The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-24 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP—Dc. 23.

The repo which has appeared in a Conservative paper
of one of the principal cities of the kingdom, that Lord
Derby has definitely declined to take the leadership of
the Conservative party in the House of Lords, and will
hold himself aloof from politics for a time, is entirely
incorrect. Lord Derby, I can state positively, has not
declined. The matter is still under his consideration, and,
though I cannot say more than this, I may mention that
your readers need not be surprised if hereafter he
should accept the post which a very large portion of his
own party are anxious that he shouldoccupy. Such bring
the state of the negotiation the further report that either
the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of Abercorn, or the
Duke of Richmond will take the leadership, falls to the
around.

Of other political news there is almost none. Ministers
have dispersed again to enjoy their well-earned Christ-
mas holiday, and, unless the Fenians should attempt
any fresh madness, of which they are quite capable,
We are likely to have a dull time of it for the next
three or founweeks. Just now, Earl Granville is in rather
bad odour. When the deputation of colonists waited upon
him last week, he told the representatives of the London
journals that an official report would be sent to them. It
was sent, done up in gorgeous fashion, with blue silk ; but
it is now asserted by the deputation that it is an altogether
inaccurate and one-sided report, and this assertion scorns
to be borne out by comparison with the reports
in the leading provincial papers, which were
prudent enough to use the notes of their own staff.
whereupon there is great grumbling both among the
colonists and London journalists. Nor is it only there
that the smiling earl's name is not in:the best odour just now.
In various conspicuous spots of London, at the foot of St.
Martin's Church in Tmlfalgar-squaro for one, the street
passenger may see a table and large sheets of paper, and a
printed notice, the effect of which is that a great number
of working men and women in England are in a state
of destitution from want of work, that there is plenty
of work for them in the colonies, and that Government
ought to help them to emigrate ; whereas it is rumoured
that the Government means to give up the colonies. The
petitioners therefore pray the Queen not to assent to any
such proposal, but to hand to her successors, intact, the
fair lands which she has inherited. Of course it is easy to
see the hand of the Conservative Working Men's Associa-
tion in the memorial. Nevertheless it is being largely
signed, and, so far as I could see, by the class from whom
the petition ostensibly comes.
Those persons who were present at Guildhall yesterday
must have mused upon the fickleness of that many-headed
bsast, the public. Less than a year ago the Overend and
Garney directors scarce escaped from the Mansion House
without injury to limb, so bitter was the execration, so
etcited the animosity which the public then felt. Yes-
terday, however, all was changed. H they had been the
greatest benefactors of their race ; if, instead of being the
nvans, more or less direct, of bringing ruin upon countless
f and of paralysing the enterprise of the country
fa- nearly four years, they had been each of them a
Peabody, they could not have had a greater popular
triumph. It was a most absurd scene, although a most
eeciting one. Frantic cheers, tears, violent shaking of
hinds, inarticulate exclamations of delight, which the
L end Chief Justice was as powerless to restrain as a child
is to lull the noise of waves beating neon the rocks in a
; and all for what ? Because the jury had acquitted
oa a criminal charge, as they were certainly bound to do,
mm who had sold to the public an insolvent business as a
solvent one. It may be taken for granted that
nme of those who were shouting themselves hoarse
tesenty-four hours ago were ever shareholders in Overend,
Gamey, and Co., Limited.
I had always thought that the English service of conse-
cration of bishoes was very unimpressive, and so it used to
b• in the old days of Archbishop Sumner, when the core-
mmy was performed in Lambeth Chapel. But it is other-
wise now that the Abbey is once more used. The only
c msecration I had ever seen until Tuesday was
that of Archbishop Manning, at Moorfields, one of the
most gorgeous functions witnessed since the Reformation.
Yet Tuesday's did not suffer by comparison. If there was
an absence of the various religious orders, if there were
few picturesque vestments at Westminster, the ceremony
was net spoilt, as that at Moorfields was, by minutia that
seemed ludicrous to Anglican eyes, such as the rubbing of
oil into the head of the Archbishop, as though he were in
the hands of a hair-dresser. The Anglican service was
bold in its main outlines, and stately. The culminating
s •ene was very impressive. The body of the Abbey was
shrouded in darkness ; and the chancel was feebly lighted
with tapers. The central point of attraction was the
Sacrarium. There, raised high above the rest of the
Church, stood the four officiating bishops, with bodies
erect (exceptDishopThirlwall, who stooped somewhat) and
heads bent and hands joined, and before them knelt the
three new bishops, seen through the golden haze of the
many lights in the candelabra, which made Salviati's
great Mosaic shine with points of bright light, and
ins figures stand out with almost stereoscopic clear-
ness, so that our Lord and His Apostles them-
selves seemed to be present and taking part in
this great gathering. And while every eye was
tanned eastward, the divinest melody that I ever heard,
the " Veni Creator" sung by a boy with a seraph's voice,
rang out as though an angel had descended. Softly fell
the swell notes to calm all anxious fears that there would
be, even at this last moment, one more protest raised
against the consecration of Dr. Temple. The scene was
witnessed by a large number of Rugby boys past and pre-
sent, and it will never be forgotten by them.
Neither will the sermon, which was one of
the noblest I ever heard. The style and the
voice, and, most of all, the thought, were singularly like
Dean Stanley's, though in face Dean Lake does not re-
s entle his brother of Westminster. The discourse took fifty
minutes, and though I am one of those who think that
sermons are generally half hours with the worst authors,
this one seemed only too short. I trust it may be printed.
It was a grand protest in behalf of that freedom of ccn-
science without which the English Church must cease to
be the national Church.

How far this freedom should extend I will
un 'ertake to say. Yet it may be fairly
questioned if Mr. Voysey has not outstepped
Belief in the divinity of our Lord is, as
Daan Lake remarked, the one essential element of Chris-
Vanity. If Mr. Voysey believes it, he has taken a singular
wIT of shewing it. Nevertheless, I find in the list of the
Voysey Defence Fund Committee, just published, net only
Viscount Amberley, Sir Charles Lyell, and Mr. Doraville,
whose presence there will surprise no one, but Dean
Stanley, Professor Jewett, Mr, Ruskin, Sir IV. V. Guise,
Sir Walter Trevelyan, the Hon. Percy Wyndham (Con-
servative M.P. for West Cumberland), Mr. Joseph Brown,
Q.C., who is mentioned as the probable successor to Justice
Hayes, and the Rev's. Lewis Campbell, J D. La Touche,
and G. Wheelwright.

The Rev. Michael Ferrobee Sadler, who has been
appointed by Mr. Gladstone to succeed the new Bishop of
Oxford at Honiton, owes his perfennent entirely to his
works. He was personally unknown to the Premier ; but
his books caused Mr. Gladstone to form so high an opinion
of him that he offeredhim the living of Brightstone, when it
fell vacant through the elevation of Dr. Moberly to the
Di3hopric of Salisbury. Mr. Sadler declined that offer,
but has accepted Honiton. Brightstona is worth .£630,
Uoniton £3OO.

The success of Mr. Benson's Brotherhood, at Cowley, has
led to the formation of another similar society. 'lt is to
be located at Stoke, in Staffordshire, and at the head of it
will be the Rev. Luke Rivington, son of the well-known
Church publisher, and until now a curate and the principal
preacher at All Saints, Margaret-street. The society will
be called the Brotherhood of the Holy Ghost, and will be
essentially a preaching order. The mention of All Saints'
Church reminds me to say that Mr. Upton Richards, the
incumbent, is seriously ill, and has been prayed for pub-
licly.

Last Sunday sir. beorge Macdonald, the well-known
writer, preached in the chapel which formerly had for its
minister Mr. Jones, probably the most eloquent Dissenting
minister in London, one who was able to draw to the
chapel Sunday after Sunday, peers, M.P's., and literary
men, like Mr. Robert Browning. Dr. Macdonald looked
miserably ill, I regret to say. His sermon was very clever,
and among other remarks he said that ten times as much
poetry is written in the winter as is written in the
summer. Ile explained this by the fact that in the winter
we have not Nature before us as we have in the summer,
and that we therefore treasure her more, and write more
freely about her. In the summer we arc taking in impres-
sions ; in the winter we turn them to account.

Very interesting news has just come from Madagascar.
The Queen has lately summoned a council in crder
d?.cido if the idols aro national or private property ;
novel application of the question which has lately vexed
us with regard to the Irish Church and the universities.
The council decided that some idols were national and sense
private. The Queen, thereupon, ordered all the first to be
burnt ; and at the same time many of tho owners of
private idols cast them into the flames. tier Majesty
has sent home to the London Missionary Society fur
forty fresh missionaries.
The appointment of a new Professor of Latin at Oxford
still remains undetermined. I believe that the contest lies
between Mr. Nettleship and Mr. Edwin Palmer. The
latter gentleman is related to the Attorney-General.
It is reported here that the trial of Dr. Kinglake for
bribery iv his brother's Lbehalf at the last .Bridgewater
t?leetiqn, is likely to fall through. It is believed that th 3