The Sun.
London, England, 1820-05-24 00:00:00

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WEDNESDAY, MAY '4, 1820.

NEWINGTON CHURCH BILL.

In addition to the former printeti Statement, it
now becorneS necessary, in consequence of the
Mode of oppos;tion to this measure which has
been adopted, to shew the substance of the Bills
passed in 1818 and Ibl9, for building Churches
in PopUlons Parishes, and how they particularly
apply to the Parish .of Newington, es well as
some other circumstances connected with the ap,

The Preamble to the. 53111 Geti. 111. , cap. 45,
stales ",That the Population of Great, Britain,
and More particularly iu the Metropolis and its
Vicinity, has greatly iucreased, and the Churches
'or Cliapela now existine there are inadequate to the
aCconimodation of the inhabitants thereat That
it is therefore necessary that such should be
remedied, and that additional Churches, &c. should
be erected and Maintained in such Parishes and
s, and that a certain number of free seats
should be made Herein ; and that his Royal
Ilieliness the Prince Regent, acting in the name
and on the behalf of his Majesty, is desirons of
aiding his
,subjects in establishing additional
Churches in such Parishes and places as may re-
quire the snore."
The sun; of •1,000,000 is then granted. Sect.
9 directs, " That the Commissioners shall eifa-
wine into the scare of the Parishes in the Metro-
polis and its vicinity, for the purpose of ascertain-
ing those in which additional Churches and Chapels
are most required."
Srct. 12 enacts, "" That the Commissioners
shall make grants to such Parishes Ally where the
Population is not less Hiai) 4,000 Hzrsons, and in
which there is not accommodation in the Churches
fur more.thao one fourth."
It' Neivington the Populati:,o is upwards of
30,000: • tike Much will not hold 2,000 ; so that
there is riot accommodation for onelifteenM part.
Sect. 15, directs, " That the Commissioners,
in selectila Parishes for trakint, distribution of
the 1,000.000, shall ha,- regarftc to the amount
of Population, and the t:.•pru.portion between the
number of Inhabitantrand Ole present accommo-
dation :o the Churches."

The Commissioners-bave selected the Parish of
Newiogrotl, as appears by their Resolution of the
28th of Jantltily, n..:ntioned in the hornier State-
ment, having bad regard to the disproportion, &c.
viz.-30,000 l'etsons, and not 2,000 accommo-
dated ; and have engaged to pay hdt the expellee
of Two Churches, if this Bill be obtained.
Sect. 60 etiacts, ‘,"f hat no application shall be
Made to tilt' Commissionets mithout the consent
of the laa.bitants assembled in vestry, &c. and
also, or two-third parts in value of the Proprie-
tors,of ItlessnageS, &c. whether freehold or copy-
hold, or by virtue of leases for terms of nor less
than 15 years absolute, or determinable upon a
life or lives."

Upon Ibis clause considerable opposHon was
made fa the Second Reading of this Bill on the
19th lust,; but it is leSpeCtitlily submitted that it
does not affect the principle of the proposed
Ali attempt, was made by the Rector and many
of the respec:able Inhabitants, to obtain the con-
sent of ilie Vestry, (wlich is an Open and not
select Vestty) btu the Chorchmen were out-num-
bered by the Dissenters, ii;:d other turbulent per-
sons collected together in the Church, where, un-
tor unaieiy, the Vestries are held, by means of
placards aid hand-bulls, containing the most false
and unfounded stateinents, %%ith regard to the
expense and operation of the present measure,
and a scene of riot and confusion, then took place,
which had, pethaps, never before beets witnessed
in a place o:',worship. The Rector was hissed and
hooird, his slatements coot tiadicted, and every
species of insult offered to him and to those who,
supported themeasi,re.
The latter part of Sect. 60, as to tilt consent
of Proprietors, has been repealed by Sect. 24 of
!be 5Th ii Geo. 111. cap. 134., and it enacts, in
lieu thereof., that," no application shall lie made
to build any Church, &c. iu oily case, in which
one-third part or snore IN VALUE. of the Prop' ie-
tors of nessuages, &c. • shall dissent therettom,
Such dissent to 'be signified in writing under their
hands, in the manner therein Mentioned."

Now, nu suci► dissent has been expressed, al-
though this measure has been publicly in agitation
for more than fifteen months, and the Petition to
Parliament was presented in November last. It
is also to be recollected, that these provisions
rehire only to applications made specifically under
those Arts to the Cominissionets, and cannot be
intended to prevent Perishes building Churches
where they are really wanted, or from applying to
Parliament to enable their to take the benefit or
the Provisions of those Acts, if a case should be
made out to ,lain► that interference.

It is certainly more desirable to build under
these Acts, in consequence of the assistance and
facilities the Commissioners can .eff,irtf ; awl as
the power of Parliament to place Polishes in this
situation cannot be questioned, neither can it be
contemplated that the Legislature will allow one
of the wisest measures it has ever adopted, and
one the most conducive to the religion and per-
mauent welfare of the Country, to be defeated in
such a Parish as Newington; (where the relief
intended by these Acts is moil peculiarly required)
by such turbulent' means as the opposers of this
measure have adopted. Let it be supposed for a
moment that there was no Church in Nervington,„
and that the old one had either fallen (loan or
been burnt, would the Legislature not assist the
Parishioners iu their endeavours to rebuild it ? if
that would be the case, then, admitting that one;
fifth only of the population would be desirous of
going to Church
,at one time, 6000 persons %void&
be to be provided for, and, the has
contentplatcd that one-fourth would go to Church.
Thete is already ptovisiou for about 2000 out of

-the 6000, aid as to the other 4000 there is no
provision ; aid as far as relates to them it may
be said, eithe that there is no -Church, or that
the Church los fallen Clown or been burnt, for
they derive nc benefit from. it. It must, also, not
he torgotten, that by the terms of the public
Acts, one-fifd part of the seats are' to be " tree
seats," far tae accommodation of the Poor; who
are now altuot excluded from the present Claairch.
The feeling and intention of the' Legislature
npon this subect, are still further she wn by the
Act of the s!th Geo. 111. which gives greater.
facilities to tie measures provided ;for by the Act
Of the 581 b, atd bolds out additional inducements
to build, by alowing a drawback on the duties of
Customs and .F.ixcise on the materials to be used,
to4ll also of the stamp duties for contracts, &c.
and seems even to anticipate such a measure as
the present, ly allowing His Majesty's Commis-
sioners for hailding Churches, to pay the Fees of
the on the pAssing of any Act, similar to
,that which is now applied for.
The ostensible ground of objection to this Bill,
is the alleged pol.erty of the Parish. This will be
. .
shewn to be unfounded, and in proof of
Wards of 1000 Hints-vs have been built there in
tltr last sor G. years, more than 300 are now
and numerous :additional new. Streets
are laid oat.. Sureely this would not 1,,e the case
iaa Bankrupt Parish. As a (wither proof that
poverty is not the real objection, it will be shewn
that the Defaulters in payment of the Parish hates,
do not oaw exceed the proportion of former years.

. .
I; is alleged that the Poor Rates are now 59.5 d.
in the pound. _They have never been higher than
55.4 d. and it will also be shewn that this is merely
nominal, and that in fact the Rates do not amount
to 3s, in the pound. The property in the Parish
is rated to the average at little, if any, more than
00e-half of its tent or value ; and it will also be
proved, if necessary, that many of the most vio-
lent opposers of this measure, are not rated at
one-half, the value of their premises, and others
not at one-third. In proof of Ibis statement, by
taking one hundred such Assessments hum the
books, it appears that the gloss amount rated is
3,.9351. and the real Rent or value 8,2911.

It can be proved, that the Rates in Newington
are lower, and the expences less, than in most of
the neighbouting Peuisbet.

The statement which has been made, that the
burthen will fall on the occupiers of small houses,
is incorrect, as the rates of houses let at 201. a
year and.under are compounded for ;
,and it will
be proved, that houses which are actually let at
251. a year are rated at 61. or 71. ; others let at,
161. ale red at 51 ; and others, let at lower
rents, ale ratec! at 31. anti 41. There is also rr
Provision in the Bill to enable the Trustees to ex-
cuse persons their rates, who lrotn poverty are
unable to ply them. The additional Rate required
%vat be 6:1. in the pound in one year on the nomi-
nal rental, or about 4(1. on the real.

Much has also been said about the numbers for
and against the measure. Now i is clear that
the.most respectable inhabitants are decidedly in
favour of it, as the applications by them tar 3000
additional sittings. wilt clearly show. They are,
however, deterred front attending the • vestries,
which are open, and unfortunately held in the
.Church, by the violence and insults they expe=
rience there; and they are unwilling to sign more
petitions, in consequence of their opponents publish-
ing and placarding the names of those who hare'
signed, in a very oiensive waY against every wall
and watch-box in the purls)).
Many of the names to the Petitions against the
Bill are obtained by Means of the grossest misre-
presentations as to• the expence of the measure,
and the most false and intlammatory statements,
as to the powers to be granted to the Trustees by
the Act of Parliament. The Parish is placarded
all over, and not satisfied with exhibiting Omit
bills on the walls apd watch-boXeS, they are 'kir
at every house, and men are employed 'to walk
about with them pasted on boards, and the novel
sight is actually exhibited of men marching in the
most public situations with lottery puffs on one
side the street, and these bills against the Churches
on the other.

Notwithstanding all that has been stated, it is
evident that this measure does- not stand upon a
mere narrow principle of calculation as to pounds,
shillings, and pence, but upon a_niore vital one
to the Constitution, viz. WHETHER THE ESTA-
BLISHED CHURCH SHALL BB MAINTAINED AND
PRoTHCT,FD OR NOT. The true ground of the Op-
position may as well be stnted at once• it is not
the supposed poverty of the Parish, but a violent
attempt of Dissenters- and others unfriendly to
the Church, to keep it down in the Parish of
Newington, for down it certainly is there ; and
though Pailiament in the year 1815 did not seelit
to imagine a case, in which there was accommo-
dation in the Churches of any Parish, for less
titan one-fourth part of the population, and in•
tended that relict should be afforded viten the
population was only 4000 or upwards, -yet they
have now a case before them, in which the ac-
commodation is for less flil, a fifteenth pant, and
the population is upwards of 30,000 ; so that it
this application is rejected, the enormous pro
portion of fourteen-fitLeenths of the population of
Newington, if they are to profess any religion at
all, twist, of necessity, become Dissenters from
the Established Church.

OLD BAILEY,-Yesterday,Edward Chear, for
disposing of and putting away two forged ii.
notes, with intent to defraud the Governor and
Company of the Bank of England ; David Sin
field, for stealing a horse, the property of George
Jonathan fluruhan►; and Edtvard Smith, for a
'burglary: in the dwelling-house of John Eustace,
and stealing ti silver watch, wet e capitally con-
victed,

[PRICE SEVENPENCF•

DINNER TO Slit FltANcis BuRDETT.

•
A Party of Westminster Electors dined yester.
Clay at the Crown_and Anchor Tavern to celebrate
the Thirteenth Anniversary of the Triumph of
Westminster, and the Purity of Election,,in the
election of Sir F. BURDETT.—The cloth being re.
moved, the following toast§ were drank
",The !3overeignty of the People the source of all legitimate
poiver"—" The King, and may he never forget the Declara-
tion of the Prince of Wales, that the Crown is but a Tru;t
for the benefit. of the People"--." Tito only rernetil for t.,e
public grievances, a Reform in the Commons House of Parlia-
ment."—" ThS Queen."

A Depotation from tle P.rish of St. Jirtnes
advanced,,antl presented the Hon. Baronet wii h
a silver vase
stioni his conifitnenis in that l'aris

Mr. WANE (who headed the procession,) ad-
dressed the Chairmai► of the day, and briefly re-
quested his acceptance. of the vase as a mark of
the respect of his fellow citizens, and a pledge of
their sincerity in dm cause of Pallidinentary
Iteorm.

Sir F. BuaDETT ascended the table,- and ex-
pressed his high gratification at receiving, sucli
a mat of the esteem and good-will of his
Constituents and fellow+arisbioneis. Those
who received rewards troin Governments, , were
frequently thought by the people to be entitled t.O
a reward of a different description. Such re-
wards might be bestowed from bad as %Nell as
from good motives, but the people of a country
were indisputably virtuous, though often misled
by pretenders who deluded them. He then pro-
ceeded to indulge in his usual common place style,
upon the subject of Reform, the redress of gi icy-
ances, the case of Hunt, • and the distresses of the
people; and concluded by expiessing the pride
and satisfaction which he felt ,in consequence of
the honour conferred on him upon this Particular
occasion.

"The Reformers of Scotland and Ireland," and " The
health of the able Opponent of the Boroughtnongers, Mr. J.
C. Hubhouse," were then drank.

Mr. Hortuouse was highly gratified by the
honours rendered .to his worthy Colleagne. He
then commented no the conduct of the opponents
or the Reformers ,who, taking up the opinion of
a very great man in a neighbouring country, M.
Mirabeau, " that words were things," directed
all the law and legislation of the country sgain3t
them, He then proceeded to question the justice
of the opinions expressed by the Judges in the
case of Sir F. Burdett, censured the sentence
passed opon Hunt, and of course condemned the
general conduct of Ministers. •
The next toa:its were—" Renovated Spain and
may every King who sets himself above the laws
be reduced, like Ferdinand, to submitsiou by the
people and " Lord Cochrane and S.,11!1) Ameri-
can Inderendence and Liberty, and happiness to
its brave assertors."

Mr. ItyrcHatt, Mr. P. WALKER, and THEL.
WALL Severally addressed the Meeting in terms
nearly sitntlar ; and at ten o'clock the company
separated.

E D 1V A R D S.