The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-09 00:00:00

e beggel f poet) Y+ led that not be him it upon a ye beel lifesto :he pre zht for 'amend- )erhaps, ;• which no such tee, the is there for any one was of Mr. 'vations ich the m erely il were motion vat ion. s far as Idment Id not, that certain principles would be submitted by the Education _Co . namittee ; he, therefore, thought that the motion of Hr. Lawrence would be regular, but still it was for the council to decide. Mr. T URNER sa id, that having had the honour upon a former occasion to submit a proposition similar to this, he had now great pleasure in lending his feeble efforts to Mr. ( if H. Lawrence, towards accomplishing the object he had in v iew. Although he was not sanguine of success on this oc casion, he was so assured of the justice and the equity of the cause that he was confident,even if they failed for a time, they would succeed eventually. The age was too enlightened to tolerate the spirit of exclusion. The last remnant of the bigotry which had ruled in this town so long was almost ex banished ; and he hoped the day was not far distant when a bett er state of things would prevail—when we should have the happiness of seeing good will and Christian charity about !is, and when all should be engaged in that labour of face, doing unto others as we would have others do Unto us. In his humble opinion, the Education Com mittee were inconsistent. He did not think they went far enough, if their views were to be carried Out, because they allowed children to go into the schools and learn religion six days in the week, whilst upon the Sunday, the most important day of all, they were allowed to go Wherever they pleased—to church or chapel, to conventicle or synagogue, just to learn whatever was placed before them. Now, if the schools were to be conducted according to the principles of the Church of England alone, it was the duty of the committee to' make all the children go to church on the Sunday. As an abstract principle, he would admit that education without religion was an evil ; but was it not an evil to deprive the poor children of those parents who professed different religious opinions to ourselves, and who had an equal claim with ourselves to a fair share of the advantages the Corporation Schools were enabled to give, of the blessings of education ? Was not that an evil? Was it not also an evil that those poor children should be left to run and riot about the streets in ignorance and idleness, liable to the con tagion of evil example, and all those vices which, if not checked in youth, would at maturity cause them to forfeit their liberty, if not their lives ? Was not that an evil ? It was, and the council bad the remedy in its own hands. Why was the great falling off which had taken place in the attend ance at the schools ? It appeared from the returns made this morning, that comparing the present attendance with that of the vorresponding period last year, there had been a falling tiff of no less than 297 children. With all these facts before it certainly did appear to him an act of injustice, if not of cruelty, to leave the benches of the schools empty when they might be filled. Again, as Mr. Lawrence had stated. schools had been emptied at the south end of the town, and there had also been a falling off in the subscriptions to other schools which were flourishing before, in consequence of the system now established. Surely, this was to be lamented. S urely, it was to be lamented that the Church of England schools should be emptied to fill the Corporation Schools, which were vacant because the committee would not receive the poor Roman Catholic children. This he did not call Christian charity; but he was sure that the longer this question was agitated, the more progress it would gain —that althou g h it might be in a minority now, it would succeed eventually. Let them not be faint-hearted or he weary in well-doing. He would, in conclusion, say to all his friends, Persevere : magna est vPritas et prcevalebit." He seconded the motion of Mr. G. H. Lawrence. Mr. Nicol had heard with interest, as he always did, the observations which had fallen from Mr. G. H. Lawrence, although he might not be able to arrive at the same conclu sions. Mr. Lawrence had spoken a great deal concerning the difficulties of the school question, the municipal and other difficulties which attended it ; and he confessed that, after having heard him say that there was a great doubt whether the borough fund was equal to the continued support of the schools; after having heard from Mr. Turner that there was a considerable falling off in the attendance ; when he heard from Mr. Lawrence, as he had with satisfaction, that the Council could never be considered as an educational body; that the view of the legislature in passing the Municipal Act Must have been that they should not be an education body ; after hearing all this, and many other circumstances connected with the question, he must say that he had arrived at a con clusion very different from that to which Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Turner had arrived. It appeared to him that instead of their motion getting rid of an unpleasant question, they were involving it in fresh difficulty, and the conclusion to which he had come, arising, too, out of their own arguments, was, that the sooner the schools were closed the better. Referring back to the Education Committee to consider such a propo sition as had emanated from Mr. Lawrence was blinking the question altogether; it was only referring that to them to which it was known beforehand they would not consent. All the arguments he he'd heard not only to-day, but during the Whole of last year, and particularly the statement ma d e by Mr. Turner that the attendances were falling off instead of increasing, bad brought him to the conclusion, which he would have moved as a second ans.mdment if it was in order, that the schools should be closed is itogether ; but as he ap prehended that would be an irregularity, he reserved that tight after having given notice. He therefore begged to in timate that at the next Council it was his intention to Move that the schools be closed at the end of the current quarter. He had nevar bound himself to any opinion upon the subject of education, but as he did not think Mr. Law rence's motion calculated to do any good be should vote against it. , Mr. H ARBORD, as a member of the Education Committee , °egged to say that Mr. Turner was in error when he stated that the attendance in the schools had fallen cif. The fact Was, that since the management of them had come into the Present hands, the attendance bad every week been upon the increase ; and it had never decreased even for one week. Mr. TURNER explained that he alluded to the average at tendances. Mr. HARBORD, in continuation, repeated that the attend ances were upon the increase. Everybody knew that in the first excitement of the change made in the principles of the council, the whole of the Roman Catholic children were driven from the schools by their priests. The committee, of course, could not help that ' • but the fact was still capable of proof, that since they had had the entire controul of the schools they had been upon the increase. He would here eotion that the Roman Catholic children were increasing in numbers; and it was only within the last few days that Roman Catholic children had been brought from a Roman Catholic school, by Roman Catholic parents, into the corpo ration schools. Mr. EARLE.—HOW many? Mr. HARBORD could not say how many at that moment, but he had the names of the parents. (Cry of " Name.") He should decline mentioning the names for obvious rea sons. Mr. Harbord then entered into an explanation of the history of St.. Michael's School being given up. in which he established, in answer to Mr. G. H. Lawrence, that it ceased operations not because the conservatives had just then ad vanced into power, and wished to fill the Corporation Schools with Church of England children, but because the schools were not supported. He regretted that such statements should be made, as they had a tendency to mislead the coun cil, and as had been just heard, they had had considerable effect upon the mind of Mr. Nicol. He complained, also, of statements having been made, particularly with regard to the attendances at the schools, which bad no direct bearing upon the question before them. Mr. TURNER said he hail copied the numbers from the books not two minutes before he made the statement. Mr. HARBORD, resuming, said that Mr. Turner had very ingeniously taken the numbers at a time when the reform Party were in full power, and compared them with the num bers under the present rule when the conservatives had been in office only ten months. That was not placing the compa rison in a proper position before the council. How was it Possible, with all the opposition they had met with, that the conservative party should in ten months have arrived at the Maximum number of the reform party when they were in full power? He repeated, however, that since they had come into power, the numbers, instead of decreasing, had increased. The Roman Catholic children had been increasing every week in numbers, a fact which he stated on the authority of the books. Gentlemen who wished well to the cause would Pause before they undertook the great responsibility, which they had, of spreading true Christian principle, not from the fear of man or to please man ; and that, he believed, was the Principle which the Education Committee acted upon. He was reminded by a friend, to whom he was speaking the other day on this subject, of the motto of the corporation upon their chairs, which he translated thus for him , as he did not pro fess to be a Latin scholar :—" Our duty God has made in easy forms." Now God had made the duty of' the council easy o n this question. Let the council, therefore, do that duty without having the fear of man before them. Mr. EARLE.—What a classical man! (Call of " Order" from the Mayor.) Mr. PRIESTLEY contended that the Roman catholic chil dren had left the schools in consequence of the change which Was made in the system by the party now in power; and it Was unfair to snake it appear that the Roman catholics had increased since, when the fact was it was only the children of other denominations. Mr. HORNBY was reluctant to trespass upon the patience of the council, conscious as he was that the subject was not a favourite one with many members ; but lie felt extremely desirous to express his approbation of and to give his sup- Port to the amendment which had been moved by Mr. Law rence, because it did, as he believed, an act of justice to those poor children who were formerly educated in the schools, and who were now excluded from them. He sup- Ported it also because it afforded a hope of making some arrangement which would be the effect of putting an end to those virulent dissensions which had so long distracted the Public mind upon this question. He hoped, therefore, the council would grant him their attention for a few moments, and he assured them he would avoid every topic likely to excite Party feeling, without giving personal offence to one single in dividual. There were several gentlemen in that room who ap peared to 'doubt whether Roman catholic children had been excluded from the Corporation Schools; and he thought it was Mr. Hodgson who distinctly declared at the last meeting that it was not true they were excluded. He was sure Mr. Hodgson did not wish the council to adopt any opinions Which lie did not himself hold in all sincerity ; but he was surprised that a person of his acuteness upon all ordinary subjects should entertain so strange an opinion. They, with whom he (Mr. Hornby) acted, had never asserted that the Roman Catholic children had been forcibly ejected from th e schools, or that the Education Committee had made a specific regulation to close the doors of the schools to chil dren of that persuasion ' • but they did say that the Education Committee had attached conditions to their admission which rendered it morally impossible for any honest Roman Catho lic parent to'send his children there. He believed that no one ever denied that Dissenters were excluded from muni cipal offices before the repeal of the test and corporation act, or that Roman Catholics were excluded from either house of Parliament before the passing of the Roman Catholic relief bill • now the exclusion in these cases rested upon precisely similar grounds to that by which the council excluded those children from the Corporation Schools—for they were re quired to take tests which they could not take, and the Catholic child here was required to perform acts at variance With the religion it professed, and, as it was taught to believe, at variance with the religion of his God. What would be their own feelings if they, as members of the council, were Placed in the situation of the Roman Catholics of this town? Let him imagine that the council, instead of being composed of Protestants, was composed of Roman Catholics ; that such a council was to establish schools and invite the children of Christians of all denominations to attend those schools, re quiring that they should all read the Douay version of the scriptures, be under the guidance of Roman Catholic teach ers, and join in every act and form of the Roman Catholic church ? Would not every Protestant in the town join in ex claiming against the injustice, as well as the illegality of such a system ? Would not every one denounce such a profession of teaching Christiaas of all denominations as a mockery ? Would they not all unite and call upon all the Protestant C lergy of the town to use all their influence to deter Pro testant parents from allowing their children to join such schools? if so, with what justice could we blame the Ro ll-An Catholic priests for a similar interference? He under- Stood that the conduct of the Roman Catholics in keeping from the schools had been spoken of in that council as highly anproper and reprehensible. Now, no one could be more opposed to the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith than he w as ; but he had no hesitation in saying, that if the clergy of that church had not exhorted their people, and used their in fluence in the way they had, supposing they believed their "la doctrines, they would have been guilty of a gross dere liction of duty. He was desirous that the council should Well consider the nature of the objection of those who said that Roman Catholic children should not be admitted to the b enefits of secular education. It would be recollected that 'under the former Education Committee, one hour each taY had been set apart for the religio u s instruction of rotestants and Catholics who were separated for the Purpose. The objection made to that was that the c ouncil was sanctioning the teaching of err on eous doc trines,' of doctrines which they knew an d acknowled g ed t 0 be erroneous; but the proposal of Mr. Lawrence was to t:dasit Roman' Catholic children to receive secular instruc "°n only, and the objection to this proposition was, that se- cular education, if unaccompanied by sound religions in struction, (and sound religious instruction meant instruction in protestant doctrines, in the doctrines of the Church of England,) was worse than no education at all. The conclu sion from these two objections, if both were valid, was, that education provided from the public funds must be confined to the children of Protestants, and to such Roman catholics as were willing to allow their children to be brought up in a faith which they themselves denied. Now this was a system entirely at variance with all his notions of justice ; it was not merely characterised by injustice but by tyranny — tyranny the most hateful, because it inflicted upon one por tion of our fellow-countrymen a creed in which they did not believe. In conclusion he must protest against the system now adopted by the Education Committee. He desired ardently to see all persons of the same religion as himself, but he would use no other mode to gain that end than fair argument. Mr. HENRY LAWRENCE had very little to say, because, what he had intended to have submitted had been anticipated. He should conscientiously support the amendment. He thought the Education Commit tee ought not to run into the fault which had been committed by their predecessors in their exclusion of—for of course a nominal exclusion was a virtual exclusion in such a case—the children of the Church of Eng land ; and if they adopted a similar course with regard to the Roman Catholics, they would be equally blameable. lie was afraid the amendment was not very likely to be successful, because, he had found in many instances it had not met with the support he anticipated. There was, however, a difference of opinion • and he should not be doing his duty to him self, or to his character, if he did not state his conscientious opinions upon this subject. He did not believe that out of doors the opinions he advocated was so little extended, as it seemed to have been insinuated in that room. He had dis cussed the question on many occasions, amongst"others, with clergymen of the highest standing and respectability ; he did not whether there had been any alteration in their opinions. but he knew that the very course now advocated here, had been suggested by a most able man who, at one time, said they would be content with it. He did not intend to give offence to those he represented. He had been one of the first conservatives returned to the council ; and his sentiments were always known, namely, that he was a conservative, with a certain degree of liberality in his views. In conclusion, he felt bound to support the amendment, and he should do so with satisfaction to his own conscience, though he had very little hopes of success. Mr. PARKER regretted the pro. and con. speech which the chairman of the Finance Committee (Mr. G. H. Lawrence) had just made • but at the same time he gave him credit for following the honest convictions of his mind. He bad put a *question, namely, supposing the legislature had had to fix a system of education to be carried out by municipal bodies, what system would it hhve been ? Now, he (Mr. Parker) would ask another question, which arose out of that, nnmely, upon what principle was the municipal act based ? It was based upon those principles which that council as conserva tives and Protestants revered, and which, he trusted, they would ever combine to support. His answer, then, to the question proposed by the chairman of the Finance Committee was, that no doubt any system of education to be carried out by municipal bodies would have been based upon the same principles. He would prefer to see professing conservative and Protestant gentlemen, instead of seeking to put a lever whereby to overturn the existing system, at once come out and boldly propose a grant of money exclusively for the support of a school in which to teach Roman Catholic chil dren. That would be a manly course for them to pursue ; but what would the Town-clerk say to such a proposition ? Why, he would tell them that, according to the municipal act, they had not the power to make any such grant. A beautiful picture had been drawn, with a great degree of talent, by Mr. Hornby, to show that the council would be wrong in refusing to assent to the amendment; but he had not told them what had been the proceedings of the Educa tion Committee during the glorious reign of reform. Why, they had effectually excluded the Church of England chil dren ; and now they should take into consideration the opinions of the vast community the council were elected to represent. Now, lie hesitated not to say, that of the thirteen wards which bad returned conservative members at the late election, they had returned those members upon the principle on which education in the corporation schools was carried on. He hoped, therefore, that this fact would be kept in view when the question was carried to a division. It was all very well to express new ideas, and to put forth new views upon the subject, but there could be no compro mise of principle in such a matter. The Education Com mittee were either right or wrong. It was true expediency might do much in the way of modification ; but might they not be 'called upon to make too great sacrifices, and too great compromises for the sake of expediency? Expediency, he had no hesitation in saying, was a word which had caused to this country evils which be scarcely dared to mention. There was a time before the principle of expediency was re sorted to, when Roman Catholics and political dissenters were kept in check; but now, since its introduction the council had absolutely been told that the Church of England herself was a sectarian church. The late member for Castle street ward had ventured to make this assertion; and lie would ask the council whether that had not been caused by the giving way to expediency ? He (Mr. Parker) was much pleased to hear the compliments paid to the old corporation by the chairman of the Finance Committee, because he was satisfied that it had been richly merited by them. In the words of the late lamented Mr. Foster, if all the corpora tions of England had been like that of Liverpool, there would have been no occasion for municipal reform ; and that sentiment, he was convinced, was the pervading feeling of the town. He was also satisfied that it was intended, through the municipal acts, to aim a deeper blow at the church, and at our Protestant institutions than it had yet been able to in flict ; but he contended that the municipal act was founded upon Protestant principle, and it must be carried out ac cording to the principles on which it was based. Mr. EARLE was proud to acknowledge Mr. Hornby as a leader; and he thought, that after the able manner in which he had addressed the council, and the sound sense which he had spoken, every man in the council would be glad to acknowledge him as a leader. Only put what Mr. Hornby had said in contrast with what they bad just beard from Mr. Parker ! He wished the gentlemen on the other side joy of their leader, Mr. Parker, who had asked a great number of questions ; and the bulk of his speech consisted in answers to himself. The Roman Catholics, however, were not to be gulled. He congratulated the council upon the fact that many of the conservatives coincided with the views which had been expressed by Mr. Hornby. Mr. ASPINALL said, it was now half-past three o'clock ; and as there was no chance of the debate being concluded to-day, he would move an adjournment. (Cries of " No, no," and " Yes, yes.") The MAYOR said that was a question which rested entirely with the council. (Cries of "Go on.") Mr. PLATT said, he had always voted in the spirit of the amendment, on the ground of common justice. He now wished to ask the Town-clerk whether the funds of this cor poration could be applied to the general use of the inhabi tants ? He meant the funds, not the other property. The TOWN-CLERK said, the question put to him was rather too general—whether the funds of the corporation could be applied to the general use of the inhabitants. Mr. PLATT said, his question was, whether the funds of the corporation were to be exclusively applied to the educa tion of one denomination of Christians ? The TOWN-CLERK could have no hesitation in giving this opinion, that the funds of the corporation might be applied for the purposes of education according to the religion of the Church of England ; and he had no hesitation in saying that the funds could not be applied to education if it was to be accompanied with religious instruction according to the Roman Catholic faith and doctrine. He founded his opinion upon the opinions of Mr. Bacon and Mr. Tinne. The case put to them certainly applied to the appropriation of land, but the principle was precisely the same. Mr. G. LAWRENCE. — You allude to surplus income? The TOWN-CLERK. —Decidedly to surplus income ; for that which is obligatory upon you, you are not at liberty so to apply. Mr. PLATT would ask the Town-clerk whether it was legal to apply to Roman Catholics and dissenters for funds which went into the borough fund? If it was legal to call upon them for funds which went into the borough fund, it was surely legal for them to be expended upon them. The MAYOR.—You mean to say that because Roman Catholics contribute to the municipal fund, therefore they ought to participate in its application ? Mr. PLATT.—Yes. The TowN-CLERK must guard himself against giving any opinion upon the question before the council ; but he should say it clearly appeared from the advice he had received, that the exercise of a trust, out of the surplus income of the cor poration, in favour of Roman Catholic institutions, conducted according to the practice and doctrines of the Church of Rome, would be an illegal exercise upon the part of the council, however the money might arise. Mr. PLATT said the answer of the Town-Clerk would not alter the conditions upon which he was going to speak ; for he had always understood that the contributions to the bo rough fund were not only paid by Protestants but by Roman Catholics and dissenters of every denomination. That being the case, he conceived it an act of common justice, leaving religion out of the question, that the children of the poor, of all religious denominations, should have a right to receive their protection, their support, and also their instruction. He left religion out of the question, much as he admired the Church of England and her precepts. This being so, he contended that the council ought to give to those children secular education, without saving one word about religion. Mr. BUSHELL suggested the propriety of an adjournment, but the cries of " Go on" prevented the motion being made. Mr. SANDS said that he should not at that late hour go into the general question, otherwise he might advert to the great sympathy which gentlemen on the other side now pro fessed for one portion of the children of the poor, and to their total disregard of another portion—the Protestant poor. Did they not, when they were in power, as effectually turn out of the schools the Protestant children, as they alletiged we have turned out the Roman Catholics? He must say that, in his opinion, the statements just made by his friend Mr. Lawrence and by Mr. Turner ought to cause them to suspect the propriety of their own proposition—he meant their state ments with respect to those children who were not required to go to church on the Sabbath. The gentlemen complained that those children were left destitute, as it were, on that day. Now the Education Committee took an assurance from the parents of those children, that they should be taken to some place of worship upon the Sunday. Mr. H. LAWRENCE. — Do I understand that when a Roman Catholic parent comes, we take an assurance from him that he will take his child to his own place of worship upon the Sunday ? Mr. SANDS.—Yes ; to his own place of worship. Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE. -1 was not aware of it. Mr. HARBORD said, the course was this. As to the chil dren of Protestants, the committee made it a sine qua non that they should go to the school on thelSundays, and then to church. The schools were regularly opened on Sundays, which was a fact that Mr. Lawrence had omitted to state, and the children went regularly from them to church. If they were the children of Dissenters, the same rule was en joined. Mr. SANDS, in continuation, said that if these assurances which were taken, either directly or by implication, that parents would send their children to some place of worship upon the Sabbath so completely failed, what was the assur ance worth which Mr. Lawrence would give that those chil dren who were admitted to receive secular education only should receive religious instruction somewhere upon the Sabbath? If the assurance in one case went for nothing, what was it likely to be worth in another case? Mr. Law rence regretted that the corporation was educational; but such being the case he could not help it, and they must deal with things as they found them. He also argued as if the School Committee required dissenters and Romanists to be taught the tenets of the Church of England. Now the fact was not SO : children of the Church of England only were required to learn the catechism, but all were taught the Bible. From such an education as that none were excluded. The Bible was not now excluded—nor any children excluded ;—the committee admitted the children of all denominations, and taught them the truths contained in God's Holy Word. Mr. Butxurr begged to ask the council this question ? If they were to have schools, upon what principle were they to be conducted? When he first saw the notice which Mr. Blackburn had put upon the paper, he must confess he felt shocked, that a man who had on many former occasions said so much on religious education should have put such a mo tion upon the paper. They might call him (Mr. Birkett) intolerant or bigot, or what they pleased, but he would never consent to any such motion ; he would rather move that it be erased from the books. What, were they in Christian land, to be called upon to educate the children m the poor without any religion at all? Did not the proposal jus tify the charges that were made against the promoters of the late system, "that they excluded practically the Bible from the Schools ;" and now, the graver one, that it would exclude all means or modes.of religious instruction, altogether ? The council was asked to allow the schools to be opened for secu lar education only. Why the town would be disgraced by such a system, and it would be high time for people to get out of it to some happier abode. He felt so strongly upon this question that he scarcely dared trust himself to speak upon it ; and he regretted much to differ with any persons who called themselves conservatives. Indeed, if these proceedings went on by conservatives, he did not know whether he should not drop the name. It was too a matter of regret that he should be compelled to differ from a gentleman with whom he had been associated, as a conservative, in Rodney-street Ward. He felt bound to say that he agreed with Mr. Lawrence so far, that he would be under no pledge, and that he would act independently ; but, at the same time, he was satisfied that if it had been sup posed he entertained such opinions as were entertained by some who called themselves conservatives, be never should have had the honour of being asked to come forward as one of the representatives of Rodney-street Ward ; and, indeed, if the burgesses had entertained such sentiments, he would not have been the man to serve them. He hoped the coun cil would, by a large majority, put down this unhappy— but he did not know what to call it, for he had not words strong enough to express his abhorrence of such a system. He hoped the council would confirm the proceedings of the Education Committee by a large majority. Mr. HODGSON said he had entered the council with the intention of supporting the resolution of the Education Com mittee by a silent vote, because the subject had already been so fully discussed with regard to principle. The principle, too, had been so fully expounded, that all which he should think it necessary to say, would be one word with regard to some points on which they were urged to establish a system of secular education apart from religion. Really, to go into such a sea of controversy as the whole subject opened, and which ought to have been settled long ago, was impossible; and therefore he hardly knew where to begin. He would, however, commence with expressing his surprise that gen tlemen calling themselves conservatives, and who acted upon those sentiments in all other respects, should be found starting with some new scheme, when that which was already in progress was answering the expectations with which it had been framed, when it was increasing the number of scholars. when it was establishing a wholesome discipline, which had been greatly retarded by the agitation that had taken place in that room to induce the Roman Catholic parents to with draw their children from the schools, and by an agitation among Roman Catholics from one end of the town to the other. And when the town had expressed so unequivocally' its approbation of the course now pursued, when the large majority of the council was decidedly opposed to any chonge really to light up and resuscitate the agitation which men had thus desired to put down, what but a desire to distress their own party could have induced them to re-open this question? Mr. George Hall Lawrence, for whcse kind and conscientious feeling he had great respect, but under whose judgment he would not willingly place him self on this question, had told the Council that he had stu died this subject; and he had studied itso hard indeed that he bad become bewildered in consequence of being unable to distinguish between principle and expediency. He said he would do in public what he would not do in private. If this was a matter of expediency; if the Protestant and Popish re ligions were mere matters of political difference ; if they were not, the one in strict conformity to the revealed will of God, and the other in opposition to it, then he could understand one gentleman who said " Here are two ways, one takes me fifteen miles round about, but both arrive at the same point." But their position was otherwise. One man said " I can stand upon principle in my private capacity, but in my pub lic capacity I can not." Then they had had a long infer ential argument as to what municipal regulations entailed upon the council. There again the gentleman was in a per fect fallacy. What did they sit there for but to decide ac cording to law, what according to their judgment would be the best appropriation of their funds ? If they had been acting contrary to law, point it out, and they would willingly make the amends honourable; but as far as it appeared to him the practise was in conformity with the law. He must have strange notions of how the laws of the country were ad ministered, who said, "because I am in a minority I must have precisely the same advantages and power as you who have a decided majority, though my minor views are unjust and unfair, or inexpedient or improper." Every govern ment would be upset if that was to be the principle upon which we were acting. The council were taunted with having practised a system of exclusion ; but gentlemen who made the taunt were probably unaware that whatever might be the practise pursued now, the former body practised exactly the same. They now said "we are anxious that there should be no religion in particular, so that every man may come." We now said, "we do not teach a religion that man has framed, we are not under mere tem poral princes, but we are under the declared will of God, and we cannot teach any thing but that which he has given us to teach ; we have swept out from our house, namely, the schools, the idolatry that was within its walls, and those who are idolators will not come there." When you (look ing at Mr. Earle) were in power— Mr. EARLE.—Look at the Mayor, and not at me. Your arguments have no force upon me, and most probably none upon your friends. The MAYOR.—Order, order. Mr. EARLE.-1 beg pardon, Mr. Mayor. He looked at me. Mr. HODGSON, in continuation, said he should say some thing to Mr. Earle by and bye. Having swept the house, and cleared it of these things, they , as became true Chris tians, professing‘the religion of the Bible, left every man to come in who would take the Scriptures clear and unadulter ated, without note or comment ; they kept out all abomi nations from within, without excluding any body; they would not go into the temple of idols ; they would not bow down to Juggernaut—neither would they submit to pollu-; tion ; and if the former heresy was to be again taught in these schools, they would withdraw the Protestant children from the contamination of such contact. Now, to say they were guilty of intolerance or injustice was absurd; he denied the position in Coto, and threw It back upon those who asserted it, and said, " it is you who cast the stone ; you do not ap prehend the exact similarity of your own case, because you would make your will your law to constrain us to pursue it ; you enforced a system that was as objectionable to us as our's can by possibility be to you; and, mark, with this great difference—the Roman Catholic population of Liver pool is a very poor part of the population, contributing next to nothing to the public funds, and you want us to apportion nineteen -twentieths of the whole money to the education of the Roman Catholics !" True enough the schools became empty at first; but why ? Because the Roman Catholic priesthood turned out the children of their persuasion; they would not adopt the pure word of God, nor come near the schools. Now he came to the question of secular education as apart from religious instruction. He dared say they should be asked, " will you not keep these children from running about the streets ? Will you not gibe them some good, because they cannot take all the good? Will you not keep them from herding in our various streets, and courts, 'and allies ?" In the first place, he thought the whole statement a fiction, that they were running about. He believed they were too much occupied to do so. The Roman Catholics, too, had built their own schools, and they would have taken them to themselves, whether we had them or not, but that might be a matter of opinion. The question, however, was secular education apart from the religion of God. He contended that it was a gross mistake—that there was no foundation for it in Scrip ture—that it had no support in history—to suppose that secular education alone was a benefit. Instead of leaving the poor and ignorant in the simple lot they possessed, and leav ing them to run riot in our alleys, supposing that position was true, which he denied—it was giving them the power of unsanctified knowledge ; and, according to their degree of knowledge, it enlarged their sphere of mischief. Mr. Hodg son then quoted passages from Plato, Bacon, Burke, and Allison, to shew the dangerous tendencies of unsanctified knowledge; that with the increase of knowledge there came an enlarged power of committing the most fearful mischiefs. He was aware that the reformers, as they called themselves, had taken a great deal of pains to teach little ragged children Latin and a great variety of things. Now, their parents in many cases when they went home had not even a potato to give them; and in ninety-nine out of a hundred of their cases the need of the stomach must be supplied by the labour of the hands. There was false sympathy and vanity in attempting to teach them that which would not only be useless to them but a positive nuisance, disqualifying them from every occupation belonging to their position, and raising them to a station in which they were good for nothing. The great thing, he contended, was, to improve these poor children in the knowledge of the Bible, and, next to that, to give them such an education as would not disturb the course they were ordained to pursue. He was willing that every man should rise, but as he who rose would rise from superior talent, and not from this false sympathy and forced education in unsuit able circumstances, it was idle to attempt it, and worse than idle, for it was wasting the public property, endangering the public morals, and giving food for Botany Bay and the gal lows. He knew perfectly well that the gentlemen who advo cated the amendment did so in perfect sincerity, and that the opposition of the Roman Catholics to the existing system was given in sincerity likewise : they were desirous of forwarding the object they had in view, and so were all classes of men. The attempt, therefore, to conciliate, by mixing up two oppo site principles in the way that Mr. Lawrence proposed, was one of the vainest ideas that could enter into the head of any man. Further, the existing elements of the British consti tution had, by the removal of restrictions upon the Roman Catholics and other sectarians, necessarily entailed upon England the continual conflict of opinions for the rea sons he had just mentioned. Whilst under the autho rity of defined limits each man knew how far •he could go ; but now the door was open to ambition each man pursued his own object with different degrees of power; the conseauence was, that the system was disturbed, and would be so - long as the present state of things lasted. The stronger party, which, thank God, were the Protestants, would keep down the weaker ; and the constant effort of the one and the other to gain their object, would end, if not timely corrected, in discontent and the disruption of society. This would cause fresh enactments, and the effect would be that all those who sought to gain power by the removal of restrictions would find they had lost power by it, that they had at last lessened their privileges instead of gaining any. As to the suggestion of selling the schools, he would go into that when the proper time came ; but he begged to say, that when the time did arrive, be should object to any such proposal. The great battle field of religious principle was education. " Train up the child as he should go," and you trained' him to that which was good ; but, if you did not he would assuredly go into error. They hail been charged with intolerance. It was their bounden duty to give a sound Protestant religious education to the children under their charge ; but how could they pretend to give sound religious instruction upon a vital question, when the same children saw that they admitted into the schools, persons who would avowedly say that they need not be taught it at all ? The Church of Rome was always a political church ; and if she gained this cause, she would gain a lever and a power against us, which we should not be able to gainsay. The council had another duty to perform—it was their duty to uphold the truth by their example, to preserve that truth, and to bring others to it. He would persecute no man. He did not say that the poor should not have secular education, but in the present case they were not only called upon to give secular education, but to put aside the Bible. That was a very extraordinary position ; and be thought he could refer to documents ad dressed to Mr. Blackburn, in which it was made clear that the Bible was excluded under the former system from the schools. Mr. BLACKBURN.—No such thing. Mr. HODGSON thought, however, that he could convict Mr. Blackburn of inconsistency in the motion which he had brought forward. Did he mean to say, that if the Bible was locked up in the schools, they could be said to use the Bible in them ? No. What was it, then, but an exclusion of the Bible, if the children were allowed to come in on the express condition that they might not use it ? Was not that an ex clusion of it? Mr. BLACKBURN.—It is not an exclusion, but only a non enforcement of it. Mr. HODGSON said he had a very different notion about it, but the public would judge. Mr. Hodgson proceeded with his address at considerable length; and he concluded with an eloquent call upon the council to maintain the present system of giving sound religious and Protestant education to the children of the poor. It being now twenty minutes to five o'clock, Mr. ASPINAL said, that as the council had been sitting for more than five hours and three quarters, they must be exhausted, and he would, therefore, move the adjournment of the debate. (Cries of "Adjourn.") Mr. BUSHELL seconded the motion, and it being carried, the debate was adjourned till Wednesday next. a .NININOWIOEIN.. THE ACCIDENT ON THE VERSAILLES RAILWAY.—The important trial arising out of this awful accident, concluded on Saturday last, when it was decided that the administrateur deWgue, the provisional director, the chief of the Paris station, the civil engineer, the chief of the station at Versailles, and the inspector of the service, should all be arraigned as " guilty of homicide through imprudence." BIRKENHEAD POLICE COMMISSIONERS. The commissioners, under the act for the regulation and government of the township of Birkenhead, held a general meeting in the Town-halt, on TueSday. The following mem bers were present :—John Deane Case (chairman), William Jackson (deputy chairman), W. Cole, D. M'Nicol, J. S. Jackson, James Parker, J. H. Greene, J. W. Pritchard, C. A. Watson, A. Kerr, M. N. Raynes, Thomas Gilbertson, John Walker, D. Appleton, S. Stansfield, Joseph Pim. Rd. Fry, and J. N: Wood. JOHN DEANE CASE, Esq., took the chair. LAST GENERAL MEETING. Mr. HILMAR read the proceedings of the last general meeting. The commissioners, it appeared, had passed a resolution to the effect that steps be taken at the proper time to separate the parish business from that of the com missioners, and that such alterations be made in the several offices as might thereby become necessary. It also appeared that the Parliamentary Committee had re commended the commissioners to put themselves in com munication with Mr. Robert Stephenson, the eminent engineer, concerning the projected extension and improve ment of the pier at Woodside. The improvement rate, and the lighting and watching rate, each of 9d. in the pound, granted on the 6th of September last, had, it appeared, re ceived the requisite signatures to constitute their legality.— The proceedings were confirmed without eliciting any obser vation. LIGHTING AND WATCHING COMMITTEE. Mr. BILLIAR read the proceedings of this committee. Amongst other matters there was a recommendation that 10s. be paid to constable Boughey, ss. each to four of his men, and 24. 6d. to two other of his men, for their activity in ap prehending the perpetrators of the outrage and robbery at Capenhurst, which was described, at the period of its occur rence, in the columns of th* Standard. The CHAIRMAN mentioned his opinion that on considering all the circumstances those rewards were too small, and he recommended that the general body should order something more to be paid to the men. Mr. WATSON said that the feeling of the committee was to do so, but they wished for the sanction of the general body. It was then resolved that the sum of £5 should be placed at the disposal of the committee to be distributed among the officers.—The proceedings were then confirmed. MARKETS' COMMITTEE. From the proceedings of this committee, it appeared that Thomas Read had been appointed market looker in the place of Thomas Foster, discharged.TConfirmed. ROAD COMMITTEE. The Road Committee recommended the general board to order 5,000 tons of Penmanmaur stone. to be broken during the winter by poor men resident in the township, for not less than six months. There was also a report that the com mittee had issued notices for the paving of the lower part of Claughton-road, which has already been. Macadamized by the owners, or occupiers. • Mr. PRITCRARD strongly objected to these notices being enforced. The road was already Macadamized, and in good order ; it was a hardship, therefore, to compel the owners to pave the road after they had gone to so much expense al ready. There was no necessity for it ; and he could only characterize it as a job on the part of certain individuals. Mr. WILLIAM JACKSON entered into some details to shew that the paving was absolutely necessary. He wished to know whether he correctiy understood Mr. Pritchard to say that it was a job ? Mr. PRITCHARD said that, having been called, upon, be must say that he did believe it to be a job. Mr. Was. JACKSON replied that Mr. Pritchard was not justified in making such an assertion, and ha could only at tribute it to a feeling of self-interest. The CNA)RMAN called for order. A great deal of discussion followed upon this matter, but there was no interest in it. The proceedings were eventually confirmed. FERRY COMMITTEE. Mr. J. S. JACKSON read the proceeding of the Ferry Com mittee. The Committee stated it was with pleasure they re ported that since the last report there had been no cause of complaint against any of the servants of the ferry ; and that the receipts of the month exceeded the receipts in November, 1841, by £5B 10s. 7d. The proceedings were confirmed. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The proceedings of the Finance Committee were read and confirmed. THE LATE BOATS. Mr. MALLABY read the following memorial against the late boats between 'Woodside and Liverpool. It was signed by 73 most respectable individuals, including all the clergy : Birkenhead, 26th November. 1842. TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF BIRKENHEAD, Gentlemen, We, the undersigned rate-payers of Birkenhead, being tho roughly convinced that great evil has attended the plying of the ferry boats between this township and Liverpool to so late an hour as twelve o'clock, midnight, feel it to be our duty respectfully to represent to you, That it affords a great facility to the ingress of vicious peo ple of every description, thereby altering the character of the residence in this township, and presents opportunities and temptations to youni'persons from which they would other wise be precluded. That we are persuaded the continuance of such a system must result in heavy pecuniary loss to the township, by the increase of expense ; besides exposing the lives of passengers, and the f extra risk to the boats. Also that we consider the late hours thus required for the attendance of the servants employed to be quite unreasonable. For these reasons we entreat you earnestly to take into your consideration the propriety of returning to the former practice of the ferry. Signed by the Rev. Andrew Knox, and five other cler gymen of the Church of England. all who reside in the place, three ministers of the Wesleyan connexion, one of the Church of Scotland, the churchwardens, the overseers of the parish, and a great proportion of the respectability of the township. A very long discussion followed on this memorial, in which nothing new was elicited. At the end of it, Mr. PARKER gave notice, that at the next meeting he should move that the late boats be discontinued. The meeting then separated. WlGAN.—Tauasnmr • NIGHT. SPECIAL MEEETING OF THE TOWN-COUNCIL. A special meeting of the Town-council was hdd in the Council-chamber, new Town-hall, on Wednesday afternoon last, for the purpose of adopting the customary legal mea sures in making an order upon the churchwardens and over seers of the poor, for a sum of money to be applied in de fraying the expenses of the corporation. There were present-the mayor. Messrs. Ackerley, Croud- Son, Taylor, Fairhurst, Bullock, Holt, Caldwell, Gibson, Norris, Newsham, Marsh, Woods, Procter, Heaton, Haughton, and Lowe. The minutes of the last meeting having been read by the Town-clerk, Mr. Savage, one of the overseers of the poor for the borough, presented a return of the value of the rateable property within the borough, in conformity with the resolution passed at the last meeting. Mr. Savage having attested the correctness of the return — the required resolutions respecting the order upon the church. wardens and overseers for the sum wanted by the corpora tion—were moved and seconded by different members of the council without any amendment being proposed. Resolutions were also passed, empowering Mr. Thomas Latham, chief constable of the borough, to receive the sum specified by the corporation from the overseers, in like man ner as a high constable receives a county rate ; and requiring that he should straightway, on receiving the same, hand it over to the treasurer of the borough, to be by him placed to the account of, and for the use of, the corporation. Each document was signed by the mayor on behalf of the corporation, and the borough seal was also affixed in due form. A:conversation arose respecting the tolls, when the Town clerk informed the council that he had written to the lessee, demanding payment of the arrears due from him, according to the instructions he had received from the council ; but he had not yet received any reply. After some further remarks from Mr. Ackerley and other members of the council, the meeting was adjourned for a week on the motion of Mr. H. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Bullock. GAS INSPECTORS.—A meeting of the council, as gas in spectors, took place on Monday last, when it was agreed on that several additional lights should be placed in different parts of the town, on the recommendation of the committee appointed to make the examination. IMPUDENT ROBBERY.--TIMELY JUSTICE.—On Tuesday afternoon last, two shirts were stolen from a hedge on Aspull Moor, the property of a person named Hart, near whose dwelling some clothes were drying. On the same afternoon Heath, formerly one of our active police-officers, perceived two young fellows of notoriously bad character, named Robert Topping and William Occleshaw (one of whom had a bundle under his arm), coming towards the Scholes from Aspull. He suspected all was not right, and followed them to a house of ill-fame in the Scholes, and took them into custody. He then went, along with Smith, No. 1, of our police-force, to Aspull, and discovered the owner of the shirts. The fellows were brought before J. Woodcock, Esq., on Wednesday, and committed for trial. Occleshaw has been three times committed for felony ' • and has been heard to declare that he would soon follow his brother, who was transported about four months ago, from our borough sessions. P !Prime legs of mutton have within the last few days been selling in this city at sd. and loins, shoulders, and other joints at 4d a pound. —Salisbury Journal. The present week has been prolific of arrivals from the eastern hemisphere. Upwards of twenty vessels of large ton nage, and containing valuable cargoes, have arrived in the docks ; several of them from China, and the quantity of tea brought home from Wh am poa, &c., exceeds 15,000 chests. The barque Elenora, of Whitehaven, 319 tons register, Capt. Jackson, arrived in the St. Katharine's Dock, from Wham non, with nearly 5,000 c hests, the majority of which was Coligou. - • - - THE CHINA TRADE.—As one of many instances of the improvement of business in Glasgow, a gentleman informs us that when there on Tuesday he saw one house, where little business had been done for months, close a single transaction of £lO,OOO in power-loom goods for the China market; and these having still to go through the printing process at home will yet afford some work to Glasgow hands.—Ayr Advertiser. DEATH OF THE COUNTESS OF MUNSTER.—This lamented lady has not long survived her ill-fated husband, having died at her house in Portland-place on Saturday last. Her Lady ship, Mary Wyndham, was daughter of the late Earl of Egremont, and married her late husband in October, 1819, whom she survived not quite nine months. Several children, including the Earl of Munster, who is in his 19th year, sur vive their parents. MURDER NEAR CHEPSTOW. — On Sunday last, an un married female, named Mosley, aged 36, who lived with her father at a farm two miles from Chepstow, was murdered in the absence of her father. About £2O was stolen from the house. The first discovery of the murder was made by the father, who, on the day in question, on his return from Chepstow market, found the lifeless body of his daughter at the back door, and a hedge-stake lying beside her. A person was apprehended on suspicion. REVIVAL OF THE SERGE MANUFACTORY. — We are happy to find that the good news from India and China has had the effect of reanimating the serge manufactories in Devon, which had been drooping for some time past. The extensive factories for this article at Ashburton and neigh , bourhood have been set at full working this last week ; and we are informed that the inhabitants seem inspired with a new life, at the prospect of a revival of the exportation trade to the East.—Plymouth paper. ANOTHER MURDER IN IRELAND.—We are afflicted at being obliged to record another deed of blood, perpetrated near Moneygall, on Sunday last. In this instance the vic tim of the murderous fire was Lord Bloomfield's gate-keeper, who had incurred displeasure on account of some proceedings relative to land. As he was sitting at his fire-place, on Sun ' day, four armed miscreants entered his dwelling, and lodged the contents of a blunderbuss in his body, leaving him a life ' less corpse. His name, we understand, was Hill.—Limerick Reporter. - - EXTRAORDINARY MATRIMONI A L AFFAIR.—The love affair in Dublin, that appeared this week in the papers, will find something to do for the bar. The gallant Captain —, of the 84th Regiment, came over from Chatham at the desire of Miss H—g, to be married. The dresses were made up, and the hour fixed, when the fair one gave the captain the slip, and went off with an old flame—a Mr. F—, whom her friends had discarded. It appears her father left her £50,000 fortune. It is said that Captain G—,is about to institute a suit for breach of promise of marriage against Miss H—g.—Liotoriek Chremiele. LIVERPOOL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION. In order t 4 gratify the anxiety of our readers with respect to the educational arrangements of this noble institution, we reprint, from the Courier of Wednesday, the following im portant and interesting particulars. We have already noticed at considerable length the architectural beauties of the build ing, and therefore only give the course of instruction which will be adopted in the different schools. The course of study for the upper school will comprise Latin, Greek, Mathematics, English composition and his tory, geography, natural philosophy, chymistry, and writing. The terms will be found in the advertisemeit. French,' drawing, and vocal music, will be extras, at 10s. 6d. per quarter each. German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, and the modern languages generally, will be taught on proportionate low terms. There will be two distinct descriptions of educa tion given in this school; the one purely academical, prepa ratory to the university, and the other of a general character, with a view to commercial, manufacturing, and engineering, pursuits. A number of students intended for the universities will join this school, and when Mr. Gladstone, with his usual munificence, has carried out his intention of founding a university scholarship is connection with it, the number will be further increased. The course of study for the middle school will comprise Latin, English composition and history, geography, mathe matics, (including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and the principles of mensuration,) bookkeeping, French, writing, drawing, singing, chymistry, and natural philosophy. We again refer to the advertisement for the terms, merely ad ding, that there will be no extras for ,any of the above branches. It is expected that this school will prove emi nently calculated for the middle classes of the community ; a generous patron of the institution will give a free nomination for two years to the boy who may make the greatest progress in it during the past year. This will be a prize equal to £23, and consequently worth struggling for. The course of study for the lower school will comprise Latin, English grammar, composition and history, geogra phy, arithmetic, writing, drawing, singing, and French, all of which will be taught according to the terms stated in the advertisement, without any extras. The professors and masters will receive boarders into their houses, and no pupil will be received who does not reside with a near relation or a master. Evening schools will also be provided, at which instruction will be given in the following subjects :—Mathematics, (in cluding arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, espec ally their practical application,) nautical astronomy and navigation, (for the practical teaching of which an experienced master from the Royal Nautical Schools at Greenwich has been en gaged,) naval architecture, mechanical drawing, chymistry, natural philosophy, the modern languages, and vocal music. These schools are considered one of the most interesting fea tures of the institution, and the directors are determined to spare no expense or exertion in rendering them practically useful ; and from the well known abilities of the masters already engaged, we feel confident their intentions will be crowned with success. The terms are not yet fixed, but the mechanic will have no cause to complain respecting them. There will be evening lectures in the lecture-hall, on the Tuesday and Friday evenings in each week, and, from the amount of talent which will be within the reach of the direc tors, we expect that this department will be exceedingly at tractive and useful. The musical performances of the pupils alone, supported by the organ to be placed in the music gal lery, will, of themselves, furnish many an evening's rational enjoyment. For the accommodation of pupils residing at some distance from the institution, dinners will daily be provided within the institution at moderate fixed charges. The systems of tuition have been cautiously arranged by the Principal from the best models now existing in the country, which he has recently inspected for this purpose, and will, it is expected, he found well adapted for the differ ent objects which they have in view. Periodical reports will be sent to the parents. Annual examinations of the schools by university examiners from Oxford and Cambridge will be given, the results of which will be published, and the prizes will be distributed, in the lecture-hall, in the presence of the pupils and their friends, by the Lord Bishop of Chester, who has kindly consented to undertake this pleasing duty. Allu sion has been made to the nature of one class of prizes in a previous paragraph, and , there is reason to hope that a num ber of valuable prizes will be offered for competition in all the schools. We now come to a very important branch of education, namely, the course of religious training, with an especial view to which, as in the case of King's College, London, this institution was founded. All the day scholars will assemble in their several places in the Lecture-hall, at the commence ment of the morning business, attired in the collegiate gowns to be worn in the schools, and the form of prayer now em ployed at King's College, London, under the sanction of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, will be read by the Principal, all the other masters being present. Besides the lectures to be given by the Principal upon the doctrines and institutions of Christianity, religious instruction will he daily given to the different classes by the masters in the English department, and also by the head masters of the different schools, to the classes more immediately under their superintendence. In this manner, the religious training of the student will, with the Almighty blessing, be rendered fully equal to the high secular education which cannot fail to be imparted under such judicious arrangements. The institution will commence operations on the 23rd of January, but a formal opening, to be attended by its dis tinguished friends, will probably take place previously. THE LIVERPOOL ANTI-CORN-LAW GATHERING. (From the Times.) The confessions of those enlightened benefactors to their own pockets, who subscribe £lOO now, that they may here after realize £l,OOO, at the expense, as it of course must in evitably be, of the rest of the community, and who coolly denominate themselves the while an Anti-Monopolist League, continue to increase in intensity and delicacy. A gentleman who seconded a motion at the " Great League Fund Meeting" at Liverpool, " mentioned, with all humility and without any desire to be considered egotistical, that he had gladly given his £lOO for the next year to accomplish the objects of the League. He had hopes that he was pro moting his own individual good to no small extent by ex tending free trade principles. He was not ashamed to avow his belief, that his £lOO subscription would bring him back a hundred times £lOO if the objects of the League should happen to be attended with success." How beautiful is the modesty with which this humble se conder shrinks from the ostentatious mention of his own charity He feels perfectly miserable at thus being obliged to trumpet his own praises, and to proclaim to the world that he has subscribed £lOO for so disinterested and magna nimous a purpose as that contemplated and avowed by the League. But he shortly reflects that there is, after all, no such great necessity for being ashamed of his subscription ; his money is no gift, but only a speculation ; it will bring in no small profit to himself; so he takes courage, and explains how this is to be : " Some persons might say that this was a particular crotchet (!)of his own, and that his anticipations were of too sanguine a nature ; but they should recollect that (ay, here's the rob) he was a large railway proprietor, and that, if the principles of free trade were extended, and the diffe rential duties taken off colonial produce, and corn admitted freely into this country, a double quantity of sugar would be imported, a double quantity of coffee . would be consumed and a double quantity of corn would be sent from one ex tremity of the country to the other. The fact of this sugar, coffee, and corn being transmitted by means of the several railways of the country. could not fail to increase the gross revenue and profit arising from those railways to an extent which he could not attempt to predict ; but if it should raise one-half per cent. net profit on the railways, that half per cent. would give 10 per cent. additional value on the capital embarked in them, and that 10 per cent. would give him 100 times £lOO. Upon this view of the subject, therefore, he trusted the meeting would contribute largely, because the SPECULATION was the most certain in which they could be engaged." Here, then, we have it,—there is no mincing matters here —the thing is a " speculation," and " no mistake" about it. All is clear and " level to the meanest capacity." The " class" benefit which is proposed to be realised is calculated with most mathematical exactness. No monopoly in corn! no monopoly in sugar! no monopoly in coffee! and why ? Is it because monopolies are absolutely unjust and impolitic? By no means. It is because a different monopoly is wanted for a different class of persons. It is to be done simply that there may be a rise in railroad shares, and that the share holders may enjoy their monopoly accordingly, and realize just 10 per cent. on their capital. Other property may be depreciated—other classes may suffer—but they have no right to enjoy a monopoly, so-let them bear the loss; yet, if that exclusive advantage formerly enjoyed by these iniquitous class-men is transferred to property invested in railroads — and if the privileged class of railroad shareholders gain thereby a means of turning their already existing monopoly to the greatest possible advantage—this, so far from being objectionable as class legislation, is the best of all reasons why the proposed change should be made. Down, then, with the £lOO for the Leagde, and rush straight thence to the offices of the railway companies, and invest your capital accordingly. This is no foolish romance; there is no hum bug here about the cause of humanity and injustice, and so forth ; we bring you no Dissenting minister to tell of the " anti-religious" influence of the corn laws and tariff among the middle classes; no, we propose a tangible speculation, a certain gain; we seek, by depreciating the present artificial and unnatural value of certain descriptions of property, to raise, by equally artificial means, the value of other descrip tions of property ; and we recommend all parties concerned to invest in this last-mentioned privileged class of property forthwith. " Favour the land," says the landlord. " How unjust," says the public carrier, " to benefit one class at the expense of another ; but doubtless railroads and house traffic ought to he encouraged! This would be the best result, of the abolition of all monopolies—excepting this only one." " After all, gentlemen," said the leather seller to the com mittee who were deliberating how and with what to fortify their town, after all, there is nothing like leather." COR RESPONDENCI,S. ACCOMMODATIVN IN CHURCHES. TO THE: EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL S'EL):DARD. SIR,—I observe that in your Tuesday's number you com mented upon my letter in the Mail. As those remarks appear to have been penned under the advice or instruction of the verger of Christ's Church, I am willing to believe that he did not intend to act impertinently, though, certainly, my ideas of civility differ, in some degree, from those which he would seem to entertain. I may intimate that my remonstrance was not designed to apply to the minister, but to the system by which a person devoted to the reformed religion is debarred from receiving spiritual comfort in one of the churches of our land, without being prepared to pay for it, and which assimilates so nearly to the practice of the conventicle. When I wrote I was not aware the Church was a proprie tary one, and that the seats in the upper gallery were free. You will do me the justice, I am sure, to insert this expla nation. Yours, respectfully, E. M. [This explanation requires further elucidation. How the treatment which " E. M." has met with can be said " to debar her from receiving spiritual comfort in one of the churches of our land," is beyond our comprehension.] Loss OF THE HENRY DAVIDSON.—Extract of a letter inserted in the Bombay Times from the captain, dated Singa pore, Sept. 6 :—" Sir,—l take the liberty of forwarding you an account of the loss of the Henry Davidson, of London, 600 tons burden, with cotton, from Bombay to China. After leaving Singapore-roads we proceeded, with light winds, to the eastward. On the night of September 2, Battam Point was made, the weather very hazy, Pedra Branca supposed to be about 20 miles distant. At 2 a.m. a loud rippling noise was heard at N.E. close to. The anchor was cleared, the lead hove, and the ship's head turned S.W. It suddenly became calm, and in an instant the ship drove on a shelf of rocks under water. Ten minutes after there was thirteen feet of water in the hold. In half an hour the water was washing over the guns on the upper deck. Another anchor was let go, in the hope of keeping her on the reef. At 4 a.m., the sea washing over the gangways, we took to the boats, and made for the James, anchored near us, with another vessel, hound through the Straits of Rhio, all of which had drifted 20 miles out of their supposed position, and thus proving our misfortune to have been caused by an unusual current. At daylight we returned to the wreek, and were saving some sails and materials, when she swung off the reef, and, giving a heavy plunge, went down head-foremost, and carried with her a large cutter filled with sails, and two seamen belonging to London." IMPORTANT NAUTICAL CASE, AFPECTING PILOTS AND PIER MASTERS. A case under the Dock Act, which empowers magistrates to award damages (to the amount of £2O) in cases of injury to vessels, through negligence or mismanagement, was, on Wednesday, beard before Mr. Rushton, in the police-court, and excited much interest in a crowded auditory. The com plainants were the owners of a brig that recently arrived at the port; and the defendant was Mr. Cornelius Lancaster, master of No. 4-pilot-boat. Mr. Moss appeared for the complainants, and Mr. Peter Wright for the defendant. Mr. Moss opened his case by stating that he had a com plaint to prefer against the master of No. 4 pilot-boat, for carelessly and negligently, and without proper skill, bringing the brig Enterprise into the Queen's-dock, whereby she sus tained considerable damage against one of the piers of the basin. It appeared that in coming in, the pilot had dropped the anchor in the middle of the entrance; that he then sent a hawser on shore, which was made fast to a post on the north pier; that while the vessel came to an anchor the fore topsail was unfurled, which it was the defendant's duty to have got furled, particularly as it was blowing hard ; that the anchor was immediately ordered to be hove up ; and that, in consequence, as soon as it left the ground, a gust of wind caught the sail, and caused the vessel to sheer round, so that she ran against the pier and sustained the damage complained of. Tee master of the brig (he added) remon strated with the pilot several times, and requested the sail to he furled, which he (the pilot) refused to do, stating that the vessel must be got in as quickly as possible. He concluded by stating that he had tried every means to obtain an amicable settlement, but without success. He had also offered to refer the matter to any respectable party, and this, too, being declined, his clients were under the necessity of bringing the matter before that court. Mr. Rushton said that he always recommended parties so circumstanced to refer the damage alleged to some competent person, and abide by his decision. For himseif, not being practically a nautical man, he always called in the harbour master to give him his assistance in such cases. Mr. Wright said, that if the question were one of damages alone, he should have no objection to refer it to a competent nautical man ; but it was a case of much greater importance on another point,—it was of serious import to the pilots of the port generally, and his client haci consequently declined to refer it. Robert Stubbs, chief -mate of the brig Enterprise, was then called by Mr. Moss, and said :—On the 22d of October last, when the vessel was making this port, we took a pilot in a little on this side of the Sherries. Our anchor was dropped in the middle of the channel, or entrance, by direction of the pilot, and soon after raised to get into the Queen's Dock. A warp (or hawser) was sent on shore, to the north pier-head, and made fast. We had the fore-topsail loose at the time. I took a turn, and word was given by the pilot to heave up the anchor. The wind was blowing strong into the gut from the W.S.W. The fcretopsail was in the brails, and t think it ought to have been furled ; but the pilot was in a hurry to get her in. The captain said to him they lied better first hand the sail ; but the pilot said " No," and refused to have it done. The hawser was not hauled sufficiently taut, so that her head was canted to the southward, and she fell upon the pier-head. I do not know the amount of the damage. The stones of the pier-bead were loosened by the blow. To Captain Askew.—The hawser was hauled, but not so taut as it might have been. It was a seven-inch hawser. Cross-examined by Mr. Wright.—! heard some one on shore order a rope to be sent to the pier-head. We sent the hawser by a boat that was in attendance. I heard some•per son cry to us from the shore to heave away and get the anchor in. I don't know who he was. That was after the pilot gave the orders to heave up the anchor. Had I been in charge of the vessel, I should have taken the topsail in, and, as it was blowing so fresh, would have had a rope on each side of the gut. If the anchor had been dredged (or dragged) she would have gone in with less damage. The rope was made fast to the post nearest the river. I don't knew whe ther there is a mushroom there or not. I was never on the pier. The pilot refused to have the topsail handed when the captain asked him. I did not bear the order from the shore to trip the anchor, until after the pilot had given the same directions. The warp was made fast to the post nearest the pier-head. I did not hear the pilot and captain in conversa tion—except that the captain told the pilot that it would be better to furl the topsail. I heard the pilot say—" Heave away the anchor,_ and get her in as soon as possible." The captain never told me that he was before the Pilots' Com mittee on this business. He might have gone, but never said so to me, or to any one else, in my hearing. Re-examined.—As they began to heave in the rope the captain suggested the propriety of furling the sail. " Dredg ing the anchor" means heaving it up a little so that it may drag gently along the ground. The vessel was damaged ; her quarter was stove in. I alo not know the amount. Mr. Rushton here stated that it was incumbent on Mr. Moss to prove that the damage did not exceed £2O, other wise he had no jurisdiction in the case. Mr. Moss said that his clients went for only £l5 155., as he should be enabled to show. Perhaps .Mr. Wright would admit that fact. Mr. Wright said he would admit nothing; but if he had the captain in the witness box, he believed he should be ena bled to show a different version of the story. a • Mr. Moss said he had no objection to such a course. He was ready to examine the captain if that were agree able to the other side; bat it must be remembered that the captain was part owner, and an interested party. Mr. Rushton put it to Mr. Wright whether he desired that the captain should be examined? Mr. Wright said that on consideration he should decline, as the case might possibly be carried beyond that court. In a short time alterwards, however, Mr. W. consented to the captain being examined, but on that gentleman being called it was found that he had left the court. Mr. Moss then called William King, who said,—l am second mate of the Enter prise. I have heard what was said by the chief mate, and it is quite right. 1 was on deck at the time. [Witness de scribed the particular timbers broken in the quarter of the vessel, and the general damage done,] The quarter gallery was started forward, the tafrail and the mainrail sprung. I should think the cost of repair would be about £l7—that at least it would be under £2O. In reply to Mr. Wright, witness said that he was not a carpenter, nor had be ever paid for any repairs. The vessel was brought to anchor in safety. He heard no one call out from the shore. He had a cork fender in his hand and ran with it to the quarter to fend off, but was too late to put it between the vessel and the quay. He thought he beard a man from the pier call out " send a hauser on shore," but nothing more. He heard-no -one front- the shore cry " trip the anchor; " the pilot only, he thought, ordered that. After the anchor was tripped he heard no one from the shore give directions. The wind was W.S.W., or thereabouts, blowing heavy. He could not say what post the hauser was made fast to, but he thought it was the one nearest the river. Did not know if there was a mushroom there. He never heard the master say be was before the Pilots' Committee, nor did he know that he had been before them. He heard the captain say to the pilot it would be better to furl the topsail, before the anchor was raised. He heard the captain say so re peatedly. They were then fifteen or twenty fathoms from the shore. Tois being the case for the applicants, with the exception of the evidence of the carpenter, who was sent for, Mr. Wright, for the defendants, said that the question was one of serous import, especially to the pilots of the port. The law affecting them required that they should, on reach ing a pier -head or basin, implicitly abide by the orders and directions of the pier-masters. He had a copy of the rules, or bye-laws, affecting them in the docking and transporting of vessels under their charge;_ and believed that he should clearly show that the orders had, in this instance, proceeded from the pier -master, and bad been implicitly obeyed. Mr. Rushton here read the clause from the act of 51st Geo. 111., sec. 82, to the effect—" Tbat every master pilot or other person, having the care or command, or charge of a ship or vessel, who shall act contrary to the directions, or neglect to obey the orders, of any harbour-master, dock master, or his assistants, in relation to the manner of coming into or going out of any of the docks, shall be liable for every such offence to forfeit a sum not exceeding £20." Mr. Wright then called the following witnesses : Thomas Cadman Sumner said—l am a boatman. I recol lect the brig Enterprise coming in. I was engaged by the captain. The vessel was brought safely to anchor inside of the piers. The pier -master told us: from the shore to bring a hawser from the starboard-bow. I know him by sight; his name is Samuel. He called to us in the boat, and we obeyed him. Tke captain ordered me to employ a man to attend to the hawser, it being so rough that we could not get up the wall. The rope was made fast. The pier-master assisted us, as well as the man I employed, to haul it up. The man's name is James Morrison. It was made fast on the second post from the westward. There is a mushroom, but it is more at the corner of the pier than the post referred to; and there is another post nearer to the mushroom. In my judgment, had it been made fast to the first post, and passed round the mushroom, it would have been better. As she moved on, the hawser became tight, and gave her stern way. Several persons from the shore called out to slack away. The pier -master called out to the pilot to heave the anchor up as quick as possible, and get out of the way ; and he ordered me to go on board, and assist in getting the an chor a-trip. I did so. The anchor was down with 15 or 20 fathoms of chain. There was no attempt made to trip the anchor before the order to do so was given by the pier-mas ter. The pilot could perfectly hear him give the order. Be fore I got on board, there was nothing done but hauling the hawser taut. I heard the pilot say nothing but when he re peated the orders of the pier-master. To Mr. Rushton.—No other vessels were docking there then, but some came in a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes after. The hawser was not made fast at the proper place, for it led too much to the stern of the vessel. It was fastened near the bows, but when the anchor was a-peak, it brought the part where the anchor was fast amidships. Cross-examined.—The topsail haulyards only were let go : I don't believe the sheets were started. I did not hear what directions were given while I went with the hawser. We were told to,haul the hawser taut by the pier-master. It was hauled taut. It was made fast to the windlass bit, and led amidships to a chuck. (A drawing of the pier-head and the position of the vessel was here shown to the court—neatly sketched in pencil—but was not taken as evidence.) If the anchor had not bgen let go, she might have been damaged. The vessel sheered round with her head to the westward. She was in the broad part 'of the basin when the accident happened. It was not in the gut, but a little inside of it. To questions by Mr. Askew and Mr. Rushton.—The hawser was never touched after it was made fast by order of the pier-master. It was only hauled band-tight. I know it was not shifted. I saw perfectly where it led to—to the second post—and that it was fast, but did not see it made fast. I saw it from on board. It was not, in my opinion, removed at all. The pier -master gave no directions about the topsail. The sail not being furled might assist to pay her head to the southward. James Morrison said,—l am a boatman, and was on the pier-head at the time the Enterprise came in. I received the hawser from the last witness. The pierhead-master (Samuel Macausling) and some others assisted me to haul it up. The pierhead-master ordered it on the second post. Ther is an iron mushroom at the corner of the pier-head, and a ring a little to the north-westward of it. I think the second post was the right one. I had the order to take the hawser from the last witness, and I got it from him. .Macausling ordered those on board to heave the anchor up, and get the brig inside, out of the road of vessels. No other vessel was • then there. He ordered them to heave the anchor up, and bear a hand and haul the hawser in. The hawser was, in consequence, hauled up, and the anchor tripped. Cross-examined by Mr. Moss.—lt was the second post from the river. I was on the pier-head then. There was a bend upon the hawser, and it was pu t over the post. The topsail haulyards were let go before the anchor was dropped, but the sheets were not let go. In consequence of the sail she canted round. The pierhead-master sung out, " Heave away ahead, and trip the anchor, and never mind the top sail." The pilot was ordering the sail to be got in when he said so. The hawser was hauled hand-taut—as tight as it could be without taking it to the windlass. To Mr. Rushton.—l heard the pilot order the topsail to be taken in just before the pier -master gave the orders. The hawser was not touched till we got inside, and the pier master ordered another to be got out. When a vessel runs in, !leis always in a hurry with her * to get her out of the way. Mr. Wright suggested that the pilot should be heard. Mr. Rushton said he would rather hear the pier-master, and he was called. Samuel Macausling said,—l am Pier-master of the King's pier, and remember the vessel coming in on Saturday, the 22d of October. I was at the Pier-head. The vessel ran into the basin and let go her anchor, and brought up by it. After she was brought up, I ordered the pilot to send a hawser on shore. The hawser was sent, and was made fast to the second post from the westward. In the position in which the ship then lay, I thought it far enough to the west ward. I then gave orders to the pilot to get the anchor up as quick as possible, and get the vessel ont of the road. I said so as other vessels of a larger size might be coming in. The graving-docks being filled, a large steamer had also to be got out that tide. I gave no other orders, and I saw no delay. To questions by Mr. Rushton.—l never told the pilot not to hand the topsail. There was no mention made by the pilot about the sail either. The topsail yard was down on the cap. I never said "never mind the topsail," as stated by the last witness. Such a word was never used by me. We generally leave the management of the sails to the pilot's option, as we consider them competent to act properly in that respect. I should have had no objection to the sail being handed if he had asked me. The brig never was a-head of her hawser. 1 believe it Was hauled taut. If I had thought it better I would have ordered the hawser to be made fast further to the westward. I think the cause of the vessel getting damaged was the anchor being hove up too rashly. Had she been allowed to drag her anchor, the ac cident would not have happened. When she once broke her sheer the topsail might have helped to cant her. The wind was W.N.W. Cross-examined by Mr. Moss.—l did not direct the pilot to heave up the anchor in an unskilful manner. I do not know that I should myself have furled the topsail if I had been on board. _ _ _ By Mr. Rushton.—lf I had thought she was likely to re ceive damage, I would have taken the hawser to the outer post, 20 or 30 feet further to the westward. That would not, however, have prevented the accident. It was the fault of some one on board. It is the duty of the pilot to give the orders on board. _ _ By Mr. Wright.—The hawser could only be talcvn 20 feet, or 30 at the utmost, further outside—to the westward. I ordered them to bear a hand and get the anchor up. This is done by means of the windlass : and it cannot be done very quickly if the anchor is pretty firm in the ground. The top sail of the brig being unfurled had not much to do with the accident. I consider that the pier-masters have the power to give the orders to vessels coming in, but I have myself known this to be disputed by the pilots. The pilot in this case obeyed my orders. By Mr. Moss and Mr. Rushton.—He did, literally speak ing, obey my orders ; but he raised the anchor up too rashly. Mr. Rushton said that what the witness had just stated in the eleventh hour, was the main point, and in his opinion de cided the case. He then desired Mr. Askew, the harbour master, should be sworn. Mr. Askew was sworn, and in reply to Mr. Rushton said : —My opinion is that the hawser was never properly hauled taut, and that those on board might have filled, (the topsail) and shot her ahead. lam also of opinion that it was the duty of the pier -master to give the orders, as the flag was then up, and other vessels were expected. The accident, I am of opinion, occurred from the anchor not being dredged. Mr. Wright.--But the brig obeyed the orders of the pier master. It is in evidence from himself. Mr. Rushton.—Yes ! but these orders are to he complied with in a careful and seaman-like manner. I think the orders were not skilfully executed. It was also in the evidence of the mate that the anchor ought to have been dragged. He should now hear evidence as to the amount of damage. Denis Fitzpatrick, ship-carpenter, was then called, and handed in his bill for repairs, which, together with the smith's work, amounted to £l5 15s. Mr. Rushton, on looking at it, said he always availed him self of the assistance of the harbour-master in such cases, to survey the damage and repairs, and he (Mr. R.) made his award accordingly. He should not make an award until that was done. The parties then left the court. Yesterday, (Mr. Wright being in the court,) Mr. Rushton stated that the vessel had been examined by Mr. Askew, and that his (Mr Rushton's) decision was that the defendant should pay the sum of £lO. Mr. Wright stated, before leaving the court, that he should give notice of appeal to the Quarter Sessions, on behalf his client. The inquest on the unfortunate man Brittan, who met with his death in an affray on the Mendip Hills, has resulted in a verdict of " Manslaughter," against Francis. Ashman, who was thereupon committed for trial. CHINESE PROGRESS.—We have heard it stated on au thority on which we can rely, that a surgeon to one of the principal London hospitals has been applied to to receive a young Chinese into his house to teach him the art and mystery of surgery.—Globe. THE CHURCH IN WALES.—In compliance with a requi sition from the Clergy in the Archdeaconry of Salop, the Venerable Archdeacon Bather has called a Clerical meeting, for the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning Parliament against the proposed union of the Dioceses of St. Asaph and Bangor. To us it appears somewhat strange to suppress a bishopric, as a means of Church Extension. That experiment was tried in Ireland on a wholesale scale, and what has been the result? In no part of the kingdom is dissent more prevalent than in Wales, and to extinguish a bishopric is not the way to diminish sectarianism. We think that lay as well as clerical petitions against the union of the Sees should be got up within this Archdeaconry. The mea sure of Church Spoliation, which is in every way objectiona ble, was the " handy-work " of the late Ministry. Had the opposition of that day resisted it, as was their duty, it never could have been enrolled on the Statute Book.—Salopian Journal. RETURN OF MORE EMIGRANTS. — For two or three weeks past a considerable number of weavers and other mechanics have returned from America to Barnsley. One poor fellow, since leaving Barnsley, has had a stroke of apoplexy, which he says was brought on by starvation ; another person had been decoyed to the land of Jonathan by a stonemason (who had emigrated from Old Town, Barnsley) telling him that he had plenty of work, but on his arriving at the other side of the water, be found out that he had been most shamefully imposed upon by his pretended friend, for he himself was as badly off as it was possible for a man to be ; and after going from town to town in search of work, without being able to obtain it. he started back to England, and so distressed was he after landing, by long walks and hunger, that he fell down on the road, about seven miles from Barnsley, completely exhausted. On the circumstance reaching the ears of his friends, they immediately went to his assistance, and had him conveyed home. The poor man is to be pitied ; but we wish sincerely that all the Chartists, and other admirers of the re publican world, would take a trip there, for we think that they would soon return again, if they had the chance, and whisper amongst themselves, " There is no place like home." —Doncaster Chronicle. THE TRADE TO CHINA.—AII the best informed mer chants and manufacturers agree in the opinion that ulti mately the opening of the new ports in China will be a most important advantage to the English trade; but they are not less clearly of opinion that there is great danger of the trade being overdone in the first instance, and of much money be ing lost by rash speculations. It ought to be remembered that as yet the Emperor's ratification of the treaty has not been received, that we know not how soon the new Chinese ports may be opened to British commerce,—that the Chinese are exceedingly slow and evasive in their proceedings,—that nothing is known as to the duties which may be levied on our goods, or the regulations which may be imposed,—and that the stipulations of the treaty seem to conten plate considera ble delay in opening the new ports, as it is provided that the islands of Chusan and Koiangsoo shall not be evacuated " until the money-payments and the arrangements for open ing the ports be completed." Now, as the money-payments will not be completed for three years, it is possible that the arrangements for opening the ports might be protracted to something like the same date. We hope and believe this will not be the case ; but speculators should contemplate the pos sibility. Several considerable purchases have been made in the woollen markets for China, and orders have also been put out. A slight advance in prices has been realised, and greater confidence is felt. In the wool market an improve ment is distinctly felt ; more wool has been sold within the last ten days than within the six weeks preceding, and prices are on the advance.—Leeds Mercury. THE TEA TRADE, DEC.5.—The public sales of tea con- eluded on Friday, the firmness exhibited by the holders at the commencement not having been maintained during the last two days of the series. Pouchongs were hardly saleable at 2d. to 3d. decline, and young hyson receded as much, while gunpowder, imperial, and hyson might be called Id. to 2d. per lb. lower ; and orange pekoe, 3d. to 4d. ; ord. congou only receded id. per lb. as compared with the rates current before the news of peace arrived; and for fine blackish leaf there has been an improved demand, some parcels realizing id. to Id. per lb. more than at the October sales. Brokers consider that the maintenance of the present rates depends entirely on the quantity that may be brought to market for the next few months. There are but 8,396 chests of Corn pany's congou in stock, and the price has been ls. sd. to Is. 5-Id. per lb. At the conclusion of the sales, ord. to good ord. congou was about Is. sd. to ls. s&d. per lb. ; and pekoe flavoured, 2s. 4d. to 2s. 9d. per lb. ; Pouchong, 10d. to Is. 9d. ; Souchong ord. to good ord., ls. 7d. to ls. 9d., and mid. to good mid., 2s. 4d: to 3s. ; flowery pekoe, 2s. 6d. to 4s. ; orange ditto, ls. 10d. to 4s. 6d. , twankay, good ord. to but mid., ls. 61d. to ls. 71d. ; and mid. to hyson kind, ls. 10d. to 2s. ; hyson skin, ord. to good ord., ls. sd. to is. 6d. ; and but mid. to mid., is. Bd. to 2s. ; byson , good ord., ls. 11d . to 2s. id. ; and mid. to good mid., 2s. 9d. to ss. ; young hyson, 2s. to 3s. ; imperial, 2s. to 3s. ; and gunpowder, 2s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per pound. The imports of tea into London, up to the Ist instant, were 29,441,3681 b., against 16,358,81816. to the same time in 1841. The deliveries this year are 32,479,9111 b., and were during the first 11 months of last year 30,635,9631 b., showing an increase of about 13,000,0001 b. in the arrivals, and of 2,000,0001 b. in the consumption. The stock is 26,704,1581 b., against 24,738,5841 b. on the Ist of De cember last. The actual home consumption from London has been 22,289,9111 b., against 21,185,9631 b. at this time last year. The exports have been 4,040,0001 b., and the quantity sent coastwise 6,150,0001 b. The mark et to-day is quiet. The deliveries last week fell off to 310,91616. TRANSPORTS FROM SIDNRY.—From the Hobart Town Courier, June 17.) —Twenty prisoners, of the doubly and trebly convicted class, arrived here by the Maria Watson on the Bth instant. Upon their passage down they twice at tempted to take the vessel; once they even endeavoured to set her on fire. They were received into the penitentiary upon their arrival ; and, the very first night, eight of the number succeeded in freeing themselves of their irons, with the determination of effecting their escape, by rushing upon the constables at the gate, just previous to their being locked up for the night. Upon this occasion a small double barrelled pistol was found secreted in one of the loaves of bread in their possession. It is supposed that, in spite of the vigilance exercised in searching them. they must, in some way or other, have brought the pistol into the penitentiary with them ; th ey, no doubt, intended to have used it as an intimidation with those parties with whom they came in contact, as it was not loaded. In consequence of this resolute attempt to escape thus made by these misguided men they were still more strictly watched; and Mr. Gunn, whose well-known vigilance has almost passed into a proverb, was on the alert; and placed extra men on patrole during the night. It was fortunate that he did so ; for, on Sunday night last, several of them again made a still more daring effort to effect their escape. They had no ordi nary difficulties to con tend against; for the strict dail y sear ch to which they were subjected had deprived th em o f their prev ious tools, consisting of the pistol, kni f e -blades converted into saws : th ey an d two wa tched by one trusty man in the same room were, moreover, ar madetl: another outside the oht cdroyo for r. water Daring ;and the from with them, and t, pre vious day they -a a bucket, in , appears which some had been carried to them , it throatketliienytv With these oc.ceeded in wrenc ing off the handle, which ce they rough tools they commend, as soon as they were locked up for the night, to make aahto hole in t h e wall of their room , large enough fora man creep through. They previously seized and gagged the man in the room with them, and then worked away, in a quiet and dexterous manner, at the wall, placing the bricks noiselessly down on a blanket. They had also torn up other blankets, and muffled their irons, to prevent the clinking. In the course of the night some of them succeeded in getting through the aperture, and thus gained access to the back yard. At this juncture, the man stationed outside the door thought be heard a clinking sound, and bawled out most lustily to the one inside to know if all was right, and not receiving any an swer seized a piece, ran out into the yard, and fired it. In an instant Mr. Gunn and all the constables inside and out side were on the move. The prisoners also were not idle, for in an incredibly short space of time three or four were ob served to have gained the summit of the penitentiary wall. A constable immediately levelled his piece and pulled the trigger, but the gun missed fire ; two other constables pre sented their pieces and were about to fire, when the men who were on the wall called for quarter, and surrendered at dis cretion. They have since been very heavily ironed, and still more closely guarded, and, we understand, will shortly be sent down to Port Arthur.