tions on the augment on account, tion. vernors by those who appear to have been but little Observaacquainted with them, that their augmentations have mode of been altogether by lot, and that no preference has been ting livings given to livings of large population: this certainly has by lot, and been the course with regard to the appropriation of the of popula Royal Bounty Fund, where the distribution has been by lot, according to the 11th rule in the 2d Charter; but it must be considered that for many years the annual revenue was exhausted in bringing up poor livings to the annual value of 10l.; and that now after a lapse of upwards of a century it has taken all the annual revenue of the Royal Bounty, besides benefactions, assisted also in a considerable degree by the Parliamentary grants, to raise all the poor livings in England and Wales which have been brought under their consideration, and which have been found fitly quali fied to be augmented, to the nominal annual value of 50%. and this, indeed, has only very recently been accomplished. So far this appropriation by lot seems to be more equitable than any other plan; for where the income of livings falls short of a sufficiency to supply to Incumbents the actual means of subsistence, it is equally necessary to increase the income of the Incumbents of the less as of the more populous parishes. But it is to be observed, that soon after the liberality of Parliament had added so largely to the funds of the Corporation, the Governors, with the Royal sanction, applied these Parliamentary grants to the meeting of benefactions, and to the exclusive augmentation of the income of the Incumbents of populous parishes, leaving the Royal Bounty Fund to supply, as in former times, the means of gradual improvement of the income of the Incumbents of the small parishes; and with so The whole of the grants by have been appropri much the more effect and expedition as, by the operation of the Parliamentary grant fund, both in meeting benefactions, and in augmentations on account of population, very many livings were taken from the list of those which would otherwise have remained to be augmented out of the Royal Bounty. The whole of the 1,100,000l. granted by ParliaParliament ment to the Governors, and the greatest part of the interest accumulated on the parts thereof from time to time unappropriated, have been exhausted in making the augmentations which are set forth in the account in the Appendix. ated in augmenting livings, as shewn in Appendix. Observa the funded property and securities held by the And here it may not be improper to remark, that tions as to almost all the funded property and other securities possessed by the Governors, from whatsoever source arising, have been appropriated to poor livings, and Governors. interest on the sums appropriated to each living is payable half yearly to the incumbents thereof, subject as to the interest on augmentations out of the Parliamentary grants, to the condition of their residence or performance of duty, and will continue to be paid until such appropriated sums shall be invested in the purchase of lands or tythes, or in some other authorised manner, for the benefit of the respective livings:-and it is also to be observed, that the remainder of such funded property and securities, and the accruing income arising from First Fruits and Tenths, and surplus dividends, and interest, and from other contingent sources, will be from time to time appropriated by the Governors by lot or on account of population, or to meet benefactions according to the rules established for the administration of the trusts reposed in them. The Governors are ever anxious to make such appro priations, and they only reserve from time to time so much of their capital unappropriated, as will secure to all livings the payment of the monies granted to them, when the same shall be called for, to be invested in purchases or otherwise. The reservation of some part of their capital is obviously necessary, because as the chief part thereof is invested in bank annuities, and their augmentations are made of specific sums of money, a fall in the price of bank annuities might render the Governors unable to meet all the demands which might be brought against them, unless they exercised caution and discretion in reserving a sufficient portion of their capital unappropriated as a protecting fund. The mode adopted by the Governors for augmenting livings on account of population, according to their regulations of the 17th day of June, 1816, is as follows: If the living of B-, for instance, certified in the new returns, as of the annual value of 451. appears by the printed account of the census of the population taken in 1821, to contain 5,000 inhabitants, or, in case the population cannot be clearly made out by that account, if it appears by the affidavit of the Churchwarden or other parish-officer sworn before a Magistrate, that by actual enumeration he has ascertained the number of inhabitants to be 5,000, or upwards, queries are issued from the Bounty office, to enquire into the duty, annual value, and other circumstances of the living, in the same form as those used previous to augmentations out of the Royal Bounty. The answers to these queries are laid before the Board; and if it shall appear that the living B.-, so certified at 451. Augmentations by benefaction, to cures per annum, has not been since in any manner augmented to the annual value of 150l., the Governors grant so many lots or sums of 200l., as, reckoning each lot or sum to produce 10l. per annum, will raise it to that amount. If the Governors find, by the answers to the queries, the yearly value to be less at the time of making them than that certified by the new returns, they nevertheless adopt the value in the new returns; but if they find the yearly value to be greater by the answers to the queries than that certified in the new returns, they adopt such greater value, in the same manner as has been before noticed in treating on augmentations by means of the Royal Bounty Fund. An account of all the augmentations made by the Governors out of the Parliamentary grants is set forth in the Appendix. Augmentations by the Governors, either out of the By a rule under his present Majesty's royal sign manual, bearing date the 14th day of June, 1820, the Governors are enabled to give a sum of 2001. from their original Fund, or 300l. from the said additional not exceed Fund, to cures not exceeding the yearly value of 2001. fixed and certain, where any person or persons in order to obtain the Bounty will give 200l., or a greater sum in money, or the value thereof in lands or tythes, or a clear yearly rent charge or annuity of 157. 2001. per ann. * *By an Act passed 29th Charles II. chap. 8, Ecclesiastical Corporations are enabled to reserve, by Leases granted by them of Recto practice of augmenting livings faction. tion of a sum of money. Whenever a benefaction of 200l., or several bene- Present factions each of that amount, or the value thereof in land or tythes, or of one rent-charge of 15l., or by by beneseveral rent-charges each of that amount, is or are intended to be given to obtain a sum of 200l., or a corresponding number of sums of 200l. each from the Benefac original or Bounty Fund, or a sum of 200l., or a corresponding number of sums of 300l. each from the additional or Parliamentary Grant Fund, to augment a living under 200l. per annum, intimation thereof, with full particulars, is to be given to the Governors' Secretary, and thereupon queries will be issued similar to those used before the augmentation of livings drawn by lot or on account of population, as to the value, population, duty, and other circumstances relating to the living. When the queries are answered and returned to the Bounty Office, it is the business of the Secretary to lay the same before the Governors, whose decision thereon is immediately afterwards communicated to the Incumbent. If they agree to meet the benefaction or benefactions of money, the Incumbent is directed to cause the same to be paid to their Treasurer, upon which being done, the Governors will at their next Board appropriate 2007. out of the original Fund, or 300%. out of the additional Fund, in respect of each benefaction of 200l.; and if the Governors agree to ries or Tythes, yearly stipends for the use of the Vicars or Curates in Augmentation of their Endowments; and Augmentations are frequently made by the Governors on the reservation of such stipends, these being considered as Benefactions. N. B. Pyncombe's, Horner's, and Marshall's charities supply funds to assist Clregymen, in certain cases, in making up Benefac tions. |