The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-17 00:00:00

BAILIFF OF WESTMINSTER.

Mr. BANKEs moved for an account of the San-
nual profits and emoluments of any kind .re-
cciwed•by the Bailiff of Westminster since ,'lBO7,
distinguishing each year.--7 Agreed ta.

TITHE LAWS BILL.

Mr. CualvEN moved the Order of the Day foi

the second reading of the 'tithe Laws Amendurnt
He stated his intention, if the flOnse
permit the Bill to go into a.•Committee,...to strike
out•the clause which referred to modules ; dud
.he disclaimed any-intention whatever" to interfere
'with the church property. •
Sir W. SCOTT opposed the motion, lie thought
it hardly nscvmary,,, to „state. to the House what
compositions were... They were sums of money
agreed to be received in lieu of the tithes by the.
Clergy. But it many cases, from the inattention

or the necessities of an incumbent, compositions
were agreed fo by him, which created considerable

ross.to his successors. It was not sufficient in the

consideration. of the law to set up an habitual
usage as to the amount of the composition, be-
cause it may have arisen from various unjust

causes; and in most of the cases no evidence

could be procured of the original contract for a
modns. He objected to the clause of the Bill
which rendered the evidence of living memory suf-
ficient to establish the freedom of certain portions

of land thee paying tithes. This completely threw
back the onus probandi upon the incumbent,
which he thought highly injurious to the pro-
perty-of the Church. He concluded with moving,

as an amendment, that the Bill'should be read-a

second time this day six months.
Sir S. ROMILLY regretted that the Right Hon.
Gentleman should have moved such an ansuadmeat

~'~ :,

to the motion, because he had objections to some
of the clauses.. To some of these clauses be
(Sir S. Romilly), had alsci objections, but of tlall
principle of it he fully approved. He thought
it would effect a great improvement in the lal
and that it• Was extremely unjust to represent
it as innovating upon the rights and properq
of the church— On the .contrary,, the Bill. went
rather to guard that property. The Bill iv°
destined to remedy evils which unquestiorilabll
existed. It was said that habitual usage,eoto
not be pleaded for the continuation of a modal'
—This was extremely unjust. Lands were 'pot'
chased, which, at the time of their being purer
chased, were declared to be tithe'free.., Hence,
usage was not sufficient, what manifest injustice
would arise if tithes were claimed, and if the
Courts of Justice would, as in many cases tbel
did, restore the former tithes ! Bit, said the Right
Hon. Gentleman, let the original instrument be
produced, to prove the contract for a modus.
was difficult, however, to preserve instruments for
upwards of 300 years, and if living memory were
not allowed to be appealed to, to prove the pre'
scriptive usage, it was clear there could be little
security for the right to any moth's. It was the
object of the Bill to remove those evils, and it
would not he doing justice to a subject of such
importance to reject the Bill upon its second
reading. This was saying little more than that
the subject ought not to be discussed:
Mr. WETH BEALL objected to the commitment of
the Bill. The existing tithe laws were not ac'
mica from any quarter of involving a single toe
itist principle. He saw no reason why the lascsi
upon the subject which had been administers
for centuries in the courts of jostice should be al'
tered. At least, a stronger case than he had yet
heard of should be made out, in order to sup'
port that innovation.
M Y (of Cambridge) opposed the, Bill
generally. •
Mr. CURWEN replied.
Mr. BROUGHAM spoke in favour of the Bill, 1011
Mr. PEEL against it.

The Elnuse then (Evided,...—
For the second reading 15
Against it 44

.• Majority ...49
The Bill was consequtntly I Est.

The Longitude Bill went through a Committee,
and the Report was then brought up and received,
and the Bill ordered to be read a third time to-

runrrow.—'Tie Ilusbandly Eloise Diary 13 11 was
read a third time acid passed.—Adjourned at Oas
o'Clock.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION. •
MARLBOROUGH-STRBET.—Leon de CaSSilta,
Frenchman, a man short in stature, and a
squalid appearance, was charged with actipiol
felony, it; wounding Gilbert Mathias, a French"
man, and a Roman Catholic Pr4st, with a broad
sword, on Sunday morning, during Divine Set°
vice,. at the Spanish Chapel, in Thayer-streeto
Manchester-square. The particulars were stated
in yesterday's paper. In defence the prisoner
declared, that he went to the chapel for the pH"
pose of murdering the Priest, and that he was at-'l'
wated to this horrible deed in consequei/ce of 1110
prosecntor having caused hitn to be turned out
of the chapel, and rousing him the Saer4rneot, ort
the grounds of :..ha City. He therefore could not
receive the Sactlment in any other chapel, and
.
he was resolved to kill the Clergyman. The pa'
saner was remanded.

FIRE AT THE OLYMPIC THEATRE.
Bow-SraßeT.---Yesterday two firemen, one
belonging to the County Fire-office, the other to
Another office, together with a turncock of the
New River Company applied to Mr. Bragre foc
his signature to certificates, authorising then) V 7
receive the rewards allowed by Act of Parliament
to the first and second engines, and the turocnek
•for attending .at the Olympic Theatre. iti.lArycly.
street, which. had been on fire yesterday morning-
They stated that the season of the performances
closed on Saturday evening, and a man was yes'
terday employed to. clean the Theatre: Ile had
fire in the fire-place at the back of the stage, mil
imprudently put a large quantity of waste paper,
&c. into tie' fire, which blazed an the chimney'
which being made of iron, soon became red bot•
The fire being happily discovered, was. soon 'CV'

tinguished without the, necessitypf, playing the
engines. The Magistrates signed the Certificates,
and informed-the men they ci,ere to"receive the
reward.s.frpnk the Parish Officers of St. Clement
Danes, in which parish the Theatre is situated,
who would recover them from Mr. kiliston, the
proprietorof the Theatre.

„ .
By.a decision of the Court of Session on Toes'
day, list, the late election of Magistrates for the:
city of Aberdeen has been' totally set aside, ant
the Burgh 'consequently disfranchised. A Provi'
sionat ManageMent has been' established until A
new Charter. can 'be obtained ; for which a Fetid'
titan to itoy'3l HighnesS the PRINCE REGENT
in Council will be forthwith addressed by the
Citizens, praying for a Charter, probably on the
terms in the one granted to the town of Mon-
trose.

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