1822.] 
attention. Most of our readers must 
know, that there exists a schism between 
the Bible Society, formed for the purpose 
of translating and disseminating the Bible, 
free from comment, in all languages, and 
the Bartlett-buildings Society, professing 
the like purpose, only accompanying the 
bible with a prayer-book in the same lan- 
guage. The former body, or some of their 
advocates, induced no doubt by the libe- 
rality of sentiment which distinguishes this 
speech, printed an extract from it in the 
shape of a hand-bill, and distributed it 
amongst their friends. About a year ago 
they established an Auxiliary Society at 
Warwick; and, on that circumstance, is 
introduced the passage above alluded to, 
which is to the purport following, ‘‘This 
speech was printed by the Dissenters at 
Warwick, and left in the shape of a hand- 
bill at every house in the town, preparatory 
to an attempt to bring that county under 
the Bible Society’s Auxiliary System, in 
defiance of the well-known disapproval of 
the great body of its inhabitants, both 
clergy and laity, and of the public protest 
of the vicar of Warwick.” Now, by mere 
accident, for we belong to neither society, 
we were present at this meeting ; and 
from our own immediate knowledge and 
observation, can contradict almost every 
fact stated in the above sentence. In the 
first place, we doubt the assertion that the 
Dissenters printed the hand-bill alluded to ; 
and, we feel ourselves bound to say, that 
the attempt, as the author is pleased to 
call it, though it most fully succeeded, to 
establish that society, was not in defiance 
of the disapproval of a great, or indeed any, 
body of the inhabitants of the town. The 
only opposition made was by the vicar of 
one parish, and a more feeble or ill-ad- 
vised speech we certainly never heard on 
any public occasion. ‘Ihe minister of the 
other parish, supported by all those of the 
dissenting interest, and one member for 
the county, brought the matter forward, 
nor was there more than that one dissen- 
tient hand and voice againstit. Surprised 
by the falsity of this first statement, we 
read the work, in hopes of finding some, at 
least, plausible argument in support of the 
Opinions it maintains, but not one could we 
meet with, Surely, if the doctrines of the 
church are the doctrines of the Bible, they 
will not require a prayer-book to accom- 
pany it in order to propagate them, Anar- 
ticle in our last number informed our read- 
ers of the enormous wealth, and conse- 
quently influence, possessed by the clergy ; 
and their principal intention, in the insti- 
tution of the Bartlett-buildings Society ; 
seems to be to extend that power, and to 
separate themselves as much as_ possible 
from their conscientious dissenting bre- 
thren, instead of softening down the distinc- 
tion existing between them, which we 
should, at least, have thought the part of 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
253 
ministers of a gospel of peace. We must 
also condemn the attempted virulent sar- 
castic strain in which these pages are writ- 
ten, as by no means the language in which 
amember, who proudly designates himseif 
a minister of an humble religion of charity 
and peace, should address another, and, 
for aught we know, or he can know, a wor- 
thier member of the same church, and one 
who reposes his faith in the same divine 
writings. 
We notice, with much pleasure, the re- 
publication of the excellent pamphlet of 
the celebrated Lord Somers, entitled, The 
Security of Englishmen’s Lives, or the Trust, 
Power, and Duiy, of the Grand Juries of 
England explained ; with prefatory obser- 
vations by the editor, illustrative of the 
character of modern grand juries, which 
contain some important information, and 
many pointed and well-timed animadver- 
sions. We consider it highly expedient, 
at this period, when a kind of corporate 
attorney-generalship has been assumed by 
the notorious. Bridge-street Association, 
that grand juries should be fully alive to 
the very important nature of their func- 
tions, and be put upon their guard against 
the insidious attempts of personal interest 
or party rancour. From any bias arising 
from political feeling, a body of men like 
the grand jury, assembled for the purposes 
of even-handed justice, cannot be kept too 
free; and we think that, in this view, the 
jealousy which the editor avows of the dis- 
proportionate number of justices of the 
peace on the grand-jury lists, is well 
founded. ‘This objection, and others, may 
be easily obviated if the sheriff will fairly 
perform his duty. Instead of a partial se- 
lection, a full list ought to be returned of 
all persons liable to serve as grand jurors, 
and a regular rotation observed in summon- 
ing them. We should then look in vain for 
grand jurors setting themselves forth as po- 
litical partizans, and uttering intemperate 
denunciations against offences, which are 
about to come under their own judiciak 
cognizance. The whole pamphlet is full of 
instructive matter, and we recommend it 
to the serious perusal and consideration of 
our readers, 
We do not know whether the administra- 
tion of “truth severe, by fairy fiction 
drest,” is not carried beyond the proper 
point, when the pages of a novel are made 
the vehicle of the most serious and abstruse 
doctrines of the church. No Enthusiasm, 
ora Tale of the present Times, is a work of 
this description, in which no inconsiderable 
talent and power of observation are de- 
voted to the inculcation of the religious 
principles of the evangelical party in our 
church establishment. To every fair way 
of propagating these tenets, and to the 
present plan amongst the rest, we are not 
disposed to object; and, perhaps, to those 
persons whose scruples forbid them to 
touch 
