veral united parishes ought to be divided, taking in so great a
compass, that it is almost impossible for the people to travel timely to
their own parish church, or their little churches to contain half their
number, though the revenue would be sufficient to maintain two, or
perhaps three worthy clergymen with decency; provided the times mend, or
that they were honestly dealt with, which I confess is seldom the case.
I shall name only one, and it is the deanery of Derry; the revenue
whereof, if the dean could get his dues, exceeding that of some
bishoprics, both by the compass and fertility of the soil, the number as
well as industry of the inhabitants, the conveniency of exporting their
corn to Dublin and foreign parts; and, lastly, by the accidental
discovery of marl in many places of the several parishes. Yet all this
revenue is wholly founded upon corn, for I am told there is hardly an
acre of glebe for the dean to plant and build on.

I am therefore of opinion, that a real undefalcated revenue of six
hundred pounds a year, is a sufficient income for a country dean in this
kingdom; and since the rents consist wholly of tithes, two parishes, to
the amount of that value, should be united, and the dean reside as
minister in that of Down, and the remaining parishes be divided among
worthy clergymen, to about 300_l_. a year to each. The deanery of Derry,
which is a large city, might be left worth 800_l_. a year, and Rapho
according as it shall be thought proper. These three are the only
opulent deaneries in the whole kingdom, and, as I am informed, consist
all of tithes, which was an unhappy expedient in the Church, occasioned
by the sacrilegious robberies during the several times of confusion and
war; insomuch that at this day there is hardly any remainder left of
dean and chapter lands in Ireland, that delicious morsel swallowed so
greedily in England, under the fanatic usurpations.

As to the present scheme of a bill for obliging the clergy to residence,
now or lately in the privy council, I know no more of the particulars
than what hath been told me by several clergymen of distinction; who
say, that a petition in the name of them all hath been presented to the
lord lieutenant and council, that they might be heard by their counsel
against the bill, and that the petition was rejected, with some reasons
why it was rejected; for the bishops know best what is proper for the
clergy. It seems the bill consists of two parts: