The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-20 00:00:00

PATRONAGE.

If your Majesty shall be pleased to concur in the sugges-
tion for erecting two new sees, it will, in our opinion, be ex-
pedient for the interest of the Church that the bishops of
those sees shall possess a certain portion of patronage, in
order that they may be enabled to reward deserving clergy-
men within their dioceses. For this purpose, it will be ne-
cessary to transfer some adrowsons, to the bishops of the
new sees.

We do not propose that, when a district is transferred
from one diocese to another, the whole of the patronage
within such district should likewise pass ; but, in many in-
stances, partial transfer will be desirable. We, therefore,
humbly submit to your Majesty the expediency of providing
for all these cases, in any legislative measure which may be
founded upon this report.

We respectfully beg it to be understood, that in all the
proposals which we have submitted to your Majesty, we as-
sume that regard will be had to vested interests; 'and that
none of the proposed changes shall take place with respect
to bishops, or incumbents, now in possession, without their
consent.

The subject alluded to at the commencement of our re-
port, as one to which we had given our attention out of its
regular course, is that of a vacancy in one of the prebendal
stalls in the collegiate church of Westminster; respecting
which we, at our first meeting, received the following letter
from the Chancellor of your Majesty's Exchequer

• .6 Whitehall, Feb. 4.
" My Lords and Gentlemen,—l feel it to be my duty to inform
you, that a vacancy having taken place in a prebendal stall at
Westminster, I have advised his Majesty to suspend any appoint-
ment to that stall until the circumstances connected with it can
undergo the inquiry and consideration of the Commission of which
you are members; and I have it in command from his Majesty to
inform you, that he shall be prepared, so far as the Royal prero-
gative is concerned, to make any arrangement with respect to this
preferment which shall appear to the Commission best calculated
to effect the important object for which the Commission was ap-
pointed, and in the successful prosecution of which his Majesty
takes the deepest interest.
" I have the honour, &c., ' ROBERT PEEL."
Impressed with this strong mark of the desire which your
Majesty entertains to forward the objects of this commission,
we proceeded without delay to consider of the best method of
giving effect to your Majesty's gracious intentions.
We ascertained, upon inquiry, that the parish of St. Mar-
garet, Westminster, which adjoins the collegiate church, has
no individual rector or vicar, but that the dean and chapter,
who are the rectors, are bound to provide for the cure of
souls, which they generally do by committing it to one of
their own body.
We further found that the parish contained, according to
the last census, a population of 25,334 ; and that, besides the
parochial church (of which a portion is devoted to the use of
the House of Commons), it has no regular place of worship
according to the rites of the Church of England. But there
is a chapel, called Broadway Chapel, capable of accommo-
dating about 1,000 persons, which belongs to the dean and
chapter, and is by them leased, at a nominal rent, to a clergy-
man, who performs the duty and receives the pew rents, but
has no parochial charge.
It appeared to us, therefore, that the vacant stall could not
be better applied than by making it subserVient to the spiritual
wants of this very populous and increasing parish.
With this view we propose that the church of St. Margaret
shall be permanently annexed to the vacant stall in the colle-
giate church; and that a portion of the annual profits of the
stall shall be suffered to accumulate, until a new church shall
be built ; when the parish shall be divided, and the incum-

bent of the new parish shall receive that annual portiou ; the
accumulation being applied towards proNiding a parsonage-
house for such incumbent. •

We deemed it right to communicate to the dean and chapter
our proposals on this head ; and we have great satisfaction in
stating to your Majesty their prompt acquiescence, and their
readiness to give up to your Majesty the patronage of St.
Margaret's church. They at the same time voluntary offered
to surrender, as far as the law would allow them, their pro-
perty in Broadway Chapel ; with the view of its becoming a
chapel of ease to the rectory of St. Margaret, with a certain
district assigned to it. Should this arrangement take effect,
it may be considered proper that a small portion of the income
of the stall should be appropriated to the minister of Broad-
way Chapel.
We are proceeding with all diligence in our inquiry respect-
ing the other important subjects to which your Majesty has
been- pleased to direct our attention ; and shall forthwith take
into our consideration the present state of the cathedral and
collegiate churches in England and Wales, with the view of
submitting to your Majesty some measures by which those
foundations may be made more conducive than they now are to
the efficiency of the established church.
We cannot conclude this report without gratefully acknow-
ledging the additional proof of your Majesty's anxiety to
promote the important objects of this Commission, which
has been afforded in the communication of your Majesty's in-
tention to defer any nomination to the prebendal stall in
the cathedral of Canterbury, which has recently become va-
cant, until the circumstances connected with it shall have
undergone our consideration.
We have the satisfaction of informing your Majesty, that
the Lord Chancellor, and the Archbishops and Bishops,
who are members of this Commission, has signified to us
their intention of pursuing, with regard to ecclesiastical
preferments in their respective patronage not connected with
the cure of souls, the same course which your Majesty has
been graciously pleased to adopt with regard to the patronage
of the Crown.

The appointment to a prebendal stall, which has recently
become vacant at York, has accordingly been reserved by the
Archbishop of York until the Commissioners shall have had
,an opportunity of reporting as to the best arrangement that
can be made with respect to it.
Your Majesty's gracious communication, acquainting us,
that in the event of the avoidance of bishoprics or other pre-
ferments in the gift of the Crown, the holders of which may
have in their patronage dignities or offices not connected with
the cure of souls, your Majesty will make such conditional
° appointments as shall reserve all such dignities or offices for
the consideration of the Commissioners, will enable us to pro-
ceed in our enquiries with that caution and circumspection
which it is so desirable to observe ; and will, at the same time,
preclude the possibility of any inconvenience from the delay,
which is inseparable from full and minute inquiry into mat-
ters so important and so various in respect to their local
peculiarities.
Note.—The tables in the appendix have been framed from
the returns made to the Ecclesiastical Revenues Commission,
which are now in course of printing. These and other returns
vary as to the precise number of benefices in each diocese ;
but as the main object as present is to show a comparison be-
tween the existing and the proposed condition of the several
dioceses the most important point is to have one uniform
source Of information ; and minute accuracy, either as to the
number of benefices or the amount of population in each case,
is not considered essential. Such accuracy would, indeed, be
rendered extremely difficult by the necessary interchanges
which are proposed, of parts of counties, and of districts and
parts of districts, in some cases according to the ecclesiastical,
and in others according to the civil divisions of the country.
It is hoped that the nearest possible approximation has been
arrived at which is consistent with these circumstances, and
with the present state of the returns, and the tables will be
found to agree in their general results.