bookseller Stockdale, on an information by the Attorney-General, in consequence of a motion by Mr Foxfor publishing the remarks of the Rev. John Logan, upon the articles of impeachment against Warren Hastings, were in the highest style of public eloquence. They justly secured the acquittal of the defendant. His speech on this occasion is perhaps the most laboured and elegant he at any time delivered. The defence of his client was necessarily connected with a palliation of the charges against Mr Hastings. He powerfully urged the absurdity of measuring the details of Indian legislation, by the improved practices of European society, and declared that a dominion which Heaven never gave, must be supported by means which a rigorous equity can never sanction. On this signal occasion it was that he employed that memorable example of the prosopopeia, which has so often been proclaimed to be one of the finest efforts of imaginative oratory. In the year 1783, Mr Erskine was returned to Parliament for Portsmouth; and whatever may be the opinions of men on the principles of his political profession, one judgment only can be formed of the vigour, consistency, and independence by which they were enforced. But the highest honours of Mr Erskine were acquired by his triumphant exposition of the principles of trial by jury. He was the first, in the case of the Dean of St Asaph, to establish the momentous doctrine, that juries are judges of the law as well as of fact; and his exertions in this case laid the found ation of that bill by Mr Fox, which forms perhaps his legitimate title to the approbation of posterity. In this cause also, it was that Mr Erskine evinced the sternness of his principles by the memorable reply to Mr Jus tice Buller. The Judge had instruc ed the jury to reconsider their va dict, while the counsel demanded that it should be placed upon the cord in the terms of its original finding. The Hon. Justice incensed by the opposition, commanded Mr E kine to sit down, under pain of being compelled to do so. "My lord," replied the intrepid counsel, "I wil not sit down; your lordship may do your duty, but I will do mine." The Judge was silent. The same determined spirit was displayed in his defence of Paine, which occasioned his dismission from the office of Attor ney-General to the Prince of Wales: and in the State Trials of 1794. Not the least honourable to his character, however, were his labours on the prosecution of Paines Age of Rea son, in which the sublimity of his conception, the variety of his literature, and the purity of his principles, were signally evinced. The political doctrines of Mr Erskine procured his elevation to the seals and the peerage under the last administration of Mr Fox. Since that period his public life must be sufficiently known. In late years, his lordship had, comparatively, withdrawn himself from active life; and, for some time previous to his death, which has been a cause of regret to men of all parties, his health had been in a declining condition. The character and extent of his lordship's genius, and the dignity of his political exertions, were acknowledged in his retirement, by the general esteem of his country. His lordship died in the 76th year of his age. COUNT CARNOT. At Magdeburgh, aged 70, Count Carnot, one of the ablest, honestest BIOGRAPHY. licans, which the Revolution of ce produced. He was born on 3th of May, 1753, and was one e most extraordinary men of his A member of the Convention, f the Committee of Public Safeternately war-minister, and one e executive directory in the sein the war bureau, or the Tui, he never laid aside the plainof republican simplicity. Unis administration, seven hundred sand men appeared on the fronin arms, as republican defenders suscitated France; and, in the uage of the eloquent Barrère, ot" organized victory, and rend her permanent." He subseatly saw the feeble Directory and ublic overthrown by the ambition n individual, backed by military , while the cold and metaphysiSièyes, with Barras, pandered to power of the popular and aspiring r. During Buonaparte's career, irst consul, and consul for life, his subsequent assumption of the erial dignity, Carnot remained in of He emerged from it retirement. when the tide of misfortune began to roll heavily on Napoleon and France; and he offered his services in the hour of danger. Antwerp was committed to his charge, and the ability with which he defended that important city, until after the recall of the Bourbons, is fresh in the memory all. On the return of Napoleon from Elba, he was again appointed warminister, and accepted the title of count. The second return of the Bourbons, again brought exile and poverty on Carnot. He addressed one or two able and powerful remonstrances to Louis, on the policy then pursuing; but the advice of Carnot was rejected, and he retired, proscribed, first to Warsaw, but, on the invitation of Frederick, came to Magdeburgh, where he died. Carnot is still survived by Barrère and David, both of whom reside in the Netherlands, and in the fate of Spain behold the justification of the Committee of Public Safety. No. V. ECCLESIASTICAL CHRONICLE. NEW CHURCHES. THE Third Annual Report of the Commissioners for building New Churches was presented to Parliament, and ordered to be printed, the day before the close of the session. The following is an abstract of its contents:It commences by a brief recapitulation of the report made in the preceding year, from which it appears that in the interval between the two, ten new churches had been completed, capable of affording accommodation to 4081 persons in pews, and to 9949 poor persons in free seats. That six of these ten had been already consecrated. The report then proceeds to detail what progress had been made since the preceding year. From this and the schedules annexed, we learn that nine churches had been consecrated; that the number already built can afford accommodation to 7116 persons in pews, and to 14,399 in free seats. The number of churches or chapels, the building of which is now in progress, is 44. Of these the far greater part will be of the Gothic order; some with tower and pinnacles; some with tower and spire; and some with tower only. There are to be a few of the Doric, Corinthian, and Ionic orders. The whole will be capable of affording ac commodation to 34,563 persons in pews, and to 39,842 in free seats, The contracts for building them (including incidental expenses and commission) amounts to 498,6817. 18s. 4d. or, in round numbers, to half a million sterling. Specific grants have been made for four of them amounting to about 30,000l. Of the 44 thus in progress, it is stated that 12 will be finished in the course of the present year; 27 in the year 1824, and five in the year 1825. In addition to these, it appears that plans for churches or chapels in nine parishes have been approved of, but the works have not yet commenced. These will be capable of affording accommodation to 5542 in pews, and to 5125 in free seats. The estimated expense is 42,040l. 7s. 8d. Specific grants have been given towards the erection of three of them, to the amount of 8555l. 11s. 1d. Plans for the erection of 16 new churches or chapels were before the Board of Commis sioners, and not decided upon when the report was laid before the House , it is said, will, if adopted, afaccommodation to 11,321 pern pews, and to 14,139 in free The estimated expense will be Dol. 13s. 5d. Grants have been by the board for five of them, nting to 34,553. There are be12 places in which it is intendbuild new churches or chapels, ich the plans had not been red by the commissioners at the of the report. These, it was ht, would be able to accommo9900 in pews, and 8600 in free The probable expense will be 90,000l. If the 44 churches in progress, and those decided and in contemplation, be finishhey will be capable of affording mmodation to 68,442 persons in , and to 82,105 in free seats. 1, 150,547. The estimated exe of the whole is 834,9217. 11s. 9d. e cost of the churches already leted is not stated in the report e us.)-The dioceses in which e new buildings will be situated, the number in each, are thus In the diocese of London, in that of Chester, 19; York, Winchester, 9; Lichfield and entry, 6; Worcester, 2; Dur, 2; Bristol, Lincoln, and Roter, 1 each. dious shape, the several provisions which prescribe the measures to be taken by the incumbent or owner of tithes, in order to give operation and effect to the law. "You will observe, from the 1st section, that, in order to bring the act into operation in any parish, it will be necessary that an application should be made to the lord-lieutenant, either by the incumbent, or some five owners or occupiers of land in the parish to the annual value of 20%.; and, upon that application, the lordlieutenant will have it in his power to direct the assembly of a special vestry, the business of which vestry will, in the first instance, be to discuss with the incumbent, the propriety of compounding, for 21 years, for the tithes of the whole parish. "If the lord-lieutenant directs the vestry to assemble, it will be the duty of the incumbent, or of the five owners or occupiers of land, as already described, (according as the application for the vestry may have been made by one or by the other,) to require the high constable, or other collector of grand jury rates, or county cess within the parish, to deliver the lists of vestrymen required in the 3d section of the act. "If the incumbent and the vestry do not agree in the propriety of making a composition, no farther proceeding can then be had upon the subject; and it will only remain for the incumbent to certify such result to the office of the chief secretary, as directed in the 10th section. "But if the vestry and incumbent shall agree that a composition is desirable, it will be necessary that a memorandum of that agreement should be made at the time, and signed by both parties, as directed in the 12th section, upon which the incumbent, on his own behalf, and the vestry, on behalf of the parish, will each proceed to nominate a commissioner, qualified as required in the 14th section, to fix the amount of annual composition. "It will be requisite for the incumbent, within seven days after the appointment by him of a commissioner, to give notice to the bishop of the diocese, to the churchwardens of the parish, and to the office of the chief secretary, of the name and place of abode of the person so appointed by him; and, in case any other persons, besides himself, are entitled to any portion of tithe within the parish, it will be necessary that a similar notice should also be transmitted by him to each of those persons. The particular provisions on this subject are contained in the 13th section of the act. "The duty of the commissioners, when appointed, will be, to ascertain and fix the amount of annual compensation, in the manner, and according to the rules, laid down in the 16th section. "This may, under particular circumstances, be an operation of some difficulty and delay; a provision has therefore been introduced in the 27th section, for sanctioning a previous agreement between the incumbent and his parishioners; and I am particularly anxious to call your attention to this clause, as affording the readiest, the least expensive, and the most amicable mode of substituting a fixed composition for the uncertain payment of tithes. "That section enacts, that, if the incumbent shall have been able to make an agreement with the vestry, for the payment of a specific sum, and such agreement shall have been sanctioned by the bishop of the diocese, and the patron of the living, the duty of the commissioners shall in that case be limited to an approval of the agreement so made, provided that they shall be satisfied that the sum agreed on is not less than the average annual receipt on account of tithes during seven years preceding 1821. "It will, I am confident, be ob vious to you, that, under this section, an incumbent, who shall be able to come to an amicable understanding with his parishioners, on the subject of an annual composition, (which understanding may, and probably will, be preliminary to any proceeding whatever under the act,) will be relieved from much subsequent vexation, from much delay, and from the expense of defraying the salary of a commissioner, for the long period which may, under some circumstances, be necessary, for otherwise ascertaining the value of the tithes. "Should the commissioners fail in making a new applotment of the commission on the lands within the parish, according to the 34th section, the 40th section has provided a remedy, in such case, for the incumbent, who will then require from the collector of the parish cess a copy of the last applotment, according to which the composition will then be to be levied. "I am not aware that it can, in the first instance, be necessary to enter into more details as to the several provisions of the bill; but I have to add, that, should there be any points on which you are desirous of information or explanation, I shall at all times be happy to afford it, and to contribute, as far as lies in my power, to the due execution of the views and objects of Parliament, in the enactment of the law. "I have the honour to be, Sir, your most humble servant, " HENRY GOULBURN." |