The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-19 00:00:00

much under the true letting value. Sums derived,
from pew-rents are also omitted ; the value of
such a church as Trinity Church, Dublin
(which Ex-Chancellor Napier thought more
profitable than a bishopric), being set down
by the Commissioners, at the ridiculously low
estimate of £44 ss. Bd. The true amount
of Irish church revenues cannot be ascertained
without a government inquiry, so unwilling are the
officials to give information. In Soames' edition of
Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History (a text-book /11
Dublin University), the amount of Irish church re-
venue is stated as " under £BOO,OOO a-year." [Vol.
iv., p. 472, foot-note. Ed. 1850.]
There is a lawyer-like view of church property,
which heretofore was much relied on, and is now
frequently brought forward as furnishing an un-
answerable argument for maintaining in slat°
quo the Irish Church temporalities. It is argued
that the Church is a corporate body, with the
same tight to her property as colleges or hospi-
tals, or any other public institutions, whatever,
have to their respective endowments, and that
the present Anglo-Irish Church being the same
body corporate which first enjoyed the temporal
possessions of the church in Ireland, must, there-
fore, be protected in the enjoyment of the re-
venues, &c., as a simple matter of right. But not
to insist that there has been—practically, if not
legally—a break in the succession, as regards
property, between the ancient Roman Catholic
arid the modern Protestant Establishments, it
must be evident to dispassionate observers that the
reformed Anglo-Irish Church has always been an
imperfect, abortive, and unnatural sort of an Irish
body corporate. It has always had a head, that is, 3
hierarchy—.brought until recently, almost exclusively
from England—but it has never had the other,
and the essential part of a national body—that is,
the great bulk of the Irish people. The body of
the Irish Church cannot consist exclusively of
the eleven per cent. of the population now mem-
bers of the Church Established. Richard
Whately, however, did not claim for the pro-
perty of ecclesistical or other corporations
perpetual protection. "I freely acknowledge,"
he observes [Letters on the Church, p. 137. Loll"
don : Longmans, 1826.] " that the State has a
right to take away the property of all or any of
those corporations (indemnifying, of course, those
individuals actually enjoying the revenues) when-
ever the manifest inutility or hurtfulness of the
institutions renders their abolition important to
the public welfare." Indeed, the Archbishop,'
in 1832, in his evidence before the House of
Lords, witnessed to the readiness with which an
alienation of tithe property in Ireland to secular
purposes would have been at that time received 131
Protestants. " I allude," said his Grace, " to (what
has been thrown out in various shapes) the sug-
gestion of applying tithes to the purpose of
establishing a fund for the relief of the poor,
similar to the endowments of parishes in England ;
something that shall do all the good of the poor
laws, and at the same time not be a burden to the
parishioners. This would certainly be (as far as I
have been able to ascertain from the greater
part of my clergy), a popular measure even with
Protestants." Few will question the correctness of

Dr. Whately's judgment in this respect, when it is
remembered how unresistingly Irish Protestants of'
fered themselves to be relieved from contributing,
by means of parish cess and minister's money, to the
maintenance of Anglican clergy and Anglican wor-
ship.

Much bitterness of feeling would bo avoided in
he discussion of these questions if it were care-

'ally borne in memory that Protestant ascendancy

and the temporalities of the Church of Ireland in
their present shape are not essential to the well-

being of the Church, and may be removed with-
out injury to religion and with positive benefit to
the country. Of Protestant ascendancy Edmund
Burke thus wrote (vol. ix. of his works, page 412)
—" I think I can hardly overrate the malignity of
the principles of Protestant ascendancy
as they
affect Ireland." It is in vain to expect that the
vast majority of the population will endure the
monopoly, by a small minority, of the national

endowments for religious (not to mention educe'

tional) purposog. That minority, though enjoying
ascendancy as the legal corporation in possession'
could not establish an equitable title to that pro-

perty before any impartial tribunal in Christendom•
I have the honour to be, your obedient servant,
March, 1866. W. MAZIERE BRADY, D.D•

court „NIA

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, SUNDAY•
Her Majesty drove in the grounds yesterday
afternoon, accompanied by Princess Beatrice.
Prince Alfred, attended by Lieutenant Haig/
arrived at the Castle, from London.

Their Serene Highnesses the Prince and Prince°
Hermann of Hohenlohe, with their children, Prince
Ernest and Princess Eliza, arrived at the Castle, on
a visit to her Majesty.
To-day is the anniversary of .the'birthday of her
Royal Highness Princess Louise.
The Queen, Prince Alfred, Prince Leopold/
Princess Beatrice, and Princess Hermann of Hohen-
lohe, with the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting,
attended Divine service this morning in the Private
Ckapel.
The Rev. T. J. Rowsell, Chaplain in Ordinary to
the Queen, preached the sermon.

The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Prince
Alfred and Prince Hohenlohe, and attended by
Lieut.-Col. Keppel and Lieut. Haig, went to Mill;
wall on Saturday, and was present at the launch of
the ironclad ship Northumberland.

The Princess of Wales took a carriage drive'
attended by the Hon. F. Stoner.
In the evening their Royal Highnesses went to the
Haymarket Theatre.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, with the Hon'
F. Stonor and Lieut.-Colonel Keppel in waitinj?
attended Divine service at the Chapel Royal,
James's, yesterday.
The Communion service was read by tile Re!'
John Antrobus, the Rev. Thos. Helmore, and the
Rev. J. R. Wood.

Anthem—" The Eyes of the Lord." Nares.
Sung by Masters Carmichael and Dysen, geBsll.
R. Barnby, Cummings, and Lawler.

Mr. Cooper presided at the organ. to
The sermon was preached by the Lord BisloP
Worcester, from Genesis, chap. 1, v. 27.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.—Their Royal Highnesses
the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Frin,i
Hohenlohe, and attended by the Hon. Mrs. Stonor an
Colonel Keppel, honoured the Haymarket Theatre will/
r
their presence on Saturday evening, to witness the Pe -
formance of "The Overland Route," and "Box and C°...
THE PRINCE OF WALES'S HARRIERS.—The harder~
met on Tuesday last at General Wood's,
at Littleto n..
There was a very large field. Plenty of hares were found
on General Wood's farm, where they had some 'ref!
pretty runs. A brace was found on Mr. Freeman's fltr'l
which afforded some good sport, considering the
state o

the weather.
A resolution has been introduced into the United
Congress to grant a pension to a Mr. A
States
Illinois, who sent his seven sons to fight the battles of til°
Union. We trust the pension will be granted.
Mrs. Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis, re:l6'e
Atlanta on Feb. 17, and left on Sunday morning's train °if.
Macon, whither she goes as the guest of General llnvcei'
Cobb for a short time. She was accompanied by one ch"-'
the other two being at this time in Canada. 1111,°
Intelligencer states that she is in good health, thono'
much grieved at the painful confinement of her husband-
. Zegler, of
General Scott (says the Pensacola Observer 01
27th ult.) made a brief visit to the Pensacola Navy Yard ohn
Tuesday last. Wo regret to learn that his feeble WU
prevented his mingling with the people or receiving anY
one aboard except the officials.
The widow of ex-President Tyler is before the
Supreme Court in Brooklyn, New York, endeavouring
establish the will of her mother, Mrs. Gardner, which bee
brother, David L. Gardner, is trying to set aside
rag
invalid. Most of the property was bequeathed to 6'
Tyler,