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issued a circular to the trustees of various public charities, to know whether they will be disposed to further, as far as they can, a plan for consolidating all public charities, and appropriate them to the purposes of national education.

This, as stated, must be impossible; for a rebellion would follow in a fortnight. But it is an awful prospect, even supposing it to be carried not so far as to get rid of hospitals, alms-houses, &c. To suppose that which may not be intended, would be inexcusable. It need only be observed, that the church is educating nearly a million of poor children now. And this should be repeated ten thousand times, and every project opposed to the death which takes them out of the hands of the clergy. Let the dissenters have their own schools, let us have ours, and let us have no comprehensive plans.

TO "JOHN BULL."

SIR, Mr. Murphy having endeavoured, in the public vestry-room of St. Pancras, to cast an opprobrium on the parochial clergy for having left the cholera patients to the care of a catholic priest, I am anxious, through the medium of your paper, to vindicate them from this aspersion. The cases in the cholera hospital were not numerous, compared with those in other places; and as they were chiefly composed of Irishmen and catholics, this may account for the attendance of the priest; but it is altogether incorrect to insinuate that the clergy either declined to attend cholera patients, or were remiss in actual attendance. I know not that if such of them, at least as had families depending on them, (for celibacy is no part of the vows of a protestant clergyman,) had been prudently reluctant to thrust themselves into unnecessary danger, they would have been greatly to blame; but even among those there was no instance of refusal. Mr. Hannam, who yields to no saint in the catholic calendar with respect to the unwearied zeal and assiduity with which he discharges his arduous duties, visited the cholera patients in the south division of the parish; and I myself, on the breaking out of the disease, expressed, in the vestry, at the cholera board and to the public authorities, my readiness to attend the patients whenever and wherever I should be sent for. In the north division of the parish the cases were not numerous. In my district, the first year, there was only one death from cholera; it was that of a boy about seven years of age, who had never been baptized; I was not at home when sent for to perform that ceremony, and the messenger was directed from my house to that of Dr. Holloway, who even took up the boy, then in the last stage of cholera, in his arms; but I am sure, that in the whole course of my ministry, though having a large family, I have never, in a single instance, been sent for to visit a sick person, even in the most dangerous and contagious disease, without promptly obeying the summons.

I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, Vicarage House, Kentish Town, Nov. 6, 1833.

JOHNSON GRANT.

PAPIST CHARITY.

DURING the recent inquiries of the Corporation Commissioners in Cork, a return was offered to them, but rejected, of the sums subscribed to the public charities of the city. From this return it appears that

The total amount of the subscriptions to the 11 charities

for the last year was..

Of this sum there was subscribed by
Protestants

Roman Catholics.

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£2,782

408

£3,190

The number relieved by the above charities was
Of this number there were

Protestants

Roman Catholics

2,380 53,606

55,986

So much for the charities. Now for the cholera fund, a fund to which, if ever human wretchedness appealed with effect to human sympathy, it were to be expected all would have contributed cheerfully and liberally. How stands

the fact?

The total of the donations amounted to. . . . . £3,974
And of this sum there was subscribed by

Protestants..

Roman Catholics. ..

3,304

670!!!

Independently of the above return, the protestants of Cork support 15 daily and 12 Sunday schools, besides upwards of 20 other benevolent establishments; but these being for the use and benefit of protestants only, they have not been introduced into the return made to the commissioners.

AMONG the 134 Parliamentary notices, which stand on the Order-book for the approaching Session, are the following relating to the Church of England :— BISHOPS-Resolution, that it would promote religion and morality if they were no longer summoned to the House of Lords, but were permanently resi ding in their respective dioceses.-SIR W. INGILBY.

-Motion, that it is inexpedient they should sit in Parliament.-MR. GILLON.

Bill to remove them from Parliament, by repealing the Act of Charles II.-MR. RIPPON.

-Bill to regulate, and render more equal, their incomes.-MR. FAITHful. CHURCH-Motion for reform of, for leave to bring in a bill for that purpose, for appointment of a commission for its execution.-COL. WILLIAMS. -RATES and mortuaries-Bill to abolish compulsory levies of.—MR. Divett.

-LANDS in Ireland-Select Committee to inquire into actual value of, and whether, if let for that value, they are sufficient to support the clergy, and compensate the lay holders of tithes.-COL. BUTLER.

CLERGY-Bill to regulate, and render more equal, their incomes.-MR. FAITHFUL.

-Bill to repeal so much of the Act 41 Geo. III. c. 63, as may prevent persons in holy orders, not holding benefices with cure of souls, from being members of Parliament.-MR. PRYME.

EDUCATION Plan for, of all the children in the country, out of the funds of the respective religious bodies to which their parents may belong; or, of orphans or other destitute children not belonging to any such body, out of the funds of the Established Church.-MR. BUCKINGHAM.

CHURCH REFORM.

A JACOBINICAL scribe, named Mercer, had addressed a letter to Edmund Burke, and, among the revolutionary topics of the day, urged that of church reform, on the principle of spoliation and reduction, recently reduced to practice with ourselves. Hear our immortal countryman on this head :

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Sir, I say that Church and State, and human society too, for which Church and State were made, are subverted by such doctrines, joined to such practices as leaves no foundation for property in long possession. It is not my calling the use you make of your plate in your house, whether of dwelling or of prayer,

pageantry and hypocrisy,' that can justify me in taking from you your own property, and your own liberty to use your own property according to your own ideas of ornament. When you find me attempting to break into your house to take your plate, under any pretence whatsoever, shoot me for a robber, which, in that case, I shall certainly be. The true Christian religion never taught me any such practices; nor did the religion of Nature; nor any religion, nor any law. It is not calling the landed estates, possessed by old prescriptive rights, the accumulations of ignorance and superstition,' that can support me in shaking that grand title, which supersedes all other title, and which all my studies of general jurisprudence have taught me to consider as one principal cause of the formation of states; I mean the ascertaining and securing of prescription."

(From the Patriot.)

SOME time since we inserted a statement from a correspondent, that seventeen parishes, within five miles of his dwelling-place, were without a resident clergyman. This statement has attracted proper attention in high quarters; and we feel bound to give insertion to the explanatory comment which has been forwarded to us-that of the seventeen cases, twelve are cases of exemption by law, over which the bishop has no control; of the remainder, one incumbent is just instituted, and the license of two others, who were nonresident, is expired. The livings are, most of them, small perpetual curacies, of which the value is under 100l. a year.

LOUIS PHILLIPPE, King of France, has recently written to the celebrated Doctor Chalmers, of Edinburgh, for the purpose of being supplied with the plans of education which have proved so eminently successful in Scotland; and also with the best method of conveying scriptural knowledge to his people. This monarch begins to see that the Bible is the best book for sinners.Limerick Chronicle.

REPORTS.

INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE ENLARGEMENT, BUILDING, AND REPAIRING OF CHURCHES AND CHAPELS. SINCE the Board resumed its sittings, two meetings have been held, at which were present-his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Bishop of London, the Rev. Archdeacon Watson, the Rev. Dr. Richards, the Rev. H. H. Norris, N. Connop, Jun., Esq., H. J. Barchard, Esq., J. S. Salt, Esq., G. Bramwell, Esq., the Rev. Dr. Shepherd, J. D. Powles, Esq., W. Cotton, Esq., W. Davis, Esq., &c. &c.

Among other business transacted, grants, varying in amount according to the necessity of the case, were voted towards building a chapel at East Cowes, in the Isle of Wight; building a chapel at Aberdovey, in the parish of Towyn, and county of Merioneth; building a gallery in the church at Oystermouth, in the county of Glamorgan; repewing and repairing the church at North Cleobury, in the county of Salop; building a gallery in the church at Calverton, in the county of Nottingham; enlarging the church at Bedford, in the county of Warwick; altering the pewing in the church at Pattiswick, in the county of Essex; enlarging, by rebuilding, the church at Brimfield, in the county of Hereford; building a chapel at Abridge, in the parish of Lambourne, and county of Essex; building galleries in the church at Bridlington, in the

county of York; repewing and repairing the church at Orcheston St. George, in the county of Wilts; enlarging the chapel at Lopen, in the county of Somerset; building a gallery in the church at Lidlington, in the county of Bedford; rebuilding the church at Brignal, in the county of York; fitting up with pews and seats a private chapel, attached to the church at Wimpole, in the county of Cambridge; enlarging the church of the Holy Trinity, Cambridge; building a chapel at Potter-street, in the parish of Harlow, and county of Essex; enlarging the church at West Coker, in the county of Somerset building a gallery in the church at Itchin Abbas, in the county of Southampton.

THE National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the principles of the Established Church, have given notice that, in consequence of the grant of 20,000l. recently voted by Parliament in aid of private subscriptions for the erection of Schools for the Education of the children of the Poorer classes, the Society is now prepared to receive and transmit to the Lords of his Majesty's Treasury memorials for assistance towards the erection of School rooms for the use of Sunday and Daily, Sunday, or Infant Schools, in union with the Society. Forms of application may be procured of the Secretary.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL.

A SPECIAL General Meeting of this Society was held at the Shire Hall, Gloucester, on Thursday the 17th inst., according to public advertisement, and a numerous and highly respectable assemblage attended on this occasion, for the laudable and religious purpose of supporting the claims of the Ministers of the Established Church in British North America.

Great interest was excited at the meeting, in consequence of the proposed withdrawal of the grant hitherto accorded by Parliament to the clergy in our North American colonies.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester, President of the Diocesan Societies, took the chair at one o'clock. Among the company present were, the Archdeacon of Gloucester, Drs. Cooke, Hall, &c., the Mayor of Gloucester, Colonel Daubeny, R. Bransby Cooper, R. S. Davies, D. Maclean, S. Maitland, T. Davis, W. Montague, E. Maddy, T. Holt, Esqrs., &c. &c. &c., Captains Dilkes and Campbell, R.N., the Rev. Messrs. Hayward, Ford, Sayer, &c., and nearly all the clergy in the neighbourhood. The meeting was likewise honoured by a large assemblage of ladies. After the usual prayers had been read,

The RIGHT REVEREND the LORD BISHOP addressed the meeting in the following terms:-Ladies and Gentlemen,-It has fallen to my lot, as the chairman appointed under the constitution of this Society, to explain to you the particular business which has called for our present meeting. In so doing it will be necessary to state, briefly and concisely as I can, the nature, views, and objects of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, along with a short sketch of its history since its first incorporation by King William the Third, in the year 1701. I have frequently been present at meetings held at different places for promoting the objects of this venerable society; and in all cases before the present the report of the state of the society was such as to call for expressions of joy and congratulation. Unfortunately, the circumstances under which we meet this day are the reverse. A dark cloud seems to over-spread the prospects of the society, which, however, we hope, by the blessing of that kind Providence which has so long furthered its objects, will be dispersed. At the period mentioned, 132 years ago, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts was incorporated, for the purpose of making known the religion of our Saviour, under the form of our apostolic church, in the settlements in America; which were at that period

all or nearly all the colonies this country possessed. It is to this society that the United States of America, whose inhabitants were then subjects of the British empire, owe the formation of a branch of the church of England, which has not only subsisted since the dissolution of the connexion with the mother country, but has continued to increase in a conspicuous manner; in that country, where all religions are alike neglected by the state, the church of England has distinguished itself by the continual accession of members, and by the piety and respectability of its adherents. Notwithstanding national prejudices, the Protestant church of America not only acknowledges the church of England as its parent, but considers this society as its fostering nurse. But subsequently to the time of its incorporation, by the naval and military prowess of the British arms, mighty conquests have been made in America, Asia, and all parts of the world. The vast regions of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Upper and Lower Canada have, in consequence of the triumphs of our arms, been added to the British Crown; and on the other side of the globe we see not less than sixty millions of fellow creatures reduced under the power of Great Britain. To all these countries the society has considered it its duty to extend its care, to assist in the building of churches, and to send out well educated clergymen as missionaries; and I certainly do not know any instance of greater exertions having been made, or exertions more consonant with the primitive spirit of Christianity, than those of the different persons employed by our society, and acting under its immediate orders. From the Bishops of Quebec and Nova Scotia down to the humble schoolmaster in the pay of the society, they all seem to think nothing of their labours and exertions if they can but bring the heathen into the true flock of Christ. In Hindostan the operations have been such as we should say, did we not know the Divine influence under which they are guided, were marvellous and incredible; notwithstanding the simple means possessed by the society, to which there are only between 7 and 8000 subscribers, it has been enabled to found a college for the education of the missionaries, and for the instruction of them and of others in the languages and customs of the East, without which their operations would be very inefficient. This college was indeed erected and endowed with the assistance of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the twin sister of this Institution, and other societies not immediately connected with it, particularly the Church Missionary Society. They liberally contributed to an object in which this society has taken the lead; and in speaking of it, I ought to mention the venerated names of Bishop Middleton and Bishop Heber, the first as its founder, the second as its fostering protector. The principal who presides is Dr. Mill, the most accomplished Linguist that I ever knew; and it is a piece of natural, and, I hope, excusable pride, to add that this invaluable person was once a pupil of my own. I should not forget to state that the society contributes largely to the support of Windsor College, in Nova Scotia, and Codrington College, in Barbadoes, with similar objects; but I must now proceed to the mention of the particular cause which has called us together this day. The Government of Great Britain felt it to be a duty, as every Christian Government I should hope will always do, to attend to the religious instructions of its provinces. It consequently paid certain sums to the clergy of Canada, Nova Scotia, and other American settlements; but in the year 1813 it occurred to the then Government that this duty would be better performed, if the whole of it were transferred to the superintendence and care of this society, at the head of which were the heads of the church, and which must possess a better knowledge of the qualifications of persons employed, and of all desirable arrangements, than the Secretary of State for the Colonial Department. The Government, therefore, requested our society to take upon themselves the management of the whole of the Church Establishment in these colonies; paying an annual grant of about the same amount as it then cost; which is obviously a smaller sum than would have been paid at the present time, had the old arrangement continued. While the annual Par

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