Pauiurial.

Mr. Disraeli met the clergy and laity of the rural deanery of Amers- ham, at Prestwood, Bucks, on the 4th instant, "to consider the present aspect of the Church-rate question, and the course expedient to adopt with regard to it." Mr. Disraeli spoke at length : great questions are generally discussed on practical issues—the discussion on Church-rates- really involves the existence of the National Church. He shrinks from realizing "the consequences to the country of the termination of the con- nexion between Church and State :" it must break up our "paro- chial constitution," upon which our political constitution is built : the parish is one of the strongest securities for local government, and on local government political liberty mainly depends. The "social relations of the Church to the People," are so vast and various, that the most far- seeing cannot calculate the effects of the change. He thinks that if, by some convulsion of nature, some important district of the cauntry -were swept from the surface, the loss would not be greater than the with- drawal of the influence of the Church from our society : the Church of England is a part of England. He attributes the activity amongst the opponents of Church-rates to the lack of union among Churchmen, and this he traces to two causes—the disruption of political parties, and the disputes among the clergy. It is natural that in a free country there should be differences of opinion as to ritual and doctrine; sometimes theta are periods of excess and we live in one of those periods ; they are times of trial, but we had survived such periods. A cardinal's hat had been offered ere now to an Anglican prelate, and a Socinian had sat on the Episcopal Bench ; but the people always rallied round the via media vindicated by Hooker, Taylor, and Barrow. But if Churchmen are united, what then) Shall it be a compromise ? If compromise means improvement, then Mr. Disraeli is for compromise. A general parochial rate might be collected, out of which the wardens might deduct the ne- cessary expenses of the maintenance of the Church. But some were fur exempting Dissenters; that was not compromise but surrender, and an admission that the Church is not a National Church. The rate was pub- licly levied by a majority ; if a minority were to be exempted from coo - scientious scruples, on what principle shall we hold society together ? Landowners, members of peace societies, would haveszruples immediately as to the payment of taxes : "what the Dissenter demands fir arr oli- garchical principle" which, if pursued, would lead to confusion. Ire . cannot recommend a principle of exemption, and advised greater ac- tivity in the nest Session ; the members of the majority had been got rid of, and it remains for the Church to close the controversy for ever, and assert a great public right. Church Unions should be established in - every part of the kingdom ; and petitions broadly in favour of the unico of Church and State, and incidentally in favour of Church-rates, sent tip to Parliament.

An anti-church-rate conference assembled at Liverpool on Monday. Ample use was made of Mr. Disraeli's indiscreet speech at Prestwood, and the rash advice given to Churchmen was greedily accepted by the conference as evidence that their cause was gaining ground ; if not cer- tainly so, at all events reasonably argued from the premises of the Tory leader's defiance. The conference was ready to accept the issue, to de- cide the question of the connexion of Church and State, on the collateral but narrow plea of church-rates. Strong resolutions were passed, so that both parties have thrown down the gage of battle ; next Session wo may possibly have the old cry, " The:Church is in danger." So she is-- from some of her friends.

Mr. Bright attended a meeting on Tuesday, at Leeds, to address the Working Men's Parliamentary Reform Association. He referred to the - elections at Reading, Newcastle, and Southwark, where no Tory had dared to present himself as a candidate, as a proof that there was no real opposition to Parliamentary Reform wherever there is a free consti- tuency, and no man can-be returned if he is pledged to oppose Reform. The middle classes are not opposed to such a measure. Large numbers of them had influence; but they are subject to a hocus pocue influence, by which 20,000 men in one place have not more influence than 200 in another, and these 200 are in the power of some lawyer, landholder, cc- rich man who carries the whole of the votes in his pocket. The Reform Bill of 1832 was to the working class a positive, an intentional, and an absolute exclusion ; the exclusion still continued, although in '52, '54, '59, and '60, the Queen had recommended reform to Parliament. Ministers had brought in bills, but none had passed. Four or five minis- ters, and all the leading men of both parties, are pledged to Reform, and now no Government can maintain its place, unless it introduces awl carries some "real, fair, and substantial measure" of Reform. Speak- ing of the last bill, Mr. Bright said, that "some mim not very honest, and others very weak," on the Liberal side of the Home, found fault with the bill ; they gave courage to the Opposition, ami ultimately the Session was so far advanced as to render it impossible to pass the bill; but the settlement must be had unless the people of England are to be the only people of Europe that have no conocrn witti freedom. Mr. Bright believes that in the United Kingdom there ate 7,000,000 men of the age of twenty-one years and upward", but the cc-

tual number of men who possess a vote are not more than 1,000,000, so that 6,000,000 had no votes. It follows further, that 5,000,000 families, mainly of the working classes, and who are, therefore, precisely the class who suffer first and most from bad legislation, have not a vote in the election of Members of Parliament. He said that for 5,000,000 families in this kingdom, which pretended to be free, which had a representative system, which had a Parliament centuries old, which pretended to un- furl the flag of freedom to all the world,—for us to have 5,000,000 families from which there comes no single voice, nor murmur, nor vote in the House of Commons was a scandal and disgrace. The people of Italy are making a peaceful revolution, dismissing their rulers and asking the King of Sardinia, of whom they know nothing personally, to come and reign over them. The object of the revolution in Italy, therefore, is that instead of a despotic Government there should be es- tablished a Government of a King with a Parliament, and that if any- thing is hereafter done by legislation or administration in Italy, it shall not be done by the fiat of one man, or of a handful of men, or of a hand- ful of families, but by the general consent of the body of the people re- presented in the Parliament of the country. This change had given wonderful pleasure in England—even the Minister of the Crown had, in

a memorable despatch, expressed the pleasure which the English Govern- ment had, in looking on the gratifying prospect of a people building up the edifice of their liberty, and consolidating the work of their indepen- dence. If it had given such amazing gratification to the English Court, the English Cabinet, and the English people to see a people in Italy building up the edifice of their own liberties, he trusted no man would say that that meeting was not well employed in endeavouringto build up and ;consolidate the liberties of England. Mr. Bright hopes that the Italy of the future will include Rome and Venice ; but, even then the popula- tion will not exceed 24,000,000 of souls ; whereas, in this country, he had shown that 5,000,000 of families, including 25,000,000 of souls, have no vote in the election of Members of the House of Commons. On the most generous computation, he did not think that Lord John Russell's Bill will add more than 90,000 working men to the franchise, and there is a desire in the House of Lords to reduce it to an 81. rating franchise, which is equivalent to 91. or 10/. rental. Is such an insult possible in 1860, or will it be so in 1861? Is it possible that the blindness of Ita- lian Dukes, that the perverseness at Venice, that the obtuseness at Naples, that all which has passed before us during the last few years had passed in vain, and that Conservative gentlemen in both HOWL'S of Par- liament had learnt nothing from it ! Mr. Bright spoke with scorn upon the insult which had been heaped in Parliament on the working men of England, and urged at length the intelligence and prudence of the work- ing classes, and their claim to possess the franchise, as manifested by three cooperative societies in his own town (Rochdale); and he stated that out of thirty-two persons composing the managing committee of these societies, the aggregate annual transactions of which amounted to 380,0001., only one is possessing a county vote, and one a borough vote. Such a state of things was intolerable ; and he should be ashamed of him- self if he did not take all fitting opportunities of denouncing this exclu- sion, and inviting his fellow-countrymen to oppose themselves to it and assist in obtaining their just right. He concluded by urging energetic exertion in favour of Reform on the part of the great towns, in order to enfranchise the working man, who at present gives up two hours per day of toil to support a Government whose policy he cannot influence, and "which shuts him out of the commonest rights of citizenship, and spurns him as though he was a wild beast in human form."

The Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce recently sent a vote of thanks to Mr. Cobden, for his services in connexion with the French treaty. Mr. Cobden, in his reply, vindicates the treaty in principle and detail in its connexion with the doctrine of free trade-

" There could really have never been any difference of opinion respecting the treaty among those who desire the extension of free trade principles, if the very name of treaty had not furnished the ready means of misrepresen- tation. Taken with its traditional meaning, a treaty of commerce implies exclusive dealing and bargaining between two countries ; but I need hardly assure you, with whom I struggled for seven years for the principle of unconditional freedom of commerce, that I should be about the last man to identify myself with so retrogade a policy. - All that England has done in this case has been to carry out in practice towards all the world, in respect of some remaining items of our tariff, that principle of free trade which we have so loudly professed, and which we had previously applied to all our most important articles of production. If we have done this in the form of a treaty, it was solely to enable the Emperor of the French, by a diplomatic act, and in accordance with the powers vested in him by the constitution, to make some simultaneous reductions in the tariff of his country. To have ob- jected to such a proceeding on the ground of form would have been mere pe- dantry and not principle.

" But viewed on its own merits, and apart altogether from the treaty with France, Mr. Gladstone's last reform of our tariff, by which the whole of the remaining duties on manufactures have been swept away, is, in a mer- cantile point of view, one of the most important in our commercial annals. It has made England a free port for manufactures, just as she was previously the mart for wool, indigo, and other raw materials. And it will be followed by similar results. I have already heard of Canadian buyers who were ac- customed to pay annual visits to the Continent of Europe, having intimated their intention of making all their future purchases in England, being con- vinced that under the present free regime every article of continental manu- facture which can be produced cheaper sad better than in England will be found in the warehouses of London and Manchester. Yet, strange to add, there are still people to be found who, believing that foreigners—and not Engliehmen—pay our Customs' duties, blame the Chancellor of the Exche- quer for having made the great reform in the interest of France. It were unless any longer to argue this question. Time will in this, as in other matters, demonstrate the advantages of freedom."

The Newcastle-upon-Tyne election terminated in a poll on Friday week : Beaumont, Liberal-Conservative, 2346; Carstairs, Radical, 1500; majority for Beaumont, 846.

The nomination for the election of a Member fo7 the southern division of Notts is fixed for Tuesday, the 18th instant. Lord Stanhope, son of the Earl of Chesterfield, is the only candidate. The election will take place at Newark.

Very-exciting proceedings have taken place at Accrington, consequent upon the collection and distress warrants issued for Easter dues. On Mon- day, there was a sale by auction of goods seized for non-payment; there was a large audience; a posse of police surrounded the auctioneer, a stranger from Blackburn and the policemen got the bargains, for there were no buyers. The auctioneer whirled his hat over his head in triumph as he concluded the sale ; it was afterwards knocked over his eyes by the women in the crowd.

The Duke of Newcastle, previously to installation as a Knight of the Gar- ter, has been installed as a Provincial. Grand Master of Freemasons at Not- tingham on Saturday. There was a grand banquet on the occasion, at which the Duke proposed the health of the Prince of Wales.

James Johnson, the soldier who shot his comrade and Sergeant, Owen Chipt, and his corporal Cole, at Aldershott, on the 29th of September, was tried at Winchester Assizes on Wednesday. The prisoner, on being put into the dock, uttered strange noises, and feigned madness. The Judge had a conference with the surgeon of the gaol, and then directed the prisoner to be given in charge to the Jury. The particulars of the case are too fresh in the public mind to need recapitulation. On the point of insanity, the Judge examined the surgeon, who said he had seen the prisoner ever since he was committed. "I have seen at no time any symptoms of aberration of mind. The discrimination between feigned and actual insanity is part of medical science. My judgment is that he was, has been, and is of sound mind. He is a person of moat excitable temperament." The Jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced to death.

Thomas Smith was tried at Durham on Friday week, for the murder of John Baty at Winlaton. The particulars of the case are fresh in the public mind, as the murder took place only on the 4th of November. Baty's body was found in a position suggesting that he had been robbed ; he was last seen in the prisoner's companyi displaying his money. The Jury had to consider whether, in the use of violence to effect a robbery, Smith had mur- dered Baty, or, as he suggested, had killed him in a quarrel. The verdict was Wilful Murder, and the sentence—death.

Milner Lockey was tried at the same Assizes on Saturday, for the murder of Thomas Harrison, the messenger's bailiff, at Urpeth. He was also found guilty and sentenced to death. He alleged jealousy of Harrison as his mo- tive, but previous quarrels with his wife are also spoken of.

Thomas Richardson was tried at the Lincoln Assizes on Saturday, for the murder of a police constable, Alexander M‘Brian. The evidence was en- tirely circumstantial, except that the murdered man in his dying declara- tion stated his belief that Richardson was the man but the wadding dis- charged from the gun, and the paper of the wade

ng found in the other

barrel of the gun, were ascertained to be pieces of a copy of the Times, dated November, 1854, the bulk of which was found in the prisoner's possession. He was found guilty, sentenced to death, and has since made a confession of the crime to the Governor of Lincoln Castle.

William Ingram was convicted at Northampton, on Monday, of stabbing and wounding Mary Ann King, at Castle Ashby, who escaped with her life mort, by the accident of the prisoner's penknife being blunt, than from any mercy in him. In passing sentence Mr. Baron Bramwell told the prisoner that his life was forfeited ; and that if there were any elmnee, expectation, or, sofa,. as the public were concerned, he might say any hope that it would be carried into eject, he should not hesitate to pronounce upon him the sen- tence of death. That sentence would be recorded against him; whether it would be carried into effect the learned judge could not tell ; but if not, he would be subject to be a slave for life under such conditions that he would desire to die, and would be regarded by his companions in pain with loath- ing and abhorrence.

A very shocking case was disclosed at the York Assizes, on Tuesday, in the form of a charge against William Welch for the manslaughter of his wife at Clifton, near York. The poor woman was found by neighbours, who had long known her before she disappeared from the public view, in an emaciated condition. She was trembling, appeared sick, and made ges- tures with her fingers to her mouth as though she wanted something to eat. She said nothing. Mrs. Summersgill got her some bread and butter, which Mrs. Garland gave to her. She ate a small piece of it only, attempted to curtsey in thanking Mrs. Garland, and fell down in doing so. She was dreadfully emaciated and in a shockingly dirty state, the chemise which she wore being covered with filth. Her brothers, named Jeffer- son, were immediately communicated with, and went to the prisoner's cot- tage to see her. They found her in a room upstairs, admission to which was obtained by a moveable ladder in the room below. When that was re- moved, she could not get down. She was so much altered in appearance that they scarcely knew her, and she looked, as one of her brother's de- scribed it, "scarcely human." She was crouched up in the far corner of the bedstead, with her chemise wrapped round her shoulders as if for warmth, and in a most filthy state. She had but a quilt to cover her. Her skin, where visible, was pitted with red spots, as if from the bites of vermin, and she was covered with vermin. They spoke to her, and she gave no answer, and one of them said, "If you won't answer I must leave you." She then said, "Oh, don't leave me ; if.you do I will kill myself." They then gave immediate information to the Poor-law authorities, and one of the guardians of the parish of St. Margaret, Mr. Calvert, went to see her. He found her in the state already described. Her husband was then in the house, and he asked the prisoner for some clean linen to put on her, as they were going to take her away to the workhouse. On arriving at the work- house, she was examined by the medical men of the establishment. She was found to be in an imbecile state, very filthy, and covered with vermin, and appeared to be suffering from starvation. Her skin was dry, her eyes sunken and staring, her mouth parched, and she was extremely deaf, and suffering from continued want of sufficient food. She never rallied, and died three weeks after her admission into the workhouse. The Jury found the husband guilty. Sentence was deferred.

A pit boy was on Monday fined half-a-crown and c3sts for having, in an altercation thrown his safety lamp at another boy, thereby exposing the' naked light, and endangering the safety of the Monkwearmouth Colliery, wherein he worked.

James Jones, a collier at Aberdare, has been summarily convicted of lighting his pipe in the airway of the Deep Dufferyn Pit, exactly the most probable place to cause an explosion. He was sent to prison for seven days.

Elizabeth Dodds, charged with the wilful murder of her husband by the administration of arsenic, was acquitted at the Lincoln Assizes on Friday week. Some doubt appears to exist whether the arsenic was taken by or administered to the deceased ; he was in the habit of using it.

The Grand Jury at Warwick threw out a bill against Isabella Horton, whose age was stated in the calendar at eleven years, for an attempt at self- murder.

For the twentieth time, it is stated that the police at Road have obtained a clue to the murder of Master Kent, and hope in a few weeks to have a case against "a certain person ! " Such remote announcements do no good.

Richard Woodward Powell, of the firm of Scott, Powell, and Co., of Liverpool, was committed for trial at the Assizes on a charge of forgery, on Friday week.

The details Of the Risca colliery explosion are yet incomplete., but it is now ascertained that 146 lives are lost. The heroism exhibited by the neighbouring colliers in descending the mine to bring up the bodies is beyond all praise. It is idle to speculate on the cause of the accident at present, as the coroner's inquest takes place next week, when this solemn inquiry :trill take a judicial shape. Meanwhile, the papers contain letters indicating remedies—all of which, doubtless, may be usefully employed in the future. Only, theorising is easy ; the difficulty lies in carrying out the preventive checks from day to day, and often all is undone by the careless- ness of one man, who consigns himself and others to death by the neglect of well-understood and simple preventions.

Forty guests were assembled round the breakfast table after the wedding of the eldest daughter of the Reverend W. E. Chapman, rector of Edenharu, Lincolnshire, on Thursday week. Mr. Chapman stood up to return thanks for himself and his wife ; he spoke a few minutes, fell forward, and in- stantly expired. He was domestic chaplain to Lord Willoughby D'Eresby, and had been rector of his parish for forty years,

John Mather, a sub-contractor of the works in construction for the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway in the neighbourhood of Canterbury, was engaged moving some earth from behind one of the abutments, when about a waggon-load of earth slipped from the rear of the abutment, com- pletely covering him. In about six minutes he was extricated, but life was quite extinct.

The inquiry into the death of Higginson, the engine-driver, killed at Leigh, November 26th, has terminated in a verdict of manslaughter against the foreman of the platelayers, he not having complied with the rules of the company in stationing a signalman 1200 yards from the place where the reparations were going on.

Early on Sunday morning, a large slip of chalk took place in the cutting on the Brighton side of the viaduct, over the Lewes road, on the South Coast Line. It was discovered about five o'clock, when the goods train for the east branch was thrown off the metals, and came to a sudden stop at the spot.

The Reverend George Davis, Vicar of the Isle of Grain, was crossing High Street, Rochester, when a horse belonging to a baker, which had taken fright, rushed by, dragging a cart. He attempted to regain the pavement, but before he succeeded in doing so be either fell or was knocked down by the cart, his head coming in contact with the kerb. He was taken to the surgery of Dr. Jardine, when it was found he had sustained a concussion of the brain. He died in a few hours.

Smith, a pig-dealer, was proceeding to Solihull from the Warwick mar- ket, when he was stopped by three men, who asked him if he had "any pigs to sell ?" They knocked him down, rifled his pockets, which contained receipted bills and a certificate for shooting, and beat lam about the head with crabsticks until he was insensible. It is doubtful if he will recover.

The heavy and continued rains which have fallen for the past ten days in Notts, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, have caused the rivers Trent and Soar to overflow their banks, and large tracts of and in the surrounding coun- try are now under water. Irvsome places the cattle have had a very nar- row escape of being drowned, and the most active exertions have had to be used to prevent such casualties. As it is, however, the consequences will be serious. Wheat sowing and the sowing of other grain has for some time been retarded through the moistness of the weather, and now these opera- tions must be delayed until the spring.

The subscription for the relief of the suffering artisans of Coventry amounts already to about 2500/.

On Wednesday, five magistrates attended the Bacup petty sessions, but there was only one case, and that a trivial one, in which the magisterial de- cision was required.—.Bury Times.

The Free Public Library at Liverpool, opened on Monday last, has been crowded during the past week, from ten in the morning to ten at night, with at least 20,000 people.