The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 29, 1869.

111ISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

TIM 112 kLytt OP THE- PREMIER.

Mr. Gladstone's health is considerably better. A
marked improvement has shewn itself. There is every
symptom of a speedy recovery.

THE IRISH CHURCH CRISIS.

There are unhappily seine indistinct signs of divi-
sion in the Irish Church on the question of the
governing body. The " clerical'? party, as it is called,
wishes to assemble the synods of Armagh and
Dublin to discuss that subject. The " lay" section
holds it as indispensable that laymen should take some
part in all the proceedings of the disestablished
Church. It is to be hoped that the discussion
may soon be set at rest. If bitterness
of spirit once arise, disestablishment will become to
the Irish Church an el it indeed. It is stated that
some of the Dublin clergy omitted from the prayers
on Sunday last the petition that " true religion" may
be " established among us."
The Rev. Dr. Irons, of --Brampton, -writes signing
himself " W. J. I." to the Post, giving some advice to
Irish Churchmen at this crisis. Ile indignantly re-
pudiates the doctrineheld by some persor s t hat the Irish
Church cannot succeed without the State's aid. The
Church, -he says, is not a mere political institution,
it is something more, and the " something more "
the spirituality, the creeds, the sacraments, and the
hierarchy—have that within them that must
prevail. He thinks the taunt of worldliness
which the " spoilers of its goods" throw out at
the Church an unworthy one; a taunt notwithstand-
ing which Churchmen must take to themselves so
*hat it be not true. They must now bestir them-
selves to work. They have happily no doctrine to
settle ; they accept " the faith of ancient Christen-
dom ;" the dioceses are known ; all about them has
already been stated. " There is nothing, indeed, at
this moment to hinder anyhigh-minded bighop in Ire-
land from obtaining an exact map of his diocese, and
marking on it, before the outlines become more dim, all
the details of its system, all its wants, all its apparent
poesibilities." Vr hen these facts have been obtained
by the bishop he should summon his priests to meet
him -in-his cathedral, together with all the landlords
of his diocese, in congress or conference ; there
might then be mailed out the work needful to be
performed, each bishop being in constant communi-
cation with his brother bishop, and all being held
together by the Primate. To the head of the pro-
vince reference should be made in case of need.
Thus, Dr. Irons thinks, the Church mayovercome and
get out of its difficulties.

thfie 15,017.—The Owl understancia
that it is the intention of the -Admiralty gito carry
out the suggestions which have been 'made from
time to- time by commanders-in-chief in the Medi-
terranean, and-to .effect a junction of the Channel
and Mediterranean squadrons. This project-will be
carried out at the end of August, when the combined
fleet will rendezvous at Gibraltar.—A marriage is
arranged between the Marquis of Blandford, eldest
son of the Duke of Marlborough, and Lady Albortha
Hamilton, daughter of the Duke of Abercorn.

question chewed that whilst Prussia professed to fight on
behalf of German unity, her first object was not German
unity hut conquest. Is it to be expected that the Austrians
Would refrain from letting the smaller German States
know this?