The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-19 00:00:00

THE TURNBULL MIMORIAL.

41.1"TATION TO LORD PALIIELSTON.—(THIS
DAY.)
r..i. day at 110011 a deputation waited upon
•i Vidnierstou, at his residence is Piccadilly, for tho
of inducing his lordship not to accept the resigna-
..l Mr. Turnbull, of the office of ('ale darer of Foreign
Palen.
~• deputation molested of the Marione of Normally,
iin Jervis, M.P., Mr. James Martineau, Professor
King's Vol/ego; Mr. Frond., Mr. Hardy,
• r,..k.r Weyer, Mr. tlairdaer, Mr. IS. Beide, M.P., Mr.
t Professor remanua, the Itev. J. ntephensoo, And
,•••. r cattlemen.

It • Sl.,rint, d NoltuivriT having introduced the daps.
and said • few word. relating to the subject,
hofemor PEAIVU.N then rust the following document :
-My I - Before preseating 4. your lonl,hip a memorial
•. oieding that Mr. Turnbull's resignation be not accepted,
•- dcaire to make • brief statement of facts. Mr. Turnbull
• ,• sippoiuteil in 1.4.10 to adendar the foreign papers at the
Ilecontuffiee. Ile was recommended to that post by
E:. proved aoinaietasee with forciips languages and ancient
I. iiolwritings- -two siequirements which it k most unusual to
nmlunit in .me pwieno—hi,appointmentwasadvisedb Sir
John Hominy ant approved Ey 'lobo RumelL It was
unprecedented step to appoint a catholic to a
pot of literary trust in England; for Mr.
load sheady been meninated. at a time when your lord-
ship was premier, to he howl of the British Museum ; neither
it i. lirliered would any objection have been made to Mr.
Turnleill'a appointment, if • literary paper had not ibsi•
nuatil that he wee employ.' the history of Iteligion
in FAigland. That invinuation Iv:. false; the 'sitters On
which Mr. Turnbull ha. IWIL'A engages' were chiefly political,
and his duties were Dot to write a history, hut
to compile au ahstmet of documents laid before
I. m. The Protestant Alliance, the Religious
Tract Society, and the Scotch Reformation Society took
sham Without aserilaining the astute of Mr. Turnbull's
dutica. the Protestant Alliance called upon its (fiends to
p talon against his appintatent. It quoted • passage
free a hook be had written twenty years ago, as a squib on
l'useyisaa, awl when be was • protestant, u a sample of his
poisitit ominion. The Tract Societe sent to year lon Islii to. and
cin,ilatrsil in draft wiping some of its membersa statement that
an important paper had lavii missing since Mr. Turnbull's
appointment. That statement was Wm. No copy of the
(biro, male against I 'WWI seat to Mr. Turnbull, and as
the memorial against hint was circulated with the mark of
'• private soil confidential." it is presumed that his accuser.
it-irol he should have no °pion ty of refuting them until
is • I isni ssil was pri s •uris I I snowed by the incessant attacks
CAI his honour, and fearing that the public servies would
suffer if des.,redit were thrown es He officers, Mr. Turnbull
tender.' bin re•igantion. Under ordinary circumstance* we
sboold not think of iaterfering with the public appoint-
ment...if the country. Rut we feel that a chivalrous sense
of duty ha, hurried Mr. Turnbull Mb. an • it, whose come-
quencis, if it he toostrictly interpreted, may mat discredit
•• our whole nation awl the protestant religion. It 6 not
true that the patios at large believe a catholic to he un-
tru.tworthr aceotaat .4 his faith. Thee desire, we
all desire, that no importunities for fraud be given, that EVI
mild Mill IMP appointed to a place .4 trust, but also that no
roan Is. &seined from a place of trust until he be proved
solid. The mennonal we o.w jireseet to your lordshi is •
xpetaneuus act of plll/11, .1.111100. Withia eight Clays a
oeiewskra awl two or three advertisements have repaired

. - -
Lore than Seisimmteres to it. These site stares are from
mot...tams of every shade ..f itinioe, a from protest/kits
eel,. The own nusit c versmit with thequostios— the more
maieest literary use of the couutry - have very geserally
Mahe, "geed the memorial or espiewied their sympathy
with be object. Mane elergymen of the church of Beg
lied have alremly ree.mk-1 the protest of religion egaieist
istoleranne. The leading men in oar universities
awl public missals, the lur, awl the civil service
are laeelymisinitel. The ouliwriben desire nothing but
lair play. have stated their event wish that Mr.
Tension reassuitios. procured as it has been by foul
mos% he m 4 sereide.l by the Treasnry. But we believe
they will ha quite mounted if your lordship will caret
that Mr. Taratiall be regarded as aa Aker who has ile-
smsdal a rourt.m.irtiah will roafroot hint with his sc.
OMR and peat hive a fair Ashland so favour."

Loud PaCiedormn said—This is a matter which I lam
had under my attention for a considerable time. First
of all let ins say, that it doss not appear to me
to he a matter which fails within the category in which
Lard Nonnanby lira clamed it. It does ant seem to me
1.. be a question respeding the examine of men from
eermin apisantinente oo account of their religions °mamas.
I had represestations mole tome last year which led me
te commusicate with the Master of the Rolls, and I had
an answer from him. The objection to Mr. Turnbull, as I
understand it, is mote, sot on the ground that ea
a catholic he is unfit to be employed by the gore.
meat, but that being • man of high personal
besour soil great ability soil attainments, he happens,
as convert,. very often are, to be a man also of may extreme
cribbers ; in fact- eliorot a fanatic. It was thoegkt, there-
fore, that be yeas sot • pen.wi who was likely to being to the
lartirular dirty upon which he was employed that
calm primmest sad impartial view which are ea.
rotaal M the abstracting and compiling of dom.
meats belonging to • period when daemons's of
religious opinion conoeeted with historical events were miry
strong. I concur in that opinion. I think it was an
unfortunate aelectioo. It would nut have been difficult to
find in the circle of literary men some other person who
would he equally competed to perform the duty ;
and, although I do not in the least doubt that Mr.
Tarnbull most faithfully abstracted everything which he
was ordered to abstract, yet I mast say that his position
was not altogether that which • man holding very
store; opinions—strong opinions, I say, because his pub.
lobed works prove that they are strong—it was not •
position is which a man of that frame of mind aunt of those
opinions would feel himself comfortable. When he had to
abstract documents relating t., religious differences and
controversies of former ;enrol.. it must have been effnineli
the gran to record them if they were uofavourabls
to the tenets to which he so strongly clung.
At the same time, I must observe that Sir John
Notedly elated be was satisfied that Mr. Turnbull
was • it person awl woold &his duty properly, and he raid
that unless I desired that be should be dismissed he should
not think of putting the matter into any other hands.
Of course I did not feel that there was suf.
"clot pound fur that. Well, then mine Mr. Tomball's
resignation. I think that Mr. Turnbull acted es • man
bosom ought to act under such eircurostionses. Hs midge&
hit, that however unjust might be the imputations egoist
him, still, u there was a strong feeling among a large
din of the people Hut he was pesionsing a duty
for which he was not (It, it was best to maps from
attack and get out of a place in which tbe confidence
d • large portion of the community was denied
to him. He very honourably resigned. The emoluments
of the office were very small indessl. It was not a perma-
nent office, the employment was merely temporary. Well,
then, whoa it was put to me the other day—what should
be done!—l thought it woe only acting fairly by Mr.
Turnbull to accept ha resignation. I think he acted quits
rightly In resigning instead of continuing to be a target to
be shot at. I think, too, the acceptance of his resignation
was fair to him and fair to the public. The only mode
in which anyone could ascertain whether or not his
duties were performed fairly, washy comparing the abstracts
which he made with the original documents. That is a kbevir
very few persons would undertake, though anyone
might try to ascertain by one or two specimens what was the
general character of Mr. Torsbull's work ; yet it is quite
clew that in the perfonneace of the duties entrusted to him,
lie must be more or lean liable to imputations, sad I felt
that having regard to the public interest and to Mr. Tom
bull's particular situation, as he had tendered his malgen-
boa, it was my duty to accept it.
The Marquis of N.ARMAMBY mid it was with extreme re-
:rot he had beard the opinions expressed by his loedehip.
Hu lordship had stated that at some previous tiros Mr.
Tumbril' expressed strong opinions. If that were
a sufficient grouted fur accepting his resignation,
it woeld open the door to any religiona society objecting to
the sppuintniest of any man to • particular office on se.
rent of his religious origami& The question was one not
"f ^Plains& bust of good faith, awl the good faith of Mr.
Terahaff was proved by the weer in which he had per-
formed his duties. He (the sold* marquis) believed
{he Pniediee naiad Mr. Tarnbull would not have pro-
ceeded so far if the premier lad "ppnsed it. As to Sir
Joins Hominy, be had recommended that Mr. Turnbuirs
"'iguana should not be aoceplai.
Led Piidesnavon said that was tree : but as he (Lord
Ftiner.doed wu the perms to determine the question, he
Mirol foe himself. He had no doubt that Sir J. ibmailly's
million el Mr. Tyndall's faithfulness wee perfectly well
"Ned ; sad is utopias; ties resignation, he did
am in the lame impute to lrr. Tareball that
he hot not meet faithfully performsd his ditty. The
Tvinea eas ant ono of religious equality ; it was
*letter as ladtsidoal should perform • duty in which
the leas ci his Lad might imamate him. He
itss told that Mr. Trumbull had even written • panegyric
llTne MiLingtoo, who sionepind against the life ci Queen
Inkmbeili. showing that he regarded that as a etilmkeme
be'llttlM sad that bed said be ...la mare be
iimmedA mil papule WA Le saved with wok:maid&