The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-11-27 00:00:00

SALE OF THE CHURCHES.

There appears to be a singular delusion in the public mind
with respect to the clause in the municipal reform act, which
directs the sale of advowsons. It seems to be imagined that
the church itself, pews and all, is to be sold. Nothing can be
more erroneous. The churches with their pews and pew rents,
their churchyards, and all belonging to them, will still belong
to the new corporations. Nothing will be sold but the right of
presentation; that is, the right of appointing clergymen to the
livings. Thus the pews and pew rents of St. George's Church
will still belong to the new corporation. The next clergyman,
however, will not be appointed by that body, but by some pri-
vate speculator, who will have the right of presenting a clerk to
the splendid income of fifty pounds a-year.
Pluralities in the church, we have been told, are the foulest
blots upon the establishment. These will generally be found to
have arisen from the great extent of patronage in lay hands,
and from. the extraordinary and unnatural propensity of the
holders of that patronage to bestow the whole of it upon their
direct or collateral descendants, in preference to strangers un-
connected by any tie of friendship or consanguinity. The sale
to laymen of all the church patronage at present vested in the
old municipal corporations, is undoubtedly calculated to lessen
this evil. The new corporation of this or any other town may
create a new church patronage by building churches where they
are wanted, and it is to be hoped that some of them will do so.

CONCERT AT THE TEMPLARS' HALL.-NEW

MUSICAL INSTITUTION.

To a stranger who may chance to visit the public institutions
of Liverpool it must be a matter of great surprise to find, that
there is not among them a single building capable of containing
any considerable number of persons who may be desirous of
congregating together either for the consideration of public busi-
ness, for the celebration of any public event, or for the enjoy-
ment of some extraordinary public amusement. Still more
surprised will the stranger feel ►when told, that there is not a
room in Liverpool of sufficient dimensions to dine more than
five or six hundred persons, and that while we are founding in-
stitutions for the encouragement of almost every other branch
of the arts and sciences, we have totally and unaccountably
overlooked that of music. This, at first sight, would argue that
the ears of the-principal inhabitants of our town are not influ-
enced by the " harmonious concord of sweet sounds ;" and yet
this would be a false assumption, for we possess almost a super-
abundant quantity of musical talent and musical taste us is
proved by a reference to the success of the late musical festival,
of the Italian opera, and of almost every public musical enter-
tainment possessing the slightest pretensions to general notice.
Why the musical talent of the town has not been more gene-
rously patronized—why it has so long been permitted to languish
—it is not our present intention to inqui►e, as we have a more
agreeable duty to perform, namely, that of announcing that an
attempt is now making to create an institution exclusively de-
voted to the promotion of the science of music, which we hope
the leading men of all parties will come forward and support
upon a liberal scale, so that Liverpool may no longer in this
respect sink in comparison with Manchester, Birmingham,
Leeds, York, and other places of infinitely less importance,
whether we regard the opulence, the intelligence, or the refine-
ment of their inhabitants.

On Tuesday evening Mr. Richard William Bateson, of St.
Anne-street, gave a private dress concert at the Templars'-hall.
The party consisted of about three hundred ladies and gentle-
men, comprising the families of the most influential inhabitants
of Livestpool and its vicinity. These were very properly in-
vited without reference to party in politics or sect in religion;
and, indeed, they appeared as if they had forgotten that any
differences of opinion had ever existed between them. We se-
lect a feiv names of those present, just as they occur to our re-
collection...We saw iu the room the Mayor, Mr. Jas. Brancker,

the Rev. Augustus Campbell and family, accompanied by his
brother, Sir John Campbell, Mr. Thornely, M.P., for Wolver-
hampton, Mr. Alderman Wright and family, Mr. James Raw-
don, and others, a repetition of whose names would be useless,
if not impertinent.

Of the concert, as it was professedly private, and given ex'
pressly for the purpose of collecting together the greatest possi-
ble portion of the musical talent of the tow; and the greatest
possible number of the admirers of music, our notice will nem=
sarily be very brief. We shall, therefore, content ourselves with
observing that the madrigal, "Down in a flowery vale," by
Miss Leach, Messrs. Ball, Boothby, and Andrews," was beau-
tifully executed and loudly encored; that Mr. Brown's fantasia
on the flute was deservedly applauded, and that the whole of the
performances did infinite credit to the good taste anti sound
judgment of Mr. George Holden, the conductor, and to the
skill of the professional and amateur musicians who took part
in the several compositions performed during the evening.
At the close of the first past of the concert, and after the com-
pany had partaken of the refreshments liberally provided in the
ante-rooms, Mr. Richard Bateson prOceeded to call the atten-
tion of his guests to the more important business which he had
assembled them together for the purpose of submitting to their
consideration. He spoke as follows : _
Ladies and Gentlemen,—

In performing the proinise which I have made to many of my
friends at different periods, and in redeeming the pledge which
I have publicly given, to bring before my guests this night a
scheme for establishing a musical institution, in order to give
encouragement not only to the professional talent of our town,
but also to the advancement of musical science, I feel that I
shall require more than an ordinary share of your indulgence;—
that indulgence which has been granted to me by many of you
at former periods;—which has been granted to me by strangers
will not, lam sure, be, withheld from me by friends. But when
I refltet upon the weight and importance of the institution, for
which I appear before you as the advocate, and upon the anxiety
felt in various societies respecting this subject,—when I reflect
upon the difficulties which others, though far more able and ex-
perienced than myself, have undergone in their laudable en-
deavours to promote a similar object, the more arduous do I feel
my present situation, although 1 may have occasionally advo-
cated the claims of some particular classes of icy fellow-towns-
men, and occasionally and accidentally too played a part. in the
stormy arena of political warfare, but at such periods, although
expressing sentiments in opposition to those of many valued
friends, I- have ever received from them that consideration
which is granted by-men of education to those in a similar sta-
tion
in society who act openly and honestly though upon prin.
eiples contrary to their own. Great as has been my regret to
have differed in opinion with so many friends at such periods,
the greater now is my satisfaction in appearing- befor, all par-
ties coueurring and appreving of that principle which I have
the pleithute to introduce; all anxious to see it, at least the
leading features of it, carried into effect with zeal and unani-
mity, and more particularly to bind that so distinguished a com-
pany as I have the honour to entertain hare, by their presence
this night, approved of my neve' undertaking. A few months
ago I promised several ladies of my acquaintance to give a
musical`party, as it-was my wish to see music more publicly in-
troduced into society, and the announcement of my intention
met with general approval. If now they exert that powerful
influence they possess in forwarding this undertaking, and fa-
vour me with their smiles for my endeavours, I shall feel amply
rewarded, for, as one of our poets has so beautifully observed—
" Without the smile from partial beauty won,
Oh, what were man world without a sun."

It occurred to me that this private concert might serve to pro-
mote a public object, and further the design, so much to be de-
sired, of constructing a public musical club. This present con-
cert being a novel and entirely an original idea. Before I
proceeded- with the undertaking 1 named it to several of my
friends, who feel an interest in music, and the scheme met with
their approbation, and I was urged to proceed with it as the
best means of bringing about an end so much to be•desired. 1
next. mentioned it to sonic of shy friends of the musical profes-
sion, who all evinced a warm anxiety upon the subject, and the
handsome manner in which they have come forward this even-
ing proves to you the interest they feel in the success of the
undertaking ; but those present form only a small portion
of the musical talent of Liverpool; many eminent instrumental
performers Would in the same manner have been glad to have
come forward, but I conceived an orchestra unnecessary on this
evening,, and contented myself with the selection I have
made, and I can only hope it has met with your approval.
I will now take a review of the position of musical science in
Liverpool for some years paSt, from which I can show thati al-
though much cultivated in private society, still public spirit in
that department has retrograded rather than advanced. In
the commencement of the present century it will be in the re-
collection of some of my friends that there were regular winter
subscription concerts, which received a very fait share of sup-
port; the subscription was some two or three guineas per an-
num, for about eight concerts, and they were managed by a
committee of gentlemen. In addition to the Liverpool talent
they had the assistance of one or two London stars occasionally ;
these concerts, as far as I can learn, gave general satisfaction ;
they were superseded by Mt: Wilson's concerts upon his taking
the Mdsi6 f-yl,. and Olt effect produced, in the best days of Mrs.
13illingfA14. Ntiin lean, Braham, Cataloni, Mrs. Salmon, and
other liegers; in that eicellent room, can never be
effaeed 6E4! 84 reeolleetion of many who had the Odd fortune
to with'eg his a well known fact that, notwithstanding the
lreat eiertiBrts which Mr. Wilson made, he w:is a great
oses' in the end, although hi, received a considerable degree of
eti6ddt4e'riient and patronage from tire Liverpool public. At