The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-03-28 00:00:00

DIOCESE OF CHESTER.

PREPERMEST.—The Rev. James Cronshaw to the Per-
petual Curacy of St. Thomas's Church, Wigan, in the
county of Lancaster. Vacant by the resignation of the
Rev. Peter King Simmons. Patron :—The Rev. Henry
John Gunning, Rector of Wigan, in right of his rectory.
HANDLEY.—The Bishop has granted a license for the
performance of divine services in the school-room at Hand-
ley, in the county of Chester, while the church is under-
going repair.

ORDINATION.—The Bishop of Chester intends to hold
his next Ordination at. Chester, on Trinity Sunday, June
11th ; candidates for which must send all their necessary
papers complete to Charles T. W. Parry, Esq., Chester,
his lordship's secretary, on or before the Ist of May.

DIOCESE OF MANCllESTER,—Preferments : On Tues-
day last, at the Diocesan Registry, the Bishop of Manchester
collated the Rev. J. S. Master, of Chorley, to a honorary
canonry in the Cathedral of Manchester. The rev. gen-
tleman was inducted and installed the same afternoon by
the Rev. Canon Wray, vice-dean. The Rev. J. 0. Parr,
vicar of Preston, has nominated the following clergymen :
The Rev. Alfred Thos. Armstrong, M.A., to the perpetual
curacy of Ashton-upon-Ribble ; the Rev. John Wilson,
M.A., to the perpetual curacy of St. James, Preston ; and
the Rev. John Pilling to the perpetual curacy of Grimsargh.

COMMISSIONERS FOR BUILDING CIRTRCIIES.—By an
Order in Council, dated the 9th of March inst., Her
Majesty has been pleased to approve a proposal of the
Commissioners for Building Churches, for the assignment
of a district chapelry, set out in the said proposal, to the
church of St. John, at Fairfield, in the parish of West
Derby, and the recommendations of the commissioners in
respect to the publication of banns, and the solemnization
of marriages, baptisms, and churchings in the said church.

THE NEW Bismop.—The Rev. W. K. Hamilton has
been appointed to succeed the late Bishop of Salisbury.
Mr. Hamilton was educated at Eton, and was afterwards
one of the favourite pupils of the late Dr. Arnold. He
entered at Christ Church, Oxford, took the highest honour
in classics, and was chosen a fellow of Merton Colleges
where he formed the acquaintance of the late Bishop
Denison, an acquaintance which subsequently ripened into
an intimate and devoted friendship. He acted as curate
to the late bishop at St. Peter's, Oxford, and on Dr. Deni-
son's elevation to the episcopate became his examining
chaplain and Canon of Salisbury. During the fatal illness
of the bishop he was never absent from his bedside. He
is said to possess considerable powers as a preacher, but is
chiefly remarkable for the simplicity of his character and
the consistent piety of his life.
Cnuncn LEASEHOLDS.—The Church Estates Commis-
sioners have presented their third report under the act,
which will expire this year, passed with a view to ascer-
taining by experiment how far the enfranchisement of
church leaseholds could be satisfactorily effected by volun-
tary agreement. They report that they have approved the
terms agreed upon in 289 cases for the sale of reversions,
and in 20 for the purchase of leasehold interests, the value
in fee of these 309 estates so agreed to be enfranchised
exceeding £1,400,000 ; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
also have made 312 agreements with lessees for enfran-
chising property exceeding £1,700,000 in value; so that
the church estates agreed to be enfranchised since the
passing of this act, 14th and 15th Victoria, are not less
than 621 in number, and their value exceeds £3,000,000.
In only 28 cases did the Church Estates Commissioners
decline to approve the terms proposed, and in 20 of these
the original proposals were subsequently modified satisfac-
torily. The commissioners add, that the agreements have
been effected generally in accordance with the recommen-
dations made in the report of the Lords' committee by
whom the church leasehold question was considered in
1851, prior to the introduction of the act ; and that the
extent to which enfranchisement has taken place induces
the belief that the terms agreed upon have been consi-
dered advantageous by the lessees, while an additional
revenue for church purposes has been effectually secured.
The commissioners state that they have observed with
satisfaction a growing disposition on the part of many
ecclesiastical corporations to entertain proposals by their
lessees to effect enfranchisements ; and that they believe
that " the improvement of episcopal and capitular estates,
,without prejudice to the interests of persons holding leases
granted thereof," will continue to be effected, if Parliamtnt
should see fit to prolong the duration of the act.