The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-17 00:00:00

neously followed. At the moment of the fright-
ful discovery, " the dark and rugged cliffs of
Howth" were seen but a few yards ahead, while
the doomed vessel, with unabated speed, was rush-
ing on her fate. A hurried and agitated order
to stop the engines was given ; but, unfor-
tunately, it was of no avail. She rushed
on against the fearful barrier, and her de-
struction was accomplished. The Captain was all
this time in his cabin, perfectly unconscious of
the danger. The awful crash against the rock
that stove in the bow was the first warning he re-
ceived, and thenceforward his conduct was beyond
reproach or censure. He exhibited a total disre-
gard of self, looking only to the safety of those
who were placed under his charge.
The only subsequent mistake, on the part of the
Captain, occurred through the hurry of the moment,
and his ignorance of the true state of affairs. At the
moment of collision, several persons sprung on to
the cliff, a large proportion of whom were saved.
Unfortunately, in place of remaining in that po-
sition, and thus making the best of the un-
toward transaction, the order was given to
back into deep water. The injury was greater
than Captain CHURCH had imagined, and
he sunk with the vessel of which he had
for nearly a quarter of a century been the effi-
cient Commander, but to which his temporary
apathy at length proved so fatal.
The boats were got out, but according to the
usual rule—the description of which might be
stereotyped—one boat " slipped from the davits
into the sea," occasioning a loss of seventeen
or eighteen lives—and " another was found
without the plugs," which, but for the presence
of mind and heroism of a mere boy, who put his
finger into the plug-hole, and kept it there,
even during a second voyage to rescue his ill-
fated companions, must have occasioned the loss
of those who staked their lives therein. Such
events demand inquiry. - Every means to prevent
a repetition of similar calamities must be adopted.
The evil is brought to our own threshold, and a
Legislative remedy is imperatively demanded.

Just as our great National Council enters on
Is work Convocation makes its bow and retires.

Good. Sham vanishes before reality. Arch-
deacons, proctors, and doctors withdraw to ob-

livion. We shall hear no more of them except
when they now and then kick up their heels at a
National School Society meeting, or at a Uni-

versity election. We may pretty confidently hope

that we shall have no more defiance of the Arch-
bishop, and no more attempts to debate business
which they have no power to transmute into real
business. We assured them last November, that
both Whigs and Tories would be equally firm in
refusing them licence to do anything whatever ;
and they now understand that it will be more
prudent in future to refrain from over much talk.
They find no sympathy even from that third class
of Cabinets which we had forgotten ; not only do
Whigs and Tories eschew them, but even a
Coalition Government frowns on Convocations.
The game, then, is quite up.

One little consolation
allowedisstillthem. An Address to
will, however, be
something.
The voluntary the QUEEN
whose
legislative
religious bodies,
powers the State
envies, enjoy Church
no such
Volunta •privilege. If
Voluntaries can pay the
and
clergy can take legislate, the State
national
the fountain of national pay, and approach
honour.
commences with " res The Address
"respectful assurance,"
alto-
gether needless, not
ess, after sayings
Exeter and d •
and elsewhere, cc doings at
MAJESTY'S of loyal affection to her
throne and person ~, and towards the
reason, close with equal good r it,
"not only reco • states that they
recognise but highly •
undoubted prize her MAJESTY'S
undoubted in all causes • 8
and • • ~ecclesiastical
civil. We are happy to
eccle-
siastics. If, however, they commend the
authority of the august headso prize the supreme
did they of the laity, why
so unanimously
proposi-
tion that the laity shouldyvote down the
wished-for legislative Co form part of their
Convocation? Why kick
the laity out of the assembly, and then bow down
meekly before the impersonationy of
and powers of the 1 ' all the rights
ally ? surely there is a
screw loose here. Perhaps
supremacy is due to the this zeal
Archbishopfor of
WESTMINSTER, for immediately they after
re-
press their indignation at " the _
Bishop
arrogating
to himself the p of ROME'S
spiritual charge •
nation," and ignoring of this
Britain the legendary
;which Church, they it Church of
affirm,
PROVIDENChas pleased
E to preserve to this d
in ay ! We must,
passing, always seriously
style of pleading DIVINE PR
protest against this
PROVIDENCE in behalf of
our party fancies. In our ears it • is
the worst
species
of profanity. It was all very well for ec-
clesiastics, especially the
dignitaries
of the Church,
to express their gratitude that the supremacy of
the CROWN had nullified the
titular
pretensions of
a rival hierarchy ; but to thank
PROVIDENCE for
what even their dear old legend-loving
obliged to throw overboard, is only
another mode
of saying, " The. temple of the
LORD are we." It
was at once irreverent, indelicate,
and undignified
to foist such old Church stories into an Address to
the QUEEN.
very proper are the gratitude for the prospe-
rity and loyal obedience of the people, and the
sorrow for the loss of the Duke of
WELLINGTON ;
and equally so the pleasure with which they re-
cord the great exertions of the last 30 years for
the spiritual instruction of an increasing popula-
tion, more churches being now consecrated an-
nually than were built during the whole of the
last century. In connection with this, however,
her MAJESTY is reminded of the paucity of
Bishops. They are hardly more than they were
three centuries ago ! This must press heavily, no
doubt, on Episcopal conscience, since we know
that the property of Bishops has increased, per-
haps, twentyfold since that time. Of course they
wish it to be distributed amongst twenty times as
many bishops. It cannot be the spiritual toil
which embarrasses them, since the amount thereof
is known to be peculiarly favourable to longevity.
No, it is leasehold estates, mines, and the -er
like
which weigh so heavily on their shouldersto Mr.
. H
MAJESTY Will, doubtless, refer them
HORSMAN and Sir BENJAMI
eN
Lord HALL
JOHN. Probwith aably,
also, they wished to pleas
little more bishop-making.
With a beautiful and touching glance at the
piety of PRINCE ALBERT and others, due to their
own faithful ministrations, and efflorescing in
model lodging-houses, baths, and wash-houses, they
eat theme of their' Address, and
approach the gr
deliberative and le-
the restoration of their own
gislative functions. They do not think it advis-
thing but
able just now to ask leave to do any,
they respectfully apprise her MAJESTY that "legis-
lative assemblies are an essential and most impor-
tant part of the constitution of the Reformed
Church ;" that present circumstances demand
and improvement, and that it
their preservation
may be advantageous to renew them at no distant
wh of course, they
date. If they are essential, y,
are important. The only marvel is, how anything
in the world ever existed 150 years without one of
its essential parts !----especially how it should show
greater life and energy annually now than it dis ad
play
during the whole of the last century. This is strange
enough to our lay ears. Very odd to us, moreover,
is the delaying to ask the immediate restoration of
what is " essential and most important." We more
m perverse lay liberals do not let off our rulers inthis
We weary the t
easy style. o the death for
"essential and important" reforms every year.
et ray that we may take
Devoutly will the Cabin p
a lesson from Convocation. We need not recal
ents
to the recollection of our readers the argum
others brought forward last No-
which we andhere so modestly and
vember against the demand
illogically made. the restless ones
Evidently
have got their quietus for the present. They
find the QUEEN, the laity, and every variety of
ainst them, and they
Cabinet ag must keep the
It is, however, amusing to notice their
peace.
consciousness of their besetting sin, and the gua-
rantee which they give that they will resist tempta-
say they to the Head
ation. It is apprehended,
of the Church, that if your MAJESTY do permit
us to meet, and debate, and, legislate, we shall
over controverted points as to
strive so bitterly
existing institutions,
imperil Christian charity,
and our visible unity. Why) yes ; just so. YOU