The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-12 00:00:00

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGA-
TION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS.
(From the Norwich Gazette.)
The anniversary meeting of the "members and
friends " of this Society was advertised to take place on.
Thursday last ; when the Rev. R. Crofts, who was de-
puted by the Parent Society, and other gentlemen, it
was stated, would explain the objects and operations of
the Society ; Lord Wodehouse being also announced as
the Chairman of the morning meeting.
On the day previous to the meeting a bill had been
put into circulation signed " A Philanthropist," urging
the Chartists to attend.
At twelve o'clock, the hour for the meeting, the Lord
Lieutenant (Lord Wodehouse), the Right Hon. and
Rev. Lord Bayning, the Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean,
the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Pelham, and a large body of
the Clergy had assembled, and a number of ladies had
also entered the Hall to be present at the meeting.
Several well-known Chartists had taken the front row
of seats in. the area, and it was quite evident that the
intention was to interfere with the course of the meeting.
Lord WonEtrou-sE, in taking the Chair, said it was
usual to commence meetings of this kind with prayer.
Appropriate prayers were accordingly read by the Rev.
C. Chapman.
Lord WODEHOUSE then rose and said—lt is my duty
—(lmmediately the interruption commenced, one of the
Chartists calling out " The Chairman has not been ap-
pointed yet."
The DEAN said—This is a meeting of the members
and friends of the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel, and it has been announced that Lord Wodehouse
would take the chair.
Rev. C. CHAPMAN—I wish to say, once for all, that we
are prepared to put down those who are come here with
the determination to disturb this meeting. lam fully
convinced that most of the Chartists are here at the in-
stigation of some one else.—(A Chartist—" It is false.")
If any one of you can show that you have been so in-
stigated, and will give us information as to the parties,
I can only say that it shall answer your purpose.
HURRELL—The spirit of truth is guiding us, and if
that misguides us,we can't help it.
Lord °WODEHOUSE again attempted to address the
meeting, but was again interrupted by the Chartists.
A CHARTIST—Last week I heard a gentleman saying
that the Church was prosperous, and because I said the
people were starving I was told that I should be sent to
prison.—(Increasing noise.)
The Rev. R. CROFTS, M.A. (Rector of North Ockon-
don, Essex, and Chaplain to 'the Bishop of Salisbury),
who had been; deputed by the Parent Society, endea-
voured to obtain a hearing. He said this is a meeting
called together of the members of the Socipty who
were invited to hear and . explanation of the objects
and operations of the Society. I will presume
you are friends. Are you aware of the objects
of the Society ; they are to give spiritual
assistance to English emigrants to our colonies. Have
none of you friends in Australia, friends who have been
obliged to leave this country and seek_ employment
elsewhere, because the population here is so large? And
would you not wish that those friends should have in-
struction and assistance? I myself have friends there.—
(Laughter, interruption, and much noise ; and it was
evident that it would be impossible to go on with the
proceedings.)
Lord WODEHOUSE rose and said—l move that this
meeting do now adjourn. His Lordship immediately
left the chair and retired from the Hall.—(Noise and
uproar from the Chartists, one of whom called out, " I
move that Mr. Clarke take the chair;" loud cheers from
the Chartists.)
Clarke, the Socialist, who was in the front row with
the Chartists, climbed up the front part of' the orchestra
and planted himself in the chair amidst loud huzzas from
the Chartists.
CLARKE addressing the gentlemen on the platform—
You shall be all heard if you will only attend to me
now in the chair.
The policemen present were called and immediately
obeyed the summons of the Rev. C. Chapman, who
charged them to take Clarke into custody, and two of
the policemen handed Clarke off to the Hall, amidst
much excitement.

T. HEWETT, a Chartist—You'll never have another
public meeting in this Hall £ can tell you.—(Three
cheers were proposed for the Charter, and " three
groans for the parsons.")
After the Noble Chairman had left, the Dean, the
Her. Mr. Crofts, the Rev. Mr. Yates, and several other
clergymen and gentlemen stopped, and endeavoured to
reason with the Chartists, but the greatest confusion
and noise existed.
Mr. WINTER came to the front of the hustings and
addressed the Chartists, but amidst the 'confusion the
only remark we could hear was this :—" I tell you, that
by the course you are pursuing, you are setting every
honest man against you."
llnworr—The parsons are robbers, plunderers, and
Murderers.
Mr. WINTER.—It is false.
A GENTLEMEN on the platform.—Who are your best
friends ?
llEwErr—Not the parsons. You do not work, Sir.
Mr. WINTER.—Who is it to whom you would be glad
to send in your dying hour ?—the clergyman. Who is
it that will attend you at that trying moment !—the
clergyman. If you attended your church you would not
act as you are now doing.
One man said—My name is George Lamb—l assure
you, gentlemen, as I now stand here, if you put me into
;prison I shall be glad of it, for I shall have more food
there than I have now. lam a native of Norwich, and
have worked for Mr. Willett 15 years; I know the dif-
ference between the discipline of the workhouse and the
prison, having been in both places. I was put into a
workhouse in the county, and for getting over the wall
• was sent to Walsingham prison, where my treatment
I!&ter than in the workhouse.
Another—'Tis no use; you shall never have another
public meeting.
The Ladies had chiefly left the Hall, and most Of the
supporters of the meeting.
HEWETT--We want more bread and less bibles, and
more pigs and less parsons.
Another—The parsons are the worst set of beings on
the face of the earth.

Mr. WINTER—They are the best friends of the poor,
and many of you who have caused this interruption are
the mon whom they have supported. Some of you who
arc the loudest against the parsons would be the first
to call upon them when in difficulties.—(Cries of " You
always was a lazy fellow ; you are no use.")
The Very Rev, the DEAN also attempted to address
the meeting, but with no better success, and amid the
cries of " Who robs the labourer oftis hire," &c., &c.
HEwETT—You are all robbers of the poor, you 'have
robbed them so much that we are all turned parsons
ourselves, and don't want you.
The Rev R. CROFT suggested that they should hear
each other ten minutes quietly.
HuaßELL—Allow us a Chairman, and we will discuss
any subject with you.—(Laughter.) Now, do not go
away, or before you depart allow me to say to you that
we should not have opposed you as we have done if you
had treated us fairly. Your party has put out a paper,
called the Protestant Herald, that in the first number
chose to belie us in a most unjustifiable manner. If you
treat us well we will not oppose your being heard, but
will calmly discuss this, or any other question, with you,
but we will not be treated in this disrespectful manner.
When I read the Scriptures I find the great author of
your religion bore patiently the taunts of his enemies,
and when he was reviled, reviled not again. We want to
see you, who profess to be his followers, manifesting
something of his spirit, and not to endeavour to crush us
beneath your feet.
Her. R. CROFT—I am glad to find that some of you
are disposed to hear reason. Allow me now to say
quietly, that this Society provides schools, churches,
and clergymen, for your fellow-countrymen who go
abroad. lam a stranger amongst you, and know no-
thing of the Protestant Herald, nor have I aught to do
with the income of the clergy. I am, Ido not deny it,
a clergyman, or, if
.you prefer it (for I do not object to
the term) a parson in another county, and, I trust, I
labour to benefit the poor in my own parish. I wish to
observe, that this was a meeting of the members and
friends of this Society, who had decided that Lord Wode-
house should take the chair on this occasion, and the
Society does not want people to come to discuss, but
to hear—(Laughter)—the statements that I had to
make to them of the way in which the funds had
been expended. (Laughter.) We do not come
to your meetings to discuss the Charter—(" No, we do
not hold our meetings in this way")—nor do we inter-
rupt you. If you called together a meeting of the
friends to the Charter, I, not being a friend to the Char-
ter, should not come with a number of persons to inter-
rupt you.—(Laughter.) You would think it very unfair
if I did. But surely you will allow us to exercise our
benevolence on the objects of distress. I have always
been a supporter of the popular rights, and who is it
that build your hospitals, and visit the beds of the
dying, but the clergy ?—(A. voice, "The Catholics.'
Another voice, "I say the people.") You complain
of the rich, but you could not live without them.—
(Cries of " Oh, yes, we could ; give us the land and we
will try.") I say you could not lire without the rich,
or the rich without you.—(Cries of " Marcus.") Who
is Marcus ?—(Cries of " Marcus," " Malthus.") Oh
Malthus ! Ido not agree with Malthus ; but he is not
a parson you know.—(A voice, " Yes hods," and " Where
is Miss Martineau ?") Well, Miss Martineau is not a
parson.—(Laughter.) But neither with Miss Martineau
nor with Malthus do I agree ; but, I repeat, I came here
to tell you what we have done with the money subscribed
by the friends of the Society.—(A Chartist, " Yes, but
show us what you have done with our money. How
much do you get a year ?") I was going to tell you
what had been done amongst the convicts.—(" What
have you done with Frost ?") Why, it was brought as a
charge against the late Government, by the Conserva-
tives, that they had been too lenient with him.—(Laugh-
ter. "We are going to send off three ship loads of
parsons to exchange for Frost, Williams, and Jones. If
you think it's God's will to remove the over-population,
take a rope and hang yourself, you will be one the less.
Lend us twenty millions of money as you did for the
slaves.")
IMr. CROFT.—Do you grudge the slaves their liberty ?
("No, but you try to enslave us.")
One man from amongst the Chartists, whom we had
observed very noisy, got upon a form and said: I was six
years in the West Indies, between, St. Thomas and Bar-
badoes, and saw how the slaves ate and drank, and I do,
standing here, say, so help me God I would rather be a
slave in the plantations than be as lam now. The men
that had slaves had an interest in them as their property,
and that they should be able to do their work; and five
Englishman would do as much in one day as 20 of them.
—(Mr. Croft " With the whip.") Yes, with the whip. In
the morning the whip did crack certainly, as our bells ring;
but after that there was a certain time allowed for them
to get to their work; and if they were after that time,
they were not flogged, but the driver merely ran after
them with the whip, and they might perhaps occasion-
ally get a cut at them. (Mr. Croft shook hia head.) Then
when they were in the field they dug a square hole for