The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-08 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, 1110 V. 8, 1869.

The physical condition of King VICTOR EMMANUEL
is such that the tidings flashed to us by telegram are
to the last degree alarming. Although living for
years past the healthy life of a huntsman, the KING'S
frame has of late become bloated and unwieldy, as
though from the over-indulgence of a habitual volup-
tuary. Upon a form thus full-blooded, a mortal
disease, once taking possession of it, inflicts, in an
incredibly short time, fearful ravages. It is, conse-
quently, alarming, as we ,have said, to the last degree
when the items of intelligence conveyed by telegraph
include among them such intimations as those now
rapidly following each other from the hunting seat
of San Rossore, where the KING now lies apparently
at the point of death. Such telegrams, for example,
as these—" The King of ITALY is in great danger"—
" Prince and Princess NAPOLEON are ready to start
[from Paris, that is] and only wait for another de-
spatch"— " To-day's dinner party- at the Palais
Royal [i. e. Saturday's] is put off"—" M. NIGRA
[the Italian Ambassador at the Court of the Tui-
leries] and a physician are at the Palais Royal"—
this telegram adding, " The physician thinks the last
news very bad." Another account dated from
Florence says that Prince CARIGNANO has gone to
San Rossore evidently in expectation of the worst.
One Parisian paper of yesterday says that confidential
despatches transmitted from Florence to the Em-
peror NAPOLEON state that the condition of King
VICTOR EMMANUEL leaves no hope of recovery. An-
other Paris paper states that, according to a private
despatch, the life of the KING is almost despaired of.
The official bulletin published at Florence on Satur-
day declares that the KING experienced an increase
of fever, which became marked as the night advanced.
Yesterday afternoon the following official bulletin
was issued at Florence :•—" San Rossore, Sunday, 9
a.m. The miliary eruption made its appearance last
night, and at present time there is no mitigation
either of the fever or other symptoms." " 12.55 p.m.
The KING'S condition has slightly improved since
this morning, and his MAJESTY is some what stronger."
Although that last morsel of information appears to
have been more hopeful in its character, and although
even later news, up to 3.45 p.m. yesterday, from
San Rossore, confirmed it by stating that the im-
provement still continued—the last news of all re-
ceived, dated 9 p.m., adds, significantly, that the
KING'S condition was " unsatisfactory." In the
morning (that is, yesterday morning), VICTOR EM-
MANUEL had been informed of the serious nature
of his illness, when he immediately sent for
his confessor, and received the sacrament with
the greatest tranquillity in the presence of
Prince HUMBERT and Prince CARIGNANO. Everything
indeed seems to indicate that the lest scene of that
strange career is approaching. Upon the lips of
VICTOREMMANUEL the preservation of the tranquillity
of Italy is immediately dependent. Directly he dis-
appears, the revolutionary party in the north and in
the south will take heart. And this at the very
time of the approach of the CEcumenical Council !
Whatever may arise, NAPOLEON 111. is again Master
of the Situation. To him and to his policy will now

an HA•NJwu rani C.1.U11.101.1 v.. vs.&

BY a curious coincidence the prelate who origi-
nated the last debate in Parliament on the Statute of
Prremunire has by his death revived the discussion
on the same subject. It was on February 15, 1848,
that the late Bishop of EXETER presented a memo-
rial from the clergy of the Archdeaconry of Bucks
praying the House of Lords to " deliver the Church
from one of the greatest oppressions, one of the
most intolerable violations of the rights of
conscience which had ever been inflicted upon
any Church since the era of Christianity." The
circumstance which gave rise to this strong language
was the appointment of Dr. lIAMPDEN to the see of
Hereford in the previous December. Dr. HAMPDEN
had, a dozen years before, been appointed Regius
Professor of Divinity, and thereupon he was accused
of heresy by certain persons at Oxford, many of whom
had never read the book which contained the alleged
offence, and one of the foremost of these had the
fairness to acknowledge, after reading the book, that
there was no good ground for impugning Dr. HAMP-
DEN'S orthodoxy. Nevertheless, he was censured by the
Convocation of the University of Oxford. The censure
had about as much effect as that of the Essayists by
the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury. The
censured persons in each case went on preaching and
teaching as before ; and as in the one case so in the
other, censure was not considered a disqualification
for the office of bishop. But there was opposition in
the Chapter of the vacant cathedral. Dean MERE-
WETHER and one of the canons voted against the
election of Dr. lIAMPDEN, just as Sub-Dean TROWER
and Archdeacon FREEMAN will vote against Dr.
TEMPLE on Thursday. Dean MEREWETHER
was unwise enouirh to inform the PRIME
MrisasTErt, that he intended to resist the
appointment of the Bishop designate of
Hereford ; whereupon Lord JOHN RUSSELL curtly
acknowledged this announcement of the DEAN'S inten-
tion to violate the law, and hinted at the pains and
penalties which he might incur under the Act of
Prtemunire. Fortunately for the DEAN a great
majority of the chapter were for electing,
and so he was enabled to indulge in the
luxury of a conscience without fear of penalty ;
for it is one of the provisions of the Act that if the
nominee of the Crown is elected, those who opposed the
election have not rendered themselves liable to punish-
ment for attempting to break the law. Thus it came
to pass that Dr. HA3IPDEN became Bishop of Hereford.
Dean MEREWETHER became his fast friend, and from
the date of the BISHOP'S election to his death, twenty
years afterwards, not a word more was heard of his
heresy. So no doubt it will be with Dr. TEMPLE.
The men who so bitterly oppose his election now will
a few months hence be tacitly admitting their mistake.
Dr. TEMPLE will be reckoned as orthodox as
any of his colleagues; and when at last he passes to
the world where the words heresy and orthodoxy are
unknown, there will be no one to say a word against
him, but—for in this respect we trust the parallel will
not be complete—a good many persons to speak of his
energy, a quality which Bishop lIAMPDEN certainly
did not possess.
Yet though we have the fullest confidence that the
present appointment will prove a case of " All's well
that end's well," we are bound to admit that the
Statute of Prremunire is a very barbarous one. It
derives its name from its first word. It provides that
if a dean and chapter refuse to elect, or if a bishop
refuse to consecrate a person nominated to a bishopric
by the Sovereign, such person will be placed
out of the protection of the Sovereign, his
body will remain in prison during the royal
pleasure, all his goods will be forfeited to the
Crown, he will be unable to bring an action or to
recover any damages for the most atrocious injuries,
and no man can safely give him aid, comfort, or
relief. In fact, he is treated as an outlaw, without
the outlaw's chance of _liberty ; he is treated as a
felon, without the felon's right of protection. Nor is
L this all. It is provided that any person who has an