The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-19 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

The Duke cf SOMERSET presented petitions in favour
of the abolition of church-rates.

Earl DE GREY and Lord TAUNTON presented similar
petitions.

- The Earl of DERBY presented petitions from the 'Uni-
versity of Oxford and places in Lancashire against the
abolition of church-rates.

Viscount DUNGANNON presented similar petitions.
The Duke of MARLBOROUGH presented similar peti-
tions.
The Bishop of LONDON presented 50 petitions with a
similar prayer.

A great number of petitions, both for and against the
abolition, were presented by Earl Granville, the Duke of
Rutland, Lord Stanley of Alderley, Earl Nelson, Lord
Lyvedon, Lord Teynham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and
Lord Redesdale.

Lord LYVEDON then rose, and having presented two
petitions, one from Manchester signed by 5,000 persona,
and the other from Liverpool with 15,000 signatures, said
he would proceed to move the second reading of the Church
Rates Abolition Bill. It had been said that the Wesleyans
were indifferent to the abolition of those rates, but the
petitions he had presented that evening proved the
contrary. In acquitting himself of that duty he begged
the indulgence of the house, because in the course of his
remarks he might make soma observations which would not
be in accordance with the opinions of many of their lord-
' ships. The 6noble lord then referred to the apposition
with respect to the corn laws and the removal of the Jew •
1 ish disabilities act, both of which measures eventually re-
ceived the assent of both houses of parliament. The
same opposition had been made to the abolition
of Church Rates, but as in the former cases
success had crowned the efforts of those who
had advocate' the former measures, he did hope the same
success would result upon the present occasion. It was
not from any hostility to the Church of England that he
had undertaken the present duty ; on the contrary, his
whole feelings were with the Church. (Hear, hear.)
In proceedingwith his task he would first refer to the law as
it at present existed. With respect to the repairs of
the church there at present existed a legal obligation, but
there was no legal remedy, and he should like to know
what was the value of a right of that description. (Hear,
hear.) He thought that such a right, if it were offered for
sale, would not be thought worth purchasing ; and
a legal right without a legal remedy he could not
understand. It might be said why object to a chu ch-
rate when you submit to a poor-rate, or paving-rate; but
the one contained a religious element which the other two
did not. For many years there had been efforts to cone 'o
some understanding on this vexed question. Sir
John Easthope years ago suggested that pew rents be
substituted for church-rates, but that was objected
to because it was said the Church of England was the
church of the poor man. He wished he could believe that
it was, but his opinion was that it was quite the contrary,
and to call the Church the poor man's was a fiction. The
accommodation that was given to the poor was of the
worst description. They were either placed where
they could neither see nor hear, or else pushed in
some out of the way place, and who were the persons who
occupied the free seats, as they were called. He did not
think they could be called poor; in fact, they were anything
but the poor. He then referred to the evidence taken before
the commission appointed to inquire into the subject of
Church Rates, which directly proved that the accommoda-
tion afforded to the poor was of the worst description, and
that in many of the metropolitan churches there were no
free seats at all.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(Tms Dly.)

The SPEAKER took the chair shortly after twelve o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The West Cork Railway Bill was read a third time and
passed. The Auchterarder Common Muir Bill (Lords),
Portadown, Dungannon, and Omagh Junction Bill
(Lords'), and Symington, Biggar, and Broughton Railway
Bill (Lords') were considered and ordered for third reading.
The Forest of Dean Railway Bill was read a second time.