The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-21 00:00:00

THE

UN,

TilE PREROGATIVE OFFICE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMEF.
Sir,—ln an article inserted in your paper of the
17th, upon the state and prospects of the Prerogative-
office, Docters'-commons, the following passage

CUTS :-
The present Archbishop follows in the steps of his
prcdecsssors, and saddles the public with a nominee of
his own family. Thus, for three lives, now in being, we
shall be compelled to pay away an annuity of 9,000/, a
year for a pure sinecure.
Now, Sir, this statement is incorrect, and calcu-
lated to convey an erroneous impression, and give un-
necessary alarm. It is true that the present Arch.
bishop has nominated in reversion a member of his
own family to the office of principal registrar. But
this nomination does not saddle the public with the
payment of 9,0001. per annum to a sinecurist, nor
does it entail any compulsory charge upon the public,
nor did the Archbishop imagine it would when
he made the nomination, for this nomination
was not made, as the former nomina-
tions were, independently of any Parlia-
mentary control; but it was made subject to the
provisions of the 10th and 11th Victoria, cap. 98, sec.
9, which, you will observe, renders it absurd to sup-
pose that Lord Canterbury's successor, if there be one
at all, will ever be permitted to hold his office as a
sinecure, or, in any case, to draw from it such large
receipts as it now returns. The words of the Act to
which I refer are the following, sec. 9 :
" And be it enacted, that every person who shall
have been appointed after the passing of the first recited
Act, except as therein excepted, or who shall be ap-
pointed after the passing of this Act to the office of
judge, registrar, or other officer of any ecclesiastical
court in England shall hold the same subject to all regu-
lations and alterations affecting tho same which may
hereafter be made by authority of Parliament; nor
shall any person by his appointment to any such office
acquire any claim or title to compensation, in case the
same be hereafter altered or abolished by Act of Par-
liament."
Under these stringent provisions, therefore, the pre-
sent Archbishop made his nomination ; not with the
vain expectation, even could there have been the de-
sire, that his nominee should one day succeed to the
indolent enjoyment of a sinecure yielding 9,0001. a
year, but on the reasonable chance that the Legisla-
ture might not altogether abolish the office, but so
modify it as to allow the future registrar a just salary,
on the indispensable condition of the personal dis-
charge of the duties of his registrarship. I may add,
that all these points were fully and explicitly brought
before the notice of the public in the speech of the
Archbishop in the House of Lords on this very sub-
; ject, as accurately reported in The Times of May 7,
1860.
If you will kindly insert in your columns this letter
of explanation, you will much oblige,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN H. R. SUMNEB.
Southchurch Rectory, Rochford, Essex,
August 19.

[We publish to-day a letter from Mr. Sumner, which
will be received by the public with the greatest satisfac-
tion. That gentleman informs us that when we have
once fairly got rid of Mr. Moore and Lord Canterbury,
we shall be liberated from the outrageous tribute of
9,0001. per annum which is paid to the one, and will be
paid to the other, for doing nothing. Archbishop Sum-
ner, it is true, has nominated a member of his own family
to the reversion of this office, but under very different
conditions from any of his predecessors. Mr. Sumner
very properly calls the attention of the public to the pro-
visions of the 10th and 11th Victoria, cap. 98, sec. 9,
which enact that any person appointed after the pas-
sing of that Act to the office of registrar, or other
office of any ecclesiastical court in England, shall hold
the same subject to any alterations which Parliament
may think fit to make in it as regards emolument, or
in any other respect. Thus Archbishop Sumner's
nominee will find himself in possession of a post, suffi-
ciently remunerated no doubt, but not without toil
or responsibility. In the implied censure cast by Mr.
Sumner on the previous system of appointment to this
office—and we trust he represents she feelings of the
Archbishop—we heartily concur. Mr. Moore, how-
ever, is, we fear, too callous to be touched either by the
rebuke of an archbishop at second hand or by the cen-
sure conveyed by the provisions of the Act of Parlia-
ment. He is patentee,—that is enough for him. The
office he holds may be condemned by the express deci-
sion of the Legislature and the voice of public opinion,
but that concerns him not. 'The dividends have no un-
pleasant smell. The office may be shut up for all he
carer. What are the wills, and what their makers, to
the Chief Registrar? His office is an ancient one, which
has always been done by deputy; if he were to discharge
any of the duties himself, or to pay far their discharge
by others, he would be untrue to the nature of his mis-
sion. Well, well, it is some comfort to reflect that such
disgraceful jobs will not much longer be possible in this
country. Mr. Moore is well nigh the last of this class
—we can scarcely wish him a protracted tenure of his
patentee's place. ]— Times.

HOPE MUTUAL LIFE ASSURANCE AND
HONESTY GUARANTEE SOCIETY.
An extraordinary general meeting of this society
was held at the society's offices, 4, Princes-street,
Bank, Henry Morgan Vane, Esq., in the chair.
The general manager and secretary, H. C. Eiffe,
Esq., having read the advertisement convening the
meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said that the business before the
meeting was to consider the propriety of adding two
directors to the present board. The society had been
formed upon certain conditions, fully stated and set
forth in the company's deed of settlement, drawn up
by able hands, and duly approved by the registrar
under the Joint-stock Companies Act, 7th and Bth
Vice, c. no. He then read the 81st clause, which
limits the number of directors to ten, and proceeded
to say that his brother directors, the general manager
and himself, concurred in the opinion that this clause
required alteration. The power of altering the deed,
even in the least degree, rests entirely with the
shareholders and proprietors, the majority of whom
present and voting must decide the question submitted
to them. The question to be submitted is, to
consider the propriety of adding two directors
to the present number. He would now mention
how this question had arisen. Amongst the list of
shareholders who have duly paid the 1/. per share
into the bankers' hands, and which amounts to up-
wards of 5,0001. so paid in, they are fortunate
enough to number two gentleman—one, Mr. Hy.
P. Hope, who had subscribed for 200 shares, and
the other, Dr. Wheelwright, for 150 shares. These
gentlemen had taken a great interest in the under-
taking, and it had struck his brother directors and
himself, and he trusted the proprietary would agree
with them, that, by adding these two gentlemen to
the direction, they would strengthen their present
position with the public, and improve their invest-
ments. He would only detain them a short time to
make a statement of the business already transacted,
and to show the state of the society's finances. It
was after many preliminary meetings, held on the eve
of the last and commencement of the present year,
that they had organised the society ; and as soon as
complete registration was effected, the board, being
then legally constituted, held their first meeting on
the 23d of April last, a period of only three months,
since which the following are the results. They had
appointed 652 first-class medical advisers over the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. They
had established 255 local and provincial agents, com-
posed of individuals whose characters have been tho-
roughly investigated, many of whom had identified
themselves with the interests of the society by insur-
ing their own lives and becoming members. They
have been favoured with 131 proposals for assurance,
for sums amounting to 28,9501., of which 70 have
been actually completed, and the remainder are either
now waiting our consideration or for further informa-
tion. In the formation of the establishment they paid
the strictest attention to economy; all matters re-
quired for it having been contracted for under com-
petition. In conclusion, he moved that the 81st
clause be altered, and that the number of the direc-
tors be twelve, and that we add the names of Henry
Philip Hope, Esq., and Dr. Wheelwright to the list
of directors, and we leave it to you to decide whether
the clause shall be altered accordingly, and those
names added.
Dr. JAMES WM. MAsSIB, LL.D., seconded the
resolution, which was then carried unanimously.
In answer to a question from a shareholder,
The CHAIRMAN stated, that the call of 1/. per
share upon 2,035 bad been actually paid into the
h Inds of the society's bankers ; that the greater part
of that sum had been employed in the purchase of
India bonds, which now remained in,the bankers'
as appeared by their letters lying on the
etatileslteo.dy,That the interest, at Si. per cent., would be
calculated up to the 25th December next, and that
the shareholders would receive on the Ist of January
next; but that for the future it would be calculated
up to 24th June and 25th December, and be payable
on
the Ist July and Ist January in each year.
The proceedings terminated with votes of thanks
to the directors, the general manager, and the chair-
man.

_.,.
_....
ASTLEY'S AMPIIITHEATnE.---
To those who have
L
in any place of entertainment not seen the Brothers Seigrist on
nLt
witnessed ; description can-
not pourtray the reality; it must be
.'
wonderful dgeorf; ul neverand
apparently improbable feat been
ahPasersculicehwae
and appreciated. This alone, comb
house for some time
combined
withttohbeierhealgieivlietyd
as clowns in the circle, ought to fill the
his patrons every available novelty,
to come; but Mr. Batty, with a laudable deenstierreedtoinptroesnenntento.
They come preceded
gwahgoemh
aevnet
jwoistthailrlr
arrived
efrnocme r
ASintoke
reiscaa.nhda 8 his talented troupe,
by a very high reputation, awarded by our Transatlantic
f
brothers, and from those who have had an opportunity
seeing iem " practice," we are informed they
.are th
extraordinary artists that have appeared in a circus; butemost
we
shall attend and judge for ourselves when they make their
deblit.

TUE SCHOONER RENOWN __A criminal informa-
tion against the parties who forcibly boarded this vessel, and away the stores and part of the cargo, has been laid
at Rochford by the owner, Mr. John Scott Reynolds, before
the Rev. Thomas Stratton.