The Sun. — 1838-08-30 (London, England)

COURTENAY, M.D., 42, Great Maxlborongh-street, Regent-street. Sold by J. Hill, Medical Bookdeller, 55, Great Windmill-street, Haymarket; Simpkin and Marshall, Stationers'-court; Onwhyn, Catherine-street, Strd ; Ternplernan, 264, Regent-street ; Chappell, 19, Cornbill, and Bookzellers in town or country. •  The Bishop of Versailles, on account of the frequency of the practice of suicide, has addressed a circular letter to the Rectors of parishes and the Clergy of his dcese, 4,-.siring them to conii4t, this tendency of modern manners by all till, nipans in their power, arui repinding them that, by the canons and regulations of the Church, the forms of Christian burial are to Le Tefpszaki ).:1 all cases of thitt ipel not resulting from well-pyosT4 snantal alienation,  The Tithe Commissioners for England and Wales believe it may determine the line of conduct of many Tithe-owners and Tithe-payers, if they now make public the views and inten. tions of the Commission as to the manner in which it will apply its compulsory powers to the commutation of Tithes. Daring the last six months 1,003 voluntary agreements have been received. If the process of commutation were wholly compulsory the Commissioners would not think it prudent, or perhaps practicable, to press it at a quicker rate than this. The appointments have hitherto been completed with more harmony, and with much less of irritation and opposition, than had been generally reckoned on, but they consume much morn time than it is desirable they should. The causes of this slowness are, the limited number of per. sons to whom the parties to the agreements are content to trust the processes either of mapping and measuring or of apportioning, and the great accumulation of work in the hands of that limited number of persons. If the Tithe Commissioners increase the quantity of work to be done in the country, by adding a number of compulsory awards to the voluntary agreements now making, and under which the apportionments are proceeding towards completion, they must either employ the same apportioners and mappers whom the parties themselves are now employing, or they must employ a different and inferior class, and one in which the parties show no disposition to place confidence. If the Commissioners employed the persons at present em. ployed, they could not materially accelerate the pace at which the apportionments are now completing. If they employed persons in whom the landowners had not cont deuce, discontent, appeals, and consequent on these, very heavy expenses both to the public and individuals, would fullow, which must entirely destroy the harmony and contentment which have hitherto marked the progress of commutations. This would constitute an amount of evil which, in the opinion of the Commissioners, would very much more than balance any good which their immediate compulsory interference, on a wide scale, could effect.  The Tithe Commissioners, therefore, announce, that while the voluntary commutation proceeds at the pace at which it has lately proceeded, it is their intention to interfere compulsorily oily iu a limited number of cases, which will  consist,Ist. Of those in which litigation is in progress. 12dly. Of those in which tithe has been taken in kind prier to the appearance of this circular. 3dly. Of cases in which the Commissioners are requested by both tithe-owners and land-uwners to interfere. 4thly. Of cases in which an incumbent has been recently appointed, or may be hereafter admitted to a rectory or vicarage, and becomes thereby owner of the great or  small tithes. The Tithe Commissioners wish it, however, to be understood that, if the progress of voluntary commutation slackens, they may:probably think it right to interfere more actively and widely, and that they will interfere at once in any special cases or particular districts of which the peculiar circumstances appear to them to make an early interference desirable. While making these announcements the Commissioners earnestly advise all parties to commutations to apply themselves deliberately, but resolutely, to the task of making voluntarily their own arrangements. It is true that in few cases the compulsory processes may be completed as cheaply as the voluntary, the award, perhaps, even more cheaply than an agreement ; but it is never certain that this will be the case in any one instance. It is highly improbable that it will be the case in the majority of instances. Where the parties institute no contest, and make no struggle before the Commissioners, a compulsory commutation, may be promptly and cheaply settled. Whenever, either at the commencement of a compulsory commutation, or what will oftener happen accidentally and during its progress, any individual, however small his interest, grows suspicious and litigious, and denies facts as to past transactions and averages, or disputes admeasurements and valuations, he may force on a protracted investigation, re.admeasurements, and fresh maps and re-valuations, which must lead to burdensome and indefinite expenses to be borne by the parties, besides causing a wasteful expenditure of public money. It is indeed clear that an apportionment made by the Commissioners must in nearly every case be more expensive than one conducted by the landowners themselves. Should these considerations have their due weight with the parties, the Commissioners see no ground for doubting that by very far the larger portion of tithe will be voluntarily and amicably commuted. As yet, out of all the voluntary apportionments confirmed, the parties have been driven to re valuations only in one. The Tithe Commissioners wish the persons employed to map and apportion to understand very distinctly that, although under the circumstances enumerated here much forbearance will be exercised towards them, and although the power of taking the apportionment out of their hands will be very cautiously exercised, yet such forbearance will have its limits. Whenever it is found that: there) has been trifling or loitering, or a disappointment of the fair expectations of their employers, the Commissioners (however much they may regret the necessity for doing so) will not hesitate to take the apportionment into their own hands. In such cases the time and cost already bestowed upon the work will be lost. The Tithe Commissioners recommend all tithe-owners to take care that the first instalment of their rent-charge is made due, and that tithe should cease to exist, on some quarter-day after the confirmation of the apportionment. This will prevent the possibility of there being an interval between the signing of the agreement and the confirmation of the apportionment, during which they may find it practically very difficult to collect either tithe or rent-charge. They also recommend to all landowners to contract for the completion of the apportionment by some given day after the confirmation of an agreement or completion of an award, and to stipulate, that if the apportionment is not then completed, nothing shall be paid for it. If they do not do this, they will run the risk of having first to pay partially an apportioner selected by themselves, and secondly the expenses elan apporLonment made by the Commissioners. W.