The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-24 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 24, 1859.

MUSIC.

VOCAL ASSOCIATION.
The canoed of last night the an excellent selection
of made. The folio:Mai was gm programme

PLAT I.
Alil and the Ws nag aag la
Leda Vasa& Slaale tarok Mr. gla•
ant Olomplos. ar.ar. ...... Mina&

EA.PS IL

.....
Overture, " fir
.ler~ W"
lissalal.
The " Ave Noes, tar Oar= d iamb AMIN
MOM of
LiddiFb..r.l%..lbit tior 4:1=0,1111, liaidemba.
Arlo. " Ace pia mde4" SU. earilse ate= a
pima . Ploillift
..... ....... .. .
Welsh. “1'!0' '1.1;4. Ciao& ii iiiiiir alsiiiiis-
diew. mus states __. O. Liss Wow.
lima with cborom ter limi.,„=„;l7.
In mot of admen."
end them Iliftfice alt= . lissaa&
Trud.=l:l:•=i;".l"
Kamm

Handel's beaulifal pudoral, which formed the chief por-
ticos of this cohort, was, in its ensemble, carefully got up
gal well perform& The charms were admirable, parti-
cularly "0 the pismires of the plants" and "wretched
lovers," which form as striking a contrast—the one to fresh
tad full of rustle gaiety the other so expressive of terror
sad dismay. The aehestra, toe, did their work excellently.
The score used by Mr. Benedict contained the additional
teoe innate merited to Mozart. Their authorship has
tam dooMed ; bat, bo that as it may, they an in many
please aresedingly beautiful, and greatly enrich Header a
esielaal mom, which it most be admitted, is is many
plow Mu and @Wit. In " Hush, ye pretty warbling
&Mr," "As when the dove," and "0 ruddier
them the cherry," many flee effects are pro-
duced by the additional instruments, mpecially in
the gisat's love - ditty, to which there is • most
lagutious sad happy accompaniment for the pio. do. The
Woe were fairly snag; bat none of the performers seemed
at Moe la Handers musks except Mr. Santley, whose read-
ing of the part of Polyphoom was extremely good. The
I.=so fall of rude, uncouth passion, was altogether
sad produced a greater effect than any other air in
the piece. It was loudly tad unanimously encored. The
second part of the concert, as will be seen from tho pro-
gramme, wee made up of pieces already known to the public.
Mendelasohn's " Ave Maria" from his posthumous opera,
first performed ate erlons concert of the Vocal Association,
and sow repeated', was the most intereeting realise of
this selection. The hall was quite full ; which, we perceive
with pleasure, to now always the case at them truly Me-
ek:al performances.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSH OF COMMONWEDNESDAT,MAIteII 23.
(Cone add from yesterday's Erpross.)
Kr. STEWART hoped the goveramest would %nodule •
mom tee the sedfset. The hoe. gegthirasa below him
ISM SISIENat hi!WWI Nall, to deal with it in a ooncillatory
Mb= vele apt the bill of the hon. gentle-
man, inseam he beamed She government were disposed to
dsel intlk it in seek • spirit.
The LORD-ADVOCATE sad he would not insinuate
that the bill originated in any bed spirit or Improper motives,
but in cceseientions motives. For thirty. years the abject
occapied the attentket of the house. Various attempts had
bees made to settle It. He had, of coarse, turned his attention
to the stabPeet, and had • bill prepared on it, which bill was
petted mid in his hinds. He had the anent of the govern-
ment la the main principle of that bill, and hoped to have an
importunity of introducing it ; bat still its provelions had to
medergo much %Aber conalderation from him. The bill,
although it might not satisfy all parties, waa such a cue as
pve at. lateen% te • considerable portion of those who ad-
vocated the view of the kmourahle gentlemen. Ho was
net prepared to vote for the principle of the honourable
geotleman without seeing bow a substitute should be
found for the support of the ministers in Edinburgh. He
abould like to en the tax abolished, but the first part of the
bill wee so mixed up with the emceed part of It that be
could not see his way to giving it his support. The right
hon. endlearned gentleman haviag gone into the hiat,oral
the origin of the Annuity Tax, and referred to the
statutes, contended that It sainted tram 1661 down to the
present thee, and that it ought not to be abolished without
gems Waller entente% than was proposed by the hon.
gentleman. He was opposed to the application of the seat-
rents, at least to the extant here proposed in the bill, as
• mode of maintaining the ministers. The city of Edla.
burgh was divided into the Old and New Town. The ta-
utens in the poor districts would not be properly supported
from there seat-rents. The effect of applying seat-rents in
this way would be to drive sway the poor from the church.
(Hear, beer.) Again, if the money collected at% church
door, which was now applied to the poor, wee to be diverted
end given to the ministers, he was afraid it would
dry up that source of poor relief. (Hear, hear.) the
hon. gentleman postponed the bill he would as soon am pos-
sible gate the principle and the details of the measure holud
FeirIONCREIFF was glad to hear that his right hon.
and learned friend heel • bill peened on this subject. He
thought, however, that the bill of his hon. friend ought to
be allowed th go into committee, because the question now
was not whether the annuity tax should be abolished or not,
but what substitute they could find for that tax. Ile menet
prepared to say that ha greed in all the details of hie how
friend's billl bat he wad on the prin iple on which It was
founded. He regretted to say that every attempt to settle
the questioa haA been opposed by hon. gentlemen oppo-
site. (Hear, hear.) He had been accused of snicking the
Established Chunk by host. gentlemen opposite, but he
thought that what he bad proposed was for the intenista of
that church. (Hear.)
Mr. COWAN mid be was not actuated in support-
ing this mammy by any feeling of hostility to the
Established Church of Scotland, for he was not
opposed to the principle of an established church.
The episcopalism clergy formerly received an endowment,
but es soon as the grant was withdrawn the body to which
they belonged et once eubsceited to make up the deficiency.
This bill, so fee from being • measure of spoliation and con-
fiscating, proposed that all existing incumbents should retain
their present stn pm and in mita of fact the bill would
not take full effect fords; 2O or 30 years. lie trusted the bill
would, then, be allowed to be read • second time. The com-
mittee might be postponed till after Easter. They would by
that time be In • position to judge of the intended govern-
meat MIL
Mr. BAILLIE treated that English members would not
be led away by the impression that this tax wee st all
similar to church rates. The latter was entirely voluntary, but
the annuity tax had been imposed by the authority of paella-
raent 200 years ego, and was precisely on the same forting as
tither. What would be raid of • landowner who came
down with • bill to abolish tithes on the ground that he had a
conscientious objection to them ? Neither wee this tax simi-
lar to ministers money. Even that, however, bad not been
abolished without a compensation. Tbe principle of this bill
was to abolish the tax without a substitute, and he should
therefore go toe divirinn aping it.
Sir W. DUNBAR was in favour of the principle of aboli-
tion, and should therefore vote for the second reading. In
doing so he was actuated by no feeling of hostility to the
established church, but he believed that the well-being of
the church and the peace of the community could only be
secured by the immediate abolition of an odious Impost. The
bill as it stood would not settle the question, but if it was
read a second time the government would then be able to
turn their attention to the subject, and propose • measure
which would be satisfactory. The continuance of this tax was
• wrong. Church rates were a tax on persons In rimed of
property;theannuity tea was just the sum. The house
had icie d. to abolish church rater, and had already done
away with wining,' money. Why should the annuity tsr be
preserved` The tax was most unjust in its operation. The
members of the Scottish bar. whatever their Income, what-
ever their religion were not Halide to it.
Mr. SCOTT said ell parties admitted the tax was unequal
In its operatioe, and were desirous of finding • substitute,
Inet of fact the question Was, did this bill
afford • fair, just, sad equitable settlement f, lie could mot
think It did, and therefore he should oppose the second read-
ing. The principle of the till was that the fund
which it was PeOpOald to %bathe.° for the tax
was to be raised from the reeve of the Hato
in the pariah church, which were to be parcelled oat menet
the ongregation. Such a distribution of mate was Maly
opposed to the principle of the English law, which remfred
that all the orate to the pariah church Meted be free.
Another fund from which a substitute for the tax was to 'be
derived was the collection at the doors, so that the church
was to be supported out of the elms box ; and Ow matey, to
be applied to the support of the clergy, was to be taken from
the poor. If this was not 'vitiation sad conanation, it was
at least rebate; the poor to save the pockets dthe rich.
There was to sea!ogy between the church mess end the
annuity tax. The church rate was • local ran levied by the
inhabitant. for the mantenanoe of the fabric of the church, the
annuity tax was a statutory Imposition for the maintenance
of the c'ettn, Ant impend is 1661. For the list 160 years
it wee paid without opposition, as it woo levied by the town
conacile, who paid what they chose to the clergy, and ap-
plied the ',dance to their own purposes. It was may in
1809 the away found out they were entitled to the whole
Fame of the tax. Even then, they were most desirous
some substitute should he to a rid of what was •
roe of disagreement and heaburning between theta end

Lord =HO was extremely desirous, that the question
alwald be settled' but as the government bad announced their
determtmatioa to Introduces bill, be thought it would be better
to p.ntpone the discussion until they saw the provisions of
that bill. He could not accept the pretest bill ea it stood'
saesof its provisions deserved the character it had received
as a measure of spoliation. If a division took place ho should
vote against the tell.
Mr. LABOIJCHERE bad had his attention directed to
this mastlin some years back when acting sea commissioner
of inquiry into the affairs of the ci cf Edinburgh. Even
then there was great excitement and dissatisfaction at this
tax, which had since increased, end which it was the duly of
that house to remove if potable. In his opinion the tax re-
ambled rather the ministers money than church rates. He
admitted the tax ought not to be abolished without a sittati-
tote. That, however, was a quasar n for the committee. In
the second reeling the question was abolition or no aboli.
Soo. He believed the tax ought to he abolialted. and he
should therefore vole for the wood reading of the bill.
Mr. MACKIE said although a member of the established
church of Scotland he should be glad to see this tax
abolished, ea it tended to promote discord and ill-feeling :
but he oould not vote for its abolition without a substitute.
(Hear. hear.) Tbe rightgentleman mender for
Stroud (Mr. Herman) wee quite mietaken inns
supposing that
this case was sualognus to that of church rates. The nonnity-
tm was of ascertained amount, whereas that could sot be
mid of the impost with which it was compared. In the ems
of minieteri mossy in Intent, the Home of Commons could
not be induced to consent to the abolition until the advocates
of it were able to point out en efficient substitute. It was a
most unwise mode of set.lieg a religious difficulty to do ea
1111 j gat sot like that now proposed.
Mr. BRIGHT said if the hon. member for Edinburgh
would take his advice bo would not withdraw this bill. It
had been said that the annuity-tax tended to promote envy,
hatred, malice, and all nucharftablesese," end if that were
true no one surely could object on principle to its abolition. He
was afraid to speak of popula.ion, but he had so hesitation
is saying that four.lifths of the educated imelligeace of
Edinburgh was opproord to the continuance of the tax.
(Hear, hear.) They might <Snow this question for twenty
years, but they must ultimately come to some such mettles
most at that now proposed. Het hoped the hon. gentleman
would not delude himself with the notion that the government
would introduce an acceptable masseurs.
Mr. B. ESTCOURT believed there was but one opinion
ha the hams with lewd Is the tea itself, and thet was that
it wee desirable that ft should be put an end to, the only
question bd., what wee the best means of acoomplishimg that
object. The Lad Advocate thought that the provides'
ol this bill were net commenattrate with the objeot ; end be
hoped therefor the beam Iseult see pt the afar of the go-
verment, to Libelers* it • bill which wee batter adapted to
TtliseArpoire. would be lost by postponing the second
foe a fortnight, and be thought the introduction of •
mammy by a responsible government was moat likely to
'Wan the meant of the parties thistly concerned.
Mr.E. ELLICE (Coventry) mid, for enveralTeghs the good
people of Edinburgh, bad been endeavoorieg hoteliers them.
mime at the expense of the Coosolidsted Fund, and he sbould
vote foe this bill if it went to a second reading, bemuse it cons
tamed to provision for that purpose. He warned the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer that when bills of this deariptioa cane
from the north they rarely included something of that
Idol. (lankier.)