The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-12-04 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL TOWN MISSION.

(From a Correspondent.)
This important society had, for about eight years to strug-
gle w►th great and formidable difficulties, from the smallness
of its funds, and other causes; but it is now beginning to
excite the general attention of the Christian public, whose
increased liuerality has enabled it, during the present year,
considerably to extend its operations, and it is hoped that all
such will be no longer indifferent to its claims. The agents
of this society, sixteen in number, (which the committee are
very anxious to increase to thirty) are daily employed in vi-
siting the abodes of ignorance, poverty, and distress, which
exist in such awful numbers in the town, for the purpose of
reading the Scriptures, distributing tracts, holding religious
meetings, conversing and praying with the sick, and gene-
rally, of directing the attention of the inhabitants to the
great salvation, the neglect of which is everlasting ruin. And
the journals of these agents record, almost every week, cases
of persons dying in the triumph of faith, whom they have
been the honoured instruments of first directing their mien.-
Lion to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the
world. Nut fewer than five or six such gratifying instances
have occurred within the last month; and it is hoped that the
repeated announcement of such facts, will induce more of
the servants of Christ to fix their attention on this vast field
of labour•, most strictly their own vineyard, and excite them
work while it is called to-day. These laborious and useful men
employ a portion of their time in obtaining such information
respecting the moral and spiritual condition of the persons
they visit, as may excite the attention, and increase the li-
berality of the religious public. With this view, during the
last month, several entire streets have been visited, and it
will afford a mournful satisfaction to lay the results in one or
two instances before the reader. In two small streets, at the
south end of the town, there are 91 families, including 367
individuals, of which 259 are adults, and 108 children—of the
children there are only 48 that go to either a Sabbath or day
school—of the adults, only 41 profess to be frequenters of the
house of God, leaving 218 who either entirely, or for the most
part, neglect public worship, In these two streets there are
only 19 Bibles, leaving 72 families, out of 91, destitute of
any portion of the sacred Scriptures. What a picture do
these two streets (by no means the worst in Liverpool) ex-
hibit to the inhabitants of this professedly Christian country!
There are hundreds of families now very anxious to become
subscribers for Bibles, but alas! shall it continue to be told,
that there are not in this large town, Christian females to be
found, willing to devote one hour and-a-half in a week to
meet this increasing anxious desire of the poor, to be pos-
sessed of the Word of Life, which is able to save their souls?
The ladies will be received with pleasure in the streets
where the agents of the Town Mission go.

THE THEATRE ROYAL.—The benefits have now set in in
good earnest; and those of the company who have played
efficiently and well, and at the sone time unobtrusively, for
a long season, now make their modest appeal to the public
for support.—Last evening Baker drew au excellent house
for his benefit, in which Mr. Hoskins and Miss Aldridge,
the daughter of the talented leader of the orchestra, made
their debut before the Liverpool public. This evening Mr.
Parker, the attentive and polite buxkeeper, takes his benefit
with the play of " Damon and Pythias," and "Tom Nod-
dy's Secret.—To-morrow evening Mr. Slaiter, the country-
man of the company, makes his appeal with the comedy of
Speed the Plough," and the melo-drama of " Luke the
Labourer." We remember seeing him play " Luke the
Labourer," seven years ago, at the Leeds Theatre Royal,
and well do we remember the pitch to which our feelings,
unbluuted then by the rough tutorage of the world, were
worked up by his pleasingly natural acting of the character.
We wish him success. On Friday a most useful member of
the corps, Mr. Chaplin, and that lively little actress
Airs. 'Pellet, make their appeal, with the very popular
comedy of "The Belle's Stratagem," and on Monday
a most important section of the company takes its benefit,
namely, all the tragedy it contains, in the person of Mr.
Stuart, with the playof the " Lady of Lyons," and the drama
of the " Mountaineers." We need not say one word in
praise of Mr. Stuart; his high talents as a tragedian, are
well known, and the play he has chosen is a very attractive
one; there can, therefore, be no doubt but that his friends
will muster strong, and that there will be a full house.
This, in itself, is an attraction : but another attraction is
announced in the appearance of Miss Stuart, his sister, a
lady, we understand, of very considerable talents.—We wish
each and all success, for we believe that each and all de-
serve it.

The Queen has been pleased to present the Rev. John
Cuningham to the Church and parish of Glendowan, in the
presbytery of Auchterarder and county of Perth, vacant by
the death of the Rev. John B rown.
The Rev. R. W. Needham, of Plymouth, is appointed to
the third Mastership of the Devenport Classical and Ma-
thematical School, vacant by the resignation of Dr. Beall.
On the 21st ult., the Rev. Robert Roberts, 8.A., was ipsti-
toted on his own petition, ti the Rectory of Aldwinkle All
Saints, in the county of Northampton and diocese of Peters-
borough, vacant by the death of Rev. Henry Rolls.

THE DARLINGS.—The sum collected for this family and
the Sunderland boatman, in Romburgh, Alnwick, Bedford,
and neighbourhood, exceeds £3oo.—Gtasgow Courier.

FAsutoN.--Avery important event occupies, at this moment,
the fashionable world of Paris. The ladies are wearing hoop
petticoats. The old fashions are become new again. These
hoop petticoats are neither so large, nor so heavy, as those
worn by our grandmothers; on the contrary, they are small
and light, and give much elegance to the female shape.
They use in making them Gros de Naples, or unbleached
lawn, haptiste ecrue. Still we doubt whether this fashion,
revived from the time of Louis X[V. will generally be fol-
lowed.