The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-22 00:00:00

SICK BISHOPS.

The Daily News directs attention to Sir Massey
Lopes's intended mooting of the position of the
Episcopate in the South of England, and gives the
following facts and figures, which certainly need no
explanatory comments:—'t In five dioceses between
Beachy Head and the Land's End Episcopacy is
virtually suspended. The Bishop of Winchester,
who is nearly 80 years of age, is disabled by
paralysis ; the Bishop of Chichester is 83 years
old ; the Bishop of Salisbury, though only 61,
has for some time ' been incapacitated through
severe and dangerous illness ; the Bishop of
Bath and Wells, who is 70, is such a con-
firmed invalid that he is regularly carried up
and down the stairs of his palace; the Bishop of
Exeter is within seven weeks of attaining his 91st
year, and has taken no active part in the affairs of
his diocese since 1863. The Bishops of Winchester
and Exeter are the only prelates who held their
present sees when the Episcopal Act of 1836 was
passed. Their incomes have, therefore, not been
affected by the working of that statute, which
enacted that on the next voidance of the see in
each case, the value of Winchester should be re-
duced from £10,417 to £7,000, and the value of
Exeter raised from ;t2,700 to £5,000. It should be
added that the Bishop of Exeter's income is much
larger than that given here, since he holds a canonry
in Durham Cathedral. On resigning his bishopric
the income of the see would be nearly doubled, so
that there would be ample room to give him a hand-
some pension, perhaps equal to the income from the
see. All that he would lose would be his patronage.
That, it need scarcely be added, ought to be exer-
cised only by one who is able to be acquainted with
his clergy.

_o_iir rn
fFol or
mr.,
aCt
iooLni.
iilEarb-
een EXPLOSIONrec
received
il ed I
bNyMO
Mr.N MIOvIJ.TI-
sIiFIRREI.
Brewer, coroner for the Western district of Monmouth-
shire, of a frightful colliery explosion which had occurred
in the Staple Pit, Nantyglo, and that nine men had been
severely burnt, one of whom had died shortly after, and
three others were not expected to live out the day. The MURPHY AGAIN.
accident occurred through one of the doorways having Is it not time that Mr. Murphy were suppressed
been left open long enough to allow a large quantity of altogether? Is no one patriotic enough to watch
gas to accumulate, and which exploded with such serious him closely, and to warn the magistrates
and fatal results, wherever he is about to stir up strife ?
On Friday night the Protestant, 0 . , or (as we
A LARMING ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN rather like to call nlm) the anti-Catholic lec-
LINE.—On Sunda , a ar
. 3 g .g of workmen were employed in turer, addressed a meeting at South Shields. While
clearing away the debris of an accident which occurred on he was proceeding, a large body of Irishmen, variously
the Great Western Railway on the previous evening, estimated at from 200 to 400, attacked the hall. They
It appeared that about a quarter before eleven o'clock the were armed with bludgeons and iron slags, and
mixed (Bristol) train passed the Hanwell station, and, it seemed to have intended to slaughter Mr. Murphy
being a thick and foggy night, the signalman not and all his hearers. The doors, however, were closed
by the police before the mob came up, and
observing the danger signal or, from Southall, put on
the white light (meaning " Come on.") In consequence Mr. Murphy escaped.. by the back way. His
audience had to protevideintheixelves with weapons
of this mistake the second goods train ran into the rear
of the other. Seven carriages were broken to atoms, the makeot their the
ey
outse' b y t h e samee mheaall, and Ail
theto
engine of the suceeedil'g•train being very much damaged. windows of the hall were broken. A freens fight in
The engine driver and stoker, seeing that a collision was the crowd seems to have taken place, and several
inevitable, jumped off, and thus saved their lives. George i persons were severely injured. Without for a
Barnes, the guard of the train which was run into, had t moment justifying the deeds of the Irish mob, we
his leg broken by the concussion, besides a number of (..on., may ask why, when the result of his harangues is
tusions on the bead, and as soon as possible he was taken so well known, is Mr. Murphy allowed to do as he
to St. Mary's Hospital, Marylebcne. He was not on pleases ? Magistrates certainly should have their eyes
en to the fact that order is much more admirable
Sunday night expected to recover. An investigation is
than license of speech. It will be gratifying to Mr.
1
being made into the circumstances of the occurrence by the 1 lurphy's admirers (we assume that he has admirers)
railway authorities.
toknow that whoever else gets his head broken open
THOUGHTLESS TEMPTATION.—Mr. Spurgeon, at Murphy always escapes with a whole skull.
the annual meeting of the friends of his college, men- FREE CHURCH ASSOCIATION.
tioned one circumstance in connection with that institu- A debate has just been held at Sion College on
tion which reflects great honour on his housemaid. Some the objects advocated by the Free and Open Church
unknown friend one evening dropped bank-notes to the Association. These are to maintain as the principle
amount of £2,000 into the letter-box of Mr. Spurgeon's of the parochial system the equal rights of all
residence at Clapham, which notes were found next morning parishioners to the free use of their parish church,
andf to revive the weekly offertory as a substitute
lying on his oilcloth. The reckless generosity of this act almost
leads to the conclusion that the donor had been dining out thre prolle.egneth,The
took-
,Ihßevj. Caonwda r
thed
Picieetadteentwoaaf
in the neighbourhood, and was acting under the influence opened by Mr. Clan oef chair,Liverpool, who read a paper
of the hospitality for which Clapham is proverbial. Under on the importance of making places of worship
any circumstances, he should be more careful in future free and open to all. Christian humility was being
when dispensing his charity ; for, though he has been sacrificed, he said, to ideas of respectability. He
instrumental in demonstrating the probity of Mr. declared that the weekly offertory would be found
Spurgeon's housemaid, he was unquestionably an occasion : sufficient for the surport of the Church, and that on
of temptation to that good young woman ; and, moreover, principle no man sold have an exclusive right to
the world would never have known but for him that the a seat in God's house, The Km J. Palmer Baia
.
reverend gentleman's letter-box needed repair, that the cry was too much raised that the Church of
England was the Church of 'the rich, and not of the
BULLFINCHES VERSUS FRUIT BUDS.—Tho precise poor man. Mr. Eils also said that unless we ggp
motive which actuates the bullfinch in its attack on the rid of the pew system we should not get rid of t-U
buds of fruit trees has long been a subject of dispute. One evils that were conmeted with it.
party has stoutly maintained that the bird feeds on the CEANCERY.
healthy buds, and thus does damage to our orchards and Mr. Dickens's suit)f "Jarndice v. Jarndice," which
fruit gardens; the other as firmly maintaining that the only dragged its weary leigth through Chancery so very
buds destroyed by the bird are those which are being de- slowly that all the poperty involved was swallowed
voured by larv, or, which the bullfinch really feeds. Mr. up in costs before a lecision was given, has somewhat
W. B. Tegetmeier gives in the Field the result of his exa-
of a parallel in a slit which, according to the Law
born ii 1805, and was reared and nur-
mination of the crop of a bullfinch, shot in the act of feeding just icen settled by a compromise.
Journal, has
on the buds of an apple tree, and placed in his bands for
The suit was
careful microscupic examination :—" Oh placing small tared through infamy, youth, and manhood by 31
portions of the contents of the crop under a 1-inch object- !counsel and eight firms of solicitors. Of the 31 counselfrom time tctil i a engaged in its education, one
ne eig g
glass, with the lowest eyepiece, the nature of the contents
and one is low Lord Chancellor, one was
was immediately seen. They consisted of numerous (wass of the Roll, two were Vice-Chancellors of
grains of quartz, and of the partially-developed stamens I England, one was Lord Chancellor of Ireland, one
and petals of the flower-buds of the apple. No trace of was Chancellor of ;he Exchequer, one was Speaker
any insect structure was evident, although searched for of the House of Ccnmons, one Accountant-General,
with higher powers, and viewed under every mode of one Attorney-Genral, one Solicitor-General, two
illumination, viz., with a dark ground, with transmitted were knights, monthan half-a-dozen were King's or
light, and as an opaque object. As one who is much more
Queen's Counsel, aid two were conveyancers of fin-
of a zoologist than a botanist, I regret to state that I mortal renown, lie suit having grown to manhood,
produced four your; suits as its offspring, all of which
think the case is clear against my little friend. I would
much rather have found evidence for the defendant, but I tbielecaateleixer
tctewi(ti. their parent. The
failure
of
?ginal suit was the
,9of a
am compelled to speak the truth, though it grates harsh - banking-house•
, _ . ______ wick was formed in i 4 and
aniastaw illag.4l9ll;_!
atoDDed in 1803. Anionic the parties to the
:-.....