§ MR. BAXTERasked the Under Secretary of State for India, If his attention has been called to Return, No. 37, of the present Session "East India (Ecclesiastical Department)," which shows that many Chaplains or Ministers of the Church of England have salaries out of the public funds, although their congregations do not consist of "Civil and Military servants of the Queen," and the letter from the Government of India covering which expresses a hope of effecting reductions in the ecclesiastical expenditure; and, whether it is intended to withdraw all payments from the Indian Exchequer to clergymen whose ministrations are confined mainly to private persons?
§ MR. E. STANHOPESir, the Return to which the right hon. Gentleman refers shows, as he says, that some chaplains and ministers of the Church of England receive salaries out of public funds, although their congregations consist of few civil and military servants of the Queen; but, as pointed out by the Bishop of Calcutta, the duties and responsibilities of Government chaplains cannot be measured merely by the number of Government servants attending their ministrations. The Returns, for instance, exclude the families of civil and military servants, pensioners, and others. Since 1876 this expenditure has been reduced; and as the Government of India state that they are considering the whole subject, and hope to make further reductions during the coming financial year, no further step is at present contemplated.