The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 31, 1853.

PIM REPORT FROM THE ECCLESIAS-

TICAL COMMISSIONERS.

TO Tilt ZIGIIT HON. HU* MAJRATT'S PRINCIPAL SECRE-
TARY of STAIR FOR Tilt HUNS DEPARTIIINT, &C.
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England
submit, in accordance with the 26:h section of the act 13
and 14 Viet., c. 94, a report of their proceedings for the
year preceding the Ist November, 1852.
Ihr 'chime pawed in conformity with the provisions
of the act 13 and 14 Vict., c. 94, for regulating the incomes
of archbishops and bishops, to which reference was wade in
the last report, did not affect the then holders of any sets
but thooe of Canterbury, Chester, Norwich, and Llandalf,
who had been appointed subsequently to the lot of January,
181 h; but the commissioners suited that they had received
proposals from several other bishops to bring themselves
witnin the last-mentioned provisions, and they have now to
report that, during the year preceding the lit November
last, they hays entered into agreements with the Bishops of
Ssli.hury, St. Asaph, Ripon, Ely, and Worcester, whereby
Mud instead of fluctuating ennui' incomes have been se-
cured to them. The several agreements are embodied in
the nesemes, which will be found in the Appendix, pp. 16,
19, 13, 40, and 78.
Fixed instead of fluctuating annual incomes have, in ac-
cordance with the acts 3 and 4 Vice, c. 113, and 4 and 5
Vic'., c. 39, been provided for the future deans and canons
of the esthedral church of Durham, the present canon of
the fifth canonry, end the future deans and canons of the I
cathedral church of Lichfield, end the present dean and one
of the present canons of the cathedral cnurchol Manchester.
The schemes for these purposes appear in the Appendix,
pp. t 2, 77, and 81.
An arrangement under powers contained in the acts 3
and 4 Viet., c. 113, 4 and 5 Vice, c. 39, and 5 and 6 Vict.,
e. 26, has been entered into with the dean and chapter of
York, whereby the capitular estates (subject to subsisting
Vases) are vested in the commissioners, and in lieu thereof
the dean and chapter are to receive an annuity calculated
on their past average receipt., until the commissioner shall
rewire to them real estates in posoession producing an in-
, come equal to such annuity. it is estimated that this sr-
' ran,:ement will, by means of enfranchisement', hereafter
yield a considerable surplus for the augmentation of omen
living., but no portion of the proceeds is to be carried to the
"common fund" until the intended restoration of estates to
the chapter shall have belts completed. The scheme fur
authorising the arrangement is in the Appendix, p.
The commissionere have applied themselves to the con-
sideration of the proposals made to them by the lessees of
their estates, and have, during the year preceding the Ist
November last, effected sales of reversions and purchases of
leasehold interests on terms generally is accordance with
the recommendation of the Committee of the !louse of

Lards upon church leaseholds. During that period the
hoard have agreed for the sale of ninety-nine reversions,
and for the purchase of twenty-seven ►easehold interests;
in several cases portions of the premises having been dealt
with by way of exchange. 'l'he total value in fee of the
properties so enfranchised exceeds the sum of 550,0001.,
and the commissioners are able to state that the instances
arc very rue in which any material objections have been
taken to the prices required or offs red by them in the first
instance, although among the parties dealt with are many
of those lessees who bad expressed dissatisfaction with the
terms formerly required by the commissioners.
Toe total amount of the annual charge upon the com-
missioners' funds, in respect of the 525 ►ugmented benefices
and the endowments of the 235 districts and new parishes
before referred to, up to the 31st October last, amounted to ,
the sum of 77,9871., representing, at the rate of three per
cent., a capital sum of 2,598,9001.
It should not be: forgotten that the endowment of the
districts and new parishes has been provided by means of
an anticipation of the future income of the cominiuioners,
and that the consequent increase in their annual payments
and ultimate liability has necessarily for a time precluded
them from entertaining the numerous applications (ex-
ceeding 1,500) which have been made to them for grants.

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