The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-14 00:00:00

TIE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

, sumption of our manufactured goods, are the great
I grain-growing countries of Europe.
We are perfectly aware of the sort of ingenuity,
and indeed of casuistry, which will be displayed,
both in Parliament and out of it, to explain away
these and other facts. We have a specimen indeed
before us in the Manchester Guardian of Wednes-
day last. In the article in question our contem-
porary was labouring to rid the public mind of any
uneasiness as to the existing deranged state of the
exchanges; and used the figures which we have
given at the commencement of this article, showing
the increase in the value of our exports this year as
compared with last year. From these data he
argued that there was no reason to suppose that
there was any actual adverse balance of trade against
this country upon the year's business, but that the
probability was in favor of an opposite result, inas-
much as
" Of corn, provisions, coffeP, sugar, tea, cotton, wool,
and timber, the quantities imported in 1850 have been
less, and in some cases very considerably less than in
1849 ; while, however, of almost all, the consumption
has been greater, the difference being made up from the
stocks on hand at the commencement of the year. There
is no article on which any important increase has taken
place in the import in 1850, except wine to the extent of
about 1,300,000 gallons."
Now, if the Guardian had chosen to be inge-
nuous, he would have compared similar and not
dissimilar results ; value in one case with value in
the other, or quantity with quantity. But, to suit
his purpose, he takes value, when striving to show
that the exports had increased, and quantity, when
desirous of showing that the imports had decreased.
When doing so, he must have been aware, that in
the former there was a decrease in the quantity so
far as regarded the important item with which he
was most familiar ; whilst the leading articles in
the opposite scale had been imported at materially
advanced prices, as compared with 1849, cotton,
as we have already shown, although decreased in
quantity, having produced an excess, principally
reaped by the grower, of no less than six millions
sterling. Nor is such a result anything very new,
By the American estimate, the crop of 1844-
812,000,0001bs.—was valued at 65,772,000 dollars ;
whilst that of 1845-958,000,0001bs.—was only
valued at 56,000,000 dollars. Again, the small
crop of 1847-71,000,0001bs.—was estimated to
have produced 72,000,000 dollars ; whilst the
extraordinary crop of 1848-1,100,000,00011 m.—
reached only 60,000,000 dollars. Such attempts
to torture facts to suit a purpose, we assure our
contemporary, generally recoil upon the heads of
those who practise them. At all events, they show
how necessary it is to watch our dealers in, and
concoctors of, statistics and trade returns.

The court continues at 'Windsor. Her Majesty and the
Prince Consort have taken their usual early walks.
Lord and Lady John Russell have left their residence,
Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, for Windsor Castle.
The United States Mail steamer ship Arctic, Captain
Luce, sailed for New York, from this port, shortly after
noon on Saturday. She took out a fair average number
of passengers and a pretty heavy cargo.

. _
Next month, Mr. C. E. Horsley's oratorio, " David,"
which was recently produced with the greatest success by
the Philharmonic Society of Liverpool, will be performed
at Exeter-hall on a scale seldom equalled in the me-
tropolis.

THEATRE ROYAL.—The pantomime at this theatre
continues to draw crowded houses. We beg to suggest to
the management the propriety of allowing it to be given
at least twice a week, if not each alternate day, for the
amusement of our Cheshire juveniles.
KIRKDALE CHURCH.—The Rev. David James delivered
his fourth lecture on the Romish controversy to a densely
crowded congregation on Sunday evening. The subject was
Purgatory. Connected with this church, we are glad to
learn that a small chapel of ease ( in the form of a licensed
room) has lately been opened on the Bootle road, near the
first toll-bar, where two full services (at half-past ten and
three) are performed by Mr. James and his curate, Mr.
Pilkington, each Sunday. This, no doubt, will result in
the erection of a church there, the neighbourhood being
densely populated, 'and the distance from the mother
church of Kirkdale being considerable.

CONCERT.—A very excellent concert, patronized by the
Esrl of Sefton, was given on Tuesday evening last, at the
Concert-Ball, by Messrs. Saqui and Miranda. The
leading local talent, vocal and instrumental, was present.
The attendance was numerically great and important.
The duet, " Venti Scudi," by Miranda and Saqui, was
loudly applauded. Rubini's favourite aira, "A to divo,"
by Mr. Miranda, was given with much taste ; indeed, with
a little more practice, there can be no doubt he will be-
come a leading tenor. Saqui appears to excel in the buffo.
Mr. Percival's fantasia on Irish melodies, as also his other
efforts, were pronounced passing excellent.

PROTESTANT LECTURE.—The lecture announced to be
delivered last evening, by the Rev. D. James, upon the
subject of " The Man of Sin," at the Concert-hall, Lord
Nelson-street, was attended by one of the most nume-
rous and respectable audiences that we ever saw assem-
bled in that building. Roman Catholics were invited to
attend ; and about a thousand people having assem-
bled round the doors long before the hour of meeting, it
was imagined at one time that a Roman Catholic
" triumph" was intended to be achieved, and that the
meeting was to be broken up by clamour and brute force
if necessary. A glance, however, at the honest Saxon
faces of the meeting, as it was constituted when
we entered, satisfied us that it was a meeting o
Protestants—working men—many of them with their
wives and daughters ;—men willing to listen to the truth,
and determined to stand by it. Mr. Alderman Parker
was called to the chair ; and, after a brief appeal to
the audience, asking for their patient attention to the
lecture about to be delivered, and especially referring in
kind terms to his Roman Catholic fellow-townsmen, in-
troduced the rev. lecturer, Mr. James, to the audience,
amidst enthusiastic cheering. When the rev. lecturer
was about to commence, a voice from the audience ex-
claimed, " with prayer." Mr. James explained that it
had been considered best not to °commence the meeting
with prayer, in order to meet the objections of that portion
of their fellow-townsmen who might be in the meeting,
and who had objections to join in prayer with Protestants.
The rev. gentleman then delivered a most powerful and
argumentative address, and received throughout the warm
plaudits of his audience. At the close, a cordial vote of
thanks was accorded to him.

MEETING OF ROMAN CATHOLICS, LAST NIGHT.—A
meeting of Roman Catholics was held last night in the
school-room attached to St. Nicholas' Chapel, Copperas-
hill. The object of the meeting, as announced in the
placard, was to re-organize the " Catholic Benevolent
Society." R. Shiel, Esq., was to take the chair. The
room, which is rather spacious and commodious, was well
filled ; the company, however, were not very select, and
appeared more likely to become recipients from, rather
than contributors to, any fund to be applied to charitable
purposes. Shortly after the time appointed for the com-
mencement of the proceedings, the Right Rev. Dr. Brown,
the future (?) Bishop of Liverpool, entered the room,
attended by the Rev. Dr. Crook, of St. Patrick's. The
Bishop is a venerable man, far advanced in years, and
thouzh his erect and tall figure gave him great advantage,
his tottering gait proclaimed his weight of years and infir-
mities ; as he advanced to the upper end of the room he
smiled beneficently on the people through whom he
threaded his way ; arrived at the table he appeared to be
suffering from exhaustion ; a seat was handed to him, and
his attendant, Dr. Crook, and Mr. John Yates began to
disengage him from the mufflers in which his throat was
enveloped. The Bishop then entered into a lively con-
versation with Mr. Yates. In a little time three Roman
Catholic priests entered, and, advancing in succession,
knelt on one knee before the Bishop, and reverently
kissed the hand he presented to them. Mr. Richard
Shiel, accompanied by Mr. Powell and another gentle-
man afterwards came into the room : the two former
knelt and kissed the bishop's hand, after which the pre-
late graciously requested Mr. Shiel to take a seat beside
him. Mr. Shiel seated himself and entered into conver-
sation with the bishop. About a dozen priests came in
afterwards, including those resident at Copperas-hill
several of these went through tho ceremony of kissing
hands. The object of the meeting has beenalready stated,
our limited space precluding any further consideration of
it.
ST. PAUL'S,. KNIGHTSBRIDGE.—Therms a gentleman
of the name of Sir J. E. Harington, who has been carry-
ing on the controversy in Mr. Bennett's behalf, and who
is, we believe, Mr. Bennett's churchwarden. Well, a
clergyman now in England met with Sir,J. E. Harington
in Rome last spring, and supposes that this " church-
wardel of St. Paul's, Knightsbridge,"-is the same person.
But at Rome that Sir J. E. Harington who was there last
spring prostrated himself before tho•HHost, and even knelt
in worship of that stupid fraud, " the handkerchief of St.
Veronica!" If there are not two gentlemen of the name,
what else than a Papist is Mr. Bennett's churchwarden ?"
But this is not the only circumstance connected with
St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, which has recently, ale—
to our knowledge. Romanisra has been practise.'• in
that congregation for some time past in its most din.
gerous points. We speak.from very accurate informs lot,
when we say, that parents have discovered that their sons
were in the habit of frequenting haunts of dissipation, and
indulging in habits of gross vice, and then of going to Mr.
Bennett or his curates on,each Saturday night to be " con•
fessed and absolved"—then to pursue the same round on
the following week. It is on the young that these delusions
are generally practised. A. gentleman of rank was recently
living at a well-known watering-place in Devonshire,
where " Tractarian practices," and especially those of the
confessional, were rife. He had two daughters rather
young. One of the curates succeeded in impressing
these young ladies with the advantages of the confession,
and at last the habit became a settled one, that whenever
their parent went out to dinner a note was despatched to
the curate, who came over and " confessed" his young
pupils. A suspicion somehow reached the parent, and
suddenly returning one evening, he detected the whole
affair, and quickly turned the rev. gentleman out of doors.
The same system produced still worse results, very re-
cently, we believe, in Bath. A priest of the Romish
church, we are informed on highly respectable authority,
has recently been found to be " missing" under the fol-
lowing circumstances :—A gentleman, professing Protes-
tant, but liberal opinions, alloyed his lady to form an
acquaintance with the said priest. The result was, first,
her conversion to Popery, and then, by the facilities
offered by the confessional, her corruption, and a breach
Of the seventh commandment.—Morning Herald.