SATURDAY NI GHT.
The Church party had a meeting to-day, at the Freemason's Tavern, to petition Parliament against the abolition of Church-rates. Of course the resolutions were carried, for the meeting was a packed one. The advocates of Church-rates dared not meet their opponents, but re- fused admittance to all who could not present cards with the inscrip- tion that the holder " approved of the object of the meeting." Lord ASHLEY was chairman ; and had the honour of being supported by Lord KENYON of deficient memory, (vide the Orange Committee Report,) Mr. Hortace Twits% Colonel SIBTHORP, Mr. HARDY, and Mr.F1NCH—a goodly set. The Duke of WELLiNovoN,Lord LYNDHURST, LordBenEs- FOltD, and Lord WYNFORD—all of them saints—could not spare an hour for the support of the national religion, and sent excuses for their non- attendance. Oh, the degeneracy of the times and the Tories ! Lord ASHLEY seems to have delivered a considerable quantity of twaddle. He declared that the real question was not whether Church-rates should be paid or not, but "whether we should have a national religion ;" so that it the Church-rates are abolished, the nation will become Infidel or Atheistic, we suppose. Mr. CUMMING, a Scotch parson, seconded Lord A slILEY ; and Mr. HENRY HOARE followed in the same strain, professing himself "one of the truth-loving, Bible.reading people of England."
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