The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-02-01 00:00:00

HORTICULTURE.

A week of tolerably dry weather has allowed the out-of-
door operations to be commenced in some gardens. The
most advisable beginning this season will be to raise the
soil of the flower beds deeply but lightly with the fork so
as to facilitate evaporation. Many of our spring favourites
are pushing forth much earlier than usual ; even in this
cold and bleak locality snowdrops are in full bloom, roses
open from time to time, crocuses are spewing their
flowers, the Winter Aconite has done flowering, and the
various primulas are opening their buds, violets are in
full flower, and the beautiful hardy shrub Pittosporum
tobirum, which ought to be in every garden, is covered
with its exquisitely fragrant blossoms, but our plant-
houses, owing to the want of sun and the excessive damp-
ness, are much duller than usual at this season. This is
a good opportunity for giving a supply of manure to
roses ; it should be old and well mixed with well rotted
turf and loam. Our readers will be glad of the following
valuable suggestion respecting one of our most favourite
winter plants :
.Evphorbia Jacquiniflora.—Allow me to offer a few re-
marks upon this valuable winter-flowering stove plant,
which, if well-managed, in my estimation, stands un-
rivalled. Nevertheless, ono scarcely ever meets with a
well-grown plant; they are generally very tall and de-
ficient of good foliage; the only point left to recom-
mend them is their long wreath of orange scarlet blos-
soms near the ends of the shoots—certainly an object
worthy of admiration, but how much more would the
plant be admired if it formed a well-grown bush, display-
ing its fine dark green pencilled foliage along with its
beautiful flowers. How easily might such a plant be pro-
duced by merely stopping the. points of the shoots when
young. lam aware that anany consider it wrong to stop
this plant, or Begonia fuchsioides; but as I have tried
both ways, I certainly 'give the preference to stopping.
I have at the present time plants grown on both plans,
so that I am well able to fudge Awilich of the two is the
better.--E. Bennett, Perdiewell.

SCRIPTURAL EDUCATION IN THE NEW
PARISH OF ST. SIMON'S.

A tea meeting was held on Thursday evening last, at•
six o'clock, in the Concert Hall, Lord Nelson•street,
with the express object of promoting the cause of
scriptural education in the above parish by the erection of
schools. The meeting was very largely attended. Not
St. Simon's congregation only, but numbers of persons
from the surrounding districts testified by their presence
the interest which they felt in the proceedings and object
of the meeting. On the platform were some ladies, who
kindly undertook to preside at the speakers' table, and
the Revds. J. R. Conor (incumbent of St. Simon's,) in
the chair, Dr. Hume, Messrs. Higgins, Powell, S. Sutton,
Bardsley, Butler, T. Sutton, Marland, Ellison, Albany
Lloyd, and It. Sayers.
The room was most appropriately and tastefully
decorated with paintings, banners, mottoes, and emblems.
The platform was profusely ornamented with evergreens
and flowers beautifully arranged in arches, surmounte •
by the Bible and the crown. In the gallery, immediately
above the speakers, were large paintings representing the
Martyrdom of Cranmer, the burning of the bones of
Wickliffe, and William of Orange at the Boyne. Round
the room the eye rested upon flags encircled also with
wreaths of flowers and evergreens, and bearing such
inscriptions as " Search the Scriptures," " Keep thy
heart with all diligence," " Success to St. Simon's
Schools," &c. Not the least interesting object, how-
ever•, was a number of the poorer children of the congre-
gation, who were placed in the gallery over the platform,
and sang, during the intervals between the speeches, a
selection of simple hymns, anthems, &c., which they
have learned in the temporary schools connected with the
parish. The apparent enthusiasm, with which the eloquent
appeal of their hoping and happy faces, and sweet though
artless voices was received by the assembly, led those most
deeply interested to form expectations which were not
realized.

After tea, which was preceded and followed by graces
sung by the children, the more important business of the
was commenced by prayer. The chairman, the
Rev. Mr. CONOR, then delivered an address, describing
the end for which the meeting was convened, viz., the•
erection of new and permanent schools in St. Simon's
parish, the great and urgent necessity for such schools,
the efforts hitherto made in the cause, and those still
necessary before the work can be commenced. He stated
that St. Simon's parish contains a very poor population
of 6,134, of whom 2,416 'are children, that it abounds in
gin-shops and houses of a still worse character, that the
scenes which are consequently presented daily in the
streets have a fearful tendency to familiarize with the
grossest sins the minds of the children of his flock, to
harden and demoralize them, and lead them in the path
of the destroyer. He stated that the schools at present
in operation are conducted in a hired house, the lease of
which will expire in June next, when there will cease to
be a public school of any kind in the parish, and when
the children now attending the Sunday, Day, and Ragged
Schools, in all about 500, must be scattered. Allusion
was then made to the extreme poverty of the parishioners,.
who are utterly unable, even were they inclined, to build.
schools, and to the very inadequate efforts of the con-
gregation of the church, who, with all their desire, do
not possess the means to accomplish, unassisted, the•
work in view. It was calculated that the amount required
would be, as in the case of several other schools already
erected in Liverpool, about £3,000. Of this sum the
speaker stated he hoped to obtain a third from govern-
ment, and a third from the merchants and tradesmen of
the town, so that, consequently, there remained only
£l,OOO to be raised by the exertions of the members and
more immediate friends of St. Simon's Church. To half
of this amount they had already pledged themselves,
and Mr. Conor concluded by calling upon the meeting to
come to their aid and his own, by allowing to be dis-
tributed among them 500 collecting cards for a pound
each, which, if properly used, would complete the
necessary sum. _

Interesting and eloquent appeals then followed from the
Rev. Dr. Hume, Rev. Messrs. Higgins, Sutton, Powell,
Bardsley, and Butler, the children singing at intervals,
and the young men of the congregation, who appeared to
take a lively interest in the work in hand, proceeding
through the meeting, and offering collecting cards to the
acceptance of those present; a collection was also made
after the Rev. Mr. Sutton's address.

It is to be lamented, however, that, notwithstanding so
much of hope and promise at the onset, and the exertions
of the clergymen who kindly undertook to advocate the
cause of the poor children of St. Simon's, the meeting
c altogetherrdsonly 8
failed
2
of
werea effectingtke n,
andth
the end
thus, i
n
desired.
the
Of the 500
amysterious
providence of God, a check is for the present given to a
good cause, and those who feel the disappointment most
bitterly must only continue to hope and pray that in His
own good time He will "raise up His power and come
among them," by sending the friends of religion and
virtue to assist in the accomplishment of a work so dear
to their hearts.

A blessing was pronounced by the chairman at half-pass
ten o'clock, and the meeting separated.

MORALITY IN THE GOLD MINES.

SOME of our readers may possibly have perused the story
of the Lincolnshire shepherd, whose proceedings at one of
the most flourishing Australian mines have gained for him
honourable mention in the recent intelligence from the
Gold-Land. Not as a fortunate candidate in the feverish
race after riches, has the name of this humble emigrant
been borne across the waters. Not as the discoverer of
the perishable riches abounding on the hills and in the
valleys of that great continent, has his story been told to

! excite human envy and cupidity. The work to which he
devoted himself among a mammon-serving multitude,
undertaken in love and fulfilled at first with many fears,
► was a more exalted one than the zealous ore-hunting to
which thousands have dedicated themselves. He was the
keeper of a flock of sheep, whose run led him daily past a
" at which an eager band of gold-diggers were
busily at work. Enjoying himself, on that great pasture-
field, the privilege of daily perusing the Bible, he sor-
rowed deeply at the lost condition of the miners, on many
of whom the debasing lust of wealth had set its seal, while-
all of them, apparently, were oblivious of every interest,.
save that of acquiring the coveted metal. His long-
thought-of purpose at length became fixed, and the shep-
herd went every day among the diggers to read a portion
of the Word of God to them. At first they received him
rudely, and endeavoured to repulse him with taunts, and
even curses. But he patiently kept his ground, till, at
length, the wicked oath was replaced by the kindly word of
welcome. A glow of pleasure now overspread the coun-
tenances of the gold-hunters, as the shepherd was seen
approaching their camp ; and, while they willingly laid
down their implements to listen to the voice of the
Eternal, and to join in the prayers of this meek and lowly
messenger, morality and good - feeling were diffused
throughout the hamlet.
At the present moment there are thousands of emi-
grants on the Australian wilds pursuing a career vitiated
by every evil passion which a total devotion to the ac-
quirement of gold can engender. And, unfortunately,
large as the field is, the labourers are few. Many flocks
are gorging themselves with gold in those lone valleys,-
who are altogether destitute of a good shepherd. We
have before us a letter, recently received from the Ben-
digo diggings, by a gentleman in Liverpool. The writer
is an intelligent Scotsman ; and, in delineating life in
Australia, he thus alludes to the state of religion and
morality :

ccioe:rinTyalirere is here a field, a wide field, for the labours of
the Christian pastor. Oh ! what a wicked people. The
.ies filled
rnwoi
itll.l theoveriest
ss Ctuamk
co fp
ltahcee e aervtehry
hour.lVlur:
Gambling is a favourite pastime, and drink is the great
curse of the land. Thank God there are a few good men
amongst the bad, and praise Him also I that the mother
country is now sending forth others than her criminals,
so that by and by this beautiful land may rise in the scale-
of religion and morality. Before winter came on, and
the roads from Melbourne to this place became almost.
impassable, we used to have sermons on Sunday from
Episcopalian and Roman Catholic clergymen. But now
tinetoluar
that,
oinrui
form
reorrirf
toparfi
oe
braserii ei never(ppurree
slhybeyaftroedrr .i a
n 1) ho an v
teh needviegrghine:srl
want of a clergyman
to undertake the duty. Pity, too, that it should be so,
as there are very many Scotchmen on the gold fields who
would be glad to attend regularly, and to subscribe hand-
somely for the payment of a minister. In fact, with the
exception of our own stores, I do not think any others-
refrain from doing business on Sunday. 1 know that we
were the first to begin the system of doing none on that
day, for which we personally received the thanks of the
Bishop of Victoria."
Here the letter breaks off, and is resumed thus :

"Oh ! horrible. I have just been interrupted by a
fearful row about a hundred yards below my store,—a re-
gular Donnybrook scene of fighting. A mob of wild
Irishmen attacked some ten or tweive men they had
quarrelled with relative to a hole this morning. Two of
them have been mortally wounded with pistol shot—one
shot right through the body ! What a sight, to see him
lying bathed in blood. I have been busy dressing some
fearful rashes in the head of another ! About a dozen are
wounded. I feel half sick now with looking at the fright-
ful gashes that some of them have got. Awful state of
things, this ! I never venture out without my pistols, but
fortunately as yet I have had no occasion to use them. I
see from the latest home papers that government are going
to send soldiers out here ; but what would be the use of
the whole army in a place like this, where there are so
many old convict ruffians, who care neither for life nor
death—heaven nor hell ! "

While the commercial world respond to the cry for
material help from that vast colony, shall the Church.
neglect her more momentous mission ? There are al—
ready not a few excellent and devoted ministers labouring
in that land, but a vast addition must be made to the
number of the Evangelists ere a branch of the Church can,
be planted in every gold hamlet, and a rising country, of
vast extent, and with a rapidly increasing population, se—
cured for the Church of Christ.

MR. MECHI'S BALANCE SHEET AGAIN.—A corres-
pondent of the Morning Herald, adverting to a lecture
recently delivered by Mr. Mechi on agriculture, says :--
" With reference to your article on Mr. Mechi's lecture,
allow me to ask through your columns why he has not
published his Michaelmas balance-sheet ? That of the
previous year showed a deficiency or loss of upwards of
X 6.00, but which Mr. Mechi, in a note appended to it,
in-
timated that he should recover the following year. It Is
not just to the farmers, over whom he has set himself as
a tutor, that he should withhold ouch an imitructive
document."