The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-16 00:00:00

THE EARL OF CARLISLE ON INDIA.

Tin: Earl of Carlisle, in the course of his speech as
president at the annual meeting of the Bradford
Auxiliary to the British and Foreign Bible Society,
thus referred to the Bible in India :

However brilliant have been the feats of our arms, and
however heroic the abbievements and the sufferings of our
countrymen, we must all desire to raise on that vast con-
tinent other trophies than those of the avenging sword and
other growths than that of the bloodstained laurel. I feel
sure that you will be all disposed to agree with me that even
in India, even among those to whom we have been obliged
to apply all the rough and harsh methods of punish-
ment and conquest, even there we should not seek to
introduce the priceless benefits of Christianity itself merely
by State influence and by actual compulsion. The Word
of God is too precious a thing to be made, under any cir-
cumstances, the subject of a bribe or a threat. And I have
seen with some regret what was, perhaps, natural, what
was, perhaps, unavoidable, both in this country and in
India—during the first moments of alarm and horror—l
mean the somewhat over-vehement and vindictive tone in
talking of the native population, so that sun3etimes the
peaceful and pardon-breathing precept of the Gospel seemed
almost to have become as strange to the dominant as to the
native and infidel races. Yet 1 trust now that a Govern-
ment conducted in a far other spirit, and conscious of its
high responsibilities alike to the parent country and to the
subject populations, will speedily obliterate all such painful
traces of past convulsions and conflicts. lint the spread of
Christianity is not properly the work of any Government
as such. Christianity marshals her own votaries and
marches under her own banners ; and just as unbidden by
any Government you muster in this noble hall, just as
unbidden and unpaid by any Government the Bible Society
sends forth its agents and colporteurs, and your churches
and denominations send forth their missioneries and
teachers, so. asking nothing from any Government but a
fair field and no favour, will the work —the Godlike work,
I had almost said, of evangelizing and Christianizing the
heathen go on, relying on its own resources and sufficient
or its own vietorias.

THE BISHOP OF OXFORD.
AT the dinner which followed the annual meeting of
the Royal South Bucks Agricultural Society, which
took place a few days ago at Salthill, near Windsor,
a somewhat extraordinary scene occurred in connec-
tion with a toast usually drunk at agricultural meet-
ings, " The Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese."
Mr. WANKLYN, a county magistrate, in proposing
the toast, said, that since they had last assembled in
that room circumstances had occurred in that neigh-
bourhood which had given it a world-wide import-
ance. In consequence of these circumstances his
toast was invested with more than a common in-
terest. Public attention throughout the country bad
been directed to these circumstances principally
through the instrumentality of the amiable and ex-
cellent vicar of Stoke, Mr. Shaw. (Here applause
of a most rapturously enthusiastic character broke
forth, which prevented the speaker from proceeding
for some moments.) He trusted that the proceed:
ings which had taken place would have the effect
of checking and of rooting out of the Church
those practices which were abhorrent to the feel-
ings of every true Christian. The system to which
he alluded he unhesitatingly condemned as anti. Pr-
otestant and un-English, as anti-Christian and nn-
scriptural. To use the language of the Bishop of
Oxford in a document published a few days since—
" God forbid that our clergy should administer such
a system, or that our wives and daughters should be
subjected to it." He would add a prayer—May God
grant that both bishop and clergy and laity may hold
the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and
in the righteousness of lite. It was because be be-
lieved that the bishop was sincere in the utterance
of these sentiments—(loud cries of "No, no," and
tremendous uproar)—it was because he believed that
lie was a conscientious—(" No, no," and continued
interruption )—that he was a sincere—(" No, no,"
mingled with an occasional " Yes, yes ")—that he
was an exemplary and faithful—(loud noises and
discordant yells)—bishop, that he begged to propose
The Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese." (Cries of
" No bishop," " Mr. Shaw and the clergy," followed
by loud cheers.)

The great majority of the company drank the
toast, at the same time calling out " Mr. Shaw and
the clergy." It should be observed that the vicar of
Stoke was not present. After some degree of tran-
quillity had been restored,
The Rev. S. F. 31Ansium., vicar of Farnham,
Royal, responded, amidst considerable interruption