The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-31 00:00:00

WINDINO•UP OF JOINT STOCK COMPANIES.
MIDLAND UNION RAILWAT.—Hia Honour Muter
Vasty buts appointed Mr. Harding to be official manager
for winding tip this company's affairs, on the petition of Mr.
T. Macaulay, of Leicester, and of Mr. C. H. Br_cebridge, of
Athentone, who state that it was prnjectcd with a capital of
760,0004, in 37,600 shares of 201. each. The line was
to be an extension of the existing N wth 8 athedshire
Railway, from Otto:our. to unite the kicester and Hu:.
ford, and South Midland Railway., so as to secure the bast
practicable line from London to Manchester and Liverpool.
The total shares allotted amounted to 66,836, whereof 12,600
were alloted to the provisional directors. The petitioners had
600 each; and the former petitioner, Mr. Macaulay, alleges
that he has beea sued individually by creditors, and paid out of
pocket upwards of 1,0001, on behalf of the liabilities of the
outplay, the expenses incurred on behalf of which are
alleged to amount to nearly 80,0001. Only 6091., it appears,
was ever paid on account of the 21. 2s. deposit ; no deporite
were paid by the director., and no more than 290 shares out
of the 66,635 were taken up. It was proposed that 2., per
share s►ould be paid to meet the liabilitits, but the allotting
of only 2,895 shares respmded to the call in this respect,
which was found to be totally inadequate to (Hachure the
company's engagements, although some of its directors, for
that purpose, advanced 1001. each.
RETIREMENT OP MASTER IN CHANCERY DOWDES-
WELL.—An addreu expressive of ,the MPG they entertain
of the ability and discretion with which this gentleman dis-
charged the important duties of Muter in Chancery during
a period of 30 years, his just been presented to Muter
Dowdeswell, signed by the priacipal members of the legal
profession.

THE SISTERS or MERCY.—The churchwardens of
Stoke Danserel have bad • correspondence with the Bishop
of Easter relative to the daily communion in that church.
The churchwardens contend that they are not justified is

incurring the expense of the daily communion toiler three
parishioners besides the officiating clergyman partake of the
sacrament; nn that, as the Sisters of Mercy reside in the
district of St. Peter's, Plymouth, they have no claim to the
communion on Stoke Dianne The result of the cons-
spoodence his not been what the churchwardens anticipated,
but on what ground we have been unable to merino. It
is said the correspondence, which poetesses some features of
interest, will be published. No progress Ins been made with
the erection of the proposed home for the Sisters of Morey in
Plymouth. The foundation stone, it will he recollected, was
formally laid by the Bishop of Exeter in October last. The
raison for this delay has not transpired.
SCENE AT A PUSEYITE CHURCll.—Yeeterday being
Christmas day, we (Minolta and Deronport Journal)
paid • visit to the district church of S. Stephens,
Clowancentreet, Devonport. We had taken the pre-
caution to drop a rota-book into cur pocket. After
emerging into the street above mentioned, where this
secluded church is situated, we observed in a dirty lamp a I
'
burner, in the charm of a cross, fixed over the door, u • sign
of the entrance. Directly we entered we took swat as near .
the pulpit as
mpossetiobuier,eaynet wfoerrethgelan
ginning
grloaucendd attbetrhe6ltorare •
lookegd at, when we encountered y the phpysiognomy of an
old grey-headed man in spectacles, who said that if we cams
there for the purpose of taking notes, it were better that we
were absent. The next thing that attracted our attention
wee the meagre congregation, there being only twenty-six
adults present, anima of whom were women. These in-
cluded the male and female teachers of two or three school+,
composed of a dozen children, or 60, and these youngsters
occupied the attention of the teachers in keeping them
quiet. On the right and left, et the head of the chapel,
were erected zed intent, which were surmounted and
ornamented with festoons of laurel. Within these screens
were fitted reading desks, and, under them were ten boys,
dressed in surplices with loose sleeves, who chaunted the
whole of the responses. The branches of gas lights were
hung with laurel, and bunches of rtenone' were fastened
to the sides of the desks which the priests netupied. The
offinating clergymen were the 11,v. 0. W. Proctor, incum-
bent, and his assistant, the Rev. Robert Heaviside. When
the Nicene creed was being read, by Priest Heaviside, he
faced towards the west, while Priest Proctor turned his
back to the people, and Itched against the wall. The
bowing, were without number, and the changing of plena
with the two clergymen just as numerous. The genies
haying been gone through, Mr. Proctor, in his surplice,
ascended the pulpit, and commenced his sermon, while we
commenced taking notes • while so doing • thin spare
man came and sat ;Impede of us, and pointing
to the priest he desired us to look towards him.
We complied with the strange request, and we at once saw
that his reverence had made • discovery. He eyed us most
fiercely, and, turning odourless, be diecontinutd his sermon,
and amidst the full gaze of the congregation the following
extraordinary colloquy took place:—Mr. Proctor (addressing
our reporter, who sat very quietly in his seat): Sir, are yon
come here for the pnroon of worshipping or not s—her
reporter, who at this woman was lost in astonishment at
what be heard, dropped his pencil, and looked round to see
from whom this observation fell, but made no reply.—Mr.
Proctor: I see you are writing?-11. porter: I am.—Mr.
Proctor Then do ycu think, sir, it is becoming for you to
come into a place of worship and write on such a day as this ?
—Reporter: I apprehend it is not unbecoming of me to put
myself in possession of your sermon if I think
Mr. Ptoeoll : What do you lay ?—R7poSier : I say, sir,
that this is • public pine of worship, and I can write if I
clooer. It so happen, e:r, that lam a member of
the Church of England, and I soall remain and write,—
Mr. l'rootor: I desire that you will desist. It is snoop
log the congregation, end this is • sacred place.—The
Reporter then resumed his seat, all gee being turned upon
him, and he dotted down the above conversation, his bock
resting upon his ken.—Mr. Proctor proceeded with his
sermon, for • few seconds, and as we were molting good the
lost ground, be turned upon us again and cant, " Yon an
still writing ? "—Toe Reporter bowed an usent.—Mr.
Proctor Now, sir, I tell you in the face of God and this
congregation, that if you do not desist, but continue to
write, you aro committing an offence in the face of Almighty
God.—We were pnlectly paralysed—our pencil refused to
do its office the 1 f the note book appeared as if
unable to receive the cyphers—and our hands were not
suffieiently strong to hold either.
THE GUNPOWDER GRIEVANCE AT LIVERPOOL.—
Duval the past week (says the Albion) cur ordinary mer-
outdo reports announced that the weenier Guy Fawkes had
arrived here from Glasgow with 300 barrels of gunpowder,
destined for the Maessines. At first we had imagined this
to be some hoax. That a steamer should have been selected
at this particular juncture, when the apprehensions of the
public in Liverpool have been so painfully aroueed, to bring
this quantity of powder to their dt en, teems such a wanton
di flosses of public feeling, and such an outrage of all pro-
ptiety, that we trust the authorities will not tamely sane.
tins such a proceeding. If we are rightly informed, too,
in consequence of some difficulty in botching • steamer
at the usual place cf diecharge, she Proceeds up the
river, and transfers this powder to a flat, which has
again to repass in front of the town, on her way
to the Magenne-teeth. Here we have almost every pos-
sible addition to the already imminent dangers pointed
out by Col. Waters as attenoing the present perilous mode
of conducting this trade at the magazines. Let any one
picture to himself the peculiar kind of vessel, a steamer;
the pausing and reposing the town; the hendliog of the
packages in the transhipment to a le et ; the liability to
bunting and leakage of the barrels; and the absence of any
police or guard to ensure any caution on the part of the
crews during these operations, and then say whether it is
not high time that the public voice should make itself
heard and demand that life and property should no longer
be exposed to such fearful ?like. We are aware that the
reedy answer is, that our town council are bendy ngaged
in arranging the mode of carrying out the instructions of
governmeat for the complete removal of the magazines
from their present locality, and that, doubtless, every
precaution will be taken, both es respects the raw location
and more stringent relitalSiutle to put an end to the
present risk. ; but that is no reason why the public should
remain exposed to such violation of ell prudential conside-
rations as in the cam pointed out. The fact that the trade
on the beach, and at the magazines continues with in-
creased, rather than abated, 'envoy since the receipt of the
government instructions is surely a sufficient defiance of
those instructions end of public opinion without the addition
of a steamer, which we cannot but consider the climax of
effrontery. Should it pan unnoticed, we shall begin to
, think ;bat the reports which have been consent as to the
feeling in the Town-hall on the question are not altogether
unfounded. aod that the gunpowder interest, which was
and still is, represented there, has rosily more it fluence than
is consistent with public safety. The continued absence of
any information as to immediate action being contemplated
by the town council give. currency to then feelings on the
part of the memorialists. We cannot, however, persuade
ourselves that the town council us Idle, and we look for-
ward to their meeting on Wednesday for full explanations,
both as to the time and mode of removal that have been u-
nload upon. Meantime, we beg to urge upon the committee
of the memorialists, who en understood to have been long
nape in pessesnon of the contents of Sir George Grey's
letter to the Town Council, the propriety of at once inform-
ing their constitute d§ what those instructions ate, and of
thus removing any distrust which the present suppression
of the sontints of that letter her caused. It is true we have
heard it alleged by members of the committee, that, pending
the negotiations between the parries interested, this seep-
pension has been deemed necessary, but on what ground we
confess we understand. That it might have been
policy to keepthee
oonteats of this letter from the knowledge
of the limns is intelligible, but we thins it hardly probable
that, when the lessees are themselves members of the coun-
cil, they lava not long since been in permeation of them; and,
it so, it must be evident that no good reason can exist why
the puha', who really are the most interested and for whose
benefit, and to allay whose fears, that communication was
mode by Sir George Grey, should alone be the parties de-
barred the knowledge of the contents of his letter.
Rumour bee hinted at some attempt to prolong the mono-
poly of *elegem by consenting to a diminished quantity at
the enagszlnes; but this the public will never tolerate: the
danger must be totally removed, ones and for ever.