Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

land, kept for many years, and till the present year, the free-school of that town. He received the rudiments of education under his father, and was prepared for college at the Cathedral Grammar School of Ely. From hence he was removed to Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, where he proceeded to the degree of B. A. in 1798, (being the 13th Wrangler on the Tripos,) and to that of M. A. in 1801. He was elected a Fellow of his Society; and in 1810 served the office of Senior Proctor

in the University; and in 1817 was presented by his College to the above Rectory, He was a man of mild and amiable manners, and his society was much courted on account of his musical taste and science. In his religious views, he accorded very much with Mr. Simeon, of Cambridge; though he does not appear to have taken any very decided part with what is called the Evangelical party in the church. He has left a widow, whom he married on quitting college.

INTELLIGENCE.

DOMESTIC.

The Deputies of the Three Denomi

nations.

A SPECIAL General Meeting of the Deputation was held on Friday the 14th of March, to receive the Report of the Committee, on the instructions given to them to take active measures towards an application to Parliament on the Test and Corporation Acts.

The Committee reported that they had prepared an Address (which was read, and of which we hope to give a copy in our next Number,) to be sent (with a copy of the last Petition to Parliament on the subject). to the Ministers of Dissenting Congregations throughout the kingdom, requesting the co-operation of their connexions and congregations, and especially inviting them to correspondence, in order to ascertain the state of general feeling on the subject.

Other measures, with a view to the same object, were in contemplation, and, in the mean time, the Meeting passed a Resolution approving of what had been done.

Unitarian Association.

THE Committee had despaired of any effectual measures being taken during the present session, in prosecution of their claims, owing to the unsettled state of the general law of the country. It was thought that considerable alterations would be made by Parliament, and that it would be necessary for the Dissenters to wait to see what would be the permanent law of the country before they could frame the proper regulations to meet their peculiar object. Unexpectedly, however, a Committee was appointed by the House of Lords to review the whole frame of the law, and propose a new and combined code. This, therefore, appeared to be a proper moment for stating at once the objections

to the very basis of the Marriage-Act ; that at any rate it might not be said that the Dissenters remained quiet while the Legislature was employed in re-enacting the law which operates to create a com pulsive conformity. Petitions were therefore sent in, and referred by the House to the Committee, and we are happy to announce that the Committee is understood generally to recognize most fully the principle of the Dissenting objections, and that it is proposed to endeavour to meet them fairly. We also learn that it is intended to make a similar provision in favour of the Catholics.

Mr. Gisburne's Subscription.

AT a Congregational Meeting held in the Unitarian Chapel, Trowbridge, on Sunday, March the 16th, 1823, the following Resolutions were passed unanimously:

Resolved, 1. That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Unitarian Ministers and other gentlemen, in different parts of the kingdom, who exerted themselves most liberally to obtain subscriptions towards a Fund for the support of our late worthy Minister, the Rev. J. Gisburne, and his numerous family, under the overwhelming affliction which it pleased Almighty God to lay upon him.

2. That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Unitarian congregations, and to all those persons who contributed so liberally and promptly, by their subscriptions, on the above distressing occasion, towards raising a Fund for the above-mentioned purpose.

3. That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the gentlemen in London who have kindly undertaken to act as a Committee for the management of the Fund raised for Mr. Gisburne and his family, for their liberal and judicious conduct in the business.

4. That the thanks of this Meeting be given to John Waldron, Esq., for his great exertions to serve Mr. Gisburne

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

in this city,) was founded

that work, and for the insertion of the (being the first erected for this purpose List of Subscribers to his Case, either in the work itself or on its covers; and that the said Editor be respectfully requested to permit these Resolutions to be inserted in the Monthly Repository.

Signed on behalf and by order of the Meeting,

R. WRIGHT.

After I had left the Chair, the following Resolution was also passed, which I am desired by the Meeting to add to the preceding ones.

R. W. "Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the Rev. R. Wright, for his exertions in promoting the raising a Fund for Mr. Gisburne and his family; to whose unwearied endeavours we think the success which attended the application to the Unitarian public may in a great measure be ascribed."

Laying the Stone of the New Unitarian Chapel, Edinburgh.

SIR,

It is due to the individuals and Fellowship Funds in England who have contributed, and are still contributing, so liberally towards the erection of an Unitarian Chapel in this place, to give them the earliest intelligence of the measures which are taken from time to time for the completion of that object. I have, therefore, much pleasure in informing them, through the medium of your pages, that the foundation-stone was laid on the morning of Thursday the 6th of March, in presence of a number of the members of the congregation and of some strangers attracted by curiosity to the spot. On this occasion an appropriate prayer was delivered, in a very impressive manner, by the Rev. John Omer Squier, minister of the congregation. The site is in a retired, quiet street, nearly in the centre of the richest part of the New Town of Edinburgh, and every day becoming more central in consequence of a large piece of ground belonging to the Earl of Moray having been recently opened up for building. A number of papers were lodged in a sealed bottle, and deposited in the foundationstone, one of which contained the following inscription:

the 6th day of March, 1823. The Rev. John Omer Squier Minister of the Congregation. Messrs. Patterson and Son, Architects.

In the evening a number of the memeach other on the commencement of an bers supped together, and congratulated undertaking which all of them felt to be likely to give a great impulse to the cause of Unitarianism in Edinburgh, and which, together with the union and good under standing universally prevailing among the members, and the well-merited respect and attachment which they entertain towards their minister, will give permanency, it is hoped, to that cause in this great city.

I have the honour to subscribe myself,
Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,
THOMAS GAIRDENER,

Treasurer.

P. S. A list of the additional subscriptions will be found in the form of an advertisement on the cover of the Repository. It is hoped that the building may be opened for public worship in the month of September next.

Ecclesiastical Preferments.

IT was erroneously stated in our last Number, p. 124, that Dr. WELLESLEY has been appointed Bishop of Meath Two removes are the consequence of the death of Dr. O'BEIRNE, and Dr. ARBUTHNOT is to be the new bishop. On this subject we insert two paragraphs from the newspapers.

Dr. ARBUTHNOT, the Dean of Cloyne, is to be the new Irish Bishop; he suc ceeds Dr. Mant in the see of Killaloe. Dr. MANT goes to Down, and the Bishop of Down becomes Bishop of Meath. This latter piece of preferment is, we understand, one of the richest in the

Irish Church Establishment. It was formerly an archbishopric, and the Prelate is still addressed by the title of "Most Reverend," instead of the inferior distinction of "Right Reverend," and his

Dr. Nathaniel Alexander.

revenues very considerably exceed those of the most lucrative Archiepiscopal See in England.-Englishman.

Notwithstanding the concession to Ministers on the late discussion upon the state of the Church establishment in Ireland, that they had recently made one or two nominations to Bishoprics upon the grounds of personal character, yet it is observable, that it is the smaller sees alone that are thus rarely permitted to fall to the share of individuals who are only recommended by professional reputation. The rich dioceses are still reserved for their Parliamentary supporters, as exclusively as before the public voice had been raised upon this subject. A few weeks since they gave Clogher to the brother of the Marquess of ELY, and now Meath is bestowed upon a relation of the Earl of CALEDON ! -a Doctor ALEXANDER — a name well known in all the lists of the ministerial majorities, the two Members for Old Sarum never being absent from their posts. The exact number of votes that have commanded Clogher and Meath we cannot undertake to specify-but the reward is enormous-more than £20,000 a year, and a patronage of nearly 500 lucrative benefices !-Morn. Chron.

[ocr errors]

Dr. PEARSON (the Brighton Chaplain to the King) has been appointed by his Majesty Dean of Salisbury, in the room of Mr. Talbot. This is a very lucrative gift indeed, for in addition to its vast emolument, Dr. Pearson enters upon a mansion at Salisbury, formerly erected at the expense of Dr. Douglas. We believe this appointment was procured by the recommendation of the Marquis of Conyngham.-Morn. Chron. (Brighton

letter.)

By the Court of Aldermen of London, the Rev. Dr. POVAH, to the Rectory of St. James's, Duke's Place, vice the late Rev. T. Moore.

[blocks in formation]

Baptist Chapel, St. Thomas Street, Portsmouth-service to commence at twelve o'clock. The Rev. SAMUEL CHARLES FRIPP, B. A., (late of Queen's College, Cambridge,) as preacher for the Southern Unitarian Fund Society, will deliver a Lecture in the evening, in the Unitariau Chapel, High Street-service to commence at seven.

Society for the Relief of the Widows and Children of Protestant Dissenting Ministers.

THE Annual Sermon will be preached by the Rev. JENKINS THOMAS, of Oxford, at the Old-Jewry Chapel, removed to Jewin Street, Aldersgate Street, on Wednesday the 2d of April. Service to begin precisely at twelve o'clock; after which a general meeting of the Society will be held there, in order to choose Managers, and also a Treasurer and Secretary, for the year ensuing, and on other special affairs.

MISCELLANEOUS.

THE Presbyterian Church Establishment of BENGAL is in future to be upon a much more creditable and satisfactory footing than hitherto. The Court of Directors have extended their fostering care to it, and have appointed a permanent assistant to the Rev. Dr. BRYCE, with liberal salaries for both. Any repairs, too, which St. Andrew's Church may require, are to be defrayed at the expense of the Honourable Company.

Miss AIKIN is preparing a Memoir of her father, the late John Aikin, M. D.; together with a selection of such of his Critical Essays and Miscellaneous Pieces as have not been before printed in a collected form.

THE Geography, History and Statistics of America and the West Indies, as originally published in the American Atlas of Messrs. Cary and Lea, of Philadelphia, volume 8vo., with much additional matare reprinting in this country, in one ter relative to the New States of South America, and accompanied with several Maps, Charts and Views, so as to concentrate, under the above heads, a greater fund of information respecting the Western Hemisphere than has hitherto appeared.

Mrs. HOLDERNESS has a volume in the press, entitled New Russia, being some Account of the Colonization of that Country, and of the Manners and Customs of

the Colonists. To which is added, a Brief Detail of a Journey over land, from Riga to the Crimea, by way of Kieo, accompanied with Notes on the Crim

Tatars.

Mr.OLIVER, Surgeon, has in the press, and will publish in April, “Popular Ob servations upon Muscular Contraction," with his mode of treatment of diseases of the limbs associated therewith. He proposes also to illustrate his System of the application, in particular cases, of mechanical apparatus by graphical delineations, more particularly where the knee, elbow and ankle joints are affected.

State of Affairs on the Continent.

THE aspect of the Continent is wholly warlike. France is preparing in earnest for the invasion of Spain, and the Spaniards are determined upon such a resistance as becomes freemen. The issue will soon be known. The internal state of France affords little encouragement to despotism. The Chamber of Deputies have forcibly expelled M. MANUEL, one of the most virtuous and eloquent of the Deputies, for warning the Government of the fatal consequences of the Spanish crusade: and on this occasion, a striking specimen was exhibited of the feeling of the French nation. A party of the National Guard was called in to take away the patriotic Deputy, but the sergeant on duty (M. Mercier, whose name deserves to be put on record) refused to act. The violence was then committed by the officers of police. Mercier has been since dismissed, but has received universal testimonies of respect and gratitude, from his comrades and the people. In consequence of the outrage on M. Manuel, the whole left side of the Chamber, that is the Opposition, have seceded; and thus the ultra faction are left to carry on their mad schemes undisturbed, while the nation are looking on with a sullen indignation, which is ominous of a fearful storm. Many of the French soldiers, and particularly officers, have passed through England on their way to Spain, where it is not impossible that another French Revolution may begin. But if all in the West of Europe is uncertainty and apprehension, in the East the prospect brightens the Greeks are gaining continual advantages over the Barbarians, and every new victory and conquest serves to animate their spirits and consolidate their strength. Russia still threatens the Peninsula with vengeance, but it is the opinion of many, that the Northern bear, notwithstanding his growling, has not

His

the immediate power of biting. brute force will not now be moved by the lever of English gold; should it be by any means propelled on the fair provinces of France, it may be fonud that thirty millions of people, eminently an armed nation, will not tamely behold a second deluge of Tartars upon their land; let in upon them too, by their own unpopular Government, in order to overwhelm the free constitutions of the Peninsula, and to extinguish the last lights of freedom on the continent of Europe.

PARLIAMENTARY.

VARIOUS important matters have come before the two Houses during the month. A Committee of the Lords are considering the Marriage-Act, and, as will be seen by an article of Intelligence in the present number, are inquiring whether in the new measure provision may not be made for the relief of Protestant Dissenters. The increase of Jesuits in Ireland has been discussed in the House of Commons, and the result has been, that these formidable persons are found to exist only in the fears of some worthy members. The Government measure for the Commutation of Tithes in Ireland has been proposed, and is to be debated after the Easter Recess.-Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON has brought forward Mr. BowRING's case, ably supported by Mr. HUTCHINSON and Sir R. WILSON. Ministers did not attempt to justify the conduct of the French Government, and they concurred in the eulogiums passed on the character and conduct of Mr. BowRING. They contended only that they had done all that the case admitted of, for the protection of the individual and the honour of the country. Their arguments are to us quite unsatisfactory: but we think that the Opposition are more to blame in this debate than the Ministers, for their leaders were silent, and thus lost a fine opportunity of exposing the abominable Bourbon policy.A most interesting debate has taken place in the Commons upon a petition presented by Mr. HUME from MARY ANN CARLILE, whose term of imprisonment for selling the "Age of Reason" has expired, but who is detained in gaol in consequence of her inability to pay the fine of 5007. imposed upon her. On this occasion the whole question of prosecutions for opinions was discussed. Mr. HUME was ably supported by Mr. RICARDO and Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, and feebly opposed by Sir T. D. ACLAND, the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, Mr. PEEL, Mr. WilberFORCE and Mr. C. WYNN. The substance of the several speeches shall be given in the next or a future Number.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MARCH 5.

Substance of the Debate on the Church Establishment of Ireland.

IRISH TITHES.

Mr. HUME said he rose under a full impression of the importance of the question. He felt in limine how impossible it would be to obtain an agreement on any one of his propositions, unless they came to a defined understanding what the term " Church" meant. Men were disposed to define that term more in conformity with their own prepossessions, than under the authority of Scripture, law or constitutional analogy. There were three acceptations under which the term was understood. He would not lay any stress on that which meant only the material of the building, the roof and walls. Some, however, understood by the Church the Clergy-and the Clergy only. While another class of persons comprehended within that term the com munion of persons belonging to that persuasion or establishment. He was at a loss to discover any arguments in support of any other acceptation. The Apostle Paul, the oldest and the most undoubted authority, understood the Church to be a communion of persons holding the same belief. Now, acknowledging that acceptation, the Church in Ireland had this distinctive exception, that it was a communion of persons professing a belief in opposition to that of the great body of the population. (Hear, hear.) There was no authority in Scripture for any other interpretation to be put on the word Church. It was the creature of the law, and was to be dealt with by the law. He denied that there was any similarity between Church property and prirate property. A private proprietor of land held it without any condition by the violation of which it would be forfeited, for his own, to descend to his heirs for ever. Church property was held on the condition of the performance of certain duties. If those duties were neglected, the individuals holding the property might be deprived of it. Why was the Bishop of Clogher deprived of his property? If the duties were not performed, the clergy ought not to receive any of the pay or remuneration appropriated to them. What were the facts with respect to the Catholic Church? At the time of the Reformation there was scarcely an individual in the kingdom holding a benefice, who did not do his duty on the spot. It was only since the days of parity in religion had commenced that abuses in the Church had taken place. Instead of the clergy,

now attending to the cure of souls, they were to be found at Bath, at Cheltenham, in Rome, all over the world. Would the House continue to sanction this desertion of a sacred duty, and abstain from visiting those by whom it was practised with the forfeiture which they had incurred? But he had been told that Church property was wholly inalienable. Did not Parliament alter the laws respecting all other kinds of property? What was there in Church property that prohibited Parliament from legislating with regard to it? Had there not, from the time of Henry the Eighth downwards, been frequent interferences of that nature? Was there not in the case of the LandTax Bill an interference on the part of the legislature, authorizing the sale of a part of the Church property for purposes of state? Had not Parliament already changed the religion of the country from Catholicism to Protestantism? Had they not, therefore, established by law all the existing bishops, deans, chapters and their paraphernalia? Having had the power to do that, they had unquestionably the power to change the present religion if they thought proper so to do. Having exer cised their power twice in that respect, what was there to prevent their exercising it a third time? Suppose, on a proposi tion made to Parliament, should determine that the established religion of the land should be no longer Protestantism, but Quakerism-suppose that House were to become a House of Quakers-suppose that, right or wrong, they were to declare that Quakerism should be the prevailing religion of the state, what must be the consequence? The Quakers had no clergy

the Quakers had no bishops, deans, or chapters. In the event of the establishment of Quakerism, what then would become of the freeholds which the clergy now possessed? Those who had them at the time might be allowed (looking at them as a kind of vested rights) to hold them during their lives; but as it was the principle of the religion which he had described, that no individual should be paid for his pious or religious labours, he should be glad to know what would become of the great mass of Church property? Would it be allowed to fall to the ground? Or would not government reserve it, and apply it to any purpose to which Parliament night think it proper to devote it? Let the present establishment remain, but let the House examine first, whether they performed the duties fairly to be expected from them; and secondly, whether the remuneration which individuals received was justly proportionate to their deserts. It was the opinion, not of one, but of many distin

« AnteriorContinua »