Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-28 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

At the Diocesan Registry on Tuesday last, the Lord
Bishop of Manchester duly licensed the Rev. Ralph
Calvert Williams Croft, 8.A., to the Perpetual Curacy
of Christ Church, Walmsley, on the nomination of the
Vicar of Bolton, patron. This promotion of Mr. Croft
renders vacant the Bolton Lectureship.
The Rev. E. D. Rhodes, Rector of Bathampton, has
delivered a lecture in defence of the principle of Church
Establishment, to select audiences in Bristol and Bath,
His arguments were mainly of a Scriptural character.
On Wednesday, the Convocation of the Province of
York was opened by the Honourable and Very Rev.
the Dean, who officiated as commissioner in the absence
of the Archbishop. The Rev. J. Bell, proctor for
the archdeaconry of Craven, presented three petitions,
one from the parishoners of St. John, Bowling, pray-
ing for the appointment of committees to consider
and report upon measures likely to extend the use-
fulness of the church, and also to report upon the best
means by which the two convocations of York and
Canterbury might meet for joint deliberation. The
second petition was from the parishioners of St. John,
Bradford, praying for the revival of the deliberative
functions of convocation ; and th 3 third was from the
inhabitants of Bowling, praying that the educational
provisions of the Factory Act might be applied to chil-
dren not employed in factories. The petitions were
received, and the convocation was then prorogued until
the 16th August next.
A supplement to Tuesday's Gazette was publsshed on
Wednesday, containing orders in council approving
various proposals made by the Ecclesiastical Com-
missioners. These proposals were for constituting a
separate district for spiritual purposes out of the new
parish of Amblecoat, otherwise Amblecote, in the
counties of Stafford and Worcester ; for making
better provision for the cure of souls in the parish of
Howden, in the county of York ; for assigning a district
chapelry to the church of the Holy Trinity, at
Poulton-le-Sands, in the county of Lancaster ; for the
assignment of a district chapelry to the church of St.
John, at Bury, in the county of Lancaster ; for the
assignment of a district chapelry to the church of St.
Bartholomew, of Westhoughton, in the county of Lan-
caster"; for authorising the sale of certain property,
formerly,
,belouging to the prebend of. Leighton Broms-
wold, in the cathedral church of Lincoln ; for autho-
rising the sale of certain property formerly belonging
to the seventh canonry in the cathedral church: of
Durham.

LITERARY PENSION.—Her Majesty has granted a
pension of £lOO a year to Dr. Bigsbv, the author of the
" History of Knaresborough," in acknowledgment of his
literary services.
SIGNOR GIUGLINI.—This accomplished singer has
just commenced (at the small salary of £BO per night) a
short engagement at La Scala, Milan. His debut was
attended with the greatest possible' success. He was
Called for no less than ten times in the course of the
evening.

GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ELECTIONS.—The Speaker
has appointed the Right Hons. Sir F. T. Baring, S. H.
Walpole, H. A. Herbert, Sir W. Miles, Bart. ; H. K.
Seymer, Esq.; and J. B. Carter, Esq., to be members of the
General Committee of Elections for the present session.'
SLAVERY QUESTION AND INTERCEPTION OF LETTERS
AND PAPERS.—Newspapers from this country to the
United States being, we understand, under Post-office
surveillance in that country, in consequence of the
slavery excitement existing there, it would be well that
parties, in transmitting letters to their friends, of marked
name in the anti-slavery mqvement, should take precau-
tion that their letters be received.
THE COURT OF ADMIRALTY.—AII order in council in
Tuesday's Gazette directs the Court of Admiralty shall
hold its sittings in one of the courts of Westminster, and
that all processes already issued, or which may be issued
from and out of that court in any causes, suits, actions,
appeals, or other proceedings, instituted prior to the Ist of
January, 1860, and which shall not have been returned
before the date of this order, shall be returned into the
court at Westminster in which the said High Court of
Admiralty of England may be holding its sittings, on
the days in which they would heretofore have been
returnable in the common hall of judicature in Doctors'-
commons. The judge of the said court, or any of his
surrogates, being at liberty to do any act in chambers
as heretofore.

A TREE BLOWN DOWN ACROSS A RAILWAY.—An
accident, which was well nigh being attended with
serious consequences, occurred last Monday night on the
Torquay Branch Railway. Owing to the fierce gale
which prevailed at the time, a large tree, situated about
150 yards above the station, was blown down, and fell
across the rails, breaking down in its course the
telegraph wires, and a large post used for signalling to
approaching' trains. As the last train came in, the
night being very dark, the engine driver, according to
custom, reduced speed on approaching the station, and
saw something on the line which he could not distinguish,
and which was observed too late to stop the train. The
engine accordingly went on, and with a slight jolt com-
pletely cut through the branches which stretched across
the rails; and with the exception of the loss of a lamp,
and some outside gear, the train escaped injury.—
Western Morning News.