The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-03 00:00:00

THE CHURCH GOVERNMENT QUESTION.

On Wednesday night a meeting was held in Bryanston-
square, London, for the purpose of adopting a plan for
the formation of a Church Council for the congregation
and parochial district of St. Mary's, Bryanstou-square.
The chair was taken by the Rev. Mr. Freemantle, the
rector, and on the platform were Mr. Baron Pigott, Lord
Lichfield. Mr. T. Chambers, Q.C., M.P., and Mr. G.
Hanbury. The regulations for the formation of the Coun-
cil, as prepared by the parochial committee, were, first, to
the effect that a Council be formed to co-operate with the
rector in the management and control of the arrange.
ments in the church and parish. The topics to which
this rule will apply include the mode of conducting the
ordinary services, the amouut and character of the sing-
ing, the use of hymn-books, the manner of administering
the Holy. Communion, arrangements of the Church
as a place of worship for the -benefit of all classes, and
the charitable relief the p Dor. No proposal to take
effect which shall not have obtained the consent of
the rector and either the majority of the whole Council
or three-fourths of those actually present. The
other regulations point chiefly to the constitution of
the Council, in which four classes are to be represented,
viz.: the congregation, the resident gentry, the
trading classes, and the mechanics and labourers. The
chairman, in opening the proceedings, said it was
highly important to get the laity to co-operate with the
clergy in the management of Church affairs, and it was with
a view to bring that about that the regulations had been
framed, and the present meeting called. Mr. Woodhouse,
in the course of some remarks, said he feared Dissenters
would join the Councils. Mr. T. Chambers, Q.C., M.P.,
said he had come forward to support this movement
because he felt there had been for too long a time a divorce
between the laity and the clergy of the Church. The
Church of England lost ground every day through the
existence of this state of things. He begged to move—
" That, having heard the plan proposed for the forma-
tion of a Church Council, this meeting pledges itself to
use its best efforts to carry it into effect." Mr. Norton
seconded the resolution, which was carried. Mr. Baron
Pigott, in moving the appointment of a committee to
carry out the election of the Council, said it was to advo-
cate the principle of the movement that he was present on
that occasion, but he did not pledge himself to the regula-
tions, because he had not had timeto study them. He hoped
thismovementmightlead to the establishment of a Council
with which the rector could carry out the work of the
Church amicably; and he hoped that Parliament would
relax the stringent rules which bound down the Church of
England so as to leave something in the discretion of the
rector and allow the people of the parish to regulate forms
and ceremonies—he would almost say the Liturgy itself.
He wished every succcess to this movement. Mr. G.
Hanbury seconded the motion, which was passed.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT
INSTITUTION.

Yesterday a meeting of this institution was held at its
house, John-street, Adelphi, Thomas Chapman, Esq.,
F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. There were also present—
Sir Edward Perrott, Bart., W. H. Harton, Esq., Admiral
Sir W. H. Hall, K.C.8., Admiral Ryder, Sir Wil-
liam Clayton, Bart., Capt. do St. Croix, John
Griffith, Esq., Colonel Fitz Roy Clayton, Admiral
McHardy, Colonel Palmer, and Richard Lewis,
Esq. The minutes of the previous meeting having
been read, rewards were granted to the crews of
different lifeboats for services on the occasion of ship-
wrecks on our coasts. The Willie and Arthur, tubular
lifeboat at New Brighton, went off in reply to signals of
distress, during a strong gale from the S.W., on the 12th
of May, to the barque Ida Maria, of Dantzic, bound
from that port to Liverpool, with a cargo of
timber, which, in attempting to enter the Mer-
sey, had gone on the Little Burbo Sandbank,
while a very heavy sea was running thereon. The life-
boat stood by the vessel for some time, and used every
exertion to get her off, but without avail, and the crew of
thirteen men and a pilot were then taken into the boat
and brought safely ashore, the barque afterwards becoming
a total wreck. The Newbiggin lifeboat William Hop-
kinson, of Brighouse, had also rendered important service,
on the 11th of May, to six fishing cobles of that place, which
had been caught in a storm, and were in imminent danger.
With the lifeboat's assistance the boats and their crews
were all fortunately got home in safety. The Christopher
Ludlow lifeboat, at Dungarvon, Ireland, was the means
of saving the crew of three men of the schooner Bertholly,
which struck on Dungarvon Bar during a southerly gale
and heavy sea on the 30th May, and was in danger
of breaking up. On the 17th May the sloop George and
Margaret, of Allonby, in attempting to enter Maryport
too early on the tide, struck upon Skinburness Point
during a very heavy gale, and in a tremendous sea. In a
very short time she capsized, filled with water, and the
crew of two men were unhappily drowned before the
Silloth lifeboat Angela and Hannah, which was most
promptly launched, could get to the scene of the wreck.
The silver medal of the institution and a copy of the vote,
inscribed on vellum, were 'granted to Mr. William Stug-
gins, the second coxswain of the Teignmouth lifeboat, on
the occasion of his retirement from that office, in acknow-
ledgment of his long and valuable services in the lifeboat
during the past nineteen years in saving life from ship-
wreck. Various other rewards were also granted to the
crews of different shoreboats for saving life from wrecks on
the coasts of the United Kingdom. Payments, amounting
to £l,BOO, were ordered to be made on various lifeboat
establishments, £l,OOO stock of the funded capital of the
institution being ordered to meet in part the said pay-
ments. £5O had been handed to the society by William
Chippindale, Esq., of Tunbridge-wells, at the request of
his late son, Dr. Walter Chippindale. The late John
Abbott, Esq., of Halifax, had left the Institution a
legacy of £2,000, part of which sum was to be applied
towards placing another lifeboat on the coast. The late
Miss Sarah Dorset, of Reading, had likewise bequeathed
£lOO to the Society. A new lifeboat had just been sent to
the Isle of Arran in Scotland ; and the Glasgow
and South Western Railway Company had readily
granted the boat a free conveyance over their line. His
Royal Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief
had informed the institution that he had given orders for
the institution's revised instructions for the restoration of
the apparently drowned to be circulated at all the
stations of the British army at home and abroad.
The committee expressed their sincere condolence with
the family of the late Mr. Mark Lemon, who during the
past twenty years had, through the medium of the well
known publication which he so ably conducted, ren-
dered most important service to the lifeboat cause.
Reports w•re read from Captain J. R. Ward, R.N., the
inspector, and Captain D. Robertson, R.N., the assistant
inspector of lifeboats to the society, on their recent visits
to the coast, and the proceedings then terminated.