Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/188

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. v. FEE 2*. 1912.

the trustees, so the Attorney-General insti tuted a suit against them in the Court o Chancery. The Court decided in his favour and he asked the Court to prepare a schem for administering the charity, January, 1897 The old trust was replaced by a new one giving greater liberty in the administration and placing the charity in the hands of nin< trustees, five of whom were to be member of the Churph of England, and four of thi Free Churches one representing the Presby terian Church in England, one the Congrega tional churches, another the Baptis churches, and the fourth the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The two groups were to form two separate executive committees and the trust funds were to be equally divided between them, and both com mittees were to report to the whole bodj of trustees. The committee of the Free Church members distribute Bibles (abou 6,000 annually) and ' Shorter Catechisms.'

WILLIAM CABRTJTHERS, Trustee nominated by the Presbyterian Church in England.

REVOLUTION SOCIETY (11 S. v. 71).

The Committee of the Revolution Society at a meeting in "The London Tavern " hek 3 Feb., 1789, decided to circulate the following ' Abstract of the History and Proceedings of the Revolution Society in London ' :

" The Revolution in 1688 in every view of it was an event of such distinguished and indeed unspeakable importance that it could not fai of making a deep impression upon the nationa mind. It has been thankfully remembered in the public service of the established Church ; and has annually been celebrated by other religious Societies. Nor has it been commemorated only by suitable discourses and acts of pious adoration and gratitude to the Supreme Being but by social meetings and festivals. Various institutions of this kind have subsisted in different parts of the kingdom and in different quarters of the metropolis.

" Though no records have regularly been preserved of the Society we now have in view, there is no doubt of its having been establish'd soon after the Revolution and that it has annually met without interruption from that time to the present and the 4th day of November being the birth day of King William the third has always hitherto been the day of celebration.

" For a long course of Years this institution was chiefly confined to the City of London strictly so called ; & almost the sole supporters of it were a number of very respectable inhabitants of that city consisting partly of Members of the Establishment and partly of Protestant Dissenters. JBut lately it has excited a more general attention & drawn to it many persons of rank & conse- quence from different parts of the kingdom.

" When the period approached which would form the completion of a Century since the Revolu- tion it was resolved by the Society to celebrate that illustrious event with peculiar solemnity & this has accordingly been done in a manner which it is hoped will be of service in preserving & disseminating the principles of Civil & Religious Liberty.

" With a view of further promoting this laud- able design the following resolutions were pro- posed at a very numerous and respectable meeting of the Society and unanimously approved :

" That it is the opinion of this Meeting, that a perpetual Anniversary Thanksgiving to Almighty God ought to be established by Act of Parlia- ment in order to commemorate the Revolution & the confirmation of the people's Rights & to perpetuate the happy memory thereof.

" And that it is also the opinion of this meeting that in order to celebrate those illustrious events in a manner suitable to their supreme importance, the said perpetual Anniversary ought to be kept on the 16th day of December, namely, on that memorable day when the Bill of Rights passed into a Law by which solemn Act of Parliament the Throne was declared to have become vacant the true and ancient liberties of the subject were recognized ratified & confirmed & the Glorious Revolution compleated.

" That this Meeting do request the favor of Henry Beaufoy Esq r to move in the House of Commons for leave to bring in a Bill for the above mentioned purpose.

" That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to Richard Brinsley Sheridan Esq r and to the other Gentlemen of the Whig Club who met at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the 16th of October last for having communicated to this Meeting their Resolutions of that day ; and that Earl Stanhope, the Chairman of this Meeting do com- municate the above Resolutions of this Meeting to Mr. Sheridan & through him to the other gentlemen who met on the 16th October last, & to request his and their support in favor of the intended Bill for annually celebrating that illustrious Epoch when a Tyrant was expelled and the liberties of the people were declared 1 enacted & confirmed.

' That Earl Stanhope, the Chairman of this Meeting do also communicate the aforesaid Resolutions to the Chairman of the Meeting which is to be held at Willis's Rooms to-morrow, to celebrate the memory of the Glorious Revolution & to request the support of the Gentlemen at hat Meeting in favor of the intended Bill to ommemorate that great Event & the confirma- tion of the people's Rights."

These resolutions with others were unanim- ously approved at the Anniversary General Vteeting held at the London Tavern on the 4th of November, 1788. The meeting cele- jrated the auspicious event with a dinner, o which nearly 300 sat down. According o The Gentleman's Magazine, Iviii. 1024, md ' The Annual Register,' xxx. 220, more han 800 persons were present. An oration vas delivered by the Rev. Dr. Towers, The Character of King William ' was read