The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY ETENING JULY, 2, 1851

resulting
it institu-

lenewelgt all other into
sir defeats or anomalies in our
; and it unfortunately beep= that while these evil
tie
irg=o7t all, trivet the
fora
which a
Ml* Oft bed he " Mince the year 1843
moo bos leen Lone. Up to the last
ago of ticl commissioner. 728 dis-
bar. been searlitated, and a large number
of churches hare been built and enlarged bythe
Church Building .Soeiety. I see from • return wI
hold in my hand that the cost of works in which that sudsy
has been engaged amounts to 1,246,3081. Since the year
1840 the Curates' Aid Society has been engaged in opera-
tions to the amount of 179,6,21. The Church l'utoral Aid
Society has not been backward either. This society now
aids 319 incumbents with grants to provide stipends for 294
clergymen, and 96 by assistants col:1hour among an aggregate
population of 2,294,284, or on an average above 7,000 souls
to each incumbent, the av rage amount of whose incomes is
only 2001., and 173 of them without parsonage houses. Such,
sir, are some of theprivate efforts that have been made, but
we have yet much before us. I have here a selection et
some few places out of many, showing how urgent is the
, need that still exists for increased church accommodation.

the head oft/fairs made, in 1543, when he was in opposi-
tion, a proposition, in reference to a motion of Sir It. Peel's,
to precisely the fame effect. It had been objected that
this severaaco of the patronage of benefices from the
great seat would weaken the connexion between the
state and the church; but he did not at all admit the
objection. Tho readiness of private benevolence to meet
public encouragement in the.removal of that fearful
evil spiritaal destitution had been placed beyond
all doubt ty experience. The estimated cost of tho va-
rious worlo promoted by the Church Building Society in
seven years amounted to 1,240,308/. ; of this 250,901/. had
been contributed from various funds, while the sum raised
by private contributions alone had been 20.3,109'. In like
manner the sum raised to meet grants for incomes from the
Curates :Sid Society amounted in ten years to 50,305/. ;
sum voted for endowments by the society, 10,150/. ; sum
raised locally to complete them, 33,3•33/. In order to pro-
vide endowments for the 600 new churches of 100/. each,
together with a sum of 50/. for the maintenance of the
fabric, would require an annual sum of 154,0001. it ap-
peared from the first report of the commissioners upon
episcopal sad capitular revenues, that yearly value
of the tithe-rent charges h'longing to the church
was estimated at 650,000 t. ; of this about one-seventh, or
180,000!. was enjoyed by the church as lessor, the remain-
ing five-sevenths by the lessees, and they recommended that
these leases should not be renewed, but in order to provide
for the sum now accruing to the church a similar sum, say
200,0001., would have to to borrowed for a period of 20
years the time computed for the greater part of the leases
to fail in. This might be done at 31 per cent. upon the se-
curity of a like annuity to commence from the close of that
period, and to continue fur 40 years. The interest now en-
joyed by the church, as lessor in lands and houses, sa;:c.,
amounted to 300,000/. a year; but by a more equitable ad-
ministration of the leases, which might be immediutely
adorned, this might be inerea.,ed about 60 per cent., making
its yearly iuterebt About 480,0091. The calculation would
then staud thus, were these arrangements adopted for the
next twenty years:—Yearly sum borrowed to meet the
non-renewal of leases, 200,000/. ; interest of the church,
as lessor in houses, &c., 480,0001.—total, 6.40,000/.

In St. Anne's, Limehanse, there is a population of 2.5,121,
with church accommodation for 2,000, or one-twelfth ; In
St. John's, Waterloo-road, a population of 30,000, with
accommodation fur 3,560, or one-ninth ; in St. Martin's,
Birmingham, a population of 4-5,000 has only church accent-
atodatios for 3,990, or one-eleventh; St. George's, South-
wark, 60,000,with accommodation for 4,640, or one-eleventh;
St. Giles, Durham, with a population of 5,000, has only
accommodation for 300, or one-sixteenth; Middlesborough,
with 10,000, accommodation for 000, or one-sixteenth ; Sutton
in Ashfield, population 6,863, with accommodation for 500, or
one-fourteenth • Swansea, a population of 30,000 accommo-
dation for 2,500, •r one-twelfth. These are a kw instances
which it may be well to specify ; but, sir, here is also a list of
131 places or parishes in different dioceses of England and
Wales, containing an aggregate population of 3;272,852,
from which, deducting about 450,000 for nonconformists,
we find that there are 543 churches to supply this population
of 3,62'2,*12 souls ; or allowing that one church is sufficient
for 3,000 souls, we should have 1,893,8.52 immortal beings'
with neither encouragement nor opportunity for entering
the house of God. Again, it is generally admitted by those
best conversant with a minister's duties that a charge of
2,000 persons is as many as he can effectually attend to.
Vell, in 13 great parishes of the metropolis, all of them
with a population above 10,000 souls, and someof them tour
times that amount, containing an aggregate population of
762,383 souls we find a body of 141 clergy, leaving a de-
ficiency of 237, or 474,000 souls nearly uncared for. in the
parish of Mauchester, on the same calculation, there is a
deficiency of 32 pastors; Liverpool, 93; Leeds, 29; Shef-
field, 21 ; Wolverhampton, 22; Bristol, 27; Birmingham,
52; Newcastle, 2:1. So that we may say there is not one
populous place in this great country where we shall not
find the name alarming deficiency. We may indeed
assent to the proposition of the late Sir R. Peel, that
the parochial system, as it existed in 1843, was suited to
other times and other states of the people, and was that
point in which the church of England was principally de-
fective. I next read in this address this paragraph:—" The
overwhelming duties which now devolve upon some of the
bishops, owing to the enlarged population, and the happy
circumstance of an increase also iu the number of the clergy,
appear to make it desirable that there should be a corre-
sponding increase of the episcopate; and if your Majesty,
in your wisdom, should see fit to recommend such a men-
tore, the revenue and residence of the deanery in some
;dazes might be made available, where fitting circum.
stances concur." The fact is, that with a population
of four times the amount of that which existed at the
time of the Reformation, and with a number of
clergy that have borne some proportion to that increase,
the number of bishops, to all intents and purposes,
remains the same. Thu present number of clergy would
give, on an average, upwards of 500 to every bishop, while
some of the larger sees average 800, and one upwards of
1,000. It has been very well remarked, that the bishop is
of course liable to receive and answer communications from
every one of his clergy; to be added to this, the secularities
of his diocesan duties may be said to absorb very nearly the
spiritual character of his office. Let us follow him to
London, where he is summoned by his writ, and we shall
Shut him in his scat in parliament, at the board of the eccle-
siastical commissioners ; at that of Queen Anne's Bounty •

Sum required by act of parliament to provide income:l for
bishops, deans, and cathedrals, 450,000/. ; leaving a ?surplus
of 200,0001. to be applied in the manner now suggested.
This surplus would still be subject to a charge of 50,000:.
a-year, which is paid to the ecclesiastical commissioners fur
vacated cathedral preferments, leaving, in round numbers,
the sum required. The probable reduction of the septeu•
Mal averages would, to a certain extent, cause • one further
diminution in this sum, but sufficient would be left to
make what he advanced a fair and feasible proposition.
(hear, hear.) He did not come to the tmes to ask a
grant of public money. All he sought was, that the
church of England should not be allowed to luitguish
for want of support when she had within herself
the means of that support. (Hear, hear.) Iler tempo-
ralities had been bequeathed to her by the piety of our
ancestors for spiritual purposes, and to spiritual pur-
posm, it behoved the legislature to see them applied. (Hear,
heat.) The church of England was essentially the poor
man's church—(cheers)—and her trueglory should be, not
the display of personal wealth or of gaudy edifices, but the
promotion of the eternal happiness of her children, awl the
raising their temporal condition by giving them justsr views
of the real aim of this life. (Cheers.)
The motion was seconded by Sir B. HALL.
Lord It. UltOSVENialt supported the resolution, and
cited a number of instances showing the extent of the exiat-
ing spiritual destitution, and pointing to the best means of
remedying it.
Mr. H t' ME complained of the vast sums contri-
buted by the state in various fumes to the church,
and of the little good that was done with it. Ile de-
nounced the maladministration of ecclesiastical revenues,
the scanty pittances affirdial to the hard-working clergy
and curates, mad the continuance of the disgraceful system
of pluralities. lie attributed many of the abuses Of the
church to the university system, and he especially charged
recent conversions to Rome upon the monkish education
we gave our young men. Dissenters, he observed, were
never known to go over to popery. The bishops were
greatly in fault ; but so was the government, for nut making
them do their duty. Ho should rejoice in the zeal pros-
perity of the English church, and though a radical, he
would thoroughly comperate with the conservative noble-
man who had made the motion of the night. To render
that motion more effective, he moved the addition of words
praying that there might be laid before the house a minute
and detailed account of every kind of property whatsoever
belonging to the church of England.
Sir B. HALL said he had taken a part in the discussion
of church affairs, only for the purpose of making known
the many abuse, that existed in the management of church
property, with the view that they might be amended.
He considered if the motion of the noble lord
were agreed to, it should have the effect of re-
moving many of them, because they would there-
by obtain the means of carrying out and effecting the
object which his noble friend had in view. (Hear, hear.)
His hon. friend behind him (Mr. Hume) was anxious that
there should be church extension. In that he coincided;
and because he agreed in that wish he was also ready to
agree in the amendment submitted by him. lf that amend-
ment was adopted he believed the amount of funds that
would be placed at the ditpssal of the church for itsown fit-
ting and proper uses would be incalculable. (Hear, hoar.)
The noble lord had referred to the paper, No. 211 of the
present session, reearding church extension. Now thins
was one portion of the contents of that paper in which he
could not agree—he meant the intimation of the two arch•
bishops and seven bishops to the ...fleet that one million
should be granted for church extension. Now he (Sir B.
Hall) should oppose the granting of the very least ht 111), for
that purpose. (Hear, hear.) Hi, noble friend not having
referred to that point, he took it fur granted that he enter-
tained no such opinion on the subject. However, his noble
friend did refer to the reports of the commissioners ap-
pointed to inquire into the revenues of the church and the
livings in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor. Now,
when the archbishops and bishops presented their address,
they might have called attention as well to the number of
livings in their own patronage as to the number held
by the Lord Chancellor. Indeed, he was not aware
that the patronage of the Lord Chancellor was worse
exercised than that of any other holder of livings.
(Hear, hear.) Ile hail heard of several clergymen who had
been appointed by the Lord Chancellor, and he believed
they were as conscientious and as excellent clergymen as
could be found anywhere. (Hear, hear.) There were
700 livings in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, whilst the
number of livings in the patronage of four bishops was: the
Archbishop of Canterbury, 174 ; Bishop of Durham, 61;
Bishop of London, 127 ; and Bishop of Winchester, 86 ;
in all 419 livings. The benefices in the bestowal of the
Archbishop of Canterbury alone were worth no less than
80,000/. Now, taking that sum at a moderate number of
years' purchase, the million of money required for
church extension might at once be raised by the sale of the
Canterbury benefices. (Hear, hear.) The next proposition
' of the commissioners was that by a better system of manag-
ing church property, half a million might be obtained in a
few Tears, which was a very serious point, inasmuch as it
,
was by that better system of management they only could
hope to arrive at the object in view. (Hear, hear.) In a
debate which occurred in the last session, the question was
asked, "of what use are the deans i" and the only answer
it received was a grave nod of the head from the noble lord
at the head of her Majesty's government. Therefore, he
thought ho might say that the wish of abolishing
them was more or less entertained. The address stated that
" it rested with the government to set the scheme (church
extension) in motion, and the people would urge it on-
ward." Now, however much the people might be attached
to the established church, they could not be got to press
forward any scheme of the kind, unless the church esta-
blishment were put on a more satisfactory basis. (Hear,
hear.) When he spoke of the church, he did not mean the
clergy. Those who attacked the emoluments of the clergy
were said to be the enemies of the church. Now what he
wanted to effect was to make the clergy good and efficient
pastors in their several avocations. (Hear, hear.) His
noble friend believed that there were ample funds within
the church to effect the necessary church extension ;
but if his noble friend only perused a volume which, month
after month, ho (Sir B. Hall) had been applying for to the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners—and which, though ordered
in the May of last year, was not produced before June in
the present year—he would be very much surprised. The
property exhibited in the returns of that volume was of
immense value: but the full value was not exhibited, be-
cause the System of taking fines upon leases was continued,
and they consequently would not be able to obtain the real
value of church property unless the motions of his noble and
hon. friend.) were earned. (Hear.) But imperfect as the
returns were with regard to the value of property, ho
hoped the house would attend to the recital of the incomes
of the archbishops and bishops for the last seven years.
(hear, hear.) The see of Canterbury had a gross income
in the last seven years of 210,834/. ; York, 100,468/.; Lon-
don, 123,9911.; Durham, 207,5621.; Winchester, 101,1301.;
in fact, without enumerating all the sees, he might say that
the result of the whole was a gross income in seven
years of 1,535,9761. (Hear, bear.) The net income was
1,314,170/. ; and the average on seven years gave each
see a net income of 192,0211. (Hear, hear.) But that was
only the archiepiscopal and episcopal property. The fines
upon leases were calculated to amount in seven years—leases
on lives and terms of years—to 636,3871. Now he held
when fines were taken on leases the church was robbed of
a certain amount of property. (Hear, hear.) The Bishop
of Winchester alone was shown to have received 20,000/. in
fines in the last year. Some years ago it had been deter-
mined that, when the sees should lapse a septennial return
should be made, cod that the bishops should have fixed in-
comes, ranging trout 4,200/. to 15,0001. a year. It was
also arranged that each bishop on entering a see
where the income was grcatet than 15,0001. should pay over
the surplus to the ecelutiestical commissioners, and cases
where the see did not yield 4,2011. r year, the deficit should
be paid by the CUMUlitstsiOntral. (hear, bear.) He (Sir B.
Hall) was aware that whilst that project was in progress
many of the laity protested &of:kind an option being given to
ilia usogis
would
certain itdtuti
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nt
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rtsaho.eyeeuliarst,dhiairv.e.6,42.:s7l::e.Taarhseyrlieli6. Ived 1 whilst iu 7av :led, !illy,
jew:iirotshp :4fe,sooNboar/d..
flB.l.l.7oth,ae4aototteirn,
sevenanw ieclh, Salisbury,ir
years hith 5e thei receivedi
result t
ps ricciul9;v3ae7dllel) *au en itrh: e:ssa
sum of
or 28,2671. more they were entitled to re-
ceive. (Hear, hear.) Now if other minions were
to commit each acts u those, it would be

at that of the church building commission, solicited on
every aide by private societies fur his presence and support;
there is a demand upon his thoughts, his time, and strength,
fur business and labour, which no human strength could
adequately supply. In order to form an estimate of
the charge which is imposed upon some of the bishops,
let us take the Bishop of Winchester's diocese, comprising,
with the Channel Islands, a population of 937,682; clergy,
821; benefices, 6:31 ; and area, 1,493,030 acres: the Bishop
of Lacier, population, 874,739 ; clergy, 833; benefices, 632;
area, 2,491,220 acres. Norwich—population, 721,737;
clergy, 1,103; benefices, 911; area, 2,211,060 acres. Lin-
coln—population, 612,512; clergy, 865; benefices, 793;
area, 2,189,630 acres. Lichfield—population, 782,721;
clergy, 761; benefices, 618; area, 1,399,170 acres. It would
be very easy, sir, to proceed to a similar comparison with all'
the dioceses. It would be easy, also, to enlarge upon the in-
creased blessings which are found practically to result from
any increase in an episcopate, narrowing their separate
operations and enlarging their united action. In the cola
uses it is found to result iu a greatly increased number of
clergy ; in this country we should feel it, doubtless, in a far
higher degree. This may be exemplified by a statement which
has been put into my hand showing what has been done in
the diocese of Ripon since it was separated from York. Tho
statement proceeds to say—" Showing an increase of
about 100 additional churches and chapels, 130 additional
clergymen, and .13 additional parsonage houses in about 11
years, there have been also 13 churches entirely rebuilt from
the ground, with such an alteration of sites as to require
fresh consecration. Among these are the parish churches
of Leeds and Keighley. The additional accommodation
secured by rebuilding these 13 churches exceeds 4,000 sit.-
Cur, and may be reckoned equal to 3 new churches. I ham
no calculation of the additional sittings secured by enlarge-
ment of edging churches, where fresh consecration has not
been required. but 1 have clearly ascertained that the
general increase of church accommodation in the diocese
more than meets the increase of population, and is to a slight
degree gaining upon the arrears existing when the ilioceee
was financd. These results are attributable to the esta-
' blishment, in the year 1838, of the Ripon Diocesan Church
Building Society, which has spent from its own funds in
aid of the building and endowment of churches and the
erection of parsonage houses more than 30.31001. to meet a
total outlay of 300,000/., provided partly by grants from
, other societies, but principally from private contributions. '
'This is exclusive of ut least 90,0001. more spent in the erce-
Con, and, in some cases endowment also, of 17 churches and
chapels, solely at the cost of private individuals or of
mercantile firms. I have no accurate calculation of the '
additional facilities for the education of the poet in the
dioceses since 1836 ; but from an estimate which I made
in 1817, and which 1 published in my charge of that yeas
it appeared that during the previous 10 years we were
gaining iu this department, alto on the increase of popula-
tion in the dioceses, and Ido not doubt that the same is
Otill true. The secretary of the National Society informs me
that the grants since 1816 to the diocese of Ripon for school
perpows have been 21,3351. ; the outlay connected with
this must have amounted to considerably above 100,0001.
Whence it appears that since the year 1836 there has been
expended for church purposes in the diocese of Ripon a sum
not far short of 600,0001." But, above all, the extension
of the episcopate would be felt by the clergy themselves. The
clans of bishops which I should like to see introduced into the
church need not be possessed of any seat in the legislature ;
it must be necessary that the ecclesiastical body should be
represented by some of the bishops in parliament, but it
seed not be by all ; and were this increase thus effected, we
might then hope to see the ancient type of a bishop in the
March, a pastor among pastors, 'violas sneer pares, one who
constant communication and residence among his
dergy might diffuse over them the same blessings which
they diffused over their Hock,. I very well remember, sir,
the eloquent description given of a bishop by my hon. friend
the member fur Cockermouth (Mr. Rona:tan). Ile said,—
.In the earlier days of the church the bishop's dwelling
was in the cathedral city there slid he live the centre
et the religious life around him. The leaders of the
Christian religion, the depositaries of the fire, the faith,
the fervour that animated men warring through this world
to an eternity which it was their commission to preach.
The history of those from whom the dike had come down
was familiar to them all. Their images were painted in
colours that could never fade. Their ardent enthusiasm,
their unsliriaking self-sacrifice, their heroic endurance of
every toil and every suffering, and their utter forgetfulness
of worldly interest, and worldly advancement, and worldly
good of every kind, when compared with the magnitude
of those higher interests to which their noble soul owed
devotion." In this description, sir, we must all most
fully concur. This alone can raise the usefulness of the
episcopate—this alone can be effected by increasing their
numbers. The effect of that increase would not be, as
has been supposed by some, to increase the dimensions of
a body without at the same time giving it a different
eimmateriatic from that which, through adverse circum-
stantiates has rendered some of its offices now too secular ;
Met the of of it would be this, as has been described
Lop Latimer, whose words were quoted by the
of Oxford Did they remember," said he, " the
matiments of Latimer, that honest-hearted man, who spore
in his strong Saxon dialect words to which all England as
one man responded ? That venerated man said that the
bishops by their fewness were raised to such a height above
the people as had deprived them of the power of exercising
those functions which were inherent in their office; and the
first measure of reform which ought to be carried was one
for giving a great increase to the number of those bishops."
The hon. member then went on to say that as he had be-
fore observed, the incomes of the deans could be meet bene-
ficially applied to the extension of bishoprics' the bishops
in sonic cases being selected from existing deans ; there
might, for example, be infinite good effected by the adop-
tion of this plan in the case of Westminster. In other
eases, the bishop might act as dean within his own diocese,
which would secure his residence there for, at all events, a
good portion of the year, while the income of the dean
would go to establish a new bishopric elsewhere. As a
means of effecting the proposed extension of benefices, the
commissioners recommended that of the 777 benefices now
in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, all those under
2001. per annum—in number 300--ahould be sold, and the
proceeds applied to the endowment of new benefices.
He also recommended that a certain number of the re-
maining 477 livings in the gift of the Lord Chancellor
should be sold, in like manner, and the proceeda applied
slis sine , and the calculation was, that the
gm Imo would be amply sufficient, with the
risidorisas which might be confidently expected in
WWII the 600 churches which wore required, the
east of which was 2,160,0001. There was no-
INN saw fa this proposition ; for the noble lord now at