The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-10 00:00:00

CLERICAL OBITUARY.

June 25, at St. Peter's Rectory, Wallingford, the Rev. W. C.
Frith, D.C.L., at 70.
June 30, the Rev. Bryan Faussett, of Heppington, Rent, aced 43

A NUMBER OF CLERGYMEN of the deanery of Doncaster
with the sanction of the Archbishop, are about to establish a
book-hawking association for South Yorkshire.
THE REV. J. P. WARD, late curate of Much Woolton, near
Liverpool, and formerly of Leeds and Skipton, has been ap-
pointed vicar of St. John's, Holbeck.
involving
the GREAT ECCLESIASTICAL SALE by auction,
the religious teaching of no fewer than 48,000 people, is an-
nounced to take place early in the present month. The pro-
perty that is to come to the hammer is the rectory of Stock-
port. According to the Clergy List, the property thus
offered for sale belongs to Lord Vernon.—Globe.
SIR CULLING EARDLEY, a wealthy meddling baronet, who
wishes to keep one foot in the church and one in the meeting-
house, and who is a promoter of " free churches" without
bishops, has been attempting to get admitted into Oriel Col-
lege, without submitting to the discipline required of Church-
men, and without acknowledging himself to be anything else
than a Churchmen. Dr. Hawkins, the Provost, tells him,
"One of the two—churchman or dissenter—you must be, and
not both at once." Sir Culling, like some others in the pre.
sent day, wants to be both, by turn, when it suits his purpose.
—English Churchman.
UNION OF CONTIGUOUS BENEFICES.—A bill brought from
the Lords (July 2) enacts that contiguous benefices may be
united under this act, without regard to aggregate population
or yearly value. On the representation of the inhabitants of
any small parish that their benefice 'night be advantageously
united, the bishop of the diocess will inquire into the circum-
stances of the case, and submit a certified statement to the
Church Building Commissioners. These latter may propose a
scheme for the transfer of surplus revenues to poor parishes.
Protests against the scheme may be made, and these are to be
referred to the Judicial Committee, of whom the archbishops
and bishops, members of the Privy Council, are to form part
for the purposes if this act. The Queen in Council is empow-
ered to make orders approving every such scheme. The
Church Building Commissioners may also propose schemes for
the erection of new churches or parsonages, the removal of
old churches or parsonages, the sale of sites, &c. No burial-
ground or site of church wholly surrounded by a grave-yard is
to be sold. The Bishop of London is empowered to set apart
one of the churches in London, otherwise to be pulled down,
for service in Welsh. The sites of the churches to be pulled
down are to be vested in the Church Building Commissioners.
This bill will tend to promote the proposed removal of some
of the old city churches.
WEST INnxEs.--The following is an interesting extract of
a letter dated St. John's, Antigua, March 27, 1855 :—" We
had a Confirmation in our cathedral a few days ago, and I
never witnessed a service more solemnly and impressively
performed. The candidates were few—only eight ; conse-
quently we had none of that tumult and excitement which
ever accompany the service at home, arising from the large
number of persons brought together. Our Bishop prefers
holding frequent Confirmations, and in each church, as
occasion may require. Might not our Bishops at home adopt
this plan ; even though it should impose upon them additional
labour ? The benefit to the confirmed would be great, and
one of our most solemn and important services would be
relieved of a character which does not belong to it, but which
nullifies almost all the good of it. On the present occasion
the candidates, both male and female, came dressed in white,
a custom which is also adopted by the females at our monthly
communions, and which has a most pleasing effect. Seats
were provided for them near the chancel rails, and the Bishop
delivered a most impressive extempore address, taking as the
ground of his observations the Preface to the Confirmation
and after the rite of Confirmation was administered, made
some further remarks most suitable to the position of those
just confirmed. Coming fresh from home, I was much struck
with the favourable contrast of the circumstances attending
the solemn rite as administered here. And, indeed, I must
say that the beauty of all our Church's services is more fully
seen in the manner in which they are conducted in this.
colony."

ST. AIDAN'S THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE,

BIRKENHEAD.