The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-09 00:00:00

THE MAY MEETINGS.

NATIONAL SOCIETY.—The annual meeting is fixed for
Wednesday, the 31st inst., when the president and vice-
presidents will nominate a vice-president in the room of
Earl Brownlow, deceased. The four committee-men who

will go out by rotation for re-election will be C. B. Adder-
ley, Esq , M.P., William Cotton, Esq., the Rev. Lord John

Thynne, and Richard Twining, Esq.
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.—The annual meeting
of this society was held on Tuesday, in Exeter-hall, the
Earl of Chichester in the chair. There were also present
the Earl of Cavan, Lord liaddo, Lord Benholme, Lord
H. Cholmondeley, M.P., the Bishop of Sierra Leone, the
Hon. and Rev. S. Waldegrave, Sir T. D. Acland, M.P.,
Sir R. H. Inglis, Sir E. N. Buxton, M.P., Admiral Hope,
General Sir Peregrine Maitland, Bishop Carr, Sir Edward
Parry, General Macinnas, the Revs. Dr. Kraff, Canon
Stowell, A. Ostertag, S. Barth, D. Marsh, E. Auriol, and
T. Nolan ; Mr. J. M. Strachan, Mr. J. Thornton, Mr. C.
Moody, &c. The" Chairman, in his opening address,
alluded to the present war with Russia. regarding it as a
chastisement inflicted upon the nations concerned in con-
sequence of their misdeeds. Among the sins, he said,
which had called down so terrible a calamity was the want
of a missionary spirit, and a neglect on the part of
Christians to send forth the• Gospel to every creature upon
the earth. The result of the war, he hoped, would be to
remove many obstacles which now existed to the extension
of civilization and Christianity ; and a solemn responsibility
rested upon this country to take advantage of whatever
openings might arise from the present conflict to sow the
seed of Gospel and extend the kingdom of Christ in
the world. The Rev. J. Venn then read the annual
report, from which it appeared that the amounts received
by the society during the.past year had been as follows :
General fund, £110,478 1,35. 2d.; fund for disabled mis-
sionaries, £2,016115. ; China mission, £BO3 2s. ld.; total
received in the united kingdom, £113,298 6s. 3d. • local
funds, raised and expended in the missions, £10,617 12s.
Bd. ; making the gross income for the year, £123,915 18s.
11d., being an increase over that of last year of £2,983 15s.
The expenditure, including general, special, and local
funds, amounted to £131,783 13s. 11d., being an excess
over the income of £7,867 15s. This excess included
special grants out orthe balance in hand, in April, 1853.
In the year closed the current expenditure had, it was
stated, been probably covered by the current income ; but-
it was believed that the current expenses of the present
year would be considerably
increased by the enlargement
I of the missions : while the balance in hand, exclusive of
working capital, was only £3,292. The following were
the principal statistics of the society's missions presented
in the report :—Number of stations, 118 ; English clergy-
-men, 103; foreign clergymen, 49; Native and East
Indian clergymen, 24 ; European laymen, 30 ; European
female teachers, 14; Native catechists, and teachers of all
classes, 1,661: attendants on Christian worship in the
society's missions throughout the world, estimated at,
107,000; number of communicants, 17,124. The report
then dwelt at length on the extension, effected or con-
templated, of several of the society's most important mis-
sions ; to the success attending the labours of its agents :
the promising character of many of the converts (especially
those in the Punjab, the Sikhs, and the Mulvis) • and the
probable effects on missionary enterprise of the various
movements at present agitating the world. Of the revo-
lution in China a hopeful, yet anxious, expectation was
expressed, it being stated that the insurgent leader kept
400 men constantly employed in printing portions of
Gutzlaff's version of the Scriptures, making his soldiers
colporteurs, and his officers expounders. The meeting
was then addressed by Lord Haddo, Lord Benholme, the
the Bishop of Sierra Leone, the Hon. and Rev. S. Walde-
grave, the Rev. J. F. Fenn, the Rev. Hugh Stowell, the
Rev. George Fisk, and other gentlemen. A vote of thanks
to the chairman terminated the proceedings.
COLONIAL CHURCH AND SCHOOL SOCIETY. The
annual meeting of this society was held on Wednesday,
in the Freemasons' Tavern. The Marquis of Cholmon-
deley occupied the chair. From the report it appeared
that the income of the society during the past year
I amounted to £12,111 155., which was an increase of

£2,940 over the preceding year. The report gave a
gratifying account of the labours of the society's agents in
our colonies. The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Sierra
Leone moved the adoption of the report, and made a
powerful appeal in behalf of the society. The motion was
seconded by the Rev. Canon Stowell, of Manchester, and
adopted ; and the meeting was subsequently addressed by
the Rev. Canon Millar, of Birmingham, the Rev. Messrs.
Nolan and Hamilton, and other clergymen. A vote of
thanks to the Marquis of Cholmondeley for his conduct in
the chair terminated the proceedings.
IRISH CHURCH MISSIONS.—The fifth annual meeting
of the society was held on Friday, in Exeter-hall, under
the presidency of Sir Robert H. Inglis, who was supported
by the Marquis of Blandford, the Earl of Clancarty, the
Earl of Cavan, the Earl of Mayo, Lord Benholme, Bishop
Carr, Sir John Warrender, Sir Peregrine Maitland, the
Hon. Somerset Maxwell, Mr. Moody, M.P., and numerous
clergymen. From the report it appeared that the society's
missionaries in Ireland had been most successful in obtain-
ing converts from Romanism. Large Protestant congre-
gations had been formed in localities the population of
which, a few years ago, was entirely Romanist; new
churches had been consecrated, foundation stones laid for
others, and a large number of schools established for the
education of the poor in Protestant evangelical principles.
A mission house and several training establishments had
also been established in Dublin. Thirty-six additional
agents had been engaged during the past year, making
the total number of persons wholly or partially employed
by the society 1,028. The receipts for the year exhibited,
as usual, a considerable increase ; the progress of the
society's funds from the commencement being as follows :
—ln 1849 the income was f.:4,674 ; in 1850, £6,284 ; in
1851, £12,688 ; in 1852, £28,931; and in 1853, £37,182.
THE FRIEND OF THE CLERGY SOCIETY.—The fourth
anniversary of this society was celebrated on Wednesday,
by a dinner at the Hanover-square Rooms. The society,
which was established in 1849, has for its objects the pro-
vision of temporary assistance to necessitous clergymen
and their families, and the allowance of pensions to the
widows and orphan, unmarried daughters of clergymen.
The attendance was numerous, a considerable portion of
the assembly being composed of clergymen. The galleries
at each end of the room were well filled with ladies, who
appeared to take a warm interest in the proceedings. The
chair was occupied by Mr. T. W. Booker, M.P., (in the
absence of the Marquis of Salisbury), who was supported
by the Bishop of Chester, Lieutenant-General De la Motte,
&c. The usual loyal toasts having been given, the chair-
man proposed " The Clergy." The Bishop of Chester, in
responding, said, it had been stated that the society inter-
fered with the operations of a venerable and useful insti-
tution—the Sons of the Clergy Society. No one felt
deeper attachment towards the corporation of the Sons
:of.
the Clergy than himself, and as bishop, he had often wit
nessed the amount of good effected by the society's opera-
tions, and the delicate and considerate manner in which it
afforded assistance. No one could entertain a wish but
that the approaching anniversary of the Society of the
Sons of the Clergy might be an indication of prosperity.
In fact, there was ample room for the operations of both
societies. The chairman, in proposing " Prosperity to the
Friend of the Clergy Charity," stated that the society was
established in 1849, and was incorporated by Royal char-
t ter on the 26th of January last, pillo its estozawalcA

the society had paid to its pensioners the sum of £2,572 ;
to the temporary assistance of 172 clergymen, a sum of
£2,070 ; and had also administered permanent relief to
90 widows, by the expenditure of £1,089 ; and to 101
daughters of clergymen, at an expense of £931. He might
add that assistance had been temporarily afforded to cler-
gymen, by way of loans, to the amount of £930. The
expenditure of the society since its establishment had
been between £7,000 and £B,OOO. After an eulogium upon
the objects of the society, the chairman concluded with an
appeal to the charitable for support. The appeal was so
well responded to that subscriptions to the amount of
£5,746 14s. 3d., and 500 new subscribers, were announced
by the secretary during the evening. In announcing the
amount of subscriptions, the secretary (Mr. Aldrich)
observed that a charge had been made that he, as founder
of and secretary to the institution, received a commission
of from 10 to 15 per cent. upon all subscriptions. He gave
the assertion the most unqualified denial. Other toasts
having been proposed, the .proceedings were brought to a
close shortly before eleven o'clock.

ELECTION OF BIRKENHEAD
COMMISSIONERS.