The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-29 00:00:00

T&S PROPOSED DIVISION 0.10 THE
EXETER DIOCESE.

Memorials have been presented to the Premier, and a
good dear is being said and written just now, in favour of a
division of this diocess. Let us first consider Exeter, as it
was and as it is. When. Bishop Phillpotts became bishop
in 1831, there were no railways, but now Devon and
Cornwall have iron roads running over them in various
directions, and they all centre in the ancient city of
Exeter, where the new bishop must live. There are 694
benefices in this disocese, and 562 of them have glebe-
houses. The population in 1861 was 953,703. A vast
number of the Cornish fishermen and miners have always
been Dissenters, and from 1831 to 1869 Dissent has known
to have generally made more. rapid progress throughout the
diocese than Church principles. To contrast it with other
dioceses, we find -Lincoln contains 798 benefices, with a
population of 700,026 ; Norwich, 909 benefices, with a
population of 667,704 ; and though the see of Ripon has
only 430 benefices, the population is 1,167,288; and Lich-
field, with 570 benefices, contains 1,221,404 souls. It would
therefore appear that other dioceses call for division
more than Exeter. Av., bishops can be said to be
" overworked " (except, say, the Bishop of Ripon) who have
less than 500 benefices subject to them. The sees of Bath
and Wells (valued at £5,000 a year) and Exeter (valued
at £4,500) adjoin, and are both at the present time
vacant. Bath and Wells contains only 481 benefices, with
the light population of 422,527 souls. Would not this be
the time, by Order in Council, to rearrange the bounda-
ries of the two dioceses, and might not 100 or 150 parishes
be transferred from Exeter to Bath and Wells? Next we
approach the diocese of Winchester, which we find with
651 benefioes and a population of 1,267,974, but adjoining
it is the lightest diocese in England—namely, Chichester,
with but 330 benefices, and 363,735 inhabitants. Might not
the income of the see of Chichester, from and after
the next avoidance, be raised by the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners from £4,200 to £4,500 a year, and
Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the
Channel Islands taken from Winchester and placed under
the supervision of the Bishop of Chichester, whose palace
is within a few miles of them ? This seems a more easy
solution of a difficulty than creating new sees. The now
Bishop of Winchester will find plenty to do on the Surrey
side of the Thames, as it is a mistake to suppose that
Southwark, &o. (as was contemplated from 1845 to 1863),
will form part of the diocese of London.—Times.

LORD CLARENDON UPON HOME AND
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs made an im-
portant speech (a telegraphic summary of which has already
appeared) at the dinner which followed the annual meet-
ing of the West Hertfordshire Agricultural Society, held
at Watford on Monday. After brief remarks by Mr.
Brand, M.P., and Lord Ebury, the Earl of Clarendon re-
sponded to the toast of the "Houses of Parliament and the
County Members." His lordship expressed his confidence
that there was nothing in the long run to be appre-
hended from the House of Lords. In eloquence, ability,
experience and knowledge it stood—he might say, without
any odious comparisons—sccond to none in the world

" But the House of Lords has been reproached, and I mu:
say with some kind of reason, with not going fast enough
—that it did not, in fact, seize the realities of public
opinion, and was not alive enough to the enormous pro-
gress—the astounding progress—of intellectual activity
in every ihing which distinguishes the ago in which
we live, and which makes us live a century in thirty years."
Household suffrage was established, and the House of
Lords mui:t recoguise the fact. It must remember that
when one House travels by express and the other by the
parliamentary train, one sot of travellers will arrive at the
terminus very long before the other, and impatience will
be exhibited and feelings of ill and bad blood will be
created that might be avoided by more steam. "Now, a
little more steam seems to me all that is wanted in the
House of Lords. and lam sure that there is not anyone
here present who is a well-wisher to that institution who
will not desire, for the interests of that body and for the
country, that a little more steam should be applied."

TILE nasir LAND QUESTION.

His lordship's remarks on the new Irish question were
important :—" There is coming on a great occasion on
which the two Houses may unite in harmonious action.
The question of the tenure of land in Ireland is a momen-
tous, a vital, and not a party question. Ido not say that
it is not a party question by way of modifying opposition.
The party that is in power always preaches to the party
out of power moderation and not to be factious. That is a
very old system and one that is systematically disre-
garded. But I say that it is not a party question
because each successive Government, Liberal or Con-
servative, has faithfully promised, has sincerely at-
tempted, and has signally failed, to legislate for Ireland
upon the question. The necessity still exists. It is noto-
rious. It is acknowledged more and more every day, and
therefore do not see why men of all parties, with honest
purposes and calm moderation, should not unite together
to produce a measure that would be perfectly satisfactory.
There is no evil without a remedy; and there are evils
connected with the tenure cf land in Ireland that must be
abated. The great problem to solve is to do justice to the
many and to do injustice to no one. I admit that th '
solution of such a problem is difficult, but it is not impos-
sible. Indeed, 'think that the word 'impossible' should be
erased from the vocabulary of every public manwhen remedial
measures are in question, and more especially when the
question is the application of them to Ireland. Gentlemen,
you will not expect to learn from me what course the
Government intend to pursue, and, indeed, I think that if
I told you that their minds were made up and that there
was a bill ready, you would receive the information with
surprise and dissatisfaction, because you would feel aura
that in the two months which have passed since Parliament
was prorogued the amount of information, of statistics, and
of data necessary for the formation of a judgment could not
have been collected, and that if any determination
has been taken already it would be crude and imperfect.
But, although I will not tell you what the Government
will do, I will tell you what they will not do. They will
not adopt any of those wild and subversive schemes of
which we have heard so much during the last few days. I
cast no blame upon those who bring them forward. They,
likely enough, may believe in the possibility of the accom-
plishment of what they propose; but I say, gentlemen,
that they are enemies of equitable settlement, which is
the only settlement we can look forward to ; and those
who strive and labour to excite expectations that are
extravagant and cannot be realised are no friends of the
Irish people. But the Irish people, whatever may be their
faults, are not fools, They are a quick-sighted people, and
when the time comes I shall expect they will be amenable
to reason, if that which is just and practicable is offered to
them. I have now the honour of addressing practical men,
and I would ask any gentleman here present to take a farm
at will on which the landlord never did and never intended
to do anything. Then, suppose that ho built upon that farm
a house and homestead, erected fences, and drained it, and
was then turned out at six months' notice by the landlord,
who took to himself the whole benefit of the tenant's
labour and expenditure : I ask if there could be language
strong enough in this country—in those meetings that are
now being held and in the Press—to condemn the felonious
act of such a landlord as that. Far be it from me
to say that any such proceedings are resorted to on the
large and well managed estates in Ireland, of which I could
give you a long list. But the power does exist. It is too
often exercised, and it ought to be abated, because so long as
it exists there can be no confidence between landlord and
tenant. Ido not say that exceptional legislation may not
be necessary with reference to the wants, the wishes, and
the usages of an agricultural people like the Irish ; but I
believe that if the rights of property are scrupulously up-
held, and its duties rigidly enforced by law, a measure
will be produced which will entitle the Government and
Parliament to say they have fulfilled their obligations and
entitle them to the support and praise of every honest
man

PEACE ABROAD.
Earl Clarendon was confident that no fear of a European
outbreak need be entertained. "In the office I have the
honour to hold I am not only enabled but compelled to
know much of what passes in foreign countries and in the
councils of foreign countries. I have been for some time
on the Continent, and I returned last week. I had
there the opportunity of collecting opinions, and I have
seen some persons who exercise no little influence on the
destinies of Europe, and, although I have not the gift of
prophecy, though I do not pretend to see furthor into
futurity than other men, yet I cannot help, on this occa-
sion, expressingmy belief that at no time within the last
three years—at no time since the war between Prussia and
Austria—have we had a fairer prospect of maintaining the
inestimable blessings of peace."

'Three men and a woman were drowned by the
upsetting of a boat at Trowse Eye, near Norwich, on
Monday evening. Only three of the bodies have yet been
discovered.

HARBOURING TIIE POLICE WHILE ON DUTY.—At
Marlborough-street Police-court, on Tuesday, Mr. Strange,
the managing director of the Alhambra Music Hall, was
summoned by order of the Police Commissioners for har-
bouring five constable while on duty. It seems that it has
been the custom for some years at the Alhambra to give the
constables on duty in the vicinity a glass of beer whon tho
performances were over. Superintendent Dunlop said it
was a serious matter as the beats were left unprotected for
the time. The magistrate dismissed the sutnnons as the
iteftwlant was not in London at the time motioned.