The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-13 00:00:00

Southwell, and it was also proposed to relieve the see o,
Exeter by creating a bishopric of Badmin.
Sir R. H. INGLIS cordially concurred in the pro-
elisions of the Bill for preserving Entire the bishopric
of Bangor and St. Asaph, for which they were indebted
to the exertions of his Noble Friend Earl Powis. Al-
though he deprecated the provisions of the 1301 which
excluded the bishopric of Manchester in the first in-
stance from a seat in the House of Lords, yet he felt
bound, looking at the period of tho session, and the
necessity for the present measure, to give his support to
the Bill.
Mr. HORSMAN then rose to propose the following
amendment, of which he had given notice That at
this late period of the session it is not expedient to pro-
ceed with a measure which, involving new and important
principles, deserving of the utmost consideration, would
be more fitly discussed in another session of Parliament,
on the introduction of a general and comprehensive
scheme for increasing the efficiency of the Church,
and lessening the spiritual destitution of the
people." lie thought it most desirable, that in
the present session a measure of such importance
as the present should not be further proceeded with.
The measure in its present state remedied no evil, it
asserted no new principle, it pointed at no end, and it
avoided altogether the consideration of the lamentable
and neglected state of some of the population of this
country with respect to religious education. The Bill
proposed changes such as had never been proposed
before. The House was called upon by the Bill to dis-
pose of a sum of 17,600/. a year, and to do that
by the creation of new bishoprics. Now, ho would
ask, was Parliament prepared to do that ? He
thought he could point out a much better mode
of expending so large a sum of money.
It appeared that the sum of 351,000/. had been already
received by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, including,
from the suppression of numerous canonries and sine-
cures, the sum of 191,000/., and from the larger sees,
157,000/. The fund derivable from the first of these
items was to be appropriated towards the augmentation
of small benefices, and the latter fund was to be used
for the purpose of increasing the revenues of the smaller
sees How had these funds been applied? The sum of
167,300/. had been applied for the augmentation of small
livings, for the purpose of increasing the revenues of
the sees of the bishops 106,386/., for episcopal rest
dences 143,014/., making a total expenditure on the part
of the bishops of 249,400/., showing an excess in
favour of the bishops over the poor benefices of
82,000/. By the terms of their commission the Com-
missioners were authorised to build or provide suit-
able residence for the bishops. How had they carried
out these provisions? They had expended on the palace
of the Bishop of Ripon, 16,111/.; the Bishop of Bath
and Wells, 3,000/.; the Bishop of Exeter, 3,500/.;
the Bishop of Oxford, 6,5001.; the Bishop of Worcester,
7,000/.; the Bishop of Gloucester, 23,000/.; the Bishop
of Rochester, 28,832/.; and the Bishop of Lincoln,
154,444/. Now, it appeared that while all these large
owns of money had been expended on episcopal resi-
dences, there had been in those eight dioceses an aug-
mentation in poor livings to the amount of only 5,0001.,
or about one twenty-eighth of the whole sum. And it
so happened that in those dioceses where the largest
sums of money had been expended on the episcopal
palaces, the smaller had been the amount of money ap-
propriated to the increase of poor livings. In the diocese
of Gloucester, where there had been an expenditure of
23,0004 on the palaces of the bishop, there were 97
benefices under 1001. a year, while in the diocese of Lin-
coln, where there had been a sum of 54,444/. expended,
these were 218 benefices under 100/. a year.—(Hear,
hear.) So lamentable was the present condition
of many of the benefices of the country, that
there were numbers of gentlemen, having re-
ceived a most expensive education, and who
were obliged by virtue of their office to keep up a gen-
tlemanly appearance, who were receiving less than the
masons who were employed in building the new Houses
of Parliament. Indeed there were 85 livings, the in.
cumbents of which received only qd. per day. These
were surely circumstances requiring grave consideration,
and some measures ought to be adopted for a more just
and equitable distribution of the immense revenues of
the Church. Ile was one of those who thought that
the whole interest of the Church ought not to be al-
lowed to centre entirely in Cie episcopacy. Turning
from the state of the Church, he would briefly allude to
the state of the population. The whole population of
the entire kingdom was 16,000,000. The number of
churches and chapels in connexion with the Church
throughout the United Kingdom was 13,624, the number
of clergymen were 16,010. Of this number there were
1,568 who had no duties to perform; there were dignita
ries and heads of colleges amounting to 1,147; chaplains of
men-of-war on foreign stations, 372; leaving the total
number of the working clergy 12,523. Of this number,
6,850 had charge over one•tenth of the parishes in which
the inhabitants were under 300 in number; while in a
vast number of the other parishes the clergyman had
charge over an immense population, far too great for any
one individual to superintend.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS.

(From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.
MONDAY, JULY 12.
SUPPLY.—(IN THE COMMITTEE.)

Motion made, and Question put, " That a sum not exceed-
ing 10,0001. be granted to her Majesty, on account of Port
Patrick harbour, in the year 1847." The Committee
divided:—

DIAJORITY-AYES, 118.

Callaghan, D.
Collett, John