"XVII. We therefore ask the restoration of the office for the Communion of the Sick, in the 1st Book of Edw. VI. "XVIII. We ask the reenactment of the ancient Canons forbidding the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in all places, except in parish churches or chapels, private chapels, and licensed missions. "XIX. We ask, that the practice of using a part of the Communion Office after the Litany may be discontinued, and the rubric so altered as to allow its omission, except at the celebration of the Holy Communion. The Collect, Epistle, and Gospel are integral parts of the Communion Office. The origin of the custom is well known to your Right Rev. House, but in present practice it has lost its point. "XX. We ask a reäffirmation of the doctrine of the Preface to the ordinal. "XXI. Our Lord Jesus Christ hath left power on earth to forgive sins.' That power is committed to every priest at his ordination. It is a gift and function inseparable from the Sacerdotal office. Its exercise may be limited, restricted, or enlarged, but not taken away, by the disciplinary regulations of the Church. The exercise is restricted by our present provisions. It is not so limited in the mother Church of England. We hereby ask, therefore, the allowance to use and pronounce that form of absolution set forth in the office for the Holy Communion over any individual who humbly and heartily desires it,' whether with or without particular or general confession of sins. "XXII. We ask that every clergyman of this Church be bound by Canon to say Morning and Evening Prayer daily in his church or chapel, if there be such in his parish, according to the manifest intention of the Church, and her former wellknown usage. "XXIII. We ask that some set form of bidding prayer be set forth for use by the clergy at missions, and other stations where there is no church or chapel; as also to be used before sermons or lectures, preached at other times than of those of Divine Service, and in places other than our churches or chapels. "XXIV. We ask the affirmation of the validity of lay-baptism, that is, of baptism by laymen in communion with the Church, they using water and the words, 'In the name of the Father," etc., etc., and thus baptizing only in cases of extreme necessity. "XXV. We ask the repeal of Canon VII. of 1838, or its modification in such form as to insure the Church against unwary admissions to her ministry from the sects. "XXVI. We ask the repeal of Canon V. of 1853, or its modification in such form as to prevent the ordination of Deacons to the Priesthood, per saltum, who have not passed three years' candidateship. "XXVII. We ask the immediate remission of the sentence of indefinite suspension passed upon the Right Rev. Henry Ustick Onderdonk, late Bishop of Pennsylvania." After some sensible remarks on the Missions, foreign and domestic, of the Church; and some useful suggestions respecting the division of the States and Territories not yet organized into dioceses, into territorial dioceses of proper and convenient size, including the repeal of the Fifth Article of the Constitution—the question of the formation of new dioceses out of those already existing, is thus discussed: "The division of a see can not now be effected, except on two conditions, namely, that each portion shall contain 8000 square miles and thirty presbyters. We ask attention to certain facts, as tending to show that defined territorial limits do not, in equal justice, meet all cases; and as also showing the general inexpediency of such limits. "Massachusetts and New-Jersey most nearly approach the required measurement. Each has eighty clergymen, while the population of the former is more than double that of the latter. All the other dioceses, except Deleware and Rhode Island, are above the measure. Maryland can not be divided, as containing less than 16,000 square miles, though she has one hundred and forty clergy. Virginia, having one hundred and fourteen clergy, (twenty-six less than Maryland,) is entitled to three dioceses by clergy, to seven by territory, with a residue larger than the whole dio cese of Connecticut. The Bishop of Florida with eight clergy, bears jurisdiction over seven territorial sees, with a residue but little smaller than Delaware and Rhode Island together. In population, Virginia out-numbers Connecticut by over a million, her territory is fifteen times as great, and yet both by present provision are entitled to the same Episcopal oversight. Pennyslvania is entitled to five sees both by clergy and territory; while North-Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with nearly equal territory, can not be divided. Neither can Illinois, Michigan, and Alabama, though with still larger territory. New-York is entitled to ten dioceses by clergy and three by territory; Western New-York to three by clergy and territory. England, proper, contains 50,535 square miles, and is consequently smaller than the diocese of Virginia, while that of Texas is seven times larger. The present Episcopate consists of two Archbishops, and twenty-one suffragans. If this provision, as is confessedly the case, be insufficient to meet the wants of the Church, what shall we say of Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, Wisconsin, Texas, and Iowa? It may be said, that the increase of the English Episcopate is called for by an increase of population. We grant it. But are we at a standpoint therein? The population of England alone (in 1831) was 13,089,366, while only five millions were computed to belong to the Established Church in the combined population of England and Wales. This very fact has been adduced as argument for the division of the old dioceses. Virginia has already a population of 1,421,661; Pennyslvania of over two millions; Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana, each over a million. The basis of population is not as yet recognized among Perhaps, as a consideration in the erection of dioceses, it has been too much neglected. The point is not, however, whether one Bishop will answer for so many souls, or for so many acres and square miles, but whether, by following mere civil limits, our dioceses are not unnecessarily large and cumbersome. If small dioceses be objected to, we may leave the battle in the hands of Rhode Island and Dela us. ware. "In asking the repeal, then, of the Fifth Article of the Constitution, we propose that the power to create new sees be vested in the House of Bishops, and that they proceed forthwith to exercise the same by a division of the larger dioceses, without regard to rules of fixed territorial limits, or requiring the residence of any number of clergy in the see so created or set apart. The present Bishops may exercise jurisdiction over the consolidated dioceses, until they be qualified by Canon to elect a Bishop, or this proposal may not take effect until the death of the present incumbent. "We lay before your Right Rev. House the following list of proposed new creations: "NEW-YORK.-New-York-the Island with Staten Island; Albany; Brooklyn, with Long Island. "PENNYSLVANIA.-Philadelphia; Reading; Harrisburgh; Carlisle: Pittsburgh. "MARYLAND.-Easton, with Eastern Shore; Baltimore; Annapolis; Hagerstown. "VIRGINIA.-Petersburgh; Lynchburgh; Warrentown; Staunton; Christiansburg; Somerville; Clarksburg. "Commending the work of God's Holy Catholic Church to Him who is her Head and Life; asking no better lot than to live and die in her faith and communion; no higher worship than her prayers, rites, and sacraments; no better grace than her miracle gifts in the Comforter;-we pray His blessing from you, Right Rev. Fathers, who hath made you his vicegerents over us." STATISTICAL INFORMATION. POSTAGE STATISTICS.-The following is a comparative statement of the amount received for letter postage at the principal cities in the United States, during the years ending 31st March, 1853 and 1855: The following is a statement of the amount of postage on letters sent to the respective offices named, and there to be re-mailed and sent to other offices: GOLD AND GRAIN.-The Baltimore American gives the following statistics: The gold in the United States was, previous to the California discoveries, . Found in California in the years 1849 to 1854,... To date in 1555,.. Imported in six years from elsewhere,. Total,. Remitted abroad in six years and ten months,. Left in the country,...... Total estimate of harvest in 1855: Wheat, bushels,.. Indian Corn,. Oats,. Rice, pounds,.. $$6,000,000 Rye, barrels,. The comparison here presented is worthy of notice. The crop of Indian corn, valued at even half the present market prices, amounts to more than all the gold from California, while the wheat crop is worth as much as all the gold now in the country; and the growth of oats, with all reasonable allowance for exaggeration, more than equals any two years' product of the California mines. POPULATION OF THE CITY OF NEW-YORK.-From the census returns, it appears that the city of New-York contains, at this time, about 620,000 inhabitants. POPULATION OF NEW-YORK STATE.-The census returns give the entire population of this State at 3,466,118. This is exclusive of the population of the Indian reservations, which will add about three thousand. At the last census, in 1850, the population was 3,095,394. The population of New-York City is 629,810. EMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES.-The following is a statement of the number of passengers arriving in the United States by sea from foreign countries during the last eleven years, from September 30, 1843, to December 31, 1854: From Sept. 30, 1843, to Sept. 30, 1844..... Sept. 30, 1844, to Sept. 30, 1845,. Total,.... .1,664,874 1,105,492 404,029 8,174,395 THE following is said to be the number of churches and communicants in the city of New-York: THE METHODIST BOOK CONCERN has reached a point which makes it an interesting problem for the study of others besides Methodists. At the late General Conference, the Report of the Book-Agents showed the present value of the capital, after deducting the amount due the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and all other liabilities, to be $454,227. The amount of sales during the past four years had been $1,000,734, being an increase of more than fifty per cent over the sales of the preceding four years. The profits of the business for the same time had been $141,879, which is equal to thirteen per cent on the actual capital of the concern in 1853. Christian Advocate and Journal. Circulation, 29,875. Profits in four years, $16,982 45. 14,934 58. 22.917 68. Methodist Quarterly Review. Circulation, 2721. Loss in four years,...... 6,260 14. Besides these (only one of which, it will be seen, realizes a profit) there are the Western, Northern, North-western, and Pittsburgh, Christian Advocates, Missionary Advocate, German Apologist, (in German,) and Ladies' Repository. The whole number of subscribers to these various periodicals is 285,461; and the whole number of single copies of these publications, issued and scattered abroad in a year, is 9,097,840. The Sunday-School, the Tract, and General Catalogues have been enlarged during the last four years, by the addition of 543 new works, including 314 bound volumes, and 229 tracts. The Sunday-School Library, in its various series, now numbers 1066 volumes. The list of tract publications has already reached the respectable number of 72 tract volumes, and 585 tracts, including quite a number in the German, Swedish, and Danish languages; and the whole number of separate copies of books and tracts, large and small, issued by the two concerns during the last four years, is 15,588,926, including 7,226,409 bound volumes, and 8,362,517 tracts and pamphlets. MUNIFICENT GRANTS.-The whole amount of land voted by the United States government, for educational purposes, to the 1st of January, 1854, is estimated at 52,970,231 acres, which at the minimum price of such lands when first brought into market, represented the magnificent sum of $66,000,000, but which at this time could not be worth less than $200,000,000. THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF VIRGINIA.-We have received the Alumni publication of the graduates of the Seminary at Alexandria. Its list of members from 1823 to August 1, 1856, gives the following as the numbers of the Alumni now laboring (or that have died) in our various Dioceses: Alabama, 10; California, 1; Connecticut, 6; Delaware, 6; Florida, 2; Georgia, 7; Illinois, 2; Iowa, 2; Kentucky, 5; Louisiana, 6; Maine, 1; Maryland, 35; Massachusetts, 18; Michigan, 1; Mississippi, 4; Missouri, 1; New-Hampshire, 1; New-Jersey, 7; New-York, 18; Western New-York, 4; North-west Mission, 2; North-Carolina, 3; South-Carolina, 7; Ohio, 11: Oregon, 2; Pennsylvania, 43; Rhode Island, 2; Texas, 1; Virginia, 93; England, 2; African Mission, 9; China Mission, 5; Greek Mission, 1; Total, 318, of whom 41 are departed hence, leaving 277 now laboring in the field. This is somewhere about one sixth of our whole number of clergy: certainly a very large proportion to be furnished by only one, and that a merely Diocesan Seminary. In the field of Foreign Missions, it stands not only unrivalled, but almost alone. CHURCHES IN BALTIMORE.-We learn from Wood's Directory that there are now in the city of Baltimore 143 houses of public worship, of the following denominations: Protestant Episcopal, 19; Presbyterian, 17; Roman Catholic, 18; Methodist Episcopal, 40; Methodist Protestant, 5; African Methodist Episcopal, 5; Baptist, 9; Christian Church, 1; Lutheran, 9; German Reformed, 4; Evangelical Association, 4; Seamen's Union Bethel, 1; Friends, 3; Universalist, 1; Unitarian, 1; Swedenborgian, 1; Jewish Synagogues, 5. FORTY ACRES OF BIBLES.-A late number of the Bible Record, the useful and suggestive little paper of the Bible Society, states the circulation for the past year to be eight hundred thousand Bibles and Testaments. These books, he estimates, if they were spread out on a plain surface, and computed by square measure, would cover more than four acres. If the same issue were computed by long measure, they would extend more than eighty miles. If by solid or cubic measure, they would measure more than one hundred and fifty solid cords. And those cords, piled one upon another, would reach higher than the spire of the Trinity Church, New-York, or the Falls of Niagara. The entire issues for thirty-seven years of the Society's existence, would cover more than forty acres with Bibles and Testaments; or extend, in long measure, nearly a thousand miles; or make more than eighteen hundred solid cords. MONUMENT TO THE LATE BISHOP CHASE.-Mr. Eli B. Williams publishes the list of contributions to the Monument of the venerable Bishop Chase. The amount of the whole is $733.62, of which nearly $250 came from the members of the Bishop's own family. The circular gives the following description of the monument: The monument is composed of the white Vermont Marble. It stands seven feet and six inches high. The "die" is a solid block, two feet and three inches square It has a deep gothic panel on each of the four sides. The "cap" which rests on the die, is designed to represent the cushions of the reading-desk, on which rests the open Bible, supported by the service books, elegantly carved from the solid block. On the front panel of the die is inscribed, in raised letters, (in German text:) "Bishop Chase," Æt. 77. Over this is the cross, in clouds, surmounted by the Bishop's favorite motto: "Jehovah Jireh." The other panels bear the following inscriptions: Born in Cornish, N. H., December 14th, 1775; a Graduate of Dartmouth College; ordained Deacon in St. Paul's Chapel, N. Y., 1798; Priest in St. George's, 1799; was successively Rector of Christ Church, Poughkepsie, N. Y.; New-Orleans, La.; Hartford, Ct. Acts 20:22, 26, 27. On the north side the Inscription reads thus: He was consecrated Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in St. James's Church, Philadelphia, February 11, 1819; had charge of the Diocese of Ohio twelve years, and of the Diocese of Illinois seventeen years; was presiding Bishop of the House of Bishops nine years; died at his residence at Jubilee College, September 20, 1852. "In labors more abundant." 2 Cor. 11: 23. |