The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-17 00:00:00

CHURCH-RATES,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
BIRMINGHAM, AUG. 14, 1839.
SlR,—Notwithstanding the present excited state of
our borough, fuel has been added to the flame by the
friends of Mother Church in the parish of Edeoaston,
(now part of the borough), calling a Vestry meeting, on
Wednesday last, for the purpose of granting a Church-
rate. It was opposed by the Dissenters, and many be-
longing to the Establishment, as being at the present
moment particularly objectionr.ble. An individual
offered to pay one-tenth, and others came forward to
double their amount of rate, if they would adopt the
Voluntary principle ; but no ! agitation they preferred ;
and by a show of hands, a majority of two to one were
against it. A poll was demanded, and after two days'
polling, by the operation of Sturges Bournes' Act, the
Church party gained a majority of forty-two. The ma-
jority of voters were against it. It was, some time back,
agreed at a Vestry meeting, that notice should be given
a fortnight previous in the Birmingham papers. No
notice was however given. A paper was put on the
Church door, the gates carefully kept locked, and not
epeace is here with Artillery, and
half-a-dozen opposers of the rate knew anything of it two
daysditEeubiety keptforetiie
by meeting. When
gai Whenien
Infantry,thand
Riflemen, assisted by Yeomanry. London police, and
special constables, you will readily suppose this affair has
created surprise and disgust.
The supporters of that Church (whose founder came
to proclaim peace on earth and good will towards :men)
will now have an opportunity of keeping alive that dis-
cord which now so unhappily prevails in this borough,
by having, probably, to compel the majority of rate-payers
in Edgbaston to furnish a paltry sum to support the
richest, meanest, most intoleraut, and rapacious religious
establishment in the universe.

_ LATE CASE OF STABBING AT HARE-
FIELD. —At
an inquest held yesterday, when a Newspaper
report of Mr. Chadwick Jones's remarks in his defence of
Coker at the Central Criminal Court on Thursday, was
shown to Mr. Waklev, in which remarks it was stated that
Mr. Wakley boasted of his ignorance of the law, and that
he was totally ignorant of it, Mr. Wakley said that, at
the inquest on the young gentleman stabbed by Medhurst,
Mr. C. Jones, whom he did not then knew, rose after the
verdict was passed and proposed a vote of thanks to the
Coroner for the very able way in which he had defined
the law of murder and manslaughter, and expressed a hope
that the vote would not be less acceptable as it was pro-
posPd by a lawyer. The fact was that lawyers were, ge-
nerally speaking, men who sacrificed truth, talent, and
knowledge, to benefit their clients in any way they could.
It s.cat bard to call in question the sentence of a Judge,
but he could not help remarking on the inequality of the
punishment awarded in the cases of Medhurst and Coker.
The former was imprisoned for three years, and the latter
was sentenced to be Si ansported for life. Medhurst he
considered the guiltier party of the two.

NON CON.

THE

There were 1,741 persons landed at the new
pier, in Cheync-walk, Choisea, and embarked, independent
of those who Witl6d at the Swan pier p
, on Sunday last.
TREATMENT OF IRELAND.—With such a cli-
mate, such a soil, and such a people, the inferiority of Ire.
land to the rest of Europe is directly chargeable to the
wiekednesss of the English Government.—Ber•
Sydney Smith.

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