The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-24 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, MARCH 24, 1851.

The protracted and apparently interminable debate
on the Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption Bill has been
agreeably diversified by the episode of Miss AUGUSTA
TALBOT. That young lady, whose misfortune it is to
be entitled to a handsome fortune of some 70,0001. or
80,0001. sterling, has been made the subject of a peti-
tion to, and a rather animated discussion in, the
House of Commons, has occasioned a lamentable de-
gree of " epistolary imprudence" on the part of one
of the new hierarchy, for whose appointment "all
true Catholics ought to be profoundly grateful to the
Sovereign PoNurr," and finally has had two petitions
presented in her name to the Court of Chancery by
two different persons, each claiming to be the next
friend of the wealthy ward.
It is fortunate, indeed, for the youthful subject of
these multifarious proceedings that the public attention
has been so strongly directed to her case as to pre-
vent the possibility of the project, which, it appears,
was more than contemplated (the very disposition of
her property having been manifestly considered by
the Right Rev. Gentleman, who, strange to say, had
no" authentic information" as to its amount, " hav-
ing never made any inquiry on the subject"), from
being carried into execution. If Miss AUGUSTA
TALBOT is now to become a nun, renouncing the
pomps and vanities of the world, it must be of her
own free will and accord, the result of her own
calm and deliberate determination, and not occa-
sioned by the acts of those, :who in sending her to a
convent, without the permission and even without the
knowledge of the LORD CHANCELLOR, thus abusing
the authority confided to their hands, were guilty of
a high contempt of court, which might subject them
to very unpleasant consequences, had the young lady
actually assumed the veil.
The history of the case is instructive, and a brief
summary of the facts cannot prove uninteresting to our
readers. It appears that under the will of CHARLES
late Earl of SHREWSBURY, Miss TALBOT and her
brother, the children of the Honourable GEORGE
HENRY TALBOT, the brother and heir-presumptive of
the present Earl, would, on attaining their respective
majorities, become entitled to 30,0001. each, with all
savings that might accrue during their minorities.
There was a clause of survivorship, by which the
young lady, on the death of her brother under age, be-
came entitled to both sums, with all accumulations.
Mr. TALnoT died in 1839,and his widow subsequently
intermarried with the HOD. CRAVEN FITZHARDINGE
BERKELEY. The minors, who had been made wards
of Court, continued to reside with their mother until
her death in 1841. From that time Miss TALBOT re-
sided with her uncle, the present Earl of SHREWS-
BURY and his Countess, except during the intervals
when she was sent to reside at a convent called
" The Lodge," near Taunton. We believe that
during the earlier period of her sojourn in
that establishment she was there for the pur•
pose of receiving instruction. The place of
education was selected, however, without the
assent or knowledge of the Court. The order
made in 1843 granted the custody of the young
lady to the Earl and Countess of SHREWSBURY,

with a view to her going abroad with them, but
in place of taking her in pursuance thereof, she was
left behind, at " The Lodge." Such a change in the
destination of the infant should only have been made
by leave of the Court, first duly had and obtained;
but it seems that the ordinary rules respecting
wards of Court were totally disregarded all through
this extraordinary case. Last year it appears that
there were some proposals respecting a marriage,
which was not approved of by the LORD CEIANCEL-•
LOR, and, we believe, not agreeable to the young
lady herself. It was after the termination of that
negotiation that Miss TALBOT was again sent to the
convent in September, 1850 ; and on that occasion it
would seem that there could be no doubt that

the intention was to make her a professed sister,
by which her large fortune would be devoted "to
charitable and religious purposes"—a praiseworthy pur-
pose, according to Dr. HENDREN, when he considers
that " the Catholic Church in England zs very poorly
provided," that " everywhere we (i. e. the Doctor
and his party) want churches and chapels, and schools
and hospitals, and orphanages, and cannot find
the mean: for erecting them, still less for endowing
them."

But, however desirable the acquisition of so large a
sum as 70,0001. or 80,000/. sterling, it cannot be ob-
tained in England by illegal or unjustifiable means,
by coercing or enticing a ward of Chancery, at the
very time when she is under the protection of the Court.
The LORD CHANCELLOR ever takes the most stringent
precautions against a female infant under his juris-
diction being persuaded to take any irrevocable step
affecting her person or property without the most
searching inquiry and the full sanction of the Court
being given, or its being found to be for " the benefit
of the minor." In every order fixing a scheme of
residence, the party to whose care she is entrusted is
particularly enjoined to take care that she forms no
matrimonial connexion, or takes any steps that may
lead to such a connexion at a future time. If any
undue intimacy is encouraged that may lead to a
violation of the order, all parties implicated will be
treated with the utmost severity, and the fortune of
the ward will be so settled as to defeat any sordid
designs that may have been entertained with respect
thereto.

Now, we confess that we cannot perceive any real
difference between entrapping a female ward into a
clandestine marriage and inducing her to become a
nun, and thus contract a spiritual nuptials, the sanc-
tion of the Court being totally disregarded. Why
should not the fortune of the victim be taken equal
care of in either case, and the sordid designs of the
speculators disappointed i Miss TALBOT was not in-
formed, as appears by her petition, that she was con-
sidered as a postulant, neither had she any notion
that she was going through the course that would
end in her becoming a nun, "if found qualified for
the conventual life." The veracious Dr. riereDitEN,
however, asserts, that " the LORD CuAx•
CELLOR decided that she should return as
a boarder to the convent where she had
been educated, if they would receive her" (thi3
.statement being totally contradicted by Lord Talmo),
and wain that on being refused, " because at
that convent no boarders were received,
Miss TALBOT proposed to beg admission as
a postulant, that is, as one intended to
become, in due time, a nun, if considered to be pro-
perly qualified, and accordingly she wrote a most
supplicating letter to that effect." This second
statement being conflicting with that of the
young lady herself, we now leave the final
decision of this extraordinary case in the
hands of Lord TRURO, satisfied that he will pro-
nounce such an order as will preserve Miss TALBOT
and her property from being devoted to
any purpose, however laudable, to which
she herself cannot yield a cordial assent,
and at the same time that will prevent the
possibility of any other female wards being sent
into religious establishments of any denominations
without the leave of the Court for that purpose being
first duly had and obtained on a clear and explicit
statement, of facts, and, possibly, a personal interview

being hat with the minor her,e!f, that her own feel-

"g 3 and wishes may hi, clearly aF ce rtained.

Compel any
man to be virtuous merely by Act of
Parliament, and he loses all merit in living according
-,o the benign and adrnirablr principles of Christianity.
Obvious as the truth of this considsration is, there
ere yet those who would proceed in direct defiance of
it, and would transform a divine religion into a mere
arbitrary code of human regulations. Among the
number must be ranked the Honourable Gentleman
occasion to insist upon ,
Wednesday forced the Sunday Trading
who on
Prevention Bill through a secondd reading, Already
llearmeasure of ,
thewe havefl y soot.
llaws very
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sriemq ui l :nrttlYo
thisha intolerable
a reasll
interference, that it requires
tbare of
tand thread_ive of
Lambeth in controverting his obsolete
patience to deal calmly with. the ryenresegnetas