the adoption of which the Church of Eng-l is expedient that some other provision be land has not been reluctant to proceed on substituted in lieu of the said Sacramental principles of liberality and Christian cha- Test : rity. I am sorry, my lords, that I have “And whereas, by the laws of this realm, been obliged to trespass so long upon your constituting and confirming for ever the lordships' patience; but I thought it my treaties of union between England and duty, as a bishop of the Established Ireland, it is solemnly enacted and deChurch, to say what I have now said on clared, that the churches of England and this important occasion, when it is pro- Ireland, as by law established, be united posed to repeal acts long supposed to con- into one Protestant Episcopal Church, to stitute important props and supports of be called the United Church of England the Establishment. Under these circum- and Ireland; and that the doctrine, stances I deemed it necessary to state worship, and government of the said more at large, than I should otherwise United Church shall be, and shall remain, have done, my reasons for offering my in full force for ever, as the same are now cordial co-operation and concurrence in by law established for the Church of the present measure. England; and that the continuance and The Earl of Mansfield said, that the preservation of the said United Church, consideration for their lordships was, whe- as the Established Church of England and ther they would repeal acts which had Ireland, shall be deemed and taken to be hitherto proved the best bulwark of the an essential and fundamental part of the Church, for the purpose of substituting a said Union; and that, in like manner, Declaration, of the effect of which, having the doctrine, worship, and government, of no experience, they could not properly the Church of Scotland shall remain, and judge. If the present law was proved to be preserved as the same are now by law be oppressive and offensive, let them established, and by the acts for the Únion calmly investigate the evil, and modify it of the two kingdoms of England and as might appear necessary; but the 'ne- Scotland : cessity should be clearly and distinctly “And whereas, it is just and fitting that made out : and he doubted whether it had all persons now required by law to take been made apparent on the present occa- the Sacramental Test aforesaid should, on sion. If some sufficient declaration were being excused therefrom, be required to substituted, he had no objection to the give some other sufficient assurance of repeal of the laws; but as for the pro- their being well-disposed to the conposed Declaration, he looked upon it as tinuance and preservation of the said insufficient and insecure. Had a motion United Church : been brought forward for a committee to “Be it therefore enacted, that so much consider what ought to be substituted for and such parts of the said several acts the existing laws, he would not have of passed in the 13th and 25th years of the fered the least objection ; but he felt reign of king George 2nd, and of the said himself called upon to oppose the bill as acts passed in the 16th of the reign of it then stood. king George 2nd, as require, &c., be The bill was then read a second time. repealed. And be it further enacted, that After which, in lieu of being required to take or receive The Earl of Winchelsea expressed his the said Sacrament, as aforesaid, all perintention of moving, that the following sons who are at present by law required clause be inserted in the bill to take the said Sacrament, &c., either as "And whereas, many religious and a qualification for being admissible to any conscientious persons having objected to corporation, or to any office of trust, or as the necessity of taking the Sacrament of a condition subsequent to being admitted the Lord's Supper, for the purposes afore- to any such corporation, &c., shall, except said, as tending to an irreverent use of as hereafter excepted, immediately before the same; and whereas, experience for their admission to such corporation, &c., many years past having proved that many make and subscribe the declaration sol Protestant Dissenters from the Church of lowing:England and Ireland may be admitted to "1. A. B., being about to be admitted oslices in corporations, and to offices of to (as the case may be), do solemnly detrust under the Crown, without injury to clare, in the presence of Almighty God, the Constitution in Church and State, it and of his Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, that I do firmly hold and believe, that the proper, he could introduce it on Monday, IIOUSE OF COMMONS. the true revealed word of Almighty God; Thursday, April 17. and I do promise and swear that I will do nothing to injure or weaken the united Catholic EMANCIPATION.] Mr. H. Church of England and Ireland, as by Maxwell rose to present a Petition from law established, or to bring into contempt certain Protestant inhabitants of the county the doctrine, discipline, and government of Cavan, praying that parliament would thereof.—So help me God:' grant no further concessions to the Roman “And whereas, there are several offices Catholics. The petitioners said, that of trust under the Crown, of too little while they were opposed to that species of power or influence to make it necessary to emancipation which the Roman Catholics require the said declaration from persons claimed as a right, they were willing to admitted to the same; be it therefore en- assist them in procuring the only emanacted, that his majesty in council shall be cipation which would be really serviceable, enabled to enumerate and publish, by to them; namely, emancipation from the order of council, a list of such inferior trammels of a factious and disloyal priestoffices as his said majesty in Council shall hood, who disseminated principles that deem not to require the said declaration were injurious to their flocks. The peto be made as a qualification for admission titioners expressed their conviction, that to the same. Provided always, and be it to grant political power to the Roman further enacted, that nothing herein con- Catholics; would be fraught with mistained shall be construed so as to empower chief to the Protestant establishment of his majesty, as aforsaid, to excuse from this country. The petitioners, seeing taking the said declaration, any person that the Roman Catholics had changed about to be admitted to be a member of their tone from supplication to threats his majesty's most honourable Privy and intimidation, put it to the House Council, or any person appointed and whether persons persons who thus endeanamed to be judge in any of his majesty's voured to effect their object by terror and courts of King's-bench, Common Pleas, menace were entitled to favourable conor Exchequer, or Judge of any Court of sideration. The petitioners, further obRecord within this realm, or to be justice served, that the existence of the Catholic of the peace in a county of the same, or rent, which was enforced by a bigotted to hold any office of state under his ma- and disloyal priesthood throughout the jesty, his heirs, and successors : country, was calculated greatly to alarm " And whereas, there is an ancient and the Protestants of Ireland. The organilaudable custom, that the judges of assize, zation of simultaneous meetings in every on their several circuits in England and part of Jreland; the measures of threat Wales, do solemnly attend divine service, and intimidation to which the Roman according to the rites of the Church of Catholics had resorted; together with the England, in the cathedral, or other prin- seditious and insulting language which on cipal Church of the city or town, wherein every occasion was vented against the the said assize is holden : Protestant establishment at the Catholic “Be it hereby enacted and declared, Association, induced the petitioners to that nothing herein contained shall be make this appeal to the wisdom of parliadeemed or taken to derogate from the said ment, to curb the proceedings of that laudable custom : Association, whose existence they con“And be it further declared, that it sidered incompatible with the Protestant shall be part of the duty of the said judges ascendancy in Ireland. They therefore, of assize to attend divine service, accord- under all the circumstances, prayed that ing to the rites of the Church of England, no farther concessions should be made to as aforesaid, unless prevented by illness the Roman Catholic body. He agreed in or other unavoidable impediment.” the propriety of the prayer of the petition ; Lord Holland said, that with respect to But before he brought it up, he wished to the clause proposed by the noble earl, and put a question to the Home Secretary, which, by the bye, was more like a bill During the recess, reports had gone abroad than a clause, if his lordship thought that negotiations had been entered into a between the English government and the should be sorry to occupy. He was not disCourt of Rome for the purpose of obtain- couraged by the paucity of attendants on ing a Concordat. Those reports had this occasion, because he knew that there given great uneasiness to the Protestants. were many subjects brought before the He knew the question was of an awkward House, which, however important, were nature, and he did not wish to put it in not necessarily of a nature to command such a way as would elicit an answer in immediate attention. However, he trusted the affirmative; because, if such an answer that the House would give its indulgence were given, those who were implicated in to one who was not much in the habit of the negotiation would, under the existing addressing them, and who had spared no law, be liable to the penalties of a præmunire. pains to obtain the very best informaHeshould therefore ask, whether the reports tion. in question were totally destitute of foun Without further preamble, then, he dation; whether it was utterly unfounded should proceed to the question itself. The that the English government did open importance of this subject no man could such a negotiation with the Court of doubt. Its interest was two-fold. As Rome; directly or indirectly, through regarded the rich, the immense increase of themselves, or by the instrumentality of the poor-rates now accumulated to an any other persons whatsoever ; whether in alarming degree of magnitude ; and threathis majesty's own immediate dominions, ened, if not arrested in their progress, to or on the continent; and whether it was overwhelm the agricultural interest in ruin. equally false, that any other power of But the consequences of the Poor-laws Europe was employed in carrying on were, in another point of view, still more such a negotiation, with reference to alarming, and were productive of consethe affairs of the Roman Catholics of this quences more deplorable in the eyes of country, to which England was likely to every man who wished well to his fellowbecome a party. subjects; they had had the effect of deMr. Secretary Peel said, he never heard pressing those whose only possession was of these reports until the other day, and their labour, of degrading the most nucould assure the hon. member that there merous class of the community, of underwas not the slightest foundation for them. mining the comforts of a body of men, who Sir J. Newport said, that conceiving, were formerly justly proud of their indeas he did that all those acts which pre- pendence—the peasantry of the country. vented any intercourse between this to show the fallacy on which a part of the government and the see of Rome were present system of Poor-laws was founded, injurious to the country, he would, on with the further view of inducing a conthe 13th of May, move for leave to bring sideration of those laws, was the object in a bill for their repeal. with which he ventured to address the House. This peculiar time was auspicious Poor Laws Payment of ABLE- for such a purpose; for parliament had BODIED LABOURERS OUT OF THE Poor now under its consideration a measure Rates.] Mr. Slaney rose to bring forward which had for its object to prevent the the motion, of which he had given notice, fluctuations that were formerly constantly respecting the necessity of an inquiry into taking place in the price of grain. If it the state of the Poor-laws ; and, in doing were shown that, among the causes of the so, he could not avoid remarking on the depression of the poor, the fluctuation in very limited attendance of members on the price of grain held a leading place, the occasion—a circumstance which he then the time for doing away that fluctuaattributed, not so much to their want of tion was the opportune moment for coninterest for the subject in general, as to sider:ng the state of the poor, and the the claims of more important avocations abuses of the laws which affected them. on their time. He, however, was pre- The Poor-laws divided themselves into pared on his side to perform the duty three distinct parts. First, the rating-a which he had assigned to himself. He branch of the subject so complex and felt it would be impossible for him to bring so full of difficulties, as to deter him before the House the subject of his motion from any attempt at an investigation of in a manner capable of exciting a due its merits. The second division related degree of attention, without trespassing on to the law of settlement, on which an their time to an extent which otherwise he enlightened committee, and one from whose labours he anticipated the most without any prospect of support? He valuable results, was now sitting. With should then say, that until some sure mode that part of the question he did not mean was provided whereby the recurrence of at present to meddle. The third division these fluctuations—which it was ascertainembraced the law of relief, and to that ed returned about every seven years, division alone he meant to confine him- should be guarded against, it would be a self. With respect to that class of per- most unwise, most imprudent and unsafe, sons whom the early law enumerated as as well as cruel measure, to take from being the proper objects of relief; name them that source of relief on which alone ly, the lame, the impotent, the old, and they at present rested. He trusted that blind, he wished distinctly to be under the House would lend itself heartily to this stood as having no intention to interfere great object, and sanction an inquiry into with the usual relief afforded to them. He the best mode, not of avoiding those fucwas sure that the feelings not only of the tuations—for that was impossible, but members of that House, but of every man of procuring temporary employment for in the country, would sanction that for those who were liable to be deprived of it. bearance, and would second him in rather For the present he would confine himattempting to augment the measure of self to the employment of another class relief to such objects, by withdrawing of persons—the agricultural labourers ; that portion which was now absorbed by who stood in very different circumpersons, who, in his estimation, had not stances from those of the manufacturing So good a title to gratuitous support. community with respect to the demand The second class of persons to whom for their services, and the fluctuations relief was afforded, and that whose case he to which that demand was liable. The now meant to consider, was the class of tendencies of the people themselves to persons who were able to work. It must provide a security against the vicissitudes be obvious to any one, that this class com- to which they were liable might suggest prehended two principal divisions; the first to the legislature, that the difficulty of of which consisted of the artizans, many- providing an effectual security was not so facturers, mechanics, and their families. great as they might at first imagine. This He begged to say that no one, in or out of was one of those cases in which benevothat House, was more disposed to sympa- lence might go hand-in-hand with wisdom thise in the privations, when they did in determining the means of giving conoccur, under which that description of stant employment to the labouring class. persons laboured---no one could be more The provident dispositions of the people ready than he was to mitigate their suf- began to manifest themselves; and, as ferings; and, at all events, if he had it in a proof of the extent to which the incontemplation to stop the means of relief fluence of prudential considerations bad on the one side, it was only in the cer- reached amongst them, he would merely tainty of being able, on the other, by state, that the number of persons enrolled measures of gradual amelioration, to do in those excellent institutions called Benefit away with the necessity of such persons Societies, as appeared by the last return, seeking relief at all. The other class to amounted to nine hundred and twentywhom he alluded, consisted of the agricul- five thousand. And looking to the retural labourers, and others, who were able turns of the amount of deposits in Savings'to work. With respect to the manufac- banks, which had been comparatively but turing poor, to whose case lie had already a short time in play, he found that the alluded, the House would permit him to aggregate amount of deposits in the say, that no inquiry could be of more im- United Kingdom amounted to the enormous portance than one whose object was to sum of fifteen millions sterling. It was ascertain with correctness the causes of usually calculated that 15l. was on the the fluctuations to which the means of average, the deposit of each person; and subsistence of that class were subject. that being the case, it appeared that the What could be more dreadful than to see number of depositors was no less than those industrious persons one month en- one million. This fact showed the wiljoying comfort, and the next, by some lingness of the people to avail themsudden revolution in commercial affairs, selves of any means within their power by some vicissitude over which they could of providing against the vicissitudes to have no control, plunged into destitution, which their condition was liable. He now returned to the consideration of last year? In Lancashire they increased the case of the able-bodied labourers. 47 per cent; in the West Riding of YorkThere were some general observations shire 34 per cent; in the county of Chester applicable to the Poor-laws, which he was 24 per cent. This arose from fluctuations sure would excite general interest. There in the demand for manufacturing labour, was, no doubt, a class of the public, to which, though deeply to be lamented, did whom the prospect of being exempted not spring from any lasting source of defrom part of the burthen of poor-rates, pression, but was almost already passed independently of any other considerations, away. would be a source of pleasing anticipa- Some person might say, that the amount tion; and since thc realization of that of the poor-rates for the last year exhiprospect was one of the objects, though bited a diminution, as compared with their not the chief, which he had in view, he amount in 1821. But the hon. member hoped to receive the support of the said, that the price of corn was the great House. He begged, first of all, to call barometer of the price of labour, and that, the attention of the House to the amount of course, the state of the poor would be of the poor-rates at different periods in always materially influenced by the price round numbers. For the three years of corn ; and after referring to the amount 1748, 1749, and 1750, the poor-rates of the latter at different periods, he conaveraged 700,0001. a-year. In 1783, tended that, in the whole there was a 1784, and 1785, they were something gradual, constant increase of the cost of under two millions sterling. In 1803 maintaining the poor. And what rendered they increased to upwards of four mil- this increase the more remarkable was, lions. In 1815 they amounted to up- that it took place notwithstanding the wards of six millions sterling for each operation of the Select Vestry act-an act year; in 1818 to 6,800,0001. ; and in pregnant with wisdom. He asked, must 1821 to upwards of seven millions sterl- not the tendency of these rates to increase ing, being the greatest amount to which be very strong indeed, when they were they had ever attained. In 1824, the found to augment, in spite of the exist, amount was near six millions. In 1825, ence of two thousand, eight hundred and it was 5,780,0001. ; in 1826, 5,900,0001.; sixty-eight Select Vestries throughout the and in 1827, it had increased from a sum kingdom, and no less than three thousand less than six millions to 6,440,0001., being special overseers? If, then, the poor-rates an increase on the general amount of advanced, even under such checks as he poor-rates in the kingdom of nine per had described, was there not good ground cent. There was, however, one thing furnished, in that fact, to justify him in consoling in the accounts; namely, that calling on the House to look into the printhe abuses prevailed chiefly in the southern ciple of those laws ? He begged to refer parts. He could mark with a line the the House to a return worthy of particular places where wages were good, and poor- recommendation, on account of the smallrates low; and other places where the ness of its dimensions, but which at the wages were low, and the poor-rates high. same time contained a great many facts, He found, however, that a vast increase in placed in a very clear manner, with referthe rates took place last year in the manu- ence to this subject. The work he alluded facturing districts, where the increase to was the “ Appendix to the Poor Rates' could not be attributed to the abuse of the Abstract,” which was reprinted in NovemPoor-laws. In looking at the state of ber, 1826. He begged to read a few of those laws, he found that the vast increase the curious items which were to be found of the rates last year, being an increase of in this account. Upon a comparison nine per cent on the amount of the former made of the rates of different years, from year, did not arise from the abuses of the 1806, it appeared that the cost of mainPoor-laws. He wished to ask a question, taining the poor doubled every twenty which appeared to him of some difficulty, years, whilst the cost of law and litigation and which might, perhaps, be answered doubled every twelve years. According by some member from that part of the to the returns of rates made in March, country-how came it to pass, that in 1826, it appeared that the land contributed Westmoreland, where confessedly the best five sevenths of the whole amount, while system of Poor-laws was established, the the manufacturing interest paid only a poor-rates increased 19 per cent above the proportion of one twenty-fourth, He |