The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-23 00:00:00

•CHU_RCE£ CONFERENCE IN _HULL.

Many important questions were discussed on Thursday
at the meetings of the Church Conference in Hull. A sub-
ject of much interest was introduced by Mr. Champney,
who bad, however, been unfortunate :enough to lose on
his way to the •meeting the paper he meant to read
on the means by which the ministrations of the Church
may be mach most usofal to thO werkinz classes. Mr.
Champncy bclicvz..l that the wcrlzin3 men could be Lest
reached through thcirwives, and no effectual good would, ho
thought, be done until the weincn were better instructed
and More religiously educated. Canon Trevor denied that
there was any particular alienation from the Church
among the working classes, who had supplied most of their
Sunday-school teachers. The Rev. P. Gee said it was but
lately that the Church had begun to go forth into the
highways to the masses of the people. He thought the great
want was more co-operation on the part of lay members.
The clergy bad the reins of administration too much
gathered up in their own hands, and the chasm between
them and the working classes needed to be filled up by lay
helpers from the professional, trading, and artisan classes.
Coming to the question of Church services, the same
speaker advocated the division of the morning service, which
was too long for sustained attention, the omission
of one of the prayers for the Queen, and the reduction in
the length of the lessons. Preaching which was once over-
rated in the English Church wainow too little valued, and
extemporary preaching was, he thought, far more effective
than written sermons. Sin liar views were advocated by
other speakers, and were endorsed by a working man, who
said his fellows strongly objected to Ritualism. A very
valuable paper was subsequently read by Mr. Travis,
stipendiary magistrate, on the special hindrances to the
moral condition of large towns. The pressure of poverty,
the existence of the criminal classes, and the
prevalence of intemperance, were especially dwelt
upon. The vice of intemperance, Mr. Travis
declared existed in our great towns and cities to an
appalling egtent, no class was beyond its baneful in-
fluence, while the results produced by it wore beyond cal-
culation. In Liverpool, of 26,000 persons taken into cus-
tody in 1563, 17,000 were cases of drunkenness,
in many instances accompanied by acts of vio-

lence. In Manchester the number in custody was 19,000,
of which 10,000 were cases of drunkenness. In Hull
itself of 2,700 in custody about 700 were for the same
offence. Mr. Travis said he dared not surmise how much
must be added to those figures to give the total
numbers of those who indulged to excess. For
many years the laws affecting to regulate the sale of
intoxicating liquors had operated in the most deplorable
They had offered facilities for the indulgence of
a passion for drink, regardless of the consequences entailed
on society at large or the injury inflicted on individuals.
Persons of infamous character had found no difficulty in
obtaining beerhouso licenses,while their house had afforded
a resort for thieies and other bad characters. Intownslike
Hull the evil was aggravated by the improvidence of sailors
who often were stripped within a week of every farthing
they possessed at the end of a long voyage. The education
of the children of the poor was another vital
question, and no man, in Mr. Travis's opinion,
should bo suffered to bring up a family in crime. After
discussicns had been held on the difficulties of rural

manner.

districts and the division cf larishes, the .A.rchbiship of
YORK made a short spee.-:h. He was bound, he said, to
differ from the views of one cr two speakers with regard
to the propriety of shtrt cuing the Church services,
but he was glad to hear their opinions. He
confessed that as the general debate proceeded he
felt more and more the greatness of the task beforo them
in coping with the evils described and the inadequacy of
the remedies propcsed. The great source of power over

the evil was sympathy with the class whose evil they
would alleviate, and the- power of manifesting
that Sympathy was not given to every man. He
then alluded to the et( mpralising influence of the

present system of hiring farm servants, and thought the
clergy might do something to improve it. In conclusion,
the Archbishop alluded to the importance of the clergy-
men being assisted with the counsels of the laymen of
their parishes.

RATES OF FREIGHT AND CHARTER.

(From the Shipping and Mercantile Ga:ette)

The tonnage loading on the birth for India, China, and
the Cape of Good Hope amounts to 56,111 tons, and for
Australia and New Zealand to 41,549 tons.
There has been no alteration in the condition of the
freight market since the last report, but there is less disen-
gaged tonnage in port suitable for the India and Australian
ports.

Most of the order.; to the East for coal are at rates which
are too low to induce much business, and there have
consequently been but few charters effected during the
last week or so. Tonnage can, however, be placed at fair
rates for Bussorah, Jeddah, and Muscat, but not more than
1;30 is now obtainable for Bombay, 325. to 335. forAden,24s.
for Singapore, and 30s. for Hong Kong. Homewards, tonnage
is still in fair request from the Rico Ports at 70s. From
Madras and Coast 60s. per ten is offered; and, owing to
the somewhat indifferent reports which aro circulated with
reference to the prospects of the crop in Ceylon, charterers
from that quarter are not anxious to close with ton-
nage at anything over 625. 6d. But little, if anything, is
doing in coal from Newcastle (Australia) to the various
India and China ports.

Business outwards to the West Coast of America remain
dull, and there is also only a limited demand for tonnage
homewards. Rates from the Guano Islands are 645. Havre
60s. Mauritius.

For the United States the orders to take up tonnage for
iron are very limited. There is a small parcel of iron for
New York from Wales at about 17s. and 5 per cent. There
is a tolerably active inquiry for tonnage from the Cotton
Ports for Liverpool.
The rates for coal to the West Indies exhibit a slight
downward tendency, those for Martinique and St. Thomas
having experienced a fall of is. per ton since the last
report. Brazil coal freights are much the same, with the
exception of Maranham, which is now 19s. Gd. Chartering
from the West Indies for sugar, Sze., is just now
beginning to engage some attention, though, as the lay-
days do not commence before February or March, none but
backward ships are entertained.
The Mediterranean coal trade is somewhat more active,
though the Alexandria rate from the North is 10s. to Ll
per keel lower. Malta, Constantinople, and Odessa freights
are firmer. Homewards, for a steamer, 9s. to 9s. 3d. can
be done from Galatz. There is nothing to be done at tho
moment from Alexandria for sailing vessels. A few
engagements have been entered into for spring loading
from the Azoff and neighbouring districts.
Steamers are required from Wales to Cronstadt at 355.
per ton iron, but few owners are disposed to send their
boats so late in the season.

The Tablet denies the assertion that the Archbishop
of Westminster is appointed to move the dogma of the Papal
Infallibility at the coming Council. The statement is "de-
void of any foundation whatever."

Dr. Temple has been memorialised by a section of
the Cornish clergy, "as a Christian man, to do what he can
to relieve the anxiety and distress felt by great numbers both
cf the laity and the clergy." The statement that Dr. Temple
has arrived at Exeter is incorrect.

The journey of the Emperor of Austria to the East
is said to cause much satisfaction to the Cabinet of the Tui-
leries, and the Emperor Napoleon is stated to have recently
written a letter to Francis Joseph in that sense. Since
Charles XII. of Sweden, the Emperor of Austria will be
the first monarch to enter Stamboul.

The Roman Catholic bishop and clergy of Limerick
have passed rosolutions on the Irish land question. They
aro in favour of security of tenure at a fair rent, and some
equitable provisions for agricultural labourers; and say that
any settlement of the question which does not include these
arrangements must necessarily fail to remove the evils
which affect public security and agricultural and commercial
progress.