The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-05 00:00:00

OXF,

ITY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sikt,—Being one ul what you would call exeltuively
" the working clergy," and having, like Chaucer's priest,
" a parish wide, and houses far asunder," I have, at
this season, little time to look at a newspaper, and your
invitation escaped me, " to state my version of the new
[old] faith." Nor should I now have trespassed on your
columns, had I not seen (Sun, Dec. 29) a statement of
the doctrines of the Oxford divines, by an opponent,
which (an unusual occurrence with disputants) I, who
take the opposite view, consider to be perfectly fair, and
cordially accept. Most remarkably does it confirm my
previous statement, that the so-called new faith is but
s revival of good old Church principles, to be found
in the pages of our standard divines. " Sparrow's
Rationale' has long been a text-book on ritual mat-
ters in the Church, and may be found on most
of the lists, recommended by our Bishops for candidates
for orders during the last century ; and, therefore, the
gravamen of the charge against the Oxford Tractarians,
A stated fairly, amounts to this—that they adhere
strictly to Me Prayer Book, to which they have sworn
to coifforin.

Another striking testimony to the correctness of my
own and your Ilfracombe Correspondent's version, hap-
pens to be at hand. In the February Number of the
Eclectic Review, the organ of the Dissenters, is an ar-
ticle on the state of religious parties in the Establish-
ment. The writer, lamenting the grievous decline of
practical preaching among the sell-styled Evangelical
clergy, goes on to observe, that " the thinking, respect-
able, and religious part of the community is beginning
to weigh their pretensions in the balance, and find them
wanting. Even same of their own members are
becoming startled at the fact, that their Oxford op-
ponents are proving them to be most inconsistent
childi en of the Church of England. Having sworn
and subscribed, in the most solemn manner, to all and
every word and thing in the hook of Common Prayer, yet
these very persons, pluming themselves upon being more
serious 3 the rest of their brethren—after giving this
ce aninio consent—do not hold, do not believe, and do
constantly preach against several of the doctrines, mat-
ters, and things to which, on being ordained, they thus
avowed their adherence. Baptismal regeneration, the
absolution in the visitation of the sick, &c., are in-
stances of what we allude to. By practices of this sort,
the evangelical ministry of the Church of England are
gradually losing much of the respect with which they
were nut long since regarded. They positively rave
against the Puseyites ; whilst they, in their turn, mani-
fest a much better temper, display infinite stores of logic
and learning ; and, upon the arena of mere argu-
ment, are thrashing and exposing the poor Evange-
licals, who provoked them to the contest, every
day of their lives. The Oxonians, moreover,
have rendered no little benefit even to ourselves,
by helping to disabuse the public mind of one grand
naisconeeption, namely, that the Episcopal Church and
the Establishment are one and the same thing. They
have done much to show, what one would have
thought was sufficiently obvious. from the circumstances
of Episcopacy in Scotland anti America, that the
Church, of which :he Archbishop of Canterbury is
metropolitan, may not merely survive apart from its
connection with the State, but will probably become
all the better in a spiritual sense through that very sepa
ration. Not a/ew of them (the Oxonians) really seem to
contemplate the expediency cf the severance."
You will observe, that this Dissenting writer allows
the Tractarians to be the most consistent Churchnieii,
but insinuates (and you may possibly choose to agree
with him) that the doctrines of the Church itself are

" Popish:" So it has ever fared with the Reformed
Church of England, standing midway between
Popery and ultra Protestantism, or Dissent. " Ilia
veteris correctio," says Mosheim, speak-
ing of the English Church, " gum Britannos
.-EQUE a pontificis, atque a reliquis famiilis, quw po nti-
Lis dominationi renunciarunt, sejungit." You may
call this Popery. With the Anglican Church, 1 desire
to protest against both Popery and Puritanism, and all
1 would ask of you is this :—if we who agree with the
Oxford divines, are, as I have proved, the most consis
tent Churchmen, do not nickname and revile us. At
least allow us the same " freedom of opinion," you so
often claim for the infidel writer. You cannot prosecute
us for Puseyism : do not persecute us for our conscien-
tious belief. The progress of conviction you cannot
stop—let us agree to differ.
I cannot conclude without protesting most strongly
and indignantly against your assertion, in a recent lead-
ing article, that the clergy are as a body remiss in visit-
ing the poor. Sir, time contrary is most emphatically the
case! I speak from extensive observation—the
practice of pastoral visiting is their glory and their
pride. If " whole districts be found where the face of
a clergyman is seldom seen," it is because those districts
arc so large, from increase of population, that the parish
priest is overworked, and unable to minister to such vast
multitudes. Ask, in London, the character of Dr.
Snort of Bloomsbury, or Mr. Tyler of St. Giles's. I
myself have had from 15,000 to 20,000 souls com-
mitted to my single charge. What could Ido ? Often,
after a day's employment in visiting in lanes and alleys,
have I returned to my solitary fire-side, and a fresh sum-
mons has called rate forth from the untested meal to some
new case of misery. Of my brethren in country cures,
I can also speak from observation. Exceptions you
may find no doubt, but you may discover the beautiful
and true description of the poet realized in thousands of
instances
The Vicar's house is smother'd in its roses,
His garden glows with dahlias large and new,
Bees murmur through his limes the summer through,
And on his seat, beneath them, often dozes
A better man than calumny supposes,
His living is three hundred pounds a year,
But not 'of servants, wife, and children clear,'
He gives away his common right and closes,
And keeps no horse. When winter strips the tree,
To poor men's homes his wife and daughters go
With needful gifts of flannel, food, or fire,
And made-wines for the sick."
And now, Sir, I will trouble you no further. Al-
though you particularly oppose the Church and the
clergy in se strong, and, as I often think, unjust a
manner, yet I would fain believe that it proceeds, not
from personal hostility, but from a mistaken view of
duty ; and 1 would beg to part with no unfriendly feel-
ing, and remain, your Constant Reader,
Jan. 1, 1841. AN ANGLO-CATHOLIC.

CAMPAIGN OF THE ARMY OF

THE INDUS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sta—ln a work lately published under the authority
of Dr. Kennedy's name, entitled " Narrative of the
Campaign of the Army of the Indus through Sinde and
Kanhool, in 1838-9," that gentleman has, in a very un-
justifiable manner, digressed from the subject upon
,vhich he professes to enlighten the public, evidently
,vit.h the view of introducing my name to notice, in a
,nanner as unfavourable, as I trust it will appear un-
fiunded.

The publication of this book was first brought to my
i;otice through the medium of your widely-circulated
-oluinns, but the unenviable notoriety which Doctor
Kennedy had acquired at the Cape of Good Hope, with
he little benefit his anonymous writings had bestowed
an the peace of the South African Society, during his
,journ at that place in 1836, but little inclined me to
peruse his narrative of the Indus campaign ; and had it
not, been for the facetious observation of a friend, I
should until this hour have been ignorant of having
shared with others that covert malevolence under which
Doctor Kennedy has introduced me to public notice.
Not having the honour of Doctor Kennedy's ac•
Flu .intance, and never through life having had either
pt;blic or private intercourse with him, caused
me for a time to seek in vain for his motive, in having
so gratuitously attempted to impose upon the public.
"That I had been making myself conspicuous in the
ease of the Raj i of Sattara ;" and to imply, that, as
a naval officer, I must consequently be ignorant of
..iverything that did not appertain to that profession.
That I had never held a public position that would
have drawn a native chief to apply for my counte-
a'iice ;" and, in fact, " That I had come forward as
the mistaken advocate of parties, of whose position I
was io.norant." A perusal, however, of the pre.
lace to the Doctor's book removed the veil, and
presented to me the peculiar calling of one
of the two near relations, " whose position,"
Doctor Kennedy tells us, "made it more than a mere
twater of curiosity that they should be kept accurately
informed," &c. &c. It was then, Sir, I discovered that
the tims and attention of the historian had deserted their
post to descant on the duties, and probably sympathise
in-the feelings, of his brother-in-law—the companion and
coadjutor of the Doctor's younger days, while practising
of an Oriental Court—the now Political Secretary to
the Government of Bombay—the late leading member
of that secret commission who had condemned the Raja ;
and, if the secret papers now printed speak truth, " the
i.etive and zealous pioneer in clearing through and ar-
ranging that heterogent ous mass of said-to-be evidence,
open which the authorities at home and abroad have
evidently founded their opinion of the guilt;
.tiid lastly, Lough not least, the official companion of
Sir James Carnae, to the Court of the It ija, on the oc
casinn of the dethronement of that unfortunate Prince.

I have always been led, Sir, to believe that the most
,ssential attributes of military life, which Dr. Ken-
ito:ily tells us has been his lot for twenty-nine years,
are an open, manly frankness, an abhorrence of the
distortion or mystification of truth, with a sensitive re-
gard for the feelings of others ; and it is with pain,
,even in self-defence, that I arraign the conduct of
Pr. Kennedy, as wanting in those attributes alike es-
Oent;al to the soldier and the historian.
, The truth of the Doctor's assertion, that " I had
made myself conspicuous in the case of the Raja of
patiara," will be best understood by the fact, that
11-1 to the period of the Raja's deposition, I
earetully avoided interfering in his concerns, be-
yond the expression of my private opinion to my pr;-
iAtc friends ; and receiving kindly, 3,et without vn.
couragement, the agents sent to me by his Highness;