The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-05 00:00:00

"To THE REV. ROLL WHISTON.

" Rev. and dear sir,—lmpressed with a deep feeling of the
injustice exercised towards you by the dean and chapter of
Rochester, we, the inhabitant, tf Rochester, Chatham,
Stroud, end their neighbourhood, beg to express our feelings
of earnest sympathy ; but we must first leo allowed to accord
our thanks for your noble, patriotic, and zealous couduct in
endeavouring to gain for the scholars of the grammar school
of this place thoac benefits which they have been for many
years and are now deprived ef. Regardless of personal ease
and comfort, and fully aware of the odium ycu must incur,
you have courageously fought the battle. By respectfully
appealing to the dean and chapter, and then to tee bishop,
you sought to gain your ofject. Foiled in both those appli-
melons, you made an appeal to the public, in which you
estahlieh your f .cts with such conciseness and clearness that
he who runs may read.' The league* s. of that pamphlet we
admit to be severe, but its severity consists not so much in any-
thing you have sod, as in their own words, which have in such
force recoiled upon themselves, the words e( their own advo-
cates the Bishops of Lincoln, London, and Exeter. It is
with pain that we speak with disrespect of men whose office
is so sacred, who should and who will command the respect
of all right-thinking men, unleas indeed their actions belie
the sincerity of their professions. The dean and chapter
have exercised towards you what we conceive to be • most
arbitrary and unconstitutional power. They have set a
brand on you, you have been denounced as utteriy unfit to
instruct the boys of their grammar school. If these charges
are true you are ruined in fame and fortune. Time, a very
short time, will, we believe and hope, prove them totally
without foundation ; in the meantime we cannot but sym-
pathise with you, and assure you that we will each according
to our ability aid and assist you in resisting the arm so
cruelly and unrelentingly raised to oppress and crush you.
Permit us to repeat our thanks moat heartily to you for your
noble and disinterested conduct, and wishing you a long
career of happiness and success, we remain, &o."
Mr. STEELE, in moving the adoption of this address,
congratulated the meeting on the imposing appearance it
presented. When they considered the great influence of the
cathedral body in that small place, the number of persona
connected with them in business, and in other ways, it was
surprising that so large a meeting had been get together.
What had the dean and chaptet been doing ? Seven
years hack they found the school established by
Henry VIII. declinin,r. and one year back it might
be found without a sinlge scholar. Was not that most
astonishing negligence ? The dean and chapter alleged
that their school had dwindled in consequence of the greater
popularity of neighbouring schools, but the fact was, that
they paid the master such a small stipend se to render effi-
ciency unattainable. They paid him in the same way as the
poor-law unions did their surgsons, and the consequence
was that they were at last lett without a single scholar.
(Cheers and laughter.) Where was the Bishop°, Rochester
to see the statutes put into operation ? (Hoer, hear.) At
last they appointed an efficient man in the person of Dr.
Whieton, hut the moment he respectfully suggested improve-
menu, they refer him to the viarcer, who in turn hands him
over to the Court of Caancery. (Hear, and a laugh.) And
be it remembered that there he must tight them
with his own resources, while they would have
the revenues of the foundation. In his (Mr. B's)
opinion, dismissal was right, but it had fallen
on the wrong person. He believed that the dean and chapter
plsaled among other things ignorance of their statuses. He
did not believe the plea, but even if well-founded how dis-
graceful to swear to statutes which they had never read.
(Hear, hear.) Be admitted that some of the abuses were of
old date, so far beck as the time of Elizabeth. In conclusion
he txpresepel his hope that the reform which had been.) well
begun would Loon be completed by the voice of the public.
The seldress w..s then put, and its adoption carried unani-
mously.
J. NIGHTINGALE moved that a subscription be
opened, in order to assist Dr. Whiston in carrying on the
good cause.
Mr. D. H BAKER seconded the resolution, which was
unanirously cgreed to.
Mr. W. LEE moved the appointment of a committee to
consist of the chairman, Messrs. Nightingale, Steele, and
one or two oth. es, for the purpose of preraring a tnemtriel
to the Queen in council respecting Dr. Whiston's
and also to obtain signatures.
This motion was seconded by Mr. BALLEN, and carried
unanimously.
The Rev. Mr. COBB, Vicki. of DeWitt!, then rose to
mincodve. aa
fvecte
ao,af
ethnsantkiasatao
in
read Dr. Whiston's pamphlet, and being a stranger in the
otnh et
hell airman,
main uaensdti in
gh
dso
immediate locality, he c euld give an °putted free from per.
sena feeling. He must say that, in his opinion, fiat gentle-
man had made out a very string case. Remembering Dr.
Whist:ill's recent violent expulsion, he thought the people
were bound to *train every nerve to see him righted.
Mr. EVEREST, a member of the corporation, seconded
the resoiutien of thanks, which was carried by acclamation.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, after which thanks
were voted to the maor for the use of the Guildhall, and
the proceedings terminated.

INQUEST, YESTERDAY.—MORE DEATHS FROM
CHOLERA IN THE Mtunaren. Paisox.—Beford Mr. Bed-
ford, in the Milbank Pri.on, on the bodies of four
prisoners who htd died therein of Asiatic cholera. Their
names were Jac.' Catling, aged 18; John Donovan, aged
21 ; John Mountford, aged 23 ; and Thomas Jon, s, aged 13.
Tim evidence proved that, when admitted, they w: re all is
a good state cf health, but they were attacked with Asiatie
cholera, of which they died. In answer to a gaeetion, Dr.
Baly, the prison physician, laid that the prison was un-
healthy, from its being low and so near the river. More-
over, there were bane-boilers and gas works on the opposite
side if the river, and an open ditch near the prison. There
had been 24 eases of cholera lately in the prishn, and 14
deaths. There were at the present time three other cams,
which he hoped would recover.—Verdict in each case
" Death from Asiatic cholera."