Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-10 00:00:00

NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

LIVERPOOL WORKING MEN'S
PROTESTANT REFORMATION SOCIETY.

The annual tea-party of the members of the above
society, and their friends, was held last evening in the
Concert-hall,. Lord Nelson-treet. The hall, which was
decorated with flags of the Orange lodges, was crowded
in every part. The Rev. J. B. Lowe presided, and
amongst those on the platform were the Rev: Dr. Tay-
lor, the Rev. Dr. Blakeney, Christ Church, Claughton,
the Rev. John Blakeney, the Rev. Mr. Pilkington, &c.
The band, as we were informed by the Secretary, of
the Kirkdale Artillery Volunteers occupied the gallery,
and played various patriotic tunes during the evening.
Several of the men wore orange scarfs.
The ,CHAIRMAN after regretting the absence. from
the chair of some influential layman, said the Working
Men's Protestant Reformation Society, as they ,were
called, by an eloquent redundancy of expressicn, well
deserved the hearty support and co-operation of the
Protestant gentry as well as the Protestant operatives of
this great town. (Hear, hear.) What was it that
bound us in all classes of society together in that happy
union and concert and harmony and true British fsfeelingwhich characterised our dear native land, if if were not
our common Protestantism ?—(hear, hear)—and
there were no members of the community more inter-
ested in the maintenance of sound Protestant principles
amongst the workingmen of Liverpo'6l, and of England
at large, than the Protestant gentry of the country.
(Hear, hear.) But they might well say that there was
not a single individual in this land, or a single person
in this empire, be his creed what it would, or be his
situation in society what it might, who was not deeply
interested in the maintenance of those principles which
had brought them there that evening. (Hear, hear.)
It might be well if he said a few words in regard to the
principles of this society. He saw lately that it had
been stigmatised as an Orange Society. Let him not be
misunderstood when he said that the society was not an
Orange ' Society, nor let him be misunderstood as
though he supposed the imputation were a libel. (Hear.)
He was-persuaded the great sentiment which brought the
Prince of Orange to this country. was near and dear to
the heart of every individual member of this institu-
tion, and of every individual Protestant in that room :
(hear, hear, and cheeri,.)—" The Protestant religion and
the liberties of England we will maintain ;"—(cheers and
Kentish fire)—and he would go further, and would say
that the time might not be far distant if certain parties
proceeded at the rate at which they had been proceeding
lately—(hear, hear,)—and he hoped they wonl . pardon
the pun, if they correctly read the signs of the rmes—
(hear, hear,)—when that Prange institution would be in
greater favour than it had ever been before. (Hear,
hear, and loud cheers.) However, notwithstanding, be
it understood that the Working Men's Protestant Refor- •
mation Society was not an Orange society. Let there
be no mistake upon that subject; and the difference
was this—That the society was not a political organi-
sation, in any sense of the word, except as far
as sound Protestant principles must bear indirectly
upon the maintenance of British liberty (hear,
hear)—but they were not in any other sense of
the word apolitical, but they were a distinctive and
religious institution. They were organised together for
the support of the principles of the 'Reformation' and
for preserving the freedom of the blessed Word of God.
Alluding to the temporal power of the Pope, as a sub-
ject of present controversy, he said that power was three-
fold. First, there was that
,temporal power which the
Pope claimed as the universal bishop and supreme head
and'representative of Jesus Christ on earth. A'nother
branch-of that power arose from 'the Pope's spiritual
influence, which was great upon members even of our
legislature, and greater still in' a temporal sense
through the ,means of the confessional. (Hear.)
The third phase of the Pope's power, to which atten-
tion had: lately been directed by large and clamorous
meetings held upon the subject, was that with which he
had after all the least concern, and what ought properly
to be called the Pope's civil government in the States of
the Church. As to that civil government, and what it
had resulted in, let the' present condition of Italy answer
—let the slaughter of Perugia speak—let the foreign
bayonets which propped the Papal chair tell the signi-
ficance. (Applause.) The present clamour only served
to turn the gaze of all mankind upon that cesspool of
abomination—to make plain the real principles
and practices that prevail in the Pope's tem-
poral territories. Those clamours were hastening
the time, to all human appearance, when the ten horns
that are on the beast shall hate her, and make- her
desolate, and consume her with fire, and when the. Very
kings and princes of the earth who have together drunk
of the cup of her abominations,
.shall be foremost in
crying "down with her—down with her even to the
ground," (Applause.)
Mr: PARSONAGE, the secretary, read a letter of
apology for non-attendance from the Rev. Dr. Burton.
The secretary also wished to explain a matter with
reference to the band which had lent their services to the
meeting. That band, he was prepared to prove, was
properly called the band of the 2nd Lancashire Volun-
teer Artillery
.Corps. However' that had been denied
by the captain of the band, Mr. Dyke ; and after
the placard had appeared Mr. Dyke' requested him
(Mr. Parsonage) to alter the name on the bill. He re-
fused to' do so. The band voluntarily offered their
services, and those services had been accepted. The
band,'hoWever, had writtena letter to him, stating that
they Would not appear at the meeting as the 2nd Lan-
cashire Artillery Band ; that the editors of the Mercury
had, as usual, made the most of little in their article
about the band ; that sooner than be humbugged they
would one and all resign from the corps, by giving due
notice, and again take up their old title, and still be an.
Orange band, in defiance of all editors, or corps either ;
and that they therefore came to the meeting as the
"Pride of Kirkdale's Loyal Protestant Band." (Ap-
plause.) The secretary then read the report, which de-
tailed' the operations -of the society during' the past year.
It was also intimated that the receipts for the past year
were £192 12s. Bd., and the expenditure £221, so that
the society were in debt £2B 7s. 4d.
The Rev. Mr. PILKI,NGTON moved the adoption of
the report. Having traced the result of the coming of
the Prince of Orange to England, 'he said that now,
when the eyes of Europe were fixed on this country to
see how she would' act in a prospective 'Congress, that
when, with the old firmness, the old self-reliance, she
stood true to her principles, and they new looked upon
her, not with scorn, but with reverence and wonder.
(Applause.)
The Rev. Mr. ROBINSON seconded the resolution. In
doing so, he stated that when Mr. Parsonage waited
upon him, he felt he was bouud, as a clergyman of the
Church of England, to appear at the meeting. He held
that this was a time when every clergyman should
remember and hold fast to his ordination vows. He
was bound to know that the Church of Rome taught,
blasphemous fables and soul•destroying errors. (Hear,
hear.) The clergyman was pledged to employ his
utmost diligence in driving away false doctrine.
If there was aught 'binding in moral obligation—
if there was any claim in Christian duty—he could
not understand how any clergyman could give the cold
shoulder to a work of this kind—how any Protestant
could withhold his cordial co-operation from this associa-
tion, (Applause.) There was much said ahout the
volunteer movement now-a-days. Let them form their
volunteer rifle corps, in defence of the Protestant
religion,and the liberties of England. (Applause.) 'lt
was a matter of doubt whether Louis Napoleon intended
to invade England, but there was no doubt about the
invasion of Popery. Popery was 'at our very doors, and
doing its worst; and, therefore, let the lovers of the
Bible, and of that ,liberty which adorned our land and
blessed the world, rise to a man, buckle on their
spiritual armour, grasp that mighty weapon, the sword
of the spirit, be up and at them, and then England
would be still what England had been—" great, glorious,
and free." (Applause.)
A collection was made on behalf of the funds of the
society ; and the meeting was afterwards addressed, in
forcible terms, by the Rev. Dr. Blakeney and the Rev.
Dr. Taylor. -
A vote of thanks having been unanimously passed to
the chairman, the audience joined in singing st God stv
the Queen," and the proceedings terminated.

THE SHIPPING TRADE AT RULL.—The total tonnage
for which dock dues were paid at Hull during the past
year was 1,138,189, an increase of 51,492 tons over
1858. Of this total 2,976 vessels, of 783,763 tons, were
reported inwards from foreign ports, the- proportion of
which were 407,942 British, and 372,821 foreign. In
1858 the totals were 2,882 vessels, of 748,466 tons, of
which 394,000 were British, and 354,463 foreign; The
number of steam vessels in the foreign trade was in 1859,
105, of 41,432 tons.; in 1858, 106, of 40,541 tons.: in-
crease, 891 tons,