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

Mr. M. FITZIIEItALD sad, t' a' if he had felt some
dieiculty rep-dill/ the vote niece) he should give upon
the resolutions teen before the bonre, that difficulty had
not been removed by the speech of the right hon. Score-
tery who had just sat down. If be could not assent, on
the one hand, to all the charges which the hen. member
for Aberdeen had brought against the church of Ire-
land, in the very able statement which he had that even-
ing made, neither could he assent to the sweeping de-
fence which the right lion. Secretary had offered against
them on the other. In stating that it was his opinion
that the church of !reamd reqeired ioquiry and reform-
ation, lie trusted that he should not be considered as en-
terteiniug any let Logs of hostility towards it, or as
"peeking Iron, any envy or towards those who
were intrusted with ti e care of it. He wisl.el that all
inquiry should be instituted into its co/Mite-le and a re-
formation mole in its abeses, more for the sake of in-
creasing the stebifity of the Protestant establishment,
than foe any paltry gain which might arise from the con-
fiscation of its property. (bear) The church of Ireland
appeared to him to be too rich—(hear) and whilst it was
so largely endowed, it could not be expected that those
humitle duties which were so often demanded from its
members would he performed in the exemplary manner
that Christian chairy den beefed that they should be.—
(beer, bear.) It ougiut to be recollected, too, that in Ir.--
laid the church haul to compose with other sects that
possessed able and enlightened clergymen; and if it were
to be kept hp for any thing else than a mere meitical
machine, it was nece.sary that its Memeers should
'Cmbative with act'vity the duties which their situation
reqeired of them. He conten.led that this unfortunate-
ly was not the ease, and mentioned as a melancholy il-
lnetration of the evils which had arisen from this neg-
lect, that in whoie districts in the south of [rebut 1, which
he recollected to have been inhelli'ed by Protestants; the
inhabi tarts had hen ieete members of other sects, in which
they lied found able and aetive ministers.—(Hear, hear.)
These eircumsteaces had led to two, three, four, seven,
and, in one instance that he knew, to eleven parishes be-
ing united into one, and to their being confided to the
care of a single ineirelual.—(Hear, hear.)—This, hoe-
ever, was not the whole of the evil; fur it so netimes
happrne I that even in these parishes, where there hat
been resident Protestants receiving; the care of wills
front a Protestant clergyman, the rector was now
an absentee. Was it not right to inquire why the
Protestant population was dimini•hing, at a time •when
its clergy eau in the receipt of much larger euiolu•
ments than the clergy of any other sect?—(blear.) lie
could have wished that this motion for inquiry had been
bruneht forward in some other shape, or haul Conte from
some other quarter; but if Ministers would not originate
such a proposition, what WAS he to do ? When he found
the Right flonourahle Secretary objecting to inquiry,
not upon the ground that it ought net to be efreeted in
the manner etoposed—not upon the grottrof th it he had
some measures to suggest that would render it needless,
hut on the view' th it the theoretical excellence of the
Irish church establishment rendered all inquiry into it
perfectly unnecessary—was he not obligee to resort to
the measure • Cleo before hint? He had said tb it he felt
difficulty as to the vote he should give; but he most now
add, that if this ruodusn went to the vote, he should cer-
tainly vote eur it.—(Hear.) The lion. Member then
proceeded to contend that the church of Ireland nas in
danger, not so notch front the hostility of rival sects, as
from its own inactivity and supineness.—(flear, hear.)—
He feared for that establishment, because it was deter-
mined to wait fur a referetation from without, rather
than itself commence a reformation from within.—Oscar,
hear.) He Fare the Irish Government credit, for having
selected in its recent appointment of bishops, men who
were distinguished no less for their learning and tal nt,
tha u for their Christian zeal and charity.—(Heer.) He
hailed that circumstance as ominous of good, and he
should have considered it still nine so, if he haul seen it
accompanied by any disposition to investigate the cen-
d:tion•and remedy the abuses of the church, over which
they were set to preside. Notwithstanding what had
been done, hue was convinced that, unless the residence

I of the clergy was inure strictly enforced, unless the dis-
cipline of the church were more closely observed, and
unless its Ministers were compelled to pay more attention
to the education of their parismoners—a duty which they
were sworn to discharge, but which they generallyne-
glected—he was convinced, he repeated, that in a few
years, ihe church of Ireland would-have but few fol'ow-1
era Misting the middle* and lower classes of society.—
(hear, hear.) After some observations on the inconve
laws of the tithe system, and the inefficient measures
which had been proposed to remedy them, the flight
Idonnurahle (lentleman concluded by expressitig his de-
termination to support the resolutions of the Ilan. Mem-
ber for Aherdeen.
Mr. PEEL-trusted that they would, on no account
./Tatit the insestigation that oas required. Not that he
was en enemy to fair investieatiun—no—that man was
the, real enemy to it, who could propose such resolutions
as the how member for Aberdeen had that evening laid
'upon the table.—(Hear, bear.) For his own part, be had
never beard the doctrine of spoliation so boldly and
openly'advanced. Was it possible that such a doctrine
asilse hon. gentleman hail broached should come from
a Whig—nay, from one who carried his popular no-
tions, not to call them ideas, even farther than a Whig?
••••.(liear. hear.)•• %Vas it possible thst such an individual
should object to the tight of petitioning—that he should
contend, . that parties whose rights and prop rty
Were to be iovadetl,slionld not have the power to remon-
strate and complain of such an attempt?—(Hear.) They
only said that .for the interests of the church of Ireland,
they deprecated it; and was it possible to contend that
this Atli either illegal or improper ? Yet, the littnour-
able. gentleman had hone eveu much farther : be ha I
said, that they were to be regarded in the light of offi-
cers:who unitetlaith their brethren of another battalion
for the piiipow of resisting a proposed reduction of the
nrity.—(Hear.) If such a doctrine had come from the
Mitris.,erial side of the house—if the inenis•Tes of
the church had bren there compared with individua's
guilty of a breach of military discipline and of open
mutiny, the language would never have been endured.
The hon. gent. has -hiked, what was tube u nderstool Intim
Words "Church of England,". and hadeentended that va-
rioo4in-•asiingsmizlit beat rilhotA to them. If the honse
were in/inking whether Qnskerisen should be the esta-
blisliell religion of the state, his situation and duties
would be ditfetent ; hut in this kingdom, the reformed
religion was the outahlislied religion ; and, attached to
its -discipline, its doctrines, and its governm-nt, he f-It
Isim.clf at fni.l liberty to state, what he coneei:ed to be
the mear.ing of the terms" Church of England." It was
no obscure or novel expression ' • it was employed in one
of the most solemn acts by which the liberties of the
country were claimed and defined, and our'aneestors did
not think it inconsistent with their own freedom to main-
taro that of the Church of England. In the first page of the