The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-03-27 00:00:00

4
CHURCH LEASEHOLD PROPERTY,

On Friday, a meeting of members of Parliament interested in
be question of church leasehold property, was held at twelve
o'clock, at Herbert's Hotel, in Palace-yard. The Duke of
Richmond occupied the chair, and among those present were
Lord De Manley, Lord H. Vane, Sir G. Strickland, Mr. Rice,
Mr. L. Hodges, Mr. J. A. Smith, Mr. Aglionby, Mr. Marshall,
Colonel Sibthorp, Mr. H. Milnes, and Mr. Hutt.
The Duke of RICHMOND, in opening the proceedings, dis-
claimed any hostile feeling either towards the church or the
Royal Commission, then sitting to consider the question of its
leasehold property. He sought merely to prevent that collision
between the church and its lessees which he foresaw if the case
between them was not now fairly and impartially investigated.
It was not only necessary that the commission should have a
fair statement brought before them of the various classes of
lessees in the different districts of the country, and that the
claims of those lessees should be placed fairly before the com-
mission, but that the parties affected should feel that justice
had been done them. The existence of the commission was
scarcely known to the lessees, who hardly knew what course to
pursue in order to bring their claims forward. He himself was
only interested in the matter to the extent of 10 or 12 acres of
land, which he held under the church, but he had seen so
strong a feeling evinced in his neighbourhood on the subject,
that he was anxious, as a friend of the church, to see the
matter set properly at rest. (Hear, hear.)
Lord H. VANE entirely coincided in the observations which
had been made by the noble chairman. He also disclaimed
any hostile feeling either to the church or the Royal Commis-
sion then sitting, but he had deemed it his duty to attend that
meeting in consequence of representing a county which was
more interested in the proper settlement of the question than
any other in England. So great an extent of territory was held
by the church in that county, that applications had been made
to him at various times to bring forward a measure in order to
settle the question, and so recently as last year he had been
asked by some influential lessees to bring the subject at once
before the House of Commons. Ile had thought it inexpedient
to do so, as a Royal Commission had been appointed, but, had
that not been the case, he should have felt it his duty either to
move for a committee of inquiry, or to propose some specific
resolutions for the fair and impartial settlement of the question.
He concurred in the propriety of appointing a commission in
a matter of so much difficulty with a view to do substantial
justice both to the church and to the different interests con-
cerned. No doubt, a strong feeling prevailed that it was
essential at the present moment to enable capital to be ex-
pended, and improvements to be made on land. It was there-
fore, necessary that measures should be taken to give security
to the investment of capital, to do away with the uncertainty of
tenure which existed, and to make those improvements which
were required not only by the church but by the country at
large. His object was to let it be known to the public and to
the lessees of church property, that a commission was sitting,
in order that they might have an opportunity of stating their
grievances. As had been stated by his grace, it was necessary
to the satisfactory settlement of this question that parties in-
terested should be aware that an inquiry was going on, that a
report would be made, and that they should have an oppor-
tunity of making the facts known, and putting them in proper
shape before the commissioners. The commiesioners were
willing to receive any information that might be tendered to
them, and he thought that little could be effected in any other
way than by making known to all concerned that now was the
time to make their case known. A valuable report had been
made in 1837 and 1838, evidence had been taken, and the in-
terests involved had been fully considered. That report had
furnished a foundation to the business of the present com-
mission, but it was essential that the lessees also should have
an opportunity of stating their grievances, that, considering
the long tenure of this property, that it had passed through
generations under certain forms, those forms should not be
altered without knbwing on what grounds the alteration had
been proposed, why they were deprived of the customary
tenure under which they held, and which constituted an
equitable right. Further than this, he thought they were not
entitled to take a part. The commission, he thought, was im-
partial and alive to the interests of all parties, and to the sub-
stantial justice of the question.
Mr. AQLIONBY cordially concurred in the object of the meet-
ing. He was a leaseholder under the church to a greater extent
than the chairman had mentioned, holding property under the
Dean and Chapter of Carlisle in the countyof Cumberland. He
was a member of the church, and therefore interested in its
welfare. He deprecated any hostile feeling between it and its
lessees, but he clearly saw that it was impossible for the com-
mission to arrive at any satisfactory result unless it had the
confidence of the lessees. It was, therefore, the object of the
meeting to bring forward intelligent gentlemen from the dif-
ferent districts of the country, and to have them examined.
Mr. J. A. SMITH concurred in the remarks of the preceding
speakers, and gave them a practical direction by proposing the
following resolution :

"Thai a committee of members of both houses of Parlia-
ment be appointed for the purpose of communicating with the
'c.c.., of church property, in order to obtain and select evi-
dence to be submitted to the Royal Commission now sitting,
charged with the consideration of questions relating to lease-
hold property held under the church."

Rica seconded the-iiioiiOn7Which was carried unani•
mously.

The following members of committee were then appointed :
The Duke of Richmond, Lord De Manley, the Earl of Yar-
borough, Lord Beaham, Sir M. Cholmondeley, Mr. Aglionby,
Mr. T. L. Hodges, Colonel Sihthorp. Mr. Marshall, Mr. T. C.
Granger, Mr. Divett, Mr. Hutt, Mr. T. B. Carter, Mr. M.
Milnes. They had power to add to their number, and three
were to be a quorum.

LAW INTELLIGENCE,

An action having been brought against Mr. Edwin
James, barrister-at-law, for having bribed certain voters
at the Horsham election in 1847, when it will be remem-
bered Mr. Jervis, the son of the Attorney-General, was
elected, but afterwards unseated upon petition. The case
was tried at Lewes, on Wednesday last, before Mr. Jus-
tice Wightman and a special jury, and terminated in a
verdict for the defendant. A similar case was tried on
the following day, before the same judge, when Sir John
Jervis, the Attorney-General, was charged with having
committed bribery at the same election. This action, like
the former one, terminated in a verdict for the defendant.
OATHS.—In the course of a trial before Mr. Justice
Williams at the Western Circuit, a complaint was made
that a woman refused to take the oath. Mrs. Watson,
the person indicated, having been called forward and
questioned by the learned judge, in reply stated that
she had conscientious scruples to taking the oath, founded
upon the fifth chapter of St. Matthew. She belonged to
the Church of England, and (having been informed that
she must be sent to prison if she persisted in her refusal)
she would take the consequences. It was foolish, per-
haps, her having thought of it, but having thought of it
she must abide the punishment. Mr. Justice Williams
then consulted Lord Denman, and on returning said, he
would give her an hour to consider of it, and during that
time he would recommend her to read the Articles of
her religion. If she persisted in refusing, he had no
other alternative but to send her to prison. Mrs. Wat-
son said she was very sorry for it. The hour would be of
no use ; she should be of the same resolution. Before
commencing another case, about two hours afterwards
Mrs. Watson was requested to stand forward, and his
lordship said, he understood she had, in the interval, seen
a clergyman. Was she aware that the bishops and clergy
felt Lo scruples in taking the oath, which she declined to
take ? Wrs. Watson said she was quite aware of it.
The Judge.—Then why do you refuse ? Mrs. Watson.—
Because I see it in the Bible. Judge.—And do you
mean to persist in refusing to be sworn ? Mrs. Watson.
—I do. The Judge.—Then the Sheriff must take you
into custody and convey you to the county gaol. I have
no other alternative. The contumacious witness was then
removed in custody.

RAILWAY

AFFAIRS

The area of the goods sheds at the Camden Town sta-
tion of the London and North-Western Railway, exceeds
135,000 superficial feet, and that of the platform is 30,000
feet.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.-Traffic for the
week ended 18th inst. :—Coaching traffic, £746 10s. 7d. ;
akrtiNo49, 9d. ;moods
elusive of toll from Shrewsbury and Chester Company,
and payment for conveyance of mails.

Tlie case of Hayden-v. the Midland Railway Company
was tried on Monday at Derby. The plaintiff sought to
recover damages for an alleged injury to his spine, occa-
sioned by a collision on the Midland line, at the time he
was a passenger. This was a very curious case ; all the
symptoms corresponded with the effects of an injury done
to the spine, but they also corresponded precisely with the
effects of loose habits of life, proceeding from keeping
late hours, intemperate drinking, and the questions were
fairly put whether or not the company, in this instance,
had hurt his back at all, and if they had hurt it, what
amount of money they ought to pay for what they had
done. The plaintiff made no complaint until some time
after the occurrence of the collision. The jury, having
heard the case, found for the defendants.
The Yorkshirernan says that " bills of discovery will
be filed against Mr. Hudson, in the Court of Chancery."
The ex-monarch of railways, and the other directors of
the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway have consented
to a committee of enquiry into the affairs of the company.
The London papers say that the committee of inquiry
have come to the conclusion that Mr. Hudson is entirely
guiltless of the charges which have been so unsparingly
made against him with regard to the purchase, and that
there was a mistake of £2,800 in the amount paid to Mr.
Hudson for the shares sold by him, owing to the parties
who were employed to calculate what that gentleman ought
to receive having added, instead of substracted, the rebate
of interest on the principal sum ; but there is no reason to
suppose that Mr. Hudson was at all aware of the mistake.

MIDLAND.—At a meeting of the shareholders resident
in Liverpool, held on Wednesday, at the Clarendon-
rooms, A. H. Wylie, Esq., in the chair, resolutions were
passed in favour of the appointment of a committee to
investigate the management and accounts of the company ;
and a temporary committee was appointed to co-operate
with shareholders in other towns, to obtain an indepen-
dent and efficient committee for conducting such investi-
gation. After a conversation, in which the conduct of
Mr. Hudson was freely commented on, a memorial to the
directors was adopted, requesting them to call a special
meeting of the shareholders of that company at as early a
date as possible, to consider the propriety of appointing a
committee of investigation to examine into and report