The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-29 00:00:00

THIRD REPORT of the COLONIAL

BISHOPRICS' COMMITTEE.
The Committee appointed to arrange measures, in con-
cert with her Majesty's Government, for the erection and
endowment of additional bishoprics in the colonies and
dependencies of Great Britain, cannot commence their third
report without an expression of joy and thankfulness at
the progress which, by God's blessings has been made in
the great work since the time when it was committed to
their care.
During the past year the important colony of New Bruns-
wick and the Island of Ceylon were constituted independent
dioceses, by the erection of bishops' sees at Fredericton and
Colombo; and the committee are happy in being enabled to
state that her Majesty the Queen has given her royal con-
sent to the immediate subdivision of the diocese of Aus-
tralia into three distinct bishoprics, by the establishment of
one see at Morpeth for the northern division of New South
Wales, and of another at Melbourne for the district of Port
Phillip.
These new sees, which could not have been constituted but
for a generous sacrifice of private interest of the part of the
Bishop of Australia, will derive a considerable portion of their
endowment from the colonial bishoprics fund.
Thus, then, within the space of five years, which have
elapsed since the " declaration of archbishops and bishops"
was signed at Lambeth, nine new sees have been erected.
Of these, two—namely, Gibraltar and Fredericton, derive
their endowments almost exclusively from the fund placed at
the disposal of the episcopal trustees • and four others—
namely, New Zealand, Tasmania, Melbourne, and Morpeth,
receive important assistance from the same source. The re-
maining three—namely, Antigua, Guiana, and Colombo, have
been endowed by. means of a different distribution of the iunds
at the disposal of the imperial or colonial Government for ec-
clesiastical purposes.
The foregoing summary will show that of the original de-
sign. as set forth in the declaration of archbishops and
bishops" great part has been already accomplished ; and the
Committee have much satisfaction in reporting that no less a
sum than 15,0001. has been contributed towards the endow-
ment of a bishopric (not originally contemplated) within the
British possessions in the Chinese seas.
Of this endowment fund the sum of 5,0001. has been most
liberally given by two individuals (over and above their
donation of an equal sum for the erection of a college);
6,0001. was raised by congregational collections in the dio-
cese of London, under the authority of the Bishop's pastoral
letter; a grant of 2,0001. was voted by the Society for Pro-
moting Christian Knowledge, and about an equal amount
has been remitted to the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel, by individual contributors. But a considerable addi-
tional sum will yet be required, and a special committee has
been named to collect such further funds as may be neces-

sary to make a permanent provision for the see.
Of the colonies still remaining without episcopal superin-
tendence, the Cape of Good Hope and South Australia have
been mentioned in preceding reports as presenting the
strongest claims; and it would have been the duty of the
Committee on the present occasion to renew the appeal on
their behalf, had it not pleased God to put it into the heart
of an individual member of the Church, by an exercise of al-
most unexampled liberality, to guarantee adequate endow-
ments for a bishopric in each of those colonies.
It is well known that the Lord Bishop of Calcutta is using
the most strenuous efforts to obtain a subdivision of his own
enormous diocese, by the erection of a bishopric at Agra, for
the north-west provinces. Such an arrangement is impera-
tively required for the welfare and extension of the Church
of England in Northern India: while the recent wonderful
spread of Christianity in the southern provinces of Tanjore
and Tinnevelly must, ere long, force attention to the im•
portance of sending forth a chief pastor for the special over-
sight of those infant churches.
The Committee, before concluding their report, consider
it a duty incumbent upon them to specify those other pos-
sessions of the Crown which, from their imp-,rtance, as
well as their distance from any existing see, appear to re-
quire resident bishops. They are principally Sierra Leone,
Western Australia, the Mauritius, and Prince Rupert's
Land.
But it is obvious that a further subdivision will era long
be required in many of the existing dioceses, and even at
present, the rapidly-increasing population of Canada, taken
in connexion with its vast territorial extent, demands for
the efficient administration of the Church within that pro-
vince an addition of at least two bishops.
Upon the whole, although the Committee do not look for-
ward to an early termination of their labours, they cannot
but regard the success which has hitherto been vouchsafed
to them as an encouragement to persevere in the good work
which they have undertaken, till the Church, by the Divine
bleesing, has been fully organised in every dependency of the
British Crown.
This important end, however, cannot be attained without
a strenuous and united effort on the part of the church at
home ; and the committee feel assured that they shall not
call in vain upon the faithful members of that church to help
forward its extension, by their active co-operation and their
continual prayers.
W. CANTUAR. C. WINTON.
E. EBOR. E. DUNELM.
JOHN G. ARMAGH. G. ROCHESTER.
RD. DUBLIN. J. LINCOLN.
C. J. LONDON.
79, Pall-mall, May 18, 1846.
The statement of the accounts, appended to the report,
shows the following results :—Received from the commence-
ment of the fund, January, 1841, 81,8901. Ils 4d. The ex-
penditure consists of—Payments for New Zealand, 4,070/. 7s.
2d. ; Tasmania, 7,101/. 2s. Bd.; Gibraltar, 5,415. 9s. 6d.;
Frederickton, 1,274/. 10s. ld. ; Miscellaneous expenses, 891/.
9s. Id. ; Capital purchased, Three-and-a-Half per Cent.
Stock, 12,000/t; Exchequer-bills, 1,1301. 13s. 9d.; London
and Birmingham Railway Debenture, 50,000/. ; Balance
in Bank of England, Slay 1, 18.16, 61. 19s. ld. Total,
81,8901. Ils. 4d.