The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-17 00:00:00

FRIDAY.

The Speaker took the chair at four o'clock, when the Lords'
amendments to several bills were considered and agreed to. A
petition was presented by Lord HOTIIAM from the Corporation
of the Trinity House, Hull, praying to be heard by counsel
against clauses in the Merchant Shipping Amendment Bill,
before a select committee.
After some routine business had been disposed of, and
several questions answered relative to the provision for officers'
orphans, the retirement of officers on full pay, arrears of pay,
and as to the alleged failure of the Enfield rifles, the latter of
which was answered in the negative, the CHANCELLOR of
the EXCHEQUER, in answer to Sir H. WlLLotrainne, said it
would be necessary to have a supplementary estimate for the
Naval Department, which would be laid on the table before
the end of the session.

Some conversation then ensued relative to the alleged
outrages by the police ; in the course of the remarks elicited,
Sir G. GREY said a commission, consisting of the 'Recorder
of London ; Mr. Armstrong, the Recorder of Manchester;
and Mr. Henderson, the Recorder of Liverpool, had been
appointed to examine into the case.—Mr. T. DUNCOMBE,
who had instituted the present question, expressed his satis-
faction with the names which had been mentioned.

THE DISTURBANCES IN BELGRAVIA.—Mr.WILSON having
moved that at its rising the House be adjourned till Monday,
in answer to a question from Lord H. VANE, Sir G. GREY
said no information had been received which could lead, with
any degree of certainty, to the conclusion that there would be
a repetition of ontraopc: on cundu.y. He expressed his opinion
that the frequent repetition of these questions had a tendency
to excite the public mind, and to lead to those excesses which
it was their object to avoid.
SUPPLEMENTAL ESTIMATE.—Mr. DISRAELI wished to
know, as it had been stated that a large supplemental estimate
would be wanted before the end of the Session, whether the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, when he contracted for the
last loan, had engaged that no further sum should be raised
this year in the same manner.—The. CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER said he had entered into an engagement that no
further loan should be entered into till all the instalments
were paid. He did not wish to convey to the house that there
was any intention of resorting to a loan, at all events till the
end of December.—The motion for adjournment was agreed to.
Lady Raglan and Lord Raglan's Annuity Bill was read a
third time and passed.
The house then went into committee on the Tenants' Com-
pensation (Ireland) Bill. A protracted debate took place on
the clauses, which gave rise to several divisions. Some of the
clauses having been sustained, the chairman reported progress,
and obtained leave to sit again.
THE STAGE CARRIAGES' BILL was opposed by Mr.
SCHOLEPIELD, who moved that it be read a second time that
day three months, because a clause .had been introduced into
it which had been originally inserted in the Friendly Societies'
Act, and having been struck out of that measure, it was in-
serted in the present bill.—Mr. MAsTERmAx seconded the
amendment.—Lord JOHN MANNERS considered the opposi-
tion was quite justifiable, and he should lend all his assistance
to it.—Sir HENRY WILLOUGHBY should like to know on
what principle the Board of Inland Revenue had made com-
positions for mileage duty, by which, in certain cases, it was
reduced to a ld., instead of lid. per mile ? That was the
case with Horne's omnibuses from Charing-cross to Euston-
square, which paid ld. a mile, while others running the same
road paid lid., yet this was the proposal intended to be carried
out by the sixth clause.—Mr. HORSPALL hoped the bon.
member for Birmingham would not persevere with his motion,
as he (Mr. Horsfall) had given notice of a motion to omit the
sixth clause. It was his intention to proceed with that mo-
tion, that the country might see who those members were
that would pass such a clause as this.—Mr. WILSON ex-
plained, Mr. SCHOLEFIELD withdrew his motion, and the
bill was read a second time. Some other bills were forwarded
a stage ; the orders of the day were disposed of, and the house ,
adjourned at half-past one o'clock.

FISCAL 'BURDENS OF THE CLERGY.

CHuxcs property at this day is looked on with very
jealous eyes by many of our legislative bodies, and elsewhere.
It is needful, therefore, that its bearings should be understood,
that the analogies and distinctions between secular and eccle-
siastical property be well defined, that the various charges
that detract from the latter should be fully recognised before
others are imposed, or before the incomes of the clergy,
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many who talk on these subjects have never seen an incum-
bent's balance-sheet at the end of the year, nor have any
notion of the small amount which is often left for private ex-
penditure. They judge from a few isolated cases of wealth,
without any true comprehension of the large proportion of
the clergy, who, though in possession of a gross income,
which sounds well, yet really live on their private means ;
and, if dependent only on the Church's offerings, must present
to the world a very different figure to what they do.
It is time, however, that we appeal to facts and individual
instances, which may bear out our general remarks. A few
such instances, by no means peculiar or selected ones, have
been kindly supplied for our use by incumbents whom we can
fully trust, and who, on public grounds, have aided our in-
quiries, with the fervent hope that some remedy may be found
for the hardships which they experience in themselves, and
see in others.

The many separate grievances, which form the aggregate
of fiscal and other burdens exclusively borne by the
clergy will, in the course of this article, be considered under
distinct heads ; but, in the first instance, we shall lay before
our readers two or three examples, as they have beenforwarded
to us, of their total amount, the income being also stated out
of which they have to be paid. Persons who are not ac-
quainted with these charges will be rather startled at their
enormity, and wonder how it is that the rural clergy of our
Church get on as well as they do ; a wonder great indeed, if
not explained on grounds already stated.
The first case we bring forward is that of a living in the
diocese of Exeter, the tithes of which were commuted at
£620, and produced, therefore, in the year 1853 (after the
deduction on corn averages) £558, which, with glebe, &c.,
estimated at £5O, made the gross value of the benefice to be
£6OB. The payment, out of this living for the year in question,
the first of incumbency, were as follows, before • any income
was left for private expenses :

£. s. d.
Stamp fees and charges in institution
First fruits . 43 17 9
Tenths
Poor-rate (this item unusually small)
Highway rate
Income tax (7d. in the £.) . 12 15 4
Land and house tax .. 317 0
To Queen's Anne's bounty loan for building house... 38 0 0
Collection and losses
Repairs of parsonage, &c, . .
Two curates (population over 5,000) l7O 0 0