The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-06 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES COMMUTATION BILL

Mr. NEW LEGATE, in moving the mooed reading of thim
bill, said he was as that he would be opposed by the
advocates of the abolition of church rates, and by those who
bold high church prieciples. But on the other hand he
expected support from men of moderate opinions belonging
to all parties, whether belonging to the church or to the
diseentiog body. The house came to a resolution that
church rates ought to be maintained till some substitute was
provided for the repair of the fabric of the church. It was
with that view that he brought forward the
present bill. It was no crotchet, but a measure which ob-
tained the sanction of wise and discreet statesmen. In
1837 Sir It. Peel said that any proposition which would
transfer the burden of church rates from the occupier to the
owner, give relief to the diameter without requiring any
inridioili test, and make a distinction between the town
and rural parishes was one well deserving the con-
sideration of the house. Now these three points constituted
the main provisions of his bill. He did not see how
the liability of land to the charge for church rates could be
recognised, and at the same time give relief to the con-
scientious scruples of all, except by changing the
church rate into a tax, which would convert it
from a persocal liability into a burden on land.
It was admitted by Sir It. Peel, by Mr. Daniel Whittle
Harvey, by Sir Page Woad, Lord J. Russell, and
several others who took part in previous discussions on
church rates in that house, that they were a burden on land
and oe real property. The first object of his hill was to re-
move all personal liability to church rates, and so far he
Ttr:lwith the hoe. baronet the member for Taratock.
idext object of the bill wee to recognise such portion of
the gross produce of the land as had been from even the
Saxon times applicable to church rates. The bill
further provided that parishes where for seven yesrs no
church rate had been collected should be exempted, but
where two-thirds of the parishioners desired to get rid of
the exemption, and to bring their parish within the category
of church-rate-paying parishes, the bill provided that they
should have the power to do no by application to the quarter
sessions. The amount of burden which he imposed ao reel
property was 2d. in the pound. His bill then recopied
the principle that church rates were a burden on lend, and
it recognised the voluntary principle to a certain extent
without raising any question of doctrine or religion. The
hon. gentleman then proceeded to explain the ma-
chinery by which the provisions of the bill were
to be carried out. The church rate wee to be levied
ea • tax on property. The proceeds of the tax were to be
placed under the control of a depository to be composed of
endmiestical and lay members of the church of England—
one third of the members at least to belong to the
latter element. This depository were to distribute the funds
to the perishes in proportion to their wants. He appealed
to the house in conclusion to pass the second reeding of the
bill, and to get rid of a souros of division which kept the
church of England in hot water, irritated the dissenters,
and was made use of as an instrument to promote the
views of the church of Rome. Meer.)
Sir H. STRACEY secooded the Motion.

Sir C. DOUGLAS rose to move an and was
Ist{ speaking.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.
(THIS DAY.)

The fifty-ninth anniversary meeting of this
society was held this morning in Faeter-hall ; the Earl of
SHAPTIOBSUZY in the chair.

Total receipts of the year ending March 31, 1863, are
158,7501. 18s. 9d. The total toques of the society now
amount to 43,014.334 °optic The total expenditure of
the year amounts to 150,539/. Os. 9d., being 5,5391. la.
more than in the preceding year. The society is under
engagements to the extent of 94.2851. 9s. ild.
On the motion of the Arohbiahop of Yost, *wooded by
the Earl of fisasower, the report was adopted.

THE BISHOP OP ELY AND THE BISHOP OP
NATAL.

The following reply has been returned by the
Lord Bishop ofof Ely toury an address from the clergy of the
aroltdowtoary Sudb :
" Ely Homes, London, 25th Apnl, 1863.
"My Lord,—l beg to acknowledge, with sincere thaalui,
the address repotiog the critical exambration of the Penta-
teuch sod Book of Joshua, by Bishop Coleaso, which your
lordsitip has kindly forwarded to ma. That address, signed
by yourself, as Archdeacon of Sudbury, and by so many of
rural deans and clergy of the arclideacoory, is is my
opinion of great importance at the prawn moment. It
manifests a wolkomidanal determination to withstood, as
pernicious and unholy, whatever seems calculated to under-
raise the authority of what, we feel mimed, is the word of
God

work of Bishop Coleuso. although by no means
remerkable for the reasoning which it contains, will, it Is
to be apprehended, be productive of very serious evils.
The fearless mode in which that prelate has ventured to
treat those most ancient books can scarcely fail to sown-
rage the enemies of all revealed truth to persevere in their
efforts to convince the world that the church of Christ hen
been following' cunningly devised fables' from the first age
to the present ; and, by perplexing the minds and subverting
un
the faith of the young, the ' learned,' and the ' unstable,'
to incite them to wrest to their own destruction those Scrip-
ture, which, with God's blessing, might have made them
' wise unto salvation.'

"—With tbaakfulaine to your lordship aa archdeacoa, sod
to the rural deem and clergy of the archdesooar?, I remain,
your faithful sad affectionate brother, ' T. ELY.
" The Lord Arthur Hervey, Archdeacon of Sudbury."

PREVALENCE OF ErAurog.—A meeting of the
vestry of Paddington was held yesterday, at the Vestry
Hall, Harrow-road, to consider, among other matters, the
spoad of smallpox in that extensive pariah. The Rev.
Boyd presided. Mr. Shaw, in calling attention
to the prevalence of the disease, aided that, in conse-
quence of the crowded state of the London Smallpox
Hospital, great difficulty was experienced in pro-
viding socommodation for fresh cases, and preparations
were being made in Diarylebone for the erection of •
temporary building, and that, be thought, would be the
best course to adopt in Paddington. A suggestion
to devote • portion of the workhouse to small-
pox cues was warmly opposed by Captain Liveing,
who said the hoard of guardians had passed a reso-
lution to refuse admission to smallppoox patients, unless
they were eases of destitution. Dr. n, the pariah
medial officer of health, stated at the request of the
meeting his view on the question of the prevalence of
ernallpox in the pariah. Op to the present time the
total number of deaths from small pox, sines its appose-
ass in the form of as epidemic la Paddington, was but
7, from • population of about 70,000. The number of use
war now increasing, and it was prevailing very considerably
in Church-place, Dudley-street, and North Wharf-road.
Facts that had recently come under hie notice induced him
to advise the immediate erection of a commodious shed or
temporary building for the purpose of a smallpox hospital.
On the motion of Mr. Roche, lecooded by Captain Liveing,
the meeting unanimously resolved that the sanitary com-
mittee be
.requested to confer with the board of gurdians,
with • vtew to prevent u fares possible the increase of
smallpox.
Maircif emus EMIGRANTS' AID COMMITTEE —At
a meeting of the general committee held yesterday at the
Manchester Town Hall, the Mayor presiding, the executive
committee reported that deco last Tueeday, the government
impactor bad reported that he had several vacancies for free
for single women, per the British Crowe, main
Crifts urday, for Canterbury, sad be invited the ono- '
mitts, to nominate pumas to 611 them up. Tea were
chosen and approved, sod sums granted for their outfit,
mpra.koiaa total of 1311. Bs. granted tfor outfits of minus
'lig by this yawl. The subscriptions paid or pro-
mised amount to 1,2411. 9e. 2d. The puma already die-'
boned by the committee, including 9601. agreed to be paid
in aid of the purge money of 306 persons proosediag to
Victoria, nearly equal this amount, so that the committee
are in urgent want of funds. Of the 308 persons proceeding
to Victoria, 80 will be nominated by the executive com-
mittee from persons who have made applications to them •
MS of these 80 will sail on or about the 16th Meant, and
the remaining 46 will mil in • few weeks.
Tug ST. GILES'S MITRDER.—The body of a man
who is thought by some to answer the dencriptios of the
murderer of Emma Jackson, his been toned in the river.
His hands were tied is frost, appareatly by himself. An
insist is to be held this afternoon,
FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—A lamentable
occurrence, by which two boy. lost their lives, took Oau
yesterday, about • mile from the Sheffield station of the
Muchenter, Sheffield, and Liocolashire Railway. At the
place where the accidtat occurred the line runs through a
deep nutting, and mud a curve ;load, oe approubieg the
spot, the engine-driver of the train du at Sheffield
a few miscast before 4 p.m., saw two boys athe embankment, in the act of descending on to the
line. They saw their danger, and eodsavoured to lave
themselves, bat without avail, and mine down with cos-
adorable force right in front of the train, and the whole
train passed over their bodies, frightfully mutilating them.
The train was at aloe stepped, and the mutilated and
disfigured corpses were placed in the break van and con-
veyed to Sheffield, to await identification and a coroner's
Inquest. The lade were respectably dressed, and appeared
to be about 10 to 12
the
of age. It is conjectured that
they wished tonaro the line, and, bevies men • goods tale
pass a few minutes previously, thought they would be safe
10 making the attempt. Of course no blame an be attached
to the oscine driver, as the nature of the line at this point
prevented him from seeing any great distance ahead. Sub-
sequently the bodies were identified by the relatives as
those of Edward Peace sod John Allen, both midis( at 11111
Foot, Sheffield. Ose of Use boys, when going...tat, had bees
especielly warmed wiled ventaring nare loading ear the railway.
The Canadian West people ice for
Clecinnati, to go by the lakes to Cleveland, and thence by
rail or caul. This is an entirely new branch of trade,
created by the madame of the winter.—Casiadion paper.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.

Bitting* in Banoo.—(Before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn,
and Justices Croorptau, Blackburn, and Mellor.)

- -
KARL OF CARDIGAN V. uzvr.-coboNcL CALTHOIIPL
The rumour prevalent for some days past that Lieut.•
Colooel Calthorpe intended to justify the statement con-
tained in his work " Letters from Head•quarters," relative
to the Earl of Cardigan and the Light Cavalry charge at
Balaklava, and that a postponement of the answer to the
rule would be asked for to allow the defendant time to pro-
cure the affidavit, of officers, now on foreign stations, in
coafirmatioa' was in a measure coofirmed this morning.
Mr. Serjeaot Shee said that in the matter of a rule ob-
tained in the early part of the term by Mr. Bovill on behalf
of the Earl of Cardigan, sgaiost Lientenant.Colonel Cal-
thorpe, to show cause why a criminal information should
not be filed against him for libel, he asked that it might be
enlarged. He had shown the affidavits on which he moved
to his learned friend, who had no objection to the motion.
Mr. Bovill anientoi. _

The ride was accordingly enlarged.
Earl Cardigan, who wee present, left the court with his
learned comsat and attorney as soon as the short motion
was disposed of.