tem as approaching to perfection; but the experiment proved, I believe, to the satisfaction of all, that the attempt to prevent communication of sound was a complete failure. For myself, I consider it a physical impossibility so to construct a range of cells, as to answer the purpose of constant confinement, with suitable apparatus for ventilation, heating, and cleanliness, without affording facilities for conversation between the prisoners; and I believe this to have been the opinion of the warden and overseers, at the time I was connected with that Prison. For ventilation, there must be an opportunity for the air to pass into the cells, and to escape; and where air will pass, sound will pass. The prisoners in the Western Penitentiary were in the habit of conversing through the ventilators; and this could not be discovered by the overseers, unless they were watching outside of the cells, as the sound would not communicate to the observatory or the hall, where the overseers are stationed. An amusing incident happened, on one occasion, which will serve to illustrate the many ways of communication, which the ingenuity of men thus situated will contrive. A rat or mouse had been domesticated by a prisoner in one of the cells in the lower story. He was allowed to amuse himself in this way, as no harm was likely to result from it; but, very much to the surprise of the overseers, the rat or mouse was found in the upper cell. It was afterwards ascertained that the prisoner in the upper cell had attached a weight to a string, and thrown it into the pipe, which is placed in the top of the cell to carry off foul air. This pipe communicates with the one that goes out of the lower cell; and the weight dropped down below. The prisoner in the lower cell tied the string to the rat, and thus he was drawn up to the second story.

Again, for cleanliness, there must be some contrivance for carrying off filth; and this furnishes another medium for communicating sound. In this prison, large water-pipes run through the whole range of cells. These are designed to be kept full of water, and discharged once in twenty-four hours. But it is scarcely possible to keep a stop-cock so tight as to prevent a little leakage. If there is any sand in the water, it will prevent it from shutting close. The consequence is, that the pipes are never kept quite full of water, and thus a free communication for sound is left, through a whole range of cells. But, if this could be obviated, the prisoners will converse during the letting off of the

water.

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Again, there must be some arrangement for communicating heat to all the cells from a common source; and wherever heat can pass, sound will pass. Here the cells are warmed by steam, which passes in pipes through the whole range. The expansion created by heat opens a crevice, where the pipe passes through the wall, sufficient to admit of the passage of sound. Convicts have been known to place a tin basin upon this pipe, and to hold the opposite end in their teeth, standing near the wall, in adjoining cells, and thus converse with comparative ease. It has been attempted to prevent this, in the last block that has been built, by

wrapping the pipes in cloth, where they pass through the wall; but it is probable the heat will soon destroy the elasticity of the cloth, and leave the evil worse than before.

"If this communication can be of any use to the cause of Prison discipline, you are at liberty to make such use of it as you think proper.

"Very respectfully, yours,

"HARVEY NEWCOMB."

A Sermon. By EDWARD, [STANLEY,] Lord Bishop of Norwich; preached at his installation, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 1837. Norwich, 8vo. pp. 22. The recollection of the liberality of character and freedom from all religious bigotry or narrowness of mind, which so honorably distinguished the late venerable bishop Bathurst of Norwich, led us to open with a strong feeling of interest this installation sermon of his successor. It is gratifying to find it such as it is, worthy of the office and of the man who filled it before him. At a time when strenuous efforts are made in many quarters to cast obloquy on all enlargedness of views in the establishment, and it is boasted that "the church" is fast coming under the exclusive dominion of one of the sects which have heretofore divided it between them, it is grateful to find the language of a dignitary, when solemnly setting forth the principles on which he intends to administer his office, altogether free, independent, and liberal. Little as we like the mitre, if it always gave countenance to sentiments like those of this most manly and Christian address, we should apprehend less from its influence. We quote for our readers a few passages, for the sake of putting on record the commendable sentiments of the new bishop. In the first of these passages, beginning with a reference to the example of the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, as that which should be his chief guide, he pays a just tribute to the memory of the distinguished prelate who for thirty-one years had held the office before him.

"What course then did he adopt, that all might be brought to a knowledge of the truth and become one fold; that all people and nations and languages should serve him. He extended the arms of his mercy and loving kindness to all, whether believers or unbelievers, the Jew, the Gentile, the worshipper at Jerusalem, or the Samaritan separatist who worshipped in the mountain. He acknowledged all as claimants alike for his care and attention, and fit recipients for the glad tidings of reconciliation, not for the Jewish nation only, but that he should gather together in one, the children of God that were scattered abroad.'” *

*

*

"With such an authority before us, from which there can be no appeal, from inclination as well as from duty, from long ex

perience that such is the surest mode of winning souls, am I prepared to act towards all, who, however differing in shades of opinion, and severed from each other in classes of different denominations, have the love of God at heart, and acting according to the dictates of conscience, though not strictly of the fold of our own church, yet form a portion of that community in which all churches, sects, and parties unite under the designation of the Church of Christ.

"And here must be present to your recollection one who went to his grave in a full age, and like as a shock of corn cometh in his season, was gathered into the garners of eternity-my venerable and respected predecessor, who was a proverbial illustration of the character I have described - whose mildness, and meekness, and Christian forbearance endeared him alike to every Christian, were he churchman or dissenter, of ours or of another fold, and whose failings, if such they were, might truly be said to lean on virtue's side. Be it my endeavor to tread in such steps, convinced that by actively, zealously, and perseveringly so doing, I may hope, with all those that have departed in the faith of Christ, when the chief Shepherd shall reappear, to receive a never fading crown of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

In the same catholic spirit is the passage in which he speaks of the sin of schism.

"It is then against the spirit and not the form of division that the denunciations against schism are directed—if the heart of a man be full of love and peace, whatsoever be his outward act of division, he is not guilty of schism. Let no man then think himself free from schism, because he is in outward conformity with this or any other church. Let no man think his neighbor a schismatic, because he is not in outward conformity with this church. He is a schismatic, and he only, who creates feuds and scandals, and divisions in the Church of Christ. He who is quarrelsome, and uncharitable, and unconciliating in public or in private life, in his family or in his parish, in the common occurrences of daily intercourse, or in the political and ecclesiastical questions in which it may be his duty to be involved; whether he has left the establishment for the mere sake of turbulence and miscalled independence, or whether he continues in the establishment and excites animosities either against its members or the members of other Christian communities, of whichsoever of these faults he is guilty, it is one and the same sin, showing itself in various forms; the same sin which St. Paul so earnestly rebuked at Corinth; the same sin to which every follower of Christ in this country, whether layman or clergyman, churchman or dissenter, is liable. But he who separates only because he thinks it a painful duty; he who remains because he thinks it his duty, whatever else may be their sins, are not, so far as they separate or remain, guilty of the sin of schism."

It is not surprising, that the narrow-minded sectarianism of

many in the church, referred to above, should have found cause of displeasure in an address containing sentiments like these. It seems to have fastened with particular dislike on the new bishop's remarks concerning education. He complains in a note that his views on this subject have been misrepresented. He had pleaded for an education as extensive as possible, and therefore was reported to have advocated instruction in secular knowledge without religion.

OBITUARY NOTICE OF RICHARD BARTLETT, Esq.

[Communicated for the Christian Examiner.]

The public prints have lately given intelligence of the death of Richard Bartlett, Esq., of the city of New York. Some of the newspapers of New Hampshire, of which state, indeed, he was an honored son, and for some time, her Secretary of State, have given considerably extended notices of his life and character. One part of his life only fell under my observation, yet it was sufficient to awaken a warm interest in him; and as it was a period of painful sickness, passed in great seclusion, and some account of it may be interesting to his many friends, I have thought proper to make it the subject of a brief communication for the Christian Examiner.

About two years ago, I called on Mr. Bartlett, having been informed that he was very ill. I found that he had just passed through a most painful surgical operation, under the skilful hands of Drs. Bushe and Stevens of this city. The disease was in the head; and the operation was commenced for the purpose of investigation; but it was at length carried, in the attempt to extract a tumor, to a fearful extent. I will not distress the reader with a more particular account of it. All the details were given me by Mr. Bartlett; and the result was, that when he supposed himself compensated for all that he had suffered by having obtained effectual relief, he was informed that the tumor was cancerous, and that he could not live more than two or three months. (The event proved, I may here observe in passing, that the disease was not a cancer, and Mr. Bartlett lived twenty-two months after the operation, surviving, indeed, one of the eminent operators, Dr. Bushe.) All this account Mr. Bartlett gave me with the utmost calmness, and with equal calmness dwelt upon the fatal results. Indeed, I thought that I had never witnessed an instance of more manly and Christian resignation. As I walked homewards from this interview, I could not help

asking myself," why is it, that such a man as this, -a man of fine powers, fine person, singularly qualified to improve and adorn society, and even to shine in public stations, why is it that he is cut down in this sudden and fearful manner?" And the answer came to me, almost, I confess, as a voice; "It is that you and others may see an example of Christian firmness and 'patience! it is that you may see what a man can bear, and how he can bear it!

From this time, I constantly visited him once or twice a week, till his death. I do not propose to go into the sad and mournful details of that long sickness. The tale of sickness is not fitting, and would be scarcely useful perhaps, for record on an earthly page; but I have often thought, as I have been conversant with those heart-depressing incidents, alternations, and agonies of the sick-room, that they would have another reading, and with other eyes than those which are now filled with intent sadness, or blinding tears. But now they wear a gloomy and portentous aspect, and summon all the powers of faith and patience to meet and endure them. For nearly two years, the tumor, with which Mr. Bartlett was affected, increased in size, assailing one sense and faculty after another, destroying in succession the taste, the smell, the eye-sight, the hearing nearly, and almost the power of speech, till I began to fear that the soul would be entombed in the body, before it was set free from it. But it pleased God suddenly to cut the thread of life; and on Monday, the 22d of October, after a brief paroxysm of five minutes, he was released from his pains.

I have spoken of the firmness and patience with which Mr. Bartlett bore all this; but there was a certain naturalness in his feelings, deportment, and conversation, that gave his resignation the highest charm. There was no new character or manner adopted, to suit the peculiar circumstances in which he was placed. He did not seem to think that as a doomed man, he was privileged to be singular, or solemn, or oracular. He claimed no deference nor attention on that account. There was no pretension, nor confidence, nor assurance about him, but such as were proper to a modest, sincere, firm, pious, and philosophical mind. He called upon some of his friends in the city, after the operation that decided his fate, and told them, on going away, that he had come to say farewell to them, with an air and manner as calm, simple, urbane, and unpretending, as those of his ordinary intercourse in life. I was scarcely ever with him that he did not let fall some amusing remark, though he seldom failed in any interview to allude to the certain result of his disease. Death, indeed, seemed to have lost all its terrors, I had nearly

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