The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-06 00:00:00

THE FREE AND OPEN CHURCH ASSOCIATION.

It is satisfactory to find one society which in these
days of religious antagonisms receives the support of
all parties. At the annual meeting of the Free and
Open Church Association which has just taken place,
the speakers included Lord Eliot, Mr. Brassey (both
of them ex-M.P.'s for Devonport) and the Hon.
Evelyn Ashley, son of Lord Shaftesbury. The
society includes among its patrons a large number
of members of both Houses of Parliament, including
two or three members of the present Cabinet.

(From the Anglo-American Times)
NEW YORK, April 17.

Mr. Marshal 0. Roberts was neatly eased of his
watch, chain, and pocket-book last Saturday, as he
was incautious enough to go to the Custom-house
where the throng of office-seekers keep up a crowd.
The Special Committee of Investigation paid Col-
lector Grinnell a visit onWednesday, and have been
assigned a room in the Custom-house, where they
intend deliberately to proceed with the investiga-
tions. Assistant-Collector Clinch has been sum-
moned, and the officials are in a state of nervous
curiosity as to the cause. Charles A. Dana, of the
New Fork Sun, relieves Mr. M'Elrath as Ap-
praiser of Merchandise. The appointment has
given rise to much discussion, as the Sun has
lately animadverted bitterly on some of the no-
minations, Mr. M'Ardle too was formerly con-
nected with the Tribune ; and I may here add that
Adam Badeau, your new Assistant Secretary, was
once employed on the Evening Express, and was
the author of the series in the Sunday Times, called
the " Vagabond Papers." lam sorry to sty that
Miss Kellogg is suffering from a severe sore throat,
which prevented her from singing at a coreert on
Monday for the benefit of the Cubans, which, in
consequence, had to be postponed. Sheriff Moran
has very adroitly managed to transfer himself to
Sing Sing instead of a prisoner committed to his
charge. What inspired his action in court is as
little known as his action on the road, but
perhaps he was growing weary of the trial,
was progressing and ac-
for he got up while it
knowledged his guilt, receiving in return a fiveye,trs'
sentence. What has made the most noise in this
city has been the action of the Legislature at
Albany, surrendering Broadway and Lexington-
avenue to the tender mercies of a railroad company.
The bill passed both Houses, though opposed by all
the owners of property on these thoroughfares. It
is believed that it will lessen the value of real estate
by one quarter, and it is hoped that Governor
Hoffmann will veto it, though the combination is
said to Le powerful enough to over-ride his opposi•
tion ; the press denounce it as a measure of bribery
and corruption, but it is not easy to arouse our
Citizens by such cries. If any people know what
corruption and bad government mean New
Yorkers ought to do so, but they still live and
thrive, and think it best to take the world easy.
The names of A. T. Stewart and William B. Astor
have been used without their consent in coninction
with a Board of Commissioners for which the bill
provides, as follows :

"The Governor, the Mayor of the City of Now York,
the President of the Central Park Commission, and Wm.
B. Astor and Alexander B. Stewart of said city, are hereby
appointed Commissioners of said railway, and consti-
tuted members of a Board of Commissioners to be known
as the Central Elevated Railway Commission of the City
of New York,' whose duty it shall be to promote the ob-
ject of this act," Ste._

The Underground Railroad Bill is meeting with
opposition from the Church. A sermon was preached
in St. Peter's against it, the priest (the church is a
Roman Catholic one) asserting that it would un-
dermine that edifice, as well as Trinity Church.
There has been another "strike ;" the drivers of
the Second Avenue Railroad having stopped work
for an increase of iwages. The company got new
drivers, and continued their operations without in-
terruption. The police have to watch the num-
bers of men who daily assemble round the de-
pot, fearing a fight might at any time occur
between the new and the old hands. The cars
are all out of time, and several accidents have
happened the inexEerience of the untrained drivers.
At a meeting of the Union League Club, held
on Thursday, a committee of seven men was named
to decide on the best way of expressing the Club's
high appreciation of its President, Mr. John Jay,
previous to his departure onhis mission to Austria.
A clever forgery has been perpetrated, by which the
firm of Messrs. Jay Cooke and Co., was robbed
of $26,000 by cheques ranging from $9OO to $9,000,
which bore the signatures required by the house in
proof of genuineness; namely, first that of the firm,
next the indorsement of the boklcr, and thirdly
that of the cashier. The New York Herald has
been astonishing every one with the number of
quadruple sheets it has issued during one week.
These issues are of 16 pages each, and rival the
London 'Fait's. Although it is known that the
burglars who robbed the safe of the St. John's Be-
nefic-al Gahty Fund of Philadelphia belong to a
gang of cur city no clue has yet been obtained.
The Sub-Treasury officers throughout the States
have been ordered to Ecrutinize all-bonds offered
for sale, and to stop payment of the coupons. All
the bankers and brokers also have received full lists.
A split is believed to be imminent between Gover-
nor Hoffman and his party. He has been vetoing
numerous bills, and he ought to veto a good many
more. He vetoed the first City Railroad Bill,
chartered for the season, and it is to be hoped that
he will also veto the Sheriff's Bill, which pro-
Videß for enabling him to charge upon every