The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-03-20 00:00:00

CHURCH REFORM.

(From the Standard of Wednesday.)

The Report of the Ghurch Reform Commissioners is
to be presented to the houses of parliament this evening.
It is. we are informed, an elaborate and most ably drawn
up document.
The commissioners have digested the voluminous and
complicated details of the impoitant subjects committed
to them under the three several heads of territor.., in-
come, and patronage. Under the head territory are ex-
plained the new arrangements of dioceses proposed, of
which the following are amongst the most interesting:—
It is proposed to erect two new bishoprics—one of
Manchester, the other of Ripon. The greater part of
the new diocese of Manchester is to be taken from the
present diocese of Chester. The archdiocese of York to
supply the new diocese of Ripon.
The number of bishops in the House of Lords will
not, however, be increased, for it is proposed to unite
the bishoprics of Bristol and Landaff, the out-lying part
of the diocese of Bristol in Wilts and Dorset to pass to
• the. diocese of Salisbury ; and also to unite the sees of
Bangor and St. Asaph.
It is likewise proposed to deprive the see of London
of those parts of .the metropolitan diocese which lie in
Essex ancrHerts, giving to London in return all that,
in the represented metropolitan districts, which now be-
longs to Canterbury or Winchester, so as to make the
diocese nearly coextensive with the represented metro-
polis. Essex is to be transferted to the bishopric of Ro-
chester.
These are the most striking territorial changes pro-1
posed.
There are many more arrangements under the same
head, but we have not time to detail them all, and with-
out a map the greater number would be scarcely intelli-
gible.
The principle of the proposed refcrm being to adjust
as nearly as may be the incomes of the bishops to their
several stations and duties, the proposed arrangements
in this respect may be surmised from what we have said
of territory.
Patronage must still more closely attend the changes
to be made in the distribution of dioceses. We are gra-
tified to be able, however, to say that all the commis-
sioners, including the lord chancellor,•have agreed to
surrender their patronage, for the purposes contem-
plated in the report; and there is every reason to hope
that this example will be universally followed by the
right reverend bench, and all the official patrons of
church livings.
As an example of the mode in which it is intended
that this patronage shall be employed, we may mention
the cases of the prebends in Westminster and Canterbury
that have lately fallen in.
The parish of St. Margaret's, Westminster, is to he
divided, and the income of the present parochial minis-
ter being added to the income of the prebend, one-half
of the aggregate is to be allocated to each of the minis-
ters cf the divided parish. A similar arrangement has
been made for Canterbury. The outline which we have
given is slight, but it is faithful.

PUBLIC CHARACTERS OF LIVUHPOOI., No. I.—Mr. Tovey, a •
'very clever young artist of this town, published yesterday the
.first of a series of lithographic portraits, which are to be con-
tinued weekly. The portrait noiv before us will instantly be
recognised by all who are accustomed to visit the Town-hall, or,
are acquainted with the magisterial bench of Liverpool, as a
capital likeness of our worthy chief magistrate. From the. ex-
pression of the face we should suppose that the portrait was
taken while his worship was sitting in the judgment-seat. We
congratulate Mr. Tovey on the successful commencement of his
work.