The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-25 00:00:00

wits them who oppressed a man to do all in
their power to malign him afterwards.—( Hear, hear.)
He knew that imputations had been cast upon the cha-
racter of Mr. Thorogood. He also knew that they
you'd easily be disproved. He would give the House
an instance of the sort of charges that were
made agdnst Mr. Thorogood and his wife. It was
said that Mrs. Thorogood threw a stone at the head of
the Hon. Gentleman opposite.—( A laugh.) Now
what was_ the fact ? There was a procession
that part of the country, on account of
the suppression of slavery, and some of the
people shook chains at those who had been unfa-
vourable to emancipation. Those, on the other
hind, threw stones, one of which passed into the
reom where Sir J. T. Tyrrell was sitting.—(Cries of
" Hear," and laughter.) Now that was the whole
foundation for the charge against Mrs. Thorogood, who
(as we understood) was near the spot.—(Hear, hear.)
It was also said that Thorogood was a violent, ill-tem-
pered man, and that he had quarrelled with his brother.
—(.Hear, hear.) He understood that the Right
Hononourabie Baronet, the Member for Oxford,
visited him in gaol. He did not know what was the
Right Honourable Baronet's object, but he knew that
he did not announce himself as Sir R. Inglis, nor did
Thorogood know until he was going away who had
done him so great an honour. He was only intro-
duced as an illustrious stranger, who desired to maintain
a perfect, an entire incog.—(Laughter.) He (Mr. D.)
received the day before yesterday a letter from Mr.
Thorogood, giving a most amusing account of his inter-
view with Sir Robert Inglis, and he would read to the
House the dialogue that passed between these two
illustrious persons. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
The Hon. Gentleman then read the letter, which stated
that Sir Robert Inglis came to the door of his room and
knocked, when Mr.Thorogood said " Come in,"where upon,
said Mr. Thorogood, " the illustrious and mysterious
stranger—(Laughter)—was ushered into the room by
a turnkey ; he commenced by saying I am no friend of
yours, but I hope no enemy—looking round the room he
Baia a bird, and he said is that your bird—(Cheers and
Laughter)—to which I answered, Yes! He then ques-
tioned me as to the state of my health, and asked
if it was not good. I replied, No ! for that I had
recently been suffering from rheumatism and pa-
ralysis, more particularly from rheumatism in my
head. 'le said they were both different complaints
arising from different causes. I said I thought not ;
that they were all arising from the same cause, from
stagnation produced by cold. He then observed that it
was a good thing that I was allowed to have my wife
backwards and forwards.—(Loud laughter.) She was
in thi; room at the time. I said yes, and that I was
thankfal for it. He asked if I had no other room ? I
eaid no' Ile said it was a very good one. I said, yes,
but it is very cold." The letter then proceeded to state
that Srfr Robert Inglis bad inquired if he was confined
by himself ? to which he replied yes ; and that Mr. 1
Thorogood then made some remarks upon the unmerci-
ful system of which he had been made the victim, and
quoted various portions of scripture to shew that mercy
was the duty of a Christian, and put it to his visitor
whether he thought it was merciful to imprison him for
the non-payment of ss. "He did not like the Scripture
quotations," said the letter, and " I supposed he was a
parson—(k6ud cheers and laughter)—as many of them
had visited me." He then proceeded to complain that
he did not like to be locked up at 9 o'clock every even-
ing, and likewise of the distinction which was made in
the prison between the poor and the rich debtor. There-
were front rooms in the gaol which the rich debtors
could procure for the payment of Ss. a-week, and that
they could likewise remain in the yard every night
until between ten and eleven o'clock, whilst he, as a poor
debtor, was refused these privileges. After this the il-
lustrious stranger said Good day, and went away.
Mr. Thorogood however, as he was going,
requested to know his name, upon which he
replied—" My name is Robert Inglis." Upon
which Mr. Thorogood said he was glad to see
him there, and he should like to have his opinion if the
persons who were persecuting him were not unmerciful.
Sir Robert Inglis said he knew his opinion, on which
Mr. Thoregood said that perhaps he was not aware
that he had given 11. towards building a Chapel of Ease
on the voluntary principle, and that he considered his
case as one of most cruel oppression, and that he
would never pay towards the support of murder, rob-
bery, and idolatry, all of which could be proved against
every Church Establishment. Sir Robert Inglis said
that John Thorogood might give 1/. but that his house
must pay 55., on which Mr. Therogood remarked that
he had agreed to take his house, and had paid his rent
and taxes, and had been entrusted to collect the taxes,
which he had faithfully performed, and was proceeding,
when Sir Robert Inglis said he did not think it right
to discuss the question, but that it was the law—where-
upon Mr. Thorogood said that the law was that
the tithes shoul be divided into four parts,
one of which was to be appropriated towards
the repairs of the church, but that the State priesthood
bad embezzled the whole, and had thrown the burden
of repairing the church upon the community, to which
Sir R. Inglis said, " No, no, nor upon which Mr.
Thorogood replied, " But I say, yes, yes, yes ;" and Sir
Robert took his leave. He further stated that he had
written to the Secretary of State requesting permission
to occupy a room in the front of the gaol, and that
although he believed Lord John Russell wished it the
magistrates refused it, and that he bad subsequently
been visited by the High Sheriff, to whom he made a
similar request, for the use of a front room, but the
gaoler had refused to let him have it, unless he paid
twelve shillings a week for it.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
le maintained that they had no right to question the
dividual in this way.—( Hear, hear.) He knew it
was said that the individual was a money-getting man,
because a subscription had been entered into for him,
vallieh amounted to between 8001. and 900/., which had
been collected in small sums. Not one shilling, how-
ever;of that subscription had Mr. Thorogood touched, or
would touch while he was in prison—not a shilling
c;; it had been employed to obtain the rule, as Mr. Tho-
rogood was determined that the gaoler or any other
person should not have any of it as a reward of their
cruel treatment of him. He would ask Hon. Members
whether they thought they would break the spirit of
Mr. Thorogood by a persecution like the present ? If
they did think so, they would find they were deceived
when it was too late.—(Hear.) He knew not
what the consciences of tile ecclesiastical authorities
of Chelmsford consisted of when they pursued such a
course, and he could not conceive how the Bishop of
London could lay his head on his pillow with ease, and
allow these persecutions to go on without taking any
steps to put a stop to them. He believed that nothing
would induce this individual to come out of gaol by pay-
ing that which in his own conscience he should not
sanction. He (Mr. Duncombe) trusted that the House,
as a Christian Legislature, would not allow that state of
things to continue, and that Hon. Members would do
their best to remedy the grievance, by laying their
opinions at the foot of the Throne.—( Hear, hear.)
Members might depend upon it that one act of just
and righteous toleration would do more good than the
incarceration of a thousand Thorogoods.—( Hear, hear.)
It was the duty of the House, after the resolution it
had come to last Session, as far as it was able, to ter-
minate this persecution and imprisonment, which was
a scandal to the religion they professed, and a disgrace
to the country in which they resided. The Hon. Mem-
:)er concluded by moving the address to her Majesty,
or which he had given notice.
Sir R. INGLIS took the liberty of rising early in the
<iebJte, so that those Hon. Members who had heard
the speech of the Hon. Member for Finsbury might
hear his account of the interview. In consequence of
se appeal made to him in a newspaper of great circu-
lation, in which it was stated that Mr. Thorogood's
health was sinking, not fast indeed, but slowly and cer-
`ainly—in consequence of that appeal, he (Sir
Robert Inglis; took measures to have brought
07 to town one who had had Mr. Thorogood
la custody, and he satisfied himself that there
was no danger to his health. He then saw an-
either appeal ; he took an opportunity of visiting the
orison himself, and as well as he, not being a profes-
seonal man, could judge, his health was not suffering.
(ea being shown into Mr. Thorogood he immediately
" Mr. Thorogood, lam no friend of yours." He
:id so that he might not be tempted to commit him-
atif, thinking that he was one of his friends. He added
?.bat he was not his enemy, for he hoped he was not the
enemy of any man, but he told him distinctly that he
s-as not one of his friends in the usual acceptation of
ords under sach circumstances, in order that he might
not be led to commit himself in any way. Tnat was
the general substance of the visit. He did not think it
';ht to enter into any discussion with him, but, of
nurse, be was obliged to allow him to talk, for he
s suld trot stop him. The room in which he was con-
fined appeared to him a very good one for such a place,
and he himself did not then complain of it. Thee,
with respect to the Bishop of London. That Rev.
Prelate had no more to do with the proceedings in the
Ecelesiatetical Court than the Chief Justice of England
Lad with any case brought before him, or perhaps the
analogy would be better understood if he were to say
nsat he had no more cognizance of the case in that
Court than the Queen had of cases in the Bench.
lie should leave to the Noble Lord the task of discus-
sing the question upon its merits, but having been so
pointedly alluded to by the Hon. Gentleman he had
thonsht it right, with the indulgence of the House, to
make these few observations.—( Hear, hear, hear.)

Lord J. RUSSELL had certainly no wish, any more
than the Hon. Baronet who had just sat down, to en-
ter into the general question ; but with respect to the
motion before the House, recommending the case of
John Thorogood to the merciful consideration of
the Crown, he thought a decisive answer to that mo-
tion was that it was not in the power of the Crown to
discharge him from prison.—(Hear, hear.) No inter-
position of the Crown could release him from that im-
prisonment ; and it was not, therefore, competent for the
llause to entertain the motion.—(Hear, hear.) The
Hon. Baronet who had just spoken was quite right like-
wise in saying that the Bishop of London had nothing
IA do with the continuance of his imprisonment.--(He Ar,
f,,ear.) At the same time as the question had been