§ The Report on the Benefices Pluralities Bill was brought up.
The Archbishop of Canterburysaid, that considerable discussion had on a former occasion taken place as to the best mode of ascertaining the value of benefices to be held in plurality, the population of each benefice, and the distance between them, and it had been thought that the 113th section of the bill was insufficient for that purpose. He, therefore, now proposed to expunge the 113th clause, and to substitute for it four other clauses, to follow the sixth clause, which he thought would meet every objection which had been raised. We understood 381 their purport to be, that every spiritual person applying to the Bishop for a dispensation to hold two benefices should set forth in writing the value of those benefices, or the average of those benefices, for the three years previous to the application, together with the average amount of the population of each parish during that time, and the distance at which those benefices were separated from each other. The clauses also provided that these statements were to be verified to the satisfaction of the Bishop.
§ The 113th clause was struck out, and the other clauses were agreed to.
The Earl of Cawdor,who spoke in so low a tone as to be inaudible in the gallery, proposed some amendments, the object of which, as far as we could collect it, seemed to be the abolition of sinecure rectories with a view to their appropriation to the increase of small livings, and also the union of small parishes to large ones adjoining. He had in his own gift a parish which contained only seventy-seven inhabitants, which he wished to see united to a neighbouring living. The amendments which he proposed were in conformity with the recommendations of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
§ Amendments were ordered to be printed and considered on the third reading. Report received.