The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-23 00:00:00

MR. SPURGEON'S NEW TABERNACLE.

On Tuesday afternoon the foundation-stone of this I
long-talked of building was laid in the presence of some
3,000 spectators. The spot selected for the site of "the
Tabernacle," as it is termed, is at the corner of the
Newingtsmnvoad, facing the Elephant and Castle, and at
right angles with the very laige building which has
recently been erected as a horse repository. The
portico, and main entrance to the building, is to abut
on the Newington-road, and, whether regarded as •
church, or chapel, or tabernacle, or whatever Mr. Spur-
geon's congregation may please to call it, the whole
structure will be an imposing one, and one of the
largest of its kind in the metropolis. The style of the
edifice may be termed Grecian, the ground ;den form-
ing a large quadrangle, the floor of the chapel being
considerably raised, and acme gained to it by a broad
and illusive flight of step' leading up to a portico sup-
ported en large corinthian colnums of Bute stone.
The total width of the building will be 86 feet, the
length no less than 195 feet, and the height to the roof
85 feet, exclusive of the lanterns for light and ventila-
tion. As we have said, the floor of the Tabernacle
will be raised sonic 14 feet above the level of the ground,
and the whole of this extensive bastimmt story will be
entirely occupied by specious school and lecture ribtalli.
Thus the chief school will be 141 feet by 78, and about
15 high. In addition to this there will be a lecture
room 81 feet by rs;, and capable of accommodating relo
persons, with four separate class rooms, each 14 feet
long by 26 feet wide. The chapel, which is over these
schools, will be 146 feet long by 81 wide, and with two
deep tiers of galleries on either side. In this respect
the interior will rather resemble that of the well-kimown
Surrey Music-hall, but on a large scale, as each row of
galleries in Mr. Spurgeon's building will accommodate
six rows of sitters. The ground-floor space of the
Surrey Hall is only 8,625 feet, whereas the proposed
Tabernacle oil the ground floor will be no less than
11,242 feet, or one-third larger than the fine structure
in the Surrey Gardens. The whole chapel is intended
to accommodate no less than 5,000 persons with com-
fort. Mr. Pococke is the architect, and the whole de-
sign certainly does him credit. The facilities for enter-
ing and leaving the building are most ample, there
being no less than 16 doors to the chapel. The cost of
the building is to be R 21,500, but fittings and other
matters will probably swell this amount to sonic
£24,000 or 1.15,(•10 before the edifice is opened for
divine service, which can hardly be earlier than the
spring of 1861. The ceremony of Tuesday differed is
no particular from other ceremonies of the same kind,
except that the very little attempt which was made at
display was both vulgar and in ill taste. Stretched
between the poles which supported the foundation
stone was a strip of pink calico, on which laurel leaves
were loosely sewn in the form of the words, "Christ is
the corner stone." Immediately beneath this were two
or three bough* of evergreens covering another strip of
white calico, with the inscription, " You are truly wel-
come." Most of the visitors were in their places by 2
o'clock, at which time Sir S. M. Petsm, accompanied by
Mr. Simmimeon. Mr. John Spurgeon, and other ministers
connected with the Baptist persuasion, ascended to the
platform. The Old Hundredth Psalm having been sung,
and a prayer said by Mr. Spurgeon, a very long docu-
ment, called a Statement of the Deacons, was then read.
This statement gave a sketch of the 'suitors and antece-
dents of the Baptist persuasion in Southwark from the
year 1612 down to the nli ll istry of Mr. Spurgeon.
At the conclusion of this statement Sir S. M.
Pete proceeded to lay the stone, underneath which
Mr. Spurgeon then placed a bottle, containing a copy of
the Bible, of the Baptist's Catechism, of Dr. Ripon's
Hymn-book, and the programme of the day's proceed-
ings, in the cavity prepared for it. When these for-
inalitim had been gone through the stone was slowly
lowered into its place and declared by Sir S. M. Peto to
ho well and duly fixed. Sir S. M. Peto, M.P., then ad-
dressed the spectators. followed by the Rev. Mr. Spur-
geon and the Rev. 14. Dawson. A hymn was sung and
the avenues leading to the platform thrown open to all
to see the stone, on which it was earnestly hoped the
friends of the cause would place an offering as they
passed by. This appeal was most liberally resimuded
time amount collected showing beyond a doubt that
there was no Itikewartimesu on the part of the sup-
porters uf time proposed edifice. A friend at Bristol,
through Mr. E. T. Inskip, placed on the stone a cheque
for the munificent sum of £3,01.10 sterling. Mr. Inskip,
while placing this generous contribution on the stone,
stated that if 40 gentlemen could be found to give E. 50
each, or 31 to give £lOO, his friend would undertake to
double the total amount. On the spot several gentle-
men immediately accepted this challenge amid much
cheering. Mr. Spurgeon Ithuself laid down £lOO, Mr.
Passinore E5O. Mr. Morgan 4:50, and Mr. James LOW
£147. In addition to theme there were many sums of
4:5, £lO, £2O. and £25. the total amount given being
between £4.000 and £5,000. In the evening a large
nun her of Mr. Spurgeon's congregation assembled in
the galleries over the late horse repository at • tea
meeting. Later in the evening • public meeting was
held in the same place, when the objects and usefulness
of the Tabernacle were forcibly pointed out by various
speakers, end a liberal collection towards time expenses
of the building was made at the close of the proceed-
ings.

DIf4TRI6SHING BOAT .ICCIDIENT. One of the most
distressing accidents that has occurred on the river for
some considerable t. • happened on Wednesday after-
noon, near Putney-bridge, whereby the lives of a young
man, a tine young woman, and her sister were lost.
It appears that !Ir. Johnson, a young man of about
2.1 years of age, a bar4o owner, carrying on Liminess
at Rotherhithe, hail been paying his addroir,es to the
daughter of Mr. l'riocc, the landlord of the Yorkshire
Gray pubhcliouse, Cailogan-pier, Chelsea. On Wed-
neislay I.ftentoon. lie proposal a trip upon the river,
mid he was accompanied by the young lady and her
sister, a little girl of about seven years of age. Upou
reaching that part of the river opposite Wandsworth-
fiehls on the one side and the grounds of Sir Frede-
ri,k Rowe on the 3liiitikses, bide, the boat suddenly
capsized, and the three were immediately struggling
in the water. The young girls not being able tO AAA iiat
imoli disappeared, but Mr. JUIIIISUIII must have swain
:owe short distance before he sank, as his body was
subsequently discovered lying upon a mound of mud
near Sir Frederick Rowe's premises. It appears that
no person actually witnessed the unfortunate occur-
rence, but the deceased were seen strualing in the
water, and that must have been ituniakly after-
wards. The body of Mr. Johnson has been discovered,
but the bodies of the girls have not yet been found.

Ritisctllanrous.

The first complete translation of Dr. Livingstone's
Travels has just appeared in Paris.
Dr. Humphrey ii, who abeconded from Cheltenham
with a friend's wife, has been served with a citation
from the Divorce Court.

.....
The Spinah Government hu resolved to increase the
formica:Jona of the Island of Cuba, in order to protect
it a,,,iinat an attack of filitinsters.
The Itiglst lion. William Cowper has been appointed
Vsce-Prea:dcnt of the &NW of Trade, in lb uccemiiton to
Mr. Jaasca Wil,sun. _ .

The PeAmon:tire i.cuelte contains a Royal decree
authur6ing the contassion of Messrs. Pets. awl Wagstaff
of a railway to be constructed between Voltri
Paxlinont.

The liabi dies of the Treuurrehert on the 314 of
March, ICA, are returned at 1:3,16,f43, and the .04
at 1.3,537,344. leaving a surplus balance available for
the service of the chi.” 4 amounting to £1,330,71.11.
Mr. William Dougal Christie, who has been for some
years Minister at the Argentine Confederation, is ap-
pointed to Brasil, on the resignation of the Hon. Francis
Reginald Forbes.
Two deaths from the unskilled use of chloroform have
been notified to the Registrar-General during tbe last
few deye one occurring in the borough of Southwark,
the second in Westminster.
The herring fishery in Scotland up to Saturday week
was a failure. The weather had been fine, and there
was a prospect of improvement, but in the meantime
prices had advanced.
A meeting one held at WiNis's Rooms on Friday
week with the object of resuscitating the Polytechnic ,
In,titution. It jA I,rlipltna to place the institution up-
on al. Ica liability foundation.
prents recently made to the Queen by the King
of Siam c-e is•sv at Aston Hall, Birmingham, having ,
b.,:en contributed by her Majesty to the exhibition
there.
TWA year (..2,(01,000 more in banknotes arc in circa- :
!idiot' in England than there were last year. ThAlt
attributed to the great preponderance of Louse train:

this ,eason.
Prince Datillo has presented a medal to all those ofli•
cera anal soldiers who distiliguished themselves at the
battle of Grahovo. The cUlins of the Montenegrin
warriors bed to be established by the production of a
Turk's nose!
The Dutch Government, says a letter from the Hague,
has it in contemplation to increase its colonial army;
and a number of the Swiss who have recently quitted
the Neapolitan service are said to have decided on enrol-
ling themselves for service in Ilatavia.
One day last week Mlle. Guardneci was married at
Dublin, to the eldest son of the Duke de Cirella of
Naples. and the aline evening took the leading part in
"La Favorite" at the Theatre Royal. Millie. Titiens
KM the principal bridemaid at the naarri.ige.
The Serif ( %int; Herald notices the marriage of a
couple of Chinese Christians by the Rev. K. C. Wong,
a Chinese minister, NI the first instance in which all the
parties concerned were at once Chinese, Christian, and
Protestant.
The provects of the sportsmen appear to be more
than usually good this year. From the Perthshire
moors generally there are encouraging aceounte.
Sportsmen are feat making their way to their shooting
quarters.
The cereal crops in Scotland are light, and will be
rather below an average, but the quality promises to be
very fine. Harvest has commenced in some of the
earlier districts. The potatoe crop is good, and quite
free from disease.
In Turkey there are now 10,597 schools for Mnsalemans,
which are frequented by 220,545 boys said 121,259 girls,
and superintended by 11.22 ti teachers. There are also
2,249 schools for Christians, receiving boys and
1,5116 girls, with 2,259 teachers.
Sir George Stanton, formerly a prominent member in
the East India Company, connected with Lord Macart-
ney's Chinese embassy and other proceedings in China,
and afterwards& member of Parliament in England, died
on Thursday, at the age of seventy-eight.
A chapel, lately occupied by a congregation of Inde-
pendents, in Wilson-street. Drury-lane, liu been pur-
chased by a Catholic gentleman, and presented by 'him
to the diocese. It is to be opened under the patronage
of our Lady of Dolours and St. Charles Borromeo.
The Winans, the cigar-shaped steamer. Las had
another trial. It is stated that a uniform speed of fif-
teen miles an hour was attained with thirty-six revolu-
tions per minute, the boilers working to about one-third
of their capacity.
Some of the payment; of the Grennock Railway Cam-
to persons injured by the late accident are curious,
amongst which we may mention that of a man who
got a black eye through the collision, and who re-
ceived by way of sehitiele a season ticket for a year
anal a half.

A Saxon forester has made public the means by
which, he affirms, he has rescued many human beings
and cattle from death by hydrophobia. Take immedi-
ately it vinegar or tepid water, wash the wound
clean therewith, and dry it; then pour upon the wound
a few drops of hydrychlorie acid.
Madame Gaseier, lately a great favourite with the
London public, and now at the Ilacennall, is engaged
at the theatre of that city for the approaching winter
season, on terms equivalent to five hundred pound ster-
ling of our money per week, in addition to a free bene-
fit.
A literary and antiquarian society has lately been
established in the Isle of Man, entitled " The Manx
Society for Publication of National Documents of the
Isle of Man." The society intends to make every
liossible search after the most ancient records of the
island, and to publish& standard edition of all its statues
laws, under a responsible editor.
The 011 Prrussische Zeilting thinks the Grand Duke
Constantine's visit to England may have • political
signification. "As a consequence of the friendly re-
lations existing between Prussia and Fmglan I, we may
look for overtones fnon Russia to the last-named power,
and as a ouusequence of this • complete northern
alliance." . . . . .

Anew remedy against diphtheria is recommended
in the Uaiou Medicate. It amsigt. of irrigations of the
throat with salt water, which is not to be swallowed.
The water maybe either inpregnated with common salt,
or a ith alum, chlorate of potema, odide of putiassium,
or chloride of lime—in all cases SU as to reeler the taste
supportable.
A white flag has for some time past been floating
over the House of Correction of Hohenelbe, in Bohe-
mia, to indicate that there are no prisoners. The pri-
son is the only one in a district containing a popula-
tion of Mae, the greater part of whom are weavers.
The exhibition of the Royal Academy has produced
this year .1.::4,40U. Last year owing to the attractions
of Mr. Frith's " Derby Day" the receipts ran to seve-
ral hundred pounds more.