The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-23 00:00:00

Humour, There w 4; awe within the mile far many more than 0p.% who had legitimate access; but bad the discipline of the day been relaxed so far as to admit of ONE, a general ingress and rush would have been the consequence, and a disturbance of the whole proceedings. Galleries were erected on the east and north sides of the excavation, for the accommodation of ladies who had re ceived tickets. These were calculated to contain about 900 persons, and they were completely crowded by an assemblage of well-dressed and genuine " Lancashire Witches." The mechanical arrangements for the ceremony were ably made by Mr. Tomkinson. Two bulks of timber were laid horizontally from the high ground over the north gallery, supporting a railway and movable winch for the raising and depositing of " the stone," so that the whole of the machinery being overhead, no inconve nience was sustained by the company. Numerous flags, including the standard of England, were on the ground ; the children, male and female, of the Blue-coat School occupied the prominent bank on the east ; every point of elevation, even to the dizzy top of the tower of St. Au gustine's, held its anxious, and we may add, approving spectators ; and the whole scene was at once national and animated. The Rev. Jonathan Brooks, the senior Rector of this Parish, was appointed to present the trowel to Lord Stanley, and was seen at the head of the Procession in proximity to the Lord Bishop, Lord Stanley, the Earl of Wilton, Lord Sandon, and other individuals of distinc tion. The day (as we should previously have noticed), Was exceedingly propitious, considering the advanced period of the year. Heavy rain had fallen over night, but the sun shone out in the morning, and there being a fine breeze, the streets became comparatively dry. , Just . before the ceremony, a shower of rain came on, which Put into requisition all the umbrellas and parasols on the ground ; but it was of short continuance ; the sun again shone out in his glory, and the weather continued favour able throughout the rest of the day. Lord Stanley spoke in a very manful and clear tone, and was heard distinctly by many hundreds near him. We never saw the noble lord appear to greater advantage. The stone being elevated preparatory to its being filially' deposited in its resting place. .The Rev. ItEcTon then said,—Though I am really con -etc:us, my lord, that the office I have undertaken might easily have been confided to abler hands, I cannot but feel gratified in having been made the instrument of conveying to your lordship the warm acknowledgments of the committee of the Collegiate Institution, for the kindness with which you have consented to become its patron, and to assist in the ceremony of this day by laying the first stone of its intended building. I believe you are aware, my lord, that the main object of this institution is to furnish to the middle classes of society au education which shall be commensurate with their wants, and which hitherto they have not had the opportunity or the means of obtaining in such a way as it is desirable they should obtain it. (Hear.) If we look at the children of the higher classes, we find ample provision made for them. The list of able and distinguished men who adorn the annals of our country, who were trained in the colleges of Eton, and Winchester, and Westminster, and other schools of the same description, and whose education has afterwards been com pleted at our universities, these afford a sufficient proof that there is not much remaining to be wished for so far as they are concerned. Looking, again, at the humbler classes, we find a provision made for their wants also,. and though we cannot boast, as in the sister country of Scotland, that we have parish schools on foundations, yet, my lord, individtial exertions has done a great deal for us, and we have scarcely a church which has not the accompaniment of a school for the instruction of the humbler classes of the population. (Hear.) The children of the middle classes have hitherto been greatly neglected. Their means will not enable them to reach the schools appropriated for the higher classes, and their require ments are above the standard of those appropriated for the lower. (Hear.) It was by the hope of supplying in some respect this deficiency that the gentlemen who projected the establishment of the Collegiate Institution of this town were actuated. It must be considered that now, if ever, is the proper period for establishing an institution of this kind, the . circumstances of the times, and the acts of the legislature, having placed in the hands of the middle classes a considerable degree of influence, a larger share of power, and with it a larger share of responsibility. (Hear.) Surely it must bean important object to enable them to wield that power and to discharge that responsibility in a way satisfactory in point of moral principle, and to the well-being of the country at large. I trust, my lord, that the object in which we are this day en gaged, will not be considered an insignificant one. (Hear.) In speculating on the subject of education, or the training . of the rising generation to the due performance of their pub lic and private duties, it was essential to consider carefully the grounds on which we were to stand. The projectors of the Liverpool Collegiate Institution have decided that the opjy safe basis of their design was the revealed word of hod. (Hear, and cheers.) It has been their conviction, that a christian, if he be sincere in his profession, to whatever sect or denomination he may belong, cannot be justified in attempting to promote education, except on a religious founda tion, and conducted to a religious end. (Hear, hear.) I hope it will be admitted that the founders of this institution have done wisely in connecting it strictly with the Established • Church. (Hear.) I hope it will be felt that it would have been a dereliction of their duty as churchmen, in laying down any line of edncation they might think proper to adopt, not to have identified it with the principles, the doctrines, and the discipline of the church to whichi they belong. (Cheers.) It is one of the fundamental laws of this insti tution, that it shall be conducted on the principles of the Es tablished Church—that the instruction given within its walls shall be in strict unison with the liturgy, doctrines, articles, and catechism of our establishment. (Hear.) And whilst those who are to be concerned in its future management will, I trust, with uncompromising fidelity discharge the task en trusted to them, by adhering to those doctrines and princi- I l e s. I trust that they will also take care that all the in struction there inculcated shall be in the spirit of that reli "'" Which breathes nothing bu . t kindness, affection, and broth I 0 "lv charity. (Hoar.) It is not my wish to detain you nger, hut I may be permitted, in compliance with the re quest of the committee, to say a few words with reference to the structure itself. When the committee had satisfied them selves of the soundness of the principles on which the esta blishment was to be conducted, they were anxious that the edifice they were about torear should be worthy of its object, and an ornament to this great town. To enable them to carry their views into effect, they had recourse to public corn petition. The plans selected, and which, I believe, have been publicly exhibited, are those of a London artist, Mr. Elmes ; and it must be a peculiar gratification to that young artist to reflect, that though now only commencing his career, he has been fortunate enough to carry off the prize in three public competitions in this town during the past year, notwith standing he had those to compete with who were not only old in their profession, but also adepts in their art. (Hear.) It has happened, in the regulations since adopted, that it does not fall to the lot of this gentleman to carry into execu tion the plans he has furnished. In justice to him I have been requested by the committee to make this public state ment, that the reason why he has not been entrusted with the future care of the building is, that the committee felt that, as trustees of a building of this nature, and with the means they possess of carrying their object into effect, they would not have been justified in going to the extent of his claims as a remuneration for his services. At the same time they could not but acknowledge that his motive in making that claim was one deserving of great commendation : he did not feel authorised to break through the known rules of his profession. He was influenced solely by a feeling of delicacy towards his brother artists. (Hear.) Having said thus much, I will only express the high pride the committee feel in being associated in a work of this kind with a nobleman who has directed his commanding talents to the improvement of his feilow-men—who has exerted his powerful talents for the defence and the protection of the religion of his country —who has had the courage to prefer principle to expediency —and who has made the painful, though noble sacrifice of private feeling at the shrine of public duty. (Much cheering.) The rev. Rector then presented to his lordship a handsome solid silver trowel with an ivory handle, provided for the oc casion by Mr. Richard Doke, of Lord-street. Over the in scription is engraved in the finest style the crest of the Stan ley family, (The Eagle and Child) ; below it the coronet, and below that the Stanley anus, quartered, with the motto— " Sane changer." The following is a copy of the inscription : Presented to The Right Honourable Lord Stanley, M.P., On the occasion of his laying the Foundation Stone of the Liverpool Collegiate Institution, Oct. 22d, MDCCCXL. The bottle having then been deposited into the cavity pre pared for it, (along with silver and copper coins of the pre sent and past reigns, report of the institution, list of donors to the present day, rules, &c., report of the Diocesan Society, w'th report of the meeting lately held at the Amphitheatre : one of the circulars signed by Robertson Gladstone and Samuel Holme, Esquires, convening the first meeting held to consider the propriety of founding the institution, and a copy of the Mail of the day,) and covered with a copper plate, bearing an inscription commemorative of the event, the.stone was lowered into its place, Lord Stanley, according to the prescribed form, applying a mallet to the four corners, and ascertaining the level of its position by a plummet. His lordship having then returned to his place upon the steps facing the stone, the Bishop proceeded to offer up the follow ing prayers Prevent us, 0 Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gra cious favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in this and all our works, begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy ob tain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Almighty God, the protector of all that trust in thee, with out whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, we beseech thee graciously to receive the prayers of thy servants who now call upon thee, and to prosper this undertaking to thy glory and the good of thy creatures. We know, 0 Lord, that un less thou build the house, their labour is but lost that build it ; and therefore we pray thee to grant, that those who may hereafter be engaged in this place, in the important office of instructing others, may themselves be taught of thee, and that all who may here receive instruction in things temporal may also be made wise in things eternal, and be instructed unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus ; so that they who teach and they who are taught may first prize and ' - value those things which thou hast declared to be honourable, and just, and true, and pure, and lovely, and that those who have remembered the wants of this community may reap the ti fruits of their godly zeal by witnessing the increase of Chris tian faith and holiness of the gencratior. growing up around them. These blessings, 0 Lord, we ask in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour, saving, as he has taught us, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Mr. SAMUEL HOLME then read a copy of the inscription on the plate, deposited with the stone. The impression in Mr. Holme's hand was framed and glazed, and having been previously handed about to the company, was much admired for its appropriate and ornamental character. The engraving was executed by Mr. M‘Galley, of Lord-street, from a design by Bishop. The inscription, surmounted by an allegorical device, was as follows : LIVERPOOL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION. THIS FOUNDATION STONE OF AN INSTITUTION FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE COM MERCIAL, TRADING, AND WORKING CLASSES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DOCTRINES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, WAS LAID DY THE RIGHT HON. LORD STANLEY, M.P., ASSISTED BY THE RIGHT REV. THE LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER, AND THE REV. JONATHAN BROOKS, M.A., RECTOR OF LIVERPOOL; • pn the 22nd day of October, in the Year of our Lord, 1840, and in the Fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Victoria, by the Grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. PATROI4, THE "WHIT HON. LORD STANLEY, M.P. VISITOR. THE: RIGHT REV. THE LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER. PRESIDENT. THE RIGHT HO`. LORD FRANCIS EGERTON, M. P Vice-Presidents John Gladstone, Esq. (for life). Viscount Sandon, Esq. Cresswell Cresswell, Esq. M.P. W. E. Gladstone, Esq. M.P. Rev. Jonathan Brooks, M.A., Rev. Augustus Cainpbell,M.A., Rectors of Liverpool. Chairmen. _ _ _ Rev. Jonathan Brooks, 111.A.11evaugustus Campbell, M.A. Deputy Chairmen. John Moss, Esq. James Aspinall, Esq. Treasurers. Robertson Gladstone, Esq. William Potter, Esq. Directors.—Rev. Fred. Barker, A.M. ; Josias Booker, Esq.; Charles Boutflower, Esq.; Rev. T. S. Bowstead, M.A.; John Briscoe, Esq. ; Rev. R. P. Buddicom, A.M. F.A.S. ; Christopher Bushell, Esq. ; Joseph Cooper, Esq. ; T. 'l'. Glazebrook, Esq, ; John Grantham, Esq. ; William Gregson, Esq. ; Richard Griffith, Esq. ; Charles Groves, Esq. ; Samuel Holme, Esq. ; Charles Horsfall, Esq. ; Charles Inman, Esq. ; Mr. John Jones, jun. ; William Jones, Esq.; Mr. Moses Joynson ; James Lawrence, Esq. ; Rev. Hugh M'Neile, A.M. ; Edmund Molyneux, Esq. ; Thomas Mun caster, Esq. ; Rev. James North, A.M. ; Charles S. Parker, Esq. ; William Preston, Esq. ; James Procter, Esq. ; John Rigby, Esq.; W. J. Roberts, Esq. ; Richard Sanders, Esq. ; Henry Steel, Esq. ; William Tapley, Esq. ; Rev. Thomas Tattershall, - D.D. ; Thomas Wilson, Esq.. Low-hill. J. Gregory Jones, Secretary. ERECTED BY VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTION, FROM A DESIGN BY 11. LONSDALE ELMES, ESQ., ARCHITECT. Lord STANLEY, having ascended one or two of the steps facing the stone, in order to be heard with greater advantage, said,—l am now called upon, according to the usual custom on occasions of this description, and by the desire of some of those immediately around me, to address to such as are within hearing, a few observations, and they shall be but few, on tile imposing ceremony in which we are this day engaged. Yet what is there that I can advance—what words of mine can add force to this stupendous exhibition of the feeling, the moral, the religious feeling of the population of this town, exemplifying the deep interest taken in our proceed ings from one end of the town to the other. (Hear, and cheers.) Shall I seek to magnify the importance of the un dertaking in which we are engaged ? It is needless. Your population, beyond the reach of human voice, with one ac cord, testify to the interest they feel in what is going forward. They maenify the importance of the work in which we are engaged, far more than any words that could fall from mine, or from any mortal tongue. (Hear, and cheers.) What is it that has brought the population of this vast town swarming into the streets, surrounding the vast space in which we are DPW standing witnessing the ceremony in which we are em ployed ? Is it one, of the ordinary temptations of commer cial, of political, or of social life ? Is there any object of personal interest, of personal advancement, of personal grati fication, to be deserving of attention from such multitudes ? Is there any political struggle ? Is there any contest for civic, or parliamentary, or individual distinction ? I thank God there is no motive of this kind (cheers) to mingle with the universal sentiment which brings us here to-day. (Cheers.) No private, no party, no personal considerations are mingled with the work. Our sole motive is the motive of enlightened benevolence to man, and the humble hope of discharging a religious duty to our God. (Loud applause.) What is it that you see in this vast town? Commerce thriving, riches increasing, luxury spreading in every direction, science ad vancing with steps to which all former steps were but those of a pigmy compared with those of a giant (cheers) science diffused universally among the population which had not many years ago been considered the monopoly of the high, the rich, the learned, and the powerful. In every direction, with commerce, wealth, successful industry, honest exertion crowned with deserved success, the conviction is gaining ground among those who have and among those who have it not, that science in itself is power, is influence, is weight, is an object of legitimate ambition for its own sake—for the advantage it brings along with it. (Cheers.) Do we seek to quench this holy thirst, as I would almost call it ? Do we seek to check this ambition, this honest, this laudable ambi tion, which is leading every man, if not for himself, for his children, and those who are to come after him, yet dearer than himself—to raise them in the scale of society, to advance their intellectual powers, to place them in a higher grade of society than that in which he is himself placed? Can there be a more laudable, a more honest ambition ? Shall we seek to quench it ? Nay, we seek to encourage, to promote it, to aid in the advancement of scieuce, of literature, of useful knowledge. (Hear.) We desire to open the portals wide, and to invite all to come in and share in the universally ac knowledged blessings of science. (Cheers ) But is this all for which we are here assembled? Far otherwise. (Hear.) Were it so, our object would be an imperfect one, of doubt ful utility, and even of possible danger. (Cheers.) We seek to give instruction to furnish to the middle , the com mercial, the mercantile, the trading population of this great town, and perhaps even, by the example of this great town, of similar populations throughout this vast empire—to give to them instruction in all that may be useful to them in their future life, but to teach them that great moral, that great religious lesson, that human science is of no avail, unless tempered, and kneaded, and leavened with an infusion of religious knowledge. (Cheers.) That is not instruction which provides for the body. That is not instruction which even tends to expand the intellect only. It may, indeed, be instruction, but it is not educa tion. (Hear.) Education is that which not only expands the intellect, matures and develops the powers of reason, and qualifies man to fill his appointed station here, but education is that which teaches him that all these advantages with this life shall end, but that religious knowledge and re ligious truth are indispensable here, and will be found indisperia; sable to all eternity—(cheers)—and for one I hesitate not to say, that education however plausibly conducted, and upon whatever pretext, is no education whatever, unless it pro vides not only for the cultivation of the intellect, but also for the cultivation and training of the soul for another world. (Cheers.) Perhaps it may be arrogance on my part, it may be presumption, but I feel it is impossible I should abstain from saying a word about myself, in answer to the too flattering terms in which my reverend friend has spoken of the part have taken on this question. I have learnt, and on no occasion more than in the discussions that have taken place on this question, with regard to which differences of opinion will axist among the wisest and best, and best-in tentioned and ablest men—l have learnt that the path of him who in public life meddles with such questions as this is beset with difficulties and dangers, and cannot be free from embarrassments. He must be subject to misrepresentation, he must expect to have his mo tives as well as his actions, misunderstood ; but I have learnt this consoling lesson too, that the man who, in public or private life, ventures to act boldly on convictions honestly entertained, if he does not secure universal assent to his opinions, at least earns for himself respect for the sincerity of his motives. (Loud applause.) And I trust that neither I nor any of those who are called upon to perform the ardu ous task of representing the principles and views of such a community as that which composes this mighty empire, will ever be found base enough and sordid enough for any private advantage, or from any unworthy fear, to shrink from the honest discharge of that which they believe to be their con scientious duty. (Loud cheers.) I feel, more especially as regards the vast proportion of those here in attendance, to whom I must be perfectly inaudible—l feel I owe some apology for trespassing upon you even for so short a time. (No, no ; go on.) But I hold it right that opinions should be fairly and broadly stated ; and I have no hesitation in saying, as my opinion, that that education is worthless, and perhaps worse than worthless, which is not coupled with religion as a part and parcel of its teaching. (Hear and cheers.) I say more, that believing the national church in this country to be the depository of truth—being myself firmly attached to her principles—being persuaded of the soundness of her doctrines, I rejoice that with all tolerance, with all good-will towards those who dissent from us, we formed this institution, in this great town, not on a religious basis only, but on a religious basis according to the doctrines and the formularies of the established church. (Cheers.) We war in the first instance against ignorance and infidelity : our first field of action is against these, the most dangerous foes. And perhaps an earlier activity, and proceedings years ago similar to those now completed, would have mitigated, if not done away 'with, that other, that minor, though not unimportant evil which we seek to meet—l mean the preva lence of dissent from the doctrines of the established church. (Hear.) We seek to coerce none, but we seek to guide, and advise, and l ea d. W e d es i re th a t a ll w h o profess the Chris tian faith should hold it in the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. (Hear.) We desire to bring all within the pale of the established church ; and with this desire, I say, we should ill have discharged our part, if, looking to the nature and character of the popula tion of this great town, we had hesitated to base our system of education on the principles not only of revealed religion, hut also on the principles of the established church. (Cheers.) One thing only remains for me to say. You who have con tributed to. this great undertaking—the mercantile, the com mercial classes of this great town, to whom it is destined to furnish, not one and the same education, but an education suited respectively to each separate class, according to its separate wants and probable requirements in after life, at the same time combining with this that which is essential to all—from the merchants who are princes, to the humblest of the industrious mechanics of the town, a knowledge of sound and vital religion—you have performed your part. To your christian zeal, to your kind liberality, to your exertion, to your superintendence, I feel that, as far as human influ ence is concerned, this building and the work we have in hand may safely be committed, without fear that you should suffer the work of your own hands to languish from indiffer ence, or to fall from want of continued support. (" Hear," and cheers.) But we must remember, as we have been most forcibly and appropriately reminded by my lord bishop below me, that it is not in our hands to command the success of the enterprise we have now before us—that it is to a higher power we must look to bless our labours—that we may indeed sow, but that it is that power alone that in due time, aye, and after much patience, can give us to see the fruit of our exertions. To him, then, to that everlasting and Almighty Providence. we commend the work of our hands this day. And believing that in what we have in hand we are tending to the advance ment of the welfare, bodily and spiritual, of his creatures and our fellow-men—believing that we are tending to the advance ment in the knowledge of his word, to the guidance in his will, to the conducting of millions yet unborn into his eter nal kingdom,.to him we confide the work of our hands this day, in humble hope that though the storm may fall, and the winds may beat, this house, and this our design, shall never fall, if it be only founded on the rock of ages. (Prolonged and enthusiastic cheering.) The children of the Blue Coat Hospital, assisted by the company, then sung.the following hymn : Lord of heaven, and earth, and ocean, Hear us from thy bright abode, While our hearts, with deep devotion, Own their great and gracious God. Now with joy we come before thee, Countless have thy mercies been : Lord of light, and life, and glory, Guard our Church, and guide our Queen. Health, and ey'ry needful blessing, Are thy bounteous gifts alone ; Comforts, undeserv'd, possessing, Bend we low before thy throne, While the babe, the youth, the hoary, In united praise are seen : Lord of light, and life, and glory, Shield our Isle, and save our Queen. Thee, with humble adoration, Laud we now for mercies past ; Still to this most favour'd nation May those mercies ever last ; Still may Britons, thus before thee, Dwell in love and peace serene : Lord of light, and life, and glory, Bless thy People—bless their Queen. The proceedings being now concluded, the Bishop pro noune s e em d tepuhar t on h n i ( b bebeotyniyrestedidlsiectftrriuooem thernk same up 4 route and a signal g u n b e i ng fired to announce the conclusion of the cer emon y, t h e b an d o f the r o G buy o n d wd .h S i a c y Th e ht t eh h eß e yl Queen," ea u ;Cc come,ona, t" chil drenand o School-lane, o tßi:c.euheocoor accompaniedl an e, by precedediny h anbuyn hundreds of their re excellent personsjuvenileof all classes, wil and o felt an affectionate interest in these poor children, whose con duct and abilities reflect the highe s t cre dit on ieir teacher, Mr. Forster, and on the committee who manage the institu- lion. THE AMPHITHEATRE. The entertainment at the Amphitheatre, provided by Mr. Horne, of the Mersey Hotel, was worthy of the oc casion, combining all that is substantial and delicate in the eating department, with wines of the choicest quality and flavour. On this occasion the theatre was, with a degree of taste which reflects the highest credit on the committee of management, without decoration in flags or other in signia of party, beyond a simple display of national ban ners on the stage, the appearance of which cannot fail to be hailed by all who, however they may differ in politics, acknowledge fealty to " the land we live in." Immediately under the proscenium was placed a cross ing table for the Chairman (Lord F. Egerton) and his immediate and distinguished guests. The entire service on this table was of genuine and massive plate of great va lue and beauty. In the centre, opposite the Chairman, was a triumphal gilded arch supported on two gilded columns, the bases of which were planted in piles of luscious grapes, pine apples, and other fruits. On each side were two classical gilded figures, and figures in groups, mounted on pedestals. Over the middle of the arch was a gilded basket, filled with flowers, and having the appearance of a crown ; a variety of small banners were here also displayed. Behind the table, on the stage, six tables were laid out in sumptuous style. In the pit, which was boarded over, seven tables were laid out with all that taste and judgment in the culinary and confectionary arts could suggest. The ornaments, in the latter department, were highly tasteful and picturesque, forming objects not only pleasing to the eye, but delight ful to the palate. To these beautiful designs—Shake spear's sublime lines may be aptly applied,—for these " cloud-clapt towers " and " gorgeous palaces," were so greedily besieged by the delighted guests, that they soon " dissolved " and left not " a wreck behind.' There was abundance of " the roast beef of old England" and other substantials. Lord Stanley, hearing that Mr. Horne was the providore on the occasion, sent a fat buck, and game of every description was procured. The wines were of the best quality, and the whole entertainment reflected the highest credit both in the provision made, and in the manner in which the good things of this life were served up by " mine host of the Mersey Hotel." The stage was decorated with flags, and the " house " on the whole presented one of the most beautiful and im pressive appearances ever beheld. THE DINNER. At as early an hour as four o'clock the doors of the Amphitheatre were surrounded by carriages, and shortly after they were opened, at half-past four, the boxes and gallery were filled with elegantly dressed ladies, whose presence shed a oharm over the festive scene. The greater part of the ladies wore red ribbons or scarfs. The appearance of the spacious building at five o'clock, when brilliantly lighted up with gas, was magnificent in the extreme. The excellent Royal Har monic Band of Mr. Stubbs, was engaged for the occasion, and played several beaut;ful airs during the evening. At five o'clock Lord Francis Egerton took the chair. His entrance, as well as that of Lord Stanley, was the signal for a burst of enthusiastic cheering. As to the dinner it were almost superfluous to add a word further than that Mr. Horne was the purveyor. The viands were of the most choice description, including every delicacy of the season. The wines were of a very superior quality, as might be expected from the well known character and judgment of Mr. Horne. We believe that about 1000 gentlemen sat down to dinner, and that the number of ladies accommodated in the boxes and gallery amounted to about 1200. On the right of the noble chairman we observed the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, the Lord 3ishop of Chester, Lord San don, the Rev. Chancellor Raikes, tbe Hon. and Rev. Horace Powys, J. C. Colquhoun, Esq., M.P., the Rev. Hugh M`Neile, and Peter Ainsworth, Esq., M.P. ; and on his left we noticed the Right Hon. the Earl of Wilton, the Hon. R. B. Wilbraham, M.P.. the Rev. Rector Brooks, J. I. Black burne, Esq. M.P., the Rev. Thomas Blackburne, Prestwich. Atnono. ' the other distinguished guests were T. B. Crosse, Esq., J. Hodson Kearsley, Esq., Thomas Greenall, Esq., Peter Greenall, Esq., Sir R. H. Cunliffe, Bart., the Rev. Cornwall Leigh, W. Davenport, Esq., R. E. Warburton , Esq., General Alexander, the Hon. Mr. Stanley, and a son of Lord Francis Egerton, who sat next to Mr. Jas. Aspinall. To attempt an enumeration of the local gentry and clergy who were present would be to transcribe the names of almost every individual of high standing and respectability in the town of Liverpool. We may say, without any fear of being accused of exaggeration, that there never was a public din ner held in this town, the attendants upon which comprised such a number of the wealthy and influential merchants of this great commercial community; and we may say, with equal truth, that we never witnessed, on any occasion what ever, such complete harmony and unanimity as characterised the whole of the proceedings of yesterday evening. One im pulse seemed to pervade the vast assembly. All shared in the common enthusiasm by which the proceedings were marked throughout. And here we may venture to remark that the ladies fully participated in these feelings, and mani fested the warmest interest in the sentiments to which the various speakers gave utterance. The whole of the arrangements of the dinner reflected the highest credit upon the stewards, who made every provision for the comfort and accommodation of the great number who were present on the occasion. The only cause of regret to which any reference was made was, that the Amphitheatre could not accommodate twice or thrice as many as were pre sent. The experience of yesterday convinces us more strongly than ever of the necessity of having a much larger room for such purposes than any which Liverpool at present possesses. We want a room that would dine - at least 2,000 or 3,000 indi viduals, as occasions will frequently arise when such numbers may be readily congregated together. The Rev. Rector BROOKS said grace before the dinner. After the dinner, Non Nobis Domine was sung in admira ble style by the following glee singers :—Mr. Thomas Holden, Mr. Boothby, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Ball, Mr. Davies, Mr. George, and Mr. Evans. Mr. George Holden (who has re cently published a choice selection of Church Music, dedica ted, by permission, to the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of the Diocese,) presided at the piano forte. The noble PRESIDENT, after the trumpet was sounded, said,—Gentlemen, when that institution, of which we have this day laid the foundation, shall be opened for its great and important purposes, I am sure that the first secular duty that will be taught within its precincts, will be that of loyalty, respect, and attachment to the sovereign of these realms. (Loud and enthusiastic cheers.) I need not tell you, that that which I hope is, and ever will be, the first toast drank at every assemblage of Englishmen is the first upon our list. (Cheers.) And, I am sure, in no assembly this country can produce, will that toast be received with warmer f e elings of loyalty, and attachment, and enthusiasm. (Cheers.) I propose to you the health of her Majesty—The Queen. (nine times nine.) The National Anthem was then sung in beautiful style. The words " Confound their politics, &c." were most en thusiastically cheered. The PRESIDENT.—I have now to give you the health of an illustrious person, who, in a short residence in this coun try, has yet found time to win favourable opinions from all classes of its inhabitants, and who has only confirmed by his conduct, the fair and honourable reputation with which he first came among us, and who promises, by contributing to a the d t happiness l a o a o n a d t h o o t n h o a u t r 0 10 f y a o l t u y r w g h r c c h i o , u a s a s h o y e e r r a ei g oh n j e , c t t o s a w d d e all feel. I give you the health of his royal highness Prince Albert—(three times three.) Air, " Prince Albert's March," in which the musical bells ha T d h a e d p e ß lie s t i f: E l N T. effect . _ is— thel health of her majesty the. Queen Dowa g er, and the rest ie toast I have now to propose of the Royal Family. This toast was received with the most rapturous and prolonged cheering, in which the ladies joined most enthusiastically. Glee, " Health to Queen Adelaide." The PRESIDENT. —Among the most conspicuous features of this day's proceedings, among those proceedings which, I am sure have given to you as they have to me, the highest gratification, has been the large attendance we have enjoyed of the clergy of this diocese. (Cheers.) I am sure there are none of us who have not estimated at its high and full value, the sanction which they have given to its proceedings, and there are none of you who will forget that that sanction has derived additional efficacy and grace from the presence of their spiritual leader, the lord bishop of the diocese. (Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, it has been my lot, hahppilosey, upon one or two occasions, to meet his lordship—upon t occasions which frequently make him a wearied, but I am sure a willing traveller to various parts of his extensive diocese, I mean occasions which though not strictly the same as those of this morning are nearest akin to it—the ceremony of the consecration of some of those numerous churches which, thank God, are rising daily, and hourly I may say, in this county to remedy its spiritual destitution—(cheers) — to fill up those vacancies which have occurred from the extent of our population beyond the reach of Christian education. It is not for me to tell you with what Christian zeal and patienee his lordship has laboured in that vocation and in every part of his spiritual office. His labours may, indeed, be more estimated by those who follow him more imme diately as their guide and leader in that sacred office, but I am sure they are not unvalued or misunderstood by any part of the laity of this county. (Cheers.) I have to call upon you without further comment, which would ill become me, to wish him long years of health and happiness in the per formance of those labours, and to drink his good health. (Immense cheering followed this sentence, after which the noble lord continued)—Gentlemen, the clergy of the diocese, present and absent, will do me the justice to say I did not forget them in the beginning of my speech if I did forget to announce them at the close. I beg to correct myself by giving the health of the Lord Bishop and the Clergy of the Diocese. (Cheers.) Sacred Anthem—" Sound the Loud Timbrel." The Right Rev. the LORD BISHOP OF CHESTER, on rising to reply to the toast, was received with the most enthusiastic applause. His lordship said—ln my own name as well as in that of the clergy with whom, if the term were a right term, I should be inclined to say I am always proud to have my name associated, I beg to thank you for the honour you have done us in proposing our health upon this important occa sion. Allow me to say, my lord, in what you have been so kind as to observe with regard to myself, if I could not re cognise a description of what I am, I will not be backward to say that I did find a description of what I ought to be, and what, by God's grace, I would desire and hope to be. — (Hear.) For the clergy of this diocese, my lord, you only i do them justice when you speak of them as most anxious and forward in the cause of promoting that great object which has excited our interest to-day. (Cheers.) That they do take that lead which behoves them for such a purpose, I might call to witness the numerous, the almost innumerable schools which during the last ten yerrs have been raised in every part of the diocese. (Cheers.) But, indeed, I need not speak of that, for it is known to most of those present, and it is known especially I believe to you, my lord,—for from that extensive influence which you posess and that no less exten sive benevolence which you are known to practise,—(cheers) —you have found, I believe, the clergy not unfrequently applicants for your benevolent assistance in that work which they had at heart, and which they knew was equally dear to your lordship. I am sure they have not applied to you in vain. (Cheers.) Situated as I am as the guardian of such vast spiritual interests, I cannot but feel that I ought not to be insensible to those from whom we are accustomed to receive assistance in a work which without that assistance it would be impossible for us to perform at all; for even with that assistance there is much that must remain undone. And standing as I now do in the midst of the inha bitants of Liverpool I cannot but remember—l should be ungrateful if I were to forget—that this undertaking, in which we are interested to-day is no new no insulated undertaking, but part of a system which has been long pursued in this town, and by which Liverpool has set an example to all other places of increasing population and prosperity. (Hear.) If, I say it with truth, I need not be afraid of being accused of flattery, that here there has been a consciousness that with increased prosperity there comes also an increased responsi bility. (Hear.) I cannot forget that during that long dark interval—the first twenty years of the present century—whe n the population of the county of Lancashire increased 530,000, and when during that interval only fifteen additional churches were raised to accommodate that increased population—the cause I believe of full one half of the dissent that prevails amongst us, I cannot but remember that eight out of those fifteen churches were erected in the town, or in the immediate neighbourhood, of Liverpool. I cannot but regret, and I should be ungrateful if I did not mention, that of the £23,000 you have been pleased to dispense through my hands, by means of the diocesan secretary, one third has been subscribed by the inhabitants of Liverpool. (Hear.) I cannot but value the efforts that this town is now making, that whilst it assists others to cultivate distant vineyards they have not neglected their own vineyard—that churches have been raised to the amount of more than £20,000 for the purpose of giving spiritual instruction to its daily increasing poor. I cannot be forgetful of the vast efforts made hare four or five years ago, when there was reason to fear that the education of the rising generation would not be founded upon those principles which our church professes and can alone sanction. (Cheers.) I cannot forget the efforts made to remove those dangers (continued cheers.) And, to-day, we have been adding what I may call the top stone—the crowning stone, to that which was then begun for then we provided for the lowest population, and now we are providing for those above them in rank, for those that are to be engaged in employing labour rather than in being employed. And, allow me to say, unless those who have la- bourers and dependents under their charge, and who are re sponsible for what belongs to them, do exercise their influ ence in the way in which, if they consider themselves stew ards of the authority that is given them from above, they ought, for the great purpose that they should exercise it— unless they do that, they will have done little with regard to the lower order of the population. (Cheers.) The early pe riod at which the youth of that part of the population is com pelled to begin labour must necessarily throw vast numbers of them into the world when their education is hardly.corn menced, instead of being almost finished. (Cheers.) But I rejoice, not only for the sake of those whose interests I am bound to consider, and which I ought never for a Moment to forget, that the town of Liverpool is raising for itself a se curity which it can obtain in no other way. We knovi upon what authority it is said, " them that honour me, them will I honour;" and in this acknowledgment of distinction which prayer brings with it, Liverpool is gaining for itself a de fence that can not be overthrown, and placing itself upon a foundation which never can be shaken: (Loud cheers.) War, and rumours of war, the fluctuations of commercial credit,—tjiey may inde e d a ffect it, but they cannot shake o r de-troy i (Cheers.) With these, and thus actuated, it will be as it was in th e d ays o f Hezekiah of old, which has been recorded for our instruction and encouragement, since the time when the people began to bring their offerings to the house of the Lord, we have had enough, and we have left plenty—that which remains is this great store ; the Lord has blessed his people, and that which remains is the accumu lating wealth of Liverpool. (Cheers.) My lord, in my own name, and in that of the clergy, I beg leave to thank you for the honour you have done us. (The right rev. prelate then sat down amidst loud cheers from all parts of the house.) The PRESIDENT.--The course of our proceedings has brought me to a toast, the most intimately connected with the transactions of this morning and the present. I mean, gentlemen, that it is now my duty to propose to you the 'health of my nol4 friend on my right. (Loud and protracted cheers followed this announcement.) Gentlemen, your re ception of his name, when barely mentioned, is such as perhaps might spare me some, perhaps might spare me all labour on this occasion. And, gentlemen, Ido confess, if I thought it a part of my duty in the chair to go as great a length as I might with my noble friend into the reasons and justification of that toast, and the manner in which it has been already received, I own I could almost wish it had fallen into the hands:of some one less intimately and long acquainted with my noble friend. (Hear, hear.) I will presume to say intimateiy acquainted, for if an Eton and a college acquaint ance be not an intimate acquaintance, I know not what is. And upon that intimacy I will venture to say, if I were to indulge in such proofs, my noble friend would rise in contu macious rebellion against the chair. (Laughter.) It is, therefore, difficult for me fully to express all the reasons which may have brought you here together to do him honour upon this occasion. I can venture to tell him some of the motives which have not actuated you and which he knows how to value and appreciate—to value not as a mere compli ment paid to him by such an assembly as this. Born and bred in the neighbourhood of this town, he knows the inde pendent position in life, the just pride of those whom I see here collected ; he knows that from one end of this room to the other there is not one man who would step an inch be yond the limits of national and constitutional respect to the mere heir of an ancient house. He knows that not even historical recollections and antiquarian lore can call forth such an expression of opinion as is here manifested—that not the recollections, brilliant though they be, of Bosworth, of Flodden Field, of Leathom House, or of Bolton Moor, could have called such an assembly as are here met together. He knows also, as well as they, that from the character of this assembly—from the number of clergy we have among us—they would not bow at the shrine of mere intellectual acuteness, unless they know and appreciate the direction which that acuteness takes. (Cheers.) He may perhaps conjecture—though in his presence I would not for the world tell him (cheers and laughter) —that we value elo quence devoted to high purposes—that we venerate ambition directed to high ends—that we value it when it can lead to the sacrifice of domestic ease and leisure, and devote itself to the service of the public—that we venerate it when it can soar above the temporary temptations of office and power, (immense cheering,) and make, if need be, the more painful sacrifice of dear and valued and beloved connections. (Loud cheers.) Subsidiary to these qualities, he may think we value the courage which shrinks from no adversary (enthu siastic applause)—the perseverance which shrinks from no difficulty and no labour—the skill of the gladiator when part of the service of the soldier and the patriot—the courage without subterfuge, and the logic without sophistry. (Great cheering.) If his conjecture should lead him to suppose that any such feelings as these are mixed up in any degree in the proceedings of this evening, I leave it to you, by the further reception of this toast, to corroborate me and en lighten my noble friend. (Tremendous applause.) Glee—" When winds softly blow." Lord STANLEY rose to return thanks, and was greeted with renewed bursts of applause. When the enthusiasm had subsided, he spoke as follows :—My lord and gentlemen, it would be folly, it would be idle affectation, it would be worse than either, it would be falsehood, were I not at once to de clare, that the proceedings of this day, that the manner in which I have been received here, most of all, the kindness with which I have been spoken of by one whom I have the happiness to have known, as he has told you, long and inti. mately, have conveyed to my mind feelings of gratification, and emotions almost painful, but for which I am persuaded, in the present company, I need not apologise. (Hear.) Gen tlemen, it was a proud gratification to me when I first learnt that it was intended to do me the honour to connect my name with the institution which you have this day met to celebrate, an institution the results of which, upon generations yet un born, it is difficult for human foresight to calculate or pre judge. I felt a deep anxiety, as I feel now, lest I should most inadequately discharge the duties you have been pleased to devolve upon me. But most of all do I feel that anxiety when I have to reply to observations made by my noble friend who sits near me, responded to by an assembly such as I see around me, in a manner which von will forgive me for saying, in the first moment almost deprived me of the power of utterance. (Long continued cheering.) Gentlemen, my noble friend has told me, and it was needless for him to do so, of what materials the assembly is composed which I have now the honour of addressing, and from which I have met with so flattering and gratifying a reception. My noble friend has been pleased to panegyrise the efforts, the unworthy efforts, I have been enabled to make, in the course of my public life—he has given me credit for qualities which Ido not possess. (No, no.) He has magnified my exertions, but he has not exaggerated my inclination, my ambition, my earnest desire to accomplish all that he has so indulgently given me credit for. (Cheers.) I look around me, and my mind is struck with a motto, which I hope will never, antiquated as it may seem, be obliterated from the minds of Englishmen—l trust that each, in his individual station, according to those abilities which God has blessed us with, which he has entrusted to us on our deep re Tonsi hility,—that we shall ever remember, that our country and our God expect that " every man should do his duty." (Ve hement applause.) Gentlemen, I hope I may take the liberty of saying that I have endeavoured to do mine, and I have done no more. (Hear.) Circumstances may have placed me in situations where I may have had more or less influ ence; but each of you, every on e whom I here address, as long as he has appli e d his best exertions, the powers with which providence has entrusted him, in his respective sphere, has done as much as the highest and most successful of the intellectual and parliamentary gladiators, to whom my noble friend has alluded. (Cheers.) 1 should content myself with expressing, however inadequately, the deep gratification, the heartfelt pleasure, I have derived from your kindness this day, were it not that the duties so agreeably devolving upon me have connected my name, I will not take upon myself to say with this great assemblage, as my noble friend would have me believe. but with the interests of the institution which we are to-day met together to celebrate— an institution which I could no more propose to you as a toast in silence, than, I am convinced, any one of you would receive with indifference. Therefore, if I continue to tres pass for a short time longer on your attention, believe me it is not for the idle parade of speaking of myself : it is from my anxious wish to testify my full, my cordial, my unhesi tating concurrence in the principles on which this great in stitution has this day been founded. (Hear and cheers.) Gentlemen, the course of public duty, which every man is bound to perform, he must be a fool who believes to be de void of difficulties, or not beset with thorns or vexations. No man can say, " I will do my duty provided I meet with no imoeliments in my way." (Hear.) The course of duty never was, never has been, and, in the dispensation of God's providence, it is ordained that it never should be any other than a course of difficulty and embarrassment. (Hear.) My noble friend knows to what difficulties, to what embarrass ments a public man is exposed in following this narrow path ; but he would be undeserving of your confidence, nay, more, he would not receive either your confidence or your respect, who, however much he might value, as the proudest tribute that can be paid to a public man, the approbation of his fel low-citizens, did not consider that even the approbation of his fellow-citizens was inferior to the approbation of his own conscience, and was on all occasions, and under all circum stances, to be sacrificed without reserve, if he felt that the course to which that approbation would call him was con trary to his duty, as he understood it, to himself, his coun try, and his God. (Loud applause.) There is no subject, perhaps, we may rejoice to say, which of late has commanded a greater degree of public attention, but likewise there is no subject which has produced a greater diversity of opinion, than the duties of p u bli c men , an d t h e d ut i es o f governmen t. with regard to the education of the people. (Hear, hear.) The opinion has, I think, been hastily taken up, that it is the duty of the government to provide for the education of all the people. Ido not subscribe to this doctrine, because I feel that a government provision for the education of the people is at variance with the freedom of conscience, a freedom which, as we claim it for ourselves, we freely give and concede it to others. (Applause.) A government con ducting and superintending the education of the people must csnduct the education of all classes, and this, in a count where religious differences unhappily prevail, according to one single pattern ; and so conducti ng th e e d u i on of a whole country you deviate from the duty of a g It mnment into a persecution which would be intolerable in a I e: coun try, (Cheers.) I contend it is the duty of a government to promote the education of the people, and to aid individual exertion. Various questions may arise, nice, and difficult, and complicated questions, which are not to be hastily de cided upon, but on which much may be said on both sides, as to the degree in which the state is bound to enforce on the people its own views with regard to education. And when I use the word education, gentlemen, I need not tell you that in that word I include the diffusion of religious knowledge and principle. (Cheers.) There may be circumstances, few and doubtful circumstances, I do not say there are any, in which it may be the duty of the state, as a state, to promote by its assistance even the diffusion of religious error, shared by a large portion of the community. There must be many occasions—l hesitate not to state my own (minions frankly and freely—you would not respect me did I not do so—l hesitate not to say that there are many occasions in which it must be the duty of the state to be satisfied with the promo tion of imperfect truth, not with the admixture of error, but with the imperfection of truth. (Hear.) But whatever be the duty of the state—l speak to you, gentlemen, to those whom I see around me, to members of the church,—l speak to the venerated bishop of our diocese—l speak to the assem bled clergy—l speak to the laymen, attached members of the Church of England—your course is plain, your duty is dis tinct ; with regard to you there is no doubt, no hesitation, no difficulty : you duty is, each in your several stations, to pro mote the education of your fellow-citizens, according to the doctrines, and in the principles of revealed religion, and of the national establishment. (Loud cheers.) And, gentle men, those who know me will be aware, and those who are not acquainted with me will do me the favour of believing, that had not these b een my opin i ons, uni formly, constantly, invariably maintain e d an d ac t e d u p on , no temptation of your applause, no desire even to acquire the approbation of this vast assembly, no possible inducement that could be offered to human vanity or ambiti on wou ld ha ve led me to g i ve m y name to the prospectus of this society, unless I had been clearly and cordially convinced of the sound ness of its principles. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, the subject of national education is one which gives room for much of seri ous reflection and of grave consideration as to the duties which devolve upon us. The times have been when this great duty of the people, this great duty of the church—and in naming the church I do not mean the clergy only, but the laity also—there have been times when this great duty of providing for and promoting the education of the humbler I I M classes, has been shamefully, disgracefully neglected, (Hear.) We have been guilty—there is no need to deny it, no use in palliating or concealing it—we have been guilty of a national sin, and drawn down upon us, in the ordinary course of God's providence, the national judgment which follows on national sin. (Hear.) And may God grant that the sense of the national judgment and the national reproach may produce that effect which they ought to produce—which, speaking with reverence, it is the design of Providence they should produce, amendment and correcti on o f th e s i n. (H ear. ) The days have been when England, proud and prosperous, advancing in commerce, unrivalled in arms, proud of her flag, proud of her military trophies, proud of her increasing revenues, proud of those ports from which, and especially from the one in which I am now speaking, the flag of Great Britain is found in every sea, and which receive within their bosoms the flags of all other countries—the time has been, I say. when England has forgotten the warning relating to the promised land—" Beware lest when thou bast eaten and art full, thou forget the Lord thy God, and say, Mine hand and mine arm hath gotten me all this wealth." (Hear.) We have been proud of our power, of our wealth, of our com merce, of our fancied superiority ; and the very causes of our pride have been the sources of our chastisement and our judgment. We have boasted of the advance of science, of the strides making in philosophical attainment, of the genius, the riches, the industry of our people, and we have forgotten that that knowledge which is unsanctified by religion is a two-edged sword, the blade of which is likely to cut the wearer. (Hear.) We hare been proud of our population, as the source of our wealth, and omitted to consider that that grow ing population, without the means of religious instruction, of spiritual education, was no source of strength, but a source of weakness, a reproach, a disgrace, and at length a serious impediment to our national prosperity. (Loud applause.) We have boasted of our national church, and in our assem blies toasted the church and state, and boasted of the con nexion of our loyalty to the crown with our attachment to the church. Are there none among us who can say that we have too often looked on the Established Church, not in the light of a spiritual director of the whole people, not in the light of an invaluable assistant to sound religion, but in the light, the low and humble light—though God forbid that in that I should undervalue its importance—in the light of a mere assistant to civil government, and a useful machine of civil polity. (Cheers) My lord and gentlemen, I believe these days are gone by. I believe the spirit of education—l,believe the calumnies, for such they have been—l believe the exaggerated accusations thrown out against us even when we deserved reproach, I believe the charges made against us, while we have partially admitted their justice, have by God's grace kindled a better, a purer, a holier spirit among us. (Hear and cheers.) We are not so uncandid as to refuse to receive correction even when administered by no friendly hand : and I trust there are many among those whose attachment to the church has been, not dead, but dormant and sleeping, who provoked by godly jealousy, will rise in support of the church to which they are attached, and magnify its cause, not by the violence of language,but by the reformation of manners and dis c ipli n e. (Much applause.) The spirit of education has gone forth; the spirit of inquiry is irresistible ; the thirst for knowledge is not to be quenched. Let us not seek to quench it. Let us not seek to diminish it. Let us,—and permit me, my lord, to appeal to your lordship and say, let the members of the church, and the clerical members of the church espe cially, set themselves at the head of this great movement of inquiry and investigation. (Hear.) Let them not shrink from imparting to the people increased knowledge ; but let it be their duty to sanctify that knowledge by that which alone can sanctify it, the imbuing of the people with the spirit of religion, in conjunction with the spirit of science and education. (Loud cheers.) Let the -church place itself at the head of the march of instruction—and when we re member the vast multitudes congregated to-day in the streets of Liverpool, when we behold this vast assembly, when we consider the enthusiasm with which the call of the church has been responded to in every part of the country, who is there that does not feel, that if the church will so take and so maintain that lead and guidance which of right belong to her, the people of England will never desert, they will be proud to follow, the national establishment ? (Much applause.) Gentlemen, I really feel I ought to apo logize for having so long detained you, yet I cannot sit down without saying a few words on the specific object of that in stitution of which we have this day laid the foundation. It is not for the high and the wealthy, it is not for the poor and the needy ; it is for that class more especially who, as was noticed by my worthy and reverend friend, the rector, to day, appears to have been, in a most extraordinary manner neglected on the part of the nation on the subject of educa tion. It is for the middle, for the commercial, for the mer cantile, for the industrious, for the trading classes ; in fact, it is for those who, as the middle classes, constitute the strength and vitals of the empire—(cheers)—who are the very heart of our whole political system, which, if it be dis eased, the heart alone is not dise -sed, but the whole body faints and is sick, and which, marvellous to say, there has been little or no attempt to connect with the Established Church. The justly-vaunted universities, the great schools for the highest of all classes in the community, the parochial schools, imperfect as the system may be, for the lowest and humblest, are under the direc tion, subject to the influence, and the inmates nurtured up in respect and reverence for the established church. But the middle classes, those who are the most intelligent, the most active, the most industrious, the most ingenious, the most eager to raise themselves by the acquisition of know ledge, these are left to search for instruction where they may. (Hear.) And what marvel if worldly parents and ignorant youths prefer the instruction which gives them the worldly science that may advance their personal interests, and forget that that science can profit them but for a time, and that without religious instruction it is hollow and little or nothing worth. (Cheers.) But the tradesmen, the mechanics, the artisans. the merchants of this great town, have nobly come forward to vindicate their rights, and as a body they claim to be connected with that church which they venerate. They call upon you to include them in your system of education connected with the clergy of the national establishment. I ask of you, of those I see around me, shall that call be made upon you in vain? (No, no.) I know it will not. You who are sensible of the value of religious instruction, you who have come so nobly forward to lay the foundation of this great insti tution, will not suffer it to be deserted, to languish or decay. (Hear.) I know we may reckon on your continued exertions, know that a moment's reflection will convince you far more than any language I could use, of the value, the inestimable value and importance of attaching to the nationalestablishment. that great body which is, if sound, the health of the whole body politic, but that body in which, forgive me for saying, if you neglect it, there is the greatest danger of dissent from the church establishment, or the greater danger still, of science only leading into the devious paths of infidelity. (Cheers.) And if I may so far presume, as to raise my eyes above those whom I am immediately addressing— may I he forgiven if I look and appeal to those whom we see around us, as witnesses of these our proceedings, to those whose pre sence adorns our present festival, to those whose countenance and encouragement stimulates, as it always should, to all that is high, and all that is lovely, and all that is holy in so cial life—(loud cheers)—may I appeal to them whose proper sphere is that of social and domestic intercourse—to those who have lelt painfully or delightfully, as the case may be. in the several relations of those nearest and dearest to them, who are most entwined with their domestic affections and their private life, their husbands, their fathers, their brothers, their children—may I appeal t o th em w h o b est k now t h e value of religious principle as acting upon domestic habits, domestic intercourse, and social comfort—may I entreat them to use that influence which they must and ought to possess in aid of this our undertaking, to communicate to those among whom they are living the blessings of a reli gious and - scriptural education? (Loud cheers.) Believe me, this is a work from the duties of which no sex, no rank, no station, no grade of life is exempt. Each has thrown upon him, by a gracious Providence, the responsibility of using, for the good of his fellow-creatures and for the glory of his God, the powers, the talents, the influence which he possesses ; and God grant that all those whom I am now addressing may use those powers, those talents, and that influence, in aid of that which is the first and primest of all blessings, the promotion of religious truth, the advance ment ( f the moral well-being of the population, and the increase of the glory of God In the spread of the knowledge of his word. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, believing that these are the objects which are proposed, and which, by the divine blessing, we may attain, by the institution we have this day founded, I call upon you to signify your acquiescence in the sentiments I have expressed by drinking " Prosperity to the Liverpool Collegiate Institution." The noble lerd sat down amidst the most rapturous ap plause. At this moment Mr. Cresswell arrived, and his en trance was the signal for renewed and protracted cheering. The Rev. Rector BROOKS rose to return thanks for the toast. He said—My lord, as chairman of the committee of the Liverpool Collegiate Institution, it becomes my pleasing duty to tender to you the acknowledgments of the committee for the honour that has been done us. My lord, after the splendid and eloquent display of talent and wisdom which we have just heard, it would ill become me to point out to this assembly the substantial benefits of the institution which the noble lord has so ably and so effectually advocated. I shall therefore content myself with one or two observations and suggestions on the noble lord's speech. He has told us, and with great truth, that it is the common duty of every man to use his best exertions in the promotion of the general education of the country. (Hear, hear, hear.) He has told us, and with great truth, that it is the position the church ought to take to be foremost in encouraging that im provement ; and he has also told us that the clergy should step forward, and take the lead in this holy and important work. My lord, I am quite willing to confess that we have hitherto been sadly deficient in doing as much as might rea sonably have been expected from us • but still I would hope that we have not been e n ti re ly idle. (Hear.) The noble lord has told us, that if we would so step forward and take the lead, the people would follow us—that there is still e3ist ing that attachment and affection for the church of their forefathers, which would lead the inhabitants of this coun try, and I am sure I may confidently say the inhabitants of this great town—(hear and cheers)---to follow in the path pointed out by those in whom they could place confidence. My lord, I speak from experience when I say that we have found the truth of these observations. I can never forget that period to which our venerated diocesan has alluded, when the clergy, considering, in the faithful discharge of their duty, that they were called upon to abandon a system of education which was taking a direction they could not ap prove of, made a call on the parishioners of this great town to assist them in finding a substitute for what was taken from them. (Loud cheers.) The manner in which that call was responded to by the laity can never be erased from my heart, nor, I believe, from the hearts of those who were working with me. It is there indelibly impressed ; and it is the recollec tion of that which has led and engaged us to bring forward the present institution, in the hope, that in encouraging the further progress of education in this town, we shall receive the same assistance, nay, that it will be further and more generally offered to us than it has hitherto been. (H ear .) shall now, my lord, conclude what I have to say by pro posing, which I may venture to do in this assembly, a health which I am sure will be received with as great delight as I feel in proposing it. If, my lord, the motives which have induced us to attempt the establishment of the institution of which we have this day laid the foundation, were not suffi cient in themselves to stimulate us to exertion in bringing to a happy conclusion, we have, I think, a guarantee for the success of our endeavours in the persons we have been for tunate enough to associate with us in this important under taking. (Cheers.) When I see such men as the noble lord who has already addressed you, consenting to become the patron of our institution —when I see the respected bishop of the diocese filling the office of its visitor—when I see the noble lord in the chair taking its presidency, in the first year of its establishment, I think there surely is a suffi cient guarantee that we shall accomplish it in a manner that will do credit to the town. (Loud cheers.) You will easily believe that the toast I am going to propose is one of the noble personages I have just mentioned. It was a saying of one of our monarchs, whose memory I can never dwell upon without veneration, respect, affection, and regard, that he could wish every individual in the kingdom could read his Bible. I believe that the noble lord, whose health I am now going to propose to you, has carried out this wish to the greatest possible extent, and that it has been his ambition, and his great desire, that every individual within the reach of his influence should know his Bible. (Loud cheers.) I believe that there is no man who has directed that influence, and the means with which Provi dence has blessed him, more to the promotion of the great cause of oducation than he has done. (Hear.) Therefore it is that we might have gone through all the world, and not have found one more proper to call upon to assist us in this work, and to take the chair on the first year of its establish ment. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, you have heard how the noble lord has introdaeed to you the different toasts of the evening. You have therefore had proof, that while he has been extending the influence of education to all around him, he has not been inattentive to the cultivation of his own mind. You have heard him throw around everything that charm and grace which will justify mein saying, nihil letigit quod non ornavit, (Cheers.) I beg reeve to propose " Our noble chairm an , th e Ri g ht Hon. Lord Francis Egerton, the President of the Collegiate Institution." (Loud and pro. longed applause.) Glee—" Breathe, my harp." Lord FRANCIS EGERTON rose amidst very great cheering. He said—Gentlemen, if I could presume that the too flatter ' ing language which your respected rector has just applied to me in proposing this toast, were more applicable to the sub ject than I can venture to presume it is, I should be at little pains then, I assure you, to arrive at the conclusion, from the situation which I now occupy, as chairman of this meet ing and as president for the year of the institution which you have this day founded, that that position must be considered by myself as one of the highest honours and the greatest gratifications that I could enjoy. Gentlemen, in the corre spondence which I have had upon the subject when I was invited to assist at this ceremony, I certainly expressed a more than usual anxiety and eagerness for the promotion of the scheme then on foot. (Hear, hear.) I did so not on the impulse of the moment—l did so on mature considera tion of a twofold character : the one with respect to the nature and peculiar objects and scope of the institution it self, and the other more particularly referring to the quarter in which that scheme originated. Gentlemen, with regard to the scope and objects of the institution. it would be a trespass on your time, if, after what has fallen from others, and more especially from my noble friend on my right, I were to detain you any considerable time. But there is one consideration which I must own has more particularly affect ed me on this subject, and it is this—that it is impossible to open a volume containing observations (n the present state of society and of the wOrld—to listen to any speech from any acute and intelligent mind, which has turned attention to this subject—without seeing that it is the general belief of such persons that power and influence and authority are more or less rapidly, but by a constant and continual though variable motion, tending to that great body whose intereste we are met here more especially to promote—that body that lies between the most and the least efficient classes of soci ety, and which is commonly distinguished by the name of the middle class. (Hear, hear.) It is the belief of those who have studied such matters, that the power of the despot, and the power of the legislative monarch, and the essential power of government in all governments, are ra pidly tending to be absorbed in that mighty and important class; and I must own that, though there are differences of opinionas to the speed with which this process is pursuing its course, that many facts in our own recollection, and in the remembrance of man, tend to give a colour to that ar gument, which ought not to be overlooked by those who at tend to such subjects. If this he the case, what duty, what obligation can be more sacred upon us, than to endeavour to do that which we have this day endeavoured to do, which shall afford to that body the conviction of a religious truth, coupled with the advantages of secular knowledge and sci ence. (Hear, hear.) With reg ard to the quarter i n w hi c h that scheme originates, I own I think there is none which can, with greater grace and propriety, set an example in such matters, than the community which is represented here. (Applause.) Gentlemen, you occupy a station in the world which makes you play a vast part in the controul and ma nagement of its entire course; and if you suffer a mean and narrow spirit of gain, unenlightened by education, and, above all, uninfluenced by religion; to intrude itself into your counting-houses, I know not precisely when the result may occur, or in what shape it may happen ; but I tell you your prosperity is on an insecure and shifting basis : I tell you, that if the ways of Providence are now what they have been, that you may one day share, and deservedly share, the fate of those who are obliterated from the face of the earth, and whose structures were as magnificent and splendid as your own. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, it leis accidentally been my lot lately to sail along the coast which formerly sent forth, in the infancy of navigation, their miners to Corn wall, when this country was the abode of the naked and painted savage; and I, along that coast, have found what I fear the fleets of this country now find, along a coast once filled with harbours and teeming with population, and having on its coasts the palaces of those who conducted the infant intercourse of the world; I myself have found no spot on which an anchor can be cast in security. The study of the history of Phoenicia leads to no ideal speculations. Turn to that record which I trust is to be the text book of such knowledge as you propose to give to your fellow citizens to know it—turn to that record, and you will find that the ruin and destruction were predicted by the ministers of Him whose ministers accomplished it, and you will find that it was owing to moral as well as physical causes. And gentle men, there is yet no sign here of decay. Your prosperity advances with the increase of science, and every day presents new sources for renewed enterprise. You were dependent on the current and the atmosphere; you now not only don't court their favour, but you defy and resist their influence. (Applause.) While at the bidding of these incentives, half your forests will rush into the floods, let us remember that it is the office of these floating masses which you launch into your slips and receive into your basins, not only to bear British thunders, but her cross displayed to the bright regions of the rising world, (much cheering), and show by the con duct of those who float in them, by their capacity, their in telligence, and the spirit of their dealings, a bright example to all. But if instead of recommending your nation and your faith, by the spectacle of your practice, you only con firm the heathen in his unhallowed rites, and make him cling to his false gods in preference to those of the Christian, on you rather than on him will be the guilt of that transgres sion ; on you and your establishments will at least right justly fall the curse which has laid Tyre and Sidon in the dust, and involved the emporiums of the older world in com mon and cureless ruin. (Hear, hear:) I say that these are considerations which appear to me more properly applicable to the audience which I now address; and it is on that ac count that I venture, after what I have heard, to trespass one moment on your patience, as to the motives which have in duced me, in my humble capacity at least, to join most cor dially, and I will say most enthusiastically in this enterprise. It only remains for me now to return you my best thanks for the honour you have conferred upon me, and for the very flattering manner in which it has been received. (Great applause. The noble CHAIRMAN again rose and said,—the toast which I have now to propose to you is, the health of the Lord Lieutenant of the County. In naming that toast, I feel I name one who, from his near neighbourhood to the place from which I am speaking, is known to most of you, and esteemed by all who know him by reputation or name. (Great cheering.) • Lord STANLEY rose amidst much cheering. He said, gentlemen, I am quite sure that, after the unwarrantable length to which, on a former occasion, I trespassed on your attention, I should best consult your convenience and the in terest of the meeting, if I return you thanks in as short and Simple a form as I can, for the honour you have conferred on my father; and I am sure you will think that if briefly given, my thanks and his are not less cordially and less gratefully given. Gentlemen, debarred, by physical incapacity, from mixing much in the society, even of his nearest friends, there is no roan whose heart is more sensible to gratitude —no man whO is more grateful for kindness shown ' and who entert a i ns a livelier sense of the kind ness w hi c h he has at all times re ceived from the inhabitants of this county, and of which the reception by you of his name to night will be most gratifying intelligence. (Great cheering.) The Rev. Chancellor RAIKES next rose, and was received with loud applause. He said—l rise, gentlemen, to propose tae health of the members f or th e county : and I take the liberty of addressing that proposition to you, since, as our noble chairman is to be considered in the light of one of the representatives of the county, I cannot with so much pro pnety address to him the toast which I know will meet with a most cordial response from you. (Applause.) And here let me be permitted to say, in proposing this toast for your acceptance, that I feel it is perfectly unnecessary, while the words still rest in your ears, in the hearing of the distin guished individual who fills the chair, and of the distinguished individual on his right,) for me to say anything in commen dation of the indi v id ua l s w h om i t i s t h e o bj ect o f this toast to propose to your acceptance. Permit me to pass from them, (for to speak of them in suitable terms far exceeds the power I possess,) and call your attention to the simple fact that it is to the members of the county we are now proposing this testimonial of our gratitude. (Hear, and applause.) The work we were engaged this morning in commencing is in tended for the benefit of the town of Liverpool • and perhaps it would be hardly possible to conceive a work of any kind which will contribute more permanently and purely to the prosperity of the town of Liverpool. Who, then, are the in dividuals whom it is the object of this toast to propose to your acceptance, who have lent themselves to the advance. ment of this work ? Why it is those individuals who are the representatives of the county. (Hear, hear.) Have we not here the agricultural interest blending itself with the com mercial interest of the county—losing sight of everything personal, and of everything but what contributes to the wel fare of the country at large. This, gentlemen, is that happy union which long has held this country together and made it what it is, and which I trust will long continue to give pros perity to these institutions, and ensure that prosperity in every part of the world. The toast which I have the honor to propose and which I am convinced will meet with your most cordial acceptance is—" The healths of the members for the county." (Great cheering). The Hon. RICHARD BOOTLE WiLaitAnAm, M.P., rose to respond to the toast and was received with prolonged cheering. He said—Gentlemen, it has often been my lot to witness the brilliant assemblages which on various public occasions have taken place in this town. 1 can with perfect truth assure you that never in my life did I witness such au assembly as this in this town, and with so great gratification. Gentlemen, it has been my lot more frequently to appear before you, simply in a political character; and I do beg to congratulate you all, gentlemen, on the total absence of po litical feeling which has characterized the proceedings of this day, and also to congratulate this great town upon the attain ment of the object which wealth and intelligence have been so cordially uniting to promote. Gentlemen, I ought per haps to apologise for standing in this place and answering to the toast which has been given. But, gentlemen, you are fully aware that my two noble friends have already had an arduous task iu the different duties they have had to perform —(hear, hear)—l congratulate you and the county at large in having my two friends as their representatives : and whether . we look to them as men eminent for talent in public life, or as men eminent for virtue in private life, I am sure that I as a representative of this county with them, and you, as hav ing them as your rep r e sen t a ti ves , hi g hl y f eel the honour, as well as that you have them patronizing this institution. (Loud applause.) I shall add nothing more to what I have said, but my best congratulations to you for having obtained the object of this day, and cordially to express a wish that that which has been so auspiciously begun under the presidency of my noble friend, and under the kind and fostering attention of the Lord Bishop of the diocese, and I may add of the unremitting attention of his clerical associates, may flourish from year to year, and be the means of bringing forward many eminent men in every station of life, to the honour and prosperity of this great town. (Loud applause.) For myself and colleagues I re turn you our thanks for the honour you have conferred upon us. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN.—I don't know whether all those assem bled here are as conscious as all those immediately about me of a very agreeable addition to our party, by the arrival of your respected members. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, that oc currence gave me the opportunity of ascertaining the nature of the reception which Mr. Cresswell was likely to receive in this assembly. (Applause.) Of that which awaits your other member, my noble friend, I can form no conclusive idea. But I believe that if he could possibly be received otherwise than as I could hope and wish in the assembly which occupies this floor, I really believe that that reception would be prompted from an influence from behind and above t h em . (Loud cheering and applause at this allusion to the presence of the ladies.) It so happens that your respected chief magistrate having done me the honour to admit me into his carriage this morning, I had an opportunity of judging of this ; for certainly there did appear a very strong curiosity on the part of the female part of the congregation, (laughter and cheers) which appeared to me to be connected with the phy siognomy of the noble lord (laughter and cheers)—so much so, that I found it desirable to sit as far back as possible to escape their scrutinising observation. I have no hesitation in proposing to you the health of the two members for the borough of Liverpool. (Immense applause, the ladies rising and waving their handkerchiefs.) LORD SANDON, M.P. rose amidst most enthusiastic cheer ing. He said—M y lord, and ladies and gentlemen. (G reat cheering and laughter.) I hope I shall be excused for de parting from the usual course of this night's proceed. ings ; for the ladies having s o kindly taken a part in the last t oast, I should really be most ungrateful if I lost one moment in acknowledging their share of the compliment. (Great pplause.) It is not indeed a new thing for me to receive, whether in these walls, or within the walls of Liverpool, testimonies of kindness and cordiality, which, I confess, I am unable to account for. I can only ac count for it by that insinuating sympathy which creates a re. gard for that which it is associated with, and which induces you to feel that regard and affection for me, and which ever . since I have had the honour of a connection with the inhabi ~.--; =- ants of Liverpool, I have felt so unfeignedly and deeply for them. (Cheers.) But, ladies and gentlemen, if I have ever felt pride and gratification within these walls, I do not know that I have ever felt either so highly as on the present occa sion —so highly and so purely, because so free from every sentiment of personal gratification, and so entirely devoted to the triumph of that cause in which the dearest interests of my heart are engaged. (Hear, hear.) I have now one of the dearest feelings am) , heart gratified. I have long wished to see within this great and growing community an establish ment rising within your walls, such as this day has inaugu rated. I have long wished to see the great masses of this community, rising as they are into the highestplaces of the land, filling our senate, the bar, end he church, carrying out samples, as it were, of the English n itioil to every corner of the globe — (applause)—educated within the walls of an establishment which should give them a solid, a manly, an English, a Church of England education. (Great applause.) When I say an English and a Church of England education, I in fact say the same thing in other words, for I believe that with the extinction of the spirit of the Church of England, the English character would be deeply deteriorated. We should no longer see that which so singularly and so solely distinguishes the English character —that proud submission — that dignified obedience to subordination—that spirit of liberty, combined with the love of revelation, which so glo riously distinguishes, and long may it distinguish, the English nation from every nation on the face of the earth. Gentlemen, I do not mean to trespass long on your attention this evening. The labours of the night that is passed, and those of the day that is to come, perhaps may excuse me where so many around me are not only calculated to engage your attention, but who have done so in the highest degree ; and I may perhaps therefore take this opportunity of indulg ing myself, and trespassing for a shorter time on your atten tion than under other circumstances I should do. It is, in deed, a great gratification to see the members for your county such men—men high in rank and station, daring to pronounce in the midst of an assembly like this those words of holy, of solemn, and of serious import, which I believe in no other country, and I may say in hardly any other age, could be pronounced with that acceptance—(applause)—and that so lemn feeling with which those observations were received. (Hear, hear.) This indeed is an auspicious character of the age in which we live. If this spirit still continues—if this spirit of our national church not only continues but extends, in vain shall we be exposed to the storms of political conten tion—in vain may democracy try to infuse into the British constitution a single unconstitutional doctrine. (Immense applause.) Let them do so ; let them try it if they please ; let them succeed ; but if they do succeed, they will not gain their object; for with a wholesome, a wise and scriptural education, founded on the principles of the national church, I believe we may trust to ary part of the population of this country. Gentlemen; with these feelings, humbly apologis ing for the scantiness of the observations which I have of fered, and for the imperfect manner in which I have offered them, I only take the opportunity of expressing the gratifi cation with which I have witnessed the ceremonies of the day crowned as they have been by such an assembly as we have seen, where the Bishop and the clergy of the diocese inter mingled with their attached laity. I return you my most hearty thanks for the kindness with which you have received me, and I call on my brother member to take his share of the responsibility. (Great cheering.) MR. CRESSWELL, M.P. rose amidst enthusiastic and pro longed cheering. He said :—I never rose with more sincerity to express feelings of gratification than at this moment. And although I have lost (by the unfortunate position in which I found myself, being unable to appear at an earlier hour) the interesting proceedings of the morning which would have greatly delighted me, still I have abundant cause to rejoice at being present to witness the enthusiasm of all assembled at this meeting, where the inhabitants of Liverpool are en gaged heart and purse—not hand in contributing to that great undertaking which I trust is auspiciously commenced this day. (Applause.) I feel that I was unfortunately late, not merely in missing the ceremony this morning, but in missing that which I have only heard spoken of in admiration of its merits—the speech of the noble Lord who this day founded the institution. (applause.) But gentlemen, having thought on the subject—having considered the importance of it, hav ing considered how far it is calculated to affect the future destines of the whole empire, I can fully participate in the joy which animates you all on such an occasion. (Applause.) I cannot express fully how much I feel the kindness with which you have been pleased to greet the humble individual before you—(Applause)—because I know full well, that your kind reception of me is not on account of any public services which I have rendered von, though free and uninfluenced on account of any personal feeling; for in truth, it too often comes a-cross me, that the course which members of my profession are bound to pursue does anything but win per sonal favour. (Cheers, a cry of " right there ' and a laugh.) But I profess, though you may not think me sincere, that I could not for political objects state that which I do not feel; and if you believe that which I have professed, that I will stick to as long as you place me in the station which I occupy. (Loud applause.) It is sincerely my desire to promote not only secular but religious education. Gentlemen, for your kind reception this day, I most sincerely return you my thanks. And believe me, how ever inefficient I may be in expressing my feelings on this occasion, no one can feel more deeply the importance of this day's proceedings. And ungrateful should I be to the edu cation which I have received, did I not feel its importance. My noble and excellent colleague has alluded to the effects which may be produced by the education you are now hold ing out to the middle classes of this town, as an incentive to high station in their several pursuits ; and I have a proud feeling of what an education given to the middle classes may enable them to fulfil ; for you see a specimen of it before you. I have no more distinctions than those which belong to any of the classes of this land, excepting those earned by humble, persevering, and I hope honest industry, and which have obtained me your favour. (Great and enthusiastic applause.) It is no new thing to leave the burden of the labour, which should be divided between us, to my noble colleague. I am quite content that he should take the greatest share of it, well knowing now that I should but mar that which I touched which had been under his hands. Therefore, gentlemen, I will say nothing of this in stitution. I allude only to the effects of edulation by telling you that I am one of the middle classes who have profited by it. (Applause.) But I hope and trust that this institu tion, prospering from day to day, may extend similar advant ages to many members of this town; and when my years of labour are over that I may see those members of this town now rising into the opening of life, filling higher and more honour able positions than that which I am now too proud to occupy. I have had the privilege of receiving the exceeding great re ward of your approbation. I have now the privilege of pro posing a toast to your acceptance. Gentlemen, those among you the inhabitants of the town of Liverpool, the members for the county, the members for the town, and those who are joined together in promoting this great undertaking, might naturally be expected to meet together to celebrate this gra tifying event ; but it was extremely desirable also that others should be present—that as many noble and distinguished gen tlemen as could consistently with their avocationsand duties, should come and witness the proceedings—should see how pure were the motives by which all were actuated ; to see that there was nothing like abuse of a political adversary, to see how harmoniously we joined together to promote that which, unless all philosophers and good men have been de ceived from the beginning of the world, cannot be evil. We thank them for their presence. We wish the principle on which this institution is founded to be as widely dissemi nated as possible. We know they have come here influenc ed by the kindest spirit, and it becomes us to thank them for their attendance. I beg to propose as a toast—The health of the Earl of Wilton, and the other distinguished guests who have honored us with their presence." The Earl of WILTON rose to respond to the toast. He said—Gentlemen, it is with feelings of uncommon interest and pleasure that I have been a spectator of this day's pro ceedings—feelings which I am quite sure are shared in by those gentlemen in whose behalf as well as on my own, I have been requested to acknowledge the compliment which this vast assembly has just paid us. It must have been, gentle men, to them, as it has been to myself, a source of the most unmixed. the most unqualified pleasure and satisfaction, to have been present at the commencement of this great—this noble work, which we may humbly hope may be the means among many others of diffusing the light of knowledge— (hear, hear, and cheers)—of opening the paths of science and of imparting the spirit of truth to this kingdom. It is impossible, gentlemen, to imagine a subject more fitted to elevate the mind or to call forth more exalted feelings of the heart. It is impossible to contemplate a theme more cal culated to raise the sympathies of all than this. Gentle men this is a subject which has been already so amply, so fully, so fOreibly, so eloquently, and so feelingly enlarged on by my noble relative near me, by the noble lord the chair man, and by other noble lords and gentlemen who have ad dressed you, that I should only weaken the effect of the ad dresses they have given you, if I attempted to touch the sub ject further. In their hands lam content to leave it, But just thus much I may be allowed to add for myself, that this great and noble work has my most sanguine wishes for its perfect and complete success—a work so worthy of this great town in which it has been conceived, and in which it is to been executed;—(heart hear)—a town than which no ether has given to the world greater proofs of what intelligence and industry and enterprise and the power of man can achieve. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, it remains for me but to express to you on my own part, and on that of the other guests, our grateful sense of the kindness of the com mittee in placing our names upon the list of the toasts ; but in a more especial and peculiar nisnner to thank you for the favour and consideration with which that toast has been re.. ceived by you. (Applause.) The CHAIRMAN—It has been a satisfaction to us to have our proceedings sanctioned by so many distinguished persons in this country and town • and amongst others it has been a satisfaction that we have the advantage of the presence of the chief magistrate of this town. And I feel bound to say for myself that it was impossible for a gentleman in his station to give that attendance with greater kindness, promptitude and urbanity, than he exhibited. With these words I trust you will accept with the utmost readiness and satisfaction the toast I have now the honour to propose to you, " The Mayor of Liverpool." (Cheers.) [These cheers were followed by loud and mingled cries o f " The Mayor" and " Mr. C roo k e. " I t being understood that the Mayor was not present, these cries at last merged into one for " Mr. Crooke." Suddenly that gentleman was seen to rise from his seat, and, with imploring gestures and beseeching tones, address something to the chairman, whilst, with impassion e d ve h emence, he clasped together and raised hie lilac-gloved hands. There was something so piteous in his aspect, that the meeting seemed to feel for him. The chairman was moved, and his own immediate friends could not forbear embracing him, and oppressing him therewith again on to his seat. The sentences uttered by the learned gentleman were unfortunately inaudible. We cannot, there fore, give their import.] The CHAIRMAN.—It is impossible for me to steer by any other chart than that which is placed in my hands, and I find the toast I last gave in the list before me. It is now my duty to call on Mr. M`Neile. (Cheers.) The Rev. Iluan M•Nxits. on rising to propose the next toast of " Success to the Diocesan Educational Society," was most enthu. siastically cheered. He delivered a most admirable speech, for which we regret our inability to find room till our next number. The rev, gentleman, in allusion to the venerable diocesan's vigilance against heresy in the church, and to Lord Stanley's recent parlia mentary labours, concluded by applying to them —and the applica tion was received with deafening applause. The lines— " Charge. Chester, charge on, Stanley on !" [Some short time after the reverend gentleman had commenced responding to the call of the chair, the Mayor's deputy, Mr. Crooke, who appeared to be labouring under an indistinct concep tion that it was he who ought to be speaking, al so commenced ad dressing certain mysterious and piteous sounds to the Chairman. which were suddenly cut short by a summary ejectment " vi et ann is, ,, by his surrounding friends ; against whom he has a very maintainable action of assault and battery—their charitable inten tions being no answer in law.] The Hon. and Rev. H. Powys replied to the toast of " Success to P give the e ed l s " t for and me, most agreeable Scriptural Education through out Diocesan th eworld S .V e ty ," and They d uty PnaEsSelhDaXiNr.T.a—n. to onlylt gi remai nsinthe the evening. (Hear.) It i s one which, after theo s em• performance at i o n s toastt ha ‘ oo •e ff m already made, must be posed to surrender to aPnlyeaganng,* (H m e a a n r y .) , b i ut te w g h t i o ch gi l ve an yo i o n . o , t , ,dirhse health of the Ladies," (Great cheering.) The noble President, the Lord Bishop , Lor d Stanley, Lord Sander), Lord Wilton, and th e other principal p guests, then retired, but several speeches were afterwards delivered, and the meeting did not finally separate till a late hour. GREAT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP COMPANY.—We under stand that some of the experirnentalizing directors of this company, have resolved on adopting the Archimedean screw for the great iron ship, and are now reconstructing her at an enormous expense, for that purpose. We need hardly ob ssrve, that this course has been adopted without the sanction of the proprietors.—Bristol Mirror. When George IV. threw a glass of wine into tha face of a gentleman who sat near him at table, the coutlier coolly filled his own glass and flung it into the face of his neigh bour on the other side, saying, " I suppose it' is to go round." 4nl