The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-12-05 00:00:00

ITATION TO UNITED PRAYER,

CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SIR,—In an answer " To Correspondents " of your
journal of last Tuesday, allusion is made to a letter signed
" A Member of the Church of England," urging the duty
of giving expression to a feeling of Christian sympathy
for the present very critical position of Dr. Kalb!. now a
prisoner " for conscience sake" in the Island of Madeira.
In order, therefore, to elicit more direct attention to the
humane suggestions of your correspondent, and for the
purpose, if need so require, of stimulating the public mind
to an immediate and cordial response thereto, it may not
perhaps prove unseasonable to cite the few following re-
marks, relative to the ♦ery valuable exertions already
made by that truly excellent Christian- philanthropist, as
copied from the observations of one who, only three
years ago, visited that remote clime, and who had the
pleasure of a personal introduction to the worthy doctor
himself:—
" That mild spirit of religious toleration, exhibited by
the ecclesiastical authorities of the Romish Church, has
given encouragement to the friends and supporters of
scriptural education in Madeira; and one happy conse-
quence resulting therefrom is, that during the period of
not more than three years, upwards of 500 copies of the
Bible, of our own ♦ersion, without note or comment,
have found their way into the various habitations of the
Roman Catholic community, and especially so among the
poor. This large distribution of a treasure so truly pre-
cious, cannot be made in vain ; and although, when such
books were first being circulated by a worthy gentleman
(whose name and labours I shall mention in the sequel),
the ecclesiastical heads took alarm at such unlooked-for
proceedings, and forthwith instituted a special inquiry
into the objects contemplated by the individual Scripture
propagator,—suspecting, however, that no ♦ery great
harm could result, so long as they themselves were dili-
gently vigilant, the excitement thus caused soon after-
wards subsided, and so the respected party was again
allowed to enjoy the free exercise of his profession un-
molested, and consequently unsuspected by any.
" The worthy individual above alluded to is a Dr.
Kally, a native of Scotland, and by profession a physi-
cian, who, on his way to Madeira, procured his diploma
at Lisbon, with the usual license to practise among the
Portuguese immediately on his arriving at that remote
colony of the great Atlantic. The doctor's knowledge of
physics, coupled with long practical experience in skilful
surgery, soon procured for himself a name worthy of
high commendation among the resident poor of the
island, and especially so as medical relief was sought and
obtained by them.without any pecuniary award, save the
warm and cordial response of a truly grateful heart.
" This worthy and benevolent gentleman, however,
does not content himself with merely administering to
the physical necessities of the indigent poor, but, along
with that, he is also carefully anxious that their spiritual
interests should likewise he deeply consulted ; and this
he does with a fervency and zeal, which never fails to
characterise the labours of a truly disinterested philan-
thropist. Bountiful in dispensing medicine for the body,
' without money and without price,' he at the same time
deals out with a liberal hand, as opportunity oilers (and
he is always in season to the native poor of the island),
the bread of eternal life. Himself an accomplished scho-
lar, and versed in the language of the Portuguese, Sab-
bath after Sabbath, and often during the week, is his
little chapel actually besieged with anxious hearers, who,
although as from necessity they are compelled to attend
mass and confession, as enjoined by their own church,
are nevertheless seeking instruction, and deriving edifica-
tion, under the valuable and sound scriptural ministra-
tions of the doctor himself. In addition to his almost
constant practice of Bible exposition and prayer, he has
also established several school-houses in the island ; and
in these the pupils, consisting of both children and adults,
are instructed in the first and simplest rudiments of secu-
lar learning,—based upon the same principles as our own
church practice, by allowing the Divine Scriptures, with-
out note or comment, to occupy a first and chief place in
all his educational schemes. As I have before remarked,
his professional advice and medicine are both uratuities
to the poor, than which nothing appears to tell more
powerfully or persuasively on the mind and natural feel-
ings of the indigent Madeiranese, a very prominent fea-
ture in their character being the procuring of the requi-
sites of life at the cheapest possible rate."*
Thus much touching the philanthropic labours of Dr.
Kally, whose critical and perilous situation in Madeira
loudly calls for our cordial and united sympathies ; and,
to repeat what so recently appeared in one of the London
journals in reference to the same momentous question,
" unless his release be speedily and imperatively de-
manded by the British Government, in all probability the
doctor may he transferred to some more remote place of
confinement, where he may never more be heard of."
I am, &c.,
29th, 1843

* Vide " Reminiscences of Madeira." 1641

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Ma. EDITOR,—An old proverb says, " What is every-
body's business is nobody's business." Now, as 1 hap-
pen to belong to the Nobody tribe, I shall be obliged by
your inserting, in your valuable pajtkr, the few following
Somethings, which, though wri",Mi, by Nobody, deserve
more or less the attention of -rAt'yb'ody. I aaa a plain
man, Mr. Editor, and make a rena.ark or ask a question
Las things occur to me.
ast Sunday forenoon week, i.e. the 19th of this in-
stant November, I was at my usual place of worship,
attentively listening to a good Gospel sermon, when tho
minister and congrezation were, us is often the case,
greatly annoyed by the progress of a herd of swine
through the street. The bipeds and quadrupeds seemed
to vie with each other which should produce the greatest
number of discordant notes. I must, however, do justice
to these objects of Jewish aversion, by declaring I did not
hear a single oath from any one of them : so the hog is
more moral than the hobgoblin that drives him".—Apro-
pos, Mr. Editor: there was a great to-do, not very long
ago, with the Railway Company about Sunday travelling!
Be pleased, worthy sir, in your next week's publication
to inform the ladies and gentlemen and public of Liver-
pool, if you happen to be acquainted with any respectable
office where ladies and gentlemen can insure their shins
against damage from the very numerous wheelbarrows
which are constantly perambulating the flags put down
for the pedestrian's convenience.—Query : Who pays for
putting down these flags and keeping these footways in
repair? Not the body corporate, I calculate?
I conclude it would be construed into an infringement
of " the liberty of the subject," if people were prevented
from setting their own chimneys on fire, to save the ex-
pense of sweeping. Smothering tt

trifling consideration ; and if a shilling can be saved,
never mind a house, or even a street, being destroyed ;
and, moreover, let this benefit be recollected—it may
help to keep the firemen in practice;, and the engines from
getting out of order. _ _

I am quite ashamed for being so troublesome, but can
you, Mr. Editor, afford me information as to the pre-
miums given by painters, whitewashers, and broom-ma-
kers, to the chimney-sweeps, for emptying their soot-
sacks, and then well shaking them in the open streets,
when the dining and drawing-room windows are so invi-
tingly open to catch the morning breeze ?
Law is very far from being a cheap commodity.
Through you, my worthy friend, I may ask a counsellor
a question without inclosing a fee. If a carpenter's bas-
ket of tools, slung across his shoulder, should chance to

have a saw projecting some ten or fourteen inches, the
teeth of which come in contact with the pretty face of a
belle, or the moustaches of a beau, and destroy their
beauty, might a deodand he levied on the teeth of the saw ?
Or should one of the huge sharp-edged iron shovels used
for unloading salt and other purposes, and carelessly car-

_
vied on Pat's shoulders from place to place, just happen
to dislodge a few teeth from the mouth of a passer-by,
could any reward be claimed for a discovery of a preven-
tive of the tooth-ache ? It just occurs to me that I have
observed of late a considerable addition to the number of
dentists. I hope there is no league, but of late we hear
so mach of the Bread League, I am rather alarmed.
_ .

" I hope I don't intrude" beyond pardon on your pa-
tience, but I have a great curiosity to ascertain correctly
whether any serious apprehensions are really entertained
by the gentlemen of our Police•court, and indeed by the
police body generally, that in consequence of the efforts
making for the education of the rising generation, and the
moral amendment of the town, their services will not be
much longer required. Such things have been surmised
as possible, and it is presumed that to prevent so serious
an injury to such a number of persons and their families,
and to avert so serious a calamity as the suppression of
juvenile delinquency, St. John's Market is patronised as
a nursery, or rather training-ground, for juvenile practi-
tioners of both sexes, and contributions received weekly,
especially and invariably on Saturdays, from the pockets
•f ladies and gentlemen.

And now, my patient friend, I think I must say fare-
well for the present. How shall I requite your kindness?
By the way, are you fond of segars? Be sure let me
know, as there are some good ones to be got in Dale-
street, and the owners pay neither rent nor taxes. I was
surprised, till let into the secret, how these sailor-like-
looking men durst accost persons in the street, and offer
them smuggled segars and tobacco, and such a number of
them, and in the very teeth of the police; but I find the
town is in delicate health, smoking keeps off many com-
plaints, and so the commissioners of excise and the me-
dical practitioners are trying an experiment—if of benefit
to the people, I say never mind the Queen's pocket.
Yours, faithfully, EPSILON.
Nov. 30th, 1843.