The Sun.
London, England, 1835-05-21 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS. MAY 20.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at three o'clock, being hal
an hour earlier than the usual time.
SCOTCH CHURCH.

Mr. GILL ON presented several petitions from various
places in the neighbourhood of Glasgow against the contem-
plated grant to the Scotch Church.
The SPEAKER suggested whether it would not be con-
venient to the House to receive all the petitiors that were
waiting to be presented on this question at ence,—(liear.)
Dr. BOWRING presented a petition Prom Kilmarnock to
the same effect.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL presented a great num-
ber of petitions from vlrieeQ -1, `-1 r—rt
gL.4111, LA. support of the Established
Church of Scotland.
The Lord Advocate, Mr. A. Johnstone, Sir William Rae,
and other Hon. Members, presented a great many petitions to
the same effect, from Scotland.
Sir W. RAE, on presenting t petition with the same prayer,
gave notice that, on the 11",:n June, he would move for a Com-
mittee to which thePc, petitions should be referred, and to in-
quire whether it Was expedient to accede to the proposition
suggested in moue of them, that a grant should be given to the
lEstablished Church of Scotland.
' Dr. BO WRING believed that the great majority of the
people of Scotland were against the grant. He had no hesi-
tation in saying that his own constituents were.
Mr. R. STE CART was as anxious as any man to keep
up the connexion between Church and State, but he thought
it was going too far to call upon the people of England and
Ireland to keep up a Church which was perfectly coirpetent
to sustain itself.
Mr. C. BRUCE supported the grant. As far as the
northern part of Scotland was concerned the majority was in
favour of the Established Church. The whole amount which
the Church of Scotland required for the religious education
of the people, would not amount to more than half a farthing
a head on the whole population. If the principle of the Esta-
blished Church was bad, why, it should be done away with ;
but if it was good, the House would stultify its own opinions if
it refused to carry it into effect.
Mr. P. M. STEWART was a supporter of the provision
in favour of a grant for the purpose of obtaining additional
Church accommodation for the people of Scotland. He wished
to call the attention of the House to a circumstance which had
been stated as a fact, and which had been alluded to by an
Hon. Member. It was stated that three millions of money
would be required for building churches in Scotland ; and four
millions more for endowing them. Now, the truth was,
that all that was required was something under 10,000/.-
-( Hear.) It was by such misrepresentations as these
that petitions were obtained against this grant ; the people
of Scotland were told that they were to be taxed to the
amount of nearly eight millions for a Tory job. Now this was
no Tory job; it was no party question, but one in which the
enlightened portion of the people of Scotland felt a deep in-
terest.—(Cheers. )
Mr. S. MACKENZIE was sure that when the wants of
the people were fully understood, no Hon. Member would be-
grudge them what they required.
Mr. WILKES was sure that after the observations that had
been made, and the sort of challenge that had been thrown
down, he had something like a right to reply. He (Mr.
Wilkes) had received hundreds of applications, both from indi-
viduals, towns, and congregations, urging him to resist any
attempt that might be made to obtain from the Legislature
and the people of England and Ireland, a contribution which
they themselves pronounce to be needless, and the effect of which
would be to add to those burdens which are at present
very difficult to be borne.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He begged to apprize the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite,
that in the event of the proposition for a Committee upon the
subject, he (Mr. Wilkes) should feel it his duty to give it all
the resistance in his power on the part of the Dissenters of
England, Scotland, and Ireland. An Hon. Member had
proposed that 10,0001. should be granted, and another that
one-half of a farthing from every individual would be sufficient,
but he would give his decided opposition to any grant.
Sir GEORGE CLERK having been entrusted with a
large number of petitions upon this subject, was anxious to
remove the misrepresentations that had gone abroad with re-
spect to the magnitude of the demand which was made, and
which seemed to have alarmed the mind of the Hon. Member
for Boston. The object of the Committee which the Hon.
Member would resist was to enquire whether sufficient Church
accommodation existed in Scotland; and if not, whether the
Church of Scotland possessed any funds out of which
this additional accommodation could be granted.--( Hear.)--
There was nothing novel in such a grant. On one occa-
sion a sum of one million had been voted for building ad-
ditional churches in England. In the year 1825, 500,0001.
had been voted for the same purpose. It had been
alleged that this was a Tory manoeuvre to gain popu-
larity ; but the House should recollect, that in July last the
then Chancellor recommended to his Noble Friend at the head
of the Government the necessity of giving some grant to the
Church of Scotland.
Mr. HUTT felt himself obliged to protest against the
course then taken by the House. He had come down that
day at considerable inconvenience, in order to put his name
on the list, for presenting some petitions which were of very
great importance to his constituents, as much as those of any
other Hon. Member.
The SPEAKER said he apprehended that the Hon. Gen-
tleman had rather mistaken the matter. The course then
taken by the House was that which would have the effect of'
having only one discussion upon one hundred petitions, in place
of one upon each of them.
Mr. SINCLAIR said he had some observations to offer
upon the subject, but he would reserve them for another op-
portunity.
Mr. R. FERGUSSON presented a petition from eighty
landed proprietors in Scotland, praying for an equitable ad-
justment of the laws relating to landlords and tenants.