The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-01-19 00:00:00

in the u

_eparam times.
This will however have to be settled between- the bishop
Did me.

Did I believe
have been 113 V

oat I had his permission

That must

111 ow me to read the fol-
ming entries, in proof, from my journal, which you know
s a book open to the inspection of all officers of the prison,
of all magistrates of the government inspector.
" February 13, IS3B.—New selection of prayers in use this
morning."

—Left early to meet the Bishop of
Having licensed me to the chap-
to the Sunday Church Services,
judiciously be shortened,

which he thought might mom

considering tue classes or persons under my pastoral charge.
With his sanction, I determined to divide the-morning ser-
one part on one Sunday, and the

vices into two parts ; to u!

remaining portion on the next

" Marjl; 11, 1838.-1
Services with the Psalms

Read the Litany and Communion
If

" March 13, MS.—Explained fully to the magistrates
assembled this day, the nature of the Sunday duties, as per-
formed by me in the prison, was gratified to hear from the
town-clerk that all was done in accordance with the acts of
parliament on the subject, and that the committee was satis-
fied with my plans."

" March'2, 1838,
Psalms."

Litany and Communion Services with

Extract from quarterly report, 16th April, 1838.—" On
Sundays the usual services of the Church of England, and
two sermons have been regularly delivered. The morning
prayers have, however, been divided into two parts ; the
common service being used on one Sunday, the Litany and
Communion Services on the following, by which separation
the time has been reduced to one hour and a half, and the
attention of the auditory more fully commanded."
The first four paragraphs of this report explaining the
whole services performed, and the extra duty amongst the
debtors, will, I think, be deemed very important by the
justices.

" April 22, 183

—The Litany and Communion Services

" May 1

Le Litany and Communic

tr vices

Now, Gei.ttlemen, consider how explicit my declaration

was in my

hich the inspector certainly
_ .
read; at length, in my presence, when here two years since,
as the inspection of the last paragraph in that report will
convince him. I, having previously, as appears 'from my
entry, March 13th, carefully explained to the unigistrates my
plans, and received the town-clerk's legal opinion in my
-
favour.

torwat

tion of my constant
from these reports quarterly made

to you,

on prepare your own report to government), and
were as likely to make the circumstances there avowed, a
part of the subject matter of your address as any other entry
of mine. Can this straight forward declaration, with all the
above entries ; the book containing which was in the inspec-
tor's possession for his perusal for several days, at his former
visit, be consistent with falsehood on my part, as it regards
the bishop's permission ; purposed deception, as it regards
the magistrates ; intended concealment from the inspector,
of a practice—a practice known to be illegal?
Draw, gentlemen, your own conclusions on this point. I
demand your honourable acquittal, whatevemyou may think
of other parts of my defence.

Before I speak to that point of the charge which relates to
mutilation of the service, and omissions of certain parts, I
wish to call your attention to that which respects the em-
ployment of the schoolmaster.
That the schoolmaster had, on imny occasions, officiated
for me, on the Sundays, (as he or the governor, or any turn-
key in the prison, at my request, is allowed to do, by the
gaol act, certainly on six days of the week, and if proper
then, I confess that I can see no difference on the remaining
day ;)* that the schoolmaster, I say, had on many occasions
officiated for me on the Sundays, with the full knowledge
(and, as I therefore concluded, with the fullest sanction) of
the visiting justices, the fact being over and over again
brought distinctly before' them cannot be doubted. I refer
you to the following entries from the governor's journal :
" Sunday, Feb. 3,1839.—1 n consequence of the severe
illness of Mrs..puck, Mr. Ramsden officiated in the chapel

this afternoon

" Monday, July 2,1838.—1 n consequence of the works
now going on being so close to the female wards and chapel,
morning service on the week days has been dispensed with.
Service on Sundays' continues as usual, the chaplain being
assisted by the sehoolma'ster." •

" Sunday, Feb. 21, 1839.—1 n consequence of the danger-
ous state of the lady of the rev. the chaplain, the Rev. Mr.
Crawford officiated in the forenoon. Mr. Ramsden, school-
master, read prayers in the afternoon."
" Sunday, Aug. 4, 1839.—Afternoon service performed by
the schoolmaster, the chaplain having been requested to
attend at the chapel of the Workhouse., '
" Sunday, Aug. W.—ln consequence of the severe weather
this afternoon, the chaplain did not come down. The school-
master attended. I placed the whole of the prisoners in their
several day houses, under the charge of a turnkey in each,
and supplied them with proper books."
" Sunday, Oct. 20, 1839.—The chaplain being absent to-
day, owing to indisposition from an attack of rheumatism,
the schoolmaster read the service, also a lecture both morn-
ing and afternoon." ,
Sunday, Sept. 13, 1839.—The chaplain being still absent
from ill-health, morning and afternoon services performed
by the schoolmaster."
You know that these entries, after being carefully and
distinctly read, and diligently inquired into, are signed each
week, by the chairman of the committee of justices meeting
at the gaol.

Now, to the same effect, I beg your attention to the fol-
lowing entries from my journal, similarly attested :-
11 May 27th, 1838.—The schoolmaster officiated for me in
the afternoon, I having a severe cold."
" February 3d, 1839.—0 n account of illness in my family,
did not attend in the afternoon. The schoolmaster officiated
for me."

• " February 10th, 1839.—Mr. Ramsden officiated for me in
the afternoon, on account of illness in my family."
" October 17th, 1839.—Visited through the prison."
" October 25th, 1839.—Since my last attendance I have
been confined to my house by rheumatism in the knee joints,
and am even as yet scarcely able to walk. The chapel ser-
vice bas-becn regularly performed during my absence by Mr.
Ramsden."

" November 10th, 1839.—From extreme debility the chap-
lain was not able to attend in the, afternoon ; the usual duties
were therefore. performed by the schoolmaster."
" April 12th, 1840.—Mr. Ramsdell officiated for me in the
afternoon, in consequence of extreme debility."
" September 14th, 1840.—0 n arriving at my house on
Friday, I was, through sudden illness, obliged to take to my
bed, and continued so poorly during Saturday and Sunday,
that I could not leave my room. Mr. Ramsden was supplied
by me with two manuscript sermons, which he read yester-
day, conducting the remaining part of the Sunday duties in
the usual manner. Although I felt a duty, being able to
leave my room, to be in prison this day, it is still quite out of
my power to officiate in the chapel; Mr. Ramsden took this
duty therefore for me."
• These extracts show that the occasional employment of the
schoolmaster in •the Sunday duties was well known to the
There was no deception, no concealment, on

magistrates

But it will be objected, that conceding that, in the above
instances, the justices were aware that the schoolmaster offi-
ciated, that does not meet the case sworn to, that during the
six months last past the schoolmaster has always, or most
usually (for that is the real truth), read the prayers on Sun-
day afternoon, and that Dr. Buck has only attended just in
time to take the sermon, with the usual extemporaneous
prayer and Lord's prayer preceding the sermon.
Learn from the eviderie already before you, and from that
medical •testimony which I shall produce, one cause of this
dereliction : the second being my inability, from poverty, to
'pay for regular clerical aid : the third, that as the law allows
lay aid in clerical duties, within a prison, in express words,
I did not know that I was offending; and the fourth. that
neither the governor nor I thought the matter of any such
importance as to give place to the record of the fact •in our
journals, where every thing
of importance must find an en-

The following evidence, as to the state of my health, I have
collected by a hasty and hurried reading of the many sheets
upon which I have had to comment :
" I believe that Dr. Buck's health has been so weak, that
the employment of the schoolmaster has been in'consequence
of it. ' I have seen him so bad that he was scarcely fit to go
into the pulpit. I have an opportunity of knowing whether
Dr. Buck performs his duty ill or well. I should not apply
the word ' skulking' to any part of his conduct. I do not

* 4 Geo. IV., cap. 64. " Prayers, to be selected from the
Liturgy of the Church of England, by the chaplain, shall be
read at least every morning, by the chaplain, the keeper, or
by some other person, as by the rules and regulations shall
be directed ; and portions of the Scriptures shall be read to
the prisoners, when assembled for instruction, by the chap-
lain, or by such person as he may appoint or authorise."
The governor, in his evidence, stated, that the justices, in
t.ommittee, have ordered that the schoolmaster should offi-
:iate for the chaplain, in his absence.