The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-15 00:00:00

AN APPEAL FOR A POOR CURATE NEARLY
BLIND.

SOME friends of the Rev. J. W. Gowring, in considera-
tion of his very afflicted case having, without his know-
ledge, begun a private subscription in his behalf, it has been
determined to bring it before the Christian public, in the
hope that something will be done towards the support of a
very able minister of the Church of England, whose eyesight
has completely failed him for most of the duties of his office.
For, although he is just able to see his way in walking, he
cannot discern the largest print, nor indeed any object what-
ever distinctly; and it is the opinion of his medical advisers,
that the case may even end in total blindness.
As his mental and bodily powers remain unimpaired, and
as his knowledge of Scripture is considered very extraordi-
nary by every one who hears him, it is possible that, by and
by, he may meet with some occupation in the Church—as a
lectureship, where the reading of the Church Service would
not be required 'of him ; and for this kind of duty he would
be admirably adapted by his gift of extempore preaching.
He was compelled to resign his Curacy, where he was fa-
voured by many privileges, and surrounded by almost every
comfort for four years. He has sought the most eminent
advice in the kingdom, and still his sight is becoming gradu-
ally worse, so that he felt it right no longer to remain in a
situation where an assistant curate has been maintained for
some time, for the sole purpose of affording him every possi-
ble means of recovery.

He is left without the least means of support, except £7
a-year, arising from sums invested in the Savings' Bank, and
except such as may be afforded him by friends. Relations
he has none to rely upon, and the little property which he
was expecting through his wife will probably be lost to his
family by the conduct of an attorney. He closes a statement
of his case to the Bishop of Ripon in these words
I am in my thirty-first year, and have a wife and one
child three years old ; and unless the Lord in his good Pro-
vidence should see fit to provide something for our support,
I know not what is to become of us, as we have not a single
relation who is at all able to assist us, and the stipend arising
from my present curacy will cease in about a fortnight.
" The prospect before me is but a melancholy one asto
temporal concerns, and yet I feel persuaded that my present
affliction is sent by the Lord for some wise but mysterious
purpose. In the midst of all my trial 4 my mind is not par-
ticularly disturbed, as I firmly depend upon the word of
Jehovah, ' Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so that thou
shalt dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.' "
Harewood, 4th August, 1841.
The following sums have been received:—
His Grace the Archbishop of York
The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Ripon
The West Riding of Yorkshire Clerical Chari-
table Society
The Rev. R. Hale, Vicar of Harewood 2O 0
The Rev. R. Pym, Rector of Elmley 3 0
Mr. W. Braithwaite, Leeds
The Rev. Thomas wen, Manchester
The Rev. H. Raikes, Chancellor of the diocese
of Chester 5 0
The Rev. Mr. Hill, Vicar of Chesterfield
The Rev. Lord Arthur Hervey, Bury St. Ed-
munds
The Rev. Richard Greenhall, Incumbent of
Stretton, near Warrington
Mr. M. Hutchinson, London 3 0
Mr. Wm. e'hippendale, London
The Rev. J. B. Jebb
The Society for the Relief of Poor Clergy 2O 0
H. Goulburn, Esq., Jun. London lO 0
Henry Treacher, Esq., Finsbury-square • • 1 0
Some Friends at Stowmarket
Donations will be thankfully received by the Rev. R.
HALE, Harewood, near Leeds ; the Rev. R. Pvt,
Elmley,
near Wakefield ; the Rev. T. OWEN, St. Clement's, Man-
chester; the Rev. J. L. FIGGINS, St. Matthew's, Liverpool;
the OFFICE of this PAPER; Mr. W. BRAITHWAITE, Sur-
geon, Park-square, Leeds; Messrs. JOHN HATCHARD and
Sox, 187, Piccadilly, London; Mr. WILLIAM CHIPPIN-
DALE, 130, Bunhill-row ; and Mr. MATTHEW HUTCHIN-
SON, 48, Mark-lane.

LIVERPOOL SUBSCRIPTION LIST.
Received at the Standard-office:
Rev. F. Parry £l 0 0
Elias Arnaud, Esq.
Mr. Thomas Garratt
George Beley, Esq.
.0 10 0