The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-11 00:00:00

' ;

THE

religious comli:ion, and its almost neoessmy con-
nexion with the penal laws enacted against Roman
catholic*. Turning to the subject of the present revenues
of the Irish church he showed that the income of the Irish
church was over 700,000/. a year. The total number of
benefices in Ireland was 1,510, while there were 199
parishes in which there was no member of the church ex-
istent, but which did contain tki,ol7 Roman catholics. Of
the 1,510 benefices, 615 gave an average of church popula-
tion of 23 in each. while the revenue was 257,2071., or 31F.
for each family of five protestant. In 229 benefices the
revenue was 83,0711., or 139 f. 12s. per family. In 114
benefices the revenue was 36,35.5 t., the church population
570, or 178/. per family. On these lacta he urged that
there was a case for the consideration of the Irish church
by parliament.
Colonel GREVILLE seconded the motion, urging the
removal of a cause of disaffection and grievance in Ireland.
Mr. C. FORTESCUE, on the part of the government,
declined to accept the motion, unless with a clear
view to, and intention of action in the matter, although
he himself personally was in full sympathy with its object;
and he did not oppose it on any ground of permanent policy.
He was of opinion that in due time the Irish church
should make up it mind to part with some of its endow-
ments, by which means the state would obtain • fund
which would be applicable to the unendowed church of the
majori B.
Mr. R. P. DAWSON opposed, and Mr. P. URQUHART sup-
ported the motion.
The O'DONOGHUE observed that it was evident that
the government did not propose immediately or prospec-
tively to deal with the question of the Irish church ; and
proceeded to arve that the endowments of the Irish esta-
blished church had been diverted into that church from
their °rig:nal destination, and were not appropriated to
the religious purposes of the majority of the people ; so
that as an establishment it presented an anomaly and an
injustice unperalleled and unknown in the world.
Mr. WHITESIDE contrasted the manliness of the avowal
of the O'Donoghue, that the property of the esta-
blished church in Ireland was national property in the
widest sense of the term, with the paltry policy enun-
ciated by the minister who had spoken on the part of the
government, which counselled agitation for the desti uc-
tion of the Irish church while it repudiated the responsi-
bility of official action. He denied that Ireland, as a
nation, was Roman catholic, however the majority of the
peasantry might belong to that faith ; and in reference to
the motion he offered no compromise, but would meet it
with the most distinct and unwavering opposition,
believing, as he did, that it was a revolutionary
movement on the part of the National Associa-
tion, the object of which was the separation of Ire-
land from the United Kingdom. He urged that the
church was intimately connected with the property
and institutions of Ireland, and an attack on that
establishment should be resisted as an assault on the
property and religion of that country. He also elabo-
rately argued that it was a compact entered into by the
Roman catholics at the time of emancipation that the
church establishment was not to be assailed.
After observations from Sir H. HOARE in support of
the resolution,
The debate was adjourned until Thursday.
Mr. AYRTON obtained leave to bring in a bill to
appropriate a 1,01.10 n of the income from the Finsbury
estate of the suppressed stall of Finsbury for the relief of
the spiritual destitution of the metropolis.
BOROUGH BOUNDARIES AND REDISTRIBUTION