The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-27 00:00:00

THE UNITARIAN MINISTER AND
THE POPE.

The Rev. W. James, in a letter to the Christian
Reformer, on his recent visit to the Continent, gives the
following account of his interview with the Pope :

"Before-I
left Bristol I obtained from a Roman Catholic
clergyman there a letter of introduction to Monsignor
Talbot, who resides at the Vatican ; through him I had
an audience of the Pope. I was allowed to take with
me Mr. Gangooly and my other young travelling com-
panion, and we went very quietly to the Palace in the
morning, at eleven o'clock. There we saw Cardinals in
their showy robes, and Ministers of State and others, 'as
they passed in and out to and from the presence of 'the
Pontiff. An hour had elapsed before I was summoned.
I had previously ascertained that, as Protestants,
there would be no special mark of reverence required
from us on this occasion, and we paid the same token
of respect which we should have done had we attended
the- Court at home. We found the Pope seated at a
table in
.the plain white ecclesiastical dress which he
always wears in private, and with a calm and benignant
countenance, expressive of amiability and gentleness,
rather than force of character or mental vigour. He
seemed to be a man about 70 years of age, and his
features have not on them the traces of care and
anxiety which I expected would be visible, from all he
bas recently had to do and bear. Nothing could exceed
the kindliness of manner with which he received me.
There was not the slightest exhibition of haughtiness or
coldness in word or action. He spoke naturally of what
arose out of the circumstances in which we stood before
him.- I had been introduced as a Socinian minister
from Bristol ; and I ventured to say that this was
a mistake; that I was not a follower of Socinus, not
"agreeing with him in some of his religious conclusions ;
that I belonged to a church which refused to be called
' by the name of any man, however accomplished and
excellent, and that I was a Unitarian Christian. Hear-
ing this, the Pope reminded me that Socinus was an
Italian, and then asked me if I knew anything of the
history and writings of Ochinus, who was also an Italian,
and of the Capuchin order, but renounced the doctrines
of the Catholic Church, and became an Anti-Trinita-
rian. I replied that I was familiar with the life and
the Anti-Trinitarian opinions of this singularly-gifted
man, and with his fame as a pulpit orator, and that
he had likewise exercised his functions as a preacher in
England. The Pope then turned to the Brahmin, and
was informed that he was soon going to Calcutta as a
Christian missionary to his native Hindoos, having
renounced heathenism and embraced Unitarian views of
the Gospel. He did not forget the English youth who
was with me, and was told that he was of the Indepen-
dent denomination. This led him to make some remarks
on the diversity of thought and speculation which pre-
vailed in the world on the subject of religion. And,
turning to me, he remarked, ' My daily prayer is that,
amid the diVisions and controversies of Christendom, all
may be brOnght to know the truth, and to do it.' Of
course, I felt that 'the truth,' as he understood it, must
he the system of which he is the head and representa-
tive. But his word brought to my mind the prayer of
Jesus, ' Sanctify them by Thy truth, for Thy Word is
truth ;' and I 'said to the Pope that his petition was
mine also, and that it was one in which ali good Chris-
tians must cordially unite."

The frost continues with great severity. Yesterday
there were thousands of persons on the ice in the London
parks.
POSTAGE BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA
The postage question between England and America has
been agitated in some of the journals in Boston, the
charge of 21 cents—a rate double that laid on corres-
pondence between the British provinces and the mother
country—being considered unreasonable. This question
some time sin.eo,was the subject of official correspondence
between the Post-office departments in the two countries.
The rate is at present divided as follows :—United
States, inland postage, 5 cents; sea postage, 16 cents;
British inland, 3 cents. In February, 1837, the
British department proposed the following divi-
sions . British, inland, 3 cents; sea postage, 6 cents;
United States, inland, 3 cents ; with conditions requiring
prepayment, levying an additional rate on letters not
sufficiently prepaid,
,and providing that each country
should account for the sea postage collected by it, retain-
ing everything else. This was declined ;it Washington;
and in August, 1859, our department proposed to call
the sea postage seven cents, and to fix the inland at the
rates established in each country—that is, three cents for
the. United States, and two cents for Great Britain, each
country accounting for all it should receive in making
the division. " The British Government, however, de-
clined ;this, claiming that the inland rates should be
equal ; and there the matter rests, both parties being
willing to reduce the rates, but being unable to over-
' come the difference about one or two cents on inland
postage.

LATEST NEWS.

(BY BRITISH AND IRISH MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)

FRANCE AND FRANCIS 11.
PARIS, Dec. 26.
The Journal des Debuts animadverts on the
inexplicable policy of France, earnestly advocating
the withdrawal of the French fleet from Gaeta.

THE EMPEROR'S FORTHCOMING
RECEPTION.

It is reported that the Emperor's address on
New Year's Day will be eminently pacific. The
Nuncio being absent, the Russian Ambassador
will be the spokesman.
The reported arrival of Garibaldi in Paris is
denied.