LEAVES THEY HATE TOUCHED. 343 



sed ipse etiam in operibus suis passim allegavit." — Mr. "VYinstanley, 

 to whom Bishop "Wilson presented this book, used Iiumorously to 

 speak of himself as one of the spare clergy of Toronto, alluding to his 

 own great corpulency. He was a good, acceptable preacher. Prioi' 

 to engaging to deliver a. sermon anywhere, he tised to ascertain the 

 capacity of the pulpit and the width of its door, for which purpose 

 he had a notch mai'ked. on his cane. I remember him, after preach- 

 ing a charity-sermon, handing to the churchwarden what he called 

 " a note to his discourse ;" it was a bank-bill; and this, I think, was 

 a customary pleasantry with him. 



I have now to show a brief note from the hand of the famoiis 

 Sydney Smith, canon of St. Paul's. Its contents are quite of a grave 

 character, relating to matters of business connected with his parish 

 of Combe Florey, in Somersetshii-e. I have quoted already from 

 Sydney Smith's article in the Edinburgh, on Dr. Parr — a memorable 

 paper, which, while rendering all honour and justice to the profoundly 

 learned scholar of Hatton, contrived to make of his wig a joke, if not 

 a joy, for ever, to the English public. " With a boundless rotundity 

 of frizz, like Dr. Parr's wig," has become one of the established 

 phrases of the language. The note in my possession is addressed to 

 Mr. Jacobs, at Taunton, the post-town of Combe Florey, who appears 

 to have been Sydney Smith's business agent. " Sir," the Canon says, 

 " I have before written to you on the subject of Tithes. I have only 

 to add that you will be so good as to ask them individually for the 

 money, and to give a gentle hint, if necessary, that after so much 

 indvilgence, those not paying will be immediately proceeded against. 

 I will not have any Tithe Dinner or Luncheon. Yours truly, Sydney 

 Smith." — 56 Green Street, Grosvenor Square, March 20, 1835." The 

 value of Combe Florey is set down in the books as ,£263 per annum. 

 But the nominal value of livings in England is greatly above their 

 real value to the incumbents. Numerous expenses which with us are 

 borne, naturally enough, by the congregation, are in England expected 

 to be met by the clergyman. Sydney Smith's ^263 was, as we can 

 see from the note, likely by no means to come up to the mark, by 

 reason of the appeals ad miserecordiam; then, after that, the agent 

 must be paid for collecting ; the curate must be paid, and the parish 

 schoolmaster, and a number of other claimants. Thus the net income 

 from Combe Florey v/ould not be large. — The seal on Sydney Smith's 

 note shows a dog watching ; above is . the sun ; but a cloud floats 

 between it and the faithful creature below ; inscribed is the motto, 



