mittee, after they had read our two first communications, to the effect, that the Society declined acceding to our propositions, first, for want of funds, and secondly, because they never contemplated a permanent mission at Mosul. In consequence of this intimation, I forwarded to the Society another report, dated 23rd September, 1843, from which I extract the following:
"What effect the statement contained in my reports respecting our labours hitherto, and the means which we have put into operation for carrying out the spirit of our instructions, may have in leading the Church at home to prolong the residence of her agents here, to extend her original intentions towards the Christian communities in this region, or to withdraw them altogether, I hope you will not fail to communicate the same to us whenever she shall have passed her decision on the subject. In my former letters, I have given a full account of our proceedings; but it may not be out of place to recapitulate what we have done, and are still doing, in order that the Church may be the better able to judge what course it would be most expedient for us to pursue under the existing circumstances of the Christians to whom we are sent.[1]
"In the first place, we have endeavoured to the utmost of our power, to redeem the honour and orthodoxy of our holy Church from the wicked aspersions of her enemies, and the combined and almost equally baneful influence of schismatics, who, by identifying themselves and the irregular efforts of their respective societies with the Church of England, have led the Eastern Christians generally to consider her a promiscuous assembly of individuals, bearing indeed the Christian name, but divided into numberless sects, each holding an independent Creed, and acknowledging no other than human authority,—without any
- ↑ I never felt more strongly the want of a competent authority to refer to, in questions relating to interference with the Eastern communities generally, than during the continuance of our mission. I was fully alive to the fact, that many subjects propounded in my reports could not be validly decided upon by the Society to which they were addressed, and hence I invoked "The Church," which really exists among us, but now unfortunately deprived of her legitimate action in such matters. Until she resumes that authority which Christ Himself imparted to her, but which man has filched from her for a time, the Church of England will not be instrumental in conferring any lasting benefit upon the ancient churches of the East.
