Leeds, took place a few days ago, in the presence of the neighbouring Clergy, the parochial schools, and the inhabitants of the adjoining hamlets. THE NEW MARRIAGE ACT.-It appears by the first annual return under this act, that the marriages solemnised according to the rites of the Christian Church had amounted to 107,201, and those performed in the Registrars' offices, dissenting meeting-houses, and others places, were 4,280. THE FOUNDATION OF A NEW CHURCH in the island of Portland, Weymouth, was laid on Monday, July 1. The ceremony was highly interesting and imposing. The Queen has given £300 towards the building. A NEW CHURCH bas been commenced at Holbeck Fen, Lincolnshire, the first stone was laid by the lady of the Rector. The Bishop of Lincoln contributed £800; George Tomline, Esq., £300; the Rev. R. Dodds, £200, &c., and the Duke of Somerset gave an acre of land on which to erect the church. THE CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH, Leicester, took place on Friday, July 5. The High Sheriff, and a large body of Clergy, were present on this interesting occasion. A VALEDICTORY ADDRESS of the Archdeacon and Clergy of the Archdeaconry and county of Leicester, was presented to the Bishop of Lincoln, at Leicester, on the occasion of the separation of the Archdeaconry and county from his lordship's diocese. A NEW CHURCH has been consecrated at Barnwell, Cambridge, by the Lord Bishop of Ely. It is built in the gothic style of the 16th century, of red brick mixed with stone. It contains sittings for 1400, of which one-half are free. Barnwell was thirty years ago a village adjoining Cambridge, with a population of two hundred inhabitants. It is now a suburb of the town, with a population of 8000. HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN DOWAGER has presented to the parish of Teddington, which abuts on Bushy Park, £100 towards the erection of a parsonage-house. THE LORD BISHOP OF EXETER intends to proceed on his general visitation throughout the Diocese, commencing the first week in August with the Archdeaconry of Totnes, and proceeding through Cornwall, and afterwards visiting the Archdeacodry of Totnes and Exeter. THE EDUCATION DIVISION.-The Bishops of Durham, Norwich, and Chichester voted against the Archbishop of Canterbury's motion for an Address to the Queen. THE CHURCH IN AMERICA. From that faithful chronicler, Swords' Almanac for the present year, the following statistics are derived:-The Clergy of our Church, in the respective Dioceses, states, and territories,are as follows:-Maine, 5; New Hampshire, 7 ; Massachusetts, 50; Rhode Island, 18; Vermont, 22; Connecticut, 79; New York, 171; Western New York, 75; New Jersey, 39; Pennsylvania, 91 ; Delaware, 10; Maryland, 71; Virginia, 75; North Carolina, 22; South Carolina, 46; Georgia, 8; Ohio, 54; Mississippi, 6; Kentucky, 20; Tennessee, 19; Alabama, 8; Michigan, 20; Florida, 5; Louisiana, 2; Indiana, 8; Missouri, 6; Wisconsin, 4; Illinois, 13; Iowa, 1;Arkansas, 1.-Total, 976. The Alumni of the General Theological Seminary are divided as follows: Maine, 1; Massachusetts, 5; Rhode Island, 5; Vermont, 2; Connecticut, 16; New York, 41; Western New York, 18; New Jersey, 12; Pennsylvania, 16; Maryland, 7; Virginia, 2; North Carolina, 3; South Carolina, 8; Ohio, 3; Mississippi, 2; Tennessee, 2; Louisiana, 1; Indiana, 2; Missouri, 2; Wisconsin, 1; Illinois, 3; Alabama, 1.-Total, 153. BETHNAL-GREEN.-The Grocers' Company have made a munificent donation of £500 in aid of the subscription for releiaving the spiritual destitution of this extensive district of the metropolis. It is intended to build ten additional churches, and from the heartiness with which the cause is taken up, there is no doubt of the accomplishment of the object. THURSDAY, JULY 4, the ceremony of the consecration of the Church of St. James, Shoreditch, in the Curtain-road, Worshipstreet, was performed by the Lord Bishop of London, in the presence of the Clergymen of the district, the Churchwardens, and other parochial officers, and a numerous and respectable congregation. THE EARL OF BRADFORD has given adonation of £20 towards the Worcester Diocesan Board of Education, with an annual subscription of £2. THE DOWAGER MARCHIONESS OF CONYNGHAM and the Dowager Lady Wenlock have each presented the Rector of Sutton, Coldfield, with £100, towards the erection of a residence for the Minister officiating in the new church lately erected in that parish. ARCHES' COURT, JUNE 29.-HAWES AND VICAT V. PELLATT.-This was a suit for subtraction of Church-rate brought by letters of request from the commissary of the Bishop of Winchester for the parts of Surrey, by the Churchwardens of the parish of Christ Church, Surrey, against Mr. Apsley Pellat, a parishioner, who appeared in person to support his protest against the jurisdicton of the Court. The defendant was heard in a long rambling speech claiming exemption from the charge as dissenting from the doctrines of the Church, in the course of which Dr. Addams observed that he had no objection to let the defendant go on if the Court pleased, but the rule was that he should be confined to the grounds of his protest.-Sir H. Jenner said: Certainly. The only question is, whether this Court has jurisdiction in a case of Church-rate, and whether the party has been properly cited. However (to the defendant) I am ready to hear you.The defendant then proceeded to read various texts from the sacred Scriptures, and long extracts from pamphlets and historical works, and also others from legal authorities, upon which he contended, that the form of proceeding by letters of request was wrong, and also that the letters of request had been wrongly granted by the Commissary of Surrey, the power of issuing them being only in the Bishop.-After Dr. Addams had been heard in opposition to the protest, Sir Herbert Jenner proceeded to deliver judgment, in which he said that Church-rate being a matter of ecclesiastical cognizance, the only question was, whether the case could be brought there by letters of request? It was of almost daily occurrence that questions of ecclesiastical cognizance were so brought, and the rule so adopted had been recognised by courts of common law. He was of opinion that the right of the party to proceed in that court was clear and undeniable.-The Court overruled the protest and condemned the defendant in costs. NEW CHURCH.-On Wednesday, July 17, the solemn ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the new church at Lee, Kent, took place. The friends and supporters of the Church mustered in great numbers, and nearly the whole of the fashionable residents of the county for miles round were present. THE BISHOPS AND CLERGY of several Dioceses in Ireland have published protests against the plan of transferring the education of the Irish Clergy to a new college, separate from the university. CHELTENHAM. On Thursday, July 4, agreeably to annual custom, the various schools in connexion with the Church were conducted in procession to St. Paul's, where an impressive address was delivered by the Rev. F. Close, to upwards of 3000 persons. A "CHURCH OF ENGLAND LAY ASSOCIATION" has been established at Birmingham under the most favourable auspices. THE DIRECTORS of the Bank of England have voted £500 towards building a new church in the eastern division of the metropolis. THE CONSECRATION of a new church in Lambeth was lately performed by the Bishop of Winchester. The site, in Carlisle-street, was most handsomely presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The building was erected by voluntary contributions, and the future expenses will be borne without the aid of the parochial funds. There are 1000 sittings, one-half appropriated to the poor. His Grace has also presented the silver chalice and salver. THE MARQUIS OF GRANBY and Sir G. Clerk have refused to subscribe any further towards the Stamford Bluecoat School, as has the Marquis of Exeter. The reason assigned for withdrawing their aid to this charity is, that the Charity Trustees appointed by the Lord Chancellor have refused to allow the children to be educated in the tenets of the Church of England, and have forbidden the use of the Church Catechism in the schools. THE BATH CHURCH OF ENGLAND LAY ASSOCIATION has determined to address his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, on the important service he has rendered to the Church and nation on the subject of the Ministerial scheme of national education, which was opposed in the House of Lords by a majority of 229 to 118. An address and petition to the House of Lords, thanking them for their firmness, and praying them to persevere in the same patriotic course, bas also been agreed to. BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN CHURCHBUILDING ASSOCIATION.-At the quarterly meeting of the general committee, held at the palace at Wells, on the 2d of July, there were present the Venerable Archdeacon Brymer in the chair, the Rev. W. G. Dymock, the Rev. T. W. Middleton, the Rev. Charles Deedes, the Rev. C. O. Mayne, W. M. Pinder, Esq., and the Rev. W. Gunning. A grant of £525 was voted towards the proposed new church, in the parish of St. Mary Magdalen, Taunton. The original grant towards rebuilding the church at Haselbury Plunkett, was augmented £50; and the sum of £25 was added to the former grants towards building the new church at Downside. The annual general meeting of the members of the Association will be held at Wells on the 2d of October. CONSECRATION OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, BUNHILL-ROW.-On Wednesday, July 10, the consecration of the church of St. Paul, Bunhill-row, in the parish of St. Luke, Middlesex, was performed by the Bishop of London, in the presence of Lord Radstock, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the parochial officers, and a highly-respectable congregation. The ground for the erection of the church was given by the proprietors of the Artillery-ground, on part of which it is raised. THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE OF BATH have set a good example in founding a "City Commercial School," in close connexion with the Church. The head-master is a Clergyman. The system will include all the branches of a good education. THE ACTUAL PROCEEDS of the late bazaar for the repairs of the churches at Leeds, have been ascertained to amount to £2103 17s. 6d., to which donations to the amount of £82 have since been added, making a total of £2185 17s. 6d. THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHURCH accommodation within the Archdeaconry of Coventry have made a grant of £600 towards the erection of a new church at Harnell, Warwickshire. LADY HEWLEYS CHARITY.-The arguments of counsel in the appeal to the Lords before the Judges are concluded. The appeal now only awaits their Lordships' judgment. BY LETTERS RECEIVED FROM NEW SOUTH WALES, we learn that the Bishop of Australia (Dr. Broughton) returned at the latter end of January to Sidney, after a very interesting visitation to the penal settlement of Norfolk Island and the Missionary Stations in New Zealand. AFTER AN ARDUOUS STRUGGLE of five days' duration, the Church-rate party at Rochdale have been victorious by a majority of eleven-the numbers being at the close of the poll, for the rate, 897; against it, 886. CHURCH-RATES.-On Thursday and Friday, July 11 and 12, a poll was taken in the parish of Ealing, including Old Brentford, on the question of Church-rates. Certain dissenters had inundated the parish with handbills, containing the usual vexatious attacks upon the Church, and every effort was made by them to gain the victory. Under great disadvantages on the part of the members of the Church, the following was the result at the close of the poll:--For the rate 185; against it 55; majority 130. SCOTTISHI EPISCOPAL CHURCH.-Mr. Nicholl, the member for Cardiff, has given notice in the House of Commons for next session, for a bill to amend statute 32 Geo. III., c. 63, "to enable Bishops and Priests canonically ordained of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Scotland, with written permission of the Ordinary, and the consent of the Incumbent, to perform Divine Services and Offices, to preach and administer the Sacraments in churches or chapels, in England or Ireland, belonging to the Established Church." THE OPPONENTS of the Church-rate at Hackney, on Monday, did not take much by their motion in demanding a poll, the result being 51 against the rate, but for the rate 462. CHURCH EXTENSION.-On Monday, July 15, the first stone of a new church, in the parish of St. Mary, Rotherhithe, was laid by Major-General Sir W. Gomm, K.C.B., attended by the Rector, the Churchwardens, the Curate, the Ministers of the two new churches lately erected in the parish, and a great number of the gentry and tradesmen of the district. The church will accommodate 1000 persons. The expense of the erection, with the endowment fund for the Minister, will be about £5,000; of which the Metropolitan Church Building Fund has contributed £2,000; her Majesty's Commissioners £1,000; the Incorporated Society £500; Clare Hall (Cambridge) £100; the Rector £50; Major-General Sir W. Gomm £50 and the site. NOTICES TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. Portraits of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Exeter (from a new and excellent likeness), Mr. Melville, Dr. Dillon, and Mr. Dale, will follow as soon as possible, with Memoirs. The circulation of the Magazine is rapidly increasing; and those who wish to complete their sets had better obtain the preceding numbers, as some of them are likely to be soon out of print. We shall henceforward be able to give a well-executed and highly-finished Portrait in each number, such as shall be well worth double the price of the Magazine. We will not, indeed, give any ordinary Engravings in future.-For "The beautiful chimes of old England," written in America, we are indebted to the The Churchman, an excellent newspaper published at New York. "A Lay Member of the Church of England's" parcel has been received, but we have not yet been able to read half its contents, which shall nevertheless be attended to us early as possible. We have written a long reply to our friend "Laicus," on the priesthood of Korah; but, on further consideration, we have thought it not worth while to occupy so much room about it, especially as it does not in the least affect the point which "Theophilus" was labouring to establish, namely, that the wickedness of the Minister does not invalidate his ministerial acts. St. Mark ix. 38, 39, 40, shall be expounded in our next, and we hope to the satisfaction of our good friend "A Clergyman in the South." "A Cornish Rector" in our next.-" A Constant Reader," at Leeds-" J. A. L."-" Philalethes," of Winchester-" P. H. S."-" Another Manchester Churchman"-" C. O."-and "A Churchman," shall all be attended to, as far and as soon as convenient.-Some person, who wants better employment, has been addressing to us several Letters bearing the Liverpool post-mark, and all unpaid, evidently for the purpose of cheating us of the postage; but they have been returned to the Postoffice, and the poor man's object thus defeated. He may as well know, also, that the postage of anonymous letters, even if received, and broken open, will be returned, by application to the Post-office. To A Lay Friend"-" Clericus"-" M. Sn," and some others, who wish us to make the price of the Magazine a shilling, we have to say, that we have not the remotest idea of doing so, as we should thereby place it beyond the reach of that class of persons amongst whom we hope it will be most useful. We may, however, meet the wishes of all, by publishing Supplementary sheet every month, containing the Ecclesiastical Register more in full. This would leave more room in the Magazine itself, and those who wished to have the Ecclesiastical Register might then purchase it at about threepence extra. It would not be counted in the number of the pages of the Magazine itself, but might nevertheless be bound up with it. This plan might meet the wishes of all parties. We now merely throw out the hint, without pledging ourselves to any alteration at all, as we have not yet made up our mind upon the subject, except not to raise the price of the Magazine. We shall be glad of the opinions of our friends, in reference to a Monthly Supplement, which might be commenced with the new year. "The Church Magazine" may be ordered of any Bookseller in any part of the kingdom. |