to choose their own pastors, and to support them in the manner they may deem most expedient, a right to which they are entitled by the law of christianity, it is then the duty of that legislature to resume ecclesiastical property, although the greatest possible care ought to be taken, that in its resumption no individual be deprived of what the law has placed in his possession.

Mr. WILBERFORCE, in the debate on the above bill, warmly panegyrised the established church, declaring, "That long expe"rience and a careful attention to the doctrines which it inculca"ted had taught him to regard that church with the highest admi"ration, as embracing the purest system of religion, and that "most consistent with the christian faith." The hon. gentleman, however, in his book on Christianity, does not appear to have quite so high an opinion of his church, as he therein very justly expresses his reprobation of the Act of Uniformity, which may be termed the foundation stone of the church, and by which act of bigotry and persecution she was deprived of many of her most valuable ministers: the hon. gentleman, in the same work, expresses his disapprobation of all penal laws in matters of religion, and yet he very well knows that there are various penal laws against declaring or publishing certain religious opinions, contradictory to the doctrines of the church; that there are others which deprive ALL dissenters from the church of many of their rights as citizens of their country; and what is more extraordinary, the hon, and evangelical member has himself voted against the repeal of these various antichristian laws! How sad is the reflection, that his writings and his life should, in so many instances, exhibit such a standing contradiction.

The hon. gentleman speaking of the clergy in Yorkshire, informs us- "That in the great contest in which the noble lord (MILTON) "and he were lately engaged, he had seen nothing on the part of "the clergy but consistency, and independence." If we did not know Mr. WILBERFORCE to be a churchman at all points, we should have suspected this to have been the language of severe satire. If what he asserts on the subject had a particle of evidence to support it, we should felicitate the electors of the largest county in England on the superior purity of the clerical body of the present day, to that of former times. A famous statesman, Lord MELCOMBE, in his diary (p. 256) informs us, that when soliciting for a place," he took care to remind the minister of his day, repeatedly, "that he could give his Majesty six members for nothing; trusting "that the minister would not forget his generosity in offering "boroughs for nothing, when they were a commodity so particularly marketable." His lordship at the same time condescends somewhat to explain his meaning, by adding an encomium on the

xciv

Stipendiary Curates Bill.

independence" of the clergy." I saw" (adds his lordship)" the "Duke of Newcastle, and told him that in these matters [elections] "those who would take money I would pay, and not bring him a bill, those who would not take money he must pay, and 1 recom"mended my TWO PARSONS of Bridgewater and Weymouth, "BURROUGHS and FRANKLIN. He entered into my views very cordially, and assured me that they should have the first crown livings that should be vacant in their parts, if we would look out " and send him the first intelligence." Is Mr. WILBERFORCE SO very ignorant of the conduct of the clergy in general at contested elections, as not to know that their services to the ministers for the time being, constitute one principal ground for that panegyric which our statemen are so fond of pronouncing on the admirable alliance subsisting between church and state!

East India Enormities.-Our readers we hope will bear in remembrance the impressive extract from the speech of Sir THOMAS TURTON given in our last: would to GOD it were impressed on the heart of every one of our countrymen! The deferred debate on the subject has been renewed, and followed by debates of a similar nature. The principal defender of the East India system was Lord CASTLEREAGH, and a more suitable person than the grand actor in those scenes of corruption and cruelty which have debased and ravaged the sister kingdom could not have been pitched upon. His lordship observed "That he conceived a government might justifiably adopt a great measure of policy, though they were not pre"pared, nor perhaps able to prove the hostile intentions of a power by such proofs as are admissible in a court of justice." Such is the apology offered for the deposition, shortly followed by the death, (or what Sir T. TURTON declared he firmly believed to be the MURDER) of Indian Princes, and the seizure and plunder of their territories. Such has been the apology for the atrocities committed off Copenhagen, and such has been the apology for all the "devilish deeds" of a similar nature committed by tyrants in all ages. In the concluding debate on this subject Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY in an excellent speech declared-" That in all the annals of injustice, "in all the cases of outrageous proceedings of unprincipled tri"bunals in the most barbarous times collected by VOLTAIRE, "there was nothing that equalled in atrocity the proceedings a"gainst the unfortunate young Nabob alluded to;" he represented in affecting language the manner in which the "Nabob had "been dragged from the death bed of his father, an осса"sion to which the Mahometans attached a peculiar solemnity; 、“which transaction he termed indecent, inhuman, and savage.” Mr. WINDHAM declared, "that all the atrocities of the French from "the commencement of the revolution to the present day, were not

East India Enormities.-Sir Home Popham.

XCV

"equal to those committed in India under the administration of the Marquis WELLESLEY!" What was the result of these debates? The different divisions have proved that five-sixths of a British senate were totally indifferent to the grand cause of JUSTICE, and to the essential interests of the numerous millions of their fellow subjects in the East; and that of the remaining sixth, three-fourths, instead of voting for a censure of these proceedings, voted their approbation of them! GOD of eternal justice and mercy! How long shall a nation, loud in its professions of virtue, patriotism, and religion, be suffered to run its career of injustice, profligacy, and hypocrisy, braving all thine attributes, and setting thy vengeance at defiance!

When Lord CASTLEREAGH on the above occasions perceived the paltry divisions of the minority-from 15 to 20 members, he might well triumph" on the absence of the most distinguished persons in "the ranks of opposition," which he justly " considered as a symp"tom that they were favourably disposed towards the policy and "conduct of Lord WELLESLEY." Such conduct in the opposition must naturally tend still further to diminish that confidence in public characters, which has unhappily been too long diminishing. We may hear of the PRINCE OF WALES's party, the GRENVILLE party, the WHIG CLUB, &c. but if our public men, whatever party they may belong to, once become indifferent to such scenes as we have alluded to, or endeavour to shield, or to apologise for the actors, all that can be said is, that although there may be some shades of difference in the principles and characters of the present ministers, constituting the PITT party, and their opponents, the public cannot place confidence in any of the leaders of these various parties; all hope of effectual reformation must be despaired of till the people are awakened to a sense of their danger: seriously resolve to interest themselves in national affairs, determine to watch the conduct of their, rulers, and, acting virtuously and independently themselves choose virtuous and independent representatives.

Sir Home Popham.---After contemplating the actions of the Lords of the East, the petty delinquencies of bucaniering, reprimanded, smuggling captains may be thought scarcely worthy of notice. Our readers recollect the charge brought against Sir H. POPHAM for which he was reprimanded by a court martial, and the charge of smuggling brought against him by Mr. LUSHINGTON in the house of Commons. After a serious investigation of the latter, which was proved on the clearest evidence, ministers obtained their usual majority, by which Sir Home was not only acquitted, but a sanction given to a most shameful, wasteful, and extravagant grant, whilst the meritorious and vigilant commander, who seized Sir Home's vessel which was afterwards condemned in the Admiralty court,

xcvi

Sir H. Popham. --Committee of Finance.

instead of obtaining his share of the prize, remains unrewarded. A more mean and paltry action was never committed even under the administration of PITT. Captains and Admirals may take a lesson from this instance; they have only to enlist themselves under the banners of ministers, and shew activity in their service; then let courts martial reprimand for foolish, plundering expeditions, undertaken without orders; let officers carry on illicit trade, or pursue any other mean, mercenary course, they may still rest secure of favour and reward!

Committee of Finance. The public have been waiting for some months past for a report from the committee on the subject of financial abuses; but we are now informed by the chairman who expressed his concern at the repeated discussions which have occasioned so much delay, that no report will be made during the present session. The public cannot have forgotten-That the committee appointed under the last administration had a report ready to be presented to the house, at the moment they were stopped by an order for the prorogation of parliament previous to its dissolution: -that on the meeting of the new parliament, although his Majesty's ministers thought proper in the speech from the throne to make high professions of economy, and to recommend a renewal of the committee, Mr. PERCEVAL, instead of moving for a committee composed of those members which formed the preceding one, had the modesty to nominate several new members," because they were the friends of ministers," or in other words, because they were the friends of those men who had uniformly shewn an attachment to that system of abuses which it was the professed design of the committee to inquire into, and who were eagerly catching at every sinecure and reversion within their reach. The committee after sitting ever since their appointment (May, 1807) have not yet formed one single report; we expressed at the time it was nominated by Mr. PERCEVAL, our suspicions of what has recently taken place: those gentlemen who had proved some of the most active and faithful servants of the public were dismissed, and those that remained, there is reason to fear have had their labours frustrated by the majority of ministerial members of which the committee is composed; and thus are the public trifled with and insulted!

Assessed Taxes.-At the opening of the present sessions, his Majesty, or rather his ministers expressed their "confident hope, "that it might be found possible to raise the necessary supplies for "the present year without any material addition to the present "burthens." It will not be long before the people will enter into the full meaning of this most delusive declaration. It is true that owing to various circumstances, which we cannot at present detail, the funds have considerably risen, and the minister has had no

difficulty in obtaining his loan on advantageous terms; the expiration of nearly half a million of annuities has likewise prevented new taxes from being raised to that amount which might otherwise have been necessary; by the operations of the sinking fund, a considerable quantity of stock is continually taken out of the market, so that unless some extraordinary and unforeseen calamities should take place, there is little prospect of the funds experiencing any considerable depression. The confidence of the monied men in our present ministers is therefore similar to what it has been in all administrations who have divided amongst them profitable loans, and have at the same time contrived to keep up the price of stocks.

But, whatever may be the state of the public funds, it is a fact that the burthens of the people instead of diminishing are perpetually increasing. Although the minister has avoided the odium of levying any new taxes of importance, he has under the term of regulations, considerably added to those burthens which already are almost too heavy to be borne by a great majority of the people. The new regulations respecting the mode of collecting the taxes threaten the people with additional vexations. Although it is not pretended that the commissioners of the taxes have been neglectful of their duty, or inattentive to the due interests of government, they are no longer to be trusted; being in general men of independent property, and performing the duties of their office gratuitously, they are not deemed suitable instruments to oppress their fellow subjects Inspectors general are therefore to be appointed by the crown, with salaries of 6001. per annum; besides being allowed all travelling expences; and these inquisitors general are to be invested with extraordinary powers, and are to be used, as Alderman COMBE expressed it, "first as spies over the district "commissioners, then as gadflies to sting them to greater exertions, "and finally as flappers to fremind them of the duty of squeezing money out of the pockets of the people."

66

However indifferent the people in general may be to these proceedings, it appears they have excited the indignation and alarm of the commissioners of assessed taxes in several parts of the kingdom. Our readers will notice the spirited resolutions of the gentlemen acting in, and for the division of Kensington," who consider that the new appointments" are derogatory from their characters, and injurious to their feelings as independent men.” . . . . They farther declare “ that they cannot contemplate without the most lively ap"6 prehension, the effects of the proposed regulations," and express their "full persuasion, that if these regulations shall be acted upon, exchequer process must be issued against whole streets, and the " utmost confusion and distress prevail; and that there is too much

66

VOL. III.