The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-13 00:00:00

fHE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY' EVENING, JANUARY 13, 1870.

FOREIGN NOTES.

THE NEW BISHOP OF MANCE4SV43
4.7
Mr. Gladstone has recommended to-the Queen N.,2 lip
pointthent to the Bishopric of Manchester the Rev. !Unita
Fraser, MA., Rector of Ufton .Nervet Rectory, near Read-
ng. Mr. Frasef is, aboutp-years of age, was educated at
Lincoln College,'Oxforde of which college he was a scholar,
and graduated B.A. in 1840. In 1839 he won Dean Ire-
land's scholarship, and came out first class in classics tor,
ther with Professor Jowett and Sir Stafford Northcote.
He was elected a fellow of Oriel in 1842. In 1846: he
Was ordained deacon, and in 1847 priest by the Bishop
(Wilberforce) of Oxford. He became tutor of his college
in 1842, and held the post for five years, when he was
appointed to the college living of Cholderton, near
Salisbury, worth £244. He held this small in-
cumbency for thirteen years, and during the last
two years of that time-1858-60--he was appointed Chan-
cellor of Salisbury Cathedral by the late Bishop, Dr.
Hamilton. He was also appointed Prebendary of the
same cathedral, and chaplain to the same bishop. In 1860
Mr. Fraser was presented by Oriel College to another and
more valuable living—that of Ufton Nervet, which he now
holds, and which is worth £520 and a house. The parish
nas only a population of 368, and therefore offered little
.cope to a man of Mr. Fraser's ability and energy. Bishop
Wilberforce appointed him Diocesan Inspector of Schools.
In 1854, and again in 1862, he was nominated select
university preacher at Oxford. When the Royal Com-
mission (presided over by the late Duke of Newcastle) was
appointed to inquire into the condition of primary educa-
tion in this and other countries, Mr. Fraser was asked to
undertake the important task of investigating the con-
dition of education in Canada and the United States.
He paid a visit of several months to these
countries, and published the result of his inves-
tigations in a Blue-book, which has every merit but that
of perspicuity. Mr. Fraser has written frequently, chiefly
on educational subjects, in the lay and in the religious
press. In theology he is not a partizan. The fact that he
was appointed to offices of trust by the late Bishops of
Salisbury and Oxford would indicate that he is not a Low
Churchman. We believe that he is a somewhat High
Churchman of Broad sympathies ; and that he owes his
appointment in no small measure to the strong recommen-
dation of the present Bishop of Winchester. Mr. Fraser
is the third clergyman taking a deep interest and a pro-
minent part in educational reform who has received pre-
ferment at the hands of Mr. Gladstone. The two others
are Dr. Temple, who has been appointed Bishop of Exeter,
.nd Dr. Lake, who has been appointed Dean of Durham.
The two last were members of the Royal Commission ap-
appointed to inquire into the condition of endowed schools
and middle-class education. The appointment of Mr.
Fraser appears to be received with much satisfaction in
Manchester.

MRS. STOWE'S " VLNDICATION OF LAM'

I3YRON.'

The New York papers of thee:3oth ult. contain the
introductory chapter of Mrs. Stowe's vindication of Lady
Byron. It runs as follows :--" Tho interval since my pub-
lication of ' The True Story of Lady Byron's Life has
been one of stormy discussion and much invective. I
have not thought it necessary to disturb my spirit and
confuse my sense of right by even an attempt at read-
ing the many abusive articles that both here and
in England have followed that disclosure. Friends
have undertaken the task for me, giving me from time to
time the substance of anything really worthy of attention
which came to view in the tumult. It appeared to me
that this first excitement should in a measure spend itself
before there would be a possibility of speaking to anypur-
pose. Now, when all would seem to have spoken who can
speak, and, it is to be hoped, have said the utmost
they can say, there seems a propriety in listening
calmly, if that be possible, to what I have to say in
reply. And, first, why have I made this disclosure at all ?
To this I answer briefly, because I considered it my duty.
to make it. I made it in defence of a beloved, revered
friend, whose memory stood forth in the eyes of the
civilised world charged with the most repulsive crimes,
of which I certianly knew her innocent. I claim, and
shall prove, that Lady Byron's reputation has been
the victim of a concerted attack began by her husband
during her lifetime, and coming to its climax over
her grave. I claim, and shall prove, that it was not
I who stirred up this controversy in this year 1869. I
shall show who did do it, and who is responsible for bring-
ing on me that hard duty of making these disclosures,
which it appears to me ought to have been made by others.
I claim that these facts were given to me unguarded by
any promise or seal of secrecy, expressed or implied ; that
they were lodged with me as one sister rests her story
with another for sympathy, for counsel, for defence.
Never did I suppose the day would come that I should
be obliged to so cruel an anguish as this use of
them has been to me. Never did I suppose that—when those
kind hands, that had shed nothing but blessings, were
lying in the helplessness of death—when that gentle
heart, so sorcly tried and to the last so full of love, was
lying cold in the tomb—a countryman in England could
be found to met the foulest slanders on her grave, and not
one in all England to raise an effective voice in her de-
fence. I admit the feebleness of my plea in point of
execution. It was written in a state of exhausted health,
when no labour of the kind was safe to me—when my
hand had not strength to hold the pen, and I was forced to
dictate to another. I have been told that I have no
reason to congratulate myself on it as a literary effort.
0 my brothers and sisters ! is there, then, nothing
In the world to think of but literary efforts? I ask any
anin with a heart in his bosom, if he had been obliged to
tell a story so cruel, because his mother's grave gave no
rest from slander—l ask any woman who had been forced
to such a disclosure to free a dead sister's name from
grossest insults, whether she would have thought of
making this work of bitterness a literary success ? Are
the cries of the oppressed, the gasps of the dying, and
last prayers of mothers—are any words wrung like drops
of blood from the human heart to be judged as lite-
rary efforts? My fellow-countrymen of America, men of
the press, I have done you one act of justice—of all your
bitter articles I have not read one. I shall never be
troubled in the future time by the remembrance of any
unkind word you have said to me, for at this moment I
recollect not one. I had such faith in you, such pride in
my countrymen, as men with whom, above all others,
the cause of woman was safe and sacred, that
I was at first astonished and incredulous at
what I heard of the course of the American press, and
was silent, not merely from the impossibility of being
heard, but from grief and shame. But reflection convinces
me that you were, in many cases, acting from a misunder-
itanding of facts, and through misguided honourable feel-
ing; and I still feel courage, therefore, to ask from you a
fair hearing. Now, as I have done you this justice, will
you also do me the justice to hear me seriously and
candidly ? What interest have you or I, my brother
and my sister, in this short life of ours, to utter any-
thing but the truth ? Is not truth between man and man
and between man and woman the foundation on which
all things rest ? Have you not, every individual of you,
who must hereafter give au account yourself alone to God,
an interest to know the exact truth in this matter, and a
duty to perform as respects that truth ? Hear me, then,
while I tell you the position in which I stood, and what
was my course in relation to it. A shameless attack on
my friend's memory had appeared in the Blackwood of
July, 1869;.branding Lady Byron as the vilest of criminals,
and recommending the Guiccioli book to a Christian public
as interesting from the very fact that it was the avowed pro-
duction of Lord Byron's mistress. No efficient protest was
made against the outrage in England, and Litter 3 Living
Age reprinted the Blackwood article, and the Harpers, the
largest publishing house in America, perhaps in the world
republished the book. Its statements, with those of Black-
wood, the Pall Mall Gazette, and other English periodi-
cals, were being promulgated through all the young reading
and writing world of America. I was meeting them
advertised in dailies, and made up into articles in mago-
zines, and thus the generation of to-day, who had no
means of judging Lady Byron but by these fables of her
slanderers, were being foully deceived. The friends who
knew her personally were a small select circle in England,
whom death is every day reducing. They were few in
number compared with the great world, and were silent.
I saw these foul slanders crystallising into history uncon-
tradicted by friends who knew her personally, who, firm
in their own knowledge of her virtues and limited in view
as aristocratic circles generally are, had no idea of the
width of the world they were living in, and the exigency
of the crisis. When time passed on and no voice was
raised, I spoke. I gave at first a simple story, for I knew
instinctively that whoever put the first steel point of
truth into this dark cloud of slander must wait for the
storm to spend itself. I must say the storm exceeded my
expectations, and has raged loud and long. But now that
there i 4 a comparative stillness I shall proceed, first, to
prove what I have jast been asserting, and, second, to add
to my true story such facts and incidents as I did not
think proper at first to state.

TOTAL WRECK OF TUE STEAMER GAMBIA.—
Thl.3 steamer, ono of the regular line Letween Aberdeen
and London, foundered about twenty miles north of the
Dudgeon Lighthouse, from ha-..inv sprung a serious leak.
The crew took to the boats, und were rescued by the
Russian barque Solon. They have since safely arrived at
Aberdeen.

The prosecution in the municipal bribery ease at
Norwich promises to -be very protracted. The case against
Freestone has not been yet concluded, and that against
liardimeut has still to be disposed of. The bribes alleged
to have.beon gives do not gpr ear t9.hare 'acceded
•• . •

RAILWAY AND OTHER COMPANIES.

LONDON AND PROVINCIAL TEL/GRAPH.

A special meeting of this company was held at
the offices, 101, Cannon-street ; Mr. Howell pre-
sided.

The CHAIRMAN explained that it was requisite to
pass resolutions for the voluntary winding up of
the company, and at a future meeting a proposal
would be made by the directors as to the distribu-
tion of £60,000, which was to be raid over to them
by the Postmaster-General. It was also necessary
that certain resolutions should be adopted, reliev-
ing the directors of all responsibility, and there were
also a number of accounts which the directors would
require to see cleared off before they ceased to exist
as a company from a legal point of view. It was
of the utmost importance for all parties that liti-
gation should be avoided, and that it should not be
a compulsory, but a voluntary, winding up. He con-
cluded by moving that the company be voluntarily
wound up.

Mr. AUSTEN seconded the motion.
Mr. SIMPSON asktd if the distribution of the fund
could not be made without liquidation, as all of
them who had gone through the crucible of liquida-
tion knew the great expense of it.
The CHAIRMAN regretted the distribution of the
funds bad not been kept in the hands of Lord Saliq-
bury, but the directors had received a letter from a
shareholder pointing out that their company was
not included in the Act of Parliament, there being
only three companies named in that Act, and there-
fore Lord Salisbury could not act as arbitrator, and
they must therefore apply to the court for the ap-
pointment of an official liquidator. The directors
had taken the opinion of eminent counsel, who also
agreed in that opinion.

Mr. FORD said he was the shareholder to whom
the chairman had referred, and he was satisfied
that the preference shareholders had been entirely
overlooked in the arrangement made with the
Government. The original stock of the company
was £60,000 in £5 shares, and the preference stock
was £lO,OOO of £1 each.
The CHAIR !AN contended that the agreement
with Mr. Scudamore on behalf Of the Postmaster-
General had been entered into in strict accordance
with the Act, and the shares were taken at the
marketable price—£4 per share. He denied that
the preference shareholders had been overlooked.
A discussion ensued, in which several share-
holders concurred in the views of Mr. Ford.

The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, which
was carried by a large majority.
The proceedings terminated with thanks to the
chairman.