not be practically wise and useful which justified a recurrence to so many suspensions of it.

The Lord Chancellor said, he must have been grossly misunderstood, if it was supposed he could entertain any intention of moving the repeal of any of these acts; on the contrary, an occasion was likely soon to occur, when he should declare his opinion of the necessity of retaining them. He certainly would hereafter set his face against such measures as the present, and manifest that respect in which the marriage act ought to be held, and the attention with which it should be observed.

Lord Redesdale would never sit silent and hear the declarations that were made by some noble lords. As he deeply and sincerely revered the marriage act, and as he felt the great importance of a strict observance of it, so should he always be ready to raise his voice against the opinion of those to whom nothing in the constitution appeared sacred, and who avowed the design of proposing the repeal of the marriage act, and other acts equally essential to the safety of the state, and to the well-being and peace of the community. Those who harbour such designs could not mean well to their country.

Lord Stanhope called to order. He felt much respect for the noble and learned lord, but he never would allow him or any noble lord to impute motives to noble lords as influencing the opinions they delivered in that house.

Lord Redesdale did not conceive himself to be disorderly. He did not think that any noble lord, without moving for the repeal of an act of the legislature, had a right to enter into arguments, that treated it with disrespect. The noble lords in his eye had spoken disrespectfully of the marriage act, and intimated a wish for the repeal of other acts of equal importance and necessity. He therefore felt himself justified in again declaring, that those who would attempt to repeal such acts, could not wish well to their country.

Lord Lauderdale called the noble and learned lord to order, and reprobated the narrowness and illiberality of his opinions, which were now held odious in every part of the country, and which he was certain would prove as mischievous as they were odious.

Lord Ellenborough contended, that his noble and learned friend was strictly in order; his observations grew out of the bill before the house.

After some further explanations between the Lord Chancellor, Lord Redesdale, and Lord Holland, the bill was read a second time, and afterwards passed.

On the motion of the Bishop of Exeter for the marriage indemnity bill going into a committee, (May 23),

The Archbishop of Canterbury said, he thought there was great deficiency in the act relating to marriages. There seemed to him great impropriety in giving, as was the case, one church the right of solemnizing marriages, and denying it to another---in some places that right was enjoyed by a chapelry, in other places chapelries were excluded by such power. He observed many mistakes originated from this diversity of powers belonging to different churches, and many young men, who from their habits of life could not be expected to know much of their lordships' statutes, upon being applied to, not knowing this difference of right, solemnized marriages contrary to law---it would be better to make all churches, chapels of ease, &c. capable of marriage solemnization, which would remove the inconvenience of the act of parliament. He and the reverend prelates had taken every means to consider this subject well, for the purpose of preventing, by their own exertions, any necessity to bring in bills similar to the present, but they were fully sensible that not any thing effectual could be accomplished on their parts.-(Past.)*

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

IRISH FIRST FRUITS.

May 16, 1808. Sir J. Newport, pursuant to his notice, rose to move for leave to bring in a bill for a more equal valuation of the revenue of the First Fruits in Ireland, and for the due collection thereof. He informed the house that 1500

* The bishops of the respective dioceses were instructed to direct, that, in every church or chapel, where marriages cannot legally be solemnized, there should be placed a table stating the punishment which every minister is liable to suffer, if he solemnizes marriage in any place not allowed by 26 Geo. II. and likewise declaring the sentence of the law, that marriages solemnized in improper places are null and void.

this revenue.

parishes only were valued in Ireland, while 900 were not valued at all. If the house should give him leave to bring in this bill, it was his intention to propose, that livings under 150l. per annum, and also livings upon which the incumbent would have to pay any charge to the representatives of their predecessors for the erection of glebe-houses, should not be included in the valuation, nor be required to contribute to He also proposed, that the present incumbents should not be affected by this bill. Upon the most accurate calculation he could make, he supposed that, even with the exceptions he had stated, the new valuation would produce between 20 and 30,000/. per annum. He should also propose, that no more than one-fourth of a year's revenue should be demanded in any year, and that the bishop or archbishop should have the power of dividing the payment of these first fruits amongst the first six years of possession of a living. Having stated thus much, he moved for leave to bring in the following bill.

Whereas a very considerable proportion of the ecclesiastical dignities and benefices of Ireland has not been yet valued, under or by virtue of the several acts passed in the parliament thereof, for the due valuation and collection of the revenue of the first fruits; and the valuation of the remaining part of such dignities and benefices has been made at such early and remote periods, as to bear no due proportion to the real value thereof; and whereas a new and regular valuation of all the ecclesiastical dignities and benefices of Ireland, and the due and exact collection of the first fruits thereof, would greatly increase the fund applicable to the beneficial purposes of the erection of churches, and glebe-houses, and the purchase of glebes, and impropriate tythes, for augmentation of the income of the smaller livings:

Be it therefore enacted, That the respective archbishops and bishops of every diocese in Ireland are hereby empowered and required, as well by the oath of two or more credible witnesses, which oath, they or any person or persons, commissioned by them, under their hands and archiepiscopal or episcopal seals, are hereby empowered to administer, as by all other lawful ways or means, to inform themselves of the lear VOL. I.

L

improved yearly value of every ecclesiastical dignity and benefice, with or without cure of souls annexed, and how much yearly value arises, and the same from time to time to certify, under their respective hands and seals, to the trustees and commissioners, in whose disposal, and under whose controul, the said revenue of first fruits is vested, in order that provision may be made by the said trustees and commissioners, for the due collection of such improved revenue, in such manner, and by such ways and means, as shall to them the said trustees and commissioners seem most expedient and effectual, which provision the said trustees and commissioners are hereby cmpowered to make, and to limit such times and days of payment for the same, upon good and reasonable sureties, as they deem meet to appoint.

may

Provided always, That no person entering into possession of such ecclesiastical dignity or benefice, shall be called upon to make payment of more than one-fourth part of the first fruits, of such dignity or benefice, in any one year, and that no more than six years shall be allowed for the entire and complete discharge and payment of such first fruits.

Provided always, That all and singular vicarages or other benefices, having cure of souls annexed, and not being of the clear yearly value of 150l. at the least, upon such new valuation thereof, shall be free and clearly discharged and acquitted, from all charges and payments, for or on account of the said first fruits; and also that all and singular such benefices and vicarages as may be liable to any payments, on account of the erection of any glebe-house, shall be discharged in like manner of the payment of first fruits, so far only as respects such incumbent as may make good such payment, on account of the erection of such glebe-house.

Sir Arthur Wellesley objected to the principle of the Right Hon. Baronet's measure, because its object appeared to be to take money out of the pockets of the clergy of Ireland, to enable the board of first fruits to increase the revenues of the lower livings. The superior clergy were adequately provided for, but the inferior clergy were not. Yet, under the present circumstances of the church of Ireland, the clergy, upon preferment to a benefice, did not receive any income from it for

two years, and were obliged to give up the next two years' revenue to satisfy the demands of their predecessors for the erection of glebc-houses. Some livings, it was true, paid no first fruits, whilst others did, but the inequality was too inconsiderable to merit attention. Upon these grounds he should object to the bill in the first instance.

A short discussion ensued, in which Mr. Charles Wynne, Mr. Horner, Mr. G. Ponsonby, and Mr. M. Fitzgerald, supported the motion; and Mr. Foster, Dr. Duigenan, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer opposed it, on the ground that, though they would support any proposition for the relief of the inferior clergy from any other fund, they could not consent to the imposition of such an oppressive tax upon the clergy in general for that purpose.

Sir J. Newport repeated and enforced all his former arguments; and said there was no good reason urged against the principle of the bill, and hinted that the details might be Inodified in the committee.*

The house divided on the question.

For the motion, 50.---Against it, 67.---Majority 17.

* The following is a history of the Irish first fruits. The first fruits, or annates, are or ought to be the first year's income of every ecclesiastical dignity or benefice, and originated at a very early period of our history, and were then paid by the clergy of both England and Ireland to the Pope. At the period of the Reformation they became a part of the revenue of the crown, and were as such regulated by several Irish statutes, particularly the 28th Henry VIII, which provides for the due and regular valuation, from time to time, of this revenue, and for its collection, and also that of the twentieth part of all ecclesiastical benefices for the use of the crown. Valuations were entered upon, and in part effected under these acts, in the reigns of Henry VIII. Elizabeth, James, and Charles I. but no more than 1500 parishes were valued, whilst 900 remained, and still remain, unvalued, and consequently not subject to this payment. The amount to which the 1500 parishes were valued, was 8,882!. annual income, and the archbishoprics, bishoprics, and other dignities of Ireland, were valued at 5,236, Queen Anne, at the instance either of Lord Treasurer Oxford, or of the Duke of Ormond, then Lord Lieutenant (for they disputed the, merit of having suggested this act of royal munificence), absolutely released the clergy of Ireland from the payment of the twentieth parts, and by her letters patent, granted to certain trustees the revenue of first fruits, to be applied to the purpose of building and repairing churches and glebe-houses, and the purchase of glebes and impropriate tythes, for augmentation of the smaller livings. The average annual amount produced by this grant, which