The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-21 00:00:00

BONN CATHOLIC CHAPLAINS IN PI1801(8..

The Rev. 51iX;erZitery, a Boman catholic priest,
presented a memorial to the court, asking for its section
for ben to have the use of a room at the Wandsworth House
of Correction, io order that he might have an opportunity
of giving religious consolation and advice to those prisoners
who professed his religious persuasion.
The memorial, which extended to some length, set forth
that for 1:t years the rev. gentleman and his predecessors in
that district had been in the habit of attending at the
prison gratuitously, but the numbers of prisoners had so
much increased of late that be found it impossible
to perform his duty in what he considered a proper manner
in the short period that was allotted for visiting each
prisoner in his cell. He therefore requested that the
oourt would allow him to hare the use of • room within
I the prison, where he could have the opportunity of ad-
dressing such prisoners as professed the Roman catholic
taith collectively, sod he expressed his opinion that
this would be found much more advantageous with reference
to prevention such masons from repeating their offences
this the present system. The rev. gentleman referred in his
memorial to the act of parliament pasted in the last session,
giving a permissive power to magistrates assembled ia
quarter sessions in the different counties of England to
appoint RONALD catholic priests to afford religious es-
shames to prisoners professing that persuasion, and mid
that although it was not compulsory under this act
that such religious assistance should be afforded, still it was
clearly the intention of the legislature that primmers profs.;
sing the Roman catholic religion should have sash assistance.
The memorial concluded by praying that the court would
not only grant the memorialist the privilege he required of
having a proper place provided, where be might communi-
cate with prisoners professing his religious persuasion, but
that it would also exercise the powers conferred by the act
in 9neetion of granting him a stipend for his services.
The committee of visiting justices of the prison in question
in their usual quarterly report made reference to the sub-
ject of the memorial. It appeared that the applica-
tion of the reverend gentleman had originally
been made to them, but they declined to secede to it,
and they now recommended that no alteration should
he made. The usual formal question, therefore, was put to
the court, that the report of the committee should he agreed
to. It should be abated that in the memorial the Rev. Mr.
lil'Enery informed the court that, oat of a total of 703, there
were at present 136 prisoners in the gaol who professed the
Roman catholic religion.
Sir W. Jotturre, IL P., upon the motion being put that
the report should be received, said he very much regretted
that the committee of visiting jostles should have made the
recommendation they bad done in reference to this important
subject. He considered that those prisoners who professed
the Roman catholic religion were entitled to have the spiritual
assistance of their own ministers, sad, but that be felt
there was no chance of such a resolution being carried
in the court, be should have best prepared to have
made a motion to the effect that the prayer of the memorial
be complied with. He had in his place in parliament does
all in his power to provost the bill for the appointment of
Roman catholic chaplains from being passed to its present
permissive shape, as be felt that it was most essential that
who professed the Roman catholic religion should
trartre masteries of their own religious teachers, and that
they were entitled to have snob maistance.
ptain SPRING and Mr. H. N. LONG also addressed the
court in support of the preys, of the memorial; but upon
the question being put that the report be received, it was
carried almost unanimously, only three or four hands being
held up against it.
Mr. GODWIN-AUSTIN, however, who had spokes in favour
of the memorial, gave sodas that the next Epiphany sessions
he should move that a Roman catholic chaplain be appointed
to theWaodaireith House of Correction at • salary of 1501. •
year, and the subject then dropped.