favour of the whole bench, although especially of his grace, to the Episcopal Church in America. He answered, that he thought it proper, and that it would be very kindly taken.

As the gentlemen to whom I am writing are members of the corporation for the widow's fund, it may be proper for me to inform them, that I stated to his grace the appointment of Dr. Smith, Mr. Chew, and myself, for the addressing of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, respecting the arrears due on their former grants. He promised to consider of the foundation of the intended application, and for that purpose, as I had mentioned my being furnished with a former abstract of the proceedings of our corporation, noticing the grants, he desired me to send it to him.

I have given you, gentlemen, a long, and, I am afraid, tedious account of this conversation; but I hope that the motive will excuse me, which is my desire of your having as complete a view as possible, of the accomplishing of a negotiation so important, as we all conceive, to our communion, not only of the present, but also of every future generation.

That God may bless the event, which, under his good providence, is soon to take place, is the constant wish and prayer of, gentlemen,

Your affectionate brother,

and humble servant,
WM. WHITE.

The Committee of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania.

Materials for another letter to the committee, if an opportunity should offer, before my reaching of Philadelphia. Monday, January 29th. We received a verbal message from the archbishop, desiring us to call on him. We attended. His design was to ask some questions respecting the forms of our testimonials, and the titles to be given to us, in our letters of consecration. We staid with him nearly two hours, and had much conversation with him, concerning the affairs of our Church; which confirmed us in our high opinion of his regard for her, and of his desire to advance the interests of religion.

Friday, February 2d. The mornings of the two preceding days had been spent in visiting the different bishops who were in town; agreeably to the proposal before made to the

archbishop. A few of them-the archbishop of York, and the bishops of Oxford, Landaff, Rochester, and Bangor, had previously visited us; and we had seen the bishops of Worcester and Exeter, a few days before, at the archbishop's, at dinner; an occasion which I have not particularly noticed, because nothing passed on it, interesting to our mission.* Those of the bishops whom we found at home, seemed to take the compliment in good part, expressed great goodwill to our Church, and wished that our longer stay, after their coming to town, had permitted their showing of us attentions.†

On this day we waited on the archbishop, in consequence of his own appointment at our former interview, in order to accompany him to court. Thither we went together in his coach. On being introduced to the king, I made this preconceived address-That "we were happy in the opportunity of thanking his majesty, for his license granted to his grace the archbishop, to convey the Episcopal succession to the Church in America." The king made this answer, which I set down to show the kindness of the archbishop‡

"His grace has given me such an account of the gentlemen who have come over, that I am glad of the present opportunity of serving the interests of religion." His majesty

* On the said occasion, we witnessed a singular ceremony, which we supposed to be a remnant of the state of former times. Soon in the morning, we had received a note from the archbishop, intimating, that the then day of the week was Iris public day, during the session of parliament; and that he should be glad to see us on any weekly day so mentioned-on that day in particular, if disengaged. We waited on him, and supposed from what we saw, that the several eminent persons who entered, came uninvited as to that particular time. Before dinner the archbishop rose, bowed to the company, and left the room. They followed, all of them, no doubt, besides ourselves, understanding the transaction. After passing through a suite of rooms, we found ourselves in the chapel; in which were the two chaplains in their surplices. One of them read the litany; after which, we returned to the room wherein we had been received. Soon afterward we were called to dinner. It is probable, that such a visit on some Wednesday -it was the weekly day-during the session of parliament, is expected of every member of either house, who lives in habits of acquaintance with the primate. The reading of the litany, including the prayers attached to it in the English Book of Common Prayer, and none other, seems a remnant of former practice; it having been originally a distinct service. It is on this account that the incident has been related.

The prelates whom we found, were the archbishop of York, the bishop of Rochester, the very aged bishop of Carlisle, in whom we saw the wreck of one of the first scholars of the age, and the bishops of Salisbury, Bristol, and Ely. The first mentioned of these three, since bishop of Durham, commended the moderation manifested in our service for the fourth of July. This was gratifying; as it had been pronounced by some on our side of the Atlantic, that the said service would of itself be sufficient to induce a rejection of the application of the American Church.

It may be presumed, however, that such civility is the usual courtesy of the place.

then asked Dr. Provoost, whether the Episcopal communion were not numerous in New-York, and was answered by the Doctor in the aflirmative, with further thanks for the license granted. The king then passed to the next in the circle, and after a little while we withdrew, with the archbishop.* We had contemplated this measure of waiting on the king, as of peculiar delicacy. In the character of citizens of the United States of America, we should have thought it inconsistent in us to have made any application to the civil authority of Great-Britain. The act of parliament, had laid on the archbishop the obtaining of the consent of the king, under his sign manual. This consent had been obtained before our going to court; and therefore we saw no impropriety in the visit.

Sunday, February 4th. We attended at the palace of Lambeth, for consecration. The assistants of the archbishop on the occasion, were the archbishop of York, who presented; and the bishop of Bath and Wells, and the bishop of Peterborough, who joined with the two archbishops in the imposition of hands. It was particularly agreeable to us, to see among them the bishop of Bath and Wells, because we had all along understood, that in the beginning, this aged and venerable prelate had entertained scruples on the subject of the application of our Church: and it was principally owing to his lordship, that such a point was made of the descent into hell, in the Apostles' Creed. We presumed that his difficulties were now removed. Dr. Drake, one of the archbishop's chaplains, preached; and Dr. Randolph, the other chaplain, read the prayers. The sermon, was a sensible discussion of the long litigated subject of the authority of the Church, to ordain rites and ceremonies. The text was-" Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Cor. xiv. 40. The discourse had very little reference to the peculiarity of the occasion. The truth was, as the archbishop had told us on Friday, on our way to court, that he had spoken to a particular friend to compose a sermon for the occasion, and had given him a sketch of what he wished to be the scope of it. This friend had just

While we were waiting in our places, until the king should come to us in his passing from one attendant to another, there occurred an additional instance of the attention of the archbishop to the delicacy of our situation. When the king speaks to you, said he, you will only bow; adding, with a smile-when an English bishop is presented, he does something more. This alluded to the ancient form of doing homage for his barony on his knees. We were aware of the dif ferent circumstances in which we stood; but it was considerate, to guard against the danger of mistake.

sent him information of a domestic calamity, which would excuse him from attendance; and the archbishop was then under the necessity of giving a short notice to one of his chaplains.

The consecration was performed in the chapel of the palace of the archbishop, in the presence of his family and his household, and very few others; among whom was my old friend, the Rev. Mr. Duché. I had asked the archbishop's leave to introduce him; and it was a great satisfaction to me that he was there; the recollection of the benefit which I had received from his instructions in early life, and a tender sense of the attentions which he had shown me almost from my infancy, together with the impressions left by the harmony which had subsisted between us in the discharge of our joint pastoral duty in Philadelphia, being no improper accompaniments to the feelings suited to the present very interesting transaction of my life. I hope, that I felt the weight of the occasion. May God bless the meditations and the recollections by which I had endeavoured to prepare myself for it; and give them their due effect on my temper and conduct, in the new character in which I am to appear!

The solemnity being over, we dined with the archbishop and the bishops; and spent with them the remainder of the day. I took occasion to mention to his grace my conviction, that the American Church would be sensible of the kindness now shown; and my trust, that the American bishops, besides the usual incentives to duty, would have this in addition; lest the Church of England should have cause to regret her act, performed on this day. He answered, that he fully believed there would be no such cause; that the prospect was very agreeable to him; that he bore a great affection for our Church; and that he should be always glad to hear of her prosperity; and also of the safe arrival and the welfare of us individually.

After spending the remainder of the evening very agreeably, we took our leave, which was affectionate on both sides; and on our part, with hearts deeply sensible of the regard which had been shown to our Church, and of the personal civilities which we had received.*

* During dinner this day at Lambeth, we were surprised at a conversation introduced by the bishop of Peterborough. We had been accustomed to think it a sort of adjunct to the claim of churchmanship to consider the "Exar Baσixinn" or "Royal Portraiture" as a true expression of the feelings of king Charles I. in some of the most trying circumstances of his life. The bishop remarked, and his

Monday, February 5th. As an evidence of his grace's delicacy, I deposit the account of fees, brought to us this morning by his secretary; and give the following narrative of the manner in which that business was conducted.

On the morning of our visit to court, I mentioned to the archbishop, agreeably to preconcert with Dr. Provoost, that there must necessarily have been some charges for the expenses of office, in carrying the business of our Church through the civil department; and requested to know the amount, that we might discharge it. The archbishop answered, that if he should inform us on that point, it must be on the principle, that in an affair of no great magnitude, it might seem disrespectful to us, to withhold the satisfaction demanded. He added, that on the occasion of the consecration of an English bishop, there were very considerable expenses to different persons of the archbishop's court and of his household; which expenses he thought improper on the present occasion, and should therefore prohibit them. After the consecration, he, within our hearing, informed a gentleman from Doctors' Commons, Robert Jenner, Esq. who had attended officially in his civil law robe, with a view to the local registry, that as we intended to leave London the next day, our papers must be ready in the morning. On the gentleman's answering, that he would wait on us with them, the archbishop replied-No; you are to bring them to my secretary, who will wait on them: evidently with the design, that the pecuniary part of the transaction should pass under his own control. The fees paid by us jointly amounted to £14 3s. 1d. being altogether in the line of public offices, and which the archbishop must have paid, but for the request made on our part.

For the instrument of consecration, recorded in the archiepiscopal registry, see Appendix, No. 14.

On the morning of the day of our leaving of the city, I received a note from the archbishop. Although it begins with a message of civility to a respectable divine in NewJersey, not long before in England, I take the prominent object to have been the conveying of information, guarding against an impression which might have been made by

brethren assented to the position, that the contrary was now clearly proved, by a late publication of some papers of Lord Clarendon. These papers, it was said, show the work to have been written by Bishop Gauden. The simplicity of the style of the work, and the contrary property said to be discernible in the writings of that bishop, are the circumstances which inclined Mr. Hume to give the credit of the composition to the king.