The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-22 00:00:00

WES LE YAN REFORM.

A public meeting, very numerously attended, was
held en Tuesday, at S'. Martin's-hall, Long-acre, for
the purpose of hearieg the statements of the delegates,
who have been assembled in consultation for the last few
days, from various parts of the country, on the subject
of reform in the Wesleyan body. The partial schism
which was mated by the proceedings of the Conference
of 1842 appears to have blazed out with redoubled fury,
in consequence of further expulsions of old and well-
known ministers by the Conference which has just
closed its sittings in London. An iutense public in-
terest has been excited in their favour; and, as the
" martyrs" successively presented themselves on the
platform, they were greeted with the most enthusiastic
cheering.
Mr. W. PHILLIPS, of Bristol, being called, to the chair,
said he was one of the delegates appointed by the suf-
frages of about 2,400 members of the Wesleyan Society.
He regretted that the Wesleyan Conference had thought
it necessary to refuse an interview with the delegates,
thereby shutting out all hopes of any arrangement.—
(Hear, bear.) Not only were the religious, but the
civil liberties of the Wesleyan people in danger. If any
large mass of persons were educated in implicit sub-
mission to a priesthood, there was great danger of
establishing a spiritual despotism.—(Hear, hear.) He
much deprecated the practice, now becoming common,
of religious bodies receiving the money of the state;
nothing was more detrimental to the spirit of true reli-
gious liberty.—(Bear, hear.)
The Rev. JAMES BROMLEY was loudly cheered on
rising. He pronounced the Conference an ecclesiastical
despotism, without law and without control. The entire
legislative function was vested in one house and in one
order—that of the ministers, who were self-elected; they
both enacted and enforced the laws; and though there
was the appearance of a jury in the "leaders' meetings,"
unless the verdict was in accordance with the view of the
presiding minister, he could carry the case before a court
composed wholly of preachers, and get the sentence re-
versed. This had seen done in the case of Mr. Cousins
Hardy, in Norfolk, who was expelled, notwithstanding a
unanimous vote of the leaders' meeting in his favour.—
(Hear, hear.) The Conference had also grasped the
whole of the eve:naive power. This had been pain •
fully exemplified a few days ago in the case of the
Rev. Mr. Budden, of Holt.—(Hear, hear.) Thev had
also grasped the entire of the patronage; for the lay
committees, with very few exceptions, were the nomi-
nees of the Conference. The management of the finance
was also engrossed by the Conference. Recently they
had ordered a special collection throughout the king-
dom in aid of the contingent fund; and whatever might
be the object, of which no account could be found, this
was evidently a very arbitrary stretch of power.—
(Hear.) It had been reserved till his case far she Con-
ference to abrogate the right of an accused party to be
heard in his own defence. He had been charged with
violating the solemn obligations under which be had en-
tered the society; he wished to meet that charge, and to
have it either proved or disproved; but it was felt that
that would be inconvenient.—(flear, hear.). Had his
appeal from the sentence of the Bath district meeting
been heard, he should have put some very awkward
" brotherly question" to some members of the Confer-
ence.—(Laughter.) The last charge against the Con-
ference was that of adopting in their discipline the most
corrupt, outrageous, and anti-ChristiarL principle that
could ever be mingled in the jurisprudence of any body
whatever—the question by penalty.—(hear, hear.) His
principal objection to the proceedings cf the Conference
was tbat they were directly contrary to scripture, which re-
quired all charges, especially against elders, to be sup-
ported by two or three witnesses.—(llear, hear.) The
Conference made the accused the witness against him-
self, and if he refused to answer, pronounced him guilty
and cut him off. They had not the thumb-screw or
pinching foot of the Inquisition; but they had a power as
despotic and arbitrary, and could cut off any minister,
after thirty or forty years' service, from his means of
support.—(Hear, hear, and Shame !) Though
deeply feeling his expulsion, he rejoiced in the freedom
it had given him; he felt ho could noa speak and act
like a man.—(Cheers.)
Meisrs.Wild,of Loudon, Martin, of Manchester, Mas-
singham, of Norwich, and several other gentlemen,
afterwards addressed the meeting, which was protracted
to a late hour.

No resolution was submitted, but the feeling of the
meeting was evidently unanimous in condemnation of
the Conference proe.edings.

,thTec. lE aDnACTh
.e_s tesr
mG
au aorfd itahn )
the
STATE OF TRADE.
tiolders of
MANC EFs rToEmg
cotton appear to have been rendered so uneasy by
that course of wary and limited purchasing so perti-
naciously followed by the consumers as to have at
length-made an effort to realise, the suddpnufss and
vigour of which have caused a decline of 3-16 d. per
lb. since Friday in most qualities of Americans. This
has affected our market in a very sensible manner
to-day, adding materially to that backwardness to
operate on the part of buyers, and to that so.
licitude about selling, among some classes of
producers, which became apparent towards the latter