Our August Master has had an imperative duty to fulfil towards his country, without wishing to wound or threaten any of the Governments who signed the Treaty of 1856. On the contrary, His Imperial Majesty appeals to their sentiments of justice, and to the consciousness of their own dignity. We regret to see that Lord Granville dwells chiefly on the form of our communications. It was not done by our choice. Assuredly, we should have desired nothing better than to arrive at the result in harmony with the Powers who signed the Treaty of 1856. But Her Britannic Majesty's principal Secretary of State well knows that all the efforts repeatedly made to unite the Powers in a common deliberation, in order to do away with the causes of complication which trouble the general peace have constantly failed. The prolongation of the actual crisis, and the absence of a regular Power in France remove still further the possibility of such an union. Meanwhile, the position of Russia by this Treaty has become more and more intolerable. Lord Granville will allow that the Europe of to-day is very different from that which signed the Act of 1856. It was impossible that Russia should consent to remain indefinitely bound by a transaction which, already onerous when concluded, lost its guaran. tees from day to day. Our August Master knows his duty towards his country too well to impose on it any longer an obligation against which the national feeling protests. We cannot admit that the abrogation of a theoretical principle without immediate application, which only restores to Russia a right of which no other nation would be deprived, can be considered as a menace to peace, or that the annulment of one point in the Treaty implies the annulment of the whole. Such has never been the intention of the Imperial Cabinet. On the contrary, our communications of the 19th (31st) of October declare in the most explicit manner that His Majesty the Emperor adheres entirely to the general principles of the Treaty of 1856, and that he is ready to come to an understanding with the Powers who signed that trans. action, either by confirming the general stipulations, or by renewing them, or by substituting for them any other equit able arrangement which will be considered fitting to ensure tranquillity in the East, and the equilibrium of Europe. There seems to be no reason why the Cabinet of London, if agrecable to it, should ot enter into explanations with those who signed the Treaty of 1856. On our part, we are ready to join in any deliberation having for its object the general guarantees for consolidating the peace of the East. We are sure that this peace would receive additional security if a permanent cause of irritation now existing between the two Powers most directly interested in it was removed and their mutual relations were re-settled on a good and solid understanding. You are requested, M. le Baron, to read and give a copy of this despatch to Lord Granville. The principal Secretary of State of Her Britannic Majesty has expressed to you the regret he would experience if this discussion would alter the good un derstanding which the Government of Her Majesty the Queen has striven to maintain between the two countries. Will you inform his Excellency how much the Imperial Cabinet would share in this regret. We think the good understanding of the two Governments essentially useful to the two countries, as well as to the peace of the world. It is with a lively satisfaction that we have seen it become during the last few years more and more intimate and cordial. The parity of the circumstances in which we are placed seem of a kind to render this more desirable than ever. Receive, &c., GORTSCHAKOFF. EARL GRANVILLE TO SIR A. BUCHANAN. Foreign Office, Nov. 28. Sir, The Russian Ambassador has read and given to me a copy of a despatch of Prince Gortschakoff of the date of 8th (20th) November. It is not necessary for Her Majesty's Government to recur to the important questions of international law raised by the circular of Prince Gortschakoff, as they have nothing to add to the declaration on the subject which they have already made. His Excellency has been good enough to appeal to my knowledge of facts which his Excellency states prevented that consultation and agreement with other parties to this Treaty which Russia would have preferred. I am aware that suggestions for Congresses to settle other European questions have been made and not adopted. It has been also stated to me that intimations have been given to some of my predecessors, that in the case of cer tain contingencies, which however have never occurred, such as the possession of the Principalities by Austria, Russia would feel bound to call into question some of the provisions of the Treaty of 1856. But I am ignorant of any occasion on which Russia, the party most interested, has proposed in any way to this country that a relaxation of the Treaty should be taken into consideration. I cannot therefore admit that the Imperial Government can justify this proceeding by the failure of efforts which have been never made. The courteous language in which Prince Gortschakoff's despatch is written, his assurance of the manner in which he would have preferred to open this question, and his declaration of the strong desire for a confirmation of good relations between the two nations, particularly important at this time, encourage Her Majesty's Government in the belief that the obstacle to such relations will be removed. They observe that His Excellency V. THIRD REPORT OF THE RITUAL COMMISSION. TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 1. In this third Report, which we have now the honour of presenting to your Majesty, we desire humbly to offer our recommendations on a separate but highly important portion of the work which your Majesty has been pleased to assign to us. 2. In your Majesty's Commission we were commanded to inquire into the subject of the "Proper Lessons appointed to be read in Morning and Evening Prayer on the Sundays and Holy days throughout the year" and "the calendar, with the Table of First and Second Lessons contained in the Book of Common Prayer," with the view of suggesting and reporting "whether any and what alterations and amendments may be advantageously made in the selection of Lessons to be read at the time of Divine service." We now desire to lay before your Majesty the result of inquiries and deliberations which have been specially directed to this subject for upwards of two years. 3. We felt it incumbent upon us carefully to consider the many schemes which have been published or have been privately submitted to us upon this subject. After much deliberation, we have come to the conclusion that it is expedient to read, as now, at each service on ordinary days, one Lesson from the Old Testament and another from the New Testament, generally according to the order of the Books. 4. On a careful revision, however, of the present Table of Lessons, we have thought it desirable to vary and shorten many of them. We have disregarded to some extent the present division of chapters when the continuity of the subject seemed to render such a course desirable. And while we have not felt ourselves justified in recommending any omission in the passages selected, we have endeavoured so to arrange the Lessons as to include whatever might be most conducive to edification when read in the general congregation. 5. In the Schedule to this Report will be found the Revised Table of Lessons Proper for Sundays, the Revised Table of Lessons Proper for Holy Days, and the Revised Table of Daily First and Second Lessons. 6. It will be seen from this Schedule that, on the one hand, we have introduced many passages of Scripture (e. g. from the Books of Chronicles and from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel) which are not now read in public worship; on the other hand, we have largely reduced the number of Lessons taken from the Apocrypha, so that, instead of 26 Lessons taken from it for holy days, there will now be only four, and, instead of 106 for ordinary days, there will now be only 40. The New Testament Lessons are so arranged that the whole of that which is now read three times will be read twice in the course of the yearonce in the morning and once in the evening. The yearly calendar will be closed with 22 Lessons from the Book of the Revelation of St. John the Divine. 7. For the Proper Lessons on holy days many passages have been chosen which we think will be found more appropriate than those in the existing table. Lessons for Ash Wednesday are provided, and the series of Lessons for the Holy Week is now made complete. 8. A second series of Lessons for evensong on Sundays has been also provided, to be used either as alternative Lessons at the second service, or at a third service if such service be thought desirable. Where there is a third service, we propose to leave to the minister discretion to read for the Second Lesson any chapter or appointed Lesson out of the four Gospels which he may think it expedient to select. We further propose that upon occasions to be approved by the Ordinary other Lessons may, with his consent, be substituted for those which are appointed in the calendar. 9. We feel it our duty to state to your Majesty that we deemed it expedient to submit privately the Tables of Lessons thus revised by us to the Archbishops and Bishops of England and Ireland, to the Deans of Cathedral Churches, and to the Theological Professors of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin, and Durham. To the suggestions which we received we have given full consideration, and we have adopted those which seemed to us to be improvements on our original proposals. 10. We cannot conclude this Report, which we now submit to your Majesty's consideration, without expressing our humble but earnest hope that it may please Almighty God to bless our labours to the advancement of His glory, and to the fuller knowledge of His most Holy Word and Will. A. C. CANTAur. CARNARVON. S. WINTON. C. ST. DAVID'S. C. J. GLOUCESTER AND BRISTOL. HARVEY CARLISLE. EBURY. SPENCER H. WALPOLE. THOMAS WALTER PERRY. * As I understand the terms of Her Majesty's Commission, I consider that this Report should not have been presented until after our inquiries on all the other matters referred to in the Commission had been completed. Subject to this observation, and in deference to the view taken by my colleagues, I have added my signature to this report. JOSEPH NAPIER. W. F. Kemp, Secretary, Jerusalem The Schedule contains a Revised Table of Lessons Proper for Sundays, occupying 14 pages. VI. FOURTH REPORT OF THE RITUAL COMMISSION. TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 1. We your Majesty's Commissioners for inquiring into the "differences of practice" which "have arisen from varying interpretations put upon the rubrics, orders, and directions for regulating the course and conduct of public worship, the administration of the Sacraments, and the other services contained in the Book of Common Prayer, according to the use of the United Church of England and Ireland, and more especially with reference to the ornaments used in the churches and chapels of the said United Church, and the vestments worn by the ministers thereof at the time of their ministration, with the view of explaining or amending the said rubrics, orders, and directions, so as to secure general uniformity of practice in such matters as may be deemed essential," humbly beg leave to lay before your Majesty this our Fourth and final Report. 2. In obedience to this Commission we have thought it right to examine and consider all the directions contained in the Book of Common Prayer. 3. In the greater number of the rubrics we have proposed no alterations. 4. In the alterations which we have proposed, we have endeavoured, according to your Majesty's commands, to explain and amend rubrics so as to secure general uniformity of practice in those matters which may be deemed essential: on other matters we have recommended alterations which may give facilities for adapting the services of the Church to the wants and circumstances of different congregations. 5. Our recommendations on these matters are contained in the annexed Schedule. 6. We submit this Report to your Ma. jesty's favourable consideration with the earnest prayer that our labours may be blessed to the maintenance of decent order in public worship, to the promotion of the peace of the Church, and to the glory of Almighty God. Respecting the Athanasian Creed, while I rejoice that the Commissioners have thought it right to append a rubric explanatory of the sense in which "the condemnations in this confession of faith" are to be understood, I cannot feel entirely satisfied with this course1. 1 The rubric referred to is contained in the Schedule, and is as follows: "Note, that the condemnations in this confession of faith are to be no otherwise understood than as a solemn warning of the The adoption by the Commissioners of this explanation seems to me to admit of two things,— 1st. That it was within the power of the Commission to deal with the use of the Athanasian Creed. 2nd. That the use of the creed in public worship was liable, from the wording of these clauses, to objec tion. I should, therefore, have deemed it a wiser course, had the Commission decided that the creed in question, valuable and most important as are its direct doctrinal statements, should not retain its place in the public service of the Church. A. C. CANTUAR. I desire to state to your Majesty my dissent on one important subject from the result at which the Commission has arrived. In the course of our deliberations the propriety of retaining the Athanasian Creed in the public services was frequently discussed, the objection being felt more especially as regards its socalled damnatory clauses. It seemed to very many among us that these clauses are both a blemish on our beauti. ful Liturgy and a danger to our na tional Church. However they may be explained to the satisfaction of learned men conversant with the terms of scholastic divinity in the Greek and Latin languages, it is certain they are a stumbling-block to common congregations; forming a service which is wholly misunderstood by some persons, and in which it is observed that others decline to join. Various proposals were made in our body to meet the general and growing objections which these clauses in the Athanasian Creed, and consequently on them the entire creed, have raised. It was moved that in the preceding rubric the word "shall" should be changed to "may." It was moved to omit the preceding rubric by which the use of that creed is prescribed. It was moved to limit the use of that creed, and that permissive only, to our public services in collegiate and cathedral churches. It was moved to enjoin it for only one Sunday in the year. To several of us it would have appeared a still preferable plan, which, however, was not formally brought forward, to declare in a new rubric that although the Church retained this creed as a confession of our Christian peril of those who wilfully reject the Catholic Faith." faith, the Church did not enjoin its use in any of its public services. It was found, however, upon divisions, several of which took place at divers times in the course of our proceedings, that no one specific proposal could commend itself to the approval of a majority among us. We have, therefore, left untouched and without any suggestion for discontinuance in the appointed services, a creed which, nevertheless, so far as regards its popular effect upon others, I imagine that scarce any churchman contemplates with entire satisfaction. Nor am I at all satisfied with the note which our Report proposes to subjoin. Under these circumstances, which I most deeply regret, I altogether dissent from the very anomalous state in which, to my judgment, this question has been left. I assent to the statement of facts in regard to the Athanasian Creed put forward by Lord Stanhope, and agree generally with the opinions he has expressed. I only disagree so far, as that I do not dissent from the conclusions come to by the Commission, In spite of the objections which I entertain to the language of certain clauses of the so-called Athanasian Creed and to its use in public congregations, I have felt it my duty to concur with the majority of the Commission in retaining it as it now stands in the Prayer Book, on the ground that it seemed to me to be beyond the purpose of our Commission to remove a confession of faith from the position of authority in which our Church has hitherto placed it. I further take leave to record, that I acquiesce with difficulty in the proposed alterations in the new directions for the Burial Service. They seem to me to be of very doubtful expediency in themselves, as applied to the three classes specified in the rubric,-those who have |