The Sun.
London, England, 1840-11-20 00:00:00

CHURCH-R

D TITHES.

The prosecution of John Thorogood for a rate of
ss. 6d., and the enormous amount of costs, 901.,

for the recovery of this sum, together with the com-
mitment of Mr. Baines of Leicester, under similar
circumstances, have naturally excited a sttong feel-
ing among the numerous classes of Christiartis
throughout the community. Many of the Dissen-
ters, and that respectable body the ocicty of
Friends, begin to fear that the Church is re-
solved to revive those scenes of persecution which
followed the laws made in the 7th and Sth years

of William the Third for the more easy recovei y of
tithes, Church-rates, &c. The bad spirit which ani-
mated the clergy in:the reign of George the Second,
particularly towards Dissenters and Quakers, seems
to have taken possession of the clergy of the present
times. Witness their refusal to bury the bodies of

those baptised out of the pale of the Church ; the
contempt with which many of them speak of Wes-
leyans, and even the members of the Church of Scot-
land ; their violent attempts to regain that dominion
over other classes of Christians, which, to a certain
extent, they lost by the Catholic Emancipation Bill,
the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, &c. ;
and their urgent appeals to Parliament for more of
the people's money to increase the wealth of the
richest Church in the world. For these and other
reasons the Dissenters have cause for alarm. About
a hundred years ago, the Church, by means of the
Act referred to, carried on a system of perse-
cution, which no doubt greatly increased the
numbers of Dissenters, and made her hate-
ful even to many good Churchmen ; and the treat-
ment of the Quakers displayed a bitterness and a
want of charity highly disgraceful to the Esta-
blishment. About 1735 a petition was presented
to Parliament from that body, stating that these had
been prosecuted under these Acts, in the Ex-
chequer and other Courts, not less than 1,100 of
that people, of whom near three hundred were com-
mitted to prison, and several of them died pri-
soners. The supporters of the Church denied
these facts, and called for proofs, which the
Quakers soon supplied ; they collected 1,180 cases
and published them in 1736, with the particulars of
each case. Some of them are curious, and others
exhibit a system of cruelty on the part of the
Church absolutely revolting.
We give the two following cases as specimens of
the sufferings to which these harmless people were
subjected for conscience sake :
John Walton, of Shildon, Thomas Lackenby, of
Bishop Aukland, Ralph Dixon, of Woodhouse Close-
house, Love-God Murwaite, of Bishop Aukland, widow,
and John Dalton of the same, were prosecuted in the
Ecclesiastical Court, at the suit of Thomas Sayer and
William Slater, wardens, for a Church-rate (so called).
The demands were, on Walton, two shillings and
sixpence ; Lackenby, twopence-halfpenny ; Dixon, one
farthing ; nn the Widow Murwait, fourpence ; and on
Dalton, one farthing. They were all committed to
Durham goal on a writ de excommunicato capiendo ;
but several of their neighbours, troubled at their im-
prisonment for such trifles, paid the demands of the
Court, and got them discharged.
Thomas Binyon, senior, of Holcut, yeoman, was pro-
secuted in the Exchequer, for tithes, at the suit of the
said Parson Hall.
Thomas Binyon, aged about ninety-one years, blind
and deaf, for a demand of 551. for eleven years tithes,
was taken up by an attachment, and committed to
Northampton gaol, on the 22d of November, 1702,
where he was close confined. When he was brought
first into the prison, he fainted away through age ant
weakness, by his being removed five miles from home,
so that they had much ado to recover him to life. Yet,
notwithstanding his weak condition, the parson's attor-
ney brought a writ of habeas corpus, and a warrant to
the gaoler, to remove him up to London, to appear
the first day of the term. But the gaoler, knowing the
weakness and incapacity of the poor old man, refused to
carry him up on that writ, and made return of his lan-
guishing condition. Nevertheless, the prosecutor again
moved the Court, and obtained a second writ of habeas
corpus, returnable before the last day of the term, for
removing the said lanvishing aged man to the said
Court, upon a penalty against the Sheriff, if not obeyed.
After which three depositions were sent up of the
prisoner's being about ninety-one years of age, and both
blind and deaf ; for the most part keeping his bed, and
not able to walk the length of his room.

HER MAJESTY AND THE ROMAN
CATHOLIC CLERGY.

The following circular has been sent by Dr. Grif-
fiths, the titular Bishop of London, to all the clergy
under his jurisdiction :--
" ltcv. dear Sir,—As the whole nation is anxiously
looking forward to an event in which it is deeply inte-
rested, it behoves us to implore in fervent prayer the
especial protection of Heaven upon our young Queen.
The preservation of the life of our gracious Sovereign,
the sanctification as well as the health of her promised
offspring, and the future happiness of these realms, are
blessings which cannot be too importunately demanded
from the Giver of every gond gift. We therefore enjoin
that the Collect, Secret, and Postcommunion, pro qua-
unque necessitate, be added to every mass said in your
chapel, when the rubrics allow their insertion, until
further notice ; when we hope to congratulate you on
the success of your prayers.
" Rev. dear Sir, your faithful servant in Christ,
" yC THOMAS uRIFFITHS.
" London, Nov. 14, 1840.
" You can admonish your flock to join in the same
pious supplication."

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS

The following arc the results of " A Table of Mortality
in the Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from
all Causes Registered, in the week ending Saturday, the
14th November, 1840." The Table is issued from the Office
of the Registrar-General:—

Weekly
Total. Average

CAUSES OF MEATS.

1 838.

Epidemic, Endemic, and Contagious Diseases 192 265
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 136 156
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the Heat and Bloodvessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion 76 57
Diseases of the Kidn,ls, &c.
Childbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Old Age, er Natural Decay 5l 79
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intemperance 25 26
Causes not specified
Deaths from all causes BB5 -
Average Weekly Deaths ... 1,013
' Deaths in the Average Weekly
Week. . Deaths, 1838.
Western Districts ... 133 ...... 156
Nort4 Districts
Central Districts lB5 ..... 208
East Districts 192 ...... 239
South Districts .. 226 238

Total BB5

1,013

It is stated that under the term Metropolis are' com-
prised the 32 districts herein mentioned, which include the
City of London within and without the walls, the City and
Liberties of Westminster, the out parishes within the
bills of mortality--and the parishes of St. Marylebone ;
St. Pancras ; Kensington; Fulham ; Hammersmith
(Chapelry) ; St. Luke, Chelsea; Paddington; St. Mary,
Stoke Newington ; St. Leonard, Bromley ; St. Mary-le-
bow ; Camberwell ; Greenwich ; St. Nicholas and St.
Paul, Deptford; and Woolwich. The population as enu-
merated in 1831 was 1,494,890. Tho weekly average for
183$ was obtained by dividing the deaths registered in that
year by 52. In comparing it with the weekly deaths in
1840, it must be borne in mind that the metropolis in-
creases nearly two per cent. annually ; and that, if the
popul o ion had been the same in 1838 as in 1840, the deaths
would have been 1-27th part more numerous.
General Register-office, Nov. 19. 1840.