The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-14 00:00:00

SlR.—The Auditors of the Church-rate Abolition
Society have addressed to you a long letter, which
claims notice from me.
My previous letter was legitimately occasioned by
the public address of the Society, signed by their Chair-
man and Secretary, and if it deserved any notice at all
should have received it from the Committee itself ra-
ther than the Auditors.
My charge was, that the Society had for same time
been utterly inefficient to the parposes for which it was
ostensibly formed ; and my request as a subscriber was
that account should be given of money expended, apps.
rently to so little purpose.
Now as to the charge-Ist. The following is an
tract from a letter addressed last week to the Srottigt
Pilot, by Mr. Besley, who was a Member of the Corn-
mittee, but resigned his office exactly " because, in
common with most of the intelligent Dissenters
in England, he felt that there was a particular
time in which the Church-rate Abolition Society
lost its character,—when it became apparent that
there was a want of that confidence and unanimity so
necessary to the carrying on of any great work. The
first shock that was given to the cordiality with which
the Committee had worked, was given by one of its
own officers (the gentleman that has lately had a vote
of thanks for his unpaid services). This officer
chose, without consulting the Committee, and without
laying any statement before them to show what funds
were required, to undertake a journey through the
principal cities and towns of England, to collect
money in the name of the Society. As honourable
men and faithful stewards, the Committee were arixous
that the Society should not be used as a mere
utensil to raise money, and this naturally gave great
offence. Loud protestations were made against such
a violation of all right principle, and from that time
to the present, there has been difficulty in getting a
Committee together. Several of our most active mem-
bers have never attended a Committee since. I coofess
that, although I felt strongly the contempt that was
thrown upon us by our Secretary, I remained a member
of the Committee as long as I could do so honestly,
and endeavoured to awaken some of its youthful energy,
without effect. The latter meetings of the Committee
have seldom been attended by more than four persons,
rarely five ; of these, two were generally personal
friends of the Secretary, and a third gentleman inter-
ested in the Patriot newspaper. I appeal, then, Ivith
confidence to any unprejudiced mind if I could col,
sistly have clone otherwise than resign, seeing that one
of the first acts of the resuscitated Committee was in
approbation of the Whig Ministers and their doings."
2d. I have further evidence of the same kind, in
co
letters addressed to me from different quarters,
m-
plaining that the writers being engaged in local strug-
gle,, and requiring the legal advice which the Commit-
tee professed to obtain, had received only loose, general,
unprofessional answers, leaving them just where " Bura's
Justice" would carry them, and giving no aid whatever
to their efforts.

3d. I appeal to the present condition of the Church-
rate question as evidence of the committee's inefficiency
or bad faith. It cannot be denied that we are just
where we were when the Society was formed, nor that
the only chance of remedy held out by the Society is to
await the Report of the Committee on Church Leases ;
a Report which will never be presented while it is pos...
sible to shelve the Church-rate question, or while the
opposition is limited to an occasional newspaper adver-
tisement and courteous Downing-street conferences.

Again, when the whole country is being agi:ated
more fiercely than ever by local Church-rate struggles,
and all hope of voluntary relief by the Government or
the Legislature is relinquished, the Committee, hiv, its
Chairman and Secretary, counsel the Dissenters to the
most vigorous and energetic patience, and wonders at
our wonder, that they find any conference with Mr.
Spring Rice satisfactory to any extent, and at our de-
mand that we may know what really passed at such
conference, and judge for ourselves.
It is very true that I seconded a resolution which Mr.
O'Connell proposed at a public meeting of the So-
ciety in May last, urging the people to bestir them-
selves for the removal of the grievance, but this act is
not to be construed into a sanction of the Committee's
subsequent Acts, nor of all that had preceded. I had
not at that time lost all hope from them. I had ex-
pressed to several members my dissatisfaction with their
past inactivity, and trusted that an impulse from with-
out would quicken their zeal. But my hope has not
been realized, and the: dissatisfaction I then felt, has
ripened into utter and well-founded distrust.

Next, as to the funds. I have at various times en.
pressed to several members of the Committee, and to
one of its officers, a friendly but decided opinion that
the (accounts should be published, and the reply was
like that of these Auditors, that such publication would
be hurtful to the cause. The reason conveyed to my
understanding was, that so small an amount had been
contributed by the Dissenting body, as would to the
public appear ridiculous, but when I learn that above
1,300/. have been expended by the Society, I am
constrained to believe that the apprehended danger
must be of a very different character. I ask, then, what
hurt would result to our cause from such publication,
and I express my conviction that no functions were ever
delegated to this Committee, but such as might when
discharged, be proclaimed to the whole world.
I feel that the Auditors have not satisfied my just, de-
mands. That the public may judge, I call on the Com-
mitttee, through its proper organs, to account for its re-
ceipts and disbursements, to state what have been its
proceedings, since Mr. Spring Rice's motion viva,
dis-
posed of—what public acts it has performed--what
parties enjoying any amount of public confidence have
attended the meetings, and what resolutions have been
negatived as well as passed, during that time.
Until this be done, I trust Dissenters throughout the
country will pursue the course to which the apathy of
this Society has already so extensively contributed, viz,
retain their funds and their energies, for the conduct of
their own affairs, in their own districts.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JOHN CHILDS
Bungay, Feb. 9.