said he did not come there to talk about religion; he wished to prove himself a good citizen, and thought he was doing his duty by endeavouring to secure a set of lawless villains who were plundering the innocent inhabitants of the country. My brother was asked if he was at the hotel on the 14th of July ? "Yes." "What toasts did you drink?" "Several; the king, for one." "We don't believe it." "It is true." "Will you swear it?" "Yes." Dr. Spencer then offered him a Bible for that purpose; my brother was going to take it, when the Doctor changed his mind, and put the book down. It is inconceivable the fatigue we underwent, and the anxiety we felt during the Riots. On the Monday, I was on horseback, reconnoitring, &c. near fifteen hours, and wet to the skin through two great coats, and was at last so overcome with fatigue, that I could scarcely sit on my horse. Brother Thomas put on his boots on Sunday morning, and did not pull them off till Wednesday night. My mother and sister were in continual fear lest brother John should lose his life, as it was so repeatedly threatened. We estimate our loss in damage, loss of property, expenses, &c. at near 60/ I am, Sir, Your most obedient servant, WILLIAM CARPENTER. P. S. A man whom we sent to gain intelligence on the Sunday, fell in with the Rioters at Mr. Wakeman's house near Kingswood: he saw the general, as he was styled, pull a paper out of his pocket, which seemed to be a list of houses, and, on looking over it, said, "That house was to come down; but, as Mr. Wakeman had behaved so well, it should stop a little longer, but that they would come back, and pull it down before the next morning." No. XXIII. THE REV. MR. SCHOLEFIELD'S ADVERTISEMENT RELATING TO THE SUNDAY-SCHOOLS AT BIRMINGHAM. SIR, (See supra, p. 458.) To the Editor of the Birmingham Gazette. As Mr. Burn, in his reply to Dr. Priestley's Appeal, hath, in the most confident and even exulting manner, charged the Doctor with a gross and culpable mis-statement of facts, in relation to the Sunday-schools in this town, and asserts, that the resolution of allowing the children of Dissenters to attend their own places of worship never was rescinded; you will be doing an act of justice by inserting the following paragraph, copied from the Birmingham Gazette, dated October 2, 1786, and greatly oblige, Your humble servant, RADCLIFFE SCHOLEFIELD. "Public Office, Sept. 26, 1786. "At a General Meeting of the Subscribers to the Sunday-schools in Birmingham, held here this evening, 66 REV. MR. CURTIS IN THE CHAIR. "It being represented to this meeting, that several gentlemen have threatened to withdraw their subscriptions to the Sundayschools, in consequence of an alteration of the general rules made at the request of the Dissenters, on Friday, the 10th of March, 1786: Resolved, that the resolution granting that request (which the Dissenters themselves have not availed themselves of, and adhered to as they engaged) be rescinded; and that in future the rules, as they originally stood, be steadily attended to." Who ought not to have been ignorant now?-See Burn's Pamphlet, p. 11. P. S. As you, Sir, frequently admit original essays, or extracts from other authors, you will probably indulge me with room for a few reflections upon the foregoing extract, and Mr. Burn's extreme negligence and inattention in respect to it. What was meant in the resolution, by the Dissenters having not availed themselves of it, or attended to it, as they engaged, I believe they are wholly uninformed to this day. Perfectly satisfied with having removed so illiberal a restriction, (a restriction unknown in any place I have heard of, where the Establishment and Dissenters had united in support of Sunday-schools, and a confirmation of what Dr. Priestley has observed concerning the unhappy spirit prevailing in this town,) I never heard of their giving themselves any farther concern about it. I much question whether a Dissenter ever recommended an object, much less insisted upon their attending a place of worship among the Dissenters; if they did, I have no doubt of their being attended to by their patron. Of this I am firmly persuaded, that the rescinding of the resolution was the primary cause of setting up Sunday-schools amongst themselves, as separate from the Establishment. In Sheffield, I am informed, the subscriptions go all into one stock, from whence the masters and mistresses of the distinct societies are regularly paid, and why the same plan could not have been adopted here, (except the spirit had prevailed which Mr. Burn so confidently denies to have an existence,) I leave the public to form their opinion and judgment. How Mr. Burn could have been ignorant of a fact so easy to be proved, must be left to him, and he can best explain. From his ignorance however in this instance the public will be ready to infer that his coadjutors (in whose defence he writes) have left him, as we say, in the lurch; or that, however he blames Dr. Priestley, as a false accuser of the brethren, he is the first person upon whom (from a certain undeniable fact) the character can at present rest. They will likewise be enabled to judge what degree of credit is to be given to the other parts of his performance, which, I have no doubt, are either in whole, or in part, capable of the same refutation: but, as Mr. Burn calls upon Dr. Priestley himself, to him I shall refer the farther part of the business, only observing, that even Mr. Burn's friends may now be ready to exclaim, and he himself feel in part the force of the exclamation, in the words of Juvenal; Seu tu magno discrimine causam, Be sure, be very sure, thou'rt able for't. Creech's Translation. No. XXIV. EXTRACT FROM THE ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AT BIRMINGHAM. (See supra, p. 461.) Birmingham Library, Dec. 9, 1789. LEST any person should mistake the nature of this library, it is thought proper to give the following general account of it: This library is formed on the plan of one that was first established at Liverpool, and which has been since adopted at Manchester, Leeds, and many other considerable towns in the kingdom. The books are never to be sold; and, from the nature of the institution, the library must increase till it contains all the most valuable publications in the English language; and from the easy terms of admission, it will be a treasure of knowledge both to the present and all succeeding ages. As all the books are bought by a committee of persons annually chosen by a majority of the subscribers, and every vote is by ballot, this institution can never answer the purpose of any party, civil or religious; but, on the contrary, may be expected to promote a spirit of liberality and friendship among all classes of men without dis tinction. No. XXV. AN ADDRESS To the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library, on the subject of Mr. Cooke's Motion, to restrict the Committee in the Choice of Books, with a view to exclude Controversial Divinity. (See supra, p. 461.) MR. COOKE'S MOTION. MANY of the subscribers to this very useful institution are much concerned to see a spirit of controversy creeping into the library, by the purchase of so many books on religious disputes; books of no real use, and after the present moment mere lumber: they are read but by a particular few, and do not answer the purpose of the original intention, which was to collect a body of useful and instructive literature for the use of posterity, as well as the present time. Dr. Priestley, the learned author of many of the books, is of that spirited and generous turn of mind, and has the success of this library so much at heart, that, if he thought them necessary or proper, he, as the writer, would present them. It is requested that the committee will at present order no more of those books until the sense of the whole subscribers shall be known at the next general annual meeting. It is likewise proposed to the next general annual meeting to make a motion for a law to exclude in future all books of controversial divinity. To the Subscribers to the Birmingham Library. GENTLEMEN, As this motion (which I have not been able to prevent being brought before you, at your next general meeting) appears to me to be of considerable consequence, affecting one of the first principles of the constitution of our library, viz. restricting the committee in their choice of books, and I am particularly appealed to in it, I take the liberty to address you on the subject, and to give you my reasons why I think it highly improper that it should pass into a law. I choose to do it in this manner, because it is well known, that on several accounts, nothing can be discussed with advantage in a large assembly; and by this means you will have an opportunity of considering the matter coolly, and of being better qualified to vote with judgment on the question. When you have attended to my reasons, be assured, that I shall acquiesce in your determination, whatever it may be. The library, injured as I cannot help thinking it will be, by the proposed change in its constitution, will still be of great value to the town and neighbourhood, and deserving of the encouragement of all the friends of literature. And, though overruled, I shall not even be out of humour with any of the subscribers, and least of all with the institution itself. For the greater distinctness, I shall digest what I have to propose to your consideration under separate heads, and I beg your dispassionate attention to each of them. I. The object of the institution is to provide a stock of such books as any of the subscribers may wish to read, or to consult. All other libraries of this kind throughout England are, I believe, upon the same liberal and extensive plan, no subjects whatever being excluded. It has, indeed, been said, that it is contrary to the original design of the institution to admit books of religious controversy. But I desire to see the evidence of this. Your printed laws, and also your periodical advertisements, which were all drawn up by myself, say nothing on the subject. If we look back to the history of the library, we shall find two epochas, viz. the first institution, in the year before I came to Birmingham, and in the year after, the new modelling of its constitution according to the plan of that of Leeds. Those who were concerned in the first plan say, that when it was proposed by some person to exclude books relating to the three professions, the motion was absolutely rejected. The new modelling of the constitution was, in a great measure, made by myself; and I am sure it was not my intention, or that of any who acted with me, to exclude interesting publications of any description whatever. II. The proposed regulation is unnecessary. For if any evil whatever exist in the conduct of the library, the constitution of it is such, as that a sufficient remedy is always provided in the method of choosing the committee, since they are annually chosen by the subscribers at large. Nothing, therefore, can be wanted but more attention in the subscribers in choosing the committee, and in the committee when they are chosen. It is always deemed wrong to alter a regulation that is generally useful for the sake of a particular inconvenience. The time may come when the subscribers in general shall change their opinion, and then they will wish for an administration like the present, which will always change with themselves. III. The committee should consider themselves as representing the subscribers at large, and, without consulting their own inclination, endeavour to oblige as many of them as they can, and all if possible. It has been the custom to order books which it was well known could interest only a few of the body. But it was thought that even a few had a right to be gratified, if it could be done without a disproportionate expense. IV. The readers of theology among the subscribers to this library are more numerous and more respectable than the author of the motion imagines, and they think they have a right to be gratified even to a greater extent than they hitherto have been; considering that, of perhaps seven or eight hundred pounds that have been expended in the purchase of books, the price of all the publications objected to has not been five pounds. As far as I can judge, the principal controversy to which those books relate is not likely to produce many more expensive publications, and another controversy equally interesting, may not arise in many years. V. It has been said that, by the introduction of books of controversy, the Dissenters only will be gratified. This is by no means true; many members of the Church of England being as much friends to free inquiry, (and wishing to have the means of promoting it in this library,) as any Dissenters. But admitting this to be the case, it should be considered that the founders of the institution were all Dissenters; as they have been, I believe, of almost every institution of the same nature through the kingdom. Some respect is, therefore, due to them, and to their liberality, in purposely constituting the library in such a manner, as that their particular influence must necessarily be excluded, whenever they should be, as they now are, a minority. VI. Books of controverssy have, farther, been objected to as being of a temporary nature. But it has been the constant custom to buy any books, or pamphlets, on interesting subjects, however temporary. And it is desirable that this library should be a repository for things of this kind, as they are often curious, and persons have occasion sometimes to look back to them. VII. The controversy that I am now carrying on with the learned defenders of the doctrine of the Trinity, grows every day more interesting, especially as it has gained the attention of the two Universities. The publications relating to it are, I believe, in most, |