"Wherefore I, Ethelwolf, king of the West Saxons, with the advice of my bishops and princes, have concluded upon this uniform and wholesome remedy [for the evil]. I have fore-given and adjudged to perpetual freedom a certain portion of my hereditary estates (he was the first who was born king of England), releasing them to the former possessors, of whatsoever rank, whether servants of God, male or female serving him, or Laics, in every case the tenth tenement ; where the estate is smallest still the tenth part; that they may be free and exempt from all secular service, as from the king's tribute, great or small; and from the tax we call Witereden: And let it be from all these things free for the releasing of our people's souls to serve God alone, without being obliged to any expedition, or to the building of any bridge, or to the furnishing any fortress-that they may the more diligently and without ceasing pour out their prayer to God for us, by how much we have lightened the burthen of their service.”

"It hath pleased likewise the bishops Ahlstan of the church of Sherborne and Swithun of the church of Winton, with their abbots and religious persons, to decree that on every (dies Mercuriï that is to say) Wednesday [Woden of the Northern Mythology was it seems the Mercury of the Latins] all our brethren and sisters shall at every church sing fifty psalms, and every priest say two masses-one for king Ethelwolf, the other for his thanes consenting to this gift, as an offering for the remission of their sins.

"And for the king living at the time they shall repeat, Oremus te Deus qui justificas, and for the thanes also living Prætende Domine ' but after their decease, for the king particularly and for the defunct princes in common.

"And let this be as firmly established for all Christian time as is that liberty [to wit the release before mentioned from the king] and for so long as the faith shall flourish in the English nation.”

Fuller adds, "This Athelwolphus was designed by his father to be bishop of Winchester; bred in a monastery, after taken out and absolved of his vows by the Pope: and having had Church education in his youth, retained in his old age the indelible character of his affection thereto. In expression whereof, in a solemn council kept at Winchester, he subjected the whole kingdom of England to the payment of Tithes, as by the foregoing instrument doth appear."

"Before his time, many acts for tithe are produced, which, when pressed, will prove of no great solidity. Such are the Imperial edicts

it seemed to denote a design of permanent conquest. In the spring a fleet of three hundred and fifty sail ascended the Thames: Canterbury and London were sacked, and Bertulf the tributary king of Mercia, to whom the defence of the district had been assigned, was defeated. The barbarians turned to the left and entered Surrey, where Ethelwolf with his West Saxons waited to receive them at Okeley. The battle was most obstinate and sanguinary. The victory remained to Ethelwolf, and the loss of the Danes is said to have been greater than they had sustained in any age or country. The other divisions of the Saxon forces were equally successful-and the Northmen, disheartened by their losses, respected during the remainder of Ethelwolf's reign the shores of Britain." History of England, Chap. 3.

in Civil law, never possessed of full power in England; as also the Canons of some Councils and Popes, never admitted into plenary obedience by consent of prince and people. [See the next par.] Add to these, first, such laws as were made by Ina and Offa, monarchs indeed of England, in their turns, as I may say, but not deriving the same to the issue of their bodies.-Join to these (if producible) any Provincial Constitutions of an English archbishop (perchance Egbertus of York) those might obey them who would.

"But now this Act of Athelwolphus appears entire in all the proportions of a law, made in his Great council, equivalent to after Parliaments: not only cum concitio Episcoporum-with the advice of his bishops (which easily may be presumed willingly to concur in such a matter of Church advancement) but also Principum meorum-of my princes (saith he) the consent of inferior persons not being required Note, Reader!] by that age."

He says, "It is objected that the king only granted tithes of his own Crown lands-non in dominio sed in dominico suo-not in all his dominions but only in his demesnes. Ans. There needed no such solemn consent of the Council of the land for the passing away of his private bounty. And that the grant extended to the kingdom in general appears by other authors on the same: Athelwolphus decimo nono anno regni sui, qui totam terram suam ad opus Ecclesiarum decimavit proper amorem Dei, &c." Hen. Huntingdon's History.

Now for Stratton: "So far as the origin of the English tithe-system is a question of historical research, there are few who will venture to dispute the authority of Fuller: and since no new light from any authentic source can be thrown upon the subject, there are none who can entitle themselves to be heard with equal deference."

I shall here, however, venture to dispute the authority of Fuller' (as to the inference he has drawn from this record) and to correct Stratton also; who appears to have been imposed on by a very unfair translation of this Order in Council, by Fuller termed an act and a law, equivalent (though wanting all consent of Commons) to an act of Parliament.

This is a Charter remitting to a certain portion of the kings vassals, and their estates, not below a tenth of the country (so far as it went which is not expressed) the payment of taxes, and the ordinary suit and service of the Crown; in order that they might be devoted to the service of the Church: in which service we need not doubt that the persons and estates indicated were, either before or soon after this time, engaged: changing thus their vassalage from the Temporal to the Spiritual lord. In return for which endowment, the Bishops of Sherborne and Winton (to whose dioceses I suspect the whole affair to have been limited) were to say a certain number of masses and chaunt a certain number of psalms on each Wednesday in every year for ever! Is this an Act of Parliament or any thing equivalent to it, assigning to the Clergy for ever the tenth part of the produce of all lands throughout the kingdom? It is plain that the author of 'A defence of the Clergy,

&c., would have it so understood. He (Thackeray) quoting Inguphus and Matthew of Westminster, gives the following curious version of the grant For this cause I Ethelwolf king of the West Saxons, by the advice of my bishops and of the chief men of my kingdom, have resolved on a wholesome and uniform remedy: That is, I grant as an offering to God and the Blessed virgin and all the saints, a certain portion of my kingdom to be held by perpetual right: that is to say the tenth part thereof, and that this tenth part be privileged from temporal duties aud free from all secular services and royal dues,' &c. &c. The whole that here relates to the gift of a tenth of the kingdom, &c., or to the parties to whom the gift was made and the reasons moving it, is (if Stratton be correct) an impudent forgery.

This author proceeds to say: "The English tithe system acquired not by king Athelwolf's charter the fulness of its growth: it conferred on the Clergy only the great or predial tithes and King William [the Norman] added to them the smaller or mixed tithes :- "As he conferred power, so he confirmed profit to the Clergy. Witness his charter, granting them throughout all England tythes of calves, colts, lambs; milk, butter, cheese; woods, mills, [and what not!] Which Charter is concluded ('tis the strong hem that keeps the cloth from ravelling out) Qui decimam detinuerit, per justitiam Episcopi et Regis (si necesse fuerit) arguatur ad redditionem: Whoever shall detain his tythes, by the power of the bishop, and of the king (if need be) let him be argued into the payment thereof. And king's arguments are unanswerable, as ab authoritate, carrying power and penalties with them." [Argument 1. duty (pretended); 2. custom; 3. the sword!]

Lingard says of this transaction under Ethelwolf. "The repeated invasions of the barbarians induced Ethelwolf frequently to consult the assembly of his thanes. On one of these occasions by their advice, and with their consent, he published a charter, of which the copies are 80 different and the language so obscure that it is difficult to ascertain its real object whether it were to exempt from all secular services the tenth part of each manor, whoever might be the possessor, or to annex that portion of land to the possessions which had already been settled on the church. [The use, it is clear, of a tenth of the king's estates by inheritance went to the clergy, whether they ever got the possession or not.] That the grant however was highly advantageous to the clergy, is evident from the engagement of the bishops of Sherburne and Winchester; who appointed the Wednesday of each week as a day of public supplication, to implore the Divine assistance against the Danes. The charter was at first confined to the kingdom of Wessex; but in a council of the tributary states, held at Winchester in 855, it was extended to all the nations of the Saxons." Hist. England, Chap. 3. It is not to be wondered at if, in those perilous times,' a more strict recourse should be had to the means then in use for public devotion, and for supplicating (if it really was done at those masses) the

protection of Divine providence for the country. But in all this (I may once more repeat) there is nothing that confers upon the Clergy of the Church of England a Civil right to a tenth of the produce of all lands in the kingdom for ever. Ed.

ART. III.-Report of the

Committee on African Instruction' to the Subscribers: read at the Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1825.

Continued from page 167.

The effect of this Appeal, and of the increased Interest taken by Friends and others on the subject, being manifested by considerable additions to the Fund, the Committee at length began to make preparations for the departure of the Friends. The difficulty in which they still found themselves, about sending out a framed Dwelling-house, &c., (which it was found would have exceeded their present pecuniary means) was now very opportunely met by a liberal grant, on the part of Governor M'Carthy, of the use of the building at Birkow, (see page 166) for so long a time as the party should need it; subject to notice in due time to quit, if it should be required for the use of Government.

Further companions also now presented themselves. Our friend Ann Thompson of Cooladine near Enniscorthey, Ireland, first offered to accompany and assist Hannah Kilham, in her proposed visit to the coast. This (it should be remarked) included only her services during the stay of Hannah Kilham: and in this respect her proposal differed materially from that of Richard Smith; who went on his own account, and signified clearly that he had no definite period of service, or continuance on the coast, to propose.

Up to the time of the Yearly Meeting 1823, this concern had been conducted by seven Friends, being, with one exception, the same who formed the original Committee. Hannah Kilham sat with them occasionally, and two or three other friends were admitted at times, as visiters. At the Committee held the 2nd of 6th Mo., 1823, there were however present, besides six of the original number, thirteen other men and women friends so much had the interest in the subject gained ground. Additions were made, at different Meetings of the Committee after this, to the number of its members; and the services of the women-friends thus acquired, were found very useful in completing the somewhat laborious preparations for the passage, residence and future operations of the Friends-who ultimately sailed for Africa about the end of the Tenth Month, 1823. The party, as finally fixed by the Committee, consisted of Sandanee and Malimadee, our Friends Hannah Kilham, Richard Smith, Ann Thompson, and her brother John Thompson; who by his own desire and with the approbation of his parents, and the friends of his Monthly Meeting, was admitted to accompany his sister; expecting of course to return with her.

Of these six passengers, Friends will observe, that Sandanee and Mahmadce may be considered as restored to their country (from which they had been detained with their own consent for instruction) going out under the care of Richard Smith: Hannah Kilham, as going, accompanied by John and Ann Thompson, on a visit to the Coast of Africa-and the whole party as having one object in view, the promoting the instruction of the Natives. None of these were under any positive engagement to the Committee, the two Native teachers excepted, who were bound by a written agreement to serve the concern for three years at a certain salary, in consideration of the cost and pains bestowed upon them. The services of the four Friends above named were perfectly gratuitous.-Certificates were granted them by their Monthly Meetings.

It will scarcely be needful to enter here into a detail of the proceedings of these Friends, during a residence of six months in Africa: in the course of which the Colony of Sierra Leone was visited by Hannah Kilham and John Thompson, and the River Gambia, as far as Jilifree and Albreda, by three of the party. The Second Report of the Committee, with its Appendix and Continuation, may here be referred to, as documents more recently than the former under the perusal of the Subscribers.

These contain the substance of such information as was communicated to the Committee by Letters from the Friends: and in the prospect of further exertions, requiring the support of the subscribers, the Committee was endeavouring to augment the Fund (or rather in the first place to bring up its arrears) by obtaining additional contributions, when it was unexpectedly summoned to receive our Friends Hannah Kilham and Ann Thompson, who had just arrived from Africa-our Friend John Thompson, who had embarked to return with them, having died of a fever on the passage. The two Friends met the Committee the 18th of the Eighth Month-an adjournment took place, after a full conference with them, to the 25th: at which Meeting (about sixteen Friends being present) it was concluded, notwithstanding the discouraging circumstances in which the Committee were now placed, that it was desirable to pursue the object, as way might open; and the Committee directed a Circular to be issued to the Subscribers, in which the occasion and circumstances of the return of Hannah Kilham and her companion are explained. [This paper is here annexed.]

Circular from the Committee on African Instruction to the Subscribers.

The return of two of the party who went out to Africa, with the affecting circumstance of the decease, on the voyage home, of our esteemed young friend John Thompson, makes it needful for the Committee, (notwithstanding the late circulation of an Appendix to their Second Report,) again to address their friends on the state of this interesting concern.

Our friends Hannah Kilham and John Thompson left Sierra Leone the 16th of the 3rd month, and arrived at Bathurst on the 7th of the 4th month, 1824.