The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-15 00:00:00

THE CONVOCATION.

Both houses assembled yesterday. The Arch-
bishop of Canterbury presided in the Upper House.
The Prolocutor of the Lower House (Archdeacon
Dickersteth), who was attended by the Dean of
Norwich, the Rev. Canon Wordsworth, the Rev.
Dr. Jelf, Archdeacon Randall, and Archdeacon
Hone, attended and informed the house that the
Lower House had come to a resolution on the sub-
ject of the desirableness of uniting the scattered
members of Christ's flock and also to present a
gravamen, signed by 20 individual members, com-
plaining that a book, called Essays and Reviews,
had been published in London, containing teaching
which was subversive of the inspiration and doe-
trine of Holy Scripture. The gravamen alleged
that out of the seven writers of these Essays and
Reviews, six were clergymen of the Church of Eng-
land. The members of the house who had signed the
'gravamen prayed that their Lordships would be
pleased to direct the appointment of a committee
of the Lower House, to make extracts from the
book alluded to, and to report thereon to their
Lordships' House. Two of the persons who had
signed the 'gravamen htd not signed that por-
tion of it which related to the appointment of a
committee. The Archbishop inquired whether the
persons who signed the gravamen composed a
majority of the house at the time. The Prolocutor,
having answered in the affirmative, withdrew.
The Bishop of Oxford said, it appeared to him to be
the duty of their lordships composing the Upper
House of Convocation to acquiesce in the prayer of
the petition, and he should move a resolution to
that effect. His lordship moved a resolution,
acceding to the prayer of the petition "that a com-
mittee of the Lower House be appointed to examine
and make extracts from the book entitled Essays
and Reviews,' and to report thereon." The Bishop
of Chichester seconded the motion. The Bishop of
London stated various objections to the course pro-
posed. A long discussion ensued. The Archbishop
of Canterbury put the motion when there appeared
For (B)—the Bishops of Winchester, St. David's,
Oxford, Bangor, Salisbury, Llandaff, St. Asaph,
and Chichester; against (4)—the Bishops of Lon-
don, Bath and Wells, Glocester and Bristol, and
Norwich. His Grace the Archbishop, who did not
vote either way, declared the Bishop of Oxford's
motion carried. After the transaction of some
further business their lordships adjourned. The
members comprising the Lower House assembled
in the Jerusalem Chamber, Archdeacon Bickersteth,
in the absence of the Dean of Bristol, again presid-
ing as Prolocutor. There were also present the
Dean of Norwich, Archdeacons Denison, Randall,
Hone, Hale, and Moore, Canon Woodgate, Canon
Mills, Dr. Self, Dr. Williams, Canon Words-
worth, the Revs. Sir H. Thompson, Sir G.
Prevost, Joyce, Burton, Fendall, J. Jebb,
Massingberd, A. Oxenden, Seymour, Acland,
Mayow, Kennaway, and Gillett. Archdeacon
Denison presented a gravamen condemning the
book entitled " Essays and Reviews." He moved
that a representation upon this gravamen should
be at once taken up by the Prolocutor to the Upper
House, with a prayer to his Grace the President
and their lordships the bishops of the Upper House
that they would be pleased to direct the appoint.
ment of a committee of the house to make extracts
from the said book, and to report thereupon to the
house. He made this motion in the hope of avoid-
ing the necessity of proposing the motion of which
he had given notice, for the suspension of the stand-
ing orders, in order to bring forward the question
of the appointment of a committee. The Rev. Mr.
Fendall seconded the motion. Upon a suggestion
from the Prolocutor, Archdeacon Denison with-
drew the motion for reference to a select committee,
and the gravamen was ordered to be taken up to
the Upper House, as the gravamen of the arch-
deacon and those members whose names were ap-
pended to it. A long discussion ensued respecting
the revision of the Liturgy, and the subject was
ultimately postponed.