The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-30 00:00:00

nothing could be mere true than that it was cenreeiee
Well, a bill was istrodued to remedy that but tae
slow cif that bill did not teach the evil at all, (lies,
hear.) Whilst the 49 members wen retained, three ed—de
Meal were added; so that the first improvement
to be made is the commission was to alter the another from
49 to 62, though 49 Were found to be already too many
(Hear, bur.) That osrtaicly was not • successful attempt
- •
at improvement (Hear, hear.) The second detect esse,
that the commission was composed of bishops and digui '
of the aura, who had other important functions to die,
charge, sod which they could not neglect to the prefer
masee
se the dean amigned them by the commission. (ye
howhestM
s ll la tl
overco na r I sd
utre it
• &Rea et
a boarddbr :yiebaeet boarda
remainedtre.re
bli 1":4,bwt18(1071 eel 411 i
red
it
r anra'
confessedly inefficcogleeinttposnle:rialrghragetthnietir:imak:e.sci.
. He sow begged to call attention to the 'out
of the bill, which established two paid commameeo.
atedeitah appoeitatent was regarded as the great boon see
cloweession of the measure. But let them examine the eeht.
of that concession of the appointment of two g.ndereen,
which should be taken in coanesion with the report of the
c.(traisar,thtimearto.) wThich the
hat mriigthtate bwoaso•
of friendly feeling towards the commeriotiers, inmentich as
five bad been ecclesiastical commissioners, and two cabinet
minister.. (Hear, hear j Therefore it was impouible to
doubt that any conclusions at which that committee had ir.
rived, and which were unfavourable to the eotonmeion se it
then stood, were come to after grave and gerious deliberation,
and that the alterations prepooei emanated from a stroveg
sense of their absolute necessity. (H. ar, hear.)
The paid commissioners were reduced to two, one of whom
wee to be nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and
removable at his pleasure; however, the archbishops and
the whole bench of bishops remained, kitties es members of
the board. Now if the whole bench had retired they could
very well understand their (the bishop') leaving behind
them the commissioners; but they remaitierf—and that wee
the commission that was to benefit the public. (Hear,
hear.) The public were represented by one cemmissioner,
whose efficiency was neutral sod by the episcopal commis.
'tonere, who had the whole bench of bishop% at their back,
(Hear, hear) Now what did the public care for such
mere nominal control? (Hear, hear.) The sixth clause of
the bill established an Estate Committee ; and they had
been told how the Estate Committee had been
composed, namely, two members appointed by the
crown, and three by the teethe; commissioners.ln the case of the two appointed by the crown, only
one was pail, a layman ; and they all knew that a paid
layman became a mere honorary member of the bread,
without ti spoosibility. So that if they had the public re-
presented by one paid commissioner, and three teem the
bench of bishops, the result would easily be seen (Hear,
hear.) Now, one would imagine that in such • case the
ascendancy of the episcopacy was sufficiently scour. d • but
an after clause gave them • still greater ascendancy (Hear,
bear.) The public representative was in a minority co one
ts three ; and if the nominal responaib ley were Cast upon
him the real power remained in the heeds of 'he episcopal
section of the commission. (Hear, hear ) Therrti re, he
thought he was justified in saying the measure was
conceived in a wrong spirit; and if they wished
to examine 'het spirit farther they wed only
refer to the 14th cause, which mere
said the in-
c ene of seven Crane. (Rear, hear.) It proposed the
augmentation of the income of the Dean et York to 2,0001.,
are those of the other six dears to 1,5001. per annum.
(Hear, hear.) He wished to k, ow what sue • measure as
the present should have to do with incressieg the incomes of
deans or other dignitaries? (Hear, hear.) What was the
result of these provisions ? The perLamen. 1810 reduced
the incomes of deans to 1,0001. per year ; hit the impertant
eigeovery Pad since been merle, that a d. anery with only
1.0001. a year attached to it would go .-benzine through
,he church, and so the income was increased. (clear,
hear.) Did any person suppose that, the income
of these deans having been increased to 1,4091.
• year, an augmentation of the int .M'a of el
the others would not follow ? (Hear, hear.) Why sr. .told
the Dean of Richester starve on 1,0001. a ye o, whist his
brethren in the ministry—not Letter deserving than himself
—were in receipt of 1,5001. • year? (Hear, beer.) The
measure was, tumor., impertec' in details, as well as
mistaken in spirit; and it called upon to say whether the
house ought to ad:pt or reject it, be would erepeaticelly
advise its rejection. (Hear, hear.) However, the bee, by
obvious amendments, was capable of improvement. First,
as regarded the carrying out of the recommendation of the
committee, in reference to the appointment of three paid
commissioners ; ar,d he should sty he never heard anything
so lame and untenable as the objection of the
cli siastical commissioners to that appeintm. nt. ( Hear,
hear.) They seemed to base lo en struck all at
once with a sudden regard for economy, and
urged in consequence that they could not ell rd tuck an
outlay. ( hear.) Now, ito 'ender • regard for the
fu• do of the church looked very odd coming from eentletnea
who for m.ny years spent thousands iu augmenting the
incomes of deans and other dignitaries, sad who. though
they were no doubt prepared to expend sone 14,009 e in
again au.menting th. seine mes, yet, such was their .ta:e of
poverty, they could not afford to pay a few commie. nets
,OM. a year. (Hear, hear.) Their suspicion" were tar-
tiler excited as they proceedeu, and found the arplication of
the parsimenioas principle "till carried nn, notwithstanding
that waste without parallel was going on in the pub-
lic outlay. (Hear, Lear) Lle would neat proceed
to ley before the house the system of *dation.
tion, not alone uedir the board cf ealesiestieel
commisitieners, but in other boards over which they presided
established for a hke purpose. (Hear, hear.) There were
two boards neer wh ch the commiseioners preseed, the
" Church Building 13)ard," and the board tor the control of
" Queen Anne's Bounty." (Hear, hear) Now, let him
proceed to seow how, if the ValatliCtiOttra were desirous of
carrying out economic principles for the benefit of the nods
of tee church, they could improve those tunes and ,Erect a
saving in the outlay. (Hear, hear.) Tee buildit c enmis-
sion conferee' of 41 members, headed by two arce.iebope,
I bishops, statesmen, and other tuna e :m.4,s and
the duty of that commission wig nom-eh t similar to the
du'y devolving on the ecclesiastical ceintuission—b tilde
tog churches, and so forth. Though the commis-
sion consisted of iorty.one members, yet they had
it from the secretary, that the pretty cumber be-
ing dignitaries, not having time to devote to the duties
of the commission, their meetings were few tied rare.
(Hear, hear ) The duty therefore fell into the buds of the
bishop, and from them desc.nded to the seen tery, ant the
. flees of secretary ard treasurer being invariably united,
the secretary was there'ore the whole cote:meet ‘n. (Ray,
hear.) Such being the couritution of tb • h teed, he would
next come to its fleeces'. (Hear, hear.) Until .ight years
gee there had not been au audit established; and be would
then mention two facts that he thought w. led surprise the
house. To each commission there was appointed a secretary
at 7001. • year, and a surveyor at 7001. a tear also, with bead
clerks, copying clerk., mess, niters, and law expense. sane:int-
im to some 4,0001 pi r annum. New whit.' the *eerie ix.
proses of the commission amounted cis.: m. 4,00111. per a.b out.
what was the amount of the funds to he a.loneeteree?
(Hear, bear.) When evidence was adduced het et the com-
mittee which irquired into the cue, the wh tun's in the
hands of the c mmissien amounted to 12,0001. There bad
been originally • grant of a million in the year bee, and of
half a million in 1311: but the wh le era. 1-x11'1,144 . %apt
some 12,0001, which was all that remained in the hands of
toe commission to be at:ministered. Hirer, hear 1 There
was owing is the commisecies a sum or about 'ONO:. hut
fee the adminetration of 12,0001. en estuh:iahment of 4.0001.
was kept up ; aed, nit aly that, but in the year he cue
Ussion expired a new act was brought in, continuing
the commission for five years loopy. Oa a former occasion
he had shown that the tunes of the eCCltlialitCtl commwwa
were Jett entirely in the hands of the secretary, that them
war no audit, and no check. That was not the cue with
the Queen Anne's bounty; but the house would se: why.
The secretory said he received all th. merger., eta the
first fruits, and tenths, but he always sent one of the clerks
with the money received by him to Court: a, holey made it
a rule from his first entrance upon orti v never to keep •
shilling in hand. Could there be a more cutting retake of
the carelessness of the commiesioners than thus answer of
their own secretary ? (ileac.)The sole cheek was their having
had the good fortune to find • secretary of high integrity.
The expense of the guns Acne's Bounty was very cos-tier-
able. The secretary and treasurer totem d as such 1.0001.
a year, and 3501, as tl.e receiver of first fruits; there w.s
•
clerk at 4'41. • year, and another at 1001 ; and altogether
the expenses of the office amounted to more than 4.000:. •
year. The secretary summed up by saying that the fund for
th.
capital took nearly half that amount. He asked era
-te..by &slog
that a
tuhgem
expensestati i ofo
fs smell livings
management wanasd4 Ot
accumulatede yea but
whether economy would not ho much pr. nu h
one board instead of 'three? The bishops who could not
afford to pay 1001. a year for a paid commis-
sioner, could throw away 3,000 i • year by
the non consolidation of the boards, lie thought he bed
shown that the alleged improvement in the composition of
the commis ion was altogether a fallacy and a delusion. The
unpaid commissioners still oontioued upon it, and the paid
commissioners were starving. But if the beard did not do
what it professed to do, he would now show how murk it
failed of what it ought to do. This brought him to the first
great defect of the whole commission. Now he would see
the house a questios, and he begged hon. gentlemen not to
meow themeelv.s to be "tattled by its novelly. This was I
commission for the administration of temporal affairs.
Ho asked why should there be any ecclesiastie upon
it ? (Hear, hear.) Why should minietrs et state,
judges, and bishops, be present at its sittings any more
than at thise of the Board of Admiralty or of sup other
department. The proceedings of the e. tumilieton were
entirely secular ;as much sou those of the Home' Office and
from the commencement it had issued 500 orders to council.
not one of which had to do with attain which myths not tall
onsto„crectamapproupcknasteolmey uhndaner.
gthenotalediameinaitead.tihone co l
knew,
n than
hiet
the
church ought to guard tts own pnwerty. But what was the
church ? The church was not the bishops, the ceirch was
the laity—it was the laity that composed its members. its
lire, and its strength. The property of the church a11P1.11.17
as safe in the hands of devout lumen as f
devout ecclesiastics. Against whom was church propeey to
euarded ? The church had been plundered at various
periods of her history. She was plundered by moose:hi
first, by nobles afterwards; in the last century by hi r bebop,
in our own times by ecclesiastical write/Wei-lire'.
(Laughter ) But the people of this country hail ever beenes of sacrilege ; and if • storm wets to "riser at One
musette, the safety of the church would cement in the h..e
and reverence of the people fur the instituti •a, and net
the accident of a bench of bishops, constituting en teei ese
estical commission in Whitehall, and in their own Were
persons keeping guard our the revenue. (looeh :
There was one point on which the clergy feltn
most
deeply. In the earlier days of the elthrch the
Of the bishop was always in the embed:el city. *rlg