The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-27 00:00:00

something to somebody" on the subject of education,
that 1 had no right to consider that correspondence as
" under discussion ;" and subsequently that you "can-
not sufficiently express your astonishmen%" that I should
have so considered it. You further state, that I
" protested" against " bringing that correspondence
under discussion ;" and you add, in supposed confirma-
tion of it, that I myself moved that some words" taken
from that correspondence" should be omitted in the
resolutions on that account.

These assertions are equally unfounded.
Ist. That correspondence could not have been under
discussion, when it was specially referred to in the very
terms of the motion, which, though your Lordship sup-
ported it, you appear to have forgot, which are, "that
this house has had under its consideration the various
documents which have been presented by her Majesty's
command respecting public education, &c., and also the
letters of the Secretary of State and the President of the
Council of the 4111, 6th, and 9th of February respec-
tively."
2d. I did not, in any part of my speech, " protest"
against " that correspondence" being discussed (as your
Lordship has affirmed, though you have not condes-
cended to point out any passage in the report to which
you ascribe so much accuracy, in support of the affirma-
tion), whilst I did protest against one minute of Council
being confounded in debate with another.
3d. I did not move and carry the omission of any
words simply because they were " taken from that cor-
respondence," but because, by an error in one of the re-
solutions, quite unintentional on the part of the most
Reverend mover, the exact terms of the appointment of
the Committee were incorrectly cited
Your Lordship proceeds gravely to declare that, in
a passage of the reported speech, prefacing an allusion
to the interference of a heathen deity with the ordi-
nary course of nature, in which you find the words,
" We have not a supernatural being on whom we can
rely" to supply the place of education, you discover
the absence of " a lively, abiding, practical sense of the
blessed truths which God has revealed to us."
Can it be necessary for me to state, for the satisfac-
tion of the commonest listener or reader, that in this
passage I could mean to question none of those blessed
truths—can it be deemed inconsistent with a reve-
rence for the divine power, as sincere and as " abid-
ing" as your Lordship's, to declare and to insist that
we must not expect God to effect for us by a miracle,
that improvement in our social system which his Di.
vine Providence has enabled us to effect for ourselves?
I cannot conclude without assuring your Lordship,
that I sincerely regret that you consider that there was
the slightest want of courtesy towards you in permitting
my letter to be published without waiting for a reply. I
id conceived that it would be your Lordship's wish that
it you had misconceived any opinion of mine, that ruis
conception should be removed as soon as possible ; arid
that I was strictly following your Lordship's example,
who bad so recently published your comments on opi-
nions attributed to me, without affording an opportunity
for any explanation of mine to accompany those comments
when laid before the public.—l have the honour to be,
Your Lordship's most obedient servant,
(Signed) LANSDOWNE.
The Bishop of Exeter.

BIRMINGHAM GOVERNMENT
POLICE.

GREAT TOWN'S MEETING AT BIRMING
HAM.