have now to state that, in the year which has since elapsed, the number has been still greater, for, in the former of these two years, the applications amounted to 118; in the last, to 121. The grants made during the last year have exceeded in number those made during the preceding year in a considerably greater proportion, having increased from 58 to 84. The number of sittings provided by means of these 84 grants is 19,120; of which, 14,450 are free and unappropriated.

From the society's first establishment, in the year 1818, there have been applications, 1662; not within the rules, 73; grants, 1043; additional sittings obtained, 258,434, of which there are free and unappropriated 193,015, at an expense to the society of 168,4127.

From this statement, it will be seen what has been already accomplished by the society, and some judgment may, at the same time, be formed as to what still remains to be done by it. For the means of doing this, the society (its funds being now nearly exhausted) must depend, under the Divine blessing, upon that liberal feeling which has been constantly manifested towards it from its first institution. At the present time, however, the committee look more particularly to the effects of the appeal which has just been made in its behalf under the authority of the King's Letter. The letter issued in 1828 produced 41,393l. 138. 2d.; and they trust that the society's finances will now again be recruited by a sum not less than that which was then raised. Without a large supply it must not be dissembled that the society will be unable effectually to carry on its operations.

The committee have great satisfaction in announcing that, during the last year, the funds of the society have been increased by two legacies, one of 500l., from the late W. E. Gosling, Esq.; and one, of 200l., from the late Hon. and Rev. A. Grey.

In conclusion, the committee beg to state that the society continue to receive the most gratifying accounts of the good effects of its liberal grants. From the many other testimonies to this purpose, which the committee have received, they will select only one, that of the Rev. J. W. Cary, Curate of St. Mary, Southampton, who writes:-"At the same time that I acknowledge, with great thankfulness, the liberality of the society, I have great pleasure in informing you of the happy result of their munificence. Since the re-opening of the church," (which has been greatly enlarged,) "there has been an increase of upwards of 500 persons to the congregation; and I doubt not that, before any great length of time has elapsed, there will be a call for still more extended accommodation." These testimonies speak for themselves, and require no comment. The committee cannot but hope, that they will not be without their effect in producing such an accession to the society's funds as will furnish it with the means of calling forth similar acknowledgments from year to year. In the abundance of those means, the best interests of the people are involved; for the cause of pure religion, and that of the church of England, are one and the same; and to nothing is separation from that church so much to be attributed as to the want of sufficient accommodation within it places of worship.

To those who may be desirous of promoting the designs of the society, by donations or bequests towards the building, enlargement, or improvement of churches and chapels, in any particular neighbourhood, it may be proper to suggest, that the society, being now incorporated, can act as trustees to carry into effect the desired application of any funds entrusted to its charge.

TWENTY-SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRAYER-BOOK AND HOMILY SOCIETY.

THE annual Sermon was preached at St. John's Chapel, by the Rev. Henry Raikes, M.A., of Chester, from 1 Cor. xiv. 15.

The Annual General Meeting was held in Exeter Hall; the Right Hon. Lord Bexley in the chair. Movers and seconders of resolutions-Rev. William Marsh and Rev. Hugh Stowell; Rev. Edwin Sidney and Rev. Francis Cunningham; Rev. Professor Scholefield and John P. Plumtree, Esq., M.P.; Rev. W. F. Cobb and Rev. William Jowett; Venerable Archdeacon Vix and Rev. A. S. Thelwall.

It appeared by the accounts that the expenditure was 26821. 15s. 9d., and the receipts 26281. 16s. 4d., so that 53/. 198. 5d. are due to the Treasurer. The Society is in possession of 425l. 16s. in the 3 per cent. Consols; and is under sundry engagements, not yet due, amounting to 376l. 188. 4d.

LIST OF MEETINGS FOR PROMOTING THE EDUCATION OF THE POOR IN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH, TO BE HELD DURING THE FIRST WEEK IN JUNE, 1834.

1. The annual meeting of the Society of Secretaries and Treasurers of National Schools, at the National Society's Central School, Westminster, on Wednesday, 4th of June, at 1 o'clock. An examination of the children in the Central School will take place before the Secretaries at 11 o'clock the same morning.

2. The meeting of the Charity Schools of the Metropolis in St. Paul's Cathedral, on Thursday, the 5th of June. Divine service to begin at 12 o'clock. The sermon will be preached by the Lord Bishop of Chester.

N.B. Tickets of admission must be obtained of the treasurers or stewards. 3. The Anniversary dinner of the Society of Secretaries and Treasurers of National Schools, at the Freemasons' Tavern, on Thursday, the 5th of June, at 5 o'clock precisely.

4. The Public Annual Examination of the Children in the National Society's Central School, before his Grace the President and Committtee, on Friday, the 6th of June, at a quarter before 1 o'clock, in the Central School-room, Sanctuary, Westminster; and, immediately after the examination, the General Meeting of the National Society will be held at the same place at a quarter before 3 o'clock.

DOCUMENTS.

DISSENTING ENDOWMENTS.

To the Editor of the British Magazine.

SIR,-In your March No., p. 396, you inquired of your correspondents, whether any account could be procured of " Dissenting endowments, and their amount, as a comment on the voluntary system." The work on which I made those observations, which you favoured with insertion in your April number-viz., "The Manchester Socinian Controversy," will supply, to a certain extent, an answer to your inquiry; for its appendix (No. 1) contains "a list of the chapels in England, Wales, and Scotland, which, with their endowments, are now appropriated to the propagation of Socinian doctrines." Of this portion of the book I propose now to draw up, for the sake of brevity, a classified analysis, in the perusal of which the reader is requested to bear in mind, that it is founded on a dissenting authority; the "list" in question having been drawn up and published by members of one party of that Holy Alliance, whose plenipotentiaries are now sitting in Red-cross-street, London.

I. The value, then, of the endowments attached to the chapels of— 1. Walmesley, near Bolton, (Lancashire) p. 158, " is about 30l. per annum, besides a house for the minister," and that of Yeovil (Somerset), p. 164, "from 25l. to 30l. per annum;" together, say

2. Warrington, p. 160, about

"

3. Cross-street, near Altrincham, p. 123; Buxton, (besides “ other funds,") p. 125; and Bridgend, (Glamorganshire) p. 178; at 40%. each 4. Halifax, p. 170, about

5. Lincoln, 60l., p. 162; Preston, "about 607." p. 152; Lidget, (Yorkshire)" upwards of 60l."

6. Prisley, near Warrington, p. 154; Wolverhampton, p. 165; Bury St. Edmunds, p. 166; 70l. each; of Swansea, "the endowment is from 70l. to 100l. per annum," p. 179

7. Bury, (Lanc.) p. 136; and Monton, near Eccles, p. 149; about 801. each; of Elland Chapel and School, (Yorkshire) "upwards of 801. per annum," p. 169

8. Rochdale, pp. 155-6

9. Hindley, near Wigan, p. 141; Lancaster, p. 142; and Park-lane, near Wigan, p. 151; each "about 1007."

10. Cockey-Moor, p. 139, about

11. Saffron Walden," the congregation a mere handful,” p. 129; and of Gorton, near Manchester, p. 140; each “about 2001. per annum"

II. Besides these, there are several Chapels whose endowments are not so precisely stated, but vaguely intimated : e. gr.—

1. Those of Bank Chapel, Bolton-le-Moors, p. 135; of Shepton Mallet, and Taunton, p. 164; and of Bradford, p. 169, are siderable."

2. At Nottingham, the "endowment is respectable," p. 163. 3. That at Coseley, (Stafford) is "well endowed," p. 165.

"con

4. The "endowments are large" at Crediton and Exeter, p. 127; at Tenterden, p. 132; at Kirkstead, p. 161; at Whitchurch, p. 164; and at Hapton, (Norfolk) very large; congregation almost extinct," p. 162. 5. Those at Findern, p. 125; at Ilkiston, ibid.; at St. Thomas'sstreet, Portsmouth, p. 131; and at Kendal, p. 168, are liberally endowed," and that at Gateacre, near Liverpool, very liberally endowed," p. 139.

6. The Chapel at Chowbent, (Lanc.) "is a large handsome building, and is amply endowed," p. 137; as is that also at Stannington, P. 174.

Suppose, now, we estimate each of these at 150l. per annum-which, for places amply and liberally endowed, is surely little enough-we shall have, or, I should rather say, the Socinian occupants of these nineteen pulpits actually have amongst them

III. There are others yet, whose endowments are described, rather than estimated, to whose annual value therefore we must endeavour to approximate: e. gr., attached to the Socinian Chapel

1. At Allostock, near Knutsford, (Cheshire,) "there is an estate of twenty-seven acres at Rainow, near Macclesfield, belonging to it, which was purchased, with property left for that purpose, by the Rev. S. Garside, the second minister, who was unquestionably of orthodox sentiments. There is also a smaller endowment," p. 121. 2. That at Congleton "is endowed with a house, or houses and land, and with some other property," p. 123.

Per Ann.

£60

35

120

45

180

280

240

98

300

120

Brought forward

3. That at Duckinfield has "a freehold estate of thirty-three acres belonging to it, left by Mr. James Haywood, an orthodox dissenter," p. 123.

4. That at Derby has "a small endowment," p. 125.

5. That at Middleton Stoney" has several small endowments," p. 126.

6. That at Knowsley, near Prescot, "is endowed with an estate in Cheshire," p. 141.

7. "The endowments belonging to Rivington Chapel, (Lanc.) arise chiefly from the rents of cottages built several years since, with money that had been out at interest; the whole, or part of which was left at the time Trinitarian doctrines were preached in the place," p. 154.

8. "Mr. Leonard Wilde, in 1732, left an estate to the chapel (at Whitby,) which nearly fifty years ago let for 241. per annum," p. 177. 9. The congregation of the Chapel at Gloucester, after the introduction of Socinian ministers, gradually "sunk from 200 or 300, to 20 or 30." Between one and two years it has been shut up. The endowments are

"1. A Parsonage house, given by Mr. Brown, who also gave

"2. An estate at Upton St. Leonard's, three miles from Gloucester, which one of the late Trustees sold to himself for eight hundred pounds, which he bought into the funds.

"3. 2007. sterling, left by Wade, Esq. of Pud Hill. "4. 2001. sterling was left by Miss Olivers," p. 130.

The Chapels at the twenty-three following places are merely stated to be" endowed" or to "have endowments"-viz. Middlewich, p. 123; Stockton, 129; Blakeley, near Manchester, 133; Chorley, 137: Renshaw-street, Liverpool, 142; Ormskirk, 151; Prescot, 152; Stand, near Manchester, 157; Toxteth Park, near Liverpool, 158; Wigan, 160; Tunley, ibid.; Hampstead, 162; Bradford, Wilts, 168; Salisbury, Trowbridge, and Bromsgrove, ibid.; Doncaster, 169; Call-lane, Leeds, 170; Mill-hill, Leeds, 171; Rotherham, 172; Selby and Sheffield, ibid., and Wakefield, 175.

If we average each of the places, comprised in this last class at 50%. per annum, which probably falls short of the actual value in more instances than it exceeds it, and which the liberal incumbents at least will not think too much, if, like their brother of Middlewich, they are reduced to the untoward necessity of hiring a “ congregation of a few persons to attend at the rate of eightpence per diem,” p. 123, the endowments of these 32 chapels will together yield

To these endowments of chapels we must add Lady Hewley's charity, the annual value of which, as we are informed in p. 197, " is said to exceed"

£4,728

1,600

6,328

4,000

£10,328

To these might be added some other funds, referred to in the Appendix, No. 2, as Chamberlain's fund, at Hull; Butterworth's fund,* Manchester, and Mrs. Clough's fund, Liverpool, a portion of which, varying from 561. to

The reader "cannot but admire the ingenuity with which a charity, specifically and expressly designed for the apprenticing of poor boys to trades, is made applicable to the educating of young gentlemen for the ministry,"-p. 183.

"

711. per annum, is perverted, in the shape of exhibitions, to the support of the Socinian Manchester college, at York. No. 3 is devoted to a detail of Dr. Williams's charities, all which, ("estimated at 50,00l.") p. 188, except the portion appropriated to missions to the Heathen, and to Ireland," appear to be now monopolized by the same party. In this predicament stands the noted public library for Dissenters" in Red-cross-street, though "it was completed by the joint contributions of Independents, Baptists, and Presbyterians," p. 189, when the sum allowed by the Court of Chancery, out of the Doctor's estates was insufficient to finish the building. Hereby hangs an incident illustrative of the cordial feeling which subsist among those motley bodies, whose united committees are now holding their councils in the edifice aforesaid. For, say the dissenting editors of our pamphlet,—“ so great a change has taken place in the management of this library, that Orthodox ministers are now obliged to solicit the permission of a Unitarian trustee, before they can enter its precincts; and complaints have been made repeatedly and without contradiction, that the MSS. which are freely conceded to the inspection of Unitarians, are prohibited to the Orthodox," p. 188. So truly liberal are these liberals to one another! So averse are they to practise any of those exclusive privileges which, in theory, they denounce!

The amount of annual endowments above stated (6,3281.) refers to the chapels possessed by only one party of Dissenters; but we have no reason to suppose that such emoluments are either fewer in number, or less liberal in amount, among the other Sectarians. The mere supposition would be a libellous disparagement of the voluntary system. If therefore we allow, for the sake of argument, that the congregations "of the three denominations" amount altogether to 2,435, (as was stated in the supplement to the Congregational Magazine for 1829,) this number of chapels, valued, upon an average, on the same scale as those possessed by the Socinians, will yield not less than seventy thousand pounds per annum, of property as public and as truly national, and consequently as justly open to confiscation, as the endowments of the Established Church.

Blackburn, May 13th, 1834.

ZETA.

P.S.-The design of the list of chapels, from which I have taken this estimate, is, say the dissenting editors, " to illustrate the justice and importance of the great principle which this publication is designed to advocate-viz., that in the administration of property invested in trust, the intentions and purposes of the founders should, in all cases, be inviolably maintained, p. 120; and, in the same spirit, Mr. George Hadfield, a leading agitator among the Independent Church Reformers of Manchester, asserts (p. 118) that, in every point of view, the chapel" (of Cross-street, Manchester, now possessed by the Socinians,)" is legally and justly applicable to the purposes designed by its founders." And further, in pursuance of this object, Mr. H., who was actively engaged in this controversy, is one of the relators or plaintiffs in the suit lately instituted for the recovery of Lady Hewley's fund. So said these liberals, and thus did they act, when the doctrine in question suited their purpose. But now, on the contrary, this self-same reformer is, in conjunction with his party, both calling on the legislature, and, as a delegate, attempting to bully and dragoon the ministers, in order to induce them to violate this inviolable principle, by throwing open to them those academical institutions, which, as the present claimants well know, were neither founded by any of their party, nor intended by their founders, for the use of dissenters. Hence it appears, that whatever stress they may profess to lay upon this important principle in their controversy and law-suits, when it operates in their favour, their real and paramount principle is to pursue that which tends most to their own advantage.

Another of Mr. Hadfield's fellow-delegates, now in London, is Mr. Robberds, a minister of what Mr. H. in one of his Letters, (p. 84,) styles the " bragging, boasting, noisy system" of Socinianism.

VOL. V.-June, 1834.

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