ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION. (Hansard, 2 May 1834)

The Bishop of London

took that opportunity of saying a few words upon that subject. The members of that commission had been very actively employed; but they had found, that the labours they had undertaken were very heavy and very difficult. When it was considered that they had to communicate by letter with nearly 11,000 incumbents respecting the nature and extent of their ecclesiastical property, their Lordships must see the difficulty of procuring the required information in a short period of time was such as in itself to amount to a sufficient excuse for some delay in making the returns. It was extremely difficult, too, so to frame the question, as not to be liable to misunderstanding, which had made it in many cases necessary to have two or three communications before it was possible to obtain the particulars which were not included in the first return. He was happy to say, that the returns were now nearly complete, and to be able to add, that the Commissioners met with scarcely any refusal on the part of any ecclesiastical person, to give them the information they desired. They had made up the account of the aggregate incomes of the 410 incumbents, and he hoped, that the tabular statements would soon be ready; but he believed, that their Lordships would agree with him, that when so great a question was afloat, and the public mind was so agitated upon that question, it was better to put up with a little delay than to make a return which might be afterwards found to be insufficient.