The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-09 00:00:00

THE CITV OF LONDON UNION.

Yesterday a communication was received from
the Poor Law Bard by the guardians of the City
of London Union touching the position of the Rev.
F. P. Pocock, their workhouse chaplain, and his
connexion with certain annuity societies, as
recently disclosed at the Thames Police-court.
Since that disclosure the Poor Law Board, at the
earnest request of the guardians, have instituted,
through Mr. Farnall, one of their inspectors, an
inquiry into the truth of certain allegations made
by the guardians with regard to Mr. Pocock, the
first and principal of which was stated by them to
be his intimate connexion with two annuity
societies, which, as reported in l'he Sun of the 18th
and 19th of June, were designated by Mr. Selfe,
one of the magistrates at the Thames Police-court,
" a swindle and a sham." The investigation by
Mr. Farnall lasted two days, in the course of which
the chaplain was afforded an opportunity of defend-
ing himself; and at a meeting of the guardians
held yesterday week, subsequent to the inquiry, it
was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Rock—

"That the evidence taken by Mr. Parnell, the Poor Law
Inspector, although restrained to very slight limits, and
conducted with very great advantages to the chaplain,
having fully confirmed the opinion of this Board that 'the
Rev. F. P. Pocock is a most unfit person for the chaplaincy
in this Union, this Board directs that the master do in-
struct the porter at the house at Bow to prevent the said
Rev. F. P. Pocock from entering the gates, and that on the
Bth of August the clerk be directed to give the master the
necessary directions to carry this resolution into effect."
This resolution was communicated by Mr. Bowring,
the clerk to the guardians, to the Poor Law autho-
rities in Whitehall; and yesterday a reply was re-
ceived from Mr. Gilpin, M.P., their secretary,
stating the Board consider it necessary to be in
possession of the report of the accountants on the
annuity societies with which Mr. Pocock has
been connected, in order to enable them to come
to a satisfactory decision upon the charges
which have recently been made against him. The
Board further directs Mr. Gilpin to state that they
much regret to learn that the guardians should
have determined to adopt the extreme and, as it
appears to the Board, illegal course notified in the
resolution of the guardians of the 31st ult., (given
above), the more particularly as the Board has not
as yet, owing to the absence of the report of the
accountants, been able to decide finally upon the
charges against the chaplain. He then points out
to them that the adoption of the course proposed
by them would not deprive the chaplain of either
his office or his right to enforce the payment of his
salary, while it would deprive the inmates of the
workhouse of the spiritual consolation and instruc-
tion which he has been in the habit of rendering
to them. The Board trusts that the guardians will,
upon reconsideration, not think it necessary to give
the directions to the master of the workhouse re-
ferred to in their resolution, but will await the
decision of the Board, which will not be delayed
longer than it is absolutely necessary to enable
them to ascertain the true facts and to come to such
resolution as in their judgment the justice of the
case may require. At the meeting of the guardians
yesterday, at which Alderman Abbiss presided, the
letter of Mr. Gilpin having been read, Mr. Digance
moved axed Mr. Yerbary seconded :
" That the action upon the resolution of the previous
Tuesday, in reference to closing the gates of the workhouse
against the chaplain, be deferred until Tuesday, the 21st
inst."

On the question being put to the clerk whether
he would instruct the master as directed, he stated
that in the absence. of any decision from the Poor
Law Board he did not think it consistent with his
duty to direct the master to carry the resolution
into effect ; he must, therefore, respectfully decline
to instruct the master as directed in the resolution,
but when the decision of the Poor Law Board was
known he should be prepared to advise the Board
thereupon. The resolution was carried by a large
majority, and so the matter stands at present.