Untitled - Electric Scotland

376 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP TAiT [CH. xiv.
recognised even before the meeting
of the Conference.
He even wrote to Bishop Wilberforce as follows :-
"
If the . . . English Bishops will not give the right hand of
the act
fellowship to him who has been elected, . . . but ignore
of deposition and separation from the Church, . . . they involve
the Church of which they are Bishops in formal heresy, and
forgive me for speaking what I feel are unfaithful to Christ,
and betray His cause. God forgive me and teach me otherwise
if I am wrong. I shall be the greatest sufferer if I be in error ;
but believing this, I do not see what other course is open to us,
if that came to pass which appears too probable, but for me to
resign my present position, a<nd with it communion with the
1
Church of England."
Bishop Wilberforce s Biography records his half suc
cessful efforts to restrain the fiery Metropolitan, whose
attitude clear, outspoken, and indomitable has been so
far as possible described above in order the better to ex
plain what follows, Bishop Tait s scarcely less vehement
opposition to a system and course of action which were in
his opinion intensely harmful both to the Church at home
and to her growing offshoots in the Colonies. To the
general question it will be necessary
to return hereafter.
Bishop Tait s own Diary will best describe what occurred
in the Conference itself with reference to the *
subject
of Natal :-
Diary.
burning
"WOODSIDE, WINDSOR FOREST, i8t/i Sept. 1867. Yesterday
we held, at 5 Park Place, in the rooms of the S.P.G., the ^pre
liminary meeting for the purpose of arranging proceedings, and it
may be well to make a note of what took place.
"Met at 12. I travelled up in the train with the Bishop of
Quebec not inclined to be communicative. I introduced
myself, and he did the same. I took the opportunity of express
ing to him my viewr s as to Lord Carnarvon s conduct in dispens-
1
Bishop Gray s Life, vol. ii. p. 330.