The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-27 00:00:00

CONVERSION OF THE HON. AND REl'

GEORGE SPENCER.

The Wexford Evening Post states that, in" con'
sequence of " many persons affecting to discredit
the truth of this Clergyman's conversion to the Itir
man Catholic religion, a gentleman of this collo'
wrote to the Rev. Mr. Caestryck, Leicester, ands
letter, containing the particulars, received in answer,
has been kindly handed to us." The same journal
publishes the letter, from which we make the fol'
lowing extracts :

" The Hon. and Rev. G. Spencer, son of Lord
Spencer, and brother to Lord Althorp, was a Fel'
low of Trinity College, Cambridge, Rector of Bring•
ton, in Northamptonshire, and Chaplain to the
Bishop of London, a gentleman of good abilities,
and universally esteemed for his affability and bene-
volence. About twelvemonths before the death of
the late Rev. Mr. Vaughan (who was a rigid Cal•
vinist, and Vicar of St. Martin's, in Leicester), the
Hon. and Rev. Gentleman expressed to the Refs
Mr. Vaughan some doubts or dissatisfaction respect'
ing the ceremonies used by the Church of England,
at the same time observing, that he could not find
sufficient authority for them in Scripture to satisfy
his mind ; to which the Rev. Mr. Vaughan frankly
replied, Ceremonies are not to be defended by
Scripture, but the discipline of the Church, which,
by tradition, is the expositor of the Scriptures; and,
indeed, if you do not admit tradition, the Scripture'
will be of very little use to you.' The Hon. and Rev.
Gentleman, satisfied with the necessity of a living
and infallible expositor to determine the true sense of
Scripture, sought on all sides with earnestness to
discover which was this expositor, but ignorant of
the Catholic Church, except the character given by
its enemies, he did not think of examining her
claims to that office ; but happening, at the house of
a friend, to meet with a young gentleman, a convert
to the Catholic Church, about 20 years of age,
and nephew to the Protestant Bishop of.Liclifield• I
the object of his inquiry became the subject of con-
versation, and this young gentleman, a minor, and
only a few years a Catholic, undertook to defend
the infallibility of the Catholic Church against the
Bishop of Lichfield, in presence of the Hon. and
Rev. G. Spencer, the Hon. and Rev. H. D. Erskine
(Mr. Vaughan's successor), and another Minister of
the Established Church. The time appointed being
Monday, the 24th of January, most of that week
was spent at the house of the young gentleman's
father (who is still a Protestant), where the con-
troversy was held. The Hon. and Rev:G. Spencer
saw the weakness of the Bishop's arguments cow'
pared with his young friend, and the Bishop made
this acknowledgment—' You, by following your
religion, are sure of salvation; but I also hope to be
saved by following mine,'—which made the Hon.
and Rev. G. Spencer observe, that is giving a pre
ference to the Catholic, as he is sure of salvation,
while you have but an uncertain hope of it; and
after the conversation was over the Bishop tea,'
acknowledged the evidence of truth, by calling his
nephew aside, and begging of him not to press the
Hon. and Rev. G. Spencer to become a Catholic,
saying, what will his father say, and his friends
say, and what will become of his congregation
To which the Hon. and Rev. Gentleman, when
informed of it, nobly replied, that is all flesh and
blood, I have nothing to do with it;' and coming
to Leicester with the young champion of truth, he
accepted an invitation to dine with the Rev. 13.
Caestryck, when his few remaining objections being
removed, and his doubts resolved, he declared hi'
determination to become a Catholic, since that
Church was proved to be the one established by
Christ, and consequently the only true, spotless, and
infallible spouse of Christ. He immediately in'
formed his father and the Bishops of Peterborough ,
and London of his determination, and resigned hiss
livings in the Church of England. I was present
and edified by his profession of the Catholic Faith I
in Holy Cross Chapel on -January the 21st, and '
shall solrebariutyaroyf Ih4iet h,firb;s
communiono long remember
confirmation,and
d the joyful
on
the Right Rev. Dr. Walsh, assisted by the Rev. Dr.
Weedal, the Rev. Mr. Morgan, of St. Mary's Col-
lege, Oscort, and the Rev. B. Caestryck, at which
time upwards of twenty other converts were also
confirmed. Two days after this confirmation, the
honourable convert went to visit his father, who, as
well as his other relations, received him most kindly.
His father has allowed him a very handsome main-
tenance, though, no doubt, nominally much less than
the livings he resigned, which are said to be worth
3,0001. per annum .The Hen. Gentleman
is now on a visit to the Right Rev. Dr. Walsh, at
Wolverhampton ; he intends to be a Priest—his
father and the Bishop wish him to go to Rome for
a course of Divinity. Mr. Spencer has now twenty-
seven under instruction, who have all commenced
since the 14th ult., and at Hinkley, a small town in
this county, ten converts made their first communion
on the 21st ult."

A rather awkward circumstance happened at
the King's Theatre on Tuesday night. The child of
William Tell, in the first act of the ballet, instead of
hitting the bull's-eye, discharged his arrow into the eyp of
an unlucky officer who stood behind the scenes. Some
blood was shed, but we have not heard whether any eon-
■iderable damage was done.
MR. WM. MARSHALL.—This person, who
was tried and acquitted the week before last, at theAssizel
at Lancaster, on a charge of stabbing Mr. JESSE, surgeon*
is now in custody at the New Bailey, Living been appre'
hended on Tuesday last, by Mr. SCOTT, the deputy con'
stable of Chorlton-row, on a Bench warrant, for the as..
sault upon GAsiaLL, the watchman.—Manchester Mere.
On Saturday evening the body of a female
infant was found in the river Wye, at Putson, near Here'
ford, sewed in a flannel envelope, lined with coloured
woollen. The body, which was nearly in a state of de
composition, was examined by a surgeon, and it Ivo found
that a quantity of c:nders had been forced into the mouth
and throat of the infant. An inquest held on the body
on Monday and Tuesday, was adjourned to Friday. At
present the cruel and unnatural parent remains undisco-
vered.— Cheltenham Chrdnicle.

There was a meeting of the London Literary
Union Club on Wednesday week, at which TnoazA'
CAMPBELL, Esq. presided. In the names already entered
on the list are to be found—CAminam., Scan, ALLA"'
CUNNINGHAM, and CHOLT, amongst poets; MARTIN►
NEWTON, Pwxsason.i., and Wayricaccrrr, 'mongol
artists ; and the authors of Pelham, Sydenham, Tee"
maine, The Roue, O'Hara Tales, Annals of thl
Parish, Anastasius, amongst novelists; nor ill thi 00'
meration of members should thn names of O'Conwitail
SNEIL, Ownzi of Lanark, Drs. LARDNIE, HlxnaasoK►
and 111Enticii, Roscom, D'lszAzu, THOMAS HooP►
LOCKHART, BARNES, MATINNON, DE CATEL BROOKS,
BASIL MONTAGU, Prince de CIMITILLI, Sir Gitoaas
STAUNTON, Sir GORE °MIELE', Sir F. FREELING
" man of letters"), Sir RonisaT WILSON, and (a net
candidate) the Hero of Navarin, be passed by. Theo
are already nearly eight hundred members.

BIRTHS. /*--- f
On the
Esq., 'of &daughter.' i
On the lady of W. Lynch(
:'reet, Chelsea, the lady °
Dr.
Alexander
the
Surgeonsnete to the Forces, of .
daughter.
On the 22d of January, at Rio Janeiro, Mrs. Skeirett,
2 20th
i in
nisti. . a
Stewart,
int H
Sloane-street,
the lady of Col. Skerret, Chief Commissioner of ilieim-
pet ial Brazil Mining Association, of a daughter.
MARRED.
qu 6; 2541 inst. .atL'EpsoM, 'Mr. William Field, °ft
Clapham-rise, to Charlotte, daughter of Mr. Butahei, of
Epsom, Surrey. • ,
On the 25th inst. at Lambeth, the Rev. G. R..Kensitt,
of Rode, Somerzetshire, to Georgiana Mary, dirt'
daughter of George Mordaunt, Esq., of the Lawn, South
Lambeth, ,

DIED.
On dim 23(.1 inst. in Wel'close-spare,. relict °f
Le late Mr. O. Wilkins.

On the 21st inst. Wm. Robert, Vie infant eon of 11/1.1.'
Win. 4: Bruce, of Edgware-road,
On the 24th inst. at Broom-hall, Bedfordshire, Elio'
beth, widow of the late J. Barber, Esq. aged 66.
On the 24th inst. at Stamford-street, James Williator
eldest son of Major Richardson, of Mount Radford park,
near Exeter, aged 18.

I 2
PAINTED AND PUBLISH/ID BY PelUaDO YOUNG!
THS SUN 01,11C*1 IZI, STAAIII4 UNDO*