The Canon on parish meetings was again referred to the committee on the Canons. On motion, by the Rev. R. Sherwood, the thanks of the Convention were returned to the Bishop, for his Sermon delivered before this Convention. On motion, by the Rev. B. G. Noble, the thanks of the Convention were returned to the Rev. Ambrose Todd, for his Sermon delivered before the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. The Rev. A Baldwin in the Chair. The Rev. N. S. Wheaton presented the following Report, from the Treasurer of the Bishop's Fund. Report of the Treasurer of the Bishop's Fund. The Treasurer of the Bishop's Fund, while he regrets his inability to attend the Convention at this time, begs leave, in conformity to former practice, and from the belief that the information contained therein will be desirable, and that it is important to bring the subject thereof before the Convention, to make the following report concerning that Fund, and how far it has been adequate to accomplish the object, for which it was created. When, in the month of June 1813, the Convention at its sitting in Stratford, shortly after the decease of the Right Rev. Bishop Jarvis, perceived it to be indispensable to make a strong effort to establish a permanent fund, for the support of a Bishop in this Diocese, it determined to raise such a sum of money as should give an annual income of about one thousand dollars. To this end, an assessment was made upon the different parishes, of such sums, bearing an exact proportion to their amount on the Grand List, as should give the desired result. This assessment, resting solely on the recommendation of the Convention, which possessed no power to coerce a performance of the obligation, was, after all, nothing more than a voluntary gift, on the part of those who had at heart the best interests of the Church. Nevertheless, many of the parishes submitted to the tax with great cheerfulness, and paid promptly, and without hesitation, their respective quotas of the general contribution. While great praise is, certainly, due to those, which so generously exerted themselves for the general good, it is deeply to be deplored that so many of our Parishes have, to this day, neglected the claim so justly made on them, and the obligation they were bound, in equity and honor, to perform. No proposition can be clearer than that those, who acquire a common benefit, should share the burthen by which it is obtained. All our parishes enjoy the advantage of the Episcopal Office, and all should, therefore, be willing to bear their fair proportion of a necessary tax for the benefit of the whole. Upon the foundation then, of the voluntary contributions of some of our parishes, made at the wish of the Convention, expressed as above, together with the ordinary accumulation for some years of interest thereupon, with the addition of our proportion of the money refunded by the U. States, to this State, for certain military services performed, and the proceeds of a lottery grant from the State, we realized a sum, which might have been sufficient to have yielded the full stipend we agreed to pay the Bishop, had it not been for the unfortunate loss, in September 1825, by the Eagle Bank, in which the Trustees had invested five thousand and five hundred dollars of the money, and the consequent diminution in the dividends of other Banks, in which we had placed our funds, occasioned by their participation in the same calamity. The Treasurer, feeling it to be his duty to pay the Bishop, the income alone of the Fund, and on no account to infringe on the principal, has paid him the former only, and simultaneously and exactly as he has received it. The defalcation in this income, from the loss of the dividends we had been accustomed to receive from the Eagle Bank, amounting to from $330 to $440 a year, and from other sources, has been seriously felt; and the Bishop has, in consequence, been deprived of a considerable portion of the compensation justly due to him, and which we had been accustomed to pay. In the communication made to the Bishop on the 24th June 1819, by the committee, appointed by this Convention" to provide a suitable establishment for the Episcopate of this Diocese," and which will be found on the Journal of the Convention, held in New-Haven, the 26th and 27th October, 1819, it was then " represented, that the sum of one thoussand five hundred dollars a year was secured for that object, of which they were instructed to solicit his acceptance." Bish op Brownell's letter, accepting his appointment, under the circumstances just named, completed the contract between the parties; whereby the Diocese became bound to cause to be paid to bim 1,500 dollars a year, for the maintenance of his family, while he continued in the discharge of his Episcopal duties. Since that time, the Treasurer has paid him what he was authorized by his duty to pay. The annexed statement will shew that all, which could with propriety be paid, has been considerably less than what we covenan ted, that there has been every year a deficiency in the sum we bound ourselves to raise for his support,-and that the combined amount of this deficiency, for the period of between eight and nine years that the Bishop has resided with us, and computing to the end of the present half year, is $2730 01, without stopping to compute interest thereon; which, if we were able, it would be as much our duty to pay as the principal,-since the party, not fulfilling his contract, is bound of course to make good to the other, the evils which arise from his own non-performance. If, by the blessing of Divine Providence, our Fund should ever be so productive as to yield an income greater than the amount we have stipulated to pay the Bishop, the Treasurer would feel it his duty to pay him the excess, and, while he held the office, continue to do so, until such time as we had performed to the letter the amount of obligation we had contracted. This might even now be the case, if the delinquent parishes in our Diocese, which as yet have contributed nothing towards this laudable object, would learn, from the example of their more liberal brethren, to "go, and do likewise." Of these, the names of twenty-nine can be found, who are delinquents to this day, in the list furnished the Convention, and printed in its Journal for 1817. We certainly have a claim on the justice of these, which they ought not longer to neglect to fulfil, and the force of which is augmented by the consideration of the losses we have sustained, as before recited. Whether any measures can be adopted, by which the further collection of funds can be made from those, whose duty it is to contribute in an equal proportion with others who have already given, is left for the wisdom of the Convention to decide. The Treasurer has felt it his duty, however, to lay the subject before the Convention, and to exhibit to them the inadequacy, to a certain extent, of the existing provision to fulfil the object for which it was intended. C. SIGOURNEY, Treasurer of the Bishop's Fund. Hartford, Conn. June 2, 1828. Statement, shewing the amounts which have been paid to Bishop Short pay. $175 34 407 334 315 188 36 90 82 233 71 372 71 507 $10,295 34 $13,025 33 $2730 01 The above report was ordered to be printed in the Journal of the Convention. On motion by the Rev. B. G. Noble Resolved, That a committee of five Laymen be appointed on the report of the Treasurer of the Bishop's Fund, with discretionary powers; and that said committee be requested to report to the next Convention such arrangements on the subject, generally, connected with the report of the Treasurer, as they may deem it expedient to make. Nathan Smith, Wm. Moseley, Charles Sigourney, and Wm. H. Imlay, Esqrs. and Capt. Henry L. DeKoven, were appointed on the above committee. On motion-The thanks of the Convention were returned to the President and Secretaries for their services. On motion-Resolved, That this Convention adjourn, sine die, after prayers and benediction from the Bishop. The Convention accordingly adjourned. T. C. BROWNELL, President. APPENDIX. (NO. I.) The Episcopal Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, in account with Wm. McCrackan, DR. 1827. Idols.jcts. June 8. To cash paid Rev. Mr. Glover, for missionary services, 1800 66 do. do. Mr. Kellogg, do. do. 7500 do. Mr. Peck, 1827. June 4. 68 .8 By cash from Epis. Missionary Soc'y, Wilton, By balance due from Wm. McCrackan, including $200 per dols. cts. 331 19 625 100 847 548 1160 1000 do. from Church Miss'y Soc'y, Waterbury, do. do. Gent. Aux'y Soc'y, Norwich, do. collected at Hartford during the sitting of Convention, do. from Female Aux'y Soc'y, Hartford, do. collected at Middle-Haddam, 454 24/25 1296 do. 1175 36/75 38 50 250 700 550 350 300 610 do. from Female Aux'y Soc'y, Bridgeport, do. collected at New-London, 1200 20 75 950 361 450 1337 500 Amount carried forward $59907 |