it. The Bill will have the further good effect of doing away one topic of division among us for after this, at no General Election, and in no County, can the present Ministers presume to revive the cry of No Popery.

July 11th.

The Courier, in animadverting on the paragraph in our Paper respecting the Bill which removes the great disability suffered by the Roman Catholics, says that we omitted a sentence in the Bill, by which the measure is misrepresented. We stated in a few words the substance of this sentence, viz. that there were doubts whether the provisions of the ancient Acts were still in force: the words being, "Whereas the practice of taking the said oaths, and making and subscribing the said declarations by officers, previous to their receiving commissions in his Majesty's army, had been long disused; and whereas it is expedient to remove such doubts, and to assimilate the practice of the two services. Be it therefore enacted," &c. Now we submit to the consideration of our readers, whether we did not state this curious concession of ministers fairly and candidly. In regard to the army, our Roman Catholic brethren lived upon sufferance. The existing law was dispensed with. In the navy it was rigorously enforced. In the first it hung over them in terrorem. In the other it was a positive exclusion. The liberal administration of Lord Grenville and Lord Grey exerted themselves to remove the obstacle to the fair and honourable ambition of gallant men; and a cry was set up, that his Majesty's coronation oath stood in the way. The whole bench of bishops, with one single exception, stood up against the dreadful attack on the conscience of the King. The whole phalanx of the present administration joined the cry-Lord Grenville and Lord Grey yielded their places to their principles. The cry of No Popery was sounded all over the united kingdom, and a new parliament was elected under the influence of that clamour-a parliament that added several hundred millions to the national debt, and to which we are so peculiarly indebted for the burthens under which we labour! The curiosity of the measure therefore is, that

it is identically the same as that introduced by Lord Grenville and Lord Grey, and this is acknowledged by The Courier. "It is very true," says the writer in The Courier," that this bill is nearly the same in practical effect, as that brought in in 1806, by Lords Grenville and Grey, and the defeat of which was one of the grounds of their retirement from office, but the event only shews how crude and undigested their measure was, and how little they understood of the case, since it is clear that the army was at that time in practice open to the Catholics, and that it is doubtful whether, in law, both army and navy were not so." It is not easy to conceive a train of reasoning more audacious than this, and it betrays the pen from which it came. Mr. Croker brought this famous bill into the House of Commons, after it had passed through the House of Lords, and this is the strain in which he supports it in The Courier! The measure is in effect practically the same as that of the bill of 1806, and yet the former was crude and undigested. This bill is to settle doubts that existed on the interpretation of ancient laws and so was the bill of 1806. This is to open both services equally to the Catholics, and to protect them against the intolerance of any man who might, by administering the oaths and requiring the declarations, prevent them from entering into the military or naval service, and so was the measure against which the whole pack of time-servers, lords of the back stairs, courtiers, bishops and expectants joined in full cry; and upon which the present Cabinet, in an evil hour, was formed. So far, therefore, from the measure being crude and undigested, the conduct of the present ministers serves only to prove its wisdom and liberality, since after ten years' more experience, after having doomed the Roman Catholic population to ten years more of doubtful incapacity as to the army, and of total exclusion as to the navy, they come forward, acknowledge the injustice of the intolerant system, and adopt the very measure for which their predecessors were excluded from office! In 1807 they gave a secret irresponsible advice to his Majesty, that such a concession would be at

variance with his coronation oath; and, in 1817, they give an official advice to the Prince Regent, or his confidential servants, to go down to parliament to give his Royal assent to the bill!

21.

Warwickshire Unitarian Tract Society. THE Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Tract Society, established in Birmingham, for Warwickshire and the neighbouring counties, took place at Coseley, in Staffordshire, on Tuesday, June 17, 1817. The Rev. James Hews Bransby, of Dudley, read the Scriptures and conducted the devotional service. The Rev. James Yates, of Birmingham, delivered a very interesting discourse from 1 Kings xviii. "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, flow loug halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord (Jehovah) be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.'" Mr. Yates first applied the words of the prophet to the present state of opinions in this country he then endeavoured to obviate the various excuses which men commonly urge for declining the examination of the most important religious controversies: he afterwards pointed out the dispositious with which such an examination ought to be conducted, and the proper employment of religious truth when discovered.

After the usual business had been transacted, upwards of forty gentlemen, members and friends of the society, dined together. In the course of the afternoon several subjects, connected with the progress of Christian truth and with the interests of religious liberty, engaged the attention of the meeting. The Rev. John Kentish having read a letter, addressed to him by the Chairman of the Committee, for conducting the defence of Mr. John Wright, of Liverpool, against whom a prosecution had been commenced, on the charge of blasphemy, it was ✩ resolved,

I. That the meeting cordially sympathize with Mr. Wright in his pre

sent circumstances.

II. That they will be most happy to contribute, individually, to the expenses which may be necessary for his defence, at the ensuing assizes, at Lan

caster.

III. That the Rev. John Kentish be

desired to transmit these resolutions to the friends of Mr. Wright, in such a way as he may judge most proper.

The list of members received a considerable addition of names from Coseley, Wolverhampton and the neighbourhood. J. H. B.

Protest against the Marriage Ceremony. SIR,

Your readers have doubtless heard with pleasure the intentions of Mr. Smith, of Norwich, that noble advocate of the rights of conscience, particularly as affecting Unitarians, to bring the marriage question under the consideration of the legislature. It is really a disgrace to our age and country, that men, whatever may be their sentiments and religious opinious, should be called upon to bow at the altar of any mode of faith, established or otherwise. Marriage, in fact, is and should be a civil contract ; it is a private agreement between the parties which is to be publicly sanctioned indeed by law, and which should be so sanctioned by the magistrate, not the priest. The sole object of the legislature in passing the marriage act, that act by which every one who marries is now compelled to visit the established church, the sole object I say, Sir, then in view was publicity, and to prevent illicit and unadvised unions; this should be ever kept in view in all our endeavours to obtain redress; till we obtain it, however, we must submit; though something may still be done in the way of bearing our testimony against this grievous imposition on the conscience of all Dissenters, Unitarians in particular. As a proof of this ! inclose you the copy of a protest which, in a parish church in the city of London, was publicly delivered by two parties at the time of their marriage last Sunday; every effort was, besides, made by them to resist the perform ance of the ceremony, particularly by their refusing to kneel while the idolatrous and unchristian rite was performing.

Your giving publicity to their protest just at this particular moment, may essentially serve the cause of

freedom of conscience in this instance. Requesting, therefore, your speedy attention to it, I am, Sir,

W. L.
London, Sept. 26th, 1817.

"To Mr. commonly called the Rev. The undersigned being Protestant Dissenters, present to you the following protest against the marriage ceremony, to which, according to the law of the land they are conpelled to subscribe. They disclaim all intention of acting disrespectfully to the legislature, or to its civil officer before whom they stand; they lament that they are placed in a situation so unnatural, as that even forbearance to what they consider as established error, would be a formal recantation of opinions which they received on conviction, and which they will only renounce on similar grounds: against the marriage ceremony, then they can but most solemnly protest,

"Because it makes marriage a religious, instead of a civil act.

"Because, as Christians and Protestant Dissenters, it is impossible we can allow of the interference of any human institution with matters which concern our faith and consciences.

"Because, as knowing nothing of a priesthood in Christianity, the submission to a ceremony performed by a person in holy orders, or pretended holy orders,' is painful and humiliating to our feelings.

"Because, as servants of Jesus, we worship the one living and true God, his God and our God, his Father and onr Father, and disbelieve and abomiuate the doctrine of the Trinity, in whose name the marriage ceremony is performed.

(Signed) WM. LAWRENCE, JANE CLARK, "Members of the church of God, meeting at the Crescent, Jewin street, known by the name of Free Thinking Christians.'

Sept. 21, 1817.

Reformation Fête.

The following article from Frankfort shews that the spirit of Luther lives in his countrymen: we fear that a proposal in Scotland to hold a feast in celebration of the memory of John Knox, would not be well received at the present moment :

"Frankfort, Sept. 15.-All the Protestant Universities of Germany have been invited to send, by the end of October, deputations to the Chateau of Wartbourgh, near Lisenach, in the Grand Duchy of Saxe Weimar, where

a grand fète is to be celebrated, in honour of the Reformation. It was in this chateau that Luther resided for several years, under the protection of the Dukes of Saxe, when ordered to be arrested by Charles V.

GERMANY-The Gazette of Aix la Chapelle announces that the celebrated MADAME DE KRUDENER, has cmbraced the Catholic religion.

The Leipsic Gazette publishes a notice from the Saxon Government, purporting that the bodies of individuals committing Suicide through despair, shall be delivered to the Amphitheatres of Anatomy.

NOTICES.

In the course of the present month will be published, Part I. of an edition of the Hebrew Bible without points, to be completed in four parts; it is uniform to the Hebrew Bible with points, that was published in May last; either of these Bibles may be had interpaged with English, Greek or Latin; and thus conjoined will not, when bound, exceed one inch in thickness, or, as a Hebrew Bible alone, half an inch.

Bibliography.-The Second Part of Lackington and Co's. Catalogue, containing the classes-curious and rare Books, Old Plays, Astrology, Poetry and the Arts, Philosophy, Natural History, Games and Sports, &c. is now published. The Third Part, containing Greek and Latin Classics and Books in all foreign languages, will be published in October; and the Fourth and last Part at Christmas, which will contain a very large collection of Divinity and an Appendix of Additions to all the classes.Part the First of English and Foreign History, Voyages, Travels and Miscellanies is recently published.

In the Press and speedily will be published a Reply to the Rev. Mr. Mathias's (of Dublin) Enquiry into the Doctrines of the Reformation, or a right Convincing and Conclusive Confutation of Calvinism: to which is subjoined lenopaideia, or the true method of instructing the Clergy of the Established Church, being a wholesome Theological Cathartic to Purge the Church of the Predestinarian Pestilence. By a Clergyman of the Church of England.

The New Testament, in an Improved Version. By the Unitarian Society. 4th Edition. Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d. Super Royal 8vo. 11. 5s.

The Complete Works of Nathaniel Lardner, D. D. in 5 volumes, 4to. Portrait. 101. 10s. boards.

Sixteen Unitarian Missionary Discourses. By Richard Wright. 12mo. 79.

Eight Familiar Lectures on Astronomy; intended as an Introduction to the Science, for the Use of Young Persons, and others not conversant with the Mathematics: accompanied by Plates, numerous Diagrams, and a copious Index. By William Phillips. 12mo. 6s. 6d.

A Continuation of the Emerald Isle. By C. Phillips, Esq. Barrister at Law. 4to. 5s. Plurality of Worlds; or Letters, Notes and Memoranda, Philosophical and Critical, occasioned by Dr. Chalmers's Discourses. 5s. The Rev. R. Hall's Speech, delivered at the Guildhall, Leicester, July 15, 1817, at the Seventh Anniversary of the Leicester Auxiliary Bible Society. 6d.

The Fulfilment of Prophecy further illustrated by the Signs of the Times: or, an Attempt to ascertain the probable Issues of the recent Restoration of the old Dynasties; of the revival of Popery; and of the present mental Ferment in Europe: as likewise, how far Great Britain is likely to share in the Calamities by which Divine Providence will accomplish the final overthrow of the Kingdoms of the Roman Monarchy. By J. Bicheno, M. A. 6s. 6d. Dissertations on the Prophecies. By the late D. Levi. Containing all such Prophecies as are applicable to the coming of the Messiah, the Restoration of the Jews, and the Resurrection of the Dead, whether so applied by Jews or Christians: revised and amended by J. King. 2 vols. 11. 1s. Sermons

On various Subjects. By the late Villiam Bell, D D. Prebendary of St. Peter's, Westminster. Published by Joseph Allen, M. A. Prebendary of Westminster. 2 vols. 8vo. 18s.

On Faith, Doctrines, and Public Duties.

By the Very Rev. William Vincent, D.D. late Dean of Westminster. With a Life of the Author, by the Rev. Robert Nares, Archdeacon of Stafford. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

Of the Rev. Sydney Smith, Rector of Foston, Yorkshire. 2 vols. 8vo. 18s.

A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Rochester, and published at their request. By John Law, D. D. Archdeacon of Rochester. Is. 6d.

A Visitation Sermon, preached July 1, 1816, at Stamford, before the Bishop of Peterborough, and the Clergy of Rutland and part of Northampton. In which are considered some of the most important Qualifications for the Ministry, and in which is especially evinced the necessity of Learning to a Theologian, by an examination of the chief Requisites for forming a skilful Interpreter of the Sacred Writings. Illustrated with Notes. By S. T. Bloomfield, M. A. Vicar of Bisbrooke, in Rutland. 3s.

A Sermon, preached at Cowbridge at the Primary Visitation of the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Llandaff. By the Rer. Henry Scawen Plumptre, A. M.

Miscellaneous.

Public Education: consisting of Three Tracts, reprinted from the Edinburgh Review, the Classical Journal, and the Pamphleteer; together with the Defence of Public Schools. By the late Dean of Westminster. 5s.

Observations on the Diseased Manifestations of the Mind, or Insanity. By J. G. Spurzheim, M D. Royal 8vo. 14s.

The Philological and BiographicalWorks of Charles Butler, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn. 5 vols. 8vo. 31. 10s.

Observations on the West India Islands, Medical, Political and Miscellaneous. By John Williamson, M.D. 2 vols. 8vo. 11.5s.

Speech of the Right Hon. Robert Peele, on Mr. Grattan's Motion on the Catholic Claims. 8vo. 2s.

Speech of John Leslie Foster, Esq. ou the same. 2s.

Speech of Robert, Lord Bishop of Ossory, on the same 1s. 6d.