The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-22 00:00:00

A BISHOP AND A RECTOR.

There is, in the north of Devon, a gentleman of
large fortune, rector of a parish, who keeps a pack of
hounds. Ile is celebrated all the country round for
his old-fashioned hospitality, his love of rural sports,
and his encouragement of wrestling and other athletic
sports. He is rather getting beyond his prime, or
otherwise he would have been backed to take all the
bench of bishops, " one down and t'other come on,"
with his " mauleys." He is not a man of refined
mind ; not so good as Fielding's Parson Adams, nor
so bad as his Parson Trulliber, but a cross between
the two. Well, respecting this reverend man and his
parochial doings, strange rumours reached the ear of
the bishop, and he determined to "take him in
hand." He had tried him at an early visitation, and
addressing the reverend gentleman as he stood
amongst the assembled divines, he said to him,
" Mr. —, I wish to have a few words with you
in private." The honest divine roared out in a
broad vernacular twang, " Nothin' privut betwin yue
and me, ray lard ; whatever you've got to zay to me
zay it heer." The bishop declined in his blandest
tones. But in vain. The reverend gentleman, who
professes to be as open as the day, and, indeed, is so,
still reiterated his desire that his reverend brethren
should have the benefit of any advice the bishop had
to bestow on himself. The bishop still declined ; he
must talk to him in private. " Very well, my lard
(exclaimed the divine), your lardship will find me at
my quatters (quarters) at the George." The bishop
did not go to the George (a respectable farmers' inn),
and the interview did not take place. It was destined
to be held at the reverend gentleman's own house,
and this brings me to my story of the brandy.
The bishop had written to this exemplary divine,
and received no reply ; in short, no notice of
any kind was taken of his letter. Having to make
a pastoral tour into the neighbourhood, and being
determined to see for himself into matters which
had been literally reported to him, the bishop one
fine morning found himself travelling in his
episcopal equipage, just as the apostles travelled, very
near the house of the rector. That diligent minister
was on horseback, and arrayed for hunting. Seeing
the bishop making towards his house, he turned round
and galloped home. Ile told his housekeeper that a
gentleman was coming, to show him into the parlour,
and call him down. She was not to notice that the
expected visitor had been seen, or that her master had
been out. The bishop came, and the bishop was shown
into the best parlour. Great was the flutter around
the rectory when they found who it was that had
come. In a few minutes the reverend gentleman en-
rered, and to his astonishment found the bishop ac-
tually in his house. He moderated the ecstacy of his
admiration so far as not to give the bishop a stage
hug. But he ran over to the bell, pulled it violently,
and thus brought in the domestic at a gallop. " Did
yue knaw that the bushup was here ?" he
roared. " Ees," exclaimed the terrified maiden.
" Then why didn't 'e bring un some brandy?"
he retorted, rushing up and down the room, stamping
and storming at this neglect of his bishop. The
servant stood aghast. The bishop exclaimed " Si-
lence, silence!" turned up the whites of his eyes, and
endeavoured to look like a primitive Christian. But
he was in the wrong place to make any impression
in that line. " Silence !" roared the divine ; " Si-
lence ! When you've come over the North Devon
hills this cold morning to zee me, and her not to
give 'e no brandy ! Why, it was enough to make a
man go stark mad to see the hospitable character of
his house endangered by such unpardonable neglect."
The indignant divine was not to be pacified. The
bishop raised his voice authoritatively ; he demanded
silence ; "he wanted no brandy." But he had to
deal with one who could storm too—aye,and storm him
blind if it came to stentor-proof trial. The pious
bishop descended from command to entreaty—he really
wanted no brandy—" Why didn't you answer my
letter ?" he asked. "Letter, my Lord !" inquired
the Rev. Gentleman, why, whatever could your
Lordship have to write to me about? I thought 1 was
indebted to your friendship for the honour of your
visit." The bishop was very much surprised to find
that his missive had miscarried. " How did 'e zend
tit?" asked the divine. "Through the post, of
course," replied the bishop. " Oh, that accounts
for't," said the divine, " I never take up letters by
the post—when I write to a gentleman, I zend my
sarvant wi ut !" I will not occupy your space by
Stating all that is reported of the denouement. It is
sufficient to add that the bishop got out of the
house with all reasonable alacrity, after stating
what his letter was about, and hearing such ex-
planations as the reverend gentleman very frankly
tendered. One point was that "he kept hounds." Ile
said, "Show me a canon of the Church against keeping
of hounds, and I'll put them down." Another was
that people were seen to come out of his house drunk.
He pleaded that he was "main glad to zee his friends
at all times ; he put the best his house could afford
cheerfully before them ; he could not guage their
stomachs, and say, thus far shalt thou go and no fur•
Cher," &c. Having replied in this orthodox fashion to
the bishop, his Lordship took his leave, and has never
been in the house since. Now I do not mean to vouch
ror the whole truth of these stories. What passed
between the Bishop and the reverend gentleman has
never been mentioned by the former ; the story is,
therefore, one-sided. I can only say that it was the
rage of clerical circles, and was most righteously be-
!ieved to be true in substance, and I believe it to be
substantially true.—Morning Chronicle.

STATE OF TRADE.—The yarn market continues
very active and buoyant, showing an advance of one-
.ighth per pound in several descriptions of yarn, espe-
cially in 40's mule, suitable for the India market,
:Ind some particular counts and qualities of water
twist. The goods continue much the same as last
week ; prices are perfectly firm, and stocks low ; but,
oxcept for good 40-inch shirting*, which arc in de-
mand, there is no great activity in the market.—Man-
chester Guardian.

ROCHDALE FLANNEL MARKET, MONDAY, JAN. 20.
—There has been but a very indifferent market. Few
buyers have attended, and the business transacted has
been up,m a limited scale. Manufacturers are asking
wore for pieces, on account of the increased price of the
raw material.—Manchester Guardian.
RESIGNATION OF MR. BARON GURNEY.—Mr.
Baron Gurney, in consequence of continued ill-health
and increasing weakness, has sent to the Lord Chan-
cellor his resignation of the high office of one of the
Barons of the Exchequer, which the Learned Baron has
filled for some years with great ability and satisfiction
to the bar and the public. The general opinion in West-
minster Hull is that Mr. Platt, Q C., will succeed to the
vacant seat on the Exchequer Bench, but of course, no
arrangement has at present been made.—Evening paper.