Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR.

SIR,—My knowledge of your habitual readi-
ness to defend the rights of British subjects,
whether at home or abroad, induces me to send
you without delay an account of the very sin-
gular and, I believe, absolutely unprecedented
treatment we have just met with here at the
hands of the French authorities.

An English church, open for the last two years,
and regularly attended by several hundreds of
our country people, has just been closed by order
of the Minister of Public Instruction, without
any cause assigned, in this, the capital of a civi-
lised country, and in a manner calculated to
pp(n
my churchwardens
s in our Sunday school are in this predica-
ment),excite the just indignation of every thinking man.
I must state the facts briefly. In December,
1857, formal application was made to the Minister
of Public Instruction for leave to open a chapel
where Divine service should be performed accord-
ing to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of
England. Two gentlemen, functionaries, were
sent to me by the minister to make inquiries,
bearing their written credentials ; they reported, .
and finally one of them returned about the 20th
of December, 1857, to inform me, on-the part of
the minister, that the chapel might be opened
forthwith, but that a written authorisation might
not be given for some time, if at all. The chapel
was opened accordingly, considerably enlarged
shortly after, and has remained open for upwards
of two years, undisturbed in any way.
I must now mention another circumstance,
appears to be the hidden cause of this un-
pwrhe ci which
d ent d act. Finding that there was a
n -
population of from 2,000 to 3,000 Anglo-French
in Paris, speaking French habitually, and still
merroosfreo
the faith of the Church of England
than half the Christian children and young
churchwardens and myself considered
it highly desirable to hold a French Church of Eng-
land service at six on the Sunday afternoons, and
such a service has existed and has been very well
attended by French and English and Anglo-
French for the last two months without a shadow
of opposition from any quarter, save a rumour
that the Roman clergy, or certain of them, were
unfavourable to it. The service lasted for little
more than an hour, and consisted of a simple
translation of an evening prayer, with two hymns,
translated from our hymn-book, and a short ser-
mon, and this was only one out of five services
on the Sunday.
On Saturday last, at a little after twelve
o'clock, two men, functionaries, entered my room,
bringing with them a formal prohibition on the
part of the prefet to celebrate Divine service any
more, in any way whatever, in our chapel. Lord
Cowley was absent, a fact which had possibly
been forseen ; and Saturday, it will be perceived,
was the day on which the notice was served.
Anxious to avoid the great scandal which would
have resulted from closing the doors on the
Sunday morning without any previous announce-
ment, I went straight to the embassy and con-
sulted our charge d'afl'aires, in the absence of Lord
Cowley, the Hon. William Grey. He expressed
much interest, and advised an immediate appli-
cation to the prefect for a grace or delay extend-
ing over Sunday, and I took a letter from him to
that functionary. This gentleman, however, said
he could do nothing, being the simple agent of a
higher power, M. Roulland, Ministre de l'ln-
struction Publique et la Cult e. To him I
proceeded forthwith, and not beimg able to see
him, I left a written statement, laying before
him the lamentable scandal that would ensue
from the stoppage of Divine service on a Sunday
morning in an English church. I was then for-
tunate enough to find one of my churchwardens
at home, and returned with him to the embassy,
when Mr. Grey kindly promised to enforce our
request for a delay. At half-past eight o'clock
he obtained the permission from M. Roulland to
open the church for a single day, and this on the
express condition of the giving up of the French
service, which M. Roulland stated to be the great
offence.

Another offence may possibly have been given
by the recent restoration of two wanderers who
had strayed to Roman pastures to our fold, as
well as the recent reception at the holy board of
three other converts froth Popery. But be this
as it may, it were hard, indeed, if while Popery
is daily making its inroads in all directions, it
should be forbidden to the Anglican Church to
receive those who are drawn to her by the supe-
rior force of her attractions.

In any case our. church is now formally closed,
and all services; French or English, are pro-
hibited. I wrote at once to his excellency Lord
Cowley, laying my case before him; but on
mature consideration have arrived at the con-
; elusion that we are not justified in implicating
tihim in the question of French services. We
'prefer going straight to tlie foot of the .Throne,
I mean to the Emperor of the French, and ap-
pealing to that sense of right and love of religious
liberty which we believe to be powerful in his
breast.

I have accordingly this day addressed a' peti-
tion to the Emperor, together. with a letter to
his Majesty's private secretary, M. Mocquard,
explaining briefly the reasons for which we have
thought it expedient not to cast any further
responsibility in the matter of the French service
on the British embassy.
Although we are only a few hundreds, we think
all men will feel that Englishmen at large have
an interest iu this question, and that the closing
of an English church without any warn-
ing or notice, within a few hours of
Sunday service, in Paris, is little likely
to
.promote a cordial understanding between the
neighbouring countries: But we await calmly
his Majesty's decision, with a firm reliance on his
good will, sound sense, and inability of being in-
fluenced by priestly or other intrigues, and with
an equal assurance of your sympathy, and that
of every true-hearted Englishman.
I remain, Sir, your cbedient servant,
ARCHER GURNEY, Clerk 111 Orders, and
Incumbent of the English Church, 17, Rue de la
_ _

Madeleine, at Paris.
30, Faubourg St. Honore, Paris, Jan. 9.

BRICKS AND BREEKS.—The Duchess of Gordon, so
celebrated for her electioneering canvasses, called on the
Laird of Craigmyle for his vote and interest in favour
of one of the candidates at a contested election. Having
heard that he was making bricks on the property, for
the purpose of building a new •garden wall, with her
usual tact she opened the subject, and kindly asked,
1' Well, Mr. Gordon, and how do your bricks come on?"
Good Craigmyle's thoughts were much occupied with a
new leather part of his dress which he had lately con-
structed. So looking down on his nether garments, he
said, in pure Aberdeen dialect, " Muckle obleeged to
yer grace, the breeks were some ticht at first, but they
are doing well eneuch noo."—.Dean Ramsay s Reminis-
cences.

THE EARL OF sHOEETOUN'S MARRIAGE.—The farm-
ers on the estate of Hopetoun met in the Stax and
Garter Hotel, Linlithgow, on the 3rd inst., to celebrate
the marriage of the Earl of Hopetoun, and, we under-
stand, did honour to their landlord and eountess till a;
late hour. We are glad to learn that a similar meeting
took place, to do him honour on the same occasion,
under the auspices of Mr. Arkley, farmer, Kingsfield.
He kindly summoned all his workmen and their wives
to partake of his hospitality, and supplied to them plenty
of roast-beef and plum-pudding, with a copious supply
of mountain dew, to drink the healths of the earl and
countess, and whisky-punch ad libitum. Song and
sentiment were prevalent till a late hour, and every one
left highly delighted with the great kindness shown
them, and the friendly intercourse which prevailed
betwixt master and men during the evening.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE AGAINST A
LINCOLNSHIRE FARMER.

Thomas Peel, ed about 20, son of Mr. Thomas
' Peel, of Snellard tween Lincoln and Wragby)
was charged at ragby with having violently
assaulted Mark Brewer, of Fulnetby, on the 12th
ult.—Superintendent Thoresby, of Market Rasen,
deposed that from information he received he
visited Brewer's house,. where he found him ill
in bed. Brewer, who is rather of weak intellect,
said: On Monday, three weeks ago, I was feed-
ing my master's horses from a sieve, when the
prisoner came up to me and said, " I want that
sieve." I said, " Take it then." He then seized
me by the middle of the body and dragged me out of
the stable into a yard. A man named Charles Whit-
taker was present. He hurt me very much at the
time, and I have felt the effect of his violence
ever since, and am now suffering from it. On the
following day (Tuesday) he tied a handkerchief
tight round my neck, and hung me on a nail in .
the wall. My feet were off the ground. John
Smith, a youth about fourteen years of age, came
in and saw me suspended, and ran and shouted to
the man, Charles Whittaker, " Mark has hung
himself." He then came and let me down. ln
the middle of the same week the prisoner struck
me across the small of the back with a fork shaft.
Three nights in succession he came and sat upon
my head as I lay in bed. As soon as he had done
that he threw off all my clothes, and pulled me by the
feet on the floor. Thoresby said that Brewer was in .
a weak state when he saw him, and fainted twice, -
and he believed his life was in imminent danger.
—Mr. J. D.-Wrangham, surgeon, of Wragby,
said Brewer was suffering from pain in the loins
and groin, stiffness and pain in the thighs, and a
good deal of sympathetic constitutional fever.
Witness found no marks of external violence,
1
, although the symptoms were such as the usage
described would have proceded.—Charles Whit-
taker 'denied all knowledge whatever of the
assault complained of.—John Smith, the Iboy
referred to in the injured man's depositions, also
denied all knowledge of them. The complainant's
father detailed a conversation which passed be-
tween the prisoner and the injured man at his
house. The prisoner, he stated, asked his son to
forgive him but the latter refused to accept any
apology, charging him with having given him his
" death wound."—Mr.. Wrangham said if the
complainant had no relapse, in a month he might
be able to appear before the magistrates.--Mr.
Saffrey appeared with bail to any amount, but
the magistrates refused to accept it, and the
prisoner was remanded for eight days, and taken
to the House of Correction at Louth.

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