Were the Establishment for the Clergy in Virginia a little more plain and regular, even without any additional Augmentation of their Salaries, I am sure it would be for the Good of the Clergy there, and for the Encouragement of good and ingenious Men to go over and settle there.
Some Parishes are long vacant upon Account of the badness of the Tobacco, which gives Room for Dissenters, especially Quakers, as in Nansemond County; but this might be remedied, either by making the Payments of equal Value in the other Commodities produced there, or else by a standing Order, which Governor Spotswood proposed, viz. that the Parishes longest vacant should be in their due Course first supplied; for then the good and bad would have Ministers alike in their Turns; but the Ministers must run the Risk of their Lot, though the most deserving should have the worst Parish, and the most unworthy be best preferred: but the Value of the Parishes being so nearly equivalent to each other, this small Difference might easily be made up to good Men some other way; so that this Method may not be impracticable nor improper.
Some Parishes are not conveniently divided; in some the Churches are not commodiously placed, and other Parishes are too large, others too small; but these and the like Disproportions might easily be remedied by the general Assemblies, if they unanimously set about such Divisions without being swayed by private Interest; to do which would tend to the general Good of the Clergy and Laity; but Works of this Nature, where great Numbers are concerned, are not effected without great Opposition and Difficulty.
The Buildings upon the Glebes being Timber soon decay, especially upon Vacancies; but these should be kept in due Repair continually by the Vestry: Likewise should the Dimensions and Form of the Dwelling-Houses and Out-Houses be more particularly determined, and made such as might conveniently and handsomly receive the Ministers and their Families; which would be very great Inducements for them to relinquish England for the Certainty of good Livings, good Glebes, good Accommodations, and a kind Reception. The Expence of building and repairing where most of the Materials are only an Incumbrance, would be but a Trifle to a Parish; whereas 'tis a great Expence and Trouble to a Stranger to fit up the Apartments that he finds, which are generally too small and often very ruinous. Besides this a small Stock of Hogs and Cattle upon the Glebes would be of excellent Service to Newcomers, till they can be better furnished; they being obliged to leave behind them the same Number of the same Animals. Some Glebes, as that at James Town, have this Convenience, and 'tis Pity but more Parishes followed such Examples: The prime Cost in stocking their Glebes by Degrees would be insignificant; and the chief Trouble would be for the Church-Wardens to receive the Stock from the Executors of one Incumbent, and deliver them again when there comes another.
Other Difficulties that the Clergy meet with there are the Methods of Payment, the Laws and Customs being not particular enough in this Respect; so that sometimes Tobacco cannot be got in Time convenient for the Minister, or is not delivered at a proper Place for his Interest, or is not at all good of its Kind, or not of the right Sort, or but very indifferent, such as the Receivers might have refused, or else is not pressed hard enough, which is a very great Detriment; and sometimes they will make the Ministers pay for their Cask, or for collecting, pressing, rolling their Tobacco, and making it heavy and convenient, and that at an extravagant Rate; and if a Stranger, fearful of being imposed upon, takes the Management of his Tobacco into his own Hands, he is at a Loss how to order it aright, being unacquainted with the Nature of the Commodity, and the Customs of the Country; and if one Difference arises, it frequently begets wider, though about those Things which might easily be settled, and are of but little Value in respect of their Inconveniency; so that the best way to get sweet-scented Tobacco has been declared by some to use sweet-scented Words.
Now all this should be determined, to avoid future Quarrels of this kind, which too frequently proceed from such Causes, by fixing the Times, Places, and Manner of Payment; together with a Regulation of the Allowances for collecting, pressing, and making Tobacco heavy and convenient; with an Injunction for the Payment of none but good and vendible Tobacco for parochial Dues. Whether the Parish or the Minister be to allow the Expence thereof, it might easily be determined; and if both are to join in it, this might easily be settled, by which Means abundance of Variance would be prevented, and the Incomes would be more certain, and of a good deal greater Value if the Parish did deliver good heavy Tobacco with Cask to the Minister, at Places most suitable to his own Conveniency, which I take to be the Intent of the Law, which was made for the good Payment of the Ministers. The Charge of this would be but small to a whole Parish, tho' it often falls heavy upon the Minister, especially when he meets with sharp or cross People; but in abundance of Parishes the Inhabitants are so good that they never make any Dispute about these Things, especially when they like their Minister; for that he may have any Favour of them that he in Reason may desire.
The Payment of the Surplus Fees also wants a Regulation; for when Tobacco is dear, some will pay them in Money, but when cheap they will pay Tobacco, which does not seem equitable; so that in my Opinion these Payments should always be made at certain appointed Times and in proper Methods, either in one or the other, and not left to the Humor or Discretion of the Debtor, since sometimes there is half in half Difference.
A Settlement of these Things should be made, either for the Advantage of the Clergy or People, or else a middle Expedient should be found out; since the Consequences of Disputes and Variance between Ministers and their Congregations are generally very pernicious to the Welfare, Happiness, and Tranquility of both Parties; wherefore Remedies should be applied in Time, especially in such Cases where Delays encrease the Danger; when ill Customs in Time pleading Prescription are established as firm as Median Laws, and propagate such ill Habits in the Constitution, as are most difficult to be extirpated.
As for the Establishment of Episcopacy in Virginia, it would be of excellent Service, if Caution was taken not to transplant with it the corrupt Abuses of Spiritual Courts, which the People dread almost as much as an Inquisition; but these their Fears would soon be dissipated, when by blessed Experience they might feel the happy Influence of that holy Order among them, free from the terrible Notions that Misrepresentations of regular Church Government have made them conceive.
I have often heard that there have been Intentions of this Kind; and that the main Obstacle was the Difficulty of raising a Salary sufficient to support the Dignity, and recompense the Labours of a Bishop. But this Impediment may (I presume) with good Contrivance be easily removed; for I don't at all question that the superior Clergy and Collegians in the Universities would refuse to contribute half a Crown a Year for this glorious Undertaking, or that the Inferiors would join their Shillings. This might be collected into the Treasury gratis, by the Officers of the Taxes, and might be taken off in a few Years, when upon Tryal the Usefulness of a Bishop upon the Continent of North America was confirmed by Experience; for then a Maintenance might be contrived by other Means very easily, there being spare Land enough to be appropriated for a Barony. And one skilled in Political Arithmetick may readily compute what a handsom Income this would amount to with Care in collecting.