The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-08 00:00:00

THE LEAGUE IN DANGER

There is war—fierce and bitter—just now, amongst the
members of this pure and patriotic body. Mr. Joseph Sturge
has returned from a tour through the United States, with
the impression fixed beneath the rim of his puritanical hat
that his " dear " friend Richard Cobden,—the alpha and
omega of the anti-corn-law agitation—is little better than a
political cheat. The worthy Joseph has, it seems, subscribed
some two hundred pounds of good sterling gold to advance
the objects of the league ; and has bargained in return for
—what does the reader imagine? For sincerity and straight
forward dealing on the part of the " motley crew " who
compose the league in question. For honesty in devoting
those " monies " to the purpose for which they were sub-
scribed—viz., the agitation of total repeal of the corn laws,
irrespective of the maintenance in power of the Melbourne
O'Connell ministry. This sincerity and honesty, he is of
opinion, has not been evinced ; and he has therefore set
about pummelling " dear Cobden " in a most unfriendly
style and vows most lustily that he will give the next " mo-
nies " due, to to some charitable institution,—which we sup-
pose he considers as the next best thing to throwing it into
the sea.

As a matter of course the Stockport philosopher has put in
a rejoinder, which, however, is not one, we think, which will
satisfy Mr. Joseph Sturge. Mr. Cobden is of opinion that
the league was justified in supporting an Bs. duty as an in-
stalment of their full demand for total repeal ; but the corn-
dealing Joseph is of opinion that the present system even is
better than an Bs. duty, in which we fully agree with him.
He is of opinion, moreover, that the question between the
manufacturers and the agricultural interest ought to be fought
in fair stand-up fashion ; that there should be no skulking ;
no hoisting false colours; no jesuitry ; in short Mr. Joseph
Sturge thinks it not only morally just but politically prudent
in the Anti-Corn-Law League to place their ultimate object—
the ruin of the agriculture of Great Britain—conspicuously
and intelligibly before the people, in which opinion we need
scarcely say that he will not find many of the tricksters with
whom he is " leagued " ready to coincide.
We ourselves, the reader will scarcely doubt, are quite of
Mr. Sturge's way of thinking in this last particular too.
Men really ought not only to keep a fixed object in their own
view, but in that of others as well; and they ordinarily do
this when the object in question is an honest one. But when
the contrary is the case, they resort, as the advocates of a
fixed duty upon corn have done, to falsehood and fraudulent
concealment. We are glad, therefore, that Mr. Sturge has
so seasonably brought before our notice, and that of the
public, the fact that it is not in reality a fixed duty upon corn
against which we have to contend ; that the question which
is now at issue between the two great parties in the state is
not one as to the degree of protection to be afforded to the
agricultural interests, or the mode in which it is to be afford-
ed ; but that it is one of " protection or no protection"—
that it is, in fact, whether or not we are to lay prostrate our
whole agricultural interests before the wheels of the manu-
facturing juggernaut. Upon such a question—thus plainly
placed before us—need we hesitate now to decide ?

I'ol4, ;

102, Mrs. Thomas B
Sidney Graves, London
Shanklin, Chester ; Richard Greenl
Leicester; 115, John Davidson; 100. Charles
John Thompson, Broughton; 114, John Clow, Liverpool
8, W. F. Scholefield ; 76, the second prize, Miss Emily
Hick, Bolton ; 99, the third prize, Mrs. George lienworthV,
St. John-street, Manchester ; 90, William Cathrall ; a,
Henry Brock Hollinshead, Blackburn; 34,*Barton Wood.
It will be seen that 11 prizes out of the 120 come to Li-
verpool; eight to Bolton ; four to London ; three to Stock-
port; and three were won by Joseph Ridway, Esq., of Wall-
suches. Mr. P. It. Arroasmith, of Bolton, Mr. Thomas
Bradshaw, of Manchester, and d r. John Marriott, of Liver-
pool, each took two prizes. It is rather remarkable, that
the first prize drawn should be a principal one ; that the next
principal prize (the grand prize) should not appear till the
95th drawing; and that the other two shouid be drawn con-
secutively—being the 116th and 117th drawings out of 120—
and that they should both be won by ladies. The drawing
occupied about an hour and a half. When all the cards but
one had been drawn, the boy groped in the wheel in vain for
that, and after ten minutes' groping and peeping into the
wheel, its side was forced open, and the card found. The
drawing being over, Mr. S. E. Cottam was called to thy
chair, and the thanks of the company were passed by accla-
mation to Mr. Fleming for presiding. Mr. Grundy an-
nounced, that parties not having won prizes might . make
choice of their prints at any time. The assembly then sepa-
rated.

Ge)TztrOtl4l/t
~ K

The plan adopted by Mr. Grundy for the disposal of then
pictures reflects great credit upon him ; indeed the arrange
ment throughout was most admirable.

ST. SILAS'S CHURCH

This handsome place of worship, the erection of whir

has excited great interest amongst the public generally, was
opened for divine service this day week, under the most fa-
vourable auspices ; and we should have noticed so valuable
an addition to the ecclesiastical edifices of our revered Esta-
blishment in our last publication, had our columns not been
almost wholly occupied by our long report of the great meet-

ing of the Protestant Association on the previous day. The
conviction, however, that we were doing our best for the
furtherance of the Protestant Church, by furnishin- "-- f -"

est possible record of the addresses of many of her at
supporters, at a time when unhappily their advocacy

immediately valuable, precludes our regretting a postpone-
ment which will enable us to supply some details, of which
we could not before have availed ourselves, of an event only

secondary in local interest to that to which we felt ourselves
bound to give priority.
St. Silas's, situated on an airy and convenient site in Pem-
broke-place, is in the neat unasuming English Gothic style
of architecture, that wont to delight our forefathers, and
which the poet contemplated when he feeling depicted " the
decent church that topped the neighbouring hill ;" but it is
richer in exterior embellishment, and greatly superior in in-

tell(); convenience and comfort. The -body of the church i
oi substantial brick-work, with buttresses, mouldings, ,Vc.
of red free-stone, The front—to the south—as well as th,
steeple which is surmounted by a spire, are also of stone; any
the tower being partly inserted in the front which projects oi

either side in resemblance of trancepts or wings, it may be
said to be crusiform in design. There are three entrances,
the principal one in the centre of the tower, and one at the
end of each wing, forming pointed arches. The windows of
the tower are ornamented by handsome cast-iron mullions.

ilt is cheerfully lighted by six tail lancet win
side between the buttresses, rising to nearly the full eh
vation of the building. The chancel, owing -
the ground, is in but slight projection; but tl
very neat appearance, and the workmanship is of a faithful
description.
The interior is tastefully fitted up, with a peculiar regard
to comfort and convenience, and much praise is due to
Messrs. Hand and Sons, of Bold-street, for the execution of
their department of the work. The gallery is supported by
slender clustered Gothic pillars of cast iron, thrown back
about a yard from the front, an evident improvement. The
wood-work round it is empanelled in Gothic pointed arches.
The reof is finished in the olden style of this description of
crchitecture, the carpentry of the principals being left ex-
posed: and enriched by diagonal arch-work, and the whole
divided into longitudional compartments—those in the cen.
tre having foliated ornaments in relief, serving as ventillators.
The seats are admirably constructed and roomy, the backs
being sloped, and covered, as well as the desks, with
watered morine. The pulpit, reading-desk, and altar,
are all designed and executed with much taste. The
whole of the wood-work is painted in oak, or is of " heart of
oak," and, though plain, is appropriate. On each side of
the space allotted for the organ is a gallery in a Gothic arched
recess, for the accomodation of the school children. The
church, we are informed, will accommodate about 1200
individuals. _ _ _ _ _

On the opening day, the Rev. H. M`Neili ohly re-
puted Pastor of St. Jude's, officiated in the forenoon ; and
the Rev. Mr. Cordeaux, incumbent of the church, in the
evening. The throng was excessive—many parties being un-
able to obtain seats.
The sermon of the former rev. gentleman, at the opening
of the church, was a noble effort, worthy of the man. He took
his text from, St. Paul's epistle_ to Timothy—" Holding

le, the h

forth the word of life ;" and after detailing the circumstances
which led to the building of the church, the particulars of
which we have before given, he went on to show how God
had honoured " means," and that even his greatest as well
as his lesser (if he might so speak) works were accomplished
by the use of means, even redemption itself being only a
means to an ending, the glory of God. The evening sermon
was preached by the incumbent, Rev. Mr. Cordeaux, from
the book of Revelations, the address to the Laodecean
church, and, considering the position he occupied, sufficient
to unnerve the boldest man. He delivered himself remark-
ably well ; his doctrine was sound ; his arguments convin-
cing, and his delivery free and pleasant. The collection,
after the two services, amounted to £62145. 3d. We, know-
ing that much painstaking had been used with reference to
the appointment of an incumbent to the church, determined
to attend again on Sunday morning, which we did both
morning and evening, and without entering into detail, we.
will only remark, that though we are not insensible to the
talents and merits of other candidates, yet we cannot help
congratulating the trustees of St. Silas that their choice has
fallen upon so suitable a person in every respect; his talents
for preaching are of the first order—fluent, mild, and per-
suasive ; evidently feeling the power of the truth lie endea-
vours to inculcate, and his appeals to the consciences of his
hearers were very searching, and were listened to with breath-
less suspense. We recommend our readers to go and judge
for themselves; our only wish is that his services may be duly
appreciated, as, indeed, they appear already to have been,
for, upon inquiry, we learn that two-thirds of the seats are
already taken up. ,

FRIVOLOUS CHARGE AGAINST A RESPECTABLE YOUNG
WONIAN.-At the Police-court yesterday, a respectable-
looking young woman, named Charlotte Atkinson, was
placed at the bar of the Police-court, to answer a charge
preferred against her by a well-dressed individual, named
Stanley. The complainant said that the prisoner had been
his servant, but had left him about three weeks ago, and, he
found, had pawned some articles, his property, &fore she
left. It turned out in evidence, that an old towel and a cot-
ton pocket handkerchief had been pledged by request of de-
fendant, for her mistress, the wife of the complainant, by a
girl who was in court, and that the sum of fivepence (!) had
been obtained upon them ; but as the complainant ad-
mitted that articles had frequently been so pledged by di-
rection of his wife, and there was no proof whatever of
a felonious act or intent on the part of the prisoner, the sit-
ting magistrates, Mr. Birch and Mr. Rathbone, immediately
discharged the accused. [There are some rather extraordi-
nary circumstances connected with this case, to which we
may probably advert hereafter.]
One of those brutal and inhuman exhibitions, an up-and-
down-fight, took place at the village of Norbury, near Stock-
port, on Thursday night last, which resulted in the death of
one of the combatants; and a verdict of manslaughter
against five individuals, one of them being' brother to the
unfortunate man who lost his life. The particulars of this
affair are of such a disgusting nature as scarcely to be cre-
dited. The victim to this barbarous practice, Samuel Perry,
a young man aged 22, was a labourer in the employ of Mr.
Locket , farmer, of Handforth-cum-Bosden. The person
who caused his death is named John Hadfield, about the
same age, by trade a collier, employed at the Worth Colliery.
An investigation iuto the circumstances of the case took
place before C. Hudson, Esq. coroner, and a respectable
jury, at the Grapes public-house, Norbury, on Saturday

last.
A meeting of the Repeal Association took place in Dublin
last week, when Mr. O'Connell said the motto of the society
was, that " Everything coming from England should be
burnt, except coals." No one should be admitted to its
meetings who was not dressed altogether in Irish manufac-
tures.

DEATH OF MR. ERASER.—Th,k publisher of Fraser's
Magazine died on Saturday last, filter a protracted illness,
brought on, as it is supposed, by the attack of Mr. G.
Berkeley. Literature has thus lost an earnest supporter,
literary men a generous patron, and a large circle of friends
one beloved as a very brother. It is often true that an inti-
mate acquaintance, by unveiling defects of character, weak-
ens the reverence, respect, and esteem first felt. This did
not apply to Mr. Frazer. One learned slowly but surely to
love him, and they who knew him best loved him most.
His fine taste, his ardent attachment to literary pursuits,
and his sacrifices in the service he loved, endeared him to the
most distinguished literati of the age. His unfeigned faith,
humility, and true Christian conduct, exemplified in public
life, and yet more truly developed on a death-bed, showed
that the loss of many is indeed the gain of one.
BANKRUPTCY.—From a return to the House of Lords
recently made, we extract the following " Number of Fiat
issued"

Year
1832
1833
1834

Town. Country. Total
756...... 914....
518 765 .. 1283
599 7BO 1379

1835
1836
1837
1838 306 7Bl lOB7
1839
1840
The above period comprises the entire fiats issued under the
Bankrupt Act, 1 and 2W.4, c. 56. The bankruptcies have
increased, it appears, nearly 80 percent. during the last three
years. They stand thus in Manchester alone :—ln 1838, 82 ;
in 1839, 199 ; in 1840, 204. The average rate of country
bankruptcy, it appears, has been 955 ; and the average rate
of town bankruptcies 518 per annum, during the above years
The great increase, therefore, in bankruptcies, has bee,-
the country. London is decidedly the most prosperoL
in the kingdom, owing, in no small degree, to its being,
terminus of nearly all the railways, and also owing to its bell.,
the abode of so large a portion of fixed annuitants and landed
proprietors.—Facts and Figures, No. I.
DR. SUMNER, BISHOP OF CHESTER.—" If all ministers
were like the Bishop of Chester," he once exclaimed, " there
would be some grounds for the theory of apostolical succes-
sion." And in a letter to one of his congregation—to one,
as he himself says, " whom I have numbered with my little
flock "—he mentions his lordship in the following words :
" We have lately rejoiced to have our excellent bishop at
Lancaster. He is one of the right kind—taught of God, and
influenced by the love of Christ. I had much conversation
with him. He preaches, and he feels, that •Itis a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners.' This is the inexhaustible
theme of the gospel ministry, and the prominent subject of
the meditations
thatme is set beforeditationsofth heostewmhy,_tife of
are running successfully the
race
the Rev. R. 1-107fR.
man.

THE CENSUS.—A general return of the population of the
kingdom has been presented to parliament by the Registrar-
General of Births and Deaths,-which the House of Commons
has ordered to be printed.
Sir Stratford Canning is appointed ambassador to Constan
tinople, having declined the embassy to Vienna.
Admiral Sir Edward Owen has got the naval command Ir.
, .
the Mediterranean, in place of Sir R. Stopford.
SINGULAR COINCIDENCE.—A few daYs ago, hile
Messrs. Tborburn were unpacking a chest of orange the
tea, imported in one of the late arrivals from CanaP, etire;
3/, dated Sept. 22.
discovered between the lead lining and bottom of the box a
grcaurletter of' the senior
Ilenrfineof the firm, regarding
Mr. 7314 y
T, of(be
lot
rhabeir
ynd,4isnt
yearshbeu rvge hn
enrgaob)ieCaledoniancpartner
an rt
tani
L he
w ch
spaper, which is in excel-
the tea trade of that period.
miles above Canton, where the est was packed 1,500
lent preservation, must have been
Pat in ; and no explanation
is given to remove the mystery
and transmitted back nearly half
a century after its how it has been preserved
tion.—Caledonian Mercury. publics-