The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-06-26 00:00:00

CLERICAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Bishop of Chester will hold his next ordination in
Chester Cathedral on the 23d of September. _ _ _

The Oxford Herald says that the Bishop of Oxford's
carriage arrived the other day at the Rotnish Oratorian
Institution, and out got the rev. brother of the bishop,
who went in to pay a friendly visit to Father Faber.
What this Protestant minister was doing there no one
can divine.

The Rev. G. Keble, Mr. Dodsworth, Dr. Spry, and 1
Archdeacon Thorpe, Mr. W. Palmer, and others, have
formed a committee to watch their bishops, or, as they
term it, "to consider the course of any correspondence
which may hereafter take place between the Committee of
Privy Council on Education and that of the National So
ciety."
On Saturday, at a meeting for the propagation of the
Gospel, held at Willis's rooms, the Bishop of London
expressed his great regret that the meeting was so thinly
attended, and stated, that it was a sort of reproach to
them as a Church that so little general interest was felt in
societies having for their objects the extension of the
faith throughout the world.
The new Bishop of Down and Connor (Dr. Knox) has
commenced his episcopate with a stretch of authority
which can scarcely fail to render him extremely unpopu-
lar. It appears that the Rev. Mortimer O'Sullivan was
advertised to preach a sermon on Sunday week in &lfast,
in aid of the funds of the Church Education Society, and
a large concourse was awaiting his appearance in the pul-
pit, but the expected preacher was not forthcoming, in
consequence of the Reverend Doctor having been served
with an interdict by the Bishop forbidding him to preach
in the diocese, on the ground of his being a stranger.—
[Until very lately Dr. Knox was a member and subscriber
to the society which he now tries to damage. Why he
ceased to be so, or for what good reasons, the public are
but little concerned to know. Nor will it, we think, exalt
him much in the estimation of any whose esteem is de-
sirable, to have commenced his episcopate by what many
will regard as a very gross insult to, probably, the most
able and meritorious of the clergy of Ireland. Doctor
O'Sullivan a stranger! The man whose mild and power-
ful advocacy of every cause which he ever undertook to
advocate has won for him an imperial renown, securing
for him the respect and reverence even of those by whom
his views were most strongly opposed ! Doctor O'Sulli-
van a stranger ! Let the widows and the orphans, the
blind, the aged, the helpless, and the infirm, for whom he
has so often and so ably pleaded, answer the question.
Had he been selected for the mitre, which at present en-
circles the brow of Dr. Knox, would any one have ques-
tioned his claims ? Can the same be said of the worthy
bishop ? We wish not to be provoked into any investi-
gation of the peculiar merits to which he owes his ad-
vancement. But undoubtedly they were not those of
learning, ability, or public services in his profession, such
as distinguish the great man, whom it was his privilege to
outrage •, and we do trust the friends of scriptural educa-
tion will take some means of expressing their emphatical
condemnation of an act by which the whole church, with
the exception of the time-servers, will, we have no doubt,
feel aggrieved and injured.?
AFRICAN CLERGYMEN.-A pleasing sight was wit-
nessed in St. Peter's Church, in this city, on Thursday.
We allude to the circumstance of the prayers of the
Church being offered up in the English language, and
with the purest accent, by a young African clergyman, a
man of colour, the Rev. George Nicol, and of another
native missionary, the Rev. Thomas Maxwell, being pre-
sent on the occasion. These gentlemen were ordained by
the Bishop of London on Trinity Sunday last, and are on
a visit to the -Vicar of St. Peter's, (the Rev. J. Venn,)
for whom Mr. Nicol read prayers, as already stated. The
Vicar, in the course of his able lecture which followed,
said he thought the congregation and the public ought to
avail themselves of the presence of these interesting
strangers, who were born at Sierra Leone, educated by
the Church Missionary Society, and are about to return
to Africa as missionaries, to hear something of the pro-
gress of the Gospel in those parts with which they were
acquainted, and announced that a meeting for that object
would take place on Monday evening. At this meeting
Mr. Nicol, the African, entered upon a simple and very
interesting narrative of his early life, and of the state of
the Christian religion at his native place of Sierra Leone,
that climate so unhealthy to Europeans, but spiritually a
bright spot amidst the heathen and moral darkness
around. It appeared that his parents were being taken
as slaves to a Portuguese colony, when the ship was cap-
tured by an English vessel, and the crew taken, as usual,
to Sierra Leone, upon which, as soon as they had set their
foot, being a portion of the British territories, they were
of course free. Mr. Nicol's account of his education, his
acquirement of Christian truth, and the state of the un-
converted population beyond the limits of the missionary
settlement, riveted the attention of his hearers, whilst his
graceful allusion to the eminent men of the last century,
including Mr. Venn's grandfather (and again his father
of late years), who roused the dormant piety of the
Church, showed his acquaintance with our ecclesiastical
annals.—Mr. Maxwell, who is from the north of Africa,
stated that his parents were Mahomedans, but that his
father did not object to his learning English provided
that he committed to memory certain passages in the
Alcoran. It was thus that he acquired the elements of
scriptural truth, and but for British Christians, he must
have remained a heathen, if not an idolater, all his days.
This speaker also entered into exceedingly interesting
details of the state of religion at Sierra Leone, and nothing
could be more touching than his description of the recog-
nitions which sometimes took place in the Queen's Yard,
the place where rescued or emancipated slaves (those
snatched from foreign dealers) were stationed when first
brought in. The inhabitants of the colony would there
often again meet a long-lost parent, a wife, a husband, a
brother or sister. Mr. Maxwell as well as Mr. Nicol
expressed the most heartfelt gratitude for the kindness
and generosity that they and their countrymen had expe-
rienced at the hands of the English, and trusted that they
should never deviate from their chosen work, that of
preaching and commending in their example the Gospel
of Christ—Hereford Attrnal.

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.
AGE OF PUBLIC OFFICERS.--There are said to be ru-
mours current at the clubs, to the effect that the Govern-
ment have laid down a rule, that no person above fifty
years of age can be appointed to any vacant office.
THE BUDGET.—Formerly this financial exposition of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer occasioned great interest and
crowded houses attested its importance, On Friday night
no expectation appeared to be excited, and the house and
galleries were equally ill attended. The Daily News says
that a more pitiful exhibition was never witnessed than
that offered by Sir Charles Wood.
MORE FREE TRADE.—It was stated in the House of
Commons on Thursday, that the Calais firm of Laroche
and Co., have offered to sunply a Cambridgeshire Union
if they were allowed to do so with " bread, flour, biscuits,
groats, candles, raisins, beef, mutton," &c., at a price
such as no English house could compete with them, the
articles to be sent viii Folkstone, every week.
THE FRENCH AT ROME.—In the House of Commons,
On Friday, Mr. Roebuck asked if any disapprobation had
been expressed by the British Government of the pro-
posed bombardment of Rome by the. French.—ln reply,
Lord Palmerston, after referring to the delicacy of his po-
sition, said emphatically, and amid general cheering, that
the government had witnessed the circumstances referred
to with very great regret. England was no party to the
transactions ; and we bad strongly deprecated these unfor-
tunate proceedings from the first.
THE SCENE IN THE HOUSE.—The Honourable M. F.
F. Berkeley, on the part of Mr. Roebuck, and Samuel
W. Blackall, Esq., on the part of Mr. Fox, have had a
correspondence touching the scene in the House of Com-
mons on Monday. Mr. Blackall having, on the part of
his friend, withdrawn the imputation that Mr. Roebuck
was the " hired advocate of rebels," the Honourable
Mr. Berkeley, on the part of Mr. Roebuck, has with-
drawn the word "falsehood," as applied to Mr. Fox, and
thus the difference has been arranged. _

NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND.—On Thursday
a debate took place in the House of Commons, on a
motion proposed by Mr. G. A. Hamilton, member for
Dublin University, with a view to effect some modification
in the system of national education in Ireland. In the
majority of 162 against the motion were, E. Cardwell, Sir
T. B. Birch, W. Brown, T. Tirorneley, J. Heywood, C.
Hindley, and R. A. Thicknesso. In the minority of 102
in &your of the motion were, Sir B. H. laglis, Marquis
of Blandford, Sir E. N. Buxton, Lord Castlereagh, B.
D'lsraeli, J. Heald, J. N2.pier, R. Spooner, and J. P.
Plum ptre.
Mr. Cobden, in a letter to Mr. Sturge, says, in refe-
rence- to the arbitration debate :—" Not one *of the county
members for Middlesex, the West Riding of Yorkshire,
and North and South Lancashire, voted in the majority ;
they were all with us or absent. Those constituencies
are generally admitted to be fair tests of public opinion.
Not one of the metropolitan members voted against us,
excepting Lord John Russell. lam afraid that some of
our friends will think I took low ground in the arguments
I used in introducing the question to the house. I did so
purposely. No other appeal than that to reason, facts,
and practical experience, would have secured to me a
debate."

DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM OF ELECTION.—It appears
from a statement made by Mr. Newdegate, that from
£90,000 to £98,000 passed through one office, that of
Messrs. Sale and Worthington, for the creation of 40s.
freeholds in Yorkshire and Cheshire. Mr. Newdegate
thus stated the scheme by which these 40s. voters are
" under the thumb" of their masters of the Leaguo
Freehold-purchasing Confederation : The purchaser,
who was in debt to the society for the instalments of his
purchase, passed a bond—a personal security—not a
mortgage, as that would disqualify his vote. Until he
had paid up these instalments, he was at the mercy of
his securities, who might recall the money lent, at any
lime, in case of a contrary vote. _ _

If we may estimate the strength and unanimity of the
Peelites by the way in which they supported one of their
pet champions, Lord Lincoln, on Tuesday night, they are
either a very miserable remnant indeed, or a very divided
house. That noble lord had a grand motion about a rank
job, the cession of Vancouver's Island to the Hudson's
Bay Company. He spoke for four hours and a half; and
after a further infliction from Mr. Home, some considerate
person had the house "counted out." Lord Lincoln pot
angry at this, and next day made a petulant complaint
against the government whipper-in. From the conversa-
tion which ensued we learn this fact—that at no period of
the noble lord's speech were there more than half-a-dozen
members on the opposition benches, from the front of
which he spoke, and that for the last two hours not more
than two faithful subs backed their man.

BLESSED FREE TRADE !—The people of Lincoln have
at length come to their senses, and a genuine Free-trader
can only now be found amongst the men of fixed incomes,
who have been enriched by low prices, or amongst the
most obstinate and mulish of the citizens. Many a re-
spectable mechanic who bought a comfortable bed when
flour was from 2s. 6d. to 3s. per stone, has had to sell it
to keep body and soul together, although flour in Lincoln
is only Is. Bd. per stone. This fact, " a great fact,"
speaks volumes as to the wretched delusion that because
commodities are low-priced therefore they are cheap, and
the want and wretchedness now prevailing with low prices
are converting Free-traders by the score. As to the
farmers, all feel that unless a great change takes place
before long one-half of them must leave their farms.
One question even the most self-sufficient and selfish
Free-trader has never answered, and it is the following :
—lf free trade be the source of wealth and happiness,
which Cobden and Co. affirm, who among the labouring
and trading people are at this moment in possession of
the blessing ? The tradespeople of Louth have for some
time past. complained sadly of the effectb of free trade,
and we dare not say without a cause. The business that
is at present doing is on a very small scale, and that at a
low rate of profit ; consequently the result must, sooner
or later, prove an unfavourable one to many parties. On
Tuesday last two of our minor traders executed deeds of
assignment for the benefit of their creditors, and we ex-
pect other similar occurrences will take place at no dis-
tant period.—Boston and Lincoln Herald.
A SCENE IN THE COMMONS.—If the following scene,
which took place in the House of Commons, on Monday
night, had been part of a comedy, it would have been cone
sured as improbable :—Mr. Reynolds : I never used the
words. Mr. Roebuck : There are 200 men in the house
who will say these words were uttered. Mr. Reynolds :
(Shouts.) No ! The Speaker : Order ! Order ! Mr.
Roebuck : 1 insist upon it they were ; but it is disorderly
to refer to a past debate, and I won't ! (Mr. D. Browne
here rose and spoke inaudibly.) Mr. Roebuck : The hon.
member says, it is false. Mr: D. Browne: No, I said it
was not true ! Mr. Roebuck : The hon. gentleman is not
in that state in which I can notice what falls from him.
Mr. Lawless : Give him rope enough. Mr. Roebuck
(pointing): An hon. member near me exclaims, " Give
him rope enough !" I've marked the gentleman, although
I don't know who he is. Mr. Lawless : You don't know
the proverb. Mr. Roebuck : The hon. gentleman is
adding to the offence. He says I don't know the proverb.
—Great confusion here ensues ; the Speaker says, the
member for Sheffield ought not to have been interrupted ;
Mr. Roebuck quotes the obnoxious proverb in extenso.
Lord John Russell blandly intimates that the merits of
the question before the house had been " rather lost sight
of;" and the lion. member for Clonmel—there is nothing
in a name, though his be Lawless—determined to have
the last word, complains that several Irish members have
been insulted ! This is no fancy sketch, but a veritable
scene performed on the floor of the house, a few evenings
ago. We have abridged it a little, but have added nothing.
Falsehood was twice charged, intoxication once, and no
retraction made. 0 temporal 0 mores! The madness
of the O'Brien rebellion would seem to have inoculated
all who have come into contact with it.
THE ITALIAN REVOLUTION.—As for :he effect of the
revolution upon Roman Catholicism, both religiously and
politically speaking, it must be most disastrous, if not
quite fatal. The hierarchy in Italy are not, as I conceive,
hated entirely for their lust of power and the bad use they
put it to : they are despised as well as bated by the whole
mass of the people for their general wholesale depravity
of every sort. The Italians have seen too much behind
the scenes ever to have the smallest respect for the clergy;
and, in fact, there is scarce such a thing as pure and sin-
cere religious feeling in the country, especially in Rome,
as, I dare say, you are well aware. Utter recklessness and
total infidelity is the order of the day there, and St, Peter
himself would preach in vain there now. If the Pope be
restored, his presence will do more ill than good ; and
when such becomes the case with the head of the religion,
what is to be prognosticated as the fate of the flock. The
Romish faith must go down hill, and either die out altoge-
ther or be found in the several nations as a mere Christian
sect, like others, maintaining its own peculiar doctrines and
tenets amongst its own sect—unless the misfortunes of the
church rouse zeal enough to maintain for a while some faint
image of departed glory. There will be much disorder and
much infidelity for a while; but the end will be, as I take
it, a splitting into various sections of the mass, and a de-
generating into sects. Some people have an idea that
half of Rome is already Protestant; that thousands of
Protestant Bibles have been secretly distributed gratis,
and received with eagerness ; and that a great part of the
people would now at once forsake their old faith were
freedom of conscience permitted : but this I take to be a
mere hallucination. Converts from one faith to another
are not made by the million, and the consequence of op-
pression in religious matters is much more often a destruc-
tion of all religion than a change in an opposite direction.
—Times Correspondent.
THE STEAM NAVY.—Sir C. Napier, " Rear-admiral
and late Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron,"
has addressed a long letter to Lord John Russell, in which
he wishes to show the inefficiency of the steam marine of
this country, and the efficiency of that of the French.
With the view of showing the necessity for increasing our
power, he says—" If we dare to say an offensive word,
were Louis Napoleon to hold up his fingers, and pronounce
the name of England, I verily believe the whole army,
Red Republicans and all, would throw up their caps, and
rush to the sea coast, just as the gold diggers do to Cali-
fornia ; they would find a rich harvest here, and easier
reaped than by digging ; and what, my lord, have we to
prevent them ?" The letter concludes as follows :
Your lordship may ask what I propose. I will tell
your lordship. Put the whole strength of your dockyards
on the steam vessels (such as they are) now on the stocks,
and get them ready for service. The Queen has been
commissioned—man her and fit her out as fast as possi-
ble ; complete the crews of the Superb and Ganges ; man
the Blenheim and Ajax screw steamers out of the Excel-
lent ; fit out and arm your best steam-vessels ; and do
this at once, before your sailors go to Denmark and Ger-
many • let this squadron assemble at Spithead. You will
then be in a position to arbitrate or remonstrate if you
will. Watch well the progress of events in the Mediter-
ranean, and if any war take place, order the fleet home
for the protection of our own shores. Parliament cannot
object to this ; Mr. Cobden could not object to it. It is
a precaution ; it will not be an expensive precaution. If
you do not want to press for. money at present, you may
suspend works in progress in the dock-yards that are not
pressing.. Search closely into all your departments ; ran-