The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-02 00:00:00

urnishes her members with good reasons for thoroughly re-
ceiving them. Nothing, it will be seen, was further from
my intention than so to speak; I meant merely to say that,
whereas the English Church professes belief in these creeds,
there was a very good ground afforded me for calling on Eng-
lish Churchmen to aim at realising and appropriating the
verities contained in them. But I did not conceal my belief,
that in proportion as they did so, they would learn to be dissa-
tisfied with their Church's formularies as a whole, and dile,
trustful of her authority. Nor should it be forgotten, that I
tnaintained in my work that the true doctrine on " justifica-
tion" is in one sense more at the foundation of orthodoxy than
any other whatever ; and, moreover, that the most formally
dogmatic statement on that subject put forth by the English
Church, unless under a very "non-natural" interpretation,
asserts the contradictory of that doctrine.
In thus disparaging the authority of the English Church, I
am not at all forgetting, that in arightly disciplined mind there
will be an inward response, which tends more and more, if
exercised, to afford conviction on certain doctrines, irrespec-
tive of the authority on which they were originally received ;
and a Christian would indeed be pursuing a mad course if be
were to allow his faith in these doctrines to waver, even though
for a time (from whatever cause) he were unable to see his
way, to bow before some other external authority. But it would
be foreign to my purpose to pursue this subject further.
Bat by far the meat prevailing argument of which I have
heard, in opposition to the views maintained in my letter, is
grounded on the notes of life and sanctity within the English
Church. "We who are in that Church," it is said, " have
the plainest proof before us that the sudden revival of
strietneea sad orthodoxy has I een from within, not by the in-
fluence of an external body; and the communion wherein God
so visibly works, must 'ie a home of His in which it is safe for
us to abide." Nay, many seem to have thought that I myself
advocated this view in the " Ideal," and that my own arguments
might be employed against myself
I trust that, in what I have already said, I have shown my-
self to be not unwilling to retract an opinion, merely be-
cause I have once expressed it. But I really have never
myself seen the sufficiency of this argument. Surely it is
quite conceivable that God shati!ti stir, from within, a schis-
matical body, in order to reinforce His Church; He may
work mightil:, in such a body, not in order to establish it,
but in order gradually to dissolve it. And whether of these
two be His will, must be gathered from further consideration.
The arguments on which I formerly based the (supposed)
duty of adhesion to the English Church (arguments, as I have
said, which I do not now think valid), were as follows:—We
cannot doubt of the vitality of the English Church, not only
when we observe the sanctity which has been the witnessed
fruit of her ordinances, but also when we think of the re-
markable manner in which doctrines handed down for two
or three hundred years, has now germinated, and is so
abundantly germinating, into " the whole cycle of Roman
doctrine." First, So long as we are allowed free scope in
our Church so to develop the doctrines we have learned
from that Church, she is surely our natural and legitimate
home, the doctrines, which might be considered a cause for
leaving her, are the offspring of what we have learned from
herself, and are permitted, without authoritative check,
within her pale : and second, in proportion as those who were
molested with doubts, have lived a stricter life, and rested a
greater weight on the ordinances cf their Church, their confi-
dence in their position has been increased. Now, as I say in
my letter, both th se reasons for remaining in the English
Church have now ceased to exist elst, the free spread of Roman
doctrine in our Church has been authoritatively checked ; and,
2d, it is no longer true, as is now very generally known, that a
stricter life in our communion has lessened doubts in the quar-
ter where doubts have been acutely felt. Those, then, who
thought the arguments adduced in my work in defence of our
position satisfactory (as I do not think them), cannot any
longer rest upon them ; for whatever force they once had is
some to an end.
Aiy present intention, then, implies no denial, nor could I
Isonestly attempt any denial, of undoubted fact that there
has been of late years a remarkable gush of life from within
the English Church. Nor, indeed, considering the great be-
nefit I humbly hope to have derived from agencies at work
within her, could I bring myself to separate from her commu-
nion without eareful thought and deliberation. But such
thought and deliberation hare not, I hope, been wanting.
Even now I trust I may never forget how much I owe of
those very convictions, which have caused my present resolu-
tion, to teaching administered in the name of the English
Church : and I most earnestly hope to see the time ehen I
may again be united in the same communion with, and be
enabled to profit by, the closer example of those many admir-
able persons' whom I am quite unable to follow in regarding
the English Church as a safe home for the Catholic-minded
Christian.—l remain, Sir, your faithful servant,
W. G. WARD.

Row-bill, Oxford, Aug. 26, 1845.

THE WAR IN THE CAUCASUS.

The following is a summary of the recent operations
of the Russians in the mountains of Circassia. We have
drawn it up from an article in the Journal des Debuts,
which contains, besides the official news last received at
St. Petersburg, certain important details extracted from
some private letters :
Toe expedition of the General in-Chief, Count Wo-
ronzoff, seems to amount to this, that, starting from
a point of the line of the advanced Russian ports north
of the Caucasus, he has described in his march an arc
of a circle across the mountains, ultimately falling beckon
anotherpoint of the said line. The campaign lasted altoge-
ther six weeks. The southernmost point of the curved line
described seems to have been Dargo,the residence of the
Imaum Schamil (who may be considered as the Abd-el •
Kistler of the Caucasus). Between Andy (the point at
which the previous intelligence last left the Count and
his expeditionary force) acid Dargo, the Russians had to
encounter the greatest difficulties. After crossing the
great chain of mountains called Retchel, they descended
by abrupt and deep ravines into the thick forests of
Itechket y, which they traversed by paths scarcely prac-
ticable, the expeditionary force occupying a breadth of
twenty vends. The Ci, cassians had raised barricades,
constructed of felled trees, everywhere across the valley
occupied by the forest.
The Russians had to dislodge the mountaineers at the
point of the bayonet from every one of these barricades,
which were 26 in number, disposed, one afar the other,
over a length of eight leagues (something 'more than 20
miles). The losses of the Russians are described as
enormous, whilst their enemy, firing from behind cover,
left behind them scarcely any dead. At length the Rus-
sians reached Dargo, which they destroyed, the Imaum
himself having previously set fire to it. The place is de-
scribed in the Russian account as the great rampart of
Schamil's power, but other accounts represent it as a vil-
lage composed merely of a collection of mud edifices, nod
situated on a height overlooking a deep gorge. It is 20
leagues south of the line of the Terek, and about equi-
distant from the Caspian and black Seas. At Dargo the
Russians halted, but the mountaineers were not idle. A
convoy of provisions (of which the invaders were much
in want) and munitions of war, had been dispatched from
Andy. Count Woronzoff detached, from his main force
at Dargo, Lieutenant-General Klucke of Klunegan, with
a column of six battalions, four pieces of mountain artil-
lery, and some cavalry, to go and meet this convoy already
escorted by a strong column. The troops, both in going
to meet the convoy and in coming back with it., had to
encounter the most obstinate resistance in the forest. It
was the very line just traversed by the Russian army. but
already the Circassians bad returned in numbers, and con-
structed fresh barricade's. On the 23d of July, especial,y,
on their return to Dargo, the Russians had to sustain a
most long, obstinate, and furious encounter. More than
400 Circassians were left dead on the field. But the loss of
the Russians was very great. Two of their Major-Generals
(Passek and Vilstoroff) were killed. The mountaineers
sueceedeefln capturing 900 mules loaded with provisions.
Their ammunition failing them, they drew their poniards
and rushed upon the Russians, endeavouring to pierce
their ranks and to convert the fie hting into so many
single combats. It was chiefly the officers that they
singled out. for their fury. Ultimately the scanty rem-
nants of the convoy reached Woronzoff. But, mean-
while, he had himselt been most unexpectedly attacked
on all sides by an enemy, which he imagined to be
dispersed. It was at the very moment that Te Deum
was being sting, by his orders, in honour of the fete
of the Empress. The object of the Circassiacs
was to divert him, whilst the convoy was being
attacked. When Worouzoff at length left Dargo,
it was to return to the line of the advanced
forts. This return would seem to be voluntary
according to the Russian accounts, as if the great object
of the expedition had been secured by the capture and
destruction of Dargo. But the private letters describe
Woronzoff as in fact interrupting the course of his ope-
rations, when he thus turned round on his return north-
ward to the line of observation. They represent him as
yielding to necessity, because his troops were so deci-
mated and harassed, and in such want of provisions, that
be could undertake nothing more with them. On his
new route Woronzoff had to carry the fortified heights
of Teenhery, which were occupied by the troops of
Schamil, and, descending along the left bank of the river
Aksai, he reached Choueal-Berdy, where he halted
leading traversed a road that was all along bristling
with intrenchments, from each and every one of which
be had to dislodge the mountaineers. The fighting
seems to have been incessant Meantime Major Gene-
ral Freitag having assemble d in all haste seven battalions
anl a half, together with 300 Cossacks and 13 pieces of
artillery, advanced from the line of forts, to meet the
General-in-Chief. When Worenzeff and that Freitag
had reached Miskit, he left Chougal-Bcrdy, and, after
some further fighting with the enemy, succei ded in ef-
fecting a junction with the division that had thus come
to his assistance. Finally, on the Ist of August, the two
united bodies of Russians arrived at Guerzel-Aoul, on
the line of advanced forts.
A studied obscurity prevails throughout the official
report in the Journal of St. Fdersburg, and without the
assistance of the news in the private letters it would be
difficult to understand the opeiations. The St. Peters-
burg Journal affects to consider that great things have
been accomplished by the expedition, but the Debate
asserts that Woronzoff, with his military talents and the
large force at his disposal, has completely failed in his
efforts to subjugate the mountaineers, and that it is
proved. by his falling back, after his seccess at
Dargo, on his line of operations, which he was
not even able to reach without the assistance
of General Freitag. It was considered (says the Debut,)
that a great disaster would have befallen him, but for
the advance of Freitag, for he was blockaded by the
mountaineers, and without provisions. Altogether the
campaign is held to be one without any result, so far as
the preg,eess of Russian domination in the interior of
Circassla is concerned. Prince Alexander of llesse,
who was serving in the army of the Caucasus, has given
it up, and is on his return to St. Petersburg. Finally,
Wotonzoff has dispersed his troops throughout the gar-
risons and cantonments on his line of ebeervetion.