The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-31 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.-(THIS DAY.)

A Court of Common Council was held this morn-
ing at Guildhall, under the preuidency of the LORD ?dews.

SPIRITUAL DISTITUTION IN Till marsoPous.
The Tows Claus read a communication he had re-
ceived from the Bishop of London, asking the court to
give a piece of land situated at the northern part of the
new Cattle Market, at Islington, as a site for the erection
of a church and schools in connexion therewith.
Mr. RUDKIN moved that the matter be referred to the
markets committee, but
Mr. MRDWIN said it appeared to him that the Bishop of
London was not doing all that was in his power in reference
to this important subject, and that it was not with
a very good grace that such an application
should be made to this corporation. (Hear, hear.) The
bishop had the power to obtain a sum of 30,0001. or
40,0001., which would purchase a great many such sites
as the one asked for, but he did not take any steps to do so,
and he should therefore move as an amendment that the
application do stand over until the negotiations that were
going on between the Commissioners of Sewers and the
bishop in reference to the benefice of St. Benet, Grace-
church-street, were completed.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said he thought it would be only
courteous to the bishop to allow the matter to go to the
committee, although he had very little doubt as to the
result.
The amendment was, however, carried by a large ma-
jority.

CALCUTTA AND SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY. ii
(THIS DAY.) 1(
81

The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders was
held at noon, at the company's offices, 211, Gresham-house, r;
Old Broad-street ; Mr. JOHN BORHADAILE in the chair. at
The report stated that during the half-year ending De- St.
cember, 1865, there was a continuous increase, both of et
goods and passenger trafilc, over the corresponding period st.
of thepreviousyear, am the following analysis would show :
et
Six months ending December, 1864: Number of passen-
germ, 123,552 ; receipts from passengers, 2,4481. 15s. 9d. ;
Bt
merchandise and minerals, 2,806 tons ; receipts from St.
ditto, 5711. 12s. 6d. Six months ending December, 1865: St.
Number of passengers 163,317 ; receipts from pawn- St.
germ, 3,6191. 10s. Id. ; merchandise and minerals, St.
7,438 tons ; receipts from ditto, 1,0221. 6s. Id. 1,51-
The gross receipts of these two periods stood thus :—Six g;*
months ending December,lB64, 3,0201. Bs. 3d. ; December, gt:
1865, 4,6411. 16s. 2d. At the beginning of the present St.
year the old standard of rates was resumed, with some St.
modifications, and this measure hail already ji roduced a bene- St,
finial result. The latest communication hom the agent If')
informs the board that the number of passengers in the 100
first nine weeks of the current year increased upwards of 100
30 per cent., the quantity of goods nearly 30 per cent., 10
and the total receipts upwards of 50 per cent. over the St.
corresponding period of the previous year. It was added 9
that the port and town of Canning had now assumed a t
new appearance of enterprise and business. St.
The CiimiiatiN, in moving the adoption of the report, St.
observed that the trade of Port Canning went on increas- St.
ing, the only drawback being the loss of the jetty through 25
a slip in the land. The matter was being investigated, St.
and everything that was practicable would be done to
prevent such a disaster to any future jetty. The govern- 25
inent by lending 42,000/. for drainage had manifested its inte- 25
rest in the town. He hoped that the deficiency in the St.
receipts would disappear during the present half year.
After a short discussion the report was adopted, and 10
St.
the proceedings terminated in the usual manner. St.

THE CHURCH-RATE AGITATION AT

KIRKHAM.

The church-rate agitation at Kirkham, in the
Fylde of Lancashire, is still kept up, and yesterday more 1,
sales of articles seized from the houses of parties who al
had refused to pay the rate took place. The parties whose II
goods were sold are Mr. Cuthbert Catterall, Weshatu ;
Mr. Robert Catterall, Kirkham ; and Mr. Roger Char-
neck,
Kirkham. The sum which Mr. Cuthbert Catterall
refused to pay was 9s. Ild. and from his house one eight-
day clock, a gun, a cupboard, two mahogany tables, a
sofa, a night chair, and a parlour carpet were taken. Thei
last-named article alone, when new, cost 4/. From Mr.
Robert Catterall's house the following articles were taken
for a rate amounting to only Is. 104. d. :—A
clock, a sofa, a writing desk, two tables, 14
sacks, a cart' saddle, and 120 yards of Scotch
linen. From Mr. Charnock's house, a looking-glass, a chest
of drawers,two mahogany tables, a mahogany sofa, and
a music stool were " seized" to meet a rate of lld. The
articles were seized last week, and since then the utmost
excitement has prevailed in Kirkham. On a piece of land
nearly opposite the railway station several placards, &c.,
were fixed up relative to the injustice of the seizures,
and the poverty of the church, and they could
be easily read by passengers in the carriages as they
halted at Kirkham. In the centre of the placards an
effigy, called the " Wesham churchwarden," was fixed
up. The figure represented a sort of dilapidated clerical
individual, with hat in hand, and begging for aid on behalf
of the Established Church. Several parties passing by
have " taken pity " upon the " warden," and altogether
sufficient money has been dropped into the bat to pay 20
or 30 church-ratea. Some persons have sent postage stamps
to the collector in payment of the rates of parties who
objected to concede the demands made upon them. Who
the persons thus evincing their generosity are is a mystery.
The sale of articles seized took place yesterday afternoon,
at 3 o'clock, iu front of the New-inn, Kirkham. Mr.
W. Robinson, of Poulton-le-Fylde, who sold the articles
seized a few weeks ago, officiated as auctioneer. The sale
lasted about half an hour. During the proceedings there
was much banter and nonsense indulged in ; but on the
whole, the business was got through in a quiet and good-
humoured manner. The goods, which sold at a tolerably
high price, were " bought in" by Mr. Richard Robinson,
late auctioneer of Over Darwen, and now of Skippool ; and
at the conclusion, the auctioneer proposed a vote of thanks
to him for his " bids."
Afterwards the Rev. W. KNOX, independent minister,
of Kirkham, addressed the crowd. In the course of his
observations he referred to the injustice of forcing men to
pay fur what they did not believe in, to the tyranny, the
bigotry, and the persecution which for some time had pre-
vailed at Kirkham, on the part of those connected with the
church in reference to church-rates ; to the importance and
necessity of religious freedom and equality, and to the
duty of all who believed in the truths and the vital prin-
ciples of Christianity doing their utmost to sweep out of
existence whatever damaged by 'oppression or tainted by
bigotry the fair and noble temple of pure religion.
Mr. JOHN CArrEKALL afterwards spoke in terms con-
demnatory of the op cession and bigotry manifested in
Kirkham by the church party, and in support of freedom
in all things pertaining to religious and ecclesiastical
matters.
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to
the Rev. Mr. Knox.