The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-03 00:00:00

ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT EASTERN

BISHOP WILBERFORCE ON CHURCH
MATTERS.

Bishop Wilberforce on Tuesday preached at Basingstoke
to about 500 of the North Hants Choral Union, who held
their festival there. Subsequently at the dinner table he
expressed his belief that God never intended his worship
in this world to be dull and unisonous. He had not made
his fields a drab colour, nor did His songsters sing
one note only ; and he believed it was strictly
in accord with the Divine will that the Pervice of our
churches should be bright and joyous. Mr. Wyndham
Portal having subsequently expressed a hope that these
festivals might supersede those which most of them
had known too well about this time of the
year, and warmly commended the unions to
the support of the laity in the Church, the Bishop
said it warmed his heart to hear a layman speak as Mr.
Portal had, and he could not help thinking much good
must result from his having so bravely spoken out the
feelings of English laymen against the old principle of
confidential communications between the clergyman and
clerk. He trusted that. they were gone for ever.
At the time of their disappearance they were
threatened with another form not commend-
ably better certain gentlemen having exalted
themselves in the galleries, and taken with them certain
instruments, and devoted their efforts to doing something
in which nobody else in the church could join —men who
felt it was their business, and theirs exclusively, to carry
on the service of song, and who, if an unlettered man like
himself, for instance, ventured to join in, rather resented
it as an intrusion, and regarded him as a poacher in a well
protected preserve, and the sooner they were out of it the
better.

A CHARGE OF FRAUD AGAINST
DIRECTORS.

At the Mansion House, yesterday, Major the Hon.
A. G. F. Jocelyn, Major J. W. Carnegie, Captain G. E.
Bulmer, and Mr. Joseph Taylor, four of the late directors
of the Monarch Insurance Company, now in course of
liquidation, again surrendered before the Lord Mayor to
undergo a further examination upon the charge of fraud
and conspiracy preferred against them by one of the share-
holders in reference to their management of the affairs of
the above company. Mr. G. Nursall, a Yorkshire
farmer, whose name had been put down on the
list of shareholders of the Monarch as the holder
of five hundred shares, proved that he had never
applied for a single share, and that he had not given any
authority to the defendants or any one else to apply for
shares in his name. He was not even aware that such
a Company as the Monarch Insurance Company was in
existence. The first intimation he had of the fact
was an application being made to him by the
official liquidator for the amount due on his
shares. Mr. Lewis said the witness was liable to
pay £2,500 upon the shares supposed to be held by him in
the company. Evidence of a similar character was given
by several other witnesses. Some of them were placed on
the register as the holder of a hundred, others a hundred
and fifty shares in the company, but they utterly repu-
diated any connection or liability in relation to the company.
Mr. Lewis said that nearly the whole of the names in tha
list appeared to have been placed there under similar cir-
cumstances, but as it would entail enormous expense to
bring forward the whole of the parties, he suggested that
it should be admitted on behalf of the defen-
dants that the list of shareholders was ficti-
tious. Mr. Digby Seymour said that on the
part of Captain Bulmer he had no objection to admit the
fact, but at the same time he must state he knew nothing
whatever about the way in which the register was made
up. A similar statement was made on behalf
of the other defendants by their learned counsel.
One witness proved that a person to whom 150 shares was
allotted occupied a room, for which he paid 4s. a week.
He had decamped. A carver and gilder proved having
had £1,400 worth of shares allotted, to him at the
request of a person with whom he had merely
a public " acquaintance. Mr. M. Low, who had ad-
vanced £3,500 to the company, proved that two bills
endorsed by the whole of the directors, had been dis-
honoured. They were for £2,000 and £1,500. From
representations made to him he subsequently ad
vanced £l,OOO more, and was shorty afterwards
told that the company was about to be would
up. It appeared from the share list that £190,000 had
already been subscribed, and he lent his money on
the security of that list. Mr. Low further stated that he
was given to understand that £40,000 had not been called
in. At this stage of the proceedings the case was adjourned
until Monday week.

THE CHURCH GOVERNMENT QUESTION.
On Wednesday night a meeting was held in Bryanston-
square, London, for the purpose of adopting a plan for
the formation of a Church Council for the congregation
and parochial district of St. Mary's, Bryanstou-square.
The chair was taken by the Rev. Mr. Freemantle, the
rector, and on the platform were Mr. Baron Pigott, Lord
Lichfield, Mr. T. Chambers, Q.C., M.P., and Mr. G.
Hanbury. The regulations for the formation of the Coun-
cil, as prepared by the parochial committee, were, first, to
the effect that a Council be formed to co-operate with the
rector in the management and control of the arrange-
ments in the church and parish. The topics to which
this rule will apply include the mode of conducting the
ordinary services, the amount and character of the sing-
ing, the use of hymn-books, the manner of administering
the Holy Communion, arrangements of the Church
as a place of worship for the benefit of all classes, and
the charitable relief the p3or. No proposal to take
effect which shall not have obtained the consent of
the rector and either the majority of the whole Council
or three-fourths of those actually present. The
other regulations point chiefly to the constitution of
the Council, in which four classes are to be represented,
viz.: the congregation, the resident gentry, the
trading classes, and the mechanics and labourers. The
chairman, in opening the proceedings, said it was
highly important to get the laity to co-operate with the
clergy in the management of Church affairs, and it was with
a view to bring that about that the regulations had been
framed, and the present meeting called. Mr. Woodhouse,
in the course of some remarks, said he feared Dissenters
would join the Councils. Mr. T. Chambers, Q.C., M.P.,
said he had come forward to support this movement
because he felt there had been for too long a time a divorce
between the laity and the clergy of the Church. The
Church of England lost ground every day through the
existence of this state of things. He begged to move—
" That, having heard the plan proposed for the forma-
tion of a Church Council, this meeting pledges itself to
use its best efforts to carry it into effect." Mr. Norton
seconded the resolution, which was carried. Mr. Baron
Pigott, in moving the appointment of a committee to
carry out the election of the Council, said it was to advo-
cate the principle of the movement that he was !present on
that occasion, but he did not pledge himself to the regula-
tions, because he had not had time to study them. He hoped
this movement might lead to the establishment of a Council
with which the rector could carry out the work of the
Church amicably; and he hoped that Parliament would
relax the stringent rules which bound down the Church of
England so as to leave something in the discretion of the
rector and allow the people of the parish to regulate forms
and ceremonies—he would almost say the Liturgy itself.
He wished every succcess to this movement. Mr. G.
Hanbury seconded the motion, which was passed.

At an early day Mr. Eyken intends calling the
attention of the House of COMMQPi to the unsatisfactory
condition of the Metropolitan Police Force, and to move
that a select committee be appointed to inquire into the
constitution of the force, with a view to ensure its in-
creased efficiency.

ANOTHER CRYSTAL PALACE.--Various parties,
with an eye to business, are beginning to discuss the ques-
tion of another Crystal Palace for New York. Let us
have it, and let it be in our great Park, and let it be
built to stand, like the Sydenham Palace. Why not ?
New York Herald.

A letter from Newmarket says .—" Wheat, barley,
and oats are, in almost every part of this district, looking
very healthy, are growing fast, and are of excellent
colour. The bean and pea crops require rain, as do the
mangold and seed crop ; at present, also, there is a pros-
pect of a light hay crop, in consequence of the long
drought,"

RAILWAY.
An accident occurred on Wednesday on the Great Eastern
Railway, a few miles above Ely, which might have been
attended with the most disastrous results. It appears that
the up-train, containing the passengers from Norwich. Lynn,
and Peterborough, left Ely at about 12 45, and proceeded for
about three miles, when they had to slacken speed to cross
a small river or large drain, the bridge over which is under-
going some repairs. To do this they had to go over some
points on to the down line, and having crossed the bridge the
rails were laid with points so as to bring the train back again
on to the up line. By some mischance the middle carriages
of the train, consisting of first and second class carriages,
were thrown off the line, the engine and first part of the
train being on the up rails and the latter part on the down
rails. Fortunately, no serious harm beyond a severe shaking
and fright of the occupants of the carriages was the result,
except the stoppage of all the traffic for about an hour and a
half. The necessary precautions were taken to prevent a
collision by stop, ing other trains from coming up, and by
means of the assistance of the men at work at the bridge the
mischief was repaired.