The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-26 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE ANTI-STATE

CHURCH ASSOCIATION.
A public meeting of the members and friends of this Society
was held last evening, at the Bridge-house Hotel, Southwark.
As it was understood from an intimation in the advertisement
calling the meeting together, that the business would have re-
lation to the pending election, a considerable number of persons
attended.
Mr. APSLEY PELLATT took the chair, and briefly explained
that the Committee of the Association had availed themselves
of the present critical state of the borough to vindicate and
maintain the principles which it was their especial object to
advance.
The Rev. Dr. Cox rose to propose the first resolution,
which embraced a vindication of the voluntary principle, on
which the British Anti State Church Association was founded.
He referred to the objections raised against clergymen in-
terfering in political affairs, and defended such interference
en the ground that the ecclesiastical institutions of this
country were essentially political. The Established Church
was a political church, founded on the parchments of
Parliament—( Hear)—and if they wanted clergymen not",to be
political, it was easy to effect that object by separating the
Church from the State.—( Cheers.) To effect the latter
object let them send right men to Parliament, not men who
wont] go to sleep on the benches, and vote when they woke at
the beck of the Minister—not men who were willing to swear
anything they were asked, and when they got into Parliament
entirely forgot their constituents and their oaths—not men
such as these, but men who knew their principles, and were
determined to maintain them.—(Cheers.) Now, he had a
friend who had started as a candidate for a borough, not very
far from that—(Laughter and cheers)—and he knew him to be
right-minded, sound-hearted, truly talented, and above all truly
pious, and determined to carry out his principles.—(Cheers. )
This was net the case with every pretender in these days.
—( Great cheering.) The Rev. Gentleman concluded by
calling on the meeting to affirm the resolution.
JoslAit CONDER, Esq., seconded the resolution.
The resolution was then put from the chair, and carried with
a few dissentients.
The Rev. JOHN BURNETT propnsed the next resolution, to
the effect that the recent discussions in Parliament, on the
Maynooth grant, showed that from the views prevalent amongst
the two great parties of the State, religious liberty in this
country was in imminent peril; and that it was therefore incum-
bent on Protestant Dissenters to return men to the House of
Commons who knew their principles and were willing and able
to maintain them in the Legislature.
The Rev. Wit. FosTia seconded the resolution, which was
carried with the same degree of unanimity as characterised the
former one.
Dr. PRICE proposed the third resolution, pledging the
meeting to give its cordial support to Mr. Miall at the ap-
proaching election ; which, having been seconded by the Rev.
G. Rosa, was carried in the affirmative.
Thanks were then voted to the CHAIRMAN, and the meeting
separated.

PLYNIOUTEI FORTIFICATIONS.—Government com-
menced the fortiication of Staddon Heights on Moriday. The
improvements in the fortifications of Alaker Heights, on the
opposite side of the Sound, and of Drake's Island, have been
progressing for some time. Blockhouse Fort, at the
entrance to Portsmouth harbour, is in course of
partial reconstructed to form a double-bnaked bat-
tery. The upper works have been entirely demolished,
and a platform for a tier of 32-pounders is rapidly progressing
in formation. The lower tier, formerly comprising 32-pounders
only, will consist of 62-pounders, forming a battery of thirty-
two heavy guns, commanding the entrance and approaches to
the harbour, and crossing fire with Southsea Castle. This
fort has further seen mounted with several long IS and 32-
pounder pivot guns, and, when complete, will be one of the
best fortified positions on the coast.—Naval and Military
Gazette.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT PECKIIATI.—Last night,
about nine o'clock, the inhabitants of High-street. Peckham-
were alarmed by an outbreak of fire in the stables of Mr. Walton.
Not a moment was lost by the inhabitants in rendering every
assistance to stay the progress of the flames, and messengers
were dispatched to London for engines, when that from the
Chandos-street station of the London Establishment, as well
as several others, with a strong body of firemen, were in at-
tendance. The water was abundantly supplied, and the
utmost exertions were used, but unfortunately the whole rat-14e
of stabling, &c., was destroyed. The cause of the fire was not
ascertained,