WHAT IS A PRIMATE ?
[To TBZ EDITOR Or TH I " SruT/Tox."]
Sta,—After reading your article, "What is a Primate?" in the Spectator of October 24th, it occurred to me that it might interest your readers to know what had been—previous to Disestablishment—the pre-eminence of an Irish Archbishop above his suffragans. In the Church of Ireland there was an annual episcopal visitation in each diocese ; but h. every third year the visitation was held by the Archbishop of the Province. During his visitation, for two or three weeks, the authority of tie diocesan Bishop was superseded, and the diocese was considered to be entirely under the supervision of the Archbishop; so much so that even the marriage-licenses were issued with his signature. On the day of visitation he came to the Cathedral with his chaplain and officials, sat on the Bishop's throne, and heard the names of the clergy called over. When Lord John George Beresford was too feeble to visit in person, some years before his death, his vicar-general conducted the visitation. Why all this was changed after Disestablisbment I cannot say, but I am pretty sure that the last archiepiscopal visitation was held by Primate Marcus Beresford in the autumn of 1868, when I was one of the Derry Cathedral staff.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Stratford-on-Avon. FRANK SMITH, Priest-Chaplain.
P.8.—The Irish canon No. 23 empowered the Archbishop to receive visitation-fees, which were always paid by the clergy. The latter part of that canon, which is not found in the corresponding canon of the English Church, No. 127, is as follows :—" And that neither the Archbishops therein, shall charge their suffragans, nor the Bishops their clergy, with
any noctials, or refections reserving notwithstand- ing unto the Archbishops in their visitations, the refections usually heretofore received in those dioceses, when the same procurations are not received by them, which are yearly pal? by the clergy unto their Bishops."
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