The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-11 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE YORK CHROISICLE.

Stn,—lt is no matter of surprise to me, who Iknow
the motives by which you and your employers are
actuated, in attacking all who differ with you in politics
or religion, to find you guilty of the- nicest unleiushing
falsehoods respecting the Catholic High-Shea-if! of
the county. To those who have the honour of person-
ally knoWing the Sheriff, a contradiction is unnect!ssary ;
but to those who do' not know him, to those mor : espe-
cially who .are blind enough to look for truth in the
darksome bigotry of the York Chronicle, a stater aent of
facts may he desirable ; not that I expect any• state-
ment will induce you to give up practice as a hired ca-
lumniator, or that it will dispel the cloud. which ilarkene
the vision of any one of yonr readers, in matters reli-
gious or political—but simply as a sacrifice due to-truth
from detected falsehood. The laws of this country have
so far put an end to civil disability on account (lir reli-
gious belief, as to admit a Catholic to the office of High
Sheriff. Charles Tempest, Esq., is the third Cao.holic
who has held that office in Yorkshire, since the passing
of the Emancipation Bid. I recollect that previous to.
Emancipation, 1829, some patrons of the Chronicle
thought, that. if emancipated, the Catholics would. soots
run away with York Minster ! A Catholic Sheriff was '.
appointed in 1830, and your friends were'still rneraler-
i rifled. " The nation was becoming Catholiee and -Pro-
f testantism about to be extinguished!",. • In 183 J, another
Catholic Sheriff was named, and nothing appears to have '
then saved the Church, except the fact, that the 'Ca-
tholic Sheriff appointed a Pectestant.ChaOtain.•
At length .eaur.4..t,be poneontous..yont wido, Aindwivvith
!
it, on the very Ides
.of, „Al Ary4 t,r49,41451,fiffr"1,01,1419WP I
the appointment .of a Catholic chaplain 1. :Thrs ap-
pointment is, evidentlY in.rinur opinion, the immediate
forerunner of the destruction of tale-Establishment
.aend
as it is often said that. men etuder the influence of great
fear, lose the powers of sight and reason, so you, hawing
the fear of the speedy annihilation' Of Protestantism im-
pressed strongly upon your mind, seem to have given
credence to all the extravagant • fancies which affect
dreaming witnesses. .Thus, for example, the Sheriff's
chaplain, in a plain black cassock and gown, in your
excited imagination, has been converted into " a Popish •
el:l:dein, attired and robed in full fig for the celebration
of high mass." Then you have insinuated that the chepe
lain attended the breakfast at the Mansion-horse, with-
out an invitation. It is true you have not repeated
in the Gazette this part of your false story, and.
it is said that even the Lord Mayor himself,
(though a Tory), requested you would not repeat it.
But why have you not begged pardon of the public, whose
mind you have been attempting to abase? Is it honest
or reputable knowingly to assert falsehood? 0e is it
a part of your Protestantism to refuse to retract that
which you have asserted untruly, respecting a Catholic ?
If it be, I am not, surprised that you should entertain
fears for the stability of your religion ! But you wish
to persuade your readers that the Sheriff attended the
Catholic Chapel in York with all " the usual insignia
of his office." New the fact is, that the insignia of his
office are his sword and his wand. It is is even question-
able whether the wand is not his only insigne of office, the
sword being a necessary part of ancient full dress. Now in
order to avoid the possibility of giving offence, either to
' law or his fellow men, the Sheriff resigned both his
swords and his wand at the door of the chapel. So much
for all your quibbling as to to the Sheriff having acted
contrary to the Emancipation Act. Then as to " the
• habit of his order," which you say the chaplain worn
upon the occasion ; be it known to you that the habit he
wore was not the habit of any order, but simply the
cassock and gown, which every clergyman (Catholic as
well as Protestant) le entitled to wear. It is true there
are some truing differences in the modes of making these
habiliments—differences' so minute, however, as to es-
cape the observation of a cursory observer. For ex-
ample, the cassock of the Protestant clergyman is tied
in front, whilst that of the Catholic is buttoned ! And
yet you style the Catholic, " An individual dressed up
in a style which neither of them (the Judges) had in all
probability ever seen before."
The Judges themselves have given you a good moral
lesson, and they are men (I use your own words) skilled
"in the form and pressure of the time.' Yee, they
knew that it was their duty, as honest men, to endea-
vour to put an end to religious animosity and civil dis-
tinctions on account of differences in matters of faith.
They knew that they had no right (as you assume to
have) to state dogmatically that the Catholic Church is
an apostate church." They were too well informed
of the real state of the establishment to join
with you in stigmatising the Catholic clergy,
as " representatives of a ' corrupt church. .No !
They are - educated and honest men, and,
therefore, did not hesitate to request the
Catholic chaplain to say grace before them. In short,
if it be really your wish to see Catholics and Protestants
on such bad terms with each other, that neither of them
shall allow the other to say grace in his presence, you
must have been going back in the race of toleration
during the past ten years ; whilst the great body of man-
kind have been making rapid advances towards that
happy state of things, when persecution shall utterly
cease, and each be left to pursue the dictates of his con-
science, and to practise the duties of Christianity with-
out annoyance from the intolerant or the wicked. We
shall very shortly, I trust, he spaced the pain of hearing
Editors of Newspapers call their Catholic ancestors ido-
laters, or stigmatize virtue as if it were vice.
I fear I have trespassed too long on your patience as
well as on your type. An anecdote, and I have. done.
I have heard that a certain personage remarked to Baron
Alderson, during the late Assizes, that she considered
the blowing of the trumpets (when the Sheriff was on
his way from the Minster to the Catholic Church)
would be of serious consequence, and decidedly inju-
rious to-Protestantism.. " Lord, ma'am (exclaimed the
witty Baron) don't he alarmed ; I assure you it is all
in the natural order of things, there never was a Tem-
pest • without a blast! " The pun was nearly fatal in its
effects upon the lady's risible faculties, and it is said she
declares she never will again " make much ad.) about
. nothing."
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
R. HENRY ANDERSON.
,
. County Clerk of Yorkshire.
f i
. York, 26th March, 1839.

ERRATUM IN YESTERDAYS SUN.-411 a
letter signed S. A. W., I:nc 44, for " naval construc-
tion," read " novel construction.