The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-20 00:00:00

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.71711621-7 AM) 7:17-1' MitiPITATEAM

).ROTESTANT ASSOC.II2IIOItr-

A short time since the members of the zurmingLani
Protestant Association addressed a communication to each
of the candidates for that borough, which, with the reply
of Mr. Bright thereto, were published. An additional
correspondence has taken place on the subject, in which
the committee " seek, before giving their conscientious and
independent votes, and they are anxious to know if Mr.
Bright will or will not in Parliament protest against all
endowment and support of Popery, seeing that this system
is, and ever has been, intolerantand despotic, denying alike
civil and religious liberty to.all but its own adherents,"
and if the hon. member will " protest against the
traitorous introduction of Popish practices and doctrines
into the State Church of England by the Ititualists./I"Xr.
Bright replied as follows :—" Street, near Glastonbury,
Oct. 15, 1868.—Dear sir, I think I can add little with
advantage to my former letter. I cannot undertake to
expel any persons from England on the ground of their reli-
gious opinions ; and with regard to those whom you term
Ritualists' in the Church of England, I feel that as a
Nonconformist it would be difficult for me to decide who
should remain in the Church of England, and still more
lifficult to say who should be expelled from it. My princi-
ples on the question of legislation for churches have been

•)ften publicly stated, and my cr nstituents can be no strangers
to them. The policy of the Liberal party at this moment is

that which I have always advised : it is to abolish the
State Church in Ireland, and to discontinue the grants to
the College of Maynooth and to the Presbyterian Church
in that country. I have always objected to public or
parliamentary grants of money to religious sects or churches.
You must excuse me if I have nothing to add to this.—l
am, respectfully yours, JOHN BRIGHT.—Mr. T. T. Horton."

BANQUET TO THE HON. REVERDY

JOHNSON IN LIVERPOOL.

The American Chamber of Commerce are making every
?reparation for the grand banquet to be given to Mr.
Johnson in Liverpool on Thursday evening next. At a
special meeting of the Council of the Liverpool Chamber
of Commerce, on Monday, the following address to the
Hon. Mr. Reverdy Johnson was adopted :—" May it please
your Excellency—We, the Council of the Liverpool Cham-
ber of Commerce, offer you on this occasion our warmest
welcome to this port, which is more closely united
by the bonds of commerce with your own country than
any other port of the world. We congratulate you on
the restoration of peace and upon the returning confi-
dence shewn throughout the various sections of you
Union. We would desire to record our high satisfaction
that the American nation will continue to be represented
by an ambassador with express mission to main-
tain and strengthen those friendly relations which
for more than half a century have existed between
the United States and the United Kingdom a
mission you have emphsAicaTly expressed your desire
amply to fulfil. We rejoice to believe that this desire is
in harmony with the unanimous wishes of both nations.
Similar feelings may be interchanged between other
countries and your own, but between the American and
the English people they spring from a relationship which
of itself should constitute a guarantee against their
violation. We would not, however, have this
international friendship founded only in associa-
tions with the past ; it should be kept alive by
mutual interests in our own time, and perpetuated
by still brighter hopes for the future. This can only be
done by maintaining and by continually enlarging our
commercial intercourse. England has during the last
twenty-five years entirely reversed her commercial policy.
She has discarded the unjust and delusive policy of pro-

tection and adopted that of free trade. Trusting to the
natural play of her native energies, she has challenged
the world at large to an open competition. With more
or less courage the continental nations are gradually
responding to her appeal, and tariff after tariff becomes
modified in the interests of a freer commerce. We are
quite aware that an increase of foreign trade makes nations
tnore dependent upon each. other, but, instead of lament-
ing, we glory iu this result, because in mutual dependence
will be found the surest bonds of amity. We trust your
Excellency will permit us to express the hope that the day
is not far distant when the United States will in like
manner unfetter her energies, enlarge her commerce with
other countries, and shew the world that she is even greater
in the resources of peace than in those of war. In this
hope we rest. —By order of the Council, JOHN PATTERSON,
President."