The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-17 00:00:00

LORD SHAFTESBURY AT MANCHESTER.

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The annual meeting of the Manchester Auxiliary
of the British and Foreign Bible Society took place at the
Friends Meeting Roam, Manchester, on Tuesday evening.
The Right Iloa. the garl of SunlYnaldlitv, the president
of the parent society, occupied the (dui,, and descanted on
the great blessings conferred upon this country, by its being
made a well ssiing of God's truths upon e.rth. We lived
in an age whet the inventive faculties of man had been
more active than in any previous age, and it behoved us to
remember thet our inventions were not intended to minister
to our staeual and worldly pleasures only, but were also
desigaed to serve the honour and glory of God. The open-
ing of the Chinese empire had not taken place solely that
we might sad thither more cotton, and obtain thence more
tea ; but that two hundred millions of the human
race might he brought within the reach of Gad's
word ant a sound of the gospel. No nation had
ever been truly civilised except by means of the
Bible. The people of ancient Athens and Rome, with all
their secular alumina, were brutal, cruel, licentious, and
profligate, sod were inferior in civilisation to the Green-
leader and the Esquimau:, who were just, sober, tempe-
rate, and chaste. Yet the book which had wrought all
t►ese wooden, and would work others greater than these,
was said by some to be worn out and effete. Effete !
when every discovery which was made in any part of the
world bore testimony to its truth. Effete !—when it pro-
duced such effects as we felt in Ourselves, and sew in those
around u•, compared with the inconceivable fully broached
bJ men of the most powerful intellects in the present day.
The bible was the necessary supplement of all our missions
and preaching ; for while common sense might rid us of the
grosser forms of idolatry, nothing but the Word of God
would give the principle of life, would carry the last convic-
tion. Al:er referring to the fact that this society was
founded on the mainprinciples of orotestantism, the right of
private pa ignseat and individual respon►ibility, the chairman
concluded by eapreesing his opinion that the times of danger
and trial were coming, and urging his hearers to be prepared
for that time, cad to do their duty in regard to it.
The Rev. James Gwyther read a report, which
stated that the parent society had circulated 26,571,103
copies of the scriptures since its establishment, and bad
aided societies which had circulated 23 millionsmore copies,
making ..Itogether upwards of 49 million copiea, in 150
languages. The meeting was afte. wards addressed by the
&T. Wm. Arthur, the Rev. John Richardson, the Rev.
Canon Suwell, and the Rev. Wm. Train. Thanks having
been Tot d to the thaiimin, his lordship, in acknowledging
them, stated that he had recently learned that of the 350
pickpockets and burglars, at a meeting of whom, in Lon-
don, he ',inutile', since presided, only 50 were now pur-
suing those callings. The reformation of the remainder
had been IT cted by the Bible, in the hands of a very
ignorsat men.

Sr. PA t* CATHEDRAL.—Terday is the anniversary
of the funeral of his Grace the Duke of Wellington in the
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, and, although twelve months
have passed, the remains of the great warrior are still in
the some part of the crypt where they were deposited on
the 17th of November, 1842, their final resting place not
having been as yet completed. Several inquiries have been
made of the cathedral officials on the subject, but no in-
t rmatii neap be obtained. The cleaning of the paintings
over the whispering gallery is proceeding very fast.
THREE DEATHS AT THZ PENTON VH.LE PRISON.—
On Tuesday Mr. Wakley hell CR important inquiry at this
prison. Although the average number of prisonen had
been 520, there had not been a single death during the last
Ift months; but yesterday there were no fewer than three
of the convicts lying dead at the same tame. Mr. Wakley
made a most searching investigation in the case of each, but
the result showed that the treatment of the deceased, and
the management of the establishment, had been perfectly
satisfactory. The juries therefore found verdicts of " Na-
tural MIMI."
A CouyTerazir BART.-I)uring the last few cold
nights, a woman has been begging in Oaford. , Man-
chester, appermstly with a little child, well muffled up in
her cloak ; and as she was very importenate, and annoyed I
many decent people, a policeman took her to the police
station, ind it was there found that the baby was made of
shaving, wrapped up with rags into something like an in-
fantile turn. She was taken before the magistrates at the
city police court ; and as she assured the beech that she had
several real children in the town, and would immediately
go beck to Liverpool with them, she was discharged.—Man.
chester Examiner. . .

ScAIWITT or BLRVANT4.—The Bo(sneer statutes,
held as Tessiday, Nov. 1, were thinly attended by servants;
lestaily • competent 111111 servant was to be met with ;
the chief of them were middle men and boys, vino asked
high wages. Servant girls were also scare., and those
Mast likely WON NOG hired. A great many masters and
sierewe• were is want of servants, hot could not meet
with them. The Otis asked very high wage., and the
boys double the requirements of last year.— Nudesn9Aerm
Awn&
MARIA ANTOYIA RAlLwAT.—Traffie for week
"adios Not. 3,11113, Mt Campo:Wing week, 1812, 234. ii.