The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-25 00:00:00

HAYMARKET.

Tins Villain& THE UWE CHASC. Messrs. Chippendale.
Noire. Bogen. Kendal, Clarke, Weathersby. te.: Mesdames
fiedgwirit, Chippendale Burke. ft.—TO PARIS AND BACK
FOR ES.—And THE RIFLE, AND HOW TO USE IT.

rinrcsoirs.

Tfir Erionno. THE elAXialalß'S HAT.—Followed by,
ataoclock, THE MAN IY AIRLIL James Harebell, Mr. Her-
mln Vezin.—Doore open at seven , commence at ballimat.

Enorneo, REVERSPN R STRANDearm Emery, Panelle, Rob
sou, and Swantawough: Mesdames Ada Swanhorough and John-
stone.—And THE LATIZT EDITION OF YEA DIAVOLO.
Meseta Thorne & James ; Ilmdames Holt, Newton, dm.

autumn.
Twos Evianot JACK 0' LANTERN : OR, THE RACK COI, RAE,
AND TIM BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURV.-11r. And Mn.
31•Haffie . the Chompk,o Skaggs of Englaod.—And THE COR-
SICAN BROTHERS.

NIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
TEN DAT -Morolac 711. EN-. -Afternoon, BA. la
TO-Noallow-Moroba la 5i11..--Alinam. V. lOm.

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 25.

DEAN RAMSAY, whose pleasant and scholarly
writings have made his name agreeably known
south of the Tweed, has lately addressed a letter to a
North British contemporary on the subject of titles
of honour given to Bishops who are not spiritual
peers. The DEAN, who is one of the oldest offi-
ciating clergymen of the Scottish Episcopal Church,
deals primarily with the territorial and compli-
mentary titles of the Bishops of his own com-
munion, but his observations apply more or
leas to a large and increasing class of the higher
order of clergy, including the Colonial and
Missionary Bishops of the Church of England. Dean
RAMSAY is anxious to show that it is a mis-
take to suppose that the titles in question
were assumed by the Scottish bishops them-
selves. For a while, under what was called
the College System, they formed a body without
territorial distinctions at all, and even after dis-
tricts or sees had been assigned to them, they took
care to add to their designations " of the Epis-
" copal Scottish Church." Dr. Gr.sro, Bishop
of Brechin, who died in 1837, considered his
proper designation to be "Theßight Rev. Geoaos
" GLeto, in Stirling, Bishop," and if strangers or
English clergymen addressed him as " My Lord,"
he neither looked for nor encouraged it. Bishop
WALKER pointedly disclaimed the title. Bishop
SAN DFORD was customarily addressed bye gentleman
in a high official position as "Mr. Bishop." So Dr.
Teartor, Bishop of Edinburgh, in the Scotch Epis-
copal Church, having been invited by Dr. Gnus,
the Roman Catholic Bishop of Edinburgh, to rttend
the funeral of Mrs. Maxus% of Pitfoddels, and
observing that the invitation began " My Lord,"
remarked to Dr. GILLIS, " I observe you style me
" My lord.' I had always thought that the
" Church made bishops, but that the Crown made
" lords." The DEAN attributes the practice which
has grown up to the influence of the feeling of
the English, who cannot separate the episcopal
office from the title in their minds. The ex-
planation is very flattering, and we hope the
observant DEAN will tall us how long it has
been usual in Scotland to carry deference for
English prejudice to any great length. The Eng-
lish feeling itself he illustrates by an anecdote.
The Duke of WELLINGTON having made the ac-
quaintance of Dr. RUSSELL, Bishop of Glasgow,
invited him to dinner when in town, and at table
addressed him as "My Lord." After dinner the
BISHOP took occasion to remind his host that
Scottish bishops, as a voluntary body, had no
claim to such title, the see being unconnected with
Parliament or with the State. " Yes, yes ; I
" know that," said the DUKE " but if I did not
" call you My Lord,' the servants would not be-
" lieve you were a Bishop at all." The case of
the Colonial Bishops caused difficulty at first in
England. When MIDDLETON was consecrated
first Bishop for India, his High Church friends were
quite at a loss how to address him. The question
was decided by Gismos IV., then Prince Regent,
who, informed of the difficulty, settled the matter
by accosting Dr. MIDDLETON, " HOW do you do,
" my Lord Bishop of Calcutta ? I am delighted to
" see your Lordship at my levee." Since that
time the colonial Bishops have been re-
ceived at court as Lord Bishops. Dean RAMSAY,
while careful to disclaim all assumption of titles
of honour by the Bishops of his Church, thinks it
the most natural thing in the world that such titles
should be conceded to them by others. His
opinion is that "to some extent the Divinity'
"which SHAKESPEARE says doth hedge a King'
" applies in the general mind to the episcopal office
" abstracted from the person." It may be so, but
from the anecdote just given the Duke of WEL-
LINGTON does not seem to have had much confi-
dence in the prejudice. The habit of ascribing
worldly titles of honour to the superior clergy is
threatened chiefly by the rapid multiplication of
Bishops which has taken place of late years. Dr.
CROWTHER, the negro clergyman who not long
ago was consecrated in this country Bishop of N rose,
declined, it is understood, to be styled " Lord
" Bishop." On the other hand the Roman Catholic
Bishops are commonly spoken of by lordly
titles, and Dr. MANNtso is " His Grace,"
Dean Ramsay himself never uses the title
in addressing a bishop of his own Church,
partly because such was not the custom when ho
was young, and partly, he tells us, from " a desire
"that our church should exhibit and claim re-
" spectful consideration for the episcopal office ab-
" stracted from merely civil titles of honour "—a
sentiment which, we will add, is eminently worthy
of a good churchman.

Tea disfranchisement of petty boroughs is re-
sisted on the ground that they give access to a
class of men who would with difficulty find mints
elsewhere. There is a good deal of truth in the
statement. There is Mr. JOHN HARDY, for in-
stance, who no doubt suits Dartmouth admirably,
but who might not get in for a large town. Never-
theless, we fear that gentleman was not born to
save the pocket borough system. Certainly he
often makes a more conspicuous figure in the
House than some members who sit for places of
greater note, but his appearances promote rather
the amusement of the House than its instruc-
tion, and do not always enhance its self-respect.