The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-06-01 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL 11EWS,

An Oxford paper states that the Hebdomedal Board of
that university has resolved to appoint a committee to
consider the possibility of framing regulations for the ad-
mission of a class of poor scholars.
At a meeting of the Church Building Society on Wed-
nesday week, the Archbishop of Canterbury stated that
Miss Burdett Coutts had expended X 70,000 in church
building and endowment.
In the Free Church Assembly the Education scheme
has triumphantly been approved of by a majority of 295 to
5. The conclusion of the last resolution runs thus :—"ln
the meantime the general assembly being of opinion that
there is no valid objection in principle in the way of ac-
cepting aid from public grants given 'unconditionally and
freely for the support of the schools of this church, remit
to their educational committee to give advice to such par-
ties as may wish to apply for grants."
SCHISM IN THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH.—It is said that
proceedinss have been commenced in the Ecclesiastical
Court against Archdeacon Woodhouse as the author, and
Messrs. Longman and Co. as the publishers, of a pamph-
let, entitled Subscription the disgrace of the English
Church." When Mr. Woodhouse was recently made
Archdeacon of Norfolk, a number of the clergy in the
archdeaconry were dissatisfied with the appointment, in
consequence of the doctrines the reverend gentleman had
expressed in his work. They obtained legal opinions that
the writer and publishers of the pamphlet were amenable
to the Church Discipline Act ; applied to the archdeacon
to retract the offensive doctrines ; and, on his refusal,
commencedth action.

THE MAY MEETINGS.-It is a matter for congratula-
tion that the reports of our great religious societies, whose
annual meetings have been held this month in the metro-
polis, present a considerable increase in point of income,
and a most cheering prospect of successful enterprise.
Church Missionary Society, £116,827 18s. lid., being
an increase of £14,369 18s. 6d. above the receipts of the
preceding year. British and Foreign Bible Society,
£117,440 9s. 3d., shewing an increase of £16,134 14s. 3d.
The Jews' Society, receipts, £29,046 Os. 6d. ; increase,
£3264 9s. 10d. The Tract Society,. receipts, £59,416
3s. 9d. ; increase, £3305 10s. ld. Church Pastoral Aid.
Society, receipts, £29,940 6s. Id. ; increase, £7425 9s.
3d., &c., &c.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE FREE CHURCH.—Mr.
Bridges gave in a statement of the revenue of the Church
for the year ending 31st March, 1847. The sums col-
lected amounted in all to three hundred and twenty thou-
sand, two hundred and seventy-four pounds, eleven shil-
lings and twopence three farthings. Adding this sum to
the contributions of former years, it was found that the
people of Scotland had raised for the Free Church, since its
establishment, not a less sum than one million three hun-
dred and twenty-two thousand, five hundred and forty-
five pounds, nine shillings and twopence three farthings.
A communication was then read from the Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church of Ireland, together with a letter
from Dr. Morgan, the Moderator of the Assembly, ex-
pressing regret that he was unable to appear personally in
the Assembly of the Free Church, and entering at some
length into the present fearful state of Ireland. Dr.
Buchanan then gave in the Report on the Foreign Mis-
sions. In Kaffirland the Mission had been reduced to al-
most ruin by the late war. In Poonah several converts
had been admitted by baptism, and one of these was a
Mahomedan. In Madras eight native converts had been
admitted by baptism. Of the more advanced converts,
three have been licensed to preach the Gospel, and others
have announced their resolution to devote themselves to
the same glorious work. In Bombay, the Report men-
tions the admission of several young Parsis into the Insti-
tution. It was declared that greater efforts were requisite
especially to obtain the assistance of native teachers.
From fifteen to twenty thousand pounds, in addition to
the munificent contributions made in India. would be re-

quisite to accomplish this object. A contribution of two
shillings from each member of the Free Church would be
sufficient.

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

On the Derby day. twenty-four immense trains, con-
veying nearly 100,000 persons, left London for Epsom.
The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the
high-level bridge over the Tyne is to be performed shortly
by the Earl of Zetland, Grand Master of the fraternity of
Freemasons.

The Manchester and Leeds have appointed a committee
to report respecting deferring the construction of all lines
and branches, which can be postponed until a more
favourable state of the money market.

Workmen were employed last week demolishing the
whole of the extensive buildings fronting the Bank of
England, the Electric Telegraph Company having pur-
chased the property for the formation of their central
metropolitan station.

We hear that another of Mr. Crampton's engines will
be ready in about three weeks or a month. Its power
will be much greater than that of his first, the " Namur,"
The driving-wheels are 8 feet in diameter—one foot
above the average size of those used on the Great Western.
Mr. Crampton's engine belongs to the London.and North
Western.

NEW LINE TO BIRMINGIIAM.—The widening of the
Birmingham line from London to Tring will give a second
line to Birmingham, byway of theßletchley and Banbury,
Oxford and Rugby, and Oxford and Birmingham lines,
without interruption of guage. It is impossible for par-
liament to remove the narrow guage off those new lines,
though they may mix the gauges.—Railway Record.
RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT.—The road leading from
Rainhill to Eccleston and Ravenhead is about to be con-
nected with the old Liverpool and Manchester road, just
on the Prescot side of Rainhill. By this improvement it
will be rendered unnecessary to cross the railway on the same
level as the trains. About a year since a lady and her
daughter, riding in their carriage, most narrowly escaped
destruction whilst crossing the railway at that point.
EXTENSIVE PROSECUTIONS.—It lately transpired in the
Court of Bankruptcy that the costs of the great prosecu-
tions of the Maynard and Garratt gang, convicted for nu-
merous railway robberies, amounted to £5OO in cash pay-
ments, and £277 for the awyer's bills, and were defrayed
by the united railway companies. The costs of success-
fully defending the action for false imprisonment arising
out of those prosecutions cost the two defendants, who
were defended by the railway company, above £350, and
the other defendant above £7OO, which he has had to bear,
though his exertions led to such important results to the
public, as well as to the companies interested.