The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-27 00:00:00

BISHOP COLENSO.

Mr. DUNLOP asked the Secretary of State for the
Colonies whether, looking to the recent decision of the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the case of
Bishop Colenso by which, with reference to colonies with
representative Legislature, or in which the Church of
England had not been established by law, patents for the
erection of episcopal sees therein, purposing to confer
ecclesiastical jurisdiction, were pronounced to be contrary to
law, it was the intention of the Government to advise her
Majesty to abstain henceforth from issuing any more such
patents for colonies so situate, and also from nominating
successors under the existing illegal patents to bishops who
may die or resign, leaving the voluntary associations of
which such bishops were the chief ministers to provide
successors according to the rules and canons they have
adopted or may adopt for the government of their own
non-established communions ; and particularly whether
this course would be recommended in reference to Canada,
where by an act of the Canadian Legislature to which the
Royal Assent was duly given, all connection between
Church and State has been expressly abolished.
Mr. CARDWELL said with respect to Canada the prac •
tice of issuing patents has been discontinued. Tito bishops
there are selected by the Church in the colonies, and derive
their civil rights from the colonies. With reference to the
other matter referred to, the recent decision had led to the
necessity of giving that matter the most serious considera-
tion. go letters patent, however, would be issued until
that consideration has been brought to a close.
EPISCOPAL SEES IN THE COLONIES.
Mr. DUNLOP asked the Attorney-General to what
extent and effect, if any, patents erecting episcopal sees
in colonies having representative legislatures, or in which
the Church of England had not been provionsly by law
established, and purporting to confer ecclesiastical juris-
diction, were valid and operative ; and also to inquire
under what statutory or other authority the Queen, as
Sovereign of the United Kingland, issued patents for the
erection of episcopal sees, in accordance with the religious
system established by law in only ono part of the United
Kingdom, England, in colonies which uever were, at any
time, colonies of England, but have been, from their origin,
British colonies.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said it was more diffi-
cult to say for what these letterspatent provided than what
they did not. It had been determined by the Judicial Com-
mitee that there were no legal dioceses in the colonies to
which the late inquiry related, and that the letter patent
constituted no legal connection between the Church in
these colonies and the united Church of England and
Ireland. It was farther determined that the letters
patent granted to the bishop did not introduce into
those colonies any part of the ecclesiastical polity of Eng-
land, and that they gave no legal power to the bishops
which they might not have under the voluntary system.
He found also in the judgment that letters patent were not
valid to create ecclesiastical corportions which the colonies
were bound to recognise.
UNION CHARGEABILITY BILL.
Mr. VILLIERS, in moving the second reading of this
bill, said the union principle having been adopted for the
purpose of administration instead of the parochial system,
it was desirable that the same principle should be adopted
with regard to settlement and rating instead of retaining
these latter within the area of the parochial system. This
was the .principle which the bill • sought to
bring into operation, and it was founded on
the results of several inquiries by committees
of the House of Commons and Royal Commissioners. It
had been contended, in some quarters, that the bill was in-
troduced to benefit the town population at the expense of
the rural districts, but this was altogether a mistake, as
such certainly was not the intention of the measure. The
late member for North Devon, he believed, was in favour
of the bill.

(LEFT SPEAKING.