The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-16 00:00:00

MA Y. 'MID the heath's purple bells, on the lone mountain side, The brown bee is loudly humming ; In the tieep.wooded vale, where the clear waters glide, The cuckoo tells summer is coming. The wild flower's bloom Flings round rich perfume; Grove and glen are with melody ringing— While the torrent is seen Dashing down the ravine, And the lark is "at Heaven's gate singing." The notes of the song-birds thrill loudly in glee, 'Till the woodlands with joy ring around us ; Sweet bloom is on meadow, and hedgerow, and tree, Rejoicing that summer has found us. Wild flow'rets rare, Bees meeting there, 'Mid fresh sweets of the newly-cut hay; Sunbeam chasing shadow O'er mountain and meadow, All nature seems joyful and gay. A. NICHOLL , REVIEWS OF BOOKS. Supplement to " Vacation Rambles :" Recollec tions of a Tour through France to Italy, and homeward. By T. N. Talfourd. London : Moxon. . This supplement to the " Vacation Rambles " of the late Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, is a narrative of the experiences. encountered by the learned gentleman on the last holiday tour he enjoyed be fore he was elevated to the bench. It was pri vately printed a few months prior to his sudden and lamented death, and has now been published, in the usual sense of that expression. As its title implies, the book is a mere transcript of the mental impressions received by its gifted author in the course of a brief excursion through a most interest ing section of the continent ; the subject being, no doubt, open to the exception that the mptters . treated of in it have been already frequently described ; :yet even with this drawback, the observations of the learned judge will secure for his book the cordial approbation and warm sympa thy of the intelligent reader, while they will also gratify the curiosity of even the most listless inquirer. The narrative is so full of the geniality of the man, that it seems more like the thinking aloud of a cultivated mind, than any effort at book making. It is replete with that ovod-humoured kindliness which in privation sees only a difficulty to be overcome, in enjoyment only a pleasure to be shared with others. In the disagreeables of con tinental travel, Talfourd saw nothing but matter for quaint remark, and his observations are evidently the reflex of a mind which, having unbent itself for pleasure, persists in looking only on the sunny side of men and circumstances. Carping or discontent find no place in his narrative, and although he evinces an acute perception of the ludicrous, as well as of the beautiful, his pictures are invariably brimful of happiness' and good nature. He invests even the most hacknied and commonplace scenes with the measured livelineSs peculiar to a cheerful disposi tion, and makes his reader the charmed companion of his rambles. As a fair specimen of the treat ment bestowed on a somewhat worn-out subject, take the following DESCRIPTION OF NAPLES. We went about, however, next day to see all the out door wonders of Naples without any guide in its stony wilderness, over which the sun, in Pope's Homeric language, "refulgent shot intolerable day." Having always associated the idea of Naples with that of lazy . luxury, I was astonished to recognise in it chiefly the idea of vastness—of prodigious height and enormous pro portions. Looking from the sea margin to its utmost heights, it rather resembled a city of giants than the ■electest abode of pleasure: Lovely, no doubt—very lovely—are some of the details which its towering succes sion of houses, gardens, and terraces present to the view of an observer so placid ; but these, breaking the mass of buildings, augment the effect of vastness, by instructing the eye to appreciate their extent as it rises from point to point to the summit. But a walk amidst its mazes, when the sea and the great outlines of the city are lost, bewilders and sickens. The height of the houses, which border the steep and narrow ways, equalling the loftiest in the old town of Edinburgh ; the dangling lamps, suspended by ropes, which cross the arduous passages ; the loud babble of strange tongues often accompanied by fierce gestures ; and the unceasing rattle of carriages of all kinds, driven with reckless disregard of foot-passengers, as if the coach.: men set human life at a pin's fee, may well astonish the Englishman who expected an epicurean paradise. Pant ing for some silent and green relief from this noisy con fusion, my son and I endeavoured to reach the country, if country there should be, above this magnificent Tartarus of a city, and accordingly threaded and picked our way up one of its central heights, by alleys as steep as one of the iron cascades "down which the ore thunders from a Welsh mountain mine ; then along almost interminable avenues between blank walls ; then up flights of stone and lava steps polluted by filth of the most shocking kind. At last we reached a bastion, and peeped over a battlement into a barrack-yard, which bore traces of a less degraded humanity ; but we could find no opening to a prospect; and not a blade of grass, not a fountain, nor a breath of untainted air refreshed our fruitless labour. How it is possible for English men and women to pass months in such a place, and " bless their stars and call it luxury," even, if the satiated mosquitos give them leave to sleep, is a mystery which has doubtless a solution—which I sought in vain. Yet the groups we saw from our windows, which over looked the best area for the exhibition of the graceful side of Neapolitan life, were usually instinct with a careless grace, and often presented surprising harmonies of colour. The best were supplied by the peasa n ts bringing to market, in the early morning, the spoils of the country in huge baskets, where grapes, apricots, and other fruits and vegetables were heaped up and capped with fresh flowers ; sometimes borne on the heads of young girls, treading with a cheerfulness which heightened the grace of their movements, but often by haggard women, grown prematurely old in sun-burnt labour, or bare-legged tawny men who looked, on near approach, as if they had crept out of earth-holes—but all, as they streamed along, or clustered for gossip, unconsciously forming lively pictures. The charm of the book is, indeed, the cheerful frankness and delicate grace with which the various subjects are touched upon rather than dis cussed. The record is in every respect a personal one, and yet the author is never felt to be intrusive, and this his intellectual legacy will prove a gratify ing memorial to many an admirer of his genius. Early Education. By W. H. Bainbrigge, F.R.C.S. London j Blackader and Co. This interesting little volume is the substance of four lectures delivered by Mr. Bainbrigge, in Oct. last, in the lecture-hall of the Collegiate Institution in Liverpool, full abstracts of which we gave in the Standard at the time of their delivery. These lectures were greatly appreciated, and yielding to the urgent solicitations of many who listened to them, Mr. Bainbrigge has been induced to revise and publish them. Their chief characteristic and leading claim to attention will be found in the completely practical nature of their recommenda tions, and the thoroughly catholic tone of the mental training they inculcate. In his introduc tory remarks, Mr. Bainbrigge makes the following sensible observations on THE TENDENCY AND OBJECTS OP EDUCATIGN. energy in the world to which its previous history can bring no parallel. On ! and on ! and on ! is still the cry. It seems (but alas ! the future is hidden from our view, environed in the mists in which Providence, for wise pur poses, has shrouded it,) as if we were verging upon those days when knowledge shall cover the earth : not as a second deluge, to destroy, but to renovate and restore the beauty which was lost by man's transgression. No—the impulses of the mind, when they lead to good, cannot be impeded in their course. Their origin is divine, and rea son acknowledges their sway, for they assist and enlarge her own sphere of action. They were implanted in the human bosom to refine the soul from impurities, to free it from the grossness and stupidity which would depress it to the earth, and alienate it from heaven, whence it came, and whither it tends. We err when we attempt to separate, even in idea, our present from our future state of being. The former is a prelude to the latter, or rather a part of it, for both form one continuous whole. And the soul, expanding in its conceptions, and purified and sanctified in its present existence, is prepared to enter upon its second stage of being, to receive greater purity, accessions of power, and increase of sanctity and of bliss. To the heads of families and the superintendents of educational establishments, this little volume ' will be an invaluable acquisition. Parents should carefully study its recommendations, and all classes may largely benefit by its suggestions. The Northern Monthly Review. Liverpool : Aylward. An attempt to gain for Liverpool a place in the literary world, commensurate with its importance in commercial affairs, is a praiseworthy effort, and is entitled to as favourable a consideration as the merits displayed will possibly allow. The first number has just been published of a new pe riodical, under the imposing title of 11. The North ern Monthly Review of Trade, Banking, and Navi gation," and with the equally imposing addition of " Price Half a Crown." Being a first number, it is, of course, entitled to a liberal discount for defects inseparable from first numbers-, and to an admission of the claim for indulgence. made. in the opening address. Such liberality was never more needed, if promises are to be tested by perform ances ; and it would be but justice to Liverpool to warn the public against accepting this review as , an evidence of the commercial knowledge or literay ability in the northern capital. The' first article, which is " by the editor," is entitled "'The Banking institutions of the north, and monthly monetary reviews." The writer would appear to be a man of nothing but hard facts, and of these he seems to be able to make no use. He wanders through a number of disjointed statements that appear separately to have no reference to monetary affairs, while he endeavours to delude himself into the belief that he is advocating the establishment in Liverpool of a rival Bank of England, and show ing the advantages of a clearing-house. He is evidently out of his depth, and is innocent of mis chief from his very obscurity of expression. An article, entitled " The Paddle of the Piston," is to be continued, but it would be as well to defer any notice as to its merits until the author has fur nished a key by which his meaning may be made intelligible : at present it forms an ingenious ' puzzle, and should have been published at Christ- ' mas as an amusement for the long evenings. In "Protection and Currency," by James Harvey,Esq., the writer admits his conviction of the selfishness of Free-trade policy, and, having thus shown a gleam of good sense, dashes at once into a crotchet about an unlimited issue of paper-money upon the old story concerning the building of Guernsey mar ket. The only sensible article is one on "Emigra tion Reform," by Sir George Stephen, and this would have been far More readable but for the pro lixity which is too often inseparable from the writ ings of members of the legal profession. It is an excercise of exemplary patience to wade through pages so destitute of every claim to attention ; but some little compensation will be afforded in the extravagant absurdity of a brief article on " Public amusements." If the conductors be wise, they will content themselves with the failure of their first effort, for it will be difficult to tempt any one to read a second number. Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Enzpire. With _Variorum Notes. Vol. 111. London : H. G. Bohu. This volume of Bohn's valuable edition of Gib bon's great historical work maintains its claim on popular support. It is copiously annotated from the writings of Guizot, Wenck, Scheiter, and Hugo ; and is further accompanied by explanatory notes by its present editor, " An English Church man ;" so that, while giving an umnutilated and accurate text, many of the objectionable tendencies of Gibbon are obviated. Besides being in all respects tastefully got up, the present volume is illustrated by a beautifully-engraved map of the Western Empire, and it is published at a remarka bly low price. Orr's Circle of the Sciences. London and Liver- pool : W. S. Orr and Co. This beautiful and popular series of elementary treatises on the various sciences continues to make gratifying progress. The fourth part, that now before us, contains portions of the mathematical sciences, including Geometry and Algebra ; elabo rate treatises on the skeleton and on the form and structure of the teeth of animals ; and the intro ductory portion of the ethnological department of the work. All the treatises are carefully elabo rated, with a view to their general popularity, without being denuded of their scientific worth. The work is beautifully printed and copiously em bellished with well-executed engravings, and it is published at a very cheap rate. Our Friend. A Monthly Miscellany for all Classes. London : John F. Shaw. " Our Friend" improves upon acquaintance ; his miscellany appears even more miscellaneous than at first, and its contents are increasing in interest and utility. Education, therefore, has a threefold aim :—it looks to individuals—to the general community—and to God. These are not parts of different systems, but are insepara bly connected by an invisible chain, which connects man with man, and his whole race with his Creator. By a universal law of nature, good has an expansive tendency; for what is essentially good ceases to be such, the moment you suppose it to be limited in its operation by time or space. Mental cultivation is a part of virtue, and virtue is a part. of religion : and as religion aims at universal good (for benevolence is essential to its exist ence), so also its subordinate parts have the same tendency. And the man who endeavours to enlarge his own know ledge, and promote his own happiness, must necessarily desire to extend the benefits of both to others. For we cannot conceive true knowledge, or even a desire for it, to be ever debased by selfishness ; its tendency being to soften the asperities of our nature, and create sensibilities in the heart, as boundless as the human race, and as high as the heavens to which we are destined. By the same general law of our Creator, whilst we strive to build up the hap piness, and promote the well-being of others, we are employing the most effectual means to advance our own. A twofold good is thus attained : and efforts, however humble, and impeded in their progress by weakness and imperfections, when prompted by virtue and religion, will be sustained by the cheerful and stedfast hope of the Divine blessing. In the moral, as in the material world, the Almighty works by secondary means ; and to man he has assigned energies of mind and strength of body, adequate to attain the ends for which he was created. The earth is all-bounti ful, but her gifts must be solicited by ind us t ry : the hus bandman could vainly hope to see his fields smile with golden harvests, were he to neglect to scatter the seed • her fostering bosom. We, by . the mercy of God, possess in knowledge : we know our duties, and are endowed with the means of discharging them. .These are the instru ments by which seed, prolific with life, may be scattered. The soil to be enriched by their diffusion is as boundless as the earth, for it embraces the multitudesof the hu n race who walk upon its surface. And doubtless, a km' d Providence will shed its heavenly dew upon benefit the good , seed . which man may sow for the of his fellow-creatures until arrayed in the beauty of moral truth, and of reli gi on, they shall humbly aspire to that elevated position to 1 ch they were destined by their benevolent Creator. The processes of education are always going on in the world, either for good or evil. A moral duty, therefore, is imposed upon us to direct its ever-stimulating power to a right and legitimate end. The mind cannot lie dormant. There is an energy in its native constitution which cannot be checked. The soul has longings after knowledge, which seem like the aspirations of a righteous ambition to fit it for a higher state. For this life is but the infancy of our existence, and though short, the manner ins bich it is passed is of unspeakable importance. As the world grows older, the mind of man becomes more quickened to the importance of progression, and more animated 'with a - to forward it. There exists at this moment an THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, AND GENERAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER. seven Russian merchant vessels, captured by her. The Russian barque Argo, from Cardenas for this port, has been taken into Queenstown, a prize to a revenue-cutter. Two Russian vessels, prizes to her Majesty's steamer Conflict, 8, screw, have arrived at Hull—the first, the Industrie, on Sunday, and the second, the John, on Monday. On Thursday another Russian prize, the George Jonge bloed, arrived in the Thames off Gravesend, and was subsequently placed in the West India Docks. The ship Johanna Emilie, from Lisbon, seized in the London Docks by Mr. C. J. Cox, Landing Surveyor of the Cus toms, as being a Russian ship sailing under false colours, has been condemned by the Admiralty. Her cargo con sists of wine and gums, and is of considerable value. A Russian vessel, a barque of 500 tons, was brought into Plymouth on Thursday, by the pilot, and gave herself up. She is from Moulmein with cargo of stores, it is said, for the Russian Government. She is named the Thor. The 36th Regiment, now at Barbadoes and Trinidad, is to proceed to Jamaica to replace the 16th Regiment, which is to proceed to Canada to replace the 26th Regiment, which is to proceed to Bermuda to relieve the 56th Regi ment, which is to return to England. ARRIVAL OF RUSSIAN PRIZESAT HULL.—Two Russian vessels, prizes to Her Majesty's steamer conflict, 8, screw, have arrived at Hull—the first, the Industrie, on Sunday last week, and the second, the John, on Monday afternoon. The Industrie was brought home by Mr. James Morton, and the John by Mr. John Todd. They are two of four vessels, di prizes to the Conflict, sent home under the general care of Mr. Mason, master of that ship. The other two, which are expected dally,are named respectively the Caroline Charlotte, barque, and the Carl Magnus, brigantine. The capture of these vessels has already been made public. Their crews, who were in no way annoyed at their capture, were handed over to. Sir Charles Napier to be disposed of. The crew of the Carl Magnus, in par ticular, expressed their joy at being taken. It is said the object of bringing time prizes to Hull is, if possible, to find a market for them. A fine Russian barque, the Alex andra, which arrived there with a cargo of linseed, has been sold. A TABLE OF OUR WASS SINCE TUE REretUTION OP 1688.—The War of Me Revolution: Enemies, the French ; our allies, the. Dutch, Austrians, Prussians, Spaniards, and the people-of Savoy; commenced in 1688 and ended by the peace of Ryswick in 1697. Events Battles of Dieppe, of the Bbyne, of La Hogue, of Stein kirk, and Nerwinde ; national debt began in England. —The' War of the Spanish &accession : Enemies, the French. and Spaniards ; allies; the Dutch, Austrians, people of . Savoy, and Portuguese; commenced in 1702!and ended bjctfie peace of Utrecht in 1713. Events : Battles of Blenheiin, Ramifies, Oudetnrde, and Malplaqaet ; England gains Gibraltar, Minorca, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.—The Spanish War, 1739, and the. War of Austrian , Succession, 1741: Nemies, Spaniards and French ; Allis; Austrians, Dutck Russians, Sardinians,. and Hungarians : ended in 1748 by the peace of Aix la' Chapelle. Battles : Dettingen, Fontknoy, Culloden, and Finisterre.— The Seven Years' War: - Enemies, French, Spaniards, Austrians ; allies, Prussians ; commenced in 1756 and ended'in 1763, by the peace of Paris. Battles, Minden and Abraham. England gains- Bengal, Canada, Cape Breton, Tobago, &c.—American War : Enemies, Americans, French,. Spaniards, and Dutch; allies, none; commenced in 1776., and ended by the peace of Versailles, in 1783.—Events Rodney's naval victories, Gibraltar besieged, battles of Bunker's Hill, BrandYwine, and Ger man Town. England loses 13 North American provinces, Minorca, Tobago, and the Floridas.—The War of the French Revolution , :- Enemies, French and Spaniards from 1796 ; allies, Spaniards till 1795, Dutch, Prussians, Austrians, and Portuguese: commenced in 1793, and ended by the peace of 'Amiens, in 1802. Events : France loses all power in Indian;: battles of Lodi, Arcola, Marengo, and Alexandria ; Engilmd gains Malta, Trinidad, and Coromandel.—The War against Napoleon litronaparte : Enemies, French, Spaniards till 1808, Americans from 1812 ; allies, Austrians, Prussians, Russians,. Spaniards from 1808, and Portuguese; commanced in- 1803, and ended by the peace of Paris, in 1816. Battles of Anster fits, Trafalgar, Saafield, Jena, Eylau, Vimiera, Corunna, Wagram, Talavera, Barons, Albuera, Salamanca, Smo lenako, Borodina, Leipsic, and Waterloo. England gains Ceylon, the Cape, Berbice, -Demerara, &c. AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT DURING TER WARS.— The war of the revolution, 445. per qr. ; the war of the Spanish succession, 445. 6d.; the Spanish war, 325. 6d. ; the seven years' war, 395. 3d, ; the American wail. 48s. 6d. ; the war of the French revoludon, 78s. 6d. ; the war against Napoleon, 925. Bd. DIFFICULTIES or THE BALTIC.—An English' fleet en tering the closed sea will not encounter its only trials at the intricate entrance. The difficulty which our fleet had in venturing to pass the Sound, with its- shallow waters, the necessity for taking the more circuitous route by the Great Belt, formed only a foretaste • of the obstructive navigation which increases as the capital of Russia is approached. Passing by the cliffs of Holstein, the sandy shores of Prussia,. the granite rocks of 'Sweden, leaving. out of account the ice which walls up the water way to the upper part of the Baltic the greater part of the year, let us take only what might be -considered the more vulnerable points. We need not dwell much upon Riga and the entrance to the Duna, strongly fortified, though imperfectly manned, and not at present armed. enough against' attack to be without terrors at the name of Napier. The two parts of Russia that would seem to invite the de sired blow, are Finland, for its supposed disposition to retum to . Sweden, and its importance in a military point of viewfor approaching Russia by land; and the- Gulf of Finland, the road to St. Petersburgh. As to Finland, the province so dishonestly taken from• Sweden in- 1808, a priori, it might be supposed that the inhabitants, whose ethnological sympathies with the • Muscovites are • small, would be ready enough to shake off the yoke, and return to their orriginal fealty : but it will:not do to trust in war to a priori reasoning. The Fins have a constitution secured to them for fifty years afterthe cession ; they have several' privileges; and there• it no positive evidence of their Swedish tendencies. Moreover the approaches are fortified by nature and the Czar, The entrance tantheCulf is gated by that group of eighty-islands which go by the general name of the largest Aland ; an archipelago of islands, straits, reefs, bans, and hanks, which laugh at the entrance of any craft but the galleys and gun-boats of old north warfare. To the East, on the Finnish coast, lies Helsingfors, and the fortified works which pass by the general name of Sveaborg ; and: here lies a prize which might tempt the approaching Napier, eight sail of the line, a frigate, a corvette, and three steamers of the Rus sian Baltic fleet. But how to get at them ? Through the single passage of Helsingfors Bay, between Langern and Nester Svert, a passage' two hundred yards in width, raked by a fire from the two islands, with other batteries to be passed ; and commanded by the great works of Svea borg, a pile of battery upon battery, such as Sir Archibald Alison, says the writer, can alone describe; such it would seem as John Martin alone could paint, under the inspira tion of some military furor. Each series of works is complete in itself as regards stores of all kinds, and bomb proof cover. The batteries are formidable, both because they are unassailable in the baldness of the rocks from which they are carved, and because they have the heaviest ordnance. Between Sveaborg and Revel lies the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Finland, whose shores recede from each other, to meet again near Cronstadt, at the entrance of ,the estuary of the Neva. Well, if the fleet lying in the Bay of Helsingfors cannot be seized, let the blow be struck upon St.Petersburgh itself ; and the Scandanavians of the Baltic provinces, taught to know that their Czar is not invulnerable, may be shaken from their allegiance by that one act of Napieresque daring. But how to get in? There is no doubt the choice of two channels ; but the northern is closed by a double or triple row of piles, five orsix miles in length, which renders it accessible only to small craft. It is Hobson's choice therefore ; and taking the , other channel, the adventurous sea-captain, on invasion ' bent, will have to steer his ship between Fort Alexander on the left, and Risbank on the right, each 800 yards dis tant, each built of granite, and bristling with heavy guns ; then come Fort Peter and the wooden fort of Cronslott, the last of no formidable character ; but then again the adventurer enters " the Middle Road," a passage 250 yards wide, commanded by Cronslott and Mole Head, and the cube granite-built Fort Menzikoff, with a very large num ber of guns. Beyond in the narrowing channel, lies a vista of land fortifications not practically important; no fleet in goose's file is likely to enter there, save as the Russian admiral entered Helsingfors, when a Swedish admiral capitulated—by force of golden artillery. Here then lies the strength of Russia. She is a great hedgehog. Her means of offence are not alarming ; her seventy-two ships of all sizes in her Baltic and Euxine fleets, commanded by generals, with captains who wear spurs, and gunners who place less than one shot in the dozen—a Napier could easily put such a fleet under his arm and present it to a British museum. But to be conquered, the Russian ships must come out, and they show no impatience to be con quered. Russian fleets steal victories from English foes by stopping in -doors; and it is a winning game for the spurred sailors. A mammoth hedgehog, with a more than rhinoceros hide of granite, Russia cannot easily be made to feel blows. Perchance she may be locked up and starved, until her very intestines rebel ; but that is tedious work even for those to whom victory is promised in reversion. The only strength that can conquer inert, dogged, shame less obstinacy, is unflagging patience, actively persevering paitence in officers and men, tranquil passive patience in a public, guarded against harrasing its own servants by expecting and demanding • impossibilities.—Fraser's Ma gazine for May. VARIETIES. TESTIMONY TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BY DR. CgeiatEas.—l hold the Establishment to be not only a great Christian good, but one indispensable to the uphold ing of a diffused Christianity throughout the land. In spite of all the imputations and errors which its greatest enemies have laid to its doors, we hold that, on the alter native of its existence or non-existence, there would hang a most fearful odds to the Christianity of England. We are ready to admit that the working of the apparatus might be made a great deal more efficient ; but we at the same time contend that, were it taken down, the result would be tantamount to a moral blight on the length and breadth of our land. We think it might be demonstrated that, were the ministrations of your Established Church to be done away, they would never be replaced by all the zeal, energy, and talent, of private adventurers. Instead of the frequent parish church, the most beauteous specta cle to a truly Christian heart, because to him the richest in moral associations, with its tower peeping out from amidst the verdure of the trees in which it is embosomed, there would be presented to the eye of the traveller only rare and thinly scattered meeting houses. The cities might, indeed, continue to be supplied with regular preaching ; but innumerable villages and hamlets, left de pending on a precarious itinerancy, would be speedily reduced to the condition of a moral waste. Our peasants would again become Pagans ; or, under the name and naked form of Christianity, would sink into the blindness and brutishness and sad alienation of Paganism. MR. BOUNDERBY'S HOUSEKEEFER.—Mrs. Sparsit had not only seen different days, but was highly connected. She had a great aunt living in these very times called Lady Scadgers. Mrs. Sparsit, deceased; of whom she was the relict, had been by the mother's side what Mrs. Sparsit still called "a Powler." Strangers of limited information and dull apprehensions were sometimes observed not to know what a Powler was, and even to appear uncertain whether it might be a business, or a political party, or a profession of faith. The better class of minds, however, did not, need to be informed that the Powlers were an ancient stock who could trace themselves so exceedingly far back that it was not surprising if they sometimes lost themselves—which they had rather frequently done, as respected horse-flesh, blind hookey, Hebrew monetary transactions, and the Insolvent Debtors' Court. The late Mr. Sparsit, being by the mother's side a Powler, married this lady, being by the father's side a Scadgers. Lady Scadgers (an immensely fat old woman, with an inordinate appetite for butcher's meat, and a mysterious leg, which had now refused to get out of bed for fourteen years) con trived the marriage at a period when Sparsit was just of age, and chiefly noticeable for a slender body, weakly sup ported upon two long slim props, and surmounted by no head worth mentioning. He inherited a fair fortune from his uncle, but owed it all before he came into it, and spent it twice over immediately afterwards. Thus, when he died, at twenty-four (the scene of his decease Calais, and the cause brandy,) he did not leave his widow, from whom he had been separated soon after the honey moon, in affluent circumstances. That bereaved lady, fifteen years older than he, fell presently at deadly feud with her only relative, Lady Scadgers , and, partly to spite her ladyship, and partly to maintain herself, went out at a rio t auia nd i l l ie s r ty e l s e h o e f w uo a s s e n a o u w d: t i b n e h d e e r u e s l e d b er lae ly k da e y y s eb , with the sala ry. which had captivated Sparsit, making Mr. Bounderby's feature tea as he took hi s b reakfast. If Bounderby had been a r S e p csatpattiev processions, princess wbhoomc could c too on k qu a e bo ro u r t , a as nd l‘ a not have made a greater flourish with her than he habitually did. Just as it belonged to his boastfulness to depreciate his own extraction, so it belonged to it to exalt Mrs. Sparsit's. In the measure",that he would not allow his own youth to have been attended by a single favour able circumstance, he brightened Mrs. Sparsit's juvenile career with every possible advantage, and showered waggon-loads of early roses all over that lady's path. " And yet, sir," he would say, " how does it turn out after all ? Why here she is at a hundred a year (I gi ve h er a hundred, which she is pleased to term handsome,) keeping the house of Josiah Bounderby of Coketown !" -- Dickens' Hard Times. THE WAR. BOMBARDMENT OF ODESSA. The following are the official despatches of this affair ADMIRALTY, May 11.—Official despatch from Admiral Dundas. Britannia, off Odessa, April 22nd, 1854. Sir,—l beg you will lay before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty the accompanying correspondence rela tive to the fire of the batteries at Odessa on the Furious and her boat, when flying each a flag of truce, which will, I trust, fully explain to their lordships the exact nature of this uncivilised act of aggression, and the false statements by which General d'Osten-Sacken has been led to attempt to justify it. And as, in addition to the fortress of Odessa, the Russians were labouring day and night in strengthen ing the moles and erecting formidable sea defences, and had also collected between 20,000 and 30,000 men for the protection of this military depot, as well as for the secu rity of vessels seeking shelter under the guns of the place, Admiral Hamelin and I decided on sending the joint demand to the governor, of which the enclosure No. 5 is a copy. As no answer had been received up to 7 a.m. this morn ing, the combined steam division noted in the margin,* with six rocket-boats, under the immediate orders of Cap tain Jones, opened fire on the imperial fort and mole, and Russian vessels lying there. By 3 p.m. the magazine was blown up, the forts were destroyed, and the ships sunk or burnt. The city of Odessa and the mole containing the mer chant vessels of all nations were not molested, vgrecably to the commands of her Al:testy to respect private property as much as possible. Oar loss has happily been small—one killed and ten wounded, and the damage to. the ships by the enemy's fire can be repaired at sea. It is my pleasing duty to state that between the two squadrons the greatest cordiality exists, and that the con duct of the French steam-frigates calls for my warmest praise. The Vauban was set on fire• by red-hot shot, but, by the cod courage and activity of her captain and crew, the fire was extinguished. I recommend all the officers, seamen,- and royal marines employed on the service to their lorefship's notice, particu larly Captain Jones, the senior officer of the steam divi sion, and Commander Dickson of the' Britannia, who, in charge of the-rocket-boats, did good service'. I enclose a copy of a letter I have received from Capt. Jones, and a list of the killed and wounded. &c., W. D. DUNDAS, Ville-Admiral. The enclosures are—firstly, the letter; of . Gen. d'Osten- Sacken; secondly,. of Captain Loring, of the Furious, already published ; tliirdly, the evidence of two merchant captains, as to the filing on the Furious and her boat ; fourthly, a letter from Admiral Dundas to tlie• Russian general, denying the• littter's statement; fiftlilk, a joint letter from the Frenchand English admirals, demanding the delivery of the Engliih, French, and Russian , vessels, and threatening hostit.- measures in case oP• refusal ; sixthly, report from Captain Jones, of the Samson, tb•the admiral, in which be says--•" The ships and vesselrinTort Imperial amounted to about 24, most of which being•sunk or'on fire at the time of your making the recall, and. the explosion of the battery on+the pier -head rendered hirther operations in that quarter unnecessary." /i . o. 7 contains a list of killed and wounded—William Salter, able seaman, of the' Terrible, killed by splinter' wound of neck. Four men , on board Terrible slightly wounded. Six on board Samson slightly wounded. Ni. 8 is a list of officers commanding rocket-boats. *The margin of Admiral Dundas's despatch contains the' number of steamers engaged, as'already reported. CONOTANTINOPLE, May I.—Plince Napoleon has ar rived. All the Greeks not compromised, and who are still at Constantinople, are permitted to remain. The Duke of Cambridge, it is reported, has declined to avail hihiself of the palace prepared for his use by the Sultan. The duke is unwilling to place himself in any respect above his commanding officer, Lord Raglan. THE BALTIC FLEET.—STETTIRy THIIHSDAT.—Sir C. Napier's fleet, after going towardi Sando, off Gothland, was proceeding towards the Gulf ofTinland. Ten French ships had come up. The weather was fine. Russian ves sels had been moving in the gulf. The Norwegian navy was in Swedish waters. The Swedish Court was thought to be leaning to the Western Powers: Frequent meetings of the Council of State had taken place. Great meetings had occurred.--COPENHAGEN, THVESDAY.—The French fleet was yesterday evening in sight of Nyborg, in the Great Belt. Accounts from Finland to the 3rd of May, confirm the relative to large defensive prepara tions there. General Junker has been appointed Com mandant of the fortress of Viborg; and General Drake Commandant of the Artillery. Four new companies of reserve of the rowing flotilla havniken enrolled ; head quarters at Rothensaln, where. there.are magazines and barracks for 14,000 men. Expect important news from Admiral Napier in a few days.. Cronstadt reported " not impregnable." The Moniteur of Friday contained a despatch "trom Admiral Hamelin, dated off Odessa, the 25th ult., an nouncing that the Retribution, Descartes, and Niger had captured 14 Russian merchant ye:Awl§ destined for Con stantinople. Admiral Dundas had proposed an exchange of prisoners. The French Government had granted to the English soldiers the same reduction in the rate of pay ment for letters as allowed to those belonging to the French army. _ _ The Journal of St. Petersburg,_ in, its number of April 22 (May 4), republishes from the• rnvalide Rune, two fresh reports from General Osten-Sacken respecting the affair of Odessa. These reports do not communicate any thing new ; but General Osten-Sicken adds that Vice- Admiral Dundas had sent him, by means of an Austrian merchant-vessel then in• the roadstead, 49 men (prisoners), including the captains and the crews, belonging to the Russian merchant service, together with a letter, which we here reproduce:— On board' Her Britannia Majesty's Ship the Britannia, of Odessa,. April 12 (24), 1854. Vice-Admiral Dunila; has the'honour to announce to his Excellency Baron Osten-Sacken, Aide-de-Camp General of His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, that as the allied squadrons do not desire to keep any longer than, was indispensable the small number of Rus sian merchant seamen (49 in all) whom they had taken prisoners, he has placed them on board of an Austrian vessel, in order that they may be landed at Odessa. J. W. D. DUNDAS. From a communication received at the Admiralty, we learn that the following British ships were , left in the Mole of Odessa on the 22d April, 1854, which, it is believed, have been seized by the Russian govern ment:—The Richard Mount, Cohen, of London; Billow Queen, Kidd, of Dundee; Catharine, Swanston, of Dun dee ; John and Eleanor, Lillmman, of North Shields ; Swift, Hughes, of North Shields ; Sea, Dodds, of Sunder land ; Regina, Pratt. of Sunderland.—Shipping Gazette. BLOCKADE OF THE RUSSIAN PORTS.—The following extract of a letter from the German port of Rostock, dated the 6th inst., furnishes some useful details regard ing the probable position both of British and neutral tra ders in the Baltic, when the expected declaration of blockade shall have been made against St. Petersburg and Riga : " Some sixty ships had got into Riga, and were loading different articles ; freights very high-10s. 6d. per quarter to the Firth for oats, and £lO per ton for flax to Dundee. The Riga merchants do not know whether they are under blockade or not ; three English vessels of war were seen off the port, but they allowed three vessels to wind their way and enter the harbour. From what I can learn from good authority, the blockade will not be strictly enforced until after the 15th inst., when it will be carried out with all possible rigour, so that the ports not impeded with ice will have a fair chance to get off some, if not all, of their stocks ready for shipment. Those who have stuff at St. Petersburg will, however, stand but a poor chance, and many innocent persons, both British subjects and those of neutral states, particularly in Holland, will be ruined, which is very hard, considering that most of their pur chases were made in autumn, or early in winter, when it was never supposed that war between France, England, and Russia would actually ensue, and the British minis ters themselves, if their late statements be true, did not anticipate it would come to extremes. As an illustration of the extent of these transactions, I may mention this place (Rostock), which, though but a small port, is inte rested to the amount of some 30,000 quarters of rye, oats, and wheat, upon which advances have been paid, varying from one-third to one half the amount. Thus, if our merchants cannot get away their stuff, which they have hitherto been prevented from doing by ice, and after the 15th will be prevented by the blockade, the Russians will pocket the amount, viz., about £40,000. Hence, instead of doing the Russians harm by strictly blockading St. Petersburg, they will be benefited. I think that the allied powers ought to make arrangement for granting licenses to those parties who bought and partly paid for their goods on or before a certain period, which might be proved by the letters, books, and correspondence to be produced before the magistrates of the place, and verified by the resident English and French consuls. This would be a boon to neutral nations, and do no harm to the Bri tish or French government, and no good to the Russian. It is possible that the Emperor of Russia might prevent ships and goods passing in and out, in order that the state of his fortresses, &c., might not be made public by cap tains. If so, that would be tantamount to a prohibition of exports, which would release the contracting parties of their contracts, and the sellers would have to refund the amount they have received in advance. Thus none but the Russians would suffer, and the buyers (British sub jects of neutral states) would lose nothing but the inte rest"— Times. We learn from Malta, under date the 6th, that the Pride of the Ocean has just landed a part of the . 17th Regiment of Lancers, under the orders of Major Willett ; and that the Melbourne had also arrived with 664 men of the 38th Regiment of Infantry, commanded by Colonel Sparks. Fourteen other transports were in sight. LETTERS TO THE FLEETS.—Au offer has been received from the French government to convey the French Levant packets the correspondence of the British soldiers and sea men in the East upon the same favourable terms as those which apply to the correspondence of the French forces. This liberal and considerate offer has been gladly accepted, and the regulations under which it will be carried into effect will be made public by the General Post-office as soon as the necessary details have been arranged between that department and the Post-office in Paris. On the part of the British government advantages of a like nature will be made available to the French seamen serving in the allied Baltic fleet, as often as the communications with that fleet furnish the opportunity of doing so. On Friday vast quantities of ordnance stores, gun car riages, Congreve rockets, ammunition, and combustibles were forwarded from the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, to be shipped on board the Sydney, at Southampton, under orders for the East. It is believed that unforeseen and unexpected difficul ties have been interposed, on the part of the United States, with respect to the convention which has been negotiated in this country by Mr. Buchanan and the Earl of Aberdeen, on the subject of the right of search and the system of privateering. It is believed, also, as we stated a day or two ago, that Lord Elgin, in his way back to re assume the government of Canada, will be entrusted with. a special mission to Washington, for the purpose of ,set tling any differences which may exist betwecni the governments of the two countries on the important ques tions to which we have just adverted.—Morrring Post. Our cruisers continue to pick up nu' ierous Russian prizes. The Tribune, 31 guns, scre - ,v steam frigate, arrived at Sheerness from the Tittltic on Saturday, with COURT AND FASHION. THE QUEEN'S STATE BALL.—The Queen will give her first grand state ball for the season, at Buckingham Palace, to-morrow, for which the Lord Chamberlain, by her Ma jesty's commands, has issued 1,200 invitations. • DEA.WING-Roo3l. — Her Majesty held a drawing-room (the third this season) on Thursday, in St. James's Palace. The Queen wore a train of green and white brocaded silk, trimmed with white tulle and blonde, and alternate bunches of violet and pink and white May blossoms. The petticoat was of white satin, with white tulle and blonde, and bunches of violet and pink and white May blossoms to correspond with the train. Her Majesty's head-dress was a wreath of violets and pink and white May blossoms and diamonds. HER MAJESTY'S LEVEL—The mayor of Norwich (Mr. Samuel Bignold) presented to the Queen an address pledg ing the loyal support of the corporation in the prosecution of the war. Mr. Binold was presented by the Duke of Wellington, and received the honour of knighthood. The citizens of Norwich are highly pleased with the event. Sir Samuel Bignold is well known as the secretary to the Norwich Union Fire and Life Insurance Societies, and is possessed of ample means to support his title. Tin ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.—Mario and Lablache made their debilt at the Royal Italian Opera House on Tuesday in Rosemi's " Barber of Seville." Both these great artistes were heartily welcomed by the audience, among whom was the Queen and Prince Albert. La blache was in excellent spirits and in capital voice ; but Marto did not appear to as great advantage as on former occasions. ------- A MARRIAGE is to be solemnised in June between the young Princess Agnes Borghese, the late Lord Shrews bury's grand-daughter, and Prince Piombino's eldest son the Duke of Sons. The bride is 18, the bridegroom 22: The Portuguese Chambers have unanimously consented to the young King Don Pedro travelling during his mi nority. He will be attended by the Duke of Terceira and Viscount Carrara. RELIGIOUS SERVICES ON BOARD EMIGRANT SHIPS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SIR,—A series of letters, or, rather, advertisements, has lately appeared in The Mercury, signed " James Buck, Liverpool Seamen's Friend Society and Bethel Union," each headed, " Religious Services on Board Emigrant Ships." These letters contain generally an account of Mr. Buck's voyage from the pier to the vessel, the beauty of the ship, the excellence of the provisions, the efficiency of the crew, the completeness of all the arrangements, and, finally, the extraordinary success of Mr. Buck's ministra tions on board. After the service he announces that a full and authentic account of his visit will be published in the next Mercury, a copy of which paper he will be happy to forward to any person who will favour him with his address, and the price of the newspaper. On one occasion (his visit to the Red Jacket,) Mr. Buck says he received orders for 150 copies. . Now, sir, all this, so far, I do not complain of, although the Church of England has suffered considerably by these letters, from an erroneous impression which has for some time prevailed, that the writer was one of her ministers. But, in the Mercury of last Tuesday, a letter appears from the same gentleman, containing an insinuation of which I have just cause to complain. Mr. Buck says, in describing his visit to the Carpentaria, " As the work of preaching to the Australian emigrants who leave the port of 'Liver pool seems to fall to me, the seemed to cry out— Come over and help us.' " This insinuation I consider a piece of downright imper tinence. During the last five years I have devoted myself entirely to the spiritual instruction and consolation of all emigrants sailing from the' Mersey. Appointed by the - Rector of Liverpool, and licensed by the Bishop of Chester,. I entered upon my duties, not as' a private adventurer, but as an accredited, public functionary. How I have been enabled, by God's grace and assistance, to perform the task committed to me- is not for me to say. Every respectable shipowner, whether Australian or American, is well aware that through many a difficulty which lay in my way at first, from the novelty of the appointment which I held, I still persevered in the performance of my duty, as in the sight of God. For nearly four years from the commence ment of my labours, no' dissenting minister ever, as far as I could learn, entered an emigrant ship , to preach. It was not until Iliad opened the way, and the'ship owners—who at first were somewhat reluctant to allow divine' service to be performed on board their vessels—had one and all begun teesee its practical benefit to the crews and pas sengers, that Mr. Buck stepped forward from his- former duties, as-minister to the seamen at the Bethel:Union., and entered " upon another man's-line of things, made - ready to his hand." There is plenty of room, Gocnnows, for him to'exereise his talentsamongst the emigrants in-this port. The Lord forbid that I should for a moment be thought tedisrespect or question the . zeal with which he may be animated. But when he arrogates to himself the entire credit of preaching the gospel of Christ to Australian emigrants from this port, •I must be excused: for thus appeacing.in print, in vindication of my office andcharacter. During the last five years I have been enabled to perfOrm services for emigrants, averaging nearly one service aday.• It is true, I have not published these - services in the news papers, in order to lit the public know how much I de:- I trust I have a far higher motive. Last Sunday—the - eery day on which Mr. Buck seemed , to himself to be " the only preacher to Australian mall grantar—besides twefiall services to Australian emigrants on shore, I spent four' hours on the Mersey, ministering: . from ship to ship, including a service onboard the Great Britain—an occasion so interesting and...delightful that, had Mr-Buck been in my place, the next Mercury would require an extra supplement to make room for his descriptinn of it. I have-been obliged, sir, most reluctantly', to speak thus of my pow imperfect labours amongst the emigrants in this port. • I do not intend to obtrude myself again upon the attention of the public, and I trust ne clergyman of the Church of England will ever be found so destitute of good taste,,and right feelings, as regularly to parade his labours and merits, his sayings and doings, in the columns of newspapers.—l am, &c.,. J. W.- WELSH, Emigration Chaplain for the Port of Liverpool. • Liverpool, May 13, 1854. ELECTION OF BIRKENHEAD COM - MISSIVNERS. TO THE EDITOR og TER. LIVERPOOL STA3DARD. Sta,—Generally speaking, there is but little interest evinced among the ratepayers of Birkenhead about the management of their local affairs; on the contrary, there is far too much apathy. The time for the election of eight commissioners is- approaching, and as there is not much either of honour or remuneration attached to- the office (except when there is a little-jobbing going on >, nor any question of local interest upee which to create- any divi sion of parties,_ would it not be the most reasonable course to make out at list of some 15 or 20 highly-respectable gentlemen of mercantile connexions and good. business habits, whose influence might be exercised in furthering the good of our rising township, and to wait upon each gentleman, requesting him to undertake the duties of the office, which, though not very onerous, yet shoukl:be en trusted to the hands of. gentlemen of some standing in society, and whose integrity and independent action may be relied on. L may mention a few names of gentlemen, who, if they would be prevailed upon to undertake the duties, would, I. am sure, discharge them with: credit to themselves and satisfaction to the ratepayers;. and who, though not ambitious for thalionours, might nevertheless, under the consideration that wealth has its duties as well as its advantages, . be willing to sacrifice a little of their time and talents to the public good. Subjoined is- a:list : Messrs. Riebard.Bryans ) . Henry Watson, Percy Dove, Carmichael, Lamont,. Goltorne, Clayton, Clover, Charles Cook, Little, Pritchard, Steele, and Dr. Scholefield. Cum multis aliis. Mr. John Laird has. reluctantly declined, in. consequence of the urgent nature of his avocations. Surely eight of the. above gentlemen may be prevailed; on.—Yours, An 01,n Burn. Birkenhead;_ May 15,1854. FIRING WUTES ON THEMERSE.Y. TO THE: E]orroa OF TUB LIVERPOOZ STANDARD. have always understood that firing salutes by merchant vessels is prohibited inside the Perch Rock Battery ;. and not long ago a severe accident occurred on the piethead from the wanton display. If so, it is especially incumbent on the constituted authorities to enforce, the severest penalties for the noisy racket on the river.yesterda3:. When on shore police regulations pre vent the• passing of cabs opposite individual churches, during divine service on Sunday mornings, surely it is more necessary to check demonstrations which annoy all public worship, and alarm the whole community. It is re ported that the cOmmander of one of the vessels boasts openly that the departures of his successful voyages have invariably taken place on Sabbath days, and it would therefore be well to reprobate the ungodly example through the press, lest it become general, for even now it is too frequent. Formerly it was the custom, at Greenock, to sail, if possible, during church hours, under the idea that so doing, while public prayers were being offered, the voyage would be more prosperous ; but as it caused great disturbance, and prevented many people, otherwise de sirous, from attending public worship, the municipal powers attempted by every means to check it. It was, however unavailing, until the cl erg y gave ou t th ey wou ld not particularly remember for the day those who so sailed, and this being too much for Jack's superstition, it is now seldom done. [ am no advocate for superciliousness in anything, bnt really it would accomplish a great public, good were all signal firing done away with, either by night or day, opposite the town, if not altogether within the port of Liverpool, and certainly all unnecessary salutes, especially on Sunday, and during the high time of Christian worship.—Yours, &c., Liverpool, May, 15, 1854. ANTI- Box- BAST. BIRKENHEAD AFFAIRS. TO TUE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. Six,--It is seldom that I take any part in matters of local arrangements or disputes, but the glaring Ws-statements in the columns of your contemporary of Saturday last, re specting the affairs of Birkenhead, demand attention. I omit any notice of the twee twang genteel scurrility,; but to inform your readers that Mr. J. H. Greene did not propose to lay a rate of ls. in the pound on land, but on houses. Had the proposition extended to the land also, it might have been fairly met ; for land has, on the average, quintrupled in value, but houses have not. The proposition was based on a catch, for which Mr. Greene was only an agent. The forthcoming election in June next—for eight new commissioners—will show the genteel folk how the thing is to be done.—Yours, WOODSIDE. HORTICULTURE. STOVE, CONSERVATORY, AND GREENHOUSE. The weather, though bright, still continues cold for this advanced season, and much scotching has taken place in many houses, owing to the occasional and sudden change of temperature ; the only way to prevent this evil is to commence shading. It is true that we have not had any other necessity for so doing, but it will do no harm, and may prevent the disfigurement of valuable plants. FLOWER GARDEN.—Prepare the beds for the bedding plants, such as verbenas, scarlet pelargoniums, &c., by digging in thoroughly rotted manure : the remains of spent hotbeds will be valuable for this purpose. The plants must not, however, be put out until the weather entirely changes, and we should say this operation had better be deferred at least until the beginning of June. In the meantime, however, every encouragement should be given to the plants by liquid manure and judicious protection, to make as much growth as possible, previous to their being turned out; indeed, as some time must elapse before this can be done, another shift to larger pots would be very desirable, and would much increase their growth and strength. KITCHEN GARDEN.—Prepare the trenches for celery plants, the early crop of which should be got out as soon as the weather becomes a little warmer. Continue to sow lettuce, raddishes, and other useful kinds of sallading, IMPROVEMENT IN NAVAL GUNNERY.—The following extract from a letter received at Hull will be read with interest.—" We have letters here from some of the pilots every week. Hull has the honour of piloting both Sir Charles's flag-ship and that of the French :admiral. I know the meu well, and we have important news from them all along. The Duke of Wellington's guns are splendid. One of the pilots has returned from ill health, and he gave me a glowing description of her firing all her guns broadside. They can be brought to bear so as to strike a space no larger than a good door or window, and they can direct the shots 'with so much precision that a very small boat, placed a mile distant, was shattered to pieces by the first shot. It is considered by nautical men that a broadside from the flag-ship was equal to, and wo u ld do as much damage as A Nelson ' s fleets" ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCR. PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS. Rev. C. Allen, M.A., to the Incumbency of St. Paul's Church, Belfast. Rev. E. J. Bell, 51. A., Rector of Crostwick, Norfolk, and Chaplain of the Norwich Infirmary, to be Organising Secretary of the Society fcr the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, for the Archdeaconries of Norwich and Norfolk. Re%;. M. Brock, M.A., to the Curacy of St. Matthew's Church, Widcombe, Bath. Rev. R. Cage, M.A., to the Rectory of Rathconnell, West meath. _ _ Rev. J. Carter, of St. Augustine's Missionary College, Can terbury, to the Curacy of St. John's Church, Paramatta, New South Wales. _ Rev. J. IL Charlesworth, M.A., to the Perpetual Curacy of Elstead. near Godalming, Surrey. Rev. R. S. Daniell, M.A., late Curate of Ashby Folville and Gaddesby. Leicestershire, to the Curacy of St. Paul's, Shad well, Middlesex. Rev. W. V. Dawson, 8.A., to the Curacy and Sub•Rector ship of Cooling, Kent. Rev. M. de . Burgh, ➢I.A., to the Chap'aincy of Limerick Gaol. Rev. G. de Cruchy, 8.A., to the Rectory of Little Beatings, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. Ret. A. W. Erl Wards, of Limerick; to be Chaplain to the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. Rev. R. A. Gordon, Rector of Barley, to be Rural Dean of the Rural Deanery of Buntingford. Rev. J. M. Hobson, M.A., to the Rectory of Templescobiu, Ireland. J. M`C. Hussey, M.A., Minister of St. James's Chapel, Kennington, to be afternoon preacher at the Foundling Hospital. Rev. W. Kendall, M.A., Curate of St. Jude's Church ; Man chester, to the Secretaryship of the Church Pastoral Aid Society._ _ Rev . .. J. Lees, M.A., Association Secretary of the Church Pastoral Aid Society, to the Incumbency of St. Mark's, Islington. Rev. W. Locock, 8.A., to the Vicarage of East Haddon, near Northampton. Rev. J. G. LOngueville, 8.A., Perpetual Curate of Hoy}ake, near Birkenhead, to the Rectory of Eccleston, near Chester. Rev. J. Martin, M.A.date Curate of Cuckfie/d, Sussex, to the Curacy of Dawlish, Dvon. . _ Rev. W. E. Martin, M.h., to the Curacy or East Woodhay, with the Chapelry of Aslimensworth, near Newbury. Rev. C. A. Molony, M.A., to the Vicarage of Hougham, near Dover. Rev, W. P. Musgrave, M.& Canon Residentiary of Here ford Cathedral, to the Rect ory of Etton, near Beverley, Yorkshire. Rev. S . . Robins, M.A., to the Rectory of St. James's, Dover. Rev. A.D. Shafto, M.A., to the'Rectory of Brancepeth, near Durham,. Hon. and Rev. H. W. V. Stuart, 8,A., Curate of King's Bromley, Otaffordshire, to the Vicarage of Bulkington, War wickshire. Rev. J. Tulloch, of Kittins, to be- Principal of St. Mary's College, St. Andrew's. Roi'. A. Upcher, Rector of Kirby Cane, Norfolk, to the Rural Deanery of Brooke. Rev. D. Walsh, M.A., to the Chaplaincy of Chichester Union Workhouse. Rev. W. C. Welaford, M.A., to the Rectory of Sal tfortl, near Bath. Rev. D. Williams, 8.A., to the Rectory of Lylswen, near Hay, Brecknockshire. Rev. T. P. Wilson, M.A., to the Incumbency of Bardsley, Lancashire. Rev. W. W. Wookrombe, M.A., Sub-Rector of Exeter Col lege, Oxford, to the - Rectory of Wootton, near Northampton. DIOCESE OF CHESTER; CONSECRATION OVST. CHRYSOSTON'S C/IVRCR, EVER TON, LANCASIIIRE. — The new church of St. Chrysostom, Everton, in the parish , - of Walton-on-the-Hilt Liverpool, which has been for some time past opened by license for divine service, was consecrated by the Bishop , of Chester, on Tuesday last. It has been erected, by subscription, upon a piece of land generously given by two gentlemen for the purpose, and from the beauty of its structure is as great an ornament as convenience to the neighbourhood. The number of sittings is -1200, of which nearly one-third is free and unappropriated, and every one of the- remain ing sittings has already been let. There is a fundifor the endowment and repair of'the church, provided also by voluntary subscription ; and the patronage has- been vested in five trustees, by agreement, under 8 and 9 Tic., cap. 70. Application will: immediately be made to , the Church Building Commissioners to assign an ecclesiastical district to the church. After the consecration, a sermon was• preached by the bishop-in aid of the fund for pro viding schools in connexion with the church, aneLvery liberally responded to by a crowded congregation. PREFERMENT.—The Rev. John Macnaught has been licensed to the perpetual curacy of the newly consecrated church of St. Chrysostom, Everton. Patrons, the trustees. NON•RESIDENCE.—The lyishop of Chester has renewed the license of non-residence -of the Rev. William Waller ; incumbent of St. John's Church, Dunkinfield, on ac2ount of continued ill health. DrocEsE OF KinenEsTEn--Preferment : The BiShop of Manchester has licensed the Rev. Wm. Robt. Stephens, B.A'., to the stipendiary curacy of St. John's Church, Long►sight; on the nomination of the Rev. James Pelham Pitcairn, the incumbent. BISHOP OF LONDON' presided over a meeting of the Metropolitan Churches Fund Subscribers, on Tuesday, at which the following subscriptions were announced; for new churches :—Mr. W. Cotton, £5,000, and a site for a new church at Limehouse ;. the Bishop of London, £3,000 ; Archdeacon Sinclair, £100;- P. Cazenove, £lOO. ADDITIONAL CURATES.—The committee of the Society for Promoting the Employment of Additional Curates in populous places have apppinted the Rev. J. B. Sweet, M.A., Incumbent of Wcadville, as their travelling and organising secretary, at a.salary of £3OO per annum. Mr. Sweet's entire time will. be devoted to the promotion of the society's increased support in England and Wales. TIIE HOSPITAL OF Sr. CROSS.—The churchwarden of St. Faith's Church, attached to St. Cross Hospital, pro hibited the clergyman appointed to the church by the Earl of Guildford, from preaching in it last Sunday, on account of the defective-title of his lordship to the master ship of the Hospital of 'St. Cross. CONVERSION.—At the late ordination at Wells, Mr. Henry Freud, who has‘ been for upwards of twenty years minister:of a Baptist congregation at Bridgwater, was ordained deacon in the Church of England._ The Sher borne Journal states,.. that on Sunday evening the rev. gentleman preachechat St. Mary's, Bridgwater, the town in which he had been a Baptist minister fbr twenty-five years, from 2 Cor. 18 —" And bath given to us a minis try of reconciliation"—a most eloquent discourse, which was listened to with intense interest. ST. BABNAJ3.4IIII 7 I3[LIco.—In consequence of the pro- ceedings which have recently taken place in the above, parochial district, the Bishop of London has paid a visit to St. Barnabas College. The Rev. Mr. Lowder, whose name appeared. in the Westminster police report, was. admonished, by his Lordship, and it is generally believed that the rev. gentleman will be suspended for a short period. The Bishop expressed himself with considerable warmth, and regretted that so much scandal had been brought on the Church. It is said that the Rev. Mr, Lid. dell, the incumbent, is very much annoyed at the conduct o f his eurate.—Globe. PRINCE ALBERT AND THE CLERGY:. The festival of the sons of the clergy took place. in St. Paul's. Cathedral, London, on Wednesday. Prince• Albert attended, and, after a sermon by the Archbishop of Can terbury, a collection was made amounting to £t)6o. In. the evening a dinner took place, according to cus tom, in the fine hall of the Merchant Tailors Company. Upwards of 450 noblemen, prelates, divines, and laymen sat down to table. The Lord Mayor presided, and the Prince Consort honoured the company with. his presence. In acknowledging the. toast — " His Royal Highness Prince Albert, the royal steward of the year, Albert, Prince of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family"—Prince Albert said—My Lord Mayor, allow me to return you, on my own behalf and on that of the royal family, my best thanks for the manner in which you have proposed our healths, and to you, gentlemen, for the cordial response which you have made to the toast. I am, indeed, highly gratified to have been a witness to. the 200th anniversary of the festival, testifying, as it does, that the people of this country do not relax in , efforts which they have once, undertaken, and do not forsake the spirit which animated their forefathers. . When our ancesters purified the Chris tain faith and shook off the yoke of a domineering priest hood, they felt that the keystone of that wonderful fabric which had grown up in the dark times of the middle ages was the celibacy of the clergy, and shrewdly foresaw that their reformed faith and newly-won religious liberty would, on the contrary, only be secure in the hands of a clergy united with the people by every sympathy— national, personal, and domestic. Gentlemen, this nation had en joyed for 300 years the blessing of a church establishment which rests upon this basis, and cannot be too grateful for the advantages afforded by the fact that the. Christian ministers not only preach the doctrines of Christianity, but live among their congregations, an example for the discharge of every Christian duty as husbands, fathers, and masters of families—themselves capable of fathoming the whole depth of human feelings, desires, and difficulties. While we must gratefully acknowledge that they have, as a body, worthily fulfilled this high and difficult task. we must bear in mind that we deny them an equal participa tion in one of the actuating motives of life—the one which among the " children of this generation" exercises, per haps of necessity, the strongest influence—l mean the desire for the acquisition and accumulation of the goods of this world. Gentlemen, the appellation of " a money making parson" is not ady a reproach, but a condemna tion for a clergyman, depriving him at once of all influence ,over his congregation. Yet this man, who has to shun opportunities for acquiring wealth, open to most of us, and who has himself only an often scanty life-income allotted to him for his services, has a wife and children like ourselves, and we wish him to have the same solici- tude for their welfare which we feel for our own. Are we not bound, then, to do what we can to relieve his mind from anxiety, and to preserve his children from destitution when it shall have pleased the Almighty to remove him from the scene of his labours ? You have given an answer in the affirmative by your presence here to-day, and, although this institution can do materially but little, morally it gives a public recognition of the claims which the sons of the clergy have upon the sympathy and libe rality of the community at large, and, as such, is of the greatest value. May it continue for further hundreds of years as a bond of union between clergy and laity, and on each recurring centenary may it find the nation ever ad vancing in prosperity, civilisation, and piety. I have received permission from the Lord Mayor to propose the healths of his Grace the Archbishop of CanterbUry and the Right Hon. Lord Denman, the president and vice president of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. Lord Denman is unfortunately obliged to be absent on this occasion, but the Archbishop of Canterbury we have the pleasure of seeing at this table. I beg to propose his good health, and, if you will allow me to be your spokes man, I beg to return his grace our warmest thanks for the very eloquent and feeling sermon which he preached this day in St. Paul's Cathedral.--The Archbishop acknow ledged the toast. thetreasurel7read the financial report, which announced that his royal highness bad contributed 100 guineas, that the 113 stewards of the festival had handed in the lists amounting to £3,500, that the collection at the cathedral doors was aso, that the subscriptions at the dinner gave a sum of £3,145, that an estimated sum of £3,600 might be added as the proceeds of sermons preached in aid of the funds, that the Dowager Lady Willoughby de Broke had given a donation of £5OO, and that the receipts for the year would amount to £12,050. • TUESDAY, MAY 16, 1854. CHESHIRE AND WALES. TIER ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY have intimated that the district selected for their country visit, in 18 58 . alld • will be Cheshire, North Wales, Stafford, and Salop , a strong hope has been held out that the place of meetmv and exhibition will be Chester. THE DEAN OF BANGOR, one of a committee for ests• blishing the Cymro, a Welsh newspaper set on foot with the view of spreading church principles amongst the dis' senters of Wales, has been sued in the Court of Queen e Bench for a sum due to Messrs. Waterlow for printing it. A verdict was given for £l3O 10s., the amount of the debt. HEE MAJESTY has been pleased to grant the rank acid precedence of the daughters of an earl to Miss Mary An' nette Talbot and Miss Gwendaline Elizabeth Talbot, the only sisters of the youthful Earl of Shrewsbury, as if their, father, the Hon. Colonel Charles Thomas Talbot, had lived to succeed to the dignity of the peerage. _ - - - ST. JOllti'S Cutmen, BinKENn ermons were preached in this church on Sunday by the Rev. a J. Hamilton, A. 8., and the Rev. T. :Cowan,. M.A.. In' cumbent of St. Andrew's, Liverpool, after which collection s were made in behalf of the schools connected with St. John's Church, amounting, in the morning, to £l7 and in the evening, to about tO. THE ROYAL MERSEY YA.CHT CLUB. — To-morrow Week; her Majesty's birthday will be celebrated by the BoYd Mersey Yacht Club, when the opening cruise of the season will take place. The start will take place from Birkenhea d Ferry, about ten, a.m. The larger yachts are to proceed, to Kingstown. The first sailing match, for members yachts only, takes place on the 7th June, for prizes of £ s °' for yachts above 35 tons, and £3O for yachts under 35 tons. TocivErc SALE.—The sale of timber,. mahogany, Birkenhead, on Thursday, by Messrs. Holme, Slater and 'Co., was well attended ; the bidding was. spirited, and the prices realized for the various parcels gave entire s atisfac', tion. The . Honduras mahogany sold remarkably well, an° a fine log of Cuba mahogany sold at Bs. per foot of one inch thick, or £4 16s, per cubic foot. This-log was bough t ' by a cabinet-umber in Manchester. CHESTER AND. HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.—The traffic for the week ending 7th of May, 1854, was as follows Passengers, parcels; per railway, £2,539 15s. 9c l ; steam-boats, £390 ss. 10d. ; total, £2,930 is. 7d. : , £1,426 lls. Od.: totaly including Carnarvon traffic Per rail, £3,966 6s. 9(1., • steam-boats, £390 ss. 10d, 'Car. responding week last year, per rail, £3,598 17s. 3d. ; Pe r steam-boats; £287 10s. Bd.. Increase, £470 4s. Bd4, PRGCESTANT REFORINEkTION SOCIETY.—The Youll,f 1 Men's Controversial Class, conducted by Mr. C. ' M`Carthy, special missionary in connexion with the- abod e society, at their weekly meeting, held at the St. Solo's School-rooms; Birkenhead;. on Saturday evening, Pr e ,' sented theft , librarian, Mr: W. Peters, with " Leighton s Commentary on the Epistles•of St. Peter," in two volumes, handsomgly bound, in morosto;- as at affectionate test mony of his valuable services- rendered to the class aa.o library since their establishment in August last, on his leaving Birkenhead for a sphere-of duty in the metropolig' Several members of the class delivered appropriate ad" dresses on the occasion, proving - the higik estimation ia which he was held by them, and= how Wply and sin' cerely they regretted his loss. me. James M`Donald ha s been appointed his-successor. - - WALLASEY BIB= ASSOCIATION:-.JThe annual meeting of this association was held on Thursday, in the large recut of the Egremont Hotel. The attendance was numerous, and highly respectable. Mr. Glazebrook occupied the chair. The Secretary read the report, • from which it 9P; peared that the fund for the • year wets £142 11s. iv' During that period 112 Bibles and 51.. Testaments ha been distributed in the district by the loml society. l ue Rev. Mr.-Elliott, of Seaceinbe; moved thendoption of the report.- The Rev. Dr. Baylee seconded the motion, an d. 0 in the course of doing so;. in allusion to the present COM: motions, of war among the nations, referred to differodiff erent passages•of Scripture as evidencing the fulfilment of Pr ° ,.; phecy, and the working o u t o f th e providence of Go d ' Interestingspeeches were- also delivered by several other gentlemen. EA.row-HALL.—We have authority to state that thts magnificent mansion, the seat of the Marquis of West. minster, which has for several' years been undergoing alteration,: and improvements, will be reopened, by 1 4 lordship's• kindness, for the inspection of visitors, on t h e sth of June next. Eaton-hill may be seen this sampl e ' . in the months: of June, Jury, and August, on Mondays' Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, between the hours of ten an d four, by separate •tickets, for house or gardens, to be PO; cured in Chester at the Royal and Albion Hotels, or 0' Messrs. Pritchard, Roberts, and Co., booksellers, Bridgf" street Row ;:at•Pulford, from the master of the school' and at Aldford, from the landlord of the Talbot In tl ' Foreigners and travellers will be admitted alsa on Thin' s ; days in the-same months. Parties who desire-to visit tit gardens only, will be admitted with • their tickets by t he lodge, at Eeeleston village.— Ch e ster. Courant: co' INQUESTS- . AT BIRICENHEAD. , ---011 Saturday, the roner for Cheshire held an inquest on the body of Wi lliam Slone, an engineer, lately in theemploy of the )3irkenheo. dock company. The deceased had, while in a sta te intoxication, gone into the engi n e house, when his cluri le ir caught fire,. and when found at half-past eleven o'cl . ue• , was very much injured. He was conveyed to the hosp i tal. where, after much suffering, he •died on FridaT a fternN th.—The The jury returned a verdict of accidental t ea named coroner also held an inquest on-the body of rfr-- al . day Stanfield, who died very suddenly on the Preeed i d The deceased lived in Henry-street, and was- emP•oye- 1 . 0 the iron manufactory. On Friday morning he vas in good health, but about one o'clock le was suddenly tike! ill, and died almost directly.. The deceased died fr i natural causes, and a verdict to that effect was returi, CHARGE OF MALICIOUS MIKIEIEF,—At the head Potiee-court, on Thursday, .Ri c h ar d Th ompson , owner and driver of a car in that town, was sunnnat for wilfully damaging a carhelo ng i ng to Thos. Brougb a ',,j another car-proprietor of the .same place, The amoullt, damage sustained was charged at £4. The e a se was c lnew, supported by the evidence of a boy named Henry Fq.'„g runner about the ferry, who stated that he was stapw,7 3 close to the railings at Woodside ferry, at 20 or 3011110 11 'p past ten o'clock on the night of the 214th ult., clos!, complainant's cab, and hearing a noise as of some Pe r '? cutting, he stooped and distinctly saw the defendant_A the- vehicle in different places. Immediately afterv",;; - er the eab was engaged by Mr. John. Jackson and antis.. gentleman, and the witness followed, it and saw the o'4 Afterwards the boy found a piece of leather on the groar,, which corresponded with A.hole in the. leather in the '0 The youth was strictly cro s s-e xam i ne d, b u t no thing " e i elicited to shake his. statement. The witness inent,wr i°l' the circumstance to,another car-driver a few days wards, who gave information to. the complainant. John Church, coach T builder, who h a d exam i ne d the n 3 P I OI vehicle, gave they damage at RA. For the defense attempt was made to prove an alai. John O'Hara O te ,o that he engaged the defendant's ear at 25 minutes to ' , be o'clock, and it was ,ten minutes. past that hour wholino• defendant left his residence at Bidston. Mrs. Evans , p i le keeper, Bidstou.,.deposed that Thompson had a Oafs in in her bar at a quarter past ten o'clock on the nig t , t he question, and, that it was half-past ten before le". set house. Aftereonsultation, the bench said that s tiff` 5;,d proof had been.giv,en.that the damage was committed, A • gave a verdict for 505., with costs, in favour of the El to plainant, and, fourteen days, were allowed the defend° pay the assessment. LAUNCH' OF TBE ROYAL AL.B.ESA' WOOLWICH. • pjbet t ' Tin-launch of the screw line-of-battle ship Royal Ebert, k or i l 120 guns, took place on Saturday, at Woolwich Do.c" sP! in the presence of Her Majesty and the royal fainnybor a vast concourse• of persons. The river never, PeL tl ia presented, such a scene, owing to the facilities for ren the• vicinity of the launch, both by rail and water ; mense multitude crowded the dockyard and shores , ,er)' theßeach was studded with steamers_ and almost f e citor, P "; thing that could float, all crammed with anxious spe c — l;' The South-Eastern, Blackwall, and. North Wooltvich,ere ways brought down thousands. Numerous star , /00 erected on the Essex shore, opposite the dock,Yar.% weti e , which an excellent view could be obtained, and Nrin, e ; l oeq early taken possession of, white some 30 or more sLe A s ov e freighted with visitors, with innumerable yachts 51 1 A,. 40 0 , craft, stretched across and filled up the river 0 ' p er distance. The Fisguard frigate flag-ship and other g ° e• meat vessels lying off the yard were gaily decorat teso. flags of all nations. The Trinity Brethren, in their ~ at/ 3 ', yacht, were in attendance, as also the Lord. Mwor"ns f" Corporation, who had chartered one of the Star the occasion. The Black Eagle Admiralty yaell t , l : ‘ " modated a large circle of the aristocracy. Ijse, is hour the Charlton road presented, an unbroken o re 4. carriages, which continued till near 1 o'clock. Th e e siD`i and cabinet ministers, and the Admiralty, with they; )011', of both houses of parliament, and families, o ccupied 1 .1 4) range of galleries adjoining the royal ho, t ,": e oa c : 4 4 erections on the other side were devoted to 'er military, and civil services of the country. q. OA; kept on the river by the Harbour Master's fie e t hrole large muster of the Thames police boats, and the of navigation of the river was closed at the Pef., l 1 1 '4e launch, Shortly after 1 o'clock Her Majeswa sLf Albert, the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, suite arrived in the yard, and were received hY,dO ›t artillery, and the loud acclamations of the Pii,el/4 throng. The royal party were then conducted 0 form erected under the bow of the noble ship- ss announced that high water was near, the Prin ce oing the at 140 p.m., performed the interesting duty of 02 6 , 41 ter'" Royal Albert." The Royal group then retn, booth erected at the end of the s lip, whence 3.- 01 0 ' c lOr rupted view of the lau nc h an d r i ver could he t be The signal was then given for liberating the 51uP aesf el 0 4 shores were knocked away, and amidst the, oioa s,, cheers from both sides of the river, the firing 2' ;;Is oaea the playing of the National Anthem by the " 3 gPtile Royal Artillery and Royal Marines, the noblel ov er, t ed into the river in the most graceful and easy jiLeftef Royal Standard, ensign, Admiralty flag, u ni t i e t flying at her bows, fore, main, mizen, and Sterns; hr e or e drifting a short distance up with the tide, sh e „tion s f itt‘ 4l up, and steam-tugs getting hold of her, prePa c fli be made for towing her to Sheerness, where she out with all expedition. u.....nmm............... e.. h a , C °be e' "''' ARTIFICIAL WOOD.—MM. Bathe and Pciti:itioalrg ceeded in making a kind of papier m ache, if "a ...14 allowed to use that term, quite different fronl „ 2 3 1 0 .0 7 z hitherto produced. They mix sawdust of se ve f o ° o l with glue, and work the mixture into a sort 0 . 01 0 , s eucts cie t a h t mass, which can be moulded into any desirable Orqlle Pwc d al lc i v us ly dry, nbtai it is tiannnimeditiantianpencfuliar way. 00 0, said to be very beautiful.--Minings) J rnal• esil°l) Jots . o t t ir o c AMONG THE MILITARY SKETCHES and car? ~, a fre seen in the Paris picture-shops, one repreinN. semi the f tad army on the Danube has lately appeared, ~ ein- ille ing apostrophe to Russia at the foot " Yon hav e 00 10 us of the frost of 1812 1 we will make you re'' ~ ,,,pr thaw of 1854." xr A (s iii i , A WISE JIIDGE.—A certain judge out I, „e - t he fo ./ fellows, those Western judges !), it is said, y"Tedibilititlie in g interroPiories to witnesses to test thVijo';,, or ' 11l " Witness-, do you take a newspaper f or 1 0 14 0 o ticP answer be " Yes," " Have you paid for it r to g iye ea to either case his Honour instructs the J, it it eati tl credit to their testimony as they 1113 1 tll4--- under the circumstances.