LORD CAMPBELLpresented a petition from the inhabitants of St. Mary and St. Ann in the city of Cork, praying the adoption of some substitute for ministers' money. The noble and learned Lord expressed his concurrence in the prayer of the petitioners.
§ The EARL of ST. GERMANSinquired if that was the noble and learned Lord's opinion only, or was it the opinion of Her Majesty's Government?
§ LORD MONTEAGLEsaid, that ministers' money had been admitted to be a grievance by every Government since the passing of the Tithe Commutation Act; yet to this moment no remedy had been proposed. He begged to suggest that a Committee might be appointed to consider the subject.
LORD STANLEYwent with the noble Lord to the extent that, if there could be means devised of effecting the commutation of ministers' money, it was desirable that that provision for the Protestant ministers in the cities of Ireland should be made in a different manner. But he could not regard the payment as a grievance, because it was an old tax, levied according to an old valuation upon certain property—he believed house property—in all the great cities of Ireland. Therefore, although he admitted that it would be desirable to give a fair equivalent to the Protestant clergy in those cities, for whom this was the only provision made by the law, yet the great difficulty was to obtain that equivalent unless the cities themselves assented to a different mode of levying the tax. The extent of the grievance, too, was very small, for he understood that the total sum levied in all the cities of Ireland was only 14,000l. He hoped, then, that that which was the only provision existing for the Protestant clergy in those cities would not be too hastily condemned, until they were sure that they could adopt an equivalent, so as to secure their incomes 856 for them. No one would rejoice more than himself to see such a provision made.
§ Petition to lie on the table.