Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE Annual Meeting of the Trustees of Manchester College, York, will be held at Cross-Street Chapel Rooms, Manchester, on Friday the 2d August next, at Eleven o'clock in the forenoon.

J. G. ROBBERDS,

S. D. DARBISHIRE,
Secretaries.

Manchester, July 12, 1822.

THE REV. GEORGE KENRICK has accepted the pastoral charge of the Unitarian Church at Maidstone.

SOME late proceedings in Parliament and in the Scottish courts of law have exposed the abominable system of libelling, lately adopted by persons high in office, and in various ways connected with the Government, in that country, in order to overwhelm every independent politician. The infamous scheme is defeated by its exposure, and its plotters and abettors, whatever be their rank and talents, are consigned to public contempt.-Meaner tools, in what hands remains to be seen, are still carrying on the same disgraceful mode of political warfare in England. These creatures, who brandish the tomahawk and the scalping knife, and whose object it is, by base and cowardly calumnies, to frighten public men from the path of patriotic duty, will we hope be tracked to their dens and dragged forth, their employers and patrons by the side of them, to the indignation of the country: in the mean time, it is satisfactory to observe that virtuous men, who are commonly devoted to the measures of Government, feel and express proper abhorrence of these ruffians of the pen. Thus the Christian Ob. server says, in its Number for June (pp: 381, 382),-"We are increasingly grieved that among any of the professed friends of good order and constituted authorities in Church and State, there should be found so gross an inconsistency and dereliction of principle, as is indicated in the wide circulation of such a publication as the John Bull Sunday newspaper, the libellous and disgraceful character of which has been recently decided by a court of law, in perfect accordance with the feelings of every well-disposed mind."

Cambridge, June 7. The Chancellor's Gold Medal for the best English Poem by a resident Under-Graduate, was yesterday adjudged to Mr. JOHN HENRY BRIGHT, of St. John's College-Subject, "Palmyra."

Oxford, June 19. The Essays to which the Chancellor's Prizes had been awarded, were recited in the following order: Latin Essay. "An re vera præva

VOL. XVII.

[blocks in formation]

Rare and Select Historical and Theological Tracts connected with Nonconformity-The Rev. Mr. Redford, of Uxtion, an octavo volume of about 600 or bridge, proposes to publish, by subscripnected with the History of Nonconformity. 700 pages, containing a selection of very choice, rare and interesting tracts, conthe volume, The Discourse of the TrouAt present it is intended to include in bles at Francfort, &c., 1577; several of the celebrated Marprelate tracts; a few tracts by the early Independents or Brownists; Vincent Alsop's Mischief of Impositions; Marvel's Rehearsal Transprosed, and Answer to Danson; Palmer's

indication of the Dissenting Academies against Wesley, 1760; Clegg's Life of Shortest Way with Dissenters, &c. &c. Ashe; Defoe's satirical tract, called The &c. As the object in this publication is

not gain, but the preservation of works deeply interesting to every Dissenter, though nearly extinct, it will not be un

dertaken unless a sufficient number of names be transmitted to cover the expense; which it is supposed will not exceed twelve or fourteen shillings. The tracts contained in the volume will be a

literal reprint from the earliest and best editions, and without abridgment. The names of persons disposed to encourage this undertaking, should be transmitted without delay to Mr. Hamilton, 33, Pa

ternoster Row.

Ecclesiastical Preferments.

Rev. R. LAURENCE, D. C. L., Canon of
Hebrew at Oxford, to be Archbishop of
Christ Church, and Regius Professor of
Cashel (not Bishop Alexander, as stated
p. 389).

Bishop of Raphoe (not of Down and Con-
Very Rev. Archdeacon BISSETT, to be
nor, as stated p. 389).

Rev. A. NICOL, M. A., of Baliol Col-
lege, to be Canon of Christ Church, and
Professor of Hebrew in the University of
Dr. Laurence.
Oxford, vacated by the promotion of

Rev. G. GASKIN, D.D., to a Prebend
in Ely Cathedral.
3 м

Rev. C. LLOYD, D. D., to be Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, and Regius Professor of Divinity in the room of the Rev. Dr. Hodson, deceased.

Very Rev. the Dean of Hereford (Dr. Carr, of Brighton) to a Prebendal Stall in that Cathedral.

Hon. and Rev. R. Bagot, a Prebend of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, vice Heath, deceased.

logical; displaying to the historian one of the features of the present times. The subject has received at least its share of attention in this work. At the close of our report of the proceedings in Chancery on this matter, in the last Number (p. 389), we inserted, from the Monthly Magazine, a paragragh relating to Mr. Lawrence's reappointment as Surgeon to Bethlem Hospital; but the Editor of that Journal has published, in the present Number, the following letter of Mr. Lawrence's, which we think it right to reprint, since, if it does not alter the state of the case generally, it relieves his opponents from some portion of that odium of into Receipts of Religious Charities, 1821. lerance under which they seemed to lie.

THE Bishop of Chester has obtained a grant to raise every benefice in his dio

cese under 501. to that amount.

British and Foreign Bi-
'ble Society
Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge
Church Missionary So-
ciety
London Ditto
Wesleyan Ditto

[ocr errors]

Society for propagating
the Gospel in Foreign
parts
Baptist Missionary So-
ciety (about)
General Baptist Ditto
(about)
Moravian Missionary
Society
Society for Conversion
of Jews
Naval and Military Bi-
ble Society

[ocr errors]

Religious Tract Society
Prayer Book and Ho-
mily Society
Hibernian Society
Church of EnglandTract
Society
Society for Relief of

Poor Pious Clergy

men

Continental Society

London Female Peni-
tentiary

African Institution
Sunday School Society
for Ireland
Hibernian Bible Society
British and Foreign
School Society (about)
Irish Religions Book
and Tract Society
Sunday-School Union
Ditto

£103,802 17 1

53,729 9 3

32,975 9 7
29,437 13 4
26,883 5 5

19,513 11 0

14,000 0 0

1,000 0 0

7,192 18 5

10,689 13 9

2,040 4 2
9,261 3 0

2,056 15 8
5,372 5 6

514 11 10

2,219 0 5
1,074 12 6

4,075 19 0
1,124 0 0

3,193 6 6
5,079 11 10

1,600 0 0

3,943 0 0

1,762 4 5

Mr. Lawrence's Retractation. MR. LAWRENCE'S "Lectures" have given rise to much discussion and controversy, civil, legal, metaphysical and theo

ED.]

“College of Physicians, April 16. "DEAR SIR,

"The renewed publication by others, over whom I have no controul, of the work which I suppressed three years ago, induces me to offer a few observations on the subject; and to present them through you, to the Governors of Bridewell and Bethlem. The motives and circumstances of the suppression in question, are detailed in a letter to Mr. Harrison, through whose medium it was communicated to the Governors of the two Hospitals; and this letter, I conclude, is entered on the minutes of their proceedings. Further experience and reflection have only tended to convince me more strongly that the publication of certain passages in these writings was highly improper; to increase my regret at having sent them forth to the world; to make me satisfied with the measure of withdrawing them from public circulation; and consequently firmly resolved, not only never to reprint them, but also never to publish any thing more on similar subjects. Fully impressed with these sentiments, I hoped and concluded that my Lectures would in future be regarded only as professional writings, and be referred to merely by medical readers. The copies which have gone out of my possession, from the time when the sale was discontinued to the late decision of the Lord Chancellor, which has enabled all who may choose to print and publish my Lectures, have therefore been granted only as matters of favour in individual instances to professional men, particularly foreigners, or to scientific and literary characters. My expectations have been disappointed by the piratical act of a bookseller in the Strand, named Smith. When his reprint of my Lectures was announced, I adopted the only meathe suppression of the work, namely, an sure which could enable me to continue an injunction against this person, heing application to the Court of Chancery for

encouraged by the decided favourable opinions of the two eminent counsel be fore whom the case was laid. The course of argument adopted by these gentlemen, in the proceedings which ensued, was that which they deemed best calculated to attain my object-the permanent suppression of the book. It is not to be regarded as a renewed statement, or defence on my part, of opinions which I had already withdrawn from the public, and the continued suppression of which, in conformity to my previous arrange. ment, was my only motive for incurring the trouble and expense of a Chancery suit. As to the charge of irreligion again hinted at in the Court of Chancery, I beg to repeat what I have already expressed in my letter before alluded to, that I am fully impressed with the importance of religion and morality to the welfare of mankind, that I am most sensible of the distinguishing excellencies of that pure religion which is unfolded in the New Testament, and most earnestly desirous to see its pure spirit universally diffused and acted on.

[ocr errors]

"WILLIAM LAWRENCE,

"Sir R. C. Glynn, Bart, "President of Bridewell and Bethlem,"

&c.

AMONGST the benevolent institutions that are entitled to the highest praise may be ranked "The Irish Society, for Education in the Irish Language." It was formed in Dublin, in 1816. Its object is to instruct the Native Irish, who still use their vernacular language, how to employ it as a means for obtain ing an accurate knowledge of the English." The plan of the Society is to use, in general, in its books, the Irish character, as affording the greatest facilities for reading, but to accompany it by an English translation, in parallel pages or columns, as adapted to further the acquisition of English. The school-masters must all be qualified to teach their pupils to translate Irish into English. The schools are both stationary and on the circulating plan, and are established or carried into the remotest and least in structed parts of the country, where the Irish tongue prevails. By the last accounts, it appears that the Society has forty-seven stationary schools, containing 2078 scholars, of whom 888 are adults: besides these, six masters, on the Circufatory system, inspect and controul ten schools each; forming a total of 107 schools under the protection of the Society. Sunday-schools have been esta blished in the neighbourhood of each fixed station, and schools are about to be

formed in some of the jails. In the distribution of the Scriptures, the Society is assisted by the British and Foreign Bible Society. The Scriptures in the Irish character are publishing under the care of Mr. Thaddeus Connellan : the books of Genesis and Exodus have appeared.-Several societies auxiliary to this have been instituted. The Irish Society for London has circulated an address, which states that of the 6,800,000 and upwards, ascertained by the late Parliamentary Census, to be the population of Ireland, the number who speak Irish alone is above 2,000,000; that all attempts to extirpate the Irish language have failed; that though six or seven centuries have elapsed since Henry's conquest, Irish is now spoken by a number exceeding the population of his time; and that Irish has spread among the English in proportion to their number, as much as English has spread among the Irish. It is added, that where the Irish language is spoken, there is a strong prejudice against the English language, Bible and type. Even where English is used, Irish is the language of social intercourse and family communion.

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF LORDS, JUNE 21. Catholic Peers Bill.

(See p. 389.)

Lord HOLLAND presented a petition from the Corporation of Nottingham, and the Earl of ALBEMARLE one from the parish of Clerkenwell, praying that the Bill might pass into a law. Some petitions were also presented on the other side. "Several of these petitions (says the Times' report) purported to be from Protestant Dissenters, and one was, we understood, from Mr. Hantington, the son of the preacher of that name." Earl GREY, on one of the above petitions being presented, rose, not, as he said, to oppose the receiving of such petitions, but to point out the very little weight which could be attached to them, as none of them came from public bodies, or had been agreed to at a public meeting, but were all signed in a private and secret manuer. Lord REDESDALE thought that the observation of the noble Earl, instead of being an objection, was a recommendation to the petitions. They were more entitled to consideration than if they had been carried amidst the clamour of a public meeting. Earl GREY could not agree with the noble and learned Lord in his preference. The LORD CHANCELLOR Concurred with his noble and learned friend in giving preference to petitions privately

signed, as he conceived there was no opportunity for deliberation amidst the confusion of public meetings.

The Duke of PORTLAND then moved the Second Reading of the Catholic Peers' Bill, in a short speech, in which he argued that it was incumbent on those who opposed the Bill to shew that some danger was to be apprehended from Roman Catholic Peers sitting in that House: if this was not done, their Lordships were bound to agree to a measure which only restored those Peers to their rights.

Lord COLCHESTER opposed the Bill. He pleaded, that the exclusion of Catholics from Parliament was a principle of the Revolution, which was again recognized in the articles of the Scottish Union. He declared himself in favour of the most perfect toleration, but expressed his fears of Roman Catholic principles, and his alarm at the revival of the Jesuits and the monastic institutions, and his disapprobation of any other than Protestant worship in our fleets and armies. When a door was once opened to innovations by this Bill, he did not know what demands might be made. He concluded by moving that the Bill be read a second time this day six months.

Lord ERSKINE said he would rather perish than give his consent to any measure which could violate or weaken the constitution, aud he supported the present Bill because it was calculated to strengthen the constitution, by extending its benefits. There had been no idea of excluding Catholic Peers till the 30th of Charles II., and the whole foundation of that was the Popish Plot, which had no other foundation than the testimony of Titus Oates, whose discoveries were not, as had been said, the act of God, but the instigation of the Devil. Circumstances and cases no longer existed to justify, or even afford a pretence for, the exclusion that was then thought necessary.

The LORD CHANCELLOR was of opinion that this Bill demanded nothing more or less than unlimited concession to the Roman Catholics. He wanted securities for the Protestant Church of England. He had never seen such nonsense as the Bill of last year contained; the House had never such trash submitted to it before. If the constitution were violated by passing such a Bill as this, he could not tell what might happen in a month. With respect to that gentleman Titus Oates, he had no doubt he was a scoundrel, yet he had been most scurvily used. He and his judge Jeffries, were both unworthy of credit; he knew not which was worse. The acts now proposed to be disturbed were fundamental, essen

tial, and for ever: a Protestant Church, a Protestant Legislature, and a Prótestant King. If Roman Catholics were admitted into the House of Peers, they must of necessity sit in the House of Commons. His Lordship appealed to the popular feeling on this subject. In a short time, he said, it would be of very little consequence to what he did and what he did not consent, but he would not consent to the adoption of such a measure as this; and if these were the last words he should ever speak, he would say, that were this measure carried, the laws and liberties of the country were gone.

Earl GREY animadverted upon the legal learning, indistinctly applied, and the high and astounding words of the last speaker. He contended that the exclu sion of which so much had been said, was not a principle of the Revolution, but an exception to all its principles, an exception springing from over-anxiety. He argued that the present Bill was to be considered on its own merits. He called for proof of the necessity of continuing the odious restriction. By a large review of the history of this country and of Europe, he shewed that the Catholic religion was not considered to contain principles dangerous to the state. He entered into the discussion of the Corporation and Test Acts, and the Popish Plot, and examined the principles of the Revolution and the articles of the Union with Scotland. He then expatiated upon the Act of 1817, which opened every rank in the army and navy to Roman Catholics: for proposing less than this in 1807, he and his colleagues were resisted by the learned Lord and others, who raised an outery of the danger of giving the power of the sword to Roman Catholics; yet in a few short years, this very power was given by those that had been so clamorous against it, and without the exaction of a single security. In conclusion, he delivered his opinion, that whether this Bill were or were not passed, the discussion of the general question must take place, and he hoped at no distant period.

The Earl of LIVERPOOL was willing to discuss this Bill on its own merits. If nothing else were to be done, then he admitted that this Bill ought to pass; but no measure could be more mischievous to the Roman Catholics than passing this Bill, if it were not intended to go further. The Roman Catholic Peer had no right to complain of not being allowed to sit and vote, when, supposing the King, from conscientious motives, were to change his religion, he must descend from the throne of his ancestors.

Lord GRENVILLE said, that his noble

friend (Lord Liverpool) had called upon those Lords who on former occasions had been the friends of the general measure, to consider whether any advantage could be derived to it from the success of this; now he, as one of those who had always been favourable to the concession of the Catholic claims, believed that from passing this Bill, the greatest of all benefits would accrue to the country-the benefit of doing justice. In comparison with this, he set at nought all which they had heard in the way of precedent and authority; all the statements and documents which had been quoted; all the penal enactments for which the Statute-Book had been referred to, whether these enactments were contained in this or that form of words. His answer to all this was, "Be just, and fear not." His noble and learned friend (Lord Chancellor) had asked, how they could ever infringe upon the law so much as to admit these Catholie Peers into their House? But where was the law which excluded them? No such law every passed. It never could have entered into the mind of man to pass one of the kind. Admitted they might still be; but their admission would be accompanied by certain tests which perjury and iniquity had caused to be imposed upon them-tests which were required to be taken in those times when various other restraints, disabilities, and penalties operated on the Roman Catholic community, and tests so repugnant to the spirit of their faith, that no one would dare to propose them to a Roman Catholic. His Lordship concluded an able and impressive speech by declaring, that this was a question of right to he done, which their Lordships had too long delayed to

upon a King or upon a placeman, was intended for the good of the people. The people had said that they could not with any security or confidence intrust their interests to a Catholic. When, therefore, a monarch became a Catholic, they said, he shall no longer be our King; he shall forfeit by his conversion his right to the throne, and another shall take his place. But the people who said this in the case of the King, had not so decided in respect to the excluded Peers, for whose admission into Parliament the Bill was introduced. They had not destroyed, they had only suspended their rights. They did not pass a bill of attainder against them, and deprive them of their property and rank; they only said in certain circumstances it was not expedient that they should exercise their legislative functions. The nation, therefore, which passed the Act excluding the Peers, without attainting their blood or transferring their privileges to others for being Catholics, and which deprived the King of his throne for being so, intended to treat differently the religious opinions of the Sovereign and the Peer, and meant to suspend, not to annul, the privileges of the latter."

On a Division, the numbers were on the motion for the second reading, Contents,

Present 80, Proxies 49-129.
Not Contents,

Present 97, Proxies 74-171.
Majority 42.

Of the Bishops, only the Bishop of Norwich voted for the Bill; two Archbishops and twenty-two Bishops voted against it.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, JUNE 21.

do; and that it was because the question Religious Instruction of Capital Con

had been treated as one of mere expediency instead of one of distributive justice, that he had stated the grounds of his supporting the Bill so much at length.

Lord REDESDALE contended that the legislature had the same right to exclude Peers from the House of Lords, as to exclude private persons (being Catholics) from the House of Commons. One of the first duties of the legislature was to protect the state-religion. With the question, neither right nor justice had any thing to do. If the present measure was

victs.

IN the Committee on the Prison Laws' Consolidation Bill, an amendment, moved by Dr. LUSHINGTON, was adopted, after considerable conversation, allowing to every prisoner under sentence of death the visits and spiritual assistance of a Dissenting minister, whatever his religious persuasion.

JUNE 24.

carried, the Protestant establishment of Influence of the Crown by means of

Ireland must fall.

Lord HOLLAND concluded the debate with an admirable speech, in which he tore in pieces the sophistry by which the Bill had been opposed, and ridiculed most successfully the fears of its enemies. He ended with the following observation, which he thought very material to the question: "All power, whether conferred

the Church.

IN the debate on the "Influence of the Crown," when Mr. BROUGHAM'S Resolution (introduced by a splendid speech) was lost by a majority of 216 to 101, Mr. H. G. BENNETT made the following, amongst other striking observations :"Another point of view in which it was not possible to avoid putting the question

« PreviousContinue »