At length I have to thank you for a most interesting nice long letter, written on respectable whole sheets of Paper not crammed and stuffed by scraps into corners hardly decypherable for want of space, but ample and liberal as to paper, as well as delightful as to matter and manner. Whether this one only symptom of good which your letters ever wanted be acquired by your writing from the large-hearted and liberal minded country you now inhabit (for such I have always conceived Ireland with all its faults to be) or whether your desire of increasing my pleasure has generously increased with your distance from me I shall not enquire : in any case as I have the benefit so you have the praise –

Your whole tour, the exquisite natural beauties with which your eyes and your mind were feasted – for I hold fine natural scenery to be partly an intellectual pleasure – the society of some of my favorite friends, altogether made my mouth water; but I was however generous enough to rejoyce that you were enjoying delights for which I myself have so high a relish; indeed there are no merely earthly pleasures to be put into competition with the beauties of nature, where they are in their highest beauty, and with the enjoyments of friendship; but then to render the latter compleat one must have a strong assurance that the friendship we are cherishing will be an immortal friendship. Without this, the highest participation even of mental excellence will leave an unsatisfactory, uncaring void in the heart that has devoted itself to the service of God.

I am sorry you saw so little of M^rs. La Touche I earnestly hope that visit will be yet made; to say nothing of her residence which I wish to see of all places, she is herself very interesting, and a character of inestimable value. (by the way) I am astonished at what you tell me of M^r. Knox, if there is any coolness it must be on his part. I am sure it has not been on mine. We have not indeed corresponded as largely as we used to do, but he himself has apologized for it, from his other pursuits. My esteem for his virtues and admiration of his talents are great and undiminished. We do not indeed think alike on certain religious points and M^r. Jebb (whom I also much love) had the candor to tell me that our difference in this matter was the reason why he did not write to thank me for my books . but I did not know why this should make any coolness among /Christian/ friends, I am sure it will make none in heaven, and I am the last person who would lower my regard for a friend on account of their opinion of my writings. I shall hope to see both Knox and Jebb next Summer.

General Macaulay who has been with us , boasts much of some pleasant hours spent with you in Wales. He is a superior Man, brimful of information One of our best Orientalists. He is just returned from his second visit to the City of sin, whither he went to see his friend the Duke of Wellington.^[2] He is going again on a Mission about the French New Testament, which I am happy to say hi /a/ s /been/ circulated by many Priests, to the amount of three Editions. – I hope you have seen M^r. Roberts’ excellent Article on ‘The Church in Danger’ in the last British Review .^[3] I am glad to find that valuable work is in high repute.

We had a visit lately from my excellent friend the Bp of Gloucester who is raising the tone of religion in his new See as he has done at Wells.

Your account of Lady Gosford is truly gratifying May it please her heavenly Father to bless her with all peace and joy in believing! May she find more and more of the internal support of that blessed principle which none but real Christians can either feel, or believe, or understand! May her amiable Lord follow her steps! What you tell me of their family worship is quite exhilarating. Lady G, now her fine sense has found its best and noblest object will make no common Christian.

I hope your abode is quite out of the reach of alarm. M^r. Shaw M. P. for Dublin^[4] has sent me a frightful pamphlet artfully composed by the enemy called ‘Irish History’.^[5] I had an alarming letter from the good Archbishop of Cashell on the dangers of his, and the neighbouring Diocese; but my fears have since been calmed by others from D^r. Woodward^[6] and the Dean of Cork.^[7] Yet it is impossible to be quite easy, especially since that abominable deed the restoration of the Jesuits.^[8]

We have got a new Neighbour M^r. C. Maude a Son of Lady Haywarden,^[9] who is curate of Blagdon, Lady Lifford &c wrote to recommend him strongly to me. He is but just three and twenty, very amiable with much naiveté and good nature, takes advice kindly, and allows me to say any thing to him, and I try to give my opinions in a fine cheerful way not to frighten him. He has of course much to learn, being but just escaped from Christ Church ;^[10] he is very kind to the poor and already much liked by them, he seems humble, has no high notions, but talks of his little self denials and frugal management with much openness. I let him come when he likes and hope to be in some little degree useful to him as I know the people . He is about to marry a very young Girl, much will depend on her turn of Mind.

Those misguided Clergymen I named to you with Baring and Snow at their head, are I fear sadly extending the cause of Schism. They will have many followers among the young the hot headed, and the lovers of Novelty. I have read a correspondence between M^r. Baring and good M^r. Biddulph; the latter wrote a most admirable letter to the other, deploring, exhorting, intreating. He begged him if he had any objections to the Establishment to withdraw himself quietly and without the presumptuous idea of forming a new Sect, to pass at least a year in retirement, meditation and prayer. The Answer I presume was composed by the whole Conclave, for it was artfully and, on their principles very well done. M^r. Baring locked /up/ his Church, sent the key to the Bishop with the resignation of his Living.^[11] The Bishop returned an answer that as he was but a young Divine he hoped he might come to a better way of thinking, he would therefore give him six months for reflection before he would accept his resignation. He has ill rewarded this candor by setting up a Chapel for his own heresies in Salisbury under the very nose of the Bishop. They^[12] are also buying chapels in various places, for the dissemination of their pestilent doctrines, for I think this is not too severe an epithet to express Antinomianism. Of one thing I am glad; they have it seems bought the Chapel of M^r. Huntington in London the late focus of Antinomian doctrines^[13] , by this I trust they will identify themselves in the public opinion with this obnoxious Man. I am sadly grieved at this unhappy business Baring and Snow I thought would be very useful Men; and so they would had they confined themselves to their respective stations – but Men bred to business, without learning, and who have but a few years began even to read the Bible, might have contented themselves with being hearers without aspiring to be teachers. I pressed this strongly on Snow, telling him that we wanted pious Bankers and Merchants much more than pious Clergymen of which we had so many.

One good however will spring out of this evil, we shall I hope get these noxious doctrines /weeded/ out of the Church: and, what I rejoyce to hear, the high Calvinists are preaching far more practically . Many good Men have been sadly deficient in this respect. Of poor insignificant me they have repeatedly said ‘Her writings make us sick of practice’.

How have I run on. I never write long letters but to you. Indeed I seldom write at all to my real and beloved friends. My whole time almost goes to strangers. I think I have had no less than eight letters lately from North America where a good spirit of religion seems to prevail while Virginia and the Southern Provinces are as profligate and irreligious as Paris itself.

I have had a very interesting visit from my old friend /Rev^d/ M^r. Stewart, Son to Lord Galloway. You know I believe that this excellent young Man near ten years ago, quitted not only the luxuries of his Station and the enjoyments of Society /but the common comforts of life, / and with his Bishop’s consent left his church preferment to go on a Mission to Canada.^[14] There he has been living obscurely but not uselessly, for the Protestants of that place, Montreal &c are at length so awakened by his labours that they have agreed at their own expence to build four Churches and he is come to Europe for the sole purpose of procuring right sort of Ministers, and to claim the Stipend allowed by Government and the Society for Propagating the Gospel for those parts. I shall be looking out for pious prudent Men for him