The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-09-24 00:00:00

FLEETWOOD-ON-N1 YRE REGATTA.

Considering the short notice, this regatta came very
yell off, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 25th and 26th
nst. The yacht race did not take place until the latter
lay, but was advertised for the one previous. On Thurs-
' lay morning, as the day advanced, the sun was bright
ind beautiful, and gave to Lancaster Bay and surround-
ng mountain scenery a very beautiful appearance. There
vas a spanking breeze at E.N.E., which was considered
very favourable for the success of the largest yachts in-
mu:Nl to contend for the £25 cup. A time race was
ixed upon, 25 seconds per ton for a 20 mile race allowed
for difference of tonnage. The following yachts only ar-
rived, on account of the shortness of the notice, and cn-
'ered for the race :
Seagull, R. T. Y.C., 31 tons, H. Melling, Esq.
Mermaid, R. T. Y. C., 24 tons, J. Griudrod, Esq.
Ivanhoe, 8 tons, Webb, Esq.
The course was from the station vessel, off the Town,
round the screw-pile lighthouse, at the foot of Wyre, 2i
miles off, and from thence to a vessel moored about seven
miles at sea, off Lancastr Bay, and back again to the station
vessel. The yachts started by signal, a gun fired a little
after one, P.M. The Ivanhoe started first, the Mer-
maid six minutes and forty seconds afterwards, and the
Seagull should have started at two minutes fifty-five se-
conds after, but on account of the flood-tide catching her
how at the time, and giving her a strong cant the wrong
way, and causing her side to be driven strongly against
the mooring buoy to which she was fastened ; it held her
firmly, and it was some time before her crew could get
her on the right tack again. By this accident, she had a
false start of two minutes forty-five seconds; but on get-
ting fairly away, she set off at a spanking rate after her
opponents, and by the time she arrived at the Screw-pile
lighthouse, she gained nearly two minutes on the Mer-
maid. Shortly afterwards the Mermaid overhauled the
Ivanhoe, and left all chance of her success out of the
question. The Seagull carried her large topsail to make
up for her lost time, and it did its duty, and brought her
up to the Mermaid by the time the yachts arrived at the
seaward distance mark. The yachts had hitherto been
running off the wind with flowing sheets. The Mermaid
about this time changed her gib, for a smaller one, to bt-
ready for hauling on a wind on rounding the vessel
moored off the bay, to be rounded previous to turning
back again. The breeze was very fresh the whole day,
but occasionally lulled, and the crew of the Seagull in-
tended to have taken in their topsail in rounding, and
setting a smaller one. The Ivanhoe carried away her
masthead, but, notwithstanding this misfortune, she had
not the slightest chance of running with her formidable
antagonists, with the breeze and sea that was in the bay.
The Mermaid rounded the windward mark one minute
before the Seagull, the latter yacht having gained nearly
five minutes in this run outwards. _ _

The Mermaid is a fine weatherly little vessel of her
tonnage—and, from her being nicely adjusted in her sails,
in hauling on the wind, she kt pt her place well, and
gained on the Seagull on a long windward tack up the
bay. The crew of the Seagull deemed it advisable not to
change her topsail on rounding, as was contemplated, on
account of the wind moderating ; but the wind freshening
again, it was too much for her, and (awed her to fall to
leeward, and being on the wrong tack could not be taken
off her.

On running up Wyre again to the station vessel, the
Seagull gained on the Mermaid, but the topmast which
had hitherto carried her large topsail so gallantly,
gave way, and fell to leeward. The Mermaid came in
the winning vessel two minutes and some few seconds,
and, but for the false start of the Seagull, would have
won the cup by about 25 seconds.
The silver salver, of £l5 value, was contested for by
three beautiful gigs, and was won, we believe, by the
Lancaster crew. Other races took place in the course of
the day for minor prizes, and gave much amusement.
There was a regatta dinner at the Crown Hotel, Sir Hes-
heth Fleetwood, M.P., in the chair; and a bail, at the
North Euston, finished the week's amusement.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL SOCIETY.

The Rev. Hugh M'Neile preached a charity sermon,
o❑ Sunday morning, at St. Jude's church, in aid of the
Church of England School Society. upon the merits and
origin of which he enla, ged at some length. He reminded
bis hearers that it was established in consequence of the
municipal authorities of the town having introduced the
Irish system of education into the Corporation school;
and persevered with a continuance of that system, despite
the remonstrances and entreaties of the Protestant portion
of the community. It was, he said, under such circum-
stances that himself and others of the clergy had felt it
their bounden duty to come forward and expose its hol-
lowness and call upon the Christian public to establish
schools in which the unrestricted use of the/word of God
should be recognized as the distinguishing characteristic.
Had the Irish system been introduced into seminaries for
the education of the children of the wealthy and influential
classes of society the clergy would not have interfered,
because they considered those classes fully competent to
form a judgment as to the so. t of instruction, temporal and
spiritual, e hie') it was desirable that their offspring should
receive; but, when that system had been introduced into
schools for the education of the children of the poor, it
became the manifest duty of the clergy to put the public
on their guard. The consequence was, that, though they
failed in producing any effect upon the municipal body,
they succeeded in arousing the town to a sense of the
danger, and, as the result, the Church of England School
Society was established. In the outset those schools
were most liberally supported ; but now they were de-
manding efficient aid, He regretted to think that they
were not upheld, at present, with the same generous hat :d
as at the outset of their career. Some of the original
subscribers had fallen asleep ;" their successors had, rot
considered it their duty to continue the annual subscrip-
tions; the church subscriptions, which originally amounted
to £550, had, last year, fallen to £290; and, notwith-
standing theexpressed wishes of the rectors and committee,
some of the local clergy (why, he knew not, they best
knew themselves) would not, he believed, make any
collections in their churches for the institution in the
present year. In all there were twelve schools in con-
nection with the Society, and the average attendance
was 1,880 children. He earnestly hoped that failure in
the end would not ensue : if it did, it would cover the
original promoters of the scheme with disgrace, as far as
failure could do so. He called upon the Protestant public
of Liverpool to remember, that this institution was the
banner under which the battle for scriptural education was
fought and won; that this was the Ebenezer they had
set up; that this was the column they had erected; and
that to sustain this banner, to maintain this Ebenezer,
and to repair this column was their bounden, their in-
cumbent duty. The collection, at the close of the ser-
mon, amounted to £53 18s. Charles Kemble, Esq., was
amongst the audience.