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Dr. Lawrence prayed that sentence might be pronounced, should the defendant not make the desired revocation. Mr. Stone not complying, Dr. Porteus, bishop of London, attended by the Dean, Chancellor, and several Prebendaries, were introduced, and the Right Rev. Bishop pronounced sentence of degradation against Mr. Stone, according to the forms prescribed by law, depriving him of his benefice of rector of Cold Norton, in the county of Essex.

KING'S BENCH, JUNE 20.

Newan, Esq. v. the Rev. Mr. Morgan.

This was a cause in the county of Essex, in which the plaintiff had been non-suited, and the single question was, whether the tythe of the rector, on grass land, might be set out in the swarth, as it fell from the scythe; or whether it must first undergo a process, and be set out in what are called grass cocks. A rule to shew cause why the non-suit should not be set aside was obtained; and this day Mr. Serjeant Best was heard against the rule, and Mr. Garrow and Mr. Marryatt in support of it. The authorities relied upon by the latter were, first, the construction of the terms primum circumlationem, in the case of Fetter-place, in the 2d James I.; 2dly, Hythe v. Ellis; Hob. 250, in 16th James I.; and, 3dly, Rol. Ab. 644, where it is said, "that a man need not make into hay the tythe of grass which is set out."

Rule discharged.

A dispensation past the great seal, enabling the REV. THOMAS LEIGH, M. A. to hold the rectories of St. Magnus the Martyr, and St. Margaret, New Fish-street, London, with the rectory of Wickham Bishop's, county of Essex.

REV. CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH, M. A. Trinity College, presented to the deanry of Bocking, in the county of Essex, vice the Right Hon. and Rev. Lord Charles Ansley, dec.

REV. EDWARD NEWTON WALTER, curate of Prittlewell, presented to the rectory of Leigh, Essex, vice Rev. Hodge, decesed.

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REV. JAMES STOKES, M. A. Fellow of New College, Oxford, presented to the rectory of Birchanger, in the county of Essex.

REV. MR. USKO, presented to the rectory of Orsett, in the county of Essex, vice Rev.

dec.

The Rev. Mr. Usko is a foreigner; and his presentation to an English rectory was a cireumstance that excited the surprize of some, and the censure of others. To obviate any apparent impropriety in this appointment, the Bishop of London addressed the following letter to a clergyman in his diocess:

Fulham House, July 20, 1808.

Dear Sir,---I do not at all wonder that you should be a little dismayed at my bestowing so valuable a living as that of Orsett on a foreign clergyman. It is now so unusual a thing in this country, that I was fully aware it would create nó small surprize, and perhaps some degree of censure; especially among those, who might look a little towards this preferment themselves, and might imagine that they had a much better claim to it than Mr. Usko. Conscious, however, that I was actuated solely by the purest and most disinterested motives, such as perfectly satisfied my own mind, and would, I was confident, satisfy every candid and unbiassed man in the kingdom, when fully explained to him, and rightly understood, I would not suffer myself to be diverted from my purpose by the apprehensions of any idle reflections that might be thrown upon me by those who knew nothing of the real state of the case; and I determined not to take the slightest notice of what a few ill-informed or ill-intentioned men might chuse to say, on a subject in which they had no sort of concern, and in which I had a perfect right to act precisely as I thought fit.

But, as you express so kind and friendly an anxiety to know the true reasons, which induced me to take this step, I think it due to our long and intimate friendship to give you the satisfaction you desire, and to detail to you those reasons at some length with the most perfect frankness and unreserve. I must inform you that Mr. Usko is not a new acquaintance of mine, much less a perfect stranger taken up on the sudden, from the mere impulse of the moment, without any VOL. I.

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previous knowledge of his merits or his character. I have known him, and corresponded with him for nine or ten years. He is a native of Prussia, but for the last twenty-two years has resided at Smyrna, in the capacity of chaplain to the English and German factory at that place, where he preached in French, Italian, German, and English, to the entire satisfaction of his congregations. In the year 1798 he came to that time. He still, however, retained a strong predilection England, with a view of being ordained deacon and priest in the church of England, and applied to me for that purpose. But, though I had a very high character of him from gentlemen residing in this country, yet, as he brought no testimonial from Smyrna, nor any of the usual papers or instruments required for ordination, I declined ordaining him at for the church of England, which he greatly preferred to every other ecclesiastical establishment in Europe.

His skill in oriental languages is very extraordinary. Indeed he is, I believe, without all question, one of the first, if not the first oriental scholar in Europe. He understands thoroughly Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Turkish, Greek (ancient and modern) Arabic and Persic. The two last he not only reads with ease, but speaks and writes them with as much purity and correctness as the natives themselves, and is now giving lectures in both, and also in Turkish, in London.

In addition to this, he has travelled over the greatest part of the Eastern World, Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, the islands of the Archipelago, the Morea, Attica, and the greater part of the Turkish empire, both in Asia and Europe. He has resided (as I have already observed) for the last twenty-two years at Smyrna, and left it at last, not voluntarily, but by compulsion, being driven from thence with the whole English factory at an hour's warning, soon after the affair of the Dardanelles, by apprehension of danger from the Turkish government.

He has the most ample and honourable testimonials to his character, in point of morality, religion, good dispositions, and good conduct, from no less than forty-nine members of the English Factory at Smyrna, and the Levant Company, who have known him for above ten years at that place, and are now all in England, and with many of whom I have my

self conversed respecting Mr. Usko. They all confirmed to me, in the strongest terms, the high encomiums they have given him in their certificate annexed to the printed narrative of his own life, which I subjoin to this letter, and assured me that they have not, in the smallest degree, exceeded the truth. On these grounds Mr. Usko appeared to me a man well worth retaining in this kingdom at any price, and accordingly, I have given him a benefice in Essex of considerable value. It became vacant just at the time I wanted it for carrying my plan into execution; and it so happened, from a concurrence of very peculiar circumstances, that there was no other benefice whatever that would have answered my purpose so well.

I had two great objects in view. One was to revive, if possible, by the exertions of Mr. Usko, the study of oriental literature in this island, where it has, of late years, fallen greatly into disuse and neglect. The other was, to engage all his talents, and extensive knowledge of oriental languages, and oriental countries, customs and manners, in the explanation, illustration, and exposition of the sacred writings; by which he may be of infinite service to the cause of religion, and do credit to the church of England, of which he is now a member, by his learned and critical remarks.

You do not seem to be aware that it is no new thing to bestow benefices and dignities in England (some of them far superior in value to what I have given to Mr. Usko) on illustrious foreigners, from the time of Erasmus to this day. Besides that great man, who was patronized and preferred in England by Archbishop Warham, there is a multitude of other instances of the same kind, from the period of the reformation to our own times, among which we find the celebrated names of Allix, Isaac Vossius, Antonio de Dominis, Archbishop of Spalatro, Saurin, Abbadie, Balthazar Regis, &c.

It appears, therefore, that when men of the most distinguished worth and learning presided over our church, this custom of sometimes noticing men of eminence in foreign countries, was so far from being a matter of surprize or censure, that it was an established system, approved and practised for a long course of years, by some of the most zealous friends of the church of England.

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And indeed it seems to me highly becoming the dignity of this great kingdom, and the exalted rank it possesses in Europe, for learning and religion, to hold out its patronage occasionally to men of distinguished eminence in worth, abilities, and erudition, in every part of the world.

It must be observed, however, that Mr. Usko must not be considered in the light of a common foreigner altogether unknown in this country. He has, on the contrary, for many years, been in some degree connected with the church of England, having been chaplain to the English Factory at Smyrna, where he used our liturgy, and preached in English to an English congregation during that whole time.

And this reminds me of an apprehension you express in your letter, that Mr. Usko, not being well acquainted with our language, and speaking with a foreign accent, will not be understood by an English congregation, especially in a small country village. What I have just mentioned entirely does away that apprehension. Several members of the Smyrna Factory, who were under his ministry for upwards of ten years, and who are now in England, have assured me, that he both read and preached in English extremely well; that his articulation was remarkably clear and distinct, and that he was not only perfectly intelligible, but impressive and animated. This has been confirmed to me by many persons, who have heard him preach since he came to England; and I can now add to it my own experience, having heard him read a sermon much to my satisfaction, in my own house.

But there is still another objection, which you say, you have heard made to this appointment---namely, that it seems to cast a kind of tacit reflection on my own clergy, as if I could not find among them any one worthy of so valuable a benefice. You add, however, at the same time, that this unfounded insinuation makes no impression on your mind, and that nothing but extreme malignity could give so invidious a turn to so well meant an act. Still, however, as we see that such malignity does exist, it is, I think, necessary for me to repel it, in order to obviate those prejudices against me, which might otherwise arise in the minds of those, for whom I entertain the highest esteem and affection, the clergy of this diocese. Among these, there are, I acknowledge, many ex

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