Star.
London, England, 1803-06-23 00:00:00

1..1,1111AA ' PRUCIaLIa

HOUK" OF LORDS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21.

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Lord AUCKLAND moved, that the Rcport of the
Committee oa the Clergy Rc&dence Bill should be

Lord G EN et Lt. s role and argued with great force,
and at very cnnfiderable length, againft the princi•
ple and provifilns of this meafure ; the principle of
'which, he obierved, if it wcre to be collated from
its title, was to enforce the refidence oldie Clergy on
their benefices ; but if it were to be collated from its
provilions, it was to relax the means whiLh had here-
tofore trilled, and which had been found from expe-
rience quite inadequate to enforce that refidenee.—
The Noble Lord dated his objedions to the feveral
startles of the Bill. To that with refped to farming
he objected, as calculated to convert the Clergy into ,
farmers, and invetling the Bifbnps with a difiretiona-
y power which would be troubleforne to theirfeelings,
and which mutt emnarrafs them in the exercife of
their ditty. Of the principle of the exemptions fpeci.
lied in the Bill he difapproved, becaufe though theft
alas to which filch exemptions referred were con-
fifedly oecc:fary and highly ufeful. it did not follow
that they fhould be filled by beneficed Clergymen.—
He pointedly animadverted on the plea *Hedged for
exculing the non•refidener of fome Clergymen on
(mall livings, on the ground that the revenues were
inadequate for their maintenance. He confidered it
quite a folecifm that the people of any diftrit in a
Chriftian Country fhould be obliged to contribute to
.the fupport of a Clergyman, and yet never be allowed
the -advantage of teeing one, merely becaufe their dif•
trig was not fufficiently extenfive. To remedy this
deficiency, he propofed, that a fund fhould be ella-
b acs! of the fame nature as that in contemplation
with the late Miniflers, to be applied to the augmen-
tation of the (mall livings, and alto to the eredion
of parfonage-houles, where Poch lhould•be wanting.
This fund, he laid, it was intended by the late Mi.
stiller to raife from the operation of the redemption
of the land tax.and that it fhould be equal to soc,oool.

year—a film which would, in his jildgment, be tie•
cetfary to the'complete accomplithment of the objeEt
is view. He fcouted the idea that a Country, pail-
Jed of fuels refources as Great Britain, was not fully
• ecnspetent to afford this fop* ; that, after furniCh-
-ing 34 millions of taxes, and 127 millions of a loan,
it thould be bankrupt to this important and &lir.
able AL.& The Lord dwelt upon this part of
thefubjea for fume time, and concluded with moving
_that the other Orders of Day thould now he read,

The Loan Cumicaci.oa lamented the abfence of
-his Noble Friend from the difcullions which had al-
ready taken place upon the Bill. He was moll
thoroughly convinced that his Lordfhip made the ob-
lations be then dated, upon the moll perfea con-
viaion. not only that the Bill was liable to fuch ob•
hue that there ezifted an abfolute neeeffity for
an alteration in the mealure.now before the Houk,
as being a 'steatitic which was, in his mind, not cal.
culated in a fuffieient degree to advauce the purpofes
of morality. and at the fame time to promote the
comfort and dignity of iheClergy. Yet,notwithlland-
the many and thong objetions which his Lordfhip
had fo ably urged agar& the Bill, he was moll fully of
opinion, that from the well-known reaitude of his
mind and the clearnefs of his judgment, if he bad
heard the very weighty reafons which had been given
• by many of their Lordlbips in fupport of the meafure,
he would have been induced to fee it in a different
• light from that in which he thcn viewed it ; and con-
fequently, though he might not entirely concur in
opinion with the Noble Lords who had fupported the
provifions of the Bill then before their Lordfhips,
the force of their reafoning would have materially
'droned the number of his otjeaions to the Bill.—
The Noble and Learned Lord then recapitulated
many of the arguments which had been urged by
hinifelf and other of their Lordfbips in the courfe of
the different dircutfions which had already taken
place on that Bill, and pointed out in the moll able
and perfpicuous manner, the neeellity which there
exilled for a repeal of the Att of Henry VIII. for
enforcing the refidence of Beneficed Clergy on their
-cures. The liberty to farm, granted by the Bill, was
only in a very limited degree. The cafes of non-re-
fidence which the Bill allowed of, were fuch as would
be found in a great meafure necelfary to cement the
literature and the religion of the country together,
which contributed fo eminently to our holding that
bigh rank which we now held among the nations of
the world. His Lordfhip explained feveral other
provillons of the Bill, with the utmoft ability, and
amellided with chiming. that after what had been
already Aid upon the rubject, he lhould have thought
that he fufficiently difcharged his duty by liftening to
the arguments which might be urged by other Noble
Lords, and if they appeared to him of fufficient
weight to induce him to aster his opinion, voting with
them; if not, by giving a lilent-vote on the other fide.
It was owing to the great refpea which he entertain.
ea for the Noble Lord who had jolt fat down, and
on the confideratioa that his Lordfhip had not been
prefent at any C.:mer debate upon the Bill, that he had
taken up fo much of their Lordlhips' time. on a fubjea
which had already u:Klergone fuch ample difcuffion.
Lord Gasavittr explained. He thought it neeef
lacy that the AR of Henry VIII. &add be repealed.
but the prefent Bill did not teem to him fuffscicntly
calculated to remove the evils of that Aft.

Lord A se fupported the arguments of the
Lord Chancellor ; and flid, if it was neceffary that
the Ad of Henry VIII. Ihould be repealed, he faw
no reafoo why rtllwuld not be done now. There was
another Bill it► a Pate of per forwardnefs, he under.
Rood, for the removes! of other evils of which the
Noble Lord complained ; and. if the prcfent Bill was
not completely latisfadory. he Ihould neverthelefs
give it his fupport. as being of the aloft cifential ler-
vice astir as it went.

Lords &laity's And A ucerawn, Earl GICOVINOR
and the Whop of Lotion• fupported the sill.
After a few °Vet vstion. horn the Lord lklbop of
Be. Ashen. the queilitti Nab pot, and the report was
orderc.t tt. be then received.

On the .:14.tfe which veas a power in the Bilhops
to grant It licence f..r non.relidence for three motuba,
J.. rd Cte rb;-:ted, that oefolution of the
Ct norotle., .•nd m.tvett tltat it be expunged.
1h Home timn divi,hu—Cuxents t4—Non-ecn•
a. vCtbal Ar.e.idaltiall, ware made in
o.co r o:sti the Bill -rdercd to be 3-.:;4 third
turn tamurrow.—Adjourned