sessions, and those heirs with their posterity, either decline into poverty, or acquire fortunes elsewhere -and that those Trustees enjoy the undisturbed intentions of those who founded Stannington Chapel, we, the inhabitants, are precluded from the privilege of public worship in a place built expressly for our accommodation, by the appointment of a Minister who teaches doctrines contrary to the honest convictions of our consciences, and such as were never contemplated by those who gave the lands and other property, for the maintenance and support of a minister. 6th. That we are advised, that by the law of the land, neither the Trustees, nor the majority of a congregation have any power to apply trust-property whether consisting of a chapel or endowments, to the maintenance of doctrines contrary to those for which the property was set apart by the founders. The following opinion has been given by the Lord Chancellor, viz. "If the institution was established for the express purpose of such form of religious worship, or the teaching of such particular doctrines, as the founder has thought most conformable to the principles of the Christian religion, I do not apprehend that it is in the power of individuals having the management of that institution, at any time to alter the purpose for which it was founded, or to say to the remaining members, We have changed our opinions, and you, who assemble in this place for the purpose of hearing the doctrines, and joining in the worship prescribed by the Founder, shall no longer enjoy the benefit he intended for you, unless you conform to the alteration which has taken place in our opinions." " We confidently submit, that nothing can be more explicit than the directions contained in Mr. Spoone's Will, or more certain than the well known religious sentiments of Mr. Marriott, or more evident than that the appropriation of the chapel and endowments to the maintenance of Unitarian doctrines, which are taught by the present minister, is illegal and unjust, and contrary to the wishes of a very great majority of the inhabitants. We, therefore, the inhabitants of Stannington aforesaid, respectfully solicit your attention to the preceding statements. We are inclined to believe you have hitherto been a stranger to the possession of the property thus acquired, during their own lives, and then are succeeded by their children, who likewise bequeath it to theirs, and so on: more important facts of the case; we cannot for a moment suppose you would wilfully counteract the designs of the pious dead, or violate a sacred trust; we will not entertain the idea that you could knowingly alienate our rights and privileges; nor do we imagine that you can sanction the perversion or misapplication of trust. property. On these grounds, therefore, we confidently make our appeal to you, and earnestly entreat that the chapel, lands, &c. may be restored to their right owners, and applied to the purposes for which they were intended. We beseech you, then, by your love of truth, by your regard for law, justice, and equity, by the high character you sustain, by all that is dear to you as a man, a parent, and a Christian, listen to our reasonable requests ; and since your authority was made available for the appointment of the present Minister, let it be successfully exerted for his removal. We respect your aged person, we venerate your hoary hairs, and would not that any thing should embitter the closing scene of your life: we would rather your last days should be your best days, that your sun should set in splendour, and your memory be blessed. N. B. The persons whose names are inserted under the head “Unitarians” are understood as expressing their wish for the continuance of the present minister, and as objecting to this petition." Copy of a Letter which accompanied the Memorial to SIR,-It may be necessary to accompany the petition now produced, from the inhabitants of Stannington, with a few explanatory remarks. It will be observed, that the columns for signatures are divided into two classes-the one headed Trinitarian, and the other Unitarian. We believe application for names has been made in -but at length the public attention being excited, the descendants of those Trustees are required to administer righteously the Trusts to which they are appointed. If the actual Trustees were then to claim this property as theirs by descent, and say, every family within the prescribed limits; and those who approve of the prayer of the petition have signed under the title Trinitarian, while those who wish the present minister to remain have subscribed their names under the title Unitarian. Every signature, whether for or against the petition, is the voluntary act of each individual respectively: no undue influence, threat, persuasion, or intimidation has been resorted to, for the purpose of procuring names. The Chapel may be considered as the centre of the district throughout which the canvass has been made, and it has not been extended beyond a mile in any direction, except in that towards Bradfield: in this latter direction, the canvass has been carried half way between the Chapel and Bradfield Church, which are four miles asunder. -According to the best information that can be obtained, we find, that, within the limits of the canvass, there are about 390 persons twenty-one years old and upwards, and these were all considered eligible to sign the petition. Of this number, 340 have signed in favour of the petition, 27 have signed against, and about 15 have expressed a wish to remain neutral; their reasons for adopting this course can be given by the parties who made the canvass, if required. It may be proper to add, that many houses, situated in the more remote parts of the district, known by the name of Stannington, (and so designated by the collector of the King's taxes,) are beyond the limits prescribed to those who were employed to collect signatures. It was thought more advisable to take the opinions of those persons who are most interested in the business, as being residents in the immediate neighbourhood of the Chapel, and subject to the greatest inconvenience, provided they are not satisfied with the present order of things. The result of the canvass, which has been conducted in the most honourable and impartial manner, shews clearly what sort of feeling prevails amongst the inhabitants and those of them who have managed the business are quite anxious that their conduct should undergo "Would you deprive us of that which we inherit from our fathers?" "You declare war against us, you are robbers, and wish to enrich yourselves the strictest scrutiny, being confident, that your approbation of what they have done will rise in proportion as you become more and more intimately acquainted with the manner in which it has been done. To Samuel Shore, Esq. Meersbrook. April 26, 1825. Mr. Shore's Answer to the Memorial and Letter. Mr. James Wilson, Solicitor, Sheffield. Meersbrook, May 9th, 1825. Sir,-As an answer was desired to the Papers left with me, when you lately called here, with a number of the Inhabitants of Stannington. If the object of the application be for the dismissal of the Rev. Mr. Wright, whose character was admitted to be a good one, and to obtain the disposal and possession of the Chapel at Stannington with its endowments. I have to inform you, that the other Trustees agree with me that it would be acting contrary to our duty to give any countenance to those propositions, and I most obedient Servant, am, Sir, your SAMUEL SHORE, The Reply of the Deputation to Mr. Shore's Letter. TO SAMUEL SHORE, ESQ. Stannington, May 21, 1825. SIR,-We, the deputation who waited upon you on the 27th of April last, with a memorial from the inhabitants of Stannington have to acknowledge the receipt of your answer. We have also to express the surprise of the inhabitants that you should entertain any doubt respecting the object of their petition. Permit us, therefore, to say, that their sole aim is to have the Chapel and with our spoils :"would it not be perfectly reasonable in reply to these exclamations, to say, "No man can give what he does not possess; your its Endowments devoted to the purposes for which they were designed; being perfectly satisfied, that the application of them to the maintenance and propagation of Unitarianism is contrary to the original intentions of the founders, at variance with the law of the land, and in opposition to the doctrinal sentiments of the inhabitants. We also respectfully submit, that the private interests of Mr. Wright, the present Minister, ought not to be put in competition with the sacred rights of the Public, more especially by the Trustees, who are bound to defend those rights from every species of violation. We add further, that the inhabitants are greatly disappointed at the result of their appeal to the Trustees, since they had the utmost reason to expect a favourable reply: at least, they entertained sanguine hopes of finding in you a real friend. Your high character, through a long life, had warranted the expectation that no refusal of their just rights would have obtained your sanction, particularly after the declared sentiments of the population had been so fully ascertained, and when it is found that the advocates of Unitarianism do not amount to one thirteenth part of the number of Trinitarians. And, besides, the disparity of numbers is, in reality, much greater; for although twenty-seven persons signed the petition in behalf of Unitarianism, it is confidently believed, that not more than five individuals have imbibed such sentiments. With this decisive evidence of the religious opinions of the population, and possessing indubitable proofs that the Chapel was founded by men of like sentiments, and for the maintenance of Trinitarian doctrines, the petitioners consider themselves injured, in an infinite degree, by those who withhold from them their own peculiar place of public worship; and they deem it impossible for any one to conceive, that the founders ever intended to authorize the Trustees to impose upon them such sentiments of religious doctrine as they (the Trustees) might choose to adopt, equally hostile to those which are entertained by themselves, and are still maintained by the inhabitants at large. The petitioners, therefore, cannot forbear pressing upon you and the other Trustees, the important fact, |