The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-07-09 00:00:00

SELECT VESTRY.-YESTERDAY.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the select vestry
was held at ten o'clock yesterday, in the parish offices,
Brownlow-hill. The Rev. Rector Campbell occupied
the chair, and the other members present were—Messrs.
Woodruff, Shaw, Owen, Whitby, Satchel!, Whttty,
Denton, Smith, Bairstow, Cook, John Jones, Mellor,
Critchley, Crellin, Luff, Hand, Syred, Taylor, Smith,
Brancker, and Hastings.

THE SC)TCH AND IRISH PAUPEa REMOVAL BILL.
Mr. Woodruff said, it would be in the recollection of
most members of the board, that some months ago, a
bill was introduced into the House of Commons by the
Poor Law Board, the title of which which was the Irish
and Scotch Paupers' Removal Bill. It was thought
by the vestry that it would he important to send up a
deputation to oppose that bill, which, if it passed, would
be highly injurious to the ratepayers of Liverpool and
other large parishes. The deputation went up twice,
and look very energetic measures to oppose the bill.
The result was, that although postponed week after
we, k, ar.d month after month, it was now abandoned
altozether. (Hear, hear.) It was very satisfactory that
the bill should not have been carried, but it would have
been far more satisfactory that it should never have been
introduced, as he believed it was wholly uncalled for,
nd would, if passed, have been highly prejudicial to
Liverpool and every large parish in England. (Hear,
hear) Therefore, under the circumstances, as the
members for the borough paid every attention to the
representations of the deputation, and spared neither
time nor trouble in investigating the statements placed
in their hands, and ga;e every possible assistance to
oppose the bill, he thought it was the duty of the vestry
to recogniseltheir services by a vote of thanks. (Hear,
hear.) He therefore begged to move, that the thanks of
the board be given to Messrs. T. B. Horsfall and J. C.
Ewart, for their services in opposition to the Scotch and
Irish Paupers' Removal Bill, which, if it had passed into
law, would have entailed upon the ratepayers of Liver-
pool very serious additional burthens.
Mr. Shaw seconded the resolution.
Mr. Denton expressed regret that the board was not
sufficiently large to give a full zest to the resolution.
He felt sure it would in any case have passed unani-
mously.
The resolution was carried.

WORKHOUSE I TTEE.
The minutes of this commiCtteeOMM were read. The num -
hers admitted into the vagrant sheds during the past
week were 213 males, 102 females, and 23 children—in
all 338. The number of sick persons in the hospital on
the 2nd instant was 647, including 33 fever and 54 itch.
The total numbers in the house on the 3rd instant were
2,116
Mr Shaw moved the confirmation of the minutes,
including a recommendation that the out-door medical' business be transferred from the workhouse committee
to the finance committee, in consequence of the very
much increased amount of duties which the former com-
mittee had to perform.
Mr. Denton seconded the motion.
Mr. Woodruff enquired whether any steps had been
taken in reference to the subject of the removal of
lunatics.
Mr. Shaw said the vestry clerk was in communication
with the magistrates at present.
The minutes were then confirmed.

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS' C)MMITTEE.
The minutes of this committee contained a recom-
mendation adopted on the motion of Mr. Whitty,
seconded by Mr. Cook, that the Roman Catholic boys
and girls be allowed to assemble in one room for
religious instruction, on the evenings of Wednesday and
Sunday, and that as many as possible of the girls
employed in domestic duties be permitted to attend on
these occasions. The minutes also contained the chap-
lain's journal, which reported that the Rev. Richard
Doyle, Roman Catholic priest, had spoken concerning
religious matters to three of the Protestant girls, and
the Rev. Rector Campbell, at the request of the com-
mittee, undertook to write to the Rev. Mr. Doyle upon
the subject.
Mr. Syred moved that that part of the proceedings
which contained the recommendation regarding the
Roman Catholic children be not confirmed, on the
ground that it would only be a preliminary to the intro-
duction of the performance of mass.
Mr. Wise seconded the amendment, contending that
the Catholic inmates had nothing whatever to complain
of, and that if this recommendation were carried out,
every religions instruction would very soon be changed
into religious worship. lie did not see why, if this
privilege were granted to Roman Catholics, the other
inmates of the house, belonging to dissenting denomina-
tions, Baptists, Wesleyans, or Unitarians, might not
claim an equal right.
Mr. Critchley, also, opposed the recommendation,
which he regarded as the introduction of the thin edge
of the wedge.
Mr. Bairstow supported the recommendation, contend.
ing that, in point of fact, the privilege was at present
allowed to the Roman Catholic children, with the sanc-
tion of the vestry, only having the slight difference that
they were now put t 3 the inconvenience of having half
an hour assigned to the boys, and half an hour to the
girls, or having the boys on Wednesday, and the girls
on Sunday. He would oppose having mass performed
in any underhand manner, but this was quite a different
thing. It would be quite competent for Mr. Coates, or
any officer of the house, to be present during the time
the Roman Catholic children received this religious
instruction, and there was no intention whatever to have
anything done in a secret or underhand manner.
Mr. Smith supported the recommendation, urging
that the vestry should not allow a sectarian spirit to
prevail in their deliberations, but should act in a per-
fectly fair and impartial spirit of justice to all.
Mr. Crellin thought, as the proportion of Roman
Catholic children in the house was so much larger than
that of any other denomination, except the Protestant,
it was but right that some consideration should be shown
to them.
Mr. Whitty said, the recommendation simply meant
that sufficient space should be given to assemble all the
children at one time, and that half of the large number
of Roman Catholic children should not be left without
any religious instruction at all. He had heard strongly
illiberal views expressed, and the only consolation he
bad was, in supposing that, as a majority of the com-
mittee did not sanction the recommendation, there was
not a sufficient amount of illiberality of feeling to influ-
ence the spirit of the board to the same extent as had
been manifested by particular members of the Industrial
13ehools' committee. If it were supposed that this
recommendation was only the precursor of something
much more important, he presumed the board could
deal with the prospective very important question
when it came before them. To suppose that
he was endeavouring to introduce the thin end
of a wedge which was to work any harm to
the Established Church, was utterly preposterous
(Rear, bear.) If hs were a great enemy of that establish-
ment, he might remind the gentleman who had offered
that suggestion that from time to time that Church,
without the introduction of any wedges at all, evinced a
decided tendency to split into pieces-of its own accord.
if he (Mr. Whitty) were to advocate his own public
views, he should, very likely, recommend the use of a
little more Roman cement instead of a wedge. He
called on the board to grant what was liberal and fair,
and to " do unto others as they would be done by them-
selves." The chaplain of these schools received a large
salary for attending to the Protestant children ; the
Roman Catholic clergyman gave his services to the
children of his own denomination gratuitously, so far
as the vestry was concerned, and yet he was met on the
very threshold by obstructive resolutions when ho
endeavoured to give those children that instruction
which would fit them for the performance of their duties
to society in their future years.
Mr. Woodruff said it appeared that a majority of the
committee to whom the board had deputed the respon-
SibilitY of providing for the arrangements of the schools
had apnroved of this proposed arrangement. The board
was not asked to sanction any new principle. He
presumed they would all admit that they could not inter-
ecfere with
The law the religious feelings of the children in the
hools. would not permit them to do so, even
, and he thought their own good
if they felt inclined
sense and conscientious
was much better toconvictions would tell them that
it allow these children to have
religious education according to their own belief, than
none at all. He therefore hoped that the board would
granting what was re-
do justice to that question b
quired. There was no fear whatever of what Mr.
their principles
of
uteehd
Critchley and other gentlemen suggested, and he was
surprised that gentlemen Professing protestant
priu-
ciples, should think
necessary
Mr. slender a support as to be endangered b
and just concessions to the sentiments of others
Mr. Denton considered it better that the children
should be good Roman Catholics than bad Protestants,
and, therefore, supported the recommendation.
The board then divided, when there appeared for the
recommendation, 12 ; against it, 7. The recommenda-
tion was accordingly adopted.
firmed The general proceedings of the committe were con-
.

FINANCE COMMITTEE,--THRRATENED ACTION AGAINST MR,

SATCH ELL,

The minutes of this committee contained the follow-
ing recommendation, passed at a special meeting held
on the Ist of July. Mr. Woodruff in the chair.—
Min conse,oved by Mr. Luff s
resolved—Thatseconded by Mr. Hand, and
uee of e
under which Mr. Satchelql hasnc been sethrvedcircumstances with a writ,
by Mr. George Noble, solicitor, on behalf of the Rev.
Richard Doyle, it is the opinion of this committee,
that he should be protected and defended in the
threatened action, by the Select Vestry, under the power
of the Local Act, sth and 6th 'Victoria, c. 85. The reao-