established and intimately cemented have some of these unions become, that the boundaries of the parishes of which they consist it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to trace; and there are among the apologists of ecclesiastical abuses those who would avail themselves of this circumstance, and boldly affirm that the parishes in some unions are not distinct parishes, only town lands, and this though the denomination and names of the parishes are fully set forth in the titles of every incumbent! A Statement exhibiting the Number of Unions, the Number of Parishes in each, and their Denominations. Having explained the nature of unions and their territorial magnitude, the reader will be better enabled to judge of the value of Irish benefices, and he must be convinced what a fortunate aspirant he must be who happens to be presented with two or more such benefices, besides dignis ties and offices, especially if he have not-as is possible-a church in any of them to preach in, nor a single Protestant to whom he need read prayers. In Ireland, as in England, there is great disparity in the value of livings; some are extremely small and insignificant, while others, according to the admission of his grace of Armagh, are worth £2300 per annum. We are as averse to the penury of one part of the church as to the corruptive opulence of another; for we dislike all extremes of condition, and are quite of AGUR's opinion in thinking that neither excess of riches nor poverty is for the good of individuals. The list of parishes we subjoin has been taken almost at random from the Parliamentary Returns of the amount of compositions for tithe: it will show the actual sums now paid by parishes in lieu of tithes, and, as the UNIONS are enclosed in crotchets, it will be seen what monstrosities some of them are. The composition-rent put down is for clerical tithes only; the amount paid for impropriate tithes is omitted, as not useful information, of great interest to those enjoying and aspiring to ecclesiastical emoluments; but, having been edited under the sanction of the Board of First Fruits, the Editor has been careful not to afford the slightest glimpse of the discipline and immense amount and mal-administration of the revenues of the Irish church. forming part of the income of the incumbent. In some unions all the parishes have not yet compounded; in others the compositions have been annulled by the bishops, (who have a veto on these agreements,) as not being adequate to their reputed value. The names of the patrons and present incumbents have been collected from the Ecclesiastical Register of Ireland. STATEMENT of the Sums agreed to be paid, under the CompositionAct, by several Parishes in lieu of Tithes, and the Names of the present Incumbents and Patrons. W. Knox Bp. Connor .... Ballymoney G. Macartney....... Marq.Donegal.. Marq. Donegal.. {Sherry .... Racavan Skinner's Com. Banagher London } Trin. Col. Dublin Cappagh 1015 The King...... Ahoghill 1015 419 ..... 295 .. Bp. Derry Bp. Derry .... ...... Bovevagh 650 580 1000 The lay tithes of this parish have been compounded for £476, making the total amount of composition £1429 a year. W. Bourne H. Joly ... ... ... ... ... Trin. Col. Dublin Marq. Abercorn ·Bp. Dromore.... Raymochy Taughboyne, 1569 {Taughboyne, } Saints Bp. Ardagh.... {Congesh Killoe.... Duke of Leinster Rathangan • Duke of Leinster { J. D. Wingfield .......... Lord Digby 937 461 535 553 Clonsast 628 This is an union containing six more parishes, but as they have not compounded, their names are omitted. + Ferns has compounded for its impropriate tithe for £553, making the annual sum payable by this parish for lay and ecclesiastical tithes £823. 150 Incumbent. H. Moore A. Lord ... Killoscully 323 Kilvolane 461 The lay-tithes of this parish have been compounded for £1142, making the yearly composition for impropriate and clerical tithes £1713. 332 332 226 160 ... 130 .... 1569 955 461 507 208 379 .... 325 ..... .... 425 .... 692 From the above statement it appears that the amount of compositionmoney paid in lieu of tithes, in some unions, amounts to £1410, £1407, £1554, £1569, and £1758; and that single parishes have come down to the tune of £1050, £1200, £1350, and £1440, in order to rid themselves of the worldly visitations of the spiritual locust. These sums, it must be remembered, are not the conjectural estimates of individuals imperfectly informed of the worth of parochial tithes; they are public and authentic returns, founded on an average and impartial valuation. It must, also, be borne in mind that the composition is a net payment, obtained without the trouble of collecting the tithes, or the expense of proctors or middlemen, and the receipt of which is better secured than the landlord's rent or public taxes. Many of the incumbents enjoying these really fat livings, are pluralists, holding other parochial benefices, beside dignities and offices. The names of the honourable Charles Knox, the honourable George de la Poer Beresford, the honourable Joseph Bourke, and other wellknown signatures, are quite sufficient to indicate their connexions with the episcopacy and aristocracy of Ireland. It would require pages fully to set forth the families, connexions, and influence; the sinecures, places, offices, and pensions by which some of these honourables have sent forth their absorbents into the substance of Church and State. There is one man, however, JAMES HINGSTONE by name, who, as far as we know, is not of noble blood, unless it be by some left-handed tilt; yet he seems to have reaped a plentiful harvest. He has compounded for the tithes of two parishes, that of Whitechurch for £784, and that of Aghabullogue for £750, making a snug income of £1534 per annum. But this is far from being the extent of his good fortune. He is, also, rector of Subulter, and prebendary and vicar-general of Cloyne. His son, James Hingstone, is vicar of Clonmult, and vicarchoral of the cathedral church of St. Colman's. It were easy to give similar illustrations of others, but this must suffice. Mr. Goulbourn's bait has taken so well that nearly two-thirds of all the parishes in Ireland have compounded for their tithes the progress of the measure, up to the present, will appear from the subjoined state |