The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-20 00:00:00

THE DISCIPLINE OF THE CLERGY.

The Earl of Shaftesbury has prepared a bill for better
enforcing the laws respecting the discipline of the clergy,
and for amending the constitution and regulating
the mode of procedure in Ecclesiastical Courts.
It proposes that the Archbishops of Canterbury and
York, each in his own province, shall be the chief judge
in all appeals or letters of request from the judgments of
the diocesan courts, the lay judge being a barrister appointed
by the Archbishops, subject to the approval of the Queen.
In all proceedings in a Diocesan Court the Bishop
and his Chancellor are to be the judges. Part 5
of this measure provides for the prosecution of
suits against clerks." No jurisdiction with re-
spect to the correction of clerks for any offences against
the ecclesiastical laws, or concerning whom there may exist
scandal or evil report, as having offended against such
laws, nor in suits involving any question concerning doc-
trine, or the due administration of the sacraments and
other rites and ceremonies of the Church, or concerning
the ornaments of the Church and of the ministers thereof
at the times of their ministration, nor in any other
suits in the Ecclesiastical Courts, is to be exercised
in England except by the courts and by the persons
referred to in this bill. Any three members of a church
who are inhabited householders are to be empowered
to commence proceedings, but upon the application
of the defendant the petitioners are to give security
for the costs of the defendant. No change is proposed in
the penalties inflicted under the existing laws. Another
important feature in this bill is that issues of fact, at the
desire of either party or at the will of the court, are to be
tried by a jury composed of six assessors, of whom three
are to be clerks holding preferment, and three are to be
justices of the peace within the diocese ; but a new trial
may be granted where the opinion of the assessors con-
victs or is adverse to the defendant.

THE WEATHER TABLE-THIS DAY.

--

EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT OF HER
MAJ.ESTY'S CUSTOMS' COMMISSIONEI?S.

Dagenham Lake is situate between the Tilbury and
Southend Railway and the north bank of the Thames, at a
Distance of eleven miles from Fenchurch-street Station,
ind contains about sixty acres of water, and a company
'aas been formed for the purpose of making it into
Jocks.

Three separate And distinct Acts (unopposed) were
)btained in 1855, 1862, and 1866, with powers altogether to
-aise £750,000, and to purchase about 350 acres of land
around the shores of the lake.

On the faith of these solemn and deliberate Acts, the
public were invited, and have subscribed, a very
mnsiderable sum, to carry out what Parliament
declared in the preamble of the said Acts to be a public
necessity. About £160,000 has been actually expended in
the purchase of land, the construction of works, &c., &c.
An independent porttn of the works, being a part of
those authorised by the said special Acts, was completed in
April, 1868. It consists of a pier or jetty, with all necessary
appliances for loading and unloading cargoes, and two
dolphins for the safe mooring of vessels. By means of a
railway from its outer end to the Tilbury line (one mile
distant) the pier is connected with the whole railway
system of the kingdom. It affords advantages to shipping
which are not possessed by any other landing-place along
the whole course of the river, having at its outer
extremity a depth of 17ft. at low water, thus enabling the
great majority of vessels to haul alongside or depart
zt any time of tide, thereby enabling coasters to make
several more voyages in the year. For landing cattle the
situation is unrivalled, having abundant pasturage close
at hand. Two large warehouses, with capacity for the
storage of many thousand tons of goods, have also been
erected.

A considerable amount of business having been promised,
early in June last application was made to her Majesty's
Customs for their necessary licence to land and ship free
goods. This permit, however, her Maj esty's Customs refused
to grant, without stating officially any reasons. After seve-
ral ineffectual endeavours to induce them to alter their
decision, an appeal was made to her Majesty's Treasury,
who referred the case back to her Majesty's Customs to
report upon, and, as might be expected, they backed up
their former resolution. Meanwhile deputations from
the company, attended by merchants who are large im-
porters of the goods in question, had audiences of the Com-
missioners of her Majesty's Treasury and the Chancellor
A the Exchequer ; memorials, signed by 133 of the leading
mercantile firms in London, were presented to her Majesty's
Treasury in July and October last, the purpose of which
was that the carrying out of the works contemplated by
the company would be hailed as a great boon by mer-
chants, insurance companies, and others, inasmuch as
they would relieve the upper part of the river of part of
the crowd of shipping, and also afford the greatest facili-
ties for storing separately hazardous and inflammable
goods. The existing docks are surrounded by densely-
populated neighbourhoods, and great risk to life as well as
property is incurred by this class of goods being stored in
close proximity to them, as experienced by fires in the
London Docks, St. Katherine's Docks, London Bridge, &c.
Notwithstanding all the efforts that have been made and
explanations given for the last eight months, by deputa-
tions, by personal interviews, and by correspondence,
luring which time the most grievous loss has been sus-
tained by the company, a definite and adverse reply to
their application has at last been received.
It will scarcely be believed that any department of
Government, however absolute the power conferred upon
it, would advisedly ignore what the Legislature upon
three separate occasions had deliberately sanctioned. Yet
such is the power Her Majesty's Customs has assumed.
And upon what grounds?
"A. That the necessities of the port do not require such
accommodation as this company can afford.
"B. That the premises are remote and lonely.
"C. That there are twenty-six wharves that wouiu
claim to be allowed the same privileges, if permission '
were granted to this company.
"D. That the Crown would be put to the increased
cost of officers and of supervision to protect the Revenue."
Replies to the following effect have been submitted to
Her Majesty's Treasury, viz.:—
A. This objection is at variance with public opinion
upon the subject, and with the proofs given upon the •
preamble of this company's several Acts, as also to the
well-known fact that the annual increase of shipping
entering the Thames is equal to 100,000 tons. It was
shewn by the parties who signed the memorial that it
would be for the general advantage that certain goods
should be stored at Dagenham, and as many of them are
large importers of the class of goods referred to,
it may be conceded that they are the best judges of
what would suit the interests of their trades. None of
the firms who signed the memorial are in any way con-
cerned in the company, except as to the requirements of
their trades.

B. " That the premises are remote and lonely." This
objection is not tenable, the property being only eleven
miles from London, with a railway through and a station
ipon it. Her Majesty's Customs have actually an esta-
)lishment at Thames Haven, which is thirty-eight miles from
London, on the same side of the river. Had Customs'
privileges been granted to the company last June, the
place would no longer be lonely, but hundreds, perhaps
thousands of the starving workmen at the East end of
London would at this moment be bringing their labour to
a remunerative market, and the Government would
have been spared the pressure which must come
upon them very soon to afford them relief
by emigration or some other expensive process;
whereas by the refusal of her Majesty's Customs to
grant the licence, the works have necessarily been
stopped, and proceedings of every kind postponed for who
would advance a sixpence when thus subject to their arbi-
trary fiat?
C. " Twenty-six wharves would claim the same privi-
leges." The owners of these wharves are notundersuchre-
strictions as are imposed by a special Act in favour of the
public.
They have no special Acts, therefore they could
•-.ot claim the privileges. The case forms no parallel.
D. " Increased cost of officers and supervision to protect
the Revenue." _ _ _

Application has been made to land free goods only, and
the company have offered to pay for the supervision that
Her Majesty's Customs may deem necessary, the expense of
which, with accommodation for the officers, must be trifling.
It is inconsistent with either equity or justice to withhold
Customs privileges from the company. It was competent
to her Majesty's Customs, or any others concerned, to
have opposed this company's Acts, and they cannot be jus-
tified in opposing them now after £160,000 has been ex-
pended on the works. Their decision, as it now stands,
is entirely subversive of the principles of free trade,
and virtually renders the decision of the Im-
perial Legislature subject to that of the Customs
authorities. There is no guarantee that the privileges
would be granted even if the docks themselves were com-
pleted. _

If this opposition is continued, it will be seen that the
company must inevitably collapse and the unfortunate
shareholders be involved in widespread ruin, entirely
through the arbitrary decision of a section of her Majesty's
Government, whose duty ought to be, instead of placing
obstructions in the way of commerce, to foster it in every
Possible manner.

By the 24th sec. 10 Vict., cap. 27, " No quay of the har-
bour, dock, or pier shall be deemed legal for shipping or
unshipping goods, uutil the same has been approved by her
Majesty's Treasury and her Majesty's Customs respec-
tively." It cannot be supposed, however, that power is
given thereby to withhold that approval unless more
valid reasons for the same can be substantiated.
25th Sec. Undertakers cannot take any rates until
the harbour, dock, or pier is complete and fit for the recep-
tion of vessels, &c.

The Dagenham pier is in every respect applicable for
the purpose for which it is intended, and is moreover
sanctioned by the Act of 1860.
Early in the present month a deputation from the
company had the honour of an interview with the Right
Honourable the President of the Board of Trade, who gave
marked attention to the statement of their grievances, and
there is reason to suppose that he alluded to the
affairs of this company when in his speech at the Fish-
mongers' Hall he stated that the advice of the Board of
Trade was received but not acted upon by other depart-
ments of the Government.

The London Review hears that a reduction in the
price of the Times is contemplated by the proprietors.
The Convention between her Majesty and the
Shah of Persia for extending telegraphic communication
between this country and India has just been pub-
lished. It provides that the telegraph lines shall run
through Persia; that the Government of that country shall
"employ their good offices" in facilitating its construction
and maintenance, and shall reccivo in consideration thereof
from the British Government the sum of tlireo tkonsand
tomans (nearly £1,100). The Convention is for 20 years.

THE EASTER VOLUNTEER REVIEW.—With re!:,,ard
to the Volunteer Review, Major-General James Lindsay
has issued the following notice from the War Office :
" The Secretary of State for War has approved of
a review of volunteers taking place at Dover on
Easter Monday, the 29th of March, 1860. Applica-
tions from corps desirous of attending this review
must be made on the prescribed form through
the lords-lieutenant of their respective counties, and
delivered at the War Office on or before Monday, the
Bth March, after which date no further applications will
be received. It is, however, particularly requested that
commanding officers will make their applications as early
as possible before the above date, as their doing so so will
neatly facilitate railway and other arrangements."_