THE ST. PANCRAS CASE.
A special meeting of the Directors of the poor for the parish of St. Pancras was held on Tuesday, for the purpose of reconsidering the ease of the Reverend Mr. Pugh. Mr. Young moved that the resolution dis- missing Mr. Pugh should be rescinded. This elicited an extraordinary statement from Mr. Wyatt. He said he regretted for Mr. Pugh's sake that the matter had been brought forward ; but the discussion would be of the greatest advantage to the Directors.
If the Board had recommended the dismissal of, and the Vestry had dis- missed, the Chaplain simply because he refused to break his solemn pledge of secrecy, then they would deserve that odium which Mr. Young stated some portion of the public press had cast upon them. But Mr. Wyatt so- lemnly declared—and the whole Board would vouch for the fact—that the Reverend Mr. Pugh never was asked to break his word, when he, as a last resource, stated that he had only received Muskett's address upon giving a solemn promise not to divulge it. The fact is that, in the first instance, when asked for Muskett's address, ho told an untruth, by stating that he did not know where it WRB. (" Hear, hear !" and sensation.) He next prevaricated by saying that the address was such a long one he could not remember it. He then admitted that he had received it "in the guise of a confession " ; but it was not until the last moment, as a sort of afterthought, that he declared he had given a solemn pledge not to reveal it. It was all this prevarication, and not the fact of refusal, that made the Board feel that he was unfit to hold his place. It was said the Bishop, the Archdeacon, and the Vicar had expressed their approval of Mr. Pugh's course. Mr. Wyatt had seen the Vicar, and when ho asked him if he approved of the Chaplain's conduct before the Guardians, he replied he had not that officially before him. As the Vicar was about to bring the subject before the parochial clergy, it was the duty of that Board to bring the facts officially forward. Mr. Wyatt moved an amendment expressing regret that the Board could not accede to the motion made by Mr. 'Young, recommending the Vestry to re- instate the Reverend Thomas Pugh in the office of Chaplain, the evasive and unsatisfactory conduct of that gentleman on a recent occasion rendering him, in the opinion of this Board, an undesirable officer to fill so important an appointment.
This was carried by 21 to 2; and a committee was appointed to draw up a stateariont of the whole ease and submit it to the Vicar.
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