall, 27th lan. 1307. IIIECKETT.

The House of Assembly in Jamaica have voted
an Addresi to: Lieutenant-General Sir Eyrp CooTp,
the Commander in Chief and Lieutenant-Governor
of that Island.

On Thursday last the Officers of the line, on the'
Recruiting Service, at Tandaragee, In the North of_
Ireland, gave a Ball and Supper, which was attended
by all the fashionable and pleasant society in the
neighbourhood. The Dance and Song detained the
company till a late hour, highly pleased with the
entertainment of the night. The Ball-room was ele-
gantly decorated with emblematical devices of the
ViEtory of Lord NELSON.

Last week the Gentlemen of the Guards, stationed
at Chatham, with some Gentlemen of the neigh-
bow hood, performed the Tragedy of Zara, with
the burletta of Tent Thumb. The house was filled
with as elegant an audience as ever graced
arid never did an audience leave it with greater sa-
tisfatlion at the entertainment they had met with
The performance, both of the tragedy and the bur
letta were admirable ; every performer was correct
and happy in, the delineation of the charaoter he re-
presented ; 'there were same who particularly ex-
celled; but as all were aauated by.the same senti-
ment of benevolence, in corning forward for a cha-
ritable purpZise, it would be invidious to make dis-
tinEtions.

DUBLIN, JAN. 31 .—Robberie are at •present very
,
frequent at the different outlets of this city. ies;
terday evening a long coach, called the Cock of the
North, was stopped at Santry Wall, about four or
five miles on the North road, and all the passengers
in it robbed of every shilling and article of value they
possessed. One
.Gentleman. coming to Dublin to
purchase goods, -lost 500 guineas in gold, and the
other passengers notes and specie to the amount of
.5001. There were about sixteen fellows concerned
in the robbery. One outside passenger was beaten
in a most dreadful manner by. them, because
of the'gang perceived him endeavouriilg to ccinc.,4ll
his pocket-book. in the sleeve of his coat.

THE OPERA.--A sele&ion from the Comic Opera
of Il Principe di Tarento, was represented under the
name of a Centone. After the Ballet a new Comic
Opera, called Roberto L' Assassin°, was brought for-
ward for the first time. The Music is but very
different, ann there was nothing interesting in the
fable. NALDI exerted his musical and comic
powers with great zeal, but the mass was tpo heavy
to receive animation even from his lively talents.
Signor Stnowt and Madame PERINI, also deserve
rtittch credit for their endeavours to support the Piece.
The new Dancer PRESLE, increases in favour every
night. She follows the steps of HILLIGSBERG
very successfully.
• Madame .CATALANI, it is said, has den-landed no
more than seven thousand pounds, two clear Benefits,
and the.privilege to sing where she pleases, for an
engagement next season at the Opera-House. She
is equally Dioderate, it seems, with respeet to private
Concerts, requiring but two hundred pounds for her
performance each night. It these terms should-be
complied with, we may fairly say, " How are we
ruined !"

It has been whimsically observed, that the TAY-
LOR of the Opera. HouSe does not like Gold binding.
It seems that he has resolved to assume his old ma-
nagerial habit.
Mr. XoBrN, the author of The Honey Moon, left,
it seems, several manuscript Drama's, ' and one of
them is soon to be brought, for Ward at Drury-lane
Theatre, under the title of The Curfew. The fable
is founded upon the manners of.the times when the
feudal system prevailed, and it is therefore peculia.
ly suited to the manner of the author, whiCh 1s
marked by great vigour of sentiment and an antique .
cast, but not of obscure expression.
-

- Miss LEE, who recently bad a benefit at, the
Hay Market Theatrl, is not the Miss LEE to whom
the public are inde..bted for The Chapter of Accidents,
and matey literary prodOlions thilt are deservedly ad-