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 wes held at the Music nail, 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 CitOPPER, Esq., was called to
the chair.

The Rev. Mr. STRUTT opened the meeting by the delivery
of an appropriate and impressive prayer.
The CHAIRIHAN said, he was happy to be eble to state, that he
had reason to congratulate them on the success that had attended
their efforts during the past year. They had had to iucrease
their agents to double the- former number. The necessity for
exertion no one doubted; but they certainly were nut prepared
for the great amount of ignorance and sin which it appeared
existed in the community. Ignorance and sin it appeared by
the report abounded in all directions. It therefore behoved
them to exert themselves to the utmost to repress those evils,
and to promote the extension of the RedeeMer'S kingdom. The
churches which existed were not filled. This was not because
there were not people to go, but because of the unwillingness of
the per,* to go. They had received ail 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
for this society to co-operate with the temperance society. They
had gone amongst the reformed drunkards of that society, and
with great success. He had received numerous reports of the
great good that had been wrought by this society. He hoped
this would animate them to proceed further: but to enable them
to do this they must be supplied with funds, which had hitherto
been very limited. One benevolent individual, who had con-
tributed largely, was prevented from attending the meeting that
eveuing by indisposition. He alluded to Mr. William Kay,
who regretted much that he could not, be present. The Chair-
man called upon Mr. Jones, the secretary; to read thareport.
The report having been read, from which it appeared that
during the past year there had been 35,256 domiciliary visits to
the poor. of which 6000 were visits to the sick; there bad been
14,900 meetings, and 24,800 religious tracts distributed, of which
upwards of 13,0(X) were distributed at the assizes and races._ M-r.
John Jones read over the accounts, from which it appeared that
£129 I6s. Ild, had been the balance in hand, but that this
had been absorbed in the payments of salaries-of agents
they had found it necessary to employ. ,
Mr. JOHN JONES proceeded to congratulate the society ou
the present large and respectable meeting. He rejoiced at this
meeting, because it convinced him fully that the Town Mission
was beginning to make an impression amongst the congrega-
tions of the town. They had, as had been stated, made au
increase of five in their agents. The committee were fully
persuaded that they were justified in this increase to the ex-
penses, having no doubt that the funds would be such as would
enable them to meet the outlay. The present income, however,
did not exceed £3OO, and the expenditure for the . next year
would be £600: and if they appointed a general superintendent,
which was very desirable, the expenses would not be less than
£BOO. Mr. Jones proceeded to allude to the absence of Mr.
Kay, who, he said,' had been the best friend of the society, the
income having been £3OJ, 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
wickedfiess which had been observed were described as deplora-
ble. An agent had, amongst others, visited the residence 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 subject of their visit, andlibile he.waisrthus
engaged, the fortune-teller-came down the.sWrs. 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 pursuiug an honest means of getting a .liveli-
hood, Both the husband and wife had a .dissipated drunken
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 printed 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 great mass of thepeo-
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.
He 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 thecase with the poor? He
was gratified to hear that they had gOt au Irish reader employed
to visit the Irish in this town. The reverend gentleman pro-
ceeded 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 he preachiug 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- but the Irish
version, he believed, was not under the,ban..•
The Rev. Josuns TurssTar.t., of Kirkdale, seconded the re-'.
solution. The Rev. gentleman said he was deeply interested in
the Liverpool Town Mission, and he knew that the agents had
not over-rated their success.- He stated that he had assisted
them to the utmost of his power, and gave instauces of the be-
neficial results of the system adopted...
The resolution was put and carried._
The Rev, J. CAart,taitEtts 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 ins
fluences of the Holy „Spirit on their future:exertions. - -
The Rev. TeomAb SQUA NCR seconded the resolution. Itgave
hint great pleasure, he said, to stand forward as,kru advocataiif,
this noble and godlike'institution. It gave him great pleastire
because he admired the principles upon which this noble society
was governed. He understood thapassage " Paul plants, and
Apollus waters" in the lightnf a promise, for, said he, God.
gives the increase." The reverend gentleman spoke in tones
of admit ation of the simplicity of the.meaus, 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. Crewdson. 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 sum of £lO.
Mr. Jo Vas aunounced that he had received a donation of £5O
frOin James Cropper, Esq., and from the Chairman, Edward
Cropper, Esq., who had requested that he would not mention
his name, a donation of £25. There was also a suns of £lO,
which bed heeu sent by a widow. It was the widow's mite.

. _
The liev:RTniflitT 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
nezlect the soiritual welfare of those who were near to theta.
The Rev. Mr. PETEES seconded the regolution in a speech
of much eloquence and lower.
'r he Rev. Mr. Spit= proposed the officers for the ensuing
year; seconded by the Rev. DANIEL JONES, and carried.
Thanks were voted to the Chairman, and the meeting sepa-
rated at•half-past nine o'clock.

CORONATION REGATTA.—From an advertisement which
appears in our paper of this day, it appears that a splendid re-
gatta will take place at the Royal Rock Ferry, on tie 28th of
June. We have no -doubt, that on such an occassiOn, it must
prove a powerful attraction. - We hope that it will prove the-
first of an annual series of regattas on the Mersey.

THE THEATRE 11 11.--Last evening the pleasing opera of
" Ninetia" was performed at this Theatre, when Mrs. Wood,
by: her splendid vocal powers, again delighted a very numerous
auditory. We perceive that this evening is announced as the
last oilier appearance this engagement, when she will take her
benefit along with Mr. Wood, with the opera of "Cinderella,"
followed by the principal part 'of " Masaniello." - We hope,
however, soon again to see Mrs. WOod amongst us; she in=
yariably delights and always draws gold houses.