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amount lias been wasted through the inexperience of the clergy 

 and the operation of the Dilapidation Acts. If the clergy had 

 spent as much on their land as they have on their houses they 

 would be in a better position. Yet in this respect they have 

 only imitated the example of their lay brethren, who have over- 

 built themselves in every part of the country. The money is 

 gone ; the living is charged with the repayment ; it is useless to 

 dwell on what might have been. The Bishops exercised no 

 efficient control over loans from Queen Anne's Bounty; they 

 have now become more careful. It is eminently desirable that 

 the Bounty-office should imitate the example of the Eccle- 

 siastical Commissioners and send round an officer to inspect and 

 approve the work which is done. The principal impediments 

 which now exist to the development of glebe lands are the 

 inexperience of glebeowners, the insecure tenure which glebe 

 farms afford to tenants, the want of any security for unexhausted 

 improvements as between outgoing and incoming incumbents. 



The inexperience of clergymen in the management of land 

 might be met by the employment of agents. It may be 

 objected that if the land will not support the owner it will not 

 afford a living to the owner and an agent. But I venture to 

 think that in nearly all cases a practical agent would deal 

 more wisely with the land than an inexperienced and often 

 unreasonable parson. Lawyers are not the best class to whom 

 the management of property can be intrusted; yet it is to 

 country solicitors, if anywhere, that the clergy generally turn. 

 Again, it is not necessary to employ as an agent a man who is 

 so full of work that he only takes a cursory glance at the land 

 with his left thumb in his Bradshaw and his right hand on the 

 rail, and his right foot on the step of his dogcart. What is 

 wanted in each archdeaconry is a sensible, practical, and expe- 

 rienced farmer, who will give both the glebeowner and the 

 tenant sound advice, and who can spare the time to inspect the 

 condition of every part of the glebe at least twice a year. In 

 these hard times it would not be difficult to find farmers of high 

 standing among their brethren who, for a per-centage on the 

 rents, would undertake a practical supervision of the land. 



The insecure tenure of glebe farms might be obviated by 

 joining patrons with incumbents as lessors. On the other hand, 

 tenants are in these days shy of taking leases. A lease is too 

 often only a protection to the tenant ; it cannot be enforced 

 against them. Yet probably the best tenants of glebe farms 

 were to be found on family livings, where it was supposed that 

 the arrangements of one incumbent would be respected by his 

 successor. Undoubtedly insecurity of tenure lowered the class 

 of glebe tenants. At the present moment farmers exaggerate 

 the insecarity in order to obtain reductions of rent. If care 



