WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE.

The Earl of Radnor prefented a bill to authorife Parliament to keep alive till another Seffion the bill now pending on the fubject of the clothing trade and woollen manufacture, notwithflanding any prorogation or feparation of Parliament. His Lordthip faid, the other Houfe had been occupied with examining evidence upon this bill before a Committee, and in the Houfe, for eight months. It was therefore probable, that it would colt their Lordships' more time than would probably remain of the Seffion to go through it with due defiberation and attention, and it would be a very inconvenient matter to give the other Houfe the trouble of expending another eight months upon it in the next Seffions, by going over the whole work again, if it did not pafs this Seffion, which there was little probability of. His Lordship added, that the bill which he had in his hand was not without a precedent. :

The Lord Chancellor approved the object of the bill, but fuggefted, that as many actions were pending, and others might be commenced in the interim, on the exifting statutes, which the bill went to repeal, he trufted that a clause would be inferted in the noble Earl's bill, either there or in the other House, to fufpend all fuch actions till their Lordihips. hould have had time to have gone through their proceedings on the woollen manufacture bill, which they had referred to a Committee the other day. He admitted that the noble Earl's bill was not unprecedented.

The Duke of Clarence faid, he would only trouble the Houfe with a few words. He agreed moft heartily in fupporting the propofed bill of fufpenfion, because the woollen manufacture bill was a bill of great importance, and its principle had been approved of by both Houfes; and it certainly would be right to afford their Committee full time to pay ferious attention to the examination of the witnelles, and the formation of the claufes of that bill. The propofed bill would fecure that material object.

The bill was read a first time.

The Earl of Radnor then moved, that the order for the Committee meeting on Monday be discharged.Ordered.

BRISTOL PORT BILL.

Counsel were called in at a quarter atter fix, and proceeded to examine witnelles. After examining two, the further examination was adjourned to Monday following.

Adjourned to Monday.

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JULY 15.

543

The Highland canal bill went through a Committee, and was ordered to be reported the next day.

A meffage from the Lord announced their having agreed to the taxes amendment, the Irish revenue, and the Dublin port bills.

A petition was prefented from the Debtors confined in the gaol of Liverpool, praying relief. Ordered to lie on the

table.

On the motion for the fecond reading of the prize count bill,

Mr. Johnstone, on account of the great importance of the measure, and the preffure of other bulinefs already before the Houfe, wished to have it poftponed for a few days.

Sir W. Scott and Mr. Hobhoufe reprefented the propriety of dispatch at prefent in a measure, which had already been for a confiderable time before the Houfe.

The bill was then read a fecond time, and committed for Tuesday next.

The Houfe went through a Committee on the cheft of Chatham transfer bill, the report of which was received immediately, ordered to be printed, and taken into further confideration on Tuesday.

The militia amendment bill was read a fecond time, and committed for the next day.

The Grenada loan bill was read a third time and paffed.

INDIA BUDGET.

Lord Caflereagh, on account of the measure for national defence, to be brought forward on Monday next, faid, he found himself under the neceffity of deferring the statement The propofed to fubmit on that day, on the fubject of the finances of India, till Monday fe'ennight..

STIPENDIARY CLERGY..

Sir IV. Scott rofe, in pursuance of his notice, to call the attention of the Houfe to a very neceffary and interesting fubject. In the difcuffions of the bill, which he had lately the honour of fubmitting, a great deal had been faid of the want of provifion for the lower orders of the clergy, who were juftly faid to have been left by the House in a state of degrading indigence. It was with fatisfaction he remarked, that, in all that had been faid on the fubject, there was, not a word uttered, which feemed to be the refult of indifference for that religion to which our ancestors had been so fervently

3 X 2

attached;

attached; from which it may fafely be inferred, that, whenever the neceffities of the country adinit of it, the lower orders of the unbeneficed clergy would not fail to experience the kindness of the Legislature. Such a measure, however, must be left for other times, and what he had now to offer was of fuch a nature as not to be attended with any expence to the public. The regulations he now propofed, only related to the flipendiary clergy, who ftood in fituations very different from thofe who were beneficed with livings on fmall falaries, without being provided with parfonage-houfes, or in general with any other accommodations at the expence of the public. The perfons he spoke of were not fupplied by the law with any stations or houses, fo had they no other dependence than voluntary agreement, until the ftatute of Queen Anne gave power to the bishops to allow curates falaries out of their livings, to the amount of 50l. annually. A fubfequent ftatute gave bishops the power of extending it at difcretion as far as the amount of 751. leaving, however, fome difficulties in the way of its execution. There were certainly other establishments, of which perfons, duly educated and qualified, may avail themselves, but these were but thinly distributed through the country. Modes had been fuggefted, by various perfons, of affording them relief; but the Legislature must always confider any plan which tended to equalize them, or that even approached to that fystem, as perfectly inadmiffible. Were any of the church provifions to be perfectly equalized, it would deter men of family, learning and talents, from embarking in that facred profeffion, and it was also an error to fuppofe that equalization would have the effect of compelling refidence. The plan he had to propofe, was not that of equalizing the living between the rector and his curate, but of making a moderate improvement, in the condition of the latter; for the due execution of the fyftem he was induced to leave much to the difcretion of the bishops, because, for this purpose, livings were not to be taken at the rated value. Some very fmall parifhes, from the benevolence and liberality of individuals, and other incidental or local circumftances, were frequently more advantageous, though containing only a fmall number of families, than others, which were larger, and infinitely more populous. Other livings were fo extenfive as to require many curates, and it would not be reasonable that the rector fhould be compelled to make them all the full allowances the measure would

2

would provide in other cafes. There were other confiderations alfo which ought to be attended to. It might happen that the incumbent might be old, with a numerous family," while his curate was young and unincumbered, and vice verfa. He then ftated the outline of his plan. At prefent the maximum, which the law paid at the difcretion of the bishop, was to allow a curate 751. a year, making no diftinc-' tion as to the amount of the living. What he would pro-" pofe was, to allow him a fair portion of any living of 400l. a-year-beyond that, he was to have a fair fifth of every living. Should the amount of that be 50cl. his fair profit would be 100l. a-year, and fhould the living be roool. and there are few beyond that fum in this country, his proportion would be 2001. and in the fame rate for any higher amount. So much for the provifion to be made for curátes, and he next came to the question of refidence. This, he faid, must affo be left to the difcretion of the bishop, according as the neceffity of it varied. The law, at prefent. pointed out no place for the refidence of curates, and the difcretion was the more fit to be left to the bishops, as the vicar's houfe would be an improper place, and if the rector refided in the parith himself, that of the curate became the lefs neceffary; where there was any fecond parfonage, of course there would be no difficulty at all..

Leave was then given to bring in the bill.

CHURCH-YARDS AND PARSONAGES.

Mr. Burton moved for the Houfe to refolve itfelf into a Committee on the bill for permitting perfons to devife, by deed or will, money or lands, to a certain extent, for the purpose of making church-yards, or erecting parfonage houses, when neceffary.

Mr. Francis oppofed the Speaker's leaving the chair, ob ferving, that the tendency of the bill would be mischievous, and may have the effect of fuffering weak fuperftitious peo ple, in their last moments, to bequeath away fums of money to the detriment of their families. He would object to any bill being paffed, in this late period, to alter the ef tablished law. It was, he faid, the more objectionable, as no previous notice had been given of it, and the House was taken by furprise.

Mr. Burton replied, that it was a fubject, which was well and long confidered, and had the approbation of perfons in the law, and other profeffions. The law allowed of fuch

devifes

devifes from the time of Queen Elizabeth, till it was probi bited by the statute of 9 George II, which took away the privileges, which every man had of bequeathing and difpof ing of his perfonal property, as he pleafed. The present bill did not allow of immoderate provifions, as it limited fuch bequests to five acres of land, or 5ool. He was aware, he said, of the objections which had been flated, that weak people might, in their last moments, be prevailed upon to difpole of property in this way, to the injury of their families; to obviate which, he was provided with an amendment, that no bequefts should be valid, unless the will was made three months before the death of the teftator. This he conceived to be a very ample fecurity, as moft wills were made during the loft fickness, or just before the death, of the majority of people, though fome were occafionally executed feveral years before. He knew that many were prevailed on,in times of fuperftition, to bequeath, immediately on their death-beds, when priests and monks had many means of obtaining a boundless influence, but that had for ages been far from being the cafe in this Proteftant country..

Mr. Courtenay. obferved, that the hon. Gentleman himself allowed, that it was in the laft illness that people were liable to be perfuaded to make thefe devices, and, being now fenfible of the abufe, he expected him, on this occafion, to divide against his own bill. By allowing that this part of the meafure required alteration, he could not conceive why it had been opposed. The Mortmain Act was a wife measure, and had been approved by Blackstone, who obferved, that 4 it was apprehended that perfons on their death-bed would make large and improvident difpofitions, even for good purpofes." The hon. Gentleman had taken great merit to himfelf, because the bill permitted only at the most five acres of land, or 500l. to be bequeathed; but he regarded it as the more dangerous on that account. Small fums were more likely to be bequeathed by the yeomanry of the country, and by mary people of middling furtunes, whofe habits and narrow education rendered them peculiarly liable to the influence of fuperftition. People of fuperior fortunes, whatever might be their other follies, were certainly not very likely to bequeath their eftates to fuch purposes as the hon. Gentleman's bill pointed out. A very pernicious influence, however, might be exercifed for the purposes of the bill over weak minds in country parifhes. Were the permission once given, it may become the fashion in fome parishes for every one to leave lands and money in that manner; for it was a

great