The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-05 00:00:00

raternent of the primate, and the little they Id to hope
from the clergy themselves, he thought a Committee of
the House would be the best means of removing the evil,
.and be therefore felt himself warranted in proposing the
following Resolutions :
't Resolved, That the property of the Church of Ireland
st present In possession of the Bishops. the Deans and
Chapters of Ireland, is public property ; under the contrail,
and at the disposal of the Legislature, for the support of
Religion, and for such other purposes as Parliament in its
wisdom may deem beneficial to the community ; due atten-
tion being puid to the rights of every person now enjoying
any ono of that property.
• ant
it is expedient to inquire whether the present
Church establishment of Ireland be not more than carmen-
' aerate to the services to be performed, both as regards the
number of persons employed, and the incomes they receive,
end if so, whether a reduction of the same should not take

place, With due regard to all existing interests.
.* That the peace and best interests of Ireland would be
-"promoted by a commutation of tithes on such principles as
should be considered just and equitable towards the present
possessors, whetker lay or clerical.
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider in
What manner the objects stated in these Resolutions can best
be carried Into effect."
'• He could Dot conclude without assuring the House that
be did not mean to cast reflections upon any individual, and
That if, In the course of his speech, he had said soy thing
• which could be construed as such, nothing was farther from
his Intention.
- - - - -

These Resolutions baying been seconded, and the first

• put from the Chair,
. Mr. HOULBOURN rose. It was scarcely necessary
for him, he said, to inform the house that he rose to give
the motion of the hon. member a decided negative.—
.(Hear.)—It was not the first time that similar doctrines
bad been breaehed 'both by the Hon. Member and others;
and now, as he had then been, and ever should be, when-
ever such propositions were made and. urged, either by
the weight of elognence, or the length of detail in which
the hon. member abounded, be would he prepared to make
his best refutation. If there were any dithe ulty in the
question, it was not for the want of argument, but from
the difficulty of repressing that intliguation which it was
iinpossible I: it to feel.—(Cheers.)—The attempt now
made was to overthrow the foundations of property, and
those establishments to which :hey were attached not
only by habit, but from practical experience of their,be-
neut. He contended that every principle that was held
sacred by Parliament was involved in the proposition of
the Hon. Member. This speech of the Hon. Member was
a direct invitation to an invasion of property, mliether it
were in tie hands of the Church or the Leith or of any
lion. Member of that house. lie was surprised that the
Hon. Member, with professions to ameliorate the condi-
tion and character of the Clergy, should have indulged in
-such observations as marked tie latter end of his. speech.
He told them that that class ought not to be permitted to,
petition. This was the measure of justice he would deal out
to them.. He told them that the King had been obliged to
yield his territorial revenue for a moneyconsideration.liat
did he see no different e? Did Parliament do that without
the consent of the Crown, or for longer than the life of
his Majesty ?—(Hear, hear !)—Did this afford any ground
for the compulsory change of one property for another ?
The Clergy were united with the best institutions of this
country, which must stand or fall u ith them. They
Were not that dependant race they had been represente&
They bad always stood between the Crown and the peo-
t•le, as the harriers against encroachment, acd the hap..
linger, of peace in every struggle for power. Ife in-
*meted the house to look at the transactions which pee-
ceded that melancholy period which terminated with the
death of the Monarch and the empire of anar• hy. It
began by that house first attacking the property of the
thnrch, and th,n its ni.rnity.—(Hear !)—ln the begin-
ling of NC, a resolation was passed to the effect, that
the revenues Of the Deans and liielinps of the Church of
England were too great, and must be curtailed. The
next resolit inn set forth that all rectories bold by the
clergy were ilhigally held, and oeght to b: r• slimed by
thepeople : and the third declared that a ete.ipetent
Inainterrnee ought to be provided for the Alinist.t:i of
the t !torch. I n three resolutions it was declared, as
iLe Hon. Hewlett:an uiltied the house now to declare,
that the pro; erty of the Church belonged to Ili • State—
that the Ministers of the Church lad no right to the
revenues of the Church, and that a• allowance which
might be considered competent to their tasiutenasee
ought to he a..signed in lieu thereof. But it was six
months after those resolutions were parsrd that the con-
summation was arrived at, for then it was declared, that
"the Archbishop and the rest" the circumlocution with
which the Clergy previously had been described, was
now omitted, had forfeited their freeholds and inherit-