Page:Report on the Conference upon the Rosenthal Case 1866.pdf/50

45 make a formal and minute statement, in the presence of his reporter, of his view of what had passed between himself and the Bishop on this matter.

The Bishop, and his coadjutors present, objected to the time of the Conference being taken up in listening to matters extraneous to the purpose for which the Conference had met.

But Lord Shaftesbury peremptorily insisted on being heard after his own fashion.

Out of courtesy to Lord Shaftesbury personally, but under protest, the Bishop and his friends, at great personal inconvenience, listened patiently for more than an hour to his Lordship's statement of matters having practically no bearing on the case they had met to confer upon.

On Wednesday, the 20th instant, the Conference again met, when Lord Shaftesbury handed a copy of his statement to the Bishop of Rochester, and to the Rev. Joseph B. M'Caul. The Conference was then adjourned to the following Saturday at 12 o'clock, that the Bishop and Mr. M'Caul might read over this document, and make such reply thereto, “in writing,” as to them, respectively, might seem fit.

The Bishop of Rochester and the Rev. J. B. M'Caul, having read Lord Shaftesbury's statement to their friends engaged with them on the Conference, it was resolved by them unanimously—

That the matters treated of in this document have no bearing whatever on the merits of the Rosenthal case, for the friendly discussion of which the Conference was asked and accorded.

That it is a matter of regret that so much valuable time had been lost at the meetings of the Conference already held in arguing points introduced by Lord Shaftesbury irrelevant to the merits of the case they had met to consider.

That in regard to Lord Shaftesbury's present statement, they are content to leave it entirely in the hands of the Bishop of Rochester and the Rev. Joseph B. M'Caul—to whom it is particularly addressed,—to deal with as they may think proper, since neither in subject matter nor in detail have its points been previously brought under their notice.

On behalf of those engaged in the Conference, June 23, 1866.

In consequence of what took place at the meeting of the Jews' Committee on the 22d June, the above replies by the Bishop of Rochester and Mr. M'Caul, together with Lord Claud Hamilton's letter of the 22d June, and the statement signed by Mr. Money of the 23d, were forwarded by the Bishop of Rochester to the Jews' Society, along with the following resolutions, to which Mr. Goodhart sent the answer in page 18 of the Report.

Attention is here called to the following facts and dates:—

At the Conference on June 16, Lord Shaftesbury made his personal attack on the Bishop of Rochester and the M'Caul family, and demanded a written reply.

At the Conference on June 20, two copies of it were given to the Bishop for his own and Mr. M'Caul's written answers, and the Conference was adjourned to the 23d to receive the same.

Notwithstanding this, on June 22, at a meeting of the General Committee of the Jews' Society, specially summoned for the purpose at the