The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-10 00:00:00

LONDON HIBERNIAN SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the London Hibernian Society for
the establishment and maintenance of Scriptural Schools,
and the circulation of the Holy Scriptures in Ireland, was
held in 'the Music Hall, Bold-street, on the evening of Fri-
day. The attendance, owing to causes explained by the rev.
chairman, was very limited. As, however, a deputation from
the Parent Society, consisting of the Rev. A. Minchin, of
Kilrea, Londonderry, and the Rev. Mr. Speck, one of the
Secretaries, was in attendance, it was not considered advisa-
ble to dismiss the audience without giving some information
as to the nature, objects, and doings of the society.
The Rev. A. KNOX took the chair, and opened the pro-
ceedings by supplicating the divine blessing upon them.
The Cflainsfax then said that the usual annual meeting
was intended to have been held, got on that night, but in the
course of the ensuing week, when a number of friends, now
unavoidably absent, had promised to attend. It was, how-
ever, found that the Music Hall could not be obtained
in the ensuing week, and the meeting had therefore been
prematurely fixed. No notice had, in consequence of this
circumstance, been given in any of the churches, which
served in a great degree to explain the limited attendance.
A regular meeting would, he said, be held in a few months,
of which full notice would be given.
The Rev. J. SPECK, A. 8., then addressed the meeting.
The society, which had for its objects the promotion of scrip-
tural education in Ireland, together with the circulation of
the holy scriptures, had its origin in the philanthropy of a
few English gentlemen residing in the metropolis (whence it
was called the London Hibernian Society), and had now
been in existence for thirty-four years, having, during that
period, educated many hundred thousands, both of children
and adults, not only in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but
in the knowledge of the word which inaketh wise unto salva-
tion. There were at present in connection with the society
2481 schools, of three classes, day, Sunday, and adult, con-
taining 114,132 scholars. The day schools were in number
1157, containing 91,074 scholars, of whom nearly 35,000
were the children of Roman Catholic parents. It was well
known that in Ireland the Roman Catholic population
were deprived of the use of the Bible ; but the fact of 35,000
of their children being in the society's schools was a proof
that they had a wish for it. The cost of educating each child,
and educating it, too, as well could be done, was about 2s 6d
or 2s 9d. The masters were paid according to the profici-
ency of the scholars. Each child was expected not only
to read the Bible, but to learn a certain portion of it by
heart, and quarterly examinations, conducted by regularly ap-
pointed inspectors, took place, at which the children were
examined as to the extent of their Biblical knowledge.
Those who fell short were not passed, and for those the mas-
ter received no remuneration. The speaker related several
' instances where the scriptural knowledge of the children had
been effectual in awakening a spirit of inquiry in the minds of
their Roman catholic parents, which had terminated in their
effectual conversion. The adult schools, likewise, were ef-
fecting a great amount of good, of which he gave several de-
lightful instances. lie remembered having seen in one of the
schools two old men between sixty and seventy years cf age,
who, twelve months previously had not been able to read a
single sentence, sitting side by side studying the holy scrip-
tures. During the past year the society had distributed
twenty-five thousand copies of the word of God. There were
now before the society one hundred and twenty applications
from clergymen for schools, and most of them from parts of
the country where the society much wished to place them.
He mentioned in conclusion, that there was one school near
Limerick, containing one hundred and twenty-five children,
only one of which was a protestant, and all were receiving a
scriptural education.
The Rev. A. MINCIIIN followed. He spoke of the sim-
plicity of the machinery employed by the society, the great
good which it had and was likely to accomplish, and the slight
cost at which a child could be educated, and in a most effi-
cient manner. Some of the scholars were able to repeat,
without missing a word, a large portion of the gospel of St.
Luke, some the epistle to the Ephesians, some the epistle to
the Romans, and so on, and their general acquaintance with
the Bible was superior to that of many well-informed and
pious men. During the past year 44,000 children had passed
the quarterly inspector's scrutiny. The reverend gentleman
spoke with much feeling and power of the advantages of a
scriptural education. What, he asked, was education with-
out the Bible? What the casket without the jewel? What
the firmament without the sun ? What the body without the
spirit ? " Knowledge is power;" but knowledge in the hands
of a fallen spirit was a dangerous thing. Hs observed, in
conclusion, that through the instrumentality of liberal edu-
cation in Ireland, and biblical education in Scotland, under
the visitation and blessing of the Prince of the kings of the
the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, a blessed temple would be
erected in the United Kingdom, in which the rose would cast
its thorns, the thistle shed spears, and the shamrock emit
a bzighter green.
A collection was made, though not large in amount, and
the meeting, which was opened with prayer and closed with
a doxology, then separated, having lasted about an hour.

MEETINGS OF CREDITORS FOR LIVERPOOL.
MARCH HOUR
10. Benjamin Hobson, (div.) Clarendon Rooms, 1
11. Peter Petrie
12. James Brotherston and Co. (div.)
13. John Richardson, (2nd)
16. Antonio Pedro Fortunato, (final thy )

Comniiisioners' Itooms, Manchester, i
17. William Fairclough, (Ist) Clarendon Rooms, 12
17. William Roskell, (2nd)
is. Charles Abercrombie Ditto, 1
8. Thomas Stephens
1
20. Richardson and Thompson, (2nd) Ditto,

'blppini Intelligiur,

FRIDAY, MAncil 6.—Wind S.S.E,

ARRlVED.—Susannah Cumming, Sutton, from Mobile; sailed
22nd Jan.—and Diadem, Ross, from Trieste.
Sat tEn.—Maria, Moritz, for Stettin—Governor Fenner, Bennett,
for Savannah—Brooklyn, Richardson, for New York—Clio, Daly,
for Halifax, N.S.—Susan Crane, Coffin, ditto—Nemesis. (steamer)
Hall, for Odessa—Lancashire, Alexander, for New York—Latimer,
Snow, for Leghorn—Hebe, Thompson, for Gibraltar—Austerlitz,
Hammond, for Boston—and Elizabeth, Swan, for Charleston.

Charles Carter, Broad, hence at Constantinople
Amazon, Holmes, and Premier,. Keith, from Odessa, at ditto, and
both sailed gth ult. for Liverpool
Rosannah, M'Laren, and Agenoria, Sutton, hence at Naples
Scotch Lass, Kearsey, hence for Plymouth, at Hamburg
Huddersfield, Owen, sailed from Milford for Africa 4th instant
Collingwood, , hence at Rio .Janeiro
Lapwing Packet, —, sailed from Tampico for Falmouth nth'
Jan.

Mary & Eliza, -, from St. Michael's for Liverpool, at Crook-
haven
Harlequin, -, from Rio Janeiro, at ditto
Trinidad, Brown, from Odessa for Cork, at ditto
Naiad, -, from Catania, at the Cove
Thomas Lee,
Pampero, Roberts, from Lisbon, at Monte Video
Wilton Wood, , hence at ditto, under jury forcmast
W- & M. Brown, Brown, hence at Rio Janeiro

TOBERMORY, March 2.—The Jenny, Newton, from Jamaica to
Liverpool, put in here 29th Feb. short of provisions. She has on
hoard the captain and five men belonging to the Dorothy, Fleming,
from St. John, N.B. to Hull, taken from the Carteretta, hence to
Newfoundland, by which they had been taken off the wreck. The
remainder of the crew were left on board the Carteretta.
BEA UM A KIS, March s..—The Mary Kermode, from the Isle of
Man for Liverpool, was wrecked on the Dutchman's bank yester-
day afternoon; crew and part of the materials saved. A schooner
eras seen on Blackwatek Bank on the Ist instant, by the Lalla
Itookh, from Marseilles.