Under the head of "The ri...
The Times, 1824-05-05T00:00:00

Under the head of " The richl Church and the ruined Cathedral," there is isi a Dublin newspaper a statement which we should feel much Icss mortification in reading, if it concerned any other establishment than one which claims, or affects to claim, a sisterhood with the Church of England. The Cathedral of Derry, it appears, has tong been falling into decay, and is now represented to be in ruins. The Bishop of D?BRY is said to have an income from his see of 20,0001. a year. We know not whether the fact be so; but if it be, the inconim iS '9; t least three- fourths too large for any Irish Bishop. The Dean is de- scribed as being in the enjoyment of a revenue of 4,0003. per annum. Tle patronage- of the Bishop is declared to be enormous; and a large portion of it has been bestowc(l upoI his Lordship's brothers, sons, and dependents. What the first fiuits of so rich a diocess ought to have amountedi to at this time of day, is a matter beyond our calculation; but at least they ought to be such as would, according to the provisions of the act of Parliament, have kept tegether the walls and roof of half a' dozen churches like that of Derry. The first fruits, however, being pocketted by ihe clergy, and the venerable edifice which they ought to have supporterd going rapidly to destruction, what has been the coniduct exhibited by the dignitaries of the Church ? The Bishop is stated to have very prudently absented himself from the Cathedral for many years: the Dean, with more bravery, did not desert his own place of' worship until about two years ago. Bishop, Dean, and Prebendaries, have all now forsaken it; and the service has, by permission of the Presbyterians, been per- formed in their meeting-house since the last-mentioned period. But have these dignitaries, or any of them, made the requisite pecuniarv sacrifices for the restoration of that sacred building, in the name and on the belhalf of wbich they enjoy such superb endowments ? The account which we are reading tells us not. Some of the citizens of Derry subscribed 2,0001., wwhich they are said to have lodlged in the hands of the Bishop. The Bishop, again, is said to have laid out the money in raising wooden pinnacles upon the tower, wbhieh the first great storm blew away; but in the mean time the church was crumnbling to dust. The clergy not being bound by law to subscr2ae for its re- novation, the citizens agreed to assess themselves arinua3y -the corporation did the same; but these expe Lents being voluntary, were not to be deemed a secure exemption of the clergy from all chance of future solicitation: so Sir GEORGE HILL, a sworn enemy to jobbing, was instructed to bring in a bill, authorizing thl parish to raise money for the exigency; and amonag other clauses, as the Irish journal informs us, saddling every future Dean with a deduction from his income of 5001. a-year, as a fund for repairinig the Cathedral. This bill is now, it seems, on the table of the House of Commnons; but it is exclaimed against throughout Ireland as an unblushing job. In furtherance of the scheme of exonerating the present members of the Derry priesthood from any exclusive cal upon their purses in favour of the holy edifice, applications have been circulated among the country gentlemen of the neiglhbourhood; and in some instances with a success which the authors of the application would, no doubt, have spared. MIr. I)AVwsoN's let~er in reply to the Dean and MIayor of DERIR is worth recording. Thisgentleman, with haughty courtesy, throws down his lool. to tho a?.. plicants, but follows up his donation by a severe and contemptuous rebuke. He tells the Ecclesiastics of Derry, that the Church of Ireland is the richest in Europe-that while their revenues went on increasing, the Cathedral went as regularly to decay-and that if the clergy themselves had furnished the whole expense of the renovation, he would have " considered it no more thatr "justice." Ir. DAWSON is an Under Secretary of State- an Orangeman par e.rcellence. How are the clergv to get over tlhis ? It appea'rs, then, that there are two ascenden- cies-theilay and clerical. T'he layman has at least, in the present instance, goodI feeling aiid public opinion on his side. Let the Church of Ireland beware lest its last p-rols should slide away from under it. The arrogance and pug- nacity of Dr. MAGEE have sickened, if not endangered, the Administration by which he was patronized: the sordid selfishness displayed in another quarter has turned the strong stomach of an Orange chiei'tain : what becomnes of the Church of Ireland without one or both of these auxili- aries? for among Ite people it has none. Ve subjoin Mr. DAWSON'S letter:- " London, April 2b. Sir,-I have had the honour of recehing the letter signed joint- lv by you and the Dear. of Derry, informingc of the melancholy state in which our Cathedral is at present, and the necessity under which you find yourselves of caling upon the gentlemen of the coun- ty to assist, by subscription, in putting it into repaL-. " I have no hesitation in answering the appeal which you have made to me, by expressing my willingness to become a subscriber; and I shall have great pleasure in transmitting to you, whenever you choose to call for it, the sum of 1001. "I confess, at the same time, my regret, that for the honour of oar church, you have been compeLed to apply to others than its own membersforfundsfor the purpose of putting the Cathedral into repair. It cannot be forgotten that the Churclh'stablishnment in Ireland is the richest in Europe, and that in their respective degrees of that establishment the Bishoprick and Deanery of Derry stand among. the best endowed. Whilst the Cathedral has been failing, those endowments have been increasing in wealth; and I have no he. sitation in saying, if I had heard all expenses were to be defrayed by the Clergy themselves, that I should consider such an expendi- ture only as an act of justice. As a different determination has beer, takten, I shall most willingly contribute my share, and " I have the honour to be, &c. 'To the Illayor of Derrv. " GBO. R. DA)WSON."