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

TAE HERMIT OF CHARLESTOWN

1 \\'e d (From the Fifeshire Journal.)
11' th,,"are say that few of our readers will be prepared
iti'lre th'eextraordinary narrative which we have to lay be-
Ltlija ,wi, or to believe, what is undoubtedly true, that
anee'\ingdom of Fife, and in the present day, a man
aN4 living, for a quarter of a century, in the hole of
4?fe for erfectiv secluded from the world, and leading
,Ilialt:g,_. I like that of a tortoise or toad than of a human
liva" Ilko,:eent occurrences have fully attested the fact,
Dtes.„,,twei.ta„B Banib, a native of Charlestown, has
thal.t-milil'five years'in a state of solitude, during which
stole Illat:%tiot been seen by mortal, unless it was once
ketita,g)itohr' who was repairing the roof of the house,
Ltan,,,l2e was 'B,e of him through his window ; but in a mo-
ihp—s Of I"iti under his bed.— Considering the circum-
lift,-{: 4 YOu'tikis Parents, he has had
.a good education.
!ea, ilt ilk " he had a great predilection for a sea-facing
fqqtatid, i; P.arents were strongly. opposed. to his going to
ill eea eing th ,
h Lis year, warted in his inclinations, when about
,Nll3a t,2 of a,sullen mood, he shut himself
.p
'li -41^ '-'-"ent which( we mic,ht from that time call his
healatche) au "' It was entered by
,to *uncomfortable garret.
ta,waya d which he ascended by a small ladder, which
~,Nt„iti presZ up after -him. His father died a few years
uli,',relle,,-- that period his mother has been in very indi-
NtZ'q to"'stanees so much so, that lately she had been
"est ‘-trOke rno;ke, al; plication ici Poor'S Board for the
N., is ou her son, when she received an aliment
L..'' piB to I.l)Pse• Mr. Pearson, the manager for the
i,ll,7rctiaruy thought inquiry should be made into
'titi'lle ca-',:tances conne^,tecl with this individual, and
91, .a a before the board at a recent meeting, when
I)lal4,l,tligrryeeillri- that. Mr.
.Pearson should make particu-
lt,.ae , to his condition, and that for this pur-
-4i7104 fo'unuld be accompanied by Dr. Currie, the
kta t:114 ii; the board ; and that if it were practicable,
14:ith removed to the Poor's House. In compli-
etled this resolution, Dr. Currie and Mr. Pearson
h io4° Charlestown on the afternoon of Wednesday,
I of Chas
They first made inquiry into the circum-
villas individual at Mr. Blyth's, teacher,. and
'the. "'en sent for his mother and communicated
it,
in. de,:_
n.
n '.lg She said they would have the greatest
,* 0f,,-eenig him, but described her house. It con-
/
4104 ,7 apartment, in which were two beds; between
Ilttll'otr), "thset[l:ll rece:s concealed by a curtain (the en-
vea, of garret was from this recess), and in it, on
o,ell Thr, a Small barrel which served for a table, she
'l'"lti "ruaa's food,which he came down and took.
td,(1,0, 04 , _
would
t .
4 b,. i liiune be there just now, as she had lately
L.Vo th ' tea. Dr. Currie and Mr. Pearson then
lOrtnii .e house. Dr. Currie drew aside the curtain.
41p,'Ii.a la;*• Instantly endeavoured to get beneath the bed,
.11ija'1,11te:7ented by the hold of the doctor. He appeared
1140411 °uraiig-outang than a human being ; the hair
'eviitind. beard was of prodigious length. He hid
it 115 t ain., "is hands, and appeared greatly disconcerted.
,:4tilcl i.ost in a state of nudity, having nothing but
441t,stNoOnu,nd his body. They then left the house to
i'th,‘-on, should next be done. It was agreed, after
k‘d p'„ Poowr t 4 V,Oll, that it would be best to remove him
0114-41,eQ:a, tiouse that night, but the solitary inmate
164 'ty ,`" what w goin on, and made his escape.
114141,11 4t rah':li n r searchiansg
.in agn old byre, touched the ob-
-0414, 4 a By the aid of the quarrymen he. was soon
qtg74l cart. On the way to Dunfermline he
.was
I to
dl4i would give no answer to various questions
4 01' S'
ta iich Since his arrival at the Poor's House he
elltinlleii ,141 the Bible and has evinced little of that
t:ittl,eci 4,,,ltnich formerly,characterised him. He has not
4tlPti, 44`„c,,essary visiters, but conversed with them. He
T.„ `llleo-14. uPright—the effects of his long unnatural
he 4.0 `2,............,L•0 n a low_ roofed, unlashed garret.
1. rfol

aces'; all the `k Chroni
work of c* contains the details
which of four
have
ex-
tOt
41%. 4r
be
different farms in Thetford and its vicinity
Ut rife in hat diabolical and destructive spirit is
district.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE

GLASGOW AND AYR RAILWAY STEAM

NAVIGATION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE RAILWAY TIMES

Sitt,—My attention has been called to a paragraph in
your paper of the 11th instant, page 1,223, alluding to re-
solutions passed at a meeting of a few of the shareholders
in the Glasgow and Ayr railway, in which you express a
wish to know the names of the directors declining to join
in the Guarantee Fund referred to in these resolutions.
Permit me, sir, to state that I am not only a director of
the Glasgow and Ayr railway, but also chairman, and
have been so since its commencement, aad that I have not
agreed to pay ls. per share to a Steam-boat Company, for
the purpose of inducing them to ply between Ardrossan
and Fleetwood. My reasons for not doing so I stated at
the last general meeting of the Company, and they ap-
peared to me then to be perfectly satisfactory to the pro-
prietors, otherwise it would have been my duty as well as
inclination to resign my situation at the Board, without
considering whether the proposed project was beneficial
to the proprietors or not. The reasons I gave to the pro-
prietors I shall briefly state to von. Soon after the open-
ing of the Glasgow and Ayr Railway the Directors for the
purpose of benefitting the said c( ncarn, purchased the
Fire King steam-boat, for which they paid £23,500, to
ply between Androssan and Fleetwood. She was placed
on that station, and continued to run, on account and
risk of the directors, for a considerable period, at a ruinous
loss. The Fire King Company left to me and another
proprietor, and then director of the Glasgow and Ayr
Railway Company, to make an arrangement with Messrs.
Burns, proprietors and managers of steam-boats between
the Clyde and Liverpool. In consequence we went to
Mr. Burns, and stated to him that we felt it would be for
his interest and that of his concern to purchase the Fire
King, as the reduction of fares, &c., arising from a com-
peting company was, we knew, injurious to his Company ;
that the Fire King owners had no wish to continue steam-
boat proprietors, their sole object being the benefit of the
Glasgow and Ayr Railway ; that if his Company had pur-
chased the Fire King, they must give the stations between
Ardrossan and Fleetwood a fair trial. Messrs. Burns
and Co. purchased the Fire King for £23,500, the price
which had originally been paid for her, agreeing to keep
her on the station for one year at least, provided my friend
and I, who had made the arrangement, did not feel satis-
fied before the expiry of that period, that they, Messrs.
Burns and Co. were carrying on a bad trade on the sta-
tion. The arrangement was made with perfect good faith
by both parties, the true spirit being that my friend and I
would give up competing with Messrs. Burns and Co. ;
and that they should give the stations a fair trial. As far
as I could see, Messrs. Burns kept to the letter of their
agreement. _ _

Messrs. Burns and Co. ran the steam-boat Fire King
between Ardrosson and Fleetwood for six months and up-
wards, and we did not release them from their agreement
to run the specified period till we were satisfied that they
were losing largely by keeping her on the station, and
until I was informed by the Engineer of the Glasgow and
Ayr Railway, that the Company were losing money by a
special train, which, according to the agreement with
Messrs. Burns and Co. they were bound to run to carry
passengers to and from the Fire King, the number of
passengers not being sufficient to pay the expenses.
I shall now merely say, that the gentleman who made
the arrangement with me, not now a Director, is a pro-
prietor still, and has not agreed to pay Is. per share to the
proposed Steam-boat Company, feeling, as I do, not only
that it would not be honourable, but that it would not be
honest conduct on or towards Messrs. Burns.
I am, respectfully, Sir, your most obedient servant,
JAMES M`CALL.
Glasgow, November 14th, 1843. . .

,
P.S.—I have no interest in any steam-boats, or any
other concern, that could by possibility be injured by the
railway communications to Fleetwood.

A line through Wales, to cross the Severn, uniting
with the extension at Worcester, and joining the Taff
Vale and Birmingham and Gloucester, is said to be again
in contemplation, at a cost of £1,500,000.
The Directors of the Newcastle and Darlington Junc-
tion Railway Company have contracted to purchase the
Durham Junction Railway for £88,500, and at a meeting
of the former, held yesterday week, at York, it was stated
by the chairman, Mr. Hudson, that the line throughout
will be opened for general traffic on the Ist of next July,
when the first class trains will go direct from Newcastle-
upon-Tyne to London in 12 hours.
A NEW TRADE IN DARLINGTON.—During the past
month vast numbers of sheep have been slaughtered by
the Darlington butchers, and have been sent per railway
to London.—Great Northern Advertiser.
The Manchester and Birmingham Railway directors
have reported favourably on the subject of the branch to
Macclesfield. The money required for this purpose they
say will be £130,000, and the revenue derivable from it,
after paying working expenses, £13,520, or rather more
than ten per coot. per annum. The sale of surplus pro-
perty in the hands of the company will, it is said, be found
sufficient to raise the necessary means.

At the meeting of shareholders of the York and North
Midland Railway, held last week, power was given to the
directors to apply tp parliament for the extension of the
line to Scarborough, with a branch to Pickering, and also
to make arrangements for the purchase of the Leeds and
Selby line. It is stated that the extension will cost
£260,000, allowing for all contingencies ; the money to
be raised by the issue of £25 shares, while the revenue is
calculated at 10 per cent. No opposition is expected in
parliament. 507,500 is the purchase money for the Leeds
and Selby Railway, and from the working of the two com-
panies, it appears to be considered that a permanent divi-
dend of 10 per cent. will be secured to th proprietors.
ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY.—The public opening of the
extension line to Dalkey, from the Dublin and Kings-
town Railway, is now only postponed for a few days, to
admit the laying down of Cooke's electric telegraph. In
the mean time, numerous experiments have taken place—
increased loads have been placed on the line—and every
means adopted to test its efficiency, power, and safety.
Among the gentlemen who have visited the line during
these experiments, which took place in the past week,
were M. Edmond Teisserinc (a Member of the Corps de
Ponts et Chaussees), sent over by the French Govern-
ment, and whose report is favourable to the system ; M.
Mallet, Lord de Grey, Major-General Pasley, General
Sir Edward Blakeney, and Mr. Brunel—who all appeared
perfectly satisfied with the capabilities and safety of the
principle. More extended trials must take place to de-
termine its economy.

PREMIUMS AND DISCOUNTS ON RAILWAY STOCK.—
We copy the following statement from the weekly circular
of Messrs. John Hailton and Son, sharebrokers :—" 1 he
capital paid up by calls for eighty-one railways was
£45,508,656 at the end of October, 1843, when the pre-
miums, amounting to £16,340,629, exceeded the discounts,
amountiug to £8,638,492, by £7,702,135, or £l6 Bs. 6d.
per cent., being an improvement of £lO 3s. 6d. per cent.
upon the previous six months. Towards the premiums
above mentioned, the six following works contributed
about 86 per cent. of the whole, viz. :—London and Bir-
mingham, £7.348.492; Grand Junction, £2,390,593 ;
Liverpool and Manchester, £1,296,966 ; South Western,
£1,231,615 ; Great Western, £1,209,375 ; and York and
NorthMidland,X629,Boo—making together X 14,106,789."
The great improvement which has taken place during the
last twelve months in railway stock may be judged of from
the fact, that at the corresponding period of last year, the
discounts exceeded the premiums by about three millions
sterling; making an advance altogether in the twelve
months of nearly eleven millions sterling.
NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY.—A meeting of land pro-
prietors and gentlemen connected with the county of
Haddington was held on the 17th instant, to consider the
subject of the proposed railway. Resolutions were passed
confirmatory of those passed at similar meetings on the
22d of April, 1836, and 31st January, 1842, viz., that the
line of railway by Haddington, instead of going north of
the Garleton Hills, would he of the greatest advantage to
the public, would pay the shareholders a larger rate of in-
terest, and could be executed at a considerably less ex-
pense. Mr. Davidson went at considerable length into
the history of the originally proposed line, and the seve-
ral surreys which had been made—all recommending the
route by Haddington, while the proposal for going north
was only made last year, and which could not be carried
out, he contended, without an increased expense of
£114,236, and then the line would not be of such public
utility as the former. A general feeling of surprise
seemed to pervade the meeting as to the motives for alter-
ing the route, as recommended by the survey of 1836,
and subsequent ones, and a determination was expressed
to follow the matter up with energy, so as to place Had-
dington in that situation, with regard to railway commu-
nication, which her position demanded.

FURTHER CESSATIONS OF THE HIGHER DUTY ON
COALS.—Recent Treasury Orders direct compliance with
two requests :-1. That vessels under the flag of the
Grand Duchy of Meclenburgh-Schwerin be put on the
same footing as to the duty on coals exported as vessels
of the Hanse Towns. 2. That this privilege is to be ex-
ter.ded to vessels belonging to Oldenburg in the same
manner as to Hanover; that is, as we take it, that all
vessels belonging to these " reciprocating" countries may
export coals either to their own or any other country on
the same terms as British vessels.
SUDDEN RISE AND FALL OF THE SEA.—Another of
those singular phenomena to which attention has been
recently called by Mr. Edmonds, of Penzance, occurred
on Monday evening, the 30th ult., at Penzance and Ply-
mouth, at the beginning of the flood tide. It appears that
between four and five o'clock in the afternoon of that day,
some men who had just returned from fishing saw their
boat at Penzance pier left quite dry by the sea; imme-
diately afterwards the sea returned with great swiftness,
and within six or seven minutes she was again afloat in
from two to three feet of water. This occurred four or
five times in the course of an hour. It was observed,
likewise, two or three times by two branch pilots of Pen-
zance, who communicated the information. About the
same time a small vessel came into the pier, and after
lying aground five or ten minutes was suddenly floated,
and carried out of the pier directly against a strong breeze
from the north-east to a distance of 40 or 50 yards from
the spot where she lay ; she was then carried in again by
a second influx, and left aground, when she was secure by
hawser. Afterwards she was floated and left quite
aground twice in less than half an hour. In addition to
these facts, it has been stated by the master of a vessel
which was lying in Plymouth Pool on the day mentioned,
that towards the evening a most extraordinary flowing and
ebbing of the sea occurred there, the velocity of which he
estimated at eight knots an hour. The Charlestown, of
that port, Captain Jenkins, was then also lying there, and
her boat with a boy on board was whirled by the current
to a considerable distance, and then caught under the
bows of the vessel, so that it was with considerable diffi-
culty that the boy was rescued from his perilous situation.
—West Briton.

I UCCESSFUL SWINDLING AND EXTRAOR-
DINARY CREDULITY.

On Saturday, at the Borough Court, Manchester, Mr.
Beswick, chief superintendent of police, brought under
the notice of the magistrates a case of swindling, the de-
tails of which furnish one of the most extraordinary in-
stances of credulity, on the part of the persons on whom
the fraud has been practised, that we ever remember to
have heard of. Mr. Beswick (addressing the magistrates)
said, " I have to apply to you for a warrant against a per-
son who takes upon himself the title of " Sir John Ma-
ther," for obtaining money under false pretences. It ap-
pears, that about two months ago, he called at the house
of Mr. Jonathan Holt, who then lived at No. 40, Cam-
bridge-street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, and was a furni-
ture broker. That business was managed by Mr. Holt's
wife, the husband being employed by Messrs. Birley and
Co. at wages of 245. per week. The first time Mather
went to the house, he sold Mrs. Holt a two-foot rule ;
and after that be frequently called at the house. He re-
presented that he was heir-at-law to the estate of Sir
Andrew Chadwick, a person of immense wealth, and whose
property was situate in the neighbourhood of Preston and
Bury; and that he should come into possession of the
property on the 26th of October ; and that he was wishful
to engage several respectable persons to perform various
duties when he came into possession of the property. He
stated, that Colonel ltawstorne was residing at the man-
sion attached to the estates, at Preston, and that he had
been receiving the rents for a very considerable number of
years; that government had undertaken to put him (Ma-
ther) in possession of this property ; that Colonel Raw-
storne and a man named Watts, being afraid that they
should have to return the rents they had received for a
number of years, had absconded to America ; and that
'government were sending officers after them. At this time
Mr. Jonathan Holt had a son named James Holt, who
was a journeyman grocer, in the service of Mr. Sheldon,
of Swan-street, Manchester ; and " Sir John" being
wishful to see Mr. Holt's family, a day was fixed, and
James Holt was duly introduced to him. " Sir John"
then stated that, on the 26th of October, he should be en-
titled to money, to the amount of £1,400,000, and he pro-
posed to take James Holt into his service, at a salary of £l3O
a-year ; his younger brother at the same salary, and the
father at 30s. per week. James Holt was to take the ma-
nagement of a mill for grinding corn upon the estate ; the
father was to be his assistant; and his brother was to be
an under-steward. These offices were accepted, and it
was then arranged that " Sir John" and James Holt
should proceed to Preston, for the purpose of viewing the
estate ; and, in the course of one or two days after this,
which would be about the 2d October, they left Manches-
ter by railway, and went to Preston. About a mile from
the terminus of the line, " Sir John" pointed out a gen-
tleman's residence, and stated that that was the place he
intended to occupy on the 26th, and that Colonel Raws-
torne had occupied it before he went to America. He
pointed out several farms, and they went over a consider-
able quantity of ground, all of which " Sir John" said
was his property. James Holt expressed a wisb to go to
the mansion, but to this " Sir John" strongly objected,
stating that he was bound by parliament not to go near
the premises till the time came for taking possession.
They then went to the Bear's Paw Inn, in Preston, where
they refreshed themselves for some time, and then re-
turned to Manchester. In the evening of that day an
agreement was drawn up by " Sir John," to the effect
that he engaged Mr. Jonathan Holt, James Holt, his
son, and a younger son of Mr. Holt's, for the situations,
and on the terms, before mentioned. The agreement was
signed by each party, and Mr. Holt was desirous to keep
possession of it ; but " Sir John" said it would be invalid
until signed by the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of
Wilton, who were the trustees appointed by parliament;
that he was about to have a map drawn of his extensive
estates ; 'and that he intended forthwith to go and see
those noblemen. He then stated that he was unable to
get any money until the 26th October, and induced Mr.
Jonathan Holt, and his son, Jas. Holt, to lend him money
amounting altogether to about £29. They were not in
very good circumstances, and, in order to raise this money,
Jonathan Holt sold his broker's stock, and went to a
smaller house. On the 16th or IBth October, Jas. Holt
left his situation with Mr. Sheldon, who had paid him £2O
a year and boarded him ; and Jonathan Holt also left the
employment of Messrs. Birley, in order that they might
be at liberty to undertake their situations with " Sir
John." After James Holt had left his situation, he went
to his father's, and was told that " Sir John" had gone to
Preston the day before. He followed him by railway;
and, on arriving at Preston, forthwith proceeded to the
neighbourhood of the mansion that had been pointed out
to him by " Sir John" as his property. He went to the
hall for the purpose of making inquiry ; but, owing to an
obstruction, was unable to get to the door ; on which he
turned back and went to a public-house, but was asto-
nished to find that " Sir John Mather" appeared to be
unknown there. He, however, was impressed with the
belief that the parties knew the party, but were unwilling
to give information respecting him ; and, accordingly, he
left the public-house and went to a mason, whom he saw
working at a wall in the lane, and from whom he inquired
who the party was that occupied that large mansion. The
man informed him that Colonel Rawsthorne resided there.
" Oh," said Holt, " but Colonel Rawsthorne has run his
country." " Well," replied the man, "he is running, it
is true, for I have just met him; he has just gone down
the road here with a lady in his carriage." Holt did not
believe the statement at first, but, on going a little fur-
ther, he saw the carriage, and then begun to think be had
been imposed upon. He returned to Manchester, saw his
father at the railway station, and mentioned his suspicions
to him. The father could not believe anything of the
kind, and observed, " I have received a letter from Sir
John this morning, and he is now in Bury. He was
taking the dimensions of some of his farms, and fell, and
dislocated his ankle ; and he wants you to go over there."
The same evening James Holt proceeded to Bury, and
found " Sir John" in a small, low, dirty-looking cottage.
At the request of Mr. Holt, " Sir John" consented to re-
turn to Manchester. A coach was procured and he was
taken to the railway;' and, upon his arrival in Manches-
ter, another coach was procured, in which he was taken
to Mr. Holt's house, in Hulme. He remained there for
several days, and expressed much surprise that he had
never heard from either his agent, steward, or banker;
and that he expected to receive £l7O or £175. He stated
that Sir Robert Peel and the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer had earnestly requested him not to take the
£1,400,000 on the 26th, which was then very near at hand,
but to take only half that sum, as taking the whole would
shake the banks. He then requested James Holt to write
him a letter to his banker, and another to his steward, in
London ; and two letters were written and put into the
postoffice, one addressed to " Mr. T. T. R. Pugh, Ed-
ward-street, Scotland-road, Bank 772," and the other to
" Mr. G. W. Wilson, Vauxhall-road, Isle of Dogs, 2,
Wilwick-street ;" but the only address given in the letters
was " Manchester," so that they could not be returned if
the parties were not found, as would, of course, be the
case. The letters were sent off on the 24th October, and,
on the following day, " Sir John" said he must pro-
ceed to London, for the purpose of receiving the money,
and getting an order to take possession of the property.
He accordingly left Manchester, promising to send £3O
or £4O, for the purpose of enabling James Holt to follow
him, in a few days •, and, from that time to within the last
fortnight, they had been confidently expecting to hear
from him. His wife had been living with him at a short
distance from Mr. Holt's house, and had given birth to a
child, which died, and she absconded on the 15th instant ;
since which time nothing had been heard of either of
them. Mr. Beswick concluded by stating, that he be-
lieved the man was now in Bury, and that lie had swin-
dled other parties in a similar manner. He (Mr. Beswick)
now proposed to call James Holt, tocorroborate the state-
ment made to the court.—Mr. Maude (to James Holt :)
Is the statement Mr. Beswick has made substantially
correct ? Holt : It is, sir.—Mr. Maude : Did you never
consult any of your friends ? Holt : Yes ;he brought
forward letters from the premier with his signature.—Mr.
Maude : Did you not bring this thing before your friends ?
—Holt : Yes.—Mr. Maude : Well, were your friends as
credulous as yourself ? Holt : Well, sir, if you had
heard all the proceedings you would almost have credited
it yourself. (Laughter.)—Mr. Beswick : The man has
not only given up his situation, but has sold all his goods.
—Mr. Maude : What was the particular pretence which
induced you to part with your money? Holt: Why, that
he was to come into possession of this property.—Mr.Bes-
wick : I think there was something about a will ? Holt :
Oh, yes ; there was a will, and the property he was to
come into possession of; and he was to give me a salary
of £l3O a year.—Mr. Maude granted a warrant.

laviNE.—Two LIVES LOST.—An accident of a very
distressing nature occurred at the bar-mouth of Irvine on
Wednesday morning. John Ritchie, and his sons, James
and John, having been out as usual fishing in the bay, on
returning about nine o'clock, encountered a strong swell
on the bar; and while struggling through the surge, a
heavy sea struck and filled the boat, which instantly went
down. The accident was seen by the people on the quay,
who immediately sent off assistance, and succeeded in
picking up one of the sons, (John,) who managed to keep
himself afloat by clinging to two of the oars, but his father
and brother met a watery grave. The body of the father,
who, we believe, is a native of Newton-upon-Ayr, and
cousin to the Rev. Dr. John Ritchie, of Edinburgh has
been since found. We understand the young man who
has been saved, and who is now quite recovered, strongly
urged his father and brother not to risk the heavy sea at
Irvine bar, but to put back to Saltcoats ; bat unfortu-
nately, his advice was unheeded as unnecessarily cautious.

FATTIER FROUT.—The sudden and unexpected return
from Malta of Frank Mahoney (the father Prout of
Frazer's Magazine), has caused considerable surprise in
the literary circles of the metropolis. Father Prout is
one of the most accomplished scholars of the day ; he
was educated for the Roman Catholic priesthood ; for
many years past he has contributed largely to the perio-
dical literature of the day. Thus accomplished—a wit,
and of a social turn—his company was much courted.
He was by no means a bigoted Catholic, but was, in all he
said and wrote touching polemics, free in the expression
of his sentiments. Lord Stanley recently appointed him
to the head of the Roman Catholic Institution at Malta ;
such appointments, though conferred by the minister
here, must be ratified by his Holiness the Pope. Mr.
Mahoney, therefore, hied him to Rome to get the ratifi-
cation and blessing of his Holiness in due time he ap-
peared at the Vatican, but the Pope refused his toe, and
would not ratify Lord Stanley's act. Mr. Mahoney, as
may well be conceived, was confounded ; the Pope, how-
ever, remained inexorable, and his humble applicant had
to leave Rome without gaining his object. Mr. Mahoney
went to Malta, thence to Egypt, and home again. Lord
Stanley, it is understood. will not interfere with the
Pope's non-ratification. The cause of the refusal is in-
volved in mystery. Perhaps Father Prout was more witty
than wise, and in the confidence of his social intercourse
may have forgotten that the Pope has agents in London
as well as elsewhere.—Edinburgh Weekly Register.