Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-11 00:00:00

Allowed

CORRESPONDENCE.

[We do not Itaarourselvei.responsibk.for the &pinions of
our correspondents]

CHURMRATE :AT SZ. HELEN'S

TO THE EXI'9)R OF THE NORTIEFALN.IXttILY
si TIME
d" S.
B
Sia,—Had the letter in Friday'k gne y
order of the Committee, Thomas. Watson, Secretary,"
appeared in trSt. Helen's paper, shoakl not think it
necessary to mply to it. To those cognizant of the
facts of the ease, it would carry with it its own refuta-
tion. As i ts, statements will have circulated more widely
in the columns of the ./Ifercuryi,allow me the favour of
a brief reply itnyour paper. "-The•Committee," through
their secretacy accuse me of "-perversion of facts," and
give as prootl of my stateme*, that at one o'clock, on
the third die.g of the poll, thew was a majority of 18 in
favour of the rate. I made tlii.S.statement on the autho-
rity of the-poll-clerk, who I find, on inquiry, had added
up the totali incorrectly : a filet of which I was left in
ignorance till 'I this day made tho inquiry. However,
whether there were a dozen votes on one side or the.
other, would have in no \rely affected the result, if fair
play had teen given. I stated that there were about
150 voters:on the church side ready to record their votes,
who wee, shut out by the• well-concerted plans of their
opponests. And how is. this statement met ? It is
called " sheer nonsense.". I beg to correct my state-
ment. It .was not Trite aceoefing to fact. I have
since ascertained that the voters present and ready to
vote, considerably exceeded: that number.
I stated that the opponents of the rate got possession
of the entrance to the polling place at two o'clock : that
they sent up a number of persons who had no. votes ;
and thus practically shortened the time for polling.
Saeh was the case, The committee state that out of
the first 22 six polled for the rate; but they wisely ab-
stain from stating bow many disqualified persons pre-
sented themselves, whilst these votes were being re-
corded. I may add, that a very large number of this
class, belonging to the opponents of the rate, attempted
to record votes whilst the number of the disqualified who
presented themselves on the church side throughout was
very small.

ft would not, in the least, have prejudiced my state-
ment, to have admitted that; the solicitor employed by
the opponents of the rate had objected to many of the
votes recorded, had I explained, ass I now do, the ground
of his objection—which was; that persons whose poor
rate, was paid through their landlords, although their
names were regularly entered in the rate-book as per-
sons assessed above the amount required by law, had,
nevertheless, no right to vote in vestry. I overruled
this objection, as I believe, properly, and recorded their
`i I votes.

" Dr. Carr complains of hindrances to his voters, and
ventures to record one instance." Do the Committee
mean to say that there was but one ? They imply thus
much. Do they mean to say that they were, not cogni-
sant of a scheme to prevent votes beini, recorded in
favour of the rate on the 3rd day ? Did they know
nothing of a plan to prevent the sub-manager of the
Ravenhead Plate Glass Co. from recording the Compa-
ny's votes ? They are not aware, perhaps, that this
gentleman received warning that such a- plot was
hatched; -but unfortunately did not believe it. The
" bottling," notwithstanding, was purely accidental!
No collusion : no preparation. Masters happened to
be there ; and their men happened to be there, too. The
masters happened to give the word of command ; and
the servants happened to be prepared for it. But it
was all mere accident ! All, undesi°crned coincidence !
an amalgamation of elements drawn together by some
inexplicable but irresistible impulse ! And thus voters,
who would have carried the rate by a large majority,
Were accidentally excluded.: and the rate was accident-
ally lost! The only probable solution of the mystery
seems to be; that a large compound of chemical elements
of an inflammable nature accidentally mingled together,
and thus produced a spontaneous combustion ! It is
more than intimated, that whilst Churchmen generally
conducted themselves peaceably, and "the Committee
who opposed the rate acted heartily on that principle,"
'the Chairman was the only exception. I think I might
appeal to the parishioners of all classes and creeds, to
say whether; during a residence of more than 13 years
amongst them, I have been a disturber of peace, public
or private. J may remind the Committee further, of
the conduct of their friends, including that of their
Chairman at thb last vestry meeting, whoSe attack upon
the Churchwardens was considered so improper, that it
was stopped by one of his own party. The Committee
seem to have forgotten, likewise' that at the same
meeting, Mr. Bishop could not obtain a hearing for a
most 'pacific proposition, through the clamour of their
party. And they have to be reminded, that at the ter-
mination of this uproarious meeting, a vote of thanks to
the Chairman was moved by the impugnant of the
Churchwardens, and seconded by the gentleman who
induced him to bring his remarks to an abrupt conclu-
sion. • These facti indicate, pretty Clearly, where
.the'
accusation would apply. It may throw further light
,on it to state, that at the termination of the poll, the
Chairman was compliinented by the law-adviser of the
opposing party, on the manner in which he had
.dis-
charged his duties. The Committee, perhaps, knevr
nothing, moreover, of the insults offered to the Chair-
' man, as ha left the. Town-ball, after the proceedings,
„. ~c .
numoer,
.
iiia„, Prominent 04e, amongst

them, however, did. Under hi; presiding genius I was
hooted and followed by the mob, and but for the police,
I should have been assaulted. This was done in open
day, and cannot be a secret to "the Committee," and
yet I have not heard of their taking any steps for the
removal of this seditious member. Will "the Com-
mittee" appeal to the numerous exciting placards that
covered the walls, in proof of their love of peace ? Can
they show anything corresponding to them on the side
of the Churchmen ? So much for their love of peace,
and their liberty of conscience !

The liberation party will be no gainers by their no-
minal and short-lived triumph here. Their edlidttet in
this disgraceful affair has aroused a spirit of indigna-
tion which is sure to result from the substitution of
stratagem and brute force for "law and order." And,
unless Englishmen chane their nature, the Liberation
Society, by such proceedings, will drive from its ranks
every member that has any pretension to challenge to
himself a name for respectability. I am, sir, your obe-
dient servant,

EDWARD CAR; LL.D., Chairman of the Vestry,
St. Helen's, Bth Oct., 1859.

Mr. John E. Gowan, the contractor for raising the
sunken vessels as Sebastopol, has, says the Boston Post,
been invited by the Allied Commissioners on the Danube
to raise a large number of vessels sunk at the Sulina
entrance of the Danube, and to remove some serious
impediments. He has also been invited by the Aus-
trian Government to raise several ships of war and large
war steamers sunk in the harbour of Venice during the
late war.

We, Inverness Courier, understand that the ball and
banquet to be given to the officers and men of the 78th
Highlanders, are to come off on the 21st instant. His
Grace the Duke of Richmond is expected to be present,
and there is a probability that his Rbyal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, who is .to visit Gm don Castle in
the course of this month, will honour the meeting with

his presence.
GROWTH OF AN AMERICAN CITY.—At the time when
this treaty was concluded, the infant settlement con-
sisted of 94 cabins and 10 frame houses, and contained
about 500 inhabitants. This was not so bad in seven
years, considering the losses occasioned by the war and
the epidemic. Five years later, half as many more had
been added to the population, which at the expiration
of another 50 years had attained the number of 118,700.
At the present time the inhabitants are estimated at
225,000, or, including the suburbs on the opposite bank
of the Ohio, at 250,000 souls. The natives of Cincin-
nati may well be proud of the Queen City of the West
as they call her, where within the lifetime of a single
man a forest of gigantic beech and maple trees has
been transformed into a city of a quarter of a million
inhabitants, with a future prospect of becoming one
of the most important in the United States.—Literary
Gazette.

LOVE'S LABOUR LOST.--Last week, says the Daily
Chronicle, a butcher, belonging to North Shields, mar-
ried a wife, in the church of an outbing village ; and
after the ceremony, the party adjourned to the Coach
and Horses," where they regaled themselves with
strong drink. From thence they went to another
house, where they had another drinking bout. While
so carousing, an old sweetheart of the bride
dropped in, and while the party were in "high jinks"
he put his arms round her neck and gave her a kiss.
This enraged the bridegroom, and a fight took place.
it at herself
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