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

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[PRIG% SD.

course of proceeding, and that they should take the de-
corous mode of action suggested by Dr. Wordsworth.
Archdeacon DENISON said his proposition was merely to
appoint a committee to draw up a, representation to be pre-
sented to the other house, inviting it to concur in the ap-
pointment of a joint committee. - -
Chancellor MARTIN, considering that they had applied
to his Grace the Primate, and that his grace had answered
that he was• about to " take counsel upon the subject," he
thought it would be premature and hardly courteous to
step forward in the interim, before they knew what that
counsel was, in the manner, pointed out by Dr. Words-
worth. 'Ho would moveas in amendment, therefore, that
the application to his Grace the Primate be respectfully
repeated.
The Bev. TJAYWARD Cox seconded the amendment of
Chancellor Martin, on' the ground that many members of
Convocation who voted for the appointment of the com-
mittee had done so upon the express understanding that
the committee would not be allowed to sit without the
previous consent of the Archbishop.
The Rev. Mr. RANDOLPH agreed with Mr. Denison's
view of the case, but it had nothing to do with Dr. Words-
worth motion ; and he thought they should now consider
if they had not taken a false step, and whether they could
not retrace it.
Archdeacon HARRIsoN—If they had already put the pre-
sident in a false position, he conceived it would be doubling
the offence to press his grace for an answer. It appeared
to him that. their best course was to take no step in the
matter until they had received an answer ; but if none
came, then they might consider that his grace felt that he
'could not express an opinion, and that he left them to take
their own course.
Dr. RussELL—lf the Archbishop had stated that he would.
" take counsel," of course he would send them an answer.
To anticipate that answer ought to be no part of the duty
of Convocation.
• The Dean of BRISTOL opposed the motion of Canon
Wordsworth, ; -
The PRoLOCUTOß—Unquestionably it was true that, by
the proceedings which had taken place they had in some
respects compromised the rights of this house, and also
compromised the archbishop himself, by placing him.in a
false position ; still he was of opinion that it would not be
desirable to proceed with the meetings of the committee.
It was of the utmost importance that they should stand
well with the Archbishop and the other house, and that
they should take no stops which would appear in the
slightest degree to be wanting in the most entire respect to
his grace and the Upper House. It would not be expedient,
therefore, to urge the assembling of the committee without
the sanction of his grace. He thought, however, thit, for
the purpose of repairing the mischief, there could be no ob-
jection to a declaration on the part of this house of their
opinion with respect to the law on this particular question;
and whilst they were prepared, if necessary, 'to abandon
the committee appointed in November, and not to require
it to meet, that there was no reason why they should not
appoint another Committee to consider the subject, and
which committee might assemble and deliberate without
applying to the Archbishop and the Upper House.
Dr. ALTAl:lir—Many gentlemen present were of opinion
that it would be better to wait for the answer of the Pri-
mate, especially as they did not repent what they had done,
or conceive they had -taken a false step. They accepted
membership on the committee conditionally. One gentle-
man said that, as a good subject, and also as a true son of
the Church, he would require to know whether sitting on
the committee was a legal act—if they could do it without
the consent of the Crown or the sanction of the Archbishop.
Now he (Dr. M`Caul) felt that, were the Archbishop to ex-
press an opinion to the contrary, he for one could not act
on that or any other committee they might choose to ap-
point. Many gentlemen remained with their opinions un-
changed as to the inexpediency of Convocation acting at all ;
and therefore to hurry on anything of the kind would be
most unwise. They adhered to the original terms upon
which they accepted membership on the committee, and
they thought that even on the part of those who desired to
see Convocation in full operation, it' would be unwise to
commence their proceedings be coming into collision with
the Primate. On every ground, then, it would be better
to wait ; and he concurred in the suggestion that both re-
solution and amendment should be withdrawn.
Archdeacon SINCLAIR, as a member of the committee of
gravamina, said when that committee was appointed, he
felt extreme repugnance to entering on the many and deli-
cate questions which' were included in the schedule of grava-
mina referred to it ; another repugnance had been greatly
increased by a further examination of the schedule, and by
inquiry and reflection on the subject. He still considered
himself bound, if the Archbishop gave his concurrence to
the meetings of the committee, to serve upon it ; but in
case his grace saw fit to withhold his sanction and concur-
rence, 'ho must consider himself relieved from the obliga-
tion. (Hear.)

The Rev. Mr. SBYMOUR acquiesced in the suggestion of
the Prolocutor, that a committee should be appointed to
consider the law affecting the appointment of committees

of the Lower House.

Dr. WORDSWORTH-But even to the appointment of such
a committee as that, they must, to be consistent, ask the
sanction of the Archbishop.

Chancellor MARTIN then moved an amendment to the
effect, that a committee be appointed to search for prece-
dents on the subject of the sittings of committees of this
house, without previous references to his Grace the Presi-
dent and the Upper House of Convocation.
Dr. SPRY said it would be a most extraordinary proceed-
ing to appoint a committee to inquire whether they had a
right to appoint a committee. (Hear, hear.)

-ChanceflOr MARTIN—Then he would suggest that the
Prolocutor be requested, with the assistance of any mem-
bers of the house he might choose, during the approaching
recess, to search for precedents on the subject of the sit-
tings of committees.
Archdeacon HAL& would be sorry to see any decision
come to at the present meeting as to whether the commit-
tee of gravamina should or should not meet in the in-
terval of their sessions. If it were the fact that, so long
as Convocation existed, whether it were sitting in formal
session or not, from month to month or from year to year,
there was a power in its committees to sit and deliberate
and prepare matters against the period their formal session
came round, he owned it would be a very formidable
truth ; and the strongest argument in confirmation
of the Prolocutor's opinion, that the committee of grava-
mina might sit in the interval of their sessions, was that
the joint committee of both houses had sat in the last re-
cess, and he must say ho could not see any difference as to
the powers of a committee of this house—whether it was
a joint committee or a committee of each house separately.
If one had power to sit between sessions, surely the other
had equal power to do so. This being conceded, he would
leave things exactly where they were, and do nothing fur-
ther to entangle the question. Ho concurred in 'the pro-
position that a committee should be appointed to ascertain
whether a committee of gravamina, as well as othier com-
mittees, had the power of meeting in the interval of the
sessions of Convocation.

The Rev. Mr. BROWN then proceeded to address the
house; but was cut short in the midst of his speech by the
entrance of the Apparitor-general, who summoned the Pro-
locutor to the Upper House.
On his return,
The PROLOCUTOR said, he had been to the Upper House
and received the orders of the Archbishop immediately to
prorogue the Convocation until the 18th of Aughst next.
Under other circumstances, perhaps' it would have been
competent in him (the Prolocutor) to allow the sitting to
continue until the business before the house was concluded,
but the intimation received from his grace being, that the
prorogation was to be " immediate," he felt it to be his
duty at once to declare that they ood prorogued to the
18th of August next.
The Assembly then broke up.

LITTERS FOR PORT PHILIP.—The Post-office autho-
rities advertised yesterday that ship letter-bags will be
made up on the 26th instant for Port Philip, to be des-
patched by the screw steamer Hellespont.

A MODEL COCK FIGHT.—Mr. Leonard, an engineer
on one of the Lake steamers, was a whole team for a
cock fight. He kept a well-trained rooster, and fought
him in every port between Buffalo and Chicago', Hear-
ing of a crack bird of the pit at Windsor, over went
John, with a half dozon friends, to see and rejoice with
him over the anticipated sudden demise of JohniCrapau's
celebrated game stock ; the birds were let loose, and at
the first blow of the little Frenchman's bantam, John's
bird was numbered with the things that had been—he
was dead. Greatly mortified and astonished WAS John ;
he left the field crest fallen, amid the laughter of hie
compeers. "Egad," said the engineer, " I'll try him
again." On his first trip to Buffalo, John bought
a full-grown eagle, cut his feathers into shape,
twisted up his tail rooster fashion, fastened a
cock's comb on his crown, and otherwise meta-
morphosed him into a game-cock ; brought him up to
the city, again rallied his friends, put his bird into a
bag, and over he went for another fight. Parlez
your brought out his bird again, certain of success and I
placed him ready for action. The engineer took his out
of the bag—they slowly approached each other—the
bantam stooping and picking, as he advanced to the
assault, while the engineer's walked boldly oni with his
head erect, beak open, and an eye of fire that never
blanched in the mid-day sun ; the bird of Jove seized
the gallant bantam, and, with beak and claws, tore him
to pieces, and eat him up, to the utter astonishment of
the crowd., The little Frenchman danced all sorts of
figures, and cried out—"Sacre ventre bleu, me nevaire
see ono roostaire like dat ; he eat him up mon bon
chicken. Vat one crooked nose your nacre dam Yankee
roostaire's got ; I fight no more wid de Yankee
roostaire." Ever since that, John has considered the
Santa Anna of the cock-pit in the West.—Peabody's
Chronicle.
MEMOIRS or THE COURT AND CABINETS OF GEORGE
THE THIRD.—From Original Family Documents. By
the Duke of Buckinghara and Chandos. 2 vols. We
seize the earliest opportunity (says the Morning Herald)
of directing the attention of our readers to' this very
remarkable and valuable frublication. The Duke of
Buckingham has himself undertaken the task of forming
a history from the papers of his grandfather and great
uncle, the Earl Temple (first Marquis of Buckingham),
and Lord Grenville, of the days of the second Wm. Pitt,
extending over an interval commencing with 1782,. and
ending with 1800. In that interval events occurred Which
can never lose their interest as incidents in the history
of England. The coalition Ministry and its dismissal
by the King—the resistance of the Sovereign and Pitt
to the efforts of the discarded Ministers to force them-
selves again into office--the great constitutional ques-
tion of the Regency which arose upon the King's disas-
trous malady—the contest upon that question between
the heir apparent and the Ministers of the Crown—the
breaking out of the French revolution, and the conse-
quent entrance of England upon the European war—
these, with the union with Ireland, are political move-
ments every detail of which possesses the deepest inte-
rest. In these volumes, details, then guarded with the
most anxious care from all eyes but those of the pri-
vileged few, are now for the first time given to the pub-
lic. The most secret history of many of the transactions
is laid bare. The Duke of Buckingham's connecting
narrative is written both with judgment and vigour.