Star.
London, England, 1831-06-04 00:00:00

TIM BISHOP OF LONDON AND THE REFORM

BILL.

We copy the following eery singular snick from a klnen.
ing Paper of yesterday, mad it merits the special notice of
King„ Mishima, and People. We know Dr RICE 10 be •
man aseptic& karaing sad exemplary piety; and, above
a senapilloas diKiplinarion in all taut relates to the
atabsie of the Church, as aim made to appear a few yam
apt, by his pair& swum with the (ree.chanking Christians.
We molder each a a/I,gram to be specially deserving of
public homage, and the aneerloo lose as into the secret of the
in/genet lately and to bins the Clergy, while it has drawn
as ear limber Chem* so much public animadvetaion. If

any other WOO/ WWII wanted Of the nece,mity of Church re.
farm, It is the eivastnetanee of a scholar like this gentleman,
and a Clergymen of mob uunplary private character, having
to undergo she imeenetivable khans of this great and popu-
lous parisb, far • estate's stipend, till be bas attained as age
whoa the sapient of as independent parsonage ought to have
been open to him as mutter °femme, and se acme jusdfica-
' ties of the imperious revenues of our rich establishment.
At the conclusion of a Vestry Meeting, held for
local purposes, is the parish of St. Luke, Middle-
sex. a few evenings since, Dr. Rice, the Curate of
the parish,. stated, that he considered it his duty to
make a cosnumnication which, on public grounds,'
be deemed of great importance, and also became
it iavolved a serious imeutation upon his (Dr.
Rice's) character as a Christian Divine, which
Le was desirous of publicly rebutting. He then
stated, that it would be in their recollection that
he attended s meeting of the inhabitant house-
holders on the 27th uIL called for the purpose of
voting a loyal and dutiful address to the King. ex-
pressive of the gratitude to his Majesty for dissolv-
ing the late parliament, in consequence of its refus-
ing to pass the reform bill introduced by miuisters,
to effect such a salutary change in the representa-
tion of the people, as could &toile save this count?
from the horrors of a sanguinary revolution, which
eddress ;t would also be recollected he bad had the
honour to second. A few days after this took place
he received a letter in the shape of a citation, from
the Bishop of Londoo, u his diocesan, which,
without specifying any pattieular or substantive
charge that he could be prepared to meet, reqiii:ed
his appearance before his Lordship. He accord-
ingly attended at the time and place appointed
' by the Bishop, when the Right lteverend P elate
stated that he had been informed that be (Ile. Rice)
at the meeting in question had made use °llan-
guage which, it' not, absolutely blasphemous, ap-
proached very near it, and was at all events dero-
gatory to the character and purity of thought and
diction that ought to be maintained by a Christian
Minister. The Bishop then produced a letter which
he had received from a person who signed his name
" J. T. Norton," but not dated frt any place.—
This letter purported to contain a report of the
words used by Dr. Rice in seconding the address,

A Malt id had tepee, said Dr. Rice—l fervently
wish we had keen favoured with twenty more such
angels from the Catholic* ; they would have toads
many • Ist pluralist shake in their shoes,
Dr. Rice t►ee informed the meeting, that an
extended auncersation took place between the
Bishop and himself, relating to the Reform Bill.
which it was then unnecessary to refer to : but
as he did not know what ulterior steps might be
taken against him, and as he was anxious to stansl
well in the estimation of his parishi inens, he had
embracer the first opportunity that tesented itsesi
Wisteria them of the charge that had been brought
against him. He would not sutler any individual
to fasten Open him an imputation so abhorrent
to hie feel**, as a design to degrade the Spi•i-
tual Messiah t and be confid.•ntly at•pealed to them,
nbo had the best meatis of knowing his life shisl
conversation, whether he had ever in any one Its-
stance se conducted himself as to give a shade of
colouring to such an imputation, even by the re-
motest inference. It must, he said, have been ob-
served by every one at the meeting, that he meant,
and did in his address, pointedly distinguish be-
tween the setae and deftsignation of a political Mes-
siah and the sacred character and office of the
spiritual Messiah of Christians, and between the
quality and title of a Sovereign who, by a propitioos
act, had rendered himself the saviour of his people..
He was perfectly aware that the real ground of the
charge preferred against him was on account of the
part that be had acted and the sentiments Le ►sad •
expmeed on the Reform Bill proposed by Minis-
ters under the sanction of his Majesty, who had
thereby in very truth proved himself the politied
saviour of his people ; and while he would yield %o-
no man in reverence he bore to the Divine Master
which he professed to serve, yet he would not be-
deterred by any human power from conscientiously
asserting Isis political rights as an Englishman and
the subject of that King who had acted so nobly.
The Rev. Doctor concluded by saying that the
letter sent to the Bishop appears to be written by
some person who was present at the meeting at
which the address was voted to his Majesty. Ile
was desirous of ascertaining whether there was any
householder in the parish of the name of J.T. Nor-
ton, that he might call upon him and avow him-
self the author of the charge.
3Jr. Wall, the Vestry Clerk, stated that there
was no such name enrolled in the rate book of the
pariah.

Ali.. Richmond and several other parishioners
.trough• reprobated such an uncalled for exercilf
of power and authority for the purpose of shackling
public opinion, and strongly approved of the whole
it Dr. Ric •'s conduct in reference to the Reform
B. k, they were all ready to bear testimuor *
to, should any further proceedings be taken against
hint by order of the Bishop.
CI ItIOUS Uc•c•uKtteNec. A few day■ ag■o, a
tine mare, belonging to the Res. Mr. Brooksby, of W.
Hanninglield, dropped a foal, wl.leh wu a rhort the. al..
:ere/aide deprived of its dam. A raw, whieli way tl..n
'welding its own calf and a lamb, hont-thately took the in -
leaved colt under its parental rare, and actually afoul*
nourishment, and pars the mmt impartial attention to ti e
foal and the lamb, as well as its own &Fyn' g. Rues
Siguiderd.

Last evening a Gre bake out about ten o'clock
at Mr. Ritiunead's char saanuf..e.or). Banner-arrest.
Lute's, whit% eonsuaenicated to the extensive pren,ises • r
Mr. Collier &filth. The It, harm with such rugrdi.y r.t
the whole build*: wee eaveloped in Lune*, sr& netwisb.
standing the speedy arrival of the engines. the valusu:e
properina nral.ty was towpietely dasuoyol, and, we andarstsixt.
not