The House of Commons on Tuesday passed a very important
resolution on Church patronage. Mr. Leatham, in a speech in which he showed that 2,000 livings were now in the market, and denounced the sale of Church patronage in any form, moved that, "In view of the prevalence of simoniacal evasions of the law, and other scandals and abuses connected with the exercise and dis- posal of private patronage in the Church of England, remedial measures of a more stringent character than any recently intro- duced into this House are urgently required." Mr. Hardcastle, thinking this resolution too broad, moved as an amendment that " It is desirable to adopt measures for preventing simoniacal evasions of the law to check abuses in the sale of livings in private patronage ;" and this amendment was accepted by Mr. Cross, in a speech in which he characterised the sale of next pre- sentations as a " breach of a sacred trust," like the sale of a vote for a Member of Parliament. Not one Member rose on either side to defend the practice, and Mr. Leatham withdrawing his motion in favour of Mr. Hardcastle's amendment, the latter was accepted without a division. It is understood that Mr. Cross will bring in a Bill to carry out the view of the House, and make the sale of next presentations an offence.
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