The Sun.
London, England, 1825-08-02 00:00:00

BIRMINGBAM, JULY 30.

SAINT PETER's CHURCH,- DALE. END..
The ceremony of laying the first stone of
.the
new church, in Dale End, in this town, dedicated to St; Peter,
took place on Tuesday last. It seemed to be the object of Dr.
Gardner who, as Rector of the Parish had, of course, fthe
management of it, thtit the whole should be conducted in the
quietest and least ostentatious manner; and nothing could be
more simple or at the same time more impressive than the
whole of the proceedings were. At ten o'clock in the morning
the procession moved from the Royal Hotel, consisting of
The Beadles of the Parish of St. Philip's,
The Parish Clerk,
The Architect,
Church Wardens of the two Parishes,
The Solicitor to the Commissioners for Building Churches,
The Clergy °tithe Town,
And the Local Commissioners.

Upon arriving at the spot, the ceremony of letting down the
stone into its position, (covering as it did a small cavity, in
which were deposited some coins of his present Majesty's reign),
immediately took place, the Local Commissioners adjusting it,
and spreading the mortar in which it rested. After which Dr.
-Gardner, in a solemn and most impressive.manner, offered up
among others the following very interesting anti appropriate
Prayer, for the blessing of Almighty God • upon. the work in
.`which they were engaged :
•" 0 Almighty God, the Creator and. Sovereign of the World,
who- has been pleaSed to declare that . thou wilt accept the ho-
mage and adoration of thy unworthy servants, as an, oW:ring
'suited to thy name and attributes, and as the grounds andeon-
,dition of thy .merciful consideration of their infirmities and
Xiatifsi'; we, implore thee to look down. with an eye oFespecial fa-
-Your on' 4MA-work and labour of. our hands. We knoW,
Lord, that Heaven is'thy throne and Earth thy footstaol, and
. . .
that thou hearest 7 the prayers of thy people whereverproffered,
yet bast thou been graciously pleased 'to promise that thou
wilt 'view with particular kindness all those assemblies of thy
true worshippers who shall approach thee in sincerity and
teat .
'truth, in those places where thou art pleased to hnd
consecrate thy name. Mercifully look down upon. us Who
are now engaged in, erecting, a temple to thy honour, and
in some degree; we trnit, worthy of thy name and service;
and where, we earnestly hope and pray, that thousands of thy
creatures May offer thee adoration and- praise.- Prosper,
0 Lord; our anxioss and pious undertaking:- -Let the hoUse
which we erect-jbe a place in which thou rnayest delight to ho,
nour with thy presenee and fayour, and suitable- from its nature
and the character of thoSe who.shall worship in-it, to the tran-
seendant qualitiei for which we reverence and adore thee. . Let
the homage we render thee in it be the pure enlighted offering
Of-the understanding and the heart. Let us be deeply-and so,.
lemrily ImpreSsed that all else .is mere, mockery and delusion,
and totally unworthy the rational creatures thou bast .formed.
Let this temple be the means' of uniting in the same true prin.
ciples of 'faith, and in the same mode of expressing-it, the now
scattered Inhabitants- of this district. Wanderers often from ne-
cessity ratherthan choiee---and unwilling, though.apparent vo-
taries-of s-eetariitn and shism, let it be _ the channel and foeus
of-re-union,..and'all by whom it is surrounded
..be members of
our national'-and truly apostolical church: Let thy word be
faithfully 'expounded by those who may be- appointed to
minister within it. Let the truth be .preached simply, piously
and boldly, :is in Christ Jesus; 'neither weakened 'by
the loose and-cold representations of the mere ethic and moralist
—the chill and Unsatisfactory doctrine of those who • deny, the
divinity of the Saviour;_ nor rendered frightful and appalling
by thetclo severe and gloomy wanderings of the enthusiastid.
and the fanatid: But let it Administer grace.and consolation to
the hearers. Let it really bring, as it was thy gracious purpose
it should do, peace on earth, and good will among men. Let
it unfold goOd tidings to the meek, bind up the'broken-hearted,-
proclaim liberty to-the captive, and the opening of the rison to
them that are bound. Let' it reclaim the wanderer, inform and
direct the young in the'path that they should go, correct and
reform the vicious, and strengthen the well disposed, the anxious,
the earnest,•and the faithful. Let all be steadily and honestly
enlisted under its banner, and like good .soldiers and servants of
Jesus Christ,..rim with patience.and perseverance, and 'hope,
and purity.; the race that is set before them: •
" Let these; 0 Lord,, be the great, and benevolent, and
pious purposes to ihich this fabric shall be devoted, of which
we now lay the- first stone. Be here thy worship and service
faithfully Observed,-thy sacraments duly administered; thy will,
and word, and way made better -known upon earth, and thy
saving health among all nations.:Behere the happy spot where
we May:successfully train up merritiera for thy heavenly church
arid- kingdom. May all who enter these walls be anxious to'
learn the path, and be here taught that true and acceptable
way by which they may be admitted within the precincts •of
that city, whose every severallgate, as it.is beautifully deserib,
ed, " is of one Pearl„ and the street of the city pure gold, :is it
were transparent glass, and where, the Lord God Almighty-and
the Lamhare its temple." Be here thy church established in
these dominions, strengthened and preserved. May all- who
breathe the same air, and live under the same government,
worship in the same house of God as friends—supported by the
same faith, animated by the ,same promisee, and looking.for-
ward, through the merits of the Redeemer, -to the.same hopes.
Let there be nci, division no schisms among- us,: but -built, as
we believe our church to be, upon the "_foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the CHIEF'
CORNER avows." Grant us, Almighty-God, to be so joined'
tdgether ,ip unity of _spirit by- their doctrine,- that we may be
made an HOLY SPIRITUAL TEMPLE, acceptable to thee;
through Jesus Christ our Lord." • • -

' The record of this transaction is engraved_on a brass plate,
embedded in the mortar immediately. under the stone, and ex-
pressed in these words : • _ . •

The first Stone .• • - .
of a New -Church, • •
Dedicated to Saint. Peter,. • •
was laid on 26th day- of July, 1825;
By the Rev. Charles Curtis,. theße'v. Laurence Gardner, D.D..
and James Taylor,.Esquire, •
the Local Commissionerkfor.buildingShurches' •
_ • 1n this District. • •
The expence-Of the slte•and Structure --• • • •
amounting' to 439,876. 2s. lid. .• • .
was defrayed out of a :Parliamentary Grant 0f.X1,0004.100.'-!,
• s The lion. and Right Rev, Henry Rytler,•D..D.
Lord Bishop of the Diocese: • '
The Rev. Laurence Gardner, ..D D. . •
Rector of the Parish.
John Welchman Whately, t Churchwardens of the
"Ifn ' - Parish.
,Messrs. Rickman and Hutchinson, Architects.

•
" -
.PRIcE S.4NpcL

A(I It IC ULT U a -
FOR TIM COUNTIES OF STA,FFORD:.-woac.,E,..F-
TER, AND SALOP, POI 4TILY.-

iu
tbe, long period of our a grit:A*lolin! laAt)urs
we recollect but few seasons .that can ea present`,; for a
continued series of dry weather, accompanied :14r.sa Nair-
and.Parching easterly wind ; the whole vegetable,laingdom ha c
in cansequence suffered. most severely.—The Wheat crop is
very generally-begun to be reaped, add it.-is-by much the best
crop, but the grain is very light, and Will appareat4 produce a'
superabundance of bran ; the whole will, be got :in; in capital
order,, and, will keep.--. New Oats have been shewnia the mar,
ket, and the sample far exceeds arty that we ever saw, but they
have been the produce of very" early sown seed;- the latter sown
partake_ of the general failure.—Barley of the present- season
his also-been exhibited, .we cannot speak so favourably-of its
appearance, the crop will be generally Very light; indeed in
many cases the-crop is cdmpletely burnt up, not an. ear can be
seen. on many acres with seed sufficient to equal that, sown.—
Turnips have very greatly failed ; the Swedes seers thstana
their ground much the beit.:—MangA Wurzel shews mos.t
:decided superiority, and- happy. indeed will those- fariii-ett be,
who can boast of :a few ccres of this most valuableiroot, for'
next spring will find the general fanner singularifdeccient in
.keep.—Lucern and Saintfoin hare retained their_valuable"ati:t-
lilies throughout this most:trying vasOn.: Never did tie wit-
ness their most useful properties better exemplified than during
this year. !Many dairies must almost have ceased bid. for these
plants,- for the pastures are brown, according to the Old proverb,
,"A green January makesn brown JUne." The- farinisin many
cases have been obliged to fly to the New Hay Rick, arid thus they
will add to the difgculties of the next Spring.—Of the Hops we
maysay that, generally, iris a complete fail u re. -..:-Pcitt;t?.es Partak e
of the like calamity ; the produce will be very scanty; and the
bulbs small,--Carrots and Parsnips are not quite so deplorable,
but they do not promise-much.--The thermometer has been
several days at 88 and 90 in a North itipect, out Of doors, and
during the night it has remained at 86; throughout the-day not
a cloud upon the face of the sun for several dais rtigether-7
Apples and Pears will be a very light croP.-- It is a moat
curious circumstance, and marks the peculiarity of :the season,
that in many places they-have begUn to reap the i3catts before
the Wheat, for they were so shrunk• that it- would hive been the
•
utter ruin of them to remain in the ground.