The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

.~ _.. ~rc+_.,~... _ .aJ~ SEPTEMBER 30, 1854. THE GENERAL THANKSGIVING. THE following " Prayer of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the present abundant Harvest" is ordered to be read to-morrow (Sunday, Oct. 1) at morning and evening service in all churches and chapels in Eng land and Wales : " Almighty God anti Father, of whose only gift it cometh that the earth is made to yield its increase for the suste• nancu of man, vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, that Thou hest crowned the year with Thy goodness, and caused the earth to bring forth abundantly, that it might give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. We acknowledge, 0 Lord, that it is of Thy great mercy that the evils of want and scarceness are not added to the dangers of warfare abroad and the terrors of pestilence at home. We might have sown much anti brought in little ; the heaven might have been stayed from dew, and the earth stayed from her fruit. But Thou has dealt graciously with Thine unworthy ser vants, and hest blessed the labours of the husbandman, and filled our garners with all manner of store. And now, Lord, entreat Thee, together with these temporal mer cies, to bestow the inestimable gift of Thy Holy Spirit, that a due sense of Thy goodness towards this land may awaken in us a more sincere repentance toward Thee, and a more earnest faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant that the dangers by which we are still threatened—the pesti lence which walketh in darkness, and the sword which de atroyeth at noon-day—may lead us to a more active obe dience to 'fhy laws, a more earnest endeavour to conform to Thy will, and to advance Thy glory. Dispose the hearts of those to whom abundance has been giver. to use that abnndance in relieving the necessities of the poor and des titute ; that, whilst many have gathered plenty, none may pine in want and penury. Thus may Thy judgments and fhy mercies alike work together for the spiritual benefit of all the people of this land, and tend to graft in their hearts an increasing lore and fear of Thee, our only refuge in the time of trouble.* Hear, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, these our humble petitions, and receive these our thanksgivings, for His sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen." • To be added where the cholera prevails :—" And may the frequent instances of mortality which we have mien remind us all of the nearness of death, and of the lodgment that is to fol low; that, whether living or dying, we may he found faithful dis ciples of Him who has taken away the sting of death, and opened the gate of everlasting life to all believers." THE REV. DR. ADLER, the Jewish chief rabbi, has issued a form of thanksgiving and prayer to he used in all the synagogues thronghout the united congre gations in the British empire, on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the 7th of October, 5815 (1854 ). THE CITY OF LONDON GENERAL. PENSION SOCIETY held their annual meeting at the London Tavern on Monday. The report presented and read by the secretary stated that during the thirty-six years the society had been in existence 58,963/. ss. had been distributed in monthly pensions to decayed artisans, mechanics, manufacturers, tradesmen, and the widows of such persons above 60 years of age, and that at the present time there are forty-four pensioners on the funds—viz., twenty men and twenty-four women, who receive—the men 275. a month and the women 18s. per month. Since the last annual meeting, seven pensioners had died • five men and two women. In April last four new pensioners were elected out of a list of twenty-eight candidates, and the directors pro posed to elect three additional pensioners—two men and one woman—in October next. The accounts showed receipts for the year, including balance, and 2491. 19s. 10(1. dividends on stock, to the amount of 1,097/. 17s. tki., of which 5971. 3s. had been paid in pensions, 2641. 19s. Hd. in salaries and expenses ; leaving a balance in hand of 2351. 14s. 10(1. The amount of capital belonging to the charity invested in the public funds was reported to be 7,8551. 168.6 d. The report and accounts baying been adopted, Earl Stanhope was re-elected president of the institution ; the officers for the ensuing year were also elected ; and the meeting separated. Os Saturday last a fine paddle-wheel steamer, named the Pacific, was launched from the yard of Mr. Scott Russell, at Millwall. She, is the property of a company formed in Australia, and intended for the coasting trade in that country. She is of a singularly beautiful build, her run and lines being so fine as to cause it to be expected that, she will be one of the fastest steamers afloat. It is confidently anticipated that her average speed will be sixteen miles an hour, while more than that will be got out of her on favour able occasions. Her dimensions are—length over all, 270 feet; ditto between perpendiculars, 250; hteadth, 32 ; d, pat, 24; tonnage, 1,200 tons. The engines are oscillating, of 450 nominal lierse-power, working up to more than 1,000 effective horse-power. She has two large decks for passengers, of whom she will carry between three and four hundred, and her saloon is more elegantly decorated and furnished than any similar vessel in this country Tug Board of Guardians of the parish of St. Ann, Soho, where the late visitation of cholera has made such terrible havoc, have formed themselves into a committee to collect and receive the contributions of the benevolent for the purpose of relieving the desli tute families who have been bereaved of their natural protectors by the epidemic. Other parishes are about to follow the example. THE PRESSi • •••• w• • ~--~~ WAR MEETING AT SHEFFIELD. A PUBLIC =Elmer, convened by requisition, and very numerously attended, was held in Sheffield, on Monday evening, to consider " whether the present Government is deserving of the confidence of the country in the management of the war with Russia." The speakers at the meeting were all persons of local standing and influence, and among them were several apologists for the Ministry, who relied chiefly upon the expected news from the Crimea to justify their resistance to the incriminatory resolutions which were successively proposed. These were, how ever, ultimately carried ; the most important being the first resolution, moved by Alderman Carr, to the following effect : " That, since the declaration of war against Russia in this country, numerous and dangerous diplomatic inter ruptions, combined with a laxity at purpose, have been per mitted to obstruct alike the tactics of our naval and military leaders and the general progress of the war, and that; pre vented measures of a decisive character, tending to the humiliation of Russia, from being adopted." An address to the Crown was subsequently pro posed, and, after much opposition, carried by the voices of a vast majority of the assembly. In this address the history and position of the war as it then stood was briefly recapitulated, and the following opinions expressed : " That in 1844 a secret, dishonest, and clandestine cow munication was received from the Czar, by the then Foreign Secretary, Lord Aberdeen, obviously contemplating the par tition of Turkey, and that this communication was neither rejected nor returned. " That in December, 1852, the resignation of the Earl of Derby's Ministry took place, and on the 27th of that month Lord Aberdeen announced in Parliament the formation of his Ministry, to the great suprise of the country, who were then totally at a loss to discover any sufficient reason for his appointment. That on the Ath of January following, being a fortnight after the formation of the Aberdeen Ministry, the Czar secretly renewed his clandestine and dishonest proposal, and persisted in forcing its considera tion upon Sir IL Seymour, as appears by his remarkable despatches. That, in the course of the Czar's conversation with Sir 11. Seymour, the Czar expressed the great pleasure he felt at the formation of the Aberdeen Ministry, and par ticularly desired Lord Aberdeen to be assured of his regard and esteem. " That notwithstanding facts, which were officially brought to the knowlege of your Majesty's Ministers, they repeatedly assured the country that the designs of the Czar were honourable, and that there was no reason to doubt his word, nor that of his representative at the English Court. " That the Ministry permitted the brutal massacre of Sinope, withheld the Sultan for a long time from chastising Russia, when he had shown his superiority by the victory of Oltenitzn, and, when the just and righteous indignation of the English nation could no longer be repressed, the Ministry advised a declaration of war against Russia to he made, and your Majesty's solemnly-announced purpose was to repress the aggressive spirit of Russia. " That, instead of the Ministry having taken steps for the honest accomplishment of that purpose, they wasted months in fruitless and tortuous diplomatic negotiations— bombarded Odessa, not because we were at war with Russia, but because a flag of truce had been fired upon— permitted the Sultan, unaided, to accomplish the glorious events at Silistria and Oinrgevo, and to drive the Russians out of the principalities—wasted a whole season in the Baltic by taking Bomaraund, simply to evacuate it, instead of capturing Riga, and thereby causing the heart of the Polish nation to beat high with hopes of deliverance—de clined the proffered aid of the Poles to assist in the strug gle, and finally have used their influence to compel the Sultan to sign a convention which permits Austria to oc cupy the principalities so nobly recovered by him from the wicked grasp of his enemies. " That these, with many other facts, have aroused our grave suspicions that, unless a prompt change be made, the honour and the integrity of England will be sacrificed, and her existence perilled. " That we especially protest against any alliance what ever with Austria, and cannot but regard her present occu pation of the principalities as in the highest degree dishonourable to England, and fatal to the peace of Europe. " That ander these circumstances we regret to find it our duty to communicate to your most gracious Majesty our entire want of confidence in the present Administra tion for the conduct of the war, and to entreat your Majesty to consider whether it is not imperatively neces sary to call to your Majesty's councils men who will act honestly, vigorously, and unanimously, and carry on the present war in accordance with the wishes of the nation." HIS EXCELLENCY THE HON. CHARLES MURRAY, C. 8., the newly appointed minister to the Shah of Persia, vice Colonel Sheil, has arrived in London from Berne, where he lately filled the post of resident minister. The hon. gentleman, who is on the eve of departure for Teheran viA overland route, is to have a salary of 5,0001. per annum. THE NEW DUTIES ON BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND PROMISSORY NOTES will come into operation in a few days, when one penny bill stamps will be issued. A retnrn has just been issued showing the gross produce of the revenue arising from the sale of stamps for bills of exchange and promissory notes from 1830 to 1854. In the quarter ending the sth January last the largest sum arose on 4s. Bd. stamps, producing in England 17,3071., in Scotland 3,7171., and in Ireland 2,8671. ;.:- OSi NORTHAMPTONSHIRA AORICIILTUBAL ASSOCIATION. Tim annual meeting of this society was held at Daventry, on Thursday week, and is stated to have been the most successful ever known. The atm,- yard was full of excellent stock and ponitry, the plongbing-field presinted an animated scene, and the attendance was unprecedented for numbers. The offering of prizes for poultry is a novel feature, but, judging from the amount of competition and the excellence of the birds shown, the committee have no cause to regret its introduction. The dinner was held at the Wheatsheaf Hotel. No mom in the hotel being large enough for the purpose, a spacious pavilion was erected in the hotel yard. Upwards of tlIK) guests assembled at dinner, Mr. Knightley, M.P., the president of the association, occupying the chair. Sir C. Knightley, Mr. A. Stafford, 31.1'., and the great majority of leading agriculturists in the heighbourhood were present. Dinner being over, and the numerous prizes awarded, several speeches were made, those of most interest by Mr. A. Stafford and Sir C. Knightley. The former proposed the toast, "The Agricultural Labourers of England." He said:— " He remembered the tine when agriculturists were taunted for drinking this toast, because it was said that labour was purely a question of supply and demand. So it was. The labourer asked RS ranch for his labour as he conk get for it, end the employer engaged that labour for as small a sum as he could. Yet still the agriculturists drank the toast, believing that, notwithstanding these taunts, the mere principle of barter was insufficient to bii.d heart to heart and man to man in the great social com paet. When economists said that labour was simply a question of trade, they said the truth. But did they say all the truth? If, in their intercourse with their fellow men, they cut off the kindly affections and generons arm• pathies, ignored the self-denial, the love of country and of home, however humble, they would do little to maintain the institutions of the country, and to kindle that kindly feeling in the poor man's heart which, after all, they must trust to, and not the lean became they knew how to trust themselves while they sympathised with others. Was it not, too. a question of the oldest and the best English feel ing—a feeling which had made England what she is , and what he trusted in God she might ever continue? If they wanted proof of this, he would remind them that in later times, after the question of free import of provisions had been settled, when riots in the towns were rite, there was no disaffection in the agricultural districts. (Hear, hear.) The labourers of England stood by the tenant-farmers, bearing manfully their burden with the rest of the com munity. And that was not all. Under what circum stances did they at the present time drink the health of those men ? Was it not tree that the army and navy of England derived their chief supplies from the labourers of England ? He did not wish to decry any class, or to refuse to them that respect from the community to which they were entitled: but, when search was made for British muscle and British courage, did they not go to the agrictil tura! districts, and draw thence their choicest soldiers ? ( Hear, hear.) Nor would those men fail to carry with them the sympathy of their fellow-countrymen because they had changed the plough for the sword, and the pruning hook for the spear. In this matter Englishmen were all of one bean, one said—moved by one feeling." Sir C. Keightley spoke in acknowledgment of his own health having been drunk, and made a farmer's speech, full of advice and information touching mattets of husbandry, stock-breeding, manures, be g whereon he related the conclusions formed from his own extensive experience in such pursuits. Regard ing the present condition of the British farmer he remarked : " He did not think that corn would role at either a low or high price ; but he hoped that the price would be such as to remunerate the producer, while it was not too high for the consumer. Ile should be glad to see it range between 7s. and Rs. per bushel. fle never wished to see it higher, and he hoped It wottld not go lower. (Hear, hear.) He cautioned them, however, against regarding the present year as a criterion for another. Next year's harvest might possibly i.e as plentiful as the present. But coin would not probably bear the same price. This was an exceptional year. There was drought in America, which had mimed the Indian corn crop to fall, and hid materially affected the wheat crop. The Black Sea ports were abut up. and we were mainly dependent upon our own enmities. Sufficient for the day, however, was the evil thereof. We were well off for this year, and he hoped we should be more happy and comfortable than we had been for several years past." Tea MEET IRO OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION IN LIVERPOOL, was closed on Saturday evening last with a grand dinner in the Philharmonic-hall, given by the Earl of Ilarrowby, the president, to the members and friends of the association. Sir It. Murchison dis charged the duties of chairman, and nearly tillo ladies and gentlemen were present. The dinner was suc ceeded by a brilliant soiree at the Town-hall, given by J. B. Lloyd, Esq., the mayor, to the members of the association and the elite of Liverpool and the neighbourhood. M. Soma, the American Ambassador, who left Madrid a few days aro under mysterious circumstances, and was last heard of at Toulouse, was at Marseilles on the 21itt, and has since arrived in Paris, acme panied by Mr. Sickle, the Anierioan Secretary of Legation in London. alUcsl