Mr. Richard, M.P. for Merthyr, moved on Tuesday the rejection
of the Bishopric of St. Albans Bill, on the ground that it "increased and tended to perpetuate a class of political and ecclesiastical State officials, the existence of which was not of advantage to the State." He ridiculed the sacrifices made by the Bishops for the sake of the new St. Albans diocese, which he said were no more sacrifices than it is a sacrifice to get rid of a white elephant, though sacrifices were to be imposed on their successors to the amount of 1500 a year. This was like the generosity of the man of whom his epitaph declared that,—
" Mr. Brown in his great bounty
Built this bridge at the expense of the county."
The Church should benefit the curates at the expense of the Bishops rather than make more Bishops; but, at all events, to the making of more Bishops while Bishops were made by the State, he absolutely objected, and he and his seconder carried 61 votes with them, though it can scarcely have been Mr. Richard's not very striking arguments which carried them. Sir W. Harcourt took the oppor- tunity of reaffirming his attachment to a State Church, and his adherence to the Bill because it was founded on State-Church principles. Mr. Grantham wished the Bishop of Rochester to be called, after the rearrangement of dioceses, "the Bishop of Rochester and Southwark," and that he should take the Church of St. Saviour's, Southwark, as his second cathedral. The Non- conformists, apparently, were content with Mr. Richard's speech, —which was being easily satisfied,—and made no further opposi- tion. The second reading was carried by a majority of 212.
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