manry was forced upon the present Govern ment; but it is their duty, in the bare possi. bility of their ejection from office, on the most hypothetical surmise of a crash, or a convulsion (which God avert), not to leave the people of England in a worse condition, as to their defence, than they found them. I am certain the Minister will not betray us; but we shall "We beg to express our unfeigned gra be yet in a stronger position if we be not in a titude to your Majesty for continuing your condition to be betrayed. Poland is fallen-confidence in an administration distinguished

"Most Gracious Sovereign-We, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the "That your Lordship's distinct and solemn Bobility, gentry, clergy, and freeholders and public pledges to re-introduce into the legis inhabitant freeholders, in the county of War-lature measures of equal efficiency in restoring wick, assembled at a public meeting convened by the High Sheriff, desire most repectfully to approach your Majesty at this important crisis, to express our sincere, ardent, and devoted attachment to your Royal person, and our unshaken resolution to sup

"That we have witnessed with increasing apprehension the rejection of the English Bill of Reform by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, without the deliberation of a committee, by which act the House of Lords has endangered all the institutions of Church and State, and hazarded the peace and prosperity of the uation.

cheers.) The great object was the bill; but though from the principle he would not swerve, from the means avowed necessary to carry it, he might be allowed to vary. After the manner in which the measure had been received by one branch of the constitution, he was disposed to regard the question as at an end, unless means could be found-constitu"That the imputed reaction of public tional means-to carry it, and he hoped no opinion is a gross misrepresentation; that the one would resolve to see it carried in any way people are determined to support your Lord- than constitutionally. (Cheers.) What use, ship's administration against the prejudices he would ask, was the House of Lords, if, in and interested machinations of the opponents time of great public excitement, it could not of reform, and we implore your Lordship, thus exercise a deliberate judgment? (Cheers.) upheld by the nation, to place confidence in But it was said that this was a question which its resolute support of your Lordship's en- appertained exclusively to the House of Comlightened and patriotic measures. mons. What, is not the other House to enter. "That we observe with deep regret the ac-tain a matter which deeply concerns the contive opposition to his Majesty's Cousels and Go-stitution? which concerns every man, whether vernment of persons holding official situations; commoners or lords, in the community? He and we respectfully implore your Lordship to believed that the Upper House entertained terminate the disgraceful exclusion of men of their opinions honestly; but while he allowed liberal opinions from civil distinctions, and to them the utmost discretion in the exercise of recommend the constitutional exercise of all their opinions, he did not think that they acted those royal prerogatives that may be now or wisely in rejecting the measure before they hereafter essential to the success of the Reform had taken the means to examine its detail. Bill-energy and determination being es- (Cheers.) sential to the maintenance and success of your Lordship's administration.

Thus blowing hot, and then cold, his Lordship floundered through an address of considerable length. J. E. Denison, PRETTY CURIOUS! Esq., was present, and was greeted with the loudest applause by his former LIVERPOOL ELECTION.-DINNER TO friends. The toast of "The Members LORD SANDON.-Yesterday se'nnight a for the Borough" was received with public dinner was given to Lord San-hisses and cheers, amidst cries of “Ordon, at the Royal Amphitheatre, Liver- der" and much confusion. After the pool, in celebration of his late triumph Chairman had retired, a most extraor as a candidate for the representation of dinary scene of disturbance took place, that borough. The preparations were in the course of which several tables on a most extensive scale. About 650 were upset, several glasses were sent gentlemen sat down to dinner, and the flying across the room, and sundry black boxes, as well as the gallery, were filled with ladies gaily attired. Amongst the derstand that it arose partly out of a eyes were given and received. We unlatter were Lady Frances Sandon and dispute about who should be chairman, Lady Charlotte Denison. tween the Ewartites and the Denisonand partly out of the old grudge beites. The two Members do not, however, appear to entertain the same jealousy towards each other that appears to exist amongst their partisans. They both dined together, after the above entertainment, with the Mayor and Corporation, in perfect good fellowship, and their healths were coupled in one the constitution, as some other persous ap- toast, and drunk with unanimous appeared so desirous of seeing accomplished. plause.-Preston Chronicle. (Cheers.) He felt that they had given a proud testimony that it was not their wish because an individual of high connexions came among them to exclude him from the honour of representing them in Parliament. (Loud

Some idea of the kind of reform to which the noble Lord is friendly, may be inferred from the following passage in his speech, which appears to be a thing of shreds and patches-a confused mass of ideas brought out by fits and

starts:

"They had just achieved a triumph which furnished a symptom that the affluent classes are not disposed to rend asunder the ties of

Ay, ay! I thought that HARROW-
By's son would turn out to be a prime
Reformer!

to

LEGISLATIVE FUNCTIONS OF perils, imprisonment, and death, cha

THE BISHOPS.
[From Carpenter's Political Magazine.]

Love and meekness, lord,
Become a churchman better than ambition;
Win straying souls with modesty again.

SHAKSPEARE.

r;

The "untoward " conduct of the "spiritual peers" upon the motion for reading the Reform Bill a second time in the Upper House, has raised a cry against them from one end of the kingdom to the other-not merely among “the mob" and "the rabble," but among persons of all classes, and filling the highest rank in society. Whether the present excitement, which seems to be directed towards expelling the subheads of the church from the House of Peers will terminate in so grave an event, we are not disposed to affirm. Of one thing we feel certain, however namely, that if the bishops have any good right to a seat in Parliament, it would not be just to deprive them of their right, merely for their vote on the bill, while the rest of the majority are left in the possession and exercise of their legislative functions. Their recent conduct, however, in opposition to the throne and the country, may be the occasion of instituting an inquiry into the origin and propriety of the spiritual order being amalgamated with the lay order, in the management of secular affairs; and if it should do so, we have little doubt of the result..

racterized the primitive bishops-or pastors or guardians, as they might, with more scriptural propriety, be called.

"But what are the labours, watchings, fastings, perils, and difficulties of our BaronBishops? These holy men, perhaps, pass many a sleepless night in the first stage of their exaltation, to discover by what possible means they may escape the persecution of with which they find themselves disagreeably Llandaff or Bristol, or some other poor see saddled. To be rid of this meagre martyrdom, they have sundry struggles with Satan, many wrestlings in prayer, many a score of groans the House of Lords, the successor of the and tears. By dint of voting and jobbing in Apostles finds his prospects brighten a little, for after infinite exertions of soul and body, he is translated to Exeter, peradventure, whereby his apostolical pocket is replenished with a in Exeter is the godly man at ease: he is great number of orthodox guineas. But not smit with a love of multiplication, and letter after letter is written to his patron and the minister, urging the necessity of a more advantageous translation. In the course of time, Winchester or Durham is vacant-then do all the eagles gather together to the carcass: loud are the screams of the apostolical vultures, and sad the dismay of the First so much pious voracity: at last, after underLord of the Treasury to know how to satisfy going the threats of a dozen great Lords, each eager for his own client, the Premier makes selection of the hero of his picture, and crowns his hopes with twenty-five thousand pounds ayear, and all the gorgeous dignities of the Durham episcopacy. After this, surely the man of God is contented at last? By no means; he has sons and daughters not a few, and nephews very numerous. For all these there must be accumulated a store of good things full of marrow: the eldest son, perhaps, will condescend to gather up the dainIn behalf of its propriety, no man can tics of the state as a layman-he is to be the say a word, if he venerates the Scrip- Parliament, and the regular course of Parbead of the family; for him, therefore, the tures, and is familiarized with the con- liamentary jobbing, is open; but for his duct, labours, sufferings, and doctrines younger brothers, the church must open her of the primitive teachers of Christianity, nurse-like arms, and pour upon them a shower to whose office the Anglican church af- of benefices. My Lord Bishop is not slow to act Brms that her bishops have succeeded.sends forth from his liberal urn a deluge of the character of Jupiter Pluvius, and speedily Strange, indeed, this! when no one can golden prebends, large livings, archdeaconread the New Testament, even in the ries, residentiaries, precentorships, chancemost casual manner, without being ries, subdeaneries, perpetual curacies, fellowstruck with the fact, that a modern thousand varieties of dew, concocted by the ships, masterships vicarages, and all the other , bishop is, in this and a thousand other bounty of cloud-compelling Jove. The young circumstances, the very antipode of his gentlemen, who find themselves thus gilded assumed predecessors of the apostolic from above, are probably the very worst sons of Belial that ever fornicated in the porch of age. Poverty, disinterestedness, labothe temple.* rious exertion without hope of reward, and the deliberate encountering of

York,

Beverley's Letter to the Archbishop of

435

The number of bishops having seats in also by the passing of a bill "to restrain the House of Lords is thirty; namely, bishops and others in holy orders, from the two English archbishops, twenty- intermeddling with

crown.

But our object is not now to discuss formally this question; for that we hope to have other, and perhaps more occasions; our present displeaproper sure at the anti-reforming propensities of the reverend bench somewhat unfit us to discuss a subject deeply affecting their very existence.

secular affairs." four English bishops, and four Irish This bill was sent up to the Lords on bishops; and they sit in the House the first of May, 1641, and was opposed (tell it not in Gath!) not as churchmen, in a lengthy speech by Bishop Hall, Let us be or peers, representing the clergy, in their who concluded in the following words: "To shut up therefore. various grades (for these are all represented with the commonalty in the taken off from all ordinary trade of seLower House); but as SOLDIERS!cular employment, and, if you please, that is, as BARONS, holding certain abridge us of intermeddling with matlands, by military tenure-tenants in ters of common justice; but leave us capite par baronium; and therefore possessed of those places and privileges compelled, under the feudal system, in Parliament which our predecessors by which they were created, to furnish have so long and peaceably enjoyed." their quota of knights, or men-at-arms, In its subsequent stages it was opposed and do other military service to the by Lord Newark, and by Williams, True it is, that all this has now Bishop of Lincoln, and was finally rebecome fiction; but that alters not the jected by the House, but a conference nature or propriety of a bishop's tenure with the Commons was asked and granted. It is somewhat curious, that to his seat in Parliament. on the same day that the Peers rejected this bill, the Commons had read a second time, by a large majority, a bill, entitled, "An Act for the utter abolishing and taking away of all archbishops, bishops, their chancellors and commissaries; deaus, deans and chapters; archdescons, prebendaries, chanters, canons, and other under-officers, out of the church of England." On the 11th of January, in the following year, a petition was presented to the House of Commons, from the inhabitants of the county of Bucks, in which they prayed that "Popish lords and bishops may be forthwith outed the House of Peers without which the It appears, that the evils resulting from the government of archbishops petitioners have not the least hope and lord bishops," &c. had gradually of the kingdom's peace;" and on acquired such a height and extent, dur- the 4th of February the bill passed the ing the period which elapsed between House of Lords, only the Bishops of the reigns of Henry VIII. and Charles I., Winchester, Rochester, and Worcester, that the attention of the House of dissenting.. Commons was at length prayed for, in order to their suppression, by a petition, dated in the early part of December, 1640, and signed by 15,000 citizens of London. The Lower House immediately entered upon an investigation of the allegations of the petitioners, which issued in a censure being passed upon the whole body of the clergy, many of whom were likewise severely punished, by imprisonment and otherwise, and several," they obtained the concurrence

It may not be known to some of our readers, that this question of the right and propriety of the bishops sitting in Parliament, has been already once disposed of as it should be, by Parliament itself. A short account of the proceedings may not be without interest at the present moment.

The King, however, re
fused his assent, but promised to take
the matter into consideration, and "send
an answer in convenient time," which
being communicated to the Commons,
the House expressed its sorrow at the
delay, which they held to be as bad as a
denial; and seeing "the passing of the
bill to be a matter of great importance,
the vote of the whole kingdom being for
it, as may appear by daily petitions from

of the Lords in drawing up three rea- the inconveniency of them. For their Temposons for the speedy passing of the mea-ral Courts and Jurisdictions, which are executsure, and sent them up to the King by a concern them. Nor doth it reach to those cered by their temporal officers, the bill doth not deputation. On the 14th the bill re-tificates of plurality of benefices, legality of ceived the royal assent," the grace and marriage, and the like, which the bishops goodness" of which were formally make and return by course of common law. acknowledged in an address from both The argument taken from the canons and laws ecclesiastical, must be considered as a Houses. fight against the bishops by their own weapons; a kind of Goliah's sword, to cut off Goliah's head: but not as though the House of Commons did thereby justify the legality of any Temporal Lords may stand in the bill, if their of them.] The proviso of the Universities and Lordships so please. To this may be added, That there is an act preparing for regulating the Universities, and this proviso is but permitted to stay there till the act be effected."

We conclude this historical sketch, with the reasons offered by the Commons to the Lords, for the passing of this measure, upon the latter rejecting the bill, when originally sent up to their House. Most of them are as cogent in the 19th century as they were in the 17th:

TO ALL THE

PEOPLE OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND,

BUT PARTICULARLY TO

THE PEOPLE OF HAMPSHIRE,

ON THE

AFFAIR OF THE

BARINGS AND THE DEACLES.

"Never esteem men merely on account of "their riches or their station. Respect good

ness, find it where you may. Honour talent "wherever you find it unassociated with vice; "but honour it most when accompanied with "exertion, and especially when exerted in the cause of truth and justice; and, above all things, hold it in honour when it steps for"ward to protect defenceless innocence against "the attacks of powerful men."-COBBETT'S ENGLISH GRAMMAR, Letter XXIII.

"Ist. That it [the sitting of bishops in Parliament) was a very great hinderance to their ministerial functions. 2dly. Because they do vow and undertake at their ordination, when they enter into holy orders, that they will give themselves wholly to that vocation. 3dly. Because councils and canons, in several ages, do forbid them to meddle with secular affairs. 4thly. Because the twenty-four bishops have a dependency upon the two archbishops, and because of their oath of canonical obedience to them. 5thly. Because they are but for their lives, and therefore unfit to have a legislative power over the honours, inheritance, persons, and liberty of others. 6thly. Because of bishops' dependencies and expectaucies of translations to places of greater profit. 7thly. That several bishops have of late much encroached upon the consciences and properties of the subjects; and they and their successors will be much encouraged still to encroach, and the subjects will be much discouraged from complaining against such encroachments, when they are judges of those complaints. The same reason extends to their legislative power, in any bill to pass for Mrs. DEACLE, as I have before observed, the regulation of their powers, upon any was, after about three days' imprisonment, emergent inconveniency by it. 8thly. Be- let out of the jail, and has never been called to cause the whole number of them is interested any account since. Mr. DEACLE also was let to maintain the jurisdiction of bishops, which out without bail of any sort or for any pur bath been found so grievous to the three king-pose; but having threatened to bring an doms, that Scotland hath utterly abolished it, action against the magistrates, he was inand multitudes in England and Ireland have dicted for a misdemeanor, in going about with Petitioned against it. 9thly. Because the a paper to compel landlords and parsons to Bishops being Lords of Parliament, it setteth reduce rents and tithes. The trial of this ingreat distance between them and the dictment, however, was put off to the Lent west of their brethren in the Ministry; which Assizes, when he was tried and acquitted, as casioneth pride in them, discontent in I before observed, in the most honourable manthers, and disquiet in the church. ner, according to the declaration of the judge "As to their baving votes a long time since, himself. He was acquitted, without having be answer is, If inconvenient, time and usage an opportunity of producing a witness in his are not to be considered by law-makers, some defence, and without counsel being heard in abbuts voted in parliament as ancient as bi-his defence: the evidence against him was so shops, yet are taken away. For particular manifestly good for nothing, that the judge urisdiction, as the deanry of Westminster, he Bishops of Durham and Ely, the Archbishop of York, which they are to execute in their own persons, the former reason shows

(Continued from No. 5, column 317.)

*This curious pare thesis is in the Report of the Conference in the Lords' Journals, but not in the Commons.