The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-20 00:00:00

OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH.

The following has been addressed to the Directors of Corn•
panics, whose regulations infringe on the rest of the Sab-
bath, and the editor of the STANDARD is requested to give it
a place in his columns :

Liverpool, Nov. 16th, 1838.
We, the undersigned, painfully convinced of the growing
contempt fur the authority of God, exhibited in the desecra-
tion of the Lord's day, feel it an imperative duty to make a
public protest against certain proceedings with which this
town is connected.
No country has been blessed with more eminent prosperity
than England, and no town in England has had a larger
share of prosperity than Liverpool; the greater, therefore.
are our obligations to the Giver of all goodness, the heavier
are our responsibilities for the improvement of these advan-
tages, and if under such obligations and responsibilities we
• should shrink from raising our testimony against proceed-
ings which insult the Majesty of Heaven and disgrace the
morality of a Christian land, we should be careless of our
country's welfare, as well as false to that Saviour whose
name, as Christians, we profess to bear.
It has pleased God, who so loved the world that Ilegave
His only begotten Son to die for our sins, to command that
one day in seven shall be set apart, in order that man may
both rest from bodily labour, and also give his mind in an
especial manner to the worship and service of God and the
concerns of his eternal peace. The Sabbath, therefore, is an
appointment of Divine love and benevolence, but it is like-
wise a command. Not less in Sovereign Majesty than in
tender love, God has expressely commanded—" The seventh
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not
du any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy
man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine
ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy
gates ; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest
as well as thou."—Deut. v. 14. Wherefore it is not depen-
dant on individual inclination or convenience whether we
accept or decline the proffered boon of a day of rest; the
honour of the Divine Lawgiver is involved, so that if the
Sabbath be not received as a blessing, it must be observed as
a command, and it is at the peril of doing dishonour to the
Lord, and bringing condemnation on his own soul, that any
one dares to nullify this divine appointment.
Viewaai in this light, the deliberate profanation of the Sab-
bath becomes a direct insult on our God and Saviour. It is,
moreover, a fearful criterion of alienation of heart and re-
bellion against God, inasmuch as this observance has been
declared to be an evidence and proof of allegiance to God :
—" I gave them my Sabbath to be a sian between the and
them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify
them."—Ezek. xx. 12.
If such be the case under any eircumstances,what an alarm-
ing aspect does the desecration of the Sabbath assume, when
it emanates not from the private and personal agency of indi-
viduals., but from the combined operation of public and asso-
ciated bodies; the guilt then acquires a national character,
indicates a national defiance of the Most High; and it be.
comes the ministers of a national church to stand forward and
resist its desolating progress.
We rio not deny that in some respects the observance of
the Lord's-day by individuals has isupioved of late years—
but late Nears have seen the contrary evil exhibit the charac-
ter of a more determined defiance of God than has been dis-
played in individual transgression. e speak of the open,
deliberate, and systematic violation of the day of Gad by
puidic bodies, associated for combined exertion and mutual
co-operation in matters of commerce. It is the avowed, de-
termined, regularly appointed desecration of the Lord's-day
by the established regulations of the Railaay, Steam-packet,
and other companies in this town, that calls forth the present
protest : and we exhort the parties implicated to reflect, that
whatever influence they hold in their private and personal
relationals, whatever weight they possess from individual
character, as well as whatever importance they have acquired
by combined commercial ea-operation, t hese are allemployed
in giving sanction to an open and deliberate violation of the
law of God.
Recent occurrences furnish but too painful an indication
of the progress of evil complained of. We allude (and we
do so with feelings of the strongest and mist decided animad-
version) first to the public profanation of the Sabbath, when
not long since an Ambassador from the French Court visited
this place. On that occasion a Govern went vessel was
eicially provided for Sabbath day's excursion, and a rail-
road train extraordinary kept in waiting for the convenience
of the party, to the still further desecration of the Lord's-
day; and, secondly, to the proceedings which took place on
board the " Liverpool" steam-packet, during its late experi-
mental trip to Dublin—proceedings which can be 'designated
by no milder term than a reproach to a Christian community.
The collecting a crowd on the Sabbath by posting hills, the
public exhibition of the vessel by the sale of admission tickets,
the public dinner and consequent excitement so 'repugnant
to the sanctity of the holy day, not to mention the vessel's
de.paiture on her way home—all these proceedings on the
Sabbath are so offensive to all Christian feeling and so utterly
at variance with the commands of God, that we feel bound to
protest against them in the moat absolute and unqualified
manner.
The plea_ upon which the deliberate and habitual violation
of the Sabbath by public companies is defended, is, that
commercial expediency and the convenience of the public render
the regulations complained of absolutely necessary. This,
though the most specious, is in truth the mist untenable
ground upon which the matter can be placed—for it is as
much as to maintain that because the public determine to
oppose God's cotninand, by pursuing their business or their
pleasure beyond the limits which He has wisely assigned,
therefore we are not merely justified in sanctioning, but ale
positively under an ohligation to expedite their unlawful
traffic or amusement. But can the convenience of the crea-
ture fur a moment stand in competition with the command of
the Creator? can any possitile amount of commercial expe-
diency justify a deliberate violation of the laws of the living
God? or, are the interests of this life to supersede the glory
of the Divine Redeemer and man's everlasting interests in
the life to come?

That there is guilt, very heavy guilt, is but too palpable,
nor does the sanction of a company lessen the amount of lia-
bility resting upon the individuals concerned. The collective
agency of an associate body does not in any measure dimin-
iso individual responsibility; " Every one of us .shall give
account of himself to God." Neither let it be forgotten that
besides individual, there is a national guilt attaching to these
practises, whereby the long-suffering of God is provoked, and
the judgm,nt4 of his severe displeasure called down upon
our land; "Mv Sabbaths they greatly polluted, then 1 said
would pout out my fury upon them in the wilderness to con-
sume them."—Ezek. xx. 13.
We, therefore, as clergymen of the Church of Eng-
land, and ministers of that Gospel which secures "glory
to Go I in the highest, and ~u earth peace, good will,
towards men," protest, most unequivocally, against the
past proceedings, and the existing regulations of public
companies, whereby dishonour is done to the glory of
Goil, interruption is occasioned to the peace of the Sab-
bath, and hindrance offered to the salvation of men;—
and most earnestly entreat that measures may be imme-
diately and effectually devised to put a stop to practices
so absolutely indefensible in their own character, so dis-
hot,ourable to the professing Christians of our country,
and so full of unspeakable peril to the souls of all by
whom they are now patronised and continued.
T. TA-TTEnstiALL, D.D.
Minister of St. Augustme's Everton.
HUGH McNEILE, M.A.
Minister of St. Jude's Church.
R. P. BUDDICOM, M.A.
Minister of St. George's, Evertcn.
FREDERICK BARKER, B.A.
Incumbent of St. Mary's, Edge Hill.
W. MAYNARD, B.A.
Minister of the Mariner's Church.
FIELDING OULD,' B.A.
Minister of Christ Church.
. CHARLES \V. LAWRENCE.
Chaplain of SI. Luke's Church.
HENRY CARPENTER, B.A.
• Minister of St. Michael's Church.
ROBERT DAVIES, M.A.
MMister of St. David's Church.
JOHN ELLISON BATES, M.A.
Assistant Minister of St. Bride's.
RICHARD DAVIES. M.A.
Citrate of s'. David's.
DAVID JAMES,
Minister of St. Mary's, Kirkdale.
ANDREW KN ()X,
Perpetual Curate of St. Maly's, Birkenhead, Cheshire.
WILLIAM J. PURDON,
Incumbent of St. Anne's, Aigburth.
PRINCE CRAWFORD, M.A.
Curate of St. Murk's.
J. R. CONNOR. M.A.
Curate of Christ Church, & Chaplain to Lord Downes.
H. S. JOSEPH,
Chaplain cif the Workhouse.
JAMES KELLY, M.A.
Minister of St. Simon's.
A. McCONKEY, M.A
Minister of All Saints.
THOMAS BYRTII, M A ,P.A.S.
Rector of Wallasey.

DUTIES ON WEST INDIA SUGARS.

TO TLIL•' EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL SKIMMED.

Stu,—As probably you may he aware the additional duty
imposed upon West India sugarS during the war, and thence
called the ("war duty,") which wasto have been withdrawn
in peace, has certainty thereto continued up to the present
time, and with which the West India planter has had to strug-
gle during many years of the'agnation for negro emancipation,
and at the same time to labour under the disadvantage of
other nations illicitly carrying on the slave trade, after Eng-
land had abolished it in all her dependencies; these, it may
be conceived, were grievances of considerable magnitude—.
still the plantar has been doomed to suffer aggravated hard-
ship, and may with truth aid manifest injury by the unpin-
vglked agitmion, which- has sad-the effect of frustrating the
prospect ive arrangements on his estate, and robbing him, on
cite Ist Of August last, of what he .was legally entitled to by
act of parliament ;nail 1840. Though he were patiently to
endure the wrong, and bear up against these multiplied hard-
ships, are the legislature and executive less culpable, in
withholding timely and commensurate redress. It does ap-
pear tome, that the planter is most reasonably entitled to an
immediate and ample reduction of duty, and without which,
I fear there is little chance for the West India planter con-
tinuing his cultivation at the rate of wages as the late ap-
Pventices are demanding. It is also of the utmost importance
that government should relieve the refiners from the suspense
"I its latent intention, relative to the drawback, which oper-
ates most injuriously, by restricting and limiting the refiner
within the bounds of the hurtful caul inn it imposes. and tends
to puce the retinin, trade in the hands of foreigners; and
also prevents refining sugars finding their adequate value in
the Mal ket, and that to() at the tune the West India planters
need the utmost relit us.
I am intormed, sir, !hat there is an associat ion of West India
PoTrietors in Liverpool; if so, I think they will deem it ea
Petfient to call a public meeting to consider and resolve
ult«n a memorial to government to reduce the duty on sugar
Ifis., at all events to the extent of the addition imposed in
the war—and it would be advisable to petition at the same
ciao) for a mail steamer to be stationed at New York, in con_
tiction with those from England, to convey letters to and
from the West Indies in the least possible tune. Such a
(::"Iveyance, even were it for government despatches alone,
front those islands, must be of the utmost importance at this
iltnettire, when the successful transition, to freedom must
`""inly depend upon the energy and promptitude of the home
) government in applying all requisite incentives thereto. If
government be able to contract with private individuals for
clutvetanct), all well, but no delay should be suffered in ac-
"l'ildishing this desirable object.
_ has often occurred to me with what great advantage
alone of our convicts (a limited number) might have been
sent out to the West Indies. especially Jamaica, to make good
roads—to drain all the marshy grounds—and open the dense
masses of forests; where unhealthy vapours are generated—
and thus in time, make Jamaica, anti the other islands, as
healthy as any part of the world. I shall be glad, if by in-
sertion of this letter, You succeed in drawing the attention
of the parties interested to this matter.

A WEST INDIA PLANTER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL

STANDARD.

Sfri,—As the two men, named in the statement, entitled
Conduct," winch appeared in the Liverpool
Times of Tuf-sdav last, have been by some p-rson, supposed
tO tle zpreois „i" the above society, on account of their saying
that they were employed by a "society whose object was
to g!ipnress vice, and reclaim females of bad character,"
vthit.h;,liy I he- way, I apprehend, was merely
rt,:sumed as an
exciise for being found in such disgraceful circumstances;
't9l yot!, IhgrNj•,,re%kindly pprmit rue, through the medium of
tour ita per:to state, that those disorderly tutu neither are, 1191
.vver ialre,,vvutlteit
;with lit “tivbriiuol Society for re-

;t:

claiming Unfortunate Females," the management of which,
the public are aware, is conducted by persons whose respect.
ability and discretion would not allow such characters to be
engaged, although, as is the ease, the meritorious, praise-
worthy, and laborious agents are gratuitous? The society,
which has only been about eight months organized, has
effected much real good; its simple, but very impressive
plans of treatment have, so far, been remarkably successful.
And it has not failed to obtain the approbation and support
of every person who has investigated its operations, and wit-
nessed the happy effects produced in the minds and charac-
ters of those who have been induced to submit themselves to
its salutary influence. Already sixty-three females have
been taken, by this society, "off the streets"—whilst a vast
number, besides, have been faithfully warned and expostu-
fated with in their nocturnal walks, and, doubtless, with con-
siderable effect; and others, wbo have been in the society's
lodgings, and have only borne the discipline for a few days,
will have left with impressions on their minds not to be easily
defaced. Of the sixty-three reclaimed, nine have been hap-
pily restored to their friends; ten are earning a creditable
livelihood for themselves; sixteen are at service, giving gra-
tifying satisfaction in their places; two have died sincere
penitents; twenty-three are, at present, in the society's
lodgings, and three have been placed in the hospital: and
this very gratifying result will doubtless increase in the pro-
portion of the continued support given to the society, by a
generous, sympathising, and public-spirited community.
I am, &c.,

JOS. BANNING,
Assistant Sec. to the Sucie
Liverpool, Nov. 16, 1838.

LIVERPOOL MECHANICS' INSTITUTION

LECTURES ON ASTRONOMY.

On Wednesday evening Mr. John Wallis delivered his
seventh lecture.
It may seem strange to those not accustomed to these sort
of investigations to comprehend how we arrive at the quan-
tity of matter contained in the sun, but the process is very
simple. The fall of a body towards the earth is the measure
of its gravity, and the deflection of the moon from the tan-
gents of the earth is the amount of gravitation which the
earth exercises upon the moon, at that distance. By this
means we can weigh the sun against the earth, and tell how
much more material there is in the sun than in the earth. We
find that if in one second of time the moon by the earth's at-
traction is deflected to the amount of ens the earth in the
same time is deflected by the sun, 2,209. Now, as the suit
is 400 times the distance of the moon, it will attract as though
it were made of material as other bodies, but the diminution
of its attraction will be as the square of that number. We
therefore multiply 400 by 400, which gives us 160,000, and
this being again multiplied by 2,209, the amount of time earth's
deflection when compared with the moon, we get 355,000 as
the mass of the sun. By these means we find that the den-
sity of the sun on the average, is no more than the density of
water. In the same manner we can obtain the mass of all
the planets which are attended b% satellites.
Parallax has supplied us eith a means of determining the
distance of the sun anti moon, and, of course. curiosity very
soon asked men whether it would not. be possible to determine
the distance of the other celestial bodies, namely, the stars.
But we find that our baseline of 8,000 miles is of no use what-
ever in determining the distance of these fixed stars, and ac-
cordingly we do not know the distance of any of these stars.
This was urged as a superlative objection to the Copernican
system, because if it was true we could make use of the whole
diameter of the orbit of the earth as a base line to determine
the distance of these stars, as it would subtend an angle of 17
seconds of the distance of the sun, and yet we find that a di-
ameter of 190 millions of miles subtends no angle at all in re-
ference to the fixed stars. They consequently have no pa-
rallax. If any fixed star subtended an angle of a second,
(and it does not) such star would be 180,000 times the dis-
tance of the sun from the earth. Now, light moves at the
rate of 192 thousand of miles in a second of time, therefore a
ray of light would be three years and 17 days in proceeding
from one of these fixed stars to the earth. We are acquainted
with many millions of stars fixed, and they cannot all be at the
same distance from us. We are not aware that any stars sic
nearer us than the rest, but Dr. Bradley, in conjunction with
Mr. Molyneux, endeavoured to set the question at rest with
respect to the Copernican hypothesis, and to discover a pa-
rallax in the fixed stars. Dr. Bradley saw that these obser-
vations should be made ppon stars which go but a very little
distance from the zenith. Ile had two reasons fir this, that
if there was an annual parallax, he would be nearer their
plane, and he would not be troubled by the refraction of the
atmosphere. Mr. Molyneux reisded at Kew, near London.
Dr. Bradley was engaged on a visit to Mr. Molyneux, and
joined him in making these ohservatious. They observed
some stars in Draco, and after a few nights thought, they
perceived that the star did not pass at the same point in the
zenith, as it did when they first began to observe it. At first
they attributed this circumstance to some errors of the instru-
ment, but after allowing for all errors, they found a
continual motion in the passage of the star across the
zenith. But it happened in a direction contrary to what it
ought to have been, if the star had been subject to annual
parallax. Observing these stars, therefore, in the course of
three months they thought that they found that the star had
made a quarter of a circle; and carrying on their observatioos
for some time they found that, in six months the star had ap-
peared to describe a semicircle. Dr. Bradley had left Mr.
Molyneux, but his curiosity was so much excited that he had
a zenith sector constructed with great care, and after cart's-
ing on his observations, found that those stars near the pole
of the ecliptic which he had been observing, described a
small circle of about 20 seconds radius in the course of a year,
and returned to the same position as when first observed.
Now here was an observed motion. It was not in the direc-
tion of an annual parallax, but here you will see to what an
unexpected result the sagacity of Dr. Bradley led, namely,
more complete confirmation of motion of the earth in its orbit,
than if he hail found the stellar parallax. Dr. Bradley calls
this the aberration of light. We katoar that if we were to di-
rect a telescope towards any object, and we were motionless,
we should see it as it is, but if the telescope were itself moving
we should no longer see the object where it is. Supposing,
for instance, a sportsman to see- a bird perched above him
upon a tree, if he aim directly at the bird he will hit it, but
if the bird be upon the wing he must aim where the bird is
not, in order that when the bird gets there he may hit it.
The same will hold true with anything, when the light is
passing over any space and we ourselves are moving. We
observe that light moves with ten times the rapidity of the
earth in its orbit. This was discovered by Reautnur, by the
occultation of the Satellites of Jupiter. Let the velocity of
light be what it will, it is an absurdity to suppose that .ny
body can pass over any space in no time. We therefore get
in this circumstance a proof of the annual motion of the earth
round the sun, w his is, in fact, the only ;is it is the most con-
clusive one which we possess; conclusive, because every star
in the universe supplies us with a distinct and unique confir-
mation of the saute fact. Light occupies 8,1, minutes in pass-
ing from the sun to our eves, therefore if the sun were blotted
out, or concealed by anything at its surface, we should see
the sun shining 8,1 minutes afterwards. But if the sun were
rekindled we should mint see it again for 84 minutes. But if
a fixed star were annihilated it would still continue shining
for 3 years and 17 days afterwards, so that upon looking at
the universe around us we are not sure that it exists or nut.
The fixed stars become most impoi taut to the practical astro-
nomer, and it is fortunate that they have not annual parallax.
They serve, therefore, (as they seem to retain their relative
places among themselves,) as a reference in the artificial di-
vision of time celestial globe, by great circles. A very simple
mode of computing longitude at sea is by observing the oc-
cultation of Jupiter's Satellites. Mr. Wallis concluded by
explaining the cause of the phenomena called the harvest
moon, which he said was merely occasioned by the moon's
positton ia the ecliptic, and not by any extraordinary move-
tnent in the moon herself.

On Wednesday evening, Mr. Haydon delivers his firs
lecture upon painting.

LAWS OF HEALTH.

Dr. Thorburn delivered a long and interesting lecture, in-
oductory to a course of lectures on Physiology and the
aws of Health, on the evening of Ft iday last, in the Theatre
of the Medical Institution, corner of Hope-street, Liverpool.
At least a third of the audience consisted of ladies: we
counted upwards of sixty. The doctor discussed his subject
popularly, and potsesseri the audience with clear ideas of the
science. - He illustrated its objects with their laws. The
understanding of every topic touched upon was simplified,
by a constant reference to drawings, diagrams, caste, and a
series of beautiful plates. In a way for which we were un-.
prepared, Dr. T. showed the range of the objects, their lin-
port ant-uses, and boundless associations of PhysiolOgy, which
is the science of huMan nature. The audiehee marled their
appreciation of the applications of which a knowledge ofthe
laws of human nature admits of to the every day pursuits of
families and nations. A knowledge of man was useful to
statesmen, man being the object for whose protection or ad-
vantage all acts of legislation were passed. All blundering,
defective, and injuirous legislation is traceable to the igno-
rance of human nature and the laws of health, which physi-
ology explains. The laws of digestion and thought, the
physiology of singing and speaking, the passions and emo-
tions, &c.. were illustrated. Physiology was useful to every
member of society. It was particularly so to all who might
have to serve as jurors. The popular demand for "national
education" was adverted to. Man should be looked at as he
was, and not as visionaries and demagogues would have him
to be. Physiology taught us the actual nature of loan under
the existing influences and temptations to which a fallen
nature through disobedience had exposed hint. Ilere the
lecturer's illustrations were highly successful. Knowledge
of our structure, and of the laws of our functions, suggested
the necessity of self-denial. The operation of the principle
of antagonism was ever apparent in the human body. The
moral and intellectual appetites balance those of the gross
and sensual, or animal desires. Apply the inference from
such facts to the cry for national education: unless mankind
was educated morally and religiously, mere scientific educa-
tion would prove a curse-in-stead of an advantage to society.
Instigated by revenge or. avarice, unless restrained by the
antagonising feeling inseparable from their moral and reli-
gious feelings roused into action by moral and religious in-
struction, men would have little or no scruple in abusing
their scientific information and making it :observe the grati-
fication of their most unhallowed desires. By acquaintance
with the science and art of chemistry, an immoral and reck-
less community would be enabled to select poisons to remove
an enemy, or to get possession of property; and this in a way
so guarded and secret, as to defeat the ends of justice : such
doubts might be thrown on the evidence against them, that
every conscientious jury insist return a verdict of acquittal.
This was not the view of an alarmist : occurrences of this
nature had been experienced. Our own rights and those of
our feliownien are often assailed; people are often plundered
of their property by conspiracies which conid not be surcess-
ful if men studied the science of human nature. Many a one
had been deprived of freedom, and confined in a private
madhouse, on unseal charges Of lunacy; people had been
sent to asylums on the strength of certificates Irons what are
called "road-doctors," and which mad-doctors, in the way of
reprisals, should have been made to change places with tiieir
comparattvely more sane patients. Popular physiology
would expose or defeat nearly every kind of quackery and
imposture, to which people in a state of unacquaintauce with
it were exposed.

The other lectures which are to follow are to he delivered
each Friday evening, at eight o'clock, in the 'Medical Insti-
tution They are addressed to the members, and suppoiters
from the public, of the Literary, Scientific, and Commercial
Institution.