The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-05-18 00:00:00

Till LIVERPO4IL, STANDARD.

LIVERPOOL AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY,

On Tuesday the annual meeting of the friends to this
Auxiliary was held at the Lecture Hall of the Collegiate
Institution.

Amongst the gentlemen on the platform we noticed the
Rev. C. Lawrence, Rev. G. Osborn, Rev. W. Withers
Ewbank, Rev. H. Hampton, Rev. F. Parry, Rev. B. H.
Marshall, Rev. H. Carpenter, Rev. J. C. Cordeaux, Rev.
F. Ould, Mr. Alderman Crook, W. Crosfield, W. Maples,
Esq., J. Cropper, Esq., A. C. Dunlop, Esq., J. Eden,
Esq., R. Wright, Esq., &c. &c.
The chair was taken by the Rev. Chancellor RAIKES,
who briefly addressed the meeting, contending strongly
that the various missionary societies of the day were more
Indebted to the British and Foreign Society than many
supposed. _ _ _

The Rev. Mr. DAVIS, the secretary, read the report.
The committee commenced by stating that the receipts of
the parent society for the past year had amounted to
£117,440, being an increase of £16,000 over the receipts
of the preceding year. The issues had been 1,419,283
volumes, making a total of issue of 19,741,770 volumes.
The receipts of the Liverpool Auxiliary last year had been
£3403 being an increase of £4OO over the previous year,
and of £9OO over the year 1845. This Auxiliary had dis-
tributed last year 35,626 copies, being 3758 more than the
previous year, making a total of 355,390 copies since the
commencement. It was related as an instance worthy of
being recorded and made known, that. Mr. John Tomkin-
son had presented 500 copies of the Bible to his workmen
during the past year, considering that the Word of 1.40 d
was the most appropriate as well as the best present he
could make them ; and the committee expressed a hope
that Mr. Tomkiuson's example would be generally imi-
tated by public companies. The committee concluded by
mentioning in the report the severe losses they had sus-
tained during the past year by the deaths of the Rev. Dr.
Tattershall and Mr. William Kaye.

The Rev. FREDERICK PARRY moved the adoption of
the report.

The Rev. FIELDING OuLn proposed the second resolu-
tion.

The Rev. ANDREW BRANDRAM, one of the secretaries
of the Parent Society, seconded the resolution. He in-
formed the meeting that although the receipts of the
Parent Society had amounted to £117,000 during the past
year, yet that one donation of £7OOO had contributed to
swell that amount. During the year a lady had sent to
the society the following short note :—" A lady's donation
to the Bible Society, £lOOO ;" and many similar tokens of
remembrance of the society. by the Christian public might
be mentioned. He rejoiced to say that last year 96,000
copies of the Scriptures had been circulated in Manches-
ter, and 3000 copies in Bristol. and that these immense
issues in Manchester and Bristol had had a most beneficial
effect on many towns in the kingdom. In Banbury, in
Oxfordshire, the good work was progressing most favour-
ably, for within the last six. months, 3000 copies had gone
forth from that depository. In Ireland, the Hibernian.
Bible Society was carrying on the work of colporteurs
admirably, for, during the past year,. by these means,
36,000 copies of the Scriptures had been circulated. The
Sunday School Society for Ireland had recently applied to
the Bible Society for 7000 Bibles and 20,000 Testaments
to be circulated freely amongst the people ; and the Bible
Society had had much pleasure in complying with the
request. (Applause.) He then referred to the work going
on abroad, and to the encyclical letter of the Pope, in
which his Holiness had p.11‘..d th.l4;hi.

I•iends

names ;

every difficulty, the circulation of the Word of
rapidly progressing, and was likely still further to

STATE OF THE TOWN

,-PUBLIC MEETING OF

THE INHABITANTS

Mayor,

numerously and respectably signed, his worship convened
a public meeting of the inhabitants of the borough, at the
Sessions:house, for the_ purpose of taking into considera-

a -
from burdens likely to be entailed upon themby the influx
of Irish paupers, and to guard against the spread of disease.
The meeting was very numerous I y an d respectably attended.
The MAYOR commenced the proceedings by. saying that
the meeting had been held in compliance with the requi-
sition. He confessed that he felt some reluctance about
convening the present meeting, because he had some
doubts of its usefulness and feared that it would increase
the alarm. But now he was glad he had called it. He
knew the speakers would not exaggerate, but that they
would speak the truth boldly and fairly in this trying
emergency. Liverpool was always ready to support its
own poor, but the inhabitants could not view without
alarm the immense influx of Irish paupers, and they be-
lieved that the Irish poor should be supported by the Irish
landlords. He confessed that any suggestion to send
thousands of the paupers to London should receive no

not, and would not, imitate the example of the Mayor of
Wexford, but most willingly should the former join in
urging the government to pass the measures now pending
in Parliament. (Applause.)
EDWARD RUSHTON, Esq. detailed a history of the
measures adopted relative to the influx. In November
last his attention was first called to the Irish in the streets

and in the court ; and at that early period he foresaw that
the Vagrant Act would be suspended. From that time to
the present it was impossible to vindicate the law relative
to vagrancy, for the gaol, which was only capable of ac-
commodating 450 persons, now contained more than 800.
196,380 persons had landed at Liverpool in an apparent
state of destitntion, from Ireland, between the Ist No-,
vember last and the- day of that meeting. From that
number must be deducted the emigration to the United
States and other places, 19-20ths of the emigrants being
Irish, which left a balance of 137,000 paupers in Liverpool
and the surro,nding country. Under the Sanatory Act
27,000 persons were driven out of the cellars, but now
these cellars were tilled with persons in all stages of dis-
ease, some dead, and some dying. It was in these places
the priests caught the contagion ; and here also it was that
the relieving-officers caught the disease. He denied that
any putrid smell was to be found at the sheds in Great
Howard-street; and he regretted that in the discussion
about the fever sheds, great and unnecessary alarm had
been created. In January last the magistrates had met
and petitioned the legislature on the subject of the influx,
and said that at that early period the magistrates turned
their attention to the removal of the paupers back to Ire-
land. The parish authorities, upon the whole, though a
little tardy at first, had discharged their duty well, and
entitled themselves to the confidence of the public ; and
he thought it right to observe that, they had been unne-
cessarily assailed out of doors. He said that, even with
the lazarettoes, accommodation was required for 1500
fever patients. He believed that if it were not for the
charity of the poor to the poor the pressure never could be
borne in Liverpool at all. The first object now was to
pass the bills before parliament, and then to encourage the
authorities in discharging their duty. He concluded by
promising to aid the public in everything that was in his
power.
The P P' - - - • lution

--tev -lector - ROOKS proposed the first reso,
which, with all the others, will be found in our advertising
columns. He had great pleasure in bearing his testimony
to the noble conduct of the inhabitants of Liverpool in
endeavouring to alleviate the calamity. He hoped the
second bill was not in danger, for the one measure was
dependent upon the other; and the people could not be
sent back to their own country under the old law. The
rector then denounced the plan of sending the paupers up
to London, and characterised the plan as one of injustice.
Mr. R. HARBORD seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously carried.

My. Jonil TAYLOR proposed the second resolution.
He said that for some years back the affairs of Ireland
were brought before the nation, and that many Irish
measures had been passed. Charity for Ireland had been
collected in Europe, Asia, and America. He blamed the
Irish landlords for their heartlessness, and for now en-
deavouring to thwart the measures before the House of
Lordo. Liverpool had behaved nobly throughout the
present calamity, although likely to have half a million
of the Irish people cast in among them. Manchester had
not doile its duty in the matter, for it ought to have joined
with Liverpool in putting an end to the present injustice ;
and indeed he thought all the large towns in England
ought to aid Liverpool in the present emergency.
Mr. FERGUSON, churchwarden, seconded the resolution ,
which was also passed unanimously.
Mr. JOHN SMITH proposed the third resolution. lie
thought the pecuniary part of the question ought not to
overlooked, and hence the necessity for some resolution
as the present. There was -a gentleman present who,
within the last few weeks, had paid the sum of £2,000
in poor-rates.
Mr. JEFFERY seconded the resolution. He gave some

statistical details to prove the cost which the influx had
caused to Liverpool. That cost had amounted to £22,600
since January last. With reference to the sending of
paupers from Liverpool to London—a project which he
had originated—be said that lie deprecated anything of
the kind now. He was rejoiced that Sir George Grey had
granted the lazarettoes; but he remarked upon the strange-
ness of the fact that it was only the other day that Sir
George Grey knew that there were lazarettoes on the
He went on to contend that the calamity was a
national one and ought to be provided against by the
nation., He thought that additional lazarettoes ought to
be fitted up and sent here by the government, and that
the sheds would be altogether abandoned.
. _

£22.60JJ, was an excess over. the cost of last year. He
said the Vestry had that day passed a resolution to the
effect that the Akbar was a very fit vessel for the reception
of fever patients, and other lazarettoes would be applied
- .

for. But the meeting must recollect that these vessels
could not be fitted up in less time than a month.

Mr. WILLIAM BENNETT proposed the next resolution.
Mr. HENRY DANSON seconded the resolution. He ex-
plained how it. was that the project had been mooted of
sending the paupers up to London, and he said that that
project was only taken up as a dernier resort in order to
convince the government and the Irish landlords of the
-to- S +0 NO' 1 1'

at, _ tot —.verpoo, ;tad been reduced by
the influx. And he believed the threat to send them up
had an immense effect with the government, for intmo-
diately after the threat had been uttered Sir George Grey
felt it necessary to act and aid the town—(applause.)
Mr. WILLIAM RATHIIOIqE moved thn minntinn

memorial to both houses of the legislature, which memo-
rial was a mere echo of the resolutions. He had been for
the last four weeks in Ireland witnessing the horrors. He
had seen them dying in the streets and hedges. One
superintendent, who had 16,000 people under him, had
told him that there were only two cases of violence perpe-
trated by the whole body for years. He admitted that
some of the Irish landlords_were honourabt, but' as
9 mass they were bad and could n-' Mack

be painted I

nah
enough even by the Times. In his hotel in Cork he bad
heard the groans of the dying in the dead of the night;
and unless something was done thousands upon thousands
would die—(applause.)

Upen the motion of Mr. HARBORD, a vote of thanks
was passed to the Chairman, and the meeting separated,