ith
a view to this especial purpose, consisting exclusively of members of
the established church, and named by his majesty. Power would be given
to this committee to alter the boundaries of vacant benefices, subject
to such modifications as subsequent vacancies of contiguous benefices
might render advisable to carry into effect. Since the year 1718
the lord-lieutenant and the privy-council had united two hundred and
eighty-nine parishes, consisting of the union of two or more parishes.
The committee, after fixing the boundaries, were to apportion such
income as they might think proper relative to the duties of the future
incumbents, but within certain limitations. Where the number of the
members of the established church varied from 500 to 1000, the income
would be L300; and where the number varied from 1000 to 3000, the income
would be L400. Where the number of Protestants amounted to 3000 and
upwards, the income would be raised to L500; but wherever the number
was below 50, it was proposed to assign to the incumbent an income not
exceeding L100. After thus providing for the Protestant establishment,
his lordship said that there would still be a considerable surplus of
ecclesiastical revenue. The tithes payable to the clergy at present
were L511,000, which, remitting thirty per cent, left a rent-charge of
L353,000. The ministers' money might be stated at L10,000, without the
expenses of collection; the private bounty fund, L5000; glebe-lands,
clear revenue, L86,500; total, L459,550. There were 1385 benefices in
Ireland, a considerable number of which were sinecures, not merely from
the circumstance of having no members of the church of England within
their locality, but also from the fact that they were in the hands of
the dignitaries of the church, who performed little or no service
in them. There were also many which had been suppressed by the
church-temporalities act, divine service not having been performed in
them for three years. Perhaps the number necessary to keep up would be
about 1250. It was intended, indeed, under this bill, to give power to
the privy-council to constitute new benefices in Ireland, of which they
were likely to avail themselves to some extent. The whole payment to be
made to the clergy of the 1250 benefices he calculated at L361,928,
thus leaving a surplus of L97,612. This was a larger surplus than he had
hoped for last year; but as the committee of the privy-council would, in
certain cases,