The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-15 00:00:00

TITHE COMMISSION.

The following is the Report of the Titbe Com-
missioners to her Majesty's Secretary of State
for the Home Department, presented to both Houses
of Parliament by command of her Majesty :
Tithe Commission-office, July 31. 1850.
Sir,—lt is our duty to report to you the progress of
the Commutation of Tithes in England and Wales to the
close of the year 1849.
We have received notices that voluntary proceedings
have commenced in 9,633 tithe districts; of these no-
tices one was received during the year 1849.
We have received 7,068 agreements, and confirmed
6,776; of these six have been received and nine con-
firmed during the year 1849.
6,753 notices for making awards have been issued, of
which 134 were issued during the year 1849.
We have received 5,356 drafts of compulsory awards,
and confirmed 5,042; of these 203 have been received,
and 330 have been confirmed, during the year 1849.
We have received 11,104 apportionments, and con-
firmed 10,883; and of these 449 hive been received, and
498 confirmed during the year 1849.
In 11,818 tithe districts, as will be seen from the
above statement, the rent charges to be hereafter paid
have been finally established by confirmed agreements or
confirmed awards.
We have in our possession agreements and drafts of
awards as yet unconfirmed, which will include 606 addi-
tional tithe districts. and make a total when completed,
of 12,424 districts in which the tithes will have been
commuted.
507 altered apportionments were made by the Tithe
Commissioners up to the 31st of Dezembtr, 1849, of
which 377 were confirmed.
At that date exchanges of glebe land were effected in
298 placer, and 41 such exchanges were in progress.
At the lose of 1849 we had confirmed 10,927 distinct
mergers of tithes.
These operations have brought us within sight of the
close of our labours.
The Tithe Act will expire at the end of next session
of Parliament ; by that time we have reason to believe
that all the rent charges will be fixed, and that of the
apportionments only a fragmentary portion will remain
unfinished, most of them for small sums, which the parties
will probably ultimately redeem. The pro.sress of these
redemptions, however, we find slow and difficult, partly
from the inertness of the parties, partly from the obsti-
nacy of a few persons who refuse to redeem their own
small rent-charge, and continue to expose the re-
maining payers to the expense of maps and apppox-
tionments. _ _ _ .

Patience and diligence will, probably, accomplish the
completion of most of these redemptions ; some modi-
fied compulsion may ultimately be necessary for the
remainder.
Obstinate litigation will, probably, prolong the com-
pletion of a few commutations till after the expiration
of the Commission. Th”y will be very few.
When the purposes for which the Tithe Commission
was instituted, are substantially completed, there will re-
main a certain amount of business connected with the
mass of commutations, which we feel it our duty to point
out, because it must be provided for.
Of this a part will exist permanently—a part will be
temporary.
The temporary will be the sales of tithe barns and
farm buildings rendered useless by the commutation, the
defining and setting out glebes where their precise posi-
tion and boundaries are unknown.
The taxation of the bills of valuers and agents, and
the giving legal authority and power to collect them.
But some powers will be wanted of a more permanent
nature.

These will relate-
1. To the custody and use of the apportionments and
maps; of deeds, correspondence, and minutes of evidence,
which together already amounted to between 40,000 and
50,000 deeds and documents, counting as only one the
files of papers and correspondence which relate to each
separtee tithe district.
In the case of transfers of property by death or sales,
these documents are already very constantly consulted
by attorneys and agents.
2. These permanent powers will relate to re-appor-
tionments on the division of estates.
3. To mergers when lands and rent charges now held
separately way come into the same hands.
4. To exchanges of rent charges for lands intended to
form glebes.
5. To the creation of extraordinary charges for hops,
market-gardens, and orchards in new districts.
6. To the future redemption of small rent-charges.
We submit these facts to you, Sir, because, before
the close of the next session of the Legislature her Ma-
jesty's Government will probably think it advisable to
take into consideration the most efficient mode of pro-
viding in future for the public business here pointed out.
We have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedient
servants.,

W. BLAMIRE.
T. WENTWORTH BULLER.
R. JONES.
To the Right Hon. Sir G. Grey, Bart., MX., &o.