The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-30 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

Lord PALMERSTON brouAt up a copy of the con-
vention catered into between his M.jesty the King of
France, and his Majesty the King of the Netherlands,
wi h an explanatory article thereunto annexed.
Sit RICHARD VYVYAN said, before the House went
into Committee on the question of colonial slavery,
he had to present a petition from a body of his
Majesty's subjects, who frit greatly aggrieved by
the plan proposed by the Right Honourable Gentle-
tnan. It was a petition from the bankers, pl .nters,
proprietors, merchants, and others in terested in West
prop.rty. The petitioners stated that they saw no
darefenee in property held under the still exiting law—
( Hear) which they contended was in favour of their
posses.ing of such property as that of which the
proposed mea,ure was intend d to deprive them.

- -
I That much of that property had devolved upon the m under
conditions that the grant-r should keep up arid mairrain a
01-tsin number of slaves. Tf at under certain Acts pass, d
in the years 1819 and 1821, Government hal itself
sold estates with slaves upon theni. Tura by the resolu-
tion entered into by that House in 1832, it had recog-
nizt.d the rinht of prop-rty, and had bound itself to pro_
vi le a fair compensation for the value of the slaves, if the
State interfered with them. That the petitioners had heard
with great consternation and dismay the propositions of
the Right Hon. Gentleman with regard the abolition of
sl every, seeing that they amounted to an absolute con.
fication of property without an adequate compensation.
And that to ;proprietors and owners of unencumbered
estates, the proposed plan afforded no compensation what•
ever. The Hon. Member begged to say, that he had on
no previous occasion gone so much at length into the read-
ing of a petition, but he thought that the present occa-
sion was one in which a deviation from his usual rule
would be readily conceded ; especially as the petition
contained sufficient argument to induce the House to accede
to the prayer of the petitioners to be heard by counsel at
the bar of that House against the proposed measure. He
would not, hewever, go into any further argument, which
might provoke discussion, belore the subject was regularly
under notice.

The l etition was then read. The Hon. Bart. then pre-
sented another petition from the linen, woollen, hardware,
and other merchants, brokers, shipowners, coopers, rope
and snit-makers, iron merchants, and other manufacturers
connected with the West Indian commerce of the city of
Bristol, deprecating the adoption by the House of any
tnea•ure of slave emancipation not consistent with the
wellbeing of the negroes, the full safety of the colonies,
and the equitable consideration of the rights of private
property.

Mr. GOULBURN presented a petition to the same
effect, agreed to at a public meeting held in London, and
signed by 1,600 planters, merchants, shipowners, ma-
nufacturers, traders, mortgagees, annuitants, and
others, interested i❑ the preservation Of the West
Indian Colonies. He was persuaded that he need
nut apprise the House of the respectability of the
individuals who attended this meeting, and signed
this petition, nor call to its attention the weight that was
to be attached to their representatives as to the effects of
the projected scheme of negro emancipation, which had been
promulgated by the Hun. Secretary. The petitioners were
divided into two classes—those who had a direct personal
interest in the preservation of the West India colonies
and who considered that the effect of the measure would
be to reduce them Ind their families to poverty and dis-
tress ;—( Hear, hear)—and the other party who bad
signed the petitions consisted of those who were
not directly interested in the colouies—(Hear)—
but who addressed the House as persons who felt the
benefits which had been derived from our colonial empire,
and that its destruction would he fraught with ruin to
the commerce, the naval greatness, anti general and
financial prosperity of the country. T, e petitioners
only repeat the declarations of our enemies, who had al
ways held our colonial empire to he the greatest source of
our power. He joined in the hope the petitioners ex
pressed, that the Howe would do nothing to destroy that
poteer.--The petition was then laid upon the table.
Mr. FOW ELL BUXTON, in rising to present petitions
against slavery, from Inverness, Arbroath, Paisley,
and other places, said be would not follow the
example of the Right Honourable Gentleman who
had just sat down, and bake a long speech.
hear, hear.) The only observation he should
make would be that the petitioners differed entirely from
those who hid signed the petition presented by the Hon.
Baronet. They did not consider men and women as
chattels, to he bought and sold as commodities, to be
put up to auction; but as men and women having the
same priviieges and entitled to the same consideration as

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL presented various peti-
tions from various parts of Stilfordshire, against slavery.
The order of the day way then read for the H.,use to
resolve itself into a Committee on the Colonial Slavery
question ; and on the motion that the Speaker du now
leave the Chair,

Sir R. VY VYAN rose to oppose the motion. Of all
the questions brought before the Legisliture, none wis more
difficult than that on which the House was about to enter.
Strong opinions, partly rrlioous, and partly arising from a

philosophical view of the subject were held by many.
Many who had pursued the subject for years with no ordi-
nary zeal, advocated the measures brought forty trd by
Ministers ; while others stated that they apprehended
inniery for themselves and their posterity, if the Mini-
sterial plan were adopted.—(Hear.) Never in his opi-
nion was there a tome or a question brought before
the House, requiring so much forbearance. The
principle of interference which the plan of Minis-
ters acknowledged, was any thing but calculated to
accomplish the desired object. Rights of remote colonies
had been attacked, great changes were to be effected, hut he
could not see the good that was to result from teem. The
colonies, whether in the West or East Indies, had no direct
representation in that House. But they had Members
there, he was glad to say, who had their interests mixed
up with their own, and who would sanction no acts of
Governmeno that woutd be to their disadvantage. It
was true that the Honourable Member for Mid.
dlesex, when the Reform Bill was under discussion,
had made a motion for the purpose of endeavouring to give
direct representation to the colonies. But that, he was sorry
to say, formed no part of the present Reform Bill. The
inhabitants of Birmingham and Manchester had obtained
that right on abstract principles, which was denied to
the colonies. No measure was ever more tyran-
nical than that, and he, for one, should always
say that nothing would be done for the colonies after
denying them a voice in that House.
(LYFT SITTING.)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

I3OW-STREET.

William Taverner, William Herbert, and Cathe-
rine his wife, and Thomas M.-Ward, and Mary his
wife, were yesterday charged with having feloniously
broken open a Post-office letter-bag► and abstracting
therefrom a quantity of General-post letters, con-
taining 1501. and upwards, in Bank notes.
Mr. Benjamin Heath, clerk to Messrs. Cobb and
Co., bankers, of Banbury, on the 15th of December
last enclosed twelve bank-notes of the Stoney-
Stratford Bank, of the value of 101. each, and two
notes for Si. each, and forwarded them by post to
Messrs. Oliver and York, of Stoney-Stratford.
Mr. Mayne, of No. 1, Old Broad-street, on the
same day forwarded two 10/. notes of the Batik of
England in a letter addressed to Forbes M'Neill,
Esq., of Hadleigh, near Barnet.
Mr. John Mutlow, a dell( in the General Post-
office, deposed to his having opened the Banbury
letter-bag, on the morning of the 17th of December
last. A letter addressed to Stoney-Stratford would
have been forwarded in that bag. The hag arrived
safe.

George Ledbitter, one of the officers of this
establishment, took the prisoners into custody, wtih
the exception of Taverner, at Stoney-Stratford, on
the 22d instant. lie brought them to the General
Post-office, where he took charge of the later
prisoners. The prisoners were cautioned by Mr.
Peacock not to say anything that might affect
themselves, as it would be used in evidence against
them. Having received this caution, the prisoner
Catherine Herbert stated that the bag was brought
to her house by the prisoner Thomas Millard, on
a Tuesday night, and on the following night, Mil-
lard and his wife, Taverner, and herself, took the
letters out of the different bags, and they were all
engaged in opening them to look for money. After
they had done so, they burned the letters and the
bags. She said that they took a quantity of bank-
notes from some of the letters.

Edward Hunt, the constable and gaoler of South-
ampton, t•-ok Taverner into custody at that place
on the 18th instant, from information he had pre-
viously received. On searching him he found upon
is person a small red pocket-book, containing two
10/. notes of the S oney-Stratford Bank. The pri-
soner said that he had had the notes in his posses-
sion for about six weeks, and could give a satisrac-
tory account of them. When brought before a
Magistrate at Portsmouth, the prisoner said that he
received the notes from a man named Herbert, who
told him that he picked them up on the road be-
tween London and Newport Pagnell.
Several of the notea which the prisoner had
changed were proved to be the same which had
bt en remitted by the witnesses already examined.
The prisoners were then tully committed for trial,
with the exception of Mrs. Millard, who was ad-
mi'ted to bail, on condition of her appearing to give
evidence at the trial.

REFUSAL TO PAY CHURCH RATES.

(From the Maidstone Journal of Tuesday.)
On Thursday last, a vestry meeting was held in the old
church at Chatham for the purpose of passing the chinch.
wardens' accounts for the past year, and for making a r,te
for tie ensuing.

It being known that the Dissenters intended to oppose
11:e making of a rate, an unusual interest was excited, and
the vestry was crowded at an early hour. At 12 o'clock,
Mr. T. ATKINSON, a member of the Society of Friends,
was unanimous!), called to the Chair.

After reading over the bills of the account for the past
year, it was requested that the items of one or two of them
should be detailed. These excited some rather severe
strictures and some merriment. The vestry then pro-
ceeded to make a new rate. For the two previous years
a sixpenny rate had been granted—it wan shown by the
eloirchwsrdens that the arrears on these two amounted to
'4ool.—that there was a balance in hand of 532.—and
that the outstanding debts against them amounted to lOW ,
this sum being due to Mr. William Hills, on a loan for the
payment of a debt incurred by building a wall round the
burial ground.
Mr. THOMAS WEEK ES, the new churchwarden, then
proposed that the vestry should allow him a rate at four-
pence in the pound, as he was of opinion, from the best
calculation he could make, that that sum (2504) would
be necessary to enable him to meet the expenses of the
coming year, seeing that there were two churches to sup_
plv.—This motion being duly seconded,
Mr. R. Bow LES moved, as an amendment to.the church-
warden's proposition, r That as the exaction of a church
ra'e from Dissenters is unjust and vexatious, and as hopes
are entertained that the Government contemplate affording
relief similar to that proposed for Ireland, the consideration
of the making of a church rate be adjourned to this day six
months."

Mr. Fos en, in seconding the amendment, remarked
that be did so most cordially, not only because the senti-
ments of the amendment were perfectly in unison with
those principles which, as a Dissenter, be had for
years cherished, but the more so as he knew
they were the sentiments of very many by whom
he was surrounded on the present occasion. He
had herd of a pamphlet circulated in the midland
counties, which contained twenty-four reasons why
Dissenters should not pay church rates ; he had
net been privileged to see that publication, nor was be
prepared with four-and-twenty reasons, but he would put
his objections to church rates on two g ounds. First, a
compulsory payment for the support of religion was an
infringement of the right of conscience, and opposed to the
principles of religious liberty. The second objection was,
that a church-rate was an unjust and oppressive exaction
from Dissenters. It extorts from us our money, and we
receive no benefit in return. We have our benevolent
societies for visiting and relieving the sick poor, and thus
are aiding the poor rates----and all these objects supported
by voluntary contributions, in addition to our compulsory
payment for the support of the church establishment.
The flagrant injustice of this odious impost was admitted
by many Churchmen themselves.

WILLIAM STONE, Eq., should move another amend-
ment, viz. " That the Churchwardens be requested to
prepare an estimate of the expenses for the ensuing year,
and that the meeting be adjourned till that estitnatv is
prepared to be laid before them, in order that no more
might be levied than was nece-sary."
Mr. A. ROBERTSON seconded this amendment.

Captain KAINs, R.N., late churchwarden, strongly
urged the meeting to comply with the churchwardens'
request.
Mr. R. Dano said, there was an old law long antece-
dent to Elizabeth, which bad been in force for many cen-
turies, which pointed to a source abundantly sufficient for
all their wawa—he meant the tithes; that ancient law
was yet unabrogated; it proved that a tripartite division
of the tithes should be made—one prtion appropri ited to
the poor, one to the building and repairing of the church,
the other for the support of the parson ; let the Wdiden,
then, apply to the holders of this rich fund (amounting to
between 2,0001. and 3,000/. per annum) and thus re-
lieve from a burden those who were little able to hear it
and those who were opposed to it for conscience' take.

Alter some desultory conveisation regarding Mr. Scone's
amendment, it was withdrawn, it being considered so
nearly identical with the original proposition.
The CHAIRMAN then called fors 11110 W of hands in

eatfavour of Mr. Bowles' amendment, and then fora
eal.
of hands against it. He then declared that the
went was carried by a great majority. t whkh
Mr. HILLS then produced a written pr"t",!nke
about 23 persons signed.—The vestry then or-irpoor
having first passed a unanimous vote to their cbs
for his atie and imparti .1 condact in the chair.