The Sun.
London, England, 1825-05-20 00:00:00

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]

The Bishop of.Cliester has taken the lead all
through the late proceedings respecting the Ca.
tholics, and he put himself in the front of the
battle on Tuesday night. His speech was de-
ficient in argument, but it was showy,• and it
gave great satisfaction to his own party, who
since have never ceased extolling it.—They are
almost disposed to place him on a level with Dr.
Doyle, but he has neither the learning nor the
logic of that eloquent champion of the native po-
pulation of Ireland. However, there can he no
doubt that the Bishop of Chester is a great ac-
quisition to his party, and we may set him down
as on the high road to Canterbury- It would,:
in fact, he good policy. in the Aristocracy to take
a hint from' the success of the promotion of Dr.
Blomfield, to relax their monopoly of the rich
Bishopricks, so far as to place one or two novi
homines of flexible character and popular ta-
lents in the front of the order. The parting
with a little would give greater security to the
rest of the immense treasures of the Church
first by the strength which talents necessarily
give, and next by the effect which such a manifesta-
tion of liberality would have in the *way of concili-
ating the people to the existing state of things
in the Church. A very little liberality goes a
great way with the people. The selection of
Dr. Magee for Dublin was not so successful a:
speculation. Learning without judgment and
temper will not do. His pastoral Charge set Ire-
land in flames from one end to the other, and his
'evidence before the House of Lords filled his own
friends with dismay. We shall not at present
state all that we know on this subject.—The
Catholic Church has always been attentive to
draw men of talents, no matter how low their
origin, to the highest stations. How many
of the Popes have been taken from the dif-
ferent Orders of Monks. Ganganelli, almost in
our own times, was the son of a country physi-
cian, and the late Pope long filled the chair of a
professor. It is bad policy to grasp at all. For
a long time the higher ranks of this country de-
serted the Church altogether, but at last it ac-
'quired such charms in their eyes, that they took
every thing worth having. Even in Warburton's
time, this had gone so far, that he observes in one
of his Letters—" Reckon upon it that Durham
goes tosorne Noble Ecclesiastic. 'Tis a morsel
only for them. Our Grandees have at last found
their way back into the Church ; I only wonder
they have been so lone about it. But be assured
that nothing but a new religious revolution to
sweep away the fragments that Harry the Eighth
left after banquetting his courtiers, will drive
them out again." They would be fools indeed
if they suffered themselves to be driven out ; hut
in a country like this, abounding with rival sects,
some sacrifice is necessary for the sake of popu-
larity. We have often wondered that Ministers
did not avail themselves of the Convocation,
As a means for giving influence to the
Church. There might be a reason for refusing
to summon it during the first two reigns of the
House of Hanover, when the Clergy were gene-
rally Jacobites, but that reason no longer exists
iIOW. If ever they became troublesome, the
remedy of it dissolution could be resorted to:
Such an assembly would afford them a certain
. means of • knowing the men who might be of

service to them in the Upper House. A t
present they are obliged to promote now and
then at a venture, so that a Benefice is some-
times given to a man from whom they cannot
derive much benefit. What an advantage to
them it would be, after calculating the per.
tentage of talent necessary to give lustre to
the establishment, to be able to obtain it at
once without any alloy, and thus be enabled
to dispose satisfactorily of the rest, to per-
sons of rank and interest. We do not say
that we have any desire to see a Convocation ;
nor do we think that the History of. Convocations
is calculated to inspire the friends of civil liberty
with a wish for them. But as Government seems
to be now conducted on a principle of subser-
viency to the Church, as the better part of the
State, to the supposed importance of which the
third of the population of the empire must be
sacrificed, we only wonder that the advantages
of a Convocation have not suggested themselves
to those whom it more especially concerns.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

APPREHENSION or 'nE REV. A. C. MUMMERY.

LAstierrla•STßEET.—About ten days since communica-
tion was made to the Magistrates of this office, that an indi-
vidual who had committed an extensive felony at the house of a
gentleman named Hill, at North Shields, where he had been
an inmate in the family for some time, and with the stolen pro-
perty was on his passage to London, on board the Charlotte,
Captain Clustard, belonging to the port of Shields, and re-
questing their Worships would cause him to be arrested before
he reached the shore. In consequence of this -communication,
Mr. Miller, the chief constable of this establishment, was
dispatched to Gravesend, with instructions to board the Char-
lotte as soon as she arrived there, and should he find the person.
who stood accused, to take him into immediate custody. Mil-
ler remained at Gravesend two days before the vessel came
into port, and, on going upon deck, the Captain piped all
hands, and.both the crew and the passengers were mustered;
and amongst the latter they discovered an individual, whose
gentlemanly appearance and serious manner indicated nothing
of guilt, and • was such as to remove all suspicion in the
officer's mind of his • being the fugitifm Miller, however,
proceeded to overhaul the luggage of the persons on board.;
and in the trunk belonging to, the unsuspected man he found
a quantity of plate, the marks engraved thereon correspond-
ing with those stolen, besides other property ; the owner
of the trunk was thereupon arrested, and brought to London
before the Magistrates, to account for the possession of the
plate, &c. On being placed at the bar, he stated his name to
be William. Toynor, and that ha *as a surgeon by profession.
The Magistrates however, were very confident he was not the
person he klescrilied himself to be, on account of a qbantity of
manriscripts on theological subjects, as well as other emblems of
a sacred name, being found in the trunksewhich induced them
to belieVe that he was of a more religious calling. than that of a
surgeon. However, he persisted in his statement, and the ac-
count he gave of the possession of the spoons was so unsatisfac-
tory, anal not even knowing the initials engraved on them,
though he declared he had had them in his custody 18. months,
that the Magistretes remanded him to prison for a week, and
in the mean time information of his arrest was dispatched to the
Magistrate at Shields, riciviaing him of the apprehension of the
accused ; and on Wednescley evening a constable named Win.
_Adamson arrived in town, with the warrant signed by Messrs.
Wright and Elderton, the Magistrates at the port of Shields, in
which the prisoner, who was therein described as the Rev.
Abraham Charles Mummery, was charged with felony, and au-
thorising his immediate removal_ to that place.
Yesterday the prisoner was brought up for further examina-
tion, before the Rev.• Mr. MATTHIAS, and JOHN HARD-
wicx I:, Esq. The accused, who is of law stature, is of a
very dark complexion, and about 34 years of Age; he was very
.genteelly dressed, and hiS demeanour is thatof a gentleman.—
On being placed at the bar, he seemed fully sensible of the
dreadful appearance of things; and during the investigation
he was at times- much agitated, and wept bitterly. He ad-
mitted that he was the wretched being delicribed in the warrant,
and that he was a minister of the Established Church, and a
member of the University of Cambridge.
The constable stated that the: prisoner, about 3 weeks ago,
came to North Shields, where he went by the name of George
Miller, and represented himself as the chief clerk to the secre-
tary of his Majesty's Commissioners of Customs in London, and
that he was sent there for the purpose.ofwatiching a vessel sup-
posed to have a lading of contraband goeds. In this character
he engaged a lodging at the house of Mrs. Hill, with whom his
story was credited; and such was her 'confidence in him, that
she frequently went from home and left him in charge. of. the
house; and on one of these occasions, whilst she went to visit
her husband, who was then at Newcastle fur the benefit of his
health, the prisoner sent for a locksmith, who resides at a great
distance, who picked the locks of a chest of drawers, stating that
his wife had gone. from home, andathat he wanted a document
of an
.important nature. Having succeeded in getting. the
drawers open, he stripped them of all they contained, and with
the whole of the family's wardrobe, together with all the plate;
all of which property he removed without detection, and went
as passenier on board the Charlotte, but, fortunately, he had
overlooked an old tea-caddy, in which was deposited about 800 e
The constable further stated that there were several other charges
of felony to be preferred against him by the publicans in Sun-
derland, where he had pledged the stolen property, and where
he had been living for some time, and, he understood, had occa-
sionally officiated for the Rev. Mr. Collison, the Rector of Get-
sell, fn. the county of Durham.
The prisoner listened with the most profound
_attention- to
the constable's statement. .

The: AGISTRATt (Mr. Hardwieke).addiessed.the•prisoner,
and said, that be regretted exceedingly to see a person of his
apparent respectability, and his sacred calling—and from what
he saw of his writings, he was a man of undoubted talent—
placed in such a disgraceful situation. Ile had heard the
charge alleged against him, of which there-could-be.little doubt,
as part of the property had been found in his possession ; there-
fore all that remained with him to do, was to hand-him over to
the constable, to be removed to the place where the offence was
committed, iere to take his trial.
The prisoner confessed his guilt to the fullest extent, and
said he was led from the paths of virtue and truth, as well as to
the commission of the -felony, in consequence of an illicit
amour. Ile intreated the Magistrate, if it Was commensurate
with the ends 'of justice, to have him' -tried in London for the
offence he had committed, as he conceived that the officer who
found the goods upon him would be a sufficient witness to con-
vict him ; and spare at least the feelings 'of many valued
friends in that part of the country before. whom he had appear-
ed in so different a character. It would be also injuring the
cause of religion and virtue.
Mr. HARDWICKE said, that if he granted the request, it
would be attended with considerable inconvenience, as it would
be bringing witnesses from a very distant part, and a great ex
pence.to the country.
The prisoner pulled out a purse, which seemed to contain
plenty of sovereigns, and said he would defray the expences
himself of the witnesses.

111 r. lIARDWICKE, on further consideration, refused to com-
ply with the request, inasmuch as the finding the property on
the prisoner only had reference to a minor offence, and for that
only could he be tried in the county where it was found, and
the warrant charged him with a capital offence of stealing in a-
dwelling-house : therefore he must be sent there fur trial.