Here is a really interesting excerpt from a letter to Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia, by British Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler, in response to several halachic queries.
Dated March 22, 5615*:
". . . with regard to your second question; whether I think it advisable that you & Dr. Raphael should jointly consider what curtailments could with propriety be made in the פיוטים with the view of promoting the adoption of a certain uniform מנהג ; I beg to state, that in my opinion, such a step is not advisable under the present circumstances," because there are "evils of far greater magnitude" which need attending to in America. The letter continues:
* 1855; interestingly enough, this seems to have been the practice of the British Chief Rabbis, and likely many pious English-speaking Jews. In writing English they would use the secular month and day, but write the Hebrew year.
