The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-20 00:00:00

LECTURE ON THE MAINE LIQUOR LAW

A lecture was delivered last night, in the Teutonic
Hall, under the auspices of the United Kingdom Alliance
for the suppression of the liquor traffic, upon the Maine
liquor la%, by Dr. F. R. Lees, of Leeds. The chair was
taken by the Rev. Francis Bishop. There was a very
crowded attendance, the large hall being filled in every
part. The Chairman delivered a few introductory obser-
vations, in which he expressed a confident belief that
the great question of the Maine liquor law would become
before long, if not the leading question, certainly one of
the leading questions of the day. He remarked that
the efforts of teetotallers bad already established, suffi-
ciently_ that the rtrartire of drinking intoxicating liquors

•••••./1.• 16.44. YLLIi ri 4VIIVV vp•
was unnecessary and pernicious, and it now remained
tor them to show that a prohibitory act could be practi-

cable, efficacious, and right. At present the public mina
was not in such a condition as to render the passing of
the act feasible; or if it were possible to pass it, to
render it more than a dead letter; but by a perseverance
in the course which the teetotal bodies were following,
he expressed a firm belief that before long the advocates
of the Maine liquor law would find public feeling
ready to receive it with eagerness. Through the plat.
form and the press, the advocates of that law were
striving, and would strive, in its behalf, and amongst all
who had lent it there aid, there was no more powerful

advocate, by voice and pen, than the gentleman who was
about to address the meeting. The chairman then,
amid 'owl applause, called upon Dr. Lees to deliver his
lecture.

The Lecturer proceeded, in a clear and forcible
manner, to state his arguments in favour of the intro-
duction of the Maine liquor law into England, He
addressed himself in the first instance to the task of
demonstrating that the introduction of such a law was

perfectly consistent with the spirit of English legisla-
ture, and no infringement upon the just constitutional
rights and liberty of any man. On this point he
admitted. the distinction between such moral defects
as consisted in want of religion or piety, which
it would •be impossible to enforce by any
conceivable act of parliament, and such public
offences as called for legal suppression, and
he contended that the offence of drunkenness
belonged to the latter class. He denied that indulgence
in drink was to be considered as a merely private habit,
which any man had a right to follow if he pleased ; and
urged that the daily results of drinking were such as
constituted incessant public offences. He animadverted
upon a remark of Baron Bramwell, as reported in the
Birmingham Mercury, made at the Gloucester assizes, in
which his lordship spoke of " trumpery offences, such
as being drunk and disorderly, for which it did not
matter much whether a man was punished or not," and
expressed surprise how a judge could view, in this light,
an offence which brought so many cases of murder
before the criminal tribunals of the country. He alluded
as instances, to the late case of Conelly, convicted and
sentenced to transportation, at the last Liverpool assizes,
and to the still more recent poisoning case at Leeds, in
which, he stated, the accused, although the son of a
good father, had fallen into habits of drinking.

He denied' that any man had a right in
sell drink, which led to such results, any
more than he had a right to sell an immoral
or licentious picture. He spewed the nature and extent
of the offence, and its results, as justifying and calling
for a legal remedy, and then proceeded to show that
no other remedy than that which he advocated would
be sufficient to meet the evil. After a variety of argu-
ments to support the question at all points, the lecturer
called upon the meeting and the public, as citizens and
philanthropists, to use their influence in support of the
introduction of the measure. The lecture was received
with the utmost enthusiasm by the meeting.

The proceedings closed with a vote of -thanks to the
chairman and the lecturer.

ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHNOLOGICAI

SOCIETY
-4.---

The ordinary meeting of this society, was held at half-
past seven o'clock last night, in the Royal Institution,
Colquitt stre3t. Mr. J. Hay in the chair.
Mr. Christopher Ellison, jun., was elected an associate
member of this society. Among the donations received,
were the Land and Building News, from March 13 ; and
ArchceologicaliStudies in Jerusalem, by Mr. G. J. Wigley,
associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Mr. Picton, mentioned. as a matter of interest to the
society, that his papers on Belgian Architecture, read
during the last session, and also one of Mr. Huggins's
papers had been published at Brussels in the Journal of
Architecture. It showed that their proceedings were
regarded with interest, even outside of Liverpool. (Hear,
hear.) -
-

Mr. Boult called attention to a notice which appeared
in the Times:a few days since, stating that the Board of
Works were about to erect public offices in Downing-
street, and that it was their intention to employ the suc-
cessful architect, (the competition to be open to a limited
number of London architects), and 160/ to eacl_
unsuccessful competitors. He thought this was a step _
the right direction, the practice hitherto having been to
give the conduct of the work to the architect of the
board. _ _

of the

Mr. Picton replied that it should be remembered that
at.the same time it was stated that the commission would
be reduced from 5 per cent. to 3 per cont. It was, there-
fore, simply "robbing Peter to pay Paul ; " and he feared
that the reduction being introduced by government would
be also insisted on by private persons.
Mr. Horner observed that the reduction was intended
to apply to all government contracts.
Mr. Verelst concurred with Mr. Boult, that it was a
step in the right direction, and took the opportunity to
mention that there was in the Liverpool Free Library a
magnificent collection of works on architecture and
archaeology, which might be advantageously consulted by
the society.

Mr. Picton thought the library committee would have
no objection to the collection being open for the inspection
of the society on certain nights, and he undertook to bring
it under their notice.

The paper for the evening was, "A few;words on French,
Lombard, and Gothic Architecture," by Mr. C. Verelst.
1 •., ..-..___ _

MELANCHOLY SUICIDI

On Monday Mr W. Payne held an inquest at St.
Bartholomew's Hospital, on the body of Herr Van Der
Mast, who committed suicide by cutting his throat.
The deceased was a well known swordsman, having
performed before her Majesty, in Lord Holland's-park,
at Saville-house, Leicester-square, and at most of the
"assaults of arms" at the houses of the nobility and gentry.
He was looked upon as one of the most expert swordsmen
in England. Since the closing of Saville-house, the
deceased, who was a German by birth, has maintained
his wife and family by giving lessons on fencing, &c.,
and by working at his original business, that of a furrier.
Recently, his employer had occasion to dismiss him in
consequence of the slackness of work ; but procured
him another situation, which, however, it appeared, he
did not like ; for one evening last week he left his
employment and returned home. Shortly after his wife
went down stairs, and on her return, after an absence of
only a few minutes, she was greatly shocked at finding
he had cut his throat. He was conveyed to St. Bartho-
lomew's Hospital, where he lingered in great pain until
Sunday afternoon last when he died. The jury returned
a verdict of " Temporary insanity."

FATAL AFFRAY AT SOUTH CAROLINA

COLLEGE, U.S

--,,..--

The Wilmington Commercial gives an account of some
serious disturbances which occurred in Columbia, South
Carolina, on Feb. 17. Three students of the college
were walking round the city at nine o'clock p.m., in•
tending to murder the Chief of Police. This gentleman,
hearing a noise in the street, came to the spot,
when one of the students punched him in the abdo-
men with his club ; the policeman, thinking he had
been stabbed, immediately struck the student with
his bludgeon, splitting his skull dreadfully. This
being done, he commanded his fellow policemen to
assist in carrying him to the guard house. As soon
as he was lodged there the cry of " Collega " was raised
by the students, and in less than two minutes 160 stu-
dents were present, all armed with pistols, bowie knives,
swords, hatchets, and clubs. After cutting all the
guardhouse doors and windows into fragments, they
rushed in upon the chief, each student giving him a
wound with knife, bludgeon, or sword, and then threw
him out of the second story window on to the brick
pavement. Next morning the students and several of
the citizens had a desperate encounter in the street with
pistols, swords, and knives. Several of the students
were carried to their various homes, dreadfully cut and
bruised. The students had sworn to kill the policeman,
they broke into the guard house, where he had been put
for safety, and pulled him out in front of it, where they
each gave him a blow with their clubs, and some
of them cut him with bowie knives. The few citizens
that were present rushed upon them, and had a dreadful
fight. The alarm bell was rang to summon the military
companies, and in a short time five military companies
were present, including the artillery, clearing the side
walk. One of the students died after the fight, and
others are not expected to survive. On the 20th the
students kdespatched messengers to Charleston to buy
ammunition ; they also procured rifles, from a neigh-
bouring town, and in addition broke open the municipal
armoury and took the weapons therein. On the 21st
the governor demanded the arms from the students,
telling them if they did not surrender he would fire upon
them. This being done they gave up their arms, and
the disturbance was finally quelled. The chief of olice
is said to have died of his wounds.

Government emigration will be diminished considerably
in consequence of the refusal of the Australian colonies to
receive for the present any more Irish emigrants. The last
accounts from South Australia were that some hundreds of
Irish emigrants were dart wanting employmente