ENGLAND. 



523 



Several of the deans also receive from 15,000 to 20,000 a year, while there are several hun- 

 dred benefices, of which the incumbents receive less than 200 dollars. There is also a large 

 number of parishes without churches or pastors, while there are no fewer than 70 sinecure 

 rectories.* 



CHAPTER LXXIl. ENGLAND. 



Public Works of Great Britain. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. England is bounded N. by Scotland ; E. by the German 

 ocean ; S. by the British Channel, separating it from France, and W. by St. George's 

 Channel and the Irish Sea, by which it is separated from Ireland. It extends from 50° to 55*^ 

 40' N. latitude, and from 1° 40' E. to 5^ 40' W. longitude. It contains 58,000 square miles. 

 Wales occupies 7,425 miles of this territory, and forms a part of the western coast. 



2. J\fountains. The general direction of the mountain ranges is from north to south. The 

 Cheviot Hills, in the north of England, which is the narrowest part of the island, approach 

 wiihin 18 miles of the sea. The Cumberland Hills are a continuation of the same range. 

 Helvelyn and Skiddaw, in this ridge, exceed 3,000 feet in height. The fVelsh .mountains We 



* Ecclesiastical Patronage. The king's patronage is the 

 bishoprics ; all the deaneries ; 30 prebends ; 23 canonries ; 

 the mastership of the Temple, &c., and 948 livings. The 

 Lord Chancellor presents to all livings under the value of 

 £20 in the king's books, which are 780, also 21 prebendal 

 stalls ; 1,250 places of church preferment are in the hands 

 of the bishops ; above 600 in the presentation of the two 

 universities ; 57 in the colleges of Eton and Winchester ; 

 800 in the gift of cathedrals and collegiate establishments ; 

 and 4,850 in that of church dignitaries, and (i,000 in the 

 gift of the nobility and gentry. 



Ecclesiastical Sinecures. The Parochial Clergy are for 

 the most part a mass of sinecurists. In 1814, it was ascer- 

 tained, that there were 6,311 church livings held by non- 

 residents Of these, 1,523 employed resident curates, 

 leaving 4,788 totally neglected. 



Revenues of the Established Clergy. It is impossible to 

 produce a complete and accurate statement of the reve- 



nues of the clergy. The bulk of the ecclesiastical revenues 

 consists of tithes ; but, besides these, an immense income 

 is drawn from other sources. The clergy are in almost 

 entire possession of the revenues of Ihe charitable founda- 

 tions. They hold exclusively the professorships, fellow- 

 ships, tutorships, .ind mastersliips of the universities, and 

 public schools. 



Immense landed property is attached to the sees, cathe- 

 drals, and collegiate churches. There is also a considera- 

 ble income from glebe lands, surplice fees, preacherships 

 in the roval chapels, teachersliips, town assessments, 

 Easter offerings, rents of pews, stipends of chapels of 

 ease, chaplainships in the army and navy, embassies, cor- 

 porate bodies, commercial companies, &c. Besideswhich 

 they monopolize nearly all profilable offices in public insti 

 tutions : as trustees, librarians, secretaries, &c. A mem- 

 ber of the established cliurch in Yorkshire has received a 

 yearly income of !I00 pounds for teaching one scholar. 



