The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-02 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COMMONS, Juivis 1.
IRISH CHURCH BILL.
Lord STANLEY'S speech, in continuation from our
Second Editiion of last night, said—
* * * * * * * He had never
cut down for the pleasure o; cutting down alone—
(Hear)—he had cut down in one place merely for
the purpose of beneficially applying the surplus elsewhere.
In the first place, with regard to amount, it was pro-
posed to reduce no less than ten bishoprics by that
Bill ; it was also proposed to relieve the people
of Ireland from the payment of a tax for the maintenance
of their own clergy to no less an amount than 60,0004.
per annum.—(Hear.) The owner of Bishop leases were
enabled to acquire a permanent possession of that of
which they had only a leasehold before.—(Hear.) There
was also provided by the Bill the augmentation of
benefices, the erection of churches, and the erection also
of glebe houses when-required. Such were the objects which
they had sought to obtain by the reductions they proposed,
in various matters in the revenues of the Church of Ire-
land. Now the first reduction was the one he had al-
ready stated—of the abolition of a certdn number
of Bishoprics. The next in amount was the tix imposed
after the termination of existing interests in two
other Bishoprics. There was also a graduated tax im-
posed on all benefices beyond a certain amount—the
object of that tax was not to produce a complete and
general equality among all livings, but to take a large portion
from those who could better spare it, and apply the surplus to
those which needed it. He did not stand there to say the
principles adopted were in all respects correct. The re-
ductions were with respect to income alone, and had no-
thing to do with consideration. He wished he could sa-
tisfy his Noble Friend, and he thought he could, if it were
not for false pride or false fame, that the Bill proposed by
the late Government was calculated to operate most bene-
ficially. Now, what was the object of Lord Grey ? Why,
that Noble Earl stated the church cess to be 60,000/.,
and his calculation in that respect was not far from correct,
as the Ecclesiastical Commise:oaers had stated it at up-
wards of 59,000!. But Lord Grey conceived that a larger
sum was necessary- for the augmentation of small livings,
for the purpose of raising them to a miserable pittance of
200/. a year for under clergymen : that he calculated would
require 40,000/., the building of new churches 20,0001.,
glebe houses 10,0001. ; and together with the other bene-
fits intended by the Bill, a Permanent income would be
required of 156,000/. Setting aside all cases of augmen-
tation, all cases of glebe lands, and all cases of building ad-
ditional churches, what was the charge which the Ecclesi-
astical Commissioners reported, after overcoming, great diffi-
culties, as a constant permanent charge ? They stated that
69,090/. was the ordinary current expense, without providing
for one of those purposes which were the objects for which
the deductions were made. What was the revenue of which
they were in the receipt? They were in the receipt of
29,0001.: 29,0001. was the sum with which they had to
meet the current, regular, constant expense of 69,000!.,
without providing for one of the objects that were in view.
That fund, as was proved by the calculations of notaries,
would not be out of debt till the year 1573, so that till that
time, they would have to postpone indefinitely, till the year
1873, every object that was contemplated by the Church
Temporalities Act. What was the revenue which the
Church Commissioners had this year ? They had a consi-
derable revenue—a revenue of 185,000/., which was a large
revenue undoubtedly. But how was this made up? How
much of it was income, and how much capital ? How much
of it was that on which they could rely, and bow much
that upon which they could not only not rely, but which
would undoubtedly and for ever diminish their actual re-
ceipts? Of this 185,0001. the House would hardly believe
it that not less than 150,545/., was no portion of their an-
nual income.—(Load cheers.) Of what did it consist ?
They bad sold out 11,000/. Stock, losing of course the fu-
ture interest ; they had let the demesnes of two Irish
bishoprics—a fund which they had calculated upon as per-
manent rent ; but, for the purpose of raising a large present
income, they had levied large fines to the amount of (as we
understood) 4,000/. ; they had had a loan from Government
to the amount of 46,0001. ; so that these and other sums,
amounting altogether to 150,5451., were to be deducted
from the net income of 185,000/. This included a balance
in hand of 17,000/.—(Loud cheers from the Opposition.)
This was the state of the fund on which they were to rely
for the augmentation of small livings, and on which they
were to rely for the building of churches. He stated
this on the authority of the Commissioners themselves.
He should have added that the amount of 46,000/.
was not all they bad got, because they had actually
borrowed by anticipation of 56,000/. They had run up a
pretty debt to Government of 100,000/. in the first two
years. Had they got that money to deal with ? Not at
all.—(Hear, hear.) The 46,000/. was actually en-
gaged for at the present moment by contracts, which
were of so pressing a nature that they would not
bear to he postponed for the present year.—(Hear, bear.)
Let the House bear with him while he read an extract
from the Report of the Commissioners, stating the -applica-
tions that were made to them, and the means they had of
meeting them. The Noble Lord then read extracts from the
Report, in which the Commissioners stated that one of the
most onerous duties engaging their attention was that of
repairing churches and chapels ; that as the state of the
Commissioners' Fund only admitted of their building six
churches, and as delay only increased the evil, they deemed
it prudent and indispensable to enter into engagements
to the amount of 75,0001., of which sum 21,0001. was re-
served and set apart from their general residue ; and the
residue of the unappropriated 100,0001., which the Com-
missioners of public works were authorised to advance,
engagementsthe repair
of
provision
in greater
was made applicable
.for that purpose ; that it was
to
be observed,
not that in
mde for
a
the
number of churches Ireland ; that applications had been
received by the Commissioners, not only for the enlarge-
ment of several churches where the accommodation had
been stated to be insufficient for the respective congregations,
but also for the rebuilding and erection of 60 churches ; that
in many of these applications the parties had expressed their
willingness to contribute. sums from 60/. to 600/., and that
as soon as they had funds for that purpose the wants of the
parties would be satisfied. He should like to know when
that would be ? This was the case he had to deal
with—here were pressing and important demands.
With this bankrupt fund, and in the teeth of the resolu-
tion of that House, which expressly declared that no por-
tion of it should be appropriated to any bat church pur-
poses, until the wants of the church were provided for
—(Hear)—his Noble Friend called upon them to adopt his
Here was evidence, undisputed, underned, that the provisions
for the accommodation of the Protestant congregations of Ire-
land were utterly insufficient at this moment. There were
535 benefices that had no glebes, and there were 210 bene-
fices that had no churches ; and these deficiencies and wants of
.
the people were to be supplied, was said, out of a fund that
must continue to be bankrupt until 1873.—(Cheers.) It had
been declared over and over again by the members of the Go-
vernment, and by others who supported thein, and indeed by
the resolution of the House itself, that not one farthing of the
fund should be applied to any other purpose until all the wants
of the Protestant population of Ireland should be fully pro-
' vided for. These were the sentiments of the resolution.
Parliament was pledged to make this provision before they
suffered a single shilling to be devoted to a ly other purposes.
—( Cheering.) It had been said that the Church of Ireland
was a pampered luxurious church, that it was too plethoric,
and wanted blood-letting. Upon this point he would'take his