The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-20 00:00:00

wich. St. James, Garlickhithe ; St. Michael,
Queenhithe, • with Holy Trinity the Less.
St. Mary, Aldermanbury ; St. Michael Bas-
sishaw. St. Mary Somerset with St. Mary
Mounthaw ; St. Nicholas Cole Abbey with
St. Nicholas Olave, St. Matthew, Friday-street,
with St. Peter, Westcheap ; St. Ved.l:4 with St.
Michael-le-Quern. St. Mildred, Poultry, with St.
Mary Colechurch ; St. Olave, Jewry, with St. Mar-
tin, Ironmonger-lane.
It is interesting to note in how marked a degree
the resident population in the city has declined
during the present century, for it is upon that
ground that the present proceeding is chiefly
based. In the four parishes composing the
first union above mentioned the inhabitants in 1861
were only 1,178, as compared with 2,573 in 1801;
in the second group the population had fallen from
1,961 in 1801 to 803 in 1861 ; in the third, from
1,666 to 1,086 ; in the fourth, from 1,412 to 805 ;
in the fifth, from 5,182 to 2,765; in the sixth, from
1,903 to 739 ; in the seventh, from 1,649 to 991 ; in
the eighth, from 1,573 to 891; in the ninth, from
1,580 to 1,326 ; in the tenth, from 1,980 to 1,539 ;
in the eleventh, from 1,569 to 944 ; in the twelfth,

from 1,406 to 1,100; in the thirteenth, from 1,357 to
667 ; and in the last-named, from 1,301 to 749. The
declension, too, with few exceptions, has been pro-
gressive during the last 60 years, and especially
rapid within the last 20. In the 98 parishes in the
City of London Union the population has decreased

n round numbers from 55,000 to 45,000 in the last
[0 years. It is due to truth to state that, whatever

the causes, the great majority of the pastors appear
to have followed the flocks, or rather to have rowed
with the stream, for of all the 30 clergymen now
holding preferment in the parishes which are the
subjects of the proposed union, only seven, or not
quite 2 fourth, reside upon their benefices. The
recommendations of the Commissioners, however,
supply a remedy for this evil by providing a resi-
dence for the incumbent on his benefice in every
united parish according to the requirements of the
Act.

The Commissioners, in making their returns to

. _
the Bishop of London, have submitted for his Lord-
ship's consideration some observations and sugges-
tions in reference to the work in question. They stato
that their attention has been particularly directed
to the arrangements rendered requisite by the
proviso in the 14th section, which enacts that
a church shall be erected within the limits of the
metropolis in the stead of every church taken down
in the city. The erection of such new church neces-
sitates the creation of a new benefice in each case,
and their investigation of the localities suggested
by the London Diocesan Church Building Society,
in which they have recommended these benefices to
be placed, has convinced them of the necessity of
supplying an endowment for the maintenance of the
incumbents of such new churches. They remark
that the testimony of persons acquainted with the
churches previously erected without endowments,
or with inadequate endowments, in poor and popu-

lous localities has served to increase their conviction
that the endowment of the new benefice is of indis-
pensable necessity. To erect a church without any
endowment in poor and populous localities, though
it might appear to satisfy the provisions of the Act
of Parliament, would, they fear, be attended with
serious and lasting evils, and might prevent the
carrying into effect any one of the schemes. They
have therefore recommended that the fund to be
realised by the sale of the materials and sites of
churches taken down be aided, if necessary, by
private and public contributions; and they suggest

for his lordship's consideration the expediency o.

making special effort for obtaining contributions for
erecting both the churches and personage houses for

the new benefices—an effort similar to that which
resulted a few years since in the erection of ten
churches in Bethnal•green. With respect to en-
dowed lectureships in city churches, they think that
with perhaps a few exceptions these lectureships
might advantageously be applied towards relieving
the spiritual destitution which exists in poor and
populous parishes in the metropolis. In reference to
the union of certain benefices it is possible, they say,
that the vestries of some parishes may withhold
their assent from the proposed union of their bene-
fice with another, under the 23d and 24th of Vic-
toria, cap. 142. In some of such cases they think
that the proposed exchanges in the patronage
should nevertheless be effected, which they believe
can be done under the provisions of other statutes
in order to do a xay with alternate patronage,—a
system which arose from necessity, but which,
while it is productive in their opinion of no benefit
to either incumbent or people, is calculated to
operate to the disadvantage of both. The results
of their communications with the incumbents appear
in many instances to intimate that the unions can-
not come into operation, though all other parties
consent, until the avoidance of one of the benefices.
It is probable in such cases that some of the incum•
bents may subsequently be willing to retire, and
may consent to a supplemental order under a clause
in the Act, and in some cases the acceptance of

other church preferment by the incumbent may lead

to the same desirable result. When they consider
the spiritual destitution which exists in many of
the localities selected for the new benefices they
venture to express a hope that his Lordship may
be ab'.e to accelerate the carrying out of the schemes,
or, at least, to procure some means of supplying
those localities with the services of a clergyman
until the avoidance of the city benefices will cause
the schemes to come into operation. With regard
to the remains of the dead, Gs this has been a sub-

ject of conversation between the Commissioners and
parish officers, they deem it right to inform his
Lordship that, although the Secretary of State is
charged with the duty of " giving directions as to
the removal of the remains" of the dead, they have
reason to believe that the following plan would give
general satisfaction :—That a stone building or
tomb, not exceeding seven feet high, of a suitable
and substantial character, be erected in the church-
yard adjoining the church about to be taken down,
and that the human remains deposited under the
church, if not removed elsewhere by relatives and
friends of the deceased persons, carefully placed
in such tomb, which shall afterwards be com-
pletely closed up. They suggest that the plan
of the tomb be subject to the approval of
the Bishop of London and the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners ; that the latter appoint a coin-
petent person to superintend the removal of the
remains of the dead, and that one of the church-
wardens certify to them as well as to the Secretary of
State the completion of the work; and that on the
production of the certificate the Commissioners
defray the cost of the building and removal out
of the fund created under the provisions of the
Act.

The Commissioners say they cannot conclude
their labours without informing his lordship that
they have experienced great difficulty in their at-
tempts to form unions when any one of the btne-
fices in question has been under the operation of the
Act of Henry VIII. respecting tithes. The
parishioners of such parish have stated that their
consent to a union may be construed as a consent to
the continuance of the tithe, as it is at present
levied or leviable. Without entering into all the
details of this question, or the relief or remedies
which might be deemed expedient, they represent
that in their opinion the subject requires investiga-
tion, with the view to an alteration 'of the system
in some particulars.
It remains to
be stated that the Act of Parlia-
ment requires the bishop to cause proposals for
schemes based on the terms recommended
of
fxtby the
neat
have to be sent
Commissioners to be
will then have to be
receiving their approval
posed to be united, which mwli
of exercising a veto, or of proposing nsupbred. These proposals
Rare
by the bishop to the vestries
parishes
havepro-
gmalesupowern s vestriestlted t o the patrons, and
e he
The Commissioners hope that neither the pattiro
°.
nor the vestries will prevent the completion of the
schemes, and so lose the opportunity which the Le-
gislature has afforded them of bestowing upon the
destitute places of the metropolis those:means of
grace which the diminished inhabitants of the
City no longer require.

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