The Archbishop of Canterbury has received permission to appoint a
Suffragan, which, however, will not be exercised for the present. The Bishop of Lincoln, however, has exercised his, and the practice may be expected to become frequent. We confess we greatly doubt its expediency. The Suffragan is and must be appointed by the Bishop, he will exercise great power, and if the system spreads, we may soon have a third of the national Church governed by men who were not selected by the Crown. A great additional temptation is offered to worn-out Bishops to retain their dioceses, while they are compelled to part with much of the ineome Parliament has assigned to maintain their dignity. We doubt, moreover, whether the introduction of a new order of curate-Bishops will benefit the Church. They will be as unpopular as the Bishops always are, and will not be as much respected. If a diocese is too big, divide it, but the world sees no duty per- formed by Bishops which could not be performed with the assist- ance of competent ecclesiastical secretaries. The work is trifling compared with that of the Premier or any of the Secretaries of State.
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