EXETER HALL.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 177, 26 July 1845, Page 81

EXETER HALL.

[From the Colonial Gazette, Jan. 25.]

The incendiary agitation in British Guiana — the establishment of a modified and legalized slavery, and perpetuation of ignorant barbarism at Sierra Leone—the encouragement of Kafir plunder and murders, and the insurrections and emigrations of the Dutch farmers at the Cape — the massacre of Englishmen at the Wairau by the New Zealanders — and the murder of aborigines by Frenchmen in Otaheite — are all fruits of the same tree : natural and necessary consequences of the ignorant snd presumptuous meddling of Exeter Hall. In speaking thus decidedly of the tampering of Exeter Hall with affairs beyond its legitimate sphere of action, we do not wish to be thought blind to what is respectable in its character. Officious and provoking though it be, Exeter Hall has its respectable and amiable points as well as others. Exeter Hall is the organized Puritanism of England in the nineteenth century; the modern representative of that power that was laughed at by Ben Jonson, and persecuted by Laud, till irritated — scarcely more by the bigoted prelate than the wicked wit — it avenged itself by overturning the monarchy and the Church; of that power which, ejected from the snug benefices of England by Charles 11., contributed mainly to tumble his brother and successor from the throne. Ludicrous Puritanism must always be with its peevish precision; but it has a conscience, though a crotchetty and wayward one, and when its spleen is moved it has ever been found a dangerous foe. We do not despise — and we do not altogether dislike it.

Puritanism is not identical with dissent. It was long before any part of it could be driven to secede from the Church. The virago Queen Elizabeth, the pedantic James, the narrowminded Laud, did their best to squeeze it out, but in vain. Modestly regarding itself as the true leaven, it stuck pertinaciously in every nook and corner it was pressed into, hoping in time to leaven the whole lump. Oliver Cromwell installed it, but held a strong bridle hand on it: it kicked against him, but kept the livings, knowing he could not live for ever. When Charles 11. was restored, it made a bold rally to force the bishops to a compromise. Failing in this, Puritanism positively was obliged to march out and build churches of its own ; but a large amount of latent Puritanism was still left in the Church to coquet with, and make overtures to, the brethren outside on all occasions.

Ever restless, ever aspiring, Puritanism has gained the managing hand in almost all our religious and benevolent societies : and these have got their permanent bureaux and official staffs in the metropolis; their affiliated branches and lodges throughout the United Kingdom ; and their annual parliaments or palavers in Exeter Hall.

Just to give an idea of the numbers and wealth of the Exeter Hall interest we note:— ln 1838 the expenditure of four of the principal British societies engaged in foreign missions amounted to £269,548. The expenditure of the Baptist Missionary Society in that year was £20,622; of the London, £76,818; of the Church, £72,031 ; of the Wesleyan, £100,077. In 1835 the expenditure of the Bible Society was £84,249 ; its income, £107,926. The affiliated societies in connexion with the Bible Society were, in 1835, no fewer than 3,258. In 1838 the London Missionary Society possessed seventeen printing establishments. In addition to these there are the Colonial Missionary Society, the Society for Propagating Christianity among the Jews, the Home Missionary Society, the Tract Society, &c, &c, with a number of local associations. Lastly, there is the Anti-Slavery Society. All these bodies are not only organized within themselves; they are intimately and inseparably allied with one another. The same individual is not unfrequently an office-bearer in half-a-dozen of them ; if any person subscribes to one, it is odds but he subscribes to more of them. Their correspondence extends over the whole kingdom; their delegates congregate annually in the metropolis at the same season; their meetings are almost all held at Exeter Hall; and, as there can be only one meeting at a time, each is in general attended by all the delegates sent up to all the rest. The members of these societies are known to each other — they sympathize with each other — they assist each other. They constitute an organized section of public opinion, that yields itself up implicitly to the guidance of the managers of some of the principal societies in the metropolis, and that can at any time be set in motion at a moment's warning to promote any object that these managers may have in view. The ostensible objects of all these societies are excellent, and the immense majority of subscribers and office-bearers have these objects alone in view in sincerity and singleness qf heart. Nor will we impute bad intentions even to their metropolitan managers. But there are

men of few ideas, invet«#ito jettisons, crptiffaetty in the extreme, and meeting with matters beyond their sphere. \ Incapable of comprehending the consequences of urging their ends in remote communities, with tha relations of which they are ignorant, they do incalulable mischief, and stir up animosity against their professed objects as well as themselves. Any charge of misconduct brought against any of their agents is regarded as an attack upon the society and its managers, and resented and denounced instead of being investigated. They dream of making men virtuous by preserving them from coming in contact with anything bad or equivocal; and to this end they seriously propose that all rude, barbarous, or savage tribes shall be hermetically sealed -up from the access of all traders to whom they do not give a certificate of character, and prevented from emigrating to civilized lands. To accomplish this notable project they intrigue with our Government, and carry on a $uost*diplomatic intercourse with foreign Governments. They have long been masters in the Colonial Office; they appear, from the re-appointment of Mr. Pritchard, to have made a lodgment in the Foreign Office; and, from an extract from the Patriot, which we this day publish, it appears that they are at this moment engaged in a diplomatic negotiation with the King of the French. Now, what have been the fruits of this " sutor ultra crepidam" meddling of Exeter Hall ? In Jamaica and Guiana they have stirred up the labourers to mutiny, arid are doing their best to make and keep our free-labour sugar colonies incapable of competing with their slave-labour rivals. In Sierra Leone they have established a community of blacks not one whit advanced in civilization beyond the inhabitants of Brass Town, who support themselves by crimping liberated Africans to work for them. In the Cape, by the Stockenstrom treaties, they have exposed the frontier settlers to innumerable depredations, been the cause of the murder of De Lange and many others, and driven the Dutch fanners in desperation to seek new homes at the risk of engaging in exterminating wars with the aborigines. In New Zealand they have stimulated the natives to thwart and cheat the settlers, and goaded them on, by the grossest misrepresentations, to plunder and murder. In Otaheite they have been left to organize a Government after their own hearts — a Government which, as might have been anticipated, has proved impertinent enough to provoke the indignation of France, but too weak to resist it. This is what men like Mr. Dandeson Coates have effected by neglecting their legitimate business to intrigue in Government offices, to pack parliamentary committees, and manufacture evidence for them to usurp the direction of our foreign policy and the management of our colonies.

Exeter Hall is a real existence, and not to be got rid of. It is the " form and pressure of the uninformed and half-informed moral and religious zeal of the country." It will continue, and it is entitled to continue, to have its say in the affairs of the nation. All that can be done is to argue with its more candid members that they may check the mischievous blunders of their leaders — and to appeal to the common sense of the reHt of the nation to outvote Exeter Hall. This is our object in pertinaciously calling attention to every substantiated case of injury done by its meddling in the west, in the east, or in the south. Its action has for many years been relentlessly anti-colonial, and in selfdefence the colonial interests must do battle with it a I'outrance.