The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 10, 1853.

THE WELLINGTON MEMORIAL FOR
MANCHESTER.
-4.-
-

On Friday afternoon last, the Right Rev, the
Lord Bishop of Manchester, the Right Hon. the Earl of
Wilton, and the Right Ron. the Earl of Ellesmere, the
three judges appointed by the committee fey the erection of
a memorial to the late Duke of Wellington at Manchester,
proceseded to the Royal Manchester Institution, and after
a careful inspection of the competing molds exhibited
there their choice fell upon one by Mr. Matthew Noble, 1
of andon, the same sculptor upon whim, in competition
with about 40 other models, (not to mention GO designs ou
paper), the choice fell in the award of the committee for
the Salford statue to Sir R. Peel. The aim of the artist in
this design, has been to represent the Duke in his civil as
well as military capacity, by personifying these salient
qualities and results through which he attained so high a
position in life, and influenced the destinies of so many
'nations; and by illustrating the chit f crowning
event, in his public career, through which
he will be best known to posterity. The salient
qualities of wisdom and valour ere represented by figures
of Mars and Mi , aecompani. d by Peace and 17ictory.
The has reliefs represent the battles of Assays and Water-
loo, the Congress of Vienna, and the Duke in the House of
Commons on the memorable occasion in 1814. Oa the
summit of the column is placed a colossal statue of the
great Doke himself, designed to give an idea of the moment
when he stood erect and calm after havinit uttered the fol-
lowing declaration in the House of Lords : " I am one of
those who hare probabiy passed a longer period of my life
in war than most men, and priticip illy in civil war, and I
must say this, that if I could avoid, by any sacrifice what-
ever, even coo month of civil war in the country to which
I am attached I would sacrifice my lite in order to do it."
The committee are to pay 7,000 f. to the successful compe•
titor, which sum is to cover every expense connected with
the erection of the statue in bronze, the pedestal, &c.

THE GREEK CHURCH AND THE RUSSIAN
CO I ERNMENT.

--

He who with attentive ear and eyo travels through
the wide empire of the Czar, surroundiug three parts of the
world with its snares, and then traces the sum of his con-
templations, will tremble in thought at the destiny which
the colossus of nations has yet to fulfil.
He who doubts of the impending f ulfilment of this des-
tiny, knows not history, and knows not Russia.
However different in origin and interests the strangely
mixed hordes may be which constitute this giant realm,
there exists one mighty bond which holds them ell together
—the Byzantine church ! Whoever remains out of it, will
soon be forced into it ; and tee the coming century begins,
all the inhabitants of Russia will be of one with.

Already that great net, whose meshes the Neva and the
Volga, the Don and the Dnieper, the Kyros and the Arazes,
form, inclines a preponderating Christian population, in
whose midst the scattered Islanfitish race, the descendents
of the Golden Horde, are lost like drops in the ocean.
What a marvellous disposition of things, that the Russian
empire, whose governing principle is the diametrical oppo-
site of the Christian law, should tit the very one to make 01
CLriatianity the corner, the keystone of its might! And a
no less marvellous disposition of things is it, that the Czar,
in whatever direction he stretches nu far-grasping arms,
should find Christian points of support whereon to knit the
thnads of fate for the foUowen of Islam, artfully scattered
by him ; that he should find Armenians at the foot of
Ararat, and Georgian' at the loot of Caucasus.
But of what kind is this Christianity, that masses to-
gether so many millions of human beings into one great
whole, mad uses them as moving springs to the manifestations
of a puwer that will sooner or later give the old world a new

Follow me for a moment into the Russian motherland,
and throw a flying glance tiler the religious state of things
prevailing there.
See that poor soldier, who, tired awl hungry from his
long march, is just performing his sacred exercises, ere he
takes his meal and seeks repose.
Ila draws a little image of the Virgin from his pocket,
spits on it, and wipes it with his coat sleeve; then he seta it
down on the ground, knees before it, and crosses himself,
and kisses it in pious 2evotion.
Or enter with me, on a Sunday, onn of the gloomy
image-adorned Russian churches. ii the dress of these pre-
sent is not already sufficient to indicate their difference of
station, you may readily distinguish them by the manner in
which each person makes the sign of the cross. Consider
first that man of rank, as he stands before a miracle-working
image of a liamuishian mother of God, bows slightly before
it, and crone: himself notably. Translated into our verna-
cular, the language of this personage's face would run in
, something of the following strain:—" I know that all this
is a pious farce, but one must give no offence to the people,
else all respect would be lost. Would the people continue
to toil for us, if they were to lose their trust in the assur-
ances we cause to be made to them of the joys of heaven ?"
Now look at that kaftan-clad fat merobaot, as with
crafty glance and confident step be makes up to the priest
to get his soul freed trona the trafficking sins of the put
week. _ . . .

lie knows the priest, and is sure that • good piece of
money will meet with a good reception from him ; that is
why he goes so carelessly, in the conscioumees of being able
to settle in the lump the whole of his sinful account. And
when the absolutien is over, he takes his position in front
of the most miraculous image, and makes so prodigious •
sign of the cross, that before this act, all the remaining
scruples of his soul must ♦anish away.
Consider, in tine, that poor countryman, who steals in
humbly at the door, and gases shyly round him in the
incense-beelouded spaces. The pomp find the splendour
are toe much for the poor fellow.
" God," he thials, " but what a gracious lord the Em-
peror is, that he lets such fine churches to be built for us
poor devils ! God bless the Emperor !"
Aud then he steps timidly up to some hely image, where
tilt golden ground and the dark colours form the most
glaring contrast, and throws himself down before it, and
crosses the floor with his forehead, so that his long hair falls
right over his face, and thus he wearies himself with pros-
trations and enormous crossings, until he can do no more
for exhaustion. For the poorer the man in liussis, the
larger the cross he signs and wears.—Bodenstees Morning
Land.