Star.
London, England, 1829-09-22 00:00:00

CHURCH ESTABLISHMENTS.

" The National Church in France, a religious esta-
blishment for 30,000,000 people, with all the ranks of its hierarchy,
Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and their subordinate Clergy,
costs the nation less than a million and a half sterling. On this
fund depends the existence of nearly 40,000 Cores or Priests, with
their ecclesiastical staff of 80 Prelates and other Dignitaries. The
salary of a Bishop in France is only abort 15,000 francs (or about
6001.) and that of an Archbishop 25,000 francs, or 1.0001 sterling
3-year. They receive from the local funds of their departments a
little more, and in being made Peers of France, or Cardinals of the
Holy See, have an advance to support that dignity ; but the whole
does not generally amount to more than about 1,5001. or 2,0001.
a.year. The revenues of three or four of the Irish Bishoprics
would amount to a sum sufficient to support the 80 Prelates of the
Catholic establishment of France. The inferior Clergy are paid
on a scale by far too small, their incomes on an average not ex-
ceeding 1,005 francs (or 4014 both front the State and front the de-
partments."
We have copied the preceding statement from an American pa-
per, but if we recollect rightly, it had its origin in a " Liberal"
English journal. The intention of the paragraph is sufficiently oh.
vines. It is put forth to prejudice the minds of people against our
Church Establishment. We are told that the national Church of
France costs the nation less than a million and a half sterling.—
Of course, it is meant to be insinuated that this sum is a great deal
less than the English Church costs the English nation. But how
stands the fact? Why, that the English Church, or the provision
for the English Clergy, with the exception of a trilling allowance
foe poor Curates, &c. does not cost the nation a single farthing—our
clergymen are, for the most part, paid out of the land, a portion of
wiikkor rather of the proceeds of which,is set apart for that purpose.
—ls there any body so stupid as not to see that, if the tithes were
abolished, the people would be obliged to pay as much, if not more
than their amount, in additional rent for the land? We never hear
any body talking about the sums which the great landed proprie-
tors cost the nation. We never hear any body complaining, except
the Spenceans, of such men as the Duke of Devonshire costing the
nation £150,000 annually, the sum paid to his Grace for the rent
of his land. Yet the Church revenue is derived from the same
source, one-tenth of the produce of the land being kid as much the
property of the Clergy, or lay impropriator, as the remaining nine-
tenths are the property of the landlord. It is a great ini.take to
suppose that a nation gains anything by making the Church a sti-
pendiary of the State. Abolish tithes in England, and what will
be the consequence? The landlords will demand an additional
rent, and the people will have to pay the Paracins out of their own
pockets. This project of the " Liberals" against the Church,
like most of their other projects, would eventually operate to the
injury of the people.—Morning Serval,.