The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-30 00:00:00

THE RELIGION OF WARDS IN CHANCERY.

An interesting case touching the religion of wards
in Chancery was brought before the Lord Chancellor of
Ireland on Saturday.' Messrs. Lawson and Rah= ap-
plied, on behalf of Mr. Longfield, who was the uncle by
marriage of the minors, that an order made by the late
Lord
Chancellor, on the 7th of January, 1867, on the peti-
tion of Mrs. Anne Purcell, the mother of the minors,
t be examined, and that she might not be at liberty
to rolte out administration to her deceased daughter. The
petition of Mr. Longfield stated that he and his wife, on
the sth of May, 1859, presented a petition to the court in
reference to the religion and religious education to be
given to the two minors, stating that the children bad
Men baptised protestal
ts, but were being brought
up in the Roman catholic religion. Their father
was a protestant, and their mother was a Roman
catholic ; their father had died intestate, and she was ap-
pointed by the court their guardian, and a sum of 500/. •
year was allowed her for their maintenance, she having no
mewor prororty of her own. She afterwards removed
the thiliber Moen the roronthellen et the some, and tee&
them abroad ; and those facts having been brought under
the notice of the late Master of the Rolls, an order of at-
tachment for contempt of court was iseued against her,
the maintenance for the minors was directed to be sus-
ponied until they should be brought back, and she was
directed to bring up the children in the religion of their
father. A reference having been directed to the Master,
he by his report made in February, 1860, found that the
children bad been removed by their mother and guardian,
and that she had adopted that course for the purpose of
enabling her to bring them up in the Roman catholic re-
ligion, and that they were then living either in France or
somewhere else outof the jwisdiction of the court. Mrs. Pur-
cell was directed at once to bring back the children, but
she refused to do so, and still kept them abroad. Their
property, which amounted to about 2,0001. a year, was
by a receiver who paid the rents into court, and
reaaarwance for maintenance having been suspended, •
considerable sum of money had accumulated. It bad been
lately discovered that a petition had been presented by
Mrs. Purcell, announcing the death of one of the children
(a girl), in Paris, and that she, Mrs. Purcell, had directed
her solicitor, Mr. Basil Orpen, to take out administration
to her, and he had received out of the funds in court, to
the credit of the minor matter, a sum of 1201. for the
purpose of defraying the necessary stemp duty and
other matters connected with such administration,
sad Mr. Longfield now submitted that Mrs.
Purcell should not be allowed to take out ad-
ministration, and that no part of the minor's property
should be given to her. It was • most extraordinary ease,
a deliberate contempt of court had been committed by
Mrs. Purcell, who had taken the children away out of the
jurisdiction, and kept liem away. One of them had re-
tautly died, the other (a boy), now about 15 years of age,
was entitled to • considerable property. No one con-
nected with him could find out where he was, or how be
was being educated and brought up. Nothing was known
bat that his mother, contrary to the order of the court,
was bringing him up • Roman catholic. which was not
the religion of his father, and the object of the
petition she had presented to the court was that
she might be enabled, by taking out administration
to her deceased child, to possess herself of some peeped'',
and get some means of living, and thereby maintain her-
self and her son until he was of sufficient age to obtain his
, and in the meantime his religious opinions would
propertyfin the way he was being brought up. The Lord
Chancellor said the case was one of the most disagreeable
kind that could coins before the court. In the case of the
minors the court and its officers wars placed in a moat
fiduciary position. Mr. Orpen should pa y the caste of the
entire of the affidavit which he had made on the motion.
It was absurd to put all the matters forward which were
in it. He (the Lord Chancellor) meant to act as he
enplaned his predecessor would have acted. He entirely
acquitted Mr. Orpen of any intentional design to sup.
real anything material from the court, but that did
not meet the exigency of the case. The solicitor acting for
the minors was plated in • position most peculiar to the
'rout, and it was upon that ground he meant to dispose of
the case. Mr. Orpen had felled in his duty to the overt in
a most material way, for it he had disclosed to the court,
in the petition for liberty to take out administration on
which the order now sought to berescinded was made, the
real position in which Mrs. Purcell had placed herself, no
such order would have been made. The order of the Master

OltVeliolls was one substantially displacing the guardian.
The order of the 7th of January laat should be set aside
with costs, to be paid by Mr. Orpen, and the 1201. advanced
to him to be lodged in court to the credit of the minor
matter. He certainly would not allow the mother to re•
main any longer guardian.—Tines.

WHITECHAPZL RAGGED SCHOOLS.—Last night
the Earl of Shafteebury presided at the thirteenth annual
meeting of the Whitechapel (George.yard) Ragged-schools.
Amongst those who were present were Judge Payne, Dr.
Coq, the Revs. H. Allen, J. Strickland, J. Cohen, J.
Dodd, do. The annual report, referring to the sickness
which prevailed in the district during the past year, stated
that 500 doses of medicine were administered to those of
the scholars who were afflicted, and to whom also good
nourishing food was given as well as the benefits arising
from frequent use of the baths. The day school was
attended by the visizgesoorest children, most of them
barefooted and , and at present 300 scholars
were kept there in the most perfoct discipline.
The week evening school and the Sunday school were both
well attended, and the Sunday evening children's service
was attended by about 400 children in winter and
about 100 in summer. The shelter for outcast boys had
given 2,377 lodgings to 240 homeless boys, some of whom
had entered the shoebleck brigade, and others had been
sent to reformatories, or given up to their parents. The
attendance at the Sunday evening service varied from 150
to 350 and at the services held in lodging-houses, the
Gospel eras preached every Sabbath to about 120 hearers.
The. Temperance Society produced good results, about 800
pledges having been taken under its auspices during the
year. The occasional lectures and the mothers' meeting
had been also highly successful. The report, on the
motion of the Rev. Dr. Allen, was adopted ; and after
several addresses, including one of a congratulatory
character by the noble chairman, the proceedings ternu-
Bated.
Scnoickt AID SocIETY.—A public meeting on
behalf of this society was held yesterday at Willies-rooms,
the Earl of Shaftesbury presiding. The society is
established for the purpose of supplying surgical appli-
ances and mechanical supporta in cases of illness and acci-
dent requiring such assistance to the poor gratuitously,
and in this way aiding the sanitary work of the hospitals
and dispensaries, which (14 not provide it to their patients.
According to a statement in the invitation card the
society has relieved, since its commencement, four years
ago, 1,426 of the afflicted poor with various surgical requi-
sites, the expensive character of which precluded the reci.
pients from otherwise obtaining them. Dr. Hicks, of
Guy'., in a letter regretting his inability to attend,
testified to the value of its operations to the patients of
that hospital. A brief ad interim report was read detail-
ing the facts above stated, and adding that the society
further rendered assistance in the shape of surgical
advice in those cases where they furnished surgical
appliances, and had by these combined means suc-
ceeded in effecting many cures. The council, how-
ever, regretted that their pecuniary resources were
very inadequate to meet the demands upon them. Dr.
Leakester, one of the coroners for Middlesex, moved
a resolution expressing gratification at the estab-
lishment and progress of the society, and, from his own
professional experience, spoke of the value of the mecha-
nical applianoes the society furnished in saving life, and
ameliorating bodily suffering in oases of hernia, varicose
veins, curvature of spine, rickets, orthsepedie, and other
anatomical and surgical defects. The motion was seconded
by the Rev. W. Tideonsbe, and carried. Other resolutions
in furtherance of the purposes of the society were adopted,
being spoken to by the Rev. Mr. Whittington (who ex-
pressed his satisfaction that the society was working in
perfect harmony with the Truss Society, and pointed out
the superior claims of an institution which, instead of
doling out charity in money, provided means by which
the poor recipients were enabled to support themselves
independently bt their own labour) ; Rev. Mr. )(Tree, of
Bloomsbury; Mr. W. H. Watson, and others, and the
usual compliment to the noble chairman concluded the
pmeeedinr.
THE Tgw TRAFFIC BILL AND THE POLICE --
A petition front various omnibus associations was pre-
sented last night against the section's in the Metropolitan
Traffic Regulation Act which propose to give to a police-
constable the power of arresting any person without war-
rant for refusing to conform to regulations made by the
police in certain streets within four miles of Charing-
cross. These sections, it is asserted, apply not merely to
public carriages, but to all other traffic, and to all persons
riding or driving.
ADMIRALTY, APRIL 29.—APPOINT inere.--Sub•
Lieutenants R. F. Ward and L. Napier, to the Minotaur.
Midshipman H. W. Mackenzie, to the Minotaur. Naval
Cadets 0. J. Baker, A. F. Farquharson, and A. T. Allen,
to the Minotaur. Naval Cadets (nominated) C. G. Dick-
son, R. S. Lowry, M. B. Fawke, and •
E. H. Marsh.