The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-07-12 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN

aid see whether we cannot compel the Church to return'
to the law, and this will reduce the tythes two-thirds
—tor since the poor and the strangers, and the main-
tenance of religious edifices have been very cunningly
turned over to otker funds, the clergy have only a
claim to one-third of the sum which they row receive !
They can Ahrie at. law trldek &idlers the whole lithe
on them ! Nor can they be allowed to plead common
law in their favour ; and since it is certain, that up to
the period at which custom is admitted to be law, it
was the custom of the clergy to divide the tithes with
the poor, and to repair the religious buildings from
the same fond. The poor might be occasionally de-1
fronded of their due share; but a share they had;
until the period of the reformation certainly ; and in
all probability until the system of the poor laws was I
devised in the reign of Elizabeth, which by dexterous
contrivance, celled upon society for a provision, which
already existed; and left the priest to pocket what was
the property of the poor! i say lett him to do this : for
it gave him no authority to do so. though this plunder
of the poor was connived at: for if the priest have any
ancient title to tythes, the poor have the same ancient
and unrepealedtitle to one-third of their amount; which
the priest is bylaw hound to "distribute in thepresence of
such as fear God, according to canonical authority."—
Those who call upon us to venerate our ancient institn-
lions, will do well to restore them to us. Anything in
our old records which bears against public rights, or
tends to sanction the spoil of public property, it eagerly
quoted, and our immediate subscription is required.—
But when ancient authority is in favour of the public
freedom, or the public weal, it has become obsolete and
old fashioned! and has ceased to be law! This is the
doctrine of thc day! in fitrour of all abuses, and against
all that is valuable to the public; and unless the people
shew themselves far more determined to UPUOLD Taw
LAW, than they have hitherto been, there will not long
be left any legal benefits for them.
Having Ahewn the law of tythes—as far as there is
an law about them, is a very different thing from
what the church would have us believe it is, it may
I.e necessary to remark, that the pretended derivation
of the English system of tythes from the Scriptures, is
equally fallacious. The Jewish tythes, which were
not a tenth of Me produce but a tenth of the " in-
crease" or " profits," (to speak in modern terms)
were devoted to the erection of temples, the support
of the widows, the orphans, the poor and the stran-
gers, besides defraying the expencee of Government ;
for the tribe of Levi were in fact the governors, as
well as the priesthood and instructors of the people.
Besides which, the tribe of Levi gave up their iliterit-
once in the land to the other tribes, and were thus en-
titled to their share of the produce, independent of
any service rendered to the public. lint did the
Church of England ever, give up any portion of the
tythes to the community! Have its members any
other claim than for the services they render? What
has placed them on the shoulders of the people any
faster than the Catholic Church was fixed there? and
did the Catholic Church ever attempt to civet at the
rate the Church of England has done? Never !
What should prevent the legislature from interfering
to regulate the pay of the Church according to
its services ? Wheo the legislature laid violent
hands upon tile property of the Catholic thurch, and
transferred to the Protestant establishment, both in
England and Ireland ? From what the legislature has
done, we may infer what it can dot and when we read
of its having taken the Crown from one individual to
place it upon the head of another, it is too ridiculous
to tell us it cannot restore to the poor, iv lilt it had
given them from ages before usurpation and audacity,
appropriated to the priesthood the fund, of which it
was only the legal depositary. To enforce the prin-
ciple of revision and restorati to of the laws, let all
who are interested, exert themselves to carry into
elect, the legal decision of the Quarter Sessions of
Norfolk, and the correspooding declaration of Mr.
Justice Holroyd. The Clergy and the State have all
the ben ficial holding of the land; and since the
Church has been profuse in its panegyrics, on the late
"just and neces,ary was" which has made all the tax-
ation necessary ; as it has always re-echoed the
Ministerial cry; and eulogised the Ministerial
measures; it cught in justice to feel the bnrthen of the
maintenance of the innumerable poor, which those mea-
sures have created and multiplied thrortg/lout the corm-
try. This will be a just mode of returning the bitter
cup to its own lips, and compelling it to take the hyssop
mixed indelution and •kery, for others—l shall terl it
my duty to exert myself; in order that justice may be
done to all parties; and 1 trust I shall not be found
alone in the discharge of one, so necasaaav and so im-
powntor ; and remain my fellow-countrymen,
Your obedient bumble servsnt,
Wolscley, July 6, 1822. C. WoLseLair.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Titussimr,JuLY 11.

The Westmoreland and Middles% County Hates Bills
were read a third time and passed.

WALLS.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that he had re-
ceived a note from the Marquess of Lansdowne, inform-
ing that be was indisposed, and requesting that he would
postpone for him the second reading of the Hill for re-
gulating the levying of King's Silver Fines in Wales
until Wednesday next. lle therefore should now noire
that the Order of the Day be discharged, and be fixed
for Wednesday next.—agreed to.
The Charge of Pensions Bill. the Consolidated Fund
Growing Produce, and the Loan Bills, were read a se-
cond time.

The Scotch Register Offices' Bill went through a
Committee.

SCOTCU JCRS ea.

Oa the motion of the Earl of LAUDERDALE the Scotch
Jury Bill was read a second time, and the Committee
fixed fur Monday next, with an understanding that tLe
'debate should then take place.
IRISH GRAND JUST PRESENTMENTS.

The Earl of DoNoutaimoan wished to know what
day was to be bred for the third reading of the Irish
Grand Jury Presentments Bill, as he bad a strong objec.
lion to make against that Bill, so strong that be thought
it would be impossible fur the house, after hearing it, to
pass the measure. In consequence of the enormous ex-
pence* attending Presentmenments in Ireland, and of
th.. irregular and arbitrary nature of the charges, the
Commons had taken the subject up, and fired the
maximum of what was to be paid for various services.—
Now he had no hesitation in saying that the sums fixed
by the Commons were not adequate to the services to be
performed, and that those services would not be per-
formed. He also complained that the officers whose in-
terests were affected by this Bill had not bad sufficient
notice given them of its introduction. I fonly three pea-
-1 tions bad yet been p ted against it by Clerks of the
Crown, it was because they had not heard of it in time to
petition the other house. lie should thank the No
ble Earl opposite if he would fix a day for the third
reading.

,ILS.
ARR. RUA.
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