The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-22 00:00:00

CLERICAL BIGOTRY EXTRA-

ORDINARY !
A circumstance has just occurred at Warminster,
which has occasioned considerable excitement amongst
all classes in that town.
An aged and respectable woman, whose parents
formerly belonged to the Established Church, and
who was herself baptised in it, was many years
since married to a member of the Presbyterian (Uni-
tarian) church of that place, and with her husband
has since attended its services. After many years of
ill-health, she had a seizure on the 6th instant, which
carried her off on the following day. She had
brought up a family of fifteen children, many of
whom are respectably settled in life. Four of them
lie buried in the parish church-yard, including a
daughter, who died under distressing circumstances,
within the past year. At the daath of the mother,
the aged and bereaved companion of fifty-seven
years, applied to the parish sexton to re-open the
grave scarcely closed on the daughter, on which
the following letter was brought him from the
vicar :

llaynes,—l understand your wife has died as
awfully suddenly as others of your family. She has
died in an awful and damnable heresy, which renders it
impossible for her to be buried in the churchyard. I
refuse her burial Mete. If you choose to have her buried
without any service, you may do so, or, lest I should ap-
pear to deal harshly with you, I will pay the charge for
her burial in the unconsecrated ground at Townsend ;
but in the churchyard, with the burial service, she shall
not be buried. I .trust Almighty God may open your
eyes to repentance, if such a thing may be, but I fear
you have sold your Saviour for thirty pieces of silver.
" March 8, 1845." " ARTHUR FANE."
The old man, trembling with sorrow and the
weight of years, knew not how to receive such accu-
sations—so harsh and unfounded. But still anxious,
and it being the wish of his family, that their mother
should lie with her children who had gone before her,
and understanding that a written certificate of bap-
tism would render it undeniable, he procured it from
the parish register; hoping therewith to set the mat-
ter at rest.—But not so; for still finding all their
efforts vain, they were compelled (having first ob-
tained permission from the teustees) to commit the
body to the unconsecrated ground, apart from her
children and family.
The facts have been reported to the Bishop, and a
demand made on him to see justice done to this poor,
aged, and calumniated sufferer.—The Bishop has en-
gaged to make inquiry into the circumstances of the
case, and on his determination will depend what fur-
ther measures may be adopted.— Wiltshire Indepen-
dent.

THE LATE M. ETIENNE.
M. Etienne was a native of the department of the
Haute Marne, but came to Paris in 1796, and was
connected in the first part of his metropolitan career
with some of the journals, but he soon abandoned this
occupation to devote himself exclusively to dramatic
literature. After producing several successful pieces
at the minor theatres, he bzought out the comedy of
Brueys et Palaprat with great success at the Theatre
Francais. Soon after this he was patronised by the
Duke de Bassano, and in 1810 was appointed censor
of the Journal de l'Empire. Ile was next
charged as chef de la division litteraire with the ge-
neral police of the journals. In 1811 he produced at
the Theatre Francais the comedy of Les Deux Gen-
dres, which was very successful, and led tolls being
made a member of the Institute, at the death of
Laujon. At the first restoration of the Bourbons,
M. Etienne was deprived of his appointments; but
on the return of Napoleon from Elba they were re-
stored to him, and he was made a member of the
Legion of Honour. At this time he was President of
the Institute, but, on the second Restoration, he wasp
struck off the list of its members, and was desig-
nated in the Moniteur as one of the men who had
co-operated towards the return of the Emperor. M.