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ANGLICAN

COMMUNION

purpose. At length came the War of Independence; and see in Japan by the Canadian church is in contemplation; the colonial churches have all done their share. as soon as peace was declared, the church people of and Connecticut sent Dr Samuel Seabury to England with a Moreover, the fuller realization of the nature and value of petition to the archbishop of Canterbury for his conse- the episcopal office has led to the sending out of bishops cration. But as there were, not unnaturally, political to inaugurate new missions, instead of waiting until there already a large body of clergy and lay people : this obstacles, Archbishop Moore refused; and they were is procedure has been folloAved in the cases, amongst others, compelled to turn to the Scottish bishops, by three of the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa, Lebombo, whom Dr Seabury was consecrated bishop of Connecti- of Corea, and New Guinea; and the missionary jurisdictions cut on 14th November 1784. Soon afterwards, at the initiative of the archbishop, the supposed legal difficulties so founded develop in time into dioceses. And thus, instead of the ten colonial jurisdictions of 1841, there were removed (26 Geo. III. c. 84); and on being satisfied now about a hundred foreign and colonial jurisdicas to the doctrines of the church, and as to the liturgical are tions, in addition to those of the church of the United changes which were then under discussion in a convention at Philadelphia, the two English archbishops proceeded to States. The see of Carpentaria in Australia was founded consecrate William White and Samuel Prevoost to the in 1900, and scarcely a year passes without the addition sees of Pennsylvania and New York on 14th February of one or more to the list. It was only very gradually and 1787. Thus the Protestant Episcopal Church in the that these dioceses acquired legislative independence r a determinate organization. At first, sees A ere created United States was properly equipped; and since then its progress has been constant. At the time of Seabury’s and bishops were nominated by the Crown by means of consecration there were barely 100 Anglican cleigymen letters patent; and in some cases an income was assigned in the United States : to-day there are in all 91 American out of public funds. In fact, such was the theory of the bishops and over 5000 clergymen, working either at home croAvn officers as to its inherent rights as the “fount of or abroad. The American church has never _ proceeded to honour” that Bishop Selwyn only managed by_ great the organization of provinces. The presiding bishop is exertions to prevent the insertion of a clause in his own the senior by consecration, and the House of Bishops letters patent reserving the appointment of his archdeacons to the Crown! Moreover, for many years all elects its own chairman. On 12th August 1787 Dr Charles Inglis was conse- bishops alike were consecrated in England, took the crated bishop of Nova Scotia, with jurisdiction over all customary “ oath of due obedience ” to the archbishop of Canterbury, and were regarded as a species of extraThe the British possessions in North America. In territorial suffragans of his. But by degrees changes have Church 1793 the see of Quebec was founded; Jamaica lathe and Barbadoes followed in 1824, and Toronto been made on all these points. Colonies. anq Newfoundland in 1839. Meanwhile the (1) Local conditions soon rendered necessary someneeds of India had been tardily met, on the urgent thing of the nature of a provincial organization, and representations in Parliament of William W ilberforce and it was gradually introduced. The bishop of P v iaI others, by the consecration of Dr T. F. Middleton as Calcutta received letters patent as metropolitan ™ ^ bishop of Calcutta, with three archdeacons to assist him of India when the sees of Madras and Bombay Zation. in his labours. In 1817 Ceylon was added to his charge; were founded; and fresh patents Avere issued to in 1823 all British subjects in the East Indies and the Bishop Broughton in 1847 and Bishop Gray in 1853, as islands of the Indian Ocean; and in 1824 “New South metropolitans of Australia and South Africa respectively. Wales and its dependencies ” ! Some five years later, Similar action was taken in 1858, when Bishop Selwyn on the nomination of the Duke of Wellington, William became metropolitan of New Zealand; and again in 1860, Broughton was sent out to Avork in this enormous juris- Avhen, on the petition of the Canadian bishops to the diction as archdeacon of Australia. Soon afterwards, in Crown and the colonial legislature for permission to 1835 and 1837, the sees of Madras and Bombay were elect a metropolitan, letters patent were issued appointing founded; whilst in 1836 Broughton himself was conse- Bishop Fulford of Montreal to that office. Since then crated as first bishop of Australia. Thus down to 1840 metropolitans have been chosen and provinces formed by there were but ten colonial bishops; and of these several regular synodical action. The process has been greatly were so hampered by civil regulations that they Avere encouraged by the resolutions of the Lambeth conferlittle more than government chaplains in episcopal orders. ences on the subject; and in 1901 the formation of In April of that year, howeTer, Bishop Blomfield of London a province of Queensland was in contemplation, with published his famous letter to the archbishop of Canter- Brisbane as its metropolitan see. The constitution of bury, declaring that “ an episcopal church without a bishop these provinces is not uniform. In some cases, as South is a contradiction in terms,” and strenuously advocating a Africa, New South Wales, and Queensland, the metrogreat effort for the extension of the episcopate. It was not politan see is fixed: a practice which is not only in in vain. At a meeting held at Willis’s Rooms in London, accordance Avith most ancient precedents, but which early in 1841, the plan was taken up with enthusiasm, secures the inestimable benefit of an unbroken history. and large subscriptions were promised; and on Whitsun Elsewhere, as in Canada and New Zealand, where no Tuesday of that year the bishops of the United Kingdom single city can claim pre-eminence, the metropolitan is met and issued a declaration which inaugurated the Colonial either elected or else is the senior bishop by consecration, Bishoprics Council. Subsequent declarations, in 1872 whatever his see may be. Two further developments must and 1891, have served both to record progress and to be mentioned, (a) The creation of diocesan and provincial stimulate to new effort; and since 1841 a sum of about synods, the first diocesan synod to meet being that of ,£800,000 has been raised and applied to this object. The New Zealand in 1844, whilst the formation of a prodiocese of New Zealand Avas founded in 1841, being en- vincial synod was foreshadowed by a conference of dowed by the Church Missionary Society through the Australasian bishops at Sydney in 1850. (6) In recent Council, and George Augustus Sehvyn was chosen as years the title of archbishop has been given to the the first bishop. Since then the increase has gone on, metropolitans of several provinces. It was first assumed as the result both of home effort and of the action of by the metropolitans of Canada and Rupert Land, at the the local churches. Thus St John’s Kaffraria was founded desire of the Canadian General Synod, in 1893; and by the Scottish Episcopal Church; the foundation of a subsequently, in accordance Avith a resolution of the