Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Houses purchased by Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty to be deemed

Residences.

34. And whereas the governors of the bounty of Queen Anne have purchased, built, or procured, and may hereafter purchase, build, or procure, by way of benefaction or donation to poor benefices, houses not situate within the parishes or places wherein such benefices lie, but so near thereto as to be sufficiently convenient and suitable for the residence of the officiating ministers thereof; be it therefore enacted, that such houses, having been previously approved by the bishop of the diocese, by writing under his hand and seal duly registered in the registry of the diocese, shall be deemed the houses of residence belonging to such benefices to all intents and purposes whatsoever.

Vicar or Perpetual Curate may reside in Rectory House.

35. And be it enacted, that in all cases of rectories having vicarages endowed or perpetual curacies the residence of the vicar or perpetual curate in the rectory house of such benefice shall be deemed a legal residence to all intents and purposes whatever; provided that the house belonging to the vicarage or perpetual curacy be kept in proper repair to the satisfaction of the bishop of the diocese.

Widow of any Spiritual Person may continue in the House of Residence for Two Months after his Decease.

36. And be it enacted, that from and after the decease of any spiritual person holding any benefice to which a house of residence is annexed, and in which he shall have been residing at the time of his decease, it shall be lawful for the widow of such spiritual person to occupy such house for any period not exceeding two calendar months after the decease of such spiritual person, holding and enjoying therewith the curtilage and garden belonging to such house.

Certain Persons exempt from Penalties for Non-residence.

37. And be it enacted, that no spiritual person, being head ruler of any college or hall within either of the universities of Oxford or Cambridge, or being warden of the university of Durham, or being head master of Eton, Winchester, or Westminster School, or principal or any professor of the East India College, having been appointed such principal or professor before the time of the passing of this act, and not having respectively more than one benefice with cure of souls, shall be liable to any of the penalties or forfeitures in this act contained for or on account of non-residence on any benefice.

Privileges for temporary Non-residence.

38. And be it enacted, that no spiritual person being dean of any cathedral or collegiate church, during such time as he shall reside upon his deanery, and no spiritual person having or holding any professorship or any public readership in either of the said universities, while actually reidents within the precincts of the university, and reading lectures therein, (provided always, that a certificate under the hand of the vice chancellor or warden of the university, stating the fact of such residence, and of the duc performance of such duties, shall in every such case be transmitted to the bishop of the diocese wherein the benefice held by such spiritual person is situate within six weeks after the thirty-first day of December in each year ;) and no spiritual person serving as chaplain of the queen's or king's most excellent majesty, or of the queen dowager, or of any of the queen's or king's children, brethren, or sisters, during so long as he shall actually attend in the discharge of his duty as such chaplain in the household to which he shall belong; and no chaplain of any archbishop or bishop, whilst actually attending in the discharge of his duty as

such chaplain; and no spiritual person actually serving as chaplain of the House of Commons, or as clerk of the queen's or king's closet, or as a deputy clerk thereof, while any such person shall be actually attending and performing the functions of his office; and no spiritual person serving as chancellor or vicar general or commissary of any diocese, whilst exercising the duties of his office; or as archdeacon, while upon his visitation, or otherwise engaged in the exercise of his archidiaconal functions; or as dean or subdean, or priest or reader, in any of the queen's or king's royal chapels at Saint James's or Whitehall, or as reader in the queen's or king's private chapels at Windsor or elsewhere, or as preacher in any of the inns of court, or at the Rolls, whilst actually performing the duty of any such office respectively; and no spiritual person, being provost of Eton College, or warden of Winchester College, or master of the Charter House, or principal of Saint David's College, or principal of King's College, London, during the time for which he may be required to reside and shall actually reside therein respectively, shall be liable to any of the penalties or forfeitures in this act contained for or on account of nonresidence on any benefice for the time in any year during which he shall be so as aforesaid resident, engaged, or performing duties, as the case may be, but every such spiritual person shall, with respect to residence on a benefice under this act, be entitled to account the time in any year during which he shall be so as aforesaid resident, engaged, or performing duties, as the case may be, as if he had legally resided during the same time on some other benefice; anything in this act contained to the contrary notwithstanding.

[The extreme length of this Act renders it necessary to divide it; but care will be taken to include the whole in this volume.]

TITHE COMMISSION.

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 intentions of the commission as to the manner in which it will apply its compulsory powers to the commutation of tithes.

During the last six months, 1003 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 apportionments 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 more time than it is desirable they should.

The causes of this slowness are, the limited number of persons 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.

The Tithe Commissioners, therefore, announce, that while the voluntary commutation proceeds at the pace at which it lately proceeded, it is their intention to interfere compulsorily only in a limited number of cases, which will consist,

1st. Of those in which litigation is in progress.

2dly. Of those in which tithe has been taken in kind prior to the appearance of this circular.

3dly. Of cases in which the commissioners are requested by both titheowners and land-owners 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.

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 burthensome and indefinite expenses to be borne by the parties, besides causing a wasteful expenditure of public money. It is, indeed, clear that an apportion made by the commissioners must in nearly every case be more expensive than one conducted by the land-owners themselves.

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 an apportionment out of their hands will be very cautiously exercised, yet such forbearance will have its limits.

The Tithe Commissioners recommend all tithe-owners to take care that the first instalment of their rent-charge is made due, and that tithes 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-tithe.

They also recommend to all land-owners 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 this, they will run the risk of having, first, to pay partially an apportioner selected by themselves, and, secondly, the expenses of an apportionment made by the commissioners.

August 27, 1838.

W. BLAMIRE.
T. W. BULLer.
R. JONES.

CHURCH MATTERS.

DEVON AND EXETER CENTRAL SCHOOL, AND EXETER

NATIONAL SCHOOL.

IN the last Number but one, some observations were made on the extreme slowness and unwillingness with which persons of sufficient income in the country subscribe to schools, and on the numbers who refuse to do so at all. The consequent injustice of attacking the

clergy for the slow progress of education was commented on; and the Editor now requests the attention of his readers to the following report of a school meeting at even so large a place as Exeter, held in July last, which has met his eye since those comments were written. Every word, both of the speeches and report, is highly instructive. Dr. Barnes's speech goes all through to the point; and the whole of what was said on this (and, indeed, on all occasions), by that venerable and excellent man, Archdeacon Pott, well deserves a permanent record :

On Tuesday last, the annual sermon in aid of these schools was preached at the Cathedral, by the Rev. G. Hole, Rector of Chumleigh. The children of the schools and a large auditory were present. The rev. gentleman's text was taken from 10th chap. Mark, 13th and 14th verses. At the close of the service, a collection was made at the doors, the plates being held by Lady Rolle, Mrs. H. Porter (Winslade), Mrs. Cherry, Mrs. Drewe (Grange), Mrs. Dr. F. Barnes (Colyton), Mrs. Champernowne (Dartington), Mr. Jas. W. Buller, Mr. H. Porter, Mr. H. Champernowe, Mr. J. Divett, Mr. Cherry, and the Mayor of Exeter. The collection amouuted to 59l. 4s. ld.; and 4l. 12s. was also collected at the Assembly Rooms, making a total of 631. 16s. 1d.

At two o'clock, the friends and supporters of the education of the poor in the principles of the established church_met in the Assembly Room at Street's Clarence Hotel, which was filled.

The Rev. Chancellor Pott, on being called to the chair, said, that those who sent forth the notices for the meeting had, by his lordship's permission, used the bishop's name, he having kindly promised to attend. Since that time, however, his lordship, on an urgent call to attend to his parliamentary duties, had returned to London, and this was the cause of his absence that day. It was not necessary that he (the Rev. Chancellor) should say much, but having witnessed the rise of two societies for the education of the poor in the principles of the established church, in parishes with which he was connected, he would say, that he considered them as a very great benefit. Their population had outgrown all the means and capabilities of the ancient schools, and this led to the introduction of the Madras system. From the great increased and increasing population in this country, he believed the only cure for what seemed to many a great evil was, a knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, and its truths, so put before men, that from their very loveliness they should delight in them, and walk by them. (Applause). It was said, the people had greatly increased, and he admitted it; but the wealth of the country had also increased. There had been an increase of the wealthier classes as well as the poor; and if there was an increase of wealth, so was there also required an increased ministering of that abundance with which God had blessed us. Thus if more persons were wealthy, there were more milliners, and shoemakers, and tailors (to say nothing of the other numberless pursuits and means of livelihood), wanted to minister to that wealth, and a great part of these were taken from the national schools. (Hear, hear.) He knew that in Kensington, a parish with which he was intimately connected, there was a continual draught on the national schools for all these employments. (Hear.) Their school system, too, had greatly improved; indeed, he would say, that the national school stood unrivalled. (Applause.) He was well aware of the obliquities of human nature, and that it was only by strong correctives that these were to be controlled and overcome. Among the foremost of these correctives, then, he must place those principles that resulted from religious motives and convictions. In these, true knowledge consisted, and they could not be applied too early to the human mind. As the preacher had well observed that morning, youth is the time for implanting good principles in the mind; then the

wax is warm, and susceptible of the best and most lasting impressions; then the spirits are buoyant and lively-they partake of all the freshness of the morning, and the impressions then received, whatever the events of after-life, are never wholly effaced. It is with the mind as with the canvass-there the painter with care bestows his colours, so embodying them with the substance on which he is at work that, though the canvass wastes, the colours still remain. (Great applause.) It seemed almost a law of our nature that things first taught should be the longest remembered. Instances without number of this have been shewn, as in sickness and old age persons always go back to the earlier scenes of their lives. These instances furnish an argument in favour of early education that is incontrovertible. To return to the increase of population, there was proportionately as great an increase in the number of houses as had taken place in the numbers of the people; and the persons who resided in these houses must have servants to attend upon them. The question then was, which would they prefer, those who were wholly ignorant and uneducated, or those who had been formed for the discharge of their duties, and educated under such patterns as the ladies he then saw before him, and whose zealous services in the schools could never be too much praised? (Applause.) There could be no doubt that, as the inmates of their households, and to no small extent the companions of their children, they would choose those who had been trained under care and inspection like that. (Applause.) He lamented the differences that exist among mankind, but looked for an abatement of them in a state of general improvement. All education, to be perfect, must be based on religion. The venerable chairman resumed his seat amidst long-continued applause.

The Annual Report was then read by the Rev. E. C. Harington.

This document began by stating that, during the past year, the two schools established in this city, for the education of poor children in the principles of the church of England, had well maintained their position and character. It had been ascertained that, with a population of 35,000 inhabitants, there were 241 schools in this city, containing 9722 scholars. Of these schools, 197 were devoted to the reception of the children of the poor, and in them there were 5607 children receiving daily instruction. There were 11 daily schools maintained by dissenters of all denominations, or in which no definite religious tenets were taught, containing 441 children. The day schools, in which the principles of the church of England were inculcated, were 186, containing 5166 children. (Cries of hear, and great applause.) These facts, ascertained by diligent personal enquiry, would, it was considered, be a sufficient refutation of all the misstatements which may be circulated respecting churchmen being indifferent or opposed to the education and improvement of the people. Without meaning to cast the slightest reflection upon those who differed from them, the members of the church might, upon this statement, claim for themselves a credit for a desire and industry to advance the religious, moral, and intellectual condition of the poor, unequalled and unapproached by any other class of the community. (Hear, hear.) Seeing that so large a number of children among the poor were thus already receiving education, it was not to be expected that the books of the central and national schools should be able to shew any great increase. That their number of scholars had not decreased was a proof sufficient that the instruction which they received in them was valued and desired by the class of persons for whose benefit they were instituted. The diminishing resources of the committee, owing to the more extended sphere of their operations within the last few years, without the increased support and assistance from the public which they considered they might justly expect, had also prevented the working of these schools to greater perfection; and the committee were fearful that, unless something were done, they should be obliged to narrow the limits of their exertions. (Hear, hear.) At present they incur an annual expense of nearly 601. for the premises in Bartholomew-yard. The report concluded with an earnest and spirited appeal to the public, and par

« AnteriorContinuar »