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Church and State. By Samuel Whiteombe, Esq., Serjeants’ Inn,Temple.” ■ ~ •
, I sent the subjoined answer to Mr. Whiteombe, whom I did notknow, either personally or by character :—
“ Sir, Calgarth Park, April 29. 1810.>
“ I have received and perused with attention the pamphletwhich you have sent me through General Staveley, and beg youto return to him and to accept yourself my thanks for the troubleyou have respectively taken. ’ I do not see any reason for question-ing the accuracy of your calculations ; and am fully persuadedthat your mind is too enlightened and enlarged for you to wishto promote the benefit of the state at the expense of the church;yet I must own that I have never cordially approved the measureof redeeming the land-tax; nor can I now concur without somereluctance in the scheme you propose of alienating the estates ofbishops, and deans, and chapters, (and if theirs, why not of allother corporate bodies?) for the purpose of raising money for thepurcha ,ing the yet unredeemed land-tax.
“ I do not, in truth, like any plan which has a tendency tomake the landholders responsible for the debts due to the stock-holders, for such a principle enables ministers to raise money withfacility for carrying on of war, often unjust, (like the American 'war,) and never necessary till negotiation, accompanied with apeaceful disposition, has been tried, and tried in vain.
“ You have candidly proposed and anticipated an objectionwhich, however, still sticks with me, of fee-farm rents being anunimprovable property. T had rather give thirty years’ purchase