in Trinity Church, New Haven, Nov. 4, 1855, by Bishop Williams; and Priest, by the same Bishop, in St. Thomas' Church, New Haven, April 12, 1857. With the exception of a few months at Central Village, Conn., he had never any pastoral charge, though he officiated, occasionally, as he had opportunity. He resumed his profession of book-keeping.

The Rev. JOHN A. VAUGHAN, D. D., Professor in the Divinity School at Philadelphia, Penn., died at Philadelphia, June 5th, 1865.

CONVERSIONS TO THE CHURCH.

Rev. FRANCIS LOBDELL, formerly a Congregational Minister in Bridgeport, Conn., has renounced Congregationalism, and become a Candidate for Holy Orders in the Church.

Mr. JOHN K. KARCHER, lately a Unitarian Minister in Mass., has applied to become a Candidate for Holy Orders in the Church.

Mr. DAVID BISHOP, lately a Baptist Minister, has applied to be received as Candidate for Orders in Connecticut.

Rev. Mr. FISKE, recently ordained Deacon by Bishop H. Potter, was formerly a Unitarian.

Rev. Mr. DUERR, lately ordained Deacon in Ohio, was formerly a German Lutheran Minister.

Mr. JOHN SCOTT, lately a Baptist Minister in Minnesota, has applied to become a Candidate for Orders in that Diocese.

Mr. THOMAS MARSDEN, formerly a Methodist Minister, has become a Candidate for Orders in New York.

Mr. JACOB MILLER, formerly a Methodist Minister, has become a Candidate for Orders in Western New York.

Mr. HENRY BROOKE, lately ordained Deacon in Baltimore, Md., was formerly a Methodist preacher.

Rev. WILLIAM LUSK, lately ordained Deacon, by Bishop Kemper, was formerly a Presbyterian Minister.

Rev. RAFAEL DIAZ MARTINEZ, late a Priest of the Romish Church in Mexico, formally recanted the errors of that Church on Sunday morning, May 21st, covenanting to conform to the doctrine and discipline of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He is, therefore, now a Minister of this Church. The ceremony took place in the Church of the Ascension. This is the third case of the kind which has recently taken place.

Mr. DEWITT C. HOWARD, formerly a Methodist preacher, has been recommended a Candidate for Orders in the Diocese of Illinois.

CONNECTICUT.

At the last Annual Convention, at New Haven, June 13th and 14th, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Williams, in his Address, brought forward the subject of the division of that Diocese. His words were uttered with great solemnity and feeling. He recommended such a division, simply because of the utter impossibility of any one Bishop to do the work which the Diocese demands. The subject was referred to a Committee of nine, who are to report at a future Convention. That such a prelate as Bishop Williams, universally loved and admired in his diocese, still in the vigor of manhood, fond of work, full of life and zeal, deeply learned, and thoroughly familiar with the practical working of the Church in primitive times, himself, too, a successor of the noble Seabury, who gave the Primitive Ministry to the New World,— we say, that such a proposition, under such circumstances, marks a new era in the history of the American Church. If Connecticut, one of the smallest of the States, threaded all over with Railroads, and so easily accessible at all points, demands more Bishops, what shall be said of New York, and Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and Virginia, and Ohio, and Illinois, and Kentucky; not to name the other great Dioceses of the West and of the South. Thank God, the age of Mediæval Feudalism and Hanoverianism, and of Romish consolidation, is drawing to a close. What we want is, the simple machinery of Apostolic times. This we shall have, sooner or later. And then, we shall only want Apostolic life and love.

On the opening of the Convention, an effort was made, by motion, to admit a German Moravian Minister to a seat in the Convention, and so to recognize the validity of Moravian Orders. The motion was promptly met with opposition, and was withdrawn before a vote was taken.

PENNSYLVANIA.

The Diocesan Convention, at its last Session, took some important steps in the right direction towards true progress. The Rev. Dr. Leeds made a Report, and offered certain Resolutions on the Ministration of Christian Women in the Church. Also, a Committee was appointed to Report on the practicability of restoring the office of Evangelist in the Missionary work of the Diocese. The most important business of the Convention was that of the division of the Diocese. Mr. William Welsh offered the following:

Resolved, That this Convention hereby consents to the formation of a new Diocese in the Western portion of the State, having for its Eastern boundary, the Eastern line of McKean, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties, and, with the consent of the Bishop, this action will be communicated to the General Convention.

Resolved, That under existing circumstances, this Convention considers that a sum of not less than $30,000 should be safely invested for the support of the Episcopate, before the consent of the Bishop of this Diocese is asked for.

Every effort which ingenuity could devise, was made to defeat the plan; and although the claims of the project were made to rest on sheer necessity, rather than on sound principle, the Resolutions were adopted by a clerical vote of 100 to 42, and by a lay vote of 58 to 18. Resolutions were also adopted, recognizing an organic relation between the new Diocese and the old, and requesting the Deputies to the General Convention to secure that end by requisite legislation. So Pennsylvania is the first of all our Dioceses to get back, (or forward,) one step, towards the Primitive order of things. We refer the reader, in this connection, to the Article in the present No. on "Provinces." It is from the pen of one of the most learned of our Bishops.

KENTUCKY.

At the Diocesan Convention held in Louisville, May 24, the Rt. Rev. the Bishop, in his Address, said:"By my visit, two years in succession, to one or two parishes in the Diocese of Tennessee, vacant by the death of the lamented Bishop Otey, my attention has naturally been called to questions arising out of the absence of certain Bishops and Clerical and Lay deputies, from the last General Convention. Without any wish to influence the opinion of our deputies about to be elected, I hope I may be permitted, without offense, to express the hope that all may be received back again with open arms, and with as perfect an oblivion of the past as the most sanctified natures of Christian men can attain unto, and with as full a recognition of the unity of the Church as ever before."

That part of the Bishop's Address which related to the Southern Bishops and Clergy, was referred to a select committee of five. After mature deliberation, the Committee reported the following Resolutions, which were adopted without a dissenting voice :

Resolved, That the sentiments expressed in the foregoing extracts from the Bishop's Address, are, especially in the present crisis of the Church and the country, a very noble illustration of the true spirit of the Gospel of Christ, eminently worthy of a Bishop in the Church of God, and have the cordial approval of this Convention.

Resolved, That this Convention disapproves of uncharitable sermons, addresses, and Church newspaper articles, against the Bishops, Clergy and Laity of the South, as tending greatly to impair, if not to defeat, the truly Christian policy enunciated in the Bishop's Address. As the subject of the relations between the Church, North and South, will, of necessity, be considered in the next General Convention, it will help us to understand the tone and position of the Southern Clergy and Laity, by referring to the Pastoral Letter of their Bishops, issued from Augusta, November 22, 1862. They declare that they were "forced, by the Providence of God, to separate themselves from the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, a Church with whose doctrine, discipline and worship, WE WERE IN EN

TIRE HARMONY, AND WITH WHOSE ACTION, UP TO THE TIME OF THAT SEPARATION, WE WERE ABUNDANTLY SATISFIED."

We venture to hope that, at the Convention, crimination and recrimination, and a war of angry words and bitter passion, may not hopelessly and forever sunder brethren who are one in Faith, and may be one in affection and mutual confidence, and in efficient action in the cause of Christ and His Church. The enemies of the Church will spare no efforts to prevent the consummation of such a blessed union. They are already at work, openly and covertly.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN VIRGINIA.

The following Circular, from Bishop Johns, of Virginia, was recently read in the Churches in Richmond.

To the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese of Virginia :-"The issue of the painful conflict through which we have passed, and which leaves the Commonwealth under the jurisdiction of the United States, renders very clear the course proper for us to pursue. Obedience to the powers that be,' for conscience sake, is the duty of all who profess and call themselves Christians; and as such, are also enjoined to make prayer and supplication for their rulers,—it is incumbent upon them to implore the blessing of Almighty God on those in authority over them. For this purpose, the form to which we had long been accustomed, is, for obvious reasons, most advisable. Therefore, I do not hesitate to recommend its use, in public worship, by the good people of this Diocese, and to express the hope that they will be true and faithful to its spirit, in all their action and intercourse with their fellowcitizens, that the resumed civil relations may be happily maintained and redound to the glory of God and the temporal and spiritual welfare of the nation. J. JOHNS, "Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia."

The annual meeting of the Diocese and Council is deferred, in consequence of the breaking up of Railroad communication.

BISHOP GREGG'S PASTORAL LETTER.

To the Clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Texas:

Dear Brethren :-The termination of the war, and the changes which have followed it, render it proper, in accordance with the teachings of Scripture, and the practice of the Church, that, there should be a return to the Liturgy as it was before our late government was established. Omitting, therefore, as already requested, the "Special Prayers," which have been for some time past in use, you will, in the Prayer for "all in civil authority," insert the words, "the President of the United States;" and also in that for the Congress, whenever it may be in session, say, "as for the people of these United States in general, so especially for their Senators and Representatives in Congress assembled."

May I beg, also, that you will enforce, as far as possible, upon the people of your charge, the general feeling and course of conduct recommended in my late Pastoral, as most necessary to be cherished and observed under the circumstances which now surround us. The importance of such duties cannot be over-estimated, at a time like the present, nor should any proper means, under it, be left untried for promoting the peace, order, and quiet, with the blessings of well-established rule, and spiritual prosperity, above all, which we now so ardently desire. A great work will open rapidly before us. Let it be well con

sidered and faithfully discharged, as it comes by the help of Him whose grace is sufficient for us, and the results, as far as our influence may extend, will be happy for the country and for the Church-praying, as we will ever do, that the one may be greatly blessed of God in every element of virtuous progress, and the course of this world so peaceably ordered by His governance, that the other may joyfully serve Him in all godly quietness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Affectionately yours, in Christ,

ALEX. GREGG, Bishop of Texas.

NATIONAL UNITARIAN CONVENTION.-CHANGE OF BASE.

This meeting, previously called, was held in New York, April 5th and 6th. Its avowed object was, to unite the Unitarians of the country in one organization: and the present was deemed, by its leaders, a most auspicious time for such a movement. The Convention certainly wrought some results not specified in the "Call." It proved, that that Denomination cannot, by any possibility, come together on the basis of any common belief. It also shocked and startled the whole community, by the grossness of impiety and blasphemy, of which some of the speakers were guilty. Such things are regarded as a matter of course in Boston; here, people shuddered with horror. In this Convention, the radical and conservative wings of the Unitarian denomination were fully represented. There were delegates present from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and the Canadas. The following were unanimously elected officers of the Convention :

President--Governor Andrew.

Vice Presidents-Hon. T. D. Elliot, Hon. J. J. Palfrey, Judge E. R. Hoar, W. W. Culver, Wm. Ichabod Goodwin, W. C. Bryant, Esq., Rev. Dr. Orville Dewey, Rev. Mr. Galvia, Rev. Mr. Hosmer, and Ă. A. Low, Esq.

The Rev. J. F. Clarke, of Boston, preached the Sermon ; which was the key-note to the Convention. He thought the time bad come for "a change of base;" and to re-construct Christianity on a platform suited to the times. As Paul and Barnabas cut loose from old Judaism, and established Religion on a new basis, so there is a like necessity now. And as these Unitarian leaders claim to be just as really inspired as the Apostles were, of course, they are the men to