built in the transept form; and also how far a groind roof, such as is to be seen in most of our cathedrals, is to be considered as favourable, or otherwise, with regard to echo?

CLERICUS EBOR.

Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. PERMIT me to invite the attention of your readers to a subject already noticed in some of your former volumes, but which still requires public attention to be recalled to it-I mean the system of briefs to be read in churches. It seems to be a very general opinion among persons who have considered the system of Briefs, } that the evils incident to it can be abolished only by the abolition of the system itself. Even if the large fees of office were struck off, there would still remain in addition to the expenses of paper, printing, canvas, carriage, and postage, the sum of fourpence on each church brief, and eightpence for each fire brief; which alone amounts, on the whole number of the former issued, to about 1827. and of the latter to 3887.; making, with the fees and charges above mentioned, 2691. to be deducted from every church brief, and 474. from every fire brief, before the sufferers can receive a single shilling of the sums collected on their behalf. My own view has long been, that it can scarcely, under any management, become a beneficially productive system; partly from the reluctance of persons to contribute to an official routine appeal to charity, and partly from the necessarily heavy expenses of collecting individually small sums in every parish throughout the kingdom.

A plan has, however, been proposed for turning these parochial collections into another channel, which particularly deserves the attention of the clergy. This proposal is detailed at length in a pamphlet just published by a clergy

Legislature, urging the immediate Abolition of Briefs, and suggesting a Plan by which the Funds of the Society for promoting the Enlargement and Building of Churches and Chapels may be annually replenished, and made efficient for the Accomplishment of its important Objects."

The substance of the writer's proposal is as follows:

Within the last seven years much has been done to meet the spiritual wants of the people; but, from the last Report of " the Society for promoting the Enlargement and Building of Churches and Chapels," it appears, that, so far from their wants being supplied, "such is the increased and increasing population of the country, that church-room to a much greater extent is still required, and that applications are even more numerous than they were at any former period."

In some large towns, where, through the liberality of Parliament, new churches have been erected, the supply is yet but very inadequate. In many places, where it was determined that only one church should be built, from the increased population, three at least were required. But from this circumstance alone, that parliamentary grants are restricted to the building of churches, and this only in parishes whose population is not less than 4000, and for which there is not accommodation in the church for more than 1000, it is evident that there inust be a very wide and important sphere for a society formed" for promoting the enlargement as well as building of churches and chapels." For where there is an increasing population in any parish of more than three thousand inhabitants, and the parish church will not contain one thousand, or, it may be, not five hundred, and is probably altogether destitute of free sittings; who will say, that such a church, if required, ought not to be enlarged, or that a Society for promoting the

enlargement as well as the building of churches was unnecessary?

Besides, many large and populous hamlets have sprung up within the last thirty or fifty years, which are without any church or chapel, and for which the parliamentary grants make no provision, unless there should be a population of at least one thousand, resident from their parish church or chapel at a distance of more than four miles. But the residence of a thousand, or of eight hundred persons, at the distance, not of four, or of three, but of two miles from their parish church, is at all times, but more especially in the winter, a serious inconvenience, and a circumstance that must be detrimental, if not destructive, to the morality and good order of any hamlet that may be so unhappily situated. A general and habitual neglect of public worship, with a consequent disregard of the Sabbath altogether, will be sure to prevail.

The writer of the "Address" states, that he has a hamlet in his own parish, which, when the census was taken in the year 1801, contained a population of 396; and which has since increased to nearly 1000, and is still rapidly increasing. The greater part of the inhabitants are resident nearly two miles from their church; and for this hamlet, and two others, when the church was newly pewed in the year 1775, only thirty free sittings were allotted. Now, who will say, that such a hamlet ought to be without a church?

But this case is not a solitary instance; there are many whose wants are still greater, and their claims, from distance and other circumstances, more urgent.

Under these circumstances the following suggestions are submitted by the author of the Address.

Let the Society for enlarging and building Churches and Chapels be made a chartered society; and, instead of briefs, let a circular address be received, once or twice in the year (as might be deemed most expedient or necessary), briefly stating

the various applications the Society had received and approved, and the very peculiar and pressing circumstances under which some of them were made: and the cases themselves would form such an appeal, that there would be no want of benevolent contributors; especially when it was known that the sums collected would be received to the full amount by the treasurer, to whom all communications should be post-free. There are but few country bankers who would not have the kindness to send to London the collections made in their town or neighbourhood, (if no other plan could be devised;) and the minister would have only to advise the treasurer that he had thus remitted the amount it had been his happiness to collect; or, as is now the case with briefs, it might be paid at the visitation, and the whole be sent from the several arch-deaconries in the diocese at one time, and by one responsible person.

It would require an able casuist to determine which is the greater; the aversion of ministers to read a brief, or of the people to hear it. Why, then, should a mode of collecting be persisted in, which is known to be so repugnant to general feeling? To read a brief, with its sameness, and its wearisome technicalities, can only be regarded as a painful interruption of Divine service, especially when the mind associates with it those charges which will almost annihilate the wretched pittance which may be contributed. The very thought, that perhaps the whole sum collected may be swallowed up in fees of office, and the object at last be nothing benefited, tends utterly to extinguish those feelings of benevolence which ought to characterise a Christian congregation, and which, if justly excited, and properly directed, might be turned to the good of our country, by increasing the funds of the Society for enlarging and building Churches and Chapels.

Unless a church be in a very

dilapidated state, and the parish extremely poor, it will be found that most parishes do, and will, repair their own churches; and that the claims on the Society for repairing would be but few, in comparison of the applications for new or enlarged churches.

not

If but half-a-crown to a brief, from every parish in England and Wales, will raise no less than 2350l., how great a sum might we expect would be annually collected and remitted, on the plan now proposed! With respect to briefs, it is urged by some persons, that all we have to do is to give to them more bountifully, and then the charitable design of them would be answered. But there actually exists a stronger objection to giving too much than too little; because, if a greater amount were collected on a brief than the case required, the undertaker has no power to apply the overplus to any other brief, or to divide it among those that may have the same object, and be returned at the same time. There is now in the funds the sum of 900%. on account of fire briefs; and there it is likely to remain till an Act be passed to abolish such a mode of collecting, and to assign the amount to some charitable institution.

Briefs are addressed not only to the whole body of the clergy, but "to all teachers and preachers of every separate congregation." But is it not folly to expect those to contribute to our churches whose tenets are avowedly hostile to our Establishment? And as the circulation of briefs among those who cannot conscientiously contribute to them has no other tendency than to increase the expense, and to render them more fruitless than they are, we have another plea for the abolition of a bad system, and the immediate adoption of a better.

As assurance offices, which were unknown when briefs were first granted, are now so general that every one is familiar with their de

sign, and knows that for a trifle he may enjoy the security they afford, there can exist no longer any ne cessity for fire briefs. And besides this, in this age of philanthrophy, whenever an indigent, but sober and industrious man, loses any part of his property by "a sudden and terrible fire," there is no calamity which excites in his neighbourhood a more generous sympathy, or which receives more ample and immediate relief.

It is not the wish of the author of the Address, or of the present writer, to set aside any just appeal to public benevolence: only let there be adopted some such plan as has been suggested; one that every minister must approve, and in support of which, as commending itself to every man's conscience, he can address his congregation. A. B.

Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. I was glad to see the question of the nature and extent of the authority of a bishop presiding over a diocese, lately considered in your pages. (p. 149.) I subscribe to all parts of the remarks of your correspondent, including those points of caution and advice which he has laid down on the subject, so far as they are applicable to the case of

Curates.

It is, however, to the legal opinion of counsel I chiefly advert; for it must be satisfactory to the mind of the most scrupulous minister of our church, to hear, that he has a right occasionally to employ any lawfully episcopally ordained clergyman to officiate in his church, without being subject to the trouble and expense of a licence for so doing, himself being responsible to the bishop of the diocese for any improper ap plication of such right; and it would be an extreme hardship, to say the least, were the law otherwise; for what minister can possibly foresee whether he himself may not be hindered by sickness or other

sudden impediment, from personally officiating: and in this case, is the church to be shut up, and the administration of the word and sacraments to be dispensed with for the day?

As to whatever falls under the particular cognizance of the diocesan, and within his ordinary jurisdiction, no minister, I conceive, would for a moment interfere with

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the lawful exercise of that authority which the State has given for such purposes: but how far beyond this, as it is not a point within the reach of legislative enactment, he would be induced to go, each individual, acting on the principle laid down by Episcopalian," (namely, that in case of extremity," we ought to obey God rather than man,") must determine for himself. After paying all due deference to the opinion and suggestions of those in authority, if called by the force of circumstances over which he has no controul, to assert his right, he ought to do so, only contending in the spirit of meekness, and "committing his cause to Him that judgeth righteously."

It is a happy circumstance that our church recognises the important distinction between legislative and ministerial authority (vide Art.xxxvii.); and therefore neither bishops nor subordinate ministers can violate the law, whilst they separately or conjointly act upon it, and "take heed to the ministry which they have received in the Lord," that they fulfil it; and thus act up to the full spirit of the solemn exhortation given them at the time of ordination, when they are required "to teach and premonish, to feed and provide for the Lord's family; to seek for Christ's sheep that are dispersed abroad, and for his children who are in the midst of this naughty world, that they be saved through Christ for ever."

This point, therefore, being clear ly understood by both parties, there will be no room for jealousies among us; and we shall prevent Sa

tan from obtaining a victory over us, by causing any dissensions, and by dividing our strength: and we should ever give heed to the Apostolic injunction, which exhorts, that we "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel." Phil. i. 27.

ANOTHER EPISCOPALIAN.

Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer.

ONE or two papers having appeared in your publication relative to the conduct of masters and mistresses professing religion towards their servants, I beg leave to offer a few remarks on the character and conduct of servants generally, particularly female servants.

With a few pleasing exceptions, there are probably more complaints of this useful class of the community in the present day than at any former period. That system of luxury and extravagance which pervades the middle as well as higher classes of society, more particularly of late years, tends greatly to corrupt the lower orders, especially servants, who from this evil example are often unfitted to enter the family of a frugal but honest tradesman, or one who from principle cannot sanction extravagance or waste. That profuse expenditure in housekeeping by which many families are ruined, that want of regularity and good management so essential to their interest and happiness, are also very injurious in their effects upon servants. The frequent change of servants and situations, is one great reason why heads of families and servants feel so little interested or concerned in the welfare of each other. The love of novelty and change, disproportionate wages, little work, and indolent habits, are often encouraged by families keeping a larger establishment than may be really needful. Some years since, it was no uncommon circumstance for a young female entering a family to