Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-10 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE. [We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our correspondents.] KIRXDALE ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTIIERN DAILY TIMES. Srn,—Having been present, by particular request, at the meeting in the Kirkdale school-room, Everton Val ley, held on Monday evening, the sth instant, for the purpose of swearing in the Kirk-dale Volunteer Artillery Corps, in the presence of his the Mayor, &C., I think it• only due to 'the movement generally, and to that particular branch of it designated the Kirkdale Vo lunteer Artillery Corps, to . which my attention had been more particularly called and directed, thui boldly and openly tio affirm that it would be difficult, in this event ful crisis of England's weal or woe, to discover a move ment that has a higher.claim to the disinterested zeal of every Briton born, if only, as I have written elsewhere, it be found at home, in tte very bosom that gives. the life, —the Church, —that sacred ark of Heaven's oracles that gilds England's crown, upholds her sceptre, and de fends her rule—when in the dignified simplicity of truth she tells ent the Cross of England's glory and the God of England's hope,--holding, the sword it may be, but only as terripered by the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. Believing the movement thus received to approve Church•and State in happy union, I cannot bat wish it God speed, and must regard it my privilege to do so, for having teen kindly asked by some of its earliest originators to name anything that might suggest itself as likely to serve the cause k it needed little time to make reply. A public service on behalf of the Corps was the immediate and gratifying result. On Sundly afternoon, the 27th ultimo, St. Matthew's Church, Scotland-road, was freely open to the public, and the company then en rolling: Marked was the attention and decorum throughout,' and a breathless silence in the midst of the large body of men, whilst a sermon, taken from Solomon's Song, 3rd chapter and Bth verse, was de livered. Since that time the oath of allegiance has been taken ; and to give such act all the solemnity due to it, the corps, the public, and all interested in this great national movement, who may be disposed to sanction it, are respectfully invited to St. Matthew's Church, in the afternoon of Sunday next, the 11th of December, at three o'clock, on which occasion an appropriate sermon (D.V.) will be preached. I am thankful for the facilities my church affords in the prosecution of the best interests of all such as, in the spirit of genuine patriotism, thus give their services to their Queen, their country, and, above all, their God. And Whilst I am aware that there are those of my brethren in the ministry, who, had thy the same. facilities, would employ. them to the same end, I feel satisfied, should their .aid at any_ time b 3 needed, they will not withhold it from the one who subscribes himself, sir, your faithful and obliged servant, 11. B. W. HILLcoAT, D.D., Incumbent of St. Matthew's Church, Scotland-road, and late Chaplain to J1.R.11. the Dake of Sussex. 40, York-terrace, Everton, 6th Dec. 1859. TO TUE EDITOR OF THE NORTIIERN DAILY TIMES SIR,—As a member of the Kirkdale Artillery Volun teers I was sorry to find that our reverend pastor forgot to giye the honour of this movement to whom that honour was due. This corps, or, I may say, brigade, was formed by one man, who, by his kindness in his active and laborious professional duty, made himself greatly respected by the working classes,—l mean our respected senior captain—Captain Dyke. To this fact can hoth the men and the drill instructor add their testimony ; and, I may say, that, taking the officers as a body, they. are ever . kind to us ; and I feel that, by making this statement, I do them a justice as well as the corps. lam sure the working classes will appre ciate my openly making this statement.—l remain, &c., A MEMBER OP THE CORPS. No. IV.—TIDAL CURRENTS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DXILY TIKES, SlR,—The case of the Irawaddy is very instructive, as showing the serious consequences that may result from the neglect of the tidal currents in the Irish Sea. The Irawaddy sailed from Glasgow on the 12th October, 1856; passed the Stack Light at 6 a.m. of the 13th, wind. S.E., and at 9.30 p.m. the same evening, when all on board were satisfied that they had made the Cunny Beg Light Ship, off the Saltees, the ship ran on the Blackwater Bank, twenty-two miles short of her sup posed run, and ten miles short of the Tuskar. High water occurred at Dublin Bar on that night at 10 33 p.m., and at the Head of the tide at 10.20 p.m., and low water occurred at the Head of the tide at 4.8 p.m. I assert that between four o'clock and 9.30, when the vessel struck, she was carried to the north 11 knots, a distance greater than that between the Black water Bank and Tuskar, on clearing which, she could easily have made the Saltees with a south-east wind. It is remarkable that the Emperor, the Lady Ebring ton, and the Irawaddy, all struck the Blackwater-bank with .a leading wind down channel. In such a case, the tidal,currents are more, dangerous than with a beating wind, as, with the latter, the captain will generally use the lead, and so become aware 'of his approach to the banks; while, with a leading, wind; he naturally neglects the lead, and is unconsciously at the mercy of the tides, of which, in the majority of cases, he knows nothing. I hope to publish in my , next letter a practical table, which will be of some service in directing the attention of owners of ships to the importance. of the subject I have taken in hand.—l am , your obedient servant, SAMUEL HAUGHTON, , eIk. F.8..5. Trinity College, Dublin, Dec. 5, 1857. WHO WILL LEAD THEM ? TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. SIR,—As the general topic is the volunteer movement, and as the demand for volunteers still• continues, perhaps I may be allowed to say that there are hundreds of tradesmen's assistants who are anxious to form, but who find a difficulty on account of the "late hour system." The Early Closing Association is endeavouring to pro cure for us the " six o'clock movement, and • the closing of all business establishments on Saturdays at four p.m.'', Assistants will then forma corps of their own—who will lead them ? • - Th e _ cry is—" Who will volunteer ?" and riflemen are being raised' throughout the country, in numbers sufficient to foim an army of themselves. The shopmen will make fine soldiers —only try them. Let the hourg of drill be out of the hours of. busmen__ persuade the employers to give the time, and there will Crvis. be no lack of volunteers.—Yours, THE TEA THEE IN INDIA.—Mr. Henry Mann, an enterprising gentleman who left China about five years ago, has introduced the tea tree to Southern India, having formed a plantation on the Neilgherries, which is now flourishing , The Madras Government has lately published an interesting report upon the subject. The plantation is situated above 21 miles above Coonoor, at an elevation of 6,000 feet, with an exposure to the north-cast, and contains about 6,000 plants. The ground occupied is about four acres. The plantation is on a slope.' The • forest land is found most suitable for the plants. It now only remains to test the leaf, and to procure skilled manufacturers. This the Govern ment were asked to do by the Conservator of Forests, but the application has been refused on the grounds of the inexpediency of Governement interference with private enterprise. The importation of skilled manufacturers on speculatio n will not probably be ventured upon by ally private individual for many years. The cultivation of tea in the hill districts of India seems to be spread ing fast, and as these are the local i t i es recommended for European colonisation, we may yet see India rival lino China in this trade, and sturdy Anglo-Saxon • piers •depicted on the tea chests instead of almond eyed, long-tailed men of China.—Bengal Hurkarte. LIVERPOOL POLICE CO URT.-YEiTERDAY. (Before J. S. MANSFIELD, Esq.) DRUNK AND DISORDRRLY.—John Shannon, a young man, was charged with entering the house of Mr. Fisher, publican, Frederick-street, about three o'clock in the afternoon of the previous day, in a state of intoxi cation, and immediately commencing to assaelt several men who were standing at the counter. Mr. Fisher attempted to put hire out, but he kicked most furiously, and when outside the door he lifted a basket of coals from the head of a girl who was passing, and flung basket and contents through the window, breaking eight squares of glass, value £2 10s. The prisoner pleaded that he was so drunk that ho remembered nothing of what had taken place. He was sentenced to imprisonment for two months, in default of paying the amount of damage done. CHARGE or STEALING PORK. — William Cardlin, residing in Arley-street, was brought up on the charge of stealing a barrel of salted pork, mid Mary Short, provision dealer, Great Crosshall-street, was charmed with receiving the same, knowing it to have been stolen. Mr:Black appeared for the defence. Detective-officer Wilson stated that a barrel of pork, the preperty of Mr. Robinson, Great Howard-street, had been stolen from a cart on the night of the 30th November, in Regent street, and in consequence of information which had been conveyed to him, he searched the premises of the female prisoner, where he found a quantity of pork of the same kind and quality of that which had been stolen. She confessed to buying , a barrel of pork from the male prisoner. Mr. Block submitted that there was no evidence that could bring home the. felony to the prisoners.: The magistrate took the same view of the case, and consequently dismissed it. • CONNUBIAL FELICITY.—WM. Thomson, a moulder, in the employment of Mr: Stoney, was brought up on the charge of assaulting his wife; and police cqnstables 832 and 354, on the previdus night. The prosecutrix stated that her husband was abusing her in such a Manner that. she was obliged to call in the police; she had nee wish to see him imprisoned, but. only desired protection from his cruelty and 'abuse. The prisoner when asked what he had to say to the charge, drew himself - up to his full height, crossed his arms on his breast, and commenced a rambling harangee, in which he recounted when and why he came to Liverpool. .The time of his marriage, and tho matrimonial felicity he had enjoyed up till within eighteen months. Since that time he accused his wife of being engaged in plots to get quit of hini. Last night, having come home from work and fallen asleep, he found " SiNena Sahib" on the house, who, however, quickly disappeared ; he instituted a most rigorouS search for other intruders, but found none. His wife had Made several attempts to tear out his eyes.—lt now became evident that the man was in the first stage of delirium tremens.—Mr. Mansfield ordered him to be remanded till to-day. (Before Messrs. CASTELLAIN and L. PEEL.) PUBLICANS' CASES. Mrs. Pike, Daly-street, was summoned for refusing to admit the police. The case was proved, arid a fine of 10s. and costs inflicted. . Margaret Jackson, Argyle-street, for selling during prohibited hours, was fined ss. and costs. Catherine Owen, Cunliffe-street, was summoned for selling at illegal hours. The defence offered was that the parties found in the house were lodgers. - This, however, was found to be incorrect, and a flue of of 20s. and costs 'bas imposed. Thomas Fisher, Tithebarn-street, was summoned for allowing men to fight. in his house, ©n Wednesday night last, at a quarter past ten o'clock. Mr. Roby appeared for the defence. The case was proved, and a fine of 20s. and costs inflicted. BEERSELLERS' CASES. John Allen, Lawton-street, was summoned for Sun day trading, and for permitting drunkenness. A fine of 21. 6d., with 2s. 6d. costs was inflicted. John Jackson, Bootle-lane, for permitting drunken men to fight in his house, was fined ss. and costs. John Welsh, Banastre-street, for permitting drunken ness in his house. on Sunday morning. The evidence was not sufficient to establish the offence, and tlit case was dismissed. BOROUGH SESSIONS. (Before J. B. ASPINALL, Esq., Deputy Recorder.) SENTENCES.-Thomas _Darr, aged 23, carter, of em bezzling money belonging to his employer, Bernard Bogue, one month.—Jane O'Hara, aged 17, and Honor O'Connor, aged 39, were indicted for stealing money, a carpet bag, and other property belonging to Hugh O'Hara ; the former was sentenced to three days' im prisonment, and the latter was acquitted.—Francis Murphy, aged 30. labourer, for stealing lead belonging to William Ratcliffe, four months.—Bridget M'Caul, aged 77, charwoman, for stealing weating ppparel belonging to Margaret Butler, three months.—Alice Maher, glias Molloy, aged 32, for stealing from James Brian, four months.—James Eastham, aged 18, labourer, was indicted for stealing beef belonging to David Rushton, two months.—William Hughes, aged 45, labourer, for stealing tools belonging to. John Lee, nine months. THE CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEMENT AGAINST A CAP TAIN.—WiIIiam Benson, aged 36, late master of the ship Pomona, who was charged and acquitted on the previous day on the second count of an indictment charging him with embezzlement, was again placed at the bar on the first count, which charged him with having embezzled the respective sums of £45, £l5, and £3O, which he had received on account of Mr. R. A. Munn and others, owners of the Pomona. Mr. Conway appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Deighton for the defence. It appeared 'that the Pomona, having been chartered to proceed to Calcutta, was there placed at the disposal of the Government, for the conveyance of troops to England. At Calcutta one of the officers paid the prisoner £ls, in consideration of his daughter being allowed a cabin passage; and that the prisoner also received £45 from Lieutenant Hallows, fs , r a passage from the Cape of Good. Hope. The £3O he received from "a youn,g man who was desirous of a voyage for the good of bis health, and who, on payment of that sum, was entered on the articles as " captain's clerk." M r. Deighton contended that the case should never have been brought into that court; but being only a dispute on accounts, should have been settled at a civil tribunal. The money, he contended, was not received by the captain on account of his employers ; and it was not received in pursuance of his appointment, but merely as compensation for ,the inconvenience he was put to by the officer's daughter, and Lieutenant Hallows, occu pying the apartments allotted to the prisoner. The Deputy Recorder ' in suniming up the evidence, said that with regard to the sum of £3O, he was not of opinion that the circumstances under which it was re ceived and retained would constitute embezzlement, and even if it slid, as it had been received more than six months prior to the time at which the other moneys were received, the law would not allow it .to be included in the indictment. With regard_ to the other amounts, if they considered that it was not received on account of the prosecutors, that would be' an answer to -the charge ; but they would find that the general effect of the in ,structions which the prisoner received was to make as ' much money as he could on account of his employers. Supposing they were satisfied that the money was re ceived on account of the prosecutors, then they" must say whether the prisoner fraudulently neglected to ac count for it ; if they-could see their way at all to believ ing that he hadthe slightest idea that he was entitled to the money, that would destroy the fraudulency of the transaction, and entitle the prisoner to acquittal.--After an absence of about an half-an-hour, the jury returned a verdict of " Not guilty," adding that they believed he had acted morally wrong.—The Deputy Recorder said riso n e r 0. had he entirely concu rr ed i n th a t ex p ression of opinion, a n d he intend e d it to apply even more strongly to the re ception. th e be 4 e n tried 3 0 w l c by h he first o r alluded both to. The w h T o h m e p had - considered it right be to appen the same opinion to their verdict. It would muchfor the better for the prisoner to account to his employersthe amount to which he was a defaulter, as it was competent r for ig h t t h . !TT to ho take such civil proceedings as theythought pri soner was then discharged. CONVICTION FOR FOR MURDER.—At the Northumberland assizes, on Wednesday, John Wilson Moody, ono of the mates of the American ship Mary, was tried fur the wilful murder of Daniel Witham, a seamen under his command. The outrage OR the deceased was accom panied with the atrocity which, we reget to say, h as been too frequently. displayed .in American ships, but this time, fortunately for the sake of justice, the offence was perpetrated within the pale of EnglOa law: Moody fractured the seaman's skull by striking him with a thick iron bar, and afterivards addressed to- the dying man the most brutal language. The murder was com mitted in the Northumberland docks, on the river Tyne. The jury found Moody guilty of manslaughter, and Mr. Baron Martin sentenced him to penal servitude for life. D.R. LANKESTEWS LECTURE ON WINES,' SPIRITS, "AND BEER.- Lankester delivered his fourth lecture last evening, at tthe Concert-hall, Lord Nelson-street—the subject being "Wines, Spirits, and Beer." Having_ been in troduced by the chairman, Mr. Nathaniel Caine, Dr. Lankester said that in a former lecture he had stated that the Pike water would act upon lead. Old cisterns became lined with carbonate .er sulphate of lead, and. would not, therefore, be likely ;to be acted upon by the water ; . but if they took a piece of cl e an n ew lead, placed it in a bottle of clear water, and corked it up for a dew days, they would see the action on the water, lay the tarnished appearance of the lead. Though this test should fail, there we,' _no doubt that . under certain circumstances lead was acted upon by the Pike water, and he told them this, that the people of Liver pool must, not be poisoned with lead. Referring to something which he had also said at the previous lecture, he contradicted the popular error that gelatinous matter was nutritious, and then proceeded to the subject for the evening. Alcohol, he said, was a perfectly natural pro duction, and he warned people against speaking un advisedly upon subjects of which they knew nothing. alcohol had a very curious effect upon the system, and very extreme opinions were entertained regarding it,; but this fact did not prove that it was altogether inadmissable as a medicine, or an article of diet. Many things which we take in small quantities would be poisonous if taken in large quantities. One of the most disastrous effects of alcohol on the system was the production of disorganisation of the mucous mem brane, and persons ought therefore to be very careful how they took alcohol on an ,empty stomach, especially in the form of brandy, rum, or gin, without water, though even with water they might produce the same bad effects on an empty stomach. If he was asked as to how these things should be taken, he would say—take them as seldom as possible And then only as medicine. When aged persons took alcohol it seemed to act as a suspen der of those processes of change which otherwise might go on too fast. They were beneficial ,when the change was • going on too actively, but it was just as .dan gerous to those in whom change does not go on quick enough. This should act as a warning to those having a tendency to rheumatism or gout. An immense amount of disease was created by the moderate taking of alcohol, and this, because people did not understand it it should be taken with great care, and even then could not be taken without fear of some evil result. Beer, he said, no doubt acted as a sort of tonic. It was said to be largely adulterated ; and at one time, though he did not say it was the case now, strychnine was used for this purpose. Re recommended persons, if possible, to brew their own beer. Speaking of wine, he said that a cer tain kind was manufactured in France for the English market, and to this, in order to make what was called a strong wine, large quantities of alcohol were added. Some wine would . fetch 305., while other wine would be sold for as many guineas, not because it was nutritive, but because it tickled the taste. The spirits distilled in this country were brandy, rum, gin, and whiskey ; and these, especially the Irish and Scotch whiskeys, and those from private stills, were often very injurious, in consequence of careless distillation. Every one must remember that these thing could not be taken with impurity, and every man, before taking them, should sit down and think about what he is going to do; recollect that he has a substance before him which is likely to derange his nervous system, and reduce him to•a state in which he is not able to take care of himself. They should be careful lest they took more of it than was good for them, and be drawn on to commit sins of witch it had been too often the incentive. _ . At the-conclusion of his lecture, a 3 well as frequently during its course, the lecturer was greeted with applause, and on the motion of the Rev. 11. S. Brown, a vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Caine for presiding. NORTTIERN DAILY TIMES BANKRUPTCY COURT.-YESTERDAY. (Before Mr. Co»zinisszoner Perry.) IN RE DENIS DIE GAuwlN.—The bankrupt carried on business at Liverpool, as a shipbroker, under the firm of " Deme Gauwin and Co." This was the certificate sitting.—Mr. Wynne appeared for the assignees ; Mr. Littler, barrister, instructed by Messrs. Lowndes, for the bankrupt, and Mr. Pemberton on - behalf of an opposing creditor. Mr. Pemberton examined the bankrupt at some length, with the object of chewing that his private expenditure had been extravagant and improper, but was stopped by Mr. Littler, who objected to his inquiring beyond the time when the debt with the opposing creditor, was contracted, in June of the present year.—His Honour held that Mr. Pem berton must confine his examination to the period since then. He afterwards addressed the court, contendinc , that the bankrupt's balance-sheet dis closed sufficient to call for the suspension of the certificate.—Mr. Wynne, for the assignees, was merely instructed to call attention to the defici ency of £3,800, with which the balance-sheet com mences.—Mr. Littler then replied on behalf of the bankrupt, and asked the court for an immediate certificate.—His Honour, referring to the items in the balance-sheet, said that the bankrupt's per sonal expenditure had been small ; but, looking at the amount of his debts, and the small amount that the estate would realise, he should suspend the certificate for three months, and when granted, to be of the second class. Tun ROYAL CHARTER.—The portion of the gold saved by the divers from the sunken wreck of the Royal Charter, arrived at the Bank of England on Thursday morning. It consisted of 19 boxes, 15 ingots, and a quantity of gold and nuggets, weighing, altogether; over 30 cwt. This, with the other part previously saved, makes a total in value of £190,000, more than half the bullion that was onboard. SERFS IN RUSSIA.—The question of the enfranchise ment of the 'serfs is causing at this Moment considerable agitation in St. Petersburg. The deputies of the nobles require to be allowed to decide themselves on an affair which interests them greatly. In consequence, they wish to form a deliberative, committee, and they put forth this pretension in terms which cause the Govern ment to fear that this is only a starting point, and that if the demand were accorded, they would make others. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL BENEVOLENT COLLEGE.— A meeting was held in St. James's-hall, en Thursday, for the purpose of founding an asylum for the relief of decayed farmers, their widows and orphans—a benevo lent scheme,• originating with Mr. Alderman Meehi. The project was approved of. and the institution will go by the name of the Royal Benevolent Agricultural College. The royal family are likely to render it sup port,' and large and liberal subscriptions were announced. STORMS AND SHIPWRECKS.—A good deal of damage, accompanied with loss of life, was done to shipping and other property on the Cumberland and other parts of the Solway coast on Sunday and Monday last. A violent gale prevailed on those days, and the sea was very rough. Even up to the close of Tuesday, though the gale had a good deal moderated, there was a heavy sea. At Workington, three vessels were reported on shore on Sunday morning, two on the north side,—the Unity, a regular trader, with a general cargo, from Liver pool, and the Rob the Ranter, an Irish schooner, from Dublin, both of which will doubtless be got off without much damage. On the south side of the harbour, just outside the pier, a Liverpool schooner, the Intrepid, laden with pig iron, from Ardrossan to Liverpool, lies stranded upon the bank, her bulwarks cleared away, and the surges breaking through her, with . every appearances of becoming a wreck. During the gale at Maryport, two vessels, named res pectively, the Hazard and the Shamrock, both belonging to that port, went on shore a little to the north of the harbour. At Allonby a vessel has been washed on shore, bottom up ; it proved to be the Manx sloop, Margaret and Ann, bound to Maryport, laden with black-jack, from the Isle of Man. It is supposed that she had capsized, and that her crew, consisting of three men; are drowned. The body of one man was found entangled in the rigging, very much mutilated ; and another body has since been washed ashore. Other pieces of wreck of various kinds have been washed on the shore between Maryport and Allonby. An inquest on the bodies of the two men who have been found, and whose names are Thomas Christian, mate, and James Bridgett, seaman, has since been held before the district coroner, and a verdict of "Found dead" returned. In the immediate locality of Whitehaven, no material damage has been sustained ; but a good deal of damage the e tin e t o s a t s o t the the fu has been d one a l i ttle higher up the Solway ; and, it is felt, placesa .and along ue h m feared, th a t t h e whole crew of one vessel have fallen a r a y l e ° f has the been gale.nother severely damage has, it as feared, been , k one. Pieces of wrqck, &c., are frequently washing up. CHURCH DEFENCE ASSOCIATION. On Tuesday last, a meeting both of clergy and laity who sympathise in the efforts of this Society, was held in the Clarendon Rooms. The general object was, to receive a statement from J. M. Knott, Esq., honorary secretary of the committee of laymen, on the condition and prospects of the Church-rate question. The chair was taken by the Venerable the Archdeacon of Liver pool. The CHAIRMAN said that Mr. Knott was untiring and enthusiastic on the subject of the maintenance of our ancient parochial system. Me was very sanguine as to the prospects of the friends of the Church ; and it was most gratifying to see this feeling in one who was so intimately acquainted with the facts. It was impossible hut that the :agitation of the subject should do good. (Hear.) Investigation had already dissipated some fallacies; and if the settlement of the question were only staved off for a little, better irformation would dissipate still more of them: (Applause.) It might please God to give to cur rulers a fitter mind ; at all events it was of infinite importance to hare secured the avowal that the object really is a separation of Church and State, and a confisoation of all church property, and not merely relief from nominal barthens. It is bettor that the battle take place at our outposts than at the citadel; and it is of infinite importance to us to diffuse valuable information. (Hear, hear.) . The Rev. Dr. Hume introduced Mr. Knott formally to the meeting. He had been mainly instrumental in sug , eesting, if not organising, the Committee of Laymen ; and, subject to the general principles laid down for his guidance, he was most unwearied in the good cause. Much depended on his discretion: and he was glad to be able to say that it was very wisely exercised. Mr. KetoTr, whose permanent address is at Kenil worth, was received with every demonstration of hearty welemne. He said that on this oeeaeion he would endeavour to place before those assembled the origin and progress of Church-rates opposition, and would indi cate the course - it was desirable to take at the present crisis of our history. ' It happened that he had the nneaus of observing with exactness the origin of the first political union, formed in Birmingham ostensibly for promoting parliamentary reform. It was an object-with the council of that aggating body, to plant itself upon some one of the local •interests of that town; and the Church-rate having been a question which annually engaged atten tion, and when difference of opinion existed—not as to whether a rate should be granted for the purposes of the Church, but for the regulation of the amount necessary— members of the political union council interposed. By acting on the mob, and producing the attendance of them, as those not interested in the money question, they suc ceeded, by clamour, in electing a churchwarden avowedly opposed to Church-rates;! and thus succeeded in 1832 in obtaining for the first time the absolute refusal of a rate. Turbulence, of course, induced churchmen to retire from the contest; and the proper poll of the town was ren dered impracticable or too painful to be pusrsued. Poli tical unions spread, and, with them, the hostility to Church-rates. Seeing that the adverse movement to the Church of England was-political rather than religions in its origin, . it fell to me to record this fact in a public pamphletin the year 1837. I had, subsequently, gone into comparative retirement for years ; but observing, in 1855, that the question had been so earnestly renewed in Parliament, it appeared to be my duty, in another and a shorter pamphlet, to bring to the minds of church men,-of legislators and statesmen, the fact, that a great delusion had been palmed upon the, country; that the movement against Church-rates was political under a religious plea; that the numbers interested had been greatly overstated ; and that, if the Constitution of the realm was to continue, determined resistance to those principles should .be .made. The later and shorter statement of the real objects in view attracted the attention of men of all sections of the community. By one of the bishops it was urged that the question was peculiarly one for laymen to handle. In confor mity with this opinion, as well as from the force of the fact that: the existing arrangements for proMoting abolition were almost wholly. political, the Committee. of Laymen was formed in the early part of the Session of 1856. This body was carefully compoeed of members of Parliament and other gentlemen, representing the several phases of church opinion. That organisation, which I have the honour of representing as honorary secretary, devoted its first efforts to the exposure of the sophistries, exaggerations, and ultimate designs of its opponents,—especially those which had been most widely• propagated through many years. They also applied themselves assiduously to the statistics of the question; by analysing. the Parliamentary returns of the House of Commons, both those of Lord Robert Cecil and Sir William Clay. (Hear.) The Church is an integral part of the constitution of this country. (Hear.) What guarantee is, there that if one part be overturned, another may not be so in like manner. The Crown may be assailed, and royalty, as before, may be suspended. (Hear, hear.) • Now Church-rates are the only external payment made in supporting the Church ; and if it were overthrown, I for one should not g ive many years' purchase for the Crown. Tithes and glebes are the property of the cor poration of the clergy ; and by the coronation oath, the rights and revenues of the Established Church are to be maintained. Why then, we may ask, do the ministers of the Crown shrink from their duty to' the. Crown ? (Applause) The proceedings of our opponents were of so exaggerated a kind that the question appeared to be solved by an appeal to numbers. It has become with some a prevailing opinion, which the Duke of Somerset has avowed in the House of Lords, and Mr. Hadfield and others in the House of Commons, that the Church of this country is in a minority. Mr. Bright declares that the Church represents only one-third. But all the i statements- are met with figures. The statistics of education show that • seventy-eight per cent. of the children of the country are educated in connection with the Established Church, and the registration of marriages shows that eighty-four per cent. take place in the churches of the land. This view is con firmed by Mr. Mann's statistics respeeting the sittings provided. Supposing that the sects opposed to the Church - provided an equal number, it must be borne in mind that several of them act with us, and that perma nent concerted action between some of themselves is im possible. For example, the Wesleyan Methodists con nected with the Conference are our friends—(hear, hear) —and they repieserit 12 per cent. of the whole popula tion. The Baptists• provide 4 per cent. of the sittings; but, reading the Scriptures as they do, and repudiating the authority Of the Old Testament in connection with their - theory of adult baptism, so, by analogy, it is quite in character to repudiate the principle of an established church, given there. In opposition to the Established Church, the Independents, representing 6 per cent. of the sittings, are their allies; but, on the qt - v2stion. of • baptism, they are their opponents, and the Baptists re fuse to partake of the Holy Communion with the Inde pendents. Concerted worship, therefore, is impossible; nor could they ever supply the place of the Church if she were dis-established to-morrow. Their efforts, remind one, therefore, of an ancient fable ; they will not allow us to provide spiritual things . for the outcast and the poor, and they could not them selves do it by any _ether organisation. The other sects, including Roman Catholics, Socinians, Calvinistic Methodists, &c., prOvide sittings for about 5 per cent. If out of this body of 15 per cent., con sisting of - men, women . and- children, we extract the heads of families, we shall have only one-fifth or 3 per cent., who can parade the new Objection of conscience. But even this is'too large, for it is admitted by the leading dissenters, including Mr. Morley and Dr. Foster, that the older members of their communities are opposed to these extreme• views, and that the latter are favoured chiefly by the younger ones, so that the number of those leagued against us may be estimated at 2 Ver cent. of the population. (Hear, hear.) Dr. Hume's statistics strongly confirm this view ; but as I originally calculated from Mr. Mann's statement as to thd number of sittings, it is more convenient for me to follow that' plan still. The State, in this and other - countries, is consecrated by the Church ; and when• party and pre judice are not in action, the arrangement falls in with the wishes of all Christian men. Some years .ago, the King of Tahiti was converted, owing to the residence in, his dominions of Mr. Nott, a missionary of the. Inde pendents. He acknowledged God in all his ways ; public transactions took place with a solemn reco g nition of Christianity ; the , missionary was practically Prime Minister; and at the coronation of Pomare, he performed the part of Archbishop of Canterbury. The facts were mentioned at a Meeting, of the principal Indepen dent ministers, at which I was present, when I remarked, " Why, gentlemen, this looks very like an Established Church." " Very like it, indeed," said the late excellent Dr. Wardlaw. Thus, we sometimes approach, in spite of ourselves, or rather approach the middle line of truth which both dispensations, ,old and new, indicate—the shadow and the substance. _Another fallacy of our opponents is this. It is industriously represented that nearly a moiety of all the parishes in England have ; refused Chureherates e but the "Committee of Laymen," on analysing the retuenS sent in from about 9,000 parishes, reduce the number to less than 5 per cent. (Hear, hear.) Some have estates which provide for church subjects in another way ; some have fallen back on voluntary rates for -the present, and temporarily till the state of the law is settled ; and others have restored rates where they had lapsed. But the simple fact is, that into 80 per cent. of the parishes of England and Wales, according to Mr. Walpole's return, Church-rates actually enter: Since 1830, no Government has attempted to deal with - the question, since that of which Lord Althorpe, formed part, if we except Lord Derby's. But the former would have commuted the payments, and fixed the whole on the Consolidated Fund ; thus destroy ing, in a great degree our parochial system, but pro viding a - battle ground annually within the House of Commons. The evidence given before the Lords' Committee has lately thrown great light upon the whole question; Another fallacyhas reference to the number of places of worship throughout the country. It is affirmed that the Established Church possesses about 14,000 places of worship, and the dissenting bodies about 20,000. Bat what is the character of the latter ? If we compare them on the ground of capacity, they are equivalent to about 13,000 of our churches, and probably so many as a third or a half of them are private houses, schoolrooms, i old buildings, or barns. From this number must be de ducted the chapels of the Conference Wesleyans, which are, in general, less encumbered. In the towns are many and good chapels ; hut they scent to migrate from place to place, deserting the poor, and keeping up with the richer class of the population. (Hear, hear.) In general the poor would be deserted, but for the Church ; though the buildings just adverted to are honourably and use fully employed by Dissenters—and we rejoice at it. (Applause.) • But my argument is, that we cannot abandon, the good cause of the poor and ignorant, as they are not at all prepared to take our place. Besides, the Patriot newspaper, which is an organ of the Independent body, in Some articles on the health of towns in 1843, said that a large portion of the nominal property of Di,seaters is heavily mortgaged. On the larger chapels the mortgages range from £l,OOO t o £10,000; and in one case to -120,000! We must not assume that anything will be permanently devoted to God, which in a few years., or even one year, may be consecrated to mammon. (Hear, hear.) The Estab lished Churches of the land are " consecrated," or devoted. permanently to Christian objects, and _ others cannot be compared with them. The Liberation Society could not pull down any of our fabrics, it is true ; but Ville same effect wiltdd be produced indirectly by allow ing fabrics to go to decay. At a .soiree lately given in Manchester, the hackneyed objection respecting con science was in a great degree abandoned; and a new plea of "religious equality" was put forth in its place. On the ground of public usefulness and position, religious equality is out of the question; but on moral grounds, and so far as respects toleration, acquirements, and per sonal character, they may possess religious equality at any time. Instances happily occur in which men among the Dissenting bodies, for learning, piety, and eloquence, obtain a public position which cannot be surpassed by any member, of the Established Church. Honoured names might be mentioned which would bring this home to every mind ; and no one could more gladly recognise such facts than Churchmen do, Another fallacy is prominently put forward by Mr. Miall, who identifies himself with the Liberation Society, and is -both - able and earnest in his opposition to us. He says that the Church of England is •the creature of the State ; that it is a political institution, not a religious one ; and that it may be so dealt with. Now, its ea- dowments were given in conformity with the impression that it was a duty to make permanent pi-ovision for the gospel ; and the landed proprietors, acting on the volun tary principle, gave freely one-tenth of their respective incomes to the clergy of England. (Hear.) Tithes and glebes were the gifts of pious men ; and not only were estates charged with them, but with Church-rates, the parishioners being, in point of fact, in the nature of trustees, only for regulating the amount. If the ,parishioners refused a rate, they were wanting in their duty, as the owners of property are chargeable through those who occupy. The condition of our large towns is an anomaly ancl•a crying evil. Dr. Hume has shown that, in a population of about four millions, at least one half are so irreligious as to attend no place of worship whatever. If efforts are not used promptly, and in the right direction, a moral volCano will burst forth in our large towns. Now those who live by the people, in the haunts of commerce and manufactures, should provide for their spiritual - as well as their temporal wants. These are plain, first principles, from which we should not wander. In these circumstances, the question presses upon us, What is to be done ? It may be safely answered, Churchmen must rouse themselves from their apathy, for the country trusts to them to preserve the privileges which have been handed' down from their fathers. (Cheers.) Any reasonable concession, consistent with the principles of an established. church, would be gladly made to actual scruples of conscience, where they exist ; but a compromise having been offered, and indignan4 rejected, we must fall back upon the law, vindicate the Church in its whole breath, and wait till a more Christian feeling shows itself in the country.. I am convinced, from much and intimate acquaintance with the parishes of England, that many will recover or restore their Church-rates ; but what is very much wanted is a definition - of those things which are necessary. Even front Birmingham, p; etitions have been presented •durine- l' two sessions, one from the clergy in 1856, presented by Mr.. Kuntz, originally a warm opponent of the Fates. They declare that their strictly professional duties are greatly diminished, by the painful and frequent solicitations for aid, which are indispensable at present. The evidence before the Lords, of Dr. Miller, is very instructive, as also that of the Hon. and Rev. Mr. Yorke;_ rural_ dean. The latter has raised, by various efforts, £l,OOO, yet several thoUsands are still needed to put his church in a thoroughly efficient con dition. In 1859, a deputation- of the clergy and Churchwardena had an interview with the Premier (Lord Derby) ; and they agree with a former statement, that even if themselves are not to be: gainers they appeal on behalf of the rural parishes. The following is the expression of the petition of 18'56. " Although the position of the church' in Birthingh am . ca nn o t be rendered worse than it is by the passing into law of the measure now before your hommrablehottse, having for its object the total abolition; without equivalent, of the Church-rate throughout England and Wales, your peti tioners deem it their duty to express to your honourable house, their sense of the danger of making general those - difficulties under which they themselves labour, difficulties which are now happily confined, as your petitioners believe, to a small proportion •only of the parishes of, England and Wales. A public meeting was called at Birmingham, and held in the. Town-hall, to complain of the action which the clergy took in this matter. I have seen the tithe, when, on the call of placards, twice as many would have attended as Could have entered the hall ; but on this occasion, .thanks to the zeal and Christian earnestness of 'the clergy, it was scarcely one third filled. In Manchester, a _rate _was carried by poll in 1833 and 1834, but in 1835; the churchwardens were unwilling to enter upon another excitingcontest, though they had the same prospects of success. They adopted this course partly from the assurance of Dissenters that they would subscribe volnntarily towards the necessary amount, and partly in the belief that before e many months the Legis lature would make such prov4ion as would render further appeal unuece - ssary.- Tiverpool, you know, shows how the rapid growth of . the town has rendered the parochial provision wholly inadequate. The follow ing. quotation shows the . anomalous state of the case : it is given in one of your own documents :—" It was made a parish in 1699, when the population was under 5,000 ; it has still only two parish churches,. for a popu lation of 258,356. The 29 other churches, all of them providing more or less for the spiritual wants of the population, do not benefit from Church-rates, as at present applied. The number ,of qualified voters is about 23,000, with at least 35,000 votes; yet in 1854, when a rate was refused, there were only 1,037 voters, and ;,468 votes for, and 1,574 voters, and 2,880 votes against. Thus, more-than 20,000 voters (possessing nearly 30,000 votes), nearly all of whom heartily approved of the principle of Church rates, never came forward at all ! A rate of one penny in the pound, amounts. to about £4,000 in the parish ; and a sum of about £BOO is at present raised by a voluntary rate. What is required is Reform, not _Destruction; .and the • great Owns would then be among the foremost to welcome and apply the system."_ The unfair position in which district churches arc placed s n( Lord a in nd re m fe duced to join our opponents. The act . knorl v i those a r n en y e e e h t u o ic m h o m th en er ha ch ve urc b h e e e s n h ti as ms be a t li n en f a el t t ed st a r a onf l i y n ;_ Blandford's Act will assist materially near Birmingham,. have become parochial,'t • t. and expending own rates in their respective d.e ne them exclusively at home. Parish vestries should en the Liberaton Society kends deavour to prevent li t. ° to m .ere.eteeelistructeone And ,to sb difficulties.; for severalthdeisterinectrocafacuhenehenstnsBoa:eftvNy strangers, .u n n g e a t h to e n i. like ete the the persons provinces, s DECEMBER 10, IS_59. ject on! alleged conscientious grounds. A present effort. is most ,desirable, • b ecause our opponents are already 'driven back, and are thoroughly quailing. This brings us to the subject o f p e ti t i ons, w hi ch s h ou ld be in great numbers to show the feeling of this great. country; and no constitutional means of operation Should be omitted. - We 'mast not die by suicide or neg lect. Honest petitions should be got up, signed by adult males in every district; not such as lie at the Corners of the streets for the autographs of those who do not under stand the subject. Constituents should also appeal to members - Whom they knoW, whether they are for or against, and bring the truth home to their minds. r must now show what is the avowed purpose of those who oppose the Church, brought out at the beginning of the session of 1859. •They are expressed in a pamphlet, entitled, "Objects and Operations .of the Liberation Society," in the following terms :—" The application to secular uses, after the equitable satisfaction of existing interests, of all national property now held in trust by the United Church of England and Ireland, and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and concurrently with it the liberation of those churches from all State control." The whole is a monstrous delusion, based upon perverted statistic. 3, as we have shown ; and it is on this delusion men can be . found so thoretically wild, as to seek to overthrow the most important feature of our national Constitution, and to induce us to lean on their untried scheme of a mere voluntaryism. Can there be any hesitation as to what we ought to do ? The Arch deacons have already met, and have issued a declaration of their sentiments; and the Bishops, knowing that our cause is go od,are heartily with us. Associations have been f orme d not only in Bath and Shrewsbury, Which are very vigorous, but also in Liverpool. There are others in Bridgenorth, • Ipswich, Bristol, Cambridge, and I hope there will be in Oxford. Division of opinion ought not to affect our conduct; if we are only united, we shall drive back our assailants. The question before the country is a church or no church ; the rural parishes, as Dr. Hume shows, have only 15 per cent. of a non-worshipping community ; and are we to stand by to see them dragged down to a condition in which nearly the halt shall be so ? I trust not my friends ; and in the language of chivalry, "may God Defend the right." (Loud apPlause.) Thanks to Mr. Knott were moved by the Rev. John Stewart, seconded by the Rev. H. T. Hecker, and carried amid applause. On the motion of Mr. Bardsley, seconded by Dr. Hume, thanks were retu r ned t o the Archdeacon, and the meeting broke up. FLOODS IN YORKSHIRE. Some heavy floods have occurred in different parts of Yorkshire this week. In the western part of the county, especially in the Calder valley, the streams and rivulets greatly' overflowed their banks, as did also the river Calder in several parts, and a good deal of damage was done, and in one instance human life was lost. The rain was accompanied with a strong wind, and about noon on Monday a factory girl, named Matilda Clegg, eight years of age, was walking near a mill-dam at Shibden, short distance from Halifax, when she was blown into the dam and drowned. Several of the worsted factories and corn-mills in the valleys about Halifax were injured by the flood, and at Suddenfoot, in the same district of county, a wooden bridge was - washed away. In Wharfedale also, the rivers and streams, were much increased,. and many hundreds of acres of land were laid under water. In the northern part of the county, especially in Wensleydale, the floods were very heavy. A mild thaw set in on Sunday evening, which, gradually dissi pating the snow which had fallen on the two previous days, caused a flow of water from the hills to the river Yore, but not to Ruch au extent as to cause any appre hensions of the treineadouS flood which afterwards en sued. During the night the wind rose to a hurri cane, accompanied with heavy showers, and this, it is supposed, Caused a large natural basin, known as Som mer Water, near Bainbridge, to overflow its banks, and pour into the already swollen and turbulent river below. With the return of daylight on Monday morning a scene presented itself in Wensleydale which was as fearful as it was unexpected The whole of the flat tract of land from West Witton, at the foot of Pen-hill to below Cover-bridge near East Witten. and Middleham, was so completely,submerged that nothing but the tops of trees and a few hillocks and hedgerows were visible on the vast sheet of water which, like a large 'lake, was spread over the face of the country. The course of the stream in the middle was very rapid and powerful, and a great deal of anxiety soon began to be manifested respecting the live stock which had been left in the pastures along the river's bank. The greatest loss at present known seems to have been sustained by Mr. Peacock, of Harmby, butcher, who had left 40 sheep and three horsei in a field called Boat Pasture. Some of these - were seen early in the morning huddled together on a small hillock, surrounded by water, and as the water continued to rise, the loss of the whole flock seemed inevitable. It was, however, known that a boat was kept by. Lord Bolton in a shed near the river, and though the task seemed as hopeless as it was daring, two men, named John Taylor and James Con— stantine, boldly waded into the water, and, after being nearly overpowered, at length succeeded in getting out the boat, when, with the ready help of a number of persons who had assembled, twenty-four of the sheep were brought from their isolated position.. The horses had already taken care of themselves, and fortunate:y escaped without injury; but sixteen sheep, chiefly half-bred and Leicester ewes, were carried. away by the flood, and out of the twenty-four which remained, two at least were on the brink -of perish- . ing. Four sheep were swept away oat of- a flock of twenty-seven belonging to Mr. Whitelock, which were in a field adjoining the Boat Pasture, but- th ese , with one exception, were afterwards recovered. Mr. Robin son, of Thornton Steward, is said to have lost three out of a flock of-fifty, and the carcases of a horse and other • animals were seen floating down the river. A great number of person's from Leyburn and the neighbouring villages visited what may be termed the -margin of the lake during the day, especially on the road from Ley burn to Middleham, Crossing the suspension bridge/ which was so completely submerged for nearly a quarter of a-mile as to render the passage of conveyances im possible. A good deal of damage has been done to some of the land which was flooded, especially to" such as was sown with wheat. SCOTCH .BANKING.—The last monthly return with reference to the position of the Scotch banks, made accordance with the Bth and 9th of Victoria, chap. 3 8 r. shows that the average amount of notes in circulation has been - X4,510,498, being £1,761,227 in excess of the circulation authorised by certificate. •The average weekly amount of gold and silver coin held was £2,568,227; The average note circulation exhibits an increase 0 ' £313,975, and the average stock of bullion an increase of £112,153, as compared with the preceding return. ENORMOUS :11ASTS.—A vessel which arrived some (ILO ago at Cherbourg, from Vancouver's Island, brought fl the dockyard twelve masts, which, according to the lec'„. journals, " astonished all who saw them"—three being nearly the length of 121 feet, and rather more than 36 inches in diameter at 15 feet from the butt, and most of the others nearly 100 feet long and 34 inches. T he masts are described as perfectly straight, without kno ts. or defect, and of a species of wood superior in qual it Y to all other wood used for masts. Their value is a bout 53,000 f: . 1 THE SMITHFIELD CLUB DINNER.—The annua l dinner of the Smithfield Cattle Club took place Thursday afternoon at- the London Coffee-house, Lila_ gate-hill, when about 100 gentlemen connected with the agricultural interest assembled. In the absence of the president, the Duke of Richmond, Lord Berners pre: sided. The usual toasts having been disposed of, the chairman proposed " The Smithfield Cattle Club , " and success to it. The Smithfield Cattle Club was establishe",, in 1798, or sixty-one years ago. It was then very sreal-: in its numbers, and was held in a very hum b le po sition in Goswell street. Some twenty years ago the sho ws of the club were removed to Baker-street, and at Cl u b time the proprietor of t he bazaar gave the cll.!? £3OO a-year. So far as the Smithfield Club was concerned, there was quite a unique principle i. ° :: troduced, which, instead 'of making the club pay for its_ show, accom modation for the the club' were thern selve ; paid for it. Instead, therefore, of receiving £3OO, „„ club now received £700: The non-Members of ,!r o , s ociety who exhibited s to c k pay £ll5 a-year. 111 0. implement-departm en t paid them £740, and th e ste , engine exhibitors X 50.. The dividend on thei r funie,!! ' stock produced £5O, and the subscriptions V 35. hey invested capital was £2,009, and at the present time t t r, had 364 members. The number of entries for live s_ during the present •year was 365. -The sums awarde d prizes for cattle and other stock amounted to £950,: 1 2 - ! o t medals £ll4, or in.rough_numbers, £l,lOO. Th was drank with loud and prolonged applause. 1 " the various gold medal prizes were then distrib uted, and drauA' healths of the successful competitors propose d and E .t I in for 3C yo Ins thr 41,2 or axxl ki.., Ita; bu r I 'oo tO o r Nvit 44, (s ki t 04 ri ty,, 46 tsai 441 A i RAI 44 F., to 12 It/