"3. State how many acres does the said parish or estate contain, distinguishing the numbers of acres of arable, meadow, pasture or sheep-walk, and wood land.

"4. Is the parish or estate the property of a lay or ecclesiastical impropriator?

“5. State, under the appropriate head on the other side, whether the tithe is taken in kind, or compounded for on view of each crop every year, or compounded for by an annual average money-payment, or by a corn rent; and state, in either of the two last cases, whether on lease, or the payment varied from year to year.

"6. In the first case, state the amount of average market value of the tithes so taken in kind during the last seven years, without any deduction what

soever.

"7. State the scale of prices at which the above value is calculated.

"8. State whether the whole parish or estate is subject to rectorial and vicarial tithes; and if to vicarial tithes, state the amount in value of each description separately, and (if any) the quantity and culture of land subject to any modus, composition real, or prescriptive payment, and the amount of any such payment per acre.

"9. If the tithe is taken in kind, state the expenses of collecting, threshing, and carrying the same to market.

"10. State the amount of all rates and taxes to which such tithe is subject; and the two sums referred to in Nos. 9 and 10, when subtracted to the marketable value of the tithe, will give the net value of the tithe.

"11. If compounded for on view of each crop, state the average annual value of the whole of the produce during the last seven years, without any deduction whatsoever; and also the prices on which each value was calculated; the amount of such composition for such description of land, and whether same has been made subject to rates; and if so, state the amount of such rates, which, deducted from the composition, will give the net value of the tithe. If you cannot answer such question in detail, give the whole composition.

12. If under composition by a money-payment, or on a corn rent for several years, or from year to year, state the amount of such composition, when such composition was made, and for what term.

"13. What was the scale of prices on which such composition was calculated?

"14. Is such composition received clear of all rates, or subject to them? and, if the latter, state the amount of such rates, and the net value of such composition received by the tithe-owner."

Prussia.-During the last fifteen years the number of births in the Prussian dominions, exclusively of Neufchatel, has amounted to 7,583,017; among these there were 257,068 still-born children,-namely, 147,705 boys, and 109,363 girls. In the same interval there were 5,457,209 deaths, including the still-born children; and 26,576 of the entire number had attained to upwards of ninety years of age. Between the years 1826 and 1834, 430 individuals died of hydrophobia; and, during the last six years, 38,733 of various casualties. In 1831 the cholera carried off 32,647 persons. During the last fifteen years 16,680 persons committed suicide, amongst whom were 2981 females; 44,699 fell victims to the small-pox; and 70,215 females died in the pains of child-bearing.

205

Number of Emigrants from the United Kingdom during 1832, 1833, and 1834 :—

Wheat.-Annual average prices of wheat from 1815 to 1834:

Number of Unions formed, with the Agency of each Assistant Commissioner, the Number of the Parishes united, and the Average Amount of Poor's Rates:—

Name of Assistant

Commissioner.

County.

Hants

H

Name of Assistant
Commissioner.

County.

Hertford

Bedford

Mr. Adey.

Bucks

Middlesex

Bucks

Mr. Gilbert..

Oxford 4, Herts 1

Berks

Mr. Hall

...

Wilts 8, Bucks 2

Hants

1

Northampton

Mr. Earle

Oxford 2, Bucks 2

Up to August 8, 1835, there had been 111 unions formed, including 2311 parishes, 1,385,124 people, and 1,221,543l. rates.

Since the above statement was drawn up, there have been 103 additional unions formed, making 214 in all, up to the present time, (Dec. 1835.) Mr. Tufnell has succeeded Sir F. Head in Kent, and Sir John Walsam is appointed to Dorsetshire. If any other appointments have been made, perhaps any person who has observed them will have the kindness to send them. VOL. IX.-Feb. 1836. 2 E

ST. MATTHIAS.

SIR, I hope this may be in time for your forthcoming number, in order to prevent your readers from being misled by an error in "Gilbert's Clerical Almanac," which I have only just now observed.

In that almanack St. Matthias' day is marked as to be kept on Thursday, 25th of February, and the editor has appended the following note :-" St. Matthias is fixed to the sixth kalends of March, and is therefore counted backwards from the 1st March, and not forward from the 1st February. This was decided at the council of Trent :* thus in leap year it should be observed on February 25."

It is well known to all acquainted with these subjects that the proper day of this commemoration in leap year has been a matter of dispute. But, so far as the Church of England is concerned, this dispute has been decided against the view taken of it in "Gilbert's Almanac." The following notice may be found in "Wheatley on the Common Prayer Book :"-" On February 5th, A.D. 1638, Archbishop Sancroft (who was himself one of the reviewers of the liturgy, and was principally concerned in revising the calendar, and whose knowledge in that kind of learning excelled) published an injunction or order requiring all parsons, vicars and curates, to take notice, that the feast of St. Matthias is to be celebrated (not upon the 25th of February, as the common almanacs boldly and erroneously set in, but) upon the 24th of February, for ever, whether it be leap year or not, as the calendar in the liturgy, confirmed by act of uniformity, appoints and enjoins." A little further on it is observed, that "from Micrologus, who lived about the year 1080, (200 years before Durand, who is the first that I can find to mention the contrary practice,) it appears the ancient custom was to keep St. Matthias, as our present liturgy now enjoins, even in leap years, upon the 24th." That such was the intention of the framers of the calendar seems most obvious from the fact, that whereas in Queen Elizabeth's Common Prayer Book it was ordered that the psalms and lessons which serve for the 23rd day of February shall be read again the day following, (this being considered the intercalary day;) on the later review this was altered, and distinct lessons appointed for February 29th, the now intercalary day. I am, &c., AN OBSERVER OF THE FESTIVALS.

CHURCH MATTERS.

IRISH CLERGY.

THE letters which have appeared in the public newspapers between two Irish prelates of the Roman communion and the Bishop of Gloucester deserve notice. The radical Gloucester paper chose to say that the bishop had accused the Irish priests of exhorting their people to murder the protestant clergy, or something to that effect. Bishop Kinsella on this writes a letter much in the strain common with Irish persons of low extraction and little used to civilized society, vulgar in language, and full of wrath and abuse. But, in all bability, his violence and want of reflexion induced him to believe the story, and he wrote in sincerity. Not so Archbishop Murray. He

A schismatical council.

sets out with stating his conviction that the story could not be true, and, having thus guarded himself, he proceeds, because the bishop had not said this, to reply just as if he had, and to say everything that could possibly inflame the mind and feelings of the country against the unfortunate Protestant clergy. This is all intelligible enough. The strong feeling manifested against Archbishop Murray's mode of belief, and against the cruelty and tyranny of its professors, by the large subscriptions* for the unfortunate clergy, are a bitter thorn in his side; and this is his revenge. The proceeding was altogether in character with the indirect and disingenuous line of conduct which he pursued with respect to Dens. On receiving the Bishop of Gloucester's reply, he writes a most plausible and courteous answer, full of satisfaction and compliment. Why not? He had done all the harm he wished and was able in his first letter; why should he not be civil in his second?

But there are two words used by Dr. Murray which deserve special notice. He was sure that a Christian bishop could not have used such words as were ascribed to Bishop Monk! Will Dr. Murray honestly and openly say that he believes any protestant bishop to be a bishop at all? If he will not, is it to his ingenuousness and his love of truth that the use of such a phrase is to be ascribed?

Again, he and his brethren, as he tells us, look on the Church of Ireland with no hostile feelings, but as a great bulwark against infidelity! It is doubtless on that account that they are so extremely zealous just now in attempting to drive it and its ministers into the sea! Has not Archbishop Murray sufficient discrimination to know that this is over-acting-that it can deceive no one, and must disgust every one?

MEDICAL EDUCATION.-METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY.

THE late proceedings with respect to the Metropolitan University call for the serious consideration of the country. This journal has already often expressed the opinion that the giving to the College in Gowerstreet, or any similar institution, the right of granting degrees in arts could not be a matter of the slightest possible importance, and that the notion of its injuring the elder universities was one which could only provoke a very gentle smile. The grounds on which that opinion was formed remain the same; and, therefore, notwithstanding all the vaunts and boasts at a late meeting in Gower-street of the great and certain superiority of their college over everything which ever was or could be, and notwithstanding the pean of victory sung by the historian or scribe of the college, that now for the first time education can be accomplished without interference from the church, the opinion is still held that poor Oxford and Cambridge may hope to go on, for a year or two at least, without seeing the grass grow in their streets, or their colleges moulder away under the poisonous breath and withering touch of clerical instructors. No objection, therefore, is felt, and

They are understood to amount now to nearly 90,000l.