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in divinity, rector of Trinity Church, in the city of NewYork, a subject or citizen also of the United States of North-America, to the office of a bishop, respectively, the rites, circumstances, and ceremonies anciently used in the Church of England being observed and applied, according to the tenour of an act passed in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of his said majesty, entitled, “An Act to empower the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Archbishop of York, for the time being, to Consecrate to the Office of a Bishop, Persons being Subjects or Citizens of Countries out of his Majesty's Dominions," in the presence of me, Robert Jenner, notary-public, one of the deputy registers of the province of Canterbury, being then and there present, the reverend and worshipful William Backhouse, doctor in divinity, archdeacon of Canterbury, the Rev. Lort, doctor in divinity, the Rev. Drake, doctor in divinity, William Dickes, Esquire, notary-public, secretary to his grace the said lord archbishop of Canterbury, with many others in great numbers then and there assembled. Which 1 attest.

(Copy.)

RT. JENNER, Notary-Public, actuary assumed.

And we, the underwritten notaries public, by royal authority duly admitted and sworn, residing in Doctor's Commons, London, do hereby certify and attest, to all whom it may concern, that Rober Jenner, whose name is subscribed to the aforegoing act, was and is a notary-public, and one of the deputy registers of the province of Canterbury, and that the letters, name, and words, " Rt. Jenner, notary-public," thereto subscribed, were and are of the proper hand writing and subscription of the said Robert Jenner, and that we saw him sign the same, and that full faith and entire credit is and ought to be given to all the acts, subscriptions, and attestations of the said Robert Jenner, as well in judgment as out. In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names, to serve and avail as occasion may require, at Doctor's Commons, London, this fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven. Which we attest.

(Copy.)

EDWARD COOPER, Notary-Public,
WILLIAM ABBOT, Notary-Public,

No. 15. Page 139.

Note of the Archbishop.

The archbishop desires, to have the proper direction for a letter to Bishop White at Falmouth; where, if he can find time, he means to send a letter to Dr. Chandler. If he should not be able to write to Dr. Chandler, he begs the bishop to assure him of his affectionate esteem and regard, and his hearty prayers for his better health. He wishes also for such a direction, as will be most proper for a letter, should occasion call for one, to the bishop in Philadelphia.

It is proper that the bishops should be informed, that the archbishop was mistaken about the consecrations in the province of York. They have always been attended by two bishops with the archbishop.

No. 16. Page 139.

1. From his Excellency Richard Henry Lee, Esq. President of Congress, to the Hon. John Adams, Esq. Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Great-Britain.*

DEAR SIR,

New-York, October 24, 1785.

Having yesterday written a long letter to you, I have now only to request your attention to the following business, which is of very great importance to those whom it concerns; and who form a considerable portion of the citizens of these states. The representatives of those professing the Church of England system of religion, having been lately assembled at Philadelphia, where lay and clerical deputies from seven states were convened in General Convention, for the purpose, among other things, of preserving and maintaining a succession of divines in their Church, in a manner which they

In the answer of Mr. Adams, he calls Mr. Lee "late president of Congress." The presidency of the latter ended two days after his writing of the letter, as appears from the printed journals of the body, and the circumstance must have been nown to Mr. Adams. Therefore, the letter was written while Mr. Lee was president, and must have been designed to carry with it the weight of his official abaracter.

judge consonant to the Gospel, and no way interfering with the religious or civil rights of others, have sent an address to the archbishops and bishops of England, proposing a plan for the consecration of American bishops.-It is imagined that before any thing is done in this business by the bishops of England, they will consult the king and ministry; who, it is apprehended, may now, as heretofore, suppose that any step of the kind being taken in England, might be considered here as an officious intermeddling with our affairs, that would give offence on this side the water. Should this be the case, the Church of England members of congress have. the greatest reliance on your liberal regard for the religious rights of all men, that you will remove mistaken scruples. from the mind of administration, by representing how perfectly consonant it is with our revolution principles, professed throughout all these states, that every denomination of Christians has a right to pursue its own religious modes, interfering not with others. That instead of giving offence, it must give content, by evidencing a friendly disposition to accommodate the people here who are members of the Church in question.

In proof of this, congress did lately show their attention to the accommodation of this class of Christians, by communicating to the different executives your information from the Danish minister, of that king's willingness to facilitate the business of ordination for our Church, and the assembly of Virginia hath incorporated this society, under which act of incorporation the assembly was held in that state that sent both lay and clerical deputies to the General Convention lately held in Philadelphia.

I have the honour to be, with sentiments of the truest esteem and regard, dear sir, your most obedient and very humble servant,

RICHARD HENRY LEE. His Excellency John Adams, Esq. Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the Court of London, at his House in Grosvenor-Square, London.

2. From Mr. Adams to Mr. Lee, in answer.

DEAR SIR,

Grosvenor-Square, January 4, 1786.

A day or two after the receipt of your letter of November 1, and that of Mr. Jay's which came with it, I wrote to the archbishop of Canterbury, by Col. Smith, for an hour when I might have the honour to pay my respects to his grace, and was answered very politely, that he would be glad to have the honour of seeing me next day, between eleven and twelve. Accordingly I went yesterday, and was very agreeably received, by a venerable and a candid prelate, with whom I had before only exchanged visits of ceremony. I told his grace, that at the desire of two very respectable characters in America, the late president of congress and the present secretary of state for the department of foreign affairs, I had the honour to be the bearer to his grace of a letter from a convention of delegates from the Episcopal Churches in most of the southern states, which had been transmitted to me open, that I might be acquainted with its contents. That in this business, however, I acted in no official character, having no instructions from congress, nor indeed from the convention; but I thought it most respectful to them, as well as to his grace, to present the letter in person. The archbishop answered, that all that he could say at present was, that he was himself very well disposed to give the satisfaction desired-for that he was by no means one of those who wished that contention should be kept up between the two countries, or between one party and another in America-but, on the contrary, was desirous of doing every thing in his power to promote harmony and good humour. I then said, that if his grace would take the trouble of reading two letters from Mr. Lee and Mr. Jay, he would perceive the motives of those gentlemen in sending the letter to my care. I gave him the letters, which he read attentively and returned, and added, that it was a great satisfaction to him to see, that gentlemen of character and reputation interested themselves in it-for that the Episcopalians in the United States could not have the full

There is in possession a copy of a letter to John Jay, Esq. containing the same in substance; it being in answer to a letter of that gentleman, then secretary of state for foreign affairs.

and complete enjoyment of their religious liberties without it-and he subjoined, that it was also a great satisfaction to him, to have received this visit from me upon this occasion -and he would take the liberty to ask me, if it were not an improper question, whether the interposition of the English bishops would not give uneasiness and dissatisfaction in America? I replied, that my answer could be only that of a private citizen, and in that capacity I had no scruple to say that the people of the United States in general, were for a liberal and generous toleration. I might indeed employ a stronger word, and call it a right, and the first right of mankind, to worship God according to their consciences, and therefore that I could not see any reasonable ground for dissatisfaction, and that I hoped and believed that there would be none of any consequence.

His grace was then pleased to say, that religion in all countries, especially a young one, ought to be attended to, as it was the foundation of government. He hoped the characters which should be recommended, would be good ones. I replied, that there were in the Churches in America, able men, of characters altogether irreproachable—and that such and such only, I presumed, would be recommended. I then rose to take my leave, and his grace then asked me, if he might be at liberty to mention, that I had made him this visit upon this occasion? I answered, certainly, if his grace should judge it proper. Thus, sir, I have fulfilled my commission, and remain, as usual, your sincere friend and most obedient servant,

(A true copy.)

Richard Henry Lee.

JOHN ADAMS.

3. Letter of the Archbishop of Canterbury to Mr. Adams. Lambeth House, February 27, 1786.

SIR,

After full communication with the archbishop of York, and the bishops, on the subject of the address, which you delivered to me from the deputies of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in convention, in Philadelphia, I concur with them in requesting the favour of you, to forward our answer to the committee appointed to receive it. Duplicates of the answer accompany this letter; which, if sent by different

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