Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-05 00:00:00

CHURCH DEFENCE ASSOCIATION

A meeting of this association was held last evening,
in the school-room attached to St. Silas's Church, Pem-
broke-place. The chair was occupied by the Rev. J.
Bardsley, there being also on the platform, the Revds.
Dr. M'Neile and Dr. Hume, Green, &c.,
The proceedings having been opened with prayer by
the Rev. Mr. Green,

The CHAIRMAN said it was scarcely necessary for him
.to state that the direct object for which they were as-
sembled, was, to impart some information on the subject
of Church-rates, having a special 'reference to the present
bearings of the subject. He rejoiced that they were
favoured with the presence of Pr. AP:Neile, who
had on previous occasions done and said so much
that was excellent on the subject of • Chureh-rates.•
Many years ago,when this question was agitated in this
tow.u.it was entirely owing to the exertions, the efforts,
and the eloquence of Dr. M'Neile,that the agitation
subsided. They had also present Dr. Hume, to whom
Was mainly owing the present contra-agitation, and he
had done much to forward the important work, more
perhaps by his, evidence before the House of Lords than
had been done by any individual to' place the question in
its true light. (Applause.) It was said that the Church-
rates were not worth contending about. They produced
00,000 a-year, which represented a capital of
£9,000,000, and if they said that was not worth con-
tending about he would give them very little credit for
being business men. But it was not the amount by
which their opponents were influenced. The Church-
rate was one of the outworks of the Church, and
let the outworks be destroyed, the citadel would soon
be attacked. The avowed purpose of the "Liberation
society" was not only the abolition of Church-rates but
also the alienation from sacred use of all endowments,
tithes, and property—in fact no more nor less than the
severance of Church and. State. The hardship could
not be with respect to the amount paid by the. Disse-
nters, for nine-tenths of it was paid by Churchmen,
and the other tenth paid by dissenters amounted
to no more than a penny a head. Parties objected to
pay the rate; and urged that they should not be com-
pelled ; but it was, he contended as lawful to compel an
individual to contribute to the support of the parish
church as to compel him to pay for maintaining a free
library, or to compel a Quaker to pay that part of the
income-tax which was levied on account of warfare.
He showed that, while ,those Who objected to pay
Church-rates were only 20 per cent. of the whole popu-
lation, those who were willing to pay comprised 55 per
Bent. ; and he asked would they allow a small lot of rest-
less political agitators, with whom the Dissenters had
no sympathy, to carry the question against them ? Was
it right, was it English, that one-twentieth against the
views and convictions of the majority should deprive
the Church of the property which she possessed ? It
was not true that the Church did not benefit and had no
'claim on Dissenters. Eighty-four per cent. of the mar-
riages were solemnised in the Established Church, and
seventy-eight per cent. of the children were educated in
schools attached to those churches. The minister of the
parish was called upon to perform various ceremonies
which dissenting ministers could not be called upon to per-
form, as their ministrations were confined to their own
congregations; and, besides, it was to the ministers of the
Established Church they owed the Reformation, and the
translation of the Scriptures. They were asked not to
disturb the peace of the Church ; but if the peace of the
Church was disturbed, the responsibility must be on
those who endeavoured to rob the Church of England of
the Church-rates which she had possessed for a thousand
3Q411, Re hoped the result of the meeting wetild

that-EiTivo-iTi riie- -a- petition numerously signed, and
they would-do ssomethihg to, help the zeal of the mem-
bers who should declare to the Hmise of :Commons that
sthey had no sympathy, with. those who:sought to Over-
throw the Church,. and 'deprive her of her prpperty.
(Applause.) He concluded by calling upeh Dr; M'Neilo
to address the meeting:
Dr. M'NEILE, who on rising was received with ap-
plause, said he was glad to be able to isay, that it was not
at all necessary for him to argue the question either
j directly ,on the- ground of the advantage, derived from
. the Establishment by the whole community, or ip-
directly on the unreasonableness of the objections
made by the Dissenters, whether to the amount or the
principle, or arising from what, perhaps, was stronger
than either the amount or the principle, the jealousy of
any. class occupying the higher, or supposed higher,
social position than themselves. But though it was not
necessary for him to argue that question, after what
they had heard., he had a little bit of advice to give to
them. First, he advised them to sigh the petition, and
to get their neighbours to sign it. A petition to the
House of Commons was a very good thing, but he would
tell them what would have far more effed. in th 9
course of the session than any petition or.any number
of petitions—that was the revival, or the renewal, or the
restoration of a Church-rate in Liverpool. (Applause.)
There Were 46,000 assessments in 'Liverpool of persons
who might vote at vestries for the Church-rate. Some
of these were too poor to conic forward; but, let them
suppose that half would vote, that would be 23,000.
The Church-rate was lost in Liverpool by the votes of
1,500 Dissenters ; and, if they, if the Church people
would exert themselves—get their neighbours to vote
with them, and restore the Church-rate at the Easter
Vestry, they would do more good than they would by
fifty petitions. (Hear, hear, and applause.) They must
not be unwilling to do this on account of the notion that
the money arising from the Church-rate MS applied to
improper uses. it had been refuted that the choir at
St. Nicholas's had been paid out of the Church-rate,
but it* had been paid by private subscription. They
might tell" their neighbours that, and tell them, more-
over, that it became them all, as Churchmen, to work
together; and they would confer a great favour upon
him and Mr. Bardsley if they got a Church-rate for
the Rev. Augustus Campbell without asking his leave.
(Applause.) -
Dr. HUME afterwards addressed the meeting, prin-
cipally for the purpose of substantiating his statistics ;
and on the motion of Mr. Steele, seconded by Mr.
Parker, it was resolved to forward a petition to the
House of Commons in favour of the Church-rates.
Thanks were voted to Drs. M'Neile and Hume, for
the information they had afforded ; and a vote of thanks
having been presented to the chairman, the proceedings
terminated.

CONFERENCE OF SCHOOLMASTERS.

UNIVERSITY LOCAL EXAMINATIONS.

On Tuesday, a meeting. of schoolmasters was held in
the large room of the Society of Arts, in the Adelphi, at
eleven o'clock; the Rev. E. H. Giford, M.A., King
Edward's School,' Birmingham, in the chair, supported
by the Rev. W. C. Greene, the Rev. R. Wall, Mr.
C. P. Mason, Mr. F. Payne, Mr. C. Pinches, Mr. E. H.
Puckle, Mr. J. Templeton, Mr. V. Surrell, Mr. Atkin-
son, Mr. \Pyles, Mr. M. C. Ewan, Mr. F. H. Morgan,
Mr. 0. Ferris, Mr. Davis, Mr. Henry Chester, and
others.

Letters were received from. the Rev. J. S. Howson,
Collegiate Institution, Liverpool ; Dr. Badham, Pro-
prietary School, Edgbaston ; Rev. H. Fowler, College
School, Gloucester; Rev. J. Fowler, Cathedral School,
Lincoln ; Rev. J. Harris, King's School, Chester ; Mr.
F. Shaw, Devonshire-place, Bath ; Rev. J. H. Willey,
Moravian Schools, Leeds ; Mr. Joseph Thompson,`East
Dereham, Norfolk; Mr. John Kendal, Charlton School,
Manchester ; Mr. J. Duncan, College, Southampton ;
Rev. W. Berry, Ullesthorpe House, Lutterworth, con-
taining their sentiments on the different points to be
discussed, and regretting their inability to 'attend. Mr.
Howson, who was to have proposed the sixth resolution,
had sent a paper to be read on the important question of
"The Classification of Seniors." ,

The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, stated that
the object of the meeting was to take into consideration
the present state of the whole question of the university
local examinations. In August last memorials, numer-
ously signed by the schoolmasters who sent in candidate's
to these examinations, were presented to the two
universities. It was there recommended that some ar-
ranmement should be made between the Universities of
Oxford and Cambridge so that there might be only one
examination annually at each local centre. This suggestion
had been received with much favour, and the best means
of carrying it out were now under discussion. With a
view to assist the delegacy and syndicate in their deli-
berations to effect a settlement of the examinations on a
permanent basis it had been determined to hold a
meeting for friendly conference and discussion. It was
a question in which the interests of the whole com-
munity were concerned, and as the plan was to be put
in operation under the auspices of both Oxford and
Cambridge to whom they were deeply indebted, it
could not fail to recommend itself to all who had had
most experience in the practical working of the schemes
It had long been felt that classical schools where boys
were trained for the universities and commercial schools;
were inadequate to the wants of the age. The great
question was to find an education at once local and
practical, sound principled and expansive, and it could
not be expected that any ohe schoolmaster or class of
men could secure this without the desired examination.

THE QUESTION OF ONE ANNUAL EXAMINATION.
The Rev. Mr. Wall said it was expected that either
the Right Hon. Mr. Gladstone or Mr. Acland would have
taken the chair on that occasion, but both gentlemen
were prevented being present by their public duties. The
memorial sent in had been signed by 420 persons, the
most fitted and experienced to express themselves on the
subject, as connected with the working of their own schools.
-Only two or three had expressed themselves adversely.
Others said, your system is excellent, but you are pro-
ceeding in the wrong way; you should first get the, uni-
versities to amalgamate ; but many of those approved
the principle of his resolution. The best solution
of the question was, ;he thought, to adopt a systeM of
union between the two universities, so that the whole
country Might have the benefit of both universities, and,
so that both universities might act equally on all schools,
that they may have the distinctive characteristics of the
two systems in every district, and so put an end to all
disunion, competition, and rivalry. Believing that the
proposed system would be beneficial to education
generally, he proposed the resolution. The proposition
was not new, for at the first movement of the matter
it was proposed to make it a part of the entire scheme.
He concluded by moving, "That this meeting is of
opinion that it is desirable that there should be only
one examination annually at each centre."
Mr. Payne, of Leatherhead, seconded the motion,
which, after a protracted discussion, was carried.
Mr. Templeton in a long speech moved—" That this
meeting is of opinion that religious knowledge should
receive marks and be placed on the same footing at
Oxford as at Cambridge. The motion was carried.
THE AGE FOR JUNIORS T€ lIE EXAMINED.
The Rev. E. H. Gifford then moved, "That it is
essential that the age for juniors should be same in both
schemes, and that it be 15."

Mr. Morgan seconded the motion.
Mr. Puckle proposed as an amendment that "the age
be "16." Boys at 15 Were not ready for passing These
examinations. They ought to be worked in classes up
to 16 years, without any special preparation, and then
sent for examination.

Mr. Wyles objected to withdrawal at the age of 15.
It operated as injuriously as the apprenticing boys out
at the early age of 14. After some observations from
Mr. Mason, Mr. Templeton, and'others,
The amendment and originalresolution were then put
and lost.

Mr. Wall proposed, and Dr. Pinches seconded—" That
every candidate should be admitted to the junior exami-
nation whose 15th birthday shall fall within or after the
year of examigation."
The resolution was then put, and carried with one
dissentient.
The conference then broke up. ,

The British Museum was closed on Monday, for the
purpose of being, thoroughly cleaned., It will be re-
opened on Monda, the 9th instant.
THE LATE WEST YORKSHIRE ELECTION.—At a
meeting of the central committee of the West Riding
Conservative Association, held at Wakefield on Friday
last, the Hon. Edwin Lascelles in the chair, it was
resColved that, under the circumstances of the case, the
total expenditure on the Conservative side at the late
election ought to be defrayed by the West Riding, and
that the Hon. James Stuart Wortley, who was the Con-
servative candidate at that election, ought not to be a
contributor, and that a fund be xaised to defray the out-.
standing liabilities. Some htuadreds of pounds were
subscribed, at the meeting.

COURT AN33-OFFIGIAL -LNITELLIGEN,GE.

Her majAty's difinei party Windsor' on! Tuesday
included the Prince of Wales and Princess Alice, Lady
Caroline_ Barrington, Major-General the Hon. It. and;
Mrs. Bruce, Colonel Parlor, commanding Officer Ist
Life Guards ; Lieutenaut-COloWel Bradford, conitnand-
ing officer 2nd battalion Grenadier Guards ; Captain
Grey, and the Earl and, Countess of Shclburae, who
arrived in the afternoon on a visit to the Queen.

Mr. J. S. Wyon had' the honour of submitting to the
Prince Consort, on Friday last, impressions of the new
Great Seal of England.
The Prince of Wales.went out hunting, attended by
Major-General the Iton. R. Bruce and Captain Grey.

Viscount Palmerston arrived in London on Tuesday
morning from his seat, Broadlauds, Hants.
The Duke of Newcastle arrived in town on Tuesday
from his seat, Clumber-park, Notts.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer arrived iu town
on Tuesday morning from Hawarden Castle, Chester.
The right hon. gentleman .left London in the afternoon
for Windsor Castle, on a visit to the Queen.

• STEEL BELLS.—Messrs. Naylor & Co., of Sheffield, .
have lately cast the largest steel bell yet made. The
height is 5 feet ,3 inches, diameter at the mouth 6 feet
2 inches, and thickness at the sound bow 42 inches.
The bell weighs 2 tons 12 cwt.., or 5,824 lbs., and is
destined for San Francisco, where it is to sound an
alarm for fires.
DEATH OF LORD JOHN SCOTT.—We have to announce
the demise of Lord John Douglas Montague Scott. The
unexpected and melancholy occurrence took place on
Tuesday morning, about four o'clock, at his seat, Can-
eston Lodge, near Rugby. His lordship was a keen
supporter of our national sports, particularly the turf
and the chase. The deceased lord was second son of
Charles William, fourth Duke of Bucdeuch, and the
Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend, fourth daughter of
Thomas, first Viscount Sydney, and was born 13th July,
1809, and married 16th March, 1836, Alicia Anne,
eldest daughter of Mr. John Spottiswoode. His lord-
ship does not leave any family ; he was a deputy-lieu-
tenant of Warwickshire. By the death of his lordship
the families of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the
Earl of Romney, the Earl and Countess of Courtown,
the Earl and Countess of Home, Viscount Sydney, &c.,
are placed in mourning.
The Earl of Guildford and Lord Lyndhurst are. en-
titled, in point of years, to claim precedence over their
brother peers. They have both reached the ripe age of
87. Following close are Viscount Combermere and the
Earl of Charlemont, who are respectively aged 85 and
84. The heir of the latter is in his 80th year. Sixteen
peers of Parliament have reached the age of 80, or
have passed it. Lord Brougham is among these
Nestors of the State, being in his 81st year. The oldest
member of the House of Commons is Sir Charles M.
Burrell, the member for New Shoreham, who is in his
85th year. Lord Palmerston is 75; Lord John Russell,
67 ; Mr. Disraeli, 54 ; Mr. Cobden, 55 ; and Mr. Bright,
48. Lord Campbell is the oldest' judge upon the Eng-
lish Bench; he is 78 years of age. Sir James Willes
the youngest, being only 44. The Irish Bench is graced
by the presence of the oldest and )-oungest judge in the
United Kingdom—the Right Hon. Thomas Lcfroy,
Chief-Justice of the Queen's Bench, aged 83, aud the
Right Hon. William Keogh, aged 42.
AMERICAN MUSKETS FOR GA.RIBALDI.—The Cork
Exanziner has the following statement :—" On Wednes-
day, the 21st ult., an American barque, C. B. Troit,
Captain .Scull, 316 tons, and ostensibly consigned to
C. B. Dennett, in London, for Colt, the celebrated
small arms manufacturer, arrived in Queenstown,
carrying a somewhat remarkable cargo, being no
less than 23,500 muskets, with furnishings, contri-
buted by American sympathisers to Garibaldi. At
the time the vessel left the States there was no know-
ledge of the resignation of the famous guerilla,
but to avoid mistakes the captain was directed to call
at Cork for orders. It was in pursuance of these
instructions he came here,' and learned that - the
consignee of his cargo had rusticated himself in the
island of Sardinia. In consequence of the change of
circumstances, the vessel has been desired to wait in
her present locality until the issue of the Congress be
known. When she first arrived in the port, officers were
as usual, placed in charge; but on the proposal of the
captain to lock and secure the hatches, which was done,
the precaution was dispensed with. Some change, how-
ever, appears to have occurred in the opinion of the
authorities, for the Custom-house officers have been
again placed on board, as if the ordinary course were
not deemed sufficiently secure. We cannot afford an
explanation, but simply give the facts."
STATISTICS OF LONDON.—The thirsty souls of London,
then, need have no fear of becoming thirstier as long
as there are upwards of 4,ooo'public-houses and 1,000
wine merchants to minister to their deathless thirst.
The bread to this enormous quantity of sack is repre-
sented by 2,500 bakers, 1,700 butchers, not including
pork butchers, 2,600 tea-dealers and grocers, 1,260
coffee-room keepers, nearly 1,500 dairymen, and 1,350
tobacconists. To look after the digestion of this
enormous amount of food, upwards of 2,400 duly
licensed practitioners, surgeons, and physicians are daily
running to and- fro through this mighty metropolis,
whose patients, in due course of time and physic, are
handed over to the tender mercies of 500 undertakers.
Nearly 3,000 boot and shoemakers add their aid to that
of the doctor to keep our feet dry and warm, while 2,950
tailors do as much for the rest of our bodies. The
wants of the fairer portion of the population are
supplied by 1,080 linen-drapers, and 1,560 milliners
and dressmakers, not, of course, including those poor
creatures who, like Sarah Dyer, " stitch, stitch, stitch,"
over " seam and gusset and band " without hope,
and often without recompense. Of them this
book (the Post-olive Directory) speaks not; it speaks
only of those who have a fixed awl known abode,
1,540 private schools take charge of our children ; .and
for the information of possible M.P.'s for Greenwich let
'us add that 290 pawnbrokers' shops find employment
and profit out of the reverses, follies, and vices of the
community. About 300,000 houses give shelter to
upwards of two millions and a half of people, whose
little differences are aggravated or settled by upwards of
3,000 attorneys and 3,900 barristers. The spiritual'wants
of this mighty aggregate of human souls are cared for by
930 clergymen and dissenting ministers,who reSpectively
preside over 429 churches and 423 chapels, of which Ist-
, ter bLuildings the.lndependents have 121, the Baptists
100, the Wesleyans 77, the Roman Catholics 29, the
Calvinists and English Presbyterians 10 each, the Qua-
kers 7, and the Jews 10, the numerous other sects being
content with numbers from Ito 5 each. Times..

51;porting 3nteiligrna.

MANCHESTER - BETTING.

The attendance of subscribers to-day at the rooms was
meagre indeed, and the only transaction that came to our
knowledge was one for the Derby, Lupullus being supported
to win £750 at 30 to 1.
THE MANCHESTER STEEPLE-CHASE.
The objection to Roscommon and Brunette has been over-
ruled, and the stakes go to the horse that came in first.
Titian( RACE MEETIN e.—ln consequence of Catteriek Bridge
meeting clashing with Thirsk, the latter have changed their
time from Thursday ..nd Friday, April 12. and 13, to Friday
and Saturday, April 13 and 14. The entries of the Mowbray
Stakes and Thirsk Handicap will remain open until Tuesday
next, the 10th inst.

RACING FIXTURES FOR 1860.
FEBRUARY.
Lincoln Spring' ...15 1 Nottingham Spring 1 Derby Spring 23
21