The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-07 00:00:00

The third meeting of the .conference Jae our
Wednesday morning, in the hall of the City Terminus
Hotel. There was again a numerous attendance of dele-
gates. Mr. E. Butler, of Leeds, presided ; supported by
Mr. P. A. Taylor, M.P., Mr. H. Cossham, Mr. E. Miall,
Mr. W. Edwards, Mr. Carvell Williams, &c.
The Rev. W. GRIFFITH (Derby) moved, and Mr. GRIM.
WADE seconded, the appointment of the executive com-
mittee, council, and officers. A short general discussion
took place, and the feeling was generally expressed that
the executive committee should prepare a tract to meet
the " No-Popery " cry which was now being so unscrupu.
lonely used.
In support of the resolution,
Mr. P. A. TAYLOR, M.P., said he could not resist the
temptation as an old member—he believed he might say
aboriginal member of the society—of attending on that
occasion and offering his congratulations upon the great
and marvellous stride that their principles had obtained.
(Cheers.) Church rates were as good as dead ; the Irish
Church—that instrument of political and religious wrong,
that banner of Protestant ascendancy and English conquest
—had received its inevitable doom. The entire disen-
dowment of religious creeds, the entire separation of
Church and .‘state, could not be very long delayed. He
was by no means sure from the speed at which they were
going that they would live to see another conference,
(Laughter.) lie was one of those who hoped great thingi
from the new Parliament on all questions, but especially
upon ecclesiastical questions. There were many who
seemed to doubt what the new PSrliament would do ou
account of succeeding apathy and reaction. He could
just remember the great Reform Bill of 1831 ; but there
was no parallel between the two cases. That bill did
away with nomination and admitted the middle classes ;
but they had well-nigh enfranchised a nation. A house-
hold suffrage Parliament was a different thing from the ad-
mission of a particular class. Coming events cast their
shadows before them, and the mere shadow of the new
Parliament had converted a " broken ratble" into a com-
pact phalanx of sixty-fi vemajority last week, and how many
this week it would be difficult to say. The further en-
dowment of the English Church was not matter of great
interest to debate, whether the principle established in the
disestablishment of the Irish Church, the Legislature had
condemned the English Church, or whether the Irish
Church was to be regarded as a dead weight to the sounder
establishment of England, the severance of which would
give further life to the latter. He inclined to the former
opinion. They could not conceal from themselves that they
had no longer difficulties to contend with in a compact
English Church. The great danger of the English Church
was from within, not from without. Anyone who watched
the course of events must recognise that the danger of
the Church Establishment now was from within, from all
the best and truest minds in the Church, who were declar-
ing that they would not be bound with the bonds of an
Erastian Church, and from the difficulties daily arising in
that Church. (Hear, hear.) He believed the Church
wauld presently see that the only solution for all its
difficulties was the entire separation of the State from all
creeds. (Cheers.)
The Soirde was held in the evening, at the Hanover-
square Rooms, Mr. T. H. Tillett, of Norwich, presiding.
Mr. EDWARD MIALL was received with loud cheers. He
said that he felt his mind too pressed with the magnitude
of the events of the last few weeks to give adequate ex-
pression to his feeling. It would suit him now to go into
solitude ; and instead of receiving compliments and hear-
ing his name mentioned with gratifying allusions and epi-
thets, as he had done during the last two or three days,
he would rather be in some district apart from men, to
commune with his own sense of responsibility and
with the greatness of the work which was still before
them. He did not believe they had entered upon a
period of triumph. He believed, however, that they
had entered upon the engagement, which, severe as he
had not the least doubt it might be, and the _
times disastrous both to themselves as well as their
antagonists, would yet end in victory for the truth.
(Cheers.) Allusion bad been made to another meeting—
a meeting which he supposed had by that time come to a
close—(laughter)—a meeting that ousted them from the
room in which they had lately held their assemblies. He
would not cast any contempt upon those who had assem-
bled together to defend what they regarded as sacred
truth. Whatever might be their character, he admired
and honoured those who would stand by their convictions
when those convictions were threatened by perilous
opposition. (Hear, hear.) He did not believe that any-
thing was gained by blackening the character of oppo.
nents. But there was one thing connected with the meet-
ing that struck him as not merely curious, but anomalous.
Here were a number of men consecrated to the ministry,
holding high offices in the Church, exercising vast influence
over the minds of the people, and meeting together for
the defence of what they called the Church of Chris:,
who nevertheless in reference to Ireland had never put
to themselves, and did not put to the public, the inquiry
wh,ther that institution was or was not in conformity
with justice. (Hear, hear.) According to the brief
report in the paper he held in his hand, they had never
said to themselves, "If we can find, according to the
canons of the morality of the New Testament, that the
Church in Ireland is not in accordance with the law, ' Do
unto others as ye would they should do unto you,' then,
whatever Le our ecclesiastical organisations, or what-
ever be our vested interests, or whatever may be our
preference for religious institutions of this or the other
kind in connection with the State, perish everything
rather than that we should do wrong." Now, this was the
tone which ought to be expected from bishops and arch-
bishops, and that was the tone to which he was
surprised there was no response. That they should
never have taken into their consideration the question,
" Is that which is proposed in Parliament in accor-
dance with right, with justice, with generosity, with the
virtues that are inspired by Christian character and
Christian doctrine, or is it not?" seemed to him to augur
what the end of the thing would be. (Hear, hear.) God
did not favour causes because those who professed His
name in the world took unjust courses with a view to pre-
serve them. Mr. Miall concluded by moving the following
resolution:—" That this meeting rejoices that in response
to the strongly-expressed wishes of the British people, the
House of Commons has, by triumphant and repeated
majorities, resolved that it is necessary that the Esta-
blished Church of Ireland should cease to exist as an
establishment. That it desires to express warm admiration
of the course pursued by Mr. Gladstone in seeking to
bring about so important a result, and an earnest hope
that the policy which he has initiated will be strenuously
supported by the friends of religious equality—not only
at the present time, but when the question is remitted to
the constituencies at the approaching general election."
Mr. MASON JONES seconded the resolution, which was
supported by Mr. H. ALLON, and agreed to unanimously.
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to
the chairman.

THE REFORM LEAGUE AND THE IRISH

CHURCH.

A meeting of the Reform League has been held at the
offices of the association, under the presidency of Mr.
Edmond Beales. The following passages relative to the
Irish Church occurred in the annual report of the executive,
which was submitted to the meeting : —" We congratulate
our members and Reformers generally on the successful
issue of the debates on the subject of Ireland, and the
carrying by such large majorities of the resolutions of Mr.
Gladstone for disestablishing the Irish Church. We feel
we are entitled to attribute this result in a great measure
to our agitation of the past three years and the carrying of
the Reform Bill of last session. On this point we cannot
abstain from adverting to the declaration of Mr. Disraeli
that it is the profound conviction of himself and his col-
lergues that the opinion of the nation does not agree on
this subject with the vote of the House of Commons.
We feel it unnecessary to comment on the astounding
nature of this declaration in the face of all the expres-
sions of public winion which have been elicited by the
efforts of brother Reformers, but we think it our duty
to accept that evident challenge, and shew unmistakably
that the great mass of the people cordially agree with that
vote, and are earnestly desirous of seeing complete reli-
gious freedom and equality established in Ireland. We shall
shortly take the necessary measures for this purpose."—
The President read a letter from the secretary of the
London Working Men's Association, inviting the execu-
tive of the Reform League to consult with the council of
the former body on the advisability of holding an open-air
demonstration regarding the present political crisis. Before
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lie desired there should lie complete unanimity
among all true Reformers regarding the subject which was
now absorbing public attention. The leader of the depu-
tation present then briefly addressed the meeting, and
said that the announcement of the intentions of the League
was a sufficient reply to those whom he represented. The
further consideration of the subject was then adjourned.
The election of the new executive was then proceeded
with, after which the proceedings terminated.

A Bombay paper states that floating post offices
for the sorting of letters will shortly be establhed oz
board the mail packets miming between Bombay and
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