A meeting of about 2,000 persons was held at Brighton
on Tuesday, in the Town-hall, for the purpose of forming a Church-rate Abolition Society; Mr. Kemp, M.P. for Lewes, in the chair. Mr. Hume was present, and was received \with hearty applause. We give a few pas- sages from his speech.
I can have no hesitation in saying that it is incumbent on every man who values religious liberty, who values the chat acter of a freeman, that he should raise his voice and give his vote to abolish that which is a badge of servitude to all who deviate from the Estaldished religion of the Church. It is and has been used, and attempts mum' now making to continue it as such, to make the Dissenters a marked class, merely because they differ from the form of worship and manner of approaching their Creator which the law establishes in this country. • • • The whole Church, with few exceptions, is arrayed against improvements and those reforms and changes necessary for the in- terest of the country ; and therefore I wish to have that political engine removed. Let unanimity prevail, for Ministers rest on the people ; and unless the people speak out, it will be impossible for Ministers to carry the abolition of the rate. I urn quite satisfied that even in the present Douse of Commons, though not so good as I could wish it. a proposition for establishing a charge instettl of a church-rate cannot be pro- posed. Then we are asked, is hat will you do? some talk of pew-rents. I dual care IA hat they do, provided they keep it to the Church itself; but I would advise a different course, a CCalise so simple awl easy that it conies home to every man's common sense; and I shall be very much mi,taken if they do not ultimately adopt it. Parliament, bad as it has been, has abolished sinecures in the Army and Navy, and the whole of the Civil service; mum. re are to be created or allowed, after existing ones fall vacant. But sinecures exist in the Church to a great extent. Upwards of 350.0001. a year are paid to Deans and chapters, :Ind useess peaple of that hied ; 1 say useless as applied to the purposes for which the Clez::y ate ordained : they have uo Bucks to attend, they do not administer consolation in times of disease and affliction, they do not instruct the people ; in fact, they do nothiti4 but attend c:n quarter-day to receive their salaries. I, therefore. put it to you, het her any thing can b.- more easy than to take a 1.rtion of those sineettres to make up Bid:Nei:tot for the support of the editiecs of the Establish- ment."
On Thursday week, at a Vestry of the rate-payers of Boston, the Vicar in the chair, a rate was refused by the perso.•s present, who con-
sisted of Dissenters; with whom the Vicar's Churchwarden acted. A Dissenter proposed that the sum required should be raised by public subscription ; which was agreed to ; and the Vicar put down a trifle towards the fund.—Boston Herald.
The Town- Council of Leicester has done itself the honour of re- solving to petition Parliament for the abolition of Church-rates, and
that with only five dissentients. There was not a single member on the Council but declared its wish to see this impost removed ; those who opposed it doing so on the ground of its lying without their proper limits. —Leicestershire Mercury.
Public meetings have been held in Manchester and Rochdale, to pe- tition for the total abolition of Church-rates.
In Dudley, last week, there was a seizure for Church-rates ; but such was the anger of the people, that only one person ventured to bid for the articles sold, and she was the wife of the bailiff employed.
A Church-rate has been forcibly levied at Lyme. The Dissenters of that town, offering passive opposition, did not pay the money de- manded until their property was seized under legal process.—Sherhourne Journal.
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