The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-10 00:00:00

AGAIN BISHOP PHILPOTTS!

(Fri.rn the Examiner.)
A Protest or the Bishop of Exeter concludes with
this awful denunciation—
" 8. Lastly, and above al, because, by this wilful and
deliberate abandonment of the cause (!j* true teligiin,
and of the security of the Church in Ireland, to which
the fundamental laws of the Constitution, the Act of
Union, the oath of our Sovereign, and al the most
sacred duties of subj..2ets to their ruler, and of men to
their Maur alike bind us, we have provd.7ed the justice
of Alnithly God, and hays given too much reason to
apprehend the visitation of Divine vengeance ft:r this
presumptuous act of national disobedience.

H. EXFTR
Now what can Parliament have " t done dese E
g. of
this terrible character? What measure can iltrh
passed in " wilful and deliberate abandonment of have
osuso of true religion,' " provoking the justice of Al-
mighty God, and raising fears of " the visitation of
Divine vengeance"? Will it be believed that the sub-
ject of this denunciation is the Irish Corporations Bill
The reform of the abuses in the old Corporations is
" the abandonment of the cause of true religion," " pro.
yoking the justice of Almighty God," and
tation of Divine vengeance." All these terrible terms
are applied to a measure relating to the management of
borough affairs, lighting, paving, and watching The
altered election of Town Councils and Aldermen is to
bring down the wrath of heaven !
Bishop Philpotts has busied himself much in bring-
ing the blasphemy of Sx•iid;sts to light, but in all
the blasphemy of the Socialists there is surely nothing
more impious than the Bishop's use of the name and
the wrath of the Deity on so unsuitable an occasion.
This sort of taking the name of God in vain, in a ques-
tion who should be the electors of town councils and
aldermen, is irreverent to the most stocking degree.
Can the Primate indeed suffer a protest. containing so
profane a passage, to be 'placed on the Journals of the
House, without rebutting the offence?
Why cannot Bishop Philpotts rest content with
representing his own passions? Why does he take
the impious liberty of imputing to the Deity wrath
on the occasions which cu disproportionately stir his
own displeasure; blind worm that he is ? Becausa
be, Dr. Philpotts, is angry, he must attribute art
anger greater even than what he would dare to con-
fess on his own part, to the all-wise and all-merciful.
The Bishop, for the political effect of a Protest, makes

a god after his own image, ftfll of concern and wra'h
because of a change in the election of Mayors and Al-
dermen in certain Irish towns! This is iniscreancy in
the strictest sense of the word, and it is a most irreve-
rent miscreancy. Doctor Philpotts, in his human falli-
bility, may see an act of " national disobedience," and
a wilful and deliberate abandonment of the cause of
true religion" in a Corporations Bill—he, with his pe-
culiar optics, may see the same in a Turnpike Bill—but
let him not presume to interpret the will and pleasure
of the Deity from his own miserable party passions and
prejudices. It is bad enough that he, a prelate, should
be so much mixed up with and inflamed by politics, but
for very decency he should refrain from profaning the
sanction of the Divine name by the introduction of it
and its terrors into discussions of the least dignified na-
ture. The pagan poet m;ght teach the Bishop this
lrsson of propriety, if his sense of religion fail to instruct
him in it.

The very day after the appearance of Bishop
Philpotts' Protest, ending with the p issage upon
which we have commented, the holy man com-
plained vehemently that a certain publisher had not
been brought to punishment for (unwittingly) selling
a blasphemous book. Now seeing, as we do, that
a prelate can, unconsciously no doubt, make a very
irreverent use of the sacred name, it is surely far
from incredible that a bookseller may have omitted to
detect the profane character of a work that has passed
through his hands. Mr. Abel Heywood might ind ed
retaliate on the Bishop, and petition the House of
Lords against the scandal of such language as we have
above quoted and remarked on. We acquit the Bishop
of any consciousness of what he was doing, but if his
thoughts and passions had been less in politics, his habits
of reverence upheld by habits of meditation would have
been greater, and would have secured him against such
a !apse. As Montesquieu observes, the effect of the
habit of making too much of things of secondary im-
portance is making too little of objects of the highest
concern. The Bishop of Exeter raises things of the
earth most earthly so preposterously high, that Heaven
itself in his false view loses its true proportion of eleva-
tion above them, and he mixes the Deity with hist.
Corporations. According to the Bishop, municipal pri-
vileges are the forbidden fruit of Catholic Ireland, and
the second great act of disobedience in man is the ex-
tension of the enjoyment of them. Religion, he holds,
will be extinct when Catholic voters have a voice in the
election of Aldermen. All this is marvellously absurd,
and there is a profane familiarity in introducing the
sacred name into such preposterous speculations. But
so it is that Bishop Philpotts mingles Heaven and
Earth.

The Bishop calls on the Governinnt to suppress
blasphemy. The short and pl..tin answer of Ministers
should be, " Shut your mouth—Ho:d your tongue, my
Lord ashop."

Bishop Philpotts is the trumpeter of the blas-
phemers. He is their walking, advertiser, their puff,
their barker. Every publisher knows and can inform
his customers, that Bishop Philpotts has, by his notice
of Mr. °oven's writings, created a demand for them
which can hardly be satisfied. Before Bishop Phil-
potts applied himself to exhuming blasphemy, Mr.
Owen's works were neglected and unknown. The
Bishop has brought them to light, and stimulated
curiosity about them.

The Bishop now requires the Government to exert
the powers of the law to put down these publications.
That is to say, having made a conflagration, he calls
lustily on the Government to play oil on the flames.
The law never has succeeded in suppressing such pub-
lications ; persecutious have supported them ; neglect
has extinguished them ; but if the law could operate for
their suppression, what it could do in the way of sup-
pression would be counteracted a thousandfold by
what the Bishop of Exeter can do, and does, so
effectually and so unfortunately, to drag them
into notice and circulation. We question whether
any praise the Bishop could bestow could sell
a dozen copies of a sermon, but his abuse of a
blasphemous tract is the sale of ten thousand. If the
blasphemers had any gratitude, they would present the
Bishop with a stupendous golden speaking trumpet, in
faint token of the services he has rendered them. Cer-
tain we are that the Stamp-office has an equitable claim
on him, for an advertisement duty for Mr. Owen's
works. The holy man is the Scoffer's Advertiser.

VETO ACT SET AT NAUGHT.

PRESBYTERY OF ALFORD.

On Wednesday the 22d July, the presbytery of Al-
ford met in the church of Towle, to moderate in a call
to the Rev. Mr. Lindsay, who has been presented to
that living by Sir Alexander Leith, of Glenkindy. The
proceedings on this occasion are well worthy of notice, as '
illustrative of the state of the Church under the divisions
and dissensions that distract her. This settlement has
been proceeded in from the beginning altogether irre-
spective of the Veto Law. That law having been pro-
nounced substantially, in the Auchterarder case, to be
illegal, has not received the sanction of the Presbytery
of Alford, even to the extent of " calling for dis-
sents," or of having a roll in the parish of Towle,
made up according to the terms of the Act 1835.
According to the form of procedure, before the enact-
ing of the veto, the call to Mr. Lindsay was moderated
in ; and upwards of one hundred male communicants,
many of them heads of families, came forward and sub-
scribed. After this was done, the moderator of the
Presbytery intimated that if any of the parishioners
had objections of any kind to offer against the call
being sustained, they would be hea d ; when Mr. David
Mitchell, advocate from Aberdeen, appeared with a
mandate purporting to be from 44 male heads of fami-
lies, authorising him, as he said, to °nose the settle-
ment. Several who signed this document were found
not to answer its purport, not being " heads of fami-
lies," and their names were struck off; and others who
had signed it withdrew their names. When thus purged,
Mr. Mitchell appeared for some twenty-four of the pa-
rishioners, who were also personally present ; and it was
expected, on this gentleman being at length permitted
to speak, " that the special objections" called for would
be stated. In place of this, however, Mr. Mitchell
asked if there was upon the Presbytery's table a roll
of male heads of families being communicants made
up according to the Veto Law. A roll was put into
his hands made up by the Presbytery since the death
of the late incumbent, containing the names of all
the communicants of the parish, and distinguishing
those who were male heads of families. Mr. Mitchell
asked if, in terms of the Veto Act, this roll had lain on
she session's table the required time for inspection of all
interested ? and being informed that it had not, and ob-
serving also that the roll, As made up, was but subscribed
by the Moderator and Session-clerk, Mr. Mitchell pro-
tested on these grounds against the settlement of Mr.
Lindsay being proceeded in, and appealed to the Sy-
nod of Aberdeen, This protest and appeal he put
in writing, and gave in. Oa the agent taking this
ground, several members of Presbytery, Mr. Meikle-
john, and Mr. Paull, and others, addressed the pro-
testors on the evil of the course they were pursuing, as
respected the providing of the parish with pastoral super-
intendence being probably put off for a long period ;
reminding them that a very lame majority of male heads
of families had signed the call; and that nothing could
result out of the course they wire pursuing that could
prevent Mr. Lindsay's settlement, if found qualified at
an after stage. They urged upon them the duty of
giving way to the feelings and wishes of the great majo-
rity of their fellow-parishioners ; and proposed that
they should retire with their counsel, and deliberate
on the propriety of withdrawing their protest and ap-
peal before the Presbytery proceeded. This they
agreed to do ; and, after half an hour's deliberation, re-
turned with a withdrawal of their opposition. Where-
upon the Presbytery sustained the call, and gave out
Mr. Lindsay's trials in common form. Here, there-
fore, we have a case of a settlement going forward, alto-
gether without regard to the Veto-law—no roll having
been made up, and no dissents having been called for ;
and that, it will be observed, is the course pursued by
a Presbytery on which the compuliator of the Civil
Court had not been laid. We most highly applaud the
conduct of the Presbytery. It is enough for honest
men and loyal subjects, that the Veto Law has been vir-
tually declared ill( gat, to prevent them proceeding on
it a single step. Had they consented to make up a roll
in terms of it, and had they proceeded to call for dis-
saws, it must have been under an intimation to the pa-
rishioners, that although they should reject Mr. Lindsay,
the Presbytery would proceed in his settlement ; aad
in eve,ry point of view, honourable, legal, and fair, the y
did right in altogether overlooking the Veto Act, and
its provisions. We trust their example will he followc I
by other Presbyteries in the Church.—Edinburgh 0--
server.

STRATIIBOGIE, JULY 13.—Your readers
arc aware
that the seven suspended clergymen obtained an inter-
dict td set aside the decision of the Assembly, and that
this interdict was served in due course on the first in-
truder--; who entered the parish thereafter. With that
senseless bravado which always characterises silly folly,
the seven
great guns, who were 'eputed to officiate on
Sunday week, appeared on the square of Huntly on
Saturday, and seemed to wait with some anxiety the
sort ice of the interdict ; but, t 3 their great mortification,
they werro allowed to pass on scot free ! It .nust have
of the slightest notice.—Aberdeen Herald.
been galling to he thus passed over, and considered un-
worthy

RESTORATION OF YORK. MIN-

STEIL

On Friday a public was held in the Festival
Concert Room, York, for the purpo32 of taking men-
sures for the restoration of such parts of this rnaorrnifi•
I cent edifice as were des royed by the fire.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Harcwood, Lord Lieu-
( tenant of the West-Riding, took the Chair ; and among
the company present we observed the Hon. W. Dun-
cornbc, M.P., Sir J. V. B. Johnstone, Bart, Baron
Laagen, Viscount Pollington, Hon. W. S. Laseelles,
M.P., lion. E. Lascelles, Hon. B. It. Lawley, j, H.
Lowther' E.,q , Rev. W. V. Harcourt, Rev. T.
Barnes, Rev. R. Sutton, Rev. W. Flower, jun., Rev.
Dr. Hook, Rev. Mr. Dayton, Henry Preston, Esq.,

George Hudson, Esq., W. L. F. Scott, Esq., Chris-
toeher Beckett, Esq., John Gott, Esq., John Swann,
E:-q., John Clough, Esq., W. Blanchard, Esq., J. 'Wil-
son, Esq., Thomas Wilson, Esq , Colonel Smith, &c.
&c. The entire number of persons present, including
ladies, would be about 500.
The Earl of 11AREw000 on rising was received with
loud applause. When it subsided he said—Ladies and
Gentlemen, I hope you won't be alarmed at these papers
(referring to a number of documents lying on the table
before his Lordship), as I am not going to detain you
very long, but I think it right and proper, on the present
occasion, to give some account of the actual state of
affairs with respect to the misfortune which has befallen
York Minster, and to refer to the proceedings which
have been carried on in London on this subject. I am
more anxious to do this, because I find that some misap-
prehensions have been entertained with respect to the
matters I have adverted to.—( Hear, hear.) I may
state that as soon as the destruction of the nave of the
Nlinster was made known in London, a certain number
of gentlemen, of whom I formed one—and there were
also included in the number the Earl of Zetland, the
Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Wharncliffe, Earl de Grey, and
subsequently others—met in the city, considering that
the first object they ought to have in view was not to
allow any time to elapse before the subject of this mis-
fortune should be taken up in London, with a view to
follow it up afterwards by ceiling a meeting of the county
in the hope of being able to obtain suciont funds for
the restoration of the Minster. Thinking it was necessary
that no time should be lost with regard to that subject,
they, the gentlemen I have named to you,entered into cor-
respondence with the Dean and Chapter of the Cathe-
dral of York. The subject of that correspondence was
to ascertain—a line of conduct which we had no right
to pursue under the circumstances in which we were
then placed—what were the actual funds in their hands
capable of being applied towards the restoration. We
had no right to make this call upon the Dean and Chap-
ter, but we thought it proper to request them to fur-
nish us with the necessary information, before we called
a meeting in London of a more general kind, in order
that some idea might be entertained of the sum which
would be requisite for effecting a restoration of the
building. In consequence of that communication with
the Dean and Chapter, we received from them, in the
most courteous manner, and without any hesitation, an
account of the state of the funds in their bands, from
which it appeared that those funds which could go to the
restoration were inadequate for effecting the contem-
plated repairs. In consequence of this, we, being fur-
nished with the statement I have referred to, thought
it proper to call a general meeting in London, which
was held at the Thatched House Tavern. At that meet-
ing several resolutions were entered into, as well as sub-
scriptions made, both at that time and subsequently. The
next step west° form a Provisional Committee in London,
which was done, and they have acted up to the present
day. Their functions now cease, and it will be for the
present meeting to take upon themselves to frame such
future resolutions, with regard to any fund that may be
obtained, as they shall think proper. One of the things
stated to the Dean and Chapter, in the correspondence
between them and the Committee in London, was, that
we thought it proper, before we called upon the public
to subscribe for the purpose of the restoration, that
some security should be given to the public for the due
and proper laying out of that money.—(Applause.)
And the consequence was that we proposed to the
Dean and Chapter—distinctly proposed—that any money
subscribed for the purpose of the restoration should be
placed under the control of a Committee to be appointed
and sanctioned by this meeting.—(Applause.) To that
proposition no kind of opposition was made, but, on the
contrary, it received the most complete acquiescence oo
the part of the Dean and Chapter.—(Applause.) I
make this statement publicly, and if there be any
doubts entertained as to its correctness, the papers
are here, and may be referred to. The request
was made to the Dean and Chapter for information
we had no right to demand—for we only acted on be-
half of ourselves, and in our individual capacity. We had
no power to make any such request, but the Dean and
Chapter had consented that any funds that might be
raised should be placed under that control.—(Ap-
plause.) Therefore, having gained this point, it is our
duty most earnestly to recommend to you to exhibit a
liberality in subscribing towards the restoration from its
dilapidated condition that building which is an ornament
riot only to the county but to the kingdom at large.—
(Applause.) I know that there are many persons in this
county highly disposed to give aid toward this object—
and who are yet still of opinion that great negligence has
been shown, and this has thrown a damp—a great damp
indeed—on that ardour which we found on a former me-
lancholy occasion. Now, Gentlemen, I must say that if
the utmost degree of caution had been used, I don't see
but that the accident might have been prevented, but I
am to judge of the facts according to the reasonable-
ness of the thing at the time.—(Loud applause.)
Now had there been any great work going on at the
time in which it was necessary to use extensive fire,
and an accident had occurred in consequence, then there
would have been blame, but when the matter wasplaced in
the hands of a respectable tradesman, and when there was
no reasonable ground for supposing that any accident
would arise, I am not inclined to look upon this mis-
fortune with that degree of censure which some enter-
tain, but I look upon it as likely to have taken place
under any such circumstances in my private gentleman's
house in England.—(Applause.) Therefore if any
should entertain feelings of the kind I have alluded to,
I should be happy if they be able to mitigate those
feelings, and that they will unite in giving that support
which is so necessary on the present occasion. There
is another impression gone forth, which it is also neces-
sary to remove, namely, that the proceedings in London
were for the purpose of appointing, or naming, I should
say, a very able architect, who had shown so much
ability in restoring the Minster on a former melan-
choly occasion, and who not only did that,
but did so without going beyond the original
estimate. On this account it was that we recommended

the appointment of Sir Robert Smirke, for the pur-
pose of superintending the restoration. To that ap-
pointment no objection whatever was made on the part
of the Dean and Chapter. I mention this in order to
remove any improper impression that may have been
previously made on the minds of any one, that the ap-
pointment was thrust upon them contrary to their
wishes. Papers confirmatory of what I have stated are
lying before me, and if any doubt my word he may ep-
• amine those documents, for lam perfectly satisfied that
lam correct,—( Loud applause.) Well, then, here is
a misfortune which we must all undoubtedly deplore,
and we call upon the county to assist in restoring the
Minster.—(Applause.) Now I am well aware that the
call could not have taken place at a more disadvanta-
geous time. ;am aware that in that part of the county
from which large sums have come on an occasion like
this, that there is on the present occasion considerable
depression ; and, in addition to this, I must state that
in that district very large sums have been raised for the
purpose of building and endowing churches. But, not-
withstanding these circumstances, I still entertain the
hope, the sum which will be necessary for this re-
pair being considerably less than that required on a
former occasion, that all difficulty may be removed.
The NOBLE CHAIRMAN having made this explana-
tory statement, said, he had received letters of apology
for non-attendance from Lord Wenloek, Earl of Zet-
land, Rev. W. Dent, of Ribstone, Lord Grantley,
Lord Wharncliffe, Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Morpeth,
Lord Milton, Earl of Tyrconnel, Earl Manvers, Sir C.
Constable, High Sheriff, Mrs. Lawrence, Studley-park,
G. L. Fox, Esq., Bramham-park. R. Bethel!, E-q ,
M.P , H. Rroadley, Esq., M.P., W. C. Harland, Esq.,
M.P., Col. Tempest, J. S. Morritt, Esq., Rokeby, H.
Willoughby, Esq., Birdsall, J. Garforth, Esq., Wigan-
! thorp, C. Winn, Esq., T. D. B!and, Esq., R. P. Milnes,
Esq., J. W. Barton, Esq., and Capt Harcourt.
The following were the sums announced from some
of the above parties : Earl of Z t.land, 2001. ; Rev. Mr.
Dent, 50/. ; Lord Grantley, 50/. ; Lord Morpeth.lool ;
Earl Manvers,lool. ; Mrs. Lawrence, 100/. ; Mr. Fox,
1001. in addition to having recently given 1,5001. for en-
dowing a Church in his own neighbourhood);
Mr. Broadley, 501 ; Mr. Harland, 25/. ; Colonel Tem-
pest, 251. ; Mr. Willoughby, 301 ; Mr. Bland, .50/. ;
Mr. Milnes, 50/. ; Mr. Barton, '251 ; Captain Har-
court. 1001. It should be understood that some of
these gentlemen, although not present, had previously
subscribed towards the rest,ration, at the meeting in
London, at which place alone 7,000/. was raised.
A number of resolutions were agreed to, which will
be found in our advertising columns. The meeting
was addressed by the following gentlemen, but we are
compelled to defer any report of their observations till
our next : —Hon. W. Duncombe, M.P., Hon. B. R.
Lawley, J. H. Lowther, Esq., M.P., Christopher
Beckett, Esq., Sir J. V. B. Johnstone, Bart., Rev.
Dr. Hook, Vicar of Leeds, Viscount Pollington, Hon.
W. S. Lascellcs, M.P., Rev. T. Barnes, John Gott,
Esq., W. L. F. Scott, Esq., Rev. -W. V. Harcourt,
Rev. T. Croft, Hood E. L iscelles, Geo. Hudson, Esq.
Sir R. Smirke was appointed architect, and John
Swann, Esq., of York, treasurer.
It was stated by his Lordship, in acknowledging the
thanks of the meeting, that the amount of money sub-
scribed up to the close of the proceedings, was 9,6034,
of which 6001. was given i❑ the room.—Leeds Mercury,

DREADFUL ACCIDENT ON THE
HULL AND SELBY RAILWAY.

(From the Leeds Mercury of Saturday).
FIVE PERSONS KILLED.
We deeply regret to announce that an accident, the
most extensively fatal to human life, we believe, that has
I occurred on any railway in England, took place yester-
day morning, on the Hull and Selby Railway, near
'
Lowden, as the train from Selby was on its way to
Hull. We have received information of the awful
calamity from gentlemen who were passengers by the
train ; but in order to learn all the particulars with ac-
curacy, our reporter went to Howden and obtained the
following details :
The-early trains from York and Leeds having reached
Selby about eight o'clock in the morning, they pro-
ceeded forward in one united train to Hull, taking also
additional passengers from Selby. The York carriages ,