The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-30 00:00:00

2

T.ITSMAT SERVICES.—During the storms of
the past year the National Lifeboat Institution, by Its life-
boat and other means, contributed to the saving of 707 persons
from different wrecks on our coasts. The institution also ex-
pended £21,374 in the same period on its lifeboat establishinenti,
Inaddition to
ing the granting £4,950 for rewards for saving life and
exercis lifeboats.
The committee of the Institution earnestly APPEAL to the
public for AS3ISTANCF., to enable them to meet the continued
heavy demands on the Institution's 153 Lifeboat Stations.
Contributions are received by the London and Country
Bankers : and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Eeq., at the In-
stitution, 14 Johnotreek Adelphi, London.
JOHN BROODEN.

ORIGlii AL GOLD CHAIN MANUFACTORY,
le. KINECITTAIATENIT. 00VIIIT411AULDEN.

JOHN BROODER'S GOLD CHAINS.

JOHN BROGDIlaili GOLD GUARD CHAINS.

JOHN BROGDICNI3GOLDALBICRT CHAINS.

JOHN BROGDEN'S GOLD BROOCH CHAINS.

M 11331213. WATHERSTON snd SON,
Goldmanlui and Jewellers
Raw Rawly for Inspection s Great Variety of .THWELLSZY.
of the latest Designs, suitable for
. WIGGING PASSZN/11 sad- NSW-YZAKS GIFTL
12. last. LW.

LONDON must have a SUPPER and MUSIC
ZOOK for Gentlemen.—Remember, we welt for yon at
•WANS," OW the Covent prun Pantomime, snd the
Theatres

Vitt erscregigi.

Aseillsomis 121011Xtee " r 1.;;;;;" Loudon itimlag
rC, sag be at the 0010 s, 10, ftinediriftesi, by Two
k on Yr day al pabiloallan.

Moore
* HAYMARKET.
THIS Erawisa,Comptow BROTH= SAIL Maws. Bethany Rock-
ma ad ; Wawa NeIM . Sisowdm.
ORPNEDSw IN TIM HAYMARKET. Miura Farm & D. !labor ;
War Kalish. Howard it Wright—MY HIMBANDE GHOST.

PEINCILSOL
TMill AMMO, QUIET LODGINGS.—After wticb IT 111
Iliirit TOO UTZ TO MIND. Mom. Ttnlng, O. Melville,
T. Mood. D. Merrily, b. OaMown, F. Mem I. G. Shore, G. Nur.
ay, mull. Clailoart ; Mimes L. Moore awl L. Hedgers.

LYC[UY_

nue Evatinta, THZ ILLIISYHIOIIS IrFRARONIL Hr. 11.
Wlddloomb.—Tell MASTER. OF BAVINSWOOD. Mnew.
Yachter. Jordan, Vesta Imam Fitddicomb, flesh. Ivaco
hisaluara Terms, Shorarthy. Lavaca. C. loafer*

61.1TANNIA,

Tin snail°, OLD DADDY LONIREGII AND STE BEGZNT
CIRCUS; OIL THE GOLDEN APPLES.—IL and Wm.. &orison-
badk—Alipeor Bonail.-12111owor of Odd= Bab —Jobnny. Day.—
BITIEZ GOLD; OZ, THZ SECRET OP THE HOLLY BOUGH.

HIGH WATIR AT LONDON-BILIDCIII.

lb DAYZIIOI;I27, lb. 675.
To4IOIIIOW Morals& 2h. Ulm - ..Aftersoce. 21 Ala

LONDON. TUESDAY. JANUARY 30.

TEE report of the proceedings at St. Martin's
Hall, which we published yesterday, contains the
materials of a very lively quarrel, which both ,
porticos seem well disposed to improve. The ser-
vice of a notice of prosecution upon the proprietors
of the Hall for permitting the lectures and music
of the Sunday League to be given there is so like
the act of an association for regulating the
lives of thbse who do not belong to it, that it was
not surprising to read that it had been done by
the Secretary of the Lord's Day Observance
Society. But it appears from a disclaimer,
which we publish from the Record, that that
Society has no desire to Resume the responsi-
bility of that proceeding. As most of our readers
know, for the last four Sunday evenings large
audiences have been attracted to St. Martin's Hall
to hear lectures by Mr. HUXLEY, Sir Jinni
ROWELING, Dr. CKEPEEITED, and Dr. HODGSON, and
some singing by professional vocalists. There was
no pretence of worship ; in fact, if we might judge
from the first lecture, the managers of the enter
tainment have no Gon to worship. We fear, how-
ever, that this great Babel contains a large number
of persons in the same predicament ; and if they
can find any satisfaction in listening on a Sunday
evening to an account of the Royal Society, or a
description of the bones and truscles, we do not
see why anybody should envy them the indulgence
of their odd taste. It seems, however—though
this is a point to be determined by legal authority
—that the owners of the Hall, by permitting this
entertainment, have exposed themselves to serious
penalties imposed by the 21 (howls 111., cep.
49, amounting to 2001. a day, and that every
newspaper which has advertised the lectures and
music is involved in their liability. The very thought
of a prosecution has so weighed on the minds of
the Owners of the Hall thi_it they hitn's Turned the
lecturers, and singers, and audience out of doors.
The occasion of the enactment of the statute
may be gathered from the preamble, which recites
that "certain houses, rooms, or places within the
" cities of London or Westminster, or in the neigh-
" bourhood thereof, have of late frequently been
" opened for public entertainment or amusement
" upon the evening of the Lord's Day, commonly
" called Sunday, and at other houses, rooms, or places
" within the said cities, or in the neighbourhood
" thereof, under pretence of inquiiing into reli-
" gious doctrines and explaining text, of Holy
" Scripture, debates have frequently been held on
"the evening of the Lord's Day concerning divers
" texts of Holy Scripture by persons unlearned
" and incompetent to explain the same, to the nor-
" ruption of good morals and to the great en-
" couragement of irreligion and profaneness."
But in the enacting clauses it is declared that the
penalties shall be applicable to those by whom
" any house, room, or other place shall be opened
" or used for public entertainment or amusement,
" or for publicly debating on any subject whatever,
" and to which persons shall be admitted by the
" payment of money or by tickets sold for money."
The keeper of such a house or place is to be liable
to the penalty of 2001., as before-mentioned, and
the conductor or chairman of the entertainment b
a penalty of 1001., to be forfeited to any person
who may sue for the same. Now, there have been
no debates at St. Martin's Hall in the usual sense
of the word, for there has been no conflict of
opinion. If, therefore, the managers of these
"Sunday Evenings" have made themselves ob-
noxious to the law, it must be to those
portions of it which forbid entertainments or
amusements to which access is given by tickets
sold for money. Now it would, of course, be
very improper to describe the lectures deli-
vered by the learned persons who have lately
appeared at St. Martin's Hall as either entertain-
ments or amusements, but it is by no means
certain that the same can be said of
the music. If this is not an enter-
tetoment, what is it f What is the meaning
of performances of selections from the Messiah to
those who in this nineteenth century of the Chris-
tian era talk es Professor Husizr did of "the
" unknown and unknowable Gon," who, by the
method to which they would restrict religions in-
quiry, shut out a supernatural divine revelation,
and for whom the discoverer of a new physiolo-
gical law, or even a great railway engineer is
more truly a Messiah than the abased and suffer-
ing Person of whom IsArau sang f We do not
see how these performances can be anything but
entertainments. They might be such, however, and
pass unchallenged but for the admission to them by
tickets sold for money. Hare in an extract from