The Dean of Elphin (Dr. W. Warburton) has refused to
sup- port the Irish Church, in a letter the only fault of which is its inordinate length. Its leading points may, however, be briefly summarized. The Dean holds that a Church may be disesta- blished if it is calculated to impede the progress of truth, or is inefficient in promoting it ; and this is the case with the Irish Church, the clergy of which "have ever felt it their duty actively to oppose every measure of relief to the Irish people." He also considers that the "very gold of the Temple" inay be sold, as it was in Judea, if national exigencies require the sacrifice, and would, therefore, consent to total disen- dowment, if righteousness and peace required the surrender. He is, however, in favour of partial endowment, the Volun- tary principle having been "stifled" by centuries of State support, and would therefore send the Conservative party into Opposition. There they would act ss drag to the coach, but in office their temptation will be to outbid their opponents. Finally, he believes that Mr. Gladstone's measures will tend to remove many causes of jealousy among the Protestant Churches of Ireland. The letter, though verbose, is a model of close argu- ment, and penetrated by deep and doubtless sincere religious feeling.
