74 APPENDIX.
order to alleviate the heavy and uncertain imposition of
Tithe on the poor and industrious agriculturists. Per-
haps it may not be generally known, that the Primate
of our Church, with much industry, framed a Bill
for this purpose, which passed the House of Lords,
but was stopped in the House of Commons. The chief
principle of this Bill was to fix the amount of the sum
to be paid by the landlord, not the tenant, who would
make his agreement free from tithe. By this mode
the tenant would know what he has to trust to, and
would lay out his capital accordingly. This is by no
means the case at present, for he pays tithe as much on
his capital as on his land. Having for forty years
farmed land in the county of Essex, to a great extent, I
have felt the inconvenience of this tax, and often wished
to see a more equitable mode of assessing it, both on
secular and spiritual ground. The mode of collecting
this tax, should be changed in the manner proposed by
our religious and benevolent Archbishop; for certainly
all spiritual advice given to the poor man, accompanied
by a demand of what he cannot easily pay, will be
received with that coldness which should never exist
between a shepherd and his flock. Nothing would more
strengthen our establishment and promote the cause of
religion, than a Bill similar to that of our Archbishop.
The good understanding between the clergy and their
parishioners would doubtless be restored.
I have endeavoured to keep clear of politics in advo-
cating the cause of providing land for the poor. My
opinion, however, concerning the grand question, is
the same that I declared it to be thirty years since. It
may, therefore, be a matter of surprise that I should