The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-23 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 23, 1869.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

THE REPRBSEIsITATIVE BODY OF THE TRISH CHURCH,

The letter of the Archbishops of Armagh and
Dublin is an important document—proving that if
the disestablished Church be not speedily started on
her new mission it will not be through the want of
active Rad earnest labour on the part of her leading
prelates. They are called on, they say," to repair
a breach in one of the oldest Churches in
Christendom. The State, which represented and
acted for the laity, having withdrawn from all
connection with the Church, it became a matter of
necessity to devise means to reintroduce the lay
element in a manner which should be in consonance
with the principles and rules which had heretofore
prevailed in her ecclesiastical constitution." Prece-
dents, they affirm, were not wanting which might
have justified the Archbishops in summoning
the laity as well as the clergy to consult on
Church affairs. But they thought it well that
the clergy should consider on their own behalf the
expedients they deem necessary, and that the laity
should themselves meet and prepare a scheme of
representation. The clergy are summoned to meet
in provincial synods—an institution which, though
long obsolete, is capable, the Archbishops think, of
being made useful in remodelling the represen-
tation of the parochial clergy in the General
Synod. The proportion of the parochial clergy now
called would be by no means an adequate representa-
tion at the present day. It will be the immediate
duty of the provincial synods to settle this difficulty.
Addressing themselves to the laity, the Arch-
bishops earnestly hope that such a scheme of repre-
sentation may be adopted as will render the
representative body of the Church complete :

" If we have been slow to proffer any suggestions as to
the way in which the laity should arrange the scheme of
their representation, this has arisen altogether from an
apprehension lest we should appear to limit that freedom
of action on their part which we sincerely desire to see
them exercise ; and we are anxious to express in our own
flame, in the name of the whole Episcopal body, and, as
we are confident, in the name of the entire clergy, our
readiness to cooperate in this work, by counsel, or by any
other means in our power."

The clergy and laity of the united diocese of Down,
Connor, arid Dromore held a -meetirig r.t. Belfast on
Friday, under the presidency of the Bishop. It was
resolved that a diocesan synod, consisting of all the
clergy of the diocese and an equal number of lay
representatives, should meet on the 7th of September.

ACts,.wnetner sne liability or tile Tromezva7 Aug

MR. CHILDERS'S cnrisE.

Mr. Childers goes off to-night in H.M.S. Agin-
court for a four weeks cruise in the Mediterranean.
A correspondent of the United Service Gazette asks
whether it is true that in these days of economy the
First Lord of the Admiralty has " wasted " £1,500
of the public money in fitting up a suite of
apartments for himself and his family on board the
vessel. " This is a large sum," says the correspondent,
"and one which seems inconsistent with the zeal for
retrenchment which Ministers have proposed." He
has probably forgotten that the same right hon.
gentleman commenced his career as First Lord by
offering to give up his official residence ; and a few
months after the public was gratified to learn that
some of its money had been expended in making a
garden to the house.

journals made some eatirleal remams on
the whole affair, and shortly afterwards crowds
assembled and broke the windows of the monastery by
throwing stones. The police restored order at the time,
but a disturbance took place at Moabit shortly after, on
the occasion of a juggler's exhibition. The pollee had
great difficulty in rescuing the unfortunate exhibitor from
the fury of the crowd, and the Fathers were so disturbed
by the affair which took place near the monastery that
they resolved to leave until a high wall had been built
round the sacred precincts.