the Church, a more cordial Friend to the Eftablishment than is Mrs. Hannah More: and whatever fancies and notions he may have pursued, which never had any existence but in his own thoughts, refpecting the motives and actions of that Lady, in her conduct towards him, I deem it, Sir, an act of justice to her, as well as to yourself, to declare, that I have never at any time heard you or Mrs. H. More express a wish, even of the slightest tendency, for the difmiffion of Mr. Bere from the Curacy of Blagdon; on the contrary, Mrs. Hannah More has faid to me in converfation and in writing, "I wish, Sir, not to injure the Curate of Blagdon:" and in this place I feel myself justified in quoting a paffage of a letter from Dr. Mofs to me, dated January 7, wherein he fays "my information respecting Mr. Bere, comes neither from Cowflip-Green, nor Clevedon-Court." Here again I take leave to remark on that part in Mr. Bere's letter of the 4th of November which mentions the vifit to him, from Mr. Leeves and Mr. Wylde, and which he prefumes was intended for the purpose of negotiating for the continuance of the School, that I fent to Mrs. Hannah More a meffage, by the Rev. Mr. Drewitt, requefting her not to abolish her excellent inftitutions, fo wifely calculated to enlighten the minds and meliorate the hearts of the lower claffes of fociety; nevertheless, under the conviction that thofe inftitutions could no longer be productive of the benefits they were intended to bestow, while the refident

Minifter continued adverfe to the principle, and the practice of her inftructive system, fhe determined to diffolve them: On the 16th of November this. event took place, and I am thoroughly perfuaded that the Sunday School, and the weekly School of Industry, both of which the Curate of Blagdon had undermined, would never have been re-established by Mrs. Hannah More, had not I, with the most earneft folicitude, exhorted her to do it. And I felt peculiarly inclined to urge that requeft, in confe-. quence of having informed my felf, by a long converfation with the Schoolmafter, and with others who beft knew him, of the rigid correctness of his moral character and of the general propriety of his conduct as a Schoolmafter. The difinclination on the part of Mrs. Hannah More to fupport her inftitutions, while the Curate of the parish was inimical to the fyftem, evidently demonftrates that Mr. Leeves and Mr. Wylde had not been deputed by her to negotiate with Mr. Bere for the continuance of the fchools; of the Schools I repeat, because the Curate of Blagdon has all along concealed from the public, the laudable economy of the weekly School of Industry, for instructing poor children in knitting, and fuch useful works as would qualify them for fervants. It has been stated by the Curate of Blagdon, with what intention I prefume not to say, that I have been of opinion the Sunday School was intended only for the religious inftruction of children. But

here I beg leave to obferve, that I have ever commended, and do ftill continue to commend, fo great an improvement upon the general outline of Sunday Schools, as is the plan that has been adopted in the parish of Blagdon, of reading to the parents an evening fermon and a prayer.

The fentiments impreffed upon the minds of ferious and wise men, by the force of Mrs. H. More's religious and moral opinions, will not easily be difturbed by the calumnies of Mr. Bere; but the character of her humble Schoolmaster, whofe virtues and abilities as a teacher, can only be known in the private walk of the parish where he lives, is more obnoxious to the virulent fhafts of flander, and therefore has a greater claim to the aid of an apo->> logift. Among many accufations laid to the account of this man, the Curate of Blagdon related to me, when at Monkton, nearly in the words recorded in the 17th page of his pamphlet, the incident that follows. "On Christmas-day 1798, the church, as ufual, being very full, this Young, offered himself at the font as Sponfor. In the courfe of the duty, infant baptifm, I afk'd him, wilt thou obediently keep God's holy will and commandments and walk in the fame all the days of thy life? Holding up a large book to his face, Young pronounced in a pompous tone, 'I will endeavour fo to do, God being my Helper;' I then faid, Mr. Young, the refponfe is, "I will: erecting himself then and looking very audaciously in my face, he flowly repeated in

a louder voice, 'I will endeavour fo to do, God being my Helper: I replied, Mr. Young, that is not the response of the Church of England, the refponse is, 'I will,' and no more, he retorted indignantly, it is fo in my book.'

When the Curate of Blagdon had finished the relation of this artful tale, Mrs. Bere ingenuously replied, I think, Mr. Bere, you ought to inform Dr.. Croffman how it came to pass that Mr. Young fell into this error, in looking for Infant baptifm, he turned over more leaves of his prayer-book than he intended, and opened at the "Ministration of public baptifm of fuch as are of riper years," where the proper response is as Mr. Young at that time correctly repeated it. Now, Sir, after so ingenuous an explanation as this from Mrs. Bere, who would have expected, to fee in print, under the fanction of the Curate's name, a charge of contumacy, brought forward with fo much effrontery, against this man?

And here again permit me to observe, that a fhort time after the diffolution of the school, while Mr. and Mrs. Bere were at Bath, the latter, when I enquired of her refpecting the moral character of Young, declared, in the like candid manner, that fhe believed his morals to be exemplary, or words. to that effect and I prefume, Mr. Bere himself did once entertain the fame favourable opinion of him, otherwise I can scarcely fuppofe he would have, introduced him into the parlour of the rectory house at Blagdon, when I was prefent, and have re

ported him to me as a man of correct character, and of more than ordinary competency to fuperintend the inftruction of a Sunday fchool. Since my return hither from Bath, I have referred to your letter of the 29th of September, and difcovered that the expreffions therein contained, refpecting the lunacy of one of the deponents against Young, were more qualified than I, who cited them from memory, when I wrote to Mr. Bere, have in that letter reported them to be; your words are thefe; It will ftartle you perhaps to be told, that one of the depofitions against Young, if there are not two perfons of the fame name, is from a woman confidered in the village of Blagdon, as almoft a lunatic, and as we think, can be proved, and will be allowed to be fo by Mr. Bere himself." I have likewise referred to the copies of my own letters, many of which are now before the public, and I beg to obferve, that not one of those letters were ever marked in Italics with my pen. But, Sir, without the Italic, and the invective notes fubjoined by the Editor, the publication of my correfpondence would not have answered the purpose of the Curate of Blagdon; for, in his confcience he must remember, when I let to him the tythes, and other parochial revenues, how folicitous I was to render them an object truly worthy of his notice, and to make him the moft liberal compensation for the trouble I was about to give him. How far fuch conduct on my part is reconcileable with the "mercenary logic,"