and the desire for the repeal of the corn laws, and for the abolition of Church rates, increased it.

Even before his arrival, Dr. Molesworth's appointment was heralded by a shower of the most virulent abuse. The adverse feeling that was manifested could scarcely be credited in those districts in which mob rule was more circumscribed.

Political dissenters not only proclaimed it a religious duty to excite the passions of the populace, in opposition to Church rates or other laws, as suited their party purposes or political war-cry, but also seemed to think that their religion required them to persecute those who presumed to maintain any principle they chose.

Having, as dissenters, secured their freedom, they endeavoured to destroy that of the Church; and whilst talking loudly on 'liberty of conscience,' they marked down for persecution all of opposite opinions who might claim the same.

In no case did they more effectually convict themselves of this inconsistency than in their conduct towards Dr. Molesworth. From the first moment of his appointment, before they could know anything about him but what they could glean from his writings, he was assailed with calumny and invective. On his coming into residence, and attempting to establish a neutral position in which party feelings might be laid aside, and all co-operate for the general good, opposition was organised for the purpose of insult, not only against the Church, but against the vicar personally. The same course was followed when, acting on the defensive, he firmly maintained his principles. In a publication entitled The Vicar's Lantern, amongst other vulgar personalities, the vicar was described as a descendant of a noted Irish bog-trotter.'

Shortly after the death of Dr. Molesworth, when reference had been made to The Vicar's Lantern, a correspondent wrote to the Rochdale Times:

As for The Vicar's Lantern, if personal abuse constitutes smartness and cleverness, it was smart and clever.

The amount of abuse poured upon the Church by dissenters, as it is quietly going on its way, unduly interfering with no one, is something astounding. Dr. Molesworth thought that those who lived in glass houses should not throw stones; hence Common Sense,' in which he showed that there were greater scandals among the dissenters than in the Church they were constantly abusing. The Vicar's Lantern retorted by abuse so personal, that, if I remember right, the editor was prosecuted for libel, and might have been crushed but for the Vicar's generous forbearance.

I have always understood that the Vicar offered to bear half the expense of building the bridge, if the town would bear the other half; but, as the Observer justly remarks, 'Party feeling ran high at that period'; which means that if an offer was made greatly to the advantage of the town, and also to the Vicar, the Radical rulers would reject it to spite the Vicar; consequently they did reject the offer. Years after, I believe, they asked him to renew his offer; but it was too late.

The bridge to which allusion has been made above was one over the river Roach, to form a direct communication between the upper portion of the town and the railway station. It would have been a great improvement and benefit to the town by affording direct communication to the railway, and in the avoidance of the very circuitous route through the narrow and congested part of the High Street in Lower Rochdale.

Disclaimers and placards were abundant, all having one object, to rouse the worst passions of the populace against the Church, but more especially against the vicar individually. To give some notion of the spirit which dictated their proceedings, a poster to the following effect was placarded, but afterwards suppressed for fear of coming within the verge of an indictable offence:

Five pounds reward to anyone that will send the present Vicar to Hell, and bring the old one back again.

It may be observed that the former vicar, during his life, was the subject of attacks in a similar spirit. All this the vicar long endured, abstaining from any direct

attack upon dissenters, beyond that which was required to refute their calumnies and misrepresentations. At length he determined to give the world a faithful portrait of schism, not drawn from his own fancy, but from the sayings and doings of the dissenters themselves, by the publication of a work entitled 'Common Sense.'.

The following extracts from the introduction to this work will explain its tendency :

Our belief is, that a great deal of the hostility and clamour against both Church and State, springs, not from any rooted disaffection to either, but from the people being grossly deceived, both in facts, but also in the meaning of words. Our remedy for this is an appeal to the 'Common Sense,' of the people; and a supply of statements and explanations, the soundness of which they can, when not excited and prejudiced by noisy brawlers, themselves judge by the exercise of 'Common Sense.' And, under 'Common Sense ' be it remembered, we always include common honesty.

We address ourselves, as our title proclaims, and as we continually urge, to the common sense of everybody. And we address ourselves not less to the dissenter than to the Churchman. We warn, we entreat him, to use his common sense to weigh the facts and statements here advanced, and to consider whether there is not sin, if not in rejecting, at least in malignantly conspiring with the enemies of all religion and the despisers of all order and decency, against the pure and apostolical branch of Christ's Church, established in these realms.

When the truly religious dissenter shall come out, clearly and distinctly from among these, when he shall take from the factious and seditious the cloak of religious scruples, then our shafts shall not touch him.

In the remarks we here make, and in the course we intend to pursue, let us not be regarded as insensible of the distinction between the many conscientious and truly pious men who are to be found in the ranks of dissent, and those factious agitators, who make 'conscience' a plea for acting, not only against the Established Church, but also against both the spirit and precepts of the Gospel,—for evading or opposing the laws,-for putting men into an office for the fraudulent. purpose of defeating, not performing its duties;—for bringing mobs into the Church, and for