The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-30 00:00:00

THE GORHAM CASE.

The Lord Bishop of London has addressed the fol-
lowing letter to A. J. B. Hope, Esq., M.P. :

Lndon.house, March 11.
dear Mr. Hope,—My knowledge of year devoted and
cow/nest attachment to the ebarch of your baptises, and
the assurance which yon have given me of your willingness
to be guided ,by my eouaeib at the present crisis, seem to
impose upon me the duty of repeating la • more cossetted
form aad with some additional remarks, the considerations
whigh I waggested to you in conversation on Saturday last.
Yea them stated to me how greatly you were distressed at
the recent judgment of the Judicial Committee of Privy
Coaseil in Mr. Gorham's ow, and you expressed your op•
prehension that some excellent men might be driven by
that decision to quit, if not the communion of our church,
yet the offices which they hold in it.
I remarked, la answer to your statement, that I could
readily understand the uneasiness which you, in common
with many others, felt at the poeitios in which the church
appeared to be pissed by that judgment, but that I thought
it to be your plain and unmistakeable duty tot to desert the
church at such a moment, when she was most is need of
your support and assistance, but to remits firm in your al-
legiance to her, and to use your best end to remove
existing anomalies and defects. this appears to me very
clearly to be the line of conduct which you ought to pursue.
II a vessel is which you were embarked should spring a leak,
you would surely do your beet to stop the leak before you
thought of abandoning the ship and leaving it to the mercy
of the winds and waves.

I would deaire you to consider in what respect the recent
judgment hes so altered the character of our church as to
justify any of her members in severing their connexion with
her. That judgment may be erroneous, may be a wrong in-
terpretation of t►e church's mini ; but it is the interprets•
lion adopted by a few fallible men, not by any body author-
ised by the church to settle any point of doctrine ; nor can
it have the effect of changing any of the church's doctrines.
That of baptismal r. generation stands in her Articles and
Liturgy as it raid bikini. That is not denied, nor eves ques-
tioned, by the judgment, the purport of which is that to
them who admit the church's doctrine of baptismal grace a
greater latitude of explanation is permitted than you or I
think right. But this, atter all, is only the opinion of a
c' urtof law, not the decision of the church itself is convoca-
tion. I hold that until the church's articles and formularies
we altered by the authority of convocation, or of some
synod equivalent to convocation, her character as a teacher
of troth remains unchanged.
I cannot regard say sentence of an ecelethistiail court as
finally settling a question of doctrine; that can only be done
by &synodical decree; end even then judges may err in
their interpretation of that decree, and yet the decree itself
will hold good, and in anothir appeal respecting the very
same point of doctrine another court might give a different
judgment. I think, therefore, that nothing short of a formal
act of the church itself, repudiating .what it has hitherto as-
serted as truth can warrant a man in quitting her com-
munion.

Went we really want ie a court of appeal so eonstituted
that the members of our church eau place reasonable cnis•
&Ince in its decisions ; but it must still be bleu, in mind
that any each court will be liable to erron in judgment, and
that it belongs to the office of a judge, not to make laws,
bat to expound them to the beet of his ability.
Again, then, I say tint whet the convocation shell by a
solemn act reject the doctrine of baptismal regeneration,
it will be time enough to think of quitting the church's
pale; but till that shall happen (which H forfend) to
nave her would be an act of schism.
I will add one other observation. Every member of our
church who is not seeking a prettxt for quitting her corn
munion must desire to remove whatever blemishes and
im-
pertections than may be in her constitution. But the way
to do this is not to abandon her, end so to tender amend.
meat leas practicable and pnbable by weakening her re-
gowns and diminishing the number of her true friends, bat
to abide finely by her, to be " watchful and strengthen the
things which remain that an ready to die."
You are at liberty to sheer this letter to any penes who is
interested in this most important question.
B-tieve me, my dear hie. Hops, with the truest regard
*ad mama, yours most faithfully,
A. J. Bernfeld Hope, Esq.,ll.P.

C. J. LONDON.

ART UNION OF LONDON.

The annual meeting of this association took place
to-day, in Drury-lane Theatre, for the purpose of receiving
the report of the council and distributing the prises awarded
to subscribers, the Duke of Cambridge in the chair.
Mr. GOD WIN, honorary secretary, read the report of the
society's proceedings during the past year, from which it
append that the total mum appropriated to the fetiches'
and production of works of art, includiog the cost of the en-
gravings sad outlines, was 8,3261. de. 31. It was proposed
Vat a sate of 4,2801. (appropriated to the purchase of works
of art by the prig holders) should be thus allotted .-20
works of 141. sank, 16 of 151.,14 of 201.,12 of 261., 12 of 401,
10 of 601.. 6 of 601.,6 of 704, 6 of 801., 3 of 1001., 2 of 1601., 2 of
2001. To thew the tea nei I proposed to add various seta of proof
eagravings in portfolios. The council drew attention to the
fact, that • desire to support art-unions had been awskesed
i. Aneerice. There were now bier associations of this kind
is that country. One, the American Art Union, established
' in New York la 1838, had this year 18,000 subscribers, eon-
' tribunes 60,000 dollars. It appeared that engravings were
in progress frees " Richud Cour de Leon pardoning Dee-
med de Gourdon," after Mr. Cross, and " The Viper,"
after Mr. F. Goodall. The council continued to keep In
view the didaterested purpose for which this association
was formed, vii., to dittos far and wide throughout the
*slim a 1.0.• of art.
FeedollB to the adoption of the report, Mr. HMO, in.
(Aired whether the council weld nets) arrange their pro-
ceedings as to allot prises to a higher amount than 2001.
Mr. GODWIN replied that themes of 2001. had been Axed
as the highest prise, after due deliberation, and it would
now be exceedingly inoonvenient to make any alteratiou in
the amount. The °tuned had no other object in view than
that of drawing art and satisfying the subscribers. The
report was tiara adeptei.
Thoth, having been voted to the council and to the
houvrary secretaries, the business of awarding the prizes was
proceeded with in the usual course.

SOCIETY FOE THE PROPAGATION OP THE GOSPEL
tN FOILZION PARTS —Yesterday afternoon a public meeting
was held at Wilda's Rooms, to consider the claims of the So-
ciety tor the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parte.
The meeting, which was convened by the rector of St.
James's, Westminster, was nanterously attended. Lord
Lyttelton presided. The noble chairman, the Bev.
Macksasks, 11. A., vicar of Bt. Martin'e•in.threditida, the
Rev: John Jackson, II A., rester of St. Jamsee, Westmin-
ster, the Rev. W. Perkins, late missionary at Camapore, the
Rey. J. P. Orli, M.A., warden of Christ's College. Van
Dolmen Lead, the Rev. Profeseur Brown, M.A., of Hinge Cap, the Rev. R. J. Veratoe„M.A., aid other gentlemen
addremed the meeting at esasidsrable length is support of
resolutions alliming the duty of the church to take more
active strps for the roaversion of the heathen, and for the
promotion of the spiritual interest, of the eolonlata, arkd else
pie tging the resatiag to the assistance of the society. The
stemless separated after a vote MI thanks to Lord Lyttehme
fee hie courtesy in presiding.
Fns IN THE COURT OP COMMON PLEAL—Yoe.
earthy the amended bill te re•nlate the receipt and amount
of f.'s reeefirAble by certain dame in the Court of Common
Pleas , was printed. Noe are t. 4 be entered in a book and
amounted for to the Treasury. Oa vacantly in the once of Be.
atm Master, they nay be reduced. Cespeneatitso may be
gran.. d to persons &fleeted by the set.
DRIED Ogus.—A vossel which bog arrived from
Bremen has hroutht • quantity of dried geese as a portion of
her cargo, the produce of the Healeatie static.

For Amount.
PARIS, Arm 29. For '
Money. rlOpenter algbord. Lowest. Closing
--
$ por Cents.
6 per Cents..
6 do. Neer Loan „ ei II O. „
44 per Ceuta.. .. ,, .
4 par Olebt• po ..
Itzthang• on Lowest: at Night Sa 33 ;Id days, IS 424. "
15.1,143, 6, 1680
Ds. S. 1018 l3Ol „ Rowse Loan, 1849 791 „
Do. %
Ds. $
Plattesoat 3 pre Cents 63 30 „ lank Sham 2125 „
DOOM& ..- Paris and Orleans, 715 Parts sad Rouen. NS ;
Rouen and Havre, 203; Avignon and 34steeilles, • Strasbourg
and gals, 103 73; Orleans sad Vienne, 35123; Otiesesaid liordssitz,
UT 60; Northam, 412 30; Paris sad Strasbourg, 323 ; Teen and
Nantes, 130; Iluetsreau and V 076000: Owned; HI 30; Ver-
ISSN (right benk),l37 SO ; DMto Oat bank), 13760.