The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-31 00:00:00

a \

PRICE SEVENPENCE.

FOR THE SON

THE PETERBOROUGH CONTROVERSY.
Dec. 29; 1822.
I should not have troubled you on the subject
of CANONICUS'S remarks on the.PETERBOROUtiII

CONTROVERSY, had I not discovered, on referring

o the new Publication which has called them

forth, that he- has by no means conveyed to,
the Public a just representation 'of the man-
ner in which that Publication argues on the

subject, or the very respectful language in which
its remonstrance is couched. The Council of Ten
seem to me to have addressed the Bishop in( all

sincerity, and at the same time in all moderation.
If CANONICOS, however, is angry with these
Gentlemen, what in the name of justice will he
say to the Edinburgh Reviewers, in whose new
number, such gross expressions and similes as
cc Mitred Butchers," " Pulling Mitres,"—
" caring no morefor Curates than for. Horses and
Pigs," and the paragraph descriptive .of a Cu-
irate, malie_such a disgusting figure. Certainly,
it is CANOSIICUS'S duty to castigate the rude
Scribes of the Boreal Metropolis, after having,
found fault with the calm and argumentative
epistle of the Council oL Ten. MOM. men, Sir,
prefer that which is bland and gentlemanly to
that which is imperious, gross, and uncivil. It is
because the letter which CANONICUS blames
is of the character which most men admire
that I prefer it to the article in The Edin-
burgh Review. In this letter, too,. I find three
times the quantity of argument against the
Bishop's mode of examination that there•is in the
rude Review. The Edinburgh men in their
article, and CANONICI'S, in representing the
pleading of the council, entirely overlook the
vital reasoning, that the Bishop's Questions
" call for a vigorous exercise of the understand-
ing in matters connected with Faith, and lead on
into the subtleties of Metaphysical Disquisition ;"
they overlook the probability of his mode of
examination, " causing good men to be alarmed
at him, and many men to trim and shuffle and
toil to give wrong impressions of their tenets," and
its utter impropriety " because, for thoSe errors of
doctrine (as some call them) which it is SOLELY
calculated to detect, the Bishop declares he has
never rejected any one, though in the questions
,e assumes that these errors 'produce most fear-

fut consequences, and are, as errors, incapable of
coming from God." This last argument seems
to me conclusive, why shotild the Bishop go out
of the common course to make discoveries of
men's minuter tenets, if he is to found no proceed-
ing upon the discoveries. The questions are only
fratried so as to be adapted to detect Calvanisru,
and yet the Bishop says he has never rejected
any one for unsatisfactory answers on the sub-
jects of " original sin, free will," Sr.c. Ido not
know, Mr Editor, what may be your opinion on
the Bishop's conduct, but for my part I think he
would act wisely to content himself with the
course pursued by the rest of the Bench. That
course cannot be £0 alarmingly exceptionable,
if the thing is to be judged of by its fruits, as to
warrant the deviation from it of this Learned
Prelate. •
From the warm tonein which CANONICUS writes,
I am afraid he is not quite ready to do justice
either to the comparative civility, or the superi-
ority of the Council of Ten's reasonings over that
of the Edinburgh Review. I wish he would read
attentively the Royal Declaration, and Burnet's
opinion of the articles, and then I believe his views
would be somewhat altered. If he make out to his
own satisfaction the legality and propriety of the
Bishop's conduct, I should like to know more
clearly than he has yet stated them the grounds
of that conviction.—l am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
LAICUS.

WINTER HOME CIRCUIT.

KINGSTON, DEC. 30.
The Commission for this county was opened this morning
before the Hon. Mr. Baron Gnanam, at the Sessions' House,
Horsemonger-lane, after which the Learned Judge adjourned
to this town for the more convenient dispatch of business, there _
being no accommodation at Newington for the sitting of the
other Judge, His Lordship was received at a short distance '
from the town by a numerous attendance of the Gentry and
Magistracy, and escorted to the Judge's lodgings, whence,
after partaking of refreshment, he went to Church and heard
an appropriate sermon preached by the High Sheriff's Chaplain.
About two o'clock tho Learned Judge went into Court, when
the Grand Jury were called over and sworn. There was a nu-
merous attendance of Gentlemen. The Hon. H. G. Bennet
was foreman ; the rest of the Grand Jury were the Gentleman
who usually attend the Assizes.
Mr. Baron GRAHAM delivered a very short address to the
Grand Jury. He observed that many intelligent and e,xcel-
lent persons had suggested the expediency of a gaol defivery
at this season of the year, in consequence of which his Majesty s
Government had directed a third circuit. Those persons
would now have an opportunity of forming a judgment as to the
wisdom of such a measure. His Lordship, however, could
not help observing, that however advisable it might be, as re.
spected the interests of public justice, the season chosen for this
experiment could not but be deemed inconvenient to many per-
sons whose attendance was requisite. This was a season of the
year observed throughout all Christendom by thanksgiving and
joy, and was ill suited to the duties which this proceeding int- '
posed upon the gentry and yeomanry of the country. His
Lordship would say no more upon this subject • and, after
shortly adverting to the principal cases in the calendar. he dis-
missed the Grand Jury to their room.
The calendar contains ninety-one casee, nine of which are
commitments for the Quarter Sessions, and consequently can-
not be tried at these Assizes. The following is an abstract of -
the remaining eighty-three--viz.
3 Highway Robbery, 4 Stealing from the Person, 11 House-
breaking, 3 Rape, 4 Horse-stealing, 1 Receiver of Stolen Goods,
6 Stealing in the Dwelling-house, 1 Forgery, 3 Stealing from
the Person, 1 Bigamy, 7 Burglary, 19 Larcenies, 2 Sheep ,
'Stealing, 4Utterers of Base Money, 2 Poaching, 5 Assaults, 6
Vag-rants.
( Before Mr. Justice BAYLEY.)
Robert Fryett was convicted of stealing, at St George, South-
wark, eight penny pieces and other monies, the Iroperty of
James Ward; and sentenced to four months imprisonment.
(Before Mr. Baron GRAHA*)
John Fairborne was indicted for a burglary in the dwelling-
house of William Wedge, of 13, Waterloo-road, in the night of
the 12th of December, and stealing a metal watch, his property,
The property was found in the possession of the prisoner the
day after the robbery. It was proved that the house was broken
open ; but there, being no proof how it was broken, the Jury
found the prisoner Not Guilty.