The Sun.
London, England, 1821-02-16 00:00:00

had done wrong, and the dOcision ief the
Preshytery put an end to all further proceedings.
The procedings against the Chaplain of a Yeo-
manry Corps had nothing to do with those of the
Kitk of Session, and 'they wereat different times.
The Commander of a Yeomanry Corps in the
Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, considered that the
Chaplain of that Corps ought not to pray for the
• Queen, as the doing so would have given dis-
pleasure to the corps; and he had addressed a
letter to a certain Clergyman of that Stewartry,
desiring to know whether if called to perform
the duty of a Chaplain Ito the Kirkcudbright
Yeomanry, he would or would not pray for the
queen ? The Chaplain- did not return an explicit
answer. lie readily admitted that the Gentle-
man in question was a most. respectable in-.
.dividual— he believed him to be a most respect-
. able and loyal
did person ; but while lie willingly
"°f this every justice to the charatiter and principles
Gentleman, he could not but regret that
he had not manfully said in his answer whether he
-.would pray for the Queen *or not. The Comman-
der of the Corps was anxious that nothing‘of a po-
litioal character should he introduced at the meet-
'lug of the corps. It was his duty to see that
• nothing passed, at such a time, ungrateful to the
feelings of those under his command. The
Chaplain did not give an explicit answer.. Ile
Come there, and he prayed for the Queen nonti-
?l`ithn• On his returning
I to his quarters, it was
ntimated to him by the commanding officer, that
he should consider himself under arrest ; he told
itirn he might go where he chose within the coun-
ty, but that his residence should be limited to the
• county ; that he'Should. not only consider him-
under arrest while the corps was in quar-
ters,
but for three weeks after, till he should'
know. what the sentiments of Government were
with respect to the matter. The commander made
a- communication to • him (the- Lord AdvoCate),
and
also to the Lord Lieutenant of the county,
by the LOrd•Lieutettant communication was
made to the Home Secretary. The answer re—
turned was, tc 'that as the Lord Lieutenant had
trot recommended any steps, no steps should be
taken." The letter of the Lord Lieutenant had
neither commended nor discos mended the pro-
ceedings. When the answer of the Home Secre-
tary Wits communicated to the commanding Offi-
cer, he immediately' intimated to the Chaplain,
that the arrest was at an end. Government hay-
ing thus refused to interfere, and allowed the
individuals to settle the affair among themselves,
there was no Parliamentary 'ground for inquiring,
into it. How was the affair settled ? The Cler-
gyman bad threatened for some time to bring an
action against the Commanding Officer; it had
been suggested to him, from various quarters,
that it would be, better that the affair should be
settled by reference. This respectable indivi-
dual declined making a reference to any one,
but the individual who was now addressing them.
Re had said to the Clergyman, that he was the
last individual to 10.10(11 such a reference ought
`° be made. The Clergyman, however, having
Persisted, he had accepted the-referenCe. The
award was not yet pronounced, but the business
1-ta,s ,iinished as far as the pUblic was concerned.
-11i1,3alitte
°II" dto the House, therefore, that no
had been stated for bringing the matter
before Parliament. -
Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, he was relieved from
addressing the House on the subject of the general
Principles of this•case, by the speech of his No-
ble. Friend (Lord V. ii.) and the 'speech, so full.
of promise, of the Noble Lord -(Glenorchy) who
seconded the motion with such peculiar pro-
. Priety ; for his name (Campbell) was connected
• N'ith every struggle for the civil and religious
liberties of Scotland. It was with peculiar satis-
- faction that he now saw the two families who
had led formerly the opposite parties. of that
Icountry, this night exhibiting the same Constitu-
.ional jealousy on the subject of the invasion ofthese-
flibeerties• He would take the liberty, however, of
ii:-ng
Wo up a part of the outline of his Noble Friend.
c uld go no farther. back than the period
s'()4 the Revolution. The very first Act of the
• yention,Parliament declared Prelacy one of the.
(i.te"riceS of the kingdorn ," not from any bigotry
anr..disposition Us reflect on the ecclesiastical
pr 4
tbn4ments of other kingdoms, but because
fe eengh3lterY was such a form of Church govern-
e"' as was conformable to the inclinations of
- Pe°Ple ; for whatever new lights we might
cline received, that Parliament considered the in-
t, Inatians 'of the people as what ought by no
leatis to be indifferent to them. In proceeding
ee
this
I)resbeprinciple, the convention had restored
t
One
ee, eTY as the church government of Scotland.
by „"` tile articles of that church so approved of,
e,;et.i• " e convention was, that it had no head on
He was not now inquiring whether this
but." ; convenient doctrine for a church to hold ;
its Convention Parliament took a church into
euce arin,ce., With such a confession of independ-
- fie h s est hi' h ri• of the church was con-
teed a is me
• `very the Act of Union; and the first act of
Qvereign on his- accession to. the Throne
ee s se s„,
tie seen 'Year that he would preserve the Church
lefeje,„. and as by -law established. It was a
4.lraute ental law- of Scotland, that the church
be •
lait`e n•ot- to Independent of any temporal head. It
dictiza, 0 much to assert, that any-Act contra-
bY the- Act g° fundamental a law, especially as
mere Act Union Scotland was placed at
.the
she, of a majority of a British Parliament,
11•
ith
" be watched with the utmost 'jealousy.
'Y
eerespectto the statute of Queen Anne, he
(
shiti
ilf te` not easily be led to adopt a construction
te at Act, at variance with the Articles of Re-
‘,3l°ll ot the Scottish Church. Every statute
'tell differed from a law fundamentally sacred,
a'l'l3ld be examined according to the strictest
bws of examined construction, sirictissimi juris. lie had
ern bred in the principles of the Episcopal
Lurch of Scotland, and afterwards belonged to -
lvtie sister Church of England ; but he would tell
e Learned Lord, that, notwithstanding, he
e,'neW something of the 'history of the Church of
lnotland. This very statute of Queen Anne was
Passed by a Tory Ministry, with the inten-
tion of favourin.g the Episcopal Church of Scott
land, imposing the same obligation of praying
for the King in 'Presbytery that it did iit that
Church. - Therb ,Were still a. few Members of
• i,hn Presbyterian Church, who were what were