The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-20 00:00:00

EXIRAORDINARY CASE.

.0.

On Saturday morning last, the coroner, Mr. Rut-
ter, received information that a man had been found
drowned at Mode Wheel, on the river Irwell, in the
township of Pendlebury, in the borough of Salford.
On going to take the inquest in the afternoon,' the
body appeared to be that of a man about 50 or GO
years of age.
From the evidence it appeared that a man named
Yates, employed at the Mode Wheel Works, dis-
covered the body in a nearly erect position at half-
past six that morning, in the sluice leading from
the ricer Irwell. With the assistance of a man
named James Moyles, he got the body out of the
water, and, conveyed it to the bwan Inn, Pendle-
bury, where it lay until Saturday night.
Mary Gorton, who keeps a beer-shop near the
Swan Inn, stated that on Friday afternoon this
man came to her house, and remained from three
o'clock until five. He appeared perfectly sober.
During the time he remained he asked for a glass
of beer and a pipe of tobacco, and had four glasses
in all, for which he paid 6d. Before-leaving, he
inquired of her at what time the gates of the lodge
leading to Mode Wheel were closed for the night.
She inquired whether he was going to Manchester,
when he replied, " No, to Throstle Nast." The
witness said "he appeared to be upset in his
mind," and she had no fiirther 'conversation with
him. He was a stranger to her before this.
One of the jury remarked, that if it was the per-
son he supposed, he knew him well. His name was
Henry Stokes; but though he was known by this
name he was not a man, and his proper name was
Harriet Stokes. She had assumed the name and
garb of a man for a great number of years, and had
served an apprenticeship as a bricksetter, after-
wards working as a journeyman, and then for
several years in business, having constructed many
of the warehouses, chapels, and dwelling-houses in
the neighbourhood of Manchester, the last work.
being the erection of a factory chimney for Mr.
Simpson.
The Coroner then directed two women to exa-
mine the body, who came back tittering, saying it
was true ; it was the body of a woman.
Harriet Taylor, who lives in the neighbourhood,
said she knew Stokes well. He was a bricksetter.
The proper name was Harriet Stokes, but he went
by the name of Harry Stokes. Some years ago
Stokes married a woman in Manchester. They
lived together as man and wife, and kept a beer-
shop, in Quay-street, Manchester.
Several of the jury recollected the case, and that
ballads were composed and sung in the streets on
its being known that the supposed man was a
woman.
The verdict was "Found drowned. Supposed
suicide."
Since the inquest we have ascertained froin in-
quiries that it is stated that about 25 years ago this
woman was married to a female, who made com-
plaint that her husband was not a man, and left her
in consequence.

REVIVAL MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND.

The Northern Express records the first of a series
of services to be held in the Sane-3treet Wesleyan
Chapel, Sunderland, under the auspices of the re-
vivalists, Dr. and Mrs. Palmer. On Sunday after-
noon the first gathering too place, when the chapel
was crowded in every part. Dr. Palmer commenced
the services, by reading and commenting on a por-
tion of the Scriptures. Mrs. Palmer then came
forward. to the front of the communion rails, and in
a sweet and impressive mariner spoke of the holi-
ness and majesty of God, and His condeeension,
for He bad said to His people, Call upon me and I
will shoW you mighty things. This was addressed
to all the people of God, and every one present
should make it a personal matter. They ought to
call upon God, and He would show them mighty
things. What would be a great and mighty thing ?
She knew a person present who had said, " I have
a desire to ask a thousand souls this week." Would
they think that a great and mighty thing, or too
much to ask God ? Let them inquire into their
hearts. Some said they had too little faith. That
might be very possible, but they must use the faith
they had, and they would get snore. Was it too
much to believe that the Almighty Saviour could
save a thousand souls in this town during the
coming week? Some would say no, and the true
believer would say, all things are possible to those
who believe. Were they willing, then, to be
workers with God in) this great work ? God
has promised to dwell in them and walk in them ;
and if He wanted a message of mercy carried to
any sinner, He would walk in them. This was a
privilege of the disciples of Jesus, which angels
had not; and 'all the privileges of believers were
duties. This was a glorious privilege, and ought
to be observed as a solemn duty ; if they did not
they would grieve their precious Saviour. The
disciples were commanded by Christ to tarry at
Jerusalem till endued with -power from on high.
She had often thought that if Paul was to visit
the earth in these days, he would ask of some of
the disciples, as he did of old, " Have ye received
the Holy Ghost since ye believed ?" There were
some present who had not received the Holy Ghost
since they believed; and in the name of their Sa-
viour she begged them not to rest on their pillows
till they bad received the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. Mrs. Palmer narrated her own struggles
20 years ago :for this baptism from on high, and
with feeling urged upon her hearers. the necessity
of self-sacrifice, so that the Spirit might be given,
and the work of God carried on.
Dr. Palmer then gave out a hymn, and invited
those who were desirous of being briptised with the
Holy Spirit to come up to the communion rail and
ask for it. Those who were seeking were also in-
vited to come up. During the singing of the hymn
between 20 and 30 adults went up to the communion
rail, and numbers in the body of the chapel mani-
fested deep emotion
The service was closed about half-past four.

EUROPEAN MISSIONS TO CHINA.

The following are some details relative to the
first European missions to China :
" As far back as 1314 John of Monte-Corvino
went to China, accompanied by a Franciscan monk.
They established an archbishopric entitled Khan
Balikh. But from that period there is no record of
relations between Western Europe and China until
1521, when the Portuguese missionary Pirez went
to Pekin ; he was there cast into prison, and it is
believed executed. The Jesuits appeared there about
the same time, the first of them being Francis de
Xavier, who died in 1552, and who has since been
canonised. Fathers Valignan, Roger, Pasio, and
Ricci continued his enterprise. The latter resolved
to try to influence the minds of the Chinese by
means of science, and in 1600 he was permitted to
offer a clock to the Emperor. his Majesty in return
showed him great favour, and numerous conversions
were the consequence. The successor of Father
Ricci, Father Scholl, was nominated Director of
Celestial Affairs,' and became the particular friend
of the Emperor. By his influence a Catholic col-
lege, a school for training priests, convents, and
churches were established; but after a while a
persecution broke out, and he was put to death.
Towards the end of the 17th century, a number of
Jesuits were sent as missionaries from France, by
Colbert and Father de la Chaise, the minister
and confessor of Louis XIV. Two of these ec-
clesiastics, Fathers Premare and Gaubil, became
mandarins of the first class, and wrote works which
are still regarded as part of the classical literature
of China. The success of the mission was con-
siderable ; but it did not produce any effect on in-
ternational relations. At length the Dominicans
sent out missions, and unfortunately they tried to
supplant the Jesuits. They began by attacking the
indulgence which the latter had shown to certain
semi-idolatrous usages of the Chinese, and the Je-
suits retorted. The conflicts of the two parties
created a reaction against Christianity, and (in
1723) it was proscribed, and a persecution was
commeiteed. Some missionaries remained at Pekin
as men of science, but they had to preach in
secrecy, and the Chinese Church was virtually anni-
hilated. With respect to the embassies, the first
sent to the Chinese was by the Dutch in 1656 ; the
Ambassadors, Goyer and Keyser by name, were
received with considerable pomp at Pekin, but
were subjected to humiliating' formalities and de-
lays, and obtained almost nothing except the per-
mission for 20 Dutchmen to visit Pekin every eight
years—a permission, however, accompanied by the
declaration that the Dutch would give pleasure by
staying away. A second embassy from the Dutch
went to Pekin iu 1667, but without obtaining more
success. Russia sent one in 1693 and another in
1720 ; they were subjected to long delays and humi-
liating formalities, but were entertained at feasts
and in hunting parties, and ended by obtaining a
treaty for making exchanges on the northern fron-
tier, and establishing an entrepot at Kiakta. The
Pope, in his turn, sent an embassy in 1721, and the
Portuguese one in 1753, but neither obtained any-
thing. The first appearance of the English was
made in 1792, which completed the list in the
eighteenth century. The embassies sent since then
have been described at considerable length and
generally known."
.me I

The receipts of the Zollverein during the first six
months of the present year were 11,495,000 dollars
(L 1,650,000), against 13,263,000 dollars (E 1,900,000)
in the same period of 1653. The falling off is at-
tritartable to the stagnation of commerce caused
by tho war in Italy. The principal decrease in the imports
v; as in raw sugar, iron, both manufactured and unmanufac-
trued, coffee, and unbleached cotton goods. The importa-
tion of unmauufactured tobacco has increased rather largely.