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London, England, 1823-04-11 00:00:00

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to depart from the • customary usage, by not pm*:
posing to found any proceeding upon the documents
which would be laid before the House: that, how-
ever, would not preclude any Member from adopting
what course he might think expedient with respect to
the papers. In most cases in which documents rela-
tive to negociations hailbeen laid before Parliament,
the negotiations had terminated in a declaration of
war fvul on all such occasions Government had pos-
sessedln opportunity of stating to Parliament, the
country, and the world, what had been the course of
action and policy which had led to the issuing of the
declaration of war. The late negotiations; however,'
had not terminated in the manner to which he had

alluded; and the statement which he intended to make
was merely meant to supply the place of a declara-
tion of the Government. In what he should state
next Monday he would not anticipate any contested
question, or call for any premature approbation of
the conduct of Ministers : he would deliver a plain
unvarnished tale, which would leave it open for any
Member either to contest the fidelity of his statement,
or to combat the policy of Government. In conclu-
sion, he would tepeat, that in the course which he
proposed to pursue there was a great convenience to
the house, and particularly to the Hon. Members
opposite, if they should desire to express their disap.
probation on the conduct of the Government.
THE FIRST FRUITS IN IRELAND.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT rose to bring forward his
motion on the subject of First Fruits in Ireland, and
in doing so the Honourable Gentleman entered into
a history of the origin'and intended appropriation of
this branch of•chutch revenue. The First 'Fruits, he
observed, were the first year's income of all church
benefices, and were originally paid to the Pope, but
at the Reformation became the property of the King,
as Head of the Church ; so they remained until
1716, at which time the First Fruits were given
by Queen Anne to the use and benefit of Ireland,
to be paid into the hands of Commissioners, and
by them applied to the building of new churches,
the purchase of glebe lands, and other church pur-
poses. The Honourable Gentleman then, at consi-
derable length, proceeded to contend, that this in-
come had been almost entirely misapplied. In many
cases no First Fruits had been paid, and in other
cases, when paid, had been appropriated to purposes
of private emolument, entirely different from those
for which they were granted by the Crown. He stated
that the sums received for First Fruits in the ten years
preceding 1821, did not amount to more than £2750
a year on the average, whilst. in the same period, the
Public had been charged with upwards of £45,000
for building new Churches. He contended that this
was a subject which called imperiously for the inter-
ference of Parliament, and for the adoption of some
measures to prevent the Public from being taxed to
such an amount to defray a charge, for which a fund
already existed, provided by the munificence of the
Crown. The Hon. Baronet concluded by moving
the following Resolutions:

" That the first &tumor annates, being the first year's Income
of every ecclesiastical dignity and benefice in Ireland, became at
the time of the Reformation a part of the revenue of the Crown,
as head of the church, and was rendered payable by instalments,
and otherwise, regulated by the Irish statute of the 28th Henry
V I 11. and continued annexed to the royal revenues until the
year 1710.
" That her Majesty Queen Anne, as an act of grace and fa-
vour to the Established Church of Ireland, by letters patent, con-
firmed by subsequent Acts of Parliament, did then vest in certain
Trustees and Commissioners the produce of this branch of royal
revenue, for the purposes of building and repairing churches, for
the purchase of glebes, where wanting, and of impropriations
wherever the benefice was not sufficient for the liberal mainte-
nance of the Clergy having cure of souls.
" That her said Majesty Queen Anne did at the same time
absolutely exonerate and release the Clergy of Ireland from the
payment of the twentieth parts, or twelvepence in the pound,
theretofore payable annually to the Crown out of the income of
all ecclesiastical benefices. _ __• _ _

" That it appears from returns laid before this House, that the
gross amount of the first fruit revenue thus vested in trust, as
paid in to the Treasurer of the Board of Commissioners during
ten years, ending in January, 1821, amounted only to £3,752,
leaving the net amount of produce, applicable to the valuable
purposes of the grant, no more than £2,925, averaging annually
£292, after the deduction for salaries and incidental expenses of
the Board, of £827. -
" That the grants of Parliament for building SeW churches
and glebe houses, and the purchase of glebes in Ireland, during
eleven years, ending in 1838, amounted to £498,000, being an
annual average of £48,000; and that provision still continues to
he made by annual grants for these salutary purposes from the
public revenues.
" That four hundred and sixty-seven of the dignities and be-
nefices of Ireland, being nearly one-third part of the whole, have
never been rated or valued to the payment of the first fruits, as
directed by the statute of Henry VI I I. and that three hundred
and thirty-six benefices more, although rated, do not contribute
thereto, in consequence of the very early period and the low rates
on which the valuation was effected; and that the whoa of the
archbishoprics, bishoprics, and other ecclesiastical dignities of Ire-
land, are estimated as amounting to only £4,247 yearly value.
" That the receipt and management of this revenue has been
always reserved to and continued in Officers appointed by the
Crown, and that the duties thereof were by letters patent, in
the year 1812, entrusted to certain Commissioners, with Rower,
as therein specified, from time to time, to collect, levy, and re-
ceive, and to examine and search for the just and true value of
all and singular the dignities and benefices of Ireland, but that no
Valuation appears to have been made under authority of this patent.
" That these Resolutions be laid before his Majesty, together
with our bumble representation, that it appears just and equita-
ble that this branch of Royal Revenue, liberally bestowed on the
Church of Ireland for vise and salutary purposes, should be
rendered efficacious for the attainment of the objects of Royal
bounty, without the necessity of increasing annually the public
burdens by parliamentary grants ; and that we humbly pray his
Majesty may be pleased to authorise and direct the patentees of
the Crown to proceed forthwith in the execution of such mea-
sures as may be deemed necessary fur examining and searching
for the just and true value of all and singular the dignities and
benefices of Ireland, and for rendering all such as shall be found
to exceed the annual value of .eitso, rateable contributors to the
first fruit fund, as vacancies in such dignities and benefices may
hereafter take place."
Mr. (JOULBURN said, that he should not be
backward to giie this motion his support, if he
thought that it would he beneficial to Ireland. The
real question which was contained in it was this—
would the House inflict on the Clergy of Ireland a
tax to the amount of 30,0001. or 40,0001. which was
not infliLted on the rest of their countrymen ?
(Ikar.) The Hon. Baronet went further in his claims
than the l'ope had done in Catholic times in this
country. who had been contented with taking the half
of the first-fruits of bench es. Nevertheless, in Sta-
tutes as early as the reign of Edward repeated
complaints were made that the demands on the part
of the Pope were exorbitant. An early Statute of
I 1 my VIII. set out with restraining the claim to
were called excessive first-fruits. In the ti.Stli
of Henry VIII. the King assumed to himself the an-
rotes previously claimed by the Pope, but requiring
r.utlriog mote than had been previously paid to et

foreign authority. By the 3cl of Elizabeth particular
liiings in Ireland were exempted in the strongest
terms from this charge; six.—all Vicarages above the
yearly yalue of el. Bs. and all Rectories above Si. In
the patent in the time of Queen Anne, the amount of
first-fruits in Ireland was formally stated not to ex-
ceed from 4001. to 5001. a-year, and this valuation
was borne out by every subsequent Statute making
any allusion to the subject. He contended, therefore,
that when the amount of first-fruits was once fixed,
tliat amount must ever afterwards be continued to
be paid, and no more. The 2d of George I. esta-
blished this point in the most distinct terms, and the
9th .George 11. also expressly declared, that the
payment shall he the original payment and no more.
Valuations of livings had been made at various periods,
in the reigns of Edward 111. Henry VIII. James I.
and Charles H. but there was not a single instance
where the value of a benefice having been once fixed,
an attempt had been made to ascertain it a second
time: the first proceeding, under all circumstances,
was final and irrevocable. One leading error ran
through the argument of the I-lon. Baronet, and that
was—that first-fruits, in the eye of the law, meant
one year's value of the benefice on any change of in-
cumbency. Disapproving of the whole of the Reso.
lutions, he moved the previous question.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT shortly replied, observing
particularly upon the reluctance of the Church, not
only to contribute their share to the support of the
general burdens, but even to the maintenance of their
own poorer Clergy.—The House then divided, and
the numbers were the following :
For the Resolutioos - 39
For the previous question - - - 48
Majority - . —9
On the re-admission of strangers to the gallery, the
SPZAKER was putting the question on the other Re-
solutions of Sir Joan NIWPORT, and they were nega-
tived seriatim.