The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-01 00:00:00

CHESHIRE AND WALES.

THE RIGHT REVEREND BISHOP SPENCER arrived by
the Arabia, from New York, on Saturday last. His Lord-
ship proceeded to St. Aidan's College, Birkenhead, on a
visit to the Rey. Dr. Baylee. •
HOLY TRINITY NATIONAL SCHOOLS, BIRKENHEAD.—
Sermons in aid of these schools were preached on Sunday
last, in the morning by the Right Rev. Dr. Spencer, late
Lord Bishop of Madras, and in the evening by the Rev..
Joseph Baylee, D.D., and liberal collections made.
THE BIRKENHEAD RATES.—On Thursday, about eighty
persons were summoned before the Rev. R. M. Fielden.
and J. D. Case, Esq., at the Birkenhead Police Court, for
non-payment of township rates. Most of them had orders
made against them, Mr. Waln, the town-clerk, appearing
for the Commissioners.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffie for
the week ended October 23, 18,53 :—Railway : Passengers,
parcels, &c., £2.051 16s. 2d. ; goods, £1,645 12s. 3d.
Steam-boats: £457 Os. 10d. Total, £4,751 9s. 3d. Increase
as compared with the corresponding week last year
£1,113 Is. 4d.
Sr. JOHN'S, BIRKENHEAD.—Sermons were preached in
this church on Sunday week, in aid of the National.
Schools connected with the district, and which contain
several hundred scholars. The collections amounted to
about £27, which will prove a material help towards the
current expenses, but there still remains an unpaid debt
of about £46, for which au earnest appeal is made to the
public.
RoneEnr AT SEACOMBE FOIUNDRY.—At the- Birken-
head Police-court, on Thursday, Lawrence Coleman, his
wife, Mary Coleman,- and his sister in law' Mary Coleman,
were charged with stealing a, quantity of brass and other
property belonging Mr. Maw, of the Seacombe Foundry ;
and- Mary Gibbs .trine-store-dealer, Marybone, was
charged with re, tg a portion of the plunder. The
male prisoner, an ._ .ne night watchman on Mr. Maw's
premises, and his wife, were employed in clearing out the
offices, and it is supposed that the property was abstracted
by them from the stores. The prisoners were remanded.
THE COUNTY REVISION.—The revision of the list of
votes for South Cheshire took place in the Town-hall, Bir-
kenhead, on Monday and Tuesday last, before "..Jones, Esq.
There were 128 fresh claims, of whom 78 are Conservatives,
30 Liberals, and 20 unknown. Several of the claims, how-
ever, were rejected on the ground of informality, amongst
which was that of Mr. Allander, of the firm of Mander
and Allander, who had sent in a claim for the southern
division of Lancashire. Mr: Robertson Gladstone and
several others had neglected to date their notices of claim.
The overseers' objections amounted to about one hundred,
but in most instances fresh claims had been made-.-
TnE BIRKENHEAD DocKs.;—The Birkenhead Dock
Trustees have opened their port on a different principle
to that adopted in Liverpool. They charge no dock dues
upon goods, but simply tonnage rates on vessels, varying
from lid. per ton coastwise fo Is. per ton from the most
distant places, as the East Indies, &c. Ships entering
from Liverpool to load outwards are charged 6d. per ton,
and timber is allowed free floatage. Messrs. Peto, Bras-
sey, and others, have contracted with the Dock Trustees
to complete the whole of their works within two years
from the present time. The number of Tessels and tons
which entered and cleared in the Birkenhead docks, during
the year 1852, were as follow; and the amount of tonnage
for the first six mouths of the present year is one-sixth
more than that of the corresponding period of last year :
—Foreign and colonial, 376 vessels, 118,563 tonnage ;
coastwise, 395 vessels, 27,237 tonnage.—Total, 771 vessels,
145,800 tonnage. •
COMMITTAL OF A PICK-POCKET.—A young man,
named William ThoMpson, was on Thursday brought
before the Birkenhead Police-court, charged with attempt-
ing to pick pockets at a sale in Camden -street, on the
previous day. The prisoner is known by the name of
Thummy," from his having two thumbs on each hand.
In consequence of information to Mr. Mcilarg, the super-
intendent of police, that pick-pockets attended sales at
Birkenhead, he sent an officer in plain clothes. Before the-
end of the sale an alarm was given that the pockets of
three ladies had been picked, and the prisoner, who was
near the door, immediately left the house and ran away,
the constable after him, and on reaching the Conway
Arms he was stopped by a gentleman and given into the
officer's custody. On his person about 7s. was found, and
part of the money corresponded with the contents of the
purse of Mrs." Hay, of Parkfield. The magistrate sent
him for twenty-one days' hard labour.

ROBBERY AT Tax EMIGRANTS' DEBOT.---011 Thurs-
day, four persons were charged with stealing a quantity of
bed-clothes and other articles belonging to the Emigrants'
Depot, at Birkenhead. Their names are Catherine Butler,
Peter WEvoy, Margaret M'Evoy, and Jane Brown. The
former had been in service at the depot for some time, and
in consequence of some information received by the police,
the houses of the prisoners were searched, and a large
quantity of sheets and blankets were found, some of which
had been pledged, and some sold. A large stock of articles
was produced in the court, and identified by -Mr. Smith as
the property of J. S. De Wolfe and Co. - The prisoners
were remanded. Since then, four other prisoners, named
Ann Gorman, Mary Gorman, Luke Gannan, and Mary
Gannan, have been apprehended, . and more of the stolen .
property discovered. . It would seem, from what has be-
Come known, that a regular system- of plunder must have
been pursued for some time.
IsTzw CIIIIRCII AT TRANMERE.—Among the moat gra-
tifying signs of the times is the increased activity percep-
tible in providing additional schools for the instruction of
the ignorant, more houses of refuge for the destitute, and
an enlarged extension of spiritual ministration. Another
encouraging instance of the good spirit now at work, is
exhibited in the commendable efforts which the inhabitants
of Traumere and its vicinity are making, (chiefly through_
the kind agency of Mr. Harden, the respected judge of the
Cheshire. County Court) to supply the lack of service
which the Church has long . felt' in that district. For a
population exceeding seven thousand, nearly the whole of
whom are of the industrious classes, and a large proportion_
very poor, there is at present only Church accommodation
for less than six hundred, and practically there are no free
burnteatnliseyohf
sittings. The promoters of the new Church not only pro-
poseservices toe provide
the
sanctuary,
aand
ett additional
aavteteresndinolvgedu
thatP°n theth
e
ministrations of the Gospel shall be enjoyed " without
money and without price." St. Paul's, Tranmere, is to be
exempt from the charge of pew rents—that modern method
of excluding the poor from God's " house of prayer for all
people." It is impossible for any devout Churchman to at-
tend the services at Birkenhead, and, in too many cases,
at Liverpool, where for the most part Churches are built
as a commercial speculation and pews are let at high rates,
without being pained at the almost total absence of the
working classess, or if a few stragglers are visible, they are
huddled into distant corners, or placed on seats where the
word " free" ostentatiously painted on the panels, seems to
imply that they are there by favour, or as objects of charity,
and not by right upon the principle of common worship
which the Scriptures so beautifully indicate—" There the
rich and the poor meet together, the Lord is the maker of
them all." By the proposal under notice, this scandal will
be avoided ; an adequate endowment for the minister is to
be provided, and the seats are to be all free ; there is to be
Christian equality and fraternity, a bond of holy brother-
hood and unity there, in conformity with the original
principles upon which the Church of England is established,
and which earned for it, in less selfish and speculative days,
the endearing appellation of " the poor man's Church."
And surely it is most important, in times like. these, that
the poor and less informed classes should be brought under
the teaching, hallowing, and comforting influences of the
Divine precepts and promises, both in public ministrations
and private visiting, with a frequency, we may almost say
a constancy, which no other institution but a Church thus
established can supply. Look at the numerous parish
churches scattered over the fair face of the country, scarcely
a village, from amongst whose trees you do not behold that
beautiful and heart-cheering sight, the "heaven-directed
spire." See those churches thronged on ' the Sunday
with labourers of the poorest discription who have
been trained in the Sunday School, instructed
privately as well as publicly, and prepared care-
fully by their resident minister for Confirmation and
for the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper ; and who, dur-
ing their whole lives, remain under his plain and affec-
tionate instruction, seated on the same benches on which
their fathers and grandfathers have sat and heard the
word of life; and yet, with the exception of the trifling
fees for the occasional offices of the church, which occur
but rarely in the life of any individual, not one farthing
have the occupants of those benches from generation to
generation ever contributed, or been expected to con-
tribute, towards the maintenance of the church. or the
support of the minister. And if thus in our rural villages,
why not so in our more densely populated districts, our
crowded towns and our rising ports ? Why ? ask the
promoters of St. Paul's Church at Tranmere ; and let
them receive such a liberal response from a willing public,
as may strengthen their hands and hearts in this their
"work of faith and labour of love," and scud them on
their way rejoicing.—Chester Courant.