The Convocation of the Province of Canterbury has been at
its usual rather helpless chatter, and rather idle work. In the Upper House a resolution has been agreed to on Ritualism, to the effect that the legitimate ritual practices should be settled by autho- rity, and not left to the discretion or indiscretion of individual clergymen,—which is well enough ; but as the whole question happens to be,—by what authority, the State or the Bishop—we do not see what good comes of it. The Lower House has been debating a gravamen of Canon Seymour's, to the effect that it requests the Upper House to declare the excommunication of Dr. Colenso and his deposition by Dr. Gray valid. The Dean of Westminster of course resisted this resolution with his usual ability, but was defeated. A subsequent amendment of compromise pro- posed by the Dean of Ely, which, in the regular clerical fashion, proposed to " sympathize with " Dr. Gray, but to leave the legal question where it is, was also defeated by 29 to 23, and the gravamen was ultimately sent up to the Upper House by 45 to 26. If the clergy would help us a little more in theology, and meddle a little less with law, they would be of rather more use in the world.
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