The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-15 00:00:00

he Nonconformists overstrain their own princi-

ple. If we remember rightly,• in the United
States Government, chaplains are appointed for
prisons and ships of war ; loss of liberty and em-
ployment in the navy being justly considered ex-
ceptions, even in a country which has no esta-
blished church. The Nonconformists, however,
act, at least, upon an unselfish and equal princi-
ple, whatever we may think of its soundness; they
refuse others national pay because they refuse it
for themselves. Mr. SPOONER., on the contrary,
with his comrades, is the uncompromising advo-
cate of sheer selfish bigotry. We quite acquit
him, indeed, of any consciousness of this truly
Christian quality ; ho "thinks he does GOD ser-
vice ;" to him it appears the perfection of pious
legislation to pay Dr. PUsEY for a service in a
gaol, and to deny a penny to Dr. WISEMAN ;
or to reward Mr. MACNEILL for visiting the sick
inmates of a prison, but to bid Dr. CULLEN do
the same duty fer nothing. Compared with this
the most thorough-going Voluntaryism challenges
our respect, and we only regret that its protest
was not louder against such intolerable exclusive-
ness. We cannot believe that the majority of
Tuesday night was a fair representation of the
views of the great majority of English Churchmen
outside the house.

It is really rather curious to notice the sliding
scale of Parliamentary liberality in religious mat-
ters. First, we have the out-and-out Church ex-
clusives ; Mr. SPOONER informing us that, on the
oath of the QUEEN, Popery "is blasphemous,
false, and a dangerous deceit," and alleging the
fact that if Catholic priests are paid, Dissenting
ministers must be paid also, as ample proof that
the Church would be betrayed for the vote of 550
pieces of gold. To this, of course, Mr. NEWDE-
GATE adds his solemn Amen ; Mr. HORSFALL
and Mr. MILES chanting responses, with a few
variations on " the Constitution" and the
erection of a rival " Establishment." At a
respectable distance follows Sir JoaN PAKINGTON ;
he seems to halt between two opinions.
He would vote either for limiting pay-
ment to Anglican clergymen, or extending it
to ministers of all denominations. To him utter
exclusiveness seemed as good as thorough libe-
rality ; but anything intermediate was a sort of
Egyptian darkness, between the light of our
Established Goshen on the one side, and the light
of a dissenting desert on the other. Next came
Lord PALMERSTON—as " sincere a Protestant" in
his own judgment (we may add in ours) as his
" more vehement" antagonist. He is a friend to
his Church, but he has numerous Catholic pri-
soners in the Government gaols ; ho thinks soli-
tude and confinement a desirable time to bring
religious instruction to bear upon the criminal ;
he knows that no one can advantageously receive
such instruction from the ministers of a religioh
which he rejects, and therefore, as Secretary of
State for all classes of her MAJESTY'S subjcts, he
would offer equal spiritual advantages to all whose
crimes have placed them under the most painful
department of his administration. The Volun-
taries, with their equality of universal disendow-
ment or non-payment, come fourth and last ; the
religious Radicals and ecclesiastical Republicans of
the day, who would sweep the Government and
Legislature clean of all church matters whatever.
Mr. SPOONER must certainly vote with these last in
favour of Sir War. CLAY'S Bill for the abolition
of Church Rates. He and his fellows have been
loud in protesting that it was not a paltry 5501.
which they wished to save the nation ; no—it was
solely a question of principle ; they would not
pay for a creed they rejected. Very noble the cry
no doubt, "not the amount, but the principle"—
but, assuredly, the Nonconformists will demand
reciprocity of sympathy and support, when they
ask not to be spared the individually trifling
amount of a Church Rate, but to be relieved from
the hardship of compulsion to pay for religious
services which they object to receive.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY,

Her Majesty had a dinner party in the Castle last
evening, which included his Majesty the King of Portu-
gal, his Royal Highness the Duke of Oporto, her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Suther-
land, the Duke of Nellington, the Portuguese Minister
(Count Lavralo), the Marquis of Breadaluane, the Mar-
quis of Abercorn Earl Spencer, the Duke of Terceira (in
waiting to the King of Portugal), Viscount de Carreira,
Baron de Sarmento, and Chevalier de Mello (in waiting
to his Majesty), Lady Anna Maria Dawson, Baroness
de Speth, Lord de Tabley, Colonel Wylde, and Sir James
Clark.

The band of the Royal Horse Guards was in attend-
ance during dinner. The Queen's private band after-
wards attended in the Castle and played the following
pieces :

Overturn, " Les Chaperons Blanca"
Selection, "L'Etoile du Nord"
Hochzeits Marsch .

Auber.
Meyerbeer.
Mendelssohn

The Count de Lavradio, the Duchess of Sutherland,
the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Breadalbane,
the Marchioness of Abercorn, and Earl Spencer arrived
at the Castle yesterday afternoon on a visit.
The Duchess and Princess Mary of Cambridge are ex-
pected to-day on a visit to her Majesty.
The following have been invited, and are expected this
afternoon :—His Excellency the French Ambassador and
the Countess Walewski, the Countess Lavradio, the Aus-
trian Minister (Count Colloredo), the Duchess of Wel-
lington, the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, the Earl and
Countess of Clarendon, the Earl and Countess of Bess-
borough, the Earl and Countess Granville, and the
Ladies Harriet and Louisa Hamilton.

A deputation of the Commissioners of Sewers of the
city of London, consisting of the chairman, Mr. Deputy
Peacock, Deputy Harrison, Deputy Hill, Deputy Cor-
ney, Mr. Hall, and other gentler:len, had an interview
with Viscount Palmerston yesterday at the Home-office.
The chief clerk, the engineer, and Mr. Simon, medical
officer of health, attended the conference.
Sir Charles Wood gave a dinner to the Cabinet Mini-
sters last evening at his residence in Chesham-place.
Despatches from the governors of Victoria and Gib-
raltar were received yesterday at the Colonial-office.

EXCHEQUER BONDS.—Exchequer-bonds remain with
firmness at to premium. The bill authorising a total
issue of 6,000,0001. passed its third reading last night,
and an expectation is entertained that as soon as it shall
have received the Royal assent the 4,000,0001. remain-
ing to be issued will be put forth. From those already
issued having become an established security in the mar-
ket an increased disposition to subscribe for them is
understood to exist on the part of the leading capitalists.
MEXICAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN COMPANY.—At the
half-yearly meeting of the Mexican and South American
Company held yesterday a dividend of 7s. 61. per share
was declared, and the report adopted. It is stated that
operations are progressing satisfactorily, and that the
produce of ore has increased. The expenditure, how-
ever, has been augmented by the high rates of fuel and
freight.
THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH SENT TO ST. PETERS-
BURG.—Accounts from Asia state that the Armenian
Patriarch Narses, who has been for some time a prisoner
at Gumri, has been strongly guarded to St. Petersburg.
An extension of his power over the Armenian people
has been always aimed at by the Czar as a means of fur-
thering his designs on the Turkish provinces of Asia.
Half of Armenia is already in his hands, and within the
limits of Russian territory is situate Ecmiaczin, the chief
seat of the Armenian Patriarchate. The present pos-
sessor of the seat appear to have been a strong opponent
of Russian views, and three months ago he was seized
and placed in the almost impregnable fortress which de-
fends the frontier and threatens the Russian army. He
is now, if the report is to be believed, carried far away
from his country and jurisdiction to live as a State pri,
sour in the northern metropolis.