The Sun.
London, England, 1836-04-20 00:00:00

The penalties inflicted by this Bill were the same as before.
The Bill provided for the due administration of divine service
during the absence of the incumbent. f'urther powers were
given to the Bishops in cases of incapacity. It was very de-
sirable that the Bishop should have the power to enforce in
some instances, and to dispense with in others, two full ser-
vices every week, and the present Bill would carry that object
into Oka. There were also two provisions, giving to the
Bishop the appointment of the etipends to curates, and enact-
ing that no spiritual person should serve more than two
churches or two chapels, or one church and one chapel,
in one day—provisions which would, he trusted, do away
with practices that were calculated to bring reproach
upon the Church. By the present Bill the same powers
were conferred over benefices that were under seques-
tration, as in all other cases of non-residence or plurality, and
care had been taken to prevent any evasion of the effect of the
measure ; and it was proposed that all sequestrations under that
Act should have priority over all others. In committee any
faults might be remedied. Upon the whole, however, he felt
convinced that it was a measure calculated to do much towards
promoting the efficiency of the Established Church, and to-
wards doing away with the evils of pluralities and non-resi-
dence.—( Hear, hear.) In conclusion he begged leave to
move that the Bill be now read a second time.
Lord ASHBURTON said it was impossible to read the
proposed measure without seeing that it was extremely strin-
gent upon the great body of the clergy : he alluded especially
to the provisions with regard to the appointment of curates
and the control of the bishops over the clergy : all of which
might be extremely proper. He did not rise for the purpose
of exciting any discussion upon the subject, but only to observe
—and the Right Rev. Prelate would himself admit the justice
of the proposition—that it was but fair that that large body
so materially affected by the Bill, should be afforded full time
to learn in what manner that House was about to deal with
them.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY must beg leave to
say, in reference to the stringency of the Bill, that, in com-
parison with the law as at present existing, and by that it
must be judged of, it was by no means severe upon the clergy;
for all the most stringent clauses in his Bill were to be found
also in the old Bill, which was at the present time the law of
the land.

Lord ASHBURTON said, when it was considered that
the Bill would affect the interests of so many persons it was
only justice to afford them every opportunity of becoming ac-
quainted with the nature of the proposed alteration.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY agreed with the
Noble Lord as far as the object could be effected; but it was
almost impossible to attain it.
The Bishop of LONDON said that the Bill did appear
more stringent than it really was ; for he begged leave to in-
form their Lordships that in the most stringent parts of the
measure there was no departure from the present law. By the
present Bill the clergy should not be called upon for one far-
thing more than they were now liable to pay.
Lord ASHBURTON had alluded rather to the provision
which enabled the Bishop to force non-resident incumbents to
employ curates.
The Bishop of LONDON believed the only case in which
there was a difference between the two measures was in the
provision which gave to the Bishops the power over unbene-
ficed which they ;now only possessed over beneficed clergy-
men. He agreed with the Noble Lord that every opportunity
should be afforded to the Clergy of becoming acquainted with
the measure, and he believed the whole Bill had been printed
in one of the most popular morning papers. He begged to
express his firmest conviction that if the measure, or some
other equivalent to it in its provisions, were not carried
through Parliament in the course of the present session, the
most serious injury to the Church would ensue.—( Hear.)
Lord ASHBURTON had not risen for the purpose of ex-
citing any discussion upon the present occasion, but merely to
suggest the necessity of affording the Clergy the means of ac-
quiring the fullest information upon the subject.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Friday seinnight.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at a quarter past seven.