Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-08 00:00:00

r f ,

arises in a great measure from the difficulty of obtain-
' ing it. And yet he says that, in every instance,
where the Christian population can obtain education,
they invariably exhibit far greater intellectual and moral
powers than the' Mahomeda,n or the Turk. And, I am
sure, that all those who 'are conversant with the mem-
bers of the Greek church—with those who come from
Syria and those parts—will agree with Sir H. Rawlinson
in saying that there is no deficit in intellect, no
want of acuteness and readiness to acquire. AU
that is needed is that an opportunity should, be given
for thousands and tens of thousands to press forward
and share the bounty that by your generosity wad the
generosity of others might be afforded. (Applause.)
Well, then, is this a state of things to be disregarded
If we disregard this state of things, do the other Powers
of Europe altogether disregard it. (Applause.) Are
they backward in availing themselves of the oppor-
tunity afforded—are they indifferent to the means of ad-
vaneing the influence of the person of their Emperor, or of
the: character of their nation ? 'Die empire of Austria
is not remiss. She offers every facility that can be•
offered, and so determined is she to maintain Austrian
interests, that she will allow no one functionary to
exercise any calling, if he is not an Austrian-born sub-
ject. Nobody can doubt that the empire of Russia is
making immense advances, not so much by material as
by -moral force. Nobody can doubt that the whole
power of the empire of Russia is directed to acquiring a
dominant influence.over the subjects of the Porte, • and
remember that she has a great and antilipating influ-
ence': compared . with. anything you can exercise—
she claims such influence and such fellowship with her
co-religionists of the Greek Church. Are the French
people—is the Emperor of the French—indifferent
to the institution of French. interests ? Is there
any part of the East where there will not be
found some, representative of the. French power doing
all that he can, and with unlimited funds, to advance
the influence of the French empire ? Have they not
instituted in Paris a college for the education of Asiatics
—offering, I believe, board and lodging to no less than
300 of young Orientals? And sp anxious are they to
avail themselves of every means of influencing the
I. minds, that weekly there is issued from the frenah
press an Arabic paper, touching upon all the
topics that could influence in any way the Oriental
mind—which, at the expense of the State, exist-
ing in Paris, is freely circulcatcd throughout that country.
And depend upon it, where no other counter influence is
exercised by a power such as ours, merely from want of
opposition, such efforts as these cannot fail to produce a
dottlinant and lasting effect. Well, now, are these things
to be disregarded ? I do not find • any fault with the
powers of Europe ; I find no fault whatever with the
Emperor of the French for the efforts which is making
to establish the influence of his country in the Oriental
regions. It is perfectly legitimate—it is perfectly
natural that they should do .so ; but I mention this only
to show you that we should be as wise and as
active as they are—to impress upon you that we
have as great an interest in, and as great a right to
exercise an influence over the minds of the Orientals as
any one-of the Continental. Powers. Aye, we have a
deep interest—a deep right ; and there will, by and
bye, press upon, u,s a very deep necessity. We are living
in very remarkable times, and in no parts of the world
are the signs of the, times more vigorous and more ex-
traordinary than they are in all parts of the Eastern
world. Now, look for a 'moment at the question with
me. Direct 'your attention, and just look at this
question in three different aspects—look at it in ,a
political aspect, in a commercial aspect, and in a religious
aspect. I am sure if you look at it in a political aspect, you
will begin to see that it is indispensibly necessary that there,
should be establiShed without delay ahody of native agents
—that there should be provided a native agency purified.
froth the dross andvicsousness, of its present state, and
adapted to the wants awl necessities of the times, and of
the great nationalities of which it is capable. (Hear,
hear.) Any of those who have looked into the history
of our consular service in the east must have been
astonished at its hideous deformity, must have been
struck with wonder at its utter incompetency, and that
such a state of things should have been allowed to go
on, so disgraceful and pernicious is it. No doubt I may
be told that the consular system
,is to be revised by
authority. But supposewe admit, for the sake of argu-
ment, that every consul should bo a British-born subject,
yet for the formation of his staff—for consular agents
and those persons who constitute the great multitude of
agents and the official bodies in those countries
must of necessity be native-born—must be persons
Conversant with the tnougnts anti reenn..bs ana wan -the
interests of the country. Now, British interests in those
countries must be confided in the first instance to British
people, and if you cannot carry it to the fullest extent
of saying that there should not be employed in the
British service any but British-born subjects, I say the
next thing is to take care that those interests shall not
be confided to any but those who have British syinpa-
thies, British feelings, a British education, and British
hearts. (Applause.) Now that is attainable in a great
measure through the college and school we now pro-
pound to you. It is in this college and this school that
many of these young people can be educated and then
sent out in the service of the Government, or by the
swims Commercial traders, to act as diplomatic agents
or as conimercial. agents in various parts of the East.
Why, see how important the college and the school
became. It is well known that many of our consular
agents, both of the principal consuls and the vice-
consuls, residing in those countries marry native and
Levantine women. What is the consequence ? The
agents are unable to educate the children themselvei;
they have no safe place where to send them, .and the
education falls altogether into the hands •of the mother,
who very naturally takes very good care, as you may
sup Pose, to bring theni up in the habits, the religion,
and the hopes and feelings of the country to which she
belongs. Well, now this school, if it were on an ample
footing, many of these children, instead of being retained
in theheast of the country, would be sent to the Island
of Malta, and there they would receive in' many
respects a superior education to any which they
could receive in England, and, in all respects,
quite on a level with the very best F chool in the
I British Islands. Now you know • this influence has a
far more extended, and far more serious political con-
sideration. Nobody can look at the present state of the
Turkish Empire—and when I use the words " Turkish
Empire," I mean the governing powers of those vast
regions—without seeing that that mighty monstrosity is
drawing rapidly to a close. (Hear, hear, and applause.)
The question then arises what is to become Of those vast
provinces—the finest provinces ever inhabited by the
human race—perhaps for intellectual and physical de-
velopment, more adapted than any country on the face.'
of the earth for the residence of mankind. When you
consider their vastness, their beauty, their great richness,
you must ask yourselves when the Turkish Government
shall have fallen into dissolution, what shall be the
condition of those mighty regions. (Hear, hear.) One
of two things in the present state of matters must follow
—that they. will fall into complete anarchy, and become
a prey to violence and bloodshed ; and the fairest sur-
face of• the world will be disfigured for centuries to come
by the ravages of internecine war, or, it is possible that.
Europe may claim the partition of the Turkish empire
as the partition of Poland was claimed. Now 'I say God
forbid either alternative ; God forbid anarchy—God for-
bid that there should be so abominable an issue as that
of partition. (Applause.) We look much further—we
go deeper, and we pray God to grant the prayer of our
aspirations. Our desire is to introduce true, sound,
practical, primitive Christianity into those vast regions—
(great applause)—ands by the introduction of Chris:
tianity; to give to them those interests—that spirit
of order andifself-control, without which no liberty its
possible, I believe, for an hour, and certainly cannot
endure for more than two. (A laugh.) The principle
of self-control is the principle of all liberty. Without
it, it become license; it is dangerous to' the man who.
possesses it—it is dangerous to all -who are around him•
that possesses it. We therefore pray that this principle:
may be imparted. There are in the Turkish Empire at
this moment some' 14 or 15 millions of Christians,
many of them holding, it is true, spurious Christianity,
but, nevertheless, capable of improvement, especially if
they see connected with that improiement, the develoP-
ment of the .greatest gift of God—the gift of civil and
religious liberty. (Applause). I suppose some one
may say, that in the fragmentary numbers which
we send out—scud out by ones, by twos, or by
threes, from the Malta college.— what do we ex-
pect from them amongst '36 millions of men ? Now•
never let me hear. such an argument as that; never
tell me that if one man makes a start he can do nothing.
Don't you think, though he be but one man, he can do
something ? Has not every great movement com-
menced with one individual ? (Hear, hear.) :Who
knows what can be effected by one individual ? I will
tell you what may be done by him. A single man may
affect a family—a family may affect a district--districts
may leaven a province, and then the leaven overflowin,g,
the whole people is affected—the empire is changed.
(Loud eheeri.) Talk of individual men! Why, when
there are such names before us in the history

of missionary labours as Mossman, Carey, Williams,
and, lastly, in the person of that good man, who has
produced the greatest effect by his individual exertion—
David Livingstone. (Applause.) Don't let us be told
that one man can do nothing, or that he is insufficient.
Depend upon it, that The few who do go out spread;
abroad in different parts, in various callines, setting an
example in the district where they live, nby advice, by
persuasion—depend upon' it that they rill greatly in-
fluence all those around them, and secretly, though not !
visibly, great preparations-may be made for the coming
change. (Applause.) But yet, again, we may be
answered, Ob. ! but these tens of thousands, these
millions of Christians so long subject to the Turkish.
yoke,- are unfit for the liberty we would offer them.
How long did you hear that argument urged against
that people who, by-the blesSing of God, are now stand-'
hig erect as freemen, surrounded by the dignity of free-
dom, of truth, of liberty, capable, as they have shown them-
selves; of receiving civilised liberty—how often Were told
'that of the noble Italians ? (Loud applause.) How long
were we told that the people of Italy must spiritually be
coerced by.the Pope, and materially, must be kept by
the bayonets of the Austrians ? The pressure-has been
removed, and what is the result ? Have they proved
unfit for freedom ? Have you not seen a nation born as
were in a day, exercising self-control, preserving order,
violating no rights, respecting each other, and their
enemies, proving themselves capable of self-government,
and that they are capable of standing next amongst all
the ancient and the greatest nations of the earth. And who
knows but that such may be the issue, even-in Turkey ?
Possibly, by way of argument, they may not be so ripe
as the Italians were for freedom. That is, however' only
an argument in our favour—an argument to stimulate us
to bring them to that state of maturity, and who knows
but that it may be in the .order of Providence that the
disruption of the Government of the Turkish Empire
shall be delayed so long as shall be sufficient to train
these people by endurance and by teaching to the
exercise of the great rights which by the Providence of
God-are,preserved in store for them. (Cheers.) I hope, ,
then, upon these considerations, possessing as •you do
these great blessings, and having to account to God for
your stewardship of them, that you will use every
legitimate' .meane and every effort in your ..power to
impart to these many anefteeming millions a share of
those blessings you have so long enjoyed, and which
you will, by God's blessing, transmit to your posterity.
Now look at this question in a commercial point of
view—how necessary is it to take this matter into our
serious consideration? The arguments that affect
the political view of the question are nearly identical
with those affecting the commercial view of it. They
cannot well be separated. If your commerce is to
extend greatly with those countries by reason of the
great" internal improvement of those countries, in the
course of a very short time it will be perfectly -impos-
sible that you can supply a sufficient number of British
officials to ()eery on your vast concerns in those
great domains. (Hear, hear.) But even if you could
And the men, and could bear the cost of their mainte-
nance, I don't think it would be desirable tudo to. One
of our great objects is by the. training of these people,
to enable them. to fulfil the duties which they may;. be
called on to perform in the administration of their own
country. Again, it is essentially necessary that the lan-
guage of those countries should be rightly understood.
No Englishman can acquire the language without great
difficulty, and' when acquired he never can acquire it ,in
iteperfeetion, It is most essentially necessary that the
Orientalkshould become acquainted with the . language
of; .England, and the English agents acquainted with,
the language of the East. (Hear,. hear.) Unless the
Orient* know the language of England, they will not
be able to enter into th full length and breadth of our
Ciiilisation andelf all the advantages we offer them; and
unless ,w,e know their language we shall fall into
ignorance and misapprehension of.our interests. There
will be much delusion, perhaps much tyranny, great
difficulty, and great discomfort ; and in dealing with
the natives in that part of Asia we shall fall into many
of the errors, and consequently many of the dangers,
into which .we have fallen in India—(bear, hear)—
by reason of those - who undertook to do public
duties in that country, being wholly ignorant of the
language, and consequently entirely ignorant of the
rights and merits of the people whom they governed,
and with whom they should have associated. (Hear,
hear.) The religious aspect is one of singular import-
ance. ln the first place, the College of Malta offers the
very greatest facilities for the institution of missions.
Now just consider what is the state of the minds of the
zeistens WILII regsru to rue various religious wawa
they profess, I believe that both in the pelt of
Asia to, which I allude, and in all Other parts of
the East, Turks, Mahomedans, and membere of the
Greek' Church are dissatisfied with the present- state
of things—all are dis Satisfied in their own belief ; though
few of them have yet made up their 'Rinds as to the form
of belief they would like tnassume, all are discontented
with the belief Which they actually or nominallyprofeSs.
If you- 'loOk at the effect that has been produced in
these countries by the American missionaries, you will
see what great results may be expected from any body of
persons who shall go into the countrY -with the same zeal,
the same prudence, and the same determination as that
body of men. Perhaps there never has existed, in the
whole range of missionary enterprise, a body of men so
qualified for the great task they undertookHea body of men
combining good sense with the most ardent -piety—a.
body of men who for their, knowledge of the lan-
guage, from their knowledge of the habits,
and, moreover, for their respect for , the feel-
ings of the natives of those countries. See the
effect they have produced upon the members of the
Armenian Church, and nobody can sufficiently estimate
the results froth effects such as they produced. The
Armenians are the commercial travellers Of the East,
and every 'Armenian who' is brought to !entertain these
views, takes them with him into all parts of the Eastern
countries ; wherever he goes, he carries with him light,
and knowledge, and influence ; and from the fact of
having stirred the Armenian Church into such a state of
activity,' I trust in a very short time a moral revolution
would be produced in those mighty provinces. When
you go into Constantinople, you will find it is now safe
to proclaim that you differ from them. Dr. Dwight told
me that he has preached in Conitantinople in the
open air to a large body of people, including a
hundred Turks. Twenty-five years ago, his head
would have been off his shoulders five minutes after he
'mounted the pulpit. There is at this moment in Con-
stantinople a converted Turk, bearing the name of
Williams, who has a chapel of his own, and his son told
him that when he went out, the Turks came out and
stood at their doors to salute him as he passed, and that
man was educated at the Malta College. (Applause.)
Now, there was passed some time ago by the Sultan,
a decree, which granted religious liberty to all people
in his dominions, that allowed the Greeks to secede
from their church and embrace the Protestant faith ;
and even allowed, though it was not expressed in actual
terms; Turks to depart from the faith of their fathers
and profess what faith they pleased. For sonic time•
it appeared to be a dead letter ; but nevertheless it was
not without its value, because you obtained by that the
confirmation of the' principle that religious liberty was
acknowledged by the Sultan of Turkey, and it gave
to all the Powers of Europe representing the Christian
religion, the opportunity of interfering when they
heard f any act of aggression upon co-religionists.
That wasbeginning to have real and effective results. Are
you aware that in the Turkish empire, at this time, there
are hundreds of thousands whose ancestors professed the
Mahomedan religion by force, and who handed down to
their Children a dispoSition to the religion that they
were compelled to throw off: Give them an opportunity,
and hundreds of thousands will throw off theMahomedan
cloak and return to the faith of their fathers. I re-
ceived an account stating-that a district Containing no
less than 40,000 persons professing Mahomedanism
presented a petition, praying for permission to return, to
their faith. The Sultan gave them permission, and the
missionary fully believed that the whole district would
return . to the profession of Christianity, and thousands
and hundreds of thougands more 'would repudiate the
apostacy of their forefathers, and place themselves
at last in a condition' to receive once more the
truths of simple primitive and ' gospel Christitinity.
(Applause.) If this be the condition. of things, if this
be the religious • condition of that Country, when you
see how ready the people are to receive the truth, when
you -find that hundreds of thousands are ready to dis-
card Mahomedanism, when you find that Mahomedans
themselves are' dissatisfied with the faith they profess,,
when you see—and- they see too—that the government
that rides over thein is now verging to its dissolution—
can you have a doubt that you must come forward and
occupy the ground, and join the American missionaries,
—for never let it be supposed that our object is to come
forward as rivals to these men, unless it be in doing as
much good as they—let us join the American mission-,
aries in the furtherance of their great cause. I venture
to believe that many more years will not elapse before
you see so great a change -as to make you rejoice that
you ever came to the Collegiate at Liverpool to hear-a
statement of the progress and success of the Malta College.

_ 5

Now, really I know not what more there is to say, ex-
cept to ask you what, you can say if you refuse to do less
than what we ask you in furtherance of this great cause.
Really, the times in whiCh we live are very remarkable ;
they are, far more remarkable than any times that have.
preceded them. \Ve are living very fast ;• we are im-
pressed in a variety of uudertakiugs,—in speculations of
all kinds,—in making
and* enjoying. money; and yet,
though -we are engaged in seeing how we can improve
our electric telegraphs or construct our Great Easterns,
we are every now and then reminded by wars, and
rumours of wars, that we must examine our position,
• put our heuse in order, and prepare ourselves for the .
worst. Now you are proceeding to the establishment of
volunteer
,rifle corps and, artillery corps—(applause)—
aulevery means of defenceeand it is right and good that
you. should do so. (Applause.) You are lovers
'of, peace; we are all lovers of peace, and we
1.
seek • alliance but we will gratify our love of peace
by showing that we will not only observe peace our-
selves, but compel those to observe it who are inclined
to break it. (Loud applause.) And as for alliances,
we Will put no trust in them. (Applause.) . Alliances
may be very necessary. No doubt they-are very neces-
sary to all, and to a certain extent they may be very, .
effective; but they are much more matters of taste than
of truth, they are much more matters of interest than of
justice; and when the taste chane.es, or when the inte-
rest is seen in another light, the alliance, and the paper
on which it is written, go along with other rubbish into
the waste-paper basket. (Laughter and applause.) Do
not let -me told that England is isolated. England
always was isolated, and England always will be isolated.
So long as she professes those great principles of civil and
religious liberty—(hear)—so long as she stands upon the
basis of Protestant truth—so long she will be isolated,
and God grant she_ may be isolated. (Loud applause.)
,There never was a time at which we were found in
alliance with the other powers, except when under the .
,pressure of a common fear, and then our power and the
subsidies of the people of England certainly did bring a
number of powers to our assistance. Depend upon it,
if we stand firm to the principles we profess; if we hold
out that where we have a right to the power we will, by
• authority and precept, institute these things ; and that
where, we have no right we will shame them into it by
example, isolated we'shall be—more than isolated—for
doubtless that isolation will shortly combine against us
allethe greatest and the most overwhelming powers that
are opposed to those-great principles on which we stand. ,
If that. be so, does it not teach us that we may look to
our volunteer rifle corps; to extend our armies, to in-
crease our navies ; but, does it not teach us that we
must. look .to higher, greater, nobler, truer defences ?
(Great applause.) Does it not teach us to consider what
is our position, to consider whether we have not a mis-
sion to fulfil, whether all those, great possessions which
we have, whether that indomitable energy of our people,
whether residing where we do, we can point with our left
hand to our possessions in the East, with our right to
those in the Nest, ande„look upon our loossessions in the
South, considering that our language is in every nation
and our speech known to, every tongue7—considering all '
these things, must we- not bear in mind that we must
trust to them for ourhope and our strength, and know that
we have a mission tqfulfil. And so long as we are fulfilling
that mission, and are found watch*, we may. rejoicein
ample secr.eity. (Applause.) Our mission is to carry
life, and light, and liberty into every nation in Europe.
(Applause.) I maintain that here is our strength—here
our security: and when we shall have made our armies
and our navies living instances of the true Christian
mind-e-examples to impress the heathen, and to impress
faltering Christians ; whezi we shall have made our
commerce the vehicle of religion, then we may in full
security and independence enjoy, knowing that if our
enemies desire, our land, they will desire it not to our,
but to-their own destruction ; why then we may sit down.
in safety, knowing that no enemy can harm us, because
we know in whom we have trusted, and, therefore, we
shall never be confounded. (Great cheering, during
which the noble lord resumed his seat.)
Mr. GHEGSON moved the following resolution, which
was seconded by the Rev. Thomas Cowan, and carried
with applause :e--" That this meeting desires to record its
conviction that the noble objects at which the Malta
Protestant College successfully aims, which are, the
training of missionaries for the. East, and diffusing of
Scriptural education among the nations dwelling on the.
shores of the Mediterranean, and the great principles
on which it is based, entitle the Institution to the sym-
pathy and support.of all earnest Christians."

TIIQ HOD. Ad AiINNMRD. M.P.. in mot& SPeond
reso anon, sal e has oeen connected use" college
from its earliest foundation, and had co-operated with
his noble friend, the Earl of Shaftesbury, who had been
the mainstay of the work. When they received so
cordialan invitation from Liverpool; when they heard that
their report had been received with-such warmth and cor-
diality, and that the principles which had been so ably
enunciated by Lord Shaftesbury, had found such a warm
and cordial assent from the people of Liverpool, he felt
only due to their friends here, that the noble lord should not
he left alone to represent the committee ;. and it was under;
these circumstances that, he came down to address them
and manifest his friendly' feeling to• the people of Liver, )
pool. He c oncluded by moving. the following resolution :---,
".Tbat this meeting is of' opinion, that it becomes this:
.great town, highly privileged in the possession'of Gospel
light, endowed with great wealth, and called by God's
providence to hold intercourse with remotest land, to aid
liberally by its means the diffusion of. Scriptural education
among the nations of the East, in which this country is
'at present deeply interested, that God's glory may be
promoted among them, and that the ties of common
interests which now unite us may be further cemented
by those of common principles.!'
_ A hymn 'was then sung, during which a collection
was taken up in aid of the objects of. the meeting.
Dr. APNEILr, who was received with loud and pro-
'longed applause, seconded the resolution. In the
course of his speech he said, that the direct influence of.
commerce was not all which they .as Christians could
'desire it to be.. It was the boast, aid the best one of this,
great nation, that she possessed
,a reformed Christian.
creed ; and it was amongst the plainest and most im-
portant of her duties, to blend with all her operations,
political and commercial, the saving, the elevating, and
truly civilising light of our reformed religion. (Applause)
Mr. ADAM HODGSON moved a vote of thanks to the
Earl of Shaftsbury, which was seconded by Mr. Collett,
and carried amid loud cheers.
Lord SHAFTESBURY said :—I do most cordially hope
and pray that you may long continue to enjoy the full,
free, and faithful preaching of the Gospel by the
ministers of this town ; and that this town of Liverpool
may ever present such men as are 'around me on this
platform for that great work ; and may such as those
which constitute my audience flourish and abound.
In moving a vote of thanks to Mr. Horsfall
let me say he is one of the most estimable
men to be found in this country. He is invalu-
able as a member of Parliament, and as a
plea
had
dg f dour tp
its t
object
b himje
et
member of English society. He is made of that solid,
stern stuff, that. I wish we had ten thousand more such
was
atinterest, a
all
ti
and
times
which
a pleasing men as he to adorn our nation.
The motion having been carried by acclamation, Mr.
HORSFALL acknowledged the compliment, and, in'
d
to take part in any institution in which his fellow-
the glory of God. , •
The meeting then broke up.
townsmen
stook
an

rlarge
containing amount
it. of
BURGLARY AT ROCHDALE.—The house of Mr. Chad-
wick, Church-stile, Rochdale, was entered by means of
skeleton keys, while the family was at church, on Sunday
evening. The burglar or burglars completely rummaged
tmhoenehyo, utsheo,
übghut
tfheerytuonpaetneledy
The only property missed consists of twelve silver tea-
spoons, marked ".E. W. ;" two silver' saltspoons, silver
fruitknife, with mother of pearl handle ; two plated
missedthe ti ra a
wC
brooches, and 10s. in silver.
STEPHENSON'S VOLUNTEER RIPLES.-011 Saturday
(says the Newcastle Chronicle), about 100 men belong-
ing to Messrs. Stephenson and Co.'s manufactory
assembled in the riding sch'ool, Northuniberland-strect,
in order to be put through their first drill in connection
with the Newcastle Volunteer Rifle Corps, of which
body they now form a company. Sir John Fife con-
gratulated his fellow-townsmen upon their patriotic
conduct and fine appearance.
TILE SAN JUAN'DISPUTE.--The public, says the
sGuipobereseodfilnasgt onfigGhetn,erhaals:aerenney.General Scott was the
i already informed of the
arrival at the Straits of Fuca of General Scott, and the
bearer of instructions from the Government of the
United States with reference to the temporary settle-
ment of the San -Yuan difficulty, and we have some
reason to believe that the tenor o these instructions, as
communicated-to Governor Douglas, was that the island
should remain in a neutral position, with no exclusive
occupation by either party, pending the formal and
deliberate settlement of the question by the Govern-
ments of the United States and Great Britain.