Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-20 00:00:00

granmerciat Sala. - T - HIS DAY Tnrs DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the -- Brokers' Mice, 2, Dale-street, 809 Tanned East India KIPS, 752 BUFFALO HIDES. BROWNE, HUNTER, and Co., Brokers APPLY to On account of whom it may concern. THIS DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Broker's Office, 7, Exchange-chambers, 1,707 Bundles RATTANS, (all faults), per Phillip Laing, from Singapore. S Apply to FRANCI J. EATON, Broker THIS DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Brokers' Office, 2,000 Bags Bengal RICE. T. and U. LITTLRDALE and CO, BrOkCrS Apply to Tuts DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Public Saleroom, Exchange-building s, About 500 Bales Low American and otaor COTTON', partially damaged.—For further particulars u)ply , C to • TITHERINGTOI3, GILL, oul 0., Brokers Tins DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Brokers' Office, 16, Exchange-buildings, 200 Tons Navassa GUANO. Apply to Messrs. Rathbone, Brothers, and Co., Merchants ; or J. H. RAYNER and Co., Brokers. THIS DAY, the 20th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Brokers' Ottice, 16, Exchae-buildings, 77 Bags BORATE OF LIME, anding ex Braganza.—Apply to Messrs. Nicholson and Merchants ; or to J. 11. RAYNER and Co., Brokers. MORROV TO-XORROW, the 21st instant, at Twelve o'clock, .at the Brokers' Office, 16, Exchange-buildings, 13 Tons CAIIIWOOD,_ - • • anding ex Maggie Walker, from Africa, in the Albert Dock, Apply to Mr. George F. Cornish, Merchant ; or to J. H. RAYNER and Co., Brokers. To-monnow, the 21st instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Brokers' Office, 11, Oldhall-street, 15 Hhds, Philadelphia QUERCITRON BARK, cx J. 11. Perkins.—Apply to FERGUSON and 3iARRIOTT, Brokers, TO-XORROW, the 21st instant, at Four o'clock, at the Brokers' Office, 2, Dale-street, 1,800 Bales East India WOOL. BROWNE, HUNTER, and Co., Brokers Apply to SATU RDAY On SATURDAY next, the 22nd instant, at Three o'clock, at the Brokers' Saleroom, Atherton-buildings, Dale-street, Liverpool, 1,625 Bales East India 1,250 „ Donskoi fleece, chiefly superior combing 600 „ Superior Iceland, chiefly Northland 180 „ Oporto fleece 100 „ Egyptian 73 „ For( WOOLS Brokers .sh, white and grey noils 57 „ Cordova 316 „ Laid Cheviot and white and laid.Hig] 299 „ Peruvian, Chili, Lisbon, Scotch, &c 4,500 Bales For catalogues, ••R c., apply to lIIIGLIES and RONALD, Wont NEXT WEEK On MONDAY next, the 24th instant, at Four o'clock, at the Brokers' Office, 2, Dale-street, TJO Bales East India 1 WOOL. 25 „ Egyptian BROWNE, HUNTER, and Co., Brokers Apply to To close an account On TUESD next, the 25th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Broker's Office, 7, Exchange-chambers, 150 Ballots, 1 Me xi FIBRE 63 Bales , Ackers Back Goree.—Apply to . _ . ____ . --- FRANCIS J. EATON, Broker On TUESDAY next, the 25th instant, at Twelve o'clock, at the Broker's Office, 7, Exchange-chambers, 500 Bales Mexican FIBRE, per sundry vessels, from Tampico.—Apply to Messrs. Leech, Harrison and Forwood, Merchants; or to FRANCIS J. EATON, Broker. Apply to On WEDNESDAY, the 26th instant, at Three o'clock, 300 Bales Port Philip and Sydney WOOLS. T. and H. LITTLEDALE and CO., Brokers LIVERPOOL WOOL SALES, On WEDNESDAY next, the 26th instant, at Three o'clock, at the Cotton Saleroom. Exchange-buildings, Liverpool, 200 Bales German, Hungarian; and Cape Skin WOOL. Also, at Font* o'clock, 1,500 Bales East India, Egyptian, Peraviati, Russian, &e. WOOI Apply to W. GREAME and Co., Wool Brokers. On Safe. PATENT ASPHALTE ROOFING FELT. A cheap, durable, and perfectly Waterproof Roofing. ONE PENNY PER SQUARE FOOT. And PATENT HAIR FELT, For Clothing Steam Boilers, &c., by which a saving of one-fourth in the consumption of fuel is effected. WM. GIBSON, Successor to W. W. PowELL. —l2, CABLE-STREET. Office and Warehouse ON SALE, 100 Tons MANURE OIL CAKE. For analysis and price, apply to THOMPSON, BAGNALL, and BUTTERWORTH, Brokers, 30, MoorilelcLs ON SALE, to arrive, A cargo of BONE ASH and BONES, from Rio Grande, consisting of 156 Tons BONE ASH, 28 „ Mixed BONES, 13,000 SHANKS. JEFFERSON and TAYLOR, Brokers, Liverpool and London Chambers. Apply to TO LANDOWNERS AND FARMERS CHESHIRE PHOSPHATE COMPANY have constantly ON SALE Nitrogenised BONE PHOSPHATE, and other valuable fertilisers.—Samples and prices may be had at he Office, 3, CABLE-STREET. Works :—Lowau BEBINGTON. R. CAMERON, CHRONOMETER MANUFACTURER AND OPTICIAN, 54, SOUTH CASTLE-STREET, LIVERPOOL. MARINE CIIRON'OMETERS ON SALE OR HIRE. GOLD and SILVER IVATCHBS, SEXTANTS, QUADRANTS, BAROMETERS, TELESCOPES, CHARTS FROM LATEST SURVEYS HISTORY OF THE WORKING CLASSES, Every Saturday, in the NORTHERN DAILY TIMES, Price One Penny. W ARM WINTER CLOTHING, T HE GENTLEMAN'S OUTFITTING WARM:LOUSES, 26, BOLD-STREET. P. L. MACTAGGART. 24 AND INVERNESS WRAPPERS. OVER COATS. DRESSING GOWNS. DRAWERS AND VESTS. FANCY FLANNEL SHIRTS. RAILWAY RUGS AND PLAIDS. MUFFLERS AND SCARFS. FLANNELS AND BLANKETS. BOYS' WINTER CLOTHING TO CORRESPONDENTS Under no circumstances can we insert communications not accompanied by the author's real name and address, not neces sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. AMUSEMENTS, MEETINGS, - /tc TKEATRE ROYAL—Grand Comic Pantomim( ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE—EngIish Opera Company ALLSOP'S WAX WORK EXHIBITION (Lime-street). TILE PARISIAN GALLERY OF ANATOMY, Paradise TEUTONIC HALL (Lime-street)—Ascent of Mont Blanc liVe" For particulars see advertisements on Bth page -THIS DAY Ruttl)mi TiIuRS'DAY, JANUARY 20, 1859 , The most i THE DAY'S NEWS. nevr n s t f e r resting, and, in fact, the most im portant, the Continent, this morning, is contained in from a ef r et ent published in the Paris _Zifoniteur, to the that eighty-nine political at l prisoners, imprisoned apl anishment. King es, have had their punishment commuted int o Ferdinand evidently wish es :,, b see diplomatic Fran ce relations with England and Tr restored. As it far as England is concerned, ofa be use f u l as an indication of the restorationgood feelings , between the two governments. France, it i s t rue by re-appointing- an ambassador at show that the French Government disclaims Na p l es , WouldnuLd y co nnection with the alleged Muratist molvenietll It is with satisfaction that we announce that. the French Government has abolished the visa upon passports. We are informed that this is the a of the Emperor himself, and that he has succeeded in carrying his point in spite of much opposition on the part of the bureaucracy, and of persons interested in the fees. Passports, we are given to understand, can now be obtained with less difficulty and with fewer formalities than under the constitutional monarchy or the republic. The facilities thus offered for intercourse between the people of the different countries of Europe may exercise an important influence in the progress of ivilisation • A semi-official declaration in the Austrian Gazette says that France has made no application whateve either that the foreign troops should be withdrawn from the Papal States, or that reforms should be urged upon the Pope ; at least not for the last two years. This sets at rest the rumours of a war on that score for the nonce. The West India mails have arrived. The adviees are rather interesting. Four Spanish ships of war had anchored at Tampico to bombard the city. Vera Cruz was also to be bombarded. A special act of the Jamaica Legislature imposes the fol lowirrg additional duties from the 22nd of last December : Flour, 2s per barrel ; cod fish, 6d per cwt. ; and wheat 3d per bushel. The South American republic was generally quiet. The losses by the late fire at Valparaiso are $3,000,000. Lima was healthy, and the crops flourishing; and great hopes Of peace between Ecuodor and Peru were indulged in. A severe shock of earthquake had been felt at San Francisco, but the damage was trifling; and no lives lost. The Magdalena arrived at Southampton, reports the sinking of the Bernard (brig), from Newcastle, and the ship Rettershaft, from Glasgow, but no lives lost. The frigate Vision, from Glasgow, had also foundered in the West India waters ; but in this cage also, we are happy'to say, no lives were lost. The half-yearly meeting of the London and Westminster Bank took place yesterday. Mr. Aldef man `.Salomons took the chair. The report was, as usual, very satisfactory, and stated that, after making provision for all bad and doubt ful debts, paying the income-tax, setting apart the sum of 2,0007 towards the new build ings of Westminster, Bloomsbury, Southwark, and Temple Bar, and presenting a gratuity of ten per cent on their salaries to all the officers of the establishment, the net profits of the Bank for the last half-year amount to 86,3501 lOs H. This sum, added to 9,8521 18s ld, the balance of the previous half-year, and another sum of 10,0001 reserved in December, but not re quired, would make the total sum now availa ble 106,20318 s 2d. The directors now proposed a dividend of 6 per cent. per annum, and by way of further dividend out of the profits, a bonus of 6 per cent. on the paid-up capital. The surplus fund now amounted to £181,407 17s. 10d. There was scarcely any discussion, after which the report was adopted, and a cordial vote of thanks was given to the directors. At Bradford, Dir. Bright has met a deputation of reformers from the West Riding of Yorkshire, who came to consult with the hon. member as to the best course they could pursue to support the bill now before the country. A resolution was passed, pledging the meeting to the formation of a West Riding Reform Association, with branch associations in all towns and villages of the Riding. A memorial to the Crown, praying for the re lease of Paul and Strahan, the bankers, is said to have been extensively signed in London. The ground taken is, that by an act of last Session they would, if now convicted, be liable to three years penal servitude only, which term they have now passed. The Gazette contains a warrant ordering the discontinuance of the special services for the sth November, the 30th of January, and the 29th May. The Somersetshire magistrates have dismised an action brought against the keeper of a turnpike gate, who had claimed and received toll from one of her Majesty's coachmen. The coachman claimed exemption for all her Majesty's car riages. The Sheriff of Glasgow has just given an im portant decision to trustees on bankrupt estates, in which an undertaker sued the trustee for the funeral expenses of a deceased bankrupt. The trustee had exhausted all the funds in paying the landlord's rent, medical charges, and the expenses of realising the estate, and therefore refused to pay the costs of the funeral as a preferable claim, but offered to rank it on the estate for a dividend along with the other creditors. The Sheriff, held, how ever, on the authority of the cases cited, that funeral charges were a preferable claim over all others, and decerned that as the trustee had had sufficient funds to meet them, he was bound now to pay them out of his own pocket. It is reported that the friends of the Rev. Robert Millar, who was killed by an accident on the London and North Western Railway, in the Trent Valley, have commenced an action against the company. The damages are laid at the high figure of £lO,OOO. Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., pro secutes, and the Attorney-General defends. Our Irish advices go to show that the intended "Landlord Demonstration" will, to a certain extent, be a failure. Mr. Bagwell, the Member for Clonmel, and Mr. Loftus Bland promise to be present, but with a view of proposing amendments to the resolutions. Mr. Hugh organ Tuite, formerly member for Westmeath, and Mr. Bernal Osborne peremptorily refuse to have anything to do with the matter. The latter gentleman says, in the absence of any information as to the con struction of this committee, the names of the two honorary secretaries being alone attached to the circular, it is material the public should be informed whether any nobleman or gentleman connected with the south or west of Ireland has been consulted as to the correctness of the facts assumed in these extraordinary proposi tions, how far it is true that the " Riband system has been " recently revived," and is the law really inefficient " for the protection of life and property ?' Several other gentlemen give equally cogent reasons for refusing their support to the demonstra tion. The practice of requiring the names of attorneys to be struck off the rolls for three years before they are called to the bar, was discussed at the meeting of the Law Amendment Society on Monday last. A resolution declaring this practice to be inexpedient and unjust was unanimously adopted. Gilbert Henderson, Esq., Recorder, delivered his charge to the Grand Jury, at the Kirkdale Sessions yesterday. The- number of cases for trial is forty-four, but his Worship could not enter into any particulars of the crimes committed, as he had only been furnished with the deposi tions in four cases. The non-presentation of the depositions to the Chairman of the Sessions was, in his opinion, a defect in the practice of the Court which calls for a remedy. No business of importance was transacted at the meeting of the West Derby Board of Guar dians yesterday. A bookkeeper and porter was appointed, as was also a mistress for the Infant School. At the Police Court, yesterday, the mate and second mate of an American vessel, at present lying in the Coburg Dock, were charged with hav ing committed a murderous assault upon the cook of the vessel. The case was clearly proved, and the prisoners were fined £5 each. Richard Badger, a publican, in Rathbono-street, was fined .E 5 for an indecent assault upon two young women. Mr. Mansfield, on the application of Mr. Fearnley, of Manchester, issued a warrant against John Sperett, on a charge of having committed perjury, at the last Liverpool Assizes. The proceedings at the annual poultry show, annual meeting of the Liverpool Institute, and the performance at the Catholic Institute last night, will be found detailed at the length their importance demands. We are glad to per ceive that the Liverpool Institute is in a flourish ing condition, and that the income exceeded the outlay last year. THERE is hope for Ireland at last. Her nobles are at length aroused to see to the people's inte terests, as well as to their own. They and the gentry, or such of them as can be awakened to a sense of public duty, are to meet in Dublin next week, « to consider the propriety of forming a permanent association for obtaining such amend ments in the law as may appear from time to time necessary for the better protection of life and property in that country." This looks like busi ness. We all remember the fable of the farmer and the lark. The bird, which had its crest of young ones in the grass, heard with indifference the occupier of the field give orders to his men. to have it mown as soon as possible ; but when at length he was overheard to say that he himself would set to work with his scythe the next morning, and to desire his sons to come and help him with the work, then the lark was convinced that it was high time to look to her own and her brood's safety, and make all haste to " tempt her new-fledg'd offspring to the skies " accordingly . Just so is it going to be, let us hope, with those who "have a stake in the country" in Ireland. They are about to look after their own business. Had they done this half a century ago, Ireland. would verily and indeed have been— First flower of the earth and first gem of the sea Already, we perceive from certain suggestions that have been drawn up for the consideration of the meeting, have they discovered some of the roots of the evils which afflict their country. For instance, in the very outset, the hint is thrown out, that " from the impunity which has for many years attended the most atrocious agrarian crimes in this country, and the recent revival of Ribbon Societies, and othei illegal combinations, it is manifest that the law needs to be amended and rendered more effective for the protection of life and property." This impunity, again, it is sug gested, " which affords so much encouragement to criminals, is to be ascribed chiefly to the sympathy of the lower classes, extending to jurors, many of whom are drawn from these classes, who cannot be expected to act independently in any case which strongly excites popular feeling." More than this, it is now believed, that " stipendiary magistrates, who are specially charged with the detection and prosecution of offenders, should be invariably men of education, energy, and ability ; consequently, they should be appointed and promoted according to a system - founded upon some adequate test of capability and merit." And further, that " the commission of the peace should be given by the authorities only to gentlemen whose station and character are such as to command the respect of the people, and who possess a property qualifica tion such as is required in England." Again, they are become• conscious, that " as go much depends on the efficiency and fidelity of the members of the constabulary, no constable should be appointed to the force without a certificate of good charactei from the magistrates in petty sessions for the district where he resides." Further still, they have come to understand, that " inasmuch as ribbon conspiracies are generally con cocted in low public-houses, more effective restric tions should be placed on the granting of licenses." And then it is suggested that " the absence of power in grand juries to grant compensation to the family in cases of murder and to the individual in cases of malicious personal injury is a very serious defect in the law." Now all these ideas are so natural, all these suggestions are so reasonable, while the necessities of the case are so palpable, one's special wonder is excited that only now—for the first time—they should have come to be deliberately thought of, and to be taken up in earnest, by those who all their lives long have been suffering under the intolerable evils they are designed, and they are calculated, so effectually, to remedy. But there is still another, and, if possible, a yet more important idea, that has all at once come into the minds of the nobility and gentry of Ireland,—that, namely, of the duty which lies upon them to see to the physical, and more particularly the domestic wants and comforts of the peasantry and small farmers. " While we are anxious," they say, "to see the laws repressing crime made more effective, we are not unmindful of the necessity of improving the social condition and habits of the humbler classes. The improvement of the dwellings of the labouring population and of the small farmers of Ireland are matters of vital importance, and an association of persons interested in property would feel it their duty, as well as interest, to give their best consideration to questions bearing so immediately on the means that may promote the suppression of those secret societies which have hitherto counteracted every effort towards amelioration." This is as it should be. It is only sad to think that it was not dreamt of, and dealt with, long, long ago What is it, in fact, but a practical illustration of the sacred rule, that " property has its duties, as well as its rights ?" Had this divine principle but been religiously regarded by the property-holders of Ireland, what a long succession of the direst and most dreadful social evils would not their country have been spared ! It is a Christian obligation, that we " bear one another's burthens;" and had the burthens of the Irish poor been borne, all along, by those who were bound, and who were able, to bear them, there would have been less crime to repress, and less wretchedness to grieve over. Still, "better late than never." Let us be thankful that the time has come when a full sense of duty appears to be awakened. There has been a long, cold, and wearisome night of cimmerian darkness spread over the land : let us hope that a da . y of light, and warmth, and enjoyment is beginning to dawn upon those who have been deprived of these common blessings of Heaven ; and that therewith mutual charity and general contentment will prevail,—they to whom much is given ever remembering that from them will much be required ; and, in short, that, in the words of an ancient poet of our own country, "Good is no good but if it be spend : God giveth good for none other end." IF there is one section of the community that has a greater claim than another to the protection of the law, it is the working class. In the first place, it is a class which has not that influence which others have, either directly or indirectly, in securing legislative attention to its own interests ; and on this account it ought to be all the more carefully dealt with by those who have. In the next place, it consists of those who have often neither the ability nor the means of protecting themselves,—neither their education, their time, nor their resources are such as to put it in their power to guard themselves against injustice, or to defend themselves from imposition. The Legisla ture, therefore, must look especially bathe security THE NORTHERN TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1859 of their interests. They have a right to expect the law's protection. Whether it be as to their labour, their health, their earnings, or their savings, they are eminently entitled to be shielded, in so far as legislative enactments can do so, from all that is unfair, injurious, or hazardous, in any situation, or in any circumstance, in which they may be placed. It is proper to provide, as much as possible, for their being secured a fair day's wages for a fair day's work. It is imperative upon the authorities to see that the sanitary condition of the place where they live is what it ought to be. They deserve to be protected in the full enjoyment of the fruits of their industry. If they are thrifty, and can lay by any portion of the same, they ought to be defended from all risk of loss, all danger of fraud, in the mode of its investment. There are 'clubs and societies of various kinds, which are designed to deal advantageously, in one way or another, with any little savings they can manage to lay by from their weekly earnings ; and in the constitution and working of such contri vances, professedly for their benefit, it is most important that such securities should be provided by law, as will effectually protect them against all hazards of imposition, and of loss, in any It is with reference to a Society of the latter description that we make these remarks. Burial Societies, if rightly conducted, and if they have no arbitrary or trickish rules to operate injuriously to their poorer members at any time when they may be in trouble or in difficulty, are calculated to be of very great benefit to such as avail themselves of them. The ostensible object is to provide for the decent burial of their deceased members ; to which bene fit they entitle themselves by small weekly pay ments. Of course there must be rules regulating the equitable carrying out of ' such a provision, and especially to secure the punctual payment of the prescribed subscription. But there are some such Societies, it seems, even in our own neigh bourhood, the rules of which are not only so stringently, but so cunningly framed, as to lure on the poor people to keep subscribing, week by week, and then when the hour of need arises, and the object for which they have been paying their money is to be realised, they are turned round upon and told that there has been some fatal irregularity, of which they were utterly uncon scious, and they are refused all benefit whatever, in their extremity of trouble and distress, from the funds to which, it may be for years, they have been contributing—and making very often, a great sacrifice .to do so. A case in point was brought before the Liver pool Police Court a few days since. A poor woman had heen a paying member to the " Liver pool Victoria Burial Society " for fifteen years, when her son, for whose benefit she sought to appropriate her claim, died; and upon applying for the money due, she was told that there had been some technical irregularity or other which had Put the deceased " out of benefit," and that she was not entitled to anything. There is, it appears, a rule of the Society thus arbitrarily contrived, and artfully worded :—"Any member being six weeks in arrears shall be suspended, and receive no benefit until four weeks after the time such arrears shall be reduced under that amount ; and should the member die during such suspension of four weeks, he or she shall not be en titled to the funeral allowance ;" and further, "'No members shall bring their. subscriptions to the office where the Society is held, but pay the same to the Collector, between the hours of ten o'clock on Saturday morning, and two o'clock on the Friday afternoon next following." Now it is evident that such requirements as these are calculated to perplex and mislead poor, ignorant, and simple-minded people,—and espe cially women, who know nothing of business, and find it difficult to comprehend the niceties of such very precise and particular regulations. In the case alluded to, to which they were applied in the denial of all benefit whatever, after fifteen years' membership, to the poor woman who had to bury her son, there was every reason to conclude that she had been wholly unaware of any irregularity— and the particular nature of it was left in great confusion. The Magistrate had no alternative but to decide against the poor victimised member, though he declared his deep regret at being obliged to do so. Truly did he remark, that "it showed how careful poor people should be, as to the characters of those to whom they entrust their money,"—than which there could scarcely be a severer reflection upon the Society in question. Nay, more,—the worthy Magistrate did not hesi tate to say, that he " found the rules full of traps and pit-falls, into which," he added, " the poor will fall." But then what an infamous shame to have such traps provided for them to fall into ! This poor woman, who fell into one of the Victoria Society's " traps and pit-falls," had, we repeat, been a member, regularly and punctually contri buting her weekly payment, with the slight excep tion which has been taken advantage of, for fifteen years, and had entitled herself to £l6 for the burial of her son,—but when trouble and sorrow come upon her, she is refused all assistance what ever—deprived of all the benefit which for so long a period she had been paying her money to the Society to secure ! The Victoria Burial Society, by acting thus illiberally, thus inhumanly, to a poor woman, being one of its members, in her hour of sorrow and bereavement, has certainly excited a feeling of execration in the public mind, under which its prosperity, any more than its respectability, cannot possibly be promoted. The policy, therefore, of its conduct is bad, as well as the morality of it. But such opportunities of oppressing the poor ougli not to be permitted. We earndittly call the attention of Mr. TIDD PRATT . to its exacting and most artful rules ; for we cannot but think that, upon reflection, he must see the necessity of their careful revision. THERE is one of the many benevolent institu tions with which Liverpool abounds, whose anni _ versay meeting was reported in our columns a few days since, which well deserves at our hands a more particular notice. We allude to the Estab lishment for Needlewomen. -Its immediate object is to provide needlework for women who are in want of such employment,—and their name, in a town like ours, is naturally legion : to provide it for them when otherwise they most probably could not obtain it ; and thereby to furnish the means of humble but comfortable and respectable subsistence, to many who, but for such an instru mentality, would be left destitute of all reputable resources for their daily bread. And in this point of view it is, that the indirect influences of such an institution may be readily conceived to be most important. It affords an honest livelihood in cases where such a livelihood, without some such aid, is often most difficult to be obtained ; and it is, there fore, not only the good that it does, but the evil that it prevents, which is to be taken into account, in estimating the beneficial working of an organi sation like this. Many a one, we verily believe, is saved from a life of infamy by the provision which is thereby made for perhaps the only kind of em ployment that is available in the case. And then it associates them with those, their being known to whom, and sympathised with by them, cannot fail to do them good. More than this, there is a Poor Clothing Fund connected with it, which may be said, in an especial manner, to be twice-blessed, —first blessing the needlwomen to whom it gives employment ; and, next, blessing the poor reci pients of the clothes thus provided, among whom, we suppose, may not unfrequently be included some of the industrious workwomen themselves. We were somewhat surprised, we must confess, to find the good Bishop of CHESTER, who presided at the meeting, saying to it—" I do not know whether the Society ought or ought not to be called a charity, strictly speaking, because its principle is not to give away what may be called alms, in the ordinary sense, in the sense of gifts of money." This view of such charitable operations were too narrow, too conventional ; and the Bishop himself would seem immediately to have thought so ; for he added : " But I think it is the best form that charity can possibly assume, because it is the way of enabling people to support themselves by their own honest industry, without receiving alms or charity at all. I think, therefore, that if, stritcly speaking, this is not a charity it is the best substitute for it, and perhaps a better thing than charity itself." We humbly think that it is real charity to exert such an influence for practi cal good as this institution does, among those who, but for its operations, would in all probability be left destitute of all available means of maintaining themselves by their own honest industry. It is an institution that cares for the poor, and such as have none to help them ; and cares for them kindly and considerately, preserving their self-respect, whilst helping them to needful employment. And surely this were true Charity. For it is virtually a bearing of the burthens of the poor, and thereby fulfilling a great Christian obligation. But the worst of it is, that with this, as with too many other charitable organisations, the well to-do public do not come forward with the amount of support they ought to do. The Committee state in their report--" There are numberless applica tions for- employment. The ladies of the com mittee could well afford, and. Are quite willing to give, any additional assistance that might be required, if the public will only supply the work which they will find well and reasonably done, and at the same time have the satisfaction of knowing that the workwoman is adequately paid; and surely it is cheering to know that the things which administer to the comfort of the rich are not obtained by the under-paid labour of the poor." Surely here are motives to such support as the Society seeks, which must appeal irre sistibly to every respectable family, in which such work is a constantly recurring necessity Then there is the provision it makes for supplying the poor with comfortable and durable clothes, at very low prices. " The poor clothing this year," the Committee report, " has had a fair sale, and consequently the second and third classes of workwomen have had better employment than heretofore. The repository also shows a more favourable account." So that, it is evident, the institution is doing a two fold good work among a class of our population that has the strongest claims on public sympathy, and whose well-being it is not only the duty of society, but its interest, to promote. The institution, it was most gratifying to learn , is, upon the whole, in a flourishing condition. But, as the Committee well observe, " Let not this be a reason for any to slacken in their endeavours. Though much has been done, there remains much to do. The winter is on, and the poor are crying out for work. Let it not be said that they cry in BARON PENNEFATEIER.—Baron Pennefather has re tired from the bench, which he adorned for the long term of 38 years. He was called to the Bar in 1795, and became one of the Barons of the Exchequer in 1821, so that he was 26 years at the Bar before his elevation. It may be safely said that there is no man now living who has had so large an experience of Irish society in all its phases and changes. There are few among us old enough to remember what he was as an advocate, but as a judge he is universally known and appreciated throughout the country. Among men of all classes and creeds his talents and character have been the objects of the highest admiration. Indeed, the public feeling towards him has long been something akin to veneration. His name has been associated with all that is pure and exalted in the administration of justice. A nobler example of the perfect judicial mind was never exhibited on the English or Irish Bench. He had well-defined political principles, which he held firmly, but those who designated his principles as " party convictions " admit that he never allowed them to interfere with the pure administration of justice. The Roman Catholic felt as confident that he would receive justice at his hands as the Protestant. No man understood the principles of jurisprudence better, and no man ever applied them with more judgment and discrimination, or with greater free dom from any sort of bias. We cannot better express the universal estimate of his character than in the words of a contemporary, the Freeman's Journal :—" As a judge, the Baron was one of the first that ever sat on the Irish Bench. He was emphatically a great judge." A great judge is a great man, and a good man. To deserve the title, a man must be richly endowed with the finest gifts of mind, and the most ennobling virtues that adorn humanity. These were possessed by Baron Pennefather, in a measure very rarely exceeded, and were displayed with unclouded and unvarying brilliancy throughout his l ong and illustrious career.—Dublin Daily Express. THE COURT. WINDSOR, Tuesday, Jan. 18.—Her Royal 114 - i the Princess Alice dined with her Majesty yest el l The Hon. Mrs. Biddulph and Major Elphinstorie, had the hononr of being invited. The party also irieln i the following visitors, w h o arrived at the Castle in afternoon :—The Marquis of Exeter, the Earl 11 : 3 Countess of Clarendon, the Ladies Constance and ' ll 4 Villiers, the Right Hon. C. B. Adderley, and Major- Sir F. Williams. The band of the Grenadier G ll , l ' played during dinner. Her Majesty's private band alw; wards performed in the drawing-room. The Queen !II Prince Consort walked in the grounds of the Castle. lid! cess Alice, accompanied by the Ladies Constance 11 0 1 Alice Villiers, rode in the Riding-house. Princess ge l , and Princess Louisa took a carriage drive and visited " Duchess of Kent at Frogmore. Her Royal Hig llll 4 l the Duchess of Kent visited Her Majesty at the C 3s iu. " MISS Nriorixr, daughter of Anthony Nugent, of PP 4 I Esq., and sister to the Marchion i oss, of Sli go , we 11° A heard, is about to contract a matrimohial alliance 17 ,, the son of Nicholas Power, Esq., M.P., of FaithleP house, county of Waterford. .4 THE PRINCESS CLOTILDA.—A young girl, not five Y ev ti old at the revolution of 1848, is brought from sell° °l lr j be united to a prince of the new dynasty Whiell from the revolutio n . St range an d o ft en p itif u l u t , destiny of princesses. Even in talking of this event delicate and sacred and full of maidenly consideratio n all other young girls of sixteen—we forget th e youngigl o of sixteen in her Sardinian home. No one asks wha t , j i thinks of it ; whether in mar r yi ng a man o f 38 s he ' hes her heart in her choice, or wheth er s h e g l a dly l e aves m o country to find a home in that Paris which has sent 11, exile—even sometimes to the sca ff o ld - so many priue_ 4, 7 4 strange lands unhappily allied to its reir, families. One thinks sadly of the poor Daclies s A Orleans, who entered turbulent Paris not very full ()f i r, in her new life, and who left it to die in exile We tbi!, of the Duchess Montpensier whom Louis Philippe °I : passed heaven and ea r th t o o bt a i n f or hi s son , an d " ' i in the confusion of th e 24th o f F e b ruary , wa lk e d oat e the Tuileries quite a l one , i n h er escap i ng j our ney 1 0 her satin shoe, and like one of the homeless poor, ha d walk half -a mile in her stockings, through the s tic ' N covered streets of a provincial town. What a plight a Bourbon ? But the young girl told her escort that preferred it to sitting ro un d th e wor k- ta bl e at ~t; Tuileries —where, under the good Q ueen A me li a , the chat was dull, and the inevitable scan d a l pi ous ly 5 t 1 1,t —at least to the quicker ears of the Spanish Infanta• us hope for the Princess Clotilda a happier fate in 11 , e new home. She has her name through a F ren ch an tress, the Princess Clotilda, sister of Louis XIV., wil c)° i i writer of the la s t cen t ur y p or t rays " as f at as b u tt e r / c` merry, and good-natured." Spectator LOCAL INTELLIGENCE• Among the passengers in the steamer liangarl ir lo New York, which sailed ye s te r d a y, was M r . C 1 1 , 64 J. Ross, for many years connected with the Live l 9, press, and lately engaged on the edit or i a l s taff of NORTHERN TIMES. tO I ST. PETER'S PARISH CHURCH.—Another large and attentive audience, was delivered in the se`!, room, last evening, by Mr. Mercer, on " The chow of Food." It was most interesting and instructive , A A showed the Divine wisdom in the supply, and man's 0 in the use of various kinds of food. The next lea?, upon " Bible Trees and Plants," will be delivered 1 )1 00 1, Collingwood, lecturer on Botany at the M e di ca l Sell BALL AT THE ROYAL ASSEMBLY ROOMS.-1q tit Mrs. Molyneaux, last night, gave their a nnu al D 5 ' A 0 3 their friends and pupils at the above rooms. A large pi fashionable assembly were present on the occasion• t ill refreshments were on the most liberal scale, and he 3l partaken of. Mr. Cannon occupied the orche' c i o f and performed an excellent musical melange. 13/9 s pa was maintained with spirit till an early hour in morning. Although it is the month of January, 185 9 ,,, - d people admit we are li v i ng i n h ar d t i mes , ifol it should be the study o f every one to • as k themselves 14 question, " How can I save my money ?" We I. lts' without hesitation, buy your steel pens, and other to e, tionery, at E. T. Hall's wholesale steel pen wareb ° 23, South John-street. Joseph Gillett's, Th oma s Lot i , G. W. Hughes, and other maker's pens at is per Good - Good Pen Holders 2d per dozen. CARDINAL WISEMAN.—A paragraph which W e il in some of the local papers regarding Ca r di na l Wise° . 0$ health, produced an unfounded impression that Cardinal would probably not be able to keep his 0170 meat in Birkenhead on Sunday. We believe, hone $ that the state of the Cardinal's health is not of o ° o nature as to justify any fear as to the prob a bility °f visiting this neighbourhood, and that at present tile/ o il! appears not the slightest reason to doubt that he the preach in Birkenhead on Sunday, and lecture Philharmonic-hall, Liverpool, on the following Tht'' evening. FIRE AT THE BLUE COAT SCHOOL.—Yesterdayt half-past one, a fire broke out in the premises belon tio a to the blue coat school, Chu r ch-lane, an d f or some tot great alarm prevailed as to the result. The fire wils discovered in the laundry, and it spread with great alit dity, and serious apprehensions were entertained bat would communicate with other portions of the huil i ai4 The girls dormitory was over the portion of the be Ti l e that took fire, and the floor soon was in a blaze. 00 alarm spread very quickly, and Mr. Hewitt with the be% brigade, Inspectors Tomilson and Hough, with a of policemen, were promptly on the spot. Mr. la e els with his usual alarcity, set t o wor k a t once, an d , , t o 1 being a good supply of w a t er , th e h ose b egan to Pl,c9pCt the place where the seat of the fire seemed to be. g el was, however, so much smoke, that it was very eu' a . r eot to reach the exact place on fi re . M r . H ew itt, at personal risk, got up a ladder, and carrie d hose on his shoulder and got it throng bf window, so as to play into the building on fire, e t !4 this means he was soon enabled to co m e a t the bo;.01 portion. The fire had by this ti m e reac h e d the 1 1 ? the girl's sleeping rooms, and was burning with 14 ,01; It looked very serious at this moment, b u t by iti di directed exertions and great energy, it was su fk ge after burning about an hour. There is some da vl btit done to the building, the beds, and other proper* c ert at present the ex t en t i s no t k nown . It i s not, ho:" of magnitude. It was i n d ee d a f or t unate circuro, t A it that the fire was di scovere d i n t h e d ay t i me, f o r 14 Z00 smouldered up to night, the consequences would lobe been disastrous, if not fatal. Mr. Hewitt an ci A police, aided by th e au th or iti es o f t h e institution, de'" • much credit for thei r exer ti ons. Th e d ama g° , cause some temporary in conven i ence , b ut b eyo uti and the loss of property, we are glad to sa y thil serious accident took place. 0 a 131 ' 4 A GHOST STORY. P A respectable tradesman .0 4 wife, who reside at Reading, and carr y on an ester4oo, business, about three weeks or a mon th ago were a" from their peaceful repose by a most singular noi se ' f erf which they took no particular noti ce a t the time. How, e o 0 a few nights afterwards they were aga i n disturhealoo, similar way, and they were n a t ura ll y se i ze d w i t h , aj which was considerably increased by the noise retorw eo t, twice ere the light of mor n i ng h a d en t ere d th e i r apart°,oo They were willing to attrib u te thi s di s t ur b ance to 6 06 natural cause, but after the absence of one night the sound returned shortly after midnight, and it was i', 4 l; distinctly three times in the course of an hour--0 0 c o l d occation appearing to arise from between the parties a es t! lay in bed, and is comparable to no thi ng b u t a . 0 gasp, which continues but a few secon d s , an d no thill 0 heard until the lapse of a- quar t er - o f- an -h our , Wi le t hef deep groaning sound runs th roug h th e room . An?. silence follows, but aft er an i n t erva l o f half-an-h";,:oe is broken by a loud, shrill shriek, which startles t i " e r who had by this tim e become frightened to a fearfu l tb s tent. A minister was sent for, and he slept i ll „ i sclf house two night s ; th e secon d n i g h t the no i se was uviile! but the cause was still a secret. In order that 10 0 might be perf ec tly sa ti s fi e d th a t thi s strange s° was not caused by rats, or any animal of that kind, e 54 floor of the room was taken up, and the ell.ir i a tif u were examined, with a view of ascertaining 111 member of the feathered tribe h a d secreted itSe them. Various measures were adopted to discovera it means of this mystery, but all proved of no avail, 9,54 was determined that on the night of Sunday week i diss Mrs. should sleep at th e h ouse o f a f rien d r es 11 ? at a village a short distance f rom R ea di ng . Sh e ac., e °, ingly retired to rest in an a p ar t men t occup i e d by' t "A t he her friends, but most e x t raor di nary to relate, s h e, an t bJ two persons who bore h er company, were alarme d by' , jo , same strange noise i n th e d ea d of the n i ght. It is P 3804 fill to be obliged to record the fact that Mr. - - "„t11 compelled to take t o hi s b ed, and is now consta—gy attended by Dr. C --, who has pronounced his C- $1 dition to be su c h th at i t would be dangerous t hat should be visited by any of his friends.