The Express.
London, England, 1864-05-17 00:00:00

THE ANNUAL PIAST OP SUNDAY SCHOOLS 41
MANCHESTSR.

Yesterday the annual feast of the Sunday-school
children of Manchester and Salford, =nay occupying the
entire week, commenced under very favourable sircam-
graces. The weather, generally so wet and inclement in
this northern district at this season, was for once bright,
warm, and summer-like, with every prospect of Its con-
tinuance. The schools of the established church, which
generally take the lead, bad their great swept' mtheeing
and proemial to the cathedral death yesterday, sad
began to muster in St. Ann's square, Ia front of the Ex-
change, at an early hour. Each school was headed by the
clergy, churchwardens, and teachers, sad walked with
banners dying and music. There were in all about 40
schools, and from 13,000 to 14.030 chilleen, and
the girls being able to sport their beet dresses
(mostly white), without any fear of bad weather,
and to dispense with umbrellas and cloaks, the spectacle was
one of the finest and most pleasing withered for many
years. As fast as the schools muttered in the square they
were marched forward and took the places assigned them in
the programi the route, as usual, embracing a circuit of
all the mine greet' in the *entre of the town. The pro-
cession was of unusual length, the van having passed one
end of the F.xclunge, on he way to the cathedral, before the
rear left the other, and forming a line of mon than a mile.
The number of children in the proomsion, as usual, was fez
exceeded by the number of people who assembled to wither
the spectacle. All along the route, both sides in the street
were lined with spectators, four, six, or more in depth,
while the windows of every building were crowded with
lookers on. The material and paternal heart naturally
yearns to witness a spectacle of such a character
as this, gad people come with their children (em-
bracing even infants in erns) from considerable
direness to smile upon and patronise it. On reaching the
cathedral, about eleven o'clock, the elder scholars ester
the building to Join In the eerrios, while the younger ogles
Ile MI with the beads of mimic and some few of their
teachers, and are taken to their schools gain, where a re-
past of currant cakes and milk is prepared for them. Of
ochres during the few hours occupied by the proemial the
triffie of all the streets within a certain radius, and them
the busiest of the city, is suspended and thrown into sad
disorder, so that by the time it is over, long limes of carts,
waggons, omnibuses, and of every imaginable description of
wahine, besides crowds of pederriam, an waiting at the
god of evert street eoeveripag on the route, and 101=111111
kande is given to the police to restore order out of this
chaos end prevent accident to life or limb. On this occa-
sion, so far m we can learn, they were quite as me-
rciful as could be expected, and no accident of
any moment is known to have taken place. The
Whit-week Sunday-school festival thus inaugurated,
as stated before, will last throughout the week. To-day and
on sucosedieg days the schools of all denominations ham
their annual trips into the lconstry. Dunham-park, Lyme-
park, Adliogtou Whancliffe Rocks, Alley Edge,
Wonky, the salt mines of Cheshire, in feet every Locality
within twenty or thirty miles of Manchester famed for its
rural deanery, for the picturesque, or for anything, has its
troop of youthful visitors from Sunday schools addition
to urns excursionist' ou almost every day in the weak.
Every railway out of the town has its twenty or thirty ex-
carrion trains per day, end the canals have their boat loads,
while strings of wimps@ and carte are also fitted up, and,
premed into service for the conveyance at enrols to distant
places to @cloy this anneal holiday. And while the city is
thus considerably denuded from day to day of its true pope-
lanes, their demos is generally more than counterbarsioed
by the thousands of people from the eonutry (tired of its
doll monotony) who dock in from every direction, especially
during the race days) anxious to have a frisk in the town,
and alloy a sight of its wonders, and enter into its brisker
life.

DRINXING FOUNTAINS.

TO TNT EDITOT OT TEX IMPTII3B.

Srs,—ln anticipation of the approaching hot
summer days, the Committee of the Metropolitan Free
Waking Fountains hmociation beg to inform the public
that funds are urgently needed to enable the society to am-
times those exertions whitb have hitherto been attended
with such great success. Through the instrumentality of
this aseociation upwards of !eighty fountains have been
already erected, at which it is computed not lees than •
quarter of • million people drink daily during the beat of
the year. It is the desire of the society to extend the boon
as far as possible to every corner of the metropolis, so that
the thirsty wayfarer may rot be forced into the necessity of
repairing to the public-house.

The on:amine° are overwhelmed with applicatioas for
new fountains, but are usable to erect fresh ooes from want
of hinds ; sod for the same raison the provision made for
the relief of the enfferiags of cattle sod dogs from thirst
falls far short of what is requited. All the fountains of the
sasociation are under coartant supervision, and qualified
workmen are employed to keep them in an efficient state,
but several of those erected by private benevolence have
become dllspidated, and even dry. If the public will afford
the means, she committee propose offering to undertake
the supervision of ell the fountains in London, and thereby
to secure for each the necessary attention.
I shall be happy to receive *attributions in aid of theme
objects, or subscriptioas may be paid at the office of the
association, 1, Shorter's-court, Throgniortonatreet, E.C.,
where any further Information may be obtained.—l am, be
SAMUEL GURNEY, Chairman.
25, Prince's-gate, S.W., May 16,1864.

IwooltrosAreD BoarrY FOR PRomarrwo rss
Ewtrzonawr, Buntora, Arm Itzratrwo or Caine
Lao Citerna.—T'his society held its usual mealy meet.
Mg yesterday, at the moiety's home. 7. Whitehall, 8.W., the
Bishop of Hanger in the their. There were eke pelmet the
Bishop of Bt. David's, Blr Thomas Phillips, Rev. Oases Jen-
nings, Rev. Robert Trittea ; Peru. John Boodle, William
Coital, George Cowbure, J. F. France, A. J. C. Lawrie,
Rev. George Ainslie, If. A-, eseretary, sad Rev. C. B. Reid,
LA., amistant secretary. Greats of money amounting to
1,1361. wen seeds ia aid of the following objects .—Belding
&maim at Oarabois, in the withal Becilingtoe, Keith-
sunbetlead; IL Jobs's, Oarlisk; Ocsabwiteh, aver Bridg-
water ; Ravenswood, in the parish of Weide/lima ;
sad 84. John the Evangelist, Weeminster. Reboildiag
the church at Fawley, mar Wastage. Enlarging or other-
wilts • ithresaing the accommodation in the thatches
at Ryden, mar Buibury ; Longlieet, o'er Poole ;
Kenilworth ; Billingham, near litooktos-oe-Tess ; Borden,
seer Bitlingbounie ; Sri:worth, ow Northampton • Cotes,
near Cambridge • Lleawria. near MathysUelli ; lialdletee
Chaney, near Ruler, ; Fetichists's, Dear f &fIiSSIS ;
net Cheltenham; Bydenham-Lament, sear Mods-
took ; arid Ukombe, near Eitaplehorst. The groat formerly
made towards rebuilding the chart& at Lkowcliaista, sear
New Qoay, was Menem& The smithy also accepted the
trust of mow is repair funds for the churches at Hardwick,
neat Hereford ; and All Brisk, flien way, Rims. The
samosa moral mart of the society will be bald at Willie*.
rooms on Friday, the 27th basket, at two o'clock. His
Grace the Archbishop of Caaterlsnry will preside. The
committee were again compelled at this meeting to redoes
she amount of spank very ommiderably, io triarequeoce at
the deficiency is the toads.

Cowynil, IthemoNLAY Socirrr.—The twenty-
eighth antral neseMag at this society was held last even-
ing, at the Poultry Chapel, Mr. Jamie Spicer in the chair.
The Rev. Mr. Juunila, the seoreary, read the report, de-
tailing the operations of the society for the pest year,
winch had been of the moat encouregieg character, ape-
(ally in the colons of Canada end Australia, although the
waste of these and the other ooloone were still nadir
irately supplied. One of the most noticeable facts of the
year had been the departure of the Rev. John Orshain, of
Craven Chapel, Loudon, to undertake the pastoenhip of •
church in Sydney. The society had at the present time
150 miersonaries and spats in the maw colonies, four-
teen of whom had hese sent out from this country
during the past year, a great portion of whose exposer
had been defrayed ley the Aurae' in the colonies, to
which they bed prooded. The income of the societfor the
first fourteen years of its existenoe had been about 370001..
sr an avenge of shout 2,7001. per annum, while for the last
fourteen years it had beset above 72,0001., or ea average of
, over 5,0000 per unmet The total amens for the peat year
I had amounted to 6,7181. 55., and the expenditure had boss
6,1161. 4e, 10d., leaving • oak beams of 6021. O• 2d., bet
there were bailing@ reducing the setual balance to about
1341. The report then referred to the resignation of the
fosse off increasing age and infirmities, after • serene
of fano= years. The asouniSase had appointed the Rev.
J. Poore to fill the vacancy, and hod voted the retiring
secretary an annuity of 1501. The report coocinded with an
arson appeal for attended support. 'rho Rev. Mr. Allan
owed the adopters' of the report, which Ira& moraded by
the Rev. Mr. Dale, and agreed to. Several other addressee
ware delivered end • vote of thanks to the ebabinesa con-
' eluded the proosedrep.
PROTISSOIL SZLWT2OI WHITat'IS SERMON AT
Cansitmor.—We regret to leant that Professor Selwyn
y preached a Derma before the University of Cam-
in which be gave his reason@ for refuolog to sign the
Oxf Declaration. The learned professor stated that he
sad otheq held that in regard to the inspiration of Scrip-
, true, the tau went far beyond the Article. which
deer not declare ell that is fouled in the Bible to be the
Word of God. He added that there were psssgw whale
bear the stamp of • human origin. This L very mow
chilly. In other words, the professor must intend to say
that all Scripture is not inspired, and, if this be so, the
door oncecased for Dr. Oakum as well as for the
Foryists sad Renewers with their intuitive and verifying
faeulty.—Record.
Moan TEAM iris AND WIT= TIAN zna.—Tkis
mar to the lima set best stook of spies sad seinele
ever @stained for public saproest The weeWlSareed reast.irrseeire et Alfred Webb MOW the erigteseor's only eels-
•-vii 7% Prestelres% Itaaosee•sesen% Patablishel 10111.
•01•66.1