THE BISHOP OF PETERBOROUGH, in rising to move for—
A Return from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and from the Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty of all sales of lands belonging to or held in trust for parochial benefices or districts which have been effected or assented to by them respectively during the last ten years, specifying in each case the amount of land sold, the rental of the same, and the price obtained for it; also the like particulars of all cases in which sales have been refused within the same period;said, he was anxious to ascertain to what extent and under what conditions the Church of England of late years had been parting with her glebe lands, seeing that she was one of the largest landed proprietors in the country. It was a matter of importance to ascertain 1428 to what extent the clergy were being turned from land owners into fund holders, and he regretted to be obliged to add that the subject was one which had a deep and painful interest for many of the clergy at this moment. Owing to agricultural depression in the last two or three years, many of the clergy wore placed in most embarrassing and distressing circumstances, and in a few instances there had been great distress. The subject had been under consideration in the Upper House of Convocation, and the Return he now asked for—and which could, he was informed, be produced without difficulty—would be of great value. He begged to move for the Return of which he had given Notice.
§ EARL STANHOPE, on the part of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, said, they had not the least objection to give the Return asked for.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Return ordered to be laid before the House.