The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-22 00:00:00

Obitutrl.

CASIMIR COUNT BATTHYANY, one of the most dis-
tinguished of the Hungarian patriots, died in Paris
on the 12th instant, suddenly and unexpectedly, in
the forty-sixth year of his age. The deceased was a
scion of a house which, for several centuries, had
furnished illustrious members to the Senate, the
Church, and the army of Hungary. He took an ac-
tive part in the Hungarian war of independence, and
suffered the usual penalty of failure in a subsequent
life of exile. His estates in Austria, valued at twenty
million francs, were all confiscated ; and, although
burn to these large properties, and heir presumptive
to the still more princely estates of the head of his
house, Count Batthyany lived for many years past in
comparative indigence, and has died poor.
CAPTAIN JAMES Aithuu BUTLER died fighting at the
siege of Silistria, at the age of twenty-seven. He
was the youngest son of Lieut.-General the Hon. H.
E. Butler, an officer who bears a gold medal re-
ceived for services rendered to the father of the pre•
sent Sultan during the memorable campaign in
Egypt. in 1801. The deceased was nephew to the
Earl of Carrick, and closely connected with several
members of the Irish peerage. Captain Butler
served with the 90th Foot during the war against
the Kaffirs in 1846-7. He had been until very re-
cently a captain in the Ceylon Rifles. The two elder
brothers of the deceased had also been in the army.

THE PROCEEDINGS OF CONVOCATION.
ON Thursday the Houses of Convocation assembled
to receive reports from committees appointed in the
last session. The Upper House was presided over
by the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, only four other
prelates being present, the Bishops of LONDON,
OXFORD, LINCOLN, and SALISBURY. Proceedings com-
menced by the Bishop of OXFORD reading a volu-
minous report ou the constitution of Convocation, in
which the committee expressed its opinion that the
President of Convocation has the power of giving a
casting vote, and of also putting a final negative
upon bills which have passed both Houses. On the
other hand, the committee held that the precedents
were not decisive on the two points, whether the Presi-
dent had the power to refuse to submit to the Upper
House propositions made by one or more of its mem-
bers, and whether he bad the power of proro-
gation, and therefore " deemed it expedient
" that while the Archbishop should possess, as
" now by royal writ, the absolute power of proroga-
" tion, he should in ordinary cases act with the con-
" sent of his brethren." The committee stated at
some length its opinion on a variety of subordinate
matters, relating to the conduct of business before
the two Houses of Convocation.
A short discussion, not without interest, took place
on the report. The Bishop of OXFORD, in seconding
its adoption, said that the committee were very anx-
ious " that it should be thoroughly understood" that
their not having entered upon the question, as to
whether the laity should be consulted upon the affairs
of the Church, was, " not because their claim ap-
" peered to be trifling," but because the committee
were limited to the consideration of improvements in
Convocation, " and not to the formation of any other
" body." The Bishop of OXFORD also congratulated
the Upper House on the spirit of cordiality and una-
nimity which at that time pervaded the different
orders of the Church." His Lordship was followed
by the Bishop of LINCOLN, who hoped that it would
be generally understood that the question of the
right of the laity to take part in the deliberations of
the Church " wsit not dropped, but only postponed."
The substance of the next report was of more im-
mediate interest, as it related to church services.
This report addressed itself also to the ministerial
agency now employed by the Church. Upon the
question of services it. held that the service in the
Book of Common Prayer should be preserved entire
and unaltered, but it suggested that the length of the

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morning services should in certain cases be dimi-
nished. The report said :
" First, we would suggest that a shorter order for daily
prayer might be compiled from the book of Common
Prayer, with a prescribed lesson or lessons of Holy
Scripture, which might be used instead of the present order
fur daily morning and evening prayer, on other days than
Sundays and holidays in parishes where the incumbent
shall have satisfied the bishop of the diocese that it might
be advantageously adopted.
Secondly, we would suggest that various occasional
services might be funned from the Book of Common
Prayer, for use in the church, with the permission of the
bishop, on week days, and in addition to the prescribed
services on Sundays."
It proceeded then to consider the question of
augmented ministerial agency for the Church, upon
which we extract the most interesting passages :
" 11. That some of the present needs of the Church
might be supplied by more general and systematic co-ope-
ration of the laity in works of Christian charity ; in visiting
and instructing the sick, poor, and ignorant ; in exhorting
the careless; in teaching children and adults in schools ;
iu collecting funds for the extension of the Church at home
and abroad; and in all other labours of Christian love
which can, consistently with the rules of the Church, be
performed by laymen ' • that such works must be undertaken
and conducted under the superintendence of the parochial
clergy, and should bear in marked features the character of
being lay assistance rendered to the ministers of Christ in
their proper work, and should be conducted with the
especial aim of bringing souls under the direct action of
that ministry.
• • • •"
It is deeply to be deplored that there are at present
large numbers of the poorer population, especially in oar
great towns, who are habitually absent frem the worship
of God, and live with little or no sense of true religion,
and new and increased efforts are urgently required to give
them a saving knowledge of the Gospel, and shelter them
within the fold of the Church. For this work there is need
of men specially fitted for and devoted to direct missionary
operations at home. We would therefore suggest the
placing in the midst of such a population clergymen who
might, with a view to economy, Christian fellowship, and
united prayers and action, live together, minister in one
central church, and, with due regard to ecclesiastical rule
and authority, might labour around it in preaching,
exhorting, visiting the sick and poor in their own homes,
and superintending schools. W e think it would be desir- '
able that men possessed of needful gifts for this work
should be especially encouraged to undertake it for a time,
and be recognised as having a special claim for preferment
out of public patronage in less laborious spheres after a
term of service."
The report concluded by the suggestion for a
missionary clergy, organised for the special work of
preaching and exhorting " under the bishop's
" sanction ;" and it intimated that an increase in the
episcopate, especially in the great centres of popu-
lation, was necessary, laying stress on the fact that
the population had increased nearly fivefold since
the Reformation, while the number of sees remained
the same.
The Lower House was numerously attended.
The report of its committee was also in favour of
shortening the public services of the Church in
certain cases, suggesting that, for the religious
awakening of the many, special preachers should be
appointed to visit the large towns in destitute
districts, and that " the exclusive allotment of church
"sittings should be limited as much as possible, such
" sittings to be made free for at least one service in
" the day." But the report was emphatic in its
assertion that all such subsidiary agency should be
lemployed in complete harmony with the diocesan
and parochial system.

OMER PACHA.
THE following description of the Turkish Coln-
mander-in-Chief, as he appeared at a review of the
English troops on the Oth inst., is given in a letter
from Varna:—
" Omer Pacha was dressed with neatness and simplicity
—no order glittered on his breast, and his close-fitting blue
frock-coat displayed no ornament beyond a plain gold
shoulder-strap and gilt buttons. He wore the fez cap,
which showed, to advantage the clear well-marked lines of
his calm and resolute face, embrowned by exposure to
wind and weather for many a year of a soldier's life, and
the hue of which was well contrasted with his snow-
white whiskers. In the rude and rather sensual mouth,
with compressed thick lips, was traceable, if physiog-
nomy have truth, enormous firmness and resolution.
The chin, full and square, evinced the same qualities,
which might also the discerned in the general form
of the head. All the rougher features, the come nose,
and the slight prominence of the cheek bones, ate
more than redeemed by the quick, penetrating, and
expressive eye, full of quiet courage and genius, and
by the calm though rather stubborn brow, marled by
lines of thought, rising above the thick shaggy eye-
brow. In person he appeared to he rather below than above
the ordinary height. His figure is light, spare, and active,
and his seat on horseback, though too Turkish for our
notions of equestrian propriety, was firm and easy. Ho wore
white gloves and neat boots, and altogether would have
passed muster very well in the ring at Hyde-park as a weal
appointed, quiet gentleman. As he rode by, the troll a
presented arms, and when he reached the end of the line
they broke into column, advanced, and performed some
simple field-day manoeuvres, to the great delight of the
Pacha."

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