THE TOWN* OF WESTCHESTER. 



385 



the first Bishop of our Church (for Talbot and Weldon left no traces 

 behind them,) that had been seen in that part of the North American 

 continent. 



The following extract appears in a communication from the Rev. T. 

 B. Chandler, D D., to Isaac Wilkins, Esq., dated London, February 

 25th, 1785. The bearer of which was the Rt. Rev. Dr. Seabury : — 



My Dear Sir : — "I hope that you may happen to be at Halifax when this 

 arrives there — both for your own sake and that of the bearer, who is no less a 

 person than the Bidiop of Connecticut. He goes by the way of Nova Scotia for 

 several reasons, of which the principal is, that he may see the situation of that 

 part of his family, which is in that quarter, and be able to form a judgment of 

 the prospects before them. He will try hard to see you, but, as he will not have 

 much time to spare, he fears that he shall not be able to go to Shelburne in quest 

 of you. 



You were acquainted with this Bishop and his adventures from the time of his 

 leaving New York, in 1783. He came home with strong recommendations to 

 the two Archbishops and the Bishop of London, from the clergy of Connecticut, 

 and with their most earnest request that he might have Episcopal consecration 

 for the Church in that State. Though no objections could arise from his charac- 

 ter, the Bishops here thought such a measure would be considered as rash and 

 premature — since no fund had been established for his support, and no consent to 

 his admission had been made by the States; besides, no Bishop could be conse- 

 crated here for a foreign country, without an act of Parliament to dispense with 

 the oat7is required by the established office. These difficulties and objections con- 

 tinued to operate through the winter, and several candidates for Priest's orders, 

 ■who had been waiting near a twelve month, were about going over to the Con- 

 tinent, to seek for ordination in some foreign Protestant Episcopal Church. At 

 length a short act was obtained, authorizing the Bishop of London and his sub- 

 stitutes to dispense with the aforesaid oaths in the ordination of Priests and Dea- 

 cons for the American States ; but nothing was said in it about the consecration 

 of Bishops. The Minister, it seems, was fearful that opening the door for the con- 

 secration of Bishops would give umbrage to the Americans, and, therefore, every 

 prospect of success here was at an end. 



Dr. Seabury, with his wonted spirit and resolution, tlien thought it his duty to 

 apply elsewhere, and by the intervention of a friend, consulted the Bishops in 

 Scotland, who were equally without the protection and the restraint of Govern- 

 ment- They cordially met the proposal, and our friend was consecrated Bishop 

 for Connecticut, at Aberdeen, on the 14th of November last. I have been thug^ 

 particular, on the supposition that you may not have been acquainted with *o 

 much of this history. "a 



Bishop Seabury died February 25th, 1796, aged eighty-six years. 

 Two volumes of his sermons were published before his decease, and one 

 volume in 1798. A sermon founded on St. Peter's exhortation, to tear 



a From the original letter in the possession of Governeur M. WUlans, Esq. 



