the solemnity, and every thing passed off in the most satisfactory manner. The day was one of sunshine and genial warmth, and thousands of persons from the vicinity of the town, and many from distant parts of the country, assembled to take a part in, or to witness the ceremony. At eleven o'clock, the different arrangements having been completed, the procession moved from the Castle up the High-street to St. Peter's church, in the following order : Visiting Brethren of Neighbouring Lodges Two and Two, Terrestrial Globe, Carried by a Master Mason's Son. Brother, Carrying Perfect Ashlar. With Wand. Ionic Light, Carried by a Master Mason. Steward. Celestial Globe, Carried by a Master Mason's Son. Brethren of the Angel Lodge, Two and Two, Wardens and Past Wardens of the Neighbouring Lodges, Two and Two. Junior Deacon, With Staff. { Treasurer, With Insignia of Office. Wardens and Past Wardens of the Angel Lodge. With Book of Constitution. Masters and Past Masters of Visiting Lodges. Corinthian Light. Past Masters of the Angel Lodge. Cornucopia, Wine and Oil, Carried by a Master Mason's Son. Brother, Carrying Square, Level and Plumb, on a Velvet Cushion. Vase with Coins and Scroll, Carried by a Senior Member. Carried by a Master Mason's Son. Brother, Carrying Bible, Square, &c. on Velvet Cushion. Trowel and Maul, on a Velvet Cushion, Carried by a Senior Member. Junior Warden and Senior Warden with their Pillars. Sword Bearer. Worshipful Master. At this time the scene was of the most lively and gratifying description. Free from the violent manifestations which characterise an election display, the ceremony was one of sober and peaceful joy. There were no vociferous greetings on the one hand, nor harsh expressions of dissatisfaction on the other; it was 'a triumph dear to churchmen, and dear to every pious mind: it was the triumph of religious principles, and such an one as must have convinced the enemies of our venerable establishment, that in the time of need, her friends are neither few nor wanting in zealous attachment to her interests. In a short time after the procession had entered St. Peter's church, the sacred edifice, which is calculated to accommodate 1400 persons, was crowded in every part, and many were unable to obtain admission. The prayers were read by the Rev. S. Carr, vicar. A portion of the 84th Psalm (New Version) was sung before the service, and part of the 132d Psalm at the conclusion. A most eloquent and appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. James S. M. Anderson, chaplain in ordinary to her Majesty the Queen, from Haggai i. 2, 3, and 4. At the conclusion of the sermon the following "National Hymn "Lord of Heaven, and Earth, and Ocean," &c. was sung: A collection was made in the Church, amounting to 1304 The procession having been again formed, moved to the site of the New Church, where the most admirable arrangements had been made. The bed on which the stone was to be laid was placed on brick-work about six feet from the ground, and a platform was erected round it, for the gentlemen engaged in the ceremony. On this platform were John Round, Esq., of Danbury Park (who laid the stone), the Archdeacon, the Rev. W. M. Tucker (incumbent), the Architect (Mr. Mason, of Ipswich), the Contractor (Mr. Lay), the Master and various Officers of the Masonic Lodge, bearing the Bible, emblems, &c. The arms of the craft on a standard were also displayed on the platform. The motto is a quaint one-Audi, vide, tace: anglice-Hear, see, and say nothing. A large quadrangular space was railed in, but not raised, for the reception of the gentlemen forming the procession; and at some distance from the railings, on the east and south sides of the square, were erected stands, covered with canvass, the admission to which was by tickets 2s. each. These were filled principally with ladies, and certainly never was witnessed a brighter display of the assembled beauty and fashion of the county. The holy work was commenced under the most happy auspices, and the scene was one eminently calculated to inspire the most delightful feelings and reflections. All was beauty, propriety, and order. The 100th Psalm was sung, the band supporting the voices, and the trumpet gave a great and peculiar effect to that solemn and devotion-raising air. Corn from the Cornucopia, and wine and oil, were then poured on to the bed of the Stone, and the Archdeacon delivered the following words from the 90th Psalm, last verse : "The Glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us: prosper thou the work of our hands upon us, O prosper thou our handy work." A small glass vessel next was given to Mr. Round, and that gentleman put several pieces of coin into it. The vessel was then covered, and deposited in a cavity cut in the stone. This having been done, the architect spread mortar over the stone, and Mr. Round followed his example, as a matter of form. The upper stone was then let down, and Mr. Round applied to it the square and the level, and struck the upper surface several times with a mallet. The Rev. Mr. Tucker then delivered the following prayers "O Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, accept, we beseech Thee, the prayers that we now desire to offer for the successful advancement of the work that has been entered upon. May the house designed for the celebration of Thy praises be instrumental in promoting Thy glory and the eternal welfare of Thy people! May Thy word be ever preached in it with purity, simplicity, and fervour; and may the blessed influences of Thy Holy Spirit attend upon all the means of grace that shall be used in it. And while the priest's lips keep knowledge, let the law be sought at his mouth; and may the future attendants in this sacred edifice be not merely formal hearers, but doers of the word; living in peace and righteousness, and commending themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And do thou, O Lord God, graciously hearken unto the supplications of Thy people when they shall pray in this place hear Thou, in heaven, Thy dwelling place; forgive the sins of Thy servants, and teach them the good way, wherein they should walk, for the sake and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.-Amen. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace, give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are în by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord: that as there is but one body, and one spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart, and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.- Amen." The Archdeacon then gave the Benediction, and "God save the King" was sung in full chorus, by the children, and the assembled spectators, accompanied by the band. The inscription on the stone was as follows: "The parish of St. Botolph having been without a church for nearly two hundred years, this Stone was laid on Wednesday, the 11th of May, 1836, by John Round, Esq. All Glory be to God." The procession then returned to the Castle Bailey, where the persons composing it opened their ranks, and Mr. Round having been requested to advance between the lines, the Master presented the trowel used in laying the stone, and requested his acceptance of it. In doing this, Mr. Clift addressed Mr. Round, expressive of the high gratification experienced by the Brothers and every other person engaged in the proceedings of the day, from the assistance of that gentleman. The handle of the trowel was of ivory, and the blade of silver-on which was the following inscription :- "The First Stone of St. Botolph's Church, Colchester, was laid on Wednesday, May the 11th, 1836, by John Round, Esq., of Danbury Park." Mr. Round, who appeared not to have been previously aware of the intended presentation, acknowledged the compliment in a speech replete with feeling aud good taste. Thus ended a day, which will be long remembered in Colchester with pleasure. It was indeed a day of joy and gladness. The amount collected during the day was At St. Peter's Church At the Site of the New Church Total £136 14 45 16 £182 10 THIRD REPORT FROM HIS MAJESTY'S COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED TO CONSIDER THE STATE OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH WITH REFERENCE TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL DUTIES AND REVENUES. TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. We, your Majesty's Commissioners, appointed to consider the state of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues, humbly present to your Majesty this our third report. Not being fully prepared to make a final report on all the matters which have engaged our attention, we venture to offer to your majesty our further remarks upon that branch of the inquiry which formed the subject of our first report; be cause, in consequence of the number of episcopal sees at present vacant, any further delay in carrying into effect the new arrangements respecting the bishoprics will be attended with great inconvenience. When we recommended the union of the sees of Llandaff and Bristol, we were influenced chiefly by a desire to retain for the city of Bristol its ecclesiastical character, and to secure to it the advantage of a bishop resident upon the spot, or at no great distance from it. In consequence of the urgent remonstrances which were made against this arrangement by the clergy and other persons in the diocese of Llandaff, on the ground that it would deprive them of the benefits which they derive from the residence and personal superintendence of their bishop, we were induced to relinquish that plan; and in our second report we recommended that the city and suburbs of Bristol, being within a convenient distance of the city of Wells, where the Bishop of Bath and Wells resides, should be united to that diocese. We have since learned that this proposition has occasioned much dissatis faction to the inhabitants of the city of Bristol, who have represented, in strong terms, their objections to a plan which would merge their episcopal see in that of Bath and Wells, and their earnest desire to retain the advantages of the pastoral superintendence and example of a bishop resident amongst them. Being desirous of consulting, as far as may be consistent with the general principles of our reports, feelings which are not less honourable to the citizens of Bristol than encouraging to the friends of the Established Church, we have been induced to recur to the suggestion to which we adverted in our first report. We accordingly recommend, that the city and deanery of Bristol (with the whole parish of Bedminster) should be united to the diocese of Gloucester; and that a house should be provided, in some convenient situation, near the city of Bristol, so that the bishop of the united diocese may reside alternately there and at Gloucester. This arrangement will render it necessary to augment the income of the bishop beyond what might otherwise have been required. We recommend, as consequent upon this arrangement, that instead of the new archdeaconry of Cirencester, proposed in our last report, an archdeaconry of Bristol should be created; and that the parishes of the united diocese should be divided, in convenient proportions, between that archdeaconry and the archdeaconry of Gloucester. We recommend, further, that the future bishops of the united diocese should be elected, alternately, by the dean and chapter of Bristol, and the dean and chapter of Gloucester, and that the mode of confirming such acts of the Bishop, as require confirmation under the chapter seal, should be determined upon by the commissioners, subject to the approval of your majesty in council. We are disposed to suggest a slight alteration in our propositions relating to the northern diocese, and to recommend that no part of Yorkshire, and no other part of Lancashire but that which composes the deanery of Furnes and Cartmel, should be added to the diocese of Manchester, and that portion of Yorkshire, which forms part of the deanery of Kirkby Londsdale, in the diocese of Ripon. Further information has given us reason for withdrawing those parts of our former recommendations, respecting the diocese of Gloucester and Worcester, which suggest an interchange of certain border parishes between those two dio ceses. With respect to the territorial arrangements of the other dioceses, although at present we see no reason for deviating from the general scheme which we have proposed, we are of opinion that the commissioners should have the liberty of recommending, and that your majesty in council should have the power of sanctioning, such variations in the boundaries of the several dioceses as may be suggested by fuller and more precise information, with respect to the circumstances of particular parishes or districts. In order effectually to carry into execution the proposed territorial arrangements, it will be necessary that your majesty in council should be empowered, when such arrangements are completed, to declare that those places, which may have been transferred from one diocese to another, shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese of which they will then form a part, in all respects and in the same manner as if they had originally belonged to it; and that the jurisdiction of the bishops, from whose dioceses they may respectively have been severed, shall from thenceforth wholly cease. Power of a similar character, although varied in some particulars, will be requisite with respect to the proposed union of the diocese of Bangor with St. Asaph, and that of Bristol with Gloucester, as well with regard to the new sees of Manchester and Ripon. As these arrangements will necessarily affect the interests of several persons who hold patent offices in some of the dioceses, we recommend that your majesty in council should be empowered to make such regulations, for the apportionment of fees, as may appear just and equitable, for the purpose of making compensation to those officers who may be prejudiced by the alterations. We append to this report the diocesan maps, to which we referred in the appendix to our second report, and the completion of which was delayed by the necessity for reconsidering some of the territorial arrangements. These maps are intended to exhibit the condition of each of the present dioceses, with reference to territorial contents and boundaries; and its future condition, as to its main outlines, in the event of our propositions being carried into effect. In that part of our last report which refers to the contributions, to be hereafter furnished by the richer sees, towards the augmentation of the poorer, we did not point out the particular mode in which such contribution might be most VOL. XVIII, NO, VI. 3 B conveniently made. In some cases a transfer of estates may, probably, be expedient; but in general, we think, that the most advisable arrangement will be, that each of the bishops of the richer sees should pay to the commissioners the sum which shall be fixed upon, as his quota of contribution to the fund, out of which the yearly payments are to be made in augmentation of the poorer bishoprics. Objections may, no doubt, be urged against this plan, on the ground that the fluctuating amount of the episcopal incomes may sometimes make it inconvenient to the holders of the larger sees to pay a certain fixed sum; but upon the whole, we think, that this mode is less open to objection than any other which has presented itself to us; and it possesses the important advantage of ensuring a sufficient fund for the improvement of the smaller sees. We recommend, however, that at the expiration of every seven years a new return of each see should be made to the commissioners, with a view to their revising the scale of episcopal payments and receipts, in order to preserve, as nearly as may be to each bishop, an income equivalent to that which shall have been considered, in the first instance, to be suitable to the circumstances of his bishopric; and that such revised scale should take effect upon the then next avoidance of the respective sees. The proposed changes in the revenues of the several sees, will render the payments with which they are charged for first-fruits and tenths very disproportionate; and the two new sees will be free from this charge. We, therefore, recommend that the aggregate sum, to be paid from this source to Queen Anne's Bounty, should remain the same as at present, but that the commissioners should be empowered as speedily as may be, after the relative values of the several sees under the new arrangement shall be ascertained, to make a new division of that aggregate sum, in proportion to the respective values of the sees, and that such appointment, being ratified by your majesty in council, should be binding on all bishops to be hereafter appointed. The reduction to be made in the incomes of the sees of Durham and Ely, which are now vacant, requires a corresponding reduction in the sums which the bishops whom your majesty may be pleased to prefer to these sees, on the present occasion will, immediately on taking possession of their temporalities, become liable to pay for first-fruits. For this purpose, we submit, that, as soon as the incomes of those sees are fixed, the commissioners should be empowered to relieve the bishops from the excess beyond their due proportion of payment, and to order that the residue of the sums due be paid out of the surplus funds arising from the respective sees. The vacancies to which we have adverted, in the sees of Durham and Ely, afford an opportunity of carrying into effect many of the changes which we recommended in our former reports. From information received since the date of our last report, as to the probable future proceeds of the property belonging to the sees of Durham and Ely, we are led to believe, that if the future income of those sees be reckoned at 8,000l. and 5,500l. respectively, the fund intended to provide, either wholly or in part, for the smaller bishoprics, will receive, annually, from Durham about 12,000l., and from Ely about 5,000l. Understanding that the see of Bristol will become vacant, we recommend that the bishopric of Ripon be created without delay, and that an income of 4,500l. per annum be assigned to the bishop of that see. The archbishop of York, whose consent to this arrangement has been signified to us, would thus be relieved of a considerable part of his too extensive and laborious diocese; and portions also of the diocese of Chester, which are most inconveniently situated with respect to the episcopal residence, would, with the consent of the Bishops of Carlisle and Chester, be detached from that diocese, and placed under the superintendence of the Bishops of Carlisle and Ripon respectively. We further recommend that, with the consents of the Archbishop of York, and of the Bishops of Lincoln and Norwich, which have been signified to us, the counties of Huntingdon and Bedford, with those parts of Norfolk and Suffolk which were specified in our first report, and the small portion of the county of Cambridge, which is now in the diocese of Norwich, should be forthwith annexed to the diocese of Ely; and the county of Nottingham to the diocese of Lincoln. The vacancy of the see of Bristol will render it necessary to provide for the administration of that diocese. With the consents of the Bishops of Salisbury, Oxford, and Gloucester, we recommend that the proposed union of the city and |