The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-27 00:00:00

BISIIOPRIU.

Are informed that the reason why it is desired to
consecrate Mr. Macrorie at once is that two of the African

bishops—Dr. Cotterill, Bishop of Graham's Town, and
Dr. 'Tells, Bishop of the Orange River—are about to re-
turn to their dioceses forthwith, and have taken their
passages in the Cape Mail steamer, which leaves Plymouth
on February 10. It being thought very desirable that the
consecration should be performed by African bishops, and
the departure of the above-mentioned prelates being un.
avoidable, it has been suggested that the Bishop of Cape-
town should accompany them, and perform the rite in
Africa ; but Dr. Gray is unable to do this, as important
business detains him in this country. Under these circum-
stances the ceremony will, in all probability, take place in
Scotland very shortly, although Mr. Macrorie is fully
alive to the undesirable impression which, to use the words
of the Times, such a " Gretna-green" consecration would

produce.
Mr. Macrorie was educated at Winchester School, and
was subsequently a master at Radley College. His friends
say that while, perhaps, decision is not his strong point,
he possesses remarkable tact and power of getting over
difliculties, which will stand him in good stead in a position
as troublesome as that which he seeks to occupy. He has
addressed a letter to the Accrington Times (having been
until this appointment incumbent of Accrington), and in
this letter he first of all comments on the recent criticisms
of the Times and the Pall Mall Gazette, and protests against
the theory that the Church is simply a human institution,
the creature of an Act of Parliament, and then goes on to
contend-1. That Dr. Colenso has been deposed by the
only court which has authority to depose him, i.e., not only
has he been condemned by Convocation and by forty-one
bishops, but he has been " spiritually deposed by the
Court of the Metropolitan, whose jurisdiction he is bound
to recognise—firstly, by virtue of his letters patent (those
letters patent which he now flaunts in the face of the
Church that has disowned him) ; secondly, in virtue of the
solemn oath of due obedience taken at the time of his con-
secration. 2. From the judgment of this court Dr.
Colenso appeals, not to, which as provided by the
letters patent the appeal lies—viz.; the Archbishop of
Canterbury—but to the Crown. The Crown, by a
stretch of its prerogative, commits the trial of this
appeal to a tribunal of modern institution which has never
possessed the confidence of Churchmen--the Judicial
Committee of Privy Council. 3. What is the judgment of
this tribunal ? That every act of the Crown towards the
Church in South Africa is utterly null and void in law ;
that the letters patent are not worth the paper on which
they are written ; that the position of the Church in the
colonies is that of a voluntary association, the same, no
better and no worse than that of the Wesleyans or any
other religious body. 4. The trustees of the Colonial
Bishoprics' Fund, having a strong conviction that Dr.
Colenso was no longer entitled to the emoluments of an
office from which he had been deposed, withheld his
stipend from him. Dr. Colenso brings the case into the
Rolls Court and obtains a judgment in his favour. Thus
we have two utterly irreconcilable judgments from two
of our highest courts of law. It is ruled by one court
that the Church is in the position of a voluntary associa-
tion ; by the other that the moment she assumes the
rights and privileges of such an association she is to be
forced to relinquish them—in plain words, that with none
of the advantages of a Church established by law, she is
to have all the disadvantages. Such a state of things
is clearly indefensible to Englishmen, and cannot last."
Mr. Macrorie then answers the objection that the bishops
of South Africa have acted precipitately, and says that it
is forgotten that for six years the diocese of Natal has been
in this distracted state, and that the Church of England,
if she would not forfeit her right to be a branch of Christ's
Church, was "bound to assert her vitality, and wipe out
the dark stain that rests upon her.." Holding this view
strongly, Mr. Macrorie felt bound to accept the responsible
office committed to him, and which he a few weeks ago as
little expected to fill as that of commander of the
Abyssinian expedition. He ridicules the idea of going
out to St. Helena, when " we could go comfortably down
to Scotland, and there act without the slightest violation
of the law." He meets the objection that, in the event of
the see of Natal becoming vacant hereafter in the usual way,
there is no guarantee that he (Mr. Macrorie) would not
be superseded by some other bishop, by declaring that the
Crown certainly would not appointsuch a bishop, and that
there are no three bishops in England who would conse-
crate him even if he were appointed. In a postscript he
comments upon the Bishop of London's letter to Bishop
Gray, and says that it must be remembered that " for
twenty years Dean Stanley, the avowed apologist for Dr.
Colenso and his views, has been the Bishop of London's
intimate friend and personal ally," and that the Dean has
recently declared that " the doctrines of the Bishop of
Natal are such as the universal Church has never con-
demned ; such as within the Church of England are by
law allowed." Mr. Macrorie does not say anything
with respect to the letter of the Archbishop of York, who
certainly has no sympathy with Bishop Colenso.
On Sunday, the Bishop of Capetown, preaching a sermon
at St. David's Church, Exeter, thus referred to the pro-
posed consecration of Mr. Macrorie :--" I will not dwell,
my brethren, upon this subject at any length to-day—
indeed, it will not be expected that I should dwell upon a
matter that is still under discussion—but this only I will say,
that the Bishop of Africa will take no step without consul.
tation with the Primate of the Church of England, and
whatever course they may eventually pursue will be adupted
in hearty concurrence with his grace's wishes and instruc-
tions. But I doubt whether the Church in this land feels
how great a hindrance and how great a danger and scandal
to the Church in that land as well as to the Church at home
exist,because he who went forth to preach Christ's truth ant:
gospel now declares that the Holy Scriptures, which are the
records of God's revelations, do not contain au unerring
record of His truth—do not contain, indeed, even upon
faith and morals, that which we are toll to adhere to ; and
asserts that our Blessed Lord knew no more than an intel-
ligent Jew of his own age and period ; that it has been
reserved to a critic of this nineteenth century to point out
the blunders of his Incarnate Lord ; and that He whom
all the angels of God worship is not a fit object for our
adoration. These things, day by day, are being taught in
the name and with the claimed authority of this Church
of England, and we in that land feel that it compromises
us, that it compromises you, and that if we tolerate such
teaching, we are unfaithful and untrue to Ilim—we betray
His cause, and we shall lose His blessing."

The Earl of Derby, according to the latest
accounts received in town from Knowsley, is somewhat
better.

An artesian well of naphtha has (says the Grocer)
been discovered at Kudaco, in the Caucasus, by boring.
At the depth of 274 feet from the surface the liquid was
first struck, and for a whole month (from Nov. 24 to Dec.
24) gave a supply of 1,500 barrels daily. Since then a
fresh source has been met, which rises with irresistible
force to the height of forty feet above the ground, the jet
being four incli,s in diameter, and delivering a daily
supply of 6,000 barrels.

The correspondence relating to the dismissal of
Mr.-D. O'Sullivan, of Cork, from the commission of the
peace has been published. Mr. O'Sullivan says, in reply
to a letter from the Lord Chancellor, " I shall always
consider the offence of the three Irishmen executed at
Manchester purely political, and that opinion is endorsed
by Catholic Ireland. I should consider it wrong if I en-
couraged any other than constitutional means for redress
of their wrongs."

The statue of Sir R. Peel has been placed upon
its pedestal in front of the principal entrance of the New
Palace-yard, in Parliament-street, Westminster. It
etands upon a double plinth, about six feet in height.
The lower plinth is of a grey and the upper of red polished
granite, relieved by worked moulding, and they are of an
oblong octagon shape. The statute remains stillenveloped
in a canvas wrapper.

TRAIN AGAIN ON THE HAILS. —Mr. G. F. Train
makes the following announcement in the Cork papers :
" Imperial Hotel, Cork, Jan. 23, 18138.—T0 whom it may
concern.—When in the course of human events an Ame-
rican citizen visiting a foreign land on important financial
business is incarcerated in a felon's cell, a decent respect
for the opinion of the authorities on his release (without any
apology for outrage) impels him to state why he remains
a few days in the ' suspect district':-1. I like the people.
2. I introduced the prepaid passenger and exchange busi-
aess into Ireland twenty years ago that has brought over
from America since that day, 12 millions sterling. 3. lam
preparing the documents to prosecute my claim against the
Government for one hundred thousand pounds. 4. Having
had the concession for street railways for Cork, and the
ready money to lay them down, I wish to see if Ireland is
ready to have some American capital invested in improv-
ing the locomotion of her cities. 5. And most important,
I wish to prove to the authorities by my lectures, that the
only way that I have interfered with the law was to
wish well to Ireland and Irishmen, Catholic and Pro-
testant alike.—Sincerely, GEORGE FRANCIS TRAIN."
Mr. Train also advertises a lectuz e at the Athenaeum,
Cork, on Monday evening. He states the subject as—
" Ireland in America : Ten Millions Sterling sent here by
Irish-Americans since Mr. Train initiated the prepaid
Passenger System twenty years ago ; Travel, the Royal
Road to Knowledge ; Personal Reminiscences ; Tem-
perance and Father Mathew ; How to get Rich ; The
Eye-glass Style of Conversation, or the Governor of a
Gaol. Mr. Train is desirous that the ladies of Cork will
be present, as he wishes to explain why 9,000 Irishmen
voted for Female Suffrage in Kamas ! Everybody turn
910 t 9 Dear tin Great CharaPi94 9f the 1ri5hi34.999"