The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-14 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—May I ask for a corner for the following, taken
out of a Review, which is an ample answer to the state-
ments in the " Life of Charlotte Bronte," regarding my
father's charitable institutions.—Yours, &0.,
W. W. dARI7S WILSON.
Weston-super-Mare.

"Now, we are in a position to state, that, when 'Jane
Eyre,' came out, many old pupils and teachers, who
were at Cowan Bridge when Miss Bronte was there,
wrote to Mr. Wilson's family, denying, and grieving
over her statements as to bad diet audtreatment,' etc. ;
and the lady who was snperintendent of that institution
in 1824 (whose husband now heads a college in America)
wrote, in 1855, a long and complete answer to all the
assertions in `Jane Eyre,' and her able letter appeared
in a Review. We wish we could have inserted all this
important letter, but we have only space for the follow-
ing extract. She say s—
" The columns of the leading papers have been for
some time past much occupied with obituary notices of
the late Miss Bronte, and many conveying the impres-
sion that her treatment at the Clergy Daughters' School,
when at Cowan Bridge, was of a character not only to
affect her health, but to darken her prospects in after
life. Now, as I have it in my power entirely to refute
these charges, I should consider myself in a measure
concerning them, did I not make known to the world
the truth of the case, and thereby exonerate an j exc,l-
- and eminently useful clergyman from the Irtputa-
tiors cast upon him in "Jane Eyre,' as well as to
vindicate an institution which has been to the poverty-
stricken clergy a blessing of inestimable value."

She then goes on to say—
"ln July, 1824, the Rev. Mr. Bronte arrived at Cowan
Bridge with two of his daughters, Maria and Elizabeth ;
the children wore so delicate that there were doubts
whether they could be admitted into the school. They
were received, and went on so well that their father
brought in September two more, Charlotte and
Emily. During both these visits Mr. Bronte stayed
at the school, sat at the table with the pupils,
and saw the whole routine of the establishment,
They all inherited consumption from their mother,
and were taken home ; none of them, as has been stated.
had any attack of fever or died at the school. I can truly
say that none of the pupils were denied a sufficient
quantity of good food ; they were never limited ; meat,
vegetable, and puddings, daily in abundance ; any state-
ment to the contrary is most false. Charlotte was a
bright, clever, happy little girl, never in disgrace. In
size remarkably diminutive, and if, as has been asserted,
she never grew an inch after leaving the school, sbe
must have been a literal dwarf. . . . Let us hope,
that in caricaturing an institution which has been such
a blessing to the daughters of her own church, she had
no injurious motives, but, misled by a vivid imagination,
and a dim recollection of thirty years, when she was
but a child, she published in an unguarded moment, un-
mindful of the consequenc..o-s. mi.statements. the ten•
dency of which has been to calumniate a most excellent
institution, and to bring disgrace on religion. . . •
When it is known that I have been absent 12 years
from my native land, and 10 years previously had with-
drawn, from conscientious motives, from the Church of
England, I think I need not fear being considered a par-
tisan ; my only object is to do justice, and to state to
have
the T ph
eu bwl ihco thinge
s hai
ss
lteht et ye r hadAyres beenbeen
ka
enma rue.s
seen,
as she quotes one sentence out of it word for word,
but has carefully suppressed all in it that bears BO
favourably on the School. She allows "itis a subject
she approaches with the greatest difficulty ;" and ad-
mitting an improvement in the school, seems greatly
puzzled how to do this, and yet defend her friend's as.
sertions in "Jane Eyre."
_ _

With the above we would take the testimony of
hundreds of pupils, who with their parents have grate•
fully acknowledged the advantages they received at
these institution, rather than the account of one, how.
ever talented, who when but a child of nine left the es•
tablishment, and has so ungenerously cast an odium
upon him who first plaialed such a help to our poorer
clergy, and who has yearly undertaken the risk of the
support of near 300 pupils and teachers, for, including a
preparatory school, there are about 150 daughters of
clergymen boarded, clothed, and educated, at only 14/.
a year each, including everything, and, in the " Ser.
vants' School," above 100 girls trained for service, each
paying but 10/. a year. The schools are situated in
Westmorland, built on Mr. Carus Wilson's property,
half a mile from Casterton Hall, his residence. They
stand amid beautiful scenery, on high and healthy situ•
ations. They require above 1600/. a year, in addition
to the payment of the pupils, to cover all expenses.

To TELL GOOD EGas.—lf you desire to be certain that
your eggs are good and fresh put them in water ; if the
buts turn up they are not fresh. This is an infallible rule
to distinguish a good egg from a bad one.
SUICIDE OF A LADY 131 POISONING.—An elderly
maiden lady named Martin, who resided at Heavitree,
near Exeter, committed suicide by taking essential oil of
almonds on 'Monday. As the deceased did not appear
at her usual time in the morning, one of her family went
into her room and found her lying on the floor. Dr.
Madden, surgeon, of Heavitree,was immediately sent for,
but on his arrival he found that life was extinct. At a
coroner's inquest, held on Tuesday, evidence was ad.
duced to show that the deceased had for some time
been in ldesponding way, and the jury returned a
verdict
f low,ofe,.empinary
insanity."