The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-13 00:00:00

7

UNITY OF CITI BENEFICES.

The Commissioners jointly appointed by the
Bishop of London, the Court of Common Council,
and the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, under the
provisions of the recent Act of Parliament, authoris-
ing the union of contiguous.benefices, have recently
brought their labours to a close, thus complet-
ing, as far as they are concerned, the scheme for
the union of benefices in the city of London, on a
large scale, in the consideration and settlement of
which in all its details, and the varied interests
involved, they have been engaged for nearly two
years. The Commissioners, it will be recollected,
were the late Lord Mayor and Mr. Blomfield Bur-
nell, nominated by the corporation of London; the
Rev. R. B. Gibson, rector of St. Mary, Abehurch,
appointed by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's ;
and the Rev. Michael Gibbs, vicar of Christ Church,
Newgate-street, and the Rev. T. J. Rowsell, rector
of St. Margaret, Lothbury, nominated by the Bishop
of London.

They were directed to inquire and report upon I
the expediency of uniting certain benefices in the
city, and nearly a year ago they made a report
respecting 17 of the proposed unions. Of these 14
were considered to be expedient, and the terms
were then stated on which the union might be
effected. The names of the benefices concerned
were set forth in Me Sun of the 20th of Novem-
ber last. On the receipt of the returns in favour of
any union, the Act of Parliament requires the
Bishop to apply to the patron of the benefice for
his consent. This, it is presumed, the Bishop has
done in the 14 instances referred to; but as the
statute does not limit the period
within which the
patrons are to send their replies to his lordship,
t.chemes can
some time may still elapse before the 3
be carried out_ The Commissioners m the mean-
time have continued their deliberations in arranging
be.
the terms on which other unions might effected,
by signing their
and they have finished the work
required further
returns to three commissions which
eport was made in
consideration when their former!
November last. The commissions comprehended
three proposed unions—nemely,-
1. Allhallows Staining with
St. Catherine
Colman. cree with St. James's, Duke's-
2. St. Catherine
place.
Backehurch, with St. Margaret
3. St. Dion'
'Gabriel, Fenohurch.
Fattens and St!
The &at of these unions the Commissioners have
been obliged to abandon in consequence
reluctantly
or the provisions of the Act of Parliament
being insufficient to meet the peculiar trust under
which the Grocers' Company became possessed
of the advewson and titles of one of the benefices.
The company manifested a readiness to promote the
union, but were instructed by counsel that they
could not give their consent to the proposals of the
Commissioners. In the remaining unions the cor-
poration of London possessed patronage' and it re-
quired a long time before any intimation could be
gathered of the views which that body might enter-
tain of the subject. This and other circumstances
had caused delay and increased the labours of the
Commissioners. They have, however, at length been
able to see their way to arrange the patronage and
revenues of the several benefices, so as to point out
how the unions can be effected, and also how two
new benefices, in lieu of those proposed to be ab-
sorbed, can be created in spiritually destitute parts
of the metropolis.

Some idea of the difficulties of the work may be
conceived when it is known that the Commissioners
have held 110 meetings for hearing the suggestions
of parties interested in the matter, and then in ar-
ranging the unions to meet the requirements of each

,

t

case. Th 67 held their meetings at the Mansion-
house: The late Lord Mayor acted as the chairman
and the Rev. M. Gibbs as the secretary of the com-

mission.

1
--Taking into account the marked diminution of the
resident population in the city of London during
the last 60 years, amounting to as much as 20 per
cent. in the last 10, the sole object of the Commis-
sioners is to absorb numbers of churches there which
have long been deserted, and to create new benefices,
and erect new religious edifices, in lieu of them, in
parts of the metropolis, and especially the eastern
part, which swarm with a population for whom no
adequate church accommodation at present exists,
and composed mostly of the very poorest classes.
Stepney, Wapping, Shoreditch, Hoxton, St.
George's-in-the-East, St. James's, Curtain-road ;
St. Thomas's Charter-house ; St. Luke's, Oid-
stieet ; S. Mark's, WhitechapeL; St. James's,
Cierkenwell ; and St. Botolph, Aidgate, are the
populous districts which will all more or less gain
by the scheme in contemplation, and each new
district will contain from 5,000 to 9,000 parishioner F.
In stating the terms on which the two additional
unions may be effected, the Commissioners, as in
14 they bad previously settled, make various recom-
mendations affecting the parishes to be united, the
result of which they believe wilt be greatly to lessen
the church expenses of each. They specify in each
case the alterations which the union will render ne-
cessary in the arrangement of the patronage, and
which they have Aucceeded to a great degree in
simplifying, and they recommend what should be
done with the, disused churohes. They suggest the
erection of a tomb of a suitable and substantial
character in the adjacent churchyards, and that the
human remains found under the churches be care-
fully deposited in it ; that the pulpit, organ, bells,
and the like be transferred, if required, to the new
lehurch, which, by the Act of Parliament, must be
(erected in the stead of each church taken down ;
that the materials and sites of the disused churches
be sold, and out of the produce of the sale, supple-
mented by glebe property and other assistance,
that new churches be erected and a new benefice
created for each of them, with an endowment suffi-
cient to compensate the patron for accepting such
new church in lieu of the city benefice he formerly
owned. With respect to the registers of baptisms,
marriages, and burials of the churches, some of the
Commissioners think it highly important that they
should on the closing of the churches be transferred
to the care of the Registrar-General, if he should
be willing to accept them.

BARBAROUS MURDER IN WALES.

CARDIFF, TUESDAY.

Circumstances have come to light which show
that an atrocious and cold-blooded murder has been
committed in one of the mining districts in the
Rhondda Valley, intersected by the Taff Vale Rail-
way.
On Sunday, the 2d inst., a young woman, named
Jane Lewis, aged 23, a servant at Tyntily, parish of
Ystradyfodwy, left her master's house about six
o'clock in the evening, for the purpose of going to
chapel. As she had not returned at a late hour the
inmates of the house became uneasy, and proceeded
to make a search for the missing woman. They had
not proceeded far from the house when they were
horror-stricken by seeing the body of the young
woman lying across a pathway in an adjoining wood
with her throat cut from ear to ear. A razor,
covered with blcod, was found near the body, and
it was -at first, conjectured that the unfortu'ate
woman had committed suicide. It was subsequently.
however, ascertained that the razor was the pro-
perty of a fellow-servant, named Thos. Edmonds,
and he was apprehended on the charge of murder.
A coroner's inquest was opened on the 4th inst., at
the Star Inn, Tyntily, and, after a preliminary in-
quiry, was adjourned till this morning.
As might naturally be expected, the event gave
rise to all manner of reports, and on the meeting of
the jury this morning the utmost anxiety was
manifested by the mining population in the pro-

ceedings.
It appeared from the evidence of Mr. Thomas
Williams and his wife (the master and mistress of
deceased) that she left the house about half-past
five in the evening of the fatal day with the inten-
tion of going to chapel, and that the prisoner left
the house about the same time for a similar pur-
pose. The master of the house had been out dur-
ing the afternoon, and on his return about eight
o'clocK o'clock he told his wife that he had been to
chapel but had not seen the deceased present. Soon
after eight the prisoner returned home, and about
ten o'clock the family went to bed. Before this,
however, a young man named Thomas Williams,
the reputed sweetheart of deceased, called at the
house and asked for ber. He was told that she had
gone to chapel and had not then returned. He re-
marked that he had been to chapel, but had not
seen her there, and in a jocular manner said, as he
left the house, that he supposed she had gone away
with another sweetheart. About 11 o'clock, the
mistress finding the servant had not returned,
called up her husband, and asked him to go out and
look for her. He rose, and called the prisoner to
accompany him. They procured a ;lantern, and
first proceeded to search the outhouses, and then
went down a road leading through a wood in the
direction of the chapel. Just as they entered the
wood they discovered the body of the unfortunate
woman lying across the road, with her throat cut in
the most fearful manner, and her clothes saturated
with blood. At a little distance from the body
they found a razor covered with blood, her bonnet,
and the brooch of her shawl. She was then quite
dead and cold. The master proved that the razor
and case .were similar to that which belonged to
the prisoner, and it was subsequently ascertained
that prisoner's razor was not in the house. The
police constable who was first on the spot exa-
mined the prisoner's hands and clothes, but there
were no marks of blood. There were, how-
ever, some scratches or wounds on his face,
which he accounted for by saying that he had
been cut by the horn of one of the calves while
tying it up that afternoon.
Mr. Henry Norton Davies, surgeon, said he had
examined the deceased soon after she was found, and
had subsequently made a post-mortem examination,
assisted by other medical gentlemen. He stated that
there were four distinct cuts in the throat, the wind-
pipe being completely out through. From the fear-
ful nature of these wounds, and also from their
appearance generally, he was positive that they
could not have been committed by the deceased.
Her hands were also cut, and these cuts seemed to
indicate that she had resisted. The strings of her
bonnet and her collar were also found to have been
cut by a sharp instrument. On opening the body it
was found that the deceased was about six weeks
gone in pregnancy. He also stated that there was
no evidence of any violation having been attempted.
Mr. Evan Evans, a surgeon, was also examined, and
gave corroborative evidence as to the nature of the
wounds. He was also clearly of opinion that de-
ceased had been foully murdered, and thought that
the position of the murderer must have been behind
the deceased, from the appearance and direction of
the wounds.
At this state the inquiry was adjourned till
Wednesday morning, as there were a number of
witnesses to be examined.

The accused is a young man about 25 years old,
and throughout the whole inquiry seemed totally
indifferent to the evidence or to his position.

The Vigie of Cherbourg states that several cases
of fever having appeared among the crew of the steam cor-
vette Forfait, which recently arrived at that port from
Mexic she has been ordered to perform quarantine at the
Taitbou Islands, for which she left two days ago in tow of
the Phoque.
GIVE US TEMPEB.—Snfge recent writer, "Never
marry a woman without a temper." That is strange ad-
vice, we know ; but it will be found good advice. Temper
is a good thing in a woman ; for with the spirit which ac-
companies temper always como
saecltfi-vrietysp,
eeenterwgyh,icinhduinzs
industry,
proper personal prides and the
honour and sound reputation. A woman without temper
may be a very amiable creature. She may be charming
company for a time ; but she must be deplorably insipid
for a long intimacy. Without temper, she must be slow,
writer
dull, timid, and irresolute. We trust themay get
what he wants and no stint.