The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-06 00:00:00

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS.

Mr. WILKS presented a petition from the island of Jersey.
determined upon at one of the most numerous and respectable
meetings ever held in that island. It was attended by not
only Protestant Dissenters, but by religionists of every per-
suasion. The petitioners stated that they had a high respect
for religious liberty, and prayed for the abolition of church
rates, a general registry of births, equal privileges in officiating
at marriages and burials, and an unrestricted admission of the
Dissenters to the English Universities. In speaking of church
rates the honourable member would remind the house of
the boon granted to the Irish Catholics, who were re-
lieved from the payment of 60,0001. or 70,0001. a-year ; the
dissenters claimed a similar exemption. The petition was
signed by 14 clergymen of different denominations and several
hundreds of the inhabitants.

Mr. R. WASON begged to submit a proposition which
would tend much to shorten their labours. He proposed to
devote certain days to petitions referring to certain matters.
Mondays to all petitions praying for reforms in the constitution
—Tuesdays to those praying for a repeal of existing taxes—
Wednesdays to petitions from dissenters—and Thursdays and
Fridays to miscellaneous petitions.
The SPEAKER inquired if the hon. member meant to make
any motion ?

Mr. WASON said he did not.
The SPEAKER said then the hon. member should confine
himself to the question before the house.
Mr. WASON again attempted to address the house, but
was interrupted by cries of " Order."
Mr. WILKS said he had another petition to present from
Protestant Dissenters, and one from Glastonbury, in Somerset-
shire, praying for relief from the disabilities under which they
laboured. The petition stated that the plan of the noble lord
would by no means meet the views of the Dissenters.
Mr. BRISCOE supported the petition. He took the op.
portunity of remarking, that the bill introduced by the noble
Paymaster of the Forces gave very great dissatisfaction.
Mr. WILKS presented petitions from Protestant Dissenters
of various denominations, from the following places :—St.
David's, Bath, Somerset ; Halstead, Essex ; Richwell, Essex ;
Stock Winford, Essex ; Saxstead, Essex; Lyme Regis, Dor-
set ; and Aldborough, York.
Sir JOHN TYRRELL presented a petition from Middle-
ton Hall, on the subject of agricultural distress.

Mr. MAX WELL presented a petition from Ayr and Renfrew,
from the friendly societies, complaining of depression of inte.
rest on their funds by the 10th Geo. IV. c. 66, which caused a
reduction, to a half per cent, on money, which ought to bring
five per cent.

After a few words from Mr. WILKS on the subject,
Sir WILLIAM RAE remarked, that although the funds of
the society were vested on private responsibility, no instance
had occurred of a failure as yet.
Sir JACOB ASTLEY presented a petition from the Pro-
testant Dissenters of Trowbridge, in the county of Wilts.
Mr. GILLON presented a petition from 1,400 handloom
weavers of Coln; in Lancashire, praying for the establish-
ment of a Board of Trade. Also a petition from the Southern
Division of the county of Linlithgow against the Bishops of
the Established Church sitting in the Legislature, and one
from Cupar against church patronage, and against the union
of church and state. The petitioners set forth that the duty of
legislators was incompatible with that:of ministers of the Gos.:
pet—the functions of the latter were sufficient for them. On
the subject of church patronage the hon. gentleman adverted to
what had fallen a few days back frOna an hon. member regard-
ing the numbers of dissenters. It was stated that out of
2,000,000 there were but 500,000 dissenters. He (Mr. G.)
would appeal to facts; in Edinburgh, in the year 1831, there
were 39,000 dissenters and only 27,000 members of the esta-
blishment. In a town containing 12,000 inhabitants there
were but 1,400 that adhered to the establishment. He also
would say the dissenters were in favour of the voluntary princi-
ple. Another argument that had been used was, that the church
establishment was necessary for the education and spiritual
improvement of the poor. He maintained that but for the
exertions of the Dissenters, the poor would not be instructed
at all.—(Hear, hear.) In Edinburgh that proposition was
clearly proved, by some returns that bad been made out of the
number of sittings let and unlet in that city. There the seats
that were high priced—those that were set apart for thegentry,
were well let, but as they descended in the scale, they found
that the case was completely reversed; out of 3,032 sittings,
which ranged from 6s. to is., only 903 were let—thus showing
that the establishment did nothing, and that were it not for the
Dissenters, the poor would actually be without any instruction.
He most cordially supported the prayer of the petitions--
(Hear, hear)—and he trusted that they would meet with the
serious attention of the house.

Mr. H. HUGHES said he had only one word to say upon
nne of the petitions presented by the hon. gentleman. He
thought the petitioners of Cupar might have waited till the rev.
prelates had expressed a wish to be relieved from their duties
in the House of Lords, before they so kindly interfered in their
behalf. He was very happy to see the petition was written on
a very small piece of paper, therefore he drew the inference
that the feeling against the bishops had not grown to such an
extent as stated by the hon. member.
Mr. A. JOHNSTONE would not have troubled the house
with a single observation, had he not been called upon by the
hon. member who presented a petition from a portion of his
(Mr. Johnstone's) constituents. The history of that petition
was this :—A meeting ofthe town council of Cupar was called,
and a petition respecting church patronage was moved. An
amendment containing the spirit of the present petition, for the
severance of church and state, was moved without the slightest
notice, and it was carried by a majority of only one, eight being
one way, and nine the other. Afterwards another meeting
was called, at which the whole of the council were present,
and a petition of a different nature was adopted by a
large majority.—(Hear, hear.) So that it was clear that
the present petition was that of a very small mino-
rity. When the question came before the house upon a
motion the hon. member would then state his views upon the
subject, and he (Mr. J.) wouldbe prepared to state his in oppo.
sition ; till then a discussion would only be irregular.

After some observations from Mr. EWING and Mr. GILLoN
in reply, the petition was ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. VIVIAN presented petitions from the dissenters of
Swansea of Lady Huntingdon's persuasion, praying for a removal
of the grievances under which they laboured, and against
the union of church and state. With the general subject of the
prayer of the petition he most cordially concurred, but he could
not agree with that part of it which complained of the alliance
between church and state. The hon. member was clearly of
opinion that the bill introduced by the Paymaster of the Forces
was not adequate to afford to the Dissenters that relief upon
those subjects on which they complained.
Mr. DENISON presented petitions from Farnham and
Ripley, in the western division of the county of Surrey, pray-
ing for the renewal of the Labour Rate Act. The honourable