The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-18 00:00:00

have been ecropulc us to show impartiality, or it that
were beyond the reach of mind, to oonoi hated. that
they have observed when the moment for
owing • decision came • deal t tentralitr. Tbc
merits of the case were fully so t forth in argument es'
both sides; and they had in ireovrr the advantage of
having the assesmorship of an able and well-read
lawyer, who was sent down to collect inform-ties
for the government on the subject. Mr. Biswicic
does not appear to have voted on the speak
question at ismer, not conseiv'ng probably that he had
any local jurisdiction which would warrant his on
doing. But he publicly pronounced tins wrongs,.
°Anson as to the illegalry of the assemblage whose
interrurion by the c itholic party hell led to the fatal
affray, and pointed out in the clearest possible manner
the obligatiers which lay upon the miegietrates
Wu informal:iamb properly sworn and sustained,
rest any parties who might have participatedMein. Piro of the magimrates, Bring in contormity
with this obvious line of duty, deo'ared themselves is
be in favour of revolving the info ma ions tendered.
But they found •hems gars out-yoked by their six
brethren of the quorum, including Lord RODEN, the
three pro e•tat f clergy men, and two more.
d what does the, nns .phistiested reader suppose
was the ground of this nn: annelid decision? Not
that they disbelieved the tenor of the informal/on—
set that they were even informal; bat this—that they
could not admit the illegality of an armed ;Noce s.ion
such as that which their noble chairman bad feted and
harangued, and that they solemnly believed the.
were acting only in accnrdaros with the wishes
and desires of the extcu ive g viol-foment in pro-
lamin' acid encouraging such as-emblago s. Far from
avincing or sffeming any regret for the consequences
et their party's conduct, or attemptit g to dissociate
themselves from complicity in its atrocious acts, tney
openly 'iodic ate the policy and practice of Orangeism
as an anei-catholic and anti-repeal organisation, and
tell the officer- of governmeo t in open court that them
have only been acting on the suggestion and wih
ths sanction of the executive in marshalling and
parading their are ed bandit L To admit the con-
trary wo'mld have been to coulees that Mr. Bents,
Lord RoDI.II, and the res., Lai been guilty of • mis-
demeanour at common I,w, or of inciting others
thereto; and stoner than confess any thi g ot •he
geet, these lay ar d reverend, noble and goo tlejostices,
boldly pluck the government by the bard, and to
eft c• exclaim. " C.shier us if you dere!"
We know not what ro ply the • ge .tlemen will re-
strive from V • guardians of that authority which they
him thus ihsolo nly trailipled under foot. We know
set what the Chw.c llor of Ireland may do on the
eseasion. One thing we ko iw, that were Lout
PLUNK= kieyer of the Irish seals, be would need t.o
time to °ponder whet was his duty in the matter,
and, discerning his duty, he would unhesitatingly
perform it. And unless his sucioes.tor be • very dif-
ferent and altered men fr in that uncom,oromising
and clear-beaded sdvocateofp litical ju.tice ot other
daye,—if MAZIRRI BRADT, as we hope and believe,
be as cinch aged in principlo aa,ti ri solution,—he will
in the exercise of hie high taco viudo we the honour
of the law and deal with these magistfates as they
deserve.
If this be not done, and done with• rat further
trifling or twaddling, there is an et d of all monk
sanction for authority it. Ireland. No catholic will
believe—no catholic can believe, that he lives under
the guardianship of the ',awe law as his
protestant neighbour. The instinc sof self-preserva-
tion will prompt (and who will immure to say that
they will nor warrant) him in taking fresques the
beet and most aft etual he can to del. nd Lis person
and his house. Violence will in all clams a and in all
circumstances be the predominant charactorisiic, and
force will become the erre r of the day. And this
shame ful and diss,tr .os etate of things will be the
upshot and issue of all the vaunted schemes of im-
peri,l wisdom and imperial power.
But we cannot endure even in hypotho site to believe
in t •et irresolution, which would lead to such deplota-
hie results.

The
Mr.
tin
The I
' opin
an
Au

Tatum are not many, perbap., of our readers who
have ever viei•ed a Chapter-house. Exer, indwd,
for architectural examioatior , th. re are not many of
'hem that are worth visitint. V. ry few are well
maintained; in fact, gen-telly sp eking. it will be
found that the library aid the Chap-et-home are the
last portions of their fout.detion which cathedral dig-
nitaries ever think of re.toi inir, or eveu show them-
inn s at riots to preserve.
"In this house," says an old author, "the prior and
limiter, each rnenib r in his own stall, did meet te
consult of the atia ra of this church and monastery.
Here did they celebrate the elections of their bishop.,
their priors, and their other offi.ers. Her: censures,
and peraoces, and corporeal ties istreents, for the
love of God, were imposed and infi.cied on delin-
quents, aid in some cas. s even with ,ods." it was,
says Bishop GRANDI-ON, in Ile chAp•er-house of Can-
terbury, that King HENRY 11. • ff. red his back to be
ecourgel by the monks, which was done, anno 1174,
after the usual manner of peniteetel nierpline.
We thought all the scourging', aid fistula, and
petiteness, and reverences, and citations of tie year
1174 Lad 'alien into d. suetude, Lever more to be
revived. But the account in yest. rday's Daily News
of the proweedit ga in the Chapter-hove at Rochester
relative to the itupenitett meet. r of the Cathedral
Grammar School proves that we were mistaken.
The account of that proceeding forcibly brings bask
to us all we ever heard or had of monk sea proceed-
ings in retard to sinners. Fitton member of the
protestant chapter—aid the reporter gives a goodly
list of them, with WI their ti les and preferments
and honours, academic sod ecclesiastic—each member
of the chapter sat enrobed, in his own stall, under
his own canopy, the dean pre-iding, and the chapter
clerk attending to record their mandates. They sat
in solemnity, in silence, in all the pomp
of a cathedral chapter. They had ;us%
finished morning prayer, sod ctisequently were
wore inclined to refection and less to conversation—
especially as "the dividend" was not below the ave-
rage. At length the doge—we beg pardon of his
reverence, the dean—directs the culprit " Winning"
to be summoned to their presence. The clerk humbly
suggests that the renegade has addressed the
chapter, praying that he may be permitted to attend
by counsel, or to have the assistance of a legal
adviser, or at least to be attended by a private friend.
A moderate request it is enough; the difficulty, we
should think, would be to find a reason for rejecting
it. But the Chapter do reject it—and without •
reason. Mr. Wlitirrote is ordered to attend alone.
Four learned Canons and • Dean he is to meet :
each of them skilled, or supposed to be skill. d, in
all ecclesiastic law and learning. The Dean and
the guar Canons have their law adviser present.
Their solicitor and chapter clerk, and auditor,
sod deputy-r gistrar is in waiting on the prow-
esters : but the prof defendant is to come " alone "
unattended, unassisted, unadvised—to "show cause
=she should not be patished," and "true reply to
to all interrogatories" that his prosecuting
due may suggest to him.
the only difference between the procetdins
in 1849 and a similar proceeding in 1174 coosista
the single circumstance that the officer of the chapter
Imo se ecclesiastical law-book fee an instrument of
torture instead of a thumbscrew or the hams
Mr. WHISTON, however, appears. lie makes, we
learn, due obeisance to his judge-prosecutors. They
maintain a solemn silence. They make no sign of
recognition. They acknowledse not his presence.
-- AU is suit :
They sit, In silence, as in judgment there;
garb is black, and black the " business" is,
And black their renal aspect.
Mr. WInSTON is the first to break the dreadful
silence. He asks if they were asseugded t • try him ?
—and, the officer replying in the affirmative, he hands
ins protest or demurrer to their jurisdiction on seventy-
two specific grounds. Oar readers will he obliged
to the reporter for not setting forth the whole of thesew
objections. From the specamens he has given e
should think any one of them sufficient.
Thine we, amongst others, protests on the
re
ground of " prejodioafts," " bias," " interest,"
"condonation," "contempt of the High Court of
Chancery" (no joking matter that), dupka oszatio,"
and a long protest setting firth "that it was un-
seemly and contrary to all law, reason, and justice,
that defendant should be called upon to answer before
the chapter, as his sole judges, an accusation in whisk
their own character, honour, and credit were Nee
ceased, and which arose out of charges made agaBlll4
themselves of misappropriation of cathedral fasies:
Mr. WSW:TON, in this demurrer, clearly had the best
of it; and having beaded it in, be paused Lie qua►
ties, and, none being pm to him, withdrew.

TifE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 18, 1849:

chartist
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deceased
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