Star.
London, England, 1831-06-06 00:00:00

THE REV. EDWARD InVING.

A Work, written by the Rev. Edward Irving, Of prophetic
and oratorical celebrity, was last week brought under the con.
sideration of the General Assembly of Scotland for final adju-
dication. The work had previously been referred to a Coin.
mittee ; and on Monday Dr. Dickinson reported from the
ommittethat the work contained doctrines the same as the
Bourignan heresy, condemned in 1601. A discussion ensued
on the report. All the members condemred the doctrines, hut
there was a considerable difference of opinion respecting the
mode of condemnation. Dr. Forbes mild not approve of
following the Author by extending their jurisdiction into a
country where a sister church' was established. He moved a
resolution, the object of which was to prevent Mr. Irving being
permitted to preach in any church, in Scotlsnd. Dr. P.lllacfar-
lane thought Mr. Irving's writings were far hker the ravings
of a maniac than a man of sound sense. Dr. Cook had no doubt
but the people of Scotland would see the glaring absurdity of
the doctrines. Dr. Hamilton said Mr. I. had an immerse ma-
nufsctory in London, from which he deluged the Church with
nonsense. Mr. Paul felt that the passages read must be con.
sidcred as the ravings of a maniac ; but within the bounds
' of the Church there were congregalows who would be willing
to listen to those ravings, and they ought to endeavour to
prevent it. Mr. Geddes said, if minister, who went beyond
the bounds of the Church were to be *Rowed to insult anti
bla pheme the Saviour, he would never ordain anotlivr mi-
nister to go beyond the bounds of Scotland. The Dcan of
Faculty was against noticing the work in the manner pro
posed, which, if left to itself, would sittk into insignificance
and contempt. Dr. Forbes motion was carried by 147 to 40,
the effect of which is to exclude Mr. Irving from preaehitg
in all Churches in Scotland.

SUSPECTED MURDER of a YOUNG FE. I.ILE.
For the last week the village of Sydenham and its neigh-
bourhord has been kept in a state of great exciternant, arising
from the mysterious death of a young pr..gnant female, whose
body was found in the Croydon Cant!. near Sydenham, on
Sun lay morning. The unfortunate deceased was dressed in
a fashionable striped cotton gown, a hick silk cloak, and a
white straw bonnet. Oa Friday, Ilr. Cartier, morn r for
Surrey, held an inquest on the body. when the following
facts were stated in evidence. OA ‘i'h - Monday t waning
the deceased, with another female about her own age, went
into the shop of .Mrs. Stem, on Sydenham comma n, at d
purchased articles for making tea, for which she paid 104.,
and asked Mrs. Stacey if she collie] accunme date her with
hot water in the course of the evening, which Mrs. S•atey
promised to do. She said she was going .0 meet the yourg
gendenean who wax the father of the child of which she wes
pregnant, and would return to take tea, nt el then went away
with her companion. About a quarter p.st 7 she was are
in a boat in the broad water of the can::, and a young gentle.
man rowing het about ; her female friend ass In another boat
with another gentleman. They did nut rettim to Mrs. Stacey's,
and the next morning the hosts were sten floating on the broad
water, deserted : no suspicion. however, was excited. Bu' oar
Sunday morning Mrs. Stacey's son observed a woman's bon-
net and vett on i he surface of the water, and instant ly procured
a boat and went to the spot, when be discovered the body of
the elect a•ed. Assistance was instantly procured, and it was
brought to the Dartmouth A,ons, when it was instantly re.
cognised by 3trs Stacey and a numbec of the villagers.
There was a small key in her pock.t, but no money or papers
of any kitiel by which her name might I e d:stuvered. There
was a fracture on the forehead, and both eyes were blackened
by contuaiun from which it was concluded she lead beta
murdered. inquiry was instantly set on toot for the young
man with whom she had been seen, and for her female cont.
panion, bete hitherto without obtaining the least information
reap sting either. _ _

A
A policeman, named Cikorge Newstead, stated, thatwbout
three weeks 4;to, bre in the evening, he observed the same
female wtaltaig in a desponding state urn the banks of ilia
same wdal, aril questioned her, when she adritived, with
t to her eyes. nut she meditated self.d.strurtion. He
took I cr to the stadon.house, wit. re she said her name was
Mary Cldrke, and that she lived at e, but refused to
give atty further 'cutout of Motif. In her pocket ass
then found the unte key fou•dl in her pocl.et when token
out of the Canal. She left the stition.heuse in the momirg,
and promised to return home.
The Jury returned a verdict—" Foer.d drowned ;" but
exprrssed mew hope that the invstiga:tor. toted be conti.
nued, as there was great reason to rpprehend that the ut for.
mate deetrased bad been unfairly dealt with.
The decemude was a very li:ie )0 trig woman, eppa.
rendy shunt 25 years °rage. Suitt enders lore given to the
police.ufficers to continue their inqutries, end informatiem
was seat to the Ilighgate divi.ion that is quirks might be
made there after Mary Clarke. It is impossible to describe
the at oration the event has produced et, Sy.lculism, the inha-
bitants of which are firttly persuaded she haplrs yourg.
woman was foully n tudeted,-06seseez.

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AND SCIENCE.

IiAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE.
ly character of the present King has
bled him to disabuse royalty of several
pendages invented by flattery for crafty
Ile has in particular shook off the re-
lion of a Royal Society of Literature,
Itially identifies itself with the inanity,
time-serving, and orthodoxy. We
r ten times the amount freely devoted to
tronage ; but, to be usefully and honestly
lan of impartial distribution should be
,f which the whole of the present Slci-
suspicion, and without which, any
Ay would exist only to insult all the ori-
ad real genius of its age. Writing
rnitarianism, and concoctinEr diatribes
tuarterly Review,' are not the kind of
!mission to such a society, and to the be-
•h funds. We have now shaken off the
Sylvanus Urban, of witchcraft,—
id the whole philosophy of supersti-
a royal society of literature which deals
for sucklings, and the cris-cross row
and philosophical authority, is not only
free inquiry, but a discredit to royal
The affected parties, however, ac-
ign both the King and his able Chan-
nit we are sure that, on presenting the
their leaders, the public will come to
decision. Their president is Burgess,
Salisbury•, whose spirit has been accu-
'mired by the Unitarians : then, among
ice presidents, there are the Duke of
Lord Bexley, and Charles Yorke,
le Bishops of Bath and Wells, and of
; the treasurer is a Mr. Impey, re-
presume, to Sir Elijah, and the noted
men : and the council contains Lord
Kenyon, Dr. D'Oyley, Mr. W. Jacob, Literary
Gazette Jerdan, and others chiefly known in
party circles. Now, all these may, in certain
senses, be good sort of folks ; but we put it to
the good intelligence of the public, whether it is
not to misapply royal patronage, to confide it to
their direction for such objects, and not to mis-
direct public taste to render such partizans its arbi-
ters ? In eight years, what have they yet done ?
We faintly remember something of a still-born vo-
lume, curious only for its dull conformity, while,
in truth, from the very nature of the institution, it
cannot produce any thing else. The original ge-
niuses of the country—great because original—
who like Arabians bound over the plain and respect
no beaten tracts, never could have been patronized
by it. They would not have recognised deer-
stealing Shakespeare—republican Milton—Unita-
rian Priestley—dissenting Defoe—Catholic Dry-
den—eccentric Butler, Churchill, or Wolcot—
though such men, and such alone, are the sterling
geniuses of our race. In truth, unfit as every close
corporation is for any and every useful object, it is
by constitution least of all fitted for the guardian-
ship of the free republic of letters. Some patron-
izing society is, doubtless wanted, but to answer
its purpose it must itself be a republic—there must
be vote by ballot and universal suffrage. We sym-
pathize with the ten worthy associates who lose
their hundred per annum, and we acknowledge
that some of them have been bustling men ; but
we venture to assert that several of them have in
their day been greatly over-rated, and their works
mostly are so destitute of original features, and
advance so little on common-place knowlege, that
not more than two of them are likely to be remem-
bered ten years after their decease. At the same
time we are happy in knowing that to them the
pension is of secondary importance.
We may, while treating of this subject, express
our regret that the Society of the Literary Fund
is not so re-modelled as to be adapted to the just
pride of men of genius, instead of being a mere
charity, which such men will rather perish than
solicit.

p;,:fount.
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I LITERI
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THE ROYAL
,i
IThe manly ch
• happily enabled
fictitious append
purposes. lle 1
seat invention 01
which essential':
•informity, tin
wish to see ten 1
literary patronap
applied, a plan 1
', invented, of wh
,: ety have no sus
i such society no'
, ..1 ginality and re
la sr
fm
i against Unitari
Ik
for
fit tstbfoeof; a Qdntiisil
I
such,
i ? incubus of S
f . I' ghosts, and th
1 ri
i tion—and a roy
i 7%'
. ': • 1 only in pap for
of liternry and 1
1 fatal to al free
, ,
patronage. T 1
.. , tively arraign 1
,
• i cellor ;—but w
names of their
a different deci
' Bishop of Sali:
.• ' 1
`-,4 , , rately mensuret
the ten vice pr
Newcastle, Le
1 ' besides the Bi!
I • i
Winchester ; t
4. lated, we press
f Commissioner :
Kenyon, Dr. I
1 1, ii Gazette Jerda
_ .