The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-11 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Worcester Episcopal Floating Chapel is frequented
by many who before it was opened never attended any
place of worship. instances have occu•red of boatmen
resting at Worcester on Sundays on purpose to join the
congregation at the floating chapel, and on Monday morn-
mg starting at three o'clock to complete their voyage in
time. It has been observed that swearing and drunken-
ness have diminished among these men since the opening
of this chapel ; but Sunday traffic presents a continual
hindrance to the progress of their improvement, and is
productive of the worst consequences. Some of the na-
vigators employed at Diglis have lately been among the
attendants at this place of worship, to which they have
been encouraged by their superiors. Messrs. Grissell
and Peto have liberally presented a donation of £lO to
the funds of the floating chapel.— Worcester Journal.
THE ComArtns' STRIKE.—There seems now a pros-
pect of the colliers resuming work within a very short
period, though, we believe, on much worse terms than
they were employed prior to the strike. Many fresh men
have been brought into the district, and a considerable
number of the pitmen have abandoned the union, which
they now see has been promoted by two or three indi-
viduals for their own emolument solely. At Hetton Pits
upwards of a hundred men and boys are employed under-
ground, a considerable portion of whom are old pitmen,
who have seceded from the union, and some of them have
earned six shillings and elevenpence per day each, of six
hours working, and many others upwards of five shillings.
One man, who bad never been a coal-hewer before, earned
five shillings and fivepence, on the second day in six hours,
and nn Thursday one man earned len shillings and ten-
pence halfpenny Upwards of ninety chaldrons are
being produced daily at the Hetton Pit.—Newcastle
Journal.

CHARACTERS IN " CONINGSBY."—In noticing Mr.
D'lsraeli's new work, " Coningsby," the Morning Post
observes :—" It must not be supposed that in selecting
personages for his romance, the author has gathered simply
from the stores of his imagination. The leading persons
are full length portraits from actual life. No one can fail
to recognise the amiable, philantrophic Lord Henry ; nor
the easy, sagacious, gentlemanly, Lord Eskdale ; nor the
hearty, open, impetuous Buckhurst ; nor the good-
natured, affectionate Millbank. These are characters
that will be assigned to the respective owners instantly,
and may be appropriated with honour. But then, there
are other—Rigby, the shallow, party scribbler—the doer
of dirty work, and the toady of the rich and profligee
Marquis of Monmouth. Tadpole and Taper, the small
hacks of the Carlton Club, working through thick and
thin for small place; the Marquis of Monmouth himself
—requiescot in pace—who will be hardy enough to point
out the originals of these portraits? And yet, we could
lay our fingers on the very men—and so the reader will be
able to do ere he has perused the second volume. The
original of Lucian Gay every one will recognise. In
deciding who sat for Coningsby himself, or for that greater
Jew than Rothschild, the enormously rich and surprisingly
accomplished Sidonia, we find greater difficulty, though,
sooth to say, we have our suspicions as to the men in-
tended. Who sat for the portraits of Madame Colonna
and the Princess Lucretia, we dare not say; but no one
who studies them can deny that they are drawn with a
master hand." •

MEASHAM.—On Monday morning, the 28th instant.
the principle inhabitants of this village assembled in the
spacious School-rooms to witness the presentation of a
testimonial of respect and esteem to their late incumbent,
the Rev. J. C. Moore, A.M., now Archdeacon of the Isle
of Man, and Rector of Andreas. It consisted of a neat
and elegant breakfast service of silver, and a small, but
chaste and beautiful salver of the same metal. W. W.
Abney, Esq. of Measham-hall. (who was accompanied
by Mrs. Abney and Lord Berriedale,) being requested to
present these memorials to the Archdeacon, in compli-
ance, addressed him in suitable terms, expressive of the
regard and-esteem in which the reverend gentleman was
held by his parishioners of every sect and station. The
inscription on the breakfast service is as follows :
" Presented to the Rev. Joseph Christian Moore, by his
friends and parishioners, as a token of their affectionate
regard for him, and of gratitude for his unwearied labours
during she period of sixteen years at Measham." That
upon the salver is to this effect :—" Presented to the
Venerable Archdeacon Moore, as an expression of
grateful affection and respect by the teachers and children
of the Sunday and Daily Schools, who " esteem him very
highly in love for his works' sake. ' 1 Thess. sth chap.
13th verse." The Archdeacon who appeared to feel
very sensibly the public demonstration of affection and
respect from the people with whom he has been connected
for so many years, and from whom he is now about to de-
part, having expressed in a short address., his thanks and
gratification, his affectionate regard for the inhabitants of
Measham, and his earnest wishes for their spiritual good,
the assembly separated, regret for the approaching depar-
ture of their beloved pastor being the predominant feeling,
and long will they cherish a grateful remembrance of
" his work of faith, and labour of love, amongst them."
INTERESTING FACTS IN CHINESE RELIGIOUS His-
TORY.—There are some remarkable facts connected with
the history of religion in China which certainjy give the
greatest encouragement to the hopes that may be enter-
tained with regard to the diffusion of true religion. It is
incontestable that the earliest emperors, from the time of
Fou•hi to the reign of Yam-wam, worshipped only one
God—for 2,000 years during the reigns of eighty emperors
no idols or statues were seen in China—then sacrifices
were performed on mountains, like what is recorded of
Abraham, who went up into the mountain to offer up
Isaac. The moral doctrines of Confucius are in accord-
ance with the purest spirit of Christianity, and he reve-
renced only one all-ruling origin of all things. It is also
remarkable that the Chinese themselves fondly comme-
morate that he was haunted during the whole of his life
with a presentiment that some saint of higher purity than
he could pretend to from his mortality, was to come into
the world in the regions of the west. Lea-koa, a contem-
porary, although he preached a much more corrupt doc-
trine, and is the author of many of the superstitions which
still oppress China, was accustomed to repeat that "eter-
nal reason produced one, one produced two, two pro-
duced three, and three produced all things ;" a mysterious
saying which the early missionaries not unreasonably con-
sidered as the results of a dim presentiment of the Holy
Trinity. The worship of the idol Fo was introduced
through misapprehension. About sixty years after the
birth of Christ the Emperor Mem-ti, who it would seem
had heard some rumours of a saint having in conformity
with the predictions or prescience of Confucius arrived in
the west, sent ambassadors in that direction with strict
orders to continue their journey till they should meet the
saint whom Heaven had acquainted them with. Accord-
ing to tradition St. Thomas was then preaching in the In-
dies, but on the first land they came to the Chinese emis-
saries found the natives worshipping the idol Fo, and him
they brought back to China as the object of their search—
but the belief in him has always been, and still is, con-
fined to the vulgar—the literati still adhering to the sim-
ple and more Scriptural doctrines of Confucius. The
Christian missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries pro-
secuted their labours with no ordinary success—more than
one emperor and many of the female branches of the im-
perial dynasty which was overturned by the Tartar inva-
sion did all but openly profess Christianity. Kang-hi, the
second emperor, of the Tartar dynasty, who reigned 60
years from 1662 to 1722, and was the greatest monarch
who ever ruled that country, himself honoured the mis-
sionaries, supported their churches, and honoured one of
them with an inscription from his own hand. He seemed
indeed almost on the point of confessing himself a con-
vert. In conversation with Father Verbiest he uttered
these remarkable words :—" Your law is hard ; but what-
ever difficulty I might have to
. undergo, I would not hesi-
tate one moment to embrace were I convinced of its
truth. Were I once a Christian, lam fully well satisfied
that the whole empire would in two or three years become
Christian also; for I am the father of my subjects, and
my children would follow my example."—Pidding's Olio.

GUANO A PRESERVATIVE OF FLOWERS.—Those who
are lovers of flowers, and delight in having them con-
stantly in their rooms, may continue to keep thim fresh
for a very considerable time, by putting into the water a
pinch of Peruvian Guano, which is rendered immediately
soluble and taken up by the cuttings.—Correspondent of
Gardener's Chronicle.

BEAUTIFUL LITTLE ALLEGORY.—A humming-bird
once met a butterfly, and being pleased with the beauty of
its person and glory of its wings, made an offer of perpe-
tual friendship. " I cannot think of it," was the reply,
"as you once spurned me, and called me a drawling dolt."
" Impossible," exclaimed the humming-bird, " I always
entertained the highest respect for such beautiful creatures
as you." " Perhaps you do now," said the other, " but
when you insulted me I was a caterpillar. So let me give
you this piece of advice—Never insult the humble, as they
may one day become your superiors."
A ROYAL LEVEE IN THE EAST. —At three p.m.
Maule and I. mounted on an elephant, proceeded a short
distance from camp (Peshawar) to meet and conduct the
Shah-zada Hashim to his noble relative. We had not got
far beyond its confines, when a cloud of dust announced
his approach, and, on his coming 11.1: we salaamed, and
expressed our gratification at his visit, Maule being the
interpreter. The prince showed but few traits of his
royal birth, being a mean looking old fellow, clothed in a
shabby shawl dress, and surrounded by a set of ragamuf-
fins by way of attendants ; and, whether the heat was too
overpowering for his royal highness, or whether he was
overcome by the novelty of the scene, or the thunder of
the cannonade announcing his arrival, is unknown, but
his handkerchief was seen to be in constant requisition
to remove the perspiration that bedewed his wrinkled
forehead, and even streamed down the furrows of his
cheeks. At the entrance to the durbar, his elephant, of
course, had precedence of ours, and, on his alighting from
it and passing through the kanauts that enclosed the tent,
a rush was immediately made by the rabble to procure ad-
mittance with him, which effectually excluded us. Before
a sufficient clearance could be completed to permit our
ingress, the meeting of the Prince Hashim with his ne-
phew, the most interesting part of the scene, had con-
cluded, and, when we entered, we found the former seated
by the side of the Shah-zada Timour, on the guddee,
which had been brought to the front of the tent, so as to
face the semiana. The latter prince offered us chairs,
which we declined, as we thought he would prefer to be
alone with his relative, and we therefore walked up and
down the area enclosed by the kanauts. Within these
limits, those only who belonged to the royal tribe of
Douranee were allowed to enter; and each individual,
as he came within sight of Shah-zada, offered up a prayer
for his welfare, and then ranged himself in line along
the extremity of the semiana; in this manner forming an
avenue from the entrance to the dubar tent. Thus placed,
the people stood with their bands folded, and their eyes
cast on the ground, agreeably to the custom of the Per-
sians and Affghans when in the presence of royalty ; but,
occasionally, I detected a fellow taking a side glance at
his prince when he thought he could do so unobserved,
and one or two even went so far as to smile ; these excep-
tions were, however, few, the rest preserving an almost
immovable stillness. The Wuzeer Moolla Shukore and
the two attendants who had waited on the present occa-
sion, and admitted the select few, allowed to remain in
the presence of the son of their future sovereign ; of
these, scarcely any were otherwise than meanly attired,
and their dress, in general, bespoke a close alliance with
poverty.—Lieutenant Barr's Cabul and the Punjab.
HUNTING IN CALCUTTA.—Hunting, properly so called,
on the footing of fox-hunting in England, is, though a
complete extoic in the East, extensively pursued through-
out Bengal. Every large station, whether in Bengal itself
or in the Upper Provinces, usually boasts its pack of
hounds. To the " Calcutta Hunt, " however, the palm of
superiority has been awarded, both from the better adap-
tion of the country of Calcutta for hunting, and the style
in which the hunting club is maintained. The hunting
itself has existed since the year 1820, and is composed and
managed, like the turf, exclusively by amateurs. The
kennels, situated at Alipore, the southern suburb of Cal-
cutta, both in convenience, extent, and appea:ance,
might vie with the best in the mother-country : thirty
couples of hounds. selected from the drafts of the best
kennels in England, are annually imported at a cost of
200 to 250 rupees (£2O to £25 per couple ;) the manage-
ment is vested in a committee of three gentlemen, with the
adjuncts of huntsman, a gentleman selected from the club,
and secretary. The hunting season commences in No-
vember, and is considered to end in April : but, during
the first month of the rainy season, June, the pack regularly
meet. It would surprise the denizens of the chase in
England, who proceed leisurely to the eleven o'clock meet,
to hear that the brethren in the East conclude their day's
sport ere theirs begun. Such, however, is the fact : the
chase-loving Anglo-Indian rises by candlelight, drives
himself to cover, either at Dum Dum or at Gowripore, a
distance of eight or nine miles, where the hounds having
also performed their journey on a spring van, throw off at
sunrise, half-past five, and probably finish their second
jackal by nine o'clock, returning home to breakfast by
ten. The substitute for the English fox is the jackal—
and when fairly put to a stretch nowise inferior in speed ;
his nature too is similar, as he partakes of the love of poultry
so strongly displayed in his English prototype. The
country, technically so called, consists of plains or generally
cultivated gardens, raised to avoid the inundations conse-
quent in the rainy season ; jungles of bamboos densely
planted, on which the Indian village is situated, and which
require no small skill on the part of the rider to hounds to
thread when going the pace. The fences chiefly comprise
banks or rather mud-wall, a kind of raised embankment
usually three or four feet high, with large ditches on either
side,—being the boundaries of the respective gardens,—or
bamboo-rails about the height of an English sheep-hurdle ;
and almost the only drawback to Eastern hunting is the
frequency of patches of jungle which occasion either a
check or a change of jackal ; the difficulties of pushing the
jackal through the villages, unless the hounds be close at
his brush, frequently mar the best prospects of a run.
Horses of all descriptions make their appearance at the
course side, from the little wiry Arab to the imported hun-
ter ; and it is frequently found That the former is better
adapted to a country where the ground is occasionally of
the consistency of baked bricks, than the latter, whose
feet are never made to be battered ; for this reason, the
light weights generally have the hest of it, than those of
the little Arab which carries hien over ditches large enough
to engulf himself, rider and all cannot be too much ad-
mired. The breeding of hounds, though attended with
much success on the hills, has been found quite impracti-
cable in Calcutta ; and indeed there would appear some-
thing in the climate inimical to the very constitution of the
English fox-hound, and it is with difficulty their lives were
preserved through the hot and rainy season, and it seldom
happens that out of the previous year's importation nine
or ten couples remain to greet their new brethren on their
arrival. That terrible scourge, the dil-i-baz, or palpitation
of the heart makes terrible havoc ; diseased liver is also
among the frequent curses of the kennel, insomuch that
those hounds, who may, by dint of the apothecary's shop,
bring their blue-pilled carcases to the cover side, after the
second season in India, never manifest the dash and eager-
ness by which the English fox-hound is so pre-eminently
distinguished.—Stoequeler's Hand-Book of India.