The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-23 00:00:00

synodically condemning mm, anct tnat it sotemniy
refused to do so. In referring to this matter he
would not say a word against one who has been by
divine permission his diocesan, and who is now
passing into a world where nothing will conceal
from him the nature of his own acts ; but it is not
for those who prosecuted him in the secular courts,
and who denied his appeal to Convocation, to com-
plain of the character of those courts now that they
have given a hostile judgment. Dr. Williams draws
as a moral from his " reverend assailant's " letter
that
If ever his friends and precursors become as powerful to
legislate as they are now prompt to litigate, the first result
will be at least two additions to the number of our Thirty-
nine Articles. Or, again, if in the. meantime the coquetry
of a veteran dogmatist with Wesleyanism should have led
to the temporary abeyance of our Articles, it will soon be
followed by a bland suggestion that, to escape spiritual
anarchy, we should do well to adopt the regulations of the
last great Council of the Western Church.
No doubt the Articles, framed during, a crisis of
danger, might be revised with advantage ; but he
would not like to surrender them " without devising
something else to bind Dr. Pusey's sons (if the
serpent's brood can be bound) with links of iron."
Dr. Pusey he styles " the great Oxford heresiarch,"
and his objections to the articles are mostly objections
to Scripture. Dr. Williams would not surrender those
articles on the plea of toleration in order to make
room for Dr. Pusey's criticism or Mr. Mackonochie's
law. Filially, if the necessity for doing justice to
Ireland should give the advocates of " ecclesiastical
disintegration" a temporary appearance of advantage
as regards England, Dr. Williams hopes that a
derangement of the balance will be rectified by
consideration for the principles of truth, freedom,
and order.

THE PRIMATE AND THE CURATES' AUGMENTATION

FUND.

The inquiries and comments made by the press m
the matter of the management of the Curates' Aug-
mentation Fund have rather damaged that institution.
The injury, however, we imagine, may easily be
repaired by a closer application to economy on the part
of the committee. But they have taken another course to
repair lost prestige ; they have invoked the aid of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. "A. C. Cantuar " sends
the following certificate of respectability:—" I am
very sorry that the cause of the Fund should have
seemed to be prejudiced by anything which has been
recently said about it in the newspapers. I have
every reason to think that the fund is doing a good
work. The leading rules which your committee have
from time to time adopted have been (as you know)
submitted to me, and fully discussed ; and I have
always felt that no other society could, consistently
with the purposes for which it was founded, do the
work which this association proposed to itself to do."

MR. COMMISSIONER KERR.
Mr. Commissioner Kerr is a judge of what may be
called the County Court of the City of London.
Mr. Commissioner Kerr is noted for possessing a
temper easily ruffled, for a dispute in which he called
Mr. Ribton (the criminal pleader) an Irishman, but
chiefly for his presidence at Madame Rachel's trial,
which trial his presence seems likely to make null
and. void. Mr. Commissioner Kerr is known also for
a row with the authorities of the City of London,
which has waxed very warm indeed. He says he is
entitled to certain fees of his court. The autho-
rities refuse to let him have them ; so
that the feeling between them is anything but
pleasant. There is now a chance of a compromise, but
several members of the City Council do not seem to
have a " proper respect " for the " dignity of the
Commissioners' court "—which, according to the
learned judge himself, is something inexpressibly
great.

THE LATE SIR RICHARD MAYNE.
The orations over Sir Richard Mayne were not all
eulogies. One or two of our contemporaries have
buried the late Commissioner of Police without praise,
and they have not forgotten the remark of Antony
about the "evil which men do." Her Majesty, it
seems, has noticed these attacks. So she has desired.
General Grey to say " how grieved and con-
cerned she is to hear of Sir R. Mayne's death. Not-
withstanding the attacks lately made upon him, her
Majesty believes him to have been a most efficient
head of the police, and to have discharged the duties
of his important situation most ably and satisfac-
torily in very difficult times."

THE WO.VEN'S CLUB.
A slight agitation was caused some time back by
the discovery that virtuous girls alone in London
were shut out from all society save that which was
likely to be for their harm. Milliners, and such
were, it was pointed out, unable to obtain any
amusement. A women's club was projected to
obviate the evil, and until within the last few days
was reported to be on the road to success. Then, how-
ever,a letter appeared from the Countess of Portsmouth,
announcing her withdrawal from all connection with it.
INIr. and Mrs. Hodgson and Mr. llodgson Pratt have
since taken a similar course, for the same reason
as that which actuated the countess. The point raised
is a difficult one: Shall the members of the club be
allowed to receive male visitors daily ? If not, there
is the objection that the club may become " slow "
and prudish. But the evil to be avoided seems to us
the greater, and though these may not be much
danger, the public will easily understand the motives
which lead those who have withdrawn to shrink from
responsibility.