The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-07-12 00:00:00

Total..

4,280

Of the 2,976 marriages which are stated to have
taken place in registered places of worship, we feel
quite convinced that two-thirds, at least, were solem-
nised according to the rites of the Romish Church.
A bare inspection of the above numbers must satisfy
every reflecting mind of the strong and ineradicable
attachment of the British people to the admirable
marriage-ritual of our venerated Church.

By the packet-ship South America, Captain Bars-
tow, and the transit ship Hibernia, Captain Cobb, both
of which arrived here on Tuesday, we have received
files of the New York papers to the 1 gth ultimo, in-
clusive. The news from the "United States is not of
much importance. The administration has been de-
feated in the Virginia election. This result was consi-
dered highly prejudicial to the prospects of Mr. Van
Buren. It is said that the opposition will have a con-
siderable majority in the next congress. It remains to
be seen whether Mr. Van Buren will be able to retain
his seat in spite of an adverse majority. Among the
candidates for the presidential chair are enumerated
General Scott, General Harrison, and Mr. Clay.

Mr. Wilder has written another letter to the New
York papers, strongly asserting that the Bank of the
United States had nothing whatever to do with the
celebrated cotton circular, which has given rise to so
much discussion.

The greatest possible 'excitement is said to prevail in
the territory of Tallahasse. The population have de-
termined to take the war into their own hands. Hun-
dreds of volunteers were offering their services to
Governor Call, who was expected to take the field im-
mediately. The territorial government had offered a
reward of 200 dollars for every Indian taken or killed.
The question of postage reduction was exciting con-
siderable interest in the United States. A strong dis-
position prevailed in favour of the experiment.
The news from Mexico is of the highest importance.
The last advices received from Tampico, Metamoras,
and Vera Cruz, teem with the darkest forbodings to
that unhappy country, From every state arid depart-

ment accounts of treason and anarchy were pouring.
The Mexican presidential chair is no sinecure at pre-
sent. Already the states of Guanaxuato, Janalisco,
and San Luis de Potosi, have successfully resisted the
mandates of Santa Anna. These states were organising
a powerful army, that would render necessary the recal
of all the forces under Bustamente and Arista, in order
to prevent the total annihilation of centralism in the
interior. The Morning Courier and Enquirer states
that from the accounts received from Tampico, it is
very evident that the town was on the point of falling
into the hands of the forces of the government.
From Canada there is no news of importance.

The commercial news from New York still continues
to be of an unfavourable character. The exchange on
England has fallen, the rate for the packet having been
1091 to 109.15.

We have, in another column, given the most im
portant extracts from the New York papers.

We have received a copy of the St. John's (N. B.)
Weekly Chronicle of the 7th of June. It contains very
little news. With respect to the prospects of the har-
vest, we have the following information :—" We have
had heavy rains with very little intermission since last
Tuesday. Creeks and other tributaries to the St. John
have risen to an unusual height, doing much injury to
the lumberers. Yesterday morning the boom on the
Meduxnikick broke, when a large quantity of timber
broke loose and went down stream; it will probably
be a total loss. We have heard that the lower boom
on the Restook has given way, and that upwards of
4,000 tons of timber had gone adrift. We fear that
much injury will be done in the lower part of the
country, in consequence of the great rise of water in
the river. There was so little prospect of a high
freshet this season, that we presume the farmers on
the low lands were nearly done cropping. We shall
be happy to find that our fears have not been realised."
We subjoin a comparative statement of arrivals,
tonnage, and passengers, at the port of Quebec,. to
the 28th of May, inclusive, for the years 1838 and
1839 :

Vessels arrived.
1838 341

1839 220

Tonnage. Passengers.
117,207 631
84,180 707

Less this year .. 121 33,027 more 76

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool Church of England
School Society was held on Tuesday, at the school-rooms,
in Cornwallis-street, and the following report was adopted
and ordered to be printed
____

The committee Of the Liverpool Church of England School
Society present the third report of the society's proceedings,
with continued thankfulness to Almighty God for the favour
with which he has continued to bless it.

The schools, they trust, are in a state of progressive im-
provement, and, although the committee cannot flatter them-
selves with the hope, that the instruction communicated to
the children is such, at present, as is likely to produce that
permanent religious and moral improvement which is the real
object of popular education, still they hope, that much good
effect, in this respect, must have been accomplished, and
that by God's blessing more in future may be attained.
The numbers in the South School are as follows :
Boys
Girls 240
Infants

Total. B6l
Last year the numbers reported were 1089. The decrease,
therefore, seems to be considerable, but it is more seeming
than real. The attendance, last year, was so irregular that
the numbers reported were more nominal than real. This
year the report is of the children actually in attendance.
In the North School the numbers are :
Boys 412
Girls.
Infants

Total 837
Last year the return was 912. There is, therefore, an ap-
parent decrease of 75, which is to be accounted for in the
same way.
Land for a central school, in Gill-street, has been pur-
chased, but the building has not yet been commenced, for the
following reasons. The committee being of opinion that it
would be desirable to combine a normal and model school for
teachers, in the central establishment, commissioned the
Rev. F. Barker to inspect Mr. Stow's school, at Glasgow,
and on his report determined to build upon the Glasgow plan,
in some situation where land was cheaper. As, however, an
outlay would be required for this purpose much exceeding
their means, they decided to apply to the Treasury for part
of a grant of £lO,OOO, which was voted by parliament in
1835 for the purpose of normal schools. A memorial was
sent, in January, to the Lords of the Treasury, with plans
for the intended schools. No reply having been made, the
application was repeated in March. The answer to this was,
that the memorial was referred to the " Privy Council Edu-
cation Committee." This committee has not vouchsafed a
reply, or returned the plans ; but it appears, by their public
proceedings, that the Liverpool application is rejected.
At the Diocesan Education Society is about to establish a
normal school in Chester, the establishment of one in Liver-
pool may not be so necessary, and it may, perhaps, be advis-
able for the next committee to commence the central and
model school on the land in Gill-street, unless it should be
deemed expedient to build smaller schools near the intended
new churches, or be found possible, as it is most evidently
desirable, to found a more comprehensive central establish-
ment, combining education for the middling classes in the
principles of the Established Church ; to the consideration
of which very important subject the committee very earnestly
solicit the attention of all who are interested in maintaining
the perfect union of religious and secular instruction in the
education of the people.
The committee now feel called upon to publish their
opinions respecting certain theories on the subject of educa-
tion, which are maintained in the present day, and opposition
to which is stigmatised as bigotry. They believe, that educa-
tion, in its true and proper meaning, signifies the training of
responsible beings to accomplish the purposes for which they
were caused to exist by their Creator; that religion only re-
veals these purposes to man ; that Christianity is the only true
religion ; and that an education which excludes or depreciates
Christianity omits " the one thing needful," and, in the
proper sense of the word, is no education at all. They main-
tain, therefore, that Christianity should be exalted to the
highest place, and combined with the whole system of national
education, as an essential element ; that it should be the
principle by which the education of the people is guided, re-
gulated, and sanctified, otherwise it will entail a curse
instead of a blessing. But, moreover, when they talk of
Christianity, they mean Christianity according to some pecu-
liar system of doctrines. The mere introduction of the
Bible into the school-room without any interpretation of its
doctrines, to uneducated children, is, in their estimation,
utterly inefficient.

Again : of the different systems of doctrine extracted from
the Bible, by different teachers, only one call be true. They
believe that the system taught by the Church of England is
true ; this, therefore, they feel bound to teach, and not any
other. They do not judge others for teaching what they be-
lieve to be the truth, they only claim the same privilege for
themselves. They think that neutrality in religion is im-
piety ; that religion without a creed " is not the religion of
common sense," or of the church, or Gospel of Christ ; and
that every denomination of Christians has a creed, and, what-
ever may be pretended, teaches according to that creed.
When, therefore, they talk of Christian schools, they cannot
approve of any distinctions between " general Christianity"
and " special Christianity," " special religious instructions"
and " peculiar doctrine instruction." As Christians are to
be " a peculiar people," so Christianity is essentially " a
peculiar" religion : a religion (so called) robbed of '• peculiar
doctrinal instruction" is, in their estimation, not Christianity.
They feel themselves bound, therefore, to teach, and cause
to be taught, to the labouring classes committed to their
charge, what they believe to be Christianity," leaving others
to teach what they call " general Christianity," if they
please. _ _

They furthermore protest against the introduction of dif-
ferent versions of the Bible, and different religious teachers,
into the same schomt-room, a practice which, in their esti-
mation, must have the effect of introducing doubt, perplexity,
and confusion into the youthful mind. The divisions of the
Protestant world are the scoff of the Romanist and the in-
fidel, and a stumbling-block to pious minds ; and the para-
ding of these divisions, in the school-room, tends directly
and immediately to the promotion of scepticism. If, during
the time of " general religious instruction," the divinity of
Christ is not to be hinted at for fear of offending one sect ; or
if even the sacred name of Christ is to be omitted to spare
the feelings of another ; and if, when the hour of " peculiar
doctrinal instruction" arrives, the school is to be broken up
into its controversial distinctions under its different contro-
versial teachers, nothing, in their opinion, can result but
moral and religious disorganisation.
Finally, the committee feel called upon to protest, on con-
stitutional as well as religious grounds, against a national
education board, composed of ministers of state, excluding
the bishops of the Established Church. They think that
political men, acting under the continual stimulus of party
politics, are unfit for the sole management of education,
which is a work of religion. They protest against the pla-
cing any sum of money, without the concurrence of the uni-
teelegislature, at the disposal of a political board so consti-
tuted. Ministers of state, occupied with the cares and busi-
ness of state, can have no time for its management, and are
not fitted by habit for its application. They fear, therefore,
that it may be employed by inferior agents for partial pur-
poses, and that it will not promote any general national good.
With every feeling of charity, then, towards those who dif-
fer from them conscientiously,—with every inclination to co-
operate with them in all works of charity, which relate to the
temporal comforts of the labouring classes, they cannot co-
operate with them in education, which is a work of religion :
with all due respect for the principles of others, they cannot
compromise their own. Solemnly disclaiming any wish to
interfere with the consciences of those who differ from them,
they take leave to assert the independance of their own ; dis-
avowing every attempt to monopolise the education of dis-
senting communions, they feel it a duty to claim, and, by
God's permission will, as far as possible, exercise, the ex-
clusive privilege of educating the poor children of their own
communion.

With this publication of their sentiments the committee
resign their trust into the hands of the society at large ; ho-
ping that the religious people of England will not be tempted
by the seducing spirit of the age into any laxity of principle,
miscalled liberality ; or persuaded to compromise the unity
of the Christian faith ; or to purchase peace by the sacrifice
of truth.

Among the numerous distinguished visitors who frequent
our town at this season of the year, we observed a day or
two ago, no less a personage than " the Mayor (?) of Man-
chester."

An editor, of " spinning-top" or spinning " yarn" noto-
riety, may be seen any day, about noon, journeying towards
Rodney-street, in a very singular mood. If his cranium be
not over laden with the essential ingredients, the pockets of
a long frock-coat seem admirably adapted for the purpose of
conveying all that his bead ought to contain ; they are over-
crammed with newspapers, pamphlets, &c., of which some
parts thereof generally hang out a considerable way, to the
no small amusement of many in the throngest part of
Church-street, or 80ld-street. At his time of life, he ought
not to be over-burthened ; we would, therefore, recommend
him in future to have his " devil" M livery, ready to carry
such requisites in a " green bag," close at his heels, as
another mode of obtaining " honourable cbstinctlOn," as
ho takes his porsgriPtions homewards,