Star.
London, England, 1830-05-21 00:00:00

ANSWER.

" Hendon Vicarage, Saturday Morning.
" My Loup—Those who are in the constant habit of witnessing
my attention to every particular connected with my Church, will,
I am sure, prove that I am incapable of acting indecently in so sa.
cred a place.
" As my diocesan, I should certainly (if the notice had been mine)
have attended to your prohibition ; though I would, with every de-
ference, submit whether it could have subjected me to ecclesiastical
censure. _

" But it was yesterday determined in the parish, that the no.
tice to be given on Sunday next should simply be—' to fix on an
early day, by special notice, for a meeting to take into considera-
tion Mr. Wilberforce 's application to the Church Commissioners :'
a copy of which special notice I will immediately torward to
London-house. .

" I have read the several Acts with great attention, and shall be
most happy to find that I have misunderstood them.
" Your Lordship's obedient servant,
" THEO. WILLIAMS."

Mr. Wilberforce must have been fully aware that the
form of notice bad not been determined when he so dis-
ingenuously applied to the Bishop of London; and as
the promise of a district had at this time been actually
given to Mr. Wilberforce, the Bishop ought to have
known that Mr. Williams had not misunderstood the ef-
fect of a district.

" Hendon Vicarage, June 20, 1829.
"111 r Loan BisHoe—May I take the liberty of asking,
whether, in the event of my building a Chapel at )lill-hill, con.
sisting almost wholly of free seats, you will consecrate it ? After
all that has transpired, I cannot but be anxious to obtain this in.
formation previous to incurring so heavy an expence ; and as, with
the existing population of Mill-hill, there can be no plea nor pre-
tence for a district, I propose to make it a parochial chapel, to be
served through the incumbent of the mother church, in such a
manner and with such a stipend as you may think proper to direct.
—I am, my Lord Bishop, your humble servant,
" THEO. WILLIAMS.'
" P. S. As I have been presented with a most desirable piece of
ground for the purpose, and as the season is far advancing, I trust I
shall be forgiven while requesting an early reply.
" The Lord Bishop of London."

As soon as Mr. Wilberforce commenced drawing bricks
to the ground on which he is now building his chapel,
and before the building had been in any way begun, Mr.
Williams gave him notice, under the advice, and in a
form prepared by Mr. Patteson, that he should oppose,
by every legal means, his unjustifiable proceedings. In
consequence, it is supposed, of this notice, and of the Co-
mmissioners having ascertained that they had been assum-
ing powers which the Legislature had not vested in them,
the Bishop of London recommended Mr. Wilberforce not
to proceed with his building ; and that recommendation
was adopted. Bat the moment Mr. Williams offered, as
above, to build a parochial chapel, and under such re-I
strictions as would preclude all objections, did not the
Bishop of Loudon again write to Mr. Wilberforce, and,
though the best part of the season had gone by, lvise
him to forthwith prosecute his intention of building a
chapel ? The object in this advice is too evident to re-
quire comment. And it is asked—Did the Bishop of
London ever acquaint the Board of Commissioners with
Mr. Williams's offer ? It is believed that he did not.

ANSWER.

" Fulham, June 22, 1829.
" Rev. Sir—His Majesty's Commissioners for Building addl.
tional Churches and Chapels having consented to vest in Mr. Wil-
berforce the perpetual right of nomination to a Chapel intended to
be erected by him in the parish of Hendon, and a question hav-
ing arisen touching the powers of the said Commissioners in
that respect, I cannot return a definitive answer to the inquiry con-
tained in your letter of the 20th inst. till that question has been de-
cided. But I may say, generally, that 1 conceive both the Commis-
sioners and myself bound, after what has passed, to afford Mr. Wil.
berforce every facility for the completion of his design.
" I am, Rev. Sir, your faithful servant,
" Rev. Theod. Williams." " C. J. LONDON.
Because Mr. Wilberforce (and in the grossest violation
of all good faith) intended to build a proprietary Chapel at
Mill-hill, the incumbent and patron of the living is to be
thus indirectly prevented from building a parochial Cha-
pel ; and because the Bishop of London is pleased to
make an illegal and improper promise, yet, for the sake
of his promise, and of those who sat with him, he feels
himself bound to afford Mr. Wilberforce every facility for
the completion of his design.

" According to my honour and my conscience,
" 1 cannot break my word."

Mr. Williams, urging upon the Bishop of London the
injustice of the Commissioners attempting to enforce a
district, not only against the wish of the patron and in-
cumbent of the living, but of the parishioners at large,
who had, by unanimous vote of vestry, declared such a
measure inexpedient, was told in reply, that the vestry
were afraid to act otherwise, lest he should be obnoxious
to them in the collecting their tithes, &c.
This unguarded assertion induced the following letter :
" Hendon Yikarage, Aug. 29, 1829.
" My Lord Bishop—You yesterday "thought proper to state to
me, that the opinion of the Vestry, which was forwarded to the
Commissioners, had been elicited under improper influence, and that
the persona expressing that opinion, and supporting that resolution,
were afraid to act otherwise, Init. I.sbould be obnoxious to them in
the collecting their tithes.
" A compromise of principle or opinion, from worldly fear, or
from worldly advantages (though the channel through which so many
rise), is despicable conduct indeed. In common justice, therefore,
to myself, and to the highly respectable parties upon whom so unjust

and unworthy a reflection has been cast. I would respectfully ask
of your Lordship the author of the wicked untruth ?
" The parish will, I am sure, meet it as it ought to be met, and
your Lordship's moral sensibility will at once induce you to give
the information.
" I am, my Lord Bishop, your humble servant,
" THEO. WILLIAMS.
" The Lord Bishop of London."

That there might be no mistake, nor misunderstanding
on this occasion, Mr. Williams, immediately on leaving
the house of the Bishop of London, went into an almost
adjoining shop, and put down upon ,paper the subject
matter of the conversation which had just taken place
between the Bishop and himself ; and, on returning to
Hendon, wrote the above letter.

It were absurd to suppose that Mr. Williams could have
invented such a matter ; and has not the Bishop of Lon-
don expressed himself to the same effect on otherlocca-
sions ? He knows that ho has ; and yet what is khis
answer ?

"Fulham, August 31, 1829.
" Rev. Sir,—ln answer to you: note of the 29th instant, which
has just reached me, I have only to state, that you quite misunder-
stood me, if you supposed me to make any such assertion as that
which you have been pleased to attribute to me.
I am, Reverend Sir. your faithful servant,
" Rev. Th. Williams." " C. J. LONDON.
It having been stated by Mr. Wilberforce, at a public
meeting, that he had been promised by the Commissioners
a copy of the opinion which they were about to take from
the Attorney and Solicitor General, Mr. Williams was ad-
vised to request the same favour. Havinc, made this re-
quest, he received in reply the followini'letter—a letter
which, at least, proves that the Bishop is occasionally
incorrect in his statements ; for it is an undoubted fact,
that copies of the opinion had been given away, and one
of them, as we are informed and believe, by the Bishop
himself.

" Fulham, Nov. 11, 1829.
. __ ___...

" Dear Sir,—Mr. Jelf informs me that Mr. Wilberforce has not
had a copy of the opinion referred to in your letter. I imagine that
he has only the substance of that opin!on, as to the difficulty Of
assigning districts under the 7th and Bth George IV.
" The Commissioners do not think it right to give copies of opi.
nions which are obtained for their own guidance.
" I am, dear Sir, your faithful servant,
" Rev. T. Williams." " C. J. LONDON.

On February the 17th Mr. Williams sent to the Bishop'
of London two copies of his " Address to the Inhabitants
of Hendon," nor did ho receive any reply whatever in re-
ference to their contents. On March the 12th Mr. Wil-
hams called on the Bishop respecting the marriage vali-
dity bill, which was then passing through the House of
Lords. He had scarcely spoken to the Bishop on the
subject before he was told, in the most abrupt and offen-
sive manner that he had stated a falsehood in his Address,'
&c. Mr. Williams replied, if the Bishop would inform'
him to what statement he alluded, he no doubt should be
able to exculpate himself from such a charge. The
Bishop hastily answered—" To that in which he was,
said to have informed Mr. Williams that Mr. Wilberforce
had complained to him of a neglect of duty," &c. Mr.
Williams, immediately recalling to the Bishop's remem-
brance not only the day on which the information was
given, but other and peculiar circumstances which were
connected with this information, and which precluded the
possibility of a mistake, was again told by the Bishop, in
extreme irritation, it was a gross falsehood. Mr. Wil-
liams, feeling that he could not continue to listen to such
degrading and unworthy language, left the Bishop ; and
after communicating with some professional friends,
wrote to him in these words:

" March 12, 1830.
"My Lord Bishop--After the unwarrantable and indecent
terms, gross falsehood,' used by you this morning, I feel, in corn..
mon justice to myself, I ought immediately to make public all that
has transpired between us, from your Snit intemperate letter, and
your subsequent conduct respecting the ordination of Curate, to the
present time.
" As a Clergyman, and awfully responsible to my GOD for
my words, I do most solemnly and sacredly assert, that you
did inform me that Mr. W. Wilberforce had complained to
you of my neglect of duty, &c. And I can only regret, with
too many others of your diocese, that from the hasty manner
in which you are in the habit of expressing yourself, you should
be so continually forgetting what has fallen from your lips.
" I am, my Lord Bishop, your humble Servant,
" THEO. WILLIAMS.
" The Lord Bishop of London."

For what purpose, except to prevent Mr. Williams
from placing a Curate at Mill-hill, and to further the de-
sign of Mr. Wilberforce, did the Bishop of London refuse
to ordain a gentleman of character, of talent, and con-
nexion, unless he withdrew his name as a subscriber to
a branch school of the British and Foreign School So-
ciety ? What will the world say of such an act of men-
tal tyranny ? And what will they say when they are told
that the individual who in these times had dared to ex-
ercise it, has since (with his usual consistency, and after
having been told that the circumstance would be brought
before Parliament) himself become a benefactor to the
same Society ?
And with reference to the indecent and unjustifiable
language used by the Bishop to Mr. Williams, we can
only remark, with unfeigned regret, that no excuse can
be given for it, but

" He bath been rash from his youth upwards."

And again, as to what Mr. Williams so solemnly as-
serts that the Bishop told him, if it had not been the
case, it is impossible to suppose that Mr. Williams could
have been (we will not say so unprincipled, but) so blind
to his own interests, as to make a statement which the
Bishop could have immediately contradicted, but which
he did not, and to send the paper containing the state-
ment to the Bishop himself. That Mr. W. Wilberforce
and his nearest relatives have been circulating such wicked
reports in other quarters, equally injurious to Mr. Wil-
liams, will soon be made public, in a manner which will
not admit of contradiction,

That the Bishop of London might be aware of the
manner in which Mr. Williams intended to give publicity
to what had taken place, a copy of the above correspond-
ence, &c. previous to publication, was sent to the
Bishop, with this accompaniment :

-
" Hendon Vicarage, April 20, 1830.
lily Lord Bishop—l have taken the liberty of enclosing to you a
copy of the correspondence. de. At. which I am about to publish.
I sincerely regret that there should be any occasion for such a
step, not only from the many years which I have known you, but
from the respect which I feel for the high and responsible office in
which you are placed. The language, however, which you have
thought proper to use, leaves me no alternative—language which I
am sure you must have regretted, and which you must be conscious
I have not deserved.

" I am, my Lord Bishop, your bumble servant.
" THEO. WILLIAMS."

Yesterday, the extensive and important freehold estate
and barony of Ogle, Northumberland, the property of
the Duke of Portland, and which has been in the posses-
sion of the Noble Duke and his ancestors for more than
a century, was submitted to public competition at Gar-
raway's Coffee-house, by Mr. John Robins, of Regent-
street. After' a lengthened competition, the estate was
knocked down for the sum of 152,5001. This sum was
exclusive of the value of the timber, which is to be taken
at a valuation in addition.

On Wednesday, at 'Guildhall, on complaint of the
Hon. Secretary of the Society against Cruelty, the hack-
ney-coachman, of plate 381, was fined 108. and 6s. costs,
under Mr. Martin's Act, by Alderman Veaables, for hay-
ing wantonly whipped one of the horses is thit eyes.

LA TV INTELLIGENCE.

'CONSISTORY COURT, MAT 20.
Before Dr. LIISHINGTON.

THE OFFICE OF JUDGE, PROMOTED BY DR. VIVIAN,

V. WILLIAMS.

This was a suit for brawling in the vestry of the parish
of St. Augustin, Watling-street, brought by the Rector,
Dr. Vivian, against Mr. Wm. Williams, a respectable
Manchester warehouseman, in Watling-street.
Dr. ADDAMS, for the promoter, prayed admission of
an allegation containing the facts of the charge against
the defendant.

Mr. Williams addressed the Court in person. He begged
to state that he came before it unaided by counsel, from
the determination not to involve himself in the excessive
expense which a suit in these courts would incur. The
true reason of the present proceeding against him was,
that the Rector might keep him out of the vestry while
certain accounts of importance to the parish, were passed.
He, however, took an objection—the admission of the
present allegation, which charged him with brawling and
chiding in a consecrated place—as the vestry did not
come within the meaning of the sth and 6th Edward VI.
under which he had been prosecuted. The vestry was
detached entirely from the church, being used only for
the transaction of parish business, and occupied only by
the Rector on Sunday, as a place wherein to take his
wine, of which he was allowed, by the parish, two bottles
each Sunday.
The JUDGE observed, that Mr. Williams appeared to
have mistaken his course. He should, therefore, re-
quest to know whether Mr. Williams meant to give
an affirmative issue, or to let the article be admitted for
argument.
Mr. WILLIAMS said he would consent to give an af-
firmative issue, not as admitting the truth of the charges
brought against him.
Before the Court proceeded to pass judgment, Mr.
I WILLIAMS begged to be heard in mitigation. He said
the whole business arose out of the Evening Lectureship
of that parish becoming vacant, to which the Rector (Dr.
Vivian) wished to appoint a particular gentleman (Mr.
Hall), and the parish having selected Mr. Millington.
The first offence, Mr. Williams asserted, had been given
by Dr. Vivian in the Vestry-room, where they assembled
to carry on the election. The Rector there stated that
Mr. Millington had been guilty of disrespect towards
him, in not first asking his permission to stand for the
Lectureship, and if the parish persisted in electing him, he
(the Rector) would take care that he never set a foot in
his pulpit. He (Mr. Williams) inquired what were the
duties which the Evening Lecturer was expected to
perform, and was answered—To read afternoon prayers,
and to preach a sermon ; to which defendant replied,
that Dr. Vivian was bound to read prayers himself; and
as the Lecturer was to discharge part of the duties
for which he was paid, perhaps he would have no ob-
jection to contribute something towards the expence,—
Dr. Vivian replied, " I have never put my hands in your
pocket, and I'll take care you shan't put yours in mine."
Upon Mr. Millington apologising humbly to Dr. Vivian
for this unintentional disrespect, and requesting forgive-
ness, Dr. Vivian, with the true spirit of Christian for-
bearance, said he would forgive him, but he should never
ascend his pulpit, and he would do away with all such
elections entirely ; adding afterwards, that the Bishop of
London had been informed of his conduct, and " had
put a mark against his name." He (Mr. Williams) had
heard that Dr. Vivian, in conversation with some person,
had called him " a fellow !" Standing, as he trusted he
did, with a character as high in the estimation of his fel-
low citizens as the Rector himself, he felt himself bound
to call upon the Rector to explain what part of his con-
duct had deserved this insulting expression. Mr. Wil-
liams then proceeded to state the cause of bad feeling be-
tween him and the Rector, which was—that the Rector
claimed a large portion of 5001. per annum, that had
been left for superstitious purposes, which, he contended,
ought to be appropriated to the use of the poor and the
church.

The JUDGE said the allegation had been admitted, and
the question now was, what was the punishment which
the law awarded to similar offences. With regard to the
mitigatory circumstances adduced by Mr. Williams, be
considered that the fact of brawling had been fully proved.
The sentence of the Court was, that he should be sus-
pended from the benefits of the church for the space of
two months, and be condemned in costs.

Mr. Williams begged to inquire if this sentence ex-
cluded him from the vestry ?
The JUDGE—The Court gives no explanation.

WESTMINSTER SESSIONS, May 20.

These Sessions commenced this morning, before F.
Const, Esq. and an unusually full Bench of Police and
County Magistrates.
Harry Green and William Taylor, the former a jour-
neyman tailor, and the latter a private in the Coldstream
Regiment of Guards, were charged with an indecent as-
sault. The case being fully proved,
Mr. CHAS. Pitt LLI rs, who was Counsel for the pri-
soners, in his address to the Jury, said he would take that
opportunity of alluding to a notion (and a most shameful
one it was) that it was the wish and inclination of the
Bar to detract from the merits of the new corps of police
that had been established. He begged most distinctly to
state that no such desire existed. It was only wished to
purge that body of some of its unworthy members. The
officer who had given his evidence in this case had done it
in a way that did him great credit, and in a very different
manner to what was witnessed in that Court last Sessions
—when several of the new police conducted themselves
in such a manner that the Jury arose as one man, and re-
quested they might not be allowed their expences. To-
day, however, they had an instance of different conduct ;
and he could only say, he felt called upon to state, that
the Profession to which he belonged were always willing
to give credit where credit was due.
The Jury, after an elaborate summing up by the Chair-
man, found them both Guilty. Six months imprison-
ment in the House of Correction.

SPLENDID MON LENT.—According to a prospectus
issued a splendid monument is erecting, by subscription,
in honour of his Majesty, to be called King's Cross, in
the centre of six roads, uniting at Battle-bridge. The
situation is selected from the many memorable events that
bare occurred upon the spot, as fully explained in the his-
tory of the country. Around it Julius Caesar, with Mark
Antony, and Cicero, were in encampment for two years.
On the site was fought the grand battle, in which Queen
Boadicea so greatly distinguished herself, from which
emanated the name Battle-bridge. The base of the Lodge
of King's Cross is of an octagonal form, and is ornament-
ed by eight Grecian Doric columns, two at each corner,
supporting above the entablature the four tutelar Saints of
the Kingdom. From the cornice of the columns rises a
bold plinth and sub-plinth, with a balustrade. On an or
namental Grecian pedestal a colossal statue of his Ma-
jesty will be placed. in full robes, and an illuminated clock
will front the Paddington and Pentonville roads.