Dean Batcher was perfectly right in that his old friends in Ching would be glad to hear of his recent heroic labours amid the cholera-stricken people of Cairo, and of his having passed nadeathed through so'searching Whatever miy have been passed upon the Dean by those who occupied the position of critics rather than of frioide, overybody will acknowledge with gratitude the: unflinching manner in which he performed the more essentially pastoral duties of his office, and the cheerful tenderness of his visite to the sick. Dean Butcher's letter, however, seems partly at any rate intended to exp! hesitation in acting on the wishes nds that he should return to his ministry in Shanghai. He was warned by his medical advisers that his health would not, at that time, stand another period of sojourn in China; he was thus kept in Egypt, and the services he has been since enabled to render to the victims of the plague in that country are now recognised by him as the true reason why he was led to remain among them. This statement of the Dean's is followed by an unmistakeable bint that his daties in Egypt are now drawing to a clos he would be by no means un: view of the improvement in his health, to contemplate a return to Shanghai at some definite and perhaps not very distant date. His resignation has not been formally accepted by the subscribers, it is true; but it has been so far acted upon by the Trastees that they Lave appointed another clergyman as a successor to Mr. Groves for a period of three years. It is unnecessary to reopen the vexed question as to the wisdom of this step, The thing is done, and in view of the enigmatical nature of the Deau's communications the Trustees doubtless felt that no other course was open to them. It would therefore be manifestly unfair to the present incumbent were any stop taken which would in any degree interfere with his rights and privileges pastor of Trinity Cathedral. The would be the first to acknowledge that the universal wish of the subsori. here was that he should return to his old post, and that that wish was un-mistakenlily and repeatedly expressed the newspapers, in private letters, at subscribers' meetings, and in telegrams forwarded to him by the Trustees. Everything was done that could be done to induce Dean Batcher to return; and failing this, everything was done that could be dono to got Deao Batcher to say whether he wished to return or rot. It was not till after months had been spent in fruitl negotiations—fruitless, because nobody could make out what it was the Dean wanted—that he sent in a formal resign jon; and that have stated, has not yet been formally accepted. Nothing. could be more unsatisfactory.' There is only one point on which we can.epeak with any certainty. Mr. Smith was ap: pointed as the successor, not of Dean Butcher, but of Mr, Groves. It will therefore rest with the subscribers to decide at the next annual meeting whether the Dean's resignation shall be accepted as it stands, or, if withdrawn, what stops shall be taken with a view to inviting him to return after the expiry of the three years during which Mr, Smith will remain as incumbent of Trinity Cathedral
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.