The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-19 00:00:00

Upper House at the last sitting. His Lordship said hehad a
strong objection to those portions which affirmed that the
parents of children should not act as god-parents when others
might be had. This was a subject on which the Church
allowed great liberty of action, and he thought it was inex-
pedient to use any language which would tend to circum-
scribe it. The early Church encouraged, if in some cases it
did not require, that parents should be god-parents. It
was the doctrine of spiritual affinity which brought on the
corruption of later times, and which tended to bring fees
and authority to the Church of Rome.

out entering upon any further business until to-morrow
morning. That is the exact substance of what I have to
lay before the house, and I will not take up your time or
trouble you at present with any comment upon the matter
which I have the honour to present to your notice.
The Rev, Sir H. THOMPSON, with great pain, rose to
give notice of the following amendment, when the notice o
Archdeacon Denison upon the report should come on forf
discussion :
" That the Prolocutor be requested to carry to the Upper
House a copy of the report, together with the following
message That in obedience to the direction of his Grace,
the president, and the Bishops of the Upper House, a com-
mittee of the Lower House was appointed to examine the
book, entitled ' Essays and Reviews,' and to report thereon
to the Lower House, in order that the. Lower House might
communicate to the Upper House its opinion whether there
was sufficient grounds for proceeding to a synodical judg-
ment on the book. The Lower House now send up to the
Upper House a copy of the report of that committee. The
Lower House are not prepared to recommend the passing of
a synodical judgment on the book, but they desire to assure
the Upper House that they will give their most respectful
attention to any communication which may be sent down to
them grounded upon the report."
To every point of the report he gave his most hearty con:
currence, and was quite satisfied that when the house came
to look into the schedules appended, they would find suffi
dent ground for every statement they contained. With re-
gard to the conduct of the chairman of the committee, it
was impossible to speak in adequate terms of the feeling of
gratitude which every member of the committee must feel
towards him for the patience, perseverance, zeal, ability
and untiring industry which he had manifested throughout'
the inquiry, and which was beyond all praise; but he (Sir
H. Thompson) regretted that he could not agree with the
Ven. Archdeacon in the notice he had given.
Archdeacon HONEY gave notice that he should move,
when Archdeacon Denison's motion should be brought for-
ward, as an amendment, "That it is not expedient, under
any circumstances, to revive the power of synodical judg-
ment as regards authors or books."

A lengthened discussion took place, and it was agreed
that an intimation should be sent to the Lower House that
their Lordships did not agree with the alterations which had
been made in the amended canon.

After the transaction of some further business the house
adjourned.

THE LOWER HOUSE.

The deans, archdeacons, and proctors composing the
Lower House of Convocation assembled in the Jerusalem
Chamber, Westminster Abbey, at 11 o'clock. The Vener-
able Archdeacon Bickersteth presided, in the absence of the
Dean of Bristol, the Prolocutor ; and there were present the
Hon. and very Rev. Dr. G. Pellew, Dean of Norwich ; the
very Rev. Dr. Harvey Goodwin, Dean of Ely; the Ven.
Archdeacon Sandford (Coventry), the Ven. Archdeacon
Randall (Berkshire), the Von. Archdeacon Thorp (Bristol),
the Ven. Archdeacon Denison (Taunton), the Rev. Dr.
Wordsworth, Canon of Westminster; the Rev. Dr. Jelf,
Principal of King's College ; the Rev. Dr. Leighton, War-
den of All Souls' College, Oxford ; the Rev. Dr. Briscoe,
the Rev. Canon Woodgate, the Rev. Lord A. Compton, the
Rev. Sir George Prevost, the Rev. A. Oxenden, the Rev.
E. A. Ommanney, the Rev. F. Vincent, the Rev. Sir
Henry Thompson, the Rev. Mr. W. Mayow, the Rev. G.
Gillett, &c.

INCREASE OF THE EPISCOPATE.
The Rev. Dr. WORDSWORTH gave notice of a motion for
the appointment of a committee to consider and report to
the house upon the best means of promoting the increase of
the Episcopate in England and Wales.
IRREGULAR MARRIAGES.
The Rev. Sir GEORGE PREVOST gave notice that at the
proper time he should move an address to the Upper House
regarding the operation of the Acts of Parliament bearing
upon the marriage of members of the Church of England,
and calling attention to the practice of publishing bans in
parishes other than those in which the parties reside.
CHURCH HYMNAL.

Archdeacon ALLEN did not see the object of adjourning
the house. If they were not prepared to enter into the con-
sideration of the report of the Committee upon "Essays and
Reviews," there was no reason why they should not pro-
ceed with other business.

The PROLOCUTOR said the difficulty was this. They were
under instructions from the Upper House in reference to the
"Essays and Reviews," and such instructions, as a rule, had
precedence of all ether business. But as the Archdeacon of
Taunton did not desire that the report of the committee
should be discussed at once, he did not know that that
should prevent other business being taken.
The Dean of ELY deprecated very much the condemna-
tion of a book by extracts, from which in other cases the
most lamentable results had followed. Casting his eye cur-
sorily over the report, he could at once see some conclusions
to which he thought it would be most deplorable if they
committed themselves, and to which they would be com-
mitted if they adopted the report—conclusions which ap-
peared to him false and very unfair to form from the work.
He thought it would be consistent neither with propriety
nor the dignity of the house if, after having the report
placed in their hands that morning, they professed to be
prepared to enter at once upon its consideration.
Archdeacon DENISON said the extracts had only been
appended as indications, and not for the house to come to
any conclusions upon.

The Rev. A. OXENDEN presented a petition from the
clergy of the deanery of North Malling, in the diocese of
Canterbury, expressing their earnest desire that the steps
already taken with reference to the Church Hymnal may
be carried out.

THE HARVEST SERVICE.
The Rev. A. OXENDEN presented a petition from certain
members of the Lower House, suggesting that a special
committee be named to watch the Harvest Service in its
passage through the press.
THE 29TH CANON.
. _ _

Archdeacon ALLEN presented a gravamen to the effect
that, " lt seems undesirable that the clergy should be sum-
moned to London without an understanding whether or
not the usual time will be allowed for discussion." The
Ven. Archdeacon said he presented this as his own indi-
vidual gravamen.
The PROLOCUTOR thought the President did everything
in his power to assist the deliberations of the Lower House.
They had made such large advances in the last few years,
and they bad such a considerable extension allowed to them
in the time for sitting that he thought it might be undesir-
able to send up the gravamen.
Archdeacon ALLEN expressed his desire that it should be
carried up, and that course was taken accordingly.
"ESSAYS AND REVIEWS."—REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
The Ven. Archdeacon DENISON rose and said,—ln dis-
charge of my duty as chairman of the committee appointed
in the early part of this year, by direction of his Grace the
President and the Bishops of the Upper House, to examine
a book called " Essays and Reviews," I beg to read the
report agreed to by the committee :
" The Cemmittee of the Lower House of Convocation of
the province of Canterbury appointed by his Grace the Pre-
sident and their Lordships of the Upper House, to examine
a book entitled Essays and Reviews,' and to report thereon
to the Lower House in order that the Lower House may
communicate to the Upper House whether there are suffi-
cient grounds for proceeding to a synodical judgment upon
the book,' report as follows :
" The book committed to our examination consists of seven
' Essays and Reviews,' six of which were written by clergy-
Men of the United Church of England and Ireland.
"We have' carefully examined the book and we con-
sider the following to be its leading principles :
" 1. That the present advanced knowledge possessed by
the world in its 'manhood' is the standard whereby the
educated intellect of the individual man, governed and
guided by conscience, is to measure and determine the truth
of the Bible.
" 2. That where the Bible is assumed to be at variance with
the conclusions of such educated intellect, the Bible must
be taken in such cases to have no divine authority, but to be
only human utterance.'
" 3. That the principles of interpretation of the Bible
hitherto universally received in the Christian Church are
untenable, and that new principles of interpretation must
now be substituted if the credit and authority of the Holy
Scriptures are to be maintained.
" We find that,
"1. In many parts of the volume statements and doc-
trines of the Holy Scriptures are denied, called into ques-
tion, or disparaged ; for example
The Reality of Miracles,' including the idea of
Creation as presented to us in the Bible.
" (b) Predictive Prophecy,' especially predictions con-
cerning the Incarnation, person, and offices of our Lord.
" (c)' The descent of all mankind from Adam.'
" (d) The Fall of Man and Original Sin.'
"(o) The Divine Command to sacrifice Luse.'
" (f) The Incarnation of Our Lord.'
"(g) Salvation through the blood of Christ.'
" (h) The Personally of the Holy Spirit.'
" (i) Special or Supernatural Inspiration.'
" (k) ' Historical facts of the Old Testament, including
some referred to by our blessed Lord himself.'
"2. It is urged that many passages of the Holy Scrip-
tures may be understood and explained on the principle of
' ideology;' by which is meant that the reader is at liberty
to accept the idea of characters and facts described in the
Holy Scriptures, instead of believing in the reality of those
characters and facts.
"3. It is maintained that the creeds of the Church, whe.
ther regarded as confessions of faith or as instruments for
the interpretation of Scripture,' may now be put aside as no
longer suitable to the present advanced intellectual condi-
tion of the world.
"4. Liberty is claimed for the clergy and candidates for
holy orders to subscribe Articles of religion and to use for-
mularies in public worship without believing them according
to their plain and natural meaning.
"5. Attempts are made to separate Christian holiness of
life from Christian doctrine.
" We notice in many parts of the volume the absence of
that spirit of humility and reverence with which human
reason ought ever to approach the study of Divine truth ;
we notice also a confusion of the dictates of the natural eon.
science with Divine grace, and in some places a substitution
of those dictates for Divine grace.
" It appears to us that, while the professed intention of
the volume is the free handling in a becoming spirit' of
religious subjects, the general tendency and effect of the
volume is unduly to exalt the authority of human reason,
to lower the authority of Revelation in regard to things
Divine and spiritual, to unsettle faith, and to consign the
reader to a hopeless scepticism.
" We have appended two schedules, A and B—Schedule
A containing the advertisement' To the Reader,' as pre-
fixed to all the editions of the book, and referred to in the
preceding paragraph of our report'; Schedule B containing
passages denying, calling in question, or disparaging state-
ments and doctrines of the Holy Scriptures, with citations
from and references to those parts of the Holy Scriptures
and of the Formularies and Articles of the united Church
of England and Ireland to which such passages are con-
trariant.

Dr. M'CAuL said there was not a member of the house
who was not prepared to discuss the merits or demerits of
the book at the present moment. It would be a very cul-
pable neglect on the part of any clergyman of the Church of
England not to have read the book.

Archdeacon MOORE believed that the book was dying
away day by day out of public estimation, and he thought
that everything they did to keep it under public notice was
mischievous.

CanonWo RDSWORTH contended that on grounds of Chris-
tian charity the authors themselves should have an oppor-
tunity of defending themselves. Some of them no doubt
had come to the knowledge that their arguments were so-
phistical, and that their new light, so to speak, was only
ancient darkness.

Archdeacon DENISON then moved that the Upper House
should be informed of the presentation of the report, accom-
panied by a reqqest that the Lower House should proceed
to its consideration.

Sir H. THOMPSON seconded the motion, which was
agreed to, and the fact was represented to the Archbishop
and Bishops.
The house, after the transaction of some further business,
adjourned.

LAW lIVTELLIGENCE.—Jiine 18.

COURT OF PROBATE AND DIVORCE.
COMPTON V. COMPTON AND BARING.—MISS 'WYND-
HAM, THE CELEBRATED ACTRESS.
This was a suit instituted by William Henry
Compton, a clerk in the Emigration Office, for a dis-
solution of marriage on the ground of his wife's
adultery with the co-respondent, who is a captain in
the Guards. The petitioner laid damages at £5,000,
and both the respondents pleaded, merely denying
the adultery.
Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., Dr. Winks and Mr. Gadsden,
were counsel for the petiti-oner ; Mr. Hawkins, Q.C.,
and Mr. Mundel, for the respondent ; and Mr. J.
Lewis and Mr. Joyce for the co-respondent.
Mr. Macaulay stated the case for the petitioner.
He stated that his client was a highly respectable per-
son, who in addition to his present situation had
been engaged at Mr. Gurney's as a shorthand writer,
and had supported himself in a creditable manner
for several years. The respondent was the daughter
of a gentleman named Turner, who had been a cap-
tain in the Royal Navy, and an artist of some cele-
brity. But the lady was better known by the name
she had assumed or Miss Wyndham, and had long
been a favourite with the public from the ability she
displayed as an actress. She had a sister also who
had appeared on the stage, and who, he was sorry to
say, had been in same degree instrumental in pro-
moting the intimacy between Mrs. Compton and
Captain Raring. The marriage was solemnised in
180, and Mr. and Mrs. Compton lived together till
last year, when he discovered his wife's infidelity.
About the end of 1848, or the beginning of 1849, Mrs;
Compton became attached towards the stage, and she
obtained an engagement as a ballet dancer at the
Italian Opera, but being possessed of considerable
theatrical ability, she shortly obtained a higher po-
sition, and was engaged as an actress at different
metropolitan theatres. By her professional exertions
she accumulated money, and last year became lessee
of St. James's Theatre. At the end of the season
she was engaged at Liverpool, and there, as
well as in other places, it would be proved that
acts of adultery were committed between
her and Capt. Baring. Mr. Compton was in the
habit of bringing her home from the theatre, and
attended to her accounts, but in no way interfered
with the money she earned by her professional
abilities.
As Mrs. Compton had considerable per.
sonal attractions it was not a matter of surprise she
drew towards her those persons who bad an entree
behind the scenes, and about four years ago she
formed an intimacy with Capt. Baring, who possessed
that privilege. It was the practice of that gentleman
afterwards to visit at her house, ostensibly with the
view of seeing her sister, with whom he had been
previously acquainted, and who was residing with
her, and ultimately the connexion which led to these
proceedings was formed between him and Mrs.
Compton about three years ago. Mr. Compton had
no suspicion whatever of his wife's misconduct until
he accidentally discovered in her clothing a paper
with the words, " My dear Harry, will you kindly,"
and a direction to Capt. Baring, at the Travellers'
Club. A most painful scene ensued, and she left
her husband in September, since which time she
and Capt. Baring have lived as man and wife at his
residence, Victoria-road, Kensington. The learned
counsel concluded by stating that he did not impute
any breach of duty towards the petitioner, with
vocation,
whom he was not acquainted, and to wom he
The Rev. J. H. RANDOLPH seconded the motion, which owed no obligations, and the object of his client
was carried,
in damages was to protect himself; and not to in-
Archdeacon DENISON then said—l believe in a matter of Aid excessive pecuniary loss on pt. .
such importance as this I shall not be travelling out of my Mr. E. Garwood, managin Ca
g cler Baring
k at Messrs.
province if I state to the house that which, perhaps, might BeaChaes, solicitors, was the first witness called,
be taken without my assurance, that the committee have and stated that he and Mr. Compton had been fellow
bestowed the utmost pains and labour upon the matter sub- clerks at a solicitor's in 1830. He ost sht of hint
mitted for their consideration, We have sat for 12 days in until 1843, when he called on him (witneig ss) at the
committee, and we have been assembled something like 70 office, where he was then employed, and told him
hours, to say nothing about a vast deal of labour done by he was going to be married, and that he wished him
sub-committees and private hands ; and I wish this to go to give the bride away. He consented, and on the
forth to the public, that the public may be perfectly assured 21st of September, .1843, he attended at St. James's
that we have not dealt with a matter of this grave import- Church, where he found Mr. Compton and two
ante lightly. I will say nothing of the pains bestowed on young ladies, Mrs. Compton, and her sister. The
the discharge of this duty by the committee, but will /go. latter was older than Mrs. Compton, who was several
ceed at once to what appears to me the course which years younger than her husband. There were no
naturally ensues. We have to call upon this house, other persons present at the marriage. He had no
intimacy with the parties after the marriage.
conclusion according to the terms of the reference, to come to a
Mr. Mark Lemon was next examined:f . He said
conclusion upon this report. The committee was
he was a dramatic author, andc Professionally Re-
appointed by the direction of the Upper House to
quainted with Mr. and and he
dexamine the book in order that the Lower House may corn-where after-
municate
to the Upper House its opinion whether there are wards was a v.isnitso.r atHtihseirarc.hqououanisinianceerewitehsutphpeem
sufficient grounds for proceeding to a synodical judgment on two oeeansbloout
five years ago, and he first met
upon the book. We have, therefore, to come to a conclusion ‘,..rcommenced
i‘i Compton at the stage door of the theatre where
upon the matter. In order to do so it is necessary that
some person should make a motion to the house upon the Mrs. Compton was then engaged. In his position
subject, and I conceive that the person who was naturally as dramatic writer he had been frequently behind
and legitimately the one to make the motion was he who, the scenes at the theatres where Mrs. Compton was
by the circumstances of the case, had become chairman of performing, and he saw her leave the theatre withher husband on several occasions. Mrs. Compton's
the committee. I shall therefore be prepared to give notice conduct behind the scenes was quite correct, and he
of such motion. On the other hand, the particular form in never witnessed any impropriety on her part. He
which the matter now comes before the house is in some might have seen them about fifty times altogether;
measure novel. There are two points that we have to deal
the last time was about nine months ago. Miss
and secondl
with—first, the coming to some conclusion on the report; Turner was living at their house in Piccadilly under
y, the giving a sufficient time for members who the protection of a gentleman. Mr. Compton was
now have the report placed in their hands for the first time very courteous and well-conducted towards his Wien
meet consider the statements and grounds in that report. To and he never saw anything disagreeable between
meet the first of these requirements I give notice that I shall them. On one occasion, however, Mrs. Compton
ask the aaceni of the holise to the following resolution : told him that she had a disagreement with her
1" That in the opinion of this house there are sufficient husbnna, who was a fortnight without speaking to
domestic quarrel, and did not'suspect
. her'and that she had left him. He supposed that
grounds for proceeding to synodical judgment upon thee.
book entitled ' Essays and Reviews,' and that the aI?2,T :
solution be communicated to the Upper liouso, together
fl.
, it
—ere was anything more serious.
with a copy of the report of te cor,i-44;ttee, . . it Vf4§ a "sere
Caroline Marshall said that she was at Mr.
To meet vile 4eciind 'ijoiiat, that is a question of t7"..„0, I have
209, Piecadill f
now to ask the assent of the house tn:
a address to his Grace Ciompton's at
frequently
y, or about seven years.
to a...,...
the Nojqvut the adjournment o•. - ~,.are e f this house yin. Captain Baring called at the lime, at

" Signed on behalf of the Committee,
" GEORGE ANTHONY DENISON,
" Archdeacon of Taunton, Chairman."
(The schedules giving extracts from the seven " Essays"
occupy many closely printed pages, the Scripture refe-
rences and extracts from the formularies of the Church
being in parallel columns.

Atehdeacon DENISON said—l do not think it necessary
that I should read the schedules which we have appended,
and I beg to move that the report, as printed, be distri-
buted to all the members of the Lower llouse of this Con-