The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-11 00:00:00

THE MN,

these be disregarded and despised, the fourth may be
of a more serious character, and the obstructive
Ministry may be hurled from the position which they
are no longer capable of filling with credit to them-
selves or advantage to the public.

In another portion of our impression of this even-
ing there will be found an admirable letter from the
pen of the Rev. J. MARTIN, D.D. (whose authority
as a theologian is of the very highest order) on the
subject of the theological points in dispute between
Mr. GORHAM and the Bishop of EXETER. It appears
from the statements of Dr. MARTIN that the theology
of Dr. HENRY PHILLPOTTS is to the full as bad as his
temper ; but not even Dr. MARTIN shall
tempt us to condescend to the theological argu-
ment. The matter in dispute is:a matter of law,
and a matter of law merely, and has no

more to do with any matter of creed or
of conscience than would the refusal of a policeman
to apprehend a person charged with a capital offence
because he (the policeman) believed the infliction of
the punishment of death was contrary to religion.
In such a case the contumacious con-
stable would at once be dismissed, and
why should any greater respect be paid to a contu-
macious Bishop than to a contumacious constable?

Both are alike mere ministers of the law, both alike
derive their authority from Act of Parliament, and
from Act of Parliament only. In what character is it
that Dr. HENRY PHILLPOTTS enjoys a seat in the
House of Peers, and receives the revenues of the see
of Exeter—in the character of the Bishop of a

Christian church ? Certainly not ; there are various
Bishops of Christian churches who ehjoy no seats
in the House of Peers, who derive no re-
venues from their sees. It is in the character of
Bishop of EXETER of the Church by Law Established—
as an officer of the National Establishment (we know
how harshly that word grates upon the ear of all
would-be sacerdotal tyrants), and as an officer of the
National Establishment alone—that he enjoys that
privilege, and that he receives those revenues. Among
the various duties which devolve on him—not as the
Bishop of a Christian Church, but as the officer of a
National Establishment—is that of inducting
into benefices persons presented to him by
the patrons of those benefices, provided they
are properly qualified according to law. His
duty here is merely ministerial, and so merely
ministerial has it been hitherto regarded, that there is
not a single case on record since the commence-
ment of the Establishment of a bishop refusing induc-
tion to a regularly ordained priest. The Bishop of
EXETER, however, thought fit to refuse on the ground
that Mr. GORHAM held doctrines which disqualified
him, and Mr. GORHAM joined issue. Ire such a
case, what tribunal is to decide ? A synod of
the Bishops and clergy, says the Bishop of
EXETER. Clearly not so. It is the law,
and the law only which can decide. The living
to which Mr. GORHAM seeks induction is a living of
the Church established by law ; the officer refusing
his induction is an officer of the Church established
by lax—the Establisher is greater than the Established
—the Creator than the thing created. The law, and
the law alone, must decide between the Bishop and
Mr. GORHAM; because the law alone can know what
it intended to establish, what it intended to admit,
and what it intended to exclude; and the law has, ac-
cordingly, decided that it did not intend to ex-
clude from the National Establishment persons holding
the opinions of Mr. GORHAM. The law has decided
that he is properly qualified; and, therefore, it is the
duty of the Bishop of EXETER to perform the merely
ministerial function of induction, without more
ado, or at once to resign the privileges and emolu-
ments of an office, the duties of which he contuma-
ciously refuses to perform. The world will regard
all this "fuss" about conscientious objections, duty as
ministers of the Holy Catholic Church," &c., which
Dr. PHILLPOTTS and his partisans are now making
as a " sham" until these gentlemen give evidence
of their sincerity by following the example
of the Hon.land Rev. BAPTIST NOEL, and resigning
their preferments. As we said at the commence-
ment, the case of the contumacious Bishop is no
more to be regarded as a case of creed or of con-
science, than would be the supposed case of the con-
tumacious constable.

Since we last alluded to this subject, the Bishop of
EXETER has written a second letter to the Archbishop
of CANTERBURY, in which we find the following expla-
nation on the subject of the alleged statement of Dr.
ADDAMS, to which we alluded in our former article.
The Bishop says :
"I understand that it has been said that one of my
counsel in addressing the Judicial Committee stated
that the Bishop told Mr. Gorham that if he would
state he had no intention to publish the questions,
answers, and correspondence, then the examination
might cease at the point where they had arrived. If
Mr. Gorham had said that he would plainly answer the
questions and let the matter rest there, then their Lord-
ships would probably never have heard of the present
controversy, and Mr. Gorham would at that moment have
been rector of Brampford Speke.'
"On the very day on which the Learned Counsel was
reported to have said this, or something to the same
effect, I remonstrated with him, as having said it with-
out my instructions or authority, and contrary to my
wish, as well as to what had really been intended by
me. He assured me that what he had said had been
greatly misapprehended, and very incorrectly reported
to me.

" What was really said by me to Mr. Gorham on this
matter will be found in the following passages of Mr.
Gorham's published account of the examination.
" At p. 114, immediately before question 61, is what
follows :

" ' The Bishop—l have no hesitation in saying that
my reason for asking whether Mr. Gorham intends to
publish what has passed in this examination, and for my
stating that if there be such intention, or if the intention
be not disclaimed, I must continue-the examination, is
this—that the matter is not sufficiently investigated to
enable me, in that case, to take the course which I may
be now prepared otherwise to take, without my seeming
to hare forborne to place before Mr. Gorham several
considerations, which ought in my judgment to be
weighed and answered by him.'
"At p. 145, is the following passage, in a letter of
mine to Mr. Gorham :

" To,what you say of my avowed reason for continu-
ing the examination on the fourth and subsequent days,
namely, that I had the impression of your intention to
publish what had passed, or might pass, I answer, that
I hoped to bring the examination to a close in a manner
favourable to you, on your making (as I expected that
you would make) some general qualification of your
statements; but that I felt it to be impossible to take
this course on your declining to disclaim the purpose of
publication.' _ _

" I now solemnly aver to your Grace that I had no
intention whatever of instituting Mr. Gorham, unless
on a fully satisfactory qualification of his statements."

The Bishop has not made his case at all better by
this explanation, for if he did not intend to deceive
Mr. GORHAM, and having extorted from him a pledge
of non-publication, to turn round upon him and re-
fuse his induction ; or, if he did not intend to deceive
the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, we have it upon his
own showing that he would have considered " some
general qualification" of Mr. GORHAM'S " state-
ments" a " fully satisfactory qualification" of that
which he himself has declared " was an essential
complete denial and contradiction of the doctrine of
Holy Scripture and the Church." This is the state-
ment by Dr. HENRY PHILLPOTTS of his own case.
Again, we ask, how long is such a person to be per-
mitted to exercise Episcopal functions in the English
National Establishment ?

We perceive by the votes of the House of Com-
mons that Mr. Maurice O'Connell has given notice
of his intention to move in the Committee on the Elec-
tions (Ireland) Bill that " at all such elections in fu-
ture the votes shall be taken by ballot." We call
upon all Reformers to be in their places to support
Mr. Maurice O'Connell, and upon all constituences to
examine the division lists, and to mark all absentees
and defaulters.

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—Mr. Bunn took his an-
nual benefit last night at the St. James's Theatre, when he
provided for his patrons a varied programme, embracing the
services of many first-rate artists, native and foreign. The
entertainments commenced with Marivaux's comedy, Le
Jen del 'Amour et du Hazard, in which Madlle. Denain and
M. Samson sustained the principal characters. M. Benedict
and Mr. Lindsay Sloper then performed on two pianofortes
Thalberg's duet on themes from Norma. Then came a
piece de resistance, in the shape of the first part of Mr. Bunn's
dramatic and anecdotical monologue, which was relieved by
a choregraphic scene by Carlotta Grisi and M. Silvain,
nothing less attractive than the charming Truandaise, so
long the favourite of the town. The entertainments con-
cluded with the Hon. Mr. Phipps's version of King -Rene's
]laughter, in which the principal parts were supported by
Mr. and Mrs. Kean, Mr. W ebster, Mr. Howe, and other
members of the Haymarket company.
ILLNESS or THE POET MoonE.—Letters have been
received from Slopertcn, giving a most painful account of
the decaying health of the poet Moore, whose death was
daily apprehended. For three months past Mr. Moore had
not left his room, and altogether his condition was considered
hopeless.

REFLECTION OF A LONDON SIGHT-SEER.—I wouldn't
give two-pence to see St. rattl'A —if the Dean and Chapter
didn't make me.—Punch.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have recrjved the Paris journals oF yesterday.
The discussion of the Paris and Avignon Rail way
Bill was resumed in the National Assembly on Wed-
nesday, and the amendment of M. GREVY, proposing
that the road should be executed by the state, was
rejected by a majority of 433 to 205. On the rejec-
tion of M. GREVY'S amendment, M. D'ARBLAY
moved a second amendment, for granting fifty mil-
lions to the state to complete the road as far as
Chalons ; this is an attempt to get rid of the measure
by a side wind, and it appeared to excite considerable
alarm among the Ministers, as M. D'ARBLAY is a
member of the reactionary majority, and was, under
the Monarchy, one of the undeviating supporters of
M. GUIZOT. The Minister of Public Works de-
manded time for the Consideration of the proposition,
which, if adopted, would, he said, entirely destroy the
Ministerial measure, and the consideration was ac-
cordingly adjourned to the following day.
The Republicans of all shades have determined
(much to the chagrin of M. EMILE DE GIRANDIN)
to start M. DUPONT DE L'EURE as their candidate
at the approaching election for Paris, and the vene-
rable Republican has accepted the candidature.
The Aloniteur du Soir says the Committee on the
Bill on the press appears to have postponed any de-
cision until the elections of the 28th instant. The
majority of the delegates propose to leave Paris, and
to return when the discussion shall recommence.
We find the following in the same semi-official
journal :
M. TALLEYRAND, First Secretray of the Embassy
at Vienna, has arrived in Paris with dispatches. On
passing through Brussels he had an interview with
Prince METTERNICH.

A Council of Ministers was held on Tuesday at the
Elysie, at which the PRESIDENT of the Republic pre-
sided. Before the Council he had a long interview
with General CHANGARNIER.
Accounts from Rouen state that an emute occurred
in that city on Monday, in consequence of the au-
thorities having forbidden the performance of the
JuifErrant at the theatre. The people did not dis-
perse until they were charged by the cavalry.
General ORDERER, in command of the troops at
Caen, has published the following order of the day:—
" Grave acts of insubordination have taken place in
the 55th Regiment. A certain number of soldiers, led
away by culpable suggestions, gave way, on the 23d ult.,
to a tumultuous manifestation in the barrack of Vaucelles,
at Caen, on the occasion of three of their comrades being
sent to Africa. The presence of the officers acid non-
commissioned officers, and the energy which they
displayed, at last recalled these soldiers to a sense
of duty. If, in consequence of this event, I found
myself obliged to pronounce the reduction to the
ranks of such persons as were non-commissioned offi-
cers, I am happy to have had to point out to the
Minister of War the good conduct of several others.
The reply of the Minister was immediately sent.
By a decree of the 31st of March, non-commissioned
officer Teissier, acting as adjutant, has been appointed
sublieutenant ; and Sergeant Dubois would have
obtained the Cross of the Legion of Honour, if he had
completed the twenty yerrs' service required by the re-
gulations. The Minister charges me to express to this
worthy soldier the great satisfaction that has been caused
by his admirable conduct on the occasion referred to.
The Minister has also charged me to return thanks in
his name to Captains Chillaume and Pages for the
energy which they displayed, and to inform them that a
note of their conduct has been added to their list of ser-
vice. In conformity with orders sent by the Minister,
the eight persons named below are to be taken under
escort to Cherbourg, to undergo two months' imprison-
ment—via , Sergeant Meurey, Corporal Tellier, Hemlau,
and Castel, all reduced to the ranks; and privates Vali-
ductes, Castel, Passicousset, and Barbaro. At the ex-
piration of that punishment, these persons are to be sent
to Algeria. The General in command of the division
will never leave an act of insubordination unpunished;
but also he will be pleased to call the attention of the
Government to those men under his command, who by
their conduct may merit such recommendation."
The amendment of M. D'Anniar to the Paris
and Avignon Railway Bill, was yesterday rejected by
the National Assembly, after a lengthened discussion,
by a majority of 358 to 314.

PARIS BOURSE, APRIL 10.—Latest Prices—Five per
Cents., 89f. 40c. ; Three per Cents., 55f. 60c.; Bank
Actions, 2,150 f.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, APRIL 10.
Boulogne and Amiens, 6—East Indian, 514—Namur and
Liege, 6%—Northern of/France, 1214—Orleans and Bor-
deaux, 2A—Paris and Roues, 19%—Rouen and Havre, 81,i.