TYTHES. St 



would be gradual, and never amount very high, if churches, 

 when greatly wanted, were built at the fame time. It the ex- 

 pence was for a time confiderable, ftill it would be laid out in 

 a manner amply to repay it. Decent edifices rifmg in all parts 

 of the kingdom, would alone, in the great bufmefs of civiliza- 

 tion, be advantageous; it would ornament the country, as 

 well as humanize minds, accuitomed to nothing better than 

 cabbins of mud ; and fecuringone refident gentleman of fome 

 learning and ideas in every parifh of the kingdom, living on a 

 property in which he had an intereft for life, could fcarcely fail 

 of introducing improvements in agriculture and planting ; the 

 whole county would profit by fuch circumftances, and ought to 

 affift in the expence. I muft obferve, however, that fuch plans 

 fhould depend entirely on the clergy accepting a perpetual re- 

 compence in lieu of tythes ; for as to a pnblic expence, to 

 introduce refident rectors, whofe bufmefs, when fixed, would 

 be an extenflon and feverity in that tax, and prove a premium 

 on taking them in kind to the ruin of agriculture, common 

 fenfe would certainly dictate a very different expenditure of the 

 public money. So burthenfome is this mode of payment, that 

 where their refidence is followed by tythes being paid in kind, 

 the clergyman, who ought to be an object beloved and revered, 

 lives really upon the ruin of all his parifhioners, fo that inftead 

 of giving public money to bring him into a parifli, no applica- 

 tion of thofe funds would be more beneficial in fuch a cafe, 

 than to purchafe his abfence. If ever fuch plans came in agi- 

 tation, it would certainly be right to eftablifh a provifion for 

 parifh clerks, to teach the children of all religions to read 

 and write. 



The revenues of the clergy in Ireland, are very confiderable. 

 Here is a lift of the bifhoprics with the annual value, which 1 

 have had corrected fo often in the neighbourhood of each that 

 I believe it will be found nearly exact. 



1. 



2,400 

 4 ,000 

 2,600 

 3,700 

 2,900 

 2,600 

 2,600 

 3,400 

 2,300 



2,200 



73,400 



VOL. n: 



This 



