On Wednesday a somewhat remarkable division took place in the
Lower House of Convocation. Dr. M'Caurs resolution of last session, "That it is not expedient to relax the rule of subscription to the Act of Uniformity," came on again for discussion. Archdeacon Sandford moved, as an amendment, "That the declaration required at ordination and on induction to a cure is sufficient for all clergymen." The Rev. T. Bramston moved another amendment, that a committee should be appointed " to consider the question of clerical subscrip- tion, and whether there are grounds for considering the sub- scription burdensome on the clergy, and whether it might be relaxed or modified without endangering the definitive faith of the Church of England." The amendment of Archdeacon Sandford was withdrawn in favott of Rev. J. Bramston's, which was resisted by the Venerable Archdeacon Denison in a dolorous speech. It was a most lamentable thing, he said, to find the clergy disposed to tamper in any way with the present state of subscription. The Lords and Commons, and "all sensible people," had declined to do so, and the clergy in Convocation ought to prove themselves sensible people. But the Lower House of Convocation proved itself insensible to the Archdeacon's sense at least, for it carried the commit- tee by a majority of 10,-24 for, to 14 against. When 63 per cent. of the clergy in Convocation assembled are of opinion that there is even ground for looking into the matter, "all sensible persons" may be sure that something really needs to be done.
