of mankind. This Turkish custom, I fear, must be extended if young men will persist in entering our churches with unworthy motives. But on the other hand, the ladies have somewhat to blame themselves for; they too often assume the properties of the magnet by their flaunting ribbons, their rich satins and velvets; and I feel assured that the beauty of the ladies of Claines requires no such allies to produce conquests. Of all the follies that can be fairly placed to the charge of the human race—and, heaven knows, they are as thick as gnats in a summer sunbeam-none can be laid to more people's doors than the pride and the fancifulness of the judgment in adorning, to say nothing of covering, one's outer scaffolding, the body. But when these extravagancies and follies are introduced even into the Temple, 't is not strange that, by such wooing, man becomes fallen a second time, for, as an old satirist observes "When such a she-priest comes her mass to say, Claines church, it seems, is a favourite spot-a sort of "St. George's, Hanover Square," with the ladies of this neighbourhood, by whom it is very frequently selected for the performance of a ceremony which the generality of the sex hope to have administered, at least once in their lives, on their own account. A maiden lady (who, by the bye, had traversed the earth's orbit about fifty times) once informed me that it was but natural for people to seek retired spots to hide their follies; but I feel confident that younger females see in the seclusion of Claines something far different from this their bright eyes and warm hearts see and feel a poetic beauty, and withal a congeniality of position for those who, stepping forth from the crowded ranks of society, plight their mutual vows before the altar of the church, in the calmness and quietude of rural shades. There was a matter of ten or a dozen couples "asked in church" on the occasion of my visit, and I believe that during the ministry of a former curate (who benevolently put all kinds of facilities in the way of young sweethearts) the average was nearly double that of the present time. No wonder, then, that with this amount of business on the hands of the ringers, and the constant excuses the fraternity will make for the exercise of their vocation, the ears of the villagers were dinned perpetually; and that one of the bells, wearied with so much babbling on marriages, like a vain coquette, is at last grown old, cracked, and unfit for service.* Times are much altered here since the period (1288) when William Canning (who was five times mayor of Bristol) assumed holy orders at Northwick, in this parish, actually to avoid a marriage in which King Edward had wished him to become one of the principals. The bulk of the great tithes of this parish formerly belonged to St. Wulstan's Hospital, but Henry VIII appropriated them to Christ Church, Oxford. The monastery of the White Ladies originally received the small tithes, and the priest of St. Swithin's, in this city, also received certain of them, as ghostly father to the nuns. The minister of St. Swithin's, I believe, still continues to receive this emolument, although, of course, his "ghostly fathership" has been for many years a sinecure. As a portion of the income of the sisterhood was formerly devoted to the repairs of the chancel of Claines church, I cannot, therefore, help thinking that, as that institution is now suppressed, the proceeds of the "ghostly fathership" should be applied in the aforesaid repairs; or it may very usefully form an addition to the income of the perpetual curate of Claines, and would thus fulfil a far more legitimate purpose than that of enriching a clergyman who has nothing to do with the parish; for I understand that the whole stated income of the present curate of Claines is but £27, derived from the lay impropriator, augmented by a grant from Queen Anne's bounty, which was laid out in the purchase of land, added to his surplice fees, &c., which perhaps raise the whole to £180-a small sum indeed * On the occasion of a recent marriage at Leicester the bells of no less than four parish churches were rung in honour of the event. When the ringers proceeded to ask for their fees, the reasons assigned were as follows:No. 1 parish was the residence of the bride; No. 2, that of the bridegroom; No. 3, the family of the latter bury in the parish; and No. 4, an uncle lived in the parish five and twenty years ago. for a perpetual curacy in so extensive a parish, where, I believe, the benevolence of the clergyman results in the distribution of a large portion of his income for charitable purposes. The parish of Claines was originally a chapelry to St. Helen's, Worcester; it was divided into several hamlets or tythings, including the ancient manor of Northwick, and the church was called the church of Northwick, though situated in the hamlet of Claines. In 1218 Claines became a separate parish. It appears that the late Sir H. Wakeman bought the advowson of this benefice of Christ Church College, pending a suit then in the Exchequer, and the issue of which was so successful that the baronet is presumed to have made a “nice thing of it." There are said to be, near the church, existing traces of the foundation of an old parsonage house, which house is said to have been standing within living memory, but the patron has not thought it worth his while to restore it, although the present curate, in consequence, lives in a house which, I should say, judging from its size, costs him an annual rental of some £70 or £80. So that it would seem the patron is determined to make the unfortunate curate literally fulfil the apostolic doctrine of "spending and being spent" among his parishioners; and how he would fare, were it not for the proceeds of another living, it would not be difficult to foresee. The allotment system and provident clubs were in useful operation in this parish, under the care of Mr. Curtler, Mr. Gutch, and Mr. Palmer, the perpetual curate, whose exertions in ameliorating the condition of the poor, and educating their children, are well backed and supported by two or three active and benevolent ladies. There were upwards of thirty allotments, but these have since been much reduced. The allotments were let at £4. 8s. per acre, and the system progressed satisfactorily during the three years it was tried in this parish. I have been informed, though I am reluctant to believe it, that the two principal landowners in the parish gave no assistance to the benevolent scheme. Among the charitable donations left from time to time in this parish are the following:-Edward Thomas, gent., 1656, left £50 to remain as stock for ever, to place out poor children as apprentices; and in connection with this gift, I should think it is a singular instance, unprecedented in any other part of the kingdom, that there is now in hand a large sum of this stock unapplied, for lack of candidates. I am informed, however, that this is not attributable to a want of publicity, as the matter has been advertised. In a large parish like Claines, one would think there were hundreds of poor children whose parents would be delighted with such an opportunity of benefiting them. I hope this will answer the purpose of an advertisement to such persons. Among the remaining charities are-Mr. Charles Evans, £10, interest to be given to old bachelors and maids on St. John's day; and the Rev. T. Cooke, £21, interest to purchase gowns and coats for poor men and women, to be marked "C. T. M." The reflecting mind revolts at this unfeeling attempt to level poverty with crime, by putting on a badge approximating to that (the only one that can be excused) of the "R. V." on the county rogues and vagabonds. The offence to my feelings is still greater from the fact of the donor having made such unworthiness the means of perpetuating his initials to posterity; and from a clergyman too, whose sacred profession should have taught him to remember— "Who builds a church to God, and not to fame, The intention of the donor, however, is frustrated, inasmuch as the initials have long ceased to be attached to the garments. Since my visit here I understand that Mrs. Gutch and Miss Lavender (daughters of the late J. P. Lavender, Esq., banker, of Worcester) have followed out the suggestions of Mr. Markland, in his excellent little work on the decoration of churches, and in lieu of erecting monuments in the church to the memory of their deceased parents, have presented a handsome silver communion service, a velvet cover for the table, two elegant carved oak chairs, and have had the floor within the rails laid down with encaustic tiles. Patron of the living, Sir O. Wakeman (value £305). Perpetual Curate, the Rev. J. Palmer. Curate, the Rev. W. Waldo Cooper. Clerk, Mr. Williams. Organist, Miss Williams. Population, 6,395. Kempsey. HE church of Kempsey is a plain building, cruciform, and covered with lead; it is not ancient, having been almost entirely rebuilt in 1799, when the funds were raised by leasing the church lands under the trustees for ninetynine years. The interior, as might be expected, presents but few points of interest. In the south transept is a monument with this inscription :-" Underneath, the corruptible parts of a vicar, one husband, two help-mates, both wives, and both Anns, a triplicity of persons in two twains, but one flesh, are interred.Rev. G. Boulter, vicar of this parish 50 years, and of Welland 34; aged 81." In the chancel is a bust of Alderman Farley, of this city (1821); there is a monument to Mrs. Elizabeth Eaton (1790), on the tablet of which is some carving, in relief, of the lady and four infants; the execution is far from good, and the children having the appearance of being all of one age, seem to have formed a quadruple alliance for the balance of their mutual claims on the suckling powers of the unfortunate parent. In an arched niche lies the armed figure of Edmund Wylde, a knight, who is protected at each of the four cardinal points by a monk, and on the monument are placed a veritable helmet and sword. From the top issues a fine branch of a horse-chesnut tree, which has been growing for some years and now seems in a flourishing condition. The appearance of a tree, growing out of a solid mass of masonry in the interior of a church, was so singular that I was led to inquire the cause, and found that some few years ago the then sexton of the church, who was |