The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-16 00:00:00

MR. T. BARNES, M,P,, AT BOLTON,

On Thursday evening, Mr. T. Barnes, M.P. for Bolton,
addressed the electors and non-electors of that borough in
the Temperance H di. Mr Alderman Robert Heywood pre-
sided. The room was crowded. Mr. BARNES, on pre-
senting himself, was received with enthusiastic cheering.
The hon, gentleman said that it was with very great
pleasure for many reasons that he appeared among
them again, especially as he was conscious of having done
his best both for his constituency and the country. He
thought he might congratulate the borough on many things
which had happened during the past year—a year that
would be remembered by many for some time to come, ands
a year as had seldom been experienced in this country—a
year of suffering and want, and a year that would hereafter
be pointed to as exhibiting on the part of the operative
1 classes a noble endurance and fortitude. They had also this
consolation, which he believed was a sound one, that they
had seen the worst of the distress. In Bolton there had
been less suffering than in other neighbouring districts,
and he hoped that what there was would gradually melt
away and that the sun would again shine upon them as it
did three 0- four years ago. (Applause.) Two years since
when addressing them he had to express, in words of con-
dolence and regret, his sense of the loss of that good and
distinguished man, Prince Albert i but he had now to con-
gratulate them on the way in which the marriage of the
Prince of Wales was celebrated in Bolton and throughout
the country. (Applause.) In March the Prince of Wales
brought his wife through London amid such a scene of con-
gratulation as ho believed no heir to the throne ever before
enjoyed. The marriage of the Prince of Wales was rejoiced
over from one end of the country to the other. And now
it was evident that the good lady had made quick work
of it, for she had brought herself and her husband to
Babbicembe Bay already. (Laughter.) They might ex-
press a wish that all who proceeded from that stock might
be as good as the reigning sovereign. (Applause.) None of
them wished to sec a successor to the throne; but when
in the course of nature such an event did happen he
trusted that those who followed the Queen might follow
the bright example she had set. (Loud applause.) He
believed that the ruling thought in her heart was the
good of the people over whom she ruled. It would be
perhaps expected from him that he should review the session
which had just closed. He did not think it desirable to
follow the course ho had pursued on former occasions
and take the different questions which had engaged the
attention of Parliament. If ho did so, he should be
merely repeating what he had previously said. The past
session was striking for its quietness. Prom some cause
or other the Opposition never menaced the Treasury
benches. It had been said that the Tories were in
power, but the Whigs Were in place, To some extent
this was true, and described the position of affairs, though
how long it would last he could not say, inasmuch as
men were not generally content with power without
pay or patronage. (Hear, hear.) At all events it
could not last very long. The legal life of the pre-
sent Parliament would end next year, and they should
see some sort of change then if all the elements
of discord did not cause some sort of split in the Cabinet,
on some subject or othor, before then. Upon some ques-
tions the country was absolutely at a dead lock, The
questions he referred to were those of the reduction of
expenditure, those of an ecclesiastical character, and those
bearing upon reform. Nothing would unlock the
wheels of the State carriage but a general elec-
tion. (Applause.) The expenditure of the last year had
been reduced. They had an excellent Chancellor of the
Exchequer, whose anxiety, ho believed, it was to bring down
the expenditure of the country, and in this he would be
backed by public opinion. (Applause.) The ecclesiastical
questions upon which there had been a dead lock were prin-
cipally the questioias of church rates and the Irish Church.
Church rates were very little felt in Lancashire ; but if the
Marquis of Blandford's District Churches Act was to in-
volve the imposition of church rates, as was contended, they
might soon have the question raised. The question of the
Irish Church was one that called for investigation. In 1835
there was a return published of the parochial benefices in
Ireland containing loss than 50 members of the Established
Church, It gives the following results :—The number of
parishes without churches and glebes, and with not more
than fifty Protestant members of the Established Church,
was 608, and the revenue of those parishes was £50,432.
But of that number there were 131 parishes, with benefices
amounting to £7,557, in which there was neither glebe nor
Protestant.: Somebody or other filled these livings and re-
ceived the money, but it was evident that they had no Pro-
testants to flock after,) (Hear.) The Lancashire notion
was that if a man received wages he shouldhave something
to do for it. The Irish Church, however, was called a Mis-
sionary Church. It had been 200 years in existence ; the re-
turn he had quoted was 27 years old, and they might rea-
sonably expect some returns by this time; but the number
of parishes with not more than 50 Protestants was 124 ;
and the value of the livings was £17,061. According to the
census of 1861 the number of Catholics in Ireland was
4,491,583 ; the number of Churchmen, 678,661; the num-
ber of Dissenters of different sorts, 586,563; the number of
other sorts, 8,414; and of Jews, 322; making a total of
5,764,543, Out of every hundred persons in Ireland 78 were
Catholics, 12 wore Churchmen, 9 were Protestant Dissen-
ters, and ono belonged to some other body. Ho contended
that this was a subject for inquiry. Another subject of dis-
cussion in the House of Commons had been the Uniformity
Act, which was a favourite topic with Dissenters 200 years
ago, but was now brought forward by Churchmen, and he
wished them success with all his heart. (Applause.) The
question of reform was hardly alluded to in the House of
Commons last year, and was wisely so, inasmuch as it was
no use talking about fhe subject year by year, when it was
quite certain they should get nothing fur their talk. It was
felt that it was hotter to postpone the question until there
was more likelihood of good being done. The question was
like a becalmed vessel, and there must be something like a
hurricane outside before the vessel would move again. (Ap-
lance.) Lord Palmerston on this question was like a debtor
who wanted plenty of dunning. (Laughter.) The Met see-