The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-07 00:00:00

IRISH AID SOCIETY,

The,first annual meeting of the Liverpool Irish Aid So-
ciety was held last night in the Music Hall, Bold-street.
This is a new society, or rather a combination of several
societies under one name, the object of which is the promo-
gious improvement of Ireland, by aiding with
Society, the Scripture

tion of the

Readers' Society for
Ireland, and the Irish Islands' Society, with the Achill Mis-
sion. The meeting was very numerously attended, the Hall

Rev. R

J. M'Gilee, the Rev. Hugh M`Nele, the Rev. F. Parry, the
Rev. I'. Moriarty, (the Irish Society's Missionaryat Dingle,)
the Rev. J. R. Connor, the Rev. W. Fanoon, the Rev. T.
Nolan, the Rev. F. Barker, Mr. Adam Hodgson, Dr.
Dickenson, Mr. J. Rigby, Mr. G. Langtry, Mr. C. Bout-
ffower, Mr. J. Sheppard, Mr. J. Howard, Mr. T. B.
Horsfall, Mr. W. Jones, the Rev. C. W. Lawrence, the Rev.
J. Cordeaux, Mr. J. Middleton, and many other clergy and
gentry.

ADAM HODGSON, Esq. was called to the chair; and the
Rev. P. PAnnY supplicated the divine blessing upon the

proceedings.
The CHAIRMAN rose and said, he was happy to find,
from the presence of those around him, that it was not ne-
cessary for him to tresspass further upon the attention of
those present, than to state the objects they had in view. The
meeting had been called in consequence of a resolution passed
at a recent meeting of gentlemen, to the effect that several
societies, for the promotion of Christian truth in Ireland,
should be united and combined. One reason for such a step
was that it was found impossible that each of these societies
could have a public meeting at which their claim could be
sufficiently set forth, which it was hoped might be done with
mutual advantage by the union through the present society.
There were also other reasons favourable to such a union,
which would, no doubt, be detailed in the report. There
were two dispositions of mind in which men entered and pur-
sued any object—one of despondency, and another of that
hope which was in accordance with the will of God. In the
present case, though they had had difficulties to contend
with, which were calculated to justify some despondency ;
yet there were other circumstances of a cheering character,
and they ought not only to exert themselves individually to
promote the object in view, but also give such contributions
towards it as they could. Wear.) He should call on the
Secretary,

The Rev. Air. PARRY, to read the report. That document
entered into many details to show the great utility of the
three societies for the aid of which this association was
formed, and pressed upon the public the urgency of the
claims of the united societies upon the liberality of the public.
Mr. RIGBY moved that the statement now read (the re-
port) be adopted, printed, and circulated.
The Rev. J. R. CONNOR seconded the resolution, and it
was carried unanimously.

The Rev. T. MORIARTY then rose to move the second
resolution, which was to the effect, that the three societies
now embodied into one, whose objects were set forth in the
statement just adopted, were eminently deserving of sympathy
and support, and were commended to the prayers of the
Christian community. The object of all the three institutions
was to proclaim the Gospel of Christ's Salvation ; and, they
weae all of them great arms of the Irish Church, which was
both Christian and Protestant—a beautiful specimen of the
essential unity, with some circumstantial differences, which
would ever exist in the Christian body. Though he appeared
there more especially as the representative of the Irish So-
ciety, he would pave the way for the representatives of the
others, as well as himself, by making a few general observa-
tions upon the religious condition of Ireland. The people for
whom this society was concerned, were the Irish speaking
population, all of whom professed the doctrines of the Ro-
mish—not of the Irish—church. This population amounted
to two millions and a half, who might be divided into three
classes, the first consisting of halt a million of souls who
understood no other language than the Irish; the second
class consisted of a million who spoke English very imper-
fectly, and only on matters of business ; and the third who
spoke English and Irish equally well. It was absolutely
necessary, in order to meet their prejudices, to communicate
religious instruction to all of these classes through the me-
dium of the Irish tongue—a point which the rev. gentleman
pressed upon the atteetion of the auditory with great anima-
tion. He described how the Irish language had been pre-
served, vernacularly, by the mass of the people, who were
greatly attached to it ; and, he was happy to think
that it was an honoured bishop of the Irish church, an
Englishman, indeed, who had been the means of giving the
Bible to the Irish in their native tongue. Before that, Da-
niels, Archbishop of Tuam, had translated the New Testa-
ment. It was these that the Irish Society was engaged in
circulating; and they generally found the peasantry able to
read it, and willing to teach them. The rev, gentleman then
proceeded to give a variety of details respecting the use and
circulation of the Scriptures in Irish, shewing tile success
which had followed in the conversion of the people from the
ways of error to the knowledge of the truth. His illustra-
tions in the Irish language were received with much applause;
and the rev. gentleman said he gave them just to shew that
every man was a barbarian to his fellow if he spoke to him
in a language which he did not understrnd. Thus the
necessity for sending the Scriptures to the Irish in their
native tongue, was absolute, if we wished to do them any
spiritual good. In the district of Dingle, there were no less
than four Irish congregations, all Protestants, where, eight
years ago, not one was to be found. This, then, was a
pennant effort for our holy church and religion, and by such
efforts being continued, he trusted the union would be re-
pealed between Ireland arid the Bishop of Rome. Irish-
speaking ministers were, however, greatly wanted; for un-
less the Gospel was preached, and the Sacrament administered
as Christ had appointed, by them we could nut hope of success.
In the University of Dublin there were now, he was happy to
say, no less than six candidates far the Irish-speaking
ministery. The rev. gentleman concluded by requesting the
prayer of the meeting for the moral and spiritual welfare of
the Irish speaking poor.
A few Roman Catholics who had gone into the meeting,
one of whom had previously interrupted the speaker, made
an attempt to create confusion in the meeting, at the close
of Mr. M.'s address, by making use of offensive language.
Cries of order continued fur some little time, but the parties
were ejected from the room, or otherwise prevailed upon to
offer no further interruption, and the meeting soon became
silent and attentive.

at, considerable length
The Rev. Mr. NOLAN then spoke
in behalf of the Island societies, the mission, and of
the Rev. Edward Nangle. who had been most unmeritedly
assailed as a man and a Christian, in his management of the
Mission, by Mr. S. C. Hall, in his work on Ireland. He
read those accusations as printed at length by Mr. Naugle,
and by him replied to in the Achill Herald, from which, and
the correspondence that supervened, as well as the strong
facts stated by the speaker, Mr. Nangle came out trium-
phantly. All the reports defamatory of that excellent man
were proved to be founded in error or in falsehood. Mr.
Milan concluded by
half of the Island schools.
a feeling and impressive appeal on be-

The Rev. R. J. M'GriEe then came forward, as the repre-
sentative of the Scripture Readers' Society for Ireland, and
was received with three most enthusiastic cheers. He was
not in any way connected with the society ; he had not the
honour of sitting upon the committee, for it was a committee
of some of the first men in the country ; hut he appeared for
it because he had known the value of it for many years, for
he bad had readers from it under his own superintendence,
and at that moment he had one at work in the vicinity of his
own church. He strongly approved of the plan which had
been adopted for embodying together these three societies;
and with regard to the Scripture Readers' Society, he would
mention its origin and its objects, the mode of appointing the
readers as instruments for carrying out those objects, the
rules by which those readers are regulated, the practical.
working of the society, and its practical utility. This society
originated in the year 1822; and he would give the most
authentic information upon the subject, because it was con-
veyed to him in a letter from the individual with whoin it
commenced.. This letter was not intended for publication ;
it was a private communication, therefore he would not men •
tion names. The simple history of the Scripture Readers'
Society was as follows. Mr. M`Ghee then read this letter,
which commenced by stating, that in 1822 the writer went, for
the first time, as a judge of assize upon the Munster circuit ;
arid he saw then the appalling religious destitution of the peo-
ple—that the authorized ministers of religion were shut out
from the great mass of the people, and it occurred to him
that great good might be done by appointing. Scripture
readers to go from house to house ; and that in order to
stimulate such a proceeding upon a large scale, he would
give £l,OOO towards the promotion of such society. About
£4,000 were immediately raised ; and as the Lord had put
it into the heart of man to begin the work, he had also put
it into the hearts of people to carry it on. This person,
though not then upon the bench, was, he was happy to say,
placed in that high position. One member of the commit-
tee, he would mention, was the eresent Lord Chief Justice
of the Court of Queen's Bench in Ireland; and several other
individuals of equal piety and well known character were
also upon it. The meeting, indeed, would feel at once that
no men were more fitted to be placed in the solemn posi-
tion of administering the law in criminal cases than those
men who had at heart ths principle of preventing crime—who
felt it was better to prevent than to punish it—and who knew
that the only mode of preventing it was by the diffusion
of true religion among the people. (Hear, hear.) The rev.
gentleman here related an affecting anecdote of a criminal
named Grant, who had been sentenced to death for most
atrocious crimes. In the condemned cell a Bible was
brought to him, which he read, and by its instrumentality
he was brought to a knowledge of his wretched condition,
and eventually to sincere repentance. " Sir," he said to the
clergyman who gave him that blessed book, " if 1 had ever
read that book before, I should not have been here this day.
You know not how many poor wretches you may save, by
sending the word of the living God to them who have never
heard of it." (Hear, hear.) Now this was proposed to be
done through the instrumentality of the Scripture Readers'
Society, the object of which was simply, therefore, the dif-
fusion of the Gospel of Christ (hear) : it was simply the
salvation of man, the employing humble, pious men, as
the writer of the letter which he had just read stated,
to visit the cottages of the poor, to read the Bible,
and to explain its truths to them. (Applause.) This
was more fully developed in the rules of the Readers' So-
ciety—several of which the rev. gentleman read. They were
called upon to go round their several districts, to read the
Scriptures to the poor, and to point out to them the way of
salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ. For the purpose
of securing this, he would mention the mode in which these
readers were appointed. They must, all of them, be pious
men. There was this difference between the Scripture Read-
ers' Society and the Irish Society—but he spoke under cor-
rection, and he hoped some of his rev. brethren would cor-
rect him if he did not state the facts exactly as they were.—
The Irish Society employed not men who were pious, or who
knew the Gospel of Christ, but in many instances men of
good character only—even Roman Catholics who loved the
Irish language—to go about to read the Scriptures, and teach
them to the people in the Irish language; but those Roman
Catholics themselves, by a mere reading of the Scriptures,
were brought out from the darkness and ignorance of the
Church of Rome—they felt their own way out of popery by
the light of God's eternal truth. Many of them were at this
moment, lie rejoiced to say, devoted and faithfulserv,antsof
the living God, brought out of popery without any
y (acidhweehrast.
what-
ever
lb,euotptiehetior
read
dn
the
eaßdiibnlge
ionfothgrwoowrndloane God in teaching
The rev. speaker then produced a list, and read some of the
queries demanded from all persons who were candidates for
the appointments of scripture reader, from which it was evi-
dent that the men selected must not only be irreproachable
in character, but have a disposition for the work, and be
mighty in the word of God. Scripture Readers Soci-
ety, then, did not interfere, but co-opersited with the Irish
Society. lie had himself seen the blessings of the Scrip-
tires being circulated in the Irish language, and the blessings
also Lad attended
heat 3s tewndedthe labours of the Irish Scripture
readers.
Whenh half
across the water on his voyage
from Ireland, he " remembered that he bad forgot to
bring with him some of the books issued by the abominable
National Board of Education m Ireland as substitutes for
the Bible; but he would mention that at the annual meeting
of the Scripture Readers' Society,
which was held on the
17th March, in the Rotunda, Debiin, a number of the Irish
readers were present as a deputation to petition against the
new system of Irish education. They petitioned that the
Scriptures might not be shut up from the poor Roman Ca-
tholics of Ireland. (Hear, bear.) Among that deputation
was a woman—the widow of a poor reader whose tongue bad
been cut from his mouth, and who had been murdered for
going round to read the Bible to the people. (Hear.) She
was determined to stand there as a witness for her Lord and
master-she knew that her Lord and her husband was only
Christ, and therefore she took her station upon the plat-

form, with the rest of the deputation,lo petitiot egainst
the suppression of the Scriptures. (Applause.) They
brought up a petition, signed by 3,600 individuals, against
the National Board, which petition he (Mr. M'Ghee) had
the honour to read, and a great honour he accounted it.
When the meeting was nearly concluded, be (Mr. M'Ghee)
suggested to the secretary that one of the readers should
speak for himself—that he should himself tell the state of
his feelings, and that of his friends upon the value of the
Scriptures. After some excuses for want of preparation, and
so on, he came down. He (Mr. M'Ghee) had attended
many public meetings—he had heard some good speakers in
Liverpool—but never in his life had be heard from the lips
of man a more brilliant flow of eloquence in defence of the
Gospel of Christ than from the lips of that poor Irish reader.
There was not an object of nature which he did not press
into some glowing metaphors with which he iilustrated the
grace of God in Christ Jesus ; he quoted, too, various pas-
sages of Scripture—and as much as to say to the deputation
his brethren this is language worth hearing", be always
turnrd towards them from the meeting translating the pas-
sages into Irish for their benefit. (Hear.) He (Mr. M'Ghee)
would tell the meeting the passage from Scripture with
which this poor reader concluded his speech : " Now," said
he, " I will address this National Board in the words of
Gamaliel, and say to them—Refrain from these men, and
leave them alone; for if this work be of man (namely the
propagation of the Scriptures among the Irish people) it will
come to naught; but if it be of God, you cannot overthaow
it." He (Mr. M'Ghee) would now call attention to the
practical working of the Scripture Reading Society. The num-
ber of readers employed was 73, and the number who spoke the
Irish tongue 23. There were, at this moment, before the com-

mittee no less than 150 applications from various parts of the
country for readers. Were they able to supply these wants?
The meeting should hear. The salary of the readers was
from £2B to £3O a year. Last quarter the committee had
been obliged to cut off two readers; and next quarter they
must cut off two more for want of funds—and this at the
very time when they had 150 applications from different
parts! (Hear, hear, hear) After this he need not
enlarge upon the utility of the readers in their differ-
, ent departments. Mr. 141`Ghee then related a series
' of facts and circumstance, moat of which bad occurred
within his own knowlege, but we have not space to print
them, illustrative of the utility of the readers to the ministers
of the church by labouring among their Protestant feeigh-
hours in mitigating the asperity of party feeling by read-
ing the word of God, the blessings which have atten-
ded their labours in bringing the light of salvation to tha
Roman Catholic population, and in making known and cir-
culating the word of God. It was, then for the purpose of
entreating assistance, that the Scripture Readers' Society
united with the others in the present appeal ; and he trusted
in God, that in a work like this, it would not prove they
appealed in vain. (Hear, heor.) The meeting had read
in the newspapers that the poer Roman Catholics of Ire-
land were beginning to struggle against the exactions of
their priests for the spiritual services of their church.
(Hear, bear.) He feared, however, that the priests in this
struggle would put down the people, unless the Protestants
of the empire stood up for their vindication. (Hear.) And
how were they to help them? Not by interfering in the
struggle for the temporal power, but by sending among them
the word of Gods truth, by sending out abundance of read-
ers to shew the people this great truth, that forgiveness of
sins is not to be found in the Church of Rome. or in all
her ordinances, but in the blessed Redeemer alone. (Hear,
and cheers.) If the people were not made to know
this, the priests would get the better of them ; but if the
people were brought to this knowledge, then their temporal
struggle would be an instrument of their liberty, and they
would be brought into that glorious freedom which the truth
alone could give, and which made man free for time and free
for eternity. (Loud cheers.)
The resolution was then put and carried.
_ _

The Rev. HUGH NPNEILE then rose to move a vote of
thanks to Mr. Hodgson, for his able and impartial con
duct in the chair. In doing so he would make a short expla-
nation of a matter advanced by Mr. M'Ghee, which might,
unless explained, lead to an erroneous impression upon the
minds of some frienes of the various societies now united—he
meant the distinction he (Mr. M'Ghee had drawn between the
agents of the Scripture reading Society, who, he said were
christian men, and the agents of the Irish Society, of whom
he said, rather too generally that they were not so. It was
true that some of them were not so when they were
first employed. In this work there was a primary act
leading to a more advanced act : the primary act of
the teacher of the Irish Society was to convey to the
Irish people the mechanical power of reading the actual
word of the Scriptures. How was this to be done, or
by what agency? English. speaking men could not do it;
and where were they to get men who spoke Irish to do it, if
they did not employ Roman Catholics? They found then
Roman Catholics willing to be employed in this work, who
thought the Bible was for their religion and not against it;
and the payment which the society gave was in proportion
to the progress made by the people, the judge of their ad-
vancement being the inspector, who was always a member of
the church, and as far as men could secure it, a Christian,
converted man. Now, whatever the agency was that con
',eyed the letter of God's Word to the people—through
their eyes to the mind and understanding—they hailed
it as a primary agency indispensable for the work.
Many of the men so employed, fancied that the teaching of
the Bible to the people would strengthen them in the old
faith as they called it, bnt which was not the old faith for
the Church of England and Ireland, which held the old faith.
As they taught others to read, they read themselves; and
eventually they began to find that there was no such
thing as the priests doctrines ; many of them bad left the
Church of Rome in consequence of this reading of the Bible,
—so that not ouly the people, but the teachers had become
converts to the true Gospel. When a teacher became a con-
cert, he was employed not only to teach his own class, but to
go and talk to the other teachers so that the Irish Society
then laid hold of the instrumentality then, which it could not
begin with. It took the plough and the harrow before it
sent out the seedsman—every thing iu its place: it had
confidence in the power of the Word of God; it had
confidence that wherever that word was read, good wonld
follow, so that what at first sight might, in the minds
of some, appear to be an objection to the Irish society,
which was in reality a commendation of it. (Cheers.) The
Reverend gentleman, after an earnest call upon the mer-
chants of Liverpool tc protect their servants, who, in many
cases, suffered wrong because they inquired after truth
from a Protestant minister, concluded by moving the thanks
of the meeting to Mr. Hodgson for his conduct in the
chair. The motion was carried by acclamation.
Mr. HODGSON acknowledged the compliment.
The Doxology, " Praise God from whom all blessings
flow," was then sung; and a collection being made at the
doors, the meeting separated at half-past ten o'clock.

The Earl of Coventry is in Coventry House, gradually
sinking, and not recognising the persons about him.

ENCOURAGEMENTTO YOUNG Sono.coNs.—Astley Cooper
at an early age, had attained a high reputation, but profes-
sional income did not come so quickly. "My receipt," says
he, " for the first year was 1:5 ss. ; the second, £26 ; the
third, £64 ; the fourth, £O6 ; the fifth, £lOO ; the sixth,
£2OO ; the seventh, £4OO ; the eighth, £6OO ; the ninth
(the year he was appointed surgeon to the hospital) £1,100."
He himself appends a remark, which sufficiently shows his
feeling on this subject.—" although I was a lecturer all the
time on anatomy and surgery." Theextent of practice which
he subsequently obtained may be inferred from the tact, that
his professional income for the year 1815 exceeded £21,000.

THE BANK OF ENGLAND.—The following notice was
posted up on Thursday at the Bank of England :—The Go-
vernor and Company of the Bank of England are ready,
until further notice, to receive applications for loans upon
the deposit of approved bills of exchange not having more
than six months to run, Exchequer-bills, and East India
Bonds, such loans to be repaid on or before the 19th of April
next, with interest at the tate of £5 per cent. per annum,
and to be for sums of not less than £2,000 each. In every
case of au advance by the Bank of England, in pursuance of
the notice dated this day, a promissory note will be required,
whether the advance be upon bills of exchange, Exchequer-
bills, or India bonds.

On Monday; about eleven in the morning, three or four
persons ascended the Column of July, at Paris, and were
followed by a man, about 30 years of age, apparently be-
longing to the working class. Whilst they were examining
the panorama of the city, he amused himself with wallsing,
rapidly round the platform. Presently they descended, and
he, finning himself alone, got over the railing, and, catchin,4
hold of the balustrade, hung suspended, like a person exer-
cising his arms at a gymnastic school. All at once his
muscles seemed to fail, for he uttered a piercing cry, and en-
deavoured to hanl himself up. A second more, and the
weight of his body proved too great for his arms ; his hold
gave way, his body curved outwards, and be fell with his
back against one of the angles of the pedestal ; from thence
he tumbled to the ground an inert mass- His limbs were
broken in varions places, and his death must have been in-
stantaneous. No papers were found on him to prove his
identity.

EXPORT OF COAL.—The following statement of the ex-
port of coal and culm during the last nine years, shows that
the trade has been gradually progressing, and that during
the last year year, notwithstanding the imposition of a duty
the export exceeds that of the preceding year
Years

Newcastle. Sunderland. Stol3k-ton. Great Britain

1834.... 230,342.... 149,956 9,988.... 615.255
1835.... 313,107.... 154,538 26,810.... 736,060
1836.... 415,849.... 170,367 36,943.... 916,868
1837.... 476,157.... 242,463 46,516.... 1,113,610
1838.... 554,175.... 308,178 86,689.... 1,313,709
1839.... 558,052.... 370,620 111,707.... 1,449,417
1840.... 593,911.... 442,987 132,842.... 1,606,313
1811.... 750,585.... 408,515 169,345.... 1,848,294
1842.... 791,981.... 366,451 178,342.... 1,852,000

LORD COTTENHAM'S BILL.—We call the attention of our
readers to the Bill of the above-mentioned learned lord, en-
titled " A Bill for the advancement of Justice in certain mat-
ters relating to Creditors and Debtors." We recommend
the timely consideration of the provisions of the proposed
Act of Parliament to tradesmen and professional men. There
is one clause, numbered 49, against which we protest, and we
call upon our brethren engaged in newspaper publication to
unite in procuring an alteration in its terms,—we refer to that
in which the proprietors of public prints are to be required to
insert advertisements under the Act at rates that are clearly
not remunerative. Why, we ask, should those who provide
media of public announcement be called upon to make sacri-
fices that could not be justly required of those engaged in any
other calling?

FATAL ACCIDENTS.—On Wednesday last a marine, named
Beer, fell overboard from the Andromache, and was unfor-
tunately drowned before the least assistance could be ren-
dered him ; and on Monday an accident which terminated
fatally occurred in the dockyard, to a labouring man, named
Blake. It appears that the unfortunate deceased was em-
ployed in clearing chips and rubbish from the deck of the St
George, 120, lying in the new north dock, and that while
descending from the vessel to the ground, in the act of swing-
ing or lifting a basket containing about 30 pounds of rubbish,
to his shoulder, he lost his balance, and being upon a narrow
plank, fell head foremost into the dock ; his head came in
contact with one of the projecting stones, by which he re-
ceived such severe injuries as almost immediately to cause
his death.—Hampshire Telegraph.

A FRENCH JACK SHEPPARD.—A man named Darves
arrested a few days since for stealing a shawl and some
trinkets from two women of improper character with whoa
he had been living for some time past. On being taken tt
the Prefecture of Police, he was recognised as an escaped
convict, notorious for his audacity and strength. Darve,
was condemned for forgery. in 1834, by the court of assize,
of the Sarthe, to five years' imprisonment. On hearing hi,
sentence, he very quietly said to the jury, " You might a 5
well have acquitted me, for to-morrow 1 shall be free."
When taken back to prison he was heavily ironed, to prevent
him from carrying his threat into execution, and was con-
fined by himself in a cell. The next morning a man offered
to a locksmith, at Angers, some pieces of iron for sale. It
was the prisoner, who had contrived, during the night, to
get rid of his fetters, and, having taken out some of the iron
bars of the cell, scaled a wall 25 feet high, and made his es-
cape. Some time afterwards he entered a regiment of the
line, and became a non-commissioned officer. Having de-
serted, he was condemned to seven years' hard labour, and
l
was taken to Oleron to work out his time. Shortly after, he
seized on a boat and escaped. In 1842 he was recognised a
i
Paris, and arrested. On his way back to Oleron he
an
e
pre-
tended to be taken ill, and was examined by a medical
at Etampes, who was so completely deceived by his admira-
ble acting, that he pronounced the case
one of danger, and
ordered him to the hospital. Three nays after, the pretended_
invalil stole the dress of one of the ewer de chariti, and
escaped thus disguised. Since that period he has been re-
siding at Paris with women of bad character, until. evreated,
as above statscl..—Galismemes alieseenger,

NORTH LANCASHIRE ASSIZES,

FRIDAY.

Mr. Baron Rouri entered the Nisi Prins Court at half-
past twelve o'clock, and the trial of the Chartists proceeded.
The ATTOBNF:Y-GENERAL said that, after the cross-
es Imination of Buckley, yesterday, by John Wilde, from
which it was elicited that he was kept in the chair of a public
meeting by force, be should offer no further evidence against
him. John Wilde was consequently discharged. _ _

Thomas Pitt was also discharged, the evidence against him
not being sufficient.

Joseph Hibbert, clerk to the magistrates at Hyde, spoke
of the disturbed state of Hyde, commencing about the 7th or
Bth of August. The magistrates assembled from day to day.

Joseph Little is si

aide of Hyde, and it wa

his duty to make reports V; the magistrates of what was going
on. The book now produced to me [the one from which Little
gave his evidence] has frequently been in my office when the
magistrates meet, and is the book he uses to enter his reports
in.

Cross-examined.—l know of no particular distress at the
time in Hyde. I did not hear of any notice for a reduction
of wages.

John Brooks, manager and overlooker of Mr. Pratt's mill.
at Stalvbridge, stated that, on the 7th of August, a mob of
several thousands came to the mill, and ordered the hands to
be turned out. _ lie remonstrated with the mob, but they

said they would have the hands out, and that neither that nor
any other mill should work till they had got their rights.
The weekly hands in the mills were getting more wages than
they did several years ago. The spinners were receiving
from 225. to 3Gs. per week, according to the quantity of the
work done. There were about 300 hands in the mill.
Cross-examined by Mr. DUNDAS.-1 don't know that the
hands at Bailey's were under notice of 25 per cent. reduc-
.

tion. Bailey's mill was stopped about a month.
Cross-examined by Mr. O'Connor.—The amount of wages
paid by me is £3lO in a fortnight. A single-dicked mule
spinner can get a Gs. per fortnight, from which we deduct
ten per cent. and 4s. for gas. At a double-dicked mule he
can get £lO 13s. per fortnight, from which there is twenty
per cent. deducted, and 3s. per week for gas. The spinners
pay their own piecers out of this. After deducting the
amount paid to 35 spinners, the average of the other hands
would be about is. 6d. per week. There was great distress
in the neighbourhood, and there had been committees of
shopkeepers to relieve the distress.

Cross:examined by James Leech.—The wages 25 years
ago were, one carder 175., two strippers 12s, and lls.' frame
tenders Bs. 6d. The wages now are one carder 195., two
ditto 305., one erinder 135., five ditto I4s. each; strippers on
piece-work make from 13s. to 175., frame tenders 10s., 95.,
Bs. 6d. We are spinning 80's to 160's. Ten years ago we
had spinners who were spinning on 1300 spindles, and twenty

years ago they were spinning on 648 spindles. Some now
are working 2000 spindles. Some of our hands are living in
cottages belonging to the firm, but we don't force them to
live in them. We stop the rents in the counting-house be-
fore their wages arc paid.

Thomas Rose, of Brookfield, near Glossop, said that he
occupied a portion of Shepley's mill, at Glossop. He de-.
scribed the attack made on that mill on the 10th of August.
The hands were turned out, and the mob threatened if they
went to work again they would make them incapable of
working. He was at the meeting at Mottram Moor, on the
17th of August. A man named Booth made a speech in
reference to the expenses of the royal household, and told
them how expensive a thing monarchy was. It was men-
tioned that the railway men were gone to work again, and
the meeting came to the conclusion to stop them. The mob
went towards the railway to stop the workmen. The mill
was opened again on the 26th of August, and about twelve
o'clock on that day, several thousand persons came to the
mill, and endeavoured to stop work again, but they were
resisted by the workpeople. On the 30th, a mob again
attacked the mill, and broke the doors and windows, and the
doors and windows of houses in the neighbourhood. The
military were brought to the spot, and the mob was dispersed.
Cross-examined.—l know of no contemplated reduction of
wages, except that as I was paying a farthing a cut more than
any one else, I was going to reduce them to the same level.
At the meetings of the 11th and 12th, it was resolved that it
should not be a wage question. It was the Charter they
were going for.

The placard which had been so often spoken of by several
witnesses, as issued by the Chartist Executive Committee,
was here put in and read. The copy put in was taken from
the walls in Hyde, by Little, the high constable.
George Nasmyth, of.the Bridgewater Foundry, Patricroft,
spoke of the mob being at Eccles on the 12th of August, and
saw Weal go to -4r. Tetlow's. He was at one of the meet
ings, and heard them recommend peace, law, and order.
Nathan Pryor, of the Bridgewater Works, Worsley, iden-
tified Morrison and Macartney, the former as having been
present when the hands were turned out, and the latter as
speaking at a meeting at Eccles in very violent terms.
George Wroe, of Eccles, also identified Macartney.
Samuel Turner, of Ashton, farmer, was at a meeting in
Stalybridge on the 9th of August, when Southam took the
chair. Pilling spoke about going to Manchester to meet the
masters, and told them not to resume labour till they got the
wages of 1840. He went to Manchester with them, and saw
them turn out the hands of several factories. He was with
the mob when they entered the town, and saw Mr. Maude
speak to him. He saw Leigh at Ashton, but not afterwards.

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE COPYRIGHT AND THE LIVERPOOL

MEReTTRy.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARL
should not_haveiroubled you again abbut

glaring inconsistency of the Mercury, in advoc-ating the cause
of protection with oue breath and with the next tt,
protection, but that the editor, in an article atter
•.1 .

not -

his inconsistency, sets out with a statement nc

iously fa

e"r Twoilrliebse caabnlenotto
dreoassoon.,,, nelvoeur,rcitiniolgd.tabnisd, cwiboauts.ia Hmore,esanyesa
either he was serious or he was not ; if the former, he must
have known he was uttering a deliberate falsehood, and
thereby pt.cing the whole of the article in a ridiculous predi-
cament, that of being totally false; if the latter—that is, that
he was not serious, but merely jesting—then is it not fair v e
should conclude that be could not answer the arguments 1 is
so ardertly contemns ? Tories cannot reason ; therefore,
since they are irrational, unthinking, non-reasoning beings,
and beings that never will reason, why does he not employ phy-
sical force towards them as he does towards his ass, if he be
worth one? If they be irrational beings, and cannot there-
fore reason, why is he every day of his life reasoning with
and against them ? since, if they cannot reason, they must be
devoid of that faculty by which the force of reasoning is ap-
prehended. " Tories cannot reason"—bah!
But, sir, all this is foreign to the subject, as w
one-half of the article in the Mercury in defence of a mono-
poly in literature. To use a significant expression, the
editor was completely flabergastered, and knew not how to
make a retreat sufficiently speedy; or, as a friend of mine in
the bookselling line remarked, he shirked the question
:
but if he have any regard for his reputation as a reasoner, let
him return to it with more particularity, and show, if he can,
why the man who bestows his time, labour and capital in the
cultivation of the soil should not be protected as welt as the
man whose time, labour and capital are devoted to the culti-
vation of literature. Why should not the man who subsists
by the profit of land be protected as well as he who subsists
by the profit of manuscript?
I am, sir, yours respectfully,
A BOOKSELLER
March 1, 1843

at least