The Express.
London, England, 1860-12-20 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, DEC. SO.

Tu s system of Purchase in the Amoy has ens-
tained some rude shocks in Pediment and in.**
press. But mere opinion might have ecenhated
for years with no other weapons than justice and
good sense the privileged unreason of the Horse
Guards without inflicting so much aa • scratch
upon that brilliant cuirass, had not a timely
scandal disclosed to the public contempt a system
of absurd and profligate corruption. When a law
court got hold of an army tailor and a select party
of jobbers who bad undertaken to get • young man
into the army "for • consideration," the sale of
comininsions was suddenly stripped of its diciest
official disguises, and betrayed in all its vulgar
nudity, to the shame of its patrons and the derision
of its assailants. Nothing like a Police-court to
hold up a mirror to conventional respectabilities,
and to let the garish light in upon institutions
too jealously preserved from the scrutiny of the
vulgar ! The Westminster Police Court has just
supplied an admirable counterpart to the army-
tailor and oomnsimion-broker revelations. This
tune, however, it is the Churclevisible and militant,
we find sitting to his Worship for • likeness, which
for downright actuality can only be compared to
the artless cruelty of a shilling photograph. Here
it is in all its beautiful simplicity.
A certain Mr. JOHN Ceara/is, described as a
man of gentlemanly appearanse and " • labourer,"
endowed with not quite half a doss. varieties of
name and title, one of which was "Captain
" !lowest)," another, "HQUILAN HAJWINti; lig.,"
another, " Major Cmarnaist," was charged with
obtaining 300/. under fake pretences by the este
of an advowson. Mr. Joan Pool.; • clergyman '
and " clerical agent" (ea ecclesiastical VINIRiOn
of army agent), had received a communication
from a Mr. M us, also a " clerical agent,"
respecting a living in Devonshire,some twenty miles
from Exeter. He was referred to " Major Clue-
" Nes," who, it appeared, was anxious to dispose
of an advowson and next presentation to •
living in those parts, which he had purchased five
or six years ago for a relation who was lately dead.
The Rev. Mr. Foote, in his capacity of "clerical '
" agent," called ou Major CRAPIIAN; and inquired
the name and place of the living, which Major
Cuaritier hesitated to give, though he gave his
reasons for declining the information. The Maio&
had on a previous occasion been " driven into a
" corner " by a clergyman who professed to be •
purchaser, but could not be brought to book. The
If AJ•ie, therefore, justified by former experiences
of clergymen and clerical agents, required a deposit
of 30411. as part payment, and a contract to be
signed, a draft of which he produced on the spot.
Major ems.rw•ie moreover alluded in a by-the-way
manner to the pleasing fact that he was next door
neighbour to the Archbishop of Caerrasear, at
Shirley, near Croydon, and was on wet friendly
and even confidential terms with his Grace, who
bad talked aver some private transactions of his
own with the MAJOR. Mr. POOL/4 albeit not a
clergyman only, but a "clerical agent," wee,
by his own avowal, fairly " thrown off
" his guard " by these playful incidental
allusions to the knotaisnor, and was late-
tied that the Mama was • man of sub-
stance. Thereupon the MAJOR produced an agree-
ment ready for Mr. Poots'il signature. Bet Mr.
Foote could not accommodate even the intimate
friend of the Archbishop of CANT/LI/BURY to this
extent on the instant, without consulting " • bar-
" raster or solicitor." To this the MAJOR made
no objection, only assuring Mr. Pouts that it was
" all right." Mr. POOLE consulted " • barrister,"
and was informed that aa the agreement was in
due form he might sign it on his client's behalf.
Accordingly an agreement was signed by the Mama
(and attested) and subsequently by Mr. Nina, to
the effect that the one would buy and the other
sell, ke., etc. (in the following Saturday Mr.
Poetic gave the MAJOR a cheque for 300/. on the
London and County Bank. Business being thus
concluded, the MAJoll became expansive, and as
sured Mr. Pouts that his client would receive " •
" Devouahire welcome "—whatever that may be ;
--probably something not absolutely butter, but in
the nature of clouted cream--and he then for
the first time pronounced the name of the
vendor, to wit, the Rev. WILLI/01 BURR DOI/R-
-ios, Vicar of Spreyten, near Okehanipton, Devon.
Mr. Petits lost no time in seeing what " • Devon-
" duns wekeinie" might be worth, and was off to
spreyton by the very next train. The Devonahire
welcome he encountered at the Rev. WILLIAM
BLARE Doveree'A residence was one of blank stir-
pest. "I don't know you ; I know nothing of Major
4!HAPMAX ; he is a total stranger to me; I am
" incumbent here ; my father left me the living in
" l.ia will, and I have never thought of selling it."
Th. se were among the Rev. Wixom' Buttes
Do: crux's ejaculations when Mr. Pooh', the
eta agent, arrived in hot haste, with Major
Cues PRAM'S contract for tho sale of the &decimal
of Spreytoe in his hands. Mr. Puoia records that
he felt "in an awkward position" at the vicarage;
and we can easily believe it. Fortunately it
turec.l out that the two clergymen were old and
early friends, ai Mr. Punts stayed to tea. The
saute :.ight he was rushing beck to town as fast es
eteati. omit' carry him to get his cheque for :WO!.
out of the London and County Bank. Why should

TEN!, RIM
we forbear to add (for it is no dlliita to *For'
CHAPMAN) that the cheque bed, itesn &Wady
oohed I So fax the Rev. Mr. Poets, • "olerloal
"spat." Now let us listen to Mr. Mara, also a
dueled agent, though not, it seems, • "reverend "
"Om
.Mr. MA= states that Major CHAPMAN had
end upon him on the subject of the advowson
and next presentation, and had mentioned that
the incumbent was about to to presented to •
higher benefice • that the commuted tithes were '
worth 1301., glebe land 1251. ; and that the
house, garden, stables, conservatory, and other
accessories to the spiritual trust of this pretty
Devonshire pariah were worth " certainly not lees
" than 401. per annum." Mr. Mgrs pronounoed the
advowson to be worth 2,5001., but the Maros,
being "preened for time," was willing to take
2,4001. He had not given the name of the living
to Mr. Mgrs ; but this, as Mr. Mats frankly
avowed, was " not uncommon."
The Rev. Wn.uax Bxsza Dovrrow's exami-
' nation on oath elicited the curiously conflicting
statements—that he know " the prisoner," Mr.
CHAPMAN (now described in the police-sheet as
" a labourer "), as a " Captain Hows.ao," whom he
had met at a lodging-house in Exeter four years
ago. That in the latter part of last summer he
had had some communication with a person sign-
ing himself " Jou& Cuarmax," and expressing
his wish to purchase the advowson or next pre-
sentation to the living of Bpreyton for 2,7001. ;
that the contract was prepared by Mr. Demotes
lawyers and signed by himself, but that
Mr. Doveros had received information from
Croydon which induced him to refrain from
parting with the contract. Mr. Dovarow
says he had not sold the advowson some
five or mix years ago, but had intended to sell, and
had advertised, some months since, and en-
ployed a Rev. Mr. liosaowe (also a " clerical
agent ") to sell it. He had heard from " Mr.
" Ciantax " on the business, and had sent to
that puma tie list of fixtures, and had deter-
mined lad October to close with him for
297004 to be paid in January asst. It
was gamed that this Mr. Cruris&N was
no
ether thin the prisoner now accused
of obleinkig 3001. on false pretences.
UWn were.produoed from Mr. Dovarox's soli-
titan to tide Mr. Casrxxx enclosing draft of con-
tract signed by Mr. DOVNTON, conveying the
adrowaset to the purchaser, "his heirs and
assigns," thereby, in fact, making a conveyance to
Mr. Caere" or whom he should appoint, and
°arming the right to undersell. Mr. Case-
awes copy of the contract was duly attested.
Mr. Dovasau went to slop upon the bargain
ender the impression that by detaining one copy
of the contract he had annulled the other. Now,
Mr. Doveroe had told Mr. Foote that "he knew
" nothing of Mr. CuArmin, and had made no
" contract to sell," in the face of &letter in his own
handwriting, and produced in court, in which he
moored Mr. Cirarstat that he had not intended
to sell the living for leas than 3,0001. exclusive
of the fixtures, but for reasons of his own bs
would accept Mr. Cu/mimes offer. On
the part of Mr., ar Major, CHAPMAN, it
was denied that he had ever talked of
being intimate with the Archbishop of
CANTiallllls that he was identical with a
namesake advertised in Shible's Gareth, or that
he had committed depredations in the neighbour
hood of Barnstaple—for these were the somewhat
vague and irrelevant counts of Mr. Dorztosli
indictment against the prisoner. On the contrary,
the Major Osmium who appeared in court as
JOMN CHAPMAN, " a labourer," bad served two
years in the 13th Light Dragoons., and four years
in the 53rd Foot.

No reader of this extraordinary cue will be
surprised to find that the Magistrate held the
contract to be not the less binding on both
parties because the one had detained his dupli-
cate of an instrument of which the other produced
the counterpart. The Magistrate in declining to
make an order for the restitution of what was left
of Mr. Peota's cheque of 3001., appeared to take
• rather unfavourable view of Mr. CHAPMAN'S pert
in the transaction. But whether or not we are to
regard Mr. Clues= as an injured party, we
should be doing a groin injustice to the Vicar of
Bpreyton if we ventured to regard him as a
victim of apostolical simplicity, or to dismiss Min
with the respectful commiseration that becomes=
unworldly and self-denying dupe. Meanwhile,
amidst all this strife about the crook, what has
become of the flock