Tu view of all these causes at work, it is perhaps hardly surprising that the great majority of the ecclesiastical estates hitherto wound up have shown a deficit, instead of the substantial sums which it was fondly hoped the clerical owners would have to contribute, against their will, to pensions for free-thinking work-mea. Not only have the assets proved absurdly inadequate, but the costs have! been filed up in a remarkably lavish earnest Republicans. All the liquida~ tors are avowed politicians of the hue favoured by the Government and possess considerable local influence. Their attitude towards the tribunals which are supposed to check their accounts shows that they regard themselves as invested with special powers under the protection of the prefects. One of these liquidators sent in a bill of costs for six thousand pounds, and snather received advances to the tune of eighteen thousand pounds. Advocates and other legal gentlemen appointed by the liquidators have charged and received fees scale which is unusual, to say the least.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.