The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-18 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

Mr. T. DUN CO MBE pr,ssented a petition from
John Thorogood, whose year of imprisonment is Chelms-
ford gaol had just expired ; and the Hon. Member stated
that as he meant on Thursday, the 30th instant, to call
the attention of the House to the petition, he could
only state its prayer, which was, that the House would
forthwith take measures for carrying into effect the
resolution, " That it is expedient to make as speedily as
possible provision to prevent the recurrence of acts of
violence on those who conscientiously dissent from the
rites and doctrines of the Established Church." The
following is the petition above referred to :

" To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain and

Ireland in Parliament assembled,

" The Petition of John Thorogood, of Chelmsford,
in the County of Essex, shoemaker, a prisoner
in the county gaol in that town.
" Your petitioner again approaches your Honourable
House, complaining of the cruel and unjust laws by which
he has been deprived of liberty for twelve =nibs, and
which offer him no chance of relief but by the violation of

his conscience.
Your petitioner believes the existence of a State Church
to be repugnant to the principles of the Holy Scriptures,
and detrimental to the cause of religion ; he thinks he
ought not to contribute to its support, and he therefore
refuses voluntarily to pay Church Rates.
" Your petitioner having been cited to the Ecclesiastical
Court of London, for a rate of ss. 6d , which he bad thus
refused to pay, declined to appear in a Court constituted on
rules equally repulsive to Constitutional principles and to
common justice.

" For-such non-appearance your petitioner was appre-
hended on the 16th day of January, 1839, and has ever
since been confined in Chelmsford goal.
" Your petitioner represents to your Honourable House
that he is charged with no moral crime, and the only alle-
gation against him is, that he has neglected to obey the
summons of a Court. For such neglect the reasonable
penalty would have been the loss of the suit, while your
petitioner has been already visited with the punishment of
a felon, and has no prospect of release but by death.
" In the wisdom of your Honourable House a resolution
was passed in your last Session; that in the opinion of
your Honourable House it is the duty of the Legislation,
at the earliest possible period of the present Session of
Parliament, to make such alterations in the existing laws
for levying Church Rates, as shall prevent the recurrence of
such violence being ever again inflicted upon the religious
scruples of that portion of her Majesty's subjects who con-
scientiously dissent from the rites and doctrines of the
Established Church.
" Your petitioner therefore prays your Honourable
House to carry this resolution into practical effect, by tak-
ing from the Episcopal sect the power of taxing for its
support men who do not conform to its creed, and from its
Ecclesiastics a jurisdiction which all admit to be unjust,
and the majority denounce as barbarous and oppressive."
Mr. BAINE: presented a petition from the inhabi-
tants of Thaxted, in Essex, complaining of the oppres-
sion which Mr. Thorogood had suffered for the non-
payment of 55., and praying the House to take measures
for reforming the now oppressive practices of the Eccle-
siastical Courts, and for preventing the necessity for
I Church-rates.