The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-29 00:00:00

question,—as a question affecting privileges, and upon
which Peers and Commoners were hitherto regarded
as entertaining opposite opinions. The Noble Mar-
quis informed the House that the Committee recom-
mended, in cases of a charge of extensive bribery being
preferred against any constituency, that both Houses
should address his Majesty, praying the appointment
of a commission to inquire into it. That the Committee
appointed under the commission should be composed
of the Members of both Houses, to the num-

ber of twelve, five Lords and seven Commoners,
chosen from a hundred Members of each House,
nominated by the LORD CHANCELLOR and the
SPEAKER of the House of Commons respectively.
That such Committee should be called a Court of
Inquiry ; that before this Court all witnesses should
be examined, and papers and documents respecting
"bribery produced ; and that the report of this Court
should be received as the report of a Committee of
both Houses of Parliament, and form the sole grounds
of future legislative proceedings.
We sincerely hope that the suggestions of this
Committee, which we understand are highly approved
of by the Duke of WELLINGTON, will be adopted
without delay ; as we have no doubt ,but that, as
soon as the benefits which will arise from them are
sufficiently understood, Courts established on the same
principle will be appointed to carry on the business
now gone through by the public - Committees of both
Houses. Our readers will remember that a few days
since we recommended to Parliament the appointment
of joint-committees on all bills where witnesses are to
be examined, as nothing could be more preposterous
than allowing the public to be robbed, and the time
of the Legislature to be squandered, to keep up
useless forms, ridiculous in themselves, and injuri-
ous to the community. This is the first step.
The principle at least is now approved of, and
all that remains is that it be carried out liberally. If
any one would judge of the importance of this measure,
let him look to the Borough of Warwick Disfranchise-
ment Bill, now some months before Parliament

crowds of witnesses were brought up from Warwick to
London, when this Bill was before the Commons, at
an immense expense to this country, and on their evi-
dence, the Committee passed the Bill. The report
was printed--every thing was known, end yet when it

was sent to the Upper House the • same trouble
was again to be taken, the same ordeal to be passed.
Agents were again to be employed, counsel to be re-
tained, witnesses to be summoned, and carried to
town, and the same routine of swearing to be gone
through, as if nothing had ever been heard before on
subject. Thus where no bribery took place, unprin-
cipled persons were interested in forcing Parliament to
an inquiry, which, end as it might, was sure to termi-
nate to their personal advantage. By the new ar-
rangement there will be a saving of at least one-half
the expenses, and, more than half the time spent at
present.

On Saturday the House of Commons received, and
ordered to be printed, the It eport of the Ecclesiastical
Commission for inquiring into the Revenue of the
Established Church in England and Wales. The
disclosures contained in this paper will, we fear, have
anything but the effect of alleviating the hostile feeling
with which the dignitaries of the Established Church
are at present regarded. What will the people think
of hundreds of pow curates, working day and night,
half ecclesiastics, half farmers, half schoolmasters, toil-
ing and struggling for pittances altogether not amount-
ing to 1001. a year each, in a Christian land, where
four-and-twenty Lordly Priests, without care, or trou-
ble, or anxiety, or toil, or labour—in God's vineyard,
or out of it—enjoy an annual income exceeding one
hundred and eighty thousand pounds ! Why, this is
enough to drive the nation to distraction. But what
is worse still, ifanything can be worse, the Deans and
Chapters alone enjoy an annual revenue of two hun-
dred and seventy thousand pounds ; while out of the
whole income of the Church, amounting to four
millions sterling, the benefices are worth upwards
of three millions a-year. Now, if there were
no other argument against the temporalities of the
Church forming a part of the religion of the gospel,
than what might be drawn from the present distribu-

tion of this immense wealth, we should not fear being
able to convince Dr. PHILLPOTTS himself that no
connection whatever could possibly exist between them.
Why, if the present distribution of the Church tem;
poralities—if the revenues of the Church at all—
formed an iota of Christianity, then would fraud, injus-
tice, filthy lucre—the principle of loading the weak
with burdens grievous to be borne—the encouraging
of idleness, extravagance, hypocrisy and deceit, form a
part of it. But no ; neither the Gospel nor the
Church sanction these disgraceful perversions of truth
and charity. They do not apportion the donations of
the well-disposed, and the bequests of the righteous
dead, among a hierarchy more troubled about the af-
fairs of the kingdom of this world, than of the king-
dom of Christ. It is only the selfish—the cold, un-
feeling vipers, which the Church warmed into life in

her bosom, that seek to disseminate a doctrine which
is filling this country with dissenters from all revealed

religion.

It is time for Parliament to interpose its authority
for the protection of the Church, and for the removal
of all just grounds of cavil, by adopting some measure
for equalizing the incomes, and efficiently rewarding
the services, of the working clergy. The Church her-
self possesses adequate means of doing this. Let
the four millions now received be equally distributed
among the clergy, and let each be paid in proportion
to the value and importance of his services. It is disgrace-
ful to this as a Christian country, and to ourselves as a
religious people, to permit one part of the Ministers
of the Gospel to be dragging on a miserable existence
amid the horrors of hunger and destitution ; while
others, who are a dead-weight in the scale of active
benevolence, are wallowing in wealth, which our ances-
tors bequeathed for the good of the whole Church.
As the subject will engage much of the attention of
Parliament early in the ensuing Session, it will be well
for the Members, during the recess, to give it all the
consideration in their power ; and we do entreat them
to bring to it all the knowledge which they shall have
gained of the general sentiments of the people through-'
out the kingdom.

The country will learn with great satisfaction that
the Earl of MULGRAVE, so well known for the
wisdom and discretion with which he conducted the
government of Jamaica, has accepted the Privy Seal in
place of Lord CARLISLE. The Noble Earl is not only a
man of talent, being the author of several publica-
tions of great merit, but one of the first who exercised
the full powers reposed in him, as Governor of
Jamaica, in alleviating the sufferings of the slaves,
and holding out to them a hope of emancipation, as