The Pilgrim's Staff and Christian's Daily Walk. Compiled by HENRY SMITH, King's College, London. Post 8vo., cloth. London: William Ball & Co., pp. 376, 1839.

THIS useful book consists of a series of meditations, illustrations of holy writ, occasional prayers, &c., for every morning and evening throughout the year, compiled from the writings of the primitive fathers, the early reformers and divines, chiefly of the Church of England. The readings out of which the "Pilgrim's Staff" has grown, were entered upon as a solace, under a long series of domestic privations, and brought with them, to the compiler, peace and refreshment. He has therefore presented them to the public in a form adapted to every-day use, in the hope, that from their perusal others may experience the same consolation which he himself has enjoyed. Mr. Smith has executed his work well. To a text of Scripture, he has attached brief extracts, illustrative of the subject, from the writings of Jewell, Taylor, Stillingfleet, Hall, Comber, Wheatly, Boyle, Horsley, Mede, Heber, Bull, Blomfield, and a host of inferior writers. These venerable names are guarantees that the work is worthy of popular patronage, and as such we beg to recommend it to our readers.

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.-At a meeting of Council, the following minute was agreed to:-" The Council having been informed of the death of the Rev. Hugh James Rose, late Principal of the College, which event took place at Florence, on 22d of December last, are desirous of expressing the deep concern with which they have received this intelligence, and of recording their grateful sense of the conscientious and efficient manner in which their late lamented Principal discharged the duties of his office, whilst bearing up against the pressure of an enfeebled constitution and failing health. Valuable as were the services for which this institution was indebted to him, the Council are well aware that they formed but a part of those, which his great talents, his varied learning, his ardent piety, and his unwearied energy, enabled him to render to the Church at large, to the interests of sound learning, and the cause of religious education."

At a subsequent meeting of the Council, the Rev. John Lonsdale, B.D. was appointed Principal of King's College, in the room of the late Rev. Hugh James Rose.

A subscription has been entered into, on the part of the Principal, Professors, Masters and Students, for the purpose of erecting a Testimonial in the College Chapel, commemorative of their sincere regard for the late head of the institution, of their deep respect for his ardent piety and varied attainments, and of their grateful sense of his unceasing solicitude to promote the interests of the Establishment.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.-Monthly Report for February.-At the General Meeting held on Tuesday, the 5th of February, 1839, the Rev. Dr. Short in the chair, a letter was read from Viscount Melbourne, First Lord of Her Majesty's Treasury, in reply to a communication to him from his Grace, the President of this Society. By this it appeared that Her Majesty had graciously consented to become the Patron of the Society. This letter having been read, it was agreed unanimously,

"That this board entertains a lively sense of the distinguished honour graciously conferred by Her Majesty on the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; an Institution which has been actively engaged for one hundred and

forty years in advancing the cause of the Christian religion, on the principles of that pure and apostolical branch of Christ's Church established in this kingdom; and which, encouraged by her Majesty's patronage and favour, will steadily persevere in its pious endeavours to promote the glory of God, and the best interests of mankind."

Agreed unanimously,

"That this Board do humbly submit to her Majesty a copy of the Society's Annual Report for 1838, which contains an account of the proceedings of the Society during that year, both at home and abroad, especially in the colonies and dependencies of the British empire."

Agreed unanimously,

"That his Grace, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, President of the Society, be respectfully requested to sign the above Resolutions, and to lay the same, together with the Annual Report before her Majesty.”

DISSENTING RETURNS.-To the Editor of the Oxford Herald.-Sir, May I beg a corner to beseech my brethren of the parochial clergy to lose no time in examining the educational returns lately transmitted to the Home Secretary? In my own parish I find a sextuple multiplication has been effected. The number of children receiving a The number returned as receiving dissenting (Wesleyan) education be- the education being 229 !!!

ing a little under 40.

The first process in this improved Dissenting arithmetic is to count each child twice over-once as a daily scholar; a second time as a Sunday scholar. This, of course, just doubles the whole. The next process is to return the remaining eighty-nine children (supposing such children to exist) as belonging to this one parish, whereas they are really gathered out of the four or five adjoining ones, in which parishes, I doubt not, they are again reckoned. Within a mile of the site of this pious fraud, a Church-school is, by the returns, given wholesale to the Dissenters. The form of return recognizes but two classes of schools;-those in connexion with the National Society, and those not in connexion, or Dissenting schools. The school in question, though strictly a Churchschool, is not in connexion with the National Society, and is, therefore, returned as belonging to Dissenters! A few authenticated facts of this nature placed in the hands of members of parliament, would enable them to expose this infamous collusion between the ministry and the Dissenters.

*** I subjoin my name and residence, for your private satisfaction. OXFORD MEMORIAL OF CRANMER, RIDLEY, and LATIMER.-On Jan. 31st, it was decided by a Public Meeting held at Oxford, in deference to the wishes of the bishop of the diocese, of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishop of London, that the proposed Memorial be a Church, characterised chiefly by external decorations. Of course a large sum of money will be wanted to effect this object, as it will be impossible to erect an edifice as a National Memorial, which should be inferior to New College and Magdalen chapels in the same city, founded by the munificence of individuals. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishops of London and Clogher, have subscribed 50%. each, the Marquis of Hertford, 1007., Earl of Eldon, 100%.

BOARD OF EDUCATION.-Meeting of the Roman Catholic Bishops.-The Irish Roman Catholic bishops are at present assembled at their “annual conference" in Dublin. I have learned that the question of education was yesterday the subject of debate. After a very protracted discussion, a motion of confidence in the National Board, and of approval of the system generally, was carried, in opposition to an amendment of Dr. M'Hale. The numbers on the division

were

For the vote of confidence

For Dr. M'Hale's amendment.

The supporters of Dr. M'Hale were confined to his own suffragans and a few of the southern bishops.

TOMBSTONES AND EPITAPHS.-To the Editor of the Standard.-Sir, It has been inferred in some of the public prints, since the judgment respecting the Papistical inscription, that the freehold of a churchyard is vested only in the information of my clerical brethren.

rector. Considering this to be a question in which all incumbents who are not rectors are deeply concerned, I have taken the opinion of an eminent counsel, and I subjoin the questions, with the answer of Sir Frederick Pollock, for the I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

Jan. 19, 1839.

J. B. ATKINSON, Perpetual Curate of Cowes, and Rector of Kingstone.

QUESTIONS.

1st. In whom, by the law of England, is the freehold of the churchyard vested in those parishes where the incumbent minister is vicar or perpetual curate? 2d. Has any person the right to erect a headstone in the churchyard without the consent of the incumbent minister, whether rector, vicar, or perpetual curate; and is there any difference in this respect between a parish having a lay impropriator (who is owner of the great tithes, or a part of them) and a vicar who is the incumbent minister, as in Carisbrooke, and a parish where the incumbent minister is also the rector?

ANSWERS.

1st. I am of opinion that "the soil and freehold of the church and churchyard belong to the parson: 2 Cro. 367; Com. Dig., title "Eglise" (George I.); and I think the parson is the rector, vicar, or perpetual curate, according as the cure of souls belongs to one or other of these ecclesiastical persons.

2d. Whether in some places there may be a custom, or, as to some families or persons, a prescription to erect a headstone, monument, or memorial, I cannot undertake to say; but, generally, I am of opinion that any person has not a right to erect such memorial as he may think proper (or I think any memorial) without the consent of the parson, whether rector, vicar, or perpetual curate, and for this purpose I think there is no difference between the case of a rector and vicar, (the great tithes, or part of them, being in a lay impropriator,) or a perpetual curate. FREDERICK POLLOCK.

Temple, Jan. 16, 1839.

*** A correspondent requests us to insert the Bishop of London's animadversions on this judgment of Sir Herbert Jenner. We are authorized to state, that the Bishop of London never made any such animadversions. If the judgment is as erroneous as our correspondent supposes it to be, it cannot stand. At all events, the remedy, or rather the prevention of the evils, to which it might otherwise have given rise, is in the hands of every incumbent. No tombstone can legally be erected without his permission.-Ecclesiastical Gazette.

The Rev. J. W. Minton, the esteemed and much-respected minister of Darlington, and his brother, have given the very munificent sum of 2,000l. towards the endowment of the church at present in course of erection at that place.

Petitions from Malton, Weston and Yorkshire, against grants to Maynooth; have been presented and one is in course of signature at Exeter Hall, for the exclusion of Papists from Parliament.

The Augsburg Gazette states, under date Posen, 13th inst. that the aspect of the quarrel between the Prussian Government and the Popish clergy was becoming hourly more and more serious.

A new chapel, to enable the British residents at Constantinople to assist in performing Divine service, has been erected, and was opened at Pera, on Christmas-day. The chaplain of the British Embassy, the Rev. Mr. Bennet, preached a sermon on the occasion. This pious and laudable achievement is, we understand, chiefly to be ascribed to the efforts of the Bishop of London.Morning Herald.

NATURAL THEOLOGY.—No. VI.

IN former numbers we have endeavoured to trace infidelity to its real source, without entering into any arguments calculated to convince the sceptic of his error. Indeed, according to our own showing, all attempts to produce conviction by appealing to the reason must prove abortive so long as the passions maintain their sway, and the habits of life remain unchanged. Here, therefore, we should drop our pen, and bring our labours to a conclusion, if our only object were to convince the infidel of his errors. But we believe that there are many persons besides the professed infidel to whom such arguments as we propose to make use of may be addressed with advantage. There are many in all times, and the number seems to be on the increase in our own day, who, though not yet infidels, are in imminent danger of lapsing into disbelief; and this, not from any violence of passion, but from a gross misconception of the real scope and object of the faculties which we possess, and an exaggerated estimate of their power. We have already more than once spoken of the dreadful errors of those who set up their own passions for an idol, and call it Reason, staining its altar with the blood of human sacrifices, and offering at its polluted shrine the incense of the damned. Those of whom we now speak are men of a very different stamp. Possessed of great talents and highly cultivated minds, they devote themselves to the pursuits of learning or of science, and are saved from the worst excesses of passion by the very ardour with which they prosecute their favourite studies. Accustomed to free inquiry, and trusting implicitly to reason as their guide through the labyrinths of physical research, they are prone to resort to her in all their difficulties, and to regard her as equally ready to solve the gravest questions of morality and the deepest mysteries of religion. In doing so they attribute too much to reason; they forget the important part which the senses perform in all these investigations; and they overlook the many occasions on which they have found it necessary to appeal from reason to sense, and to correct the errors of the one by the surer evidence of the other. That which was the joint work of sense and reason they unjustly attribute to reason alone; and they forget that all the confidence with which reason undertakes the solution of moral questions was originally derived from the constant support and co-operation of the senses.

VOL. III.

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66

Against the overweening confidence which, from this or other causes, men are prone to place in the power of reason, against that reasoning pride" which is ever leading men to mistake the real scope and reach of their faculties, no sufficient antidote has yet been provided; and we know no better or worthier employment of exalted talents such talents as graced the author of the Analogy of Religion — than clearly to trace out and define the limits within which the several faculties of our minds, but especially our reason, may be safely exercised. For our own parts we feel so deeply the importance of this inquiry, and are so firmly convinced that gross misconception as to the real power of reason lies at the very root of all the disbelief which is not the direct consequence of unbridled passion or distorted feeling, that we cannot pass this subject over in silence; but shall attempt, albeit with many a misgiving, and but little dependence on our own power to do the subject justice, to sketch an imperfect outline, which we hope some day to see filled up by a far abler hand. We propose then to pass the several faculties of our mind in review, to examine their aim and scope, and the influence which they exert upon our belief; and, though we are by no means sanguine of success in the object which we propose to ourselves, we think we shall not altogether waste the time, nor weary the attention of our readers. We must observe once for all that we are little versed in metaphysical lore, and have little leisure or inclination for such studies. Our observations, therefore, may appear superficial to those who are familiar with the writings of the metaphysicians of this and other countries; but, if they are not correct, it will not be for want of as much thought and attention as our leisure has allowed us to bestow upon them.

We begin then with the broad assertion that all the knowledge which we possess of things external to ourselves is derived directly or indirectly from the exercise of the senses. A part of this knowledge is due to the exercise of our own senses; but a more important part to the statements made by others in respect of the things which they have themselves witnessed, and communicated to us either by spoken or written language by our contemporaries, or by those who have lived before our time. This knowledge of which we speak may consist in the most simple information given us by our senses of the existence and more obvious qualities of matter, or may result from a voluntary arrangement, combination, and separation of different portions of matter, and the consequent exercise of the several faculties of the mind upon them. But, whether our knowledge be simple or complex, it is either directly or remotely derived from the senses; the prolific source of all science, all art, all belief, of all our present actions, and all our future hopes. The believer in revelation owns no other source of his faith but this. Tracing the Bible from the hands of those who wrote it to his own, and convinced of its authenticity, he learns that the chosen companions of the Founder of his religion, who devoted their lives to the teaching of its doctrines and laid them down in its defence, saw the miracles which he wrought, and witnessed the crowning miracle of his resurrection. No exercise of the reason, no subtle play of the imagination has ever created more than a vague hope of an immortal life beyond the grave; it is the exercise of the senses alone that gives us full assurance of it. That which Socrates, with all his reasonings, and all the proof of sincerity which his death