The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-21 00:00:00

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.)

GRAVESEND,
Thursday morning.
Wind calm; tide, four hours ebb ; weather cloudy,
with heavy rain.
Arrived, July 21—Ulysses, and Ocean Wave, from
Caen.

Sailed, July 21—Palestine, for New York; Panther,
steamer, for Boulogne.

DEAL, Thursday Morning.

Wind E.NE., moderate.
Passed—Hero of the Nile, from London for Algo Bay.

Accounts from Malta, dated July 16, state that
the fine screw steamer Powerful, 950 tons register, belong-
ing to the Greek and Oriental Stearn Navigation Company
of London, arrived there on the 14th inst., in twelve days,
from Hartlepool, against strong head winds, being one of
the shortest passages on record. This is the fifth steamer
belonging to the same company which has arrived at that
port during the month of July. The company's steamer
Scotia, 1,200 tons register, despatched from London by tkeir
enterprising manager, Mr. S. Xenos, with government
stores, was also expected there in a few days.
MAJOR-GENERAL WlNDHAM.—Yesterday an ad-
dress appeared from Major-General C. A. Windham, who
retired from the representation of East Norfolk at the late
general election, in reference to the circumstanaes which
led to the adoption of that step. In this address, which is
dated " Lahore, May 21," the gallant General observes
I have just learnt that a dissolution of Parliament
has taken place, and that my friends have deter-
mined that I should tot be brought forward again
as a candidate for the eastern division. Much as I natu-
rally regret that my connexion with you (the electors)
should thus be severed, I cannot but feel that, under the
circumstances, no other decision could be come to ; and it
now only remains to me to discharge the agreeable duty
of thanking you as I do with the utmost sincerity for the
confidence which you have placed in me. I should at all
times have been deeply
y in
county
eof trartiagm hehnotrurbut
of
there
re-
p senting
almost unexampled forbearance which has been shown to
me by all parties during my absence on an arduous duty in
this country is a mark of kindness on your part which I
should be indeed ungrateful if I could ever forget?'
ARRIVAL OF AN AUSTRALIAN GOLD SHIP.—
Yesterday morning the Mindere arrived in the Mersey, from
t of sojourners at the antipodes, in whose hands there
is meat of
quantity of 'the precious metal. The passage of
TMheelbmornde o,r which
hbriicnhgpsor4t,4 shem left
ounces
glo9ldt aof
fair laste otpprl .
ii
mn e
the Mindora has been delayed by light baffling winds and
calms.

The start was delayed upwards of half an hour, in conse-
quence of the fractiousness of Vigo, who broke away re-
peatedly; and once ran completely round the course.
Won by a length; half a length between the second and
third ; a head between the third and fourth.

The winner was sold to Mr. Cocking for 108 guineas.
The Portland Handicap Plate of 50 sovs. Winners extra.
One mile and a quarter.
Mr. S. Jacob's Attraction, 3 yrs, Est (Bray) 1
Mr. Wrigley's Emerald, 3 yrs, 6st 41b (car Est 61b)
(Pritchard) 2
Mr. T. Dawson's Gaylass, 3 yrs, Est 91b.... (Grimshaw) 3
Betting-7 to 4on Gaylass.
Won by a length ; a neck between the second and third.
Clialloner weighed for Lottery, but the horse was found
'to be lame and did net start.

Her Majesty's Plate of 100 guineas, three-yr-olds, 7st 71b;
four, 9st • five 9st 61b; six and aged, 9st 91b. Two

Mr. Thorpe's Jack Spring, 5 yrs, 9st 61b .. (Thorpe) w.o.

The Forest Plate Handicap. One mile,

Awful.
Sir Colin
Only these ran. Awful made all the running, and won
by a length.

LATEST BETTING.
GOODWOOD STAKES.
7to 1 agst Lifeboat (taken)

100 to 7 agst Blue Jacket (taken)
100 to 7 agst Lord Nelson (taken)

METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.

A Wharncliffe meeting in reference to the bill which the
company have before Parliament was held on Tuesday at
the offices in the Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, ➢ir. Wil-
kinson in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN said that before formally moving the
adoption of the bill about to be submitted to them, he would
offer a few remarks on the present position of the company.
Since their meeting in February last an important arrange-
ment had been made with the Corporation of London, who
had bound themselves to take up the company's shares to
an extent representing £200,000 for the purpose of carry-
ing out the undertaking. That subscription had brought
the affairs of the company within •so manageable a com-
pass that the directors had resolved to withdraw the
Abandonment Bill and proceed with the works at the earliest
possible moment. They had heard from unquestionable
authority, that contractors of high standing would be will-
ing to take up the remaining shares to an amount that would
place the entire execution of the line within the estimates,
beyond any doubt whatever. The bill before them contained
clauses for enabling the company to carry their line clear
of the prison, to get rid of the Post-office terminus, and to
finish the works at the bottom of Holborn-hill, near Far-
ringdon-street. Another clause sought for further time in
order to complete the railway. The only burden imposed
upon them was the deposit of an additional £5,500, although
they had in the Court of Chancery a sum equal to more than
10 per cent. of the required capital. There were further
clauses empowering the company to reduce their share capi-
tal to £850,000, and repealing the power of the Great North-
ern Company to take sharee in the company. It would be
recollected that the Great Northern obtained powers to sub-
scribe £125,000 towards the construction of the railway,
but the other day they insisted upon that power being re-
pealed, and of course, as it was permissive only, the direc-
tors of the Metropolitan could not object ; but why such a
step should be taken by the Great Northern he could not
understand. He begged to state that the agreement of the
Corporation of London for the subscription of £200,000 was
completed, and that he held it in his hand. (Cheers.) As
they were now free from all contractors, there was little
doubt that the company would be able to make such terms
in respect of the taking up of the unissued shares as would
be satisfactory to the proprietors. He then moved the
adoption of the bill.
The motion having been seconded,
Mr. JAMES BURCHELL, the company's solicitor, read
the marginial notes, after which the resolution was carried
unanimously.
Mr. CHARLES PEARSON congratulated the shareholders
and directors on the position which the company now occu-
pied. He could assure the meeting that the warmest feeling
prevailed amongst the Corporation of London in reference to
the success of this great public improvement, which, indeed,
was strongly manifested by the subscription which they had
made, contrary to their almost universal practice, and in
opposition to several influential members, as regarded such
an application of the corporation funds. Nothing but a deep
sense of the great public usefulness of the railway could, he
believed, have induced them to listen for a single moment to
such an application from any individual ; but, considering
the advantages which its construction would confer upon
large masses of the population, and seeinT that the works
could not be carried out without their assistance, they had,
for the first time during 60 years, departed, as he had said,
from their usual practice, and subscribed the amount men-
tioned. Subordinate arrangements had been entered into
by him and ratified by the board of the Metropolitan Com-
pany, the result of which would be to afford very great ac •
commodation to the industrial portion of the population of
the City, and at the same time yield no inconsiderate profit
to the company. (Hear.) After bearing testimony to the
great zeal, ability, and vigilance which had been shown by
the directors in promoting the interests of the undertaking, ,
he moved a cordial vote of thanks to the board for the man-
ner in which they had discharged their duties during the
past year.
The motion was carried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, said they had met
with the greatest possible kindness from the Great Western
board, and that nothing could exceed the cordiality with
which the two companies were working together for the
purpose of carrying out the project to a successful issue.

THE EXTENSIVE WARLIKE PREPA-
RATIONS MAKING BY FRANCE.

(From the Paris correspondent of the Herald.)

From a report of the proceedings in Parliament in the
Morning Post Of Saturday—no other London daily paper
having been received—l perceive that Lord John Russell,
in answer to a question from Lord W. Graham, respecting
naval preparations in France, stated that he "had applied
for information to her Majesty's consul at Brest, who was
at present in Paris, and he said he was confident that
there were no extraordinary preparations going on ; and
that being the case, and there being no extraordinary pre-
parations, he certainly had not thought it worth while to
demand explanations from the French Government."
Supposing the report to be correct, two things strike one
in this answer. How can her Majesty's consul, who
is at upwards of 200 miles from his post know what
is going on at Brest, and by what stretch of logic
is the statement of that functionary tc be taken as
a fact ? Though I have not been at Brest I happen
to know that the greatest activity prevails all along the
coast, not at Brest alone, but from Toulon in the South to
Dunkirk in the North. The Channel coast, in particular,
is being fortified in an extraordinary manner. From Cher-
bourg to Dunkirk earth batteries are being constructed at
every 3,000 yards. The guns are lying close to tho ban-
quette, muzzle to muzzle, and the works are so advanced
in many places that nothing remains to be done save to cut
embrasures and mount the guns, which are all heavy
l 6 -pounders, of the old calibre. These batteries are so
skilfully constructed that they cannot be seen from the
sea ; in quiet nooks in the cliff you suddenly see a mound
covered with turf, and behind it neatly constructed plat-
forms, with guns lying close by. I don't know whether
her Majesty's present advisers will consider this fact as
sufficiently important to ask explanations of the French
Government. I can vouch for the accuracy of what I state,
and I must add, in conclusion, that if her Majesty's consuls
at the seaport towns along the coast made a little more use
of their eyes, her Majesty's Government would have long
since been informed of what is going on.

NEWSVENDORS' ANNUAL DlNNER.—Yesterday
the dinner annually provided by the proprietors of the me-
tropolitan newspaper press for newsvendors' and their ser-
vants took place at Highbury Barn Tavern, under the
superintendence of Messrs. Alley, Brown, Spilling, and the
stewards. Shortly after two o'clock the boys, numbering
upwards of 300, sat down to a plentiful and sumptuous din-
ner, after which they withdrew to the extensive pleasure-
grounds, and enjoyed themselves in various pastimes. At
six o'clock a sumptuous dinner was sat down to by the men,
their wives and families, to the number of nearly 400. After
the cloth was removed, " The Health of her Majesty and
the Royal Family," " The Proprietors of the Metropolitan
Newspapers," " The Press," and other loyal and patriotic
toasts were severally drunk and heartily responded to. The
company then proceeded to the ball-room, where an excel-
lent quadrille hand was in attendance, and dancing con-
tinued in a spirited manner ftfltfl a late hour, wbeutl pOmr
pany separated, evidently gratified with the day's enjoy.
meAt,

Mr. BLACK moved the second reading of this bill. He
said that the tax which it was proposed to abolish was
founded in injustice, because it compelled the majority to
pay for the benefit of the minority. In support of that
statement he referred to the census of 1851, from which it
appeared that, on one Sunday, the number which attended
churches and chapels was 48,886. Of that number only
8,674 went to the State Church, while 15,315 attended the
Free Church, 12,792 the Presbyterian Church, and
12,205 the churches of the smaller denominations, so
that four-fifths of the inhabitants were forced to
pay for the religious teaching of one-fifth, and that teach-
ing by some of them was regarded as heretical. The result
of the late debate on the Church Rates Abolition Bill was
a very significant fact, but the Dissenters in this country
had not to complain of so much injustice in the payment of
those rates that the Dissenters in Scotland had with
reference to the present impost. In the former
case the Dissenters were called on to contribute
only for the maintenance of the fabric of the Church,
but in the latter they were required to pay for the
support of the ministers of a church from which they con-
scientiously, dissented. The present tax was greater in
hardship than ministers' money in Ireland, because it was
not limited, as in the latter, to 305., on any one per-
son, but might be raised to the extent of £2O
or £3O. The injustice of the tax was apparent,
and the only reason he could assign for its having been
borne silently for so long a time was, that the inhabitants
of Edinburgh considered that they would receive relief from
the house, in consequence of the bills which had been in-
troduced. The hon. member having adverted to some of
the arguments which had been advanced against the bill,
which he contended were totally fallacious, proposed
the adoption of the voluntary principle as a substitute for
the impost in question.
Mr. BLACKBURN said that he did not rise for the
purpose of opposing the bill, but merely to ask the intention
of the Government with reference to it.

Sir C. LEWIS said that he had no hesitation in stating
that he would support the second reading of the bill, but
he admitted there was a great difficulty in finding an effi-
cient substitute for the tax which it was proposed to
abolish. He thought there was a strong similarity
between Ministers' money in Ireland and the present
impost. (Hear, hear.) It should be recollected that
the hon. member Who brought forward the bill preserved
the rights of the existing incumbents, so that there could
be no objeetion to the provisions on the ground of its in-
flicting any hardship on them. In the event of the bill
not passing this session, he proposed that Government,
next session, should introduce a measure on the subject and
provide an adequate substitute for the tax that the bill was
,introduced to abolish. (Hear, hear.)
Lord ELCHO opposed the bill, which he argued contained
a principle so dangerous, that every one who like himself
desired to maintain State establishments should consistently
vote against its further progress. In dealing with the
question they should act on the principle of compromise, as
in the case of Ministers' money, though he denied there
was any analogy between the two taxes. He concluded by
Moving that the bill be read a second time that day three
months.

Mr. NEWDEGATE seconded the amendment.
Mr. MILLER opposed the bill and supported the
amendment.

Sir E. COLEBROOKE supported the second reading,and
said that as a member of the State Church he had no fear of
the maintenance of that establishment, even if it were ulti-
mately compelled to depend on voluntary contributions.
Mr. CUMMING BRUCE considered that before the
right hon. gentleman (Sir G. Lewis) promised on the part
of the Government to introduce a bill on this subject, he
should have asked the hon. member for Edinburgh to with-
draw the present measure. The latter hon. member pro •
posed to take away from the poor the money subscribed at
the church doors, and to apply it as a substitute for the tax
which he proposed to abolish. He regarded this bill as
most objectionable, and he would vote for the amendment.
Mr. CAI LID denied that the bill was open to the charges
that had been made against it, namely, that it would rob
both the church and the poor. In Scotland the poor were
provided most liberally for by the poor law, and not a far-
thing of the money collected at the church doors went to
their support. Indeed, in some cases, the collection of that
money had been discontinued altogether, in consequence of
there being no necessity for it, the poor no longer requir-
ing any eleemosynary assistance.
The LORD ADVOCATE hoped that the discussion
on this subject would not be further protracted. The in-
justice which the tax inflicted had been felt by the different
committees which had considered the question. The noble
lord (Elcho) objected to the bill, but he did not suggest any
method for facilitating the settlement of this subject. He
was no advocate for the voluntary principle, and he did not
hold the State Church to be opposed to Scripture, but the
Government had to recognise the opinions of those who
thought differently. He contended that this tax was
entirely different to tithes or church endowment
in this country. With reference to the voluntary principle
he directed attention to the number of religious edifices in
the country which were erected and maintained solely by
the operation of that principle, to show that any fears with
respect to the support of the State Church of Scotland from
the abolition of the pregent impost was unfounded.
Mr. NEWDE GATE strongly opposed the bill, and would
vote for the amendment

Mr. BAXTER advised the hon. member for Edinburgh
not to press the bill beyond Ei-second reading, if it reached
that stage, after the promise made on behalf of the Govern-
ment to introduce a bill on the subject next session.
After a few words from Mr. MUIR,
Mr. BLACK said that he was ready to accede to the sug-
gestion of the hon. member (Mr. Baxter), and not proceed
with the bill further than the second reading ; but he
trusted that the Government, in any measure they might
introduce, would provide for the abolition of the tax.
Mr. BRIGHT said they had been told not to put faith in
princes, and he advised his hon. friend (Mr. Black) not to
trust to governments. The present question was one of
those which Government would not deal with until they
were driven to the last extremity, in illustration of which
he referred to the question of church rates in this country,
which was ultimately left in the hands of his hon. friend
the member for Tavistock. He asked the hon. member
(Mr. Black) not to believe that the Government would
settle the question in a satisfactory manner—not that he
had any doubt of the good faith of the Home Secretary,
but because, in dealing with it, the Government would
have to contend with difficulties from which an independent
member would be free.
Sir G. C. LEWIS said that he did not wish the hon.
member to withdraw the bill, but would merely promise that,
in the event of the question not being settled, the Govern-
ment would bring in a bill next session.
The house then divided, and the numbers were—
For the second reading 162
Against it
Majority
—54
The bill was then read a second time.