The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-14 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL MEETING FOR THE
TOTAL ABOLITION OF CHURCH-RATES.

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.
This morning, pursuant to public advertisement, a
meeting took place at the Music Hall, Bold-street, to
consider the propriety of petitioning Parliament for the
abolition of Church-rates. The requisition calling the
meeting contained the names of all the leading Dissenters
and Roman Catholics in the town, including also many
Liberal Members attached to the Church of England.
Owing to the extreme inclemency of the weather (for
it rained in torrents durinc, the early part of the day) the
large room was less crowded than it would otherwise have
been. The attendance exceeded 1,000 persons. On the
platform were seated the leading members of the new Town
Council. Among others we noticed—Thomas Thornely,
Esq., M.P. for Wolverhampton, James Brancker, Esq.,
(the Liberal candidate for Liverpool at the next election),
William Rathbone, Esq., Thomas Blackburn, Esq., John
Cropper, Esq., Thomas Bolton, Esq., Thomas Booth, Esq.,
C. Rawdon, Esq., Thomas Coglan, Esq., James Ryley,
Esq., and a number of other influential gentlemen.
Samuel Hope, Esq., banker, was called to the Chair.
Thomas THORNELY, Esq., M.P., then rose to address
the meeting. He said it was not his intention to have
taken any prominent part in the business of the day.
He had thought it to be his duty to attend the meeting
in order to be a witness of the feeling of the public upon
the question of church-rates, so as to be enabled to state
his opinion correctly when he had to meet the represen-
tatives of the people elsewhere. It was in his opinion
extremely unfair that Churchmen should ask Dissenters
to pay towards the expenses of an establishment when
they had the expenses of their own places of worship to
defray. He had the happiness to live in times when a
number of desirable reforms had been effected, and he
hoped they were now on the eve of the abolition of
church-rates. In 183,5, Mr. Childs, of Bungay, was im-
prisoned in Ipswich gaol, because he refused to pay church-
rates. He had been introduced to that gentleman in the
lobby of the House of Commons, and he knew him to be a
man of excellent character, and a sincere friend of civil
and religious liberty. Mr. Russell, of Edinburgh, had last
year been incarcerated in a prison for the same cause.
The time had now arrived for the question to be fairly
taken up.—(Hear.) He had no feelings of enmity
towards the members of the Established Church—they
were a respectable and numerous branch of the com-
munity—but he should consider them much more re-
spectable if they would defray the expenses attached to the
church in which they worshipped, out of their own pockets.
—(Cheers.) He would not further intrude upon the meet-
ing, but would conclude by moving the first resolution. It
was to the effect, " That the levying of church-rates for the
support of the established religion is both unjust and impo-
litic, tending to produce strife and animosity, and to destroy
that peace and good-will among neighbours which it is one
great object of Christianity to promote."
Mr. JAMES MOLLYNEUX seconded the resolution, which
was put by the CHAIRMAN, and carried with acclamation.

Mr. BLACKBURN moved the next resolution, to the effect,
that " nothing short of the total abolition of this vexatious
impost can satisfy the demands of equity ; inasmuch as the
substitution for it of a charge on the general revenue of the
country would retain the principle ; is a more objectionable
form than that in which it is now applied, and would in
effect compel the inhabitants of Scotland and Ireland to
contribute to expenses incurred for the accommodation of
the wealthy Episcopalians of England." He observed that
it was not an uncommon thing to hear the advocates
of church-rates charge the opponents of them with a
want of attachment to the British Constitution. Did
not those persons who wished to see defects reme-
died prove that attachment ? There was a tide in
all affairs which rendered alterations necessary ; and
many things which, he had no doubt, when first introduced,
worked well and effected the purpose for which they were
established, now required a change, and no object required
greater attention than that of a speedy abolition of chord:-
rates.—(Cheers.) It had been said that the opposition
raised against church-rates was an opposition to religion,
and that those who opposed church-rates were enemies
to the revealed truth. Now he would take two indi-
viduals : the one was anxious to follow the religion of
the New Testament, relying upon himself for the sup-
port of his church, and hoping to see the religion of the
Bible established throughout the world ; the other indi-
vidual contended that the church was unable to support
itself independent of the aid of human government, and that
it was necessary to exact payment for its support from
those who conscientiously dissented from it. Looking at
the two characters, which, he asked, was the greatest friend
to true religion ?—(Cheers.)
W. RATHMONE, Esq., in seconding the resolution, said
church-rates, he considered, were forbidden by the Bible—
opposed to the word of God, and had their origin only in
the unhappy connection existing between Church and State.
The existing system was pernicious, and grounded on er-
roneous principles. Under a different arrangement, the
working clergy belonging to the Establishment would he
better paid than they were at present.—(Cheers.) Mr.
Rathbone concluded by again reiterating his belief that
church-rates were iniquitous in themselves, contrary to the
word of God, and injurious to the Church —(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN begged to express a hope that the
Government would not abolish the church-rates by charg-
ing them to the Consolidated Fund—a measure which, he
stated, would not satisfy the Dissenters, as it would be
adding insult to oppression. The Chairman then put the
resolution, which was carried, three or four hands only
being held up against it.
JAMES BRANCKER, Esq., the Liberal candidate for the
representation of Liver/pool at the next election, presented
himself to the meeting, and was received with three dis-
tinct rounds of applause. As a member of the Church of
England, and sincerely approving of its doctrines, he felt
ashamed of the existence of this unjust and paltry rate.
He felt ashamed, he repeated, that the Church of England
—the richest in the world—should be thus continually put-
ting its hands in the pockets of its neighbours.—(Cheers.)
Were the perpetration of such injustice to be told 3 hundred
years hence, it would scarcely be believed.—(Cheers.) He
considered the exaction of Church-rates, proceeding from the
richest portion of the Church of Christ, as paltry and unjust.
He begged to read the petitions to Parliament ; that to the
Commons would be confided to their worthy Representative,
Mr. Evart—(Cheers)—and that to the Lords would be
presented by the Eari of Derby. and its prayer supported
by Lord Holland and their excellent neighbour Lord Sef-
ton.--(Cheers.) Mr. Brancker read the petition, which
stated that the collection of church-rates was discreditable
to the members of the Church of England, who are able,
and ought to be willing to defray the expenses of their
own worship ; that their collection was injurious to the
peace of society, and unjust to the dissenting portion of
the community ; and finally, that any measure having for
its object the mere commutation of church-rates, by trans-
ferring the charge to the general revenue of the country,
would be unjust towards the people of Ireland and Scotland,
by levying a tax for the accommodation of the wealthy Epis-
copalians of England.

JAMES RYLE-Y, jun , Esq., had great pleasure in moving
the adoption of the petition. As a member of the society
called Quakers—a body which had, more than any other,
suffered serious privation by the levying of Church-rates,
he felt deeply the justice and necessity of their abolition.
The petition and accompanying resolution were then put
and carried unanimously.
Mr. T. BOLTON then proposed the following resolution :
" That a Committee be appointed to take charge of the pe-
titions—that it be authorised to co-operate with the Church-
rate Abolition Society recently formed in London, and to
send deputies to the meeting of delegates, which is appointed
to take place early in February, for the purpose of consi-
dering and determining upon measures for effecting the
abolition of Church-rates, and that the following gentlemen
be appointed to such Committee.—[Here followed the
names of thirty gentlemen of the highest standing and re-
spectability in Liverpool, composed indiscriminately of
members of the Church of England, Dissenters, and Ro-
man Catholics.]

LAWRENCE HEYWORTH, Esq., seconded the resolution,
which was carried amid acclamation.

After some further remarks from J. B. BARCLAY, Esq.,
and Mr. HENRY HOLMES, a vote of thanks was proposed
to the Chairman, by a veteran Reformer, OTTIWELL
WOOD, Esq.
The CHAIRMAN briefly returned thanks, and the meet-
ing separated.

Messrs. Drummond and Co., with their usual libe-
rality, have contributed .50/. to the building fund of the
Royal Naval School.

A lecture on entomology was delivered at the Isling-
ton Litersary and Scientific Society, on Thursday evening,
by Mr. H. Goadby, who availed 'himself of the immense
powers of the hydro-oxygen microscope, in bringing before the
audience a very fine collection of specimens of the anatomy
of the different parts. It struck us that this instrument
might be also applied in illustration of lectures on botany.
Yesterday a meeting of the British residents in
Boulogne and its vicinity was held at Mr. Inces British
Hotel, for the purpose of forwarding an address to his
Majesty Louis Philippe, on his late providential escape
from assassination. The room was crowded—Admiral
Mackellar was voted into the chair. An address was read
by Mr. Clifton, and proposed and seconded by Sir Theo-
P hilus Pritzler and Sir William Hart ; and after some little
alterations were made in it, at the suggestion of Mr. Benson
and some other gentlemen, it was agreed to, we believe,
with only one dissenting voice.
i An amendment
.was pro-
posed, but as no one seconded t, it consequently fell to the
ground. The thanks of those present were voted to Ad-
miral Mackellar, for his conduct as chairman.—Boulogne
Journal.