The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-11-27 00:00:00

PRISCE, ALBERT AT BIR:IIINGITA.M.

ON Thursday, H.R.H. Prince Albert visited Birmingham,
for the purpose of laying the first stone of the Birmingham
and Midland Institute,—an institution intended for the ad-
vancement of science and art amongst the middle and working
classes.

After the usual ceremonies, and the presentation of ad-
dresses from various public bodies, the parties proceeded to
the Town Hall, where a banquet was partaken of by about
five hundred persons. In returning thanks for the toast of
his health, Prince Albert said,—l am much obliged to you,
my lord, for proposing my health in such kind terms, and I
cannot but be much gratified by the cordial reception which
you, gentlemen, have been pleased to give to this toast. It
has been a great pleasure to me to have been able to partici-
pate, in however trifling a degree, in a work which I do not
look upon as a simple act of worldly wisdom on the part of
this great town and locality, but as one of the first public
acknowledgments of a principle which is daily forcing its
way among us, and is destined to play a great and im-
portant part in the future development of this nation and
of the world in general—l mean the introduction of science
and art as the conscious regulators of productive industry.
The courage and spirit of enterprise with which an immense
amount of capital is embarked in industrial pursuits, and
the skill and indefatigable perseverance with which these are
carried on in this country, cannot but excite universal admi-
ration, but in all our operations, whether agricultural or
manufacturing, it is not we who operate, but the laws of
nature, which we have set in operation. It is, then, of the
highest importance that we should know these laws, in order
to know what we are about, and the reason why certain things
are which occur daily under our hands, and what course we
are to pursue with regard to them. Without such knowledge
we are condemned to one of three states :—either we merely
go on to do things just as our fathers did, and for no other
reason than because they did them so; or trusting to some
personal authority, we adopt at random the recommedation
of some specific, in a speculative hope that it may answer; or,
lastly —and this is the most favourable case —we ourselves
improve upon certain processes ; but this can only be the
result of an experience hardly earned and dearly bought, and
which, after all, can only embrace a comparatively short space
of time, and a small number of experiments. From none of these
causes can we hope for much progress ; for the mind, however
ingenious, has no materials to work with, and remains in presence
of phenomena the causes of which are hidden from it. But
these laws of nature—these Divine laws—are capable of being
discovered and understood, and of being taught, and made our
own. This is the task of science; and, while science discovers
and teaches these laws, art teaches their application. No pur-
suit is, therefore, too insignificant not to be capable of becom-
ing the subject-both of--a science and an art. The fine arts
(as far as they relate to painting and sculpture,) which are
sometimes confounded with art in general, rest ou the appli-
cation of the laws of form and colour, and what may be called
the science of the beautiful. They do not rest on any arbitrary
theory on the modes of producing' pleasurable emotions, but
follow fixed laws, more difficult, perhaps, to seize than those
regulating the material .world, because belonging partly to
the sphere of the ideal and our spiritual essence, yet perfectly
appreciable and teachable, both abstractedly and histori-
cally, from the works of different- ages and nations. No hu-
man pursuits make any material progress until science be
brought to bear upon them. We have seen, accordingly, many
of them slumber for centuries; but from the moment that
science has touched them with her magic wand, they have
sprung forward, and taken strides which amaze and almost
awe the beholder. Look at the transformation which has
gone on around us since the laws of gravitation, electricity,
magnetism, and the expansive power of heat have become
known to us. It has altered our whole state of existence—
one might say, the whole face of the globe We owe this
to science, and to science alone ; and she has other treasures
in store for us, if we will but call her to our assistance. It is
sometimes objected by the ignorant, that science is uncertain
and changeable ; and they point to the many exploded theories
which have been superseded by others as a proof that the
present knowledge may be also unsound, and, after all, not
worth having. But they are not aware that, while they think
to cast blame upon science, they bestow, in fact, the highest
praise upon her ; for that is precisely the difference between
science and prejudice, that the latter keeps stubbornly to
its position, whether disproved or not, while the former is
an.unarrestable movement towards the fountain- of truth,—
caring little for cherished authorities or sentiments, but con-
tinually progressing—feeling no false- shame at her short-
comings, but, on the contrary, the highest pleasure, when freed
from an error, at having advanced another step towards the
attainment of Divine truth—a pleasure not even intelligible to
pride of ignorance. We also hear, not unfrequently,
science and practice, scientific knowledge and common sense,
contrasted as antagonistic. A strange error ! For science is
eminently practical, and must be so, as she sees and knows
what she is doing ; while mere common practice is condemned
to work in the dark, applying natural ingenuity to unknown
powers to obtain a known result. Far be it from me to under-
value the creative power of genius, or to treat shrewd common
sense as worthless without knowledge. But nobody will tell
me that the same genius would not take an incomparably
higher flight if supplied with all the means which knowledge
can impart ; or that common sense does not become, in fact,
only truly powerful when in possession of the materials upon
which judgment is to be exercised. The study of the
laws by which the Almighty governs the universe is therefore
our bounden duty. Of these laws our great academies and
seats of education have, rather arbitrarily, selected only two
spheres or groups (as I may call them,) as essential parts of
our national education —the laws which regulate quantities
and proportions, which form the subject of mathematics, and
the laws regulating the expression of our thoughts through
the medium of language—that is to say grammar, which finds
its purest expression in the classical languages. These laws
are most important branches of knowledge; their study trains
and elevates the mind. But they are not the only ones; there
are others which we . cannot disregard—which we cannot do
without. There are, for instance, the laws governing the
human mind and its relation to the Divine Spirit—the sub-
jects of logic and metaphysics. There are those which govern
our bodily nature and its connexion with the soul—the subject
of physiology and psychology. Those which govern human
society and the relations between man and man—the subjects of
politics, jurisprudence, political economy, and many others.
While of the laws just mentioned some have been recognized
as essentials of education in -different institutions, and some
will, in the course of time, more fully assert their right to
recognition, the laws regulating matter and form are those
which will constitute the chief objects of your pursuits, and
as the principle of subdivision of labour is the one most con-
genial to our age, I would advise you to keep to this
speciality, and to follow with undivided attention chiefly the
sciences of mechanics, 'physics, and chymistry, and the fine
arts in painting, sculpture, and architecture. You will thus
have conferred an inestimable boon upon your country, and
in a short time have the satisfaction of witnessing the bene-
ficial results upon our national powers of production. Other
parts of the country will, I doubt not, emulate your example,
and I live in hopes that all these institutions• will some day
find a central point of union, and thus.complete their national
organization. Thanking you once more for having allowed
me to assist at the foundation of your institution, I wish it
growth, vigour, and prosperity, with all my heart.

THE CASE OF ARCHDE.ACON DE_YISON.

IN the Court of Queen's Bench, on Thursday, Sir Fitzroy
Kelly applied on behalf of the Rev: Joseph Ditcher, for a
rule calling upon the Archbishop Of Canterbury to show cause
why a writ of mandamus to compel him to proceed against
the Ven. George Anthony Denison, Archdeacon of Taunton,
by writing, commanding him to appear and answer to certain
articles exhibited, and to proceed to pronounce sentenc.
according to the provisions of the 3rd and 4th Victoria, cap.
86, the Church Dig,Cipline Act, and give effect to the finding
of the commission issued thereuni
importance—whether
%Thelearu
aftercounsel
said, the case was one of great
a suit had been instituted and r the
of
f any .
law nut in
Bishop
or Archdeaconmotionitiva
discretionary or in the power
to interfere and put a veto, and refuse to give effect to the
commission issued by himself. The facts of this case were
sfaenaveirlaialrotcocastlegnCs—outr.
wticelhe i`nlBs3, ArchdeaconandonceofinTiaBus4nt—onprheaadchoend
at Wells doctrines that were contrary to the articles of the
Established Church. The Rev.. Joseph Ditcher had in con-
sequence called upon the then Bishop of the diocese to insti-
tute proceedings under the act of parliament, which provided
the mode in which the proceedings should be carried
out against a clerk in holy orders committing an
ecclesiastical offence ; and in the event of the Bishop
himself declining to interfere by himself, or refusing to
proceed by letters of request, then upon application
made to the Archbishop of the diocese he was empowered to
issue a commission. The commissioners were to proceed and
examine witnesses, who were to give their opinion whether
there was prima facie evidence that it was proper that fur-
ther proceedings should be taken. The late Bishop of Bath
and Wells had declined to proceed or interfere, as did also the
present Bishop, Lord Auckland, and upon which Mr. Ditcher
determined himself to proceed under the 2.4 th section of the
act, and applied to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who issued
his commission. . The commissioners met in January last, the
Archdeacon being present, and witnesses examined, the result
being that the commissioners made their report to the Arch-
bishop stating that there was prima facie evidence to proceed.
Mr. Justice Colderidge.—Can the Archbishop proceed to
judgment without the consent of the party?
Sir F. Kelly.—The Archbishop was to summon the party
to appear and answer to the articles to be exhibited against
him ; and if he failed to appear, or, appearing, failed to an-
swer, then the Archbishop was to proceed to judgment and
sentence, and he said it was imperative that he should do so,
and not discretionary. lie was now the judge, and was bound
to proceed, and could not exercise a discretion by giving his
veto of refusal. Mr. Ditcher had complied with all the pro-
visions of the act by exhibiting articles and requesting the
Archbishop to proceed by letter of the 9th August ; and on
the 22d the Archbishop, by Mr. Knyvett, his secretary, re-
fused to proceed further, alleging that his doing so would
be of no good, as the clergy Would not obey the decision.
The learned counsel was proceeding further with his argu-
ment, when

Lord Campbell said enough had been stated for granting
the rule. Rule to show cause accordingly.

CIGARROS FABRICA DE HABANA.

MESSRS. ESTERO AND COMPANY,
41, NORTH JOHN-STREET,

NEAR LORD-STREET, LIVERPOOL,
Have been induced to Open the above Establishment for
the Sale of FOREIGN CIG .1 RS only, and to suit Pri-
vate Consumers. Messrs. E. and Co. sell them in Gases
from One Pound and upwards, at a✓l 2s. 6d. per lb.
They being Manufacturers in Havana, are enabled to
obtain the most choice Leaf for their Cigars, together
with the best Brands of other celebrated Houses, and in
condition suitable for immediate consumption.
Thus the Public will have the advantage of obtaining
GENUINE HAVANA CIGARS,
without the necessity of Purchasing, in Bond, Cases of
from One to Two Cwt., and withou' paying those extra-
vagant charges usually demanded for small quantities.
Au Extensive Supply always on the Premises and in
fond for Exportation and Ships' Stores.
The Trade, Hotelkeepers, and others have now an op-
portunity of supplying their customers with a genuine
Havana Cigar, which has been until now so very difficult
to procure in convenient quantities; they will, at the
same lime, be liberally treated with.
Parties at a distance sending Post-fSice Orders for
el 2s. 6d. will, per return. receive a Case containing
One Pound of CIGARS. In sending Orders, please state if
Mild, Medium, or Full Flavoured is required.
SAUL DAVIES, AGENT.

[INTOvEmBER 27, 1855.

1
~_

.=on
aztee
cot
tnstr
coul
want]
readi

irltiff a
10E. foi
ook