The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-28 00:00:00

THE St N,_LONDON, FRIDA Y EVVNI_NG, MARCH 28, 1345.

ST. STEPHEN'S, WALBROOK.
The ((Aloe ing is a fuller report of this meeting than
we were enabled to give in our paper of yesterday :
Yesterday the vestry meeting, which had been
summoned by notice in the regular form, for the
purpose of electing{ churchwardens and other officers
of this parish for the year ensuing, was held in the
Vestry-room of the parish church. Much Interest
had been excited ii the parish by the proceedings of
Mr. Al Lerman (now Lord Alay( r) Ghbs, on Tues-
day last (a report of which appeared in our paper of
Wednesday), in le Wing a meeting of the Select Ves-
try, for the purpose of forestalling the objects of the
present meeting, an l procuring his own re-election to
the office of churchwarden, and the result was, that
shortly safer ten o'clock, the hour for which the meet-
ing was convened, the Vestry-room was crowded
with the principal parishioners.
Dr. Croly, the Rector, took the chair, a motion to
that effect having been moved and seconded.
The Cuetaetee said it might be proper, perhaps,
in the first place, that the Vestry-clerk should read a
statement of the circumstances that occurred on
Tuesday last, which had rendered it necessary for
him to make the protest he had forwarded to Mr.
Gibbs, which would also be read.
The Vestry-clerk, Mr. Caosnr, then read the fol-
lowing statement :—" St. Stephen's, Walbrook.—A
meeting of the parishioners took place this morning,
the 25th of March, in the Vestry-room, under the
following circumstances :—On Monday last, with the
consent of Dr. Cruly, a notice, calling a vestry meet-
ing for Thursday next, the 27th instant, for the elec-
tion of parish officers for the ensu'ng year, was duly
published. When this notice made its appearance,
Mr. Gibbs, who still claims to be churchwarden,
caused another notice, calling a vestry meeting for
this morning, the 25th, for the like purpose, to be af-
fixed on the church doors. So soon as the fact of the
publication of the latter notice came to the rector's
knowledge, he sent to Mr. Gibbs a written protest
against it, alleging that the intended meeting was
irregular and illegal, not being, as the law required,
'called with the consent of the rector.' Ihis morning
at the hour of ten, the time appointed by Mr. Gibbs,
several of the respectable parishioners assembled in
the Vestry room. Shortly afterwards Mr. Gibbs,
accompanied by Mr. Eddison and Mr. Whittaker,
came into the Vestry room, when Alr. Gibbs, without
taking any notice ohe rector's protest, said, I have
to request that all who are not of the select vestry
will retire.' 1)r. Croly then attempted to address
Mr. Gibbs, but was immediately interrupted by Mr.
11'hittaker, who said, ' I move that the select vestry
do adjourn to the Lord Mayor's private residence, at
33, Walbrook: 'lbis was seconded by Mr. Eddison.
Mr. Gibbs then held up his hand, and declared the
motion carried. Mr. Gibbs and his companions then
left the Vestry-room, but Mr. Whittaker shortly re-
turned, and *aid to the rector, Dr. Croly, I invite
you to the Lord Mayor's house: To this the rector
replied, 1 invite you to stay here and do your duty.'
During this proceeding there was no chairman of the
meeting. After some conversation among the
parishioners expressive of disapprobation of Mr.
Gibbs' conduct, the meeting separated."
The Rev. CHAIRMAN then proposed that the protest
he had made against the meeting which had been
announced by Mr. Gibbs, as being contrary to law,
in being called without the consent of the rector,
should be read, which was done by the Vestry clerk
as follows :—" The rector of the parish having ob-
served upon the church doors a notice for a vestry
meeting on Easter Tuesday, signed Michael Gibbs
and Tho:nas Whittaker,' hereby protests against that
meeting, as being summoned without the rector's con-
sent therefore,
and contrary to law.
, (Signed) "G. CROLY, LL.D."
The CHAIRMAN observed, that of the illegality of a
vestry meeting, held without the consent of the rec-
tor, there could be no doubt. Dr. Phillimore, in
giving his opinion upon that point, said—" U-
ndoubtedly the usual, and, therefore, under ordinary
circumstances, the preferable course is for the
churchwardens to give notice for the holding of the
vestry, but in so doing they are ministerial to the
incumbent, and they are bound to consult his wishes
before they do so:" and in Steer's Parish Law,
p. 267, it was laid down that " vestries for church
matters regularly are to be called by the church-
wardens, with the consent of' the minister." There-
fore, as he, as the rector, bad not given his consent
to the meeting on Tuesday, he felt justified in pro•
hibiting it, and protesting against it as illegal. lie
would now call on Mr. Crosby to state to the meet-
ing the circumstances of the law actions in which tho
parish were parties against Mr. Gibbs.
Mr. FLIGHT wished first, as having been one of '
the churchwardens elected for the previous year, to
lay before the vestry, as far as he could do so, the
statement of affairs in connexion with his office.
One would have thought that Mr. Gibbs would,
looking at the large body of parishioners by whom
'
he (Mr. Flight) and his brother churchwarden (Mr.
Rock) had been elected in the previous year—one
would have thought he would have been satisfied
that his twenty years' domination over time parish had
now come to an end. lied Mr. Gibbs consulted his
own character he would have immediately retired,
and permitted his successors to commence the work
of reparation which was so much needed in the
affairs of that unfortunate parish.—(llear.) But no;
the sweets of office were too attractive to that gentle-
man to allow of his giving them up without a struggle
(Cl'eert)—and the result was, that by actions
brought against Mr. Rock and himself, they had
been prevented being of any use to the interests of the
parish, and that time which might otherwise have
been beneficially employed for the benefit of the
parish had been necessarily devoted to the exatnina-
tion of such accounts as had been furnished. They
had investigated those accounts, and ho would state
to the meeting some of the results. Ile found that in
1825, when Mr. Gibbs came into office, the amount
administered as relief to the casual poor for the year
was 61. Bs. Gd.; but the very next year, under
Gibbs's management, it had increased to 5 1/.—(llear,
hearl—and the year following to 671. In his first year
of office Mr. Gibbs managed to increase his charge
ninefold, and the second year twelvefold.
Mr. Cureeirre here asked where were the vouchers
for these payments ?
Mr. FLIGHT said it appeared that this was a sort of
relief for the money distributed in which the church-
wardens were not bound to give vouchers.—(A
laugh.) But if gentlemen wore surprised at this
they would be still more astonished at the general
results which he was about to state to them. In
1825, the aggregate amount expended in relief to the
poor was 6101. ; but the next, under Mr. Gibbe's
management, it was 7801., and in two years after he
came into office the annual charge under this head
was 860/.—(Cries of " Oh, oh "
," and Shame, shame.")
In three or four years it had increased one-third, and
this in a parish containing GO uses, making about
141 a year poor-rate per each house.— (0h,.)
The next extraordinary item in these accounts was
law charges. The amount charged under this head of
expenditure during the twenty years was 2,0001.,
and upon consulting with Mr. Crosby, the vestry-
clerk, on the subject of this extraordinary item,
he was informed that the alleged payments bad
not really been made, but were merely entered—(Cries
of " em, oh) --and that there were no receipts till
the mouth of Fehruary, 1845. The amount set down,
therefore, for law charges appeared to be a mere playing
with figures rather than an actual payment. Look-
ing at the very large increase in the amount charged
for poor relief in these accounts, he had been led to
ascertain what had been the effect of the New Poor-
law Act, and had compared the expense of the first
year under the new law with time previous heavy pay-
ments, end what did they suppose was the result'
To his great surprise, he found that under the new
law the charge to the parish had been reduced one
half.—(Cheers.) The complaint usually made against
the union of parishes was, that to utile a poor pariah
to an opulent parish was to increase the charge
th upon
the latter, and it would naturally be inferred at a
parish like Walbrook would feel severely the union
with a parish like Whitcchapel, which contained a
very large number of poorwithfound this dthatisadvanthe
tage of taking in a poor partner, he
savingin the poor-rates, as compared with the annual
charge in the accounts, was nearly one-half.—
(Cheers.) And, be it remembered, that this great
saving could not in this instance have resulted from
the superior management of one man or another, be-
ca use the satne gentleman who bad managed maters
in that pariah was now the chairman of the Poor-t law
Union.—(Cheers and laughter.) Then he looked to
the mode in which the parish rents had been managed
under Mr. Gibbs. In looking over the list of de-
faulters he found amonest others the name of their
late rector—the Rev. G. l'ownley ; then there was
the late Alderman Smith, for the rent of a how, 127/.
Another (Vaulter was a neighbour of his own, Mr.
Fen, a late select vestrymen, and, two years ago, one
of the most powerful u ppm tc rs of Mr. Gibbs.—
(I fear, bear.) The parish, it appears, were losers to
the amount of 171. 10s. by hi, bankruptcy. These
were losses of which he complained bitterly, as th. y
need not have been int:weed. It would be remem-
bered that in sonic of the earlier meetings that had
been held by the parishioners of Walbrool' to obtain
their rights, he (111 r. Flight) had complained of the
frightful spasm of jobbing that had existed in the
pari•im time out cif mind, amid 1 au cutoplained that a
geetleman, a near nr ighbour of his, rented a place be-
longing to the parish for :381. a year, having fetid no
prealitmin, which he for many years let for 90/., and
now let fur 801. a year. It was under Mr. Gibbs's
management that a house worth 901. a year had been
jobbed away for 381. a year; and even that 38/. the
parish did nor get.—(llear, hear.)
'The CHAIRMAN deprecated the use of such strong
expressions as jobbing.
Mr. Funny resumed—lt was not to ba wondered
at that time parish was in a state of poverty, when, to
suit the interested views of select vestrymen and their
supporteree the parish property' was let at less than
half its value.—(llear, hear.) Amongst the many

knew the uncertainty of law, and it was possible that,
after all, the Court of Queen's Bench mightgive a verdict
against them. If so, one step would still remain to them—
that was to do what he originally suggested, namely,
to apply to Parliament for relief under the extraordi-
nary circumstances in which they were placed.—
(Hear, hear.) Of two evils they should choose the
least, and it was better to incur the anxiety and ex-
pense of an appeal to Parliament than to submit to the
domination of the present churchwarden (Gibhs) du-
ring the remainder of his life. With regard to funds,
he was sure they would all come forward with ala-
crity, and cheerfully subscribe what was necessary.
Upon that point he thought there could be no doubt:
but, should the subscriptions fall short, he now re-
peated the offer he had made at the outset of these
unpleasant meetings, to advance on loan without inte-
rest, what should be necessary beyond the subscrip-
tions, to carry out their of He hoped
they would unite in setting an example to other pa-
rishes by persevering in that which must ultimately
take place—their final deliverance from the thraldom
of twenty years.—(Cheer..)
The CHAIRMAN said the object for which the meet-
ing was asssinbled was to elect churchwardens and
other officers for the ensuing year. Their hiend Mr.
Rock was compelled to be at Barnstaple on private
business—it was Hs native place, and he had gone
down to found a literary institution : but he had
written to him, expressing his willingness, with Mr.
Flight, again to talcs upon himself the office.—(llear,
hear.) Ile (1)r. Croly) had the greatest possible
aversion to the principle of re-elections—for they had
had quite enough experience of " perpetuity."—
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) But there could not be
any objection to these gentlemen ; on the contrary, it
was, under the present circumstances in which they
stood, highly desirable that the re• election of these
gentlemen should take place.—(Cheers.) After the
election, the Vestry-clerk would report upon the
present state of the legal proceedings as far as he could
do so.
Mr. Cu:slams was fully satisfied with the conduct
of the two gentlemen named during their period of
office, and as they were all in the same boat, they
must swim with them and shove them on. It was
quite clear that no new churchwardens could act in
the matter. lie thought the conduct of Mr. Michael
Gibbs on the previous day was improper and ungen-
tlemanly in dealing with such a parish as Walbrook.
—(clear, hear.) Ile moved that Messrs. Rock and
Flight be churchwardens for the ensuing year, and
he trusted that their fellow-parishioners awl fellow-
citizens would come forward to assist them in resisting
the disgraceful proceedings of Mr. Gibbs.
Mr. IVitsore seconded the motion, which was put
by the Chairman, and carried uunnitnously.
Mr. FLIGHT acknowledged the confidence reposed
in himself and colleague, and said he thought for the
same reasons given for their re-election, it would be
desirable also to re-elect the overseers.—( I fear.) They
were equally with him and Mr. Rock desirous to do
all in their power, and that they had been restricted
to doing so little was not their fault.—(llear.)
Mr. Cerilares—l suppose they have got no funds?
Mr. FLIGHT—Not a shilling.—(Laughter.)
Mr. Henry Rock and Mr. Williams were then re-
elected as overseers.
Mr. Curium said he understood the sexton had
not received any salary for two years, and the or-
ganist's salary was equally in arrear. How much
was due to Dr. Croly he did not know, and perhaps
it was of no great consequence to a rich man like
that reverend gentleman—(A laugh)—but it was
monstrous that Air. Michael Gibbs should thus go on,
taking all he could get and pay nothing away.
A PARISHIONER observed that the poor organist
was starving, her salary from that church being
almost her only means of existence.
The CHAIRMAN agreed that it was monstrous that
any one man should thus receive the parish money,
and then turn his back to all applications either for
payment or explanation—disdaining, as it were, the
public voice. He had himself received nothing for
two years and a half. He was, however, quite willing
to postpone his own rights and his own complaints for
those of others. He was not precisely in the position
Mr. Cunliffe suggested, but he preferred having his
stipend in his own pocket than that it should remain
in the possession of any other person. This might be
the weakness of human nature, but if it was, he was
fain to acknowledge the infirmity.—(A laugh.)
Mr. Femur had understood that, pending the de-
cisiim upon the legal disputes, Alderman Gibbs was to
payeverything as well es receive everything.
fhe Verrar•Cezax said that it had been arranged
that the parish inconie should be paid into the bank
of Messrs. Willis and Percival, and applied to pariah
purposes.
A Penisiitorsza—But has the money been so ap-
plied?
The VESTRY•CLERK—CertAitiIy not.
The Paaisniorsea—Why that is a departure from
the principles of common honesty.—(llear.)
The VESTRY-CLERK said he had suggested the
propriety of making the payments, in accordance with
the understanding, but as yet without SUCCeSS. With
regard to the progress of the law proceedings, the
action in the Common Pleas was tried on the 19th of
December, and, under the direction of Lord Chief
Justice Tindal, it assumed the shape of a special case,
the point raised in that Court being reserved for the
courts above. The duty of preparing that case, in
order to obtain the decision of the superior court,
rested with Alderman Gibbs's solicitor or counsel.
itl h
It ialdbeneont,
ahpopaisievad•erfi,
,Ireolverasai3leitovperCr prepared, though
whom the fault of the delay rested lie did not,
know. On the lath of April next, when the term
commenced, an application would be made to th.
Court on the subject. I%'ith regard to the pro.
ceedings in Chancery, the accounts were before th?
Master, vouchers ha' lx:en required forthe payments,
but there had been great difficulty in vouching
many items of large amount. The large sum of '2,0001.
for law charges was one of the disputed items which
was now under the consideration of the Master, and
not yet decided upon ; and there were several other
items upon which the Master would have to decide.
At present the proceedings were stayed in conse-
quence of the vacation, but they would be resumed
with the commencement of the et:suing term, and lie
believed that ultimately they would be enabled to re-
lieve the parish from the burden which Mr. Gibbs
had entailed upon it. Sergeant Telfourd, Mr. Adol-
phus, and Mr. Peacock were all confident in the
opinion that the parish would ultimately be restored
to its rights. Ile regretted the painful position in
which the parish was placed in consequence of the
law's delay, but it was inevitable under the circum-
stances. It was suggested that the Court of Chan-
cery should be applied to, to appoint a receiver of the
parish income ; but counsel advised that it was most
desirable, if possible, to keep the parish free from the
interference of the officers of that Court, and accord-
ingly it was arranged that the future rents should be
received and paid into a banker's, toe
joint account,
for parish purposes, and in the names of Michael
Gibbs and Thomas Whittaker, who claimed to be the
churchwardens. Ile had with some difficulty dis-
covered that the rents were paid into the bank ; but
although he had made several applications, and had
undertaken that no question should be afterwards
raised by those he represented, no disbursements for
parish purposes, in accordance with the nrrangement,
had yet been made. It was a question how far the
present parishioners !should be saddled with the debts
of their ancestors; lout he hole l I elope 'Trinity term
to be able to bring this part of the case before loir(I
Langdale for his decision.
Ni I:I t
appoint u time within which the vitas should he ise-
pared, or judgment go in favour of the parish.
The Rev. CHAIRMAN said—Gentlemen, as the yes-
c7tTll'te
tstardinues have been refer
el
ves-
try of the joint parish have been summoned for to-
day, and as they arc now actually waiting in the
church, I am necessarily precluded from going into
any detail on the subject of our meeting. But, as
the nature of
the accounts has
eiranwilPhPto in emphatically by
logsb
yaonndtheirllenarrativeof
of our Vestry-clerk, I 111031
willingly abandon topic% which nothing but a flair
o duty could lead me to touch upon at a)

other difficulties arising from Mr. Gibbs's delay in There are, however, two or three points, of which I
producing hie accounts was this, that the claims think it prorer that some notice should he taken. One
against the sister parish could not now be lega
ey do- is, that our meetings here are held in a spirit of yin-
minded —(Cheers)—nor was it just, when they con- dictiveness against Mr. Michael Gibbs. Gentlemen,
sidered the migratory habits of a commercial trapu- I do not give him his present title ; it is only for a
lation, that the present parishioners should be called season ; it will vanish from him before we shall have
upon to pay debts contracted seven or eight years learned to pronounce it ; and I venture to say that
ago by their predecessors, and which had only not he will be known much longer by the title of chweb-
been paid at the time because Mr. Gibbs had neg- warden of Walbrook than any of the flattering and
I..cted to furnish his accounts. Bo contended, there- fortuitous honours of the scarlet gown. Ile calls
fare, that if there really were any balance due to Mr. himself 7 persecuted man, and his persecution is of
Gibbs, it would he impossible for him to receive it. this or !er :—For nearly a quarter of a century he
lie apologised to the meeting for having nothing has held the office of churchwarden, during that time
better to submit to them than a dry statement of he has had the command of the whole parochial re-
figures, and that he had not been able during- his venue, w hich, by his printed statement, I see some-
year of office to benefit the parish, except in aiding, times amounting to 1,200/. or 1,300/. a year—and all
as f.r as he coull, the law suits in which they were this without giving in an account to the parishioners
engaged. On the part of his friend Mr. Rock (who for upwards of nineteen years.—(llear, hear.) The
was unavoidably absent in the country) and himself, neee sity of repairing the church at last compelled the
he begged to say, that however happy they would be united parishes to meet for the purpose of preventing
in retiring from office, and leaving W others some of its ruin. They demand, before they are called on
those difficulties with which they were surrounded, for more money, to be informed what has been done
they did not think it would be just to the parish or with the past. And this is persecution I lie asks
to themselves that they should take advantage of the for time; it is given to him nt my request; and this,
present election to flinch from the task which had of course, also is persecution. A proposal is then
been imposed upon them, and place other persons in made to him to submit his accounts for those nineteen.
the thorny seats they occupied.—(Cheers.) If their years to arbitration, or to a public accountant, or
fellow-parishioners considered they had done their to three persons .chosen by himself, and three
duty—seeing that a delay in the proceedings in which, chosen by the parishioners. I can see nothing in all
had this but the desiro of a speedy and amicable adjust-
on the part of the parish, they were engaged,
arisen from circumstances beyond their control—if ment. But this, in the vocabulary of this sensitive
they still possessed, as he believed they did, their personage, is persecution. Ile at last gave in a por-
confidence, his friend Mr. Rock and himself would feel tion of an account; the parishioners naturally de-
bound to remain in office, and carry the war through mantled a whole one. They were at length driven to
to, he trusted, a successful issue. They all, however, Chancery for the purpose of obtaining an account

with vouchers, the only kind of account that could
be satisfactory, or that, indeed, can b! of the slightest
value between man and man. But this account they
have never seen, and we hear to-dny from the Vestry-
clerk that the nccount before the Master is still drag-
ging on its lingering length, and fully substantiating
all the proverbial honours of the " law's delay." But
by whom was even the unvouched account audited ?
On this paint the fullest impartiality is always ex-
pected. How was this expectation fulfilled? The
names to this audit are actually those of the " select
vestry," the men whose conduct had been impugned
for the delay, and the name at the head of the list is
that of one who has still three years of churchwarden-
ship to account for.—(/fear, hear.) The printed
account made its first parochial appearance under an
escort of the City poliec.—(llear.) Gentlemen, I
need no more than allude to the scene on that singu-
larly repulsive occasion. The fortification of thu
church door—the planting of a police garrison in the
church porch—the grim wretchedness of the silly
son taking a lessen in the paternal profession, with
the church key in his hand, and pea !tically inaugu-
rating himself into the mysteries of churchwarden-
ship—the little submissive clique within, catching
the droppings of veatry wisdom from the lips of their
master—and the whole terrified is ith the strung pro-
babilities that every roar of the people in the street
was the herald of a general invasion through the
vestry window. And yet, to what did this ridi-
culous preparation come at last—this favourite ac•
count, thus brought to the birth in aidermanic throes,
and with the detectors of burglars and pickpockets
for sponsors—this account, which, like a bottle of
old wine, was to make us in love with the
whole bin, and swallow it, lees and all—this ac-
count, which, like an old almanac, was to revive our
memory of superannuated facts, things long crumbled
into dust, and Lord Mayor's days, never to return ;
nay, of tie glories of churchwardens themselves, ob-
literated by the remorseless sponge of time I—what
did it exhibit at last ? A balance in the hands of
Michael Gibbs at the commencement of his office to
the amount of several hundred pounds. This balance
speedily departing this life. Then twelve years'
rates uncalled for, and now, of course, like Owen
Gtendower's spirits, certain not to come when "you
du call for them." Finally, a debt of 1,800/. is
brought against the parish by Michael Gibbs himself;
the church in a state of such dilapidation that it has
been presented several times at the Archdeacon's visi-
tation ; not a shilling in the parish chest, so far as we
can fathom its extreme hollowness; and the chief
stipends of the parish unpaid to the amount of a far-
thing! The sextoness's bills are due, as I am told by
her son this day, now two years; the salary of the
organist, a widow, atm living wholly by her profes-
sion, is, I am also told to-day, nearly two y. ars due ;
and my stipend, as afternoon lecturer, is now due
two years and a-half.—(Cries of " Hear, hear," and
"Shame.") And from what (bra this extraordinsry
state of things arise Certainly not from time pa-
rishioners. It is impassible that any pariah can be
better disposed, or more ready to second all time efforts
of the incumbent. They are proud of their church ;
they desire to see its service honoured, every possible
addition made to its convenience and ornament, and
the full beauty of this singularly beautiful memo-
rial of the great master of English architecture
b:ought out by every aid of art, instead of being
given up to scandalous squalidne,s, and even to dan-
gerous and impending decay.—(llenr, hear.) At
this moment every eye may see the danger. The
floors of the aisles are exhibiting an increasing curve
from day to day. The whole of the south aisle has
sunk of late so much, that the weight of the floor has
turn away the greater part of the bench, once strongly
fixed in the wall. As to the roof, its weather-stains
are palpable and alarming. The rain pours down the
walls, and nothing is more obvious than that repair
cannot be too immediate, or too extensive. Again, 1
say, that the vestion is not of open or select vestries.
The proposal -had been distinctly made to Michael
Gibbs to restore time select vestry to what it was about
the time when he first became busy in the parish.
At the time of electing Mr. Pearce,the late sestry-
clerk, the number of the select vestry amounted to
fifteen, and this was but about thirty years ago.—
(Hear, hear.) But this proposal Was peremptorily
rejected, and the Michael Gibbs model held on
" From quarter-day to quarter-day,
The silent, simple tenor of its way."
—(Laughter.) And what is the select vestry at this
moment ? Really, Gentlemen, I cannot answer that
question. A phantom comes the nenrest to my idea.
A concatenation of cobwebs would be at once clear
and substantial to it. You saw on Easter Tuesday
all that remainsof its mortal nature—the last fragment
of its existence above ground. At ten o'clock on that
day Michpel Gibbs made his appearance in the ves-
try-room, at the head of his " select vestry "—select
indeed, for it consisted but of two persons. As for
Vhittrher, his nominal co-churchwarden, he .clings
so closely to the movements of his principal, that he
may be fairly regarded as Isis shadow, and ghosts le-
gitimately go for nothing in day-light. On the rec-
tor's reminding them of his protest against their
meeting without his consent, one of them moved an
adjournment, another seconded it, and Michael Gibbs
solemnly declaring the sense of his select vestry to be
for adjourning to his house, time question was carried
nernine eanfrodicente. Never was resolution carried
with happier unanimity. Like time three tailors of
Tooley-street, calling themselves "the people of Eng-
lan I,'' the "trims juncta in uno,"
"The force of vestries could no further go,
To make a third, it joined the ether two."
The select vestry retired, I suppose, to do as they
have done before, prostrate themselves at the boot-
toe of Michael the Perpetual, and, like the Chinese,
exclaim, "May your Excellency live for ever, and be
churchwarden elf Walbrook its long after that as your
Excellency pleases." lienCemen, if I were a hu-
mourist, I should have regarded the whole per-
formance as invaluable. The assembly, consisting of
two—the happy acquiescence of the debaters—the
division, in which the only persons who divided were
the "tellers"—the adjournment to Michael Gibbs's
parlour, converted, for the nonce, into a vestry-room,
where, unfortunately, the rest of the performance
was lost to the public eye, and reserved for time in
diligence of his kitchen maids ! And is it in this man-
ner that the concerns of a parish in the centre of the
British empire are to be carried on, fur the in-
struction of the people, the honour of time great Pro-
testant Establishment, and even for the charac-
ter of public authority, in its office of administerimi
justice to all, " to Ciesar the timings that are Cason's;
and, by a still more impressive and imperious obliga-
tion, of rendering " to God the things that are God a?"
Gentlemen, Hit] many illustrations of your wrongs
crowding on my mina, I must now break off. But
is it not evident, that if the acts of which you now
complain had been committed on a more extensive
scale, they must have produced time most formidable
results? Suppose that, instead of occurring on the
narrow scale of a single parish, they had spread over
the empire! The principle is the same in one in-
stance as in ten thousand ; principle is independent of
minuteness or magnitude. Suppose, then, that in
every one of the ten thousand parislies of England
there was a twenty years' delay of all paroehial
accounts, awl et the end of those twenty yews a de•
dared accumulation of debt, equal to three times their
annual revenue, that the fabric of every church was
threatening to come down, that every stipend was
unpaid for years, and that ens" man continued to be
placed in possession of ti:o parish revenues from year
to year by his dependents-1 nun that the supposition
shakes all natural belief—but if it could he realised,
we should see time empire convulsed from end to end,
the national hand fiercely attempting to right itself,
and nothing left to our posterity hut to weep over the
wrecks of a revolution.
Mr. Framer suggested that the meeting should ad-.
j,murre for a month, as by that time it suss probable
Mr. Credmy might have some intelligence to corn-
municnte as to the progress of the law proceedings.
It was ultimately agreed that time meetieg should
adjourn till eleven o'clock on the 9th of Mny.
The thanks of the meeting were unanimously voted
, to the chairman, and the meeting separated.
.he

FREQUaNCY or MURDIERS.—'The Englibh have lung
spoken of the frequency of murders in Ireland, hut now
in England they are aliuost of daVy occurrence. Suickicr,
toe, in England are very ecuxunoo.