The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-23 00:00:00

*Delighting in the name of " Kcmble."

As instances of the rapidity with which commu-
nications by the ordinary telegraphs may be made when
the atmoThere is clear, it is stated that a question may be
sent from Paris to Lille, and an gnawer received, in three
minutes ; an account may be received from Calais in four
minutes five seconds ; from Strasburg in five minutes
Eft;-taco seconds ; from Brest in six minutes fifty
seconds ; and from Toulon in thirteen minutes five seconds.

CHURCH-RATE ABOLITION

SOCIETY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sra,—You have served the cause of religious freedom
so frequently and effectually, that I have confidence in
troubling you with a few words suggested by the letters
you published yesterday—one from Mr. Tredgold, and
two from Mr. Besley.
The controversy which has arisen between the Patriot
and myself originated in the advice I have offered to the
Dissenters of England, that they should in future ma-
nage their own affairs, in their own districts, with such
organization as should be found needful, but with an es-
pecial resolve that the nucleus of that organization should
no longer be placed in London, where the influence of a
Ministry professing friendship is practically irresistible—
where adventurers can cloud themselves in the vastness
of society, and where our best men, who might defeat
the operations of both, are overwhelmed with their own
personal engagements.
The Anti-Corn-law Delegates have recognized and
'adopted in their agitation, precisely this principle, and
I have appealed to the history of the Church-rate So-
ciety as establishing it. Publicly the Society has effected
literally nothing. The Government plan was announced
almostimmediately after the formation of the Society, and
both resulted from the agitation of the preceding year.
Its functions have since been limited to a concurrence
with the pretexts by which all effoh for a settlement
of the question has been delayed, and, an implication of
the Dissenters in similar concurrence., And why ? Can
the men whose names seemed to guarantee to the public
an honest and vigorous agitation of the question have
been parties to such proceedings? Oh, no. For a
long period, the so-called Committee has consisted of
at most five or six, and frequently but two or three ;
and these, persons whom the public does not know, and
whose names afford no guarantee of honest earnestness.
Has Mr. Henry Pewtress—a men well-known, and
trusted, as an upright Dissenter, recently at-
tended the Committee ?, Have Mr. Henry Bate-
man and others, who formed its real staple ? If
they seceded, who have supplied their places ? Re-
specting one new member, Mr. Tredgold, I have been
unfortunate in my inquiries,—my connexions with Dis-
senters in town are not very narrow, but I have failed
in finding a person who ever beard of his existence.
Of Mr. Peachey, I would inquire by what accident his
name was signed to the auditor's letter as John instead
of James. Did Mr. Peachey really sign his name
erroneously, or is he so little known by his feilow-mem-
hers, or in the Patriot office, that they erred in affixing
his name ?

If the Committee still claim public confidence, let it
inform us who were the gentlemen usually assembling
during the first year and half of its existence ; who
have attended its meetings since that time ; how often
those meetings have been held, and why the Patriot, the
Dissenters' organ, has never informed them on points so
important to their interests ?

Until such information is afforded, and the particu-
lars are stated on which they have expended a sum of
1,3501., I earnestly trust the country Dissenters will not
support the same parties, under whatever name they
may shield their identity, in a new project for confining
to London the whole direction of Dissenting operations,
and converting an occasional subscription into a fixed
annuity. The scheme has been announced to them by
the joint names of Messrs. Conder and Boykett, one
the Secretary of the Church-rate Society, the other,
editor of the Patriot.

The latter gentleman has recently bestowed upon me
a leading article, in which he charged upon me opinions
and principles of a demoralising character, and in the
meanest spirit of insinuation implied what he dared not
charge—an identity with the Chartists. I leave the ac-
cusation, and Mr. Conder's honesty in making it, to the
judgment of all who know that gentleman and myself.
The persons styling themselves Auditors of the
Chureh-rate Society have offered no reply to my last
letter, adiressed to them in your Paper. Again, there-
fore, I call on the Committeee to publish their accounts,
and on the Dissenters of the country to put no confi-
dence in them till they have done so.
My object is to induce my fellow Dissenters to exert
themselves, and not transfer their duty to men they know
not of, or to Societies which may include men they know
too well ; and to retain their funds under that control
which they may always trust—their own management.
The soundness of my judgment may be questioned, but
my motires should not be impugned by men who pro-
pose that to their hands the directio❑ of affairs and the
custody of funds shall be virtually intrusted.
Bungay, March 20. JOHN CHILDS.

BUNGAY, ST. MARY.—On Thursday last, Mr. White,
a tradesman of this town appeared before the Rev. C.
Bruce and Robert Butcher, Esq., to a summons for re-
fusing to pay 325. 6d. Poor-rate.
Mr. White explained that he is one of the persons
who refuse to pay Church-rate, and that the person
who collects both the Church and Poor-rates hav-
ing obtained the former from him in a clandestine
and surreptitious manner, he had deducted It
from the next Poor-rate, and tendered the
balance. Spell, the collector, knew perfectly well that
if the Church-rate were demanded of him he would
not pay it, consequently the demand was never made,
but Spell had gone to a member of his family, and
clandestinely obtained it by frightening her with the
mention of informations and prosecutions.
Mr. White added that he knew he must pay the
Poor-rate, but he had chosen to be summoned before the
Magistrates, that he might ask their advice how
he should recover the. Church-rate which had been
proved to be illegal, and also to show publicly in what
an improper and offensive manner the Poor-rate and
the Church-rate were mixed up in this parish. He
never would pay another rate of any sort to a person
who bad wisconducted himself as Spell had—he
would rather submit to be summoned every
quarter. He would be very sorry to offer any
obstruction to the collection of the Poor-
rate, and had always cheerfully paid it, thougli
it was well known to contain several fatal irregu-
larities ; but if the parish put him to such expense
and annoyance, by continuing to employ a person so im-
proper as Spell he would be driven to retaliate, and by
appealing against the rate, entail much expense upon
the parish.
The rate was then paid.