25Feb1864, A Decision by the Privy Council

HAGLEY, Thursday, February 25th, 1864.
—There is violent excitement at the Privy Council having passed a judgment in favour of Wilson and Williams, 2 writers in the " Essays and Reviews," whom the Bp. of Salisbury and another indicted before it. Some think the decision of terrible consequence, and likely to compromise the Church, but Papa and others take the more reasonable line of viewing it as what it is—a mere legal acquittal of men whose opinions the Church has disavowed and protested against as strongly as she is capable of doing. And the Judgment carefully disclaims any intention of expressing approval of the horrid book. The "counts" were unwisely chosen, and not to be legally considered as proved against them.