The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-21 00:00:00

CHANCERY.

On the question for receiving the Report on the
Bill for fad itating the Administration of Justice,
&c. in Equity.
Lord REDESDALE said he was afraid the
Noble and Learned Lord rather deceived himself by
this Bill; for he thought, instead of giving any re-
lief to the Court of Chancery, its effects would be
quite the reverse. The Noble and Learned Lord
must be aware that a great part of the delays arose
from Counsel being absent in another Court when
the cause in which they were engaged was called on;
and this Bill, by augmenting the number of Judges,
would increase the delays arising from this cause.—
He did not see also how the jurisdiction of the Court
of Exchequer, as a Court for the protection of the
Revenue, could be made to assimilate with functions
of a Court of Chancery.

The LORD CHANCELLOR was quite aware
of the fact stated by the Noble Baron ; but he had
consulted the Barons on the subject, and he had
found them quite ready to acquiesce n an arrange-
ment he meant to propose, which would put an end
to the inconvenience mentioned. The Chancery and
the Court of Exchequer, he knew, had distinct juris-
dictions ; but the Noble Lord must perceive that the
present Bill did not contain any details. He had
considered the subject in conjunction with other
persons, and be had no doubt that he should be able
to introduce a Bill which would regulate the juris-
diction ofithe Court of Exchequer and the Court of
Chancery, with a view to the recommendation of the
Commissioners appointed to inquire into the State
of the Common Law. He should explain himself
further to-morrow, when the Bill was read a third
time.

The Report was received, and the Bill ordered to
be read a third time to-morrow.—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(LAST NIGHT.)
FOREIGN IMPORTATIONS. •
On the motion of Sir HENRY PARNELL, re-
turns were ordered of the quantities of wine, to-
bacco, foreign spirits, sugar, tea, coffee, glass, and
spirits distilled in Ireland, which had paid duty on
importation since the year 1789.
ARREST ON MESNE PROCESS.
The LORD MAYOR presented a petition from
the prisoners confined for debt in White Cross-street
Prison, praying against the hardship of being ar-
rested on mesne process for debt.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from William
and Henry Carmichael Smith, praying that the
Bills of Proctors in Ecclesiaitical Courts may be
taxed by indifferent persons, and not by one another,
as was the present practice.
RECORDS OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
The LORD ADVOCATE presented a petition
from the ministers, elders, and general assembly of
Scotland, praying that some means may be devised
by the wisdom of the Legislature for relieving the
members of Sion College from the restraint under
which they feel themselves, and enabling them to
do that which they must as an act of justice wish
to do—to restore to the Church of Scotland those
ancient records, which, in whatever way acquired
by the College, the Church of Scotland still con.
cider to be their own property.
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH seconded the
prayer of the petition; he thought this a great
hardship upon the Church of Scotland,the Members
I of which, feeling the grievance, threw themselves
upon Parliament for relief. This was to Scotland a
103 s of some of the most valuable of its Church Re-
` cords; he said the most valuable, becanse the Re-
cords contained the history of the first fifty years of
its Church Establishment, The Church of Scotland
would show a most narrow and illiberal disposition if
they did not set a -value on these records, even if
they were not practically valuable ; but the fact
was that they were of great practical value. He
hoped and trusted that the disgrace respecting those
documents would be removed. He said disgrace,
because it was a disgrace to prevent Sion College
from being in a situation to restore the records—

C ' •

riled
and equally a disgrace:to flatland tcb• 40-
them. the
Mr. FERGUSSON supported the praYo ° a of
petition; and expressed a hope that if the Pralto
the petition was not complied with,' other: oz-;•6
would be taken to obtain the restoration

records.
it woad
Mr. H. DRUMMOND hoped that,'r
be introduced to compel the restoration of tbs-
cords to the Church of Scotland.
The following is the statement, which is D3°re
formally worded in the petition : ots
" STATEMENT RESPECTING TRUE VOLUMES'SOY ASIO
EARLIEST RECORDS OF THE CHURCH OF ECO'rw.

i

NOAV DEPOSITKD IN SION COLLEGE, LONDON. 2lllO
" A few years ago, a Committee of the General l'"or..
bly of the Church of Scotland was appointed for the
pose of collecting and recovering the various nisned.
connected with their ecclesiastical establishment; re.
among other objects to which this Committee wereo • -
quired to direct their attention, they were ape
strutted to print the ancient record, entitled`The
of the universal Kirk of Scotland.' "
" It la,:s been discovered that this book, exte%ali
three volumes, is extant in the library of Sill 1
,cued
London. But after much correspondence, 10" ,ie
applications, not only do the Governors of the C°4- rot;
fuse to restore the volumes upon any terms, but elelliv
permit a copy of the work to be taken, or to alloW-0e- r,
tiun with the partial Abbreviatea of it preserved
.7601
laud ; the College stating, that they would not be
in so doing, under the deed of trust by
which the
Sion of these volumes was acquired by the-College'
" There is no difficulty in proving that the vole Xl,ll
question were laid on the table of the General illieTire
which met at Glasgow in 1638 ; and that they VOL' 'y
nounced by that Assembly to be true and authentic ;it
ters of the Kirk of Scotland. The reaaons proircdist
1
authenticity are inserted in the Manuscript journals "tbe
Assembly, and also, in a very satisfactory form, 11 of
printed acts of the General Assembly of the Chul.
Scotland, of that year. The descriptions are so .a.W-11,0
as to establish the identity of all the volumes wh;hed
still extant. The attestation of the clerk is superscr'l,,at
at the beginning, and subjoined to the end of the ;1e
volume in these words :—"This is the great r°l°,
approvin be the General Assembles at Glascow in l'lllYe-i
ber, 1638. A Jhonston Cls. Eccl.' The autogrsP
of this clerk is to be seen on various documents iuo..teli
Ilion of the General Assembly, and particularly en
copy of the printed acts of the Assembly of 108, 0,
the custody of the present clerk. The other Yolugl
Thooo
have the well-known signature of a clerk, named
Nicolson.'
" It is understood, that in 1649 the books were trail"
ferred to the charge of Mr. Andrew Ker, Clerk of trir
Assembly ; and that, in 1652, most, if Rot the whole!. Ir.
the originals were lor some time intrusted to Lrd foel 4
carras. During the troubles of the succeeding period !"
were concealed in the house of a private individual boP
year 1677, when they were put into the bands of t'
Paterson (of Edinburgh), who retained them till fteror'
revolution. The account of their discovery andirdeell
quest fate may be seen in Keith's History of the r
it and State of Scotland ; but
appears from a KebPr
ob-
served in the Advocates' library in Edinburgh, 50/161'
lished in the Appendix to Dr. Crie's Lives °I ritige
liam Veitch and George Brysson, that Keith's °sr-

is not correct in every Partici-tlar. apes
" After the revolution some of the volumes and 'sr
were delivered up to a son of the forsner clerk, '„'„ 'a
cretary Johnston, who lent some of them to
Bishop Burnet, and others to Mr. George Ilidpath,
°-
about that time undertook to write a history of 5c1.,00
affairs. Three volumes fell into the hands of P.
whose grandfaher had been the intimate friend of d°tbs
stun, and bad, like him, suffered in the same cause hi the
hands of the public executioner. This person `_flfsr••
Hon. and Rev. Archibald Campbell, grandson awe OP
quis of Argyle, and son of Lord Neil Canaphelliati
Campbell was several years known as an EPil'usiof
clergyman, and subsequently as one of the none life
Bishops in Scotland. During the latter part of
he resided chiefly in England, but it is believed that hi
that
not in communion with the Church of England, 00....Aa.ti9
he maintained no intercourse with the Episcopalian O'
Scotland, to which he had been originally attache'.
„lb&
" About the year 1733 a correspondence was open'-leek
him and Mr. William Grant, procurator and
tbs
of the Church of Scotland -(afterwards Judge; viith
title of Lord Prestongrange), on the
in Mr. Campbell's possession- Mr. Campbell offered 't
surrender these records on certain terms, which did 131;
appear to Mr. Grant to be reasonable or equitable•
demanded a large sum of money for the restitution of $."
volumes, in which he never had acquired any right of 1/.1;
perty, anti even this sum he would not accept sill -.hi,
hooks had been published, as was proposed, unJer," f
superintendence, on the understanding that no tnerobe',:e
.übject. of the rev;
.0
the Church of Scotland was to be suffered to revise-
sheets as they passed through the press. oft
"It could scarcely be expected that these and -
humiliating conditions would be acceded to without heslav
tion ; and while the negotiation was still in progress')),
Campbell, as he had sometimes threatened to do, took
step which was intended to put the books for ever beY
the reach of the Church of Scotland, by entering into,
deed of trust o, covenant with the President and Folic;
of Sion College, the terms of which do not appear qtr
accurately known to any member of the Church of to
land, but the effect of which has undoubtedly been to gig:/
these records from their lawful owners for nearly a cell-

past. deli!
" It is unnecessary to add, that the bardshiP
felt by all the members of the Church of Sentlanure'i;el
are aware of the importance of these books, not rne,,e'
the only sure and satisfactory memorials of the c°l3
u cee..
ecclesiastical affairs in the times immediately
-f plied,plied,the reformation, but also because they are eaPahf,.tr eV°
"
ding additional light on a most interesting and "---tic
portion of our civil himtery. bly
"In these circumstances, the general Wen— lit'
deemed it necessary as a last resource, to make an t
ur oProas
tion to Parliament by petition, in the hope thae,
means may be devised by the wisdom of the Legisltfr
for relieving the members of Sion College from thehtiog
straint under which they feel themselves, and WWI
them to do that which they must as an act of justice 41
to do,—to restore to the Church of Scotland these
record‘, which, in whatever way acquired by the CA: 1
;(0
the Church of Scotland still consider to be thor

property."
~rdS
GOVERNMENT ASSURANCE OF ANNUI'--
AFTER THE AGE OF SIXTY. ' rtde•
On the motion of Lord MILTON, a Select of
mittee was appointed to inquire into the petitioom
Cadogan Willianis, recommending Government
surance of Annuities after the ae:e of sixty.
COMMISSIONERS OF EXCISE.
Mr. DAWSON obtained leave to bring ill.
to enable one or more of. the Commissioners odd
cise to act for the dispatch of business for SO7

and Ireland respectively. 04°
Mr. HUME was glad to find that such a B“'d
to be introduced, and he hoped to see it follovite
others of the same description. He wished to /LO
whether any fresh arrangements were to be
ta the
with respect to the transfer of public money
Treasury 11 0. ? •
dible in the gallery. 001
Mr. DAWSON obtained leave to bring in
to amend the Law relating to Judicial OW ,
Scotland.
Mr. HUME hoped that the Bill would be brec
in at an early period, as it was his intention °old
pose any further expenditure of the public 00,41
without inquiry. There were at present °tor le
Judges in Scotland, and they were now abiPoill
bring in a Bill to augment their salaries, altb
Ministers said that they had nc,t time to lisle"
the complaints of the public. ritiO
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEW oitle
thought it would be better to defer the disco° toe
until the introduction of the Bill. All tbsithasil
Hon. Member could at present know was, °-
was a Bill to amend the existing law., • Ole
Mr. GORDON said, he certainly understood', io
Bill to be for augmenting the salaries of Judp
Scotland, and therefore thought hi,HRq. bit
(the Member for MontriNe) p.erfeeil,ir right-in •
view of the question. virdl
The Report on the Metropolis Police 1:347f0i pi"
brought up, and the Bill was ordered to 40 re:hole
mitted to-morrow to a Committee of the v-04
House, and it was understood that the Bill
be read a third time on Friday,
CIS
A
AUGMENTATION OF JUDGES' SALARIES' -
On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of theli
CHEQUER, this Committee was postponed
morrow. the

Mr. GORDON wished to know wko
Judges alluded to? 101
The CHANCELLOR of the gx.cirEQ