The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-04 00:00:00

ig

LONDON,
SATURDAY EVENING. MARCH 4, 1837.

Ia the House of Lords yesterday, after the presenta
tion of numerous petitions, both against and in favour of
the extinction of Church-rates, the Leasing Bill—the ob-
ject of which is to assimilate the law of Scotland and Eng-
land as regards seditious libels—was read a second time,
and ordered to be committed.

Their Lordships then adjourned.
In the House of Commons, some remarks made by Sir
C. BoanELL, relative to the conventional rule established
in the presentation of public petitions, led Mr. HOME to
observe that the course pursued by the Chair, of not even
allowing- the names of the petitions to he mentioned, was
highly objeeionable. " Honourable Members were en-
trusted with an important duty when petitions were con-
fided to their care, and he thought they completely neg-
lected their duty, when they allowed aemselves to be pre-
vented from even naming the parties presenting the peti-
tions. If such an important right were to be given up, the
best way would be to abandon presenting petitions alto-
gether."

Several Railway Bills were forwarded a stage. In the
course of some conversation on one of them Sir R. PEEL
denounced the system of canvassing for private Bills as
most abominable."

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. then brought for-
ward his resolution for the extinction of Church Itates.
The details of this important measure, and the discussion
which followed its development, will be found in another
part of our paper.

His Majesty's Ministers have nobly redeemed their
pledge to the Dissenters and to the country. They pro-
mised a measure that would satisfy those who complained
of the grievance of Church-rates, without affording any
just ground of complaint to the supporters of the national
Establishment. That they have amply fulfilled their pro-
mise—fulfilled it both in letter and in spirit—we need only
refer, our readers for proof to the admirable exposition of
the Government plan, contained in the speech of the CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, with which a considerable
portion of our paper is occupied—a speech, we may add—
distinguished ❑o less by perspicuousness of detail, and mode-
ration of tone, than by the unanswerable power of argu-
ment which it brings to bear upon a great public question.
Before the Right Hon. Gentleman proceeded to deve-
lope the plan, which he proposed to substitute for the pre-
sent mode of providinlifor the repairs of Churches, and
other objects to which Church-rates are now applied, he
cleared the ground by demolishing the various structures
which fanciful or factious persons had reared upon it.
Some are for letting things remain as they are—the
system, according to them, works exceedingly well—
why meddle with it at all ? In order to show the force
of the argument for things as they are, Mr. SPRING RICE
instanced a few cases, as specimens of the general effects
produced by the compulsory levying of Church-rates, from
which it appeared, that where resistance was made to a
Church-rate, the consequences were equally fatal to the in-
terests of the Church, whether it came off victorious or
vanquished from the contest. The case of Manchester is
one eminently in point, where, during the last four years,
violent and protracted struggles had repeatedly taken place,
and where, although the majority had on every occa-
sion been declared in favour of the rate, the Church-
wardens had never dared to collect it !—so that the
only fruit which the Church derives from such attempts
to enforce the payment of an unrighteous tax is to excite a
spirit of strife in the community, and to make herself an ob-
ject of hatred to far the greater portion of the people.
The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER made out a
triumphant case against the continuance of the present sys-
tem, and concluded this part of his subject by an appeal to
the authority of Lord STANLEY, who, a few years ago, in
denouncing the existing mode of levying Church-rates,
asked the Hon. Member for Oxford, whether he thought
that " the heart-burnings—the acrimonious revilings—the
recriminations—the party and personal violence, which took
place in the Church itself, and by which the cause of true
religion was profaned, and the name of GOD desecrated, and
ill-feeling generated amongst the people at large, could pro-
mote the interests of the Church ? I say," added the
Noble Lord, " such things call imperiously for an immediate
remedy."

Right Hon. Gentlethan then took a rapid view of
the different remedies which have at various times been
proposed for the evil, all of which he shelved to be inade-
quate to the attainment of their object. He then opened
up to the House the plan of the present Government ; the
main features of which are, the total abolition of Church-
rates, under every form, and without transfer to any
department of the public revenue ; and to provide for the
maintenance of the fabric of the churches out of the lands
which are now the property of the Church, and in the
hands of the Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, and Preben-
daries throughout England. These lands are now, and have
always been, grossly mismanaged. Instead of the system

of taking fines—of granting leases for years—leases for
lives, and concurrent leases—it is intended that the leasing
power shall be entirely done away with, and the manage-
ment of these lands vested in Commissioners, who shall
have power to deal with Church lands precisely as the
Commissioners of the Crown lands deal with them. The
Lessee of the Church is to have the right of purchasing the
fee simple of the land he now holds on lease, subject to a
fixed rent payable to the Commissioners. The land is to
be estimated at twenty-five years' purchase, and the sum
which the Lessee will have to pay will be the difference
between that value and the value of his lease, whatever
that may be. Neither is the tenant to be obliged to
pay down the purchase-money, as, it is proposed
that this shall be commuted into a proportionally in-
creased annual rent. By this means the tenant will
acquire a property in the land which he now holds at the
precarious mercy of the Church, and the land will yield an
additional amount of revenue, to be applied to such pur-
poses as may be deemed necessary. In the present in-
stance, no Churchman, however staunch, can object to the
application of the new fund, for if there be a purpose
strictly ecclesiastical, it is the maintenance of the Churches ;
while he must allow that the State has an un-
doubted right to do. as it pleases with a property
created entirely by its own act, as is the case with
the additional value given to Church lands, by the
contemplated legislative enactment. We refer our
readers to the Resolution which the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER proposed at the conclusion of his Speech, which
states in a few words the principle in which the new mea-
sure is founded—a principle which we are sure will prove
completely satisfactory to the Dissenter, and ought to be
equally so to the Churchman.

The first great argument against the plan for abolishing
Church-rates is that it would destroy the nationality of
the Church, and amount to the separation of Church and
State. But has not that calamity, then, befallen the esta-
blished Church of Ireland ? The Church cess was abo-
lished some years ago, and a substitute found for it out of
the revenues arising from Church lands. Nay more—is it
not a well-known fact that originally Tithes and other
Church property were set apart, not only to maintain the
Clergy, but to keep the Churches in repair, and that at a
period when the connection between Church and State was
infinitely stronger than at present? The second objection
is, that as lands and houses are devised or purchased liable
to these rates, the possessor is legally bound to pay them,
and no circumstance can exempt him from the obligation.
But would not the same argument apply in many other
cases ? It would apply equally against the abolition of the
House duty, or the reduction of the Window-tax, or against
the abolition of that ancient, universal, and venerable tax called
Peter's-pence. If it can be shown that the necessity for
payment ceases, then the obligation ceases also. It re-
mains, therefore, for the opponents of the measure to prove,
that the funds of the Church are so scanty that the sum
of 250,0001. cannot be spared as a substitute for Church-
rates, without endangering or destroying the nationality of
the Church Establishment. But for the practice ever resorted
to by the high Church party to deceive the multitude, to
call in the sacred name of religion to their aid, and mix
up that with interests which are purely selfish and political,
the very attempt to establish such a proposition, consider-
ing the vast wealth of that Church, would be treated with
ridicule by every rational being. The revenues of the
English Church may be safely stated at upwards of four
millions sterling for a population of thirteen millions ; the
revenues of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland do not
amount to 300,0001. for 2,460,000 inhabitants, about
one-sixth of the population of England ; and notwith-
standing the recent applications for an additional grant, it is
admitted on all hands that there is not in existence, and
perhaps never was, a Church more effective in every point,
both as regards morals and religion, than the Church of
Scotland. If the revenues of the Church of England, there-
fore, were placed on the same footing, they would amount
to 2,000,0001. sterling, leaving a surplus of the same amount ;
and yet it is gruvely.affirmed that 250,0001. cannot be spared
out of this enormous income to make good Church-rates.
The parties who repudiate the plan have not a particle of
reason to urge against it ; and their only and constant re-
source, therefore, is, to excite the religious fears of the people.

The Paris Papers of Thursday are filled with the debates
in the Chamber of Deputies on the Civil and Military Tri-
bunals' Disjunction Bill, which is supported and opposed
with a vehemence of passion little according with the recog-
nized usages of a deliberative assembly. It is reported that
the Cabinet is divided respecting the necessity of this mea-
sure. Count M oLE, M. DUCHATEL, and M. ROSAMEL,
would willingly give up the Bill, and rest content with the
law as it at present stands ; but M. GUIZOT, M. PERSIL,
and General BERNARD contend that the Bill ought to be
forced on at every risk. The KING agrees in opinion with
the Ministers of Public Instruction, Grace and Justice, and
War ; so that the President of the Council, and the Minis-
ters of Finance and Marine have been compelled, in some
shape, to give their tacit consent to the carrying of a mea-
sure which they regard as fraught with danger to the Crown.
The state of political feeling in the army greatly alarms the
KING. His MAJESTY had hoped that the distinctions which
he so lavishly heaped upon a few favourites of the troops
would win every heart ; but to his great mortification he now
finds that the very objects of his bounty are not heartily
attached to the support of the ORLEANS dynasty. The
KING is quite certain that in a case of great and sudden
emergency, there is not a regiment in his service, nor even a
body of officers in the command of one, oe whose united
loyalty he could depend. Those of the old Marshals who
are not decided Royalists are at heart devoted to the cause
of Republicanism. The majority of the Generals, and nine-
tenths of the inferior officers, are led by early recollections
to distrust and abhor the ORLEANS family, as one of the
most rotten branches of the old BOURBON dynasty—as one
inheriting its crimes without its dignity, its legitimacy, or
its moral greatness in adversity. Were all else equal, there
is not one of them who would not rather serve a descendant
of Louis XVI., than a son of the infamous EGALITE.

But will severity banish the causes of the KING'S well-
founded fears of the army ? Most certainly not. We rather
think it will accelerate the approach of the very danger of
which his MAJESTY is so apprehensive.
Marshal CLAUSEL has refused an invitation to dine at
the Palace, till his conduct in Africa shall have undergone
investigation.

Three individuals, one of whom is a medical student, an-
other a tailor, and the third a mechanic, have been seized
and imprisoned, on a charge of plotting the KING'S death.
The prisons are filled with victims of the KING'S fears,
many of whom have been three months incarcerated, and
are yet ignorant of the crimes of which they are accused

FRENCH FUNDS.—Psais, MARCII 2.
Five per Cents., 109 f. 50c. 60c. 55c.
Four and a Half per Cents. 10:3f
Three per Cents. 79f. :30e. 45c 40c.
Bank Actions, 2,405 f. 2,402 f. 50c. 2,405 f.
Rente oe Naples, 98f. 50c. '7sc.
Roman Five per Cents.,! 1023.
Spanish Actives, 204 %%%.
Spanish Differes, 11%.
Spanish Passives, 7
Belgian Society, 1,550 f.
Portuguese Three per Cents. 31%%.
EXCHANGL ON LONDON.
One month, paper, —f. —c.; money, 25f. 32%c.
Three months, paper, —f. —c.; money, 23t. 12%c.
Authentiaue.
LAST PRICES.
Five per Cents., 109 f. 90c.
Three per Cents. :3f. 70c.
Bank Actions, 2,405 E
Rente de Naples, 910. 20e.
Roman Five per Cents., 102%.
Brussels Bank, 1,432 f. Oc.
Portuguese Three per Cents., 32.
Spanish Actives, 26%.
Spanish Passives. 7%.
New Differes, 113¢.
Miguelites, 12.
BELGIANFUNDS—Baussats, MARCH I.
Actual Debt, 2i"; per Cent.
Rothschild's Loan, 5 per Cent. lOO%
Loan of Thirty Millions.... 92%
Loan of City, 1932, 4 per Cent 99%
Society of Commerce, 4N, per Cent l3lyi
Bank of Belgium, 5 per Cent 139%
—Brussels Papers, March 2.
AUSTRIAN FUNDS.-..VIENNA, FEB. 22.

_
Five per Cents. Metalliques
Four per Cents.
Three per Cents.
Bank Shan

,res
—Allgemeine Zeitung, Feb. 27.

Canton papers to the 28th of October have been re-
ceived. The trade between Great Britain and China is
greatly increased, and promises to increase still more. This
is one of the happy results of the abolition of the East
India Company's monopoly. His Celestial Majesty the
EMPEROR has issued an edict, prohibiting the introduction
of opium into his dominions. This edict has filled the
natives, who all smoke that drug, with deep affliction. A
memorial from Canton, praying the suspension of the
was about to be forwarded to the EMPEROR.

The Grand Jury at the Central Criminal Count
yesterday evening returned two true bills against Mrs. and
Miss Newman. The trial is expected to take place this day.