The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-03 00:00:00

Church-rate abolition fell in their way but incident-
ally. Their business as a society was to enlighten the
nation on the injustice to half the citizens of Eng-
land, and on the injury done to religion, by Govern-
ment interference with it. The Society found the
Church-rate question in agitation ; it illustrates
very clearly, as they conceive, some of the evils of
State Churchism ; they have used it for that pur-
pose; and we must say that the meeting generally
seemed rather glad than the contrary that a topic
so useful to them for agitation was likely to be left
them yet awhile. Deprive them of a Church-rate
grievance and Church-rate contest in every parish,
and of their annual bill inthe House of Commons, and
they would lose one of their best platforms for at-
tacking the State Church and making it hateful in
the eyes of the people.
The society is certainly right, and their opponents
wretched generals. It is the latter who have said
so loudly there that the State Church principle—
some have added, as Lord JOHN RUSSELL used to
do the House of Lords and the Crown—are bound
up with Church-rates. Be it so ; but as the
nuisance must be soon surrendered —as the
parishes themselves will get rid of it if
Parliament does not help them, and will eventually
oompel Parliament to complete their work, it was
hardly prudent to put the question in the form
which would enable abolitionists to say—" Now,
by your own confession, as you have abolished
Church-rates, you must, to be consistent, proceed to
abolish the Establishment itself." Till this session
the battle has been fought as one for the removal
of a practical grievance. Churchmen would have
done wisely to have kept to that ground. To them,
doubtless, the idea of universal voluntaryism appears
perfectly absurd ; but they hive to remember that the
abolition of every special privilege and monopoly has
seemed equally so to those who are interested in
maintaining it. We can:all of us remember how Par-
liamentary Reform, Negro Emancipation, Repeal
of the Corn-laws, Free-trade, and even Penny Post-
age were laughed at as visionary absurdities when
first proposed. We cannot doubt that Lord DERBY'S
Son was right when he declared that privilege in
regard to religion must vanish also—that Religious
Equality, a thing essentially incompatible with the
state patronage of one creed and sect, is the ruling
idea of the day, and that voluntaryism is certain to
be the creed of the next generation. We think so
—because we know of no special privilege—which
—in this free country—has ever survived a steady
and persevering.attack. And surely it is a privi-
lege indeed that all the emoluments and favour of
the State should go with the Prayer-book and the
Thirty-nine articles.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.—May 2.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

REMOVAL OF THE COURT TO THE ISLE OF
WIGHT.—The royal family are expected at Osborne
House on the 19th, but it is understood that her
Majesty only comes to spend her birthday here,
according to annual custom, and that immediately
after which she will proceed to Scotland.
The Marquis Conyngham has sold his beautiful
schooner yacht Cecile, of 190 tons, to the Marquis
of Drogheda.

NEW ISLE OF WIGHT STEAM PACKET COMPANY.
—A new steamboat company has been formed to
run boats between Cowes, Southampton, and Ports-
mouth. The vessels are guaranteed to steam 16
miles an hour. Between 600 and 700 shares have
been taken, and the shareholders had a meeting at
the Fountain Hotel, Cowes, on Monday last, and
elected seven directors, resident in Cowes, New-
port, and Southampton.

COWES AND NEWPORT RAILWAY.—Since the
change in the weather great activity has been dis-
played on the works of this railway, and a great
number of men having been put on, the tunnel is
being carried under the Newport-road, and a great
many bricklayers are employed turning the arches.
A shaft has been sunk in Miss Ward's grounds by
the side of Mill-hill road, and the excavation of the
tunnel is being carried on at both ends and in the