The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-10 00:00:00

A SINGULAR STORY.

The Liverpool Daily Courkr tells us a wonderful story
respecting a legscy of £25,000 or £30,000 recently left by
a solicitor, named Moreton, to Dr. Goss, tho Catholic Bishop
of Liverpool. Mr. Moreton, the Courier says, was not a
man of high character, but had amassed a g od deal
of property. At the end of last month he was
taken ill, and according to the Daily Courier the
Very Rev. Canon Fisher, a Catholic dignitary, was sent
for to perform the last rites of the Church. Instead of doing
so he procured a boy and a young servant girl as witnesses,
and it is alleged guided the old man's hand over the
signature to a will by which a large sum of
money was left to Dr. Goss, as the head of the
Catholic Church in Liverpool. It is said that the widow
of Mr. Moreton, who receives nothing under this will,
threatens to contest it, unless some settlement is made on
her. It is fair to state that the Courier admits that Mr.
Moreton had often said he would leave the bulk of his pro-
perty to the Church, but the whole story requires con-
firmation.

THE PROVINCIAL PAPERS ON THE

BUDGET.

Theßirmingham Post says that, on the whole, the
Budget is far more satisfactory than could have been looked
for. Granting that the proposed change in the collection of
assessed taxes is expedient—and on economical grounds it
may be very strongly defended—the allocation of the surplus
is thoroughly well designed. All classes get their share
of remission ; and the pressure of taxation is lightened
just where it presses most vexatiously, where it hinders
the course of trade, or operates with injustice upon per-
sons already too heavily weighted.
To the Leeds Mercury the plan of Mr. Lowe is indicative
of great financial knowledge and ability.
Whatever adverse criticisms (remarks the Liverpool Mer-
cury) may be passed upon the Budget—and it is open to
criticism in several respects—everybody must admit that it is
a bold, comprehensive, and well-balanced scheme, cast in
a mould very different from that in which such produc-
tions are usually put into shape, and directed to the
accomplishment of two great objects—a reduction of
expenditure and a reduction of taxation.
The Cambria Daily Leader thinks that the Budget is
an ingenious production of a singularly ingenious mind,
and although it may meet with criticism in its details, it
seems unexceptionable in its general principles.

Mr Sergeant O'Brien (says the Law Times) will be
the Chief Commissioner Eppointed to inquire into corrupt
practices at Beverley.

The Lord Chief Justice cf England has recovered
from the effects of his late accident, and will be able to take
his seat in the Court of Queen's Bench on the first day of
Easter term.

At the Chester assizes on Thursday Thos. peacock,
a tradesman of that city, was found guilty of forging deeds
relating to property, and sentenced to eight years' penal
servitude.

A gentleman from Maddalena visited Garibaldi a
few days ago. Tho Italian patriot said that he was begin-
ning to feel the weight of years, Lut he was always ready
to labour for the honour and liberty of his beloved Italy.
The difficulties which threatened the Royal Ita-
lian Opera with the loss of the services of Mdlle. Christine
Nilsson during the present season are satisfactorily arranged.
The Bishop cf Honolulu set sail in the Douro on
Friday from Southampton for South America, where ho
will hold a rerh s of cur tirmatiots lefore proceeding to his
distant dioccee. Pis 1 hip is accompanied on his tour by
the R.v. In:(: I arlos 1 i vey, M.A., R: ctor of Chosterford,
It appears ias w have not heard the last of the
Abyssinian war. Judging from Mr. Forster's speech in the
House of Commons on Thursday there is every probability
that a commission will be appointed to inquire into the cause
of the immense expenditure of this campaign.

Several Irish Presbyteries have met to consider the
Church Bill. Their resolutions take the form of a general
complaint that the Presbyterian Church is not dealt with as
liberally as the Episcopal Church, and the Comber Presby-
tery have worded their remonstrance thus : —" That in the
opinion no settlement of the Irish Church question can be
satisfactory which will not place the ministers and congre-
gations of the Irish Presk, terian Church hi a position of
complete equality with the ministers and congregations of
the Episcopalian Church, which this court_considnthepro_,
Dosod bill iu various points fails to do.",