The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-03 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sin,—The "leading journal of Europe" has its faults
and its failings, like lesser oracles. It can no more pre-
tend to infallibility than the meanest of its contemporaries ;
nay, on many minor subjects of interest it is as far behind
them in information as it is a-head of them in dogmatism
and assumption. Nor can it be said, at all times, that it
seeks the most authentic information on the matters on
which it presumes to enlighten the public mind ; nor makes
the best or the most honest use of the information it does
obtain. Were it otherwise, there would not have appeared
in the impression of Tuesday last the article on which I
am now about to make some comments : an article, which,
had it been found in some low German or Irish paper,

would at once have been attributed to interested motives,
or malice prepense. The characteristics of that article
are, obvious misstatements, a palpable unfairness towards
ships in the American trade, and a rooted hostility to
Liverpool. To dispose, first, of the latter charge. The
writer in the Times commences by directing attention to
the passage from Liverpool to New York ; then goes on to
describe, in most exaggerated terms, the miseries, nay
" horrors" of that passage, and the heartless cruelties
supposed to be perpetrated by the officers and owners of
the ship; and finally, (without the slightest allusion to
any other port of embarkation,) quotes a list of twenty-
eight ships arriving in New York, in November, all of
which had cholera on board, and several of which lost one-
ninth of their passengers. Now, as thirteen of these un-
fortunate ships—described by the over-graphic Editor of
the Times as floating charnel-houses—sailed from other
ports, and were visited by a rate of mortality precisely
equal to that of the fifteen which sailed from Liverpool,
it is most unjust towards this port,. to' attempt to cast on
it all the odium which may be supposed to attach to cir-
cumstances so deplorable;—but which, I have no hesita-
tion in saying, I believe' to have been' entirely beyond
1 man's control, unless the passengers had been refused a
passage altogether. With regard to the character of the
ships engaged in the emigration trade, I eau confidently
assert, that there are no finer or better ship& in; the world,
than- the American packets trading to this port from New
York. Every improvement that skill can suggest,- for the
proper lighting-2nd ventilation, is-introduced, and: edepted
to the= peculiar character of the trade,—of which the-carry-
ing of steerage passengers forms so important a featiue-
Yet the Times' most recklessly describes these slips: as
" unsound in the hull, and rotten in' the rigging," and
hence occupying sixty days in the passage, instead of the'
thirty which it says woe, promised to theemigrant. NOw-;
I do not believe it for be true that theemigrant is ever
promised uthirty days' passage, since no one with cone=
mon sense would-listen to such a promise; nor is it true,
that the passage hence to New York usually, or often,,
occupies sixtyeor fifty, or even forty days. Of the list of
ships referred; to -by the Vines, (arriving at -New York in
all November,)-' and • which had encountered' a . succession
of gales from the west; of almost unexamplid severity, '
only three wereeovet forty days-on the voyage.
The Times admits that " the passage hence-to New
York has come V:, 'be regarded, by the nationseof over-
, ,taxed, overgovemed,overdragoonexl, and overpaid Europe,"
(these are the very words of the chief organ of her' Majes-
tk's, Ministers,) as "-Connected wide high hopes ancr;expee-
titions, with pleas* • retrospects, -anon glowing anticipa-
tions ;" and this passage el three tliousand miles can be
&stained from Liverpool- for £2 lees or £3 ; but, a' few
lines- lower, it says, "-There is a diselsting and repulaive
unif6rmity in the process by which sordid and heartless
avariee- extracts its booty &Om helpless. poverty and ig-
norar.ce.". Booty, indeed! at sixty still thgs for a " sixty,."'
or even thirty, days' passage, out of which,—after proefe;
ding "'helpless poverty"' with 70 'or S 0 clays' provision:
and water; medicines, medical attendaece, fuel for coop-
ing, and eoaks,—the extortions of two governments have
to be satisfied, surveyor's -e, medical inspector's fee, and
line of steam-boats and cabs-for these• °traria' Ls, on the.
embarkatitn on this side, and head-money-of two dollars, 1
with commutations and bonds, for the infirm, for paupers, ;.
on the landing on the other. Booty !: I fancy the
shipowners-would be glad t> have it pointed out ! The 1,
Times sees,atul,when it suits its purpose, can pretend to
mourn over the " helpless poverty and ignorauce"—nay,
the squalid, misery and -Abe* the utter., destitution
and degradation of thousand& in our own- England ;
and hundreds. of thousands-:in unhappy Ireland ; but
when enterprising men boßds -at •immeneee cost, noble
ships expressly adapted to the. carrying, with as much
comfort as may be, these miserable creatures to a, land of
" glorious anticipations," theequerulous Times: watches
their departure with impotent. rage andjealonsy, and vents
its anger by imputing " callousness, brutality, and ava-
rice" to the officers and owners of the passenger ships. 1 ;
I could name-'one of these brutal captain& who- writes :
thus to his owners :—" I had nine poor little orphans
sitting around ray cabin door all the day long; and whom '
I fed from my own table ; twceof them being too-young to
help themselves, I fed with any own hand th.aewhele re.
naainder of the. passage, and, this saved their' lives."
Chance threw a:sight of this letter in my way; therefore,
I have no reason to believe: this. an exceptional ease to
the conduct of other captains- But the Timee-patronizes
Australia, and-writes up Australian ships—their superi-
ority for speed, safety, and comfort, and freedom from dis-
ease, entirely ignoring a long array of facts which prove
the contrary ; and forgetting:to. remark that. the whole
shipping interest is in anxious suspense' as. to the
fate of the passengers to, Australia, who sailed in
the cholera season, and from whom no tidings have
yet reached us. It forgets also to notice that the 1
' emigrants toe Australia ara of a completely different
class from those, to the United States and Canada. The
one is impelled by avarice to leave a comfortable home in
quest of wealth—the other is driven by poverty from a
houseless location to seek a .refuge from starvation. The
one carries with him, he his own hand, the means of
comfort atid_bealth on shipboard—the other i&aettompanied.
by the accumulated .evils eaf hunger, nakedness, and dis-
ease that have, marked his, last resting-place. Even the,
Government, ,in selecting emigrants for Australia, takes.
care to refuse its charity to the miserably poor and,
wretched. The candidates must be within a certain age,
in full health and strength, honest and industrious, sober„
and cleanly, with a good character from the clergy and
magistracy„ and bringing with them a suitable outfit—and
if married, must have:no, more than two-children under.
years of age._ It is impossible that the_ Australian voyager
can know. anything,, of such utter poverty as will induce
the father.of a large family of little ones to go on board a
ship so, destitute, as to have no other receptacle for the
stores servedout, than his hat, and in that article,to re-
ceive, altogether, the allowance, of flour, rice, oatmeal,
biscuit,. tea, sugar, and salt. Isthe_owner of the ship to
be blamed for such wretchedns as this, andte be held
upto the scorn and contempt of the world, by the " first ,
journal in. Europe ?" The mane is fleeing like Bunyan's
pilgrim. (as the Times remarks) for his life, and is willing
—nay, eager, to pass, if need be, even through the Valley
of the Shadow of. Death, to reach a better land; the
Times, Apollyon-like, stands up and bars his progress,
and slanders and belies all, who would assist him on the
way.

I shall not enter further into this matter at present,
but, with your permission, shall recur to it if need be:
meantime, hoping your London contemporary will see fit
to modify its opinions, and to make a more correct esti-
mate of the character and deserts of the large and splendid
fleet of ships, British. and American„ carrying passengers
hence to the United States, and of their owners and
officers, I am, Sirs A LIVERPOOL SHIPOWNER.

UNITED LEGAL FRIENDLY ;BURIAL SOCIETY.

TO TUE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Sts,—ln answer to a letter in Saturday's Journal,
signed " Moses Cullen," denying any division between.
Protestants and Roman Catholics, and representing every-
thing as in. harmony in the United Legal Friendly Burial
Society, I feel myself called upon to give it a most unqua-
lified contradiction. So far from harmony, there is a
complete rupture, which, I venture to assert, will never be
healed except by a separation of the parties into two so-
cieties. Perhaps the public will understand the matter in
its proper light, when I inform them that, of the officers,
there are four Roman Catholics to one Protestant. Of the
committee two-thirds are Roman Catholic. There are
fifteen collectors, and of these nine are Protestant. So it
will be seen that, while the staff of the society are mostly
Protestant, the government is almost entirely Roman
Catholic.

Again, as to the immediate cause of the dispute. A
vacancy having occurred in the office of secretary, the
president, in order that he may provide a book for his son,
takes upon himself, without consulting officers, collectors,
or committee, to appoint one of the collectors to the office
pro tem. On the other hand, Mr. James Currie, son of the
founder of the society, offers himself as a candidate, Nine
of the collectors support him, believing him to have a prior
claim ; but, in order to destroy his chance of election, a
conspiracy has been entered into, between the partizans of
the president and his nominee, to blast the character, if
possible, of the sub-treasurer, because he is the father of
the candidate, James Currie. This is a true statement of
the motives which have actuated certain writers in several
of the Liverpool papers.
With regard to the letter of Wm. Brown, Esq.,treasurer
of the society, I regret that he has been imposed on by the
ex parte statements of interested parties. I. feel certain
that, if he knew the real facts of the case, he would not
lend the weight of his name to crush an honourable man,
in order that a faction might achieve a triumph over the
just claims of his son.—l am, yours, &c.,
A COMMITTEE-MAN OF THE lINITEDqEGAL
FRIENDLY BURIAL SOCIETY,
Liverpool, Jan, 2,18b41

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE.

PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS.

I Rev. W. Allen, 8.A., to the Stipendiary Curacy of Muckle-
, stone, Staffordshire.

Rev. W. Hebb, 8.A., to the Curacy of Stuunton•upon-
Arrow, near LeAninstet.

Rev..G. W. Bence, 8.A., to the Curacy of Lydrlington,Wilta.
Rev. H. Rolland, 8.A., to the Curacy of Mary Ma4clalene,
Bridgnorth.

Rev. W. H. Care Browne. 8.A., to the Curacy of St.
Mary's, Prince's-road, Lambeth.
Rev. S. J. Butler, M.A., Vicar of Penryth, Cumberland, to
be a Surrogate. _ .

Rev. C. X. A. Craven, 8.A., to an Assistant Curacy at St.
Peter's, Liverpool.
I:ev. W. Dawson, to the Incumbency of St. John the
Evangelist, Moor Alierton. _ _

W. H. Freer, 8.A., to the Curacy of Colwich, Staf-
fordshire.

Rev. J. O. Millar, ➢I.A., Christ's College, Cambridge, to
be one of the Curates at Cirencester.

Rev. M. W. F. St. John, to the Vicarage of Frampton-on-
Severn, in the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol.
Rev. T. A. 'Fagg, to the Curacy of Christ Church, Black-
friars, London.
Rev. F. T. Scott, M.A., to the Vicarage of Sibertawold-
with•Coldred, Kent.
. _ _

Rev. T. Sharp, M.A., to the Senior Curacy of St. Martin's,
Birmingham.
Rev. A. Smith, 8.A., to be Principal of the Collegiate
School, Huddersfield.

Rev.'J. T. Walters, M.A., to the Rectory of Stradishall,
Suffolk. --

ALDFORD RECTORY* is vacant from the death of the
Rev. F. Brandt. It is in the county and diocese of Chester.
The patron is the Marquis of Westminster. The value of
the living is £330, with residence.
THE REV. EDWARD HARTOPP CRADOCH, M.A., canon
of Worcester, and rector of Tedstone de la Mere, in the
county of Hereford, was unanimously elected principal of
Brasenose, in the place of the late Dr. Harington.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH steadily increases in the
United States. In 1832, there were 21 dioceses, 592
clergy, 678 parishes, and 32,2e8 communicants ; in 1852,
' there were 29 dioceses, 1,650 clergy, 1,650 parishes, and
100,000 communicants.
ILLNESS OF THE LORD BISHOP OP ICILMORE.—The
Right Rev. Dr. Leslie, who has reached an advanced age, has
been suffering very severe illness, at Kilmore-house, Cavan,
but latterly there have been symptoms of improvement.
Dr. Leslie' had been consecrated Bishop of Dromore in
1812 ; his lordship was translated to' Elphin in 1819, and
to Kilmore in 1841.
A DIOCESAN ARCHITECTURAL SOCIETY has been esta-
blished in Worcester, Lord Lyttelton being president. Its
objects are to promote the study of ecclesiastical architec-
ture, antiquities, and design, by the collection of books,
casts, drawings, &c., and the restoration of mutilated
architectural remains within the diocese, and' to furnish
suggestions, so far as may be within its province, for im-
proving the character of the ecclesiastical edifices here-
after to be erected or restored.—Birmingham Gazette.
PRESENTATIONS VACANT.—The Rectory of 'Weston-by-
Welland, with Sutton. Bassett Vicarage, Northampton-
shire ; value £3oo' a-year ; patron Lord Sondes. The
Rectory of Statham; Glamorganshire ; value £4oo:a-year.
The Rectory of Brasted; Kent ; value £7OO a-year ;- patron,
the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Vicarage of Eastry-
with-Worth, Kent, value:£6oo a-year ; patron, the-Arch-
bishop of Canterbury.-
CONVOCA.TION.—'IIma: convocation of the prelates' and
clergy of the province of Canterbury, which stands' ad-
journed until to-morrow,,will- on that day be further pro--
.rOgued, according to the-Inner 'of a Royal writ under 'a
special commission from, his grace to that effect, until-
:Wednesday, February 1, the day after the meeting of par-
liament. On the day named, the members of both houses
' willassemble in the Jerusalem Chamber at ten, a.m., and
viill then, after prayers, proceed to- the discussion of such
topics as may be brought under 'their consideration.
0100203 R OF MARCHESTERv—PreferMents: The Wor-
siiipful• Dr. Haggard, chancellor of the diocese, on the-
nomination of the Bishop of Manchester, has appointed
the.-Revs Alfred Hewlett, incumbent of Astley, to be one
his surrogates.—On Tuesday, at- the Diocesan Registry,
St. James's-square, the Bishop of Manchester licensed
the Rev: Edward Peche Stocky-BA., to the stipendiary
curacy of the Parish Church of;Badcliffe near Manches-
ter, and-the' Rec. Henry Lloyd Bickersteth to the stipen-
curacy of:St. Andrew's, Manchester.
PRESENTATION TO A CLERGYMA.N:,—ODSaturclay,onthe
occasionofthe-ansualcongregationaltea-party,inconnexion
with Tintwiatle Church, near Manchester; the-Rev. E. Bote ler
Chalmer, junk, the senior curate,: was presented with a
very gratifying testimonial of regard by the teachers and
scholars of tlit Tintwistle school, and.the members of the
Protestant Association. The token. of "affection and
esteem" was-' an elegant timepiece, with. the following
inscription on-a silverplate :—"Rev::E. B. Chalmer, M.A.,
from the Tintwistle Sunday School,. and. Protestant Asso-
ciation, in token-of affection and esteem Dec. 25, 1853."
The presentation• was made by the Rev. J.. A. Page, the
incumbent, who> spolte in high terms of the valuable
ministrations of his curate ; and the -demonstrations of
regard on the part of the hundreds- who were assembled
must have been .most gratifying to the: rev. gentleman,
who is resigning his curacy for the association secretary-
ship of the Colouiat Church and School-Society, and who
carries with him the expression of affectionate esteem
above alluded to,. and which was the-offering of "the
poor of the flock" alone.

PRESENTATION OF CLERGYMEN
TO TILE BISHOP OF LONDON
VIOLATIM OF THE CHURCH'S, RULES.

(PROM .Trub- MORNING
_110512%)

Mu.. Charles Westturton, one of the ehtuvh;vardens of the
garish of St. Pauli, ...Knightsbridge, has. made a formal
complaint against tha•Hon. and Rev. R..Liddell,. M.A., the
incumbent, and the Rev.. George Nugee, M.A., the curate,
in a letter addressed. to. the bishop of the diocese. Mr.
Westerton states that it would be within his- lordship's
remembraire that, when the practicea.of the Rev. Mr.
Bennett, at the same ohurch, excited scamuch indignation,
and so much annoyance to• the majority of the parishioners
as to lead to episcopal interference, and his. consequent
resignation, that hislordship, in order torestore simplicity
to the service of the ehurch, and tranquillity to,the parish,
appointed a new minister, in the person of the. Hon. and
Rev:. Robert Liddell,. the parishioners bad reasonable hope
andexpectation that this gentleman woukl.have profited
by the example of his predecessor, and that he-would have
adopted. a line of conduct, in the performance of his duties,
the reverse of that which had proved se.fatal. to Mr. Ben-
nett,. and so offensive. tehis parishioners: But he (the
churchwarden) regrets to: inform his lordship that they
have been most grievously disappointed. It is very true, he
proceeds to say, that for a short timenfter Mr.. Liddell's
accession to the incumbency, they perceived a decided im-
provement in the performance of Divine service; but it soon
becameevident that tkeßev. Mr. Nugee,, the former curate
under Mr. Bennett, who. was retained .in . his office, and.
who :had ever been conspicuous in his tendency towards
the idolatrous ceremonies of the Romon,Catholie Church,
had. obtained a dangerous• influence ever. the mind of Mr.
Liddell, and that he• had succeeded,. by slow and almost
imperceptible degrees,. in persuading,-him to adopt all the
former obnoxious practices, until they have at length at-
tained the same unhappy completeness..as a system which
became so intolerable to them under the ministry of Mr.
Bennett. The churchwarden gives the bishop a lengthened
description of the manner in which, tbe morning service
at St. Paul's Chunk, is performed. From this it appears
that, while the clergy bell is ringing,:the choristers, boys
and men, about Wii number, issue,-from the clerk's ves-
try in procession, followed by one of the curates, cap in
hand. When they have taken their places, Mr. Liddell
and two curates, with occasionally volunteer clergymen,
walk in procession from the vestry, each bearing one
or more of the vessels to be usedat the communion. As
they approach the altar, on which stands a large cross,
Mr. Liddell bows to it reverently, anal places on they
credence table by its side the vessel, he has brought. Mr._
Nugee, also bowing reverently, now approaches, and„
giving up what he has brought to• be placed there, takes
his place on the south side of it, followed by the
others, who, having followed his example, with the ex- -
seption of bowing, take their places behind him. While this
is going on, the choristers andcongregation have all risen,,
During the "-Gloria Patri," which occurs frequently dur-
ing the service, Mr. Liddell„.folding. his hands across . his
breast,bows his head towards the altar, continuing bent till
it is ended. Mr. Nugee does the same. At the conclu-
sion of the Litany, the clergy retire in procession. to the
vestry. A voluntary from,the organ peals forth, and Mg.
Liddell andthe curates return in procession, he and. Mr.
Nugee bowing again to the altar as they approachit. The
congregation, and choristers have risen, the latter singing
a " Gloria." Mr. Liddell having by this time taken his
place on the north and. his curates on the southside of the
altar, they kneel down with their faces towards it, and
their hands clasped, asiin devotional adoration, No com-
munion table is provided, but instead of it an. elaborately
carved oaken altar, precisely like those used in, Roman
Catholic cathedrals, and chapels, and like them, covered
with rich velvet " antependia" of colours varying with. the
seasons, embroidered with monograms, fleurs-de-lis, and
other devices in silver and gold. Das, altar has been
placed on a dais, or platform, covered with carpet, and on
it has been erected a " super altar," to. give a. greater
elevation to the cross, and huge candlesticks, with equally
huge candles, which stand upon it. This cross the
bishop ordered to be removed, but it has been replaced.
On the altar stands vessels of gold, for the communion,
with large brass crosses on their velvet sides, so placed as
to be seen from every part of the church where the altar
is visible. At certain seasons veils of rich embroidered
lace and bouquets of flowers, the choicest that can be pro-
cured, are crowded in confusion on and about it : every
niche of the reredoes on each side and above is occupied
with plants of camella japonica, and " fleures immortelles,"
and evergreens deck the main body of the church itself:
Until very lately these expensive floral displays have been
paid for out of the offertory money. The churchwarden
takes the whole of the rubrical directions of the Prayer-
book seriatim, and assures the bishop that Mr. Liddell
and his curates habitually violate nearly the whole of them.
He adds that at the communion he has seen ladies pros-
trating themselves almost to the ground in front of the
cross, raising themselves no more than was absolutely
necessary to enable them to receive the bread and wine
from the minister who tendered them. Under these cir-
cumstances, the bishop's interference is called for. The
matter has been productive of much agitation in the dis-
trict, and his lordship's determination upon the matter is
looked for with great anxiety.

ANOTHER MEGA.THERIUM.—A discovery of great in-
terest to the science of paleontology has lately been made
at the gates of Constantina (Algeria), while making a
cutting for the improvement of the approaches to that
city, where a great part of the skeleton of some gigantic
animal was found. The thigh and leg bones, the vertebrae,
the ribs, the upper part of the head, and several teeth
were in a very good state of preservation. The head is
not less than 85 centimetres from the teeth to the nape,
and 48 across the bone of the forehead. The front part of
the upper jaw has long teeth, and also tusks, similar to
those of a wild boar. The legs of the animal are about
the size of those of a horse, and, from the bend of the
ribs, it is supposed that its size must have been about
four times that of an ordinary ox. Its head is somewhat
similar to that of the hippopotamus, and its mouth must
have been of extraordinary power. No name can be
assigned to this animal, but it is considered probable that
it may belong to the numerous family of antediluvian
pachydermes. The ground wherein it was found is com-
posed of a soft calcareous rock of tertiary formation. It
is expected that the government will order some further
excavations to be made on the same spot, which may lead
to otherdiscoveries interesting to ocienoe,—Globe.