The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-06 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

MR. EDITOR—AS I find- that- you direct your
attention particularly towards ecclesiastical con-
cerns, and manifest a decided and persevering
zeal, iu promoting whatever may tend to the se'..
curity of. our PROTESTANT •ESTARLISIIMENT, I
hope you will insert the following extract from
an account of the BAMPTON LECTURES, which has
accidentally fallen into my hands.—Those Lec-
tures have been of great advantage to the Pro-
testant Church; and as there is happilysa foun-
dation for their perpetual continuance, they will
doubtless prove a permanent and prominent sup-
port of the purest Religion that the Supreme lie-
ing has vouchsafed to import to mankind.
Oxford, Jan. 4. A CONSTANT READER.

ORIGIN OF THE BAMPTON LECTURES AT OXFORD.

• The yet. JOHN- I.lA3rerox was a canon of Salisbury. He
died only 30 years since. It -was nut, therefote, tu'be expect-
td that any books of biography should give an account of his
life: and perhaps - it will not be easy to collect such tar ac-
'count ,except from those who knew him and maryet be living.
The first lecture was preached,in the year_ 1780.
With regard to Ilse- "nature and order of the subjects of
the, lectures," it will be. seen by the will, an extract from
which follows, that considerable latitude is allowed to the
preachers. in the choice of their subject; and that one course
may be, accordingly, in strict conformity •with the will, on
the F.vidences for
.1 he. Christian Religion, another on the
Arian,• and a third on the Mahometan Heresy ; that one may
have for its object a Refutation of the Errors of Popery in the
!lowish Church, and another the Suppression of Schism i
)lie Reformed. Indeed, that a preacher would hardly be pre-,
eluded from handling any subject which has for its design the
defence of the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints.—
It mar, however, he better to let the will speak for itself:—
" I give and berineath my lauds and estates to.the Chancel-
lor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Oxford fur
ever ; to have and to hold all and singular the said lands oe
estates upon trust, and to the intents and parposes herein • •
after mentioned; that is to say, I will and appoint that the
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford f,r the time be-
ing shall take and receive all the rents, issues, and profits
thereof, and (after all
,taxes, reparations, and necessary de--
ductions made) that. he pay all the remainder to the endow-
ment of eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, to be established for
ever in the
.said University, and to be performed in the man
ner following :
" I direct and appoint, that, upon the first Tuesday in
Easter Term, a Lecturer be yeatly chosen by the Heads of
Colleges only, mid by no others, in the room adjoining to the
Printing-house, between the hours of 10 in the morning and
2 in the afternoon, to preach eight. Divinity Lecture Sermons,
the year following, at St. Mary's in Oxford, between the com-
mencement of the last month in Lent Term, and the end of
the third week in Act Term.

" Also, I direct and appoint that the ei4irt Divinity Lec-
ture Sermons shall be preached upon either of the:following.
subjects, to confirm and establish the Christian faith, and to
confute all Heretics and Schismatics—upon the lYsvino Au-
thority of the Holy Scriptitres—upon the Ai►thoritj of the
IVritings of tlic Primitive Fathers, as to the frith and prac-
Aice of the Priorities. Church—upon the Divinity of our Lord
e►nd Saviour Jesus Chrit—upon the Divinity of the Holy
Ghost--upon the Articles of the Christian Faith, as cumpre6
trended in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

" Also, I direct that thirty copies of the eight Divinity
Lecture Sermons shall be always printed, within two months
after they are preached ; and one copy shall be given to the
Chancellor of the University, and one copy to the Mayor of
the city of Oxford, arid one copy to be put into the Bodleian
Library ; and the expences of printing them shall be paid out
4 the 'revenue of the land or estates given for establishing
the Divinity Lecture Sermons ; and the preacher shall nut
a• paid, nor be entitled to the revenue, before they are
printed.

" Also, I direct and appoint that no person shall be quali-
fied to preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons, unless he Lath
taken the Degree of Master of Arts at least, in one of the
two Universities of Oxford or Cambridge; amt that the same
person shall :lever preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons

wice."

The estate thus appropriated by Mr. Bampton, produced,
at its first foundation, about 1201. per annum, after the 'ne-
cessary deductions and outgoings were paid. It was situated
near to 'Lord Radnor's Estate ia Wiltshire; and as it was
partly intermixed with that estate, it became desirable to his
Lordship, that it should be exchanged fur an estate belonging
to him near Wing, in the County of Oxford, of greater value ;
and an act of Parliament was accordingly obtained,.about
eight years .since, with the mutual concurrence of the Uni-
versity and his Lordship, fur the purpose of effecting
,such
exchange. Ire consequence of this, the revenue of the
foundation is much improved ; but, as the University was
under the necessity of advancing a suru of money as some
equivalent for the additional value, (which they are receiving
back by instalments), the effects of such increase Were not
felt immediately upon the exchange, and perhap3 are only
now beginning to he felt.

liousELEss Pooh.--'This excellent charity is
now in full operation. On Thursday night, 130
individuals partook of its benefits, and last- night
the number was rapidly increasing. Two other
receptacles will be opened as soon as suitable
premises can be obtained. The exertions of the
Committee are unremitting, and a rotation of at-
tendance has been adopted, . which .ensures the
presence of a certain number of •the members
every night. The duty devolving on these
indi-
viduals is, to superintend the admission of appli-
cants, and it generally occupies. them until past
midnight. . There, has 'also, b*e*en a perambu-
lation of the City by. some' of the Committee,
who haVe."preented'a interesting repoit
as
to the state of the streets at..pTesent; and the im-
mense-benefits arising from this association are
universally felind admitted: •

Mr. MASON, the principal cook to the. Morquis
of BATH, whilst skaiting on a part of the lake
athis Lordship's seat at Longleapt, on Monday
last, was unfortunately drowned by the breaking
of the ice.

FOREIGN INTtLLIGENCt.

FLANDERS MAIL.

TURIN, DEC. 18.—The Austrian army has
lately made several inovetnents to take some con-
centrated4ositions; the object of which appears
to be..to•approach the To, especially thote points
at which it would have to effect its passage in
Case it should receive orders to cross that river,
which it has not yet done.—Meantime nume-

rous reinforcements continue to come down from
the Italian Alps, and to accumulate in the States
of Lombardy and Venice. When all the rein-
forcements expected from the Hereditary States
shall have joined the army in Italy, its force, it.is
said, will amount to 200,000 men ; of this force,
one half only, we are assured,, will be employed
in the expedition with which the kingdom of
Naples is threatened ; the other will remain, as

an army of observation, at the foot of the Alps

beyond the rivers which separate us from Lombar-
dy. Whatever may be the issue of the differ-
ences between Austria and the kingdom of the
Two Sicilies, and of the events which threaten
the south of Italy, our Court seems to abide by
its resolution of maintaining a strict neutrality.
VIENNA, Uric. 19.—Our Emperor will arrive
here from Troppau on the 28th, but the Emperor
Alexander will not be here till the Ist of Ja-

nuary, because he will remain at Kremsier, to pay
a visit to the Cardinal Archduke Rudolph. Fetes
are preparing for the Sovereigns, but they will be
very short, as it cannot be doubted that their
Majesties will set out almost immediately for
Lay bach, in Carinthia, where the King of Naples
is expected by the 22d January. The prepara-
tions for war are carried on without inter-
mission.

DEC. 21.—1 t is thought that all the Ministers,
as well as their Majesties, will be here by the end
of the month to go to Laybach. Though there
are great hopes that peace will be preserved, the
preparations for opening the campaign continue.
Count Warinbrand, High Chamberlain to the
Empress, left Troppau on the 12th, to return to
Vienna. Mr. D'Oonbrit, Russian Councillor of
State, arrived on the 19th, from Florence.
BRUSSELS, DEC. 30.—Yesterday morning, at
five o'clock, a dreadful fire broke out in the Pa-
lace of the Prince of Orange, which entirely con-
sumed that fine building, in spite of the most
prompt assistance of every kind, and the extra-
ordinary zealand courage of the citizens,who were
eager to show their affection to the Prince and
Princess, by the most extraordinary efforts to
stop the prOgress of the flames.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange di-
rected the workmen, and encouraged their zeal
with the coolness and intrepidity which so emi-
nently characterise him. Mean time the Ar—
chives were removed from the Palace of the
States General (which joins that of the Prince),
as woll as the most valuable furniture which could
be rescued from the flames, and carried into the
Park and the neighbouring houses. The fire
seems to have begun in the Chapel of the Prin-
cess, at the upper story. The Prince immedi-
ately directed all the assistance which could be
given by the persons of his household, but in vain.
At seven o'clock the Princess and her three sons
left the Palace, which began to be a prey to the
flames, and which soon spread further with amaz-
ing violence. They communicated to the noble
Hall of the States General, 'decorated with so
much taste and elegance by M. Vander Straeton,
the King's Architect. Only the bare walls of
that magnificent building remain ; but its fine
frontispiece, which we owe to the skilful hand
of the sculptor, M. Godcharles is
happily
unin-
jured. All the archives and papers of the an-
cient Government those of the- province, and of
the Tribunal of Commerce, have been preserved.
Many valuable effects have been saved, bnt many
have also been destroyed. The fire was not got
under till 5 P. as., but at 10' there was a fresh
alarm, which, however, was soon removed.—
Many persons have received serious bodily, inju-
ries, .but it is not yet known whether any person
has perished. Their Royal Highnesses are at
present in the house of the Marquis d'Asch. The
hope of recovering some jewels, or molted 'silver
plate, caused orders to be given to inclose the
whole space with boards ; in fact, some thing's
have been found. The jeweller of the Court, M.
Dalalis, has found some, very valuable articles,
but very much damaged;
Her Imperial Highness the Princess of Orange
bore this distressing event with a courage worthy
of the sister of the Emperor Alexander. The
Prince Ims sent liberal assistance to the persons
injured during their exertions at the fire, who
received in the hospital all possible attention.—
(Brussels Paper, Jan. 2.)