The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-05 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

PROPOSED NEW GEOGRAPHI-
CAL DIVISION OF ENGLAND AND WALES,
THE BETTER TO PROMOTE CIVIL AND
ECCLESIASTICAL CO-OPERATION.
(From the Congregational Magazine.)
England and Wales contain a surface of 57,552
square miles. This portion of the United Kingdom is
differently divided for civil and ecclesiastical pur-
poses. The chief civil divisions are circuits, counties,
hundreds, wapentakes, tythings, parishes, town-
ships, liberties, &c. The ecclesiastical divisions
are provinces, dioceses, archdeaconries, parishes, cha-
peiries, and peculiars. However well suited these
divisions might be to the times and purposes for which
they were made, they are now attended with great trou-
ble and expense. Some are inconveniently large, and
others unnecessarily small. The county of York con-
tains 5,836 square miles, while Rutland has but 149.
The shapes of the counties are in general ex-
tremely ill-formed, in numerous instances they
run deeply into one another, and in many cases
parts of one county are isolated, and embedded in
several other counties. Most of the county of Dur-
ham lies to the south of Northumberland, but one
part is half-way up the eastern coast of Northumber-
land, and another portion is quite on the north of that
county, end adjacent to Scotland, and is thus widely
separated from the body of the parent county, by the
whole length of Northumberland. What a needless
expense of time, trouble, and money, is required to
bring officers, jurors, witnesses, and prisoners, from the
borders of Scotland to the Assizes in the City of
Durham. _

In most cases the boundaries of counties were de-
termined by the course of rivers. At a period when a
stream of water was a real impediment to the inter-
course of two neighbouring places, when for the most
part rivers were passed only over a solitary plank, or
through dangerous fords, at a time when a map was a
rarity, and the geographical knowledge of most men was
confined to their own parishes, there might be a pro-
priety, or even necessity, for making rivers the bounds.
ries of counties, &e. But now, when if we only mention
the latitude and longitude of any part of the ocean,
every school-boy can immediately point it out on the
map, when good roads in every direction, and bridges
at short distances from each other, render the inter-
course of towns in adjacent counties as easy as between
two places of equal distance in one and the same
county, no such necessity exists. Whoever looks at
a map of Lancashire, Oxfordshire, or Berkshire, will
be convinced, that even chance or hap-hazard could
scarcely have formed more ill-shaped districts.
Some difficulty would now attend a general re-divi-
sion of the whole kingdom, but these, though consider-
rabic, would be but temporary, and would soon be
compensated by the great and permanent advantages
that would accrue. It is, perhaps, to be regretted,
that a general measure of this kind was not adopted at
the passing of the Act to reform the national repre-
sentation. The matter has not been altogether over-
looked, and some partial legislation on the subject has
taken place, but by no means suited to the necessity of the
case. If there be political reasons why the Government
should continue the present awkward and unequal divi-
sions and sub-divisions which now exist, there is no reason
why voluntary Societies should be confined to them.
The Congregational Union, the Baptist Union, the
Bible Society, the various Missionary and other So-
cieties, might at once dispense with them, and adopt
others incomparably better. The Wesleyans have
already done this with great convenience and advan-
tage to their body—why should not other Denomina-
tions and Societies avail themselves of similar facilities ?
In the following suggestions the boundaries of coun-
ties are altogether disregarded ; the sooner we disabuse
ourselves of the prejudices and feelings which these
antique and awkward figures have occasioned, the better
we shall be prepared to adopt a more rational and con-
venient plan. In theconsideration of this subject both the
size and shape of the divisions should be regarded. It
a country could be divided into squares with the exact-
ness of a chess-board, it would be the most convenient
imaginable ; but as the general figure of our island, and
the great irregularity of the coasts, make this impos-
siblo, an approximation to such a division is all that can
be obtained.
Many persons are of opinion that the districts would
be too large, if England and Wales were divided into
but five or six parts, as was proposed a few years ago.
Perhaps from 1,200 to 1,600 square miles might be
thought an area of sufficient extent for all practicable
purposes, without exposing Ministers and other per-
sons to great trouble and expense in travelling. If
England were divided into thirty-three, and Wales into
four well-shaped districts, this number would be consi-
derably less than that of the counties, yet the extreme
points of a district would be much nearer to each
other, than are the extremities of many of our present
counties. On an average, an English district would
contain about 1,500 square miles, the side of such a
square would be about 39 miles, and the diagonal about
54. Each district might be re-divided into four sub-
districts.for the purposes of frequent and easy inter-
course. Some such division of the country would be
attended with many facilities and advantages.
The most material objection to the adoption of some
such plan, would probably arise from the present exist-
ence of many county associations. From these associa-
tions many pleasing intimacies have been formed,
and some useful co-operation has been secured. It
would therefore require some sacrifice of personal
feeling to relinquish these. But if a new arrangement afford
facilities for greater public good, ought we not to forego
our personal predilections ? And the new associations
would quickly vocate new intimacies with all their
friendships and sympathies, and thus form the basis for
much more systematic co-operation of all the civil and
ecclesiastical associations.
In addition to these remarks, it may be observed that
the principle of adhering to county divisions in the
organization of associations, has been found so formidable
a difficulty, that it has been, in many cases, virtually
abandoned, and while the Association bears the name
of a particular county, a majority of its members actually
live beyond its bounds.
The consideration of the above proposals should not
be deterred by the charge of innovation. It is indeed
true that the Chartists have required that the United
Kingdom should be divided into three hundred electoral
districts, of an equal number of inhabitants, for popular
elections ; but then let it be remembered, on the other
hand, that the Commissioners appointed to consider
the estate of the Established Church have very truly
complained of the great inequality of the existing
dioceses, and have themselves recommended plans for
new divisions that have been sanctioned by Parliament,
and are now in the course of progressive adoption to
diminish that disparity.

NAVAL FORCE of GREAT BRITAIN
ON JANUARY 1, 1842.

The following is the official return of the naval and
marine forces of Great Britain, on the Ist of January,
1842, including the recent promotions on the occasion of
the birth of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales :
COMMISSIONERS FOR EXECUTING THE OFFICE OF LORD
HIGH ADMIRAL OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Haddington.
Admiral the Right Hon. Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B.
Vice-Admiral Sir William Hall Gage, G.C.H.
Rear-Admiral Sir George Francis Seymour, G.C.H.
Captain the Hon. William Gordon.
The Right Hon. Henry Thomas Lowry Corry..
ROYAL NAN-Y.-FLAG-OFFICERS.
Admiral of the Fleet—Sir Charles Edmund Nugent,
G.C.B.
Admirals of the Red, 14; of the White, 16; of the
Blue, 16: total, 46.

Vice-Admirals ditto, 19; of the White, 19; of the
Blue, 20: total, 58.
Rear-Admirals ditto, 33 ; of the 'White, 34 ; of the
Blue, 40—total, 107,
Captains, 709 ; ditto retired on half-pay, 6 ; ditto
udder her Majesty's Order in Council of the 10th of
August, 1840, 49.

Comuaanders, 809 ; ditto retired under his Majesty's
order in Council of Jan., 1816, and Nov., 1830,298.
Naval Knights of Windsor, 7 ; Lieutenants, 2,707 ;
Masters for service, 494 ; ditto retired, 6 ; Mates, 445 ;
Pursers, 580. •

Medical Officers.-1 Inspector-General of Hospitals
and Fleet ; 9 Inspectors ditto ; 13 Deputy ditto ; Sur-
geons for Service, 371 ; Assistant ditto, 249 ; Physicans,
7 ; Deputy Inspectors retired, 2 ; Surgeons retired, 36 ;
ditto on commuted allowances, 42 ; ditto unfit for active
service, 208; Assistant-Surgeons retired, 54; Dispensers
of hospitals, 8.
Chaplains—Active service, 39 ; retired, 41.
Naval Instructors and Schoolmasters, 37 ; Naval
Aides-de-Camp to her Majesty, 11 ; Marine Aides-de-
Camp to her Majesty, 2.