The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-10 00:00:00

MR. BRIGHT AND THE BISHOP OF
OXFORD.
The following correspondence has been published in
the London Tows :

Sir,—l trust that you mity be able to find room for the
following letter, which seems to me to possess a far
wider interest than the refutation of one unfounded charge.
Very few words will explain what follows. When I read
in your paper of October 17th in the report of Mr. Bright's
speech at Glasgow hi, example of the "helpless poverty and
ignorance" of the southern labourers, taken from a pub&
'within six miles of the Royal Castle of Windsor' (a twice
repeated Insinuation), which elicited "cries id shame" from
his audience, Rat once wrote to him an I requested that, as
the scene of this ignorance must be in my diocese, he would
give me such information as would enable me to follow up
the case. This 1 old that I might learn—first, whether the
alleged ignorance existed : and, secondly, lilt did, whether
it was attributable to any neglect of the labourer, or at
"Windsor Castle," or by the "swarming lords and squires
and Established clergy," or in any way to the miserable
failure of the ruhng class which revels in power and
wealth, while at its feet lies a multitude which it has
neglected."
The following letter gives, I think, • complete answer to
these Insinuations . and perhaps it might be found that •
close sesreh into the many similar allegations which Eng-
land, Sootlami. and Irelant: have recently heard from the
same lips would 1115 utterly expose them as Me Name'. letkr
Kenn to me to expose the Windsor Castle" story.
It truth is stranger, perverted truths are often more mis-
leading than fiction—l am, Sir, yours truly, S Glom.
Nov. 1.

" ascot, Staines, (lct. 31.
"My dear Lord.—ln reply to your letter of the Eath lost ,
asking for particulars in the CAW of the family referred to by
Mr. Bright in his speech at Glasgow ;on the authority of Mr.
John Benjamin Smith. Mini King's Rids, in this parish)
as 'the case of a family in which there had grown up eleven
children, not one of whom could read or write in theslightest
degree,' t beg leave to supply you with the following infor-
mation :

With regard to the facta mentioned by Mr. Bright Mr.
Smith appear, to have been quite accurate in Ma report of
them. Ile la Indeed, a gentleman who lam quitesure would
not represent anything as a fact which was not within hia
own knowledge ; but he is not, and could perhaps scarcely
be. so well acquainted with the trivets, Mstory of this family
as I kM ; and 40. en you learn What! have to tell you about
them you will, I think, be of opiumn that neither the lords,
squires, nor Established clergy, whom Mr Bright represents
as sw wining in this neighbourhood, are fairly to blame for
the lamentanle state of Ignorance In which undoubtedly the
famier has grown up.
. . .

'the faaer we' ..it labourer In the employ of the Crown,
and came to reside In t/ 0 parish of Cranborne, within fifty
'ardent the Ascot•hraih Screw', about fourtpeo years ago. His
wages wire never bet than 12s a emit. they wore not
stopped In time of Ocknoes, nor on account of bad wrather,
and for about ball the year he could earn as much as 155. or
IS..

"tr. Ellis, the present vicar of Cranhorne ;who wu then
In charge of that part of the parish which hes since
been as•igned to me, soon found out the grou
anco in which the family were growimz op, and prevailed
on the parents to seed four of their eldett children
to school.

1h following extract from the school register chows the
result of hie efforts:—

''Jam., entered Noe 9, 1852, expelled for Irregular at-
tendance.'

He y, Frances, and Thome, entered Nov. O, nnly
attenced one week In the quarter : fees not pel.i. All three
re admitted flay 26, 18,e, and expelled for Irregular at-
tendance '

' Mr Ellis, however, di 1 not desigt from his efforts.
Finding his own remonstrances unavailing he spoke to hiajor.
General 53,yrnotir (Deputy ranur of Windsor Great Park,
and one of the managers of the school) on the subject, who,
feeling that such contact ought not to be permitted In a
servant of the Crown, took repented opportunities of en-
postuleting with him, hut to no purpose
"Mr Etts then mentioned the C. 6110 to Mr Menries,
Ge-
puty-Sorecyor of the Woods an.l Forests ,under whom
was employed'. If r, too, urged the man more that. once to
the same , Rect. and at length warned him that he would
certainly be olemissed from hlis employment if he persisted
In neglecting ht. children's edimitlon Ultimately he was
actually dismissed from the service of the Crown, on the *A-
pr.. ground that having every fachity for educating his
children within his reach he oostinalely persevered in
neglecting them ; hut this final step wan not taken, I should
ten Mt, until the chief commissioner of Woods and Forest,.
the Hon Charts. Gore) hail himself called upon the man,
and,en .eavoured to influence him, hut In vain.

..
°Slime his Altsmissal and for the two years during which
I have had charge of this parish, he has continued to reside
within • quarter of a mile of the school, hut my efforts to
Induce him to educate his younger children have been as
entirely fruitless as those of my predecessors In attempting
to deal with the elder ones.

" I may add, In ...Melon, three facts, of which your
Lordship is probably well aware—, I ' that no late as the year
1850 this heath was a desolate regio.., very thinly populated,
and without school or church : 2) that both these buildings
have been subeequently erected on lands freely granted by
the Crown ana (31 that they are mainly supported by the
' lord., squires, and Established clergy,' who 'swarm 'ln this
neighbourhood.
. .

"1 am, my dear Lord, sincerely and respectfully yours,

BiLt VCII AMP-

"The Lord Bishop of Oxford. ---
S.—fhen is only one other came that I know of in my
parish in which • whole family is entirely uneducated; the
father of it Is as Incorrigible nO, and it Is useless to rednon-
strate with hint. The means of education are itiitc eqitatie
the wants of this neighbourhood, and the great difficulty is
in Inducing Such parents to send their children to Pellool

CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD CREDITORS
On Monday last, before • bench of magistrates at
Dewsbury, Dlr. Abraham Blackburn, described as a
person of considerable property, was charged with con.
spiring, along with one JAM. Blackburn, • bankrupt.
to defraud the creditors of the said James Blackburn
and George Blackburn, his brother, to the amount of
2,000/.
Two years ago George and James Blackburn, the bank-
rupts, and who are the nephews of the defendant, carried
on an extensive business as woollen manufacturers in
Gomersal, and were largely engaged in Government army
c ditracts. In the month of June, VW, they suddenly thaw
peered, ostensibly on • visit to the Dublin Exhibition but In
reality they had absconded to America taking with them a large
quantity of goods and a considerable sum of money. The
day after their departure Mr. Teruel, woollies merchant,
of Leeds, who was • creditor to the amount of between
8,0001. and 7,04301, went over to Gomersal, and found every-
thing in a hopeless state of confinsion Being unable to
obtain satisfactory inturmation as to the defaulters, he
made • formal seizure, and eventually had them declared
bankrupts. The men were pursued, and • portion of the
goods recovered In New York through the ingenuity of the
de tee ive ffi cer Pen t after them In about three months al Ice-
wards James Blackburn returned from America to (turner-
.al, and there remained in hiding until his death, which took
place before the asaignees were even aware of the fact of
tds having returned. Soon after his return James Itisckurn
Bent the prisoner, who was his uncle, to get a 1,0001. Bank
I of England note changed, and the prisoner got it changed at
Messrs Leathern'. bank, Wakefield, after endorsing the note
with hie oven name. About the same time he got anotuer 1,0001.
note from his nephew James, and got It changed, after due
inquiry had been made, at the lieckmondwike branch of the
Huddersfield Banking Company.
. . . .

In an examination made before the Registrar of the
Leeds Bankruptcy Court, the prisoner admitted that
he was not a partner in the business, and that he had
received thaw notes from James Blackburn, whom he
knew to be a bankrupt at the time, and that he gave
him the change for both notes, receiviritT only one
sovereign for bin trouble. The cancelled 1,000/. notes
were pro limed in court, and it was proved that they
were paid by Mr. Longbottom, wool merchant, of
Gornersal, to the fllackburns a few days before they
absconded to America.
The prisoner was committed for trial at the Leeds
irsizes, the Bench offering to take bail in 2.0001., but
it was not obtained at the rising of the Bench.