USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 3 > Part 30
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" We are at this time in affliction & mourning for the death of my beloved & only brother, William, who died on his Plantation at St Kitts in Jany. Among other consolations for his untimely loss (he was only 30 yrs old) is that he died a member of the Episcopal Church in that Island, & was one of its chief supporters.
"With renewed & warmest sentiments of affection & respect, I am, " As ever, your friend & servant, " THOMAS N. STANFORD."
Dr. John Jebb, then Bishop of Limerick, Ireland, has a high place in the regard of all Churchmen. He was an early Biblical critic, a sacred poet, and a Church reformer. His courteous attention to the American Church is shown in this letter :
" MY DEAR BISHOP,
"I sent yesterday from Mr. Cadell's 12 copies of my Sermons, on sacred Literature, and of Mr. Forster's discourses which I hope you have
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Bishop Hobart in Europe
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received: ten copies of the several books are respectively inscribed for the ten American Bishops; each Bishop's parcel being separately made up. There is an eleventh parcel directed to you, containing two copies of each book, these I beg you will have the kindness to cause to be de- posited in any two public ecclesiastical libraries that you may think fit. Enclosed is my Ordination Card; the course is meagre enough; but sufficient to try whether candidates for orders have made tolerable proficiency. It may, hereafter, be extended. I wish you every happi- ness and comfort in your Continental tour; and hope for the pleasure of again meeting you early in June.
"I am, my dear Bishop, with sincere respect and esteem,
"Your faithful & obed Serv' " JOHN LIMERICK. " CURZON ST., "March 24, 1824."
At this time the Bishop published in London two vol- umes of sermons on The Principal Events and Truths of Redemption, which added largely to his already high repu- tation in England. They were soon after reprinted in New York, and used in many vacant parishes.
In March, 1824, Bishop Hobart left England for the Continent. He travelled as many did in those days with his own carriage and horses. There is little record found in his letters of any incidents of this journey. His biographer, Dr. Berrian, says that he kept a Diary filled with brief notes of the various places he passed through, but they were very fragmentary, written in pencil, and were even in 1832 almost illegible.1
Only a single letter of this first visit to Italy seems to be extant.
General Winfield Scott sent the Bishop a letter of introduction to General Lafayette with these accompany- ing words :
" DEAR SIR:
" I enclose a note of introduction together with a letter for Gen! La Fayette which I beg of you to deliver or to forward according to cir- cumstances.
1 Pp. 285, 286, Dr. Berrian's Memoir, Posthumous Works, i.
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"I will add my prayers for a bon voyage; the recovery of your health & happy return to your native country.
" With great respect & esteem, Yrs., "W. SCOTT."
On reaching Paris the Bishop immediately forwarded General Scott's letter to General Lafayette :
" Bp. Hobart of New-York has the honor of forwarding to M. Le General La Fayette two letters which Genl Winfield Scott of the United States Army entrusted to him.
" Bp. H. is now on his way to Italy & makes a very hasty passage through France. But he should think himself wanting in respect to Gen La Fayette and deny himself the highest gratification, did he omit before his return to his own country to wait upon one whose name is coeval with the independence of that country, to whom it is so much indebted, & by whose citizens that name is so justly & deeply revered. " PARIS, Ap: 6, 1824."
Mr. Norris wrote the Bishop a letter, which, though undated, must have been written on the 15th or 16th of April, since it is postmarked April 16, 1824 :
" MY DEAR BISHOP,
"I have indeed frequently thought of you and am right glad to receive the few lines you have kindly sent me, as it gives me the com- fort of knowing you had not overfatigued yourself up to Thursday last, and seem to be in that sort of case and in that sort of Sisyphean mo- tion that I can even think you may have been in attendance upon his Holiness's feet-washing this Morn! I have been very little in the gay or busy World since I parted with you, my time having been chiefly passed at home receiving young people for Confirmation of whom I have near a hundred upon my list. I wish you had been here on Saturday last to have witnessed the Consecration of the Church which I took you into on our road to Newington, and to have heard the Bp.'s delightful sermon. Every thing was to my whole heart's content and a more edifying day I never experienced. But you want to hear of a subject upon which I know little for Mr. Wheaton has not been near me. I hear however that he has been with the Abp of Canty & York and so I suppose he has got the first impulse which is to put his project in motion. In the meantime Bp. Chase is arrived
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in London and that Pig-headed man Dr. Jackson has written to the Bp. of London to commend him to the Bp's notice. I do not know the result but I have no fears that he will gain his point. I have not yet read the 'old paths' but I have read two other sermons which pleased me exceedingly, the latter one especially on the Pro- phesies relative to our Lord's Crucifixion with which I edified my family on Sunday last. My own labours move on more slowly than I could wish for our reading season closes with the Month of May and I am fearful I shall not get out till afterwards; this Confirmation is against me; for the whole of the Week after next must be given up to it and much of the intervening period. But it is a delightful occupa- tion, and I wish you could see the finis which coronat opus on the 3d of May. The whole body of Hackney Church (which by the bye you have never entered) filled with young people, the females all in White and the Galleries filled above with their relatives, and the beautiful order observed is next to the Charity children at St. Paul's one of the most Heavenly sights I ever beheld. St. Peter's illuminated is nothing to it. A Letter from Rome will be very agreeable, if you should find the time. I will take opportunities for conveying the expressions you wish both to the Abp. and to my friend Joshua.
" Your affectionate friend, " H. H. NORRIS.
"Mrs. Norris very well, and unites with me in the best wishes and kindest regards."
Mr. Berrian wrote the Bishop fully on parochial and other matters :
"NEW YORK, May 8, 1824.
" RIGHT REV. & DEAR SIR :
" We have all been rejoiced by the accounts which Mr. Thomas brought of the improvement of your health. As to your dyspepsia of which you still complain, that has been of too long standing to be sud- denly removed, though I hope it may be in some measure corrected. I learned through some member of your family that you had only re- ceived one letter from Onderdonk and one from myself. I know he has written twice at least, and I have written three times, on the 24 of Oct, 9th of Feby & 31st of March. A circumstance has recently oc- curred in the affairs of our parish which has given me the greatest un- easiness, and anxiety and I am afraid it will be received by you with VOL. III .- 22.
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surprise and pain. Mr. S. as I had written you already, had become very popular & his popularity has lately risen to a kind of infatuation breaking down all delicacy, respect, and charity towards others. He seems to have hit in a remarkable manner the tastes of all kinds of people, men of talents, by a show of learning which is made more im- posing from his reputation as a scholar, indifferent judges, by a dash- ing style and bold flights of fancy, and almost all occasionally by more sober and edifying discourses. His sermons are delivered memoriter, with easy grace and considerable vehemence. As to the real merits of his sermons and the propriety of his elocution there is a wide differ- ence of opinion between the clergy and the people, the former thinking his talents respectable though often misdirected, and the latter think- ing them almost unparalleled. Such has been the extravagance of their admiration and the violence of their fears lest they should lose so extraordinary a man, that both they and ourselves have been kept for some time in a state of the greatest excitement. All kinds of unchari- table suspicions have fallen upon Onderdonk and myself. Envy, hos- tility and neglect have been imputed to us, and even you, though absent, have come in for a full share of the unworthy feelings in which we are made to indulge. There is not the slightest foundation for any of these charges resting on our conduct towards him or our con- versation in regard to him among the people. Except with a very few persons in whom I could entirely confide I have studiously concealed my sentiments, except so far as they fell in with the popular current.
" But to sum up all, the Vestry either joining in the admiration of Mr. S. or impelled by the torrent of public opinion are, I believe prepared to anticipate the expiration of his engagement, and to call him at once as an assistant minister.
" I had a difficult part to act but I have gone through it with firm- ness, and with as much prudence as was consistent with what I thought my duty to you. Mr. Ludlow Ogden at our last Vestry meeting pro- posed that a Committee should be appointed to consider of the pro- priety of filling up the vacancy in our parish, and put it on the ground, as I trust, with perfect sincerity, of sparing you the pain of these troublesome arrangements. Dr. Watts thought it precipitate, but the Committee was appointed. In the Vestry I made no remark, but to Mr. McFarlan and Mr. Johnson who were members of the Com- mittee I afterwards spoke with great freedom as well as to several of the Vestry. I told them that this measure, though not so intended, did strike me as indelicate and disrespectful towards you ; That no person could have so deep an interest in the appointment of an assist-
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ant minister, as the Rector, whose comfort and happiness for life were in some measure connected with it ; that you had no prejudices against Mr. S., though it was maliciously said you was hostile to him, and as a proof of this I alleged your instrumentality in procuring his temporary settlement among us; that you had heard nothing to his disadvantage, as far as I knew, during your absence but much that was creditable to him ; that, however, you knew little more of him than his reputation as a scholar and was almost entirely unacquainted with his personal character and his peculiar views in regard to the Church ; and that for all these reasons the appointment ought to be deferred till your return, in the mean time giving Mr. S. the assurance of the strong sentiment in his favour in the Vestry, and the great probability of his permanent call at the expiration of his present engagement. I thought that Mr. McFarlan and Mr. Johnson seemed to be influenced by these consid- erations and I believe they were, but they found the clamour so great that they have concluded it was better to silence it by immediately fil- ling the vacancy. Mr. L. Ogden has the persuasion that you will re- gard it very differently from myself and others, (though I have had no conversation with him), and as he is known to be your firm and at- tached friend his opinion has had great weight with Mr. Johnson.
"You can scarcely imagine the degree of odium which my con- duct in this business, though managed with as much prudence as pos- sible, has brought upon me, but I could have had no respect for myself nor should I have been deserving of your's if I had been want- ing to my duty, and especially duty to a friend.
"Yours affectionately, "WILLIAM BERRIAN. " RIGHT REV. BP. HOBART." 1
To his wife the Bishop wrote from Rome :
" ROME, May 29, 1824.
"MY DEAREST WIFE,
" I have seen a great deal in a few weeks in Italy, which almost every traveller considers the summit of his ambition to visit and to explore. In most respects my expectations are realized-in some disappointed. The climate and the sky are delightful, and the scenery unites in a high degree the grand and the beautiful. But this last has to my eye a cardinal defect. It wants the farm house surrounded by out-houses and barns, indicating an industrious and happy yeomanry.
1 Berrian MSS.
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From the top of the Catskill mountains I have looked down at one view on one hundred or more neat and highly cultivated farms ; from the top of the Appenines you can only discover walled towns, while the plains, rich as they are in verdure, want that variety and beauty, and that moral charm, which are excited by a prospect of a similar de- scription in our own country. In the famous Campania Felix around Naples, you may travel a dozen miles and not meet with a single house. The people live in towns, from which they go out in the day to cultivate the fields. These are rich and fertile, almost beyond de- scription ; but even here I became tired. I passed for miles and miles through a succession of fields with small trees, up which twined the grape vines, which were led like net-work from one tree to another. This, for a while, was beautiful, but I often longed for a sight of some clover, and timothy, and grass fields, such as at this season render our country so pleasant. "Nor have they orchards, except of the olive, which is a very ugly tree. The verdure is, however, most delight- ful, and the wild flowers along the roads and in the fields numerous and beautiful beyond description. Sometimes there are plantations of the orange and the lemon.
"You must tell Mr. Berrian that since I came on this route his book 1 has been my constant companion. In this city from various un- avoidable circumstances, I have seen but little ; but in the kingdom of Naples I believe I have gone beyond him. I made a most interesting excursion, through a country, for a considerable distance more pictur- esque than any I have seen, to Pæstum, an ancient city, of which nothing is left except a few of the gates, a small portion of the walls, and two large temples, and another building, supposed to be for civil purposes, which are considered as the finest remains of antiquity in Italy. I also visited twice the Camaldoli hill and hermitage back of Naples, from which there is a prospect said to be the second in the world. " Your affectionate husband,
"J. H. HOBART." "
In regard to the election of an assistant minister Mr. Berrian wrote fully :
"NEW YORK, June 1, 1824. " RIGHT REV. & DEAR SIR :
"In my last letter I gave you an account of the appointment of a Committee, to take into consideration the propriety of filling up the va-
1 Travels in France and Italy in 1817-18.
' Berrian's Memoir, vol. i, p. 294. -
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1824]
cancy in the place of assistant minister in Trinity Church. I opposed it and was alone. I could not feel satisfied until I saw Mr. Harrison about it. He had been confined to his house all winter. I stated my views of the subject to him, in which he entirely agreed with me, and he said if it were possible he would attend the meeting when the re- port was made. He did so. When the report was brought up, he asked if the Committee were unanimous. I then remarked that they were not entirely so, that I had acquiesced in it without approving of it, that it did seem to me that the appointment of an assistant minister in the absence of the Rector without any consultation with him or even notice being given to him, would not be delicate and re- spectful. That the Rector undoubtedly ought to show great deference to the opinions and wishes of the Vestry and people in such a matter, but that on the other hand, they ought to have a very tender con- sideration for the feelings and views of the Rector. That no one had so deep an interest in such a measure as himself. That his comfort and happiness, from the close relation in which he was brought with his assistant, were intimately connected with the choice that was made, and not only so, but the well being and harmony of the Parish like- wise. That I had known you long and intimately, and from my knowl- edge of your views and feelings, I was persuaded that the news of this step would surprise you. That for these reasons I could not approve the report.
"I begged, however, not to be misunderstood. My remarks had no reference to the individual thought of, whoever he might have been, my views would have been the same. I had previously in my conver- sations with Vestrymen individually taken great pains to state that you had no prejudice against Mr. S. and a sufficient proof was that he held his temporary appointment through you.
"A leading member arose, who seemed to think but little stress ought to be laid on these objections, and he took the very strange ground that though the nomination of the first assistant was indispensi- ble to his being legally called, yet the nomination of the other assist- ant ministers was granted to the Rector as a mere matter of courtesy, and he always understood it to be so. Mr. Harison then replied. He said that as the nomination by the Rector of the first assistant minis- ter was indispensible, in all fairness of reasoning and in the spirit of the Charter, the nomination of the others was also necessary, and that the qualification in the Charter ' that all things should be regulated according to the model of the Church of St Mary le Bow in London ' confirmed this construction. There no assistant could be put upon
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the Rector without his consent. It is impossible to relate all he said on the subject, but he spoke strongly and pointedly on it, in most of the views which could be taken of it. Mr. Hampton Lawrence spoke well and to the purpose : and one or two other members likewise.
" The adoption of the report, through this opposition was pre- vented at least for that time. I am afraid however, it will be ac- cepted at our next meeting, and then you will have an assistant minister put upon you, whom for a multitude of reasons, I could wish you had known better.
"I have acted in this matter with the tenderness and delicacy re- quired by the unbounded popularity of Mr. S., but with a firmness which has brought upon me a good deal of odium. But I have waived every consideration, though there are many that have weighed with me, but what related to yourself.
" Do you ever remember to have had a conversation with Mr. S. in which he expressed with frankness his disagreement with you in re- gard to the question of the Bible Society and baptism, and in which you waived the subject and spoke of them as trifles? I am al- most ashamed to ask you so absurd a question, knowing the answer that must be given, but still I wish you would let me know what passed, if you remember it. I will let you know more about this business soon.
"Yours affectionately, " WILLIAM BERRIAN.
"RIGHT REV. BP. HOBART." 1
This letter of Mr. Berrian's was supplemented by a letter from his friend and Vestryman, Mr. T. L. Ogden.
" NEW YORK, 7 June, 1824.
" MY DEAR SIR,
"Your letter of the 27 febry is the last I have had from you, altho' my accounts of you thro' Mr. Thomas and others reach to the first of April. I am very glad to learn that your health was then bet- ter. The appearance of two volumes of your Sermons leads some of us to apprehend that you have been too much occupied in revising them & superintending the publication. We all hope the labour being finished, nothing will remain after your return from the Continent which can counteract the benefits of your expected Tour thro' England.
1 Berrian MSS.
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I can imagine nothing more agreeable nor more likely to promote your recovery. We are somewhat decided on the question of giving a regular call to Mr. Schroeder. He is in every respect acceptable to the congregations and they are really uneasy lest we should lose him. Under these circumstances a Committee of whom I was one, reported in favour of the call, but doubts were expressed, I. As to the right of the assistant rector to nominate 2. As to the propriety of such a step in your absence.
"Upon recurring to the Minutes I find that Mr. Berrian was nominated by Dr. Beach & Mr. Onderdonk by yourself, then being as- sistant, and apart from these precedents there is nothing in the Char- ter which gives the right of nomination to the Rector except in regard to the Office of his Rector Assistant & the Parish Clerk. The nomi- nation of assistant ministers having been conceded on different occa- sions on the ground, as I suppose of fitness and analogy. I, therefore, think there is no legal objection to the measure, and considering the assistant as your representative & deputy I cannot perceive that there can be any Impropriety in making an appointment on his nomination, especially as Mr. S. has came to us under your Sanction, and upon the understanding that, if on Trial he should prove acceptable he would be chosen to fill the vacancy. Indeed I consider him as virtually nom- inated by you, subject only to the approbation of the people and Ves- try, and when nothing is objected to him on the score of principles or character & that approbation is decidedly expressed, it appears to me to be an affectation of delicacy to hesitate in doing what the Interests & peace of the Church seem to require under any doubt of your con- currence. After the long vacancy which has existed & the dissatisfac- tion which has been manifested under the late arrangements to supply our pulpits, it was to be expected that the Congregations would be eager to secure a regular Minister when the opportunity should offer, and this Expectation has been fully realised on this occasion. Mr. S. has become really popular, and we are (individually) assailed every day by Inquiries why he is not called. I believe it is best to allay this excitement, and I incline to go into the appointment before your return, not only to relieve you from responsibility but to rid you of the pain & trouble of taking any part in terminating the connection between the Vestry and the two present Incumbents. Why should these arrangements be postponed to perplex and trouble you on your return ? The report of the Committee will probably be acted on at the next meeting of the Vestry, and whatever may be your view as to the propriety of the course they may adopt, I ask not only on behalf
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of myself but of many others of your friends with whom I have been accustomed to act that you will not consider us as wanting in respect towards you, nor less disposed than we ever have been to consult and gratify your personal wishes.
" If it were possible to suppose that you would hesitate in nomi- nating Mr. S. which is the only supposition that can be urged against his appointment in your absence, I would be the more anxious to ex- cuse you from the many disagreeable consequences of a state of things which at the happy moment of your return would place you in col- lision with -9 ths of your people.
"Therefore, give me credit, I pray you for looking as I always do to the preservation of your influence over and your strong hold upon the affections of the Congregation.
"We are all well, and beginning to look forward with joyful antici- pations to the period of your return. God grant that these anticipations may be realised and that nothing may occur to mar in any degree those which in your most happy musings you have always associated with that event.
"I am ever & most affectionately, dear & reverend Sir, "Your faithful friend & Servt " T. L. OGDEN " THE RT. REVD BISHOP HOBART "
This letter from the Rev. George Washington Doane, afterwards Bishop of New Jersey, is of value as it shows that his Songs By the Way was dedicated to Bishop Hobart, a fact not generally known, and also gives a pleasant description of the new Rectory being built by the Corporation for their Rector at 50 Varick St., adjoin- ing St. John's Chapel.
"NEW YORK, Wednesday June 23: 1824
"RT. REV & VERY DEAR SIR
"Had I followed the dictates of my own inclination this had not been the first occasion of my addressing you. It was the conviction that in the multiplicity of men & things which must call for your atten- tion while abroad any addition to your list of correspondents would be found a most irksome intrusion which has thus far restrained my pen. And when I consider how many there are whose claims upon your time are superior to mine, I know not whether it had not still been restrained
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but for the apprehension that the liberty which I have taken with your name demands at least some explanation. I use no stronger term than this both because I would not by pleading 'guilty' anticipate your censure when surely if the 'quo animo' be regarded, no censure will be incurred, and because I would not trouble you with any parade of excuses being in their construction as apt to fail, as you, Sir, if I mistake not to be displeased at their reception.
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