The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-05 00:00:00

THE CORN CROPS.

SCOTLAND.—In this neighbourhood there has been, as yet,
little harvest work, only a few fields here and there being cut
down; but the fields are everywhere ripening fast : and if the
weather continue favourable, it is probable that barley harvest
will be general here in the course of next week. Yesterd.:y
we had two or three severe showers, accompanied with hail
and distant thunder; the storm, however, speedily passed
away, and the weather returned to its former genial state.—
Edinburgh Courant of last Monday.
We have, upon the whole, had excellent weather for the
last few days. There has been an occasional shower, which
perhaps we might have been as well without, but little injury
has yet been done, and, although late, the crops in this dis-
trict are generally of a good and healthy appearance. The
wheat fields have assumed the yellow tinge indicative of ap-
proaching ripeness, and a considerable quantity of barley has
been cut. All around from Glasgow to Hamilton, and along
the vale of Clyde, the appearance of the country justifies the
hope of an abundant harvest—Glasgow Herald.
A stalk of oats was pulled a few days ago in a field
in the neighbourhood of Cupar Fife, which measured
five feet in height, and near the root was a quarter of an inch
i❑ circumference ; the head contained 127 grains.
The harvest is now proceeding rapidly in the neighbour-
hood of Stamford; and, with some few exceptions, the corn
is well got. The reports from surrounding districts, both
for quantity and quality, are very promising.—Lincoln Ga-
zette.

IRELAND. —The accounts from the country continue of the
same cheering description as noticed in our last. Yesterday
there was every appearance of a change to rain, but by three
o'clock it blew off, and up to the hour of going to press this
day, the weather remains unchanged.—Dublin Evening Mail
of Monday. . _ _

HANONrER, Arc. 26.—The fine weather has had the effect
here as well as in other parts of allaying the apprehensions of
scarcity. The prices of corn have fallen as rapidly as they
rose a fortnight ago. The farmers are busy filling their barns,
and the harvest will be extremely productive.

MAYENCE, AUG. 24.—The weather being good, the corn
will soon be housed. Both the quality and quantity of the
crop is said to excel that of many late years.

THE BISHOP OF EXETER REBUKED

BY ONE OF HIS TORY CLERGY.

The subjoined letter, which has been widely circulated, has
caused a great sensation in the eastern part of the county. It
is written by the rector of Feniton, near Honiton, in answer to
a circular in reference to confirmation, which the Bishop drew
up and sent to all the clergy of his diocese :
" Rectory, Feniton, Aug. 24, 1838.
"My Lord—l have this day had the honour of receiving
from your Lordship a printed letter, subjoining an exhortation,
&c., for me to read at least four Sundays preceding the
day of confirmation.' No man has a greater respect for
you than I have ; no man honours more your good inten-
tions and character as a Member of the Upper House
of Parliament; and no man is more willing to obey you,
in all things lawful and honest,' as I pledged myself
to one of your predecessors in office. But on what
authority do you order me to enjoin my people to read
over, with due attention, the office of Baptism to the Com-
mon Prayer Book?' and to require at their hands such an
account of their knowledge of the Christian religion as is
contained in the Church catechism.' Is it not more becoming
a Christian minister to exalt the Bible—to exhort them to the
study of the Bible—and to require such au account of their
knowledge of the Christian religion as is contained in that?
If you choose to draw your doctrine from tradition rather than
the Bible, is that nny reason that.l should do the same?
" On what authority do you command me to throw into
the back ground that which God commands me promi-
nently to hold aloft, namely, the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus?' 2 Tim. 1, i. ; Acts 5, xxviii. On what
authority do you command me to ground my pastoral ex-
hortations on a foundation different from that which is laid
in Scripture, and abstracted from the promises of the cove-
nant of grace? God holds out the oath which he swore
unto Abraham and his seed as the strong and fundamental
consolation of believers. You command me to hold out
to them promises made for them by their proxies, the
benefits of confirmation, and the blessing of the Bishop. God
commands me to preach Jesus Christ his son, the efficacy of
his all-atoning blood, and that men should find salvation in
God their Saviour. You require me to instruct men that the
chief part of a religious ordinance is their own. God teaches
that we are admitted into covenant with Him when He, of
his own free grace, has written his laws in our hearts
You require me to teach men that they enter into covenant
with God by the responses which they are directed to make.
God teaches that we find salvation in the Saviour, and in
faith (faith being not indigenous naturally in the human soul, as
is often falsely represented, but one of the parts of the covenant
of grace—faith being the same thing as the " knowledge of
God," mentioned by the prophets as one of the gifts of the cove-
nant ofgrace, Rom. 4, xvi.) but you command me to teach that
men are to find their salvation wholly or partly in themselves.
" In short, on what authority do you sit down and write any
sermon, good, bad, or indifferent, send it to me, and command
me to preach it to my congregation ? A Minister of the Gos-
pel should preach that which he learns from Scripture, under
the teaching of the Eternal Spirit. He should preach none of
the productions of other men—no, not of the most enlightened ;
and as for such sentiments as those which you require me on
the present occasion to adopt and to preach, they are calcu-
lated to mislead inexperienced Ministers, and give countenance
and currency to those damnable heresies now springing up like
mists among the marshes of Oxford, and darkening all the
land far and wide. Moreover, I defy any man living to recon-
cile these sentiments of yours with the 10th, llth, 13th, and
17th articles. The 20th article also I advise you to study
before you send us any more exhortations' to read in our
churches. I have no disrespect to you personally. If you
suspect me of being actuated by a spirit of contumacy in what,
I am saying, I would only remark that unresisting acquiescence
in unscriptural doctrine forms no part of the Christian charac-
ter, nor has ever promoted true religion in this country; and
that brotherly remonstrance against spiritual usurpation is a
thing perfectly distinct from insubordination to secular
authority.
" The substance of the matter is this : —You command, or
request us to lend ourselves to the propagation of doctrines
contrary to the principles of the oracles of God, and to the
whole tenor of the doctrine of justification by faith, as taught
in the Thirty-nine Articles, the true source (let it be well un-
derstood) of Church of England doctrine. And (as if once
were not enough) you require us to read your form
four
times, at least.' Ought we not to answer, we are much ob-
liged to you, but we have already forms enough and to spare,
and do not need to borrow just now from yonr private store ?
We will not worship the image which thou hast set up. To
answer, however, for myself: I do not refuse to give all due
publicity to the confirmation ; but I refuse to do the other
things which you require in this matter. I will neither sub •
stitute the precepts of man for the omnipotent word of God,
nor represent the ceremony of confirmation as superseding the
promise made to Abraham and his seed, nor exalt the Bishop
to such a degree of super-apostolical pre-eminence as nullifies
the sovereign grace of God, nor ascribe to you, your office, or
your ministrations, the smallest part of that glory which is due
to God our Saviour, to whom alone the glory of the whole of
our salvation is due. I have the honour, &c. &c.
HENRY E. HEAD.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY,-SEPT. 4

GENERAL PALMER'S BANKRUPTCY:

A meeting of the creditors of this bankrupt, who, it will
be remembered, lately represented the city of Bath in Parlia.
ment, and also carried on the wine trade in May-fair, was
called, for the purpose of proving a debt due by the bankrupt
to his brother, the Rev. John Palmer, who resides in the
county of Essex.
At a former meeting of the bankrupt's creditors, held ft.r
general proof of debts, and his final examination, on the
face of the balance-sheet then submitted it appeared that
the liabilities of the estate were upwards of 150,0001 , prin.
cipally in bills of exchange. The official assignee then
stated that he had not, up to that period, received one
shilling for the . benefit of the creditors, neither was he in
possession of any voucher or memorandum by which he
could scrutinise the claims made, as the General never kept
books or accounts while engaged in mercantile transactions.
It further appeared that there .was no probability of any as-
sets being realised, as no account of good or doubtful debts,
of which any probability of payment existed, had been "iven ;
and, if any funds were to be recovered, they could only be ex-
pected from the proceeds of a wine estate in France, the pro-
perty of the bankrupt, now in the hands of an agent, but
deeply mortgaged. M. Estanade, the agent, had written,
stating that the only way to dispose of it would be to put it
up by lottery in a certain number of shares. The official as-
signee said he would not object to this proposition, had he any
funds, but as he had not received any money on account of the
estate, the matter must rest as it was. The General, how-
ever, passed his last examination, several of the t-.euihiors
s
having stated that they did not wish to delay his obtang
certificate.
The proof of debt tendered at the meeting yesterday was
one which stood over at the former date, and was made on
the estate by the Rev. Mr. Palmer, an insolvent debtor, for
the sum of 10,4581. As the deposition was not signed.
,by
the assignee to the Re-.% Gentleman's estate and effects a
claim was allowed only, it being understood that the as-
signees should join in the affidavit, and appear before one
of the Commissioners in Bankruptcy to swear to it, befT.e
TheTefore tais
it should be filed upon the proceedings•
meeting was speedily convened to allow the parties to come
forward, and also any of the creditors who wished to oppose
the claim.
The official assignee said he was not aware that the bank-
rupt had received any. benefit from the sum sought to‘ be
claimed; neither could he find any entry to that effect. But,
after some conversation, the assignees having sworn and signed
their names to the depo'sition the proof was admitted and filed
on the proceeding. Up to this time no assets haveman filed
ti
received by the official assignee; and this gentle, i.
reply to a question from a creditor, stated that he feared
there would not be a farthing in the pound to divide amongst
the general body of claimants on the estate. Tile proceed-
ings were then adjourned.

A CONSCIENTIOUS POLICEMAN.-At
of the borough Magistrates of Louth, on Friday last, a police-
man named Webster was dhanissed from the force for refusiu
directed him to remove a ranting person who bad collected a
a meeting
together a great crowd. The pclicernan,
to oboy the order of the Mayor and Superintendent, who
When aske
reason why he did not do as he was ordered, replied, "d the
NT I
afraid of the judgment of God falling open me, as in former
ages of the Church."—Leicester Herald.