The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-06 00:00:00

LOHN postponed the third reading of his bill for the
fortnight Mr. ESTCOURT required, under the full
conviction that the efforts of the latter gentleimn
would only convince the House yet more strongly
that compromise is impracticable. Had he declined
to concede the fortnight to Mr. ESTCOURT, he
thinks many members might have complained of
his want of Parliamentary courtesy; and that, if
they had not voted against him, they might have
lessened his majority by absence. This may have
been the case ; and it may be that Sir JOHN has
really been a good general. We must not forget
also that, unless he could have forced a very early
division, the attractions of opening the new
Horticultural Gardens at Kensington would have
given him a very impatient house, and,
probably, one disposed to pair very freely with
each other, that they might pair immediately after
with fairer companions in the more agreeable place.
While, from all we have heard, we should have
preferred to have had the battle fought at once, we
are by no means pugnacious for fighting. One
thing gives some rather strong confirmation to Sir
JOHN TRELAWNY'S chief reason for postponement.
What calls itself the Church Institution, in which
noted stiff Churchmen, such as Mr. BERESFORD
HOPE, Mr. HUBBARD, M.P., Lord INGESTRE,
M.P., Lord ROBERT MONTAGU, M.P., and other
notables of this class assembled—held a special
meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. CLABON
moved the first resolution, " That it would be
desirable to have the question of church rates
settled on the basis of leaving out, as objects of the
rate, such expenses as are connected with the per-
, formance of Divine worship, the repair of the fabric
of the church and churchyard being left as the
objects of the rate, and of obtaining in return more
effectual powers for making and recovering the
rate." He then enumerated the only four courses
he knew of :-1. For the Church to remain in the
state in which she now was ; 2. That some bill
should be passed increasing her powers; 3. Some
scheme of exemption of persons, as proposed by
Mr. HUBBARD ; 4. Exemption of objects, as pro-
posed in the resolution he now submitted. Of
course, concluding with showing that his own plan
was best, though he did not seem to be quite free
from some misgiving that it might lead Dissenters
ultimately to claim, as they do in some other coun-
tries, the alternate use of the buildings they con-
tributed to repair. A very reasonable claim cer-

tainly.
Mr. BERESFORD HOPE, who, before he dropped
between the two parliamentary stools of Maidstone
and Cambridge, was a leader in the House of Com-
mons against Sir J. TRELAWNY, moved an amend-
ment on Mr. CLABON'S resolution, which was in
fact a negative--" That whatever settlement of the
Church-rate question be adopted, it should be one
which should not establish any distinction between
the fabric rate and the worship rate." Dire, in-
deed, were the consequences which he predicted
from a fabric rate. "If this fabric rate were car-
ried they would have Sir JOHN TRELAWNY, Mr.
BRIGHT, Mr. STANSFELD, and other leaders of the
movement, asking for the admission of Dissenters
into the churches ; and by this the Church of Eng-
land would receive a more fatal blow than she could
sustain by the abolition of Church-rates. The
mainstay of the Church of England was that she
had never parted with her freehold property in the
Church. That was the foundation of her ecclesi-
astical legislature. That was the reason why she
had been able to keep the purity of her worship,
and to avoid those compromises witb Noncon-
formists which would so terribly hamper her. If
this compromise were accepted, the freehold of the
Church would go, and all the rest would soon
follow."

Sir EDWARD CUST followed Mr. HOPE, leaning,
however, to taxing proprietors. Sir THOMAS
PHILIPS differed from Sir EDWARD—he would con
sent to no compromise, but would graciously tole-
rate a concession. Another thought the proposed
concession " would not be an advantage either to
religious or political Dissenters, while it would
surrender the nationality of the worship of the
Church of England." Others followed, each ter-
rified at the probable working of the "concession"
or " compromise" proposed by another, till Mr.
HUBBARD came forward and, from his point of
view, made some rather moderate and practical re-
marks—" No doubt the subject was full of diffi-
culties, and principally because they were approach-
ing it from a great constitutional position, namely,
the nationality of the Church of England, and, on
the other hand, from a concession to Dissenters on
principles of civil and religious liberty. While
gentlemen looked at the question from either
view alone, they would never come to an agree-
ment. He did not like the word compromise,
because it implied an abandonment of principle,
but he thought they ought not, as a matter of
policy, to refuse to make a concession. In a great
portion of the country concession was now made to
Dissenters on church rates in large towns, and it
could not be prevented while Dissenters were
allowed to vote on church rates. He did not
think the resolution which had been proposed
would leave the question in a satisfactory or cre-
ditable position, and he thought they ought either
to eliminate from the general question that which
was adverse to it or to accept that which he de-
clined—total abolition—which was attempted to
be forced upon them. If they wished to know
the real principles which were at the bottom of
the opposition, it was the existence of the Esta-
blished Church with certain privileges and pre-
rogatives. If Churchmen preserved their charac-
ter and independence individually, he should be
disposed to meet the Dissenters with liberality.
He did not think that the state of affairs in the
House of Commons promised a settlement this
session, and Churchmen ought not therefore hastily
up their minds, but to consider some
plan make
lanof adjustment which would enable the Le-
gislature to get out of its present difficulties."
Lord MONTAGU wished for time to consult these
sagacious ecclesiastical efacials, the Rural Deans
—but to be brief, Mr. CLABON was beaten, Mr.
HOPE triumphed ; and all agreed to appeal to
their reverences—the Rural Deans And so
ended the last meeting for -settling what conces-
sion or what compromise should be offered to
Abolitionists. Sir JOHN TRELAWNY is, we sup_
pose, to wait now for what will be proffered, in
their wisdom, by the Rural Deans.

The Federal Government now hold in force the
southern bank of the Potomac east and south
Washington. Fort Monroe is strongly occupied at
the entrance of the Bay of Chesapeake, which forms
the estuary of the Potomac and several other rivers,
and the movements, of which we had rumours be- I
fore, we now hear, by the Great Eastern, haxe
become facts. Arlington Heights, which overlook
Washington from the Virginian side of the river,
and which are essential to its defence, have been
occupied without resistance; and also Alex-
andria, which though within sight of the I
capital had the audacity to hoist the
Secessionist flag. In hauling down that flag, in-
deed, the only casualty in connection with thet
14'edcrl occupation occurred. The Secessionist
troops 500 in
,ilumber, humanely or chivalrously
walked off without giving uSbießb trouble. But an

innkeeper, over whose house the rebellious flag
waved, shot a valuable officer, Col. ELSWORTHY, as
he descended the stairs of the hotel, after pulling it
down. One of Col. ELSWORTHY'S privates imme•
diately shot and bayoneted the murderer of his
commander. But well qualified officers are not
numerous in the United States, and the murdered
colonel was not only much esteemed, but a personal
friend of the PRESIDENT. Hitherto, it is singular
that all the reported loss of life has been due to
bitter rancorous feeling; unless we include a few
of the mob shot in self-defence at Baltimore
and St. Louis by the troops who were attacked.
The Federalists are every day gaining strength.
Maryland they had already neutralised and occu-
pied. And General BUTLER, who commanded there,
is now moved lower down the Bay of Chesapeake;
he being the General who commands the strong
force at Fort Monroe. On the other side of Wash-
ington the advance does not seem yet to have been
made on the important position of Harper's Ferry.
A body of the Confederate troops, 6,000
strong, is said to be posted there ; and as it is
hardly likely they will retire without a blow, it
would seem not unlikely that the first serious
battle may be fought there. Richmond, though
the capital of Virginia, would not appear to
be a place of such strategic importance
as Harpers' Ferry, the latter being an arsenal and
a strong military position ; it seems also to be very
important as connecting the line of the Federal
advance south of the Potomac with Western Vir-
ginia, which is strongly for the Union, and with the
free State of Ohio. Harper's Ferry is moreover a point
of honour for the North, the Federal troops having
been compelled to leave it, after destroying its
stores and manufactories. Both at that place and
at Richmond, which is comparatively far South,
and not very far from General BUTLER'S division,
Southern troops are said to be constantly arriving.

Further West the Federal Government has thus
far the advantage—the large free States there
which lie on the upper course of the Mississippi
and its branches, not only hate slavery with the
aversion of free hard-working emigrants, but the
great river is their main road to the sea. They will
never join the Slave Confederation, and they will
fight to the last rather than leave the States of
Louisiana and Mississippi masters of its mouth.
Already, too, the strong Union feeling in that di-
rection has compelled theßorder States—Kentucky
and Missouri, to make terms with the PRESIDENT.
The sum of the position therefore is that the PRE-
SIDENTiS safe along the whole frontier, indeed could
act, if he needed, beyond the frontier, from the
westward up to Harper's Ferry. From that place
eastward till we arrive at Washington he has not
yet crossed the Potomac. But thence, following the
whole course of that river and the Bay of Chesapeake
southwards, to Fort Monroe, his forces are mas-
ters of Virginian soil ; the capital of which,
Richmond, lies between General SCOTT at Washing-
ton, on the North, and General BUTLER at Fort
Monroe, on the South—eighty or ninety miles from
each. Is it intended to place the rebel force in
Richmond between two fires P

Notwithstanding, however, the warm language of
the American press in regard to England, language
which must soon cool down, it is useless to
disguise the fact that the quarrel is, in the first
instance, one of pure political pride. The overthrow
of slavery will, we hope, we can hardly say expect,
be a result—but only an accidental one, if it be one
at all. The South resents the defeat of its political
supremacy; the North resents the non-acceptance
by the South of its political defeat, and its deter-
mination to be supreme over half, if it cannot be
over the whole, of the States. Each party believes
that, without Congressional interference with
State rights, slavery will wane, be discouraged, and
ultimately die, under the political dominancy of
the North ; but the North is almost as little in
favour of abolition as the South. We believe, in-
deed, that it esteems it to be one of its claims on the
South that it is quite ready to employ the servants
of the Federal Government as slave-hunters
and to allow the Free States still t) be
hunting-grounds for the slaveholders. The North
will adhere to the interpretation of the
Constitution which recognises property in
man—which treats a fellow-creature as a
chattel ;—it will do this rather than part
company with the accursed system. We cannot
wish for the triumph of the proud negro•driving
aristocracy of America ; but the North must excuse
us for want of entire sympathy with their cause.
Let the Northern States understand that there is
not any of our colonies, not our Indian Empire
itself, which every Englishman would not at once
part with, if the condition were that our Free
country should ever become a hunting-ground for
slaves ! Free America, on the contrary, says to
slave-holding America, only return to us, and you
shall hunt your fugitives for freedom—hunt them
to death if you like—from Pennsylvania and Ohio
to the borders of Canada ! It is this moral heart-
lessness which really checks the flow of English
sympathy. If the watchword were " Emancipa-
tion " it would be almost impossible to restrain the
fervour of the old country.

ILord Llanover has arrived iri town from South
Wales.
Col. Tennant has arrived at Fenton's Hotel from
the East.

Mr. William Jackson, M.P , and Mrs. and Miss
Jackson, have arrived at Fenton's Hotel from the Manor
House, Birkenhead.

Their Excellencies the Hon. George G. Fogg
(United States Minister to Switzerland), and the Hon.
James E. Harvey (United States Minister to Portugal),
have left the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, for Paris.

The Countess Frances Waldegrave and Mr.
Harcourt, M.P., entertained at dinner last evening, at
their mansion in Carlton-gardens, the Earl and Countess
Grey, the Earl and Countess of Warwick, the Countess of
Sefton and Lady Cecilia Molyneux, the Earl of Abingdon,
Viscount and "Viscountess Sydney, Viscount Chelsea,
Dowager Lady Truro, Lord and Lady Egerton, Colonel
and Lady Catherine Harcourt, Mr. Sneyd, and Mr.
Fortescue.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—The banks of rhododendrons,
azaleas, and other American plants, are now in full per-
fection. This day M. Blondin will make his second
aseen t.

The mining companies, principally for working
Utah and Esmeralda mines, that have been started in
California since April 29th, 1861, now number 60, and
their aggregate capital is 46,990,000 dols.—The London
American.

1%1 THEoT
TB.
_Theraprapid CONSERVATIVE
progre s
sL
ofA N
tDh iE 0
busyC townY IN
of Newark, S
so well known in the malt and lime trade, and the demands
for increased building, have induced the Conservative Land
S°T
Society to make their forty-third land purchase in that
Ol . T T I
place, being their second in the county of Nottingham. The
estate is but a short distance from the railway station, ex-
tending on the road from Newark to Sleaford to that fi oast
the Great Northern Railway to Beacon-hill, and is well
adapted to the wants of the locality in the erection of new
houses.

with VESSEL FROM TIIE CONFEDERATE c
—The
first vessel that has arrived in ne Clyde
from the Confederate States is the Islontexurna' olfeaLrly!.nce
Liver-
pool, N.S., Captain Sufis, which reached the river a coperl-
of days ago from Savannah with a Cargo of timber. le:
clearance is datel "at Savannah, the 22d day of April,
in the year of our Lord 18G1, and the first year of the ieedt,
Pendence of the Confederate States of America." The
form of clearance is that of the Federal Government, the
words " United States of America," being carefully de-
leted, and those in italics substilutd instead.—Greenock
Advertiser.
FALL IN THE PRICE OF BREAD.—Yesterday, in
various parts of the metropolis, many bakers reduced_ the
price of bread ld. per quartern loaf. This was a course
which has been for some days expected, seeing that for the
last two or three weeks there has been a steady decline in
the price of wheat and flour in all the markets throughout
the country, A further fall is expected,