The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-11 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL TOWN MISSION.

The ninth annual meeting of the friends of the Liverpool
Town Mission rues held at the Music Hall, on Tuesday evening.
The room was filled by a highly-respectable assemblage of
eminent ministers, and others favourable to the objects of the
institution.
At half-past six o'clock, JOHN CHOPPER, Esq., was called to
the chair.
The Rev. Mr. STRUTT opened the meeting by the delivery
of an appropriate and impressive prayer.
The Cu A la Al A N said, he was happy to he able to state, that he
had reason to congratulate them on the success that hid attniled
• their efforts during the past year. They had had to increase
their agents to double the former number. The necessity for
exertion no one doubted; but they certainly were not prepared
fur the great amount of ignorauce and sin which It appealed
existed to the community. Ignorance and sin it appeared by •
the report abounded in all directi its. I' therefare behoved
them to exert themselves to the utmost to repress those evils,
and to promote the extension of the Ifedeemer's-kinedom. The
churches which existed were not filled. This was not because
there were not people to go, but because of the unwilliogness of
the people to go. They had received an express command to
go forth and preach the gospel. That society was doing all that.
was in its power to fulfil the command, by going forth Into the
highways, and up the lanes and alleys, and calling two or three
together in the name of God. It had been thought desirable
fur this society to co-operate with the temperance sOciety. They
had gone amongst the reformed drunkards of that society, and
with great success, Ile had received numerous reports of the
great good that -had been wrought by this society. He hoped
this would ai,intate them to proceed further: but to enable them
to do this they must be supplied with funds, which had hitherto
been very liniited.. One benevolent indiVidual,"who had con-
tribute 4 largely, was prevented from attending the meeting that
evening by indisposition. Ile alluded to Mr. William Kay,
who regretted much that he could not he present. • The Chair-
man called upon Mr.'Jones,' the secretary, to read the report.
The report having been lead, from which it appeared that
during the past year there' had been 33,256 domiciliary visits to
the poor. of which 6300 were visits to the sick ; there had been
1-1,90 j ineetious, anti 24.800 religious tracts distributed, of which
upwards of 13,000 were distributed at the assizes and races. Mr.
John Jones read over the accounts, from which it appeared that
£129 16s. I Id. had been the balance iu band, but that this sum
had been absorbed in the payments of salaries of agents whom
they had found it necessary to eniploy. -
Mr. Jou N JONES proceeded to congratulate the society on
the present large and respectable meeting. He rejoiced at
.this
meeting, because it convinced hint fellv lhat the Toik-n 'Mission
was beginning to make an impression amongst the. congrega-
tions of the town. They had, as had been stated, 11,0 e an
increase of five in their agents. The committee were fully
persuaded that they were justified in this increase to the ex.
perases, having no doubt that the funds would be such as would
enable them to meet the outlay. The present income, however,
did not exeeed £3OO, and the -expenditure for the next year
would be £600: anti if they appointed a general superintendent;
which .was very desirable, the expenses would not he less than
£BOO. Mr. Jones proceeded to allude to the absence of Mr.
Kay, who, he said, had been the best frien.l of the society, the
income having beets £303, of which, he (Mr. Kay) had contri•
buted one third. .

• Mr. STEEL, read a series of extracts from the journals of the
agents. From these it appeared that the latter had been received
with kindness by the people generally, but the ignorance and
wickedness which had been observed were described as deploia-
hie. An agent had, amongst others, visited .thesesidence of a
reputed fortune-teller, where he, found fifteen young people
assembled waiting for the appearance of the former. He ad.
dressed them on the suhject of their visit, and while he was thus
engaged, the fortune-teller came down the stairs. The agent
spoke to her concerning her profession, when her husband
justified it by the quotation of a passage. from Isaiah. The
husband was a cripple, and the wife said he was also an idiot.
She said she was pursuing an honest means of getting a liveli-
hood, Both the husband and-wife had a dissipated d uuken
appearance. The ignorance and darkness pervading some of
the streets, it was stated. could.not be worse if it were. a heathen
country.
The Rev. JAMES LISTER moved, that the report be adopted,
and pi inted and circulated under the direction of the committee.
He expressed his satisfaction at the improvement of the present
meeting over the last. He had no doubt that many of the
friends of Christ were unaware of the deplorable ignorance of
the great truths of the Gospel in which a peat mass of the peo-
ple were plunged—ignorance which. was worse than that which
pervaded the mass of the heathens. 'Throughout Asia there was
scarcely an individual of a family who did not worship some
god or other; but here there were individuals who lived without
worship,—without God—without Christ—and without hope.
He had conversed with a tradesman a short time ago, who could
not recollect that he had ever been inside the walls of a church.

Ile had never read the Scriptures to his family, or given them
any religious instruction 'whatever. • If thiS were so with a re•
spectable tradesman, what would be the case with the pool ? He
Was gratified to hear that 016-lad-got au Irishaderempthyed
to visit the Irish in this town. The reverend gentleman pro.
seeded to allude to a new Welsh chapel that had been opened,
and expressed a hope that they would soon have an Irish Chapel
where there Would be nreaching in the Irish language. There
were large masses of Irish in ;this town, and the priests would
not be able tO prevent them from going. to hear the gospel if it
were preached in their native Irish. The Catholics considered
the English version of the Scriptures heretical, but the Irish
version, he believed, was not under the ban.

The Rev. Justine TUNSTALL, of Kirkdale; seconded the re-
'solution. The Rev. gentleman said be was deeply interested in
the Liverpool Town Mission, and he knew that the agents had
not over-rated their success. He staled that he had assisted

them to the utmost of his power, and gave instances of the be-
neficial results of the system adopted.
The resolution was put,and carried.
• The Rev. J. CARRUTHERS moved a resolution to the effect,
that the meeting deSire to give thanks to almighty God for the
increasing prospects of the society, and to pray God for the in-
fluences of the holy Spirit on their future exeitions.
The Rev.Tnolu as SQlANCEseconded the resolution. It gave
him great pleasure, he said, to stand forward as an advocate of
this noble and godlike institution. It gave him great pleasure
because he admired the principles upon which this noble sOciety
was governed. lie understood the passage " Paul plants, and
Apollus waters" in the light iif a promise, for, said he, God
gives the increase." The reverend gentleman spoke in tones
of admit ation of the simplicity of the means made use of by the
town mission.
The resolution was put and carried, after which a collection
was made.
The CHAIRMAN announced that he had received a letter from
Mr. Crewds.m. of Manchester. The writer said, that he felt
great interest in the success of the Liverpool Town Mission,
for the use of which he. enclosed the shin of £lO.
Mr, JONES atillifillaCed that he hail received.a donut ion of £5O
from—James Cropper, Esq.,-arni from the Chairman, Edward
Cropper, Esq., who had requested that he would not mention
his name, a donation of £25. There was also a sum of £lO,
which had be-n sent by a willow. It was the widow's mite.
The Rev. RotiEllT YOUNG proposed the third resolution, to
the effect, that while the meeting rejoiced in the spread of the
gospel among the heathen, it was incumbent on them not to
degaect the spiritual welfare of those who were near to them.
The Rev. Mr. PETiors seconded the resolution in a speech
of ninch eloquence and power. '• '
The Rev. Mr. STRUTT propOs'e'd the officers for tine ensuing
year; seconded by the Rev. DANIEiI, JONES, and carried.
Thanks were erred to the Chairman, and the meeting sepa-
rated at half-past nine o'clock,

0 noN A TroN REGATTA.—From an advertisement which
appears in our paper of this day, it appears that a splendid re-
gatta will take place at the loyal Rock Ferry, on the 28111 of
June. We have no doubt, that on such an occassion, it must
prove a pott..rftil attraction. We hope that it -wilt pr.ive the
first of an annual series of regattas on the Mersey.
h,
T!tE THEATRE lion L.—Last evening the pleasing opera of
‘ N,'""lia" was nerforined at this Theatre, when Mrs. Wien),
oyer splendid vocal p',, rs,
again delighted very numerous
inolitory. We perceive that this evening is- announced as the
le‘st
.other appearance this engagement, when she ty id take her
benefit, along with Mr. Wood, with the opera of "Cinderella,"
followed by the principal Tart of "111asaniello.". \Ve Fore,
however, soon again to see Mrs. -WOod.amongst us;.- she in-
variably delights and always draws good houses. - •