§ The Solicitor General,having presented a Petition from Dudley, agreed to at a public meeting, and signed by several thousand respectable inhabitants of that place, praying that such an ecclesiastical reform may be devised as that every religious sect shall be supported by the voluntary contributions of its adherents; petitions from the Methodists (of the new connexion) of Ebenezer Chapel, Dudley, of Mount Zion Chapel, Wolverhampton, and of Temple-street Meeting house, Bilston, complaining of the various grievances to which Protestant Dissenters are at present subjected, and praying to be relieved there from; and a petition from Dudley, signed by several clergymen and many of the inhabitants, belonging to different religious persuasions, praying for the removal of all civil disabilities affecting the Jews—said, that although it had been 964 usual, of late, in presenting petitions, merely to state the substance of them, and to move that they be laid upon the Table—considering the importance of these petitions, he hoped the House would indulge him with a few observations upon one or two of the grievances of which they complained. He entirely concurred in the sentiment, that men of one religious persuasion should not be taxed to defray the expense of the worship of another. For that reason he thought Dissenters justly protested against the payment of Church-rates. Church-rates were a tax—a forcible contribution of a portion of a man's own property to a public purpose. Many of his constituents were Dissenters of different denominations, who build and repair their own chapels, and maintain their own pastors. Why should they be taxed to build or repair another place of worship of which they made no use, or to defray the expense of rites and ceremonies which he looked upon with reverence, but which they might regard as anti-scriptural or idolatrous? Some of his most respectable constituents were Quakers. Was it consistent with justice, to say nothing of the liberality of the age, that, at the peril of their goods being seized and sold, or what was worse, being cited in the Ecclesiastical Court, they must pay a part of their substance to adorn altar-pieces, to procure surplices, and to administer sacraments which they (however erroneously) conceive to be contrary to the word of God? Although connected with his Majesty's Government, he was speaking as an independent Member of Parliament; and in that capacity he could not help expressing an earnest wish, that as Vestry-cess or Church-rates were to be abolished in Ireland, so they might speedily be for ever abolished in England. He knew no reason why the Protestant Dissenter in England should be in a worse situation than the Catholic Dissenter in Ireland; and he did trust that the petitioners were not less entitled to redress because they had not hitherto re sorted to insurrection or violence to show their sense of the wrongs which they endured. Another subject of complaint which he could testify to be extremely well founded, was the want of a register of births, marriages, and deaths, including the whole population of the kingdom. Pedigree was not matter of religion, but exclusively connected with civil rights. At present there was no register of births, and the register of baptisms was confined to children of members of the Church of England. By 965 compelling Dissenters to be married according to the ceremonies of the Established Church (in itself considered a grievance), there was a register of marriages, except of Quakers and Jews; but there was no register of deaths; and the register of burials, like that of births, was confined to the Established Church. If any record was kept of baptisms, marriages, or burials, in a dissenting meeting-house, it was treated with scorn, and not admitted as evidence in any court of justice. The consequence was, that when there was any question of pedigree in a family of Dissenters, the greatest difficulties were felt in establishing it, and parties were in danger of losing their just inheritance. This subject had occupied much of his attention, and he should be happy to lend his best assistance to find out an effectual remedy for such crying evils. He would now only trespass on the patience of the House with a few observations on the petition he had the honour to present in favour of the Jews. He most heartily concurred in the opinions it expressed; and he was rejoiced to think that it was signed by those who were not indifferent to religion, but who like himself, were sincere believers in the Christian revelation, and earnestly wished that its doctrines might be speedily embraced by the whole community of mankind. He thought that the withholding of civil rights for religious belief was persecution, and that persecution never promoted the propagation of the true faith. He would take that opportunity of vindicating himself and an honourable body of men to which he belonged from a charge lately preferred in his absence by the hon. member for Oldham. He accused the Benchers of Lincoln's Inn of improper conduct, in calling a Jew to the Bar. They did, in the last term, call a Jew to the Bar, and it was their unanimous act, after great deliberation—there being present the Vice Chancellor of England, the Chief Judge of the Court of Bankruptcy, the Attorney General, about twelve King's Counsel, and the humble individual who had then the honour to address them; and he was proud to think that he took an active part in that discussion, and had some share in showing the propriety of the determination at which they arrived. They found that the Legislature had imposed no such disability upon a person professing the Jewish religion, as that he should not be called to the Bar; and as the individual in question had received a liberal education and was of unimpeached 966 character, they should have been guilty of a gross breach of duty if they had not permitted him to exercise that profession to which he had devoted himself.
§ Mr. Petrewas much gratified at hearing the liberal sentiments expressed by the hon. and learned Member, respecting Protestant Dissenters; but there was one grievance which pressed upon Roman Catholics, which was at least equal in importance to any that the hon. and learned Member had adverted to; he alluded to the law which rendered a marriage between a Protestant and Catholic invalid, and of which unprincipled men frequently availed themselves to bastardize a whole family. He had petitions to present in favour of the Motion of which the hon. member for Boston had given notice, and whenever that motion was brought forward, it should receive his warmest support. Every place appropriated to religious worship ought, in his opinion, to be exempted from the payment of rates and taxes of every description; for he held it to be unjust and impolitic to interpose even the slightest obstacle in the way of those who wished to worship God. A considerable portion of his constituents were Dissenters, who looked anxiously for the repeal of the laws which operated so unjustly towards
§ Mr. Richard Potter,as a Dissenter begged to offer his most gracious thanks to the hon. and learned Gentleman for the manner in which he had expressed himself towards that important and influential body, the Dissenters. The Speech of the learned Gentleman would be received in the country with the greatest pleasure and satisfaction, and he was sure that the entire body of Dissenters would feel the greatest gratitude to him. The circumstance detailed respecting the admission of a gentleman of the Jewish persuasion, gave him the most heartfelt pleasure, and reflected the highest honour on the legal profession. He much regretted the opposition of the hon. member for Oldham to the emancipation of the Jews. At one time the hon. Gentleman entertained a strong prejudice against the Unitarians, to whom it was his happiness and privilege to belong; but the hon. Member's acquaintance with his colleague, who also was a Unitarian, had, he hoped, convinced him that Unitarians could be good masters, kind friends, and discharge the duties of good citizens.
Mr. Andrew Johnstoneopposed the prayer of the petition, and hoped never to see the English Legislature other than a Christian one, which it would be the moment a Jew became a Member of that House.
Petitions laid on the Table.