The appointment of the Bishops he regards as rendering them more independent of the Pope than the Vicars Apostolic removeable at his pleasure. "There is something wrong and something new in the Papal proceedings, but the new is not wrong, and the wrong is not new." He fully sympathizes with you in your indignation against the Tractarians; as to me, while considering (and what I am about to say is like an Irishwoman) them one and the same with Popery, I have long thought them far worse, and my only objection to classing and with Cardinal Wiseman and his Bishops is that I think the latter too good company for them; as for he is below contempt. I am sure amid all your indignation and excitement you do not contemplate any coercive measure being brought forward by the government, or if brought, being attended with any success. I have been told that the principal Irish Romanists think this measure of the Pope's a most injudicious one, and that it has thrown back Romanism a century. I trust it may not be a recoil, only for a fresh and greater spring. I cannot tell you how I rejoice that you so abjure the Puseyites; Popery itself has not more trammels for the mind. I heard. a discussion of half an hour between two clergymen as to the admissibility of allowing a pocket handkerchief to rest on the table during the reading of the Commandments; as he had not gone quite the length of calling it the altar, it struck me as absolutely ludicrous. You must excuse this hurried scrawl, as I am not at all well. It gratifies me to think you wish to have me near you sometimes; truly I often wish that it could be so ordered for my own sake; as far as giving you any interchange of thought, I fear you would find out soon that I am not good for anything or anybody now; I wish so much you would tell me what Mr. Woodward thinks of all the excitement. How often have words of his acted like oil upon the waves! I never hear from him now, but when I

want to be quieted I go to the Shunamite-it is like breathing another atmosphere.

My dear Frances is well, and much gratified by your remembrance of her; my little grandchildren are very nice and very good, "of course," you will say. I trust you can give a good report of yours as to health. Pray give my kindest regards to Mrs. Osborne. What an intensely interesting session of Parliament will the next be! The Archbishop has a seat this time; I could not tell you half his kindness or half the trouble he takes about me-I should like a coinage for him, "Master Heart," only that it implies too much of command for so gentle an influence as his kindness.

Mrs. Hill used to say that if she were to be put in prison and allowed to choose only one book besides the Bible, she would select Mr. Woodward's "Shunamite."

Part of a letter from Mrs. Hill.

Look at the Quarterly Review for January, 1821, and you will find a review of Miss Austen's novels. It is written by the Archbishop and you will like it. He sent it to me while in Cork. It is singular that almost the last thing the Archbishop said here as he went away was a vivid picture of a father's manifestation of delight at the arrival of his children, from whom he had been separated; and one of the last conversations with Mr. Woodward was his pressing the duty of restraining the expression of such feelings in meeting after absence.

You would have been amused if you had heard his description of my handwriting. Dr. Hinds* says people write

* Author of an admirable work that ought to be reprinted, "The Three Temples."

illegibly out of annoyance. It is virtually saying, "My letters are worth getting any way." I intend to reform if I can and be humble, but I am writing in a great hurry. With affectionate love,

Ever, yours affectionately,

ALICIA HILL.

"The Editor is not at liberty to put a name to the writer of the three following letters, but it is one that carries with it weight for distinguished intellect and goodness, and these qualities are, moreover, represented by a family and not merely by the writer himself."

Kenmare Arms Club Hotel,

Killarney, July 26th, 1831.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-Now that I am at a distance from you, the remembrance of your kind hospitality to myself and friends is so pleasant, that I cannot deny myself the satisfaction of expressing to you the obligation which both they and myself feel to you for your kindness during our abode at Newtown. It not being always a safe thing to trust one's self with the "viva voce" expression of an obligation such as I feel, I did not venture to give utterance to all I could have said, and therefore may have appeared from my silence to have left you in a much colder manner than the occasion might seem to warrant. I will not, however, do you the injustice to suppose that much assuring is necessary to cause you to believe that I shall always consider the circumstances which brought me under your roof as among those most calculated. to contribute to my happiest recollections, and that my residence with you will be ever more regarded much in the same manner as a traveller regards an oasis in the desert.

Having thus placed my feelings upon record, I should, perhaps, do well to close this communication, but a kind of

VOL. II.

G

promise I gave you respecting the Arian Controversy, makes me rather feel the difficulty. On reflection, I seem to have undertaken more than a traveller ought to have encountered, since I fear that the constant movement to which I shall be subject, will not leave me sufficiently at leisure to bring together in a condensed form such matter as may serve to silence the objection or doubts of persons who may hesitate to admit the Supreme Godhead in the person of the man Christ Jesus.

To enter on an undertaking of this nature in a hurried manner, or under unfavourable circumstances, might expose me to the fearful responsibility of injuring the cause I intended to serve, and therefore I should like to defer the fulfilling of my promise to you on this matter until my travels have been brought to a close. In the meantime, nevertheless, I can be reading the Scriptures with a view to the subject in question, and shall be very glad to be supplied by your reading with texts which bear upon the following points, viz.:—

1. The predictions respecting the divine nature of the future Messiah (Isaiah ix. 6).

2. Texts which describe the attributes of the Jehovah, "I the Lord change not."

3. These texts of Scripture which attribute to the man Christ Jesus the same perfections as are ascribed to Jehovah, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."

By this means the supreme attributes of the divine nature, having been shown to be those with which the Messiah that was to come was to be invested, mankind in looking out for the Christ will be constrained to pass by all claimants to that high office in whom the divine attributes do not reside; and Jesus of Nazareth having at the same time been proved to possess the perfections of omnipotence, all men will be constrained to acknowledge Him as "God over all, blessed for evermore."

I have thus supplied you with occupation for those hours which are usually devoted by you to devotional exercises, and shall take no little pleasure in knowing that you are, though far distant, still present with me in the investigation of that part of truth which lies at the foundation of our hopes of eternal life. I may add, that you will find great assistance from a little tract "On the Trinity," by Jones Nayland. In this tract, texts of Scripture of the kind abovementioned are collected and put in a logical form, and from its size and character it would, I think, altogether answer your purposes if reprinted in a cheap form, much better than any compilation of texts which I could arrange. This sentence, I assure you, is not penned in mock-modesty, but in sober earnestness, as you will at once be convinced by referring to the tract. The only alteration that it occurs to me might be made would be a revision of Jones's preface. And now having written you a theological dissertation, I will commit its defects to your forbearance, with the full assurance that I may do so with safety, having everything to hope from your friendship.

May the honour of that Divine Saviour, whom we profess to serve, be ever precious in our estimation, so that whilst we read the Scriptures for the confirmation of our faith in the divine character, our lives may show forth for His praise. Believe me your much attached friend,

We purpose leaving Killarney on Friday afternoon, so that my address for a fortnight will be Sir Edward O'Brien, Dromoland, near Newmarket, Clare.

Pray give our united regards to the happy circle at Newtown Anner, and say we all wish ourselves back again among you.