Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-12 00:00:00

SOIREE.

A very numerous tea-party took place last night in
the schojd-room belonging to St. Mary's Church, Edge-
hill. The company numbered nearly Coo, and consisted
principally of the parents and friends of the children at-
tending the schools. After tea the Rev.. F. M. Harke,
incumbefit of St. Mary's, who presided, explained some
alterations in the mode of coxdueting the schools con-
templated by the managers. ..He remarked that hitherto
they had given an education to the children equal to
that given by.any sChool in Liverpool, at a lower price.
They had been able to do so'from' the large sums sub-
scribed by benevolent individuals; .by money received
from Government, and the weekly sums paid by .the
parents. It was, however, felt, that the latter was out
of all proportion to the other scources of income.
They could- not look for an increase of subscriptions.;
the Government grafit went wholly- to procure
more, efficient teachers, and the contemplated with-
drawal of . the capitation money left. the mana-
gers no other resource, if .they would keep the
schools in the efficient state in which they have
hitherto been kept, but to call upon the parents to make
an effort to increase the amount of their weekly pay-
.ments. He trusted this appeal, which spoke directly to
their independence, would not be in vain. After ad-
dressing a few words of advice to the parents, regarding
the attendance of the children both at the Sunday and
day schools, the chairman called upon Mr. Steains, the
treasurer of the schools, to address the meeting.
Mr. STEAINS, after referring in a brief btit neat address
to the present financial condition of the schools, said
he was desirous to dissipate some erroneous ideas which
were afloat in regard to their exclusiveness. The
dogmas of the Church of England were not exclusively-
, taught, and the children of parents of every shade of
belief were welcome to attend on one condition, which
would never be surrendered, viz., that the Bible must
be used as a class book. He concluded by saying ho
was sure the meeting would at once adopt the very
reasonable p.roposition of their excellent pastor, in refer-
ence to an increase in the amount they at present paid
for the education of their children.

••• .106.•,•a. ,•••
Mr. Steains was followed by the Rev. T. H. Watson

and the Rev. Thomas Moore in addresses appropriate to
the occasion.
The evening was enlivened by a number of glees,
sung by Miss Bennet, and Messrs. A. Jones, J. B.
Clarke, and T. Foulkes, in a most tasteful and credit-
able manner, as was sufficiently attested by the rounds
of applause with which they were greeted.
• i•
A REFORM IN CHANCERY PROCEDUREY

The Morning Post, in a leading article, notices the
initiation on Tuesday, in the Rolls Court, of an import-
ant step in law reform. Yesterday, Says that journal,
an event occurred which we believe may be fairly
counted a dies tiota in the history of the Court of Chan-
cery. About two years ago an Act was passed which
directed that .questions of fact might be tried by jury in
the Court of Chancery. For some reason or other the
equity judges practically refused to obey the law. A
jury-box was constructed in the court of the
Vice-Chancellor Sir John Stuart, and for a
time it was suffered to remain a monument
of the good intentions of the Legislature, and of
the unwillingness of the judges to try precisely the same
experiment which had been found to work so well in the
new Probate and Divorce Courts. Last session Lord,
Lyndhurst, equally distinguished as a.oommon-law and-
equity lawyer, directed the attention of Parliament to
the subject, and the 'Government thereupon adopted'
the Convenient. middle course of issuing a commission
to inquire into the mode of taking evidence in Chancery.
This commission, it is understood, has made a report, ,
the substance of which is,, that evidence is still to
be taken before an Examiner, and that the Court,
whenever it . thinks fit, .at the hearing, is to sum-
man and cross-examine the witnesses -viva- voce—a
course which has already been adopted by the Lords.
Justices in several bankruptcy, :appeals, and in one
Chancery suit relating to the alleged marriage of a
woman with two husbands. If the Act which was intro-
duced and carried by Sir Hugh Cairns had been obli-
atory, and not merely permissive in its :character,
Juries by this time would have formed as ordinary a
portion of Chancery machinery as written interrogatories
and affidavit evidence, both ofwhich'are inferior to vier:yore
examination, because the answer in affidavit follows the
language of the draughtsman rather than that of the 41e-
ponent ; and the examiner cannot be expected to photo-
graph the demeanour of the witness. But it is said that the
sleepy decorazia of Lincoln's Inn would be rudely disturbed
if the jury system were introduced into Chancery; that'
the equity bar ie'not generally conversant with. the rules
of evidence, and that the equity judges are too old to
learn a new branch of law. To these assertions we at-
tech not the slightest weight. We haze no desire to see
the Court of Chahcery converted into a bear-garden,with
common-law:Boanerges brow-beating and bullving un-
fortunate witnesses. On the other hand, we believe that
the:membres of the Chancery bar, which reckons amongst
its members such men as the Attorney-General, Mr, Bolt,
Sir Hugh Cairns, and Mr. Bounden Palmer, are quite
easlamcoimnapteiotent
nTantd a
O edldricietssitnrgatha i
buyi7m,eaasnsmor.f
Avtihraerttovnet:
Mr. Edwin James, Mr. -Collier, or Mr. Hawkins. .
We conceive that the present system of decorum which
prevails in Chancery may-be too dearly-purchased when
the unfortunate suitor is in the middle of his, case
told that he must go to com Mon law, and then, when,
he has .obtained a verdict, come 'hack to the,original
tribunal, which, condescendingly, at the last moment,
pronounces an opinion either in favour Or, against.
the verdict." The Master of the _Rolls, we are glad to
find, on Tuesday, without waiting ,for the report (.)f, the
commission, has put Sir Hugh Cairns' Act into, force.
In the case of -Morison v. Barrow,
.the .first. j try in
Chancery was summoned. True, two common lawyers,
Mr. Kenneth Macaulay and . Mr.. Lush, were retained,
but they were *assisted by the learning and experience
of two able equity counsel, Mr. Reiman Palmer and
Mr. Lloyd. We regard the experiment which Sir John
Romilly has now sanctioned as the most practical an 4
efficient step towards a complete fusion of law "and equity
whidh at any time has been made. The general conclusion
which we draw is this : the suitors in Chancery are entitled
to have every question of fact decided by the beit,Means
which ekist:for eliciting truth'-namely, by aju'ry, and
this Without regardto the interests of professional men,'
or the hesitation and vacillation of the equity judges..
Sir John-Romilly has inaugurated an era in the liistorx
of Chancery reform worthy of the great name which he
bears—one which we believe will "prove' Of inestimable
benefit' to the suitors,, and to that great tribunal of which
he is a distinconshed ornament.

A COACH OVERTURNED..---S. coach running between
Epworth and Doncaster completely turned over onSatur-
day near the race common, in consequence ef.one of the,
wheels having given way. The passengers were thrown
with, much violence upon. the ground:. Mr. Adams, of
Sheffield, was ,pitched upon his head, and received a
fracture of the skull, which . was afterwards found to," be
less serious than was at first anticipated, and later in the
day he was. enabled to pursue his journey t 6 Sheffield.
Mr. Sergeant, of Blaxton.Grange, had his shoulder dis-
located, and several others iivere more or less'shaken and
injured.
CHARGE dr 'ABDUCTION AGAINST A ROMAN CATHO-
MO.—A man ,uamed William 'King, a railway 'porter,
was charged, on Tuesday, at 'Leeds, with stealing a
child under ten years old,' named Martha King. The
child was his granddaughter. Tier parents had brought
her to Leeds on ,a visit, when, on Monday, the prisoner
said he wanted the child to go to 'house and
take her clothes away. lie promised that if the child
would do this he would bring her back again before
nine o'cloc.k. The prisoner was accompanied by two
other Roman Catholics, named Lawrence and Williams,
and on the strength of his promise, confirined by Law-
renee, the mother
_consented to allow the child to
accompany him. The child did not come back, and her
mother had been unable to recover her, 'the ' prisoner;
refusing to say where she was. The magistrates coin--
Mitted him for trial at the sessions, but agreed to, accept,
bail, and directed Lawrence and Williams tole taken
into custody fel., a conSpirdey. -
THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE LONDON RIFLE
BRIGADE:—We understand that the Lord Mayor, as
President-of the Council of the London Rifle Brigade,
has received froni his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge an answer to an address recently presented
to him on behalf of the brigade, praying his royal
hi...in-less' to accept the colonelcy of the brigade. I've
believe the clUke has intimated, his assent—a fact which
no doubt will be highly gratifying to the -inembers o
the brigade as the address was most numerously' signed.,
As his Royal Highness Prince Albert is colonel of the
lion. Artillery Company, the city of-Londori;'in
tary point of view, will be now strong in royal patronage.
The greatest alarm is experienced at the absence of
all news of the Due de Nemours, who embarked for
Lisbon with his son more than ten days :since at South=
ampton. The vessel is not yet telegraphed, and M.
Reille has just been despatehed to Lisbon for news, to
relieve the anxiety of the Orleans family.—Letter'Paris.
TRIAL BY JURY.—I was lately called by business to
the ancient city of Chichester, and curiosity led'' me to
observe the operation of the English system of trial by
jury. On Tuesday, the 3rd of this month, three pri-
soners were charged with the crime of stealing property
from shops in Chichester. A soldier pleaded " guilty '
to having stolen a watch, and was sentenced .to three
months' imprisonment, with hard labour. A mechanic
was also sentenced to six months' imprisonment, With hard
labour, for stealing a pair of boots. This Man had been
arrested with the Stolen boots in his possession by one
Stephen Fogden, a police-constable, who was the prin-
.eipal witness for the prosecution. Then came the case
of a Schoolmaster who conducts, seemingly. with great
Ability, an institution of considerable local importance,
"the Diocesan Training School." This "gentleman,"
as he is called in the county prints, was suspected
of shoplifting 'by a tradesman, watched, detected in
pocketing boOks of small value, followed, and arrested
by the same Stephen Fogden, who had arrested the
boot stealer. The books taleii front the shop were
found on the schoolmaster's person, notwithstandinbir
his denial. No case could be, more clear—no ease
could be more distressing. The evidenee of the police-
man, which had sufficed to send the mechanic boot
stealer to prison, was as reliable in this case as iu the other.
He arrested the prisoner, who asked the prosecutor to
forgive him. The evidence was fully 'corroborated by
the testimony of the shopkeeper and his son ; also by the
deposition of a third person, who had raise:yea the pri-
soner pocket the books. An able advecite took' up the
cause of the prisoner. Even he admitted that the missing
_books were found on the person of the prisoner. I should,
have supposed that the jurymen would, after a Con-
ference of five minutes, have discharged their painful
duty and convicted the prisoner,, notwithstanding the
fact that numerous respectable witnesses gave him a
good character. But no, the, prisoner was acquitted,
after the semi-starvation of the jurymen. lam led to
conclude that, after all, the much vaunted system of
trial by jury has its defects, one of which seems to be 'a
failure of justice when a
." gentleman" is concerned.—
Letter to the Times, from a " Foreign Magistrate."

NEIVSTEAD ABBET.r -- •
•

This grand old ecclesiastical structure and rich appen-
dages, around which so many historical associations crows,
but which are most generally known from the fact that
they once formed the noble heritage of "Childe Harold,"'
will in a few days, owing to the death of their gallant
owner, Colonel Wildman, fall under the hammer of tbp
auctioneer. The Church of Rome omits no opportunity •
of regaining possession of tboae rich estates that once
constituted .the patrimonies of the various, religious
fraternities scattered over England, and she will, 110'
doubt, be foind among the most active competitors at
the sale. We first find mention of "Newstede" in the
year 1170, when a monastery was founded there by King
Henry 11., and granted with a park of fifty acres, a piece
of arable land called Abbey Field, lying between tie,
monastery and the town of Papplewick, together
with certain freedoms and privileges, and large tracts
of land in Sherwood Forest, fo the canons regular
of the Order of St. Austizr. It was no doubt from the
brethren of this religious fratern_ity that about thirty
years afterwards, " Bold Robin Hood," the patriotic
free-ranger of merry Sherwood, levied that compulsory
tribute which enabled him to perform those many
acts of benevolence among the poor of the adjacent
towns of` Nottingham and Mansfield, which, com-
bined with his intrepidity and skill as ad archer, have
placed his name among those of the national heroes
of England. The religious fraternity appear to have:
retained possession of Newstead Abbey, and its broad
and beautiful hinds, until deprived of them by King
Henry VIII., who' in the year 1540, granted them to
John, afterwards Sir John Byron, whose name has,
some special interest for this district, he having at the
same time granted to him the stewardship of Man-'
chester and Rochdale, as well as the lieutenancy of.
Sherwood Forest. Newstead Abbey continued in the,
hands of 'the Byron family, and was tbeir principal ,
residdnce, until it came into possession of the late ,
George_, Gordon, Lord Byron, of poetic memory, who,
sold it in 1818 to Mr. Thomas Clawton, who resold it.
and its extensive park and appendages to the late pro-
prietor, Colonel Wildman, for £lOO,OOO. The' colonel
greatly improved the estate, and restored a large'
portion of the old building • and a very considerable'
[ advance upon the last purchase money will now no
' doubt be obtained. "During the time;" says Thomas
Bailey, the local historian, "the abbey was in -the
procession of the religious fraternity to which it belong=ed, •
the monks served at several distinct altars devoted to
prayer for the health of the founder and different bene-
factors. A considerable portion of the old abbey is stilL
remaining, partly in, ruin, and partly embodied in the
general architecture of the house. The church, originally
a magnificent structure, as may readily be perceived by
the majestic ruin in front of the edifice, in the form of.
the west end of a cathedral, adorned with rich carvings,
was generally allowed to sink into a condition of neglect
and dilapidation, though the south aisle was incor-
porated into, and still forms part of the building.
Ile cloisters exactly resemble those of IVestminster
Abbey, only on a smaller scale, and have a very touch-
ing mid venerable appearance, especially when associated
\nth the idea that many of the ancient occupants 11C
still sleeping beneath the pavement, waiting the summons •
of the great day of account.' " This " cloistered sanc-
tuary of the venerable dead" is now a thorongfare for the
domestics ; an extensive and ancient crypt under the
cloisters, has for many years been used as the cellarage
of the house; the choir-room is transformed into a bath-
room ; and the burial ground for the inmates of the ,
abbey it now an elegant garden, where 'stands the
famous pedestal of white marble erected by Lord Byron,
to the memory of his -favourite Newfoundland 'clog !
Tempera niutantur.—Salford Weekly yew,.

. .
M. some, a Dutch astronomer, announces that the,
famous comet of Charles V., which was seen in 1558,,
will reappear in August neat.
.• VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST THE .MANAGER.
OF A BALLAST THAIN.—An inquest, which was adjourned,
for the second time. on Tuesday week, was resumed on
Tuesday last, at.the Coffee-house, Carlisle, before Wm.,
Carrick, Esq., coroner, to investigate the circumstances-
attending the death of Richard Morris, an engine-driver
on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. The deceased
left Carlisle, driving a passenger train for the south, on.
Tuesday morning, the 27th December last, and every,.
thing went on well .until the train reached a cutting'
called Hugh's- Crag, situated about 21 miles south of
Penrith Station. - On approaching this cutting, Morris
was warned by_a number of men, who, waved -.their
caps as a 'signal for him to pull up, which he `aeeor&.
inglv did, and. in a tioment or two after he saw a
ballast train a short distance in frontof him, which had
hem putting down' men and materials in the cuttifig.,
The ballast train 'had moved off, and was going at tlie
rate 'of about 8 or 10 miles an hour, and the passenger
train, when the breaks were applied, was going at
about 20 or 25 miles an hour. According to the rules
of the company, when a slow ballast train is in front,
and a fast train coming behind it, it is the duty of the
manager 'of the ballast train to have a signal man out'
at least SOO yards behind the train. The manager
had had a signal Man-out a quarter of a mile behind.
the train; but had recalled him without leaving
another in his place. The driver of the passenger
train, seeing that a collision was inevitable, jumped.
from his engine, landed on his feet; but in a moment'
fell to the ground, with one of his feet on the rails. The
wheels of .the passenger carriages passed over it, takinc,
away the fore part of it. The fireman remained on the
engine having hold of a rail, and received no injury
from the collision whioh. tSok place immediately after
the driver leapt from the engine. The engincman and
fireman of the ballast engine remained at their post, and
were uninjured. The unfortunate engine driver was
taken to the infirmary at Carlisle, where amputation wit
deemed necessary, and he died two days after. ' Thts
jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Barnaby.
Baines, 'inspector of permanent way, and manager of
the ballast train on the morning of the collision. Bail
•
was accepted. r.,,i

Srartiug AntrUigturt.

MANCHESTER BETTING.
. OPEN .STEEPLE-CHASE.
• 4 to I against Hazard (taken.)
6 to 1 against Physician (taken.) •
6 to 1 against Roscommon (taken.).

. .
READING RAC ES.-YESTEADAY.
• ARLEIGH STAKES.

Brunette
Border Chief
Fanny

Kibworth LaFs
Glautia
Magenta

Six ran.
BULMERBIIE PLATE.

Profile ..........
Sportsman

ran.
SELLING STEEPLE-CHASE.

1
2
3

2

7IUNTEE.S' STAKES.

Cinderella
Dame Alice

RACING FIXTURES FOR, IS6O.
FEBRrAIIi.
Lincoln Spring ...15 I Nottingh4mSpring Derby Spring 23
• 21

ad.ancti.
Liverpool Spring...c I Coventry Spring 13
II :Northampton 'I
Shredialmry Spring Warwick Spring 20 Croxton Park 30
8
• APRIL.
Newmarket C 9 I Thirsk l3 14 1 Epsoni Spring —l9
Catterick Bridge 11 I Doncaster spring 17 1 Newm'kt F. 5.....3

COURSING.
COURSING FIXTURES FOR I£I6O.—JANVARY.
Place. County. Judge. Meeting
Brougham & Whinfell Westmoreland Mr. A. Bennett...l2, &c.
Home Park Open Middlesex... . . 17
Cork Southern Club . Ireland ' l7
Barton-tipox-Humber Lincolnshire... Mr. Warwick ... 17, 18
Bishop's Castle Salop Mr. Warwick ... 18
Altcar. CIO Lancashire Mr. Dalzell
West Hereford (Bred-
,
wardine and Morn-

ington) Herefordshire. Mr. Warwick
Amicable Club (llamp-
Um Court) Middlesex Mr. Warwick ... 23, 24
Sonthminster Open ... Es ex
'Courtown (Kildare)... Ireland
Brough (Catterick) ... Yorkshire...... Mr. S. Cundall 24, 25
Churchtown (South-
port) ' Lancashire Mr. P. Taylor ... 25 -
Chilton Berkshire ... Mr. M'George ... 25, 2G
Baron Hill,Beaumaris Anglesey Mr. Warwick ... 26, 27
Cardington Club Bedfordshire ... Mr. Warwick ... 31, &c.

. 19, 20

BILLIARDS.
Mr. T. A. Bowles; of Manchester will play Mr. John Smith,
of Liverpool, a match, 1,000 or 2,000 up, for £25 a side, the
match to be played at Bowles's Rooms, Manchester; or Mr.
Bowles will play Mr. Roberts (the Champion) a one-hand
match, 509 up, for £25 a side, if Mr. Roberts will give 100 in
500. Mr. Dentith, of the Commercial Intel, Brown-street,
Manchester, to be stakeholder.

•
Short Fportinq Advertisements will be inserted in this columu
at the rate of Cd. per line, paid in advance.

SOCIETY FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF
• - NEEDLEWOMEN. • •

The seventh annual meeting of the Society for the
Employment of Needlewomen was held yesterday at the
Savings' Bank, Bold-street ; the chair being occupied by
the Bishop of Chester. The following report was read
by the Chairman :