J 8-03' On Tithes. 24^ 



the conduct of the Lothian farmers, of the Carfe ef Gow- 

 rie, the Angus, the Aberdeenfhh-e, in fliort, all the fpiritcd 

 farmers of Scotland ; the high flate of improvement to which 

 they have brought their farms, and the zeal v^^ith which they 

 flill continue to go on, can be reconciled on no other principle 

 than this, that they are free from every kind of bondage, whatever 

 may be its nature. Here, let not Mr T. S. admonifli us, that 

 tithes arc only a grievance of tlieir kind, and that improper 

 claufes in tacks, flovenly farmers, or c\'en the management of 

 Mr Secretary Young, are alfo grievances in their way. This is 

 a (hifting of the quelbon ; a manoeuvre, fuch as a ikilful general 

 makes, to divert the attention of his enemy from the principal 

 obje<^. If a thing is bad, nothing that is of lefs enormity can 

 make it right. If there is a crying evil, which calls aloud for 

 redrefs, I know not how pointing out other fmalier faults will 

 help us on to a cure. A landlord gets rid of a bad tenant as fa ft 

 as he can. If Mr Young errs in his agricultural practice, I am 

 fure, he wants not line up-^n I'lne^ and precept upon precept — all 

 the correction which a free agent can, or ought to receive : But 

 will this rid us of tithes t Only fliow yourftlf ferious in trying 

 to reform the abufe, and the whole body of the clergy is inlhnt 

 ly on your top : the hue and cry is forthwith railed, that you 

 are going to undermine our well-poifcd Conilitution as it is e- 

 flablilhed in Church and State , and you are irom that day mark- 

 ed down as a Jacobin, a Democrat. This is the reafon why the 

 meafure has not been carried into effcd^ j n(i>t that men are ftupid 

 in crying dov/n tithes, without talcing any fleps to get rid of 

 them, as this gentleman tells us. He cannot be ignorant, thaj 

 attempts have been made, aye and long before agriculture was 

 half fo much attended to as it i-s at the prefent day ; but then 

 the eloquence of the Order v/as roufed. the fympathy of the 

 people was wrought on, the thunders of the Church were liurled 

 againft the propofers of the meafure, and, in fhort, the landed 

 intereft a6ted the part of the good-natured m^n v/ith a fcolding 

 wife ; they quietly gave up the caufcj rather than be * deaved 

 with the din. ' Sure this gentleman is more ftupid than he 

 would have us to be, if he forgets that in every enclofing bill, 

 every bill brought into Parliament for dividing and improving 

 wafte lands, an adjuftment with regard to tithes, is invariably 

 made a ftne qua non. 



I am well aware, that let a bill be brought into Parliament 

 when it may, for commuting or abolifhing tithe.':, ftrong and 

 ferious objedions v/ill be urged againft it. /ill the oiit^ and insj. 

 the huts and ifs^ brought forward by this gentleman in a ftr.'ng,, 

 will doubtlefs refound from every quarter againft the meafure. 

 What could be expe(^ed in this inftance, wheo ^ven thofe bills 



R r ^ whicli 



