376 Proceedings of the British Parliament. [ APRIL, 



The threatened motion upon the Irish church, so long expected, and 

 so vehemently denied, was brought forward by Sir John Newport. It 

 had, at least, the merit of being on a par with the wisdom, the wit, and 

 the sound principles of that very trifling and long-disappointed patriot. 

 However, of him we shall say no more. He is whig only to the extent 

 of his powers ; and therefore, even as a whig, harmless. The business 

 was rapidly taken out of his hands by the Irish Secretary ; the little 

 baronet having, in fact, been only suffered to lead the way, on the terms 

 of those camp followers who fill up the trench with their bodies, and are, 

 if good for nothing else, good to be walked over by the effective com- 

 batants. 



Lord Francis Gower's motion was to the following effect : " That an 

 address be presented to his Majesty, praying for the appointment of a 

 committee to inquire into the state of the parish benefices of Ireland into 

 the annual value of the several parishes into the contingencies of their 

 respective churches and chapels into the possibility of dissolving the 

 existing unions, and into several other details." 



On the passing of the Popish Bill, the Minister had been loudly 

 called on to say, whether the atrocious measure was to be followed 

 by any attack on the property of the Church ? But the minister was only 

 " unable to express his astonishment that any member of the British 

 Legislature should conceive the possibility of his being guilty of any 

 thing of the kind." Mr. Peel protested, with what Sir Charles Wetherell 

 so keenly calls his <f usual solemnity of tone and manner" that, however 

 he might have received new illumination within the last month ; yet, 

 upon the subject of the establishment, he was fixed as fate. Mr. Goul- 

 burn was horrified ; and Mr. Herries would have fainted, but for the 

 indignant glow that rushed to his heart, and " gave him assurance that 

 he was still a man." Now, mark the sequel. Within six little months 

 the measure comes before the House, not by one of those little fractional 

 attempts, which have so long characterized at once the will and the 

 impotence of whiggery, but in complete form ; no little writhing spawn 

 of the slime of whiggery but the serpent winged, the crested adder . 

 rising in its full dimensions, and flourishing its exuberant coils. 



We must, of course, give credit to the simplicity of the premier and 

 Mr. Peel; as meaning, by "inquiring into the state of the parish benefices, 

 the annual values, the contingencies of the churches, the possibility of 

 dissolving unions, and the several other details" nothing more than the 

 construction of a common-place office report on the existing establish- 

 ment ; or a gentle recommendation to the Clergy to be better men arid 

 more zealous members of their church, and to patronize all ancient 

 . curates, residing under all negligent diocesans. 



But if we are to seek any elucidation in the daring sincerity of the 

 public champions of reform, let us hear what those champions say. 



" Mr. Hume thought it was high time that the whole establishment of 

 the Irish church should be revised and reduced, so as to accord with the 

 state of the country. He should vote for Sir John Newport's motion ; but 

 he did not do so from supposing that this motion was adequate to the 

 circumstances of the country. Inquiry must, in his opinion, go much 

 further ; and he hoped to see the establishment reduced to two or four 

 bishops ! He should like that sixteen or eighteen bishops were swept off at 

 once, and he heartily believed that, in this respect, the population of 

 England and Ireland would go along with him. Instead of repairing 



