The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-12-17 00:00:00

PASTORAL AID SOCIETY.

A numerous meeting of the members and friends of the
Liverpool Auxiliary to the Pastoral Aid Society was held in
the Music-hall, Bold-street, on the evening of Friday last.
On the platform we observed the Rev. A. CaMphe (one of
the rectors of Liverpool), the Res'. H.'M•Neilc, the Rev. H.
Carpenter, the Rev. J. Jones, the Rev. Mr. SaunderS, the
Rev. R. P. Buddicom, the Rev. Mr. Smith, the Rev. B.
Marshall, the Rev. Mr. Coles, the Rev. Mr,Dibdint the

Rev. Mr. M`Gill, Sir J. S. P. Sainsbury, J. Rigby, Esq.,
T. 0. Cooper, Esq., Mr. Pollen (one of the agents or the
society), and a number of other gentlemen. The Rev. A.

CAmiiiiLL was called to the chair:

The Rev. H. CARPENTER having implored the divine
blessing on the proceedings of the evening,
The CHAIRMAN, in commencing the proceedings, said-he
thought it his duty, upon an occasion like the present, to
detain the meeting as little as possible from. that exposition
of the principles and objects of the society which would be
made by those speakers who had.undertaken-to advocate its

cause. 'He should simply take for his test the synopsis of
the society, as it was presented to us .in the book which-

he held in 'his hand ('.laving read a short extract from
a publication of the society, he proceeded.) With regard_
to that part of the synopsis which related to the duty of.
Christian governors to provide the means of bringing Chris-
tianity to
_all, it was impossible to read it without being

convinced it was the duty of the civil power to consecrate the
state to a public acknowledgMent of God, and of his revealed
religion—that it was the duty 'of the state to pay homage to
the majesty of God, by providing for the ceremonial worship
of God—and, moreover, that it was the duty of the civil go-
vernment to provide for the religious instruction of the
people. (Hear, hear.) For these purposes it was absolutely
necessary there should be an established church. ([Tear.)

The legislature must not only provide for the establisShmeni
of revealed, religion, but provide for it according to some
specific form. (Hear.) Much ridicule had been cast upon
an expression; which nevertheless had within it a great deal
of truth, namely, that the state should have a conscience.
Now, it was the duty of the state to take care not only that
religion, but that true religion, should he preached ; the civil

, .
governor was bound to make his choice of the true religion,
and, having made it, to inculcate it to the best of his power.
But then, as the civil governor had a conscience himself, so

he must acknowledge and his people had consciences also ;
therefore, whilst he provided for the inculcation of true re-.
ligion, he must take care that he does not interfere too much
with the sacred right of liberty of conscience. (Hear, hear.)
That was a right which the ministers•of the• Church of Eng-
land would maintain with as much firmness anti consistency

as any men in the kingdom; and, permit him to say,,it,wa.s
because they advocated liberty of conscienca that they advo-
cated the maintenance of the Protestant Church as by law

.
established. (Hear.) They wished to maintain that church
which maintained the sacred principle of liberty of conscience,
in order to prevent the interfeKenc.e_ of. a church which would
not allow any liberty of conscience
.at all. (Hear, hear.)
But whilst an established church was maintained, he_ con-
_ _ ,

tended it was the duty ef the civil government to provide for
it in such a way as to comprehend as large a portion. of the
people as could possibly be admitted consistently with the
maintenance of its fundamental doctrines-'-with the mainte-
wince of those doctrines which were essential to salvation,
and not to cause divisions by needless restrictions upon
points not essential to Salvation. :(1-lear.) With regard to
things not essential to' salvation tram should not separate

neediessly from the church. ..ThiS fact he Was anxious to
impress upon their minds. But he was prepared also to
maintain that the'cliureti should not provoke separation
needleSs and oppressive impositions. St. Paul told us to
mark those who caused diviSions ; he did not tell ,us •to
mark those only who divided, which was a fault upon
one side, but to mark those who occasioned divisionS,
which was a fault upon the other. (Hear, hear.)
.The
unity of the Catholic Church—and he wished to impress
upon their minds that ours was the Catholic Church (hear),
that ours was a purer branch of the Church of Christ than
that which called itself " the only Catholic Church" (hear)—
was best promoted by love and charity, and forbearance and
goodwill; by observing kindness and gentleness, and goodwill
and charity, towards our brethren, notwithstanding some
differences upon minor matters of opinion, and on some
smaller points of discipline ; by taking care not toimposC, as
necessary, things which the word of God had not plainly de-
clared to be necessary. He was not one of those who would
endeavour to force unanimity in things not essential to sal-
vation, nor, on the other hand, would he give up things ne-
cessary to salvation. He believed that if rulers in the church

would not endeavour to force the conscience in matters not

ordained by God, and if the people in the Church would
comply willingly with laws and customs and discipline
not. plainly forbidden in the word of God, then unity in the
Church would be much more common than it is ; and that,

as we were the subjects of one government, so we should be
brought anew to be members of the one visible church. The
early practice in all these matters was unity in essentials,
liberty in non-essentials, and charity in all things (applause.)
But by now maintaining., as he strongly did—and he had not
expressed himself half so strongly as he felt—the obligation
which lay upon the legislature to provide for the worship of
God and the religious instruction of the people, still he did
not wish to see the legislature provide for them in such a way
as absolutely to dispense with voluntary efforts upon the part
of the people (hear, hear.) Religion was a matter in which
we ought to feel ourselves deeply interested. We ought to
be concerned, not only for the salvation of our own souls,
but for the salvation of the souls of our brethren ; therefore
it was wisely said, rather than souls should perish for lack of
assistance upon the nart of the legislature, Christian men
must join to make the Church as effective as it was in their
power (hear.) Now.. the Church Pastoral Aid Society
strictly regarded the wants of the Church upon the one hand,
and the order of the Church upon the other. He said, there-
fore, the Church Pastoral Aid Society was one which de-
manded and required the assistance of every Christian who
had any assistance to give, and more especially the assistance
of members of the Church, because the. Society regarded the
wants of the Church upon the one band, and the order of the
Church upon the other. It did not interfere—and he spoke
strongly upon this point, because some thought it did in-
terfere—with the strict has of regular duty ; and it had no
disposition to intrude its ministry into any parish contrary to
the will of the incumbent of that parish. Nothing, in fact,
could be more erroneous than that impression. The Society
never intruded its aid ; the incumbent must apply for it, and
until that had been done .the SoCiety could not move (hear.)
That being the case, it was his duty, as a minister of the Es-
tablished Church, to promote the objects of the Society by
every means in hiS rower. He quoted a sermon of the
Lord Bishop of 'Winchester, to chew what that right
reverend prelate had said in support of the Society. He
was sure the meeting would agree with him, that these
were cases in which the Society ought to interfere (hear.)
In the vast parish in which he was an unworthy minister,
tin=es additional ministers -had been employed ; therefore his
appeal to them was not so much upon the score of any
local wants. The reverend gentleman then introduced Mr.
Pullen, the agent of the Society.
Mr. POLLEN, the agent-of the parent society, then came
forward and 'moved the first resolution, as follows—
" That this meeting, deeply concerned for the spiritual
necessities of our increasing population, and sincerely sym-
pathising with those ministers of the church who are over-
burthened -with the anxieties and difficulties of their charges,-
rejoices in the progress of a society which, by enabling such
ministers to engage • well-qualified assistants, must, under
the hlesSing of TGod, be largely instrumental to the pro-
motion of His glory, in the present and eternal welfare of

their feliowscouiitryin. en."
Before he asked their co-operation in the sentiments of
this resolutions he would tell them of the increasing spiritual
necessities of our population. This he should do as briefly
as possible, and as much of his information must be statistical
he should read it from docuMents which he should be happy
to lay before the meeting. The first point to which he wished
to address himself was the increase of our population. Few
were aware of the extent of it. Above 200,000 were added
every year to the already vast mass, and about 100,000 out
of that number were left without spiritual instruction. In
31 years the population of the country had increased 135 per
cent., in the mining and manufacturing districts 295 per cent.,
and in this county, including the vast town or city of Man-
chester, it had increased to the alarming extent of 800 per
cent. (Hear, hear.) Connected w:t'i this increase, it ap-
peared from the calculations of one well able to afford the
information, that in 108 districts, containing a population of
2i millions, there were half a million left without spiritual
instruction according to the Church of England. The town
of Birmingham at the beginning of the present century, had
70,000 souls ; there were now between 170,000 and 200,000 ;
and he had been told by a clergyman there that there was a
deficiency of church room for at least 150,000 souls ! (Hear.)
These facts were arguments for church extension which need
receive no colouring from any reasoning he could lay before
them. But the absence of church accommodation was not
the only evil upon our land. It was not only the fact that
the people had been left without church accommodation, to.
which he desired to excite attention, but that whilst we had
slept, the enemy had been sowing tares. Popery had in-
creased to a vast extent, and infidelity was now stalking
abroad, shewing all the malignity of its hellish purposes. In
England alone there were now six hundred popish chapels,
three jesuit colleges, and seventeen nunneries.—Haying read
a passage from a Work showing the increasing numbers of
popish chapels, which evidently produced a great impression
upon the meeting, Mr. Pullen mentioned the fact that it was
now proposed to build a popish cathedral in London, to cost
£lOO,OOO. These facts were sufficient to excite the qin-
pathy of all true protestants to the objects of this society:
He would next speak of the efforts making by' infidelity.
Mr. Pullen then read an extract from a work published by the
persons who call themselves socialists, shewiug the progress
they were making; and observed + hat when we had seen papists
introduced into high situations in the state, and the Arch-
leader of the socialists presented to the throne of the monarch,
and allowed to kiss her hand, we must be blind indeed if we did
not see that popery and infidelity had combined to effect what
unitedly they were described as effecting in the holy word of
God. It had been his painful lot to see much of the progress
made by this dreadful system—indeed he could scarcely go
into any town but he saw notices of lectures in favour of the
system posted on the walls. In Reading he had seen an
announcement of lectures upon the system, to be delivered
by a Miss Reynolds ; and a friend of his, who thought it his
duty to go. to the meeting, told him he saw a female well
dressed, and bearing all ie marks of a person of education
and respectability, address the people upon the absurdity and
silliness of the marriage state, and calling upon her country-
women to throw off their allegiance to God ! He had lately
received a letter from Manchester from an incumbent cler-
gyman there, who said, referring to a second grant whichhe
solicited, that the socialists had purchased a large plot of
land near his church, and had built upon it one of their
meeting places. It was supposed that no less than fifty of
these places were open every Lord's day for the purpose of
preaching infidelity. (Hear, hear.) Then, if this were the
case, and if church extension was to be the means of meet-
ing these growing evils, why did not the incumbents of pa-
rishes supply themselves with additional curates, in order to
give additional administration to the word of God? Why?
Because out of 11,000 livings in England, there were marls
000 which did not produce £3OO per annum, and very many
did not average £l6O. (Hear.) Out of that many of them
had to provide a parsonage house, for themselves and family.
Without entering more largely into this topic, he thought a
case had been made out from the progress of the population
for this society to enable incumbents to supply the deficiency
—that there was much reason for the interference of this
ssociety, seeing that the legislature had not taken up the
cause of the church as its merits demanded. (Hear.) The
Pastoral Aid Society, then, made graufs for these two objects,
namely, for church extension, and for religious instruction.
These objects it accomplished by
making grants to those
clergy who were surrounded by the greatest population.
The second class was to provide for those who were- at
a distance from the parish church. Under the immediate
inspection of the parochial clergy, the society had made
such grants. The third class was for chaplains appointed
under the license of the bis!iop upon the different lines of
canals and railways, in order that the workmen might have
the benefit of spiritual instruction. It appeared that these
men were for the most part, of abandoned habits : applica-
tion had therefore been made to the society by sonic clergy-
men, through whose parishes the lines ran for curates, and
the plan had been attended with excellent results. The
fourth class was for clergymen with large families and
small incomes, who were consequently. compelled to take
pupils or else move into some sphere presenting larger
means of maintenance—to increase their incomes. The fifth
class was where the incumbent wished to have assistance.
In all of these points the society had come forward.—Mr.
Pullen then at considerable length, related a number of
cases in which the society's operations in these various de-
partments had been attended with the mostpromising success,
The society was yet in its infancy. It had had 1500 clergys
men subscribing to it, and no wonder, that wherever we
went we found its operations creating a church feeling among
the people. it wati.astonishing. to see the effect produced
upon the Ivor by the details of what wag going on id the

church—several instances of which he narrated. He also re-
lated several facts to prove the excellent results which had
followed from the engagement of lay assistance in York-
shire, and other places ; and having added some further
statistical information he concluded. amidSt loud applause,
by moving the resolution.
The Rev. HUGH AI`NEILE seconded the. resolution. He
had hoped to be excused on this occasion, not 'because of any
lack of zeal in behalf of this excellent society, but because of
yet unrecovered fatigue from the effects of the speaking and
preaching and long journeyings of the last ten days. . Since
his return he had found an additional reason for wishing not to

appear, or take any part in the public meeting of this even-
in,'b,because he thought from what had occurred within the
last day or two some of his friends among the working classes
might expect to hear something from him upon a matter in-
teresting to them ' • especially to such of them as knew they
could write and had written their names. (Hear.) Upon
that subject, however, it would not he suitable to dwell at
this meeting, therefore he must take upon himself the airs of
other great men and bide his time. But in the meantime he
would take upon himself to say to his poorer friends that as
long as it pleased God to give him the power he should never
be found wanting to them nor should they ever want an ad-
vocate whatever might be said- by town-council terriers.
(Cheers.) He would just add concerning 'those terriers that
they seemed to have lost their sharp teeth, if ever they had
any. He had been requested to second the resolution they
had just heard so very ably moved. It called our attention
to a case of deep concern, to wit, the spiritual ,necessities of
our increasing population; and secondly, an object of sin-
cere sympathy, namely, the condition of those ministers
of the - church who were overburdened with the. dangers and
difficulties of their charge. The spiritual necessities of our
increasing population had been set before the meeting under
two heads: they had heard then' sPoken of first directly as
consisting of
_ignorance of what is right, and then spoken
of indirectly as exposure to what is wrong. Under each
head they had heard an enumeration of the evils to which

our poorer population were exposed under the various
forms of popery and infidelity, and of that specific form of
infidelity which Was known by the name of socialism. They
had heard the statements of the vast increase of popery, and
it was peculiar, that whilst this was among the most valuable
themes in a meeting like the present, it was equally important
in a meeting of Roman Catholics. They boasted of the
statements made at our meetings, and in our publications,
concerning their vast increase.; and he confessed the public
mind.was.not yet fully in the right order to recoil front those
statements of the nature of popery. ,We wanted more in-
struction as to the increase of popery, for he affirmed that,.
by means of delusions and misrepresentations, there existed
amongst our edneated dukes, our manufacturers and philo.-
•Sophers, the most lamentable ignorance of the true nature of
those, damnable tenets, and of those false doctrines, which
had been substituted for essential and immutable truth, by
that apostate form of the Christian religion (hear.) There
existed the most lamentable ignorance upon this essential
subject—that the popish system undermined every valuable
doctrine of the Gospel, and that-She either mangled its truths
or really superseded and destroyed them all. For example,
by presuming to repeat the sacrifipeof Christ, it destroyed the
efficacy of that sacrifice. It was a truth which would bear
every examination, that a sacrifice for sin, to be sufficient at
all, must be all-sufficient. If it were sufficient at all, it
reached the majesty of the divine character, and possessed
meritoriousness, •so that God might be just while he justified
the ungodly. If it reached the divine character, if it touched
the turning point of divine justice, it was infinite—if infinite,

all-sufficieid; and, therefore, if sufficient at all, it was all-
sufficient. If it Headed repetition it was insufficient, and if

insufi-ici►ent at all it was totally and for ever insufficient.
The line
.of argument adopted by the Apostle Paul, to prove
the inefficacy, of the sacrifice of the Jewish ritual, was a rich

mine of argument, resting upon the fact that this sacrifice
was repeated ; for he. said, " they could not take away sin,
else would they have ceased to be offered, because the wor-
shipper once purged would have had no more conscience
of.sin." if the sacrifice could have taken away sin, it would
have ceased to be offered. So said we. According to the
Scriptures, the sacrifice which took away sin had been once
and for ever offered for sin ; but according to the apostacy
of the Church of Rome, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus

Christ was continually offered, both for the quick and
the dead ; and according to the council of Trent, " if
any man denies that in the mass there is a true

and proper and propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the
quick and the dead let him be damned." Such was
the language of popery, and there was nothing in the fearful
and revolting statements of Owen more opposed to the
truth of Christ. (Hear.) Since he had entered the room, a
friend had put into his hand a little tract, in which he found
a passage extremely suitable to the subject on which he was
speaking :—" But how can Protestant senators vote public
money to Roman Catholics ? How endow the priests of an
anti-Christian superstition ? Their hands have, in other
days, been stained with the best blood of Europe. They
rolled the Vaudois down their rocks, spiked their young chil-
dren, and devastated their mountain homes. They massa-
cred Coligny, with thousands of the noblest and bravest men
that France has ever nurtured. They were guilty of the
blood of Huss and Jerome. They murdered Cobham, and
rifled the grave of Wickliffe, They filled the low countries
with slaughter. By their inquisition, they expelled the gos-
pel from Spain and Italy, to plant ungodliness and scepticism
in its room. Proscribing all independent thought, they in-
carcerated the intellect of Europe, made war with literature,
forbade science, discountenanced education, and reduced the
faculties of men to dwarfish insignificance. They have de-
prived the common people of the word of God, and profiting
by the spiritual blindness which their tyranny inflicts on their
slaves, have substituted other mediators for Christ, deified
the wafer, and taught men to fall down before dolls and pic-
tures. Their bells and candles, their incense and Latin re-
citations, their mutterings and genuflexions, their legendary
tales of saints, their impracticable bigotry and enormous pre-
tensions, their compelled celibacy and their demoralising
confessional, have disgusted all men of sense ; and have
driven more than half the educated portion of Roman Catho-
lic communities into avowal or secret irreligion. Scarcely
less than the Court and the Jacobins, were they guilty of the
excesses of the French revolution. For if the Court main-

tained intolerable abuses till it was too late to repeat, they
were supported by the great body of the priests. If the peo •
pie were ferocious, it was because the priests had kept them
in ignorance. And if the Jacobins were the furious enemies
of all religion, it was because priestly irreligion and hypocrisy
had made them so. All this, my lord, it is impossible

for us to forget. And as the lima)! Cstholic religion
remains essentially what it ever was, raid, therefore, to
a great extent, inspires its priesthood from age to age
with the same dispositions • the love of our country,
the spirit of liberty, and the sense of religion, compel
us to protest against their encouragement." A.s the meet-
ing had heard from that extract they had murdered Lord
Cobham, whose history was one of peculiar interest. From
being -u thoughtless and profligate young man. he took
to searching the Scriptures then first translated by Wick-
liffe; and for circulating religious tracts he was tried by
a conclave of Romish bishops, and sentenced to be put to
death. When sentence had been passed upon him, he turned
round to the bishops, and reminded some of them that he
and they had been acquainted for years before.. "My
lords," he said, " you knew me extravagant, you knew me
occasionally intoxicated, you knew me guilty of profaneness,
And guilty of debauchery, and not one of you ever expostulated
with me, or asked me why I committed such acts ; you en-
couraged me in my course whilst I profaned the command-
ments of God ; and now, when by his mercy I have read his
word, you have turned on me like tigera, and I now go to
the stake at your command." Here was a sample of the
Way in which Operas had 'treated the people of God all
along •, and in exactly the same manner would popery always
act. If the Church of England had still been supine—if she
had still been indifferent to the spiritual -welfare of the
people—if she had been careless about the -promulgation of
Gospel truth—popery would have sweetly and softly bonded
to her ; it would have flattered and smoothed her down ; but
it would in the mean time have carried on its machinations,
safe in the knowledge that it had nothing to fear from such
a church exerting her energies against it. Popery wanted
nothing but the power to treat every evangelical mi-
nister as it had treated Cobham, Cranmcr, Latimer, and
Ridley. (Hear, hear.)—From this topic the Reverend
Gentleman proceeded strongly to urge the claims of the
Pastoral Aid Society upon all classes of Protestants,
more particularly upon the poor, for whose spiritual welfare
it had been formed. This was one of the evils to which
the people were exposed in large parishes, where they lay
beyond the reach of pastoral superintendence, and where
Popish priests were known to swarm, that the Romish
clergy were perpetually on the watch. They insinuated
themselves wherever they could ; they took every opportu-
nity of ingratiating themselves with the people. A clergy-
man in Yorkshire, lately told him an instance of this. The
priest entered the house of a parishioner, whose wife had
recently been confined, just at the time the poor people were
in difficulties as to how they should get the infant to church
to be baptised, from want of clothing and sponsors. The
priest insinuated himself by first . stating that he was a cler-
gyman, which was, in his mind, no lie, but in its effect upon
the poor woman it was a gross lie. He then prevailed upon
the mother to allow him to baptize the infant privately ; and
when the ceremony was over, he avowed himself to be a
priest of the Roman Catholic church, and claimed the child
as a member of it, thus making a lodgement in the affections
of the parents by means of going to their assistance in a mo-
ment
of difficulty. There were other cases, in which the
spiritual necessities of the people should cause deep concern.
They were exposed not only to the evils already mentioned,
but to the contaminating influence of their superiors ; they
were exposed to such a licentiousness of language in the
public press, which ought to be their instructor ; they
were exposed to such a contaminating influence in higher
quarters, as rendered it almost impossible to hope for
any real regeneration of the national character whilst the
very leaders of the society of the nation so disregarded
the first principles of morals. There was such a laxity
about the truth, such carelessness about what people said,
such levity in the detection of error, that the people of this
country were taught to laugh at falsehood as a joke, and to
sport with calumny and wilful misrepresentation. This was
a mischief which it required the careful instruction, and the
constant superintendence of a wise and learned clergy, to re-
sist and restrain ; and he knew of no one thing which called
more loudly for an increase of pastoral superintendence than
this. Mr. M`Neile concluded his eloquent speech by stating
that the Pastoral Aid Society supported four curates in
Liverpool, at a salary of £lOO per annum each, and three lay
assistants, at a cost of £l9O, making an expenditure, in this
town, of £590 a year. Having seconded the motion, it was
put and carried unanimously.
The Rev. It. P. BUDDICOM moved the secomiresolution-s--
" That this meeting, regarding it as a primary duty of a
Christian state to provide for the religious instruction of the
people, and lamenting that at the present time no such pro-
vision is adequately made, would earnestly press upon the
members of the Church the importance of soliciting from the
Legislature the performance of its duty, and of supplying, in
the meanwhile, as far as possible, by self-denying contribu-
tions, the existing deficiency, till, through the favour of
Almighty God, the benefits of our parochial system shall so
appear as to awaken in the minds of both the people and the
rulers of this laud an anxiety to extend the blessings of the
Church of England, to the full measure of the wants of the
population." 'Mr. Buddicom stated that the Rev, Dr. Tat-
tershall, who had undertaken to move the resolution, was
unavoidably detained from the • meeting, and said, that it
was as well settled as any truism could be, that it was the
bounden duty of every christian legislature to provide for the
religious instruction of the state. It had been said again and
again, and no railing could rail the seal from off that bond,
that, it' a father were responsible for the moral and spiritual,
no less than for the physical prosperity of his child, then
were governments—which were the parents of the people in
the highest sense of the term, expressly called upon by that
relationship to do their utmost for the moral and spiritual,
as well as for the physical welfare, of the people. Having
expatiated on this truism, Mr. 3uddicorn said it .vas a
favourite position, and one that had been repeated usque ad
nauseam, that voluntaryism would supply all the spiritual
wants of the people. Let him take a case and see. There were
6,680 parishes in each of which he believed the population were
under 300 individuals. What had voluntaryism done for
those 6,680 parishes ? According to the statements made
by the advocates of voluntaryism, there had been introduced
into those parishes, by the voluntary act of the people, and
by the operation of the voluntary system—and be it re-
membered voluntaryism would merely introduce chapels ac-
cording to the demand of the people for them—by one deno-
mination of dissenters sixteen chapels, and if that number
were multiplied by five, so as to include the exertions of the
other denominations, the result would only be eighty
parishes supplied, leaving 6600 unsupplied. (Hear.) Did
not this prove strongly the necessity of something being.
done by the state, as well as the people ? In London, where
the population within the bills of mortality amounted to
upwards of 900,000 individuals, - voluntaryism provided for
75,000 only (hear.) He was willing to grant that the Church
of England had been by no means faithful to her holy trust ;
he spoke it with shame, that her ministers had not been so
active and zealous, so intrepid and watchful, and so constant

at their posts, in season and out of season, in carrying out
l the great principle of the church establishment for the benefit
of the people, by advancing them in the knowledge, of the
eternal truths embodied in her articles, and liturgy, and
homilies ; but he would ask, what advantage had been taken
of this circumstance by the supporters of voluntarism'
(Hear, hear.) Whilst the Church of England unhappily re-
mained in a comparative state of lethargy, the various deno-
minations of sectarians were equally inactive, and indeed,
they in a great degree received their impulse from the
awakened t nergies of the establishment. (Hear.) He would
further contend, that in those places in which vital religion
was almost unknown, and in which scriptural instruction and
pastoral superintendence we' e necessary, the voluntary sys-
tem was yot to he found in activity. On the other hand,
when a zealous clergyman had succeeded in restoring the
people to a knowledge of divine truth, the advocates of
voluntarism endeavoured to reap, for themselves, the fruits
of his labour. It could not be denied that a great portion of
the present spiritual destitution might have been prevented,
if ministers—not merely the present, hut preceding ministers
—had considered what was the true spring of our prosperity,
namely, the moral and religious character of the nation.
Instead of spending vast sums on wars, until a debt had been
accumulated of nearly £900,000,000, they had spent the in-
terest of the interest of that enormous amount, a very dif-
ferent moral and scriptural aspect would have been visible
throughout the country. (Hear.) But we had been so busy
with the arm of flesh, that we could not spare a few hundred
thousands of pounds to advance onr own eternal interests,
and the consequence had been, that.-there was indifference—
and perhaps alienation from the Protestant church in high
places. Mr. Buddicom then pointed out the utility of the
Pastoral Aid Society, and concluded by moving the re-
solution.
Mr. liowAnn seconded the resolution in a brief appro-
priate speech.
The Rev. ROBERT DAVIES moved the appointment of the
committee for the ensuing year, which was seconded by Jonm
RIGBY, Esq.
A vote of thanks was then presented to Mr. Campbell, for
his conduct in the chair, and the meeting separated.

CORRESPONDENCE.

TO 'WILLIAM. RATIiIIONE, ESQ.

Roscommon-street, 16th Dec. 1839.
Szn,—My attention has-- been called to what you arere-
ported to have said in the Town Council on Wednesday last,
upon the subject of a speech of mine 'delivered at a public
Meeting Sheffield, and I hasten to address to yOu4he few
following lines.
I knew from the unquestionable authority of eye-witnesses
of the highest respectability, that you had taken Mr. O'Con-
nell into the news-room, and that the circumstances which I
described had then and there taken, place. This indeed is
not denied. I thought that you were Mayor at the time,
otherwise it would have been as easy for me to have said

" Mr. Rathbone, afterwards Mayor," or simply, " Mr. Rath-
bone," as to have said " the Mayor."

But as you seem to attach au importance, which did not
occur to me, to the fact that you did not, and would not do,
as Mayor, what you undeniably did do as Mr. Rathbone, I
can of course have no hesitation in giving you the benefit of
this acknowledgement,—l should have said " Mr.Rathbone,
afterwards the Mayor."
If in calling you the:Mayor a few weeks previous to your
election to that honourable office, I hare given you offence,
I beg to assure you that it was wholly undesigned, and to
plead in extenuation of it, that your name and history as
connected with the town council, are habitually associated in
my mind with the most distinguished portion of that history,
the year of your mayoralty.
You call my statement a gross calumny which it is my duty
to retract, and you allege that because I have not hitherto
done so, " therefore it is no wonder if two thousand poor un-
fortunate ignorant parties have been misled into signin--the
Education Petition."

That Ais allegation against my operative friends is wholly
unfounded, will be manifest, by a simple reference to dates.
The petition was signed in October (and would have been
presented at the next meeting of the council, but for the
municipal election) and my speech was not delivered until
the 13th of November, therefore it is no wonder if that speech
was not the cause of those signatures. Permit me to add, for the
benefit of all whom it may concern, an expression of unfeigned
astonishment at the change which has taken place in the mode
of speaking concerning the working classes, by those who de-
light to call themselves reformers. A very few years ago,
while such reformers were ai►ning at power by the voice of
the people to whom they promised great things, the working
classes were called intelligent friends offreedom, the strength
of the nation, a most thinking people, no longer to be hood-
winked by priestcraft, or oppressed by arbitrary abuses.
This sounded well, because it was quite true. But now that
the real seats of craft and abuse have been discovered, and
the public voice is raised accordingly, behold and admire !
the most thinking mass of intelligence is retrogarded into
" thousands of poor unfortunate ignorant parties."
I gladly avail myself of the opportunity of mentioning this
in a letter to you, because your name will carry it through
the nation, and it is of national importance.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
II UGH AVNEILE.

SPECIAL FUND.-CHURCH MISSIONARY

SOCIETY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

.Strt,-4 took the liberty a short time back, in answering
the letter of your correspondent " A Friend to the Church
Missionary Society," to suggest a simple mode of raising a
considerable sum towards making up the deficiency in the
funds of the Church Missionary Society, without a single in-
dividual feeling a jot the poorer. My plan was, to have a
collecting box and a subscription list at my office, 3S, Church-
strect, and to request every individual passing my door, fa-
vourable to missionary exertions, to step up and drop in
their mite, however small.
Some response has been made, but the sum raised is,-yet
very small. Surely a few thousand persons, who pass the
door daily, will avail themselves of this very easy mode of
helping the funds of the society.—l beg to remain, Sir your
obedient servant, JOSEPH CRISP.
Should any other mode suggest itself to any of your read-
ers, I shall be niost happy to avail myself of it.

CHARITY SERMONS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

am anxious to make a few short remarks upon the
subject of our clergy,making more frequent calls upon their
congregations for the various religious and charitable socie-
ties
connected with the town. In my humblc! judgment, '
many of our clergy are too scrupulous as to the frequency of
their calls, and too tender of the pockets of their congrega-
tions. It is a well-known fact, that those congregations who
are most repeatedly called upon are invariably the most free
to give. And putting the subject in a practical light, what
does it really amount to ? Supposing there were a charity
sermon every mouth, we know from experience that Is. per
head would be a high average ; and is it so hard a thing to
subscribe 12s. per annum thus ?
I am prepared to contend, sir, that it would be a whole-
some practice for each church to have not less than twelve.
collections in the year, and thus to keep that smallest part of
charity, the giving of our substance, in more constant exer-
cise ; and this would give an opportunity for the claims of
each of our societies being brought before the people every
year, or, at farthest, every eighteen months. I know it is
argued, or rather made an excuse, by many, that they al-
ready subscribe to so many societies ; and I also know, that
if asked for annual subscriptions, it is replied, as an excuse,
that they give at the sermons. But I think the sermons
should in no way interfere with the annual subscriptions, but
be looked upon as an extra shower. lam a man of very
moderate means myself, but I have never yet found charity
sermons come too heavy upon me, although I have been in
the thick of them. A pious lawyer once observed, in making
up a bankrupt's accounts, that he never yet found a client
ruined by the money ha had given to charities.
Should these remarks be acceptable, I shall feel obliged
by their insertion ; and beg to remain, sir, your obedient
servant,
4 A ONE-SHILLING GIVER AT COLLECTIONS.

ANOTHER PROTESTANT ASSOClATlON.—Notwithstanding
the open and concealed attacks of popery and infidelity, it is
,refreshing to observe that associations for the support and
defence of the .Protestant establishment, are rising up on all
sides. One will be formed next Thursday, at Market
Drayton, and we have no doubt it will be found a powerful
ooadjutorin the maintenance of the great cause.

We understand that the Right Hon. H, Labouchere, Pre.
sident of the Board of Trade, will dine with his worship the
Mayor on Friday next. Upwards of ninety cards of invita,
tion have been issued for the occasion.
FATAL ACCIDENT : DEATH ON SUPERINTENDENT
TYRRELL.—We regret to announce the death of a highly-
meritorious public servant, Mr. Charles Tyrrell, one of the
Superintendents of the Police Force in this town, through an
accident, .the result of carelessness, which, we hope, will
obviate -an evil that has previously been productive, in some
instances, of fatal consequences, and, in others, of broken
limbs. On Monday evening Mr. Tyrrell was passing along
Berry-street, in company with two friends, when he fell into
a hole over'a coal.vault, the plate of which had been taken
off for the admission of coals and not afterwards fastened.
The injuries he received appeared at first slight, but they
produced deliriuth, Which terminated fatally. Mr. Tyrrell
died on Thursday morning, much respected and deservedly
regretted by all who knew him.

Mn. SPENCER'S VALUABLE DlSCOVERY.—Considerable
interest has been excited in the scientific world by Mr. Spen-
cer's [who is a tradesman of Liverpool] new process of copy-
ing medals and other works of art, in copper, by the agency
of voltaic electricity. It is with great pleasure we hear, that
this process is already beginning to be employed in certain of
our manufactures, and that thus electricity will soon be num-
bered amongst the agents employed for practical and useful
purposes. In our former account of Mr. Spencer's inven-
tion, we spoke highly of the merit of the discovery and the
probable uses to which it might be applied : the result has
borne out our anticipations. In the manufacture of plated
articles and ornaments, it is often desirable to copy orna-
mental work, such as leaves, flowers, and arabesque mould-
ings ; this is both difficult and expensive, and from these
causes often impossible. Mr. Spencer's invention, however,
affords a cheap and easy method of performing what is re-
quired, and thus, ornaments on rich ancient plate are copied
with the greatest perfection and case, without injury to
the original; the great advantage consisting in the means of
obtaining, at very small expense, a fac-simile in copper, of
the ornaments required to be copied, which may then be sil-
vered or gilt. In another art, the voltaic process is, we are
informed, being successfully introduced. The makers of
buttons often require to have two or three of a peculiar pat-
tern to complete a set of which they have not the die. To
take a cast from the. button is, for many reasons, inconveni-
ent and objectionable; and the voltaic process, at the cost of
a few hours and very little labour and expense, furnishes a
perfect fac-simile of the button, which then only requires to
be gilt. It has been said, that there is a difficulty in obtain-
ing perfect copies, and that the deposited copper is brittle,
porous, and full of holes, but whoever will read attentively
the processpf Mr. Spencer, and follow it, must succeed. The
casts of medals transmitted to us\ by Mr. Spence and also
those made by Mr. E. Solly and Mr. J. Newman, and ex-
hibited lately at the meeting of the Society of Arts, were very
pure and compact copper, and the surface was as brilliant
and perfect as could be desired. The process, indeed, is
simple, and, so far from its requiring, as is generally sup.
posed, either expensive and complicated apparatus, or deep
scientific knowledge, nothing can be inure easy, as the ob-
servance of a few rules renders the success of the process
quite eertain ; and, as regards the expense of the apparatus,
the whole of it may. easily be procured for a few pence.-
4th enceitin.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-FRIDAY.

SMOKING IN ST. JOHN'S MARKET.

Two or three persons were fined for smoking in St. John's
Market, and for allowing their dogs to follow them into it.

TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE-POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION

OF A CAT.

A young man named William Pendleton, and his wife, hav-
ing been placed at the bar, before Messrs. Rushton and Benn,
Betsy Hyam mounted the witness box, and, with a Welsh
accent, addressed the magistrates thus •—" If you please, sir,
that young man and woman came to my house on Saturday
night, and insulted me most odious. He threw a dead cat at
me, and she struck me several times on the check, till the
tears ran down from my eyes."
Two witnesses (females) corroborated this statement, and
added that the male prisoner accused the complainant of hav-
ing poisoned his cat, the dead body of which he brought with
him, and with it struck Betsy several times in the face.
William Pendleton—May I be allowed to speak ?
Mr. Rushton—Yes.

Fendleton—Well, then, sir, when I got home on Friday
night, the poor cat was taken very ill—it was a favourite cat,
and on Saturday morning it died. We opened it, and it had
been poisoned by some drug or other.
Mr. Rushton—How do you know that?
Pendleton—lt was discoloured in its gizzard, sir. (Great
laughter.) We live in the same court, sir, and I took it to
the lady there, and asked her what she poisoned it for, and
she said that she would poison me too, and serve me out
worse than that, and she spit in my face. On Saturday she
fetched up three men, three stout men, and they challenged
me out to fight. On Sunday night she came again, and I
have lived in the court three years, and have never made a
word of noise.

Evidence to substantiate these facts having been called by
;he defendant, _

Mr. Rushton' asked the complainant whether she did poi-
son the eat? She replied in the negative.
The prisoners were each fined 2s. Gd. and costs.
nr.vuslNG A 1311.1.:ET.

Mr. Whiteman, of the Brunswick Hotel, Hanover-street,
appeared before the magistrates to answer an information
charring him with having refused a billet served upon him,
in the regular manner, by the billet master, Mr. Highton.
It appeared that Maurice Fitzgerald, a corporal of the 11th
Regiment, received on the 7th instant a billet upon Mr.
Whiteman, which that gentleman'refused;- on the ground
that he had had two billets on the preceding day. Mr.
Whiteman retained the billet given to him by Fitzgerald,
wherelipon the corporal returned to the billet master's office,
and - stated the circumstances. On reference to the book,
Mr. Highton found that no billet had been granted upon Mr.
Whiteman on the preceding day, and Mr. Walsall was
despatched with the soldier to the house of Mr. Whiteman,
to learn the particulars of the case. Mr. Whiteman then
delivered up the billet of Fitzgerald, and one for two soldiers
of the 57th Regiment, the 6th December, and for three
nights. With these they returned to the office of Mr.
Highton, and it was then found that the billet of the 6th had
originally been served upon a licensed victualler of the name
of Smith, (who, however, was exempt,) in Hanover-street,
but that name had been erased and the name of Mr. White-
man substituted. The clerk of Mr. Highton was positive
that the alteration in the billet had not been made at the
office. If it had been, a similar alteration would have ap-
peared in the book ; but such was not the case ; and besides,
it was not their practice to alter a billet when incorrectly
granted, but to write out a fresh one.
Mr. Whiteman stated that his reason for refusing the bil-
let, and for detaining it when handed to him by the corporal,
was that he might have the case explained on the following
day at the Billet Office. The two men who brought the billet
on the 6th, were paid out by him. One of them was In
uniform, the other seemed to be a recruit.

Mr. Rushton acquitted Mr. Whiteman ; bat he thought
that the cage was one which required further examination,
and he took the evidence of Mr. Whiteman upon it. Mr.
Highton was then ordered to write to the Recruiting Office,
stating the particulars, and requesting the'attehdance of the
proper parties at the Police-court on the next day, in order
that the case might be,fullyinKesligated.
Mr. Highton stated iliatiiveral cases of a similar nature
had occurred

The investigation was adjourned till Saturday.
On Saturday the examination was resumed. Lieutenant
Ralph, one of the officers_ on the recruiting service at this
town, and two corporals one of the 56th and one of the 11th
regiment, attended. The order under which the billet was
procured had been given by Lieutenant. Ralph. The object
of the present investigation was to discover by whom the al-
teration had been made. An order for a billet had been
granted, on the 6th of December, to John Adams, John Cop-
back, and Robert Morgan, recruits, who had since been sent
to Chatham. It was found that the names of these parties
were not exhibited in the return on the 6th, but on the 7th
of December, on which day billets had been granted to them,
—to one for the house of Mr. Thomas Robertson, Highfield-
street ; to the other two, for William Jagers, Henderson-
street, Park, for two nights. The order on which this billet
was procured was signed by Serjeant-Major Duffy. As the
latter was not in attendance, the case was further adjourned
till yesterday (Monday.)

SATURDAY.
OFFENCES AGAINST TIIE REVENUE LAWS.

Peter Anjou, for having carried on shore a quantity of to-
bacco from the American ship Virginian, and Peter Wilson,
for having concealed twenty-eight pounds of tobacco on board
the same ship, both remanded on Tuesday last, to abide the
decision of the Board of Customs, were on Saturday fined in
the penalties of £lOO each. They will both he recommended
by the Magistrates to the favourable consideration of the
Board.