The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-17 00:00:00

CHURCH REFORM.

(From the Times.)
The first great ecclesiastical reform demanded by the
national feelings, and promised by the Government, has
been a financial reform. The nature of the fund by
which the parochial clergy of England and Ireland have
been, and are to be, supported, is to undergo a complete
modification.

But it is also requisite, not only that the nature of the
fund should be modified, but that so far as is practicable,
the remuneration of a parish minister should be propor-
tioned to his toil, and that where there is no labour there
ought to be no remuneration. This argument settles the
question both of pluralities and of sinecures ;—no bishop
or other patron should have power by law to appoint to
one living a clergyman who already bolds another, and
where there is no duty to be performed,—that is, in the
case of every sinecure, the income which has hitherto
been enjoyed by an idler ought at his death to be seques-
trated into the hands of whatever commission or board is
henceforth to receive and distribute the ecclesiastical
revenue, applying the sums thus rescued from corruption
to the increase of small livings and of curates' salaries, to
which laudable and sacred purpose other funds drawn
from similar, but more fruitful sources, should with equal
strictness and might with more extensive benefit be made

subservient.
The attention of Parliament should also be directed to
the enormous income of Deans and Chapters. The re-
venues of these overgrown and sluggish corporations,
which are allowed by nearly all the world but their own
members to be of more than questionable usefulness, go
to the support of some ten or a dozen persons in each
diocese, whose sole professional duty consists in chanting
the service, and otherwise officiating in the cathedral
church on Sundays, bolydays, &c. Now, in the first
place, whatever be the cause of it, religious worship in a
cathedral is scarcely ever attended by more than one in
twenty persons, as compared with the congregation in the
next parish church. Yet the apparatus of dignitaries, of
all names and sorts, shows an excess of ten to one at least
over the clergy of one parochial place of worship, while
the accumulation of revenue at their disposal is often as
fifty to one. _ _

We presume that there are no true friends of the Church
who would object to a different application of such riches,
viz., to the purpose before referred to, of helping out the
poorer and more laborious clergy—that is to say, after
first allotting a sufficient fund to the maintenance of the
cathedral in full repair, and to the support of whatever
useful charities have any lawful claim to a share of the
corporation revenue, to a crumb or two from the digni-
taries' table.

But there is one head •f abuse in the appropriation of
ecclesiastical revenues, which is by far the most revolting
of the whole. We are not, as we have repeatedly shown,
inclined to make the church a subject of superfluous
exasperation or derision, or to commit the extravaeance of
attempting parallels, for which their exists no fair foun-
dation, between its primitive history and its actual state.
We do not, therefore, challenge the comparison, so frequent
with zealous and possibly very pious and excellent, though
we think inconsiderate, persons—between the poverty of
St. Peter or his brother apostles, and the Archbishops
of the 19th century; but we do ask in a spirit of
honest good-will towards the reformed Church of Eng-
land, is it seemly—is it in character—is it conducive
to the kindly influence of religion under any form of
Christianity—that an English Primate should possess
a revenue of more than 20,0001. per annum ?—that he
should in one year, besides that extravagant revenue, be
suffered to catch a windfall in the shape of fines on leases
of little less than 100,000/. ?—that the gloomy though
gilded walls of Lambeth should witness a gorgeousness of
pomp, luxury, and worldly grandeur, in all those laboured
ceremonials by which man pretends to exalt his head
above his fellows, such as is unheard-of in the Vatican ?
We say nothing of the personal dispositions, which may
be mild, and humble, and charitable—nay, overflowing
with Christian meekness and benevolence, by which Dr.
Howley may he distinguished, or any of the primates who
bad preceded him. What we complain of is, that the
primacy is in itself a principality,—that its revenues are
all but royal,—that its modes and habits of existence are,
by prescription, such as Wolsey, were he alive, might in his
moods of most elated arrogance, have affected—that, finally,
the condition of the Archbishop of Canterbury is, by
reason of the prodigious income annexed to it, a shame to
that reformed Church, whose discipline, doctrines, and
spirit all refuse to countenance such an ungodly accumu-
lation of earthly treasures, in no manner characteristic of,
or conducive to, the furtherance of religious ends, but
drawing down a host of envious and adverse feelings upon
our whole establishment. Look, again, at the See of
London, with its generally admitted prospect of becoming,
at no distant period, if its finances remain unmodified,
worth 60,000/. per annum. The See of Ely, and the
riches heaped up within it,—we say nothing of its admi-
nistration under the present liberal, disinterested, evan-
gelical, and beloved diocesan,—are a crying disgrace to the
Church of England, and would be reprobated in that of
Rome.

Durham is another enormity, so isWinchester, so is York.
There is no just reason to be alleged for the prodigious
wastefulness and scandal of these episcopal revenues. The
highest officers of the civil, judicial, or military adminis-
tration, have nothing to compare with them. Why
should the First Lord of the Treasury—a removable
minister—have no more than 6,0001. per annum, when
there are ecclesiastical functionaries, irremovable, with
considerably more than 20,0001. ? The Primate of Ire•
land was discovered a few months ago to have a net in-
come of more than 15,0001. a year. The public have no
cause of complaint against that Prelate any more than
against the Bishop of Durham, for the use he has made
of his splendid income, which, we are told, has bee❑
liberal towards the destitute, and munificent towards the
church : so here again we guard ourselves from all impu-
tations of being actuated by hostile feelings against indi•
viduals. But Parliament has declared the income of
future " Primates of all Ireland," shall be something
aht rt of 10,0001. per annum. Even this is too much by at
lout a third; 6,0001. a year would be more than abundant.
The Archbishop of Canterbury ought to be cut down
to 10,0001. per annum ; York to 8,0001. ; Durham the
same ; and London to perhaps as much. All other Eng-
lish bishoprics ought to be fixed at a maximum of 4,000/.
The sees ought to be more equalized, as to business and
trouble. Such a diocese as Chester ought to have some
of its work turned over to a less occupied prelate ; and no
translations, as we have already said, ought to be endured,
save only to Canterbury and one or two other prelacies.
When there was nothing to be got by Parliamentary sub-
serviency in the way of promotion, the reverend brethren
might perhaps be less unwilling to vacate their baronies
in the House of Lords, and to confine their mental activity
to the superintendence of their diocese, to an interchange
of kindness with their parochial clergy, and to an exhibi-
tion of conciliatory and edifying examples to their nn
longer declining flocks.
For Irish Bishops 3,000/. a year would suffice, and for
the Archbishops of that country twice the sum.
This, however, in conclusion we can aver, that the
commutation of tithe is hardly looked to throughout the
kingdom with more earnest anxiety than the recall of the
&shops to their proper character and station. No church
reform can pretend to be complete, and none will give
satisfaction to the people, without it.

REMARKABLE SUBMARINE DISCOVERY.
--.Acnong the occurrences which have been transmitter:
by tradition to our neighbours in Gower, is an account of
the wreck of a homeward bound Spanish galleon, laden
with dollars, on Rhosilly sands, near the Wormshead,
shortly after the conquest of South America by the Spa-
niards—that the crew without giving information of the
nature of her cargo, sold the wreck for a trifle to a Mr.
Thomas, of Pitton, who not being aware of the value of
his purchase, or from some other cause, took no pains for
her recovery—and that she shortly became completely im-
bedded in the sands. Nevertheless, suspicion always
existed in that part of the country that she must have had
on board some valuable articles, and about 26 years ago,
in consequence of the sand having drifted very unusually,
part of the wreck, in a very decayed state, became visible,
and a quantity of dollars, with some old iron and pewter
was dug up from some depth in the sand. The late Mr. J.
Beynon,of Pitton, having failed to prove, by any written do-
cument,the purchase of the vessel by his ancestor (the above
named Mr. Thomas), Mr. Talbot, of Penrice Castle, as
Lord of the Manor, became entitled to the property, but
who generously refused to accept of it, and consequently
srany of the inhabitants were much enriched by this for-
tuitous circumstance. The spot where the vessel struck
heinj only open at four hours' ebb tide, and the sand
baying i2turned to its old quarters, the money-hunters
were obliged to desist in their attempts, and all hopes were
abandoned of any further booty from that source. During
the late gales, however, the sand having again shifted out,'
the spot was once more resorted to, and the recovery of a
very large quantity of dollars has been the result, some
bearing the date of 1631, others further back. The cir-
cumstance has created a very peculiar interest in the
neighbourhood, and as it is not likely the present Lord of
the Manor, C. R. M. Talbot, Esq., will deviate from the
precedent of his respected father, it is to be hoped the
neighbourhood, which is very poor, will be considerably
I.enefited by this occurrence.-- Cumbrian.

PRICKS OF STOCKS Till

:5 DAY AT ONK O'CLOCK.

Bank Stccx 012 114 New 5 per Cent. ....... .....
Far Cent. Red 881,814 %% India Stock
3F. :r Cent-Cons. ......37% 4,14% Ditto 80nd5..., ..... ... 25 23 pm.
36 per Cent. South Sea Stock ; PS
Ditto Re 3 96%%% Old Annuities ... E 34
New3l4 per Cent. 95% % % New Ditto —
3 oer Cent. Ann. 1126 .... 3 per Cent. Ann. 1751
4 rcr Cent. 1826 IC3 % Ex. Bills, £1,00...47 48 46 pm.
R Ink Lor g Anr to expire Ditto
Jan. 5, IESO 16 15-16 Ditto Small 47 48 46 pm.
Oct. 10, 1859 — , Ditto Commercial — pm.
Jan. 5, 1860 16% Ditto Advertised ......... pm.
Jan. 5, 1380.
Aprils, 10 lndia for Account
Jan. 5, 1871 Cons. for Account ... 894 9 ~,i

PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE 0 CLOCK.
Austrian Bonds ..—... ..... 98% !Portugues
8 ;Peruvian Bonds
Belgian Bonds , ; Portuguese Bonds 'pi
Ditto Account F3 i Ditto Account 53%
Brazilian Bonds fSI4 j Ditto New Bonds 5778 8
Ditto Account CS% f Ditto Acconnt 5714 8 %
Buenos Ayres Bonds — !Prussian Bonds 102%
Ditto Account 21% Ditto Bonds, 1822 lO2
Chilian Bonds — Russian Bonds, 1822... IC3 %ii
Ditto Account 23% ; Ditto Account. 163%
Columbian Bonds 19% j Ditto 111 10334
Ditto Account. — Spanish Bonds, 1821 ‘,34%
Ditto Bonds, 1824
Ditto Account 22 i Ditto Bonds, 1823 ......20%%
Danish Bon , -".13l , Ditto Account 20%

Ditto Accr wit 733¢ French Rentes, sp. c. —f. --Z.
Greek Bonds .-- Exchange ...... —f —c.
Ditto Bonds, 1825 29 —3 per cenL . ..... 161. 50c.
Ditto Account....
Vexican Bond., 5 per cent.9.93¢ !Dutch, 21 p. c 494 %
Ditto Account ( Ditto Account 49%4
___

Lit o, 6 per cent 3B I Ditto, sp. c.
94%
D:tto Account N I Ditto Account 94%
Neapolitan...—. ............. 89 French Scrip 4% pm.

PRICES OF SHARES THIS DAT AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Paid. Per Share.

Alten Mining Company £7 8
Angio Mex. Min. LA). kiss. et V. pm ) £lOO 9
Bolanos Mining Comnany £l5O 140
Brazilian Min;ig Company £s 15
Brazilian Imp. 51,0. Co. (iss. et 51. pm.) £2O 6156
Ditto Nr tt0na1.....—........
Ditto St. John Del Rey
Crta Branca Mir,ng Company 3% 6%
British lion Min;no Comnanv £so 30 293
Co'vmbizn Minnis Co. '1.3 :L 54 pr.) 51►% 12%
Engiish Mining Comnany 12% 25
General I‘l;n:ng Association.. l2 81A
HibeTnian M ling C 1...
Mexican Mining C).
Berl del Monte Mining Co.— (unreg.,
On ted M'S.. Ain. Co. (iss. t 4. pm.) 40

11% 12

I tto New Sci "n . _
• 5
AP: Ince Fire I 1.1.-i nee Comp lO
Proteztor 1.1 -ar.-r ce Cmr -). ~.. £2
Australian Co. ...• . , 26%
Canada Comnany
General Steam Navigation Co. l3
National Provincial Bank of England 5
Rio Doce
F:ovincial Bank of Ireland 25

-1431
lit
X 1 5 6
2134

31(
1% 2
39

PRICKS OF IRISH STOCKS, DUBLIN, JAN. 14.
Bank Stock 213% iSt. Patrick lnsur.(perShare
Comols, 3 per cent
Gov. Stock, ;;N, per cent. 95%. National Ditto —
Ditto, New
I per Cent. Hibernian Bank
Gov. Deb. 3! percent.... 8834 ProNincial Ditto
Royal Canal Stock 40;2 Royal li:sh Mine
Grand Canal Stc li lmperial Mine —
City Deb. 4 per cent. — Miffing Co. of Ireland
Ballast Office Deb. 4D. C. -- !Commercial Buildings