The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-01 00:00:00

TILE LIVERPOOL STANDKRD, TUESDAY, MARCH I, 1853.

MISSIONS IN INDIA.

The Rev.P.Percival delive—red his second and concluding
lecture on India and Ceylon in the Collegiate Institution,
on Friday evening. The attendance was still more meagre
than on the night of :the first lecture. Mr. Percival, on
this occasion, furnished a succinct account of Christian
missions in India from the earliest period to the present
time. He alluded to the labours of the Jesuits, who esta-
blished a system by which Christianity was paganized, and
which was so iniquitously absurd that it even offended the
Roman Catholics, but which it took the Pope more than
eighty years thoroughly to suppress. The Dutch mis-
sions were likewise sketched. Judging by the number of
natives baptised, the Dutch would appear to have been the
most triumphant evangelists in that part of the world.
But the secret of the vast numbers baptised was the fact
that the Dutch used compulsion. This compulsory mode
of converting the heathen continued until 1795, when the
less overbearing British supplanted the reign of the Dutch.
Corningdown, step by step, to the present time, the lecturer
noticed the gratifying feature that education was being pro-
moted now to aconsiderable extent, but it was not religious
education. He had visited, some time ago, one of the chief
institutions in Bombay, and in the course of a conversa-
tion with the master, he happened to ask—But what of
the Bible ? " Oh, we have a copy," was the reply, " and
it is in a glass case." That was a fair example of the
position which the Sacred Scriptures occupied in the
schools of India, at which not less than 520,000 children
were receiving their education. True, the schools receiv-
ing grants of money from the Government were obliged
to introduce Christianity into their teaching. but then the
parents of the children were at liberty to withdraw them
during the hours set apart for religious instruction.
There was at Madras a regular theological seminary for
training, both in the English language and in the verna-
culars, well qualified native agents for Christian pastors,
catechists, &c. These were much superior to English
teachers, being well acquainted, from early associations,
with the habits and predilections of the people. They
were also more economical. Sixty pounds a year would
Place a native on a footing with respect to men holding
government offices, equal to that of a European mission-
ary receiving three or four times that amount. Then he
did not require either passage-money or outfit. And, with
regard to certain portions of the work, especially where
stations had been long established, and a native church
had to be superintended, he was quite equal to the
others. With regard to the whole of the missions in the
south of India, in connexion with this society, the pros-
pect was exceedingly encouraging. The Church Mission-
ary Society was exerting an equal amount of influence.
It had its training institutions, with precisely the same
objects. The two societies, especially in Tinevelly,
workad most •harmoniously together. They were united
in council deliberation, and even in effort, In the trans-
lation bf the, Scriptures, in the publication of religious
works and tracts, and in various other ways, they acted
as if they were one society. They were like two trees
planted on either side of a separating fence, whose
branches were so mingled and intertwined that the travel-
ler, plucking the fruit from above, would be unable to say
from ivhich side of the fence it came. Combined, they
spent something like £7,000 per annum in steencies, and
in the promotion of education in the three Presidencies
and the Island of Ceylon. The Tranquebar Mission
might be said to have been founded in IGI6, but it had
dwindled down to three men. When Dr. Duff went to
India he found only one school in Calcutta ; now there were
4,000 or 5,000 youths receiving Christian instruction in
their own language. The missionary work had com-
menced as early as 1706; byt the decay that had super-
vened, and the want of spirit in carrying it on, made it
questionable if any good had resulted from these early
efforts. But what had since been done ? The baptised
converts, of different denominations, numbered 110,000,
of whom about 20,000 were communicants. In the vari-
ous schools there were about 120,000 youths, besides
several important boarding-schools in Madras,Tanjore,and
Tinevelly. In then there were about 14,000 youths learn-
ing the English language. The Bible had been trans-
lated into ten out of the thirteen languages of British India,
and the Liturgy published in several. A native literature
had been commenced, consisting of such works as " Bun-
yan's Pilgrim's Progress," " Dodridge's rise and Progress
of Religion," and various school books.

TRIAL TRIP OF THE ANTELOPE SCREW
STEAMER.

We reported last week the result of this vessel's perfor-
mances on the Monday. On Thursday a second trip was
made, and on this occasion a party of about a hundred
gentlemen witnessed the performances of this fine vessel.
The Antelope started from the Nelson Dock about half-
past twelve, with a strong head wind, and the tide on the
turn. On trying the log a shcrt time after starting, and
the engines snaking fifty revolutions per minute, it was
found that the ship was going with her yards square, at
the rate of nine and a half knots an hour. On nearing the
Crosby light-ship, speed was slackened, and the steamer
put about for Liverpool against the tide and a fair wind.
When full speed was again put on, it was ascertained that
the ship was going eleven knots an hour, under steam
only. Opposite the Rock the company were summoned
to partake of a splendid d6eaner in the grand saloon, pro-
vided by Messrs. Millers and Thompson, the owners. Mr.
Thompson presided, 'Capt. Keen, the commander of the
Antelope, acting as vice-chairman. Amongst the company
wereithe Mayor, Samuel Holme, Esq., Alderman Parker,
Thomas Littledale, Esq., Arthur Henderson, Esq., W. F.
M'Gregor, Esq., Rev. Wm. Pollock, Lieut. Edwards, Mr.
John Gray, optician, by whom the compasses have been
adjusted, &c. After the usual routine of toasts the chair-
man proposed the health of the bishop and clergy of the
diocese, which was responded to by the Rev. William
Pollock. The toast of the army and navy was responded
to by Lieut. Edwards, R.N. The town and trade of Liver-
pool was responded to in an eloquent speech by the mayor.
who proposed the health of the owners. Mr. Thompson
acknowledged the compliment, and proposed the health of
the builder. Mr. Hodgson, in returning thanks, said that,
besides building the Antelope, he was the builder of the first
screw-steamer that sailed for New York—the Sarah Sands;
also, the first iron screw-steamer for the River Plate, South
America. After spending a pleasant day, the company
broke up about half-past five o'clock, highly delighted
with the ship, and the kind treatment of her enterprising
owners. The Antelope, which has:been fitted up with every-
thing that liberality, experience, and skill could devise and
procure for the comfort of passengers, was closely inspected
by the company, all of whom were loud in the praise of her
arrangements, which are unequalled by those of any othe
essel in the trade.

MEETING OFTHE POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY
LAST NIGHT.

THE HIGH-LEVEL RAILWAY.

The customary monthly meeting of the Polytechnic
'Societe was held last night, at the Royal Institution ; the
president, H.. P. Horner, Esq., in the chair. The mem-
bers of the society having partaken of coffee in one of the
ante-rooms, proceeded to the business of the evening,
which was the consideration of Mr. Grantham's proposed
High-Level Railway for the Liverpool docks. The attend.
ance was large and respectable, and included the Wor-
-shipful the Mayor.
After a few introductory remarks by the CHAIRMAN,
Mr. ;GRANTHAM, C.E., gave a brief recapitulation of
his paper (read at the last meeting of the society, and a
report of which appeared at the time in the Standard).
Availing himself of this opportunity, he touched upon
various objections which had been brought forward at the
previous meeting, and to remove some erroneous impres-
sions which had then arisen in the minds of gentlemen.
He alluded to the idea that he and his friends were opposed
to the Dock Committee, and also that they spoke dis-
paragingly of the port of Liverpool. Such impressions
were perfectly erroneos, and he thought that the general
tenor of his conduct would support him In saying, that he
had no idea of doing aught but endeavouring to im-
prove our town in one point, in which it was most
amazingly behind the age. Not only had every inhabit
tant of the town a right to stand up and speak his mind
in such a case, but he felt that it was their imperative
duty. He, therefore, thought that gentlemen in public
positions should not feel sore when the simple truth was
told. Mechanical applications had been slighted. In
many of the modern docks this was being remedied, but
still no place was so far behind as the port of Liverpool.
Millions had been spent, but still they were without the
new applications, which, for such a port, were most essen-
tial. On the former occasion many supposed that it was
proposed to do away with the lower part of the sheds, but
this was quite a mis-apprehension, inasmuch as it was
intended to make them more available than they had ever
been heretofore. The water cranes which it was pro-
posed to introduce, would effect an immense saving, both
in respect to time and money. Water cranes would load
and discharge goods five times quicker, and would only
cost lid per ton, while by the manual system each ton
cost sd. on an average. It was said that the new scheme
would -deprive many working men of their situations,
but be 'thought this was one of its chief advan-
tages—that, at the very time manual labour was
likely to become scarce in the country, the high-level
railway would come in to help the great mercantile
interest of our port. He contended, too, that it would
suit exports as well as imports—that it would not do
away with stage berths, if some people wished to enjoy
them--and that the statement, that though the Dock
Committee constructed the railway, it would not be used,
received a very substantial denial in the popularity of the
Present railway, imperfect as it was in a thousand ways.
From the clear and excellent plane which he bad
prepared, Mr. Grantham showed that in one dock
three vessels might be laden or discharged at both
hatches at the same moment ; a thing which
was at present never accomplished. The quantity
of goods removed in the neighbourhood of the docks
appeared to be 25,000 tons per day. He had arrived at
the conclusion that passengers might be conducted by this
railway, although he had given up the idea that at present
a locomotive could be adopted, in consequence of the
difficulty with the insurance offices,&e. Horses,again were
too slow; and though he had been afraid it would be
difficult to make a rope work effectively, still he had de-
vised a plan, by which he proposed to have stations every
half-mile, with a steam-engine at each station to work the
cranes and the ropes too. The ropes to be only
the length of each station, to lessen the likelihood
of accidents. A rope weighing 2} tons would be
sufficient; while at the Lime-street tunnel the rope
weighed 15 tons. He thought they might run
a train every ten minutes, and, of course, the fares would
be very low. The line which resembled this proposed
railway most was that at Blackwell, and his impression
was, that the number of passengers at Liverpool would
greatly exceed the number who patronized the Blackwell
Railway. Last year an average number of 17,000 people
a day travelled on the Blackwell Bailway. Suppose that
they had at Liverpool, on an average, 12,000 passengers
daily, at Id. each, • the income would be amply sufficient
to pay the interest of the money upon the additional
outlay, and also the ordinary working expenditure.
Were such a railway provided, he was sure that
the entire population would immediately become a
riding population. (Hear, hear.) A railway on the
dock level was, he contended, perfectly inadmissible in
such a. port as this, and that the dock committee would
find out-soon. (Cheers.) He enforced this matter upon
the attention.of the corporation, as being of especial inte.
rest to there ; 'ind desired every Itentleman present to-say
plainly what liier thought, od 'to lot no .uncertain sound