The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 162, 11 February 1854, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times.

February 11, 1854. It will be seen by the proceedings reported in another column that the public meetings for the consideration of the principles of a Church Constitution circulated by the Bishop of this Diocese, to which we alluded last week, have been held as proposed at Christ-church and Lyttelton. ! The manner and tone in which these subjects—less familiar than they ought to be to Churchmen in general, and which at home are too often distorted by party prejudices —were discussed by the numerous speakers who took part in the proceedings, proved that they did not for the first time approach the matter, but that it was one which they could take up and examine in a sober and earnest spirit. This fact confirms us in the assurance, which all experience derived from the proceedings of the Diocesan Synods and Conventions in the Episcopal Church in America, as well as in Scotland, and of the General Assemblies of other religious communions, goes to support, that the surest way to pi'eserve harmony of feeling and general acquiescence in true principles in religious matters, as well as in secular ones, is not to dread discussion and to withhold the right of meeting upon such subjects from those most interested in them; but on the contrary fearlessly to invite the properly selected representatives of the Clergy and laity of the Church to confer together on all subjects affecting her efficiency and purity. x4IS these proceedings have already occupied a large portion of our columns, we will only now add our conviction that religious freedom is a necessary complement to the emancipation of the colonies in matters of civil government from the thraldom of the Colonial Office, and that it must in one shape or another be very speedily attained by the Church of England, so that in all local matters we may be, to express the idea intone word, avrovop.ol, or makers of our own laws.

By the arrival of the Kaka we have Sydney papers to the 11th of January. They contain intelligence from England 9 days later than that given in our paper on the 21st of January. It will be seen by extracts in another place that Turkey had declared war against Russia, and that an officer of rank in the Turkish army had been despatched to the commander of theßussian force, demanding tlie withdrawal of the troops-from the Danuhian provinces. According to some accounts, there were hopes that this demand would be acceded to, and actual hostilities thus avoided. Other accounts, and probably the more correct, state that war is unavoidable, the only point of debute recognized being whether the conflict will be confined to Russia and Turkey, or whether the European powers would be drawn into it. Fearing tl-e latter, the Sydney editors urge upon their rulers the necessity of adopting some precautionary measures for protecting Australia from the presumed attacks of Russian privateers, attracted thither by its riches. The proximity of the French, " the war ships in our neighbourhood of a ruler who is not very scrupulous in word or deed," as the Empire flatteringly describes Louis Napoleon, affords additional anxiety to our Sydney contemporaries. The home condition of England seems never to have been more flourishing than at the date of the last mail. Notwithstanding the lave reductions in taxation recently effected, the returns for the quarter ending lOtb October shew a greater surplus than was calculated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The increase tor the quarter over the corresponding one of last year, was £417,727, and fur the whole year the increase amounted to £2,311,752. Mr.Gladstone had been on a visit to some of the larger manufacturing towns, every where experiencing a cordial and gratifying reception. 1 lie ' wages movement" was still goin"- on particularly in the Northern prou'i'icesr At Preston, the operatives were contending for iin increase of 10 per cent., while the milf-owners threaten to close their establishments rather than yield to the demand.