The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-30 00:00:00

VERSES

, ON THE DEPOSITION OF THE REV. THOMAS
WRIGHT, BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
We select the following lines, from a short poem on
this cruel proceeding, written, we believe, by the Rev.
Robert Morehead, rector of a parish in the north of
England, and connected by marriage with the family of
Lord Jeffrey. The parish of Borthwick, from which
Mr. Wright has been ejected, after having faithfully 1. er-
formed his sacred duties for more than twenty years, lies
in a sweet rural district, about twelve miles south of
Edinburgh, and is distinguished as the birth-place of
several remarkable men ' • among others, Principal Ro-
bertson, the historian of Scotland, and for a long time
the successful opponent, in the Assembly, of the party
who, during the last month, earned for themselves the
unenviable notoriety of being the most relentless perse-
cutors of the present age. The " Gianl Fortress," re-
ferred to in the verses, is Borthwick Castle, built by
Lord Borthwick, in 1436. Here Mary Queen of Scots,
with Bothwell, took refuge previous to the fatal battle of
Carberry Hill, which left her at the mercy of her dis-
contented subjects. The subjoined remarks are con-
tained in a note appended to the poem, by the Editor of
Tait's Magazine :
"To our southern readers-it may be necessary to ex-
plain that this poem refers to an episode in the extra-
ordinary proceedings of the late memorable General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland. After certain
brief and rather inquisitorial proceedings in an inferior
Ecclesiastical Court, it has pleased that venerable body,
or a ma.;ority of them, to eject from his living one of
their brethren, who, as a truly good and a religious
man, and an exemplary parish minister, it is enough to
say, has been faithfully portrayed by the writer of the
above poem. The grounds of charge were certain pas-
sages found in religious works which he had given to the
world many years ago—some of them having been pub-
lished for nearly twenty years without offence,
until these late unhappy times of the Kirk. One of his
works, " The Morning and Evening Sacrifice"—is now
in a tenth or twelfth edition, and has long formed a kind
of Book of Common Prayer in guiding the devotions of
half the families of Scotland. We believe, however, that
no offence against high Calvinistic doctrines has been
found in it ; nor were the proceedings against its author
able to mar his usefulness, or estrange from
him the affections of his parishioners, whose sympathies
have been vividly called forth by what they considered
the persecution of their faithful and esteemed minister.
His flock were probably much abler to judge of the
effect of his pious ministrations upon their own hearts,
and of the influence of his own example, than of nice
polemic distinctions, or the soundness of his theological
opinions ;—of the religious and benevolent life of their
beloved pastor, than of those philosophical speculations
in his books, out of which a constructive heresy has been
fished by a band of clerical agitators. Mr. Wright has
been a meek, perhaps, in the circumstances, a too meek,
too forbearing sufferer ; and his case' has excited much
quiet sympathy among the laity, and also among a re-
spectable body of the clergy of Scotland, who see not
only grievous individual hardship, but deep injury to
the cause of religion, and to the Presbyterian Church,
in this violent divorce from his people, of a minister to
whom they were, and are, warmly attached. How is
the public. which cannot be made to understand con-
structive heresies, or mystical theology, to reconcile this
proceeding with that flaming regard for the indepen-
dence and rights of " the Christian people," which this
party in the Kirk profess ?"
Soft breath'd the gales o'er Borthwiek's woodland bowers,
Bright glow'd her broomy banks with opening flowers,
Clear down her valley stole the quiet rill,
Beneath the russet steep of fir-crown'd hill;
While on the opposing slope, from blossom'd screen,
Her modest manse was half-retiring seen ;
The peaceful church, the village school, were near,
The giant Fortress frowning in the rear,—
While closing far the " long-withdrawn vale,"
The hazy l'entlands raised their foreheads pale.
Such was the day—(not many years have flowe)—
When with a friend emerging from the town,
To this sweet scene my ready steps I bent,
Where lived a priest, in "measureless content."
With cultur'd mind, yet with no sickly taste
Beyond the rustic home where he was placed,—
Their guide, adviser, friend, be dwelt among
His people—prized alike by old and young.
In our wild walks, which varied themes beguile,
Each passing peasant had a word or smile ;
.Each ruddy urchin had a nod or look,
`That mingled kindness e'en with a rebuke ;
Familiar with them all, free, not severe,
His was the love that knew to cast out fear.
Yet no respect was wanting,—you could see
They in His servant felt the Diety.
0 what a day was this !—while Nature round
In human bosoms a true mirror found,
And not a sunbeam, quivering leaf, or bird,
But some responsive feeling met, and stirred !
Nature is still the same—the breezes still
Wave the new broom-buds scenting from the hill ;
Still round these walls, deserted of their lord,
The fruit•trees blossom, and his skill record ;
Nature is still the same—but man's fell breath
O'er that sweet-scene has scattered seeds of death ?
Has, with a withering blight, its beauty soiled,
And human bosoms of fair peace despoiled !
The old, who winter's snows could fearless tread,
To gather from his lips of life the bread ;
The young, to whom his precepts, if severe,
Alone his mild example could endear;
E'en the school-children, on God's holy-day,
Who round him knelt, and learnt, from him to pray-.
All feel their spirits sunk in some dread gloom,
As 'twere precursor of the General Doom :
There needs no prophet's lore to have it proved,
A people mourn whose teachers are removed I
0 was it well religious hands, but rude,
Of non-intrusionists, should here extrude ?
Say, if the people's voice can render vain
A legal entrance, may it not retain?
And what requir'd his exile ?—did the charm
Of social pleasures stricter rules disarm,
And wile him on tea disgraceful end,
Which we might pity, but could not defend ?
O no ! a purer life, without pretence,
Ne'er graced devotion and beneficence !
Might not some pity then, some melting ruth,
Stay you, stern Ministers of rigid truth ?
Might not the dread of greater ills to flow
From dear bonds ruptured, by so fierce a blow,
Than from a speck, imagin'd more than seen,
Thrown on your faith—not worth the pains to clean—•
Have made you pause, ere, reckless, thus recall
Those long-laid lions, sleeping by the wall,
Which, once awaken'd, now will not be staid,
But rend e'en you who roused them to your aid.
If prayer can from our land such doom avert,
For you, and for the Zion of his heart,
Your victim's prayers preferred are on record :
The prophet-martyr thus addressed his Lord
4, If upon this, or any future day,
Injustice, malice, shall beset may way ;
II any of my brethren render ill,
Let me submit, 0 Lord, to thy high will
Whate'er my suffering, may I bear my part
Meekly, nor curse my neighbour in my heart ;
But still remembering against thee, my God,
My sins are many, let me kiss the rod ;
May others, at my hand, forgiveness gain,
Such as from Thee, I trust, for Christ's sake, to obtain !"
Such are, I deem his feelings at this hour,
Though whate'er can embitter them, ye pour
Into his cup,—still he will say of you—
" Father, forgive !—they know not what they do !"
Then, now malign'd, as if they bore a stain,
His precious works shall after him remain,—
Remain to sweeten and compose mankind,
When holy feuds are given to the wind ;
O'er temperate times to exercise control,
And raise their " Living Temple' 't in the soul ;
Remain, to sink into the hearts of those
Who yet " will blush their fathers were his foes ;"
When happier lights on Christian spirits fall ;
And charity expands, and God is " all in all !"—R. M. •
See prayer for Tuesday morning in " Morning and Even-
ing Sacrifice."
f. The title of another of Mr. Wright's religious works.

THE QUEEN'S SPEECH, AND
APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY.

The Queen's speech, as the Tories anxiously remind
us, is the speech of her Ministers. We admit it, and
had the speech been expressive of her Majesty's own
sentiments instead of the counsels of her advisers, we
believe it would have spoken more to the hearts of the
people, and would have done more to kindle enthusiasm.
Ministers, in advising their Sovereign to deliver a speech
in support of their own policy, have a cold task of State
reserves to perform, and must of necessity say much less
than the occasion fairly warrants.

If the monopolists themselves were in power, and were
drawing a speech for the Queen, they would hardly
havthe up
immodesty to express all they think as to com-
merce, and to declare, in the frank language of their or-
gan, the Standard, that
" England would be as great and powerful, and all
useful Englishmen would be as rich as they are, though
one ruin should ingulf all the manufacturing towus and
diztricts of Great Britain."
If the etiquette of State would have allowed the
Queen's Speech to rise to the height of the present great
occasion, it would certainly have been far more calcu-
lated to stir the spirit of the people ; but calm and for-
bearant as it is, it is the most acceptable speech ever do-
ivered from the Throne of England.—Examiner.

REPETITION OF THE WILFUL ATTEMPTS TO
DESTROY the PICTURES IN THE METROPOLITAN EXHl-
hoef malicious and rascally T
thei NW
.o—rkTs attempts to damage
miscreayn'thiassf collection of the Royal Aca-
demy, we regret to sa
The Gallery of British A the
an imitator, or it may
be the same author of the mischief.
Pall-
mall East, was
dofisplaay selected yesterday
in Suffolk-street,
voafluable painting th for a second
villainy, and
is the
tphaertiarlesndlet.strucTtiohne
picture is No. 597 in the catalogue, and is marked as
sold. It is in illustration of the Witch of Datchworth,
from the text of Strut's Queen Hoo Hall, and is painted
by Mr. Thomas Clater, who Focrtrays the two rustic
damsels listening with superstitious wonderment to the
witch's prophecies. The eyes of one of the younger
damsels are scraped out, as if by the forcible thrusting of
the finger nail into the soft paint, and thus the canvas
is literally laid bare in a portion of the work
most important to the composition. The effect pro-
duced by this dastardly act is singularly infelicitous,
giving to that which was all loveliness the most hideous
effect. It will require great skill to restore it to its ori-
ginal state. A high reward is offered for the detection of
the offender, whom, it is feared, possesses neither the ex-
cuse of a want of knowledge of art, nor of the absence of
education to justify; an act which a savage would
shrink from committing. It is feared, that this villainy
is stimulated by some thoughtless wager. If such be
the case the keepers of other galleries of art shizikld be
doubly watchful, as doubtless a visit to all of them in
turn is contemplated for the same rascally purpose.
THE HOUSE OF INDUSTRY.—A hive of bees,
the property of the Rev. John Darcey, of Marton, has swarmed
three times this season.—Macelesfielcl Courier.