The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-21 00:00:00

Commence at Seven,

THEATRE-ROY AL, DRURY-LANE.
Lessee—Mr. E. T. Smith.
THIS EVENING, BARNEY THE BARON. Mr. ani
Mrs. Barney Williams.
Followed by THE LATEST FROM NEW YORK.
ro conclude with the new pantomime, ROBIN HOOD ;
or, Harlequin Friar Tuck and the Merry Men of Sherwood
Forest.

OYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
A 4 Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kean.
THIS EVENING, will be presented Shakspere's Tragedy
of HAMLET.
Hamlet, Mr. C. Kean—Gertrude, Mrs. C. Kean.
After which, a new grand Christmas Pantomime, entitled
THE KING OF THE CASTLE; or, Harlequin Prince
D;amond and Princess Brig,hteyes.

THEATRE-ROYAL HAYMARKET.
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, AN UNEQUAL MATCH. bliss Amy
Sedzwiek, Mr. Buckstone, &c.
After which, a new grand Comic Pantomime, entitled
UNDINE ; or, Harlequin and the Spirit of the Waters.
Commence at 7.

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE.
manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer,
Re-engagement of Madame Celeste.
THIS EVENING, will be produced a New Drama, by
J. Oxenford, Esq., entitled THE LAST lIOPE.
To be followed by a Grand Ballet and Scene from THE
SIEGE OF TROY. Miss Rosina Wright, Miss Harriet
Dalton, Miss Jenny Lauri. Mr. John Lauri, and Corps de
Ballet.
To conclude with THE CHILD OF THE WRECK.
Madame Celeste and Mrs. Keeley.
Reduced Prices—Dress Boxes, 4s. ; Upper Boxes, 38.
20.• Stalls, ss. ; Gallery, is.
Box-office open from 11 to 5 daily. Doors open at half-pas
6 to commence at 7 every evening.

NW THEATRE - ROYAL, -ADELP HI.
E Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr_ Beni. Webster.
PoweTVl. Noveity.—Crowded Houses.—Last Six Nights of
MASKS AND FACES ; Triplet, Mr. B. Webster. Trium-
phant reception of Mr. Wright. Glorious success of the
INVISIBLE PRINCE.
THIS EVENING, the performance will commence with
MASKS AND FACES ; Mr. B. Webster, C. Selby, Mr. Bil-
Miss Slim, Mrs. Ell-
liugton, P. Bedford, Miss Woolgar,
lington.
After which, WELCOME LITTLE STRANGER. Mr.
Wright.
To conclude with THE INVISIBLE PRINCE. Mr. J. L.
Toole. •
Doors open at a quarter-past six—Commence at seven. Box
Office open from 10 to 5 —no charge for booking. No fees to
servants permitted. A registry kept of all articles found.
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Wigan are engaged. Due notice will
be given of their appearance.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborough
THIS EVENING, WOOING IN JEST AND LOVING
IN EARNEST.
After which, the new Extravaganza, KENILWORTH ; or
Ye Queene. ye Earle, and ye Maydenne.
And THE BONNIE FISH WIFE.
Commence at 7 o'clock.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,
Westminster-road.

Lessee and Manager Mr. William Cooke.

THE SCOTT COMMEMORATION.
THIS EVENING, and during the week, the revived dra-
matic Romance from Sir Walter Scott, entitled KENIL-
WORTH, re-produced with original effects and additional
splendour.
To be followed by SCENES IN THE CIRCLE, intro-
ducing Mr. W. Cooke, Mr. Bridges, Mr. A. Cooke, &c.
Madame Blanche, Madame Bridges, Maddlle. Fleurette, and
Emily Cooke, together with the Star Riders. and Astley's
unrivalled Troupe of Equestrian Artistes.
To conclude with the great Operatic and Burlesque Eques-
trian Pantomime, entitled HARLEQUIN BAR MUN-
CHAUSEN, AND HIS COMICAL CREAM COB
CRUISER. Baron Munehausen, Mr. W. Anson ; Harlequin,
Mr. H. Hemmings ; Pantaloon, Mr. Morley ; Clown, Mr. A.
F. Forrest, the Grimaldi of the day ; Columbine, Miss Julia
Weston. Brilliant and unsurpassable Transformation Scene,
with dazzling effects of Colour and Fire. Gorgeous Scenery,
and every incident in bustling reality, from Regent-street to
the "New Palace for the People, at Mnswell Hill."
Dress Circle, 4s. ; Boxes, 3s. ; Pit, 2s, ; Gallery, ls. ; Upper
Gallery, 6d.
Stage Manager, Mr. R. Phillips.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.—
Proprietor --C. monTow.
The üblic is most respectfully informed that the Firm
ARTSGALLERY, in connection with the above Hall, IS NOW
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT, from 11 o'clock a.m. until 12
o'clock p.m. The New Gallery contains an extensive Collec-
tion of Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters and is also
devoted to Art productions generally. The Proprietor feels
he may confidently assert that, viewed altogether, the exist-
ing Music hall, the New Fine Arts. Gallery, and the recently
added Ante-Hall, will present an attraction which, whether
as regards the architectural beauty of the structures them-
selves, willh varied and hitherto nnattempted combinations
within, be found to be wholly without parallel in the
Kingdom.
The MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT commences as usual at
Seven o'clock.
In addition to the usual entertainment, the SAUVLET
FAMILY, of Amsterdam, Eight in number, whose varied
instrumental performances have created so marked a sensa-
tion in the principal cities and towns of the Continent, will
perform every Evening at Nine an i Eleven o'clock.

THE WEATHER.—Sux OFFICE, Fms. 20.
THERMOMETER, IN TUB SHADE.
51—highest since noon yesterday.
48—lowest this morning and during the night.
52—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-3O 33.
WIND, Northerly ; light, with dull:cold weather.

FEB. 21.

55—highest since noon yesterday.
53—lowest this morning and during the night.
.s—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-30.37.
WIND, South-Westerly ; light, with fine weather.

To-night Mr. WALPOLE is to try his hand on the
Church. rate question. If it be not settled now, it
will certainly not be for want of advisers. One
would almost think that they might all of them
contrive to meet, consult with, and understand each
other, and, having reduced their differences to one
or two plain issues, might lay the net results before
the public, might then tell it to look on this pic-
ture and on that, and to make its choice. Such,
however, is not the will of the Dii nzajores, or the
Dii minores, on this matter. Sir JOHN TRELAWNEY
and Mr. WALPOLE, Sir A. ELTON, Mr. ALCOCK,
and Mr. GRIFFITHS, 'seem all determined to have
a share in the honours of the conflict.

The two former gentlemen hold a legitimate
position. Sir Joux TRELAWNEY, as the long-tried
abolitionist—the member who, in the teeth of
Whigs. and Tories, carried his Abolition Bill so
successfully through the Commons, and gained for
it a degree of support in the Lords which few had
expected—Sir JOHN has every right to resume his
old position in the campaign of this spring, and to
fire, as he has done, the first shot at Ithe
Upper House. Mr. WALPOLE also has his
fair claim to a hearing. The Govern-
ment of the day, according to very modern
practice, has the right of initiating all important
national measures, and his undertaking to bring in
a bill embodying the views of Government is but
saying that the Ministry considers the time for a
settlement to have arrived, and that they therefore
undertake it.

But besides these we have Mr. ALCOCK with his
Commutation Bill, very elaborately drawn indeed
--some lawyer's hand obviously in.it. He seems
to be inspired by the hope that Lord DERBY'S off-
hand, but favourable advertence, last year, to the
plan of rent charges, might indicate a willingness
on the part of the Government to support a measure
like his. Then comes Mr. GRIFFITHS, who, with
what relevance we hardly see, is to dove an amend-
ment to the second reading of Sir JOIIN TRELAW-
NEY'S abolition bill, that any proposition to exempt
Dissenters from Church-rates, while the tax was
continued on Churchmen is unworthy of the con-
sideration of the House. Since Sir JOHN'S bill
abolishes them for Dissenters and Churchmen
equally, we cannot understand what amencinzent
his resolution is on a simple abolition bill.
Next comes forward the honourable member for
Bath—he who, like Sir HENRY STRACEY, defends the
Ballot as a Conservative measure, and wishes, the
day before the reading of the Abolition Bill, to
move no less than four resolutions. The first is for

the total discontinuance of Church-rates, and for I
confiding the repair of the fabric of the churches to
the zeal and liberality of the clergy and laity.
This resolution, it is obvious, is superfluous, being
but the echo of Sir JOHN TRELAWNEVS Bill. The
second is to make the incumbent and church-

wardens a corporation, with spower to receive and ,
hold all property given or_ appropriated for pur-
poses relating to the parish church, and to admi-
nister the income thence arising. This would in
most parishes make the clergyman:—not always
the fittest person—supreme in the executive ; since,
generally, there are but two churchwardens, one
nominated by the minister, one by the people, and
of course the former would be always in a majority
of two to one. The third and fourth resolutions
provide for the creation of a new " church vestry,'
to consist of the incumbent, the churchwardens, and
the parishioners who contribute a fixed yearly sum,
the present vestry and the overseers to retain the
management of all secular matters. These last
three resolutions do no more than provide what
their author thinks the best plan for administering
vbluntary and other funds for the repair of the
parish church and the conduet of its services, and
if they are approved, they had better have been
brought forward as an enabling bill for the Church-
men of a parish, after Sir JOHN TRELAWNEY'S bill
had abolished the old compulsory powers. They
might even have been made_ clauses additional to
the Abolition Bill.

One thing we trust Mr. WALPOLE will consider
settled—that unconditional abolition is the only
thing the country generally will hear of. By un- ,
conditional we mean (not that the Church shall not
be put in possession ,of all the powers_ requisite to
obtaining from her own children the funds she needs
—every dissenting sect, the very Mormons them-
selves, have that power) without any condition
which shall favour the Church on that matter more
than other Christian sect. She does not need it.
She has surely almost infinitely larger resources
than any body of Dissenters, while she has not
quite half the worshippers of the country. Let us
hear nothing, therefore, of saddling the Consoli-
dated Fund with any charge for her sake—nothing
of compelling all denominations to repair the
fabric of the churches, while but one denomination
uses them. By all means untie the hands of
Churchmen, if they are bound by ecclesiastical law
in some way we do not understand, but by no
means give them money at the cost of a single
Dissenter, or of the nation at large.
What use Mr. WALPOLE intends to make of the
returns he has so carefully collected we cannot tell.
They have been furnished by Churchmen, yet they
more than bear out the assertions of the anti-
State Church Society, as contrasted with the
committee of laymen, which the latter, with Lord
SIIAFTESBURY as their cicerone, so industriously
exhibited to Lord PALMERSTON. We insert a
paragraph from a Dissenting paper, which gives a
fair analysis of these returns. It really appears
that more than £76,000 are raised now annually
by Church-rates for the repair of the fabric of the
churches, and that half the parishes, and perhaps
two-thirds of the population, have emancipated
themselves already from Church-rates. Certain it
is that the amount raised by rates for repairing the
churches—the only thing for which any party now
demands compulsory rates—is "so very small that
Mr. WALPOLE will be fully justified, even by Con-
,servatives, if he secures for his party the popularity
of having put an end to an irritating impost,
which at once damages his Church, and does it

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THE SUN.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1859.