The Express.
London, England, 1868-07-20 00:00:00

RITUALISM AT ST. iILICAN'S, HOLBORN.

A singular confession is made by Mr. J. Cl.
Hubbard, M.P., in the columns of the lYmes this morning.
Mr. Hubbard was patron and minister's warden of "the
church of St. Alban the Martyr." His wealth, indeed, built
the edifice, and it was, perhaps, not unreasonable to suppose
that be approved the ritual practised there. With the
view of undeceiving perilous who are under this impres-
sion, be publishes in the Timm to-day the main por-
tions of a letter addressed by him to the Bishop
of London in May last. In that communication
he states that he assigned the district to the charge
of the Rev. A. H. Mackonochie, from whom he had
received an "earnest assurance of his wish to carry on the
work in accordance with my desires as far as he possibly
could," and of his endeavour "to act as a true and faith-
ful priest of the Church of England with prudence and
discretion." Mr. Hubbard declares, with regard to the
communion service, that the practice enforced at St.
Alban's contravenes the rubric, and, as a devotional
act, is entirely distinct from the Eucharist ser-
vice of the church of England. He objected
to the introduction of coloured vestments "in the
strongest terms;" but when the incumbent heard that
he had been consulted by his co-churchwarden on
the subject, be " took the vestments into immediate
use in order to preclude any intervention " on
Mr. Enbliard's part. " Since then," says the writer,
"the vestments have multiplied, and those worn yesterday
were so gorgeous and so cumbrous that the acolytes (re-
leased from their former aloes of thurifers) found em-
ployment in following the movements of the assistant
priests, and, whenever they knelt down, arranging
extremities of their gold fringed vestments.
the use of these vestments be or be not statute:4y
it is in my mind highly inexpodient." Mr. Hub
referred to other matters which he believed to be wholly
unauthorised, and solicited the decision of the bishop as to
their permissibility. It appears that various pro-
positions have been submitted to Mr. Mackonochie
by the churchsrardena, with a view to adjust
the matters in dispute, but the former objected to refer
them either to the diocesan or to any ecclesiastical
lawyer of his own choosing. The judgment of the Dean
of Arches, by condemning the ceremonial use of in-
cense, has removed one of the causes of Mr.
Hubbard's dissatisfaction, but he finds no pretence
for delaying his petition that the bishop will take
into consideration the other matters referred to. " I may
not," he says, " now claim your lordship's hearing in any
official capacityy, for I bold none ; yet, as founder and
patron of St. Allan's, I venture to challenge your sym-
pathy and assistance. The law, by vesting in me the
patronage of the benefice makes me • trustee for the
Church of England in general, and for the inhabitants
of the distaist in particular, and in that character I
approach
•your lordship. complain that Mr.
Mackonochie, by unauthorised hneeringe, interruPte
the communion service, and makes a visible
severance in the consecration of tile sacrament
of the body and blood of Christ, and I pray that you
will—it you entertain my complaint —permit it to be
brought formally before you, to be dealt with under
the authority of the Rubric referred to by the Dean of
Arches."l
The Bishop of London, in his reply, which is dated
" Fulham Palace, July 18," gives Mr. Hubbard the bene-
fit of his sympathy, but in reference to the matters brought
before him, prefers to wait until "the highest court of the
church and realm " shall have given its decision on the
points raised in this case in the appeal from the judgment
of the Court of Arches.