3i8 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Cliurcli of England), wliile five in twenty are of tlie Roman Catholic 

 faith, and 302 persons were classified as unsectarian Christians. But 

 these proportions have not always ruled. The Roman Catholic returns 

 show a falling-oif in proportion to the growing population of 2-74 per 

 cent. Without quoting the actual figures of the returns too closely 

 it may l3e said that during the thirty years before the census the 

 Church of England increased with the population during the second 

 decade and decreased during the third; the Roman Catholic Church 

 fell away during both periods ; the Presbyterians increased in both ; 

 the Methodist bodies increased, as also did the Congi-egationalists and 

 Hebrews. At the same time, of course, the figures of each have been 

 steadily going up with the population. Since 1861 the Protestant 

 bodies have been augmented by 557,740, the Roman Catholic numbers 

 by 187,971, the Hebrew by 3,725, and 11,589 for other persuasions. 

 Taking the whole population figures of the colony it is calculated that 

 44*75 per cent are members of the Church of England or other Pro- 

 testant Episcopalian Churches, 25"53 are Roman Catholics, 9*73 are 

 Presbyterians, 7*79 are Wesleyan Methodists, 8-14 belong to other 

 Protestant bodies ; 0'97 being Buddhists, Confucians, or Mahomme- 

 dans, mainly of the Chinese or Hindoo races, 0"49 being Jews, the 

 remnant being indefinitely specified. The proportion of the sexes 

 shows a marked preponderance of males over females under the 

 heading of each denomination, amounting in the cases of the two 

 largest denominations to about 36,000 and 12,000 respectively. The 

 relative positions of the different denominations to-day can be best 

 seen by a glance at the comparative facts and figures. 



The Church of England in New South Wales consists of a Bishop 

 Metropolitan, the five Bishops of Bathurst, Goulburn, Newcastle, 

 Grafton and Armidale, and Riverina, with 327 regularly ordained 

 clergymen registered for the celebration of marriages, 159 laymen 

 licensed to conduct services, and a total number of nominal adherents 

 amounting to 502,980. The Church of England is still the largest 

 and wealthiest of the denominations, possessing 625 churches and 

 holding service besides in 832 school buildings and private dwellings. 

 The number of clergymen is smaller in proportion to the adherents 

 than in any other large denomination, the proportion being a minister 

 for every 1,510, but if the proportion to church attendance is taken 

 it stands at a clergyman for every 256 adherents. The church-holding 

 capacity of the denomination is 126,830, and the adult attendance is 

 one-third less. The head of the denomination is the Metropolitan, 

 the Right Rev. Dr. Saumarez Smith, whose position carries with it 

 the Primacy of Australia and Tasmania. Five of the principal towns 

 of the colony are also the sees of bishops, who have their cathedrals 

 at the towns from which the dioceses are named in four instances and 

 at Wilcannia for the diocese of Riverina. 



The Roman Catholic Church has 444 churches and 718 school or 

 other buildings used for Divine Service. There arc 313 fully ordained 

 clergymen and about 1,600 members of religious orders engaged in 

 teaching or works of charity. The proportion of adhei'ents in the 

 returns to clergymen stands at 973, and the total stands at 286,895. 

 The church accommodation provides 76,663 sittings, and standing 

 room for 1 14,008 persons besides. At the head of the denomination 



