The Sun. — London, England, 1829-06-22 00:00:00

Lance ; and while they are writhing under the caprice of a superior who may plunge them in a moment in - destitution, they are doomed to wit:- De i s .every where around them the specta c le o f • • -: r ielt.Pluralists, for whom the law has no restraints. The state of the Curates of the Church of Eng land was laid before the publi c by one of their tiumbyr, ,itui letter to the Archbishop of Can terbury, a few Months ago. Speaking of the manner in which the late Act in behalf of the Curates has been carried into execution, he says, " To enumerate all the paltry evasions, time scan dalous misrepresentations, the crafty subterfuges, the shuffling expedients, the mean tricks, and the direct lies, by which the plain and benevo- lent intentions of the Legislature have been de feated, would be disgusting to any candid mind, and would furnish ample materials for another volume of Mrs. Opie's Illustrations of Lying, in ail its branches: Grace is -aware that, amongst the ministers of truth, evation4 which would fix indelible disgrace on tnekt of any rank in society, however low, are ktot. uncommon ; that giving a title for orders' 13 seized on as a common pretext for consider ably abridging the rightful stipend to the Curate ; that a rent is often exacted by non-resident in cumbents for the Curate's occupation of the Parsonage-house, to which he has a legal claim ; and that notes of hand to repay a part of the sum promised are often required from the Curate before or after his nomination, to secure the in cumbent iu case payment of the full sum due to the Curate should ever be demanded." The great evil is the enormous discretionary powers of the Diocesans, the shameful partiality dis play tl by them in carrying the laws into execu tion, and the dependence of the working Clergy. The observation is as old as the days of Homer, that when a Man becomes a slave he loses half his virtue ; and the Curates of the Church of england, and those who hold small livings and must eke out their incomes by an adjoining Curacy, are slaves in every sense of the word. We cannot conceive a more perfect engine for corrupting a country, than an Institution in which such a number of individuals exist in a most degrading state of dependence. It has been forcibly observed, that " the History of Church property is a history of fraud. Its ac quisition, in almost nine cases out of every ten, has been effected in opposition both to the laws of man and the laws of God." All attempts to meet the evil by Legislation have signally failed. The Legislature has never shown itself . so ()play unprincipled as when it comes in contact with Churchmen. We need only mention the case of Wright, the informer, when Parliament was mean enoug h to interfere, to save the Clergy from the penalties it had just imposed. THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN AND THE REV. J. WRAY. To THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE. Sir,—l pledged myself two days ago that an ex planation should be given to the " holy and edify ing" article in the 'Times upon the above case. That pledge I am now permitted to redeem. The Times asserts that the Bishop is justified in having deprived Mr. Wray of his Curacy on the fol lowing grounds : Because Mr. Wray's own son was afterwards licensed by the Bishop to the same Curacy. Because Mr. Wray holds the Vicarage of Bardney only " through the Bishops indulgence ;" and Because Mr. Wray also holds a rectory worth 4501. per annum. I have no doubt that it gratified the Archdeacon to see so dark a case skilfully exhibited in so fa vourable a light. One would suppose, from the official statement, that Mr. Wray was not an op pressed, but an ungrateful man ; and that he grumbled only in the spirit of a greedy pluralist Now, Sir, it is true that Mr. Wray holds the rec tory of Manby ; but that, the Archdeacon knows, is not the whole 0 uth. It is unnecessary to occupy your columns or the attention of others with a detail of private affairs. I enclose a paper to satisfy you that I am not imposing upon the public ; and the Archdeacon is aware, that although Mr. Wray holds the living, he has but a peppercorn interest in it. The Reverend Dignitary never, to my knowledge, eschewed a good thing in all his various lines of life; and if he deems the holding of the rectory of Manby to be such, Mr. Wray's life -interest in it is at his service, as a free gift, without purchase or redemp tion ! He shall even have it for a " cousin," if his own hands are already full with pensions and pre ferment ! With this declaration, I leave the world to pronounce upon the justification, and upon the spirit in which it was attempted. As to the succession of Mr. Wray's son to the Curacv, the Archdeacons know also that the Bishop bill nothing to do with it. Mr. Wray's son was appointed by the incumbent's trustees, and the Bishop could not refuse to license him. I congra tulate his Lordship upon the unavoidable act of generosity imputed to him. The Archdeacon needs not to be told, that although a mandamus to confer honorary titles upon clerical parvenus may be slighted, there is another mandamus which even Bishops must obey. I ought not to omit that the succession to the curacy was no object to the son and no benefit to the father. As to the " indulgence" by which the Vicarage is held, I have already explained the nature and merit of it, and am quite satisfied that it will be properly exercised. The truth is, Sir, that the attempt is made to arrest inquiry, not only into this particular case, but into the system, the abuses of which it exposes. You will be surprised to hear, that after all this fuss about the sin of a poor Clergyman not doing double duty in a scanty vicarage, there are not three instances of its being done in the whole archdeaconry; that after all this outcry for residence, the Bishop does not reside in his Diocese, and his Archdeacon resides in London ! You will be surprised to learn that forty-two Dignitaries and four Vicars, who are remunerated by one hundred.and forty-nine pieces of.preferment, are called upon for single duty only as a body; and as for residence, I question if many of then) know the road to their awn Cathedral. It is a mockery to call this Justice. Ido not deny that the discipline forced upon Mr. Wray is desir able ; but as matters . stand, I say that it is forced harshly and capriciously, and that is all that Mr. Wray liiinself says. Your obedient Servant, JUSTUS. The Times of Friday says, that it has been at some pains to investigate the circumstances of the case of Mr. Wray and the Bishop of Lin coln, which we gave some days ago from a pam phlet published by Mr. Wray, and communicates the following as the result of its inquiries : " It is very true, as Mr. Wray states, that the Bishop, by obliging him to perform double duty in his parish church of Bardney, forced him to relin quish the curacy of Horsington ; but it is-,equally true that his Lordship subsequently licensed Mr. Wray's son to the vacant cure. Bardney,. also, may be a living of small value, of 604 of 70t f t-1 year; but Mr. Wray has omitted to state in his pam phlet, and our cotemporaries were prOtahlY unac quainted with the fact, that the same gentleman holds also, in the same diocess, another living, that of Manby, the annual value of which is between 4501. and 500/. a year. And, lastly, the living of Bardney itself, which is in the patronage of the Bishop, is at the present time, and was, when Mr. Wray was called upon for double duty, legally void able, and is only retained by that gentleman through the Bishop's indulgence. We think, therefore, that the public will con. elude with us, that Mr. Wray has najust cause to complain of his diocesan. And here we would wish the matter to rest. It is an unholy and unedifying sight for clergymen to be tearing each other to pieces in pamphlets." All our knowledge was derived from the pam phlet of Mr. Wray. We have deemed it our duty to copy the above statement from the Times, without being able to speak of our own know ledge as to its correctness. We insert at the same time the following letter, which we received yesterday : " To the EDITOR of the MORNING CHRONICLE. " THE BISIIVP OF LINCOLN AND 'THE REV. T. WRAY. " official sort of article appeared yester day in a Morning caper upon the above case, in which the writer imagined, by distorting facts and canting about the ' unholy and unedifying' practice ' of clergymen tearing each other to pieces in pam phlets,' to set the matter at rest. That the Reverend the Archdeacon is pretty well ' torn to pieces,' I admit ; and that the informant of the Times desires the matter to rest here,' I can readily believe. But in this matter the Public also have an interest. Dr. Kay and Dr. Goddard are not the only patties to be consulted in the petty reform they have commenced in ecclesiastical discipline. " With regard to the discoveries of the Times, all I ask is this—hear the explanation. I have no au thority to give it, though fully capable of doing so. That it will be given, I have no doubt—not a sha dow of doubt. There is one point, however, upon which I will venture to anticipate it. A hint—an indirect threat—is held out that Mr. Wray holds his Vicarage of Bardney ' through the Bishop's indul gence. This sort of reasoning is unmanly and tyrannical. The Bishop is vested with the power of declaring the Vicarage void, as he is of nearly all the benefices to the patronage of which he succeed ed, and it is to the contingency of his abusing that power that his advocates appeal as a knock-down argument. I happen, however, to know, for their comfort, that this argument has already been tried loog ago—lolidem verbis—upon the Reverend Gen tleman. I have seen it under seal episcopal—and it was treated with the manly contempt it merited.— Your obedient servant, "JUSTUS." ' (FROM THE MORNING HERALD.) The state of the Established Church, as re gards the unequal distribution both of its labours and emoluments, has long been a subject of anxiety and apprehension to every disinterested well-Wisher to its permanence and prosperity. Facts, upon this and upon every other subject, are stubborn things ; and we should like the most satisfied encomiast of things as they are to tell ns coolly and dispassionately how he thinks the important office of cure of souls must be per formed in a Church in which 347 of its digni taries enjoy no less than 1,155 benefices ; and this while no small part of the Curates—the really labouring part of the Clergy—have not emoluments any thing equal to the wages which the major part of these same dignitaries pay to their butlers, cooks, and coachmen. From a document which we published lately, it appears that the benefices in England amount to 2,200 in number; that these arc held by 7,659 per sons ; and that of this latter above half are pluralists. Now what would be thought if half the officers in the Army and Navy belonged to two regiments and ships ? Yet we should think that holding one commission in the Blues and another in the Buffs, or the being a Midshipman in a frigate, a Lieutenant in a 74, and an Ad miral of the Fleet, at one and the same time, quite as proper, though probably not quite so practicable, as one and the same person being a Bishop, a Dean, a Prebendary, a Rector, and Vicar, in the same breath. We do not over state the matter when we say this ; for from the same account it appears that -370 persons hold 3 pieces of preferment. 73 38 13 1 1 151! Who this last person can be we should like to know. He must either have more zeal for reli gion or more love of himself than common minds are capable of containing. But we would seri ously ask, is this a state of things which can or ought to continue ? It cannot be denied that great part of the opposition which the Catholic claims have experienced has arisen from well founded fears of danger to the Church Esta blishment. Well, then, admit these to have any foundation, the fears are realised. Concession has been granted ; and the danger, if any, is at the door. If the danger from without could not be averted, is it not the more incumbent upon us to look at the weak points within, and to fortify them, now that the ramparts have been scaled, and the garrison dislodged from the outworks ? We know full well that it is the fashion with those vho fatten on its abuses, or who are hungering after vacant stalls, to hold up every one as an enemy of the Church who speaks out as we are now doing upon this subject.—Such a course, however, is as fallacious as the ground on which it rests is erroneous. (FROM THE MORNING ADVERTISER•) It is now generally stated that the Revenue for the present quarter will fall considerably below that of the corresponding quarter for the las year. The decrease on the Customs is stated at 58,0001., and on the Excise at 43,000/. — To counterbalance this falling off, which evi dently arises from the distressed state of. the country, and the paucity of means left to the in dustrious part of the community, the Govern ment has, in part, made up by enforcing the Stamp Acts with the greatest rigour, and levying every shilling in the shape of Assessed Taxes which could possibly be collected. On the former there is, in consequence, an increase of 14,000/., and on the latter of 46,000/. ; so that the total decrease only amounts to 41,0001. — But the decrease in the Customs and in the Excise is a proof that the country is not in a flourishing condition ; and therefore were the amount of the Revenue, under such circum stances, even to exceed that of last year, it would efford no subject for rejoicing. (FROM THE EXAMINER.) THE DEPARTED SESSION.—A philosopher has fancifully contended that mankind are only capable of receiving a limited portion of truth at any one time, and that if knowledge gains ground in a particular direction, error will in some other quarter be making proportionate en croachments. In the elements which direct the affairs of our nation, a similar observation appears to hold good, for our political at mosphere appears capable of absorbing only a certain degree of improvement at a season, and having taken up the particles of good of which it is susceptible, it leaves the rest'to stagnate in Aeglect till the prompt surfeit of beneficence has slowly passed away. The closed Session of Parliament has been a Session of one act. The Legislature achieved a single measure of benefit, and instantly sunk into a delicate languour of exhaustion, which has suspended all useful la bours. Something of conceit, something of compliment, something of policy, there has been in this general abeyance of action. According to the old story, when the good simple gentle man in the House of Commons uttered a com mon-place, he was so overwhelmed by the sense of his own performance, and its disproportion to the ordinary capacity of mortal man, that he sunk down fainting in his seat, and muttering in. modest ectacy, " Non nobis, non nobis, Do mine ! sed nomini tuo gloria detur." he Ministry, which discovered, in the year 1828 that a belief in the Catholic religion need not disqualify for office, has been a little touched with a like conceit, and permitted itself_ to be rather inordinately grateful for it own wonders. The disposition has met every encouragement. At the close of the last Session, certain symp toms gave sanguine men to believe that the Duke of Wellington had conceived the principle of toleration. In the course of the summer his Grace was reported to be big with Catholic Relief; by the autumn it was confidently affirmed that the Bill was quick, and moving, in ventre. All these rumours we doubted, con sidering the age of the Duke and the constitu tion of his mind, as inferred from his past poli tical career; and with these regards we accounted it a Johanna Southcote case, and looked for tympany rather than a Shiloh bringing peace to a distracted nation. The King's speech, how ever, dissipated all doubt—the words were the cry of labour, and the " Juno Lucina, fer opera serva me, obsecro," of a parturient Mi nister, resounded through Whitehall. The Premier lay in, and was safely delivered after a short but sharp labour. We all remember the case of the Princess, one of the Four Sisters, in " The Arabian Nights," who was brought to bed of a young Prince handsomer than the day, with diamond eyes and silver hair, which re markable birth the malevolent and envious sis , . ters of the lady wickedly concealed, confidently affirming to the Sultan, her husband, that her Highness had been delivered of a brick-bat. Our Duke suffered a similar injustice. We, in common with all persons in their proper senses and proper politics, will vouch for the diamond eyes and silver hair of his offspring ; there are those, however, who still insist it was nothing better than a brick-bat. Up to this period,. all _ was well. We rejoiced to find the Duke ano ther Sarah, fruitful in age —with pleased wonder we saw the truncheon, mere stick of command as it had seemed in our eyes, miraculously sprouting forth the greenest myrtle. When the Duke had afforded his one good produce, the natural appetite was, however, for more of the same quality, and to keep him teeming ; but this • has not suited the ideas of the Whig gossips, who have delighted in coddling him to inactivity, exactly as they pampered Canning in all his mischievous tendencies. The straw has been down, and the knocker tied up for the whole Session, and the Whigs have been doing nothing but sipping candle and eating cake with the Duke, and pretending that, in his delicate situation, it would be barbarous to think of any concern but nursing the pet. No noise, no light, no stir, no moving, is the whispered ad monition, and no inquiries are suffered but those of the tenderest sort. How d'ye do' in vestigations. A pampering of this kind might have been allowable and tolerable enough for the customary month, though the Duke, tough old soldier as he is, might have been as hardy as a soldier's wife, and in the straw one day and in the baggage waggon the next ; but to carry the nursing and fondling and deferring and dawdling and maudling through a good quarter, was too much for human pa: tience, or aught but Whig complacency. What has been the effect ? that, as we set out with observing, it haS been a Session of one act, that act. of negative benefit, simply the privation of an evil. In consideration of this exhausting ser vice, every other useful measure or necessrry consideration has been postponed, slurred over, or scandalously defeated. The Game Law Re form has been thrown out, Chancery Reform thrust over, Mr. Otway Cave's resolutions on West India Slavery unsupported even by the voice of a single Saint, Parliamentary Reform left to the Marquis of Blandford, and a negative put upon the affirmed existence of corrupt boroughs, together with a host of other instances of meglect, abandonment, or betrayal of duty we have neither space nor patience to recite. In deed, following the example of certain South- American Indians, it would almost seem that because his Majesty's Government had been de livered of a good law, his Majesty's Opposition had thought proper to lie in (in more sense than one) and adopt the inactivity proper to the other side, with only a father's part in the fruit. It w is sufficiently clear that tile disposal of the Catholic question would produce some great changes in the character of politics, in which it had so long acted as a distinguishing test. It is gone, and the cement of parties crumbles with it ; how they will re-form, what new combina tions and directions they may take, we cannot even speculate, for the longer we observe, the le<s confident we become of tile motives of pub lic men. The line of demarkation between Government and Whig opposition is altogether effaced, and the course is quite open across the floor to the Treasury benches. This is a con venience which will doubtless have its operation, and here we cannot lose the cpportunity of' com plimenting the old Whigs on their prudence in having laid tile demonstration of their principles on a moon-shine dispute. This point weather ed, they are now free to trim their sails to any wind. How they may go, we cannot guess, for, as we have already intimated, faith is waxing faint with us. We have witnessed of late so many cases of debauchery, and so many more indications of frailty, that we know not where to look with any reasonable reliance for the virtue of constancy. The game of politics is far too tricky for men of simple purposes and simple means. The expediences which are necessary to playing it are the rot of integrity. Men begin by departing from principles for objects of public policy, and end with abandoning them for their own convenience. When we make these re marks, it is far from our design to assert that there is more political profligacy now than at any preceding period. On the contrary, we know the present age will gain by comparison with that of Walpole, for example ; but circum stances of our own time had tended to raise the credit of professed patriots above its just degree. The violent Government made strenuous oppo sitions, and excluded desertions ; hence we were encouraged to mistake the absence of temptation for improved constancy and inflexible devotion to the just cause. In Lord Londonderry's time, the flag of despotism was so strongly coloured, of so crimson a hue, that no man professing the principles of rational and practical social liberty, could pretend to doubt its cruel colour, and all were kept at their posts. Now, on tile contrary, the motley Exchequer is any one's wear, this Member goes over to it for its white squares, while another adheres to it for the black. A man-of-war's crew blockading a hostile Ota heite would be as apt to be chaste as a Whig Opposition was to be honest in conflict with the tomahawk Castlereagh Government. With th mitigated hostility and intercourse of flags of truce came the seduction. It is the desertion and falling-off of men who had signalized them selves in the contest of forced fidelity to their standards which now strikes us, and affects with perhaps an unreasonable extension of mistrust. The new Police Act is the only measure of the Session, after the Relief Bill, which pretends to useful reform, and we should have named it as a credit to Mr. Peel, had its provisions accorded with the principle stated in its introductory speech, but such is not the case. He demon strated the policy of uniformity, and he brings in a bill of piecemeal operation. One fact can not fail to have been impressed upon the minds of the principal actors in public life, by the in trigues, difficulties, and troubles of the last year, namely, the extreme inconvenience of having to do with a wise and virtuous Monarch. The main question with a Minister is not whether a measure is necessary or salutary, but how the King will like it . 2 —w hat is the Royal taste on it ? He does not confine himself to the consi deration of the good of the public, but in addi tion to this sufficiently heavy task, has to com pass the fancies or prejudices of the Head of the State. If his Majesty's brain were alone involved in this enquiry, the perplexity would not be so great ; but the various influences about the Royal person make a combination of stupendous intricacy. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION-HOUSE. On Saturday, a female, about 30 years of age, named. Con fort Patience Turner, was brought be fore the LORD MAYOR, charged with having very much annoyed a respectable young man named Mar tin, who carries on the business of a grocer in the city of London on his own account. The defendant, although a servant, appeared without a cap and in curls. Mr. Mania said, that he had a very extraordinary statement to make respecting this defendant. She had lived as servant to his mother for four or fire years, and conducted herself very much to the satis faction of her mistress. Afterwards she lived with him in a similar capacity, but she took such vagaries into her head about love, that it was impossible to keep her longer in the house. The witness accord ingly got rid of her as soon and as gently as he could. She, however, constantly made her appear ance in his shop, as if she had a claim upon him, and acted in such a manner as was calculated to lead his neighbours to the conclusion that he had done her some mischief which she could not preva;l upon him to repair, although bound in honour to do so. The fact was, she wished for a husband, and was of opinion that she could get a good one with out going farther. He expostulated with her fre quently on the absurdity of her behaviour, and threatened to take the advice of a magistrate, but she was determined upon being married to a shopkeeper, and she therefore used to walk into the shop, and while the customers were waiting to be served, to dash the weights and scales and other apparatus about. The effect of this was, the neighbourhood began to suspect that he had seduced her. The Lola) MAYOR asked the defendant what she meant by proceeding in so nonsensical a course. There was only one circumstance which could excuse or palliate such conduct. , The complainant asked her whether she had it in her power to say that he had done her any injury ? She replied, that he had not ruined her virtue, certainly, although he had ruined her feelings and her happiness for ever. It was useless for her to attempt to work. He had long, long promised to make her his bride, and he had basely deceived her. She should never be happy again. Mr. Martin most solemnly denied that he had ever made any promise. of the kind, of• that he had ever said any thing to her from which a girl in her senses could have been led to believe that he mean t to marry her. The LORD MAYOR ordered her to find bail, when The defendant turned round to Mr. Martin, and begged, as a favour, that he would procure bail, and she would never tronble him again. Mr, Martin declined having anything to do with the matter; but she prayed and promised so much to the Lord Mayor, and assured him so vehemently that she would take up her mop again, and drop all thought about " the ruin of her feelings," that his Lordship consented to let her depart. He assured her, however, that if she did not keep her bond, she should cool her passion in Bridewell. WORSHIP-STREET. On Saturday Mary Medealf, a weaveress, ap peared upon adjourned summons before Mr. BRoUGUTON and Mr. TWYFORD, to show cause for her refusal to pay 4!. 13s. 7d. for damage done to a piece of gros de Naples silk, which she had con tracted to weave and return in a finished state to her employers, Messrs. Stephen Wilson and Sons, of Goldsmith -street, Cheapside. The silk in question had been destroyed by cut ting, and the employers sought to make the defen dant pay the amount of damage under the Arbitra tion Act, the sth of George IV. c. 96, which, in cases of dispute between masters and work-people, authorizes the interference of Magistrates of the county, riding, division, stewartry, barony, city, burgh, town, or place, within which tke parties reside. In this case, however, • Mr. Phillips, on the part of the defendant, objected that the Magistrates had no jurisdiction, as Mr. Wilson, the complaining party, was resident in the city of .London. On the other hand, the complaint, it appeared, had pre viously been heard in the city, but was dismissed by the worthy Alderman, the defendant being resident in the county, where he, not being a county Magi strate, had not jurisdiction. It was contended that the wording of the Act being in the plural number, both the parties must he resident in the same place. That and other objections started by the Learned Counsel were reserved by the Magistrates for con sideration; but the Act of the Legislature was found to be so vapid) , worded, that the Magistrates, as the safer course to be pursued where the matter appeared so doubtful, dismissed the summons. Mr. Phillips said it would really be a very de sirable thing for the gentlemen of the House of Com mons to keep a schoolmaster to attend to the language of their acts, for scarcely one of them could be pro duced whose meaning was to be understood from reading it. Mr. BROUGHTON—We can only take an Act of Parliament as we find it, you know, Mr. Phillips. Mr. Phillips, befcre he left the office, took an op portunity of speaking in praise of the forbearance exercised by the masters towards their men within the last few days. He felt it due to them to say so much in their behalf, and he sincerely trusted that a good understanding would continue between them. A young man, of fashionable appearance, said to be related to a gentleman of great respectability and eminence in the legal profession, was finally examined on a charge of feloniously obtaining a horse and gig from Mr. Sells, a livery-stable-keeper in Chiswell street. It appeared that on the IBth of May, the prisoner hired the horse and gig to proceed to Ware, pro mising to return by the following day, and ordered the ostler to take them to his house, No. 40, Fins bury-circus. The man went accordingly, anti de liverpeadsstahgeeporfoptheertyhotuosethaeopdrdisroolvieer,owffh. o T ca h m e e o f s r t o le m r the then knocked at the door, and asked if the gentle man lived there, and the servant told him that the gentleman, whom he had never seen before, merely called there, and asked fur his master, and finding that lie was from home waited a few minutes, say ' ing that he expected his horse and gig to call there for him. The ostler immediately mounted a horse, and rode as far as Stamford-hill in pursuit of the prisoner, but could not ,find him, and the prisoner was not seen till a fort night afterwards, when a friend of Mr. Sells met him in the gig, and told him that it had been adver tised as stolen. The prisoner said he was then go- ing to Mr. Sells. He was going in a contrary di rection, however, and the gentleman entered the gig to accompany him to the owner. The prisoner, after some attempts at evasion, at length jumped out of the gig and ran away, but was pursued and given into custody. Herrington, the officer who received him into custody, produced a number of pawnbrokers' dupli• cates, letters, and Bs. in silver, found in his pocket. LAMBETH-STREET. A rather singular interview, and one possessing no small portion of dramatic amusement, took place at this office on Saturday last between the magistrate for the day and John Joseph Stockdale, the well known publisher of Miss Harriette Wilson's (sui disant Madame Rochfort's) cyprianic adventures. On Mr. Stockdale being ushered into the justice room, he produced a Morning Paper of Friday last, and said that his object in trespassing on the atten tion of the learned magistrate was of a twofold nature —first, to complain of a report which appeared under the head of " Lambeth-street," impugning the mora lity of his character; and next, to learn whether that report was correct. Mr. Stockdale commenced his address, which was none of the shortest, by passing an animated eulogy upon his personal respectability, and proceeded to say, that to preserve it he was anxious to ascertain whether or not the expression of " his name stinks in the nostrils of the public," had been made use of, or was the gratuitous interpolation of the reporter. In asking for this information, he observed that he did so in allusion to a communication made to the tench by his sister with a view of ameliorating the situation of the foreign ladies, the Mesdames Both, and to the conversation which was saki to have sprung out of it. (Mr. Stockdale here read the report, which he described as so particularly derogatory to his re spectability.) The MAGISTRATE having listened with patience to Mr. Stockdale, and first protesting against his being held responsible for any report or paragraph that the press might in the exercise of its judgment think proper to lay before the public, replied that he had seen the account referred to, and though perhaps each syllable, as it dropped, was not given, yet, as well as his memory served him, he thought it in sub stance correct. Mrs. Stockdale, whom he now un derstood to be a near relative of Mr. Stockdale, had benevolently suggested a measure for the relief and future provision of the Hanoverian ladies; and on the name being mentioned, it struck him, as it did also a reverend fiiend who happened to be on the bench at the moment, that the suggestion came from some member of the family of the pub lisher of The Ifilson Memoirs. The question was certainly asked the messenger if such was the fact ? and he replied that Mrs. Stockdale was his sister; but that she never countenanced, or had any thing to do with the sale of a single number of the profli gate work. Mr. Stockdale—l take it, then, that the report is substantially true ? The Magistrate—l have told you that such is my opinion, and though I did not mean that the observa tion that " the name stunk in the nostrils of the public," it being addressed in what I thought a pri vate conversation to my brother Magistrate, should go forward to the world, yet as it has so happened, I am not disposed to disavow it, nor shall I retract a word of what I believe I then uttered. In making ►.he observation, I did it not invidiously, and in doing so it was with the intention of benefiting these hap- less young women; for if it was supposed that - it was the publisher of a mercenary prostitute's adven tures who came forward to promote their interests, it would tend rather to injure than improve them. Mr. Stockdale—Then, Sir, the expression I have referred to was made use of? The Magistrate— Such is my conviction ; and I do not hesitate to re peat that my impression is now as it was then, and that the name of the individual who has been the instrument of publishing those scandalous, nay more, disgusting memoirs, is in bad odour with the well regulated part of society . : this much I think it but fair and manly to say in justice to the reporter. Mr. Stockdale said, that he was certainly the publisher of Miss Harriette Wilson's Memoirs, and instead of regretting having been so, he was proud of it; he thought they exposed vice, and led to its correction ; and he did not see why he, more than those of a more elevated rank, should be held up as the object of vituperation. The MAGISTRATE — Sir, I neither mean to vitu perate nor cast any censure on you merely as Mr. Stockdale; my observations were and are confined to you as the publisher, which you avow yourself, of an immoral and scandalous work. Mr. Stockdale—l may or may not have been *wrong, that is a matter of opinion ; but why should I be perpetually traduced? The MAGISTRATE—I am not traducing you. You came here to ask two specific questions : first, whether the report you complain of is correct; and next, if I made use of the words attributed to me. I have answered you specifically to the first. I told you that I believed the report to be correct ; and to the second, that I am convinced I made use of the expression or words you allude to. Mr. Stockdale--If I have been in error to have the Duclief.s of St. A—, the Duke of W—, the Marquis C—, the Ladies P—, the Marchioness —. (Here he was proceeding with a list of the noblest names in the land of both sexes, when he was interrupted by the Magistrate, who told him that though it might suit his purpose to show up these exalted personages elsewhere in his publica tions, he would not permit that office to be made the place of exhibition.) Mr. HARDWICK, who during this colloquy was on the bench, here interposed, and said he could not see what purpose prolonging this conversation could answer. Mr. Stockdale had obtained all the infor mation he required, by the confirmation of the ac• curacy of the report ; and neither could tie or his brother magistrate permit the time of the public to be exhausted in useless discussion. Mr. Stockdale—Then, Sirs, if you were not Magistrates, I should know how to act. lam known to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and by them attended to and respected. I remember a story which I will tell you of Prince William Henry, the peseta Duke of Clarence, and Mr. Sturt, the Member of Parliament. They were midshipmen together, arid served in the same vessel, and the Prince havir ° ir insulted Sturt, he, pointing to the star on his breast, said, " If it was not for that bauble which protects you, I should soon punish your insolence." The Prince manfully pulled off his coat, gat e him the satisfaction he required, and re ceived a sound drubbing. This amusing anecdote did net induce the Ma gistrates to enter into the pugilistic arena with Mr. Stockdale, and he hurried out of the office in no very satisfied mood, and amidst the audible merri ment of those present. THAMES OFFICE. On Saturday an aged man, named Thomas ill'Auley, was charged with maliciously setting fire to his house in Cooper's-row, Aldgate, with the alleged intention of defrauding a benefit society. Mr. William Young, Secretary to a society called the Female Social Compact, held at Mr. Weston's, the Cock and Magpie, Wilson-street, Finsbury, de posed that the prisoner's wife was a member of the society, which gave compensation for any losses sustained by accidental fire. On Wednesday after noon she called upon him with a list of furniture and apparel which she said had that day been de stroyed by a fire in her house. She claimed about 131. He questioned her as to how the fire origina ted, and she said it had occurred in the parlour of her house, during her absence, but how it origi nated she could not find out. He referred her claim to two of the visitors belonging to the society, and they reported that the damage was not so great as charged, and about 5/. would be a sufficient remune ration. She was, therefore, on Thursday directenl tg . make out a correct estimate of her loss, and on Friday she again called, and said the fire had again broken out and had destroyed all her clothes, an 201. would not cover her loss. He went himtelf to make a proper inspection of the place, an found that the house rented by the prisms' . was let out in lodgings—the only part occupie by the prisoner and his wife was the parlour. Thi room was small. He observed that the wainscot was scorched in five different places, distinct fro* each other by some feet. He asked to see the re' mains of the apparel and furniture alleged to have been destroyed, and was shown a chest of drawer', a box, and two beds. The inside of the drawers was scorched, and a bundle of rags, reduced to tin' der, the female prisoner said was all that remained of her clothes. The inside of the box was also burned and that also contained burnt rags. The ticking of the bed was likewise burnt, but the fea thers and bedstead were uninjured. The flooring of the room was partially scorched. Judging from all the circumstances that this fire was not acci dentally caused, he applied at this office, and the prisoner was apprehended, and his wife followed him to the office. The box was produced. The exterior of it was altogether uninjured, but a part of the inside was burned quite black ; a heap of rags, evidently of ci lia) and linen, reduced to tinder, was all it contained. Mr. Evans, the chief surveyor, described the si tuation of Cooper's-row; it was a close cluster of houses occupied by Irish room-keepers. The pri soners had several lodgers, some of whom were in bed when the fire broke out. Ellis, an officer, said.the fire was evidently wilfully caused : it was quite impossible an accidental lire could have broken out in so many places at once. , The prisoner's wife here enumerated a variety O 1 expensive articles of dress which she said had been destroyed. She did not make any claim for her, niece's clothes; she could not, " for the life of het; tell how the tire broke out on Wednesday or Friday. She left home about twenty minutes after six on the latter morning. Her husband was then in bed, and upon her return about eight o'clock she found the neighbours putting out the fire. Her husband was gone to his woric Captain RIcHBELL observed this was quite At variance with the evidence of a woman who saw her there at half-past seven o'clock, before the fire wail discovered. _ . Mrs. M'Auley (in great agitation).—That is Msg. Prisoner—Och, hone ! sure no one will swear goy life away ; would you take my life, Judy ? (lookip% at a woman about to be examined.) This woman stated she was a lodger of the prisoner's She heard the prisoner and his ‘vife MOVi7 at a quarter past seven o'clock on Friday At half-past seven she was alarmed by the fire. She and another lodger went down ceived smoke issuing from the cracks of The window-shutters were closed. She f door was locked. She alarmed the other who were in bed, they burst open the door, tinguished the tire, which was in " patch( at different parts of the room. Neither the nor his wife were then there ; they retur the fire was put out. The prisoner was r with the lodgers for putting it out. He said the -- did you go near it ; why didn' it burn to -- ?" His wife was vel agitated. Mr. BRODERIP directed Mrs. M'Auley taken into custody, and placed in the bar by bilf husband's side. Two of the lodgers proved having extingulabe4 the tire, and the prisoner's angry observations to ' them. M'Auley said he was as inncocent as the &Ott unborn. He did not even know his wife beloura. to any club. Mr. Young said that was untrue, because he had seen him in company with his wife at the club. The female lodger here exclaimed, " Well, as I am upon my oath, I'll tell all I know about it." Mr. BRODERIP reminded her that she was sworn to speak the whole truth, and nothing more, and she would be protected from any violence or threat whatsoever. Captain RICHBELL desired her to speak strictly that which was the truth. The woman, whose name is Conolly, said s he would speak nothing but the truth, as she would answer before God. The male prisoner became much agitated, and endeavoured to catch the witness's attention. The witness said she heard the prisoner and his wife at seven o'clock in their parlour, as site was washing the passage. They were speaking in a low tone. She heard him say, " Are you ready ?" Hje wife answered, " What about these two beds ? 1 won't leave them ; I'll get 'em out." He answered with an oath, " Oh ! let them alone, let them burn to the devil, we will g et double the value." Hie wife said, " Well, here 's that old shawl; I'll chair 3s. for that." In a minute or two after, the prr soner went into the kitchen; he looked very white and frightened, and " morc like a criminal going to be hanged than any body else." He had some- . thing grasped in his hands. He did not notice the witness, but passed up into his room, and shut the door. The witness was surprised when she heard the alarm, because she believed both prisoners were within. Captain IticnnELL—Was the key leftin the door ? —Witness : No, Sir, it was not ; I saw M'Aulef take it off a spout afterwards. The door was burst open by the lodgers. Mr. BRooEstP—Were the parlour:window-sbutters fastened inside 2:—Witness : Yes, Sir, they were. I don't know whether or not they were opened that morning. The prisoners' niece slept in the same room with them ; there were two beds in the room. The prisoners said the whole of the statement was false, and wished to have legal advice. Mr. BRoDERIP said the case was one of extreme suspicioun, and required the most minute invesik gation. Captain RICUBELL concurred with his collemple• and said, so far as he was concerned, he would 4' vestigate it to the very utmost. Directions were then given to Mr. Evans OKI, Ellis to pursue certain inquiries, and the prism." were remanded until Thursday nev. An extensive failure, caused by speculation' in indigo, took place on Saturday at Liverpool. The latest accounts from Rio de Janes state, that a man had given himself up to the British At miral on the Brazilian station, who said that be was o os o' the crew of a piratical vessel which took, north of 4 13 e, Line, after a hard-fought action, the British packet Rea' pole, and that all her crew had been put to death by -d' s pirates. BIRTHS. On the 19th inst. in Clarges-strest, the lastly of A. Spearman, Esq. of a daughter. On the 19th inst. the lady of W. G. Rickman, Egi• ° f a daughter. MARRIED. On the 20th inst. at St. George's, Bloomsbury, Mr. I' Evans, of Cork, to Charlotte, youngest daughter of JO Fairhairn, of Carlisle, Esq. deceased. On the 18th inst. at Trinity-church, Regent's Fat John Green, Esq. of Soho-square, to Miss Friend, Albany-street, Regent's Park. DIED. t• On the 17th inst. at Fairfield, near Ross, deeply Istrl. o ed, Isabella, wife of Jens Wolff, Essi., late Consul W Danish Majesty at the Court of London. On the 19th inst. Anne, the wife of T. Spooner, Zlit' of Bedford-place, Russell-square. On the 18th inst. Miss Mary Ann Holmes, of Ormond-street. On the 2lst inst., Emma, eldest daughter of P. Perris/P Esq. of Brunswick-square. I, so On the 19th inst. aged 72, Mrs. S. Simons, CO place, Kent-road. On the 19th inst. in Manchester-street, Manchete; square, M. S. M'Carthey, Esq. late Colonial Pay" . at the Cape of Good Hope, aged 59. 10' On the 20th inst., William, eldest son of Mr. it• nell, of Islington, aged 25. -44°111 : 1 ~. PAINTED and Penusnan by MURDO YOUNfirkt l , ~ °Fries, tit, Smutty Lexpers. jug abmtf mottosllik e smt4l, and the found er 10 , • and " sea r e pri rued rery, ‘;' I't yoti ery .1. to b 0