The Sun.
London, England, 1817-05-17 00:00:00

CLERGY RESIDENCE BILL.

On the motion of Mr. MANNERS SUT'T'ON, for the House
to go into a Committee on Ws Bill,
Mr. BABINOTON objected to the general principles of
the BM, on the ground that it would not answer the great
end intended by it It did nut adequately provide fur the
evil of non-residence, and still left the Clergy'at the mercy of
the informers. took a view of the number of non-resi-
dents fur a series of years, and said be was happy to find that
the number of residents had materially increased within the
last year. 11 regretted that the Bill had.no clause to pro-
mote residence t but he must leave the remedy to abler hands:
be could not say that be had any hope from. the Bill before
the Home its to the general principle.
Sir W. SCOT on seconding the motion forthe Commit-
_

toe, traced the regolatitins resp',:cting residence front the time
of Uvri y It was an anomaly, tie said, to suppose that
thn ado; oistration of an Episcopal Chu►uh was not in the hands
Of the Bishops. The actions brought by the common informer
Mere never received by the taw with much countenance, as
they were httown to arise trout malice, partly from farmers,
ch-tnrifled ahout their tithes, and partly with a view to obtain
gooney by ;pi taut actions. It was mare than ever necessary
to itivest the Bishops with the powers which this Act proposed
to give them, since they had hero so much ealinnniated fur
-not stoLoeing resv4lence, In a country tike this, where there
svere such a ocotillo- Of poor livings, there must of necessity
be pluralities, and of consequence ncovresidence. Let us, said
the Learned tientlikinitit, do the best we can, not theoreti-
c:ally, htte according to,existing circumstances, to render the
Dilt Otto:Oat.
Lord EititINGTON contended, that the number of non-
fesislents had ant been materially diminished hy the former
it' 4010 Right }lull. arid Learned Gentleman, and he was
;t the present BM would be equally ineffectual, by
placing so notch power in the hands of the Bishops, of either
Ctiforeing residence or exputpting from it. lie would .not
oppose the Committee, as be was anxious to hear their
"Mr. PICKENSCYN said there were not less than ttool liv-
ings under 801, a .year, .and therefore how IV4I pu*Sible to
anforcesevidenett ?
'Cteneritl TVOICSTON said, if the Clergy were incompetent
to enforce resideoce, the laity ought to be called in to assist
them. '
The 'Muse then went into the Committee.
file. M. '‘'il.Trrox argued in favour of the clanse for re-
etritining the Clergytnan from the occupationof more than do
SCre.; with which (timidity lie proposed to till up the
Mr. DICKENSQN. isas a4ainst this limitation, the qoantily
beio,r sortie rinintiei worth little in nothing. lie Woold
propose n compeesation of al. or 701, a year than any
titiodier of acres. le propo.ed, as an- amendment, to fill up
the I.l3ith with thti value of 1901. per annum.
Colonel 'WI mit ithservet4 that the Welsh Clergyinen Were
tiiiieh alarmed at the clause of the Bill last year, for restrain-
ing tlooo farming as much land iss'therpleast d. Lie thought
the elatise loath pajnit and impolitic.
74r. M. htirroN eNplained that the Clergyman was 00 cut
down to the fifty aerqs, hot might hare as much more land as
be entail art ti RertutO for. ,If restraint was to.exist,
one timid not be pe,sessed than that of this clause.
qtr wYNNE observed, that the ancient principle of the
).,w sea. intended to-pt.eront lhe Clergy from making money
to• inn:at:mg in secular affairs. 1!r argued in favour of fixing
e disco etion in the ilishop to restrain any Clergyman from
Ismiing wore Owl IWI. a year. If he rented wore, it must

retPlive a aeCeAe of Attention ine,in.isttnt with Lit et *C:11
dote.
Mr. COVItTENAV thought, ;1 the clause was to stand, the
least obiectionable mode Would be to insert. fifty acres ; but
he was 'rather for omitting it altogether, because he could not
see the evil agaiest which it was intended-to provide.
titird MlLTPkprojroseii that the chum should state fifty
acres, unless the annual value of the laud should be'untlet
3001. a-year.
Saids.the whole object of_the clause was to
take off, and not to add restvaints, and therefore the &atm
of the Clergy, as stated by the Hon.Culenel, was unfounded. '
Dr. PHILLIMOLtE was in faebor bf limitatinp to a cettain
Ottbaber of acres. -.Put be objected to that part the.clause
that respected the recovering of the penalty, as thee,: was no
provision for the disposal of it. The clause would go to the
txtent of introducing a new jurisdiction.
Mr. B. RATHITRST defended the principle of allowing
' the clergyman to fthm laud, if it did not proceed to sire!' an
extent as to interfere with his duties, beyond which he was
of opinion it ought out to go. He agreed that the fifty acres
were sufficient. It was not necessary for a clergyman to oc-
cupy so Much land assn become a farmer.
Mr. DAVENPORT disapprfived pi the clause.
Sir T. .CLAM) thought the chalice would he taken as an
approbation of the Clergy tubing to another trade as a matter
Of profit. It would be a source of competition and-jealousy
betweeo the Clergyoum and the Parishioners.
Mr.W. against the clause, on the sa me grounds
es the preceding spetiliers. lint he made sooty poiatrd obser-
yations on the reproachful conduct of certain. Clergymen in
Essex, s:2spectinv tythtes, ,
TArd,PALNIEItSfON was also understood to lie against
the clause.
A division took filament an Amendment proposed by; Lord
EItRINGTON, to • leave out certain words which authorised
Clergymen to hold farms..
For the Amendment 35
Against it
us

Majority in favonr of the clause as it stood in the Bill.. a
A cynrersation emitted on the number Of acres with which
the blank was to be filled tip. Lord -Ebrirwon 'rat under-
stood to propose 50 acres, and Mr, Bathurst MO. gal-
lery was agajri cleared fur a division, but it did liotfake place,
'the number heing'agteed twbe.ixed at SO. •
• A desultrojr &hate:envied on almost every other clause of
the Bill, and many verbal itmendinr,nts were introduced. •
Mr..M.•.A. TAYLOR declared himself a decided enemy to
the power given to the Bishops.and said he should watch the
'progress of the Bill Most narrowly.
• The CHAIRMAN•at length reported progress, and asked
leave to sit again on Monday.
The third reading of the Lottery Bill was postponed till
Monday. •
Mr. D. GILBERT bronglit up the Third Report of the
Committee on Public Income and Expenditure, which was
ordered to lie on. the table and' be.printed.
Mr..LOCKBARI' postponed the,..farther consideration of
the It:►ntcrnptcy A mendinent. Bill lilt the fith of June.
Adjourned at ONE O'CLOCK till Monday.
HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, MAY 16.

Bailey's Divorce 13111 was read a third time, ant
rassedr
Lord GlieNvtwt.presented e petition from cer
tain merchants and bankers, inhabitants of Brit
tat, against extents in aiti.--,Gaitt ott. the table.