The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-23 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

A person of respectable appearance whose name did
not transpire, but who was said to be a medical prac-
titioner in the London- road, applied to Mr. Elliott for
his opinion as to whether he should be justified in
pulling down a placard which was posted up at the
Catholic Cathedral in St. George's-fields.

The applicant stated that the placard in question
announced that a grand pontifical mass would be
celebrated on Christmas-day, and a sermon preached
by the Lord Bishop of Southwark, and inasmuch as
there was no such person known to the law, or legally
recognized as the "Lord Bishop of Southwark," he
wished to know whether he, the applicant, could be
held criminally responsible, or subject to the payment
of penalties, for tearing it down ?
Mr. ELLIOTT—You allege, I suppose, that some
person has illegally assumed the title of the Lord
Bishop of Southwark ?
Applicant—Yes, Sir. I hold that there is no such
person known ; that the placard is a misrepresenta-
tion, and I therefore want to know whether I would
not be justified in pulling it down ?
Mr. ELLIOTT—I will read you the law on the sub-
ject. It is this:—
" Whereas divers of her ;Majesty's Roman Catholic
subjects have assumed to themselves the titles of arch-
bishops and bishops of pretended provinces, and of pre-
tended sees or dioceses within the United Kingdom,
under colour of an alleged authority given to them for
that purpose by certain briefs, rescripts, or letters epos-
tolical, purporting to have been given at Rome on the
29th of September, 1850. And whereas by the Act of
the 10th year of George IV., cap. 7, sec. 24, after re-
citing that the Protestant Episcopal Church of England
and Ireland, and the doctrine, discipline, and govern-
ment thereof, and likewise the Presbyterian Church of
Scotland, and the doctrine, discipline, and government
thereof, were, by the respective Acts of Union of Eng
land, Scotland, and Great Britain and Ireland, estab-
lished permanently and inviolably, and that the right
and title of archbishop to these respective provinces, of
bishops to these sees, and of deans to these deaneries, a
well in England as in Ireland, had been settled
and
established by law, it was enacted that if any person,
after the commencement of that Act, other than the per-
son hereunto authorised by law, should assume or use
the name, style, or title of archbishop of any province
bishop of any bishopric, or dean of any deanery in Eng.!
.
land or in Ireland, not being the see
of any archbishop or bishop of a city, province, or diocese
England ,pace, or territory,
or dean of any pretended deanery,
or in Ire-
land, not being the see, province, or diocese
of any
archbishop, or bishop, or deanery, or any dean recog-
nized by law, such attempt to establish, under
colour of authority from the Sea
provinces,
Rome, or
otherwise, such pretended sees,
P dioceses,
or deaneries, is illegal and vid.roAv nud '
whereas
is expedient to prohibit the assumption of
such titles iint
respect to any places within the United Kingdom, be it
therefore declared and enacted, that all such briefs, re-
scripts, or letters aP ostolical and all and every the
juri,diction, authorityre-em'inence, or title conferred,
or pretended to be conferredP thereby, are and shall be,
and be deemed unlawful and void; and that every per-
son so offending (assuming the titles), shall, for
every
such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of 1001., to be
re-
covered as penalties imposed by the recited
ct may be
recovered under the provisions thereof, or by action of
debt, at the nit of any pergola iu one of her Afority's