The Sun.
London, England, 1834-01-09 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE PROPRIETORS OF
THE EXCHANGE NEWS-ROOM.

(From the Liverpool Albion of Monday.)
On Saturday I tot a meeting of the Proprietors of the
was held in the Cotton Sale Room, to
Exchange Buitoine.
--sition to close the News
take into consideration a prop...,
",ES BATES ON
Room during the whole of Sunday, Mr. J*-
in the chair.
Mr. Jinni EDEN, after Otte etplanations respecting
certain names which appeared on the requisition, in conse-
quence of which the meeting had been convened, proceeded
to state hie reasons for proposing that the newsroom should
not be opened on Sunday. With the reasons used in sup-
port of a strict observance of the Sabbath our readers are
familiar ; we need not, therefore, being rather pressed for
space, report Mr. Eden's argument on the point at length.
He said, that the proprietors of the newsroom in question
allowed it to be opened on a Sunday for purposes of profit.
—(No, no.) As a proprietor, he had long felt the im-
propriety of their room being opened on that day, and, as
a man and a Christian, he deemed it to be his duty, so
long as he held property in eke building, to endeavour to
prevail on his brother proprietors to shut the newsroom on
the Lord's Day. To adopt the motto graven on the
statue which graced the centre of their square, " England
expects everyman to do his duty ;"and he felt that be was
only discharging his duty by now giving the proprietors
an opportunity of showing their attachment to Christian
principle by keeping the newsroom shut the whole of
Sunday. He concluded by making a motion to that effect.
Mr. Alderman Ifonseam. briefly seconded the motion.
Mr. GODFREY BARNSLEY gave the mover and the
seconder of the motion the greatest credit for the purity
and sincerity of the motives which had actuated them in
bringing forward the present proposition. Mr. Eden's
arguments bad not, however, convinced him of the pro-
priety of the course recommended. He did not think
that the Sabbath was desecrated by the keeping of the
room partially open on a Sunday. He should, therefore,
move, as an amendment, that the meeting decide, in-
stanter, on the proposition brought forward by Mr.
Eden.—(Applause.)
Mr. THOMAS BOLTON seconded the amendment. He
reminded the meeting, that considerable difference of opi-
nion existed among Christians as to whether the first or
the last day of the week should be observed as the Sab-
bath. lie approved, however, of the appropriation of one
day out of the seven for religious purposes, and was sen-
Atible of the good which resulted from the observance of
the Sabbath. But Christians differed in their opinions
as to the strictness with which the Sunday ought to be
kept. The Catholics, as was well known, did not keep
it so strictly as the Protestants ; while in the reigns of
James the First and Charles the First, it was deemed pro-
per to discountenance, by royal proclamations, the strict
observance which the puritans of those days wished to
enforce, and to urge the people to relax its severity by
mingling in games and pastimes. Many great and good
men had maintained, that there is no special command in
the New Testament to observe the Sabbaths with the
strictness with which the Jews were commanded to ob-
serve it. For himself, lie did not think it a sin to visit
a newsroom on Sunday, much less to read a newspaper on
that day; on the contrary, he thought the room being
open, many persons were induced to frequent it who, were
they not there informing their minds, might be viciously
employed elsewhere.
Mr. T. B. HORSFALL never could sit there and hear it
said, that there was no command binding Christians to
the observance of the Sabbath.—(Applause, and cries of
" No! no.")
Mr. Bourote—l said that there was no command to
keep it as the Jews observed it.
Mr. HORSFALL continued—The command was, " Thou
shalt keep the Sabbath Day holy." If they could dispense
with obedience to that command, then might the thief
dispense with the command, "Thou shalt not steal ;" un-
til the commandments being separately neglected, the
whole Decalogue was abrogated.—(Applause.)
Mr. H. EARLE—Does your servant, Mr. Horsfall,
do any work on a Sunday?
Mr. Iloasrate—l have no servant.
Mr. EARLE—Perhaps you have a housekeeper?
Mr. HORSFALL—Nor housekeeper.
Sir W. DE Bents observed, that the circumstance of
the newsroom being open on n Sunday might enable the
owners of vessels to ascertain when they were iu danger,
and be the means of promoting works of mercy, by the
sending off assistance to ships in distress.
Mr. Rico opposed the proposition for closing the news-
room on Sunday. He thought that the gentlemen who
were so anxious to carry the proposition ought to show
their respect for the S ibbath by refraining from riding in
their carriages on that day._(Applauee.) It was noto-
rious, that there was a greater display of pride and osten-
tation among the rich on that than on any other day.--
(Applause.) He was now 70 years of age, and the father of a
large family, which lie had endeavoured to train up in the
principles of morality and religion : and experience had satis-
fied him that it was much better for gentlemen to allow their
sons and their nephews to visit newsrooms, where they
could store their minds with useful information, than to
frequent potliouses, were they learnt nothing but vice
and dissipation.—(Great applause.) Gentlemen should
observe the Sabbath with the strictness they wished to
enforce on others ; they ought to stop the whole course
of labour on a Sunday, neither driving their carriages nor
sailing their ships on that day.—(Applause.) It was
knowledge, useful knowledge, which the rising generation
wanted ; and he for one never would consent to shut up
reading-rooms during the whole Sunday.—(Cheers.) It
was singular, but it was true, that most of the supporters
of the preposition for closing the room resided in the
country and did not come to town on Sunday; and it
was unfair in them to attempt to close the newsroom on
that day. For his own part, he never canoe near it on a
Sunday, but he did not wish to prevent others from avail-
ing themselves of the information or the accommodation
which it afforded. "Don't," slid Mr. IL, " don't let
us imitate the Scribes and the Pharisees. Let us, on the
contrary, do unto others as we would that others should
do unto us."—(Much applause.)
Mr. H. EARLE supported the amendment. People
might go to a worse place, if they were shut out from the
newsroom. What was the consequence of stopping the
sailing of the boat on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on a
Sunday, by which passengers were conveyed into the
country ? Why, that six or eight omnibuses immediately
started ; and the proprietors of the canal, of whom, he
believed, Mr. Eden was one, then consented to let their
boat ply as usual.—(Applause.) In doing this, they
never dreamt of profit.—(A laugh.) Shut up the news-
room, and what guarantee bad they that persons who now
visit it will not resort to the public houses to read the
newspapers? He was, he hoped, as conscientious a Chris-
tian as most gentlemen present; yet be was in the habit iif
reading the newspapers on the Sunday, and he thought he
was not the worse Christian for reading either a paper or
a letter.—(Applause.) These were his sentiments : he
held them conscientiously, and should continue to hold
them until he heard better reasons for altering them than
he had heard that day.—(Great applause.)
The meeting. which had shown a marked impatience at
the protraction of the debate, now bee ime clamorous for a
division. A division accordingly took place, when Mr.
Barnsley's amendment was carried by 65 to 25. The de
cision was bailed with pleasure by the subscribers to the

newsroom.

DISSENTERS.—(From a Correspon-
dent.)—A meeting of Independent ministers was held
yesterday at the Congregational Library, in Bloomfield-
street. It was understood that, after a lengthened discus.
sion, it was resolved to seek the redress of practical griev-
ances, and this only by means of—lit, a national registra-
tion of births ; 2J, marriages to be celebrated by Dissent-
ing ministers ; 3d, burial in churchyards, where there are
no burial-grounds belonging to their chapels, by ministers
selected by the friends of the deceased ; 4th, relief from
church-rates ; sth, admission without subscription to the
articles, &c., of the church to the national universities.
It is generally believed that the Government will not ob-
ject to the first two measures, and that some others of
their claims are under consideration.
CARTIIAGENA, Nov. 16.—The High Court
has decided that M. Barrot, as Consul of France, was
entitled to the enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of
an office which places him beyond the jurisdiction of the
courts ; the documents• relating to the late occurrences
with respect to him should be delivered to the Govern-
ment, in order that it should treat with the French Go-
vernment on the subject ; and the passports for returning
to France, demanded by M. Barrot, could not be refused.
M. Lemoine, the Charge d'Affaires at Bogota, has accord-
ingly written to the commander of the French squadron,
and therefore we have every reason to believe this unfortu-
nate affair will be terminated without any act of hostility.
[The city had some time before been alarmed by an appre-
hension of an attack from the blacks, and the English and
American Consuls went on hoard the French vessels to
inform the Commandant of that circumstance ; the answer
of the French was, that in such a case they would give
their aid to put down any revolution of the coloured people,
”nd in the mean time would not act in a hostile manner.
More than 2,000 of the inhabitants have gone to the
country, and many more intend to do the same. Provisions
bait been scarce and high, and business in a state of perfect
stagnAti-in. I—Journal du Havre.