The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-18 00:00:00

Church-rates id New Parishes.

Yesterday evening a public meeting was held in
the new Iron Church, Brewers-fields, Bethnal-
green, for the phrpose of taking into consideration
the Attorney• General's " Church Building and New
Parishes Act Amendment Bill," which stands for
second reading in the House of Commons next
pria'iy evening. It was stated in the announcement
calling the meeting that attention would also be
called to the maaner in which church rates were
levied in the extensive parish of Bethnal-green,
now split up into a number of ecclesiastical dis-
tricts.
Mr. G. GOWLAND, who was called to the chair,
said that the object of the Attorney-General's bill,
which contained upwards of 300 clauses, would
apply to the whole of the 1,600 new parishes
already created, as well as to those which might be
formed in future years, he thought that in the
present state of the church such a movement on
the part of the government was highly injudicious.
The bill was in direct opposition to the promise of
Sir Robert Peel when he introduced the Church
Building Act of 1828; and he thought that liberal
churchmen, as well as dissenters, should come for-
ward in opposition to the rate, for the result of the
bill if passed would be that parishes now free from
church rates would be saddled with them.
Mr C. SToVEL said that every year made the law
of church rates more intricate, and it was necessary,
therefore, that they should watch all points of the law
in their most delicate applications. When he and
others conferred w ith Earl Grey, in 1834, on dissent-
ing grievances, his lordship said that the natural re-
sult of dissenting principles must be the destruction
of the church, and that churchmen saw that point as
clearly as dissenters themselves. He thought, there.
f bre, that dissenters ought to state what they wanted
and what they intended to do, so that there might
be some moral dignity in their proceedings. He
thought Lord Grey was right, and he for one had
never hesitated to declare, as a dissenter, that he
desired the severance of the Church from State. He
contended that the church establishment was the
greatest impediment to personal religion, and the
most powerful machinery in existence for promoting
infidelity. He concluded by moving the first reso-
lution:—" That this meeting deprecates a legalised
and compulsory system of public worship and re

ligious teaching in any case, and in whatever form,
as being contrary to Christian principle, and
unjust to the citizens who bear that wrong;
but that is intensely aggravated when,
as in the present state of the English
hierarchy, it is designed to support teachings which
are either not explicable at all or not to be ex-
plained in any sense which is not hostile to the
written word of God, and especially when, as under
the local a3t of this parish, the deprecated compul-

sory support of religion is enforced in terms which
conceal from the parishioners the real intention of
the law." (It appears that in Bethnal-green there
is no actual church rate, but the amount necessary
for the repair of the fabric of the church is raised
under what is called a " composition rate.")
The Rev. Mr. HOOPER seconded the motion, and
pointed out the nature of the grievance of which the
parishioners of Bethnal-green had to complain. No
one seemed to know how or when the act passed
through Parliament, but every one knew that it
conferred almost unlimited powers upon the vestry
to rate the parish for church purposes. He com-
plained that many items were paid out of church
rates which were clearly illegal, such as £3 6s. for
hat and boots for the beadle, visitation, confirma-
tion, and ocher fees, expenses of election of organist,

. _
payment of pew openers, &e. Such charges he
considered it was the duty of the parishieners to

resist.

The resolution was put to the meeting, and i
was unanimously adopted.

Mr. J. C. WILLIAMS moved the second resolu-
tion :—That as the churches erected under the
several church building acts were built on the dis-
tinct understanding, repeatedly expressed in parlia-
ment, that they were not to be maintained by
means of church rates, and, notwithstanding, ad-
vantage has been taken of the ambiguous language
of the statutes to attempt to levy church rates in
new parishes, this meeting is of opinion that the
Church Building Acts ought not to be re-enacted
by parliament, without the insertion of a clause
which will distinctly prohibit the imposition of
burdens on ratepayers for such a purpose, and that

accordingly a petiiion to the House of Commons be
signed by the meeting, and that the borough mem-
bers be requested to support its prayer."
He went over at great length the history
of church rates, and contended that the
Attorney-General had embodied in his bill
what parliament had explicitly declared should
not be done. He had reason to believe that

the Attorney-General intended by this bill to
throw impediments in the way of a settlement of
the church- rate question, and he had reason to
believe that the learned gentleman would propose to
modify his bill, by leaving out altogether the clause
relating to church rates, so as to leave the question
exactly where it stood at present. If this scheme
of the Attorney-General were allowed to pass a
gross injustice would be done to the non-conform-
ing portion of the community. (Hear, hear.)
Nothing could be more unjust than to permit
churches to be erected by voluntary contributions

. .
throughout the country, and then to allow the
whole community to be taxed for their support.

(Cheers.)
The Rev. H. D. NORTHROP seconded the motion,
which was unanimously adopted.
A petition to Parliament embodying the above
resolutions was then agreed to, and entrusted to Mr.
Ayrton and Mr. Butler for presentation, and the
meeting separated.

ENORMOUS CATCHES OF MACKEREL.—The Cor.
nish seine owners and fishermen are more than ever
of opinion that the present season will prove to be the most
productive one on record. The catches for the week end-
ing Saturday last were enormous, and many of the local
markets were overstocked. On the Sunday large quanti-
ties of fish were hawked about the county in consequence
of the heavy stock secured on the previous evening by the
Newlyn, Mousehole, and other boats, on the arrival of
which at a late hour a scene was presented of unusual ex-
citement and confusion. So great was the quantity of mac-
kerel landed that in many instances salesmen were unable
to get a bid for their stock. Carts were filled and sent to
the inland towns and villages, and one or two of the boats
left for a port where it was hoped something like a price
would be obtained. Numbers of the fishermen, after despair-
ing of anything approaching ready sale, shared "catches"
at random, and the process of opening and curing was
commenced in earnest. Hundreds of poor people were
thus employed not only throughout the night, but during
many hours on the Sunday. Much. of the fish was of
first-rate quality, and many thousands were sold for 2s 6d
to 3s per hundred of six score. On the same evening
some "East-country" boats landed many thousands of
fine mackerel at Penzance, whero the same difficulty as de-
scribed above was experienced in getting rid of them.
On the Saturday night also the St. Ives drift boats
brought in large catches, which, as in other cases, were
difficult to quit; one boat had 10,000. Altogether, there-
fore. the supply of mackerel secured in one night alone
was enormous. On Monday the fishermen had not much
success, but on Wednesday unmistakeable evidence was
afforded throughout Cornwall that the catches on the pre-
vious night had again been large. On Wednesday evening
there was what may be almost termed a blank, while
on Thursday the fishermen again sailed in the tide of good
luck. On Saturday the markets were literally glutted with
.mackerel, and prices were very low. At Truro even, a town
which is by no means one of the oheapeet mackerel markets,
splendid fish were retailed at 10, 12, and (in the evening)
14 and 15 a shilling. Several scores of tons have been sent
over the Cornwall railways, and some of the stations are
almost unbearable on account of the great fish traffic dur-
ing the week. Notwithstanding the low prices some of
the wholesale buyers have lost considerably during the past
fortnight in consequence of the continued large supply of
fish, the quality of which seems to be fully equalled, if not
somewhat excelled at every catch.
A CHILD POISONED BY BUTTERCUPS.—An in-
quest was held on Monday last, at the Bull Hotel,
Dartford, before Mr. C. J. Carrtar, coroner, on the body of
a child named Sarah Elizabeth Heron, aged six years. It
appeared by the evidence of the mother and father of the
child that some time before death the deceased had com-
plained of feeling very unwell and in great pain about the
body and legs. The mother afterwards discovered that the
deceased had been eating buttercups from a field close by,
and sent for a powder from a chemist's ; but as the de-
ceased vomited a great deal, and presented every appearance
of having been poisoned, she hastened off for the parish
surgeon (Mr. Martin), but that gentleman did notn ont
arriverie
at the house until' the child was dead.
examination
had
beend
beenp ei
poisoned
, whichy
g
eettclearlyeating
buttercups;
p rorvsdand
that theth
deceased had e
thought
jury returned a verdict to that effect, but
Mr
Martin might have attended sooner upon thedeceased.--
Maidstone Journal.
CRICKET. THE TWO ELEVENS.—This snatch
yEaltevLenordh'assfi Gfir2srrotso4tuinrnudn runs
sna
innings,gt to win,
I\liBvBt
second
lel
vnb
dee
seen
rtehsautrotehdey
lie ant etrtdeda
isnunbjinoigna,thle66srco treet:al—,A3lll4n.uglaaintded,
EXTRAORDINARY LONGEVITY.—The obituary in
the Times of yesterday contained more illustrations
life than have
ee as
dp
epaaemt ahor
use due
tfi
endf tuthor i ssg3je o7nu, t
lr
genrav lei
giving
go
ar
na
an
of prolonged
two
neorseliadgdeeireoasfb wiBe9ht yraseeea—u united
s viaitnze at6hgmonthe to each, and, as usual,
the fair sex taking the lead, the eldest having reached the
great age of 103, and the youngest 83 years of age; the
oldest gentleman being 90 years and the youngest 85 years
of age.

MARKETS—This Day.

MARK-LANE.

The supply of English wheat on sale here to-day was
very moderate. The trade, however, ruled heavy for ai;
qualities, at from is to fully 2s per quarter below the rateii
current at the close of last week.

With foreign wheat the market was but moderately sup.
plied. For all descriptions the demand was in a sluggish
state, and prices had a downward tendency.

Floating oargoes of grain were in limited request, at
barely late rates.

The season for malting barley is now over. Grinding
and distilling qualities met a slow sale, at previous quo-,
tations.

Malt sold heavily, at late rates.
Oats, the supply of which was moderately good—were ix
slow request, at barely stationary prices.
Beans and peas supported Monday's currency. The show
of samples was limited.

In flour only a moderate business was transacted, o;
former terms.

ARRIVALS THIS WEER.

Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flout.
English...— 2EO 1 I 1,7_80 1 3,94010 i 280
Irish.. — 1 -
Foreign 210 3,(80 I :3,610 I 60 sks.
—brls,
__