REPORT ON RELIGION AND EDUCATION.
35 Table VIII.
shows the proportion which each of the five classes—Methodists, Indepen¬ dents, Baptists, Quakers, and " All other Persuasions"—bears to the population at large, in each of the dioceses in Ireland.
Divisions.
ECOLESIAS-TKJAIr
Table VIII-—Showing, by Dioceses, the proportion per cent, of the Population in 1861, belonging Percentage to each of the Religious Professions included
t
in the foregoing Table under the head of " Other of other Protestant Dissenters.
Dioceses.
Achonry, Ardagh, .
Ardfert and Aghadoe, Armagh, Cashel, .
Clogher, .
Cionfert, .
Cloyne, .
Connor, .
Cork, Derry, Down, Dromore, Dublin, .
Elphin, .
Emly, Ferns,
Motho-dints.
Indepen¬ dents.
Baptists
•1 "3 •1 1*4 *2 1*8 •2 •1 2*5 •8 •9 1*7 2*1 •7 •4 •0
Society of Frionds,
Othor J Per-I suasions!
•0 0 •0 •3 •0 •2 •3 •1 1-4 *8 •6 1'0 J'O 4 •0 •0 •1
Dioceses.
Metlio-Indepen-
Baptists
Society of
Other Per¬ Frionds.
suasions Kildare, .
4 •0 •0 *2 •0 Kilfenora, — '0 Killala, .
*3 •0 •1 •0 Killaloe, .
•3 '0 •0 •0 •1 Kilmacduagh, — •0 •0 •0 Kilmore, .
1*1 •0 •0 1 Leighlin, •4 •0 •0 •0 Limerick, •4 •1 •0 •1 Lismore, .
1 •0 •1 Meath, .
•2 •0 •0 •1 Ossory, •2 •0 0 •0 "0 Raphoe, .
1-1 •0 •1 •0 •3 Boss, •7 — •0 •1 Tuam, •2 0 •0 •0 •1 Waterford, •6 •1 •1 *6 •4
Total of Ire [and, •8 •1 1 •1-*3
Religious Professions to the total Population,
Number of Benefices in -winch there was no Member of the Established Church,
in which there was 1 and not more than 20, in which tl iere were more than 20 50,
J» 5* 50
5; 100,
• 3*
100
*> 200,
•' "> 200 33 500, )} » 500 •J 1,000, 53 }> 1,000 33 2,000, J) J3
5*
2,000 5,000,
33 5,000,
The only analysis of this Table into which it seems necessary to enter is furnished by the total, according to which it appears that the Methodists formed 0*8; the Independents, Baptists, and Quakers, 0*1 each; and "All other Persuasions," 0*3 per cent, of the popula¬ tion of Ireland at the time of taking the Census in 1861.
The following is a statement of the number of benefices, with the population of the Benefices i* Established Church resident therein in 1834, according to the Report of the Commissioners l83^* of Public Instruction, page 45.
41 99 124 161 224 286 210 139 91 13 The Commissioners, in 1834, classified as above the 1,387 benefices of the Established Church in Ireland according to the number of residents belonging to that Church in each benefice.
The same classification by parishes is now adopted, not merely in respect ot the Episcopalian Protestant residents, but of the three principal denomina¬ tions separately, and of all others in bulk.
As, however, the "parish" is far from being identical with the "benefice" (tho latter sometimes including more than one, and occa¬ sionally only part of a parish), it is obvious that no accurate comparison could be insti¬ tuted between the statistics of the benefices in 1834 and those of the parishes in 1861, even had the boundaries of parishes themselves undergone no alteration in the interval, which is not the case.
In illustration of the difference between the area of the benefice and of the parish, it may be stated, that whereas in the year 1834 .the
number of benefices was only 1,387, the number of parishes was 2,395, not differing materially from the number of parishes in 1861—2,428.
Nor, even were we to travel out of the Census returns, would we be afforded the means of making a comparison between the population of benefices in the years 1834 and 1861, inasmuch as the composition and extent of benefices have undergone much greater changes, under various enabling Acts, than have the boundaries of parishes.
While, therefore, it has been thought right to give the Table of Benefices, extracted from the Report of the Commissioners of 1834, as containing facts proper to be borne in mind, although not available for purposes of close or reliable comparison, Table IX.,
on the following page, has been framed, according to parishes, not less for the purpose of' communicating the facts which it embodies, than for the advantage of future comparison.
It shows the parishes of Ireland, classified according to the number of members of the Established Church, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and other Protestant Dissenters, resident in each, in the years 1834 and 1861, respectively.
Although there were 33 more parishes in 1861 than had been in 1834, the increase is too trifling to.
affect materially the comparison afforded by Table IX.,
between the
ral religions at these two periods.
The increase is due chiefly distribution of the seven
F 2-
