The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-11-28 00:00:00

MR. WHITTY AND OURSELVES

In our last we stated our intention to return to the
subject of the correspondence with ourselves, published
by Mr. Whitty, and to explain why we did not do so
sooner ; and we now proceed to fulfil our promise. In
the first place, then, let us see what was the origin of our
collision with that gentleman. A detailed statement had
been given to the world, in the columns of a radical con-
temporary, of the proceedings of a meeting, composed
entirely of eon:emotive*, the facts of which the writer
said that " he had had from more than a dozen of those
that were present." Upon this we remarked, that the
publication of such facts, in a radical paper, could only
have resulted from one of three causes : that either more
than a dozen conservative gentlemen had been guilty of
the impropriety of betraying the proceedings of a private
meeting to the ear of the writer in a radical print ; that
such writer had himself invented the story which, on such
alleged direct authority, he vouched for as strictly true;
or that " some eaves-dropping corporate official " had
given to the world " the bye-conversation of the com-
mittee" to which, in his public capacity, he had access.
Here there was nothing which could induce Mr. Whitty,
in particular, to imagine that he was referred to. We
had asked if any corporate official had ever " contributed
to the columns of a repeal organ," or had been, " more
directly still, aiding to prop up its feeble and flickering
existence." At this, even, why should Mr. Whitty—an
innocent man—take fire? We had not pointed him out
as so contributing to, or aiding, the Journal. And yet
he did so take to himself the allusion ; and hence origi-
nated his call upon ourselves, and the correspondence
which ensued.

Upon one portion of that correspondence only have we
now to remark; and it was to enable us to deal with that
portion that we delayed until now recurring to the sub-
ject. Mr. Whitty described as a " gratuitous falsehood"
the representation, which we had candidly made to him
in conversation, that a party treating for the purchase of
some type for the Journal had made use of his name as
that of the person to be responsible for payment. We
have since applied to the house, from whose traveller we
had the original information ; and in a post or two we
received from, not the house, but the very party so ap-
plying, a letter explaining the transaction, that party
having, as we have beetitinformed by another letter, pre-
viously received from Liverpool " a castigation " for his
indiscreet mention of Mr. Whitty's name in connexion
with the Journal. The house to whom he had applied
understood that Mr. Whitty was the responsible man ;
but our volunteer correspondent informs us, that he bad
no authority to represent that gentleman as in any way
responsible, and that he only stated, in reply to a sugges-
tion that the real proposed purchaser was unknown to the
house in question, that such purchaser was " the brother-
in-law of Mr. Whitty, head constable. &c." We are
ready, therefore, to give Mr. Whitty the full benefit to
be derived from the evidence of his own witness, pre-
mising, however, that we are restricted from giving the
version of our original informant.
One other circumstance connected with this affair may
be mentioned without impropriety. In the interview
which he sought with us we treated Mr. Whitty with the
consideration and frankness due to his previous education
and character. That frankness on our part he abused ;
and his conduct has taught us a lesson which may be
useful to us hereafter.

FREAKS OF A ROMISH BISHOP IN BRITISH

GUIANA

During the past month the city of Georgetown, in Bri-
tish Guiana, has been the scene of an outbreak of p.riestly
intolerance, the particulars of which (detailed at length in
the columns of the Guiana Herald) are briefly these.
In the latter end of 1838 the Roman Catholic congrega-
tion in British Guiana were first placed under the charge
of a bishop of their own church. Hitherto they had been
peaceable and orderly subjects ; and the arrival of their
new prelate—Dr. Chancy, an Irishman, we presume, but
educated at St. Omers—was not anticipated as an event
likely to disturb their harmony. Very briefly after his
arrival, however, it was discovered that the reverend
Doctor was disposed to rule his subjects with as arbitrary
a yoke as that with which King Stork harassed the sub-
jects of the land of frogs. His exactions were enormous ;
he claimed to be paramount in matters secular, as well as
ecclesiastical ; and was soon surrounded by as great an
amount of embittered feeling as need be wished for. After
a while, however, some other shades of his character be-
gan to appear. " The house built as his residence he con-
verted into a nunnery. Nuns arrived from Europe, and,
contrary to the express canon law of their church, Dr.
Clancy continued to reside under the same roof with these
female devotees. This caused great scandal, which was
only drowned by still more injurious accusations. It was
openly alleged that one of the nuns had left the retreat,
and gone to Europe, in disgust at the doings at the nun-
nery. Certain it is, that the belief became general, for it
was not discountenanced by several of the Catholics them-
selves, that there were some of the cardinal virtues in no
very great repute at this religious establishment. Charges,
more or less distinctly avering these reports, were sent
home to the pontifical court, and Dr. Clancy leaving the
colony shortly afterwards, it was affirmed that he had been
summoned by the Pope to answer these charges."
On his departure for Rome he deputed a Mr. Bates as
his vicar-general, whose unreverend doings appear to have
still further exasperated his congregation against episcopal
rule. Mr. Bates, however, died before the Bishop re-
turned to relieve him ; and it was during a dearth of Ca-
tholic clergymen, caused by his death, and the previous
event of the departure of two divines to Rome, to prefer
charges against Bates, that the circumstance occurred
which subsequently gave rise to the fracas which has since
occurred and created no little scandal. To supply the exist-
ing deficiency of religious ministration, a highly-respected
member of the community, who had been recently a con-
vert to the Romish faith, being requested by the Reverend
Mr. Cullen, a priest, to read certain portions of the mis-
sal, in the absence of a clergyman, had done so, and this
act, when reported to the Bishop, on his recent return
from Rome, had given been great offence, and drawn upon
Mr. Cullen a severe rebuke, and some explanations in re-
ply, with which it was thought that Dr. Clancy was satis-
fied. On Sunday, the 18th of October, however, previous
to the commencement of the mass, the Bishop proclaimed
from the altar that he charged Charles Clifton, the gentle.
man before referred to, with a high canonical offence, in
having presumed to read prayers within the sanctuary of
that church, and that if he did not, within fourteen days,
apologize for this offence, he (Dr. Clancy) should proceed
to pass upon him the major ex-communication, and
should pronounce upon him and his family the curse of
the Church.

Dr. Clifton, immediately upon this direct attack being
made upon him, arose, not, as he avers, to justify or de-
fend himself, but respectfully to explain that he had acted
under the request of a Roman Catholic priest, and that if
he had erred, he was ready to apologize ; when Dr. ('fancy,
with a degree of violence and passion, described as being
frightful to witness, exclaimed, " Seize him, police—Seize
him, Frenchmen !" (addressing several of that nation pre-
sent), and advancing, was himself the first to lay hold of
Dr. Clifton, and it is said even displayed his pugilistic at-
tainments. " But, my lord," mildly expostulated this
much-injured man, " I but rose to apologize." " Silence,
sir !" roared the mild disciple of the meek Jesus. "My
lord, do you hear, Dr. Clifton says he rose to apologize ?"
interfered Mr. Rogers, one of the priests. " Silence !"
again thundered forth, with encreasing wrath, this shep-
herd of the broken Cross. " May Ibe allowed to put
on my hat?" supplicated the Doctor; but, no ! he was by
this time in the hands of those exemplary guardians of the
public peace, the police, and bareheaded, and dragged
through the public streets, on the Sabbath, was this gen-
tleman borne off to the station-house ; and from thence
was ultimately released on bail. _

So outrageous a proceeding towards a highly-respectable
British subject excited intense indignation amongst his
fellow-countrymen in the colony, and has given rise to
what the Guiana Herald justly terms the " SPECTACLE
of the Right Reverend Dr. Clancy. Bishop of Oriense, and
Count of the Holy Roman Empire, being dressed in full
sables, and with a golden crucifix suspended round his
neck, by a chain of the same costly material, standing at
the bar of the police• office, cheek by jowl with two black
men of the lowest order, on his trial, with them, for an
assault upon Dr. Clifton on Sunday last at the Roman
Catholic Church."

The result of the proceedings, which are removed for
decision to the inferior Criminal Court, the last arrivals
from the West Indies do not give us. One circumstance,
however, had transpired which is worthy of being recorded,
as taking entirely from the episcopal criminal his defence
of ecclesiastical authority. The Bishop, according to
the paper from which we gather the preceding particulars,
has returned to the colony without the sanction of his spi-
ritual superiors, and exercised the functions of his office
after having been formally removed from them by the Pro-
paganda of Rome.

- Thus stands, then, at present, the case of this very pretty
specimen of Romish episcopacy !

WINES VATTED UNDER BOND.—A general order from
the commissioners of customs directs, that the allowance
for natural waste, mentioned in the 10th section of the
general warehousing act, shall he made in respect to wines
vatted under bond, in warehouses not of special security.
CARROTS.—We were shown, on Saturday, six carrots,
grown in Cheshire, by Harrold Littledale, Esq., which
may be considered extraordinary vegetable productions.
They weigh twenty-two pounds. The curious in such
matters may see them in Mr. Cuthbert's, in Clayton-
square. We understand that the carrots were grown
with guano at the rate of four cwt. to the acre.
ASSEMBLY ROOMS, GREAT GEORGE-STREET.—Our
readers will perceive from an advertisement, that an in-
teresting lecture is to be delivered on astronomy by a
gentleman whose name is cei tainly strange amongst us,
but who we have heard having studied the subject for a
long time, has become so able, that there is no doubt
something very important and interesting may be looked
for. We would advise our readers not to lose the oppor-
tunity of hearing this talented gentleman.
THE LATE MURDER ON THE ESTATE OF THE EARL
OF DERBY.—The Right Hon. the Secretary of State for
the Home Department has authorised a reward of £lOO
to be offered for the apprehension of the parties concerned
in this diabolical murder; also a free pardon to any per-
son concerned who will give information, provided he be
not the party who actualy fired at the gamekeeper. A
minute description of the men, ten in number, who were
engaged in the affray, has been circulated to the several
gaols and police offices in the country. Four have since
been apprehended, but the other six are still at large.