The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-30 00:00:00

OXFORD.

The attention of Members of Convocation is earnestly re-
quested to the fact, that a,i appeal is now in circulation, if it
has not already reached them, having for its object to impede a
Statute, which has passed the Hebdomodal Board, and w►ll he
proposed to Convocation on Tuesday, June 7, abrogating
Statute of May 5, 1836, and re-instating the Regius Professor
of Divinity in certain priv►leges annexed to his office.
This appeal, though professing only to ask time for conside-
ration, originated with that section of the resident Members of
Convocation who are either Tractarians, and advocates of Tract
90, or are scarcely distinguishable from Tractarians in their at-
tachment to the principles of that School of Theology. The
names of Dr. Pusey, Mr. Newman, and Mr. Ward, are, indeed,
not apparent in the printed circulars ; and this is not withuut
r. ason, when the appearance of such well-known watchwords of
the party,might excite suspicion of the character of the pro-
ceeding.
But the great majority of the names are of those who arc
known in the University to belong to the Tractnrian move-
ment. Let members of Convocation, then, be warned against
a set of men, whose professed object is to " unprotestantize the
National Church," who say that " the Church of England can-
not stand where it is," and that " we must recede more and
more from the principles, if any such there be, of the English
lieformation."

Many of the persons whose names are on this list, are pledged
to support, or at least not, to oppose the Statute, in the event.
But without this explanation, the appeal referred to might give
the impression that a great number of members of Convocation
were unfavourable to a rescinding of the Statute of 1536, which
is most certainly very far from the case. Let non-resi.tent
members, then, be on their guard against the delusion wh,cli
may be passed on them. Let them at the present crisis stand
up for the Church of England, as it was settled at the Reforma-
tion, by a due support of a mea.ure recommended by its con-
stituted guardian• in Oxford.

A MEMBER OF CONVOCATION.
Oxfincl, May 23, 1842.

WOOLVVICH-SATURDAY.

The Dee steam-vessel is ordered to be brought forward for
commission immediately, and Mr. Thomas Driver (Master,
1809) has been appointed to command her.
Captain Fisher, Harbour Master of the Port of London, has
received instructions to commence operations upon a collier
vessel recently sunk off Gravesend, for the purpose of raising
her, as she has been found to impede the navigation of the river.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have issued an
order to enter 12 shipwrights' apprentices at Woolwich Deck-
yard immediately, that number being a regulated proportion,
according to the men borne on the books of this dockyard. Their
Lordships have also decided upon entering 100 apprentices
every year to be distributed amongst the various dockyards in
the proportion of men borne on their books. This measure has
been hailed w itllllPie greatest satisfaction, as it is considered a
security to the public that good workmen will be brought up in
the service, and be of more advantage in an economical point of
view than taking on men who have acquired only a slight know-
ledge of the profession by having been employed on small vessels,
the workmanship of which and mode of putting together bear no
comparison with the solidity and strength required for the
navy of Great Lirita:n. At no period in the history of this
country has the navy been in a more efficient state than it is
at present, and the excellent measures adopted and under
consideration for being introduced, if proved to be of an ad-
vantageous nature, by the present able heads of this important
branch of her Majesty's service, afford ample guarantee that
the naval appointments wili always be in such a state as to be
ready for immediate and active service at a few hours' notice.
Much alarm has been created in certain quarters, where the
parties are ignorant of the resources of the country and of the
nasal department in particular, in consequence of the recent
measures adopted in France to increase the steam navy of that
country to a very great extent; but the public may rest satis-
fied this country is fully prepared for any emergency or symptom
of aggression, as, in addition to the present steam-frigates and
ships of war of the best construction and power at the command
of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a gallant naval
officer, who was the first to suggest mounting large guns on
steam-vessels, gives it as his opinion, that in less than 48 hours'
notice of hostilities being about to take place, the whole of the
General Steam Navigation Company and other large steam-
vessels employed for the conveyance of the mails, could be
be brought alongside the Royal Arsenal or any other of her
Majesty's depots at home or abroad, and be mounted with 32-
pounder guns ready ter active services, should their mode of
settling differences hare to be resorted to.