The proclamation of a new Roman Catholic hierarchy in England

gave an impetus andcharacter to the proceedings on "Guy Fawkes Day "—the 5th of November—that they have lacked for many years. TheGuys " bonfires, and fireworks, were not entirely in the hands of the ragamuffine who usually make a holyday of the occasion, but many displays evidently emanated from a class having larger means at their disposal. Resides the usual parading of ridieulous effigies by bands of boys, men carried larger figures, or conveyed them in vehicles drawn by horses. Pope and Popery came in for plentiful abuse and ridicule, and much money was collected by those who exhibited for the purpese of obtaining it. We cull a fow of the incidents recorded in the daily journals.

At St. George's Fields, in the neighbourhood of the Roman Catholic "oathedral," a great many persons assembled ; but that is customary, as itlinppens that this locality is the great mart for the sale of fireworks. Two or three of tho householders near the church,., from fear of rou,gh treatment as supposed. Papists, or from a Protestant zeal, exhibited placards bearing loyal and AntiRomanist inscriptions, One lusty Protestant, in letters three inches deep, called upou "God,to preserve Queen Victoria from the Pope and Popery " another inveighed against the worship of wafer gods; and a.third expressed his unmitigated contempt for all Catholic humbug. But things went off vary quietly in this vicinity. The pageant of the day, par excellence, issued into Fleet Street from the purlieus of Farringdon Market, soon after noon. It consisted of about fourteen figures, animate and inanimate, presided over by a colossal Guy about sixteen feet in height, who, elevated in his chariot, a van drawn by two homes, was compelled to bow down considerably before he could be made to pass beneath Temple liar. Tbie_group had evidently been got up by some zealous Protestant, " wholly regardless of cost." It rncluded an animate effray of the new Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, attired in the canonical robes of the Romish Church, and wearing the red and broadasrimmet] hat appertaining to his office. The Cardinal was supported on the right by a waggish fellow habited in the robes of a nun, and upon the left by a jolly fat monk, who leered impudently under his meek at the passers-by. There was also a second figure of a monk, looking very lugubriously, and labelled "St. Guy the Martyr." An animate figure, holding a brush and a pail of whitewash, inscribed "Holy Water for the Penitent," a man in barrister's robes, and three or four maths, completed the group. The van bore two large inscriptions, the one, "Cardinal St. Impudence (aint Pudentiana) going to take possession of his diooese in Westminster" ; the othar, "Guy Fox going to be canonized in St. George's Fields," and permed smaller ones, such as "No Popery," &c. On its appearance in Fleet Street this group attracted an immense crowd, who greeted it with incessant cheers and laughter. Several Police-officers were in attendance, and accompanied the precession to the confines of the City. After passing through Temple Bar, the "Caedinal'! and the " Guy " were conveyed through the Strand into Covent Garden Market ; thence back into the Strand to Charing Cross; and after passing up Regent Street and down Bond Street, returaed through Whitehall, over Westminster Bridge to St. George's Fields; where they arrived shortly after four o'clock. Although a great crowd of persons attended the prooession

throughout the whole route indicated, there was no attempt at disturbance of any kind.

At the Fad of London, a colossal effigy figured on horseback. The "younger members" of the Stock Exchange took occasion to pass a. jest upon the Romanist leaders ; and an effigy was brought into the house indicative of the popular feeling on the matter. About eight o'clock in the evening, a figure representing Cardinal Wiseman, most excellently "made up," on horseback, preceded by two persons dressed so as to represent Roman Catholic bishops, emerged from an establishment in Watling Street. Having paraded the whole of Cordwainers Ward, amidst the cheers of the inhabitants, the procession returned to head-quarters. This was said to be the best representation of the Cardinal during the day. On Bethnal Green, at night, there was a great bonfire, made of faggots and tar-barrels, in which effigies of Cardinal Wiseman and divers Roman Catholic bishops were burnt. One piece of pyrotechny represented the words " A Wise Man " ; there were two fire-balloons, and a band of music to wind up with "God save the Queen." On Tower Hill there was a more than ordinary display: large fireworks exhibiting "The Queen, God bless her, and no Popery," with similar devices ; a "Wise Man" attired as a cardinal, seated on a donkey, also adorned with a red hat, and attended by bishops, perambulated the place.

A remarkable demonstration of the popular feeling aroused by the Papal aggressions was spontaneously made by the numerous congregation assembled in St. Saviour's Church on Tuesday " When the congregation arose to leave the church at the close of the service, the organ began to play the air of the national anthem ; upon which the whole congregation suddenly commenced the words, and sang two verses with great enthusiasm. Mr. Curling, one of the Chaplains, then succeeded in procuring a pause; and remarked, that as some expressions in the remaining verses were not quite befitting the sanctity of the edifice, they had better substitute the doxology. The organ began to play the ' Old Hundredth' ; and the people sang 'Praise God from whom all blessings flow,' with a fervour and universality that evinced their cordial concurrence in the suggestion of their pastor."

Some proceedings in an action of Samuel Sibury versus the Reverend Thomas Hodson Wilkins, before the Court of Common Pleas, instructively illustrate the ability with which the nests of bill-sharpers and pretended moneylenders in London conduct their operations. Some of the chief spoilers in this instance were attomies—whom one is astonished to see allowed to remain on the list of the profession; and the spoiled were most of them clergymen, generally young men fresh from college, with the full endowment of pecuniary embarrassments, inexperience, and recklessness, of their class.

In August 1849, the defendant, Thomas Hodsoll Wilkins, of Ringstead House, near l'hrapston, in the county of Northampton, officiating minister of Slipton' received the following letter, in the insinuating tone and style of josephAdy's communications. "Sir—In soliciting your attention to the following, the author, be it understood, is in perfect ignorance of the position or means of any party ; but having been favoured with the negotiation of loans of money for clergymen, officers upon full pay. Stc.' for some ten years past, the writer has resorted to this public means, through the Directories, of making known his desire and capability of obtaining sums of money for short terms, from 1501. to 10,0001., upon the personal security alone of gentlemen who may be in want of pecuniary accommodation, and who have the means of returning the same at the time agreed upon. Strict confidence may be placed, and discretion will be used in the conduct of the loans ; and no securities will be required until the money is ready and all preliminaries settled and agreed upon. The rate of interest will vary from five to ten per cent, according to the circumstances of parties and the risk to be run. Inviolable secrecy may be relied upon in all negotiations. Gentlemen of standing and credit with their bankers can be accommodated with bills at short dates, payable in London, upon paying a commission of five per cent. Money also advanced upon railway scrip, plate, diamonds, and all portable property, or upon the deposit of title-deeds and other tangible and legal security. Apply in the first instance, P. P., by letter only, with full particulars, to Alpha, 57 Burton Street, Tavistock Square, London, The author conceals his name for obvious reasons, to prevent frivolous applications; but on receipt of any genuine communication, will reply with real name and address and all necessary information. In conclusion, Alpha can

only sincerely apologize for giving trouble should his circular fall (which it must ne i cessarily do) into other hands than those for whom it is intended—namely, parties requiring the above accommodation."

Mr. Wilkins required 1501.; and, acting on the suggestions of the letter, he opened communications which resulted in his introduction by letter to one bearing the name of "James Gardiner," as a gentleman who like himself was desirous of a loan, and like himself was ready to give personal security for such loan. It was arranged that Gardiner should draw a bill at three months on Mr. Wilkins for 1501.; that Mr. Wilkins should accept it ; that Samuel Sibury should discount it ; and that the proceeds should be divided between Gardiner and Mr. Wilkins. The bill was sent to Mr. Wilkins; he accepted it, sent it to Gardiner, and awaited a remittance : but no money coming, he wrote twice to Gardiner expressing uneasiness. He was now fairly in the toils; so a reply was sent which dexterously commenced the intimidating process— "London, 40 Devonshire Street, Portland Place, Oct. 5, 1849.

"Sir—I received your two letters. I did not answer the first, because I had nothing to say. I do not know what makes you so uneasy. You must understand this, if you are going off your engagements I am not mine. You agreed to my proposition of our jointly borrowing 1501. to be divided between us. I ani endeavouring to obtain this loan; and shall certainly not relinquish the project until I fail, unless very handsomely paid for it. I am, Sir, your obedient serVant, ' J. GARDINER."

Several other letters having been exchanged, we arrive at the following one, which marks a new phase of the plot

" London, 40 Devonshire Street, Portland Place, 14th December 1849. "Dear Sir—I got your letter this morning. I am in a desperate state. I hardly know what to say to you. At all events, the facts are best ; so here they are. I was promised the discount of the bill by a fellow, and to renew from time to time until we were able to pay it. Wanting money very badly, and he having humbugged me for several days, I asked him to let me have half the sum, or thereabouts. Suffice, I drew 701.; and as by agreement you are aware I was to have half, applied it—the said 701.—to pay a bill with; but not without an assurance strictly upon honour I should have the rest to send you the next day. The next day arrived, and, after quibbling a great deal, he said he would rather have his money back, as, notwithstanding your respectability, you had no present means. This I told the scoundrel long beforehand, and that I had no means either at present. Had he been able to press us before the bill came due, he would have done so. However, the point is this, how are we to get out of it 7 The dark side of the question must be looked at, and that immediately. It would be no use recriminating, or perhaps you would say I ought to have sent you part of the 701.; but I confidently relied upon receiving the balance the next day. Unless the money is paid when the bill is due, or I should advise, if possible upon earth, long before it is due, writs no doubt wil be issued i

directly it s. The fellow claims 51. for the money had—namely, 75/. Now, I have anticipated all this evil, and have endeavoured to provide for it; but, unfortunately. I am very far short of the mark, as all I can raise is 251. towards the payment. You must get the other somehow ; and I m ill give you my bill at four months for the SOL, and I will pledge myself to pay it honourably. Let me hear from you directly.

" I am, dear Sir, yours, Sze. J. GARDINER."

" P.S.—I offered the 251.; but it was refused, with an intimation of nothing short of the whole money: and more than this, he may pay it away, and we shall be sued for the whole."

It was at this critical stage that the money profit was to be made or lost : in a few days the precise amount was made more familiar, and the necessity for a remittance was made most urgent

" London, 40 Devonshire Street, Portland Place, Tuesday. " Dear Sir—I write you with the greatest reluctance. Instead of my getting 1001. (as I fully expected, and should have been enabled in such case to have assisted you,) it has merged into the pitiful sum of 101. The party really owing me the money has left no money for renewal of a bill, leaving me no option, but goneabroad for three months. I am perfectly beside myself. I cannot do an ing with our creditor ; nothing less than the whole money, 501., will satisfy him. n fact, he would not go into any argument whatever on the matter. A 'sine qua non '—money down on the 29th, or writs against all parties. Independent of this, if we cannot settle he may pay the bill away, and we shall be sued for the whole. I have given notice not to do so; but that amounts to nothing. Let me hear from you immediately, what you can do in this very direful dilemma.

"I am, dear Si, yours faithfully, J. GARDINER."

Whether the 501. was sent or not, does not clearly appear. In February the following letter was despatched by Gardiner " London, 40 Devonshire Street, Portland Place, 9th February 1850. " My dear Sir—I have been very ill, or you would have heard from me. I have put this business off until now by paying a small sum. However, the fix must come at last ; in which case I will tell you the name of an attorney for you to employ. The one against us I do not exactly know, but we shall find him out soon enough. I have arranged that no blackguardism will be employed against us, but everything to be done as gentlemanly cut-throats of the olden time—the Claude du Val style. You will think I am merry ; but we must put the best face upon this matter we can. Ali we want is time. • Tempera mutantur ' with me, or this paltry sum would have been no object. At all events, the grand inconvenience I have got over—that is, the exposure ; of that we have nothing to fear. Send me back the bill, as it is no use now.

"I am, my dear Sir, very truly yours, J. GARDINER."

In a few days—" at the twelfth hour "—the assiduous Gardiner communicated to his companion in distress the name of "William Smith Esq., 16, Wilmington Square, London," as the solicitor to act for Mr. Wilkins; and Mr Wilkins implicitly instructed that gentleman to act. On the 15th February, a writ was issued for the plaintiff Sibury, by an attorney named Thomas Pittman; and Mr. Smith, with faithful punctuality, entered the usual appearance for his reverend client, and informed him of the step. Mr. Wilkins now instructed Smith in all the history of his case, and especially informed him that the bill had been got from him without consideration ; a circumstance that might ground a good defence against the original drawer, and also against the holder, if he knew the fact. The farce was worked out by Mr. Smith's formal communication of this ground of defence to Pittman; by Pittman's reply that his client was a fair holder for a money discount without notice of the original fraud ; and by Smith's ultimate concession that his client had no defence, and his consent to a judgment for the plaintiff. A judge's order was therefore got by the two attornies Pittman and Smith, under which Mr Wilkins was bound to pay the costs of the action, and an instalment of 10/. "down," and the remainder of the 751. by instalment of 10/. each. In accordance with this arrangement, he actually paid four monthly instalments. Thus, instead of being lent 1501., Mr. Wilkins had been tricked out of his bill for that amount, then made to promise 751. to redeem the bill, and ultimately made to pay the costs of the imaginary action and 401. towards liquidation of the imaginary debt !

The application made to the Court of Common Pleas, on Tuesday last, was for a rule calling on Samuel Sibury to show cause why the judge's order above mentioned, and all other proceedings in the action, should not be set aside, and all money paid therein refunded, on the ground of fraud. A number of affidavits, which in the smallest print fill a whole page of the Times, were read in court, to trace out the steps of this fraud, and the frauds in divers other cases intermixed with it. They showed that frauds of a precisely similar character had been practised against the following persons—"the Reverend Robert Booth, of Rodmell Rectory, near Lewes, in the county of Sussex ; the Reverenft Edward Paske, of Greeting St Peter's, in the county of Suffolk ; the Reverend Charles Moberly, of Croslebury Parsonage, in the county of Hants ; George Blake Hildebrand, Esq., residing at or near Penrith, in the county of Cumberland; Richard Augustus Long Phillips, Esq., late of Christ's College, Cambridge ; the Reverend I. Hague Bloom, of Castle Acre, near Swaffham, in the county of Norfolk ; the Reverend M. N. Peters, residing in the county of Cornwall ; the Reverend Richard Parsons, of Pendleton, near Manchester, in the county of Lancaster ; and the Reverend Henry William Marker, of Combe, near Honiton, in the county of Devon." Mr. Booth had given acceptances for about 250/., Mr. Paske for 500/, Mr. Moberly for 150/, Mr. Bloom for 200!.; Mr. Peters five acceptances for 1000/. each, Mr. Parsons one for 301., and Mr. Marker four acceptances for 500/. each. It was an odd feature of these cases, that one of the above reverend gentleman was made to act as a bill-broker, and in that character, when some money had been got for him, induced to discount the acceptance of one of his reverend brethren.

The Court instantly granted a rule Nisi in the original case, and in a similar case of Samuel Sibury versus the Reverend Richard Parsons.