The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-17 00:00:00

none shall be confirmed except such as can answer the
questions contained in the Catechi-m. Inderd, in the
service of this day, the Church wisely orders, " that none
hereafter shall be confirmed but such as can say the Creed,
the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments ; and can
also answer such other questions as in the short Catechism are
contained." Now I said that every cne of you—that the in-
dividual whose name is attached to the letter in question—de-
clared his solemn assent to this ; he has promised to use the
Catechism, and the office of baptism, as well as the other
offices in the Book of Common Prayer—he promised it at his
ordination as Deacon and Priest, again when he was licensed
to any Curacy, if ever he was licensed to such ; and espe-
cially on his being instituted to his rectory--yet he complains
in the coarsest terms of his being exhorted so to do, nay, he
even expressly refuses to do, what he has so repeatedly pro-
mised, in the most solemn manner, that he will do. But he
has charged me, if he was the writer—l am dealing with it
on that presumption only—he has charged me with setting up
tradition above the Bible ; because he is desired to prepare
candidates for confirmation in the Church Catechism. Now
what is the fact ? The charge has been made against me,
because I have done that only which the canons of the
Church enjoin upon me. [His Lordship read the 61st canon—

" MINISTERS TO PREPARE CHILDREN FOR CONFIRMATION.

" Every Minister that bath cure and charge of souls, for the
better accomplishing of the orders prescribed in the Book of
Common Prayer concerning confirmation, shall take especial
care that none shall be presented to the Bishop for him to
lay his hands upon, but such as can render an account of their
faith according to the Catechism in the said book contained;
and when the Bishop shall assign any time for the performance
of that part of his duty, every such Minister shall use his
best endeavour to prepare and make able, and likewise to
procure as many as he can, to be then brought, and by the
Bishop to be confirmed."]
That is, I have desired him to do what it was rather incum-
bent on me to require, and on him to perform. Now if he
wrote this letter, it will be impossible to make the passage
which I am about to read consistent with his promise
and vows solemnly made as a Clergyman of our Church.
He says, " I do not refuse to give all publicity to the
coLfi:mation, but I refuse to do the other things which
you require in this matter ;" that especially refers to
preparing in the Church Catechism. I have shown that
if 1 had required this, I should have required nothing
but what I am called on to require, and what he has
solemnly promised, even with an oath, if required, to per-
form. This matter is so grave, that if he had authenticated
the letter it would have been my duty to have dealt with it in
another way. But lam not sorry that he has taken the course
which he has chosen, for I hope and believe he will now
deeply regret his conduct—that this exposure will recal to his
mind his solemn vows and promises, which be took before
God's table when be first became a minister of the Church.

If he has any feeling at all he must deeply feel the situation
in which he has placed himself. But this is not all the punish-
ment he will experience ; he must feel that he has done more
to bring into contempt the holy rite of confirmation, which has
been enjoined by the Church from the earliest times—he must
feel that he has done more to bring this sacred rite into
contempt than any living man has done, because no other
clergyman living would have dared to assail it as it is as-
sailed in this paper. He has, too, brought a further and a
very heavy punishment upon himself; for he has called down
the applause and eager support of those whose co-operation
in such a cause is to a minister of the Church of Christ pollu-

tion, and whose praise is ignominy. There is one parti-
cular too serious for me to omit. The writer says,

You command me •
to teach that men are to find salva.

tion-;vhollY7rPa;ify in themselves." When, or where, I
dare the slanderer to say, have I ever done this ? Have I
not plainly stated, that as to final salvation, all depends upon
the merits of Jesus Christ ? Can any man of ordinary capa-
city read the Circular, and make such a charge against me,
without the grossest misrepresentation ? Again, he says,
" You require me to instruct men that the chief part of a re-
ligious ordinance is their own." Was it decent to pick out
part of a sentence, for the purpose of distorting my meaning,
as if I were comparing man's part with God's, when the whole
context show; that I referred only to what man had to do in
this ordinance ? In other words, I was only stating that the
part the Bishop has to,perform in the office of confirmation was as
nothing compared with that which the young persons them-
selves would have to perform.
There is one other particular on which I will say a few
words—l considered it my duty before the service commenced,
to question some of the children of Feniton, and they answered
that they had been taught their Catechism by the schoolmaster;
they said they had been questioned in the Ten Command-
ments, and the duties arising out of them to God and their
neighbour, by their Rector; but on my asking whether any
persons were here who had been instructed by him in other
parts of the Catechism, especially had been taught the
nature of the sacraments, the Rector gave an evasive answer,
and suggested that they had been taught their duty to God.
In short, it appears that none of these children had been in-
structed in the other doctrines of the Catechism. Now Ido
not say that you are bound to examine every one of the chil-
dren in the whole of the questions contained in the Catechism,
but I do say you are bound, in the proper discharge of your
duty, and in common honesty, not purposely to omit certain
portions, but faithfully to instruct the young persons in the
doctrinal parts ; you should especially teach them the nature
of the sacraments, because no one can be properly brought to
the Bishop to be confirmed without having first acquired a
knowledge of this most important part of our religion. I
would ask the Rector of Feniton how he has fulfilled his pro-
mise to discharge all the duties of preparation for confirma-
tion, when he has neglected to instruct his children in these
important points ? His Lordship, addressing Mr. Head, said
with deep emotion, in conclusion, I now seriously, most se-
riously, charge you, if you are the author of this letter,
to reflect with shame on the conduct which you have pursued
You have impugned the services of the Church in
a way calculated to bring them into contempt—you
have endeavoured to weaken all . discipline by attacking
the lawful authority of your Bishop, and by propagating un-
founded charges against me—you have violated the engage-
ments into which you entered at your ordination—you have
refused to do what you swore you would do, and you have not
done that which, on the most solemn occasion, you promised
you would do. Ido not wish to wound your feelings unne-
cessarily. lam willing to make every allowance for you
which the case admits. lam willing to-hope that, by some
unhappy infirmity, you were enabled to blind yourself to the
meaning of your own language, and that you did that " has-
tily," as you express it, and under some unaccountable influ
ence, which you have since bitterly repented of. I am glad
that vou have made the small acknowledgment to me, cen-
taineed in the letters I have received from you, but I am not
the party you have chiefly offended. He in whose Church,
unworthy as I am, I bear this high office—He is insulted in
the offence committed against that office ; and if you have
indeed made the misrepresentations and heavy charges against
me contained in the letter, the offence is as great as a Cler-
gyman can easily be conceived capable of committing against
his Bishop.

The non-arrival of the Dublin Steam Packet Com-
pany's vessel Shannon, Captain Pym, at her moorings off the
St. Katherine's Dock, on Sunday, or yesterday morning, from
Dublin, excited considerable apprehensions for her safety, and
that of the passengers and crew. These fears were still more
heightened owing to the recent heavy gales which she must
have encountered at sea; and in consequence of information
having been received at the Company's Office, St. John-street,
Minories, by yesterday morning's mail from Portsmouth, that
the steam ship Thames, Captain Williams, belonging to the
same Company, which sailed from the River, for Dublin, on
Saturday morning last, with a great number of passengers, had
put into that port (Portsmouth) early on Sunday morning, with
extensive damage, having been in contact with a steam vessel
off Brighton, about twelve o'clock on Saturday night. When
the collision took place both vessels were proceeding at full
speed, although the night was dark and stormy. As might be
expected the consternation among the passengers, most of
whom were in their berths, was frightful in the extreme. The
steam-ship with which the Thames was in collision was be-
lieved to be the Shannon, from Dublin to London, although
this could not be correctly ascertained, the steamer having
proceeded on her voyage, and was not again seen. These
particulars were received in the City by the Portsmouth
yesterday morning, and soon spread through the metropolis,
to the distress of those who expected relatives or friends to be
on board, the Shannon not having at that time arrived. Yes-
terday, soon after noon, these evil forebodings were happily
dispelled, the Shannon having arrived at her moorings off the
Alderman-stairs, Lower Bast Smithfield. She turns out to
be the steamer whjch was in contact with the Thames, and has
also sustained considerable damage, her larboard bow being
stove in, besides having her stanchions, bulwarks, &c., car-
ried away. Commander Pym states that he was not aware of
the name ofthe steamer he was in collision with until after
his arrival in the River, and that the Thames first struck his
vessel.

The steam-ship Liverpool, made an experimental
trip on Saturday from Liverpool to Dublin. The weather
was very boisterous, but the ship made her way at the rate of
about 10 miles an hour, and reached Dublin in 12 hours and
21 minutes. In returning the wind was not quite so strong,
and blew from the west, and the distance from Kingston har-
bour to Liverpool was accomplished in 10 hours and 42 minutes.
The Liverpool Albion says—" The result fairly justifies the
conclusion that, when all on board is completed, the stiffness
of the engines worn off, and the improvements made which
this first voyage has suggested, she will be one of the most
ocean-worthy and swiftest vessels hitherto built, and become a
credit to the owners and to the port."
All the provincial journals received within the last
two or three days speak of the disastrous effects of storms both
on land and sea—especially in the gale of Thursday last.
Here, in London, the weather continues extremely boisterous,
though warmer than it has been. To-day the wind has blown
strongly from the W. S. W.
ARTISTS' SOCIETY.—On Monday evening last
there was a general meeting of the Artists' Society in St.
Martin's-lane, for studying the living models as the great de-
sideratum for the education of historical painters. Frederick
Newenham, Esq., was called to the chair. The business of
the evening was to elect officers for the year ensuing. There
was a very full attendance of the members upon this occasion.
The gentlemen put in nomination as curators were, Messrs.
\v. B. Sarsfield Taylor, Charles Sibley, and Henry S.
Smith, all of whom bad served the office of curators for some
).ears, when Messrs. Taylor and Sibley were unanimously re-
ro° yeeaastr •
Bullock.
i<lessrs. Nrt
i:. Dean,M
elected, as weretthoe
auditors
having N e ss Messrs.
resigned, L a 9
Messrs.Kr e de reßri; t
taenrd.
w
The tv
N. White were elected in their stead for
oneof! Bolton, are anut4cturing an
in r
gate, as
4
27 feet high, for the grand seraglio of the Pasha of
Egypt. —Sheffield Iris.