The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-08 00:00:00

MR. BAGSHAW AND THE BISHOP OF put over thin vast diocese of London. llow can he
LONDON bear his own thoughts when he reflects how many
---..—. hundreds or thousands he hes shut out from hearing
what, in the awful words of that Book, might
have made them " wise unto salvation?" Perhaps it
is " vulgar railing."

(From the Daily News.)

Ora readers will no doubt remember a case to
which we drew their attention a few days since—the
case of Mr. BAGSIIAW and the Bishop of LONDON.
They will probably be curious to know what apo-
logy can be made for the Bishop, and who is his
advocate. The advocate—the only one of our
'contemporaries who has been hardy enough to
assume that position—is a weekly paper called the
Ene/isA Churchman. The apology is so ex-
ceedingly diluted, that, although we have en-
deavoured to precipitate the few particles of argu-
isient which are suspended in a whole pailful of a
sub-acidulous and rather rancid mixture, we are not
sure that we have succeeded in trading anything but
dirt.
The En!,./isli Churchman gives an opportunity of
judging of his candour by the mode in which
It treats the correspondence published in the
IDaily New, it omits Mr. BAGSIIAW'S calm
and temperate statement of the case, addressed
Ito ourselves, and heads the eorrespondence thus:—
" Attempt to supersede the Parochial System
of the Church," with a subjoined notice, that it ap-
pears in the Daily New*, " a radical latitudinarian
paper." We presume that the word latitudinarian
must be introduced as a sort of apology for our
insertion of the letters of the Bishop of LONDON;
and the acknowledge that when a Bishop refuses to
allow the building of a church, it may be thought
that he is a traitor to religion, and that his
writings cannot but he unfit for general perusal.
So far, then, we will take the English tharchaton's
hint, and subjcet anything which may proceed
from the episcopal pen to a strict censorship;
but how our contemporary can make out that
building proprietary churches supersedes the pa-
rochial system we confess we cannot under-
stand. What is the parochial system ? A system
the object of which in England is to provide spiritual
instruction by. the agency of protestant ministers, and
one characteristic of which is that for certain purposes
the country is broken up into districts called parishes.
If the object of the system were that ashy one mi-
nister should officiate within the limits of any given
district, and if, according to the principles of pro-
testuntism it were dangerous for a second or a third
to do so too, it might be said that, to build a pro-
prietary church without assigning to it a district, was
an attempt to supersede the parochial system. But'
we defy the Bishop of LONDON to say that this is
the object of the parochial system, or that if
each were its object it would be practicable if right, •
or right if practicable. Take the parish of Maryle-
bone. Its population is about 160,000. The •• pa-
rochial system" supplies only 10,000 sittings, of
which but 4,000 are free. These 10,000 sittings have
cost the parish one hundred and seventy thousand
p mods, and in the seven years, 1833-12, only just
rid their own current expenses, without interest,
caving a sum of frrty-urea thousand ramds to be
paid by church-rate for the accruing interest. At
the same rate it would require nearly a million of
money to supply as much church accommodation as
exists even in Paddington, itself so notoriously defi-
cient in the article as to have attracted Mr. BAG-
SHAW'S attention, and been the scene of his benevo-
lent but fruitless effort. ..And this million would of
course add forty thousand a year to the church-rate
of the parish.
So much for the practicability of the Bishop's plan
of church extension. Now look at another phase of
the controversy. The Bishop has not yet succeeded
in shutting up all the proprietary chapels in Maryle-
bone, although he will of course do so as bOollas pos-
sible ; and it thus happens that at present it is to
these " wrong things,' as the English Mire/man
calls them, that the parish owes more than half its
church accommodation. Then: are 13,000 seats in
proprietary chapels—chapels, be it remembered,
which have to pay their own expenses as they can,
while the much vaunted parochial system can only
boast of 10,000, of which but 4,000 are free.
We have noticed that our contemporary has
omitted Mr. llaGsitaw's own account of the cir-
cumstances which gave rise to his correspondence
with the Bishop of LONDON. But he does worse;
for in giving an outline of the case, he
says that Mr. BAGSIIAW bought the lease
of the plot on which he meant to build his new
church, from some nu,' ire or other. It is plain
enough that the insinuation intended to be con-
veyed is, that Mr. 13.4.650ww's motive was
gain. Until he is proved guilty it is but fair to
suppose him innocent, and to .take his own word
when he says that the scheme was " entered into in a
Christian spirit, interfering with and injurious to no
one, but originating in a sincere desire to do
something, however small, to extend the spread of
lrotestantism, such as held by the Church of Eng-
and." But even supposing Mr. BAGSHAW had no
other object than the" sweet simplicity of five per
cent.," does this make the Bishop's conduct one
whit the better ? The efficacy of sacraments is
held by the ltomish church to depend on the inten-1
tion of the dispensing priest; but we never yet
heard that the efficiency of a proprietary chapel was
M any way affected by the motives of its founder.
The only substance of an argument which we can
detect in the columns of our contemporary is the fol-
lowing:

HORRIBLE MURDER M FRANCE.

At tits end of last month M. /Jcsfontaines, manufaeturer
of bronzes, Rue Honore, 122, in Paris, was obliged to dis-
mit% his man-servant fur misconduct, and he applied to ono
of the bureaus de placement (register offices for servants)
for another. The bureau sent a young man of about
i twenty-four, who produced excellent certificates, and was at
once admitted. Early in the morning of the 13th the new
servant, who had then been about a fortnight in the place,
went to the corner of the Rue Royale and bargained with two
commissioners to convey three trunks, containing, he said,
goods and patterns, to the Centre Railway, Boulevard do
lie then took the men to the house; and, hav-
ing told the concierge that his master had already left fur
the railway station, that he was about to join him, and that
they should be absent several days, he helped the commis-
sionnairex to put the trunks, winch were very heavy, into a
hand-cart, and saw them leave. He afterwards went
away himself. The neighbours were greatly surprised to
see the shop of N. Desfontaines closed on the next and fol-
lowing days ; but, to their inquiries, the concierge said that
he had goue with his servant on a journey which was to
last several days. As, however, he hail not spoken of this
jounwy either to his relations Of most intimate friends, and
at., moreover, his business required his presence, some
alarm was felt, and a communication was made to the com-
missary of police. An application was even made to the
prefect to cause an investigation. Things were in this state
when, these or four days ego the prefect of the department
of the Wry informed the Minister of the Interior that a
horribly-mutilated corpse had been found in the railway
station at Chatmuroux, in a trunk which had been sent
from Paris. This trunk bore the address, " Moreau,watch-
maker, at Chateauroux ;" hut no watchmaker of that
name resided, or ever had resided, in the town. The trunk
had been opened in ennwapnawe of a strong smell which issued
from it. As soon as this intelligence reached the Prefecture of
Police, the recent declaration respecting the disappearance
of M. Desfontaines was called to mind, and orders were
given to send up the trunk and the body to l'aris. En-
quirt's; having born math, as to when and liv whom the box
wax sent from Paris, it was ascertained that on the 13th
three trunks had been taken to the station by two commis-
sionnaires ; that one, rowinhling a lady's travelling trunk,
covered with oil cloth, unit weighing WO killogrammes, had
I been sent separately to Chateauronx, whilst the other two,
which were mare solid, larger, and heavier, had lwen taken
by the owner to Bourges, and he had paid extra hir them,
as they exceeded the weight of luggage allowed to each pas-
senger. The trunk arrived in Paris on Friday morning by
the live o'clock train, and it so happened that the two com-
missioners who had conveyed it to the station arrived at the
same time with the luggage of a pcson alsaut to leave. They
and the trunk were sent to the prefecture of police, and a
judicial investigation was forthwith isonmeneed. The trunk,
or rather box, was fastened with a laillotk, and hound round
with rondo. The judicial authorities of the Ware had
placed their seals on thew cords The Adams's " Moreau,
watchmaker, at Chateaurous," sac written in a had hand,
on a common piece of piper, and stuck iin the box with
wafers. As the 6,1 was rather small, the murderer had cut
the holy into nitres, and had depoited first, the trunk,
then time legs, and then the arms and head. Jl. Dealon-
mines was a strum; and cousigeoas man, and the murderer
must have killed him us he W., ash ep. it suppowd that,
after the commission of the crime, the murderer possessed
himself of everything of value in the shim and apartment,
and packed the property in the two trunks. 'the apertment
and shop hare not yet been entered by the authorities.
Yesterday telegraphic di patches Am sent to the frontiers
to arrest the domestic, but from the length of time he has
been away—scventeen days—there is every reason to be-
lieve that lie has already got out of the country. It is sup-
posed from the direction he took that he has gone into
Spain.
The opening of the shop and apartment, ou the entread,
of the deceased took place on Friday, and a minute exami-
nation of them was made by an examining magistrate, a
substitute, of the poucareur of the republic, and a commis-
sary of police. They hound un instrument for splitting
wood stained with Mood. The skull of deceased is horribly
1 smashed, as if with this instrument. A hammer and a piece
of linen, also stained with blood, were discovered in the
, water-closet, into which they had beam thrown. Another
Ipiece of linen, likewise marked with blood, was picked up in
a corner of the apartment. The floor by the side of the bed
had evidently been recently %And, and the lower parts
of the bed curtains were damp. A wash-hand ba'in,
placed beneath a titterer, contained water apparently
stained with blood. The apartment was arranged in order,
the bed was made, and no traces could he Maud of the
cutting up of the body, or the instruments with which it
was dune. In four mouths Dassfontainea had had
as many as seven servants, all young men, and had
discharged them on slight pretext. A commission-
noire, who is accustinmal to stand near the house, says
that about an hour before the servant sent utf the holes ho
called him in to assist in bringing down a box which had
gut stuck fast in the narrow stain:tow • the commintionnairo
succeeded in getting it down stairs, and it was this very box
which contained the body. The servant then said that his
master had gone to the railway station, and that he was to
li follow, with two commissionnaires carrying the baggage.
The suspected murderer was arrested fuesday
evening, at half-paid eleven. The following are the par-
ticular; we have been mudded to procure lltf to the arrest
and to the atop, which led to it. This man's name itiViou.
Having left his master's house at two o'clock iu the afternoon
of the 6th Jan., with the two porters carrying the trunks,
a travelling bag, and the great chest emitiduing the body,
Vim& went best to the rue des Petits Champs, No. 10, to a
stage-coach office. There Viola left the two trunks
and the travelling bag and took a place fur Alar-
m:ilk's for the following morning at 10 o'clock.
After giving a bottle of wine to the porters he ordered
them to carry the chest to the Orleans Railway,
telling them that his master would call for it at the place to
which it wax addressed, ou his passing through Chateau-
roux. About four o'clock he went to the stage-coach office
with another porter, to take away his trunks,:aying that

he should not by the direct rold. had Lis trunks
carried to the Orleans Railway, and, on his way there, he
gave the porter something to drink, partaking hini,elf of
the wine. Somewhat excited by the preceding libations he,
in the course of conversation with the porter, ,aid he was

going to see his uncle at Tours, and he mentioned the name
of Viou. Suddenly pretending to have forgotten MAUL,
thing he quitted the porter, taking his number,
and ordered hint to carry the trunks to the railway,
and to say that their owner would claim them by
giving the porter's number. It is nut known whether ho
then intended to change his route, but he that us it may ha
left for Tours by the train of a quarter past 7. It was not
until after much diligent inquiry that these feeble indica-
tions could be obtained, for Viou was not known by his
name in the neighbourhood of his master's residence' hero
he had only been a few days. His features were alike un-
known, its be had a habit of holding down his head very
low. These particulars were, however, forwarded to the
authorities of Pouts. Meanwhile, the police of Paris in-
' stituted all possible inquiries suggested by the indication of
the name of Viou, which the murderer had allowed
to escape him, to obtain some information in the
various intelligence offices. These attempts were fruitless.
Thinking however that he might, for the purpose of mis-
leading any pursuit, have returned to Paris, numerous
investigations were made in the furnished houses and hotels,
and at last, on Tuesday morning, the police learned that a
person named Jean Louis Eugene Vent, 21 years of age,
' lborn at Paris, gardener's labourer, was lodging at No. 19,
Rue Pont de La Ittfurrne, where he had recently arrived
from Orleans. The chief of the police de 31(reb; went imme-
diately to this house. The persun named Viou had gone
out, but his description as given by the proprietor of the
house corresponded with that of the servant of M. Desfon-
Mines. Having gone into the room occupied by Viou,
the chief of the police had no difficulty in recognis-
ing the travelling-bug and a cane described by tho
porter who had carried the baggage. Ile immediately in-
stalled twu inspectors in the room of the hotel in which are
kept the keys of the lodgers, with strict orders nut to quit
it for a single instant, and to wait the arrival of Vans.
This surveillance begun at half-past 11 in the morning, and
WAS continued until half-past 11 at night, when Viuu re-
turned. lie was immediately arrested and taken to the
Prefecture of Police, before the chief of police. The mur-
derer then confessed that the name given at the lodging-
house was his, that he was the servant of M. Desfuntaines,
and that it was he who had sent to Chateauroux
the chest which contained the body of his mas-
ter. Ile stated that he had been at Tours, and
that on his arrival he had gone by coach to Beaulieu, near
Loches, to the house of his grandmother. She expressed
her surprise to see him with so much luggage and money,
but he told her that he had been left them by a paternal
uncle at Paris, which she, being very old, did not question.
After about twenty days he returned to Paris. There were
found on him a gold repeater, which he stated to have be-
longed to his master, and a sum of 9.5 francs. Another sum
of 600 francs was sized in his room. He informed the
master of the lodging-house at which he was arrested that
he expected shortly to receive 17,000 foams and other pro-
perty ,from an uncle who had lately died at Tours.
Viou in his various statements avoided going into any of the
circumstances of the murder. He is not a liberated con-
vict. He was born at Paris, brought np in the country, and
his manner and appearance are those of a sort of a half
peasant. After his examination Viou was sent to prison
with strict injunctions to the gaolers to adopt all possible
precautions to prevent suicide. He has accordingly had
the strait waistcoat put on him. Viou is very small, thin,
and has no beard. Ilia features are effeminate. It i* easy
to understand that he must have murdered his master by
striking him unawares, but it is difficult to conceive how he
had strength enough to place the body into the chest. Some
reports state that Viou has declared that the murder was
effected after a severe struggle, in which be was obliged to
defend himself from some improper violence on the part of
his master.

Had Mr. Bagshaw commenced a prison without consult-
ing the government or the county magistrates, or a work-
house without consulting the Law Commissioners or
the Poor Law Guardians, these men would have been the
first to "mock him, saying, This man began to build, and
was not able to finish." Is the building of a Christian
temple to be set about with less care and consideration than
a prison or a workhouse ?

The answer is plain. There is no analogy. between
a gaol or a workhouse and a church, but if he had
' commenced either of these buildings we will answer ,
for it that Sir GEORGE GREY or Mr. BAINES would ,
have let him build to his heart's content, 1
and if dare were any use for the gaol or the '
workhouse when constructed, they would have
taken off their hats and made him the lowest bow
imaginable for permission to use them. But as our •
opponent has betaken himself to analogies, let us
give him one rather more to the point. If Mr.
BAcsirsiv had proposed to build an infirmary for
the maladies of the body, would not the Sanitary
Commission have favoured his attempt by all the
means in their power? Would not the blessings of
him that was ready to perish have been showered
down upon him when living; and would not a grate-
ful posterity class him among the best benefactors of
his country when dead? Why, then, should he be
obstructed. by this Bishop, and vilified by his crea-
tures, because he has engaged himself, not in the
praiseworthy task of building an infirmary for the
maladies of the body, but in the far nailer and
diviner occupation of constructing an hospital for the
disorders of the soul?
But Mr. B.iffsitsw is blamed for not calling on the
Bishop. How was he to know that the bishop
had laid down this arbitrary rule against proprietary
chapels? Is the d nriwi prescription against or in
favour of the probability that a Bishop's natural im-
pulse is to prevent the building of churches? The
Bishop of LONDON himself has taken great pains to
delude the public into the belief that lie was in fa-
vour of church extension. How was Mr. IlAusit.iir
to detect the bigot in the guise of a missionary P He
was deceived, but his deception has opened the eyes
of all men.
At the risk of more false accusation, foul abuse,
and vulgar railing, from his supporters, we will
make one more attempt on the Bishop's conscience.
He has done harm enough in a long and mischievous
life. Suppose, towards its close, he were to try for a
change and do a little good? What did he make of
the Bethnal-green churches, aided as he was
by Mr. WILLIAM COTTON ? Why, they appointed
such a set of clergy, that the churches were half
empty, with few exceptions, the most remark-
able of which was the case of a church where
the incumbent was recommended by gentlemen be-
longing
to the low church party. What has he'
done in Westminster? Induced a reckless expendi-
ture in church building, with no better result
than this, that the poor should nickname
the edifices " The new puppet-show churches."
What has he done in the great sacramentary clues-
, tion ? Recommended candles, forbidden to light
k them. Denounced GORHAM, fondled Donswotern.
I • Walked with BENNETT to the edge of the precipice,
and then kicked him over. Slavered his victim and
straightway devoured him. Surely now, it is time
' to repent, and reflect on.the object for which he was

ROBBERY BY CliminoFonm.—Last week Mrs.
Pugh, of Bold-street, was stopped by two men, who ap.
plied to her face a handkerchief supposed to have been
steeped in chloroform. She instantly became insensible,
and whilst in this helpless state was rubbed of her brooch,
bracelets, and other valuables. A person who was pas in
shortly afterwards volunteered his assistance, and escorted
' kez safely home.—Lirerpool Mercury. .