PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
ˇ | | | / | | | | | | | | | | | ||||
6
Reference :-
CO. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
SIB,
32
Enclosure 7 in No. 12.
St. James' Vestry, December 2, 1889. Your Excellency having forwarded to the committee of the whole Council on the Estimates for 1890, a proposal that the total ecclesiastical grants of the Church of England should (saving existing interests) be cut down to less than one-half of their present figure, I beg most respectfully in the name of the Church of England to protest against such a measure.
We are unable to view this distribution of ecclesiastical grants scheme as otherwise than destructive of the rightful position and governmental protection of the British churches, and ultimately even of other Christian bodies; and it cannot be viewed as merely as a "somewhat larger proportion" or re-adjustment such as we have been prepared by Lord Knutsford's Despatch to expect, might be suggested.
The proportion between the churches would be suddenly made 5 to 1, having pre- viously been 2 to 1, and the transfer of half our revenue is not a slight modificatiq n.
The scheme, further, is not based (as the same Despatch implies) upon the general requirements of the churches and not only upon those indicated by numbers.
It is quite impossible to carry on the work entrusted to us by Government and by providence on the sum now suggested; and there are other serious objections to the proposal....
}
We beg, therefore, most respectfully that your Excellency in Council will be pleased to stay proceedings, and order an inquiry into the circumstances, needs, and merits; so as not to allow a proposal fatal to the religious welfare and peace of the community to advance a further stage.
We think the Colony could well afford, if it thought proper, to give Rs. 20,000 more annually to the Roman Catholic Church without subtracting it from our well earned and fully needed resources.
Even if your Excellency and the Council judge otherwise, we still submit that the Church of England cannot do with less than the amount resulting from the following scheme; even under which we lose something. About Rs. 7,000.
For the nine districts 1 minister and I assistant at Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 1,000 respectively in each, distributed or amalgamated according to the needs of the popu- lation; plus its Bishop at the present full figure, Rs. 8,200 per annum, total 27,000 plus Bishop.
The Church of Scotland is most decidedly entitied to have some increase rather than to suffer diminution; and there would be enough left, within a most paltry sum, for the Church of Rome to have three times as much as the Church of England, vizt., Rs. 81,004. plus its Bishop at Rs. 8,200; or 54 ministers at an average of Rs. 1,500 each, which is the same thing as 27 at Rs. 2,000, and 27 at Rs. 1,000, or three times the Anglican proportion in every respect; thus :—
Church of England
Church of Rome
Church of Scotland
9 × 2,000 +
(Ministers.)
plus Bishop -
9 × 1,000 (Assistants.)
27 × 2,000 + 27 × 1,000
·
If needful reduced proportionally to
27,000
35,200
34,018
8,200 81,000
89,200
86,206
8,200 8,200
-
7.926
Rs. 132,600
Rs. 128,150
or 54 X 1,500 at their average
clergy. Bishop
33
Secretary of State will ever sanction so enormous and prejudicial a transfer as has been indeed proposed; the which we respectfully trust will, in the common interest of all, not be proceeded with.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
To his Excellency Sir J. Pope Hennessy, K.C.M.G., Governor of Mauritius, &c., &c. in Council.
A. D. MATHEWS, Archdeacon of Mauritius and Bishop's Commissary in Charge.
CODICI to PROTEST of 2nd December 1889.
If the establishments remain untouched and the discretionary sums of cols. 3 and 4, XIX. p. 22," ecclesiastical grants," &c. alone be distributed in the suggested propor- tions, 20:4:1, an acceptable result may also be obtained; and the Churches of England and Scotland might equally share their proportion (ths) of the Rs. 28,000 to which these distributable sums amount.
It is submitted that this is more within the spirit of the recent Despatch.
The result tallies nearly with the schedule in the body of the "protest" based upon requirements."
R..
18,000 (including building grant). 10,000
54 of 1844 Ordinance Moralisation grant
Rs. 28,000
·
Church of Rome
Church of England
Church of Scotland
Establishments.
Total
Rs.
22,400
Ra
BL
68,700
88,100
}
+
K
2,800
2,800
$1,300
$4,000
3,250
6,050
#
B.. 28,000
Bs. 100,150
Rs. 128,169
The figures of 1888, for the year (without arrears) were the exact sum.
(1.) Church of Rome
(2.) Church of England
(3.) Church of Scotland
-
Rs. 80,629 99 41,877 70 5,889 94
C.
Rome.
Vist., about Rs. 7,400 transferred from Church of England to Church of
E
The extract vote.
With the Bishops the proportion is near to 10:4:1, computing the Bishops separately the proportion is about 3d: 31:1 or 9:3:1.
The proportion in 1888 was about 16:8:1.
We observe also with regret that the moralisation grant is amalgamated with the establishment, in the computation inasmuch as that grant is not made with reference to the particular communion of the grantees, but with reference to work done, and the missionary societies of our church are pledged to certain agents trained and engaged for the work.
It will be our paramount duty to oppose the scheme submitted of halving our resources in every possible and lawful way; and we are unable to believe that Her Majesty's
109.
No. 18.
BISHOP ROYSTON to LORD KNUTSFORD. (Received January 3, 1890.)
TELEGRAPHIC.
Earnestly request the prohibition of most unjust and sudden changes in Ecclesiastical Budget just reported and favour of an early interview.
U 61946.
Page 180Page 181
109.
No. 14.
LORD KNUTSFORD to BISHOP ROYSTON.
TELEGRAPHIC.
January 7, 1890.-Can see you Monday 13th noon. Will take no action mean-
while.
85
I am to add that Lord Knutsford has already informed Bishop Royston that he will come to no decision in the matter until the Bishop has had the opportunity of placing his views fully before him.
The Secretary to the
I am, &c. (Signed)
EDWARD WINGFIELD.
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
650.
34
No. 15.
1495.
No. 17.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
سلسلسالسا
SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL to COLONIAL OFFICE.
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 19, Delahay Street, Westminster, S.W.,
January 10, 1890.
MY LORD,
I AM desired to call your Lordship's attention to a measure which was introduced and passed on the 6th ultimo by the Legislative Council of Mauritius at the last meet- ing of the Council at which the retiring Governor Sir J. P. Hennessy presided, whereby it was proposed to effect a serious and sudden reduction of the resources of the Church of England in the Colony of Mauritius. The Society is informed that this Bill was brought forward and passed without notice given to those whose interests were vir- tually affected by it, that it was based on figures incorrect throughout as embraced in Estimate No. 19 of the Colonial Estimates for 1890, and that no opportunity was given for showing these inaccuracies to the Council, and therefore that the Bill was passed upon the assumption that the figures submitted to the Council were correct.
The reductions proposed are more than one-half of the sums which have been hitherto drawn for the support of the whole work of the Church of England in Mauritius, including that drawn for native clergy and catechists, and it carried out at once would inflict very serious hardships upon those agents, who are working for the evangelization of the heathen.
Under these circumstances the Society respectfully submits to your Lordship that Her Majesty's assent to the Bill should be withheld until these facts and others relating to the passing of this Bill are fairly investigated and have been submitted for your Lordship's consideration.
To the Right Hon.
the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
I have, &c. (Signed) HENRY W. TUCKER,
Secretary.
ADMINISTRATOR HALL to LORD KNUTSFORD. (Received January 23, 1890.)
Government House, Mauritius, December 19, 1889.
(No. 587.) MY LORD,
I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that there was a meeting of the Executive Council convened on the 28th ultimo to consider, among other questions, that of the ecclesiastical grant. I regret that I was not present at the meeting, owing to the notice convening not reaching me till after it had taken place, chiefly due to my happening not to go to Port Louis on the morning of that day.
2. When I learned the result of the vote on the question, I resolved to submit to his Excellency the Governor a dissent against the vote, and purposed to present it at the next meeting of the Council when the minutes of the preceding meeting would be confirmed. This meeting took place on the forenoon of the day of the departure of his Excellency Sir John Pope Hennessy from Mauritius, but I was unfortunately unable to attend this meeting, owing to indisposition which made it impossible.
3. As the question is one of considerable importance, I venture to submit for your Lordship's consideration, my reasons for dissenting to the vote.
I have, &c.
The Right Hon. Lord Knutsford, G.C.M.G.,
&c.
&c.
&c.
(Signed) T. ERSKINE HALL.
Reference :-
C.O. 882
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
650.
No. 16.
COLONIAL OFFICE to the SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL.
SIR,
Downing Street, January 14, 1890.
In reply to your letter of the 10th instant,* I am directed by Lord Knutsford to inform you that no measure has been passed for reducing the ecclesiastical grant for the support of the Church of England establishment in Mauritius, but that a resolution of the Council of Government has been submitted for Lord Knutsford's consideration for redistributing the ecclesiastical grants in Mauritius more in proportion to the numbers of each denomination; that under the scheme proposed the Church of England would still retain a larger proportionate grant than the Roman Catholic Church, and that whatever scheme may be adopted, it will not be applied suddenly but only as vacancies
occur.
• No. 15.
Enclosure in No. 17.
DISSENT of the OFFICER COMMANDING THE TROOPs from the decision of the majority of the EXECUTIVE COUNCIL regarding the future distribution of ecclesiastical grants.
The Right Hon. the Secretary of State does not direct a redistribution, but expresses a willingness to consider suggestions for some modification.
2. I cannot see that the Despatch in any way points to the reduction of the Church of England grant to anything like the extent of taking away one half of it. I presume that these grants have been in existence for some years past, and that when the amounts were fixed, there must have been important reasons adduced when it was decided that Rs. 40,000 per annum was the sum required as a grant for the Church of England, and I am not aware of any argument to prove that half that sum is sufficient now.
3. I consider that the proportion by numbers or so much little to do with the question, as long as the members of the religion are as much
per head
per annum has scattered over the island, as they are at present. For instance, supposing the number of the Church of England to be at present 10,000, and that Rs. 40,000 is the sum fixed on as the necessary grant, and then supposing that the number was increased ten times, to 100,000; it would not follow that the grant would have to be increased in like proportion, quite the contrary, as I am of opinion that the church would then be better off with Rs. 80,000 than it is now with Rs. 40,000, but the churches would then be
E 2