The Sun.
London, England, 1819-04-23 00:00:00

THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH OF IRELAND.

Sir 3. N weorer rose, pursuant to his notice,
to submit'to the House a motion for instituting
proceedings relative to the State of Religion in
Ireland, similar to those which bad been resorted
to its 1306. In 1807 a Report had been made of
the itiquiriee instituted in consequence of the
measures -adopted in the preceding year. That
Report prineiPally referred to the state of the
Ecclesiastical Establishment, so far as related to
the Union of Parishes, and the circumstances
under which sod' unions had been effected, whe-
ther by Episcopal authority, or that of Parliament.
It -appeared that some of them had been affected
in such a way that it was almost impossible for
the inhabitants of many of the parishes to .go to
their parish Churches and return in the same day.
In the last eighteen years 34 unions had been ef-
fected, which was a very rapid increase. in
1817, it appeared that 17 parishes had been united
. into one. In one ease three parishes had been
united, the aggregate extent of which was 13
miles in length, and five in breadth. Under such
circumstances he thought it necessary that an
Address should be presented to the Throne, for
the purpose of ascertaining what opportunities
were given to ti,e Protestant inhabitants of Ire-
land for the exercise of Divine Worship. He was
the more induced to-bring forward this subject in
consequence of several communications which lie
-bad -received since the oniice which he had given
of this motion. The Hon. Mt utber then read an
extract front a letter, written lately to him by a
most respectable Gentleman in Ireland, stating
the inconvenience which had been occasioned by
the union of Parishes. The cause of the lotion,
in almost every case, was the incompetency of
single parishes to afford an adequate support to a
elerevman. The letter stated that the writer had
lost seven of his Protestant servants 'in conse-
quence of the impossibility of . their procuring
adequate meats for attending Divine Worship.—
(Hear, hear !)---This fie thought was enough tit
'convince the House of the necessity of adopting,
Some measure on this 'subject, considering that
500,0001. bad been voted within the last year for
procuring to the people of the kingdom facilities
for exercising the -public duties of their religion.
With a church so richly beneficed as that of Ire-
laud, it was highly necess try that where the
clergy were so Well- pail, their duties should. be
adequately performed. ie concluded by moving
that are humble Address be presented to the Prince
Regent, praying that his Royal Highness would
be graciously pleased to direct that an inquiry
should be iestitetecl into the present state of the
Church of Ireland, by communication to the
Archbishops and Bishops, similar in nature and
detail to those in 1806, made by his Majesty's
command, of which inquiry his Majesty had been
graciously pleased to order a Report to be pre-
sented to both Houses of 'Parliament ; in order
that by compatison it might be found what steps
Lad been taken to procore to the people of Ire-
land due means for the exercise of public worship,
and especially the benefits and blessings of a resi-
dent clergy.
Mr. C. GRANT said, he would only detain the
gottee for a few moments, as-he had only to ex-
press his: entire and hearty concurrence in the
-motion, awl. his sense of the obligations due to
the Hon. Rironet for having brought it forward.
Lie was sure no greater service could be done to
Ireland than by following up this inquir y. With-
out at present entering further into the subject,
or pledging him Self to bring forward any particu-
lar measure, he had only further to say, that he
should be roost happy.to concur in any efficient
measure which might be proposed for forwarding
so desirahle an ohje'ct.
Mr. LESLIE FosTria concurred in thinking the
subject of great importance to Ireland, and was
sore the Bis'hops would hare great pleasure in in-
stituting such. an inquiry as wasanentioned in the
motion. He was happy that he had it in his
power to communicate to the House some import-
aut information on this subject, and in sonic de-
gree to slate what would be (rye result of such
an inquiry. lii 1807 it appeared, there were in
all 1181 benefices in Ireland, of which 951 were

Iprovided witb churches, an' 230 had. no churches
at all. Immedieteiv after the report of 1807, a
new system was established, and a very extended
grant procured from the Office of First Frui!s,
for the purpose of Supplying this lamentable defi •
ciency Of Clint dies. In consequence of this, he
was happy to inform the [louse, that 233 new
churches had already been actually built, and 83
were now constructing. To the truth of these.
frets he pledged. himself: it was not merely
where no church had previously existed, that tile
new ones were built, but also where the churches
were so bad as to be little better than barns.—
But the work was not yet by any meaos conduit- I
ell. The care of the Board of First Fruits wes
not limited to the building of Churches, but also
extended to procuring the residence of the Clergy.
Out of 835 benefiess in Ireland, 95 had been ac-
tually purchased, and the public woold be in pro-
gainers by the change. With respect to
non-resident' incumbents, he greatly approved of
the obseixations of the Hot% Baronet. Previous
to the year 1808, many difficulties had arisen on
that head, but, from the alteration of the law
+hen, things had been considerably ameliorated,
elthough still further changes were indispensably
necessary. No dispensation Irtd been lately
granted to bold more than three benefices in Ire-
land. He invited the Honourable Baronet to
name the Prelate or Bishop under whose diocese
the blame now insinuated had taken place. in
the Hon. Baronet's review of the state of the Es-
tablished Church in Ireland, be was glad that jus-
tice had been done to the Bishop of Castiti. The
Hou. Member then went into a detail or history
of the rise and progress of tithes in Ireland, trac-
ing !bent front the suppression of religious pons. s,
in the reign of Henry VIII. Ile agreed with the
Hon. Baronet, that there was now no longer any
cause for the union or am-rtieantution of parishes,
so as by this mode of ;;enteral contribution to in-
crease the, tithes ; and concludsd by giving his
cordialtoconcerreece to the motion.
Wseeetteonce approved highly of the
Hot.. Baronet's motion. The Church.of Ireland
and the Church of England ought to have an
union of interest and an union of faith on the oc-
casion. Without those who were placed in the
higher orders of the• Church discharged their
duties with zeal and activity, the morals of the
community at large would he endangered It
was with extreme pleasure be had heard
1119 t the recommeedation of the Honourable
Baronet had been so well atteoded to. It was
the duty of the Gentlemen who were Members of
the House, to let those in high situations of the
Church know, that they ought to discharge their
functions with scrupulous zeal and indefatieable
diligence ; and to let them also knots, that if
they remained indifferent to what utight be deem-
ed their religious duties, the House and the Public
had a right to call upon them to learn the cause
of their deficiency or neglect.
Sir J. NewroaT wished, from motives of deli-
cacy, to avoid the necessity of bringing forward to
public view any particular names. But feeling
that a numerous and respectable body of men
ought trot to suffer by any implication, sidewind,
or iottendo, he found it proper to state, that his
ietorination had come front Colonel Bagwell, Who
himself had it in contemplation'to submit to the
House a statement of the affair ; and that
Gentleman had mentioned to hint, that the ag-
gression' now complained of bad taken place in
the diocese of the Bishop of Kildare. The Hon.
Baronet named the particular parislas alluded
to, but he spoke then in too low a tone of voice
to be distinctly heard in the Gallery. He had
thus put.the house in possession of all that he
knew of the subject ; and he was glad that his
motion was not likely to meet with any opposi-
tion. Ile condemned what he termed a mon-
soon's vote of the Irish Petliament on a discus-
sion respecting tithes and non-residence. In con-
sentience of this union orsiutiction of parishes for
the benefit of the incumbent, many of the inha-
bitants of Ireland must go the distance of seven
or eight miles to hear Divine service performed
in an Established Church. This inconvenience
operated trot only fatally on the morals, but
on the religious principles of the people of Ire-
land. It was thus evident that not only ought
churches to be ..,increased in number, but that
the incumbents ought to be obliged to remain
on their benefices to discharge their• pastoral du-
ties. Notwithstanding there were many rich be-
nefices in Ireland, liose who held the livings were
often allowed to pass their time idly in this coun-
try, leaving the care of their flocks to the curates.
This was a grievance which deserved an imine-
thate remedy. The Hon. Baronet was ashamed
to affirm that there were several highly beneficed
end richly beneficed clergymen, who not only
lived our of their parish or diocese, but indeed out
I of the kingdornaltogether.
'rhe motion WNS then,put and carried ; and such
Members as were of his Royal Highness's Privy
Council were desired to wait upon the Prince
1 Regent with the Address.

DISCHARGE FROM CUSTODY. •
Sir Godfrey ‘trensier, Mr. Maberiey, and Mr.
Tomline, were on filmier' ordered to be dis-
charged from the •castody, of the Serjeant-at-
Arms, on paying their fees.'