work; and not unfrequently I have seen | stream, wash their feet, and " don their them "stack and screw" by moonlight. hose and shoon," as your Chaucer has Then all is cheerfulness: for, about this it, by no means fastidious to the passing time, the young men are coming home stranger. This ceremony is reversed at from the Greenlaud fishery, high in their departure homeward; for though spirits and provided with the rent; for not deficient in vanity, my country women these fine fellows throw all their savings are careful and economical; and such is into the common purse, I should tell the effect of custom, that going bareyou, nowhere is filial piety more re-foot, "kilted to the knee," excites no spected than among this truly open hearted people. Vast tracts of moor-land and of bog cover the interior parts of these islands. The cultivated lands stretch along the creeks and bays, and less precipitous cliffs, which intersect this iron-bound unpleasant feeling there, as it is said to coast. Patches of old green pasture, instep, "albeit scant of hosen," to quote watered by the little streams which issue Chaucer once more. from the springs among the hills, lie With the money they get for their interspersed among the waste lands, work, and they reckon mighty shrewdly and are used as summer herdings. Skirt- with the employer, our young women ing those wastes, stand the low turf purchase the thousand little items they cottages of the moorland farmers, with call necessaries, though God knows how their few roods of arable ground, with-correctly! An infinity of needles and out any sort of enclosure; a few stacks pins, and tapes and starch, and soaps of bigg and oats are in the yard, and an and blue-not omitting snuff for "the excellent stack of peats for fuel. Thus old man," flannel for the mother, and provided, he hears the tempest whistle a trifle of finery for themselves, exulting from without, fearless of its violence. in the thought of Sunday. Perhaps they Weather permitting, he goes out to fish; are the least sophisticated of women, the rest of his time he thrashes in the simple, obliging, contented, and kind ; barn, mends his net or line, and "winds kind beyond expression in their manner, bands," which signifies making straw and always civil. They are desperate ropes; for such is his simple tackle, at a bargain, much feared, yet beloved The women spin and plait thin straw; of the shopkeepers. All things conand thus, in cheerful industry, the long sidered, perhaps no people enjoy hap hours of winter are beguiled. In sum-piness more purely unalloyed; their mer they work out of doors, and beside wants are few and easily satisfied; they * the corn-fields in early harvest, tending are not oppressed, nor given to the the cattle. abuse of taxable commodities. Every *Once a week, barefoot, with petticoat visit to the market-town is a minor kind tucked, or, as they term it," kilted up," of carnival; and each young woman they carry their work to the towns of contrives, by hook or crook, to have a Kirkwall and Stromness, whichever dozen such to her share within the year. they happen to be nearest to, these Her great pleasure there is, to walk being exactly fifteen miles apart, situ- about the street, staring at the finery, ated beside convenient harbours, almost to call on friends, and higgle with the ́at opposite extremities of the main shopman, not omitting, any more than land, and enjoying a tolerable trade. Here the principal manufacturers reside, and hither the young women carry their work, and receive their wages, and so "much straw for the next week's employment. When they reach the town head they sit down by the nearest ladies in Cheapside, a sly look at the young men passing, herself at the same time visible, and for that reason making such thing she buys debateable, If the great end of all who aspire to be useful be" to make men happy, or to keep them so," I conceive you will be gratified to learn, that, for once, a lue, three times the gross amount of species of labour has been invented, the whole revenues of the church of which gives bread to the industrious, Durham. Yet this nobleman would as without demoralizing them... I do not soon think of endowing the mufti of a know whether this manufacture benefits mosque at Constantinople, with his the tax-gatherer; if not, that is another tithes, as of augmenting the stipend of singular exception; but I hope the Bri- the poor incumbent of the district, from tish Leghorn will long flourish, without which a large portion of his immense the paternal protection of Government. revenues are derived. He is contented In another letter, I shall furnish you with allowing the same small salary to with the particulars of a case connected the present incumbent, which was with these islands, and in which you are granted in the reign of Henry the deeply interested, as a representative of Eighth. He permits the poor clergy-1 the people; one of whom I am proud to man to be borne down with poverty, on subscribe myself with. every sentiment the very living from which he is enof gratitude for your efforts in our be- riched by all the great tithes. Yet, in half, in and out of Parliament, this very place, it was, that one of the parishioners reflected, in my hearing, on the dignitaries of the church, fer not increasing the revenues of this large and impoverished parish. We do not envy this nobleman his great possessions. They are his by law: but they were originally granted upon conditions, the spirit of which he is as much required to observe, as if the law of man, and not the ORCADENSIS. 4, Duncan-street, Edinburgh, EXTRACT FROM A Plan for abolishing Pluralities, and non-residence, in the Church of Eng-law of God only, exacted his obedience. land, by increasing the value of poor livings, without Spoliation: in a ietter to Lord Henley. By the Rev. GEO. TOWNSEND, M.A.-Rivington, London. Here, then, I adopt the words of Lord I know of another lay-impropriator, who, in a parish of eighteen miles in length, receives all the great tithes, to the amount of several thousands a year, while the living itself yields ten pounds a year to the officiating minister. Ir is absolutely necessary in this hour of the agony of the Protestant Church of England, that the public who desire ecclesiastical reform, should have their attention directed to their lay-impropriators. I shall avoid mentioning I know another lay-impropriator, names, as they are not essential to my who, in like manner, grudgingly allows argument while I shall submit to the a few pounds to the incumbent, while he consideration of Lord Henley, and his exacts with a rigour which would disassociates, a few circumstances which grace and shame a clergyman, the last rest upon undoubted evidence, and which sheaf to which he can lay claim. Ought may be regarded as common occurrences. this to be? I know of another layOne noble Lord is the patron of a impropriator who possesses the great living, where there are ten thousand pa- tithes of a large parish and refuses even rishioners. He possesses, as the de- to mend the windows of the chancet of scendant of the original grantee, not the church, unless threatened with the only all the great and small tithes, and penalties of the law. Qught this to be? all the church lands, but he claims, I know of another, a nobleman, who and by his agent receives, even the possesses a larger yearly income(if report mortuary fees. The income of this no-speak true), than the whole bench of bleman, which is principally, or in great bishops; a considerable part of which part, derived from the spoliation of the is derived from the great tithes of livings church, exceeds, it is said, in annual vawhile the livings themselves are of 1 the poorest description, and remain un-sions. I say again with Lord Henleyaugmented, unnoticed, and unregarded. these things ought not so to be. There are many lay-impropriators who Before I submit my plan of alleviaseldom or never see the parishes from tion for these evils to the public, I wish which they receive their tithes; nor to answer an objection which will be contribute to their charities; nor benefit proposed, not to the principle on which them in any work of Christian love. So I would proceed, but to some of the reabsolutely do they regard this owner- marks I have now made. Why," it ship of the great tithes in the same will be said, " why should, these oblight as their rents, or their funded pro-"servations be confined to the lay-imperty, that they would look upon him" propriators? Have not the great tithes,. who proposed to them to augment their" and the church lands, been taken from vicarages, from the tithes, as a mad-"the parishes, and from the parochial man, or as an idiot. I could enumerate" clergy, and granted in many instances a long and painful catalogue of similar" to bishops, colleges, deans and chapinstances. The truth must be told. The " ters, and to other corporate bodies, lay-impropriators have betrayed their "as well as to lay-impropriators? Have trust; the lay-impropriators have broken" these restored the tithes to the vicars? the original contract under which they have" Are there no livings in their gift, imso long possessed their tithes and lands." poverished by the failure of these They have never granted to the poor public bodies to provide the competent vicars of the parishes from which they "maintenance of which you speak?" draw their great tithes, their " congrua I answer, that the objection in many portio," as the ancient law expresses it, instances would be found to be unanor as subsequent authorities designate swerable. The ecclesiastical, and other it, their " competent maintenance' corporate bodies, have certainly not their "convenable provision"-which augmented the poor livings so frewas contemplated in the original grant of quently, or so extensively, as equity rethe tithes to impropriators, of any kind quires that they should have done. I They never seem to imagine that an would not, however, extend to them the equitable duty is imposed upon them, remedy I am about to submit to the layof increasing the maintenance of the impropriators, because the bill of the poor incumbent. Yet in every case of Archbishop of Canterbury, as I have aldeficient revenue, the ecclesiastical part ready shown, enables all the ecclesiastical of the church is clamorously called upon bodies to fulfil the contract upon which to make good their breach of contract. the tithes, and other ecclesiastical reveThe beneficed clergy are required, by nues, were appropriated to their use: the public press, and by the orators of and because they are already acting the day, to tax their already deeply upon that bill, and exerting themselves burdened incomes, not to assist their to remedy the evils in question. The own poor incumbents, but to enrich and Archbishop of Canterbury, and the benefit the wealthy and noble lay pa-Bishop of London, are augmenting all trons, by enabling them to present their the poor livings in their gift, to the friends and relations to livings which amount of three hundred a year. The are to be mude more valuable at the ex- Bishop of Gloucester, the Chapters of pense of the impoverished priesthood. Windsor and of Westminster, are atThat poverty of the benefices, which is tempting the same object. I have no the consequence of the defalcation on doubt that all the other ecclesiastical the part of the lay-impropriators, is bodies will follow their example; and attributed to the clergy, as an ecclesias- that these instances may be regarded tical crime. The clergy are taunted and only as specimens of what will be done insulted; while the lay-impropriators by other bishops and other collegiate themselves remain unsuspected of neg- bodies. lect, and continue unmolested in their With respect to the church of Durenjoyment of the ecclesiastical posses- ham, I can affirm, without fear of con tradiction, that no lay-impropriator in liamentary grants to the amount of one the kingdom (and there are many who million one hundred thousand pounds, possess a much larger property in tithes), have failed, in the course of more than a has done one-tenth of the good which century, to raise each of the poor livings this church has conferred, not only since of England to 100/. a year. Lord Henley's the passing of the archbishop's bill, but and Dr. Burton's plans, even when during the last century and a half, united into one, as Lord Henley proupon its poor vicarages. Beneficial poses, in the tract appended to the end leases have been granted to Dalton, of the seventh edition of his pamphlet, Bedlington, Eglingham, Ellingham, would not increase the 3,000 poor livings Norham, Elvet, Crossgate, and others. in the gift of laymen, which are under The chapter has long appropriated a 150l. a year, to 3001. a year. The union large portion of its yearly revenues to of these two plans would yield, accordthis work of augmentation-and it is ing to Lord Henley, 300,000l. a year, constantly increasing the value of its which, if divided among the 3,000 poor benefices. They have long since re-livings, under 150l. a year, would give solved to raise every living at their dis- to each 100l. a year; and if divided posal to a certain amount, and to go on among all the 4,361, would give to enlarging the income of the incum-each less than seventy pounds: that is, bents, till they shall be in the receipt of it would not yield, even if we supposed that competent maintenance which they consider to be their due. For these reasons, therefore, I would not extend to the ecclesiastical part of the church the plan which I would submit to the approbation of the public. The bishops, deans and chapters, and colleges, are doing their duty. Our rulers and dignitaries are on the alert; and with the powers which they now possess, they are able and they are willing to remedy the evils of impoverished benefices, and their consequences, non-residence and pluralties. that the whole fund could be devoted, without any material deduction, to the object in view, that competent maintenance for the clergyman which it is the intention of all our plans to obtain. Neither would Mr. Miller's plan* ac of pour bishoprics and livings, is— To require the payment of first fruits, according to present values; the first fruits to be considered as only one half of a year's income; two years to be allowed for payment, And hishoprics and livings under certain amounts to be exempt. amount nearly equal to one-tenth of all the clerical income of England and Wales. Bishoprics and livings under certain values to be exempt, and the scale to be moved upwards as soon as ferments to the minimum of the taxable inaugmentation has brought the exempted precomes: the same principle of increased exemption to be observed respecting first fruits. There is yet another objection which A clerical tax, according to present values, may be proposed, and which I shall under the name of tenths, but upon a graduated therefore notice before I submit the de-scale, to be imposed, so as to produce an annual tails of my new plan to the reader. ་ Why" (it will be again urged), “why are you not contented with the plans "for improving the value of the poor "benefices, which have been proposed 60 by the governors of the Queen Anne's "Bounty, aided by the Parliamentary grants or with the plan proposed by "Mr. Miller, by Dr. Burton, by Lord “Henley, and by these conjointly?" To render present incumbents subject to at duated scale, for the new payment of tenths. least one-third of the rate fixed, by the gra To obtain (towards the fund for general augmentation) from the lay patron of any poor living, which shall have been improved by grants derived from the clerical tenths, as many years purchase of the annual amount of such augmentation as may be deemed equitable. I reply, that none of these plans are so efficient, or so immediate in their beneficial effects, as to afford that relief for the pressing emergencies of the case, which appears to be absolutely necessary. The sums which have been placed at the disposal of the governors To re-unite prebends, not residentiary, to of Queen Anne's Bounty, aided by Par-their proper livings; and to connect rei The whole of the funds arising in these various ways to be placed under the management of Queen Anne's Bounty. ཚད complish this desideratum. By his But not only ought we to avoid replan the livings which are now under sorting to this impolitic and inefficient seventy pounds a year, would be in-mode of proceeding, we must take 'creased to one hundred a year in the course of ten years. Something must be proposed which will more rapidly, and more efficaciously, remove the evil, than has been hitherto suggested in any plan submitted to public approbation. Let us now, therefore, consider on what foundations a plan may be formed for increasing the poorer benefices: which shall not offend that part of the community, who are not guilty of desiring the welfare of the Church of England. The plan must not be founded on the principle of confiscation: and this for two reasons, its impolicy, and its inefficiency. Its impolicy has been already shown, in its consequences of destroying the present frame work of the church. Its inefficiency appears in this, that if all the episcopal, decanal, and capitular revenues in England were to be divided at once among the 4,361 poor livings which are now under 150l. a year, they would not increase each of such livings to the amount of two hundred per annum. returns of 1818. We learn from these that .. 12.. under 10 and above 10 and above 20 40 and above.. 30 50 60 301 under.. 70 and above.. 278.. under 100.. under 110 under 120 and above.. 70 and above* 80 and above.. 90 under 130 and above.. 120 254 217 under 140 and above.. 130 219.. under 150 and above.. 140 This is from a return made in 1815, when things were very high. It is allowed not to be complete. That is, there were even then, a few more livings of each of these classes. Now, as things have fallen, there must be many more.-Parliamentary Papers of 1818, vol. xviii., p. 215. The episcopal and decanal revenues have this sum be placed without deductions at the been estimated at 463,000. Let us suppose disposal of the state for the purposes of confiscation. To raise the 4,361 livings then to 2007. a year would require as follows: This return was not complete, for 858 livdentiary canonries with poor livings in the ings are omitted. Let us place these at the dame diocese. highest sum of 1507. To raise these to the My plan, Mr. Miller observes, should pro-amount of 2001. per annum, the additional duce at least 250,000l. per annum when in full sum of. 128,700. would be required. If we operation. Dr. Burton's not 60,0002. add this sum to the sum of 387,9001, we have As to appropriated tithes in general, he pro- the sum of 516,6002. required to raise the poor poses that they be charged along with those livings to 2001. a year each. That is, we reenjoyed by the vicar or perpetual curate in aquire more money by 53,6007 than the whole just proportion, for the building and main-income now vested in bishops, deans, and taining in a good state of repair the incum-chapters, to give to the poor clergy, by the bent's house. plan of confiscation, the small pittance of two *This is easily proved by the Parliamentary hundred pounds a year. |