A meeting of patrons of livings hostile to the Bishop
of Peter- borough's Bill for amending the Simony Laws was held on Friday week, at St. George's Hall, Langham Place, and was attended by a considerable number of laymen and clergymen. The speakers defended the purchase and sale of livings, as affording to curates often the only way to promotion in the Church, and deprecated any transfer of patronage to Bishops. They would give it to their relatives. In support of this argument, a paper had been circulated containing an account of the Archbishop of Canterbury's use of his patron- age. He had given, within some time not defined, eight livings, rising from £320 a year to £1,345 a year, to relatives of himself and Mrs. Tait ; eight, ranging from 2307 to £1,000 a year, to chaplains and private friends ; and only eleven, the highest of which is worth £387, to deserving curates. That looks dreadful; but we may strike out, we think, the chaplains, who certainly have earned the livings ; and the private friends, who may be taken to have earned them ; and there remain only eight, of which two have already been shown in the Times to have been given in reward for hard work. The remainder may have been distributed on the same grounds, and if they have, relationship to Mrs. Tait is not a complete disqualification for promotion in the Church. The accusation of favouritism against Bishops is an odd argument for lay patronage. Does the layman usually give his livings to de- serving curates, over the heads of qualified brothers-in-law ?
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