The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-07 00:00:00

Bite erprego.

OUTGOING MAILS.
The mane rid Mareentee, to the Mediterranean.
Celylea, Rearßeam Se., true be node rt
. -

110,..miiiis far British Nall Amelia sad the trailed
dtatee will ha nude up oa the evening of Kay 10.
The nada for Lisboa, Spain, sad Gibraltar will be reale
spa My IT.
TM West hada Mails, riteladins Bermuda, Manurial,
Nassau, Hm dans, New Origami, sad Kano, sad inaladiag
Awn fair Madeira, St. dara-de-Nisarasua, New Granada,
Chili, sad Pere. will be made up as the morning of May 17.
The wails for Gibraltar, Malta, Grace, the loofas lauds,
Cayleis, hid* alai Chas. eia floathaleptos, will
-a made ap as t►e waning of May 20.
Tao mail* for Malaria, the 8...1k, and Baena Ayres, will
be sada up au the welds, a Jame 4.

rlOll WATfI AT LONDON lIIILIDOIL
her D.—lirromag. los. Nkfisfessa 11111.
to-weimm—lYAWag, Allkinso4:llA 9.1

LONDON, TUESDAT, MAY 7.

LORD lonic Rcssau., in conformity with the
compromise by which an adjourned debate was
avoided, has placed the committee on the Ecclesiasti-
cal Csnimismion Bill first on the Orders of the Day
for Friday; and Mr. HOUNIAN has relieved the
church :simmers from the disadvantage of their com-
promise (which, apparently, got rid of the incon-
venient debate on the general subject) by giving
notice of en amendment on the first clause of
the bill, that goes to the very root of the evil, vie.,
the composition of the Ecclesiastical Commission ;
thus reviving the discussion which was adjourned,
and creating for it a definite, useful and practicable
object.
Mr. HORSDIAN.3 amendment is to the effect that, as
recommecded by the committee of 1848, there shall
be three lay paid commissioners, two appointed by
the crown and one by the Primate ; and that these
three CoMmiresioners,nsponeible to parliament like the
Poor Law Board, or the Bleed of Health, shall con-
stitute the &di siaideal Commission ; performing, in
an elficent, definite, public, and independent mincer,
all those functions, and carryitg out those powers
which are now negligently, secretly, and s)stemlessly
performed by a hybrid body, composed of bishops
and judges, ministers of the crown and peers, but
really directed by the episclpal order.
The advantages of each a board would be obvious,
even had not a succession of mismanagements demon-
strated the impolicy of continuing the commission in
its present shape; and so far from the bishops oppos-
ing, they ought to be most thankful for such a change.
It would emotes an improved management cf church
property and its hamster app) cation to church pur-
poses; It would ceceesitate tne adoption of a definite
scheme of church extension ; it would provide a cen-
tral department in the metropolis, accessible at all
times to all parties, for the conduct of ecclesiastical
business, would quicken its despatch, be obnoxious to
public opinion and open to public suggestion, ; if re-
presented in the House of Commons, it would aug-
ment the interest of the legislature in church ques-
tions ; and if with it were incorporated the two other
existing church b.ards, it would simplify, eye-
tensile, and expedite the administration cf the tam-
pang affairs of the church ; confining its episcopate
and its clergy to their own proper sphere—its spiritu•
alities.

At a time when the bishops assure the legieleture
that their diocesan duties are so overwhelming as to
require en extension of the episcopate, let us just
enumerate a few of the additional duties which bring
them from their sees to the metropolis during its
fashionable season ; when society is mem agreeable ;
the operas most charming; and the Parks tallest.
They are, first of all, Spiritual Peers, and have, as
such, duties four days a week in parliament. Then
they are Ecclesiastical Commi-sioners, and in
that cspecity have to manage and to apply property
gradually rising in value to 400,00 W. a year. Next,
they are all members of and exclusively administer
the affairs of Queen ANNE'S bounty, with an income
of nearly 200,0001. a year. A very considerable pro.
portion of them are of the corporation of the Church
Building Commission, and have on it very ar-
duous and laborious duties. Their functions as
peers, as ecclesiastical commissioners, as governors
of Queen ANNE'S bounty, as church building
commissioners, are, however, of legal derivation and
imposition. But, in addition, they have a variety
of voluntary metropolitan duties. They rule despot-
iallyall the high church societies ; some of them con-
descend to take part in the administration of the low
church associations; they have their weekly assem-
blies at Ltmbeth Palace to attend during the season ;
besides a host of other meetings of which the laity
krrAir little.

No wonder, then, that ecclesiutics who thus have
such a superabundance of metropolitan duties, should
complain of bring overworked in their dioceses. No
wonder when the bishops thus assume • load which
is not episcopal that they cry out for more episcopal
help. No wonder that with more to do than men can
honestly execute, they should think themselves vast')
overdone.

The remedy for this exei ss of episc lahour is, hap-
pily,
very simple : it is to relieve their lordships of their
metropolitan duties, and co give them more time to
I attend to their diocesan duties, canfetsedly their
primary obligations. Though relief from attendance
in the Ilona. of Lords is probably the condition pre-
, cadent to any thorough improvement in the episco-
pate, the present is not the time to discuss that
question, however rapidly that time is approaching.
But can any good reason be shown why the diocesan
efficiency of our bishops should not at once be tiro-
moted by relieving them from their metropolitan
functions as Ecclesiastical Commissioners, as Gover-
nors of (been ANSE'S Bounty, and as Church Build-
ing Commis.ioners ? By such relief the question of
more bishops would be solved satisfactorily to many
sincere churchmen who are now deluded by the notion
that an extension of the episcopate is a pressing ne-
ceseity. Whereas on church principles the real ques-
tion is how to extend the diocesan utility of the
existing episcopate. And until that shall have been
extended in the way proposed, the question of more
bishops has no honest locus stanch before the country.
It will, perhaps, assist the consideration of this subject
to state the origin and present position of Queen Ass a's
Bounty sad of the Church Building Commission. The
former was established in 1704 by the royal charter
of the sovereign whose name it bears, and who sur-
rendered to it the first fruits and tenths for the aug-
mentation of smaller benefices. The sources of
ecclesiastical revenue so surrendered were, when
granted, heavily charged with pensions, and for
several years the income of the Bounty Board did not
exceed 5001. a year. Gradually, however, the receipts
increased, until by the close of the century its income
from first fruits, tenths, and benefactions, had
reached 30,0001. In 1810, parliament same
to its aid, and made it a rant of 100,0001.
a year for the next ten years; in all one mil:ion of
the public money " for the relief of the poor clergy."
And its annual receipts from all sources now average
about 200,0001. a year ; while its expenditure is nearly
as much. .

Now, the administration of this great sum has for
upwards of a century been monopolised by tte bishops.
Such monopoly was, however, far from being
Quinn Amit's intention. For by her charter
the Bounty Board consists, not merely of the
bishops, but of the great officers of the house-
hold, the judges, the serjeants at law, the law offioers
of the crown, tbe mayor and aldermen of London,
and all provincial mayors. Yet so completely have
the bishops taken possession of this Board, that
sow the notices of its meetings required by the
shorter are dispensed with, and they only attend. Two
sOssequenoes are worth notice; on th,t death of its
tressarer, about 20 years ago, there wu a large defal-
cation is its Ninth, which was, however, made op by
the bishops themselves—a precedent not followed in the
late case of Mr. C. K. MusaaY's robbery; and between
the years 1829 and 1847, the bishops borrowed at low
rates of interest the sum of 80,0001. of Queen MINI%
Bounty, to build and repair their *sees, repayable
by easy instalments in from 20 to 40 years.
The Church Building Commission dates only from
1818 ; it was a copy of Queen ANNE% commission for
building London churches, which comparatively
failed, eleven churches only having been built
where fifty wera proposed to be erected; and
it was founded on a basis of one million sterling
of the public money ; to the grant of which
there was in parliament but one objector, that noble
and generous friend of the people, Lord HOLLAND.
Thu ex-tftrio members of the commission are eight
bishops, eight of oers of state, three ecclesiastical
judges, two deans, two archdeacons, and the principal
of King's College; and to them are added two nomi-