The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-06 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL CLERGY AND

THE TRAC t'S FOR THE TIMES."
TO THE HON. AND RIGHT RF.V. RICHARD, LO:,D BI lIOP OF

OXFORD.

May it rl ace your Lordship,
We, the undersigned Clergymen of the Church of Eng-
land, ,eaidcnt in Liverpool and viciuity, venture mos,
respectfully to address your Lordship on a subject which
we humbly conceive to affect most materially the interests
of that Church, to the doctrines and discipline of which we
are sincerely and conscientiously attached.
We have now, for a considerable period, regarded with
the most lively and anxious reeling; of alarm the continued
publication of certain tracts. entitled, " Trails for the
tne Times," written by " Member: of the University of
Oxford," in your Lordship's diocese.
Whilst we are willing to allow that, in consequence
of the imperfection of the human understanding, a
certain degree of diversity of opinion must ever be
expected to exist among so large a body of men as
the clergy of the Church of England, not only re-
specting questions of doctrine generally, but also respect-
ing the meaning of some particular expressions in the for-
mularies of our Church, which, not being inconsistent
with ecclesiastical unity, may not be thought justly deserv-
ing of censure, we are at the same time of oninion that
many of the statements contained in these " Tracts " do
not fall within the limits of any reasonable latitude of in-
terpretation.
We, therefore, cordially rejoice to see, from the charge
delivered by your Lordship three years ago, tbat those
statements had attracted your special attention ; at the same
time we have regretted to observe that the charact-ristic
mildness of your Lordshi?'s language, instead of producing
the effect which might have beer, at, justly anticipated from
it, appears to have emboldened the authors of them to
assume that they were not, in your Lordship's judg-
ment, held guilty of any departure from the doctrine; of
the Church. Publications have therefore been continued,
the general spirit and tendency of which have been so op-
posed, in our judgment, to the received faith of the
Church, as seriously to perplex the minds of many of its
lay members, and not only so, but also to turn aside several
of our younger brethren in the Ministry from the " old
path" of that Scriptural course which, by their ordination
vow they solemnly engaged to pursue.
We learn, however, with unfeigned satisfaction, that
No. 90 in the said series of Tracts, lately published, and
entitled " Remarks on certain Pas;ages in the Thirty-
nine Articles," has been deemed by your Lordship so
calculated to disturb the peace of the Church, that
your episcopal influence has been exerted for the sun-
pression of the evil. And :it is not in any offi-
cious spirit that we take the liberty of presenting
our respectful thanks to your Lordship, but because,
being alive to the deep concern which it must have
occasioned to your Lordship's paternal feelings to be
obliged to issue such an admonition to any of your clergy,
we desire to assure your Lordship, that in the discharge of
this painful but necessary duty you have the sincere
sympathy and fervent prayers of many attached clergy-
men wh. are personally unknown to your Lord-
ship ; and because we are penetrated with a lime of
the duty which we ourselves owe to the Church, thus pub-
licly to avow our conviction of the unscriptural and schis-
matical character of the publications in question, and the
c ,nsequent necessity for authoritative interference if any-
thing deserving the name of ecclesiastical uniformity is to
be maintained in the realm.

We have the honour to be, my Lord,
With unfeigned respect,
Your Lordship's most obedient and faithful servantv;
(Signed by 39 cb-rgyn- en.)

UGH') NING CONDUCTORS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Stn,—As your columns seem ever open to communica-
tions which relate to the public well-being, or are con-
nected with the question of individual benefit, I venture to
trespass on your time, and to solicit a niche in your ca.
lumns. Favouritism, I f ar, mingles often in Parliamen-
tary Committees and Governmenc. Commissions of Inqui-
ries, and hence a one-sided and partial view of the question
terminates the case. I had no reason to be disappointed in
the very imperfect and useless investigation on the subject
of shipwreck, consigned to a Committee appointed by
Parliament, when Mr. Dennett was not examined, and
his rackets, Every way superior to the invention of Manby,
formed no item in the recommendations of the Commi!tee ;
but I think I have a right to complain i t the case of tht
favouritism shown to Harris, of Plymouth, in the recom-
mendation for adopting his conductors in the British Navy.
The opinions of Faraday, Daniell, and Wheatstone, the
personal friends of Mr. Harris, seem to have been ane
plus ultra, and were made to bear entirely and exclusively
on his lightning rod, as if no other bad been in existence,
or even propmei.
My lightning conductors have been long before the pub-
lic and their efficiency fully proved in many a thunder-
storm during the last twelve years, so that there is nothing
hypothctical or problematical in reference to my inven-
tion. More than thily of these conductors have Leen
erected in Yorkshire alone. It has been described in my
work on the subject, as well as in the " Annals cf Elec-
tricity." lam not aware that Harris's conductor has ever
been erectet and Mr. Roberts and Mr. Sturgeon bay
controverted its efficacy.
My lightning conductor comes before the public recom-
mended for its economy and simplicity, while it stipulates
all the conditions which should enter into the composition
of a complete storm conductor, calculated on the sound
principles of induction. Its perfect security has nev
been questioned, nor bas any one ventured to doubt the
absence of any of the elements of a goud lightning rod
It may certainly be received as an axiom, that a bad or im-
Ferfect conductor is inli, itely worse than no conduc7or
at all.

The elements of a good conducting medium for light-
ning in the storm are these :—A provi,ion fur its prompt
and safe receipt—a continuous c inducting medium for its
subsequent transit, that being a mat .rial fraught with Ito
best conducting cha aster—aud tur her, a safe escape to
the subsoil or to water. As lightning penetrates to a
depth scarcely appreciable the substance of good conduc-
tors, a considerable superficial extent is requisite.
I employ copper gas piping, screwed together in defi-
nite lengths, and terminating above in an elongated solid
copper pyramid. Immediately beneath this terminus the
hollow stem is perforated, so that the lightning may also
peoetrate the interior. This i%terior surface may be pre-
rved for ever free from oxidation. The continuous rod
enters the earth, and terminates in a well, or the subsoil.
In order to protect the external surface from oxidatior., I
apply the galvanic principle of strips of zinc, insulate f b 3
bands of leather, aid connect the zinc with the coppe•
stem by copper wire.
It is easy to tee the application of this conductor ti•
ships. The higher parts of the conductor may be mark
to slide into each other like the tubes of a telescope, te
meet the coniinuenc'es lof the topmast and topgallant-
mast being struck (lowir,d) in a storm. The lower end
of the conductor passes through the keelaton.
Yours, &c.,
May I, 1841. J. MURRAY.
P. S. Apart from the question of "the lateral explo-
sion," I consii'er a smooth rounded surface essential Li
the character of a good conducting medium.