§ Mr. Harvey, on the first Order of the Day being moved, rose to put a question to the noble Lord, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which he hoped would receive an answer from the noble Lord. It was upon a subject of growing interest and importance, upon which some recent explanation had been given — he meant Church-rates. The feelings which the Dissenters entertained on this important subject would be best illustrated by read- 1323 ing the resolutions which a meeting of that body had recently passed in the county of Suffolk. They, on that occasion, passed certain resolutions, one of which was to the effect, that his Majesty's Ministers, by suffering the present Session to close without coming to some satisfactory settlement of this question, had disappointed the just hopes of their best friends—that the late declaration of the noble Lord, as to his future intention of proposing a measure which he did not think would be satisfactory to the Dissenters, and which they believed would merely effect a commutation of the present Church-rates, had caused much alarm; and that a memorial be presented to his Majesty's Government, to remonstrate with them on their conduct towards the Dissenters, and to express their determination not to submit any longer to the infliction of Church-rates. These resolutions, which were adopted at a numerous and respectable meeting sufficiently bespoke the feelings of the Dissenters upon this subject, and he had been requested to inquire whether it was the intention of his Majesty's Government to abolish Church-rates altogether, or whether it was intended to effect a commutation of them, and whether they would be paid out of the revenues of the Church itself, or whether they would call upon those who did not belong to the Church to pay its expenses? He could state this as a fact, that the Dissenters were not more anxious for the extinction of Church-rates, than that a substitute for them should not be found out of the Consolidated Fund.
§ Lord John Russelldid not think that it was his duty at present to state the nature of the measure which he should have to submit to the House on this subject. That was the only answer he could give to the hon. Gentleman's question.