The Northern Daily Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-25 00:00:00

'`''..... •""-'l'. AND REV. BAPTIST .NOEL IN' LIVERPOOL. N TE 11,.,,,"1' RELIGION ,ON THE CONTINENT. - Olt A i,p ,P G IN GREAT GEORGE'S - STREET .ti ."-E-EL LAST NIGHT. religiPollblio meeting of those interested in the diffusion of the 0, t hroughout th e cont i nent, an d o f t h e supporters o f Georg ,angelical Continental Society, was held in Great Th e X a - street Ch apel, at half-past six o'clock, last evening. Piatf or Pe' was ver well filled, Amongst those upon. the Wh o a‘` aa W ere the Hon. and Rev. Baptist W. Noel, 11. A., th e t erided for the purpose of laying before the meeting the 7sult . of his observations upon the state of religion upon lie,7atinent during a recent tour ; Rev. Dr. Raffles, Rev.w . It,: Welsh. Rev. Dr. Crichton, Rev, C. M. Birrell, Oeo r , T .,.-r• Applefield, D. B. Joseph, Rev. J. Dawson, Rev. t ,''': liughes Rev. D. Rees, Rev. W. M. Falloon, and Cro n ': G eorge ' T. Duncan, R. A. Macfie, Josiah Jones, John If; f r, Jones, Crossfield, &c., &c. e ell ai JOI N C The r Was taken by ROPPER, Esq. tleli„ Proceedings were opened with a prayer, which was Th e by the R ev . J. R. W e l s h. keret: ' 44 aßxkl , r rose, and said that the report, which the to th - 7q would read, wiiuld be a much better introduction Ite heir proce e di ngs t h an any observations lie could make lit t i f , e ld not help, however, expressing his regret that so those;;:: h e a r been done in Liverpool for the spread of the I):' throughout the continent. He had heard that within n alt s even years only £5OO had been collected for that Mo re in Liverpool. He hoped, however, better days lect i e i"hling, and that large subscriptions would be col -44 for funds were the only thing wanted on the conti (liea'uaccomplish the work on which they were engaged. Thr, hear.)tle.%Rev. Mr, Brunwr.v, then read the annual report. It r,eP the proceedings of the society for the past year, and f tVe Gospel that the subscriptions in aid of the propagation o the "Pel on the continent were not more considerable than i r were, . It; , 10 1 , TP.s moved the adoption of the report. 4 op t a'' katossFißLD seconded the motion, and, in doing so, ti 4 0,4 that Liverpool would, at length, exert itself in a fit -I\l4anner in this important work. ii a 's Motion was unanimously adopted. 4 4(1 e lion. and Rev. BAPTIST NOEL then came forward, th at it' warmly applauded. He commenced by observing kr u lt gave him great pleasure to endeavour to give them illte,. r , e asons that evening, why they should take a proper tit r '" In the efforts of their Christian friends on the Con ell,. . . Con- Why a especially in France, and he hoped additional reasons kr t ;uey should feel a satisfaction in favouring the libe qtal, ,laich they could Evangeln that subject, through the iloti l lr' of the Continental gical Society. There was 1 4,. ti g to hinder the Evangelical Continental Society aid they cause, in any country on the Continent of which Nit "tad good proof that it was in all respects commendable; i.llitherto tries had confined their attention to French bi4g cou, which offered a wider field for exertion t0 4 , - ne society could cultivate. The hon and rev. gentle theni proceeded to say, that time would not permit him h v er to those countries that evening, unless in a general deg,' I le should pass over the work of which they had fr. s . d,, which had been accomplished through the efforts of a but men, with the blessing of God, in Belgium, and ollt of the progress' of the evangelical church in Piedmont, Whi:ould confine his attention that evening to France, 11r 1s . r was a country which demanded from them the most 4 / 1 ~4 4, it sympathy. If they measured the importance of Ntlree b y the number of . souls in it to be saved, they 414, tot overlook a country like France, which had,. pro tkilt‘) more than thirty-seven millions of flhabi l'art,,, It wa s even nearer to them than Ireland, which was ",I , l l . „themselves, and in addition to this and its vast I ,`' Non, its position in Europe gave it a still higher claim pa t ; attention and regard. Under all its misfortunes, qflu e ," e tontinued to be a first-rate power, and exercised an 1 4 1(1 vp lee second only to our own, throughout the world; uoth kger,eveithey looked they saw proofs of this influence, 1 , tl l , l ' as diplomacy and arms. If they took an interest Nat f - O r ogress of the church in China, they should recollect 44 tit a T e pleasure of religious freedom that had been obtained Rae country,. was not the result of our diplomacy, but the Protestants through the French ambassador, who gave to il l tilurotestants the first right they had to preach the gospel beaft consular cities of that empire. If the great be art he north was to be arrested —by whom was he to trr ias e :ltd ? Not, they might . be sure, by the desperate At th ch. the Turk, but by the union of England with France. ter,, , e 1 3, ?pe were on his throne this day, instead of being a Nip s In the Neapolitan territory, who was it who brough th e ..,-,uaek in triumph and kept him in his seat, other than tisizr rench bayonets ? And if they saw splendid buildings 4 4 ,f 1 g up for catho:ic worship in this country, they would not cont ributions them. the result, though there were exceptions, of ° f the of Catholic nobles devoted to their religion, nor t _th Catholic poor here, but they would find that they were t ,,': result of the aid denied from , their Catholic brethren oft duty eount,iimehnt, .particularly fromgrerartay,creaest."Ahattizas the interest of this e spe r ei a auy t that e in p of it which was concerned in ttle"ald vaneement of the kingdom of our Redeemer, to turn their attention to this great neighbouring nation, to endeavour, if ossible, to reclaim them to the true faith. In asking their Tt t ention to, and efforts for, France, he did not limit his apes, nor did he wish that hi s au di ence should l i m i t the i rs, ‘11 44 gathering of a few thousands of that people to the Po t edge of our Saviour, but rather of the whole nation. F 41 a part he was far from despairing of this • but if r at ,„ for ' L e were to be improved, it could not be by Englishmen ; pins t he prejudice against them, and the impossibility of 01 insring a correct pronunciation of the language would be b e enPerable bar to their success. If this, then, were to h e Zle at all it should be done by Frenchmen . , and therefore kr t b q not ask them to send English evangelists to France, h ere was beyond their province, but to help their brethren If - who deserved the highest esteem and regard, to do it. Ar o rY persons could improve France it was the French tha:, st ants themselves, who after all the persecutions, greater Ni l the church had suffered, which they had undergone, pate nlbered a million and a half. And because it was the the Of Protestantism to make men self-reliant, and to 'lle t., the best use of their position and circumstances, tli ' e noh Protestants were in a great measure prosperous find were the best men of business in the land, fa 'it /It e did not hesitate to state that there was su - ~ 4 I)" ‘. ,wealth among the members of that communion , s 4 4 "s and Lyons alone to accomplish the work of which rr kil a s speaking. The million and a half of Protestants in t 5 ll -ee l,however were not well adapted to do this work for k r i, '...here were ' above twenty-five thousand Protestants in t ,qi p . i ' and yet they did next to nothing for the cause of to - 4 ' 4 . They, and with them the Protestants of Lyons, l 'ath . convert d a single Catholic,—and why ? Because the ) , 4 e4L' i jo mind e was unapproachable ? He did not think so, :1,647e facts disproved it, but the Protestants there . w . ere 41 4 ;aed for it. They were never converted to catholicism . 4 4 - `,',elves ; but one might hate catholicism, and yet not dee m he truth to which it was opposed. A man might con -4e t hei h ', confessional, but while he hated priestly absolution ,o( k rght not humbly and sincerely confess his own sins to °llt They might scorn the idea of baptismal regeneration, or jet they might never seek the regeneration of the heart It ; v 4 4 change of nature by the truth and spirit of God. lAo as ,,Yery possible for them to look with contempt 41 tl '°.e catholic motive of a man being confirmed '4 gracel, by a priest of a superior order rubbing oil t llr oh "tru, , but they might never seek sanctification 'N P the working of - God's grace. It was very pos k1:1841r them to show the absurdity . in priests making thou- Lairi . :f Christs, and yet they might never seek to have ; 4 1th,,in their own hearts. It was very possible that they ',,°, 1, - " feok with scorn on the idea of their being prepared ° d gulch glory by the priest touching their noses or eyes with 'lltl l - . l 'ae last hour, and yet never have peace in God through tied, Jesus. It was possible for them to see all that was as well as absurd in the doctrine of purgatory, and tlie ver (~. b 0 prepare ior heaven or fear hell. (Applause.) Nega- N i r e tesantis a m hd wa sh s ch not calculated to work upon the was the character of that in °;lkke. mind,lt was not the Protestant, therefore, of France, it t % r ; 1 1 . 4 - the were unconverted men, who could do it, but ,",d ah t„ 11 0 e Y who were Christian men—who were brought to \ , - ' 1 h - ,,qu were made to love him by the force of truth acting ,'ailtf h ''''' consciences and hearts. These were the men "er e - q in France, and many such, he was happy to say, istifo,. there; and it was their labours and their V° ; „ih the cause which it was his duty to lay j;° - i .i,n. meeting that evening. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) `r \v i,: 4 : ord had been distributed by the British and bl e ee,Rible Society throughout France by the sale of 1 ,7 V e niefly though not exclusively, among the Catholics, " b tbl - 11111 11b4 of two millions. The value of the sale of , h ere w ets not to be estimated as it would be here, where . (,„ n umb so many, and therefore they were not appreciated t ' b ttr xuers of careless people, who got them as a matter of h ' e til 6e 'h ail d never perhaps, read them. But when he told g Pa t n -at 4 gent l emanthe Church in Belgium, told him that there were 4 44 of,,atholic families in the neighbourhood of Charleroi, ~1 111c le . o , t hese 8,000 only one possessed a bible. They would c aus e that when bibles were sold there, it must be be il4,(l riePeonle were exceedingly curious about them. They . t tle h .v n e f seen the bible—had heard a little of it, and that 1- jot -(` been only misrepresentation ; and when they got t ' i llio n. ° e t o h eir hands they . read it with great . interest. Two 1 ) , r anee Pies of the scriptures then, distributed by sale in :en d 'lade a good foundation in that country. God had ~,,'ita4;e as ed within late years to raise up there some living ;‘ 11 11pl i "? of his truth. First had been the good work ae hht,,auces.uedfrth,rough his grace, by the established church in l a '' th e le had not seen much of the Lutheran Church, I; t dely. refore should not speak of it ; but he had been e,krortaPermitted to visit some parts where the Protestant f °4l ltr ed Church had been materially improved, in that ,:,.. ,v. t.q that Perhaps all present were not acquainted with th . e ll ' f, r ille ` e `a f there was a Protestant Established Church in head P,'llb! not, he would tell them what the wisdom of their tali Ours across the channel who boasted ito be at the of invention, , ... 'she, had devised. They had, of course, es ksthoii,„' a Catholic Church, but, while they had 40,000 b),j l r t 7 es P t rLests to execrate Protestants, they had e . stablished , ile th e 4at church to execrate the Catholics ; and t i, ,iewY e stablished Protestants and Catholics to condemn i' e e Ch ris they established the Jewish Rabbins to condemn 11 w s, /.., i nns. They had therefore four established churches, il,:ott,,talittherans, Protestants, and Catholics. Now, the 4, 0 4 1 ' church was that of which he should speak. The r ev. gentleman then entered into a detail of hie nessed there. They entered the church, he observed, not to pray . or worship, but to kis§ a filthy image ditty and odious in its artistic composition:-=-Of At, Rocque, and still more detestable figure which they called the Mother of God. While on this topic he mentioned as an episode an occurrence which had taken place in Funchal, in Spain. There a Madame Alevarez (as we took it) was thrown into prison charged with various crimes because she had become a Protestant and - read the Bible, and because she did not adore the Blessed Mary. When brought before the judge, who was a very stern ' man, he said " Prisoner, let me warn you your life is in danger, and that it entirely depends on the answer you will give to the question I will put to you. Do you believe that the Virgin Mary is the Mother of God or do you not ? Do you adore her or not ? " The prisoner answered, " I believe that Mary is the mother of my Lord arid Saviour Jesus Christ, but as God he had no mother, for he was from eternity. She was, therefore, the mother of his human nature, and I adore God alone." " Then she is . guilty of blasphemy and con demned to death" cried the judge ' and forthwith she was thrown into prison, and only saved from death by a quibble, for the supreme Court of Lisbon held that if she had been brought in guilty on the three counts in the charge, she should have suffered the penalty due to her crime. It was truly refreshing, then, to turn from such scenes, to Worship with the congregation of reclaimed Ca tholics, who knew the value of the Bible and read it for their soul's wealth ; and it was his fortune to worship with such congregations in Angouleme and other places. All these congregations were formed upon the principle of indepen dency, and though they were at liberty to join the state if they pleased, yet they were too well instructed in the princi ples of Church organisation to have very little disposition to do so ; and of this a notable proof had been lately given. The hon. and rev. gentleman then detailed how twelve schools, including . those of Limome, had been suspended, though excellent in every respect,' because it was alleged that they were conducted by assisting pastors, and how their heads, when guaranteed by the State that they should be no longer persecuted if they joined the establishment, one and all declined the offer, and resolved to remain inde pendent. This was the work which he wished them to en courage, not merely as men who wished to see God's cause prosper anywhere, but as men who delighted to see the combined effects of a right scriptural organisation with the blessing of God to flow from the gospel in France. He would mention a few facts connected with the society of Lyons, which was formed on the same principle and had been productive of very considerable results. As he had said before, there were 7000 old Protestants there, and they had but one small church built to contain about 450 persons. They had no week day service---no missionary exertion---and no machi nery for the distribution of the Bible. They never received a single Catholic convert into their communion, and in fact he believed they neither sought nor wished it ; for as a com mercial people they feared that proselytism would disturb their trade. But since the new congregations, which were composed of Baptists, Independents, Presbyterians, and print' cipaily reformed Catholics, - had started up, there had been 3 singular, undeniable blessing resting upon their exertions. In these congregations the poor worked zealously and ar duously for the faith, and while the 7000 old Protestants had not brought a single Catholic to God and the truth, these poor people, most of the labouring classes themselves, had nearly converted 2,000 Catholics to their faith. They collected for this purpose £5OO a year, but when £2,500 was required, he need not tell them that they naturally looked to Protestant Great Britain for sup port. The hon. and rev. gentleman then pointed out the claims which those congregations hand on this country for support, and urged that this was one of the best—the sup port of brethren seeking the faith through sorrow and dffi culties—by which our Saviour promised to recognise his disciples on the great day of judgment. (Applause.) Rev. Dr. RAFFLES proposed the second resolution, to the effect that the so.liety now resolve itself into an auxiliary of the Evangelical Continental Society of London, and that a committee and office-bearers be named for the next year. In proposing the resolution the Rev. Dr. Raffles coupled with it a vote of thanks for the deep debt of obligation which they were under to the Rev. Mr. Noel, who had come, at great expense of time and labour, to deliver that interesting lecture. (Loud applause. The Rev. Mr. CRICIITO V seconded the resolution, which was carried amid enthusiastic applause. The proceedings then terminated. INAUGURATION OF THE BURY ATITEN.EUM. LORD STANLEY, M.P., AT BURY. The inauguration of the Bury Athenaaum took place on Monday night, when a tea party and s , iiree were held in the large lecture-room of the new institution, which is a hand some, commodious, and substantial building, situated in the centre of the town, and from which may be had an excellent view of the monument recently erected to the memory of the late Sir Robert Peel. There was a very numerous audience of ladies and gentlemen, but the number of operatives pre sent was not by any means equa l to that which might have been ood . A e xpeinctoend;mt dthtehgereentbleemenennooisitrtihkees platformin the n w e e ig n h o b t o ic u e r d - Lord STANLEY' M.P., (in the chair), the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Manchester , E. Grundy, Esq., of the Wylde, Bury ; the Rev. Charles Rickham, the Rev. the Rector of Bury • the Rev. Mr. Morbum, J. Chetham, Esq., M.P., J. Le Gendre Starkie, Esq., M.P., Richard Hort, Esq., of Reed Hall ; J. Robinson Kay, Esq., 0. 0. Walker, Esq., the Rev. Dr. Vaughan, of Manchester; John Smith, Esq., of Liverpool, &c., &c. There was an excellent choir pre sent, which, during the evening, performed in fine style several pieces of music. After tea, EDMUND GRUNDY, Esq., of the Wylde, intro duced Lord STANLEY to the meeting , amidst loud applause. He stated that the late Earl of Derby gave the site of the institution, that the present Earl of Derby became the patron of the institution, laid the corner stone of the build ing, and in addition to that his late father gave £lOO towards the funds. (Loud cheers.) Lord STANLEY, on rising to address the meeting, was received with loud cheers. When they had subsided, he said—He thanked them heartily for their welcome, and the first words he should use would be to express the high grati fication which he felt in addressing, for the first time, face to face, the inhabitants of the town of Bury, between which and himself there existed an old hereditary connection. (Hear, hear.) He rejoiced to see that, notwithstanding the season of the year, and notwithstanding the state of the weather, which certainly made their own fireside particularly comfortable, they had assembled in that room so large and influential a meeting. And he rejoiced the more because they were not assembled there for any purpose of political conflict, or of social strife, or yet for mere unmeaning amuse ment, though undoubtedly pleasant indeed at the moment, but barren in results so far as benefits were concerned. (Hear, hear.) They were met together that evening for a purpose, the highest and the noblest which could bring toge ther the citizens of a free state—(hear, hear)—because they were trying to do what in them lay to remove from them the reproach under which they so justly lay—the reproach of ignorance. (Hear.) They were met that evening to accom plish a work which he hoped and trusted would be for the benefit, not only of this generation, but for the benefit of their children and their children's children. (Applause.) He had spoken of this as being an educational institution— he had spoken of the Bury Athenaeum, of the building in which they were met, the opening of which they had met to celebrate and inaugurate, as an educational institution, and he believed that in so speaking of it he was correct. (Hear, hear.) He believed that the language used by some was that education, properly speaking, was what belonged to the season of youth. He did not think so. (Hear, hear.) He held that for him, for every one of them, education was a thing that must continue to the very end of their existence. (Hear, hear.) It was a law of our nature—our minds were so constituted that we must constantly and always be either learning something or forgetting something. (Hear.) In matters of instruction, as in every other, there was no stand ing still—we must go onwards or backwards. (Applause.) And not only was that the case as affected acquired know ledge, but there were pow-eta of the tutaa winch could, like the body, be only kept in health by a series of exertions, and those exertions, let them assume what form they might, were an educational process. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, he said that that building, the opening of which they had met to celebrate, was strictly an educational institution. It would not be . necessary for him to detain them long as the circum stances under which the Bury Athenaeum originated. He believed that for 15 or 16 years an institution, intended sub stantially for the same educational purposes as the Athen aeum—an institute, concerning the working of which he con fessed he knew very little, but which was productive of very great results, so far as it went ; but it was felt to be inade quate to, and insufficient for, the wants of this great and growing population. (Hear, hear.) About 5 years ago, he thought in the year 1848, the first public proposal was is sued for the establishment of the present institution. Only two years had elapsed from the time of that proposal being issued, when sufficient funds had been collected to justify the promoters of the institution in commencing the building itself. (Applause.) In 1850 the first stone was laid, and now, towards the close of 1853, they were met to celebrate the completion of the building then undertaken. (Applause.) Five years, then, only elapsed from the first suggestion of the building to its final completion. (Hear.) And as to those who had taken an active part in its origina tion, there was one person connected with it—for referring to whom he might probably be excused— (applause) and he would venture to say in his father's name, that there was no one in public life, let him belong to whatever political party he might, who was more warmly or more sincerely attached to the great question of the age, the question of instruction to all classes, especially to the raising of the working-classes in the social scale, than was his father. (Loud applause.) He had looked through the subscription lists which were opened at the time when this undertaking was commenced, and he must say that he thought it reflected very great credit upon the leading inhabitants of the town, that a very large proportion of the total amount required had been contri buted, in sums comparatively large, by the principal employ ers of labour there. (Applause.) He would not . go into details which would be inapplicable there, but he might say that the sum of £1,200 had been made up in twelve con tributions. (Loud applause.) And little less than one-half of that sum had been subscribed in sums of less than (Hear, hear.) He thought then, they had here a gratifying proof that the institution founded for the benefit of all classes had met with the cordial and most disinterested ,sit to the Protestant churches through the tanquedocia n istricts of the south and west of France, and described the eeling of ardour with which, in each of the towns and vil ages through which he passed, the congregations crowded to listen to the preachers and to worship in the temples. He then proceeded to detail the causes which had led to the growth of that feeling of devotion in those departments of France. The first cause had been the coup d'etat of the present emperor. Before that time the Protestants had been under the impression that a brighter day Was cotning for their liberties, and they were becoming more and more con firmed in that belief, especially when the revolution took place, by which the Protestants were placed upon an abso lute equality with the Catholics. But when the coup d'etat occurred theysoon foundthat all power was placed in the hands of the priesthood, and they perceived how the present ruler of France was disposed to lean very naturally up on the 40,000 priests of France ; and as they remembered bitter times in their past history they thought the same were coming again, and that they would be exposed again to affliction. In this dejection they turned from politics to prayer. Instead of holding political meetings to discuss the rights and the privileges of Frenchmen, they met to ask God's blessing and protection that they might be saved from the fearful sorrows which had come upon their fathers. They had evangelical alliance meetings, for although they had been faithful pastors before the Wesleyan, Independent, and. national pastors, yet they had prejudices against one another. They had acted faithfully when separate, but they had only a spurious sort of brotherhood, which sometimes prevailed in this country also, which had led people to say—" I admit that these others are Christians, and therefore of course they must be my brethren, but I think the less I see of them, the better—the less I come into contact with these brethren of mine is somehow or other the better for me." But when the evangelical alliance meetings brought all the pastors together, and the people saw that they had the same prin ciples, and loved the same Saviour, and were really brethren, their hearts were melted to an extraordinary degree, and they were urged to very much supplication, that the great work of grace might be done in that neighbourhood. Their prayer-meetings became remarkable for their fervency; and a very solid, sensible young pastor, told him that a prayer meeting at which he presided had been truly remarkable. There for three hours the people poured out their suppli cations in the House of God, with an earnestness which he had never witnessed. The men, the women, and even the children, felt such a eonstrnint upon thoir opirita, that they poured forth their prayers aloud before each other, and when the pastor wished to terminate the meeting, they would not terminate, they seemed at if prayer had become more than necessary to them ; they prayed and continued to pray for three hours. Their prayers were poured forth with no mere formal worship, no stereotyped expressions, but the warm feeling of their inmost souls. Some of them wept for joy at their own conversion ; some were weeping with concern for their unconverted relations ; some with the anxious hope that the grace of God might yet more descend upon the neighbourhood. When people felt God, when they knew that he was Almighty, were sure that he was true to his word, and went to the throne of grace to ask for what they were sure he would give, then their prayers were earnest ; and until then, their prayers were but cold and formal. When martial law was proscribed by the emperor, 50 of the people of Montmeron were imprisoned because they were known to be republicans. They were serious, well con ducted men, but not religious. They were thrown into pri son, and the effect of this produced such a dejection in that commune and all the neighbouring communes, that they were driven into prayer, and from that hour the people re nouncing all political agitations; sought the blessing and the help of God, and God had given it to them. God had blessed the national church in that place, and it needed it, for while there were 100 pastors in that department only 20 preached the Gospel, and the others were not only cold, but were totally averse to it. In that place a great work was still to be done, but it was not likely to be done among the Catholics by the revived Established Church. The enmity between the Catholic and the Protestant classes in that land was very difficult to heal. The Protestants had the memo ries, of deep and long continued wrong. The story of their sufferings would make the heart bleed. For above a cen tury, they were exposed to every injustice. Nearly half the kingdom was Protestant when Henri IV. came to the throne, and for nearly 90 years they enjoyed the effect of his measure of liberality. But during the reign of Louis XIV, their sufferings were fearful. The revocation of the edict of Nantes was ; followed by still keener persecutions and still more appalling sufferings. He could not trust himself to enter upon the recital of their sufferings. it touched the feelings and was a shame to human nature that such things should have been perpetrated. At length when hundred of thousands had been driven out of France, and hundreds of thousands were forced to abjure their religion, then a few peasants in the very neighbourhood of which he was speaking, were driven to arms. They saw that the lives of their families, their wives, and their children were all the prey of a brutal soldiery. The dr agonn de which Louis the XIV instituted among them, inflicted a series of atrocities upon them, which made their lives intolerable. A young lad, a baker's boy, displayed the talents of a general and the courage of a hero, and headed some of the poor peasantry in opposing the skilled warriors of France, met their' powerful, well-organized armies, and beat them back. They had no money, no re sourus, no friends, yet they triumphed, and taught Catholic France to respect at least the indomitable energy and de termined courage of the Protestants,which they never knew before,for the Protestants had borne everything until it be came a proverb in France to speak of the patience of a Huguenot. But they did not see any end of their trials until Louis XVI at last secured them some measure of their rights. All this he regretted to say, had left a deep feeling of hatred among the Protestants of France. There was a hatred amongst many of the Protestants very natural,but very un christian towards the catholics ; and if all he heard were true, there was a much greater hatred towards the Protes tants amongst the Catholics. But besides that the reformed church was not so well adapted to work upon the Catholics —first, because that church had no profession of faith, they had nothing like the thirty-nine article of our established church here, there was nothing which marked out a m an when he entered that church as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Therefore that church was an amalgamation with the world, not a society separated from it. Nor had they the power of choosing their own pastors, for by a recent law promulgated by the emperor, that choice was to be made by himself, which was as if Nero had made the laws which were to govern the Christian church of his times,and to direct what pastors were to be chosen. Besides as the state paid the salaries of that church, it naturally governed the pastors whom it ap pointed, and the State could exercise a very injurious influ ence upon any church which was seeking for reformation, or earnestly addressing itself to the evangelisation of its neigh bourhood. He had himself asked a pastor why they have attempted to convert a Catholic soul ? and the answer was, that at present they had no persecution, but if they endea voured to commence the work of evange li sa ti on among t h e Catholics, they would be stopped at once, because, as long as they paid the salaries of the pastors they could stop them ; but they could not do so if the pastors were independent. Therefore that church was not well adapted to act upon the minds of Roman Catholics. One good work which was being done was the holding of monthly convocations of Wesleyan, Independent, and national pastors to promote spirituality in that district. The preachers of the national church were everywhere well received, and hence that church could do great work among the Protestants of France, many of whom would not hear dissenters, and this ultimately must act upon the Catholic population. But the Free Church was a still more important lever by which God would act upon their minds. The Wesleyans seemed to be working a most important part. They were likely, in the course of a few years, to do work unmeasured ; greater than their present numerical force would intimate. They formed the only church in France which could hold up to the Ca tholic population of that country what a church really wa. The Independent dissenter. boa a W oiuren in which every meaner made a personal profession of faith, and came into that church as a man born again deter mined to live for God, and to manifest the sin • cerity of his profession by his blameless life. The members of that church looked upon each other as brethren all travelling in the same way and all good soldiers of the cross. They selected the pastors of their church, and, of course, only chose those who neld the doctrines which they themselves loved. There was nothing, then, to hinder that church, composed of pious members and pious pastors, from following the church of the New Testament, and making Jesus Christ their head and guide. It was not salaried by the state, but self-supporting, and therefore they had no one to dictate to them, and were at liberty to follow the church of the New Testament. They were inde pendent not because they were less loyal, less subordinate to the laws of their country; but independent because they would allow no ecclesiastical authority between them an d their Master, because they would not admit that any other ecclesiastical authority than that which governed the church of the New Testament should govern them. Self-supported they would teach their Protestant brethren the great lesson that a church could support itself. Now, they would per ceive what the effect .of this would be upon the Catholic population. The national pastors could not speak against the Catholic establishment of 40,000 priests, because they were themselves established, and like the priests were main tained by the mercy of the state. But the experiment of a self-supporting church had been found successful in many parts of France, and if all associations of Protestants in France would say " let us be free," and they should soon see the 40,000 coming down not by violence or ungodliness, but by the force of evangelisation. The rev. gentleman then proceeded to speak of the evangelical alliances throughout France. Of the work done by the Geneva society he would not speak much, but not because they were less important than those which he had been detailing. The men who com posed it deserved their highest esteem and affection—ho could speak of them personally for he knew many of them, but he would only say that h e believed that the work which had been done at St. Julie and other places, was only a part of what was being done by them in various other districts of France. The hon. and rev. gentleman then described how passing from this quarter he visited various towns and villages along the Soane until he came to Limoge, finding wherever he went an evangelical congrec,fa- v- 2 1 ill vo°, l r to , a_:1:f1,1. 10A 1 c j3el l ire hi v-. ~C ~~,nvP~, V e' 14\5" • \\\ 2..\ \". • k.;l F 1 hi 0 . 1 to ej t et tbleti THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. stippcirt fidni the more wealthy classes of the community of the town. (Applause.) That was the kind of assistance which any one might be proud of offering, and which no one might be ashamed of acknowledging. (Applause.) It was not on eleemosynary matter, or anything calculated to wound any man's feelings of independence —it was simply a discharge of a solemn obligation of a most important cha racter upon those who, under the laws of this country, had thriven and grown wealthy—an obligation which they owed to the lower classes of the community by whose labour they had acquired wealth. (Applause.) There was just one other point upon which he wished to say a word. They were probably aware that by an act of parliament, which was passed he thought in 1848, it was in the power of any town or borough to charge a part of the expense of main- , taining such an institution on the public rates. He thought it was creditable and honourable to the inhabitants of Bury that they had not done so. (Loud applause.) In the United States of America,. where he was afraid he must say they were considerably in advance of us in matters of education, there was no heavier rate than the rate they paid for schooling • and he believed that there were none willingly paid. (Hear, hear.) And he thought that, other means failing, they, or any inhabitants of any borough, would have been perfectly justified in calling for that public aid which the legislature had placed within their power. But it was the more honourable to them, and showed a greater reliance on their own means that they had not had recourse to such aid, but had founded the institution, leaving it to the public spirit of the community to support and maintain it. (Loud ap plause). He apprehended that the principal objects of the institution were three-fold. There were the evening classes, about the advantages and benefits of which he need say nothing. These were the lectures, which would occasionally, perhaps frequently, he hoped almost always, be delivered in the institution. (Hear, hear). And then there was the free library, which he believed bad been actually opened to all persons whatever. Now, as regarded lectures he should be very sorry to say a word in disparagement of them ; he believed they might be, he believed they were available as a means of instruction, and that they were use ful if regularly and consecutively attended. They were use ful in arousing, in stimulating attention in regard to subjects upon which we should otherwise be indifferent, and they found us intellectual amusement. On various accounts lec tures were valuable ; but having said that, he would say t tt h ha eo h th e e a r t p ta ri c ii h c ed far less ipl,i.,„tu importance reoftheins to tit them ution h — t to a t n he did to the elii3rarr because he believed that any one who was really anxious to study a subject, could do so better with the aid of books than he could possibly do by any lectures he might attend. (Cheers). There was this difference—it was hardly possible for any one, unless he attended a long course of lectures, to study a subject closely and consecutively. And, as a lec turer must address himself to a large number at once, he must necessarily address himself so as to be understood by all. (Cheers). But the man who read and studied for him self, would be able to pick up information of that kind which he was most capable of assimilating and digesting. (Hear, hear). He was far from under-valuing any branch of the institution, either the lectures or the evening classes, which he thought would be of great advantage, but what he recommended as of great importance was the free library. (Hear). He baaed that opinion upon this ground that be cause they had started well there was a great deal to be done yet. They must not think that because they had opened the institution well, they had nothing else to do in the way of providing both funds and books. (Hear). If he were to enter on that question, or rather, that wide range of ques tions connected with the use and requirements of institutions, like that to celebrate the opening of which they had met, he should occupy a great deal more of their time than they could probably spare, and he should simply waste them and himself without exhausting the subject. (Hear, hear). But one or two reflections forced themselves upon him. They heard every day commonplace sayings about the wonderful industrial progress that was made, and of the triumphs which were now gradually gaining over nature—of his triumphs over the natural and the material world. But that subject was even trite—they were all familiar with the wonders of the railway and the electric telegraph. (Hear, hear). But it was not uncommon for some persons to con trast, and certainly not without some plausibility, that ma terial progress—which indisputably belonged to the present age with our moral and intellectual progress. Now, no doubt, there was some ground for the contrast between them. No doubt tne intellectual progress of any nation could hardly keep pace with the wonderful material progress, which our age had witnessed. But even material progress, of which we were so justly proud, was found to be connected with the progress of moral and intellectual advancement. (Hear, hear). He did not mean by that to say that there was any thing in the circumstances of the present age which should tend to give greater power to individual mind than that pos sessed by the minds of those who preceded us. He did not suppose that that had been the case. Aristotle, Bacon, and N e wton were not excelled, perhaps not equalled, by any likely to follow them in the present or a future age; but the difference between their age and this was, not that individual minds were more developed, but that the number of minds de veloped was infinitely greater now than at any former time. (Applause). No one could think of the difficulties and ob stacles which had to be encountered by many in the pursuit of knowledge in former times, without rejoicing that they had been overcome, and that now greater facilities for the acquisition of learninc , were open to all classes of the com munity. (Loud applause). It was scarcely posssible now that a great intellect could be starved and stinted by the want of proper culture and development. (Hear, hear). The noble lord briefly dwelt upon the general advantages to the community of having such institutions as Athenaeums and mechanics' institutes. He thought there was no fear of educition being neglected in the present day. (Hear, hear). They purposed by the present instiution to remove material obstacles in the way of the student to the acqui sition of knowledge, especially the poor, the results they must leave willinnly in the hands of a wise and over-ruling Providence. (Loud cheers). The national anthem was sung by the choir and company standing. The Rev. W. R. THORBURN, M.A., read the report, and M r . J. R. KAY the statement of the treasurer's accounts, from which it appeared that the whole amount collected in subscriptions &c., to the Athenmum was £4,481 17s. 82d, and the expenditure, £ 4,875 11s. 101 d leaving a balance due the treasurer of 393 14s. V i d. The subsequent speakers were the Lord Bishop of Man chester, the Rev. Charles Richson, Mr. J. Cheetham, M.P.. Richard [tort, of Reed Hall, Mr. Smith, the Rev. Dr. Vaughan &c. LICENSING SESSIONS The special licensing sessions for granting transfers, was held yesterday, in the Nisi Prius court, before the following magistrates, Messrs. S. Holme, T. D. Anderson, and T. Bolton. On the case of the transfer from Martha Bingham to Mathew Buxendale, Lionel-street, being called upon, Mr. BLACKIIURST said he understood that some objection had been made to the transfer, on the ground that the pre vious tenant had been fined subsequent to the last licensing day. Since that time Martha Bingham the former tenant, had petitioned the insolvent court, and the present applicant had since conducted the business. He was a respectable man; had paid a bona fide consideration for the place, and no complaint had been made against the house since it came under his management. That was one reason why the the license should be granted, and he held a certificate in his hand, signed by several of the inhabitants of the neigh bourhood, to the effect that the applicant Buxendale, was a fit person to be entrusted with a license. Mr. WYBERGH : There can be no complaint against him because he is not licensed. Mr. HoLmE : This is-in a very narrow back street, and he for one, would never grant a license in such a place as it. Those houses ought to be before the face of the public. It was a very unfit place for a public house at all; and besides. laws t,ccu fined in Sprit last year, and. in September. Mr. BLACKHURST remarked that this was prior to this man purchasing it. He was not aware of it when he pur chased it. Mr. WYBERGH remarked that there was only one offence since the last licensing day. Mr. HoLmn had a - area objection to continue this license at all. It was in a narrow dirty street, in which there were great means of concealment. Mr. WYBERGH said unless there were two offences in the same year, the magistra:es were not in the habit of suspend ing the license. Granted. Mr. HoLNIE : The party had better conduct this house with great care. Mr. BLACKHURST : I have no doubt he will, having con ducted the house since September, and there had been no complaint. On an application being made to transfer a license in Banastre-street, from James Backhouse to Charles Wilson, Mr. HOLME said he went to explore Banastre-street, a few days before, and there was not house in it from one end to the other, which was fit to be licensed. It was one of the most filthy and miserable neighbourhoods in the kingdom, and he never saw so much misery and filth. It was a place to which a license ought not to be granted until the street was rebuilt. He never saw such misery, filth, and abomina ' tion. It would be a great blessing if the whole street was pulled down. It reminded him of some of the worst parts of Ireland. The granting of the license was postponed until the premises were put into a proper state of repair. On an application being made to transfer a license from Francis M'Kenna, Cheapside, to Wm. Walter Beam, Mr. HOLME remarked that this house was fined in Octo ber last, 40s. for Sunday trading. The party who was about taking the house must bear in mind that there was a black mark against it, and the next offence would cause the license to be refused. Charles Pugh applied to have the license of a house in Circus-street, transferred from Samuel Hough to him. Mr. WYBERGII reminded the bench that the applicant in this case kept a public-house before, but the license was in the name of a man named M'Guinness. There was some thing like fraud in the case. Mr. HoLME asked the applicant to explain how he was im - olicated in this manner ? Puon stated the landlord gave him the transfer paper signed. He had nothing to do with it. The landlord gave them to him twiee. gation; compos — ed principally of reclaimed Roman Catho- Mr; WYBEILGII : Yes, but you were aware you were ear lies, amongst whom he worshipped. He described a rying on the house under the name of Al‘Gumness, whilst Popish procession, composed of females, which he wit.; , your own name is Pugh. . • Mr. PUGH Yes, but I did not know but I was doing right I applied four times for it. Mr. HOLME i What is your employment ? Mr. litfGri A sailmakei Mr. HOLME : Are you fo Mr. PUGH : Yes Mr. HOLM lilowinz your employment now ? Because the whole of the circumstances are very suspicious. Mr. BOLTON : How long did you keep the house in the name of M'Guinness ? Mr. PUGH : Eleven months, or close on to it. Mr. WYBERGH : You had M'Guinness's name over the door ? • _ Mr. PrrGH : Yes, when I took the house. Mr. WYBERGH : You surely knew it was not right ? Mr. PUGH : Not until you told me here. Mr. WYBERG : When you proposed to continue the public-house, you surely knew you ought to have your own e over the door ? Mr. PUGH : I paid my good-will to the landlord, I did not know but I would have it transferred. Mr. BOLTON : Did M'Guinness live in the hous( you went into it Mr. Puorr : It was empty for some time when I went in Mr. WYBERGH : He consents to the carrying on of a fraud which originated with M'Guinness. Mr. BOLTON : The landlord was a party to it ? Mr. WYBEROH : Yes, the landlord was originally a party to the fraud, but he carried it on. Mr. HOLME : In consequence of the good character you have, we will give you the benefit of the doubt ; but that you lent yourself to fraud is perfectly clear, but whether wilfully or not we do not pretend to say. Granted. Andrew O'Brien applied for a transfer of a license from George Mayor, in Marybone. O'Brien was manager of the house when it was fined very recently on a charge of per mitting drunkenness. His excuse was that he did not know the neighbourhood at the time the house opened early, and he pledged himself that no future offence of the kind would be committed. Mr. S. HOLME : I saw more drunkenness a day or two ago in the neighbourhood of Marybone, and in the cross streets leading to Vauxhall-road, in the course of a few hours than I ever saw in Paris in tho Same number of months when I was there. The state of society in that neighbourhood is horrible. In proportion to the misery and drunkenness in that locality is the splendour and magnifi cence of the gin palaces there. Granted John Imam applied it 44 4, James Gilmour, Oil-street. Mr. HOLME : You were twice fined in a former house you kept in Thomas-street. Mr. BUSHELL : I kept that for 26 years. Mr. HOLME : This is somewhat a doubtful case. It is not against the house ; it is against the individual, who, having given up the one place, is applying for a licence in another part of the town. Yours is a different case from a party applying for a license for the first time. You are the party who has committed the offence. Mr. BUSHELL : It will never occur again. Mr. HOLME : But it has occurred. The last offence was in August in the present year, and the previous one in the previous year. What is your occupation ? Mr. BUSHELL : I am a tailor by trade, but I have not worked at it latterly. Mr. HOLME : There are great doubts whether we ought to grant you this. The great object of a license is to keep a house respectable, and I cannot see why a public house can not be as respectably kept as a grocer's shop. The object of the license was to see that they were kept so, and that the licenses were placed in respectable hands. The magis trates on this occasion grant the license, but with very great A,, of flin lieense of reluctance, for the reason given; and they hope, as you are going jab another neighbourhood, that you will conduct your house in a respectable manner. You are going to con duct a house in a neighbourhood swarming with emigrants, and surrounded by public houses (almost every house is a public house along the line of quay), and with those two offences you must receive this notice, if you are fined again the license will be absolutely withdrawn altogether from the house. With that assurance the license will be granted. BREACH OF FAITH WITH THE BENCH. Mr. DODD applied to have a transfer of license of Mrs. Mary Payne, of Prescot-street. Mr. HOLME : In what way are you connected with Mrs. Payne ? Mr. DODD : In no way. Mr. HOLME : Mrs. Payne had a license granted to her at the last licensing sessions, and she stated to the bench that she had a large Tamily to'support, and that one of her sons was going to conduct the house. She also stated she had expended a large sum of money in making alterations ; and being the widow of a man who was well known in Liver pool, the magistrates thought she was a person who ought to have a license ; but she distinctly stated when the license was granted, that her own son was going to conduct the house. Mr. DODD : I was not aware of it. Mr. RAWLLNSON (a publican in the same street) : She stated she was going to keep the house, but she has never kept the house. Mr. WYBERGII : What have you to do with it ? Mr. RAWLINSON : Because it is one of those cases that cause such odium on this licensing system. Mr. WYEERGH : What connection have you with it? Mr. RAWLINSON : I am a neighbour, and keep a public house close by. (Laughter.) Mr. HOLME : We cannot hear you on that point. Mr. RAWLINSON.•—It was stated she had gone to this ex pense to make alterations; but the poor tradesmen were never paid. Mr. HoiziE remarked, the license was granted with the distinct understanding that the house was to be kept by Mrs. Payne's son. It was stated that her husband was a plumber, and that her father was also a plumber in Liverpool, and that she had a good claim for a license; and the visiting magistrates reported not only that the house was not objec tionable, but that a great deal of money had been expended to make it suitable. Under all these circumstances, the magistrates thought it was a case in which a license ought to be granted; but Mrs. Payne distinctly stated her son was going to conduct the house. A gentleman, who stated he was a relative, the agent of Mrs. Payne, informed the bench that Mrs. Payne's son was at Hull, and he was not able to carry on the business ; and Mrs. Payne was very unwell, or she would have been here this morning. Mr. HorziE—What is the rent of the house ? The AGENT : —Three pounds a year less than the previous tenant paid. Mr. HOLME : What is the rent ? AGENT : 601. She had previously paid 631; but Mr.Dodd's references were so highly respectable, she accepted him as a tenant, believing the house would be more respectably con ducted by him than by any other person. She had had her servant to conduct the business for some time. Mr. Rol.= : Have you paid any money going in. Mr. DODD : A dep2sit. Mr. WYBERGH : now much ? Mr. DODD : Mr. WYBERGH : It will be returned to you if the applica cation does not succeed ? Mr. DODD : That is the fact. Mr. HOLME : Have you ever kept a public house? Mr. DODD had kept a public house at the corner of Pil grim and Mount-streets, for seven years, and he had never been fined, nor was there a complaint against him during that time. Mr. BOLTON : How came you to give the house up ? Mr. DODD : From ill healh. I was taken very ill, and I was advised by the doctor to go into the country. Mr. HOLME said it was clear that Mrs. Payne did state that her son was going to conduct the house. Under all the circim.stances he thought some inquiry should be made into the case, and the parties should be prepared on the next transfer day. The transfer was then ordered to stand over. Vim. Alton appeared for the transfer of the license of John Bushell, of Thomas-street. [Bashell in this case was the party who applied for the transfer from Thomas-street to Oil-street.] Mr. HOLME : Who is the owner of the house ? Mr. AITAN : Mr. Barton, the brewer. Mr. HOLME : Oh ! I see. Mr. WYBERGH : Are you going to keep this house on your own hands ? Mr. WYBERGH : From whom have you taken it ? Mr. AITAN : I took the house from Mr. Bushell. Mr. WYBERGH : To whom are you to pay your rent ? Mr. AITAN : To a gentleman in Cheshire. Mr. WYBERGH : What is his name Mr. AITAN ; I don't know. Mr. HOLME : This is a brewer's house; he knows nothing about it. The license must be refused. The following is the list of transfers : Argyle-street, Ann Rimmer to Mary Lowden; Brick street, William Smith to George Hueston ; Burlington street, Ann Preston to John M‘Millan; Charles-street, Mary Bellis to James Fetley ; Cheapside, Francis M'Kenne to William Walter Bearn ; Circus-street, Samuel Hough to Charles Pugh ; Commutation-row, Elizabeth Griffiths to Joseph Asberry ; Cunliffe-street, Mary Anderson to James Sloan ; Dale-street, Mary Hurnell to Thomas Fisher ; Duke street, Elizabeth Burton to Benjamin Burton; Edmund street, John Houlding to Joh n C rane ; G rea t Crosshall street, John Bankes to Elizabeth Parry ; Great Howard street, John Woodmason to Alexander Britton ; Great Newton-street, John Empson to Marmaduke Drake ; Great Oxford-street North, Thomas Taylor to Georg? Harrison Houghton; Hughes-street, Edward Lancaster to George Hison • Kent-street, Mary Hir s t t o Jes s y Lee; Key-street, Hannah Powell to Lucy Williams ; Leigh-street, John Atherton to Caroline Maenzie ; Lionel-street, Martha Bingham to M a tth ew Baxendale ; London-road, Andrew Morrison to David Smith ; London-road, James Chapman to Elizabeth Fletcher ; Maddox-street, James Duckworth to G. Richardson; Marybone, G. Mayor to Andrew O'Brien; Norfolk-street, Barbara Logan to John Moore ; Oil-street, James Gilmour to John Bushell ; Park-road, David Lamont to William Radley ; Princess-street, Philip Bootle to Dorothea Jones ; Rathbone-street, John Ledson (dead) to Elizabeth Ledson • Redcross-street, Joseph Bagley to Eliza beth Thomas ; Richmond-row, John Heslop, to Thomas Hunt Cooper ; Scotland-road, Mary Cookson to Robert Dunderdale ; Scotland-road, Peter Williams (dead) to Thomas Williams ; Torbock-street, Wiliam 'Smith to Robert Snape ; Toxteth-street, James Mead to Mary Ann Lyon ; Vandries-street, John Clegg to William Cornelius , ~._. . Gorsuch ; Villiers-street, Charles illunroadty tolea Wells ; Vulcan street, William MorrisoM+Ro ert M‘Luw . ; i Walnut -street, Mary Williams to George:Vp taker ; War wick-street, Robert Sykes to William G ?cu a .Watk7mson street, Thomas Gatcliffe (dead) to Isaac r at+ 1 :- IbuioN'er: street, John Edington, to Chrinlaira, ":ll'Donald. to work in the south, ana whose Mother was re cently dead, were thrust out by the officers and constables, and left to perish on the hillside. At Boreraig, a woman aged 88, was brought out of a sick bed, and was placed in a chair about 20 yards from her house, and there she was left totally unheeded. A sick man, aged 83, was brought out on a blanket. At Suishnish a very old woman, aged 96 years, with her son and four grand-children, were thrust out, and the house was immediately shut up, and they dare not enter it. They took up their abode in an old sheep-cot, 9 fcet by 7 feet, with the roof so low that they could only creep in, and the floor so damp that they could not rest on it. They could not take their fu r nit ure i n s id e , an d th er e it is still exposed and destroyed by the elements. The son took ill on Wednesday, owing to the cold and damp of the but ; his limbs swelled dreadfully, and he lingered on in painful agony until Sunday morning, when he died. Two of his children lay sick at the time, and the aged grandmother was :ti —a -- nithniiph her son lay dead beside her for more than four hours before the neiguuoi4,.,-...1 was quite unable to move. Those who visited the hovel in which poor Wm. Mathe son lay dead declare it was the most heart-rending sight they ever beheld. There his aged mother and motherless children lay, with the dead corpse in the same bed with them. A cof fin was speedily procured, and the remains of poor Mathe son were hurried to their final resting place, from where no trustee or factor can eject them. That Matheson's death was caused by this eviction, admits of no doubt whatever. In deed, his aged mother and four children, unless speedily re moved from their dangerous habitation, will meet with the same fate. One poor man, 81 years of age, went back to his house after he was ejected, and took shelter within its empty walls during one or two terrible stormy nights. For this he was pounced upon, made a prisoner of, and was dragged to Por tree, a distance of 26 miles, and was there accused before the sheriff of an act of intrusion. The sheriff officer, Mr. Ronald M'Donald, had seven as sistants in carrying on these evictions, and such was the wanton violence they used in throwing out the furniture of the poor people that almost all of it was de stroyed. These clearances are carried on by virtue of acts of the Scottish parliament more than 250 years old. AMERICAN SENSITIVENESS. The Americans have taken offence at the following passage in the new work of Mr. Thackeray " When pigtails grew on the backs of the British gentry, and their wives wore cushions on their heads, over which they tied their own hair, and disguised it with powder and pomatum ; when /ministers went in their stars and orders to the House of Commons, and the orators of the opposition attacked nightly the noble lord in the blue ribband ; when Mr. Washington was heading the American rebels with a courage, it must be confessed, worthy of a better cause, — there came to London, out of a northern country; Mr.," Br.e. They have denounced this mode of describing their first president, "Mr. Washington," and their progenitors " rebels," as an insult to the Union. In consequence, Mr. Thackeray has addressed to the Times a letter, in which he offers this anzende :—I am thinking about '76. Where, in the name of common sense, is the insult to 1853 ? The satire, if satire there be, applies to us at home, who called Washington " Mr. Washington ;" as we called Frederick the Great " the Protestant Hero," or Napoleon " the Corsican tyrant," or " General Bonaparte." Need I say that our officers were instructed (until they were taught better manners) to call Washington " Mr. Washing ton ?" and that the Americans were called rebels during the whole of that contest? Rebels !—of course they were rebels; and I should like to know what native American would not have been a rebel in that cause ? As irony is dangerous, and has hurt the feelings of kind friends whom I would not wish to offend, let me say, in perfect faith and gravity, that I think the cause for which Washington fought entirely just and right, and the champion the very noblest, purest, bravest, best of God's men. SPORTING TATTERSALS, YESTERDAY, DERBY.-14 to 1 agst DerVish, taken to £lOO. 20 to 1 agst Andover, taken to £5O. - CHESTER Cur.--1000 to 15 agst Mr. Sykes, taken. 1000 to 1 agst Heapy. No further betting. NEWTON RACES. HURDLE RACE.—Tumbler Ist, Oxford 2nd ; 5 ran. HANDICAP PLATE. —Voucher Ist, f by Ugly Buck 2nd; 9 ran. STEEPLE CHASE. —Labyrinth Ist, Royal Blue 2nd . : 12 ran. COLLIER'S HANDICAP. —Maid of Mouton Ist, Thalia filly 2nd ; 7 ran. AMERICAN SPORTING The last arrivals record the coming off of two great trotting matches, and the offer of another to trot 100 miles against time for $B,OOO to $lO,OOO. The first was for $750 and was between two celebrated mares, Lay Verncn and Lady Jane The latter was the favourite, but the former won three heats out of five withcut a check. Heats one mile, but three in five. The second match was for $5OOO between two geldings, Snowdrop and Wand, same heats and distance as the first, and was won by the latter. EVICTIONS IN TILE SCOTTISH IBS nats HIGHLAYDS. From a letter in the North, British Daily Mail, written by Mr. Duncan Ross, of Glasgow, we extract the following appalling description of the recent evictions of people there, and of the gentleness with which the people bore their se verity. After some details, and stating that even a place for a tent until spring was refused, he proceeds ;—At last a Catholic clergyman near the scene of distress, in the most kind and generous manner possible, granted an acre of land belonging to him for the use of the poor outcasts to erect their tents on. This was most providential, as the weather had become so severe, with snow and sleet, that certain death would have been the result had the outcasts been ex posed on the hill-side much longer. The tents were for warded by me on Monday last, and they are watertight and substantial, and large enough to contain the whole of the outcasts at Knoydart. The Skye evictions carried on by the trustees on Lord Macdonald's property were equally harsh and unfeeling. Four or five of the evicted were above 80 years of age, and there were others sick, and many young children. The children, whose father scene was hea, h-' ;-rending. Six young SHARE MARKETS.-YESTERDAY LIVERPOOL.—The market for Shares ;;;Wed flat, and prices for a time ruled lower than the previous day, but re covered towards the close, and terminated with the follow ing quotations sustained. The sales are :—Caledonian, 21 1 ; Eastern Counties, 131 ; East Lancashire, 161 ; Lan cashire and Yorkshire, 661 4 fi 3 ; Ditto, Fifths, d6l; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 221 . 1 ; Midland, 621 ;33432;3 2; 3 34 3 ; No r th British,7,l-; South Eastern Stock, 184 11-3 The following are the closing prices : —Caledonian, 281 4 ; Eastern Counties, 131 5-16 ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 66;1- 1 ; London and North Western, 1031 I; Midland, 63 1; South Eastern, 18.11.3. d; Ynrk and North, 244 5; Sheffield Stock, 222 4. MANCHESTER..—The following was the business tran sactml :—Aberdeen, pref. 6 per cent., x.d.w. ; Birkenbfaap Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction, 10:-Z-a caledonian, 28 3-16 ; East Lancashire, 161: Iwc6o, pref. Fifths, l -16 p Great Northern, 214 Lancashire and Yorkshire, 661 1- zfverpool, Crosby, and Southport, 151 ; London and North Western, Fifths, a lp ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 22 1; Ditto, £lO pref. 91 ; Ditto, new £6 pref. ,-tp ; Midland Railway Consols, 621 a 4 K 3 ; North union, 13, 168 ; South Eastern, 18 1 ; 1 3 ; York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 161. LEEDS.—The sales are Midlands, 634 ; Dovers. 18 D U 13L11V .—The sales are :—Consols, 94 ; for account, 9th Dec., 941 ; 3' per cent. Stock, 96 ; National Bank, 22j paid, 241; United Gen. Gas Co., 50 paid, 22 Alfred Con sols, (Mining) 2a paid, 26 ex. div. ; Irish Consols, 1 pd, d ; Belfast Junction Railway, 45 paid, 45a; Dublin and Bray, 15 paid, 9; Dublin and Wicklow, 6 paid, 3 ; Great Sonthern and Western, 50 paid, 511 ; Mid. Great Western, 50 paid, 51 ; VaterAnd and Limerick, 50 paid, 291. —North Western Pref. 15k ; MANCHESTER CORN EXCHANGE.—YESTERDAY. From the circular of Mr. Thomas Swallow, old corn ex change, we take the following extracts : " To' the close of last week the improved tone of the trade remarked upon on this day se'nnight, prevailed, and for ap proved qualities of sack and barrel Flour, and for such, extreme prices were realised; other articles in the trade were totally unsaleable._ _ Export ' s from New York from Ist to Bth Nov., 1853, 69,023 barrels Flour; 299 , 061 bushels Wheat; 20,519 bushels Corn.-1852.-15,634 barrels Flour; 86,445 bushels Wheat; 3,923 bushels Corn. The weather has now changed from frost, and is now wet in the extreme. This morning's market is indifferently attended; the business in every description of grain, flour, and meal, is confined to the actual wants of the buyer, and the extent of sales is insufficient to warrant a change being written." PRICES OF FOOD IN PARIS.—The sale of flour has become difficult in Paris during the past week. The millers still refuse to reduce their prices, and the bakers will only pur chase sufficient to keep them going from day to day. The consequence is that there is little or no business doing. Prices are quoted at from 92f. to 94f. the sack of 167 kilo grammes. The stock in Paris market stores amounts at present to 14,000 metrical quintals. It has increased con siderably within the last 15 days. Wheat of the second quality has fallen lf. the sack of 120 kilogrammes. Rye, on the contrary, has risen from 75c. to If. the sack of 115 50c. the 100 kilogrammes. Oats are in good demand for home consumption, at 21f6 the 100 kilogrammes outside the barrieri