The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-20 00:00:00

POORt•LAW MEDICAL OFFICERS.

Lord ASHLEY presented a petition from the chair-
man and committee of medical officers in the several
unions in Wales, setting forth various grievances at
great length, ar:d praying the House to take into their
consideration a measure, with a view not only to amend
the system of poor•law medical relief, but also the edu-
cation of the medical profession generally throughout
England and Wales.
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

Mr. V. smini moved for a copy ot any report of
the Commissioners of Audit, to the Treasury, apon the
dispatches referred to them by a Treasury minute of
the 21 dsy of May, 1848, of Sir Henry Puttioger, re-
lating to the great irregularities which, in his Excel-
lency's opinion, existed in the system of paying and
maintaining the native levies at the Cape cf Good Hope,
and generally in tho public expenditure occasioned by
the Kafir war.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said a
report had been received which, however, was only a pre-
liminary report ; a further one was to be made, and when
made, he would not have the slightest objection to lay it
on the table of the House.
SUMMARY CONVICTIONS.

Mr. LOCKE moved an address for a return of the num-
b'Fr of persons taken into custody by the police, dis-
charged by the magistrates, summarily convicted, and
committed for trial in the towns of Glasgow, Dundee,
Edinburgh, and Liverpool, in the years 1846, 1847, and
1848, or any of them, similar in form to the returns for
the metropolis and Manchester, already laid before the
House.
The motion was agreed to.
GOVERNMENT RETURNS.

Mr. MILES complained of the inaccuracy of a Go-
vernment return relating to the importation of cattle,
and asked whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
made any inquiry into the subject since he (Mr. Miles)
mentioned it in the House on a former day?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
had made inquiry with regard to the return in ques-
tion, but Mr. Labouchere being out of town when he
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) called upon him to
get further information on the matter, he was not then
able to give the Hon. Member a definite answer or ex-
planation.

TUE STEAM NAVY.

Mr. DUNCAN wished to ask the Bight Hon. Gentle-
man whether there had been any report received re-
specting the collisions which had lately taken place be-
tween some Government steamers, and if there had,
whether he had any objection to lay the papers upon the
table?

Mr. LABOUCHERE said that a very valuable report
had been received from Captain Denman, and all the
details respecting the collisions were in the hands of the
Government. Certainly ho had not the slightest objec-
tion to lay the papers on the table, as soon as they
'IS. RoIRBsUmfAI ONN p Ore
could be prepared.
e nFCt el id
Ut
Rw
Copetitions,H R E V E No Un
eE
from
inhabitants m
inhabitants ot Bishop Wearmouth, and the other from
the incumbent of the parish, praying for a distribution
of Church revenues, so as to render them more effi-
ciently useful for the parish.
Those having been ordered to lie upon the table,
The HONOURABLE MEstnErk proceeded to move,
according to his notice, that an humble ad.
dress be presented to her Majesty, praying that
she will be pleased to issue a commission of inquiry
into the allegations contained in the petitions presented
to this House from the parishioners of Bishop Wear-
mouth and Sunderland; and that the said commis-
sioners be directed to take into consideration the
vgtcment stated in Parliament (on the authority
of the patron of the living of Bishop Wear-
Mouth) to have been entered into between himself
and the present incumbent, whereby the surplus income
of the living, over and above the sum of 2,0001. a year,
reserved as the income of the incumbent, is to be paid
over to trustees; and to report on the best mode of ap-
propriating that surplus to spiritual purposes connected
with the two parishes, and ot giving legal effect to such
appropriation. In doing so he said that the two peti-
tions which he had presented:would be a sufficient expla-
nation of the object of the motion of which he bad given
itotice. These petitions represented the feelings of no
less than 50,000 persons. In doing this also ha was

happy to say that he was in no way hindered by the
wishes of the incumbent of the parish, but the R-
verend gentleman; however desirous he might he
to use the ecclesistical revenues put into his hands for
the general benefit of the parish, conld not by any means
do so without the authority of an Act of Parliament.
No place was more richly endowed for the purposes of
religious teaching than of Bishop Wearmouth, yet
in no place was there a greater deficiency of the means
of religious instruction than there. Ile was now in a
position to say that the incumbent of the town was
anxiously desircus to appropriate the extra revenues to
parochial purposes. It appeared from the papers put
into his hands that the ecclesiastical income WAS about
5,000/. a year, arising from tithes worth 1.500/., rents
and surplice fees, coal dues, and other sources of trifling
amount in their value. The several sums gave a return
of 4,8701. a year, a very moderate computation; for,
whilst the dues upon coal had last year been stated at
3001., and the year before at 3501., they had the year
before last produced as much as 1,000/., and now he
understood a fresh seam of coal had been opened.
This was one of those asses in which the makelministra•
tion or distribution of the Church funds to a large extent
had diminished the congregation of the establishment.
Three-fourths of the population of this parish were lost
to the Church, though not to Christianity, for they be-
longed to dissenting congregations. One fact of itself
would show what was the real state of the parish. While
there were only five chuches in it belonging to the esta-
blishment, there were no less than eighteen belonging to
the Dissenters. In the five churches belonging to the
Establishment there were only 4,200 sittings, whereas
in the places of worship belonging to the
Dissenters there were no less than 14,356. The
sittings in the churches of the establishment
were but AiodotatelY filled, while the sit-
tings of the Dissenters were densely crowded. This,
therefore, was one of the many exemplifications of the
fact, that wherever you had a large revenue ill distri-
buted, there the Church establishment was the weakest.
and there the Dissenters were the most successful
(Hear.) But Sunderland, which was, until the commence—
ment of the last century, part of the parish of Bishop
Wearmouth, with a population of 20,000 was probably
in a worse condition than Bishop Wearmouth itself.
Bishop Wearmouth was what was called the West-end
of Sunderland, but the population of Sunderland itself
was comprised of the poorest and most wretched of its
inhabitants, and amongst them,
of course, was religious
teaching the most necessary—(Hear, hear)—but per-
haps Sunderland was worse off than Bishop Wearmouth.
It was, however, anticipated by those who most cleplosed
this state of things, that at the death of the Rector of
Bishop Wearmouth• a change for' the better would im-
mediately take place. Well, in October last, the rector
died, and by a singular coincidence the living of Sunder-
land became vacant,
at the same period presenting at
once an excellent opportunity for in roducing a
reform into the previous system.—(Hear, hear.) Of
course the occurrence occasioned a considerable sensa-
tion in the district, and all parties, who had influence
with the Bishop, addressed themselves to him on the
subject. The Noble Lord at the head of the Govern-
ment and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners they were told
had done so too, but, unfortunately, with little effect.
The memorial. of the inhabitants of Sunderland to the
Bishop, agreed to: in the vestry, was to the effect that
the spiritual provision for the parish was miserable in
the extreme, that formerly the parish of Sunderland
was part of Bishopwearmouth, but that a large
proportion of the inhabitants went to the
church at Sunderland, that they had their children bap.
deed in it, in consequence of their residing near it. It
concluded by urging upon the bishop to make the re-
quired and necessary provision for the spiritual care of
the parishes. At length, after much correspondence, an
arrangement was made by which the incumbent was to re-
ceive 2,000/. a year, and that the surplus was to be placed
in the hands of trustees for certain purposes. In another
parish it appeared that the rector was extravagantly re-
munerated, whilst another had been appointed: but was
unable to take up his residence in the rectory in conse-
quence of the want of funds, and he was, therefore,
residing in a humble lodging. The rector of the
parish of Bishops Wearmouth was doubtless a man of
high character, but he had got himself into a disagree-
able dilemnia. Now, as he Lad already said, the Bishop
might give or withhold the benefice from any indivi-
dual; but, giving the living, he could not withhold the
temporalities. But in this case a proposition was made
to the rector that he should give up his title to a certain
portion of the temporalities, and upon that condition
he was presented to the living. Now, in the opinion of
every lawyer he would venture to say that was a case of
simony. He held in his hand a case where a living being
in the bands of certain parishioners, they presented to it
on a certain condition. It was held by the Court
that the agreement entered into for preventing them
incumbent from asserting his claim to the small tithes
was simoniacal, and the presentation thereon was void.
That he believed was a case strictly in point. In both
instances previous to the presentation the presentee
agreed that he would not assert his rights to a cer-
tain portion of the temporalities. Putting that aside,
the arrangement was unsatistSctory in other respects.
The successor of the rector on being appointed to the
living might again claim the whole of the temporalities.
Now it was for this among other reasons, therefore, that
the patron having endeavoured to carry out a pro-
ceeding which by law he had no power to carry it
out, that he proposed the House should institute this
inquiry which he was himself prepared to institute,
with the view of carrying out that arrangement which he
had admitted should be carried out. The petitioners
were anxious that Parliament should take that
measure into their bands. If they went through
the whole length and breadth of the land if
they observed the evils and abuses which met
them in the different dioceses, 'which impeded the func-
tions and diminished the usefulness of our ecclesiastical
and parochial system, it did so happen that there was
not one of those evils or abuses of which there was not
en exemplification, in an aggravated form, in this un-
fortunate parish of Bishopwearmouth, who wealth had
been the attraction of every hind of avarice. There
was a dense and lawless population, scantily supplied
with spiritual instruction; there was an immense dis-
proportion in the income of the clergy. Then there was
in very many instances a total want of all communicie
Lion and sympathy on the part of their diocesan; then
:'herewa h
was
which, question of the use and abuse of
patronage, ch, instead of being exercised as a public
trust for the public good, was too often exercised in such
a manner as to disgrace the country and the Church.
Every one of those evils and abuses were congre-
gated in this unfortunate and wealthy parish.
'The Honourable Gentleman then proceeded to cite
the authorities of Chief-Justice Hale, and several
other eminent judges, on the subject, for the -purpose
of showing that the course that had been pursued
was totally against all law and precedent. Now
pthly authorities; he did not
e law of the, land that the
iwtishwtaos d
oe a
ssoy;
butto tmwual
st i
preuvbelnicu
l
the highest of all authorities.
Purposes were entrusted for
pesur fpoors
eesc, c
al ens( a
fsrt
oi cma
Having stated what was the principle and the spirit of
the law, he would now turn to what was Parliamentary
and practical. He would then revert to the case of the
Bishop of Ely, which was a much stronger case than
even this. In that case the matter had re-
ference not to the tempo alities but to the spiritualitics
of the Church. Lord Dacre, iu presenting a petition
upon a circumstance in which an interference with the
,piritualities appeared to be evidently necessary, had
stated that he intended to found a motion upon it for an
address to the Crown. The Bishop of Ely in reply
to his Lordship's address had asserted ,that if they as-
sented to this doctrine' they would be
opening a door to a course of proceeding :which
would prove to be not only inconvenient, but would
prove a fertile source of embarrassment for the
future. The House of Lords did not, however,
confirm this view of the Bishop of Ely, and though there
was a large attendance of the Bench of Bishops, there
was not one who attempted to support the principle of
ecclesiastical responsibility which had been openly
avowed. The Bishop of Ely was followed by Lord
Holland, and he by Lord Bowls, no mean authority in
the Church, and he again by the Marquis
of Lansdowne, all of whom took this matter en-
tirely off the ground of there being in Parliamentary
right to interfere with the revenues of the Church
Many speeches were made in the House of Lords, and
nearly all of them against the position assumed by the
Bishop of Ely, but the strongest of all those which were
made were those of the nearest friends and strongest
Parliamentary allies of the Noble Lord who was now
the Chief Minister of the Crown. Lord Althorp, too,
had denounced the system of ecclesiastical responsibility,
and had asserted that it ought to meet with the utmost re-
probation of the House of Lords. When last year he had
spoken upon this subject be had been teamed that the
Government would take the matter into their early
consideration, and from what be had heard be fully
expected that they would have entered upon a course of
action. Hitherto, however, be had been disappointed
he trusted from unforeseen causes—bat if the matter were
to be further delayed, he should be compelled at no long
deferred period to bring forward two other motions
which he had prepared for their consideration. Should
he do so, he should then invite the House to a con-
sideration of every particular abuse.—(Hear, hear.)
He should take them 'from dioCese to diocese,
and from pariah to perish,: and bring 'forward
a mass of evidence which he should be in the extreme
sorry to produce, but upon the greatest compulsion, and
which, if it were once brought forward, would show an
abuse of ecclesiastical patronage which would most
•
certainly arouse the indignation of the whole country
He should invite the House, on an early opportunity to
give its opinion as to the propriety of establishing that
Episcopal responsibility, the want of which had produced
such calamitous results, and in the meantime he
had to ask the House to consider the case of
these petitoners.—(Hear, hear.) Their object was
simple, their prayer moderate, and a refusal of their
request might lead to serious consequences. He called
upon the House not to aggravate the dangers which had
been occasioned by past neglect, but Ito accede grace-
fully to the prayer of these petitioners, who
prayed the House to keep them within the
pale of its church. If the House assented to their prayer
it would strengthen them in their sentiments of affection
for the Church, but if it were neglected, they would
turn from them in despair, they would murmur this
reproach against them that although the House pro.
fessed Ecclesiastical reform in the abstract, yet when an
opportunity occurred for the House to give proof
of the sincerity of its professions, it shrank from the test,
and then it was found that the followers of the Church
,had nothing to hope from its sympathies, and nothing to
expect from its justice, and turning away—their interests
neglected—their hopes disappointed—their affections
alienated—they would tell the House that in the
treatment they had received from it, the House had
written its own condemnation, and that so far as it
might depend on it, the House had written its own
judgment.—(Cheers.)
Mr. MANGLES s conded the motion.
ss Lord J. RU SELL doubted much whether the po-

liey sought to be ;r.t:odu-ed by the Hon. Mernbar was a
geoid one—that in each cas., in which the pa!ron
of a living had ex;nehtd his right and appointed
a rector, the 11 ei.e to: Commons might be
called up,n to istri to prom:twee its' opinion
whether that paireie,ge. had Leen sightly exercised
or nor. Cert,inly such a course could—makiug
the House in fact a -court of appeal—not
fail to result in the inmost inconvenience
since no one in that House was authorised to speak with
respect to the facts. He was not ashamed to ac-
knowledge the friendship of the Bishop of
Durham, notwithstanding the imputations that bad
been cast upon him. The Hon. Gentleman said that
persons having the patronage of livings ought to pro-
mote their own advantage in the bestowal ci° them.
And he (Lord J. Russell) cousiderod that it persons
having presentation ef populous parishes, exercised
that power for their individual advantage, and not for
the benefit of the residents in that district that
they deserved much censure.—(Ht ar, hear.) He
had receiven no general explanation from the Bishop
with respet:t to the appointments he had matle. How,
he should like to know, when an Honourable Member
had taken great pains to collect all the complaints
of dissatisfied persons, could any Minister of the
Crown be prepared to go through each case. The
Honourable Gentleman had, however, admitted that the
appointments to the . rectory or Bishopwearmouth
had given great satisfaction.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.)
The Noble Lord, after deprecating the attack that had
been made against the Bishop of Durham, and passing a
high eulogium on his character, stated that he must op-
pose the motion.
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON rose and was
(LEFT SPEARING.)

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, MONDAY.—The Hampshire Telegraph
states that the Queen, 110, Captain Bruce, now in the
Mediterranean, is ordered home to be paid off,• and
then sent out again to carry the flag of the Mediter-
ranean Commander•in- Chief. We cannot believe that
such an act, in the face of the fact we have so recently
instanced about untried old-new ships, is, or has latterly
been, contemplated by the Admiralty. The Queen has
been kept in. commission since launched in 1839, to the
exclusion of eqUally good, and beyond question less ex•
pensive hulks, and the sooner she is taken off the com-
missioned list to give place to some more venerable prop
to the " wooden wails," the cheaper and better for the
service and the country. Of coursa when she comes
home she will have an immediate and expensive refit,
perhaps a second edition of the Chatham 10,000/. dock-
ingandalteration! _ _

-The Briton, convict hospital ship, was removed from
her moorings in Block house Hole to-day to a berth near
the Creek ut Clarence-yard, to make room for the De-
fence. The place is to be deepened by the dredging-
vessel for the reception of the latter.
Wind, S.E. by E.; moderate breezes, and dark hazy
weather.

PLYMOUTH, MARCH 18.—Her Majesty's ship Van-
guard, Captain George F. Rich, under all plain canvass,
hove in sight with a light easterly breeze this morning
at eight o'clock, and shortly after entered the Sound by
the western passage, saluted the flag of the Port Admiral,
and dropped anchor to the north of Camber. She left
Gibraltar en the 4th inst., and having had light northerly
and easterly winds has been as far as 19 deg. west lon-
gitude. Within the last three or four days the wind has
veered to the southward and south-east, and yesterday,
at 3 a' mi., she hove to off the Lizard. The Vanguard lett
the St. Vincent, 120. and three or, four steamers at
Gibraltar; the Powerful had sailed for Malta. No fur-
ther discovery has been made of the pirates on the north
coast of Africa. The Vanguard was commissioned on
February 7, 1845, and httaehed to the experimental
squadron until Octfiber, 1846, when she went up the
Mediterranean, where she has continued till the present
time. The Vanguard to-morrow goes up Hanmaze to
be paid off. She will require at least six months' repair,
being very weak, especially in her decks.
Her Majesty's steam-ship Stromboli came in this
morning from Portsmouth.

Her Majesty's ship Caledonia, 120, Capt. T. W. Car-
ter, was paid wages and inspected yesterday morning by
Admiral Superintendent Sir John Louis. This morning
at ten o'clock she loosed canvass, and at eleven, shortly
after high water, under all plain sail, with a light easterly
wind, left the Sound by.the western channel; outside
she held her wind, and made off the land to the eastward,
and at twelve o'clock, owing to the fog, was out of sight.
She was destined for Malta up to Friday, when it is un-
derstood she received sailing orders for Naples.
Wind easterly, light and hazy weather.
CURIOUS COINCIDENCE OF DATeS.—h is a curious
coincidence that Rear-Admiral H. 1). Byng received his
appointment to that rank on the 14th inst., the anniver-
sary of the day on which his ancestor, Admiral Byng
was " done to death" at Spithead.
Lieut. Edward Heunah (1821), of the coast guard
service, died on the 11th inst. at Government House,
Hastings, eaving a widow and six young children
without any private means of support.
The Racer, 12, Commander Beddoes, was mustered
and inspected yesterday, at Devonport, by Real-Admiral
Superintendent. Sir John Louis, after which she will
sail for the Mediterranean station, first, most pro-
bably, relieving the Harlequin, 12, Commander Beau-
champ Seymour, at Lisbon, and sending her to Devon-
purt, to be paid off.