The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-25 00:00:00

idividuals complained of conducted themselves

decently and orde

not justified in 1

them turned out of the church ; but we have since been in-
formed that not only did they misbehave themselves, but one

of them was overheard to say,

church and kick up a row

" Now let us go to some other

SCRIPTURE READERS' SOCIETY

The annual meeting of this institution was held at the
Collegiate institution, on Tuesday, the chair being taken
by the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, and
the platform occupied by several clergymen and gentlemen.
His LORDSHIP said the object of the society was to
spread the light of the Gospel among the poor and ignor-
ant classes of the population who were crowded together
in this immense town ; and if the society's operations lay
within that narrow sphere, still it lies nearer home. The
present state of Liverpool in this respect gave rise to very
mixed and varied feelings. . It was a picture that had its
bright and dark parts, its lights and shades. There were
many things to be thankful for, arid there were many
things still to wish for ; there was very much that, thanks
to the Christian spirit of the place, had already been
done; and such was the necessity and magnitude of the
case, that there yet remained much for them to do. It

was a very gratifying thing, one of the things that called
for our thankfulness, that there had been of late years

such a vast increase in the number, both of the churches
and the clergy in the place. That was a most gratifying
fact, a matter of great joy, and he hoped that through
God's blessing it had also been a matter of great benefit
to this large town. But at the same time, if we compared
the total amount of free sittings in all our churches with
the number of the poor population in this vast teem, we
must be painfully impressed with a feeling of the utter
inadequacy of the existing church accommodation to meet
the exigencies of the case. He feared there were very
many of the poor who never thought of entering a
church ' • but, if they were ever desirous of doing so; there
were not free sittings in our churches to receive a tenth
part of them. Alluding to the duties which the clergy
have to perform, his lordship said that most of them had
three sermons, or even more, to preach every week, and
they must make some allowance for the tax that it was
upon a clergyman's time to prepare those discoures in
estimating the portion of time a clergyman can devote
to the pastoral visitation of the poor, in going from
house to house. He did not say that he was to omit
that last duty, but still he certainly could not, from
the nature of the case, give, the whole of his time.
But be was sure all of them must feel that if each clergy-
man, in his own church, in his own sphere of labour, was
left to worked single-handed and alone, without help or
assistance, either from a curate, Scripture-reader, or dis-
trict visitor, it would not be from want of desire or heart
in him—but from the physical circumstances of the case
it was utterly impossible he could get through his work,
or fulfil a task which would be far beyond his strength.
Happily, through the liberality of the people of Liverpool
and the aid of great soc!eties, help was provided in the way
of providing curates to some extent, and the especial object
of the society for which they were met that night was to
strengthen the hands of the clergy, and to give them as-
sistance, in affording them what their own stipends in
many cases could not afford, the help of a:Scripture-reader
to go among the people where they themselves could not
go, and to carry the Word of the Gospel to the multitudes
of the poor in the several districts of the town, and esr
cially that class of the poor who had not been broughtup
attend Divine service or seek religious instruction in o
churches, and to whom, if they were to hear the Word
the Gospel at all, it must be carried to their own homes,
their own doors, and their own firesides ; and it was to
create and give machinery for this purpose that the present
society had been established ; and he hoped through the
means of it and through God's blessing, great good might
be effected in Liverpool in this way.
The Rev. F. BARKER read the report, which stated
that "The society was first intended for the special en-
lightenment of poor Romeo Catholics in scriptural truth,
but its objects were subsequently extended. The sub-
scriptions amounted to £1,311, the donations to £482,
and the interest to £l7. There were 800 subscribers to
their fund, and the balance now in the bank amounted to
£609. The committee estimated their expenses would
shortly be £1,600 annually. with' necessity for increase.
The report stated that the Rev. J. Bardsley had been ap-
pointed superintendent clergyman of the society, and gave
a detailed account of his proceedings. Amongst these
were a weekly meeting in Cornwallis-street school, to dis-
cuss the principle of Romanism, when any one who de-
sired might enter into the argument. Some Romish
champions came forward at first, but from the tenor of
the report they appeared very shortly to have exhibited
the better part of valour—discretion, many running away.
The society's readers had been very useful to the Romanist
population, many of whom are searching after the truth.
The visits during the past ten months amounted to 45,837,
of which upwards of 9,000 had been to Romanists." The
report also stated that the Rev. Mr. Lowe had furnished
the society with a number of tracts on Romanism for cir-
culation. Amongst the remarkable features of the report
was a statement that an Irish Scripture-reader had been
reading the Word of God to many Roman Catholic
families from Ireland in their own tongue. The report
concluded by calling for further assistance to carry out
the efforts of the society, and thus extend the cause of
true religion

ie-
to
ur
of

The Rev. Rector CAMPBELL said, it was impossible to
think of the population of such a great town as this with-
out mingled feelings of sorrow and alarm. With sorrow
for the spiritual destitution of which so large a propo: Con
of them seem to be contaminated, and with alarm for the

responsibility consequent upon themselves. They (the
clergy) were prepared, to the best of their ability, in per.
formance of their ordination vows, " to drive away all
strange and erroneous doctrines," whatever form they
might assume. But then he thought the time was come
when it was incumbent upon them to press upon the
laity the practical recognition of that faith, that the
church did not consist of the clergy alone, but that it was
a mixed body, the clergy and laity combining, and of
which the laity, as they were the most generous, were the
most important part. If they proposed lay agency as
necessary, it was desired because, in the present state of
the body politic, it was utterly impossible for the clergy
to do the work alone. After reading an extract from the

seventh annual report of the London society, he con-
cluded by recommending the report of the committee to
the anxious and charitable consideration of all who heard
and having named the gentlemen who had consented
st loud applause.

to act upon the committee, s

have listened to a mar

Mr. He

ALL, M.P

down at

, said ne never recollected to
admirable report than the one
kern. While it gave them ample
tions of the society, gave them at the
same time a testimonial of their committee as to the effi-
ciency of their Scripture-readers, and also the testimony
their Scripture-readers bore to the efficiency of the laity
who acted as the committee. At a meeting held in that
the Working Man's
proceedings of that
' Associith ation, a few iinnligteesrerasetge,o'fantby
d?:ehe was struck with a
it was es imated that there were generally in circulation
sbmCtualeliruelt.dtrliciinnni observation made by their excellent rector, that
amongst the population not less than 28 million of infidel
and other demoralising publications. If that were so, it
required no stronger argument to point out the necessity
of some such counter-action as was contemplated by the
Scripture Readers' Society. But it was not the infidel
publications only with which the Scripture-reader had to
contend. These publications undermined the principles
of the population ; but there were other adversaries which
undermined their practice. They had heard in the report
that they had seventeen Scripture-readers ; but what were
these when every Sabbath they had 1,452 public-houses
open ? 'What were these Scripture-readers when they
knew that Sabbath after Sabbath they could not pass
through the streets of the town without seeing an immense
number of shops open of every kind ? It might seem
strange for him to say that the British legislature was one
of the most powerful enemies the Scripture-reader had to
contend with. Year after year they were paying £30,000
to support a great anti-Scripture reading society. Why,
what was the fact ? They were sending their Scripture-
readers into tlie streets of Liverpool to tell the people to
search the Scriptures ; and the men from Alaynooth, who
were enemies to British legislation, were coming to the
same streets and telling the people that the Bible Society
was a pestilence, and that the Word of God in the vulgar.
tongue did more harm than good. It was by the act of
the British legislature that the money of England was
paid to enable these men to come to this town ; and when
the Scripture-reader went to tell the people that there was
but one mediator between God and man, the emissaries
of the British legislature were coming to tell them that
there were many mediators. So long as the Constitution
remained as it was ; so long as they had the power to
protest; so long as they had the power to repeal a law, it
was their duty to do everything in their power to get the
law repealed. Upon these grounds he contended that no
law could be binding upon a man which violated the law
of God, and believing, as he did, that that law violated
the law of God, it was their duty to seek to have it repealed
by every means in their power. He believed that no law
founded upon expediency ever did, or could, conduce to
the individual, social, or national happiness of mankind.
(Loud cheers.)
The meeting was afterwards addressed by the Rev. Mr.
Bardslev, Mr. Wm. Gregson, and the Rev. Dr. M`Neile,
and a liberal collection was made.

peen read to ti

LONGEVITY.—Tbe decease of the "oldest woman in
the world"—Marißenton, the well.known "old woman
of Elton," took place last week. There seems to be some
dispute as to the precise age of this wonderful woman.
On the coffin-plate it was stated to be 117, but it is gen-
erally supposed that this is considerably beneath the fact.
A correspondent states that if she had survived until the
13th February next she would have attained the unprece-
dented age of 122 years. Her form, as might be expected,
was very much bent, but her conversation was free and
lively, and her eye, though dimmed, retained much of
its former lustre, and she was able to dispense with the
assistance of spectacles to the last. This interesting per-
sonage was a native of Cockfield, in Durham, and resided
for some time at Long Newton, previous to her cominn,
to her daughter's house at Elton.—Halifax Guardian.
THE ARMY.—The following important notice has just
been posted up at the Horse Guards, under the head of
" Encouragement to Soldiers." It is stated that by Her
Majesty's warrant, it is provided that commissions are to
be given to deserving non-commissioned officers recom-
mended by their colonels. In appointments to the
cavalry, a sum of £l5O will be granted as an outfit ; and
in the appointments to the infantry, a sum of £lOO as an
outfit. All sergeants, corporals, and privates, are also to
be allowed a gratuity for length of service or good con-
duct ; a sergeant to have £l5, a corporal £lO, and a
private £5. They will also be allowed a progressive pay
per day over and above the usual pay. It was stated in a
note that several regiments of cavalry at present offer an
opportunity for recruits joining from the age of 16 to 25.
Since the alteration cif the standard of height many young
mu join the line,

LOUIS. N.

Counties, v

LEON AND THE NOTTING-

HAM FACTORY GIRL.

idowed lady, whose educational
d justly esteemed in the Midland
not a little surprised at the arrival of trio
n of Nottingham, of whoa)

girls from the neighbouring to

man saddle

she knew ti

,
the daughters of a poor journey
re accompanied thither by a femalgi
a desire that the girls might be
as they had been bountiful)
w amply afford to receive
uriosity, or rather the suspi•
were very naturally excited, and still
prudently determined to make inquiries before she decidedj
upon the course she should adopt with regard to the re-
markable application. Those inquiries terminated in the
discovery of a story which, of course, prevented her re-
ceiving the girls into a miscellaneous school of young
ladies, and a few particulars of which we are able to pre)
sent to our readers :

relative, who expr

received into the seminary,
provided for, p- nn
first-class '

Three or four years have transpired since little Katie
rlShaw, (as we shall call our heroine,) the eldest daughte
of a humble saddler, first attracted general attention
her native town. As she went to and from her dailP
labour, many remarked the superior beauty and carriage o
the young lace girl ; and still, from her haughty deport
went, few were surprised when she suddenly disappeared,
without having even apprised her parents or any of her;
companions. It was hinted that the only son of an olcil
baronet, whose mansion stands pn the banks of tha
" thirty-armed" Trent, had something to do with the
mysterious flight of the runaway. In vain did some of
her relatives institute a search ; their endeavours proved;
utterly futile, and the investigation was soon given up.,
Not till somewhere about six months ago was the secret
revealed. Then a letter was received by the parents 04
Katie, dated from the Elysee, and communicating tb
fact that their daughter had found a friend in the Empe-I
ror. Money was inclosed, and a desire expressed that the
younger sisters of the writer should be sent to some first-
class educational seminary, and rendered fit for a higher,
grade of society than the one in which they were born.,
The result of the application to obtain admission to
school of the kind we have already detailed. It appears,
and we have all the particulars from a reliable source],
that the unfortunate English beauty had gone to the Con-
tinent with the baronet's son ; that in Paris she accom-
panied her protector to several balls, at one of which she
attracted the attention and gained the favour of the
Prince President, now the Emperor of the French people,
to whom she was willingly transferred by her English
A few weeks ago she was still at the Elysee,
--nittances have been received by her

companion
and subsec

mrents

- The Nottingham girl, whose singular career we have
traced above, is, we believe, the so-called Mrs. Howardr
whose name has appeared so conspicuously of late in con-
nexion with the Emperor, and upon whom, it is said, the-
Empress to-be looks with no favourable eye.

LIVERPOOL GOVERNESSES'
INSTITUTION.

The annual meeting of the members, subscribers, and
friends of this institution was held on Wednesday, at the
Savings Bank, Bold-street. The Bishop of Chester pre-
sided. There was a large attendance of ladies.
Mr. BAINDRIGGE, the honorary secretary, read the'
report, which was of a very encouraging nature.—The
number of residents during the year has been limited to'
twenty-six, five of whom were daily governesses. One
hundred and ninety-three names have been entered on'
the book of registration, out of which number 62 have*
formed engagements. The two ladies who commenced'
their payments for deferred annuities in the previous year
are still pursuing their purpose, and arrangements are
now in progress to secure for a third lady a similar
annuity. With feelings of grateful respect the committee
record the late Miss Hamilton's bequest of £531 Os. 3d.►
for the foundation of a permanent annuity, to be enjoyed
by a governess in the decline of life, who shall have been
a native of Liverpool. A lady, whose generous efforts
have never slackened in favour of the institution, desiroue
of laying the foundation stone of another annuity. to be,
like " the Hamilton," perpetual in its benefits, bee
obtained a donation of £5O from the late Dowager Lady
Hoghton, and a considerable further amount has been
subscribed. The present recipient of the permanent
annuity of £l5 from the benevolent fund, is a lady whose
circumstances and time of life rendered such an aid of
the greatest importance. A further sum of £l2 has been
paid, in three donations, to as many ladies, whose mis-
fortunes brought them strictly within the intention of
this fund. The report concluded by the enumeration of
several presents to the institution.—The treasurer's state•
merit showed that the total amount expended during the
year had been £570 4s. 10d., and that the total cash in
hand at the present moment, after discharging all
liabilities, was £203 7s. 7d. The balance in the hands of
the bankers to the credit of the benevolent fund was

£Bl 2s

The Yen. Archdeacon BROOKS moved the adoption of
the report, and stated that, in 1852, the number of
applications for governesses was 206—more by between
60 and 70 than the number of applications in 1851. The
applications in 1852 came from a much more extended
neighbourhood than before, and this showed that the
nstitution was making its own progress. The number of
,gistrations in 1852 was 193, eleven more than in 1851.
`Jr. NOTTINGHAM seconded the resolution for adopting
the report, and it passed unanimously.
The next resolution, which was moved by the Rev. J--
B. Lawn, and seconded by the Rev. D. JAMES, spoke of
the progress made by the institution since its formation
in 1830, and the great encouragement for further exer-
tions.

registr,
Dr- '`'

The CHAIRMAN here explained, with reference to one
particular annuity, of which Miss Hamilton was the-
founder, that there was the condition attached to it that
the recipient must be a member of the Church of England.
He was desired to make it understood that there was no'
intention, at any rate there was no resolution at all stand-
ing, to attach the same restriction to other annuities that
it had been thought fit to attach to this.

The Rev. Dr. HUME moved; and Mr. Lightbody
seconded, a resolution, thanking the lady friends of the
institution and re-appointing a committee.
A resolution was next passed fixing the annual meeting
to take place in January in each year instead of Decem-
ber. Tn acknowledging a vote of thanks, his lordshiP
alluded to the interest he felt in the institution, and dwelt
upon the necessity of treating governesses with kindness
and consideration. They were, he said, refined and sen
sitive by education, and keenly sensible of their position►
and, though not members of the family, yet attached to it
by ties of mutual confidence and respect.

THE MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE IN LIVERPOOL•-

In the STANDARD of Tuesday last we gave some parti-
culars relative to the singular suicide of a female residing
in Cases-street, Liverpool. Subsequent investigations.
and the evidence at the coroner's inquest, have thrown a
*r of mystery around the unfortunate woranar

ill greate
rs. Crown, by whorl

he rash act was committed

-.quest, on Tuesday, a Mrs. Chubb, who 1i as
opposite the house occupied by the deceased, depose"ce
follows :—Last week she told me several times that
was in a great deal of trouble. I often saw her in driu,'•
She was more or less in drink every day last week. On
Sunday morning, about half-past nine, I went over and
washed out the shop. After dinner, I took her some gin,
and she said, '' I will drink this noggin if I never have any
" I asked her if I should fry her some beef for her,
" Oh, no, I cannot eat anything.
..vpeared in a very low way. She told me she had a
letter that morning from London. I saw her reading 1
letter. She said, " I wish I had not received this letter.
She said she had received instructions in the letter to
make the best of her things, and to make her way to
London. She said they did not know in London what
difficulties she was in here. She said she did not mind
anything so much as the taxes ; it was the taxes she was
frightened at. She said she had never been in such diffi-
culties in her life before. I wanted her to clean herself,
as she would have some customers in, it being Sunday
afternoon. She said, " Oh, lam gone very careless; I
don't mind."—Afterwards, as related in our last, Mrs.
Crown went to the attic stair, and hung herself—the body
being discovered in the afternoon by a little boy, the sort
of Mrs. Chubb.

dinner, and she

The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the de-
ceased hung herself in a fit of temporary insanity.
In connexion with the deceased, the foKowing particu-
lars have since been discovered :—lii the first week 0
January, last year, Mr. A. 8., who is connected wit
three establishment at the north end of the town, cil,Leu'
at the house of Mr. Evans, shipbroker, 15, Galton-streett
and took apartments—a bedroom and back partour—fot
aw
iaod lady
aaindd
her
t lne
amen , •wwahso errs!e
pmaal rrk,i e d.
shortly
The a ufiteecrewaas
afterwards
came to reside at the house. She stated that she was
married woman; that her husband was a merchant; and
that the person who took lodgings for her was her cousin
William. During her residence with Mrs. Evans, Mrs.
Palk received no visitors except her reputed cousin ; and
she conducted herself generally in a becoming and lady-
like manner. She was not at all addicted to drink-
ing. Mr. A. B. (her cousin William) dined with
her every day except Sunday. He came to town every
morning by the Bootle omnibus, 'a little before nine
o'clock, and several times a week (at first every morning)
he got off the omnibus at the end of the street, and called
at the house between nine and ten o'clock in the morning.
Mrs. Palk never rose till about ten o'clock in the morn-
ing ; and Mr. A. 8., after leaving his hat in the parlour-
below, always went up to see the lady in her bedroom..
Mrs. Evans had her suspicions aroused by this strange
conduct, especially as the husband of the lady never made-
his appearance, although the lodgings were taken for a,
man and his wife. On Good Friday morning Mr. A. B.
came to the house at half-past ten o'clock, went into the
bedroom of Mrs. Palk, locked the door, and remained
there for a considerable time. As soon as Mrs. Evans
was made acquainted with this proceeding, she intimated
her suspicions to the lady and her supposed paramour,-
and gave them notice that the lodgings. must be vacated.
Mrs. Palk pretended to be very indignant that Mrs.-
Evans should suppose she was a person of doubtful cha-
racter ; but Mr. A. B. did not return to the house
except to take away some things which Mrs. Palk had.
left. The money due was paid, and the lodgings were left
on the Saturday in Easter week. About the same time
man, answering the description of " Cousin William,"
called upon a house-agent, representing that the friends
of a young woman from London had left her £5O, with
which he wished to start her in business in the shop in
Cases-street, and, after sundry negotiations, the shop was
taken, and Mrs. Palk then assumed the name of Mrs.
Crown. The rent of the shop was regularly paid to the.
agent, but the deceased had been summoned for the taxes..
The fate of the poor girl has been before detailed. It
said that Mr. A. B. is a married man, and that his wife,.
who is in a delicate state of health, is not at present in.
Liverpool.

AT THE KENSINGTON Petty Sessions, Mrs. G. R. Lawe,
Victoria Grove, Kensington, appeared to a very novel in-
formation, for penalties incurred under the 14th and 15th
Vict., c. 116. " by permitting her female servant to stand
on the sill of an upstairs window, in order to clean it,
whereby the life of the servant was endangered, and the
public decency shocked." A formal inaccuracy in the in...-
formation alone prevented the infliction of the powilty.