The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-09 00:00:00

SPECIAL 2tll:TTlvr'-' I).Ti' TIT CHRISTIAN
IC__Y 0-j; Ti E SOCIET E

TLe large rooiu a.t Freetnasola Half, Lonaon, wa.,
yesterday afternoon the scene of a meeting of an exceed-
ingly animated character in connection with the Society
for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. A resolution
was passed at a meeting of the society, held on the 6th of
October last, to the following effect :—" That this society
feeling strongly the suffering and exceptional position of
the Church in the diocese of Natal, and the munificence of
the legacy recently left the society, hereby resolves that a
grant of £2,000, or such further sum as the standing com-
mittee may think possible to give, be made to the Dean of
Pietermaritzburg and the church committee of that
diocese." The mover of the resolution was Mr. Fitz-Roy,
and, as soon as possible after it was passed, the Rev. IV.
G. Humphrey, rector of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields,
gave notice that at a subsequent meeting he

onld move that the motion be rescinded, The challenge

thus thrown down, was at once accepted by Mr.
Fitz-Roy, who announced his intention to propose that
the grant to the Church in Natal, should be of the value
of £-I,O'A. A number of other amendments
were sent in to the society's secretary, and
the standing committee took the opinion of
counsel on the validity of Mr. Fitz-Boy's resolution.
The learned gentlemen thus consulted came to the con-
clusion that it was invalid, as by the constitution of the
society all grants must be initiated by the standing com-
mittee. That body then met and resolved that :
The standing committee having been advised by counsel
that the resolution of the board of October 6 is irregular
and invalid for all purposes, as not having been based
on the original recommendation of the committee, and
believing that without some action being now taken by
this committee, any resolution that might be come to at
the special board meeting of the Bth instant would be
irregular and, invalid in like manner, it is now resolved
that this committee agree to recommend to the special
meeting on December 8 that the sum of £2,000 be granted
for the promotion of Mristian knowledge in the colony
of Natal ; such sum to be expended by the standing com-
mittee."

It was under the circumstances detailed above that the
special meeting of yesterday was convened. The chair
was occupied by his Grace the Archbishop of York, and
the room was densely crowded with members of the society,
the utmost care being exercised by the stewards to pre-
vent admission being given to any other than
those who had a clear right to be present.
Having expressed the hope that a fair hearing would be
given to each speaker, his Grace the Archbishop was
%bout to call upon the Rev. Mr. Humphrey, when a
Rentleman in the body of the hall suggested that
it was not competent to the standing committee to call a
special meeting. The objection being overruled, the rev.
proposer proceeded to point out that the duty he was
about to perform was one to which he was strongly
urged by many of the most earnest friends of the
society. He denied that there was a particle of
truth in the statement that' he was a brother-in-law of
Bishop Colenso. The fact was that be had no connection
with him in any way. Having detailed the action taken
by the standing committee, Mr. Humphrey asked have
to withdraw the resolution of which he had given notice,
v stated above.

The Rev. Mr. -MATHEW was of opinion that the with-
rawal of the resolution practically concluded the business

I the special meeting.
At this time a raid was made by the hundreds who
were unable to find admission, and who had almost
drowned the voices of the speakers by their shouts. At
length the doors were closed by main force.
The meeting objected to sanction the withdrawal of Mr.
riumphrey's resolution, and the resolution of the 6th of
October was duly moved and seconded. Upon this the
Rev. Mr. Mayhew, in order to facilitate bnsTness, moved
that the resolution of the standing committee of Decem-
ber 4 should be alone proceeded with.

The proposal that the motion of the Gth October should
he rescinded, awoke a tremendous uproar, in the midst of
which Archdeacon Denison rose, but was for a long time
refused a hearing. The meeting decided that the resolu-
tion of the standing committee of December 4 should be
at once proceeded with.
The Rev. Mr. M 7311 10E1' then introduced the resolution,
,eating that he did so at some sacrifice, for be

felt that to deal with Natal was to plunge into all
kinds of difficulty. At the same time it would not be
denied that a large number of the members of the society
thought the contrary, and believed that there was in Natal
a large field in which the society could be usefully
engaged without committing the society as a society to
any opinions upon the question of agitating that colony.
It was propOsed by the committee that the grant should
be distributed by themselves. The person who was the
bishop of the diocese was one to whom they could not
trust the grant. (This observation excited cheers and
counter cheers, as did also the exprenion of opinion that
the position of Bishop Colenso was a scandal to the
Chnrch).

The Bev. F. GEDGE seconded the resolution, denying
that he and his colleagues had any sympathy with Bishop
Colenso. In the course of his speech Mr. Gedge raised
a perfect hurricane of hisses by stating in answer
to a question put by some one on the platform
is to what the late Archbishop of Canterbury had thought
about the canonical deposition of Bishop Colenso, that,
though he had the highest respect for the late prelate,
be could not help thinking that it was a pity
that he did not know his own mind better than he had
lone. It was only by a judicious hint from the chairman,
chat it was unwise that speakers should be interrupted by
questions being asked, as it caused them to pronounce hasty
conclusions, that the uproar was allayed. Mr. Gedge
ulmitted it was wrong of him to have answered the
question at all, urged at length the value of the resolution,
and called upon the meeting to discard all amendments
that might be proposed.
Mr. E. A Frrz-Rov then proposed the following amend-
nient, amidst hearty cheering :—" That with the view of
carrying out the object of the resolution of October 6,
the sum of £2,000 be granted for the promotion of
Christian knowledge in the colony of Natal, such sum to
he applied by the standing committee to such purposes
as the Bishop of Capetown and the Bishop of Grahams-
town may think fit."
This resolution was seconded by Archdeacon DENISON.
The CHAIRMAN then attempted to put the amendment
to the meeting, who appeared anxious at once to vote.
Several rev. gentlemen, however, stood up to speak, all
of whom, after a scene of uproar that would have done
no discredit to a hustings nomination of an unpopular
candidate, gave way to Dr. Miller, vicar of Greenwich.
The demonstration against this rev. gentleman was so
violent, that after waiting a long while for a hearing he
left the platform with every sign of indignation and dis-
gust. At length Dr. Miller obtained a hearing. The
amendment was then put. The show of hands was
decided in favour of the amendment ; but the result of a
ballot gave 614 for the amendment and 765 against it.
The attempt to propose other amendments provoked a
more stormy scene than had yet occurred. All attempts
at speaking were futile, and finally the original motion
was carried by a good majority, and the proceedings
terminated.

GREENHOUSE PLANTS.—The number of surplus
cedding out plants distributed at the close of the season
y direction of the First Commissioner of her Majesty's

'Forks, &c., among the poorer working classes, schools,
' charitable institutions, &c., has amounted to 48,987. Of
,this number 17,837 plants were furnished by the Green
*and Hyde Parks and Kensington Gardens, 12,848 by
Victoria Park, 11,852 by Battersea and Kennington Parks,
4,524 by the Regent's Park, and 1,926 by the Royal Gar-

'.ens at Kew.
A. MAD BRIDEGEOO3I.—A few days ago two
persons from a neighbouring parish presented themselves
to a clergyman at Coleraine to be married. The ceremony
proceeded as usual until the bridegroom was asked to
subscribe his name in the registry, when, to the consterna-
tion of his bride and the assembled friends, he began to
compliment the minister in the most absurd manner as to
the size of his head and to the intellectual powers which that
fact spewed he possessed. He then snatched up his hat
and fled from the church—all his acts being clearly those
of a madman, although he appnared to he perfectly sane
when be went to the church. Be took refuge in a house
near at hand, and terrified the inmates so much that the
police were sent for. The unfortunate man was then
secured, handcuffed, and conveyed to his home under the
care of Dr. Barr. The poor bride left for her parents'
home, well-nigh distracted.
EXTENSIVE FLOODS IN THE WEST RIDING. —A
very disastrous flood has visited the heavy woollen dis-
tricts of the West Riding, as well as the agricultural
district lying in the basins of the Calder and its tribu-
tarie.4, and done damage amounting to many thousands of
pounds. On Monday morning neatly the whole of the
valley was submerged, haystacks and corn:Antics floated

d wn towards SC3, wor,llen mills aria manufactories
o

flooded, and their hands Ihercl,y thrown out of employ.
meat, and property to an immense extent destroyed.
In the town of Dew,;bnry, the c,,ntve of the
woollen diitria, the effects of the fib Al have been,-and
IrJ being felt with ea treme severity. The principal
portion of the town is under water, and all classes of
shopkeepers have suffered in damage to their stocks of
goods. The rnarket•place was flooded to the depth
of two or three feet, as also were some of
its approaches, and access between the town and
one of the railway stations was cut off to those who did
not choose to employ vehicles to carry them through
the rushing waters. No loss of human life is reported,
but a good deal of live stocic on the farms must have
Derialed.