The National Register. — London, England, 1811-03-10 00:00:00

••• TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. the preacher ascend the pulpit in the surplice of the reader; not deefaing it at all necessary to appear, before prison hearers, in the robes which he ought to wear even when ascending the stairs of auy prison pulpit. Are not these things facts ? Ought these things to remain as they nuw are? The souls of prisoners are still souls. Our 6 4 fishers of men" may one day find that such souls were worth fishing for !—' If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual,' writes St. Paul, ' let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are thecosn; naindments of the Lord. But if any man be ignOrant, let hits be ignorant. 0N.E812.417‘. PIW VINCIALS. • • 4 SOMERSET COUNTY MEETING. At a very numerous and highly respectable meeting of Free.- holders and other Inhabitants of this county at Wells, on Mon day, convened by the High Sheriff pursuant to a requisition, Mr. H. Hunt proposed an Address to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, which, after an expression of grateful thanks for his acceptance of the office, and of unbounded confidence. in his talents and virtues, censured the restrictions imposed upon him; lamented the heavy and increasing hurthen of taxation and recommended a Reform of Parliament as the: only effectttal check to corruption, and surest relief under the perilous situa tion of the country. Mr. Jones Eurdett seconded the motion.— Another Address, of more temper, was moved b.. , Colonel Horner, seconded by the Rev. Canon Trevelyar, and ably sue ported by Sir J. C. l{ippistey, who replied very fully, and parti— cularly to Mr. Hunt. Sir T. Achim', and Stevens Stowey,) follbwed on the same side. Dr. Wadktogton, and Mr. Power, spoke for the original Address; the latter vindicated Mr. Waithman, whose name bad bremmentioned with severity by Mr. Stevens. Mr. Goodford, a Magistrate, who had sigih:d the requisition, ilisbirned ail concurrence in the Address of Mr. Hunt, or in tbestothnents with which it was introduced. On a show of hands, the an:ended Address was carried by a majority of at least Bto 1. The utmost decorum,was ob4:erved throughout, and the very correct and impartial conduct of the Sheriff received, as it most justly merited, the unanimous ap probation of the meeting. , . . An extraordirutry circumstance happened early on Sunda morning, the 2.-Ith ta . :. to • the passengers GI the Boston .coach from London. Alamo two o'clock, the coazli having just passed through Caxton, the I,assengers were alarmed by reiterated criei of " murder," which proceeded from the house of Mr. Chstrud-. ler Merry,'situated about a . quarter of a mile from any other dwelling. 'The cries became more loud and frequent as the coach approached, a. 41 indueed the driver to run up close to the , house and stop ; and immediately upon which a ruflioar. rushed ' out and fired a pistol at him, happily without doing .any mis chief. It turned out that the inmates of the house, a man and four feinales, having discovered that five robber; were in the lower rooms, in one of which they were blowing, a lire, prepara tory to their making t 6; 'and liemg in no condition to contend with such a gang, voicife: ated " murder" from the windows.; and induced the coachman to stop. One of the robbers fired elt• pi,tol. In the darkness of the night, the whole five of the villains got away. on Wednesday last, a ewe, of the Ryland sort, the property of Mr. ' l'aylor, of Sandford, Shropshire, expired in great p7.ony ; and on opening the body, six fine lambs were found. , : the two last years she had four lambs each time. To prevent Smut in Wheat...— . fake 30 gall ors of wirer, brine this with 2blbs. of salt, dissolve 11h. of :1111)11:nate mercury, w 3 ita boiling water, in air earthen plpkin, and pour this into the 0 gallon; of brine,. As soon as the brine is cold, steep the wheat f,: an hour, ;and no longer. After the wheat has stood a:44 drained, if it is to be drilled, spread it upon a floor unfit it is quite dry ; if for broadcast, it is tit for use as soon as drained Be careful of the poisonous quality of the mercury, als'o' of the vessels used. Thursday mornlnz, Ensign He; burn, and White. the drum mer, for an abominable offence, were executed kfore the Debtor's dour, Newgate. White scemed verteetly indifferent at his awful fate, and continued adjusting the frill of his 4iirt, while lie was viewing the surrohuding popvlace. He was nut more than 17 years of age. Hepburn, in a very firm mannt protested his innocence to the Sheriff. After a few minutes • prayer, the miserable wretches were launched into eternity. Ile Duke of Cumberland, Lord Sefton, Lord Yarmouth, and several other noblemen, wPre in the Pres; Yard. • - . elle pulpit. No. XXXV. PRISON WORSHIP! /.et all things be done decently, and in order.—Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. .‘ Instantaneously that our fellow-countrymen becomq tunately immured within the walls of one of their own jails, although merely for the crime of being debtors, they seem not only to be delivered up to secular punishment, but consigned to spiritual excommunication. Whilst •the state leaves their bodies to starve, the church scarcely deigns to feed their souls. .Who ever has accidentally attended th..! customary performance of divine worship at either of our two master prisons, the Khig's Benchand the ,Fleet, must, should he have gone to either of them more than once, have been really pained to observe the indecorous and unprofitable manner in which the national reli gion is administered in the chapels of those extensive, and, alas! too generally populous places, of confinement. When it is remembered in what circumstances persons attend phlic worship, when in jail, and when the character of the little congregation who are drawn together, just once during each week, by the ringing of bell, to the service of Cod, is also considered; when the where and the What are thus known, one would suppose that, instead of hastiness and indifference of manner, the ministers of religion would evince more than ordi nary solicitude to make the services of the 4.llL,lnnent accept able, and render their ministerial instructions effectual to their end. Do the Pastors of PrisonS so act ? Excusing to them natural and unavoidable deficiencies, defect of talent, do they continually strive to atone for the absence of ability by the ferVour of piety; and convince their hearers, that, however un boastful of theoligical endowments, they are at least to be re ipected for their earnestness, and revered for their sincerity ? Let some of our prison chaplains put these serious question's to their own hearts. • • Perhaps it would not be quite candid to affirm that the Liturgy a the Church of England is never altogether religiously read within our prisons; but it frequest4 not deceutly repeated in them, and is never, never 1 affirm, tliat I know, celebrated as it regularly is ill the churches and chapels of the establishment, and as it ought to be celebrated even in the chapels of our prisons. Although there is a communion-table both in the King's Bench and the Fleet (each of which tables might, without much expence, he made to bear something like resemblance to the altars usually erected by the church), yet the officiating mi nister thinks it too much trouble to quit the reading-desk before he pronounces that impressive part of the national liturgy which is conuec.ed with the Commandments, and which is tlitr de prived of ail its dignity and much of Its effect. As to what is elsewhere psalmody, it is still worse. This otherwise inspiring part of public worship is left almost, generally altogether,to him who names the psalm and who seems hired to accompany it • Many of those who - attend divine service in prison mot having psalm-books, part of the evil of not joining in the singing would, perhaps, belere remedied, if the clerk gave out each stanza in conpletc, pausing between, as is still practised amongst souse . . dissenting christians. Noble and energetic preachers seldom electrify our prisons. Prisqn-sermons are of course written sermons; sermons calmly wrote, and as calmly spoken. Preachments of this kind make few appqls to the attention, and none to the affections, of hearers. The preacher has his task to do, and as a task he achieves it! Thus then the people are not IThoured for by him, and thus the labourer is not worthy of his hire. Clerical decorum is as notoriously iuglectcd. After having *kipped throug,h :he prayers of the church, you way here sue