THE PROTESTANT.

THE following letter having been transmitted too late in the month for the body of the Magazine, we deem it right to devote the space occupied by our concluding paper to its consideration, rather than, by postponing it to a future Number, to appear careless of a wound unintentionally inflicted on another's feelings. If the writer were in the habit of seeing our periodical, he would know what every reader of it perfectly well knows, that the concluding article is invariably written by the Editor, and in her own person. All, therefore, that is said of the "Anonymous Correspondent" belongs to the Editor, who has not only, from the first, avowed this and the reviews as exclusively her own department, but has moreover openly repudiated the custom of "not being responsible for the sentiments of correspondents," and scorned to say or to do behind a mask what she would not dare to do and to say openly. We now insert the letter, the contents of which both pained and surprised us.

'Record Office, 54, Fleet Street, 'July 14, 1842. 'To the Editress of the Christian Lady's Magazine.

'MADAM,

'IN the last Number of your Magazine, appeared an article by an anonymous Correspondent entitled

'the Protestant," in which a most unjustifiable attack was made upon my personal character and professional reputation as the Reporter for the Record, which paper, through me, the writer attempts to damage in public estimation.

'The writer of the said article deliberately but falsely asserts that I was not only guilty of a gross dereliction of duty, but imputes to me a base motive as the principle of action whence that alleged misconduct took its rise. He charges me with a "uniform omission" of a certain class of statements from my report of the last Anniversary Meeting of the "London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews;" and then proceeds to account for his unfounded accusation by attributing to me "a determinate bias" against certain opinions of the speakers. An admirable sample this, both of truth and of charity!

The writer of the "Protestant" says,--" most assuredly there was not a speaker on the platform who did not put forward the expectation of the church, the speedy coming of the Lord, to reign over the nations, among whom Israel shall ever be the chief." 'Now let us see how he attempts to sustain his accusation against me :

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1. He says, "The Report of the Society set it forth."

'It is not customary to give more than such an outline of the facts and statistics related in the official reports of societies as will convey to the public in the shortest compass, information as to their state and progress. My report in this instance professes to give only "extracts," and they are of that nature. If it be asked, why omit the sentimental por

tions on the above topic, the answer is, that all the other opiniative parts were also omitted. It must be obvious that every paragraph of a long official report which is inserted in a newspaper must tend in proportion to the curtailment of the addresses of the speakers. Newspaper accounts of public meetings are necessarily more or less abbreviated; for the full relation of one set of proceedings would; exclude any notice of many others. Some speeches then must be abridged, or condensed, or perhaps wholly omitted; prominence being given to the addresses of those in whom pro tempore the public feel most interested. The length of the reports is prescribed by the Editor, a limited discretion being left to the Reporter, which I exercised on this occasion by extending my account one column beyond the space allotted for the meeting. Another reason why a mere abstract only of official reports is given, is that they are printed and freely circulated by the committees of the respective institutions; so that any attempt at the suppressio veri under this head, on the part of a reporter, must be defeated.

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2. The Bishop of Ripon referred to it.

The "it," I presume, refers to what the writer of "the Protestant," calls the “ leading, prevailing, allpervading topic" expressed in the passage above cited. The speech of the Right Rev. Prelate is given in a condensed form, yet not a point is omitted; and there were only two passages which at all bore upon "the topic" which are reported in the Record. I have cut them out of the paper and send you them in print, not in MS., as they appeared, viz:

"If the successes of the Society had multiplied, if increased contributions were pouring into the trea

sury of the institution, if a flame of love towards the Jews was kindled in the hearts of God's people, if fresh evidences that the set time to favour Zion was approaching, it must be remembered that all these encouragements came from the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The lapse of another year brought them nearer to that consummation for which they all prayed and hoped, and though it was not for them to know the "times and seasons" which the Father has placed in his own power, yet they had the sure word of prophecy on which to rest their faith, and by which to strengthen their zeal.” * * * * "He would only add an exhortation that they should all join in fervent prayer to Him from whom all blessings flow,' that he will open the eyes of the benighted children of Israel, that they might be taught to look to him whom they had pierced, so that if his blood was upon them, it might be the merit of that blood, and not the guilt of shedding it."

3. Lord Ashley triumphed in it with the feeling of one who knows it to be near at hand.

'The speech of Lord Ashley, though reported in the third person is almost a literal report, only a redundant word here and there being omitted not weakening or altering the sense, nor having any relation to the topic.

4. Mr. Bickersteth dwelt upon it most emphatically, when contending against the glaring errors of recent prize essayists in looking forward to a Gentile millennium and spiritual reign.

This gentleman's speech, for reasons already given, is reported in an abridged form; yet his remarks upon "the topic" are not omitted. Here they are from the print ;—

"In allusion to the settlement of a Bishop at Jerusalem,-He was grieved that any in our own church should dislike this measure; but they were lovers of antiquity more than lovers of truth. In the early ages of the Christian Church, a bitter feeling against the Jews might have existed; but then was the time of their being cast off, this was the day of their recovery. In the prize essays on missions recently published, the prophecies respecting the Jews were treated as having reference only to a Gentile millennium. Others there were who were looking for a spiritual millennium of the Jews without any trouble, conflict, or difficulty whatever to precede it. He disagreed with both those opinions.” * * * * “ A standard was now raised on Mount Zion in the city of Jeru salem, and the Psalms of David would be again re-sung and re-tuned there, and the song of Moses and of the Lamb would be raised by his victorious, triumphant, and united church upon earth."

5. Mr. Stowell's words were so plain, that I reminded you at the moment he uttered them of his having been, until within a short time, indifferent if not hostile to the doctrine.

The chief topics of Mr. Stowell's address were the appointment of the Bishop of Jerusalem and the co-operation of the English and Prussian Protestant Churches and States in the great work. The most important passages are given in the first person and word for word, and the rest is substantially what he said.

6. Dr. M'Caul spoke on it.

The speech of Dr. M'Caul was very similar to that of Mr. Bickersteth and of Mr. Stowell, and those parts which merely echoed the same sentiments