The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-28 00:00:00

PROTESTANTISM IN ITALY.

The Rev. Canon WORDSWORTH, D.D., presented the
following petition, signed by a great number of the mem-
bers of the Lower House

" We, the undersigned members of the Lower House of
Convocation of the Province of Canterbury, respectfully
invite the attention of the Upper House to the opportunity
now afforded by Divine Providence for the advancement of
true religion in Italy.
" We regard with thankfulness the facilities offered at
the present time for the diffusion of the Holy Scriptures in
that country, and we rejoice to learn that many Italians
have shown a desire to procure copies of the English Book
of Common Prayer in their own tongue, and have ex-
pressed their approval of it.
" We are of opinion that the Church of England ought
not to remain passive and silent at so important a juncture,
and we earnestly pray that she may be enabled by the Di-
vine blessing to avail herself of those means which are now
vouchsafed to her of promoting the cause of Christian
truth and unity in a country to which she herself was in-
debted in the sixth century for many spiritual benefits.
"We therefore humbly submit to the consideration of
your grace and your lordships, whether it might not be ex-
pedient that a committee of this convocation should be ap-
pointed, with instructions to prepare the draft of a letter
from the bishops and clergy of this province, representing
to the clergy and laity of Italy the blessings, spiritual and
temporal, which, under God's Providence, this church and
realm have continued to derive for three centuries from the
English Reformation, preserving as it did the holy Scrip-
tures, the sacraments, and the creeds of the Christian
church, and the three orders of the Christian ministry,
while it purified them from novelties, errors, and corruptions.
" "We would also suggest that such a communication from
this synod might convey to the clergy and people of Italy
the assurance of our hearty sympathy and co-operation in
all the efforts they may make to fellow the example of
England in reforming herself, and to maintain those scrip-
tural and catholic truths and ordinances which they have
inherited from primitive antiquity, and to clear them from
those abuses by which in the course of ages they have been
marred and blemished.

" We therefore humbly pray your grace and lordships to
give the requisite directions for the appointment of a com-
mittee for the purpose of framing the draft of such a letter,
to be submitted to this convocation for consideration at
some early opportunity."
ACCESSION OF:THE QUEEN.

The Rev. Mr. SEYMOUR gave notice of an address to his
Grace the President and the Bishops of the Upper House
praying their lordships to consider in what way the 20th of
June, on which her Majesty commenced her happy reign,
and for which special prayer is provided in the Prayer
Book, may be most speedily and effectually restored to its
observance as a national holiday. The rev. gentleman said
he had submitted this as a notice, but knowing the diffi
culty of dealing with a motion upon the subject, he laid it
upon the table in the form of a gravamen to the Upper
House.