Star.
London, England, 1824-09-18 00:00:00

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CHURCHES AND CHAPELS.
There have been printed, pursuant to the ordet;l4
the House of Commons, Returns, made June 22, Ma.
tive to the expenditure of sums for building New
Churches; the number of Churches and Chapels ix
each Diocese in England and Wales in 1800 and 1624 ;
also the number of Licenses issued in each Diocese for
places of worship dissenting from the Church of Eng-
land in 1800 and 1824, &c. These latter returns ate
curious, but they are not complete. The obvious mean-,
ing of the Returns .required was, that each Diocesan,
should state the number of Churches and Chapels be-
longing to the Establishment in 1800 and 1824; also
the number of Dissenters' Chapels which existed at
these two periods. But one Bishop only, the Bishop of
Lincoln, seems to have understood the order ; for he'
states, that in his Diocese in 1800 there were 569 such
Chapels, and that in 1824 there were " 2368 in addi-
tion to the 569," shewing a vast increase of dissent ;
but all the other authorities give the numbers licensed
in those particular years. The Bishop of London says,
that " the number of Licenses issued for places of wor-
ship disseatiag from the Church of England in 1800,
were 46—in 1824 they were 30." The Archbishop of
Canterbury returns, that " the number of Licenses is-
sued for places of worship, dissenting from the Church
of gngland in 1800, were 15—in 1824 they were.2o."
While for " Churches and Chapels of the Church of
England" the Returns are,
London, In 1800 - - . 620
• in 1844 - 833
Canterbury, in 1800 - - - 355
in 1824 - - - 359
The numbers show, as well as every man's own ob-
servations, together with the Bishop of Lincoln's recu-
liar return, that the existing numbers of Dissenters
Chapels are not returned. Complete Returns would'
have been curious, and, perhaps, instructive, but the
above explanations were requisite to account for the
disproportion in the figures in the following results of
these Returns:

According to them, there are 26 Dioceses. In then;
in 1800, there were 11,458 Churches and Chapels "of
the Church of England ;" and in 1824, there as 11,584
Churches and Chapels, :hewing an increase of one hun-
dred and twenty-six Churches and Chapels belonging.
to the Establishment since 1800. The numbers in these
Returns for Places of Worship, dissenting from the
Church of England, in 1800, were 1032, and in 1824
they are 3,661; bat deducting the Lincoln Returns,
which is of a character different from all the lest, these
details thew that, in 1800, there were eighty-two adJi-
tional Dissenters' Chapels licensed ; and that for so
much of the year 1824 as had expired when the returns
were made, most of them being dated in April, May,
and June, there were one hundred and thirty-four ads
ditional Dissenters' Chapels licensed in 25 out of 26
Dioceses.—Several of the Returns remark, that " many
of the Dissenters' Chapels are Rooms." The Bishop of
Peterborough (Herbert Marsh) remarks on this point
what deserves to be quoted—" The number of Rooms
or Dwelling-houses, certified as places for the religious
worship of Protestants in 1824, has been, to this day,
seven. I use the term certified' as used in the
52d Geo. 3. c. 145, which renders Licenses for Meeting
houses altogether unnecessary. When a room or build-
ing is now opened for religious worship of Dissenters,
they have only to certify, or rather to notify, that such
place has been opened for the 4 Religious worship
of Protestants. I have thought it necessary to give
this explanation, because a Return of Licenses iu 1824,
for places cif worship dissenting from the Church of
England is literally impossible. Nor does it appear,
from the manner in which the certificate is worded,
that the persons so certifying are Dissenters at all; they
certify as 4 Protestants,' according to the wording of
the Act."— Signed " Palace, Peterborough, 6 May,
1824. Herbert Peterborough."
In the case of " BURNS v. THORNTON," respecting
seamen's wages, the City Solicitor declared, that under
the Act of the 59th George IIL cap. 58, for the Relief
of Seamen, a Magistrate could not order the payment
of the Solicitor's costs or any other costs than the ex-
pense of the information and 'order, including. merely
the Justice Room fees. Some technical obsttuctions, we
understand, have arisen to prevent the (poor seaman re-
covering his wages for the present in this case.
It is with pleasure we learn that the rite of ls. 6d. in
the pound, now laid for the maintenance of the poor and
for the churches and clergy, Is calculated to be sufficient
for the current year. •This low rate is owing to a consi-
derable sum of the last year's rate having remained un-
collected. We believe that the weekly expenditure since
Easter is about the same amount as for the like period
last year. It must be satisfaCtory to the parishioners to
know, that whilst the most strict attention to economy
continues to be paid by the Select Vestry, the wants of
those who apply for relief are diligently attended to.—
Liverpool Advertiser.
ANOTHER CHILD &Totem—Thursday last, a poor
woman, named Margaret Craven, residing in Milford-
place, Tottenham-court-road, who had jest recovered
from her lying-in, accompanied by some friends, went
to St. Pancras New Church to have the female infant
christened. After the christening the party adjourned
to a public-house in the vicinity, and partook of some
ale, which, from the weak state of the poor woman, af-
fected her head, and she became rather giddy ; she,
however, recovered, and was accompanied by her
friends as far as the end of Howland-street, Tottenham-
court-road, when she was accosted by a woman, ex-
tremely well dressed, and of genteel appearance, who
observed, " My dear woman, the child's shoe will fall
off." The strings she then discovered were loose, and
she asked the Lady to tie them ? The Lady took the
infant into her arms, and at the moment a friend of
Mrs. Craven's pissed, to whom she turned round to
speak, and looking for her infant to receive it into her
arms, the agonized mother was horror-struck it finding
the woman had disappeared with the infant. Her loud
cries and shrieks attracted the attention of the passen-
gers, who, on learning the particulars of her story,went
in every direction, but could obtain no trace of the un-
natural monster or the infant. The poor woman was
carried home in a state of distraction, and yesterday,
although every possible inquiry had been made, the
child had not been recovered. The parish officers have
had the circumstance notified throughout the parish;
but as yet, the inquiries set on foot by them have
proved fruitless.
In the window of an-undeftaker in St. Mary-street,
Weymouth, is the following sign r—" Orders for ddra
taken in here." On the other side " Funerals furnished.
An Irish Gentleman having been; found one day by a
friend practising with his sword against the wainscot
before dinner, and being asked the reason for his assi-
duity at this exercise replied " I have some company
coming to-day that Icapect to quarrel with:*