178 The English and Irish Church Establishment. [FEB. 



instances absolutely necessary for the decent maintenance of the clergy, 

 yet in some rose into an evil, against which it was necessary to provide 

 by statute. The laws on this subject were as early as Henry's reign. 

 Clergy were compelled to reside upon their livings by the Acts 21st 

 Henry VIII. cap. ]3., and 20th Henry VIII. cap. 13. Those acts were 

 amended and embodied by the 57th George III. cap. 99, entitled, " an 

 Act to consolidate and amend the laws relating to spiritual persons holding 

 farms, and for enforcing the residence of spiritual persons on their bene- 

 fices, and for the support and maintenance of stipendiary curates in 

 England." 



We come now to the numbers. 



The number of the parochial benefices in England and Wales is, upon 

 the authority of parliamentary and diocesan returns, estimated in all their 

 kinds of rectories, vicarages, perpetual curacies, donations, and chapelries, 

 at twelve thousand. 



Those benefices are held by about 6,700 incumbents. Of those incum- 

 bents one benefice each is held by 3,900, and more than one by 2,800. 



The patronage of those benefices is divided between the Administra- 

 tion, the Bishops, the Deans and Chapters, the Universities, the schools, 

 and the lay patrons. The Crown patronage comprehends 103 benefices 

 in the gift of the first lord of the Treasury, 39 in those of the Duchy of 

 Lancaster, and 899 in the hands of the Lord Chancellor. 



The Administration thus has 1,041 benefices. 



The twenty-six Bishops and Archbishops, with the Deans and Chap- 

 ters, have 1,377 benefices. 



The public schools of London have 45 ; Eton has 45, and Win- 

 chester 10. 



Oxford has 403, and Cambridge 280. 



The lay patronage comprehends one half of the whole establishment. 

 The peers and baronets having 1,400 ; and the benefices in private 

 hands, and generally disposable as property, being 6,491 ; the lay patron- 

 age thus amounting to 7^891. 



Of the benefices, the most valuable are chiefly in the hands of the lay 

 patrons. But the Treasury patronage is rich ; the livings in the Chan- 

 cellor's immediate gift are in general small ; but of them he has 899. 



On the whole, the establishment is poor. It appears from the parlia- 

 mentary return made by the clergy to the King in Council, presented by 

 command of the Prince Regent, in 1818, that there were 1,629 benefices 

 not exceeding 80/. a year, and 4,361 (as a total), not exceeding 150/. 

 a year. But the value of all livings having since fallen a fourth, and in 

 many instances more, the deduction must be allowed for ; and there will 

 be nearly 4,000 benefices not exceeding 100. a year. 



The state of the Irish Protestant church has been matter of scarcely 

 less debate, and naturally of much more ignorance than that of the Eng- 

 lish. The peculiar tenure of the English government in Ireland, long 

 rendered it necessary, at least in the eyes of politicians, that all means of 

 influence should be exerted to retain the allegiance of the people. 

 Among those means of influence the church was unfortunately reckoned, 

 and the high offices of the establishment were, with fatal frequency, 

 made the instruments of attaching the leading families of Ireland to the 

 Government. 



Nothing can be more idle than to suppose that a civilized church can 



