The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-05-13 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL NEWS,

The Rev. Josiah Downing, 8.A., has been appointed
to Hindley C., Wigan, Lancashire.
Sir John Dodson and the Attorney and Solicitor-Gene-
rals have given their opinion that the University Commis-
sion is " not in any respect illegal or unconstitutional."
No fewer than three churches in Gloucester, and within
a narrow circle around the city were consecrated last
week.

It was stated at the meeting of the Irish Church
Missions held on Friday, at Exeter Hall, that there had
been ten thousand converts from Popery in the diocese
of Tuam alone.

- The Rev. Joseph Esmond Riddle, M.A., of St. Edmund
Hall, Incumbent of St. Philip and St. James, Leckhamp-
ton, Gloucestershire, has been appointed to preach the
Bampton Lectures for the year 1852.
On Monday the Bishop of Manchester visited Lancas-
ter, for the purpose of consecrating a burial-ground at
Skerton. In the afternoon his lordship laid the first stone
of a new grammar-school at Lancaster, and was present
at a banquet given on the occasion, in the evening, by the
mayor.

The Bishop of Toronto has just published a letter to
Lord John Russell, urging the imperative necessity of
some better system of legislation and administration for
the Church in that colony. The bishop proposes, in the
first instance, to petition the Queen to grant her license
for the convoking a provincial synod of the three Canadian
dioceses ; and, if this be denied, he will then proceed to
inquire if a synod, merely diocesan, cannot be assembled.
The annual meeting the Trish Church Mission was-held
on Friday, at Exeter Hall, the Earl of Harrowby in the
h chair. The report of the committee for the past year
stated that they had been very successful in their opera-
tions among the Roman Catholics in Ireland. The re.
ceipts for the past year amounted to £6,284 ss. 4d., and
the balance at the commencement of the year was £1,709,
making nearly £B,OOO. The balance in hand for this-
year amounted to £1,210 10s.
THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTEIt.—Some further state-
ments having been published by the Rev. Mr. Alsop, re-
lative to the interview between himself and the Bishop of
Manchester, in which he imputed to his Lordship among
other vehemence of utterance, Mr. Harder, the Bishop's
secretary, has written to impeach the correctness of the
account given of the interview by, Mr. Alsop. Mr.
Dickinson, the parishioners' churchwarden of West
Houghton, has likewise published a letter supporting the
Bishop, in which he affirms that the congregation has,
during Mr. Alsop's incumbency " almost dwindled to no-
thin g."'and that if his dismissal depended upon a majority
of the parishioners, " he would in a very few hours have
notice to quit."

PER'7,I3RTS AND PROSPECTS.—Archdeacon Manning has
recently, taken the fatal step, and embraced the unnatural
mother he has so long been yearning after. Mr. Simeon,
M.P., has followed, and perfected what hehas long since
commenced—his course to Rome ; and report leads us to
expect that a long train will speedily follow the archdea-
con—perhaps, three hundred—perhaps, the whole eighteen
hundred who were seduced from their allegiance to the
Queen by, the insidious, and we believe, illegal lettter
and declaration circulated by Dr. Mill, and Archdeacons
Manning. and Wilberforce, some months ago. These
things are lamentable for them ; and, to some. they may
be nerplezing—dignitaries deserting their Church and
their Queen, and leading off a multitude of clergy after
them, like officerst traitorously passing over to the enemy
at the moment of attack. But let it not surprise or alarm
any one : it is what has been expected for some time.—
Church andSfate Gazette.
THE BISHOP OF EXETER'S " SYNODICAL •ACTION"
SCHEDIE.—On Monday, the Rev. John Rowe, Rector of
St. Mary Arches, convened a rural-decanal meeting to
discuss the propriety or otherwise of approving of the
bishop's scheme for bringing about synodical action.
Only fifteen clergymen out of thirty-seven in the-deanery
attended, and these were far from being unanimous. We
understand that one clergyman boldly protested against
the whole measure, and two or three expressed their de-
termination not again to attend a similar meeting.. It has
been suggested in influential quarters that a meeting of
the laity of the diocese will be requisite to take into con-
sideration these recent proceedings of the Bishop-of Exe-
ter which now occupy so much of the public attention.
Ihe eyes of the nation at large are turned towards the
county of Devon, in anxious expectation of its- adoption
of steps for the maintenance and vindication of that
great Protestant principle—the right of private judgment.
—Exeter Plying Post.
The Exeter diocesan synod will consist of nearly 200
persons, 62 of whom will be elected by the clergy.. The
other members will be the Very Rev. T. H. Lowe, the
Dean ; Rev. W. J. Phillpotts, M.A., the Precentor ; the
Chancellor of the church, the Rev. E. C. Harrington,
M.A.; the five Canons, the Venerable J. M. Stevens,
Archdeacon of Exeter; the Venerable R. M. Fronde,
M.A, Archdeacon of Totness ; the Venerable W. J.
Phillpotts, MIA., Archdeacon of Cornwall ; the Venera-
ble John Bartholomew, Archdeacon of Barnstaple ; th e
Sub-dean, the Bishop's Chaplains, atm 31 Rural Deans.
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY.—The annual meeting
of this society was held on Tuesday, at Exeter-hall, the
Earl of Chichester in the chair. The meeting was very
well attended,and on the platform were a large number of
nobility and gentry, among whom were Lord Glenelg, Sir
E. Buxton, Sir Robert Inglis, the Earl of Harrowby, &c.
The report gave very gratifying accounts of their successes
in Africa, India, and other places. The financial state-
rnent showed'a total income of £112,252, being an increase
of £7949- over last year. The total expenditure was
£1.04,634. In addition to the income stated above,
£15,000 Consols had been left by the late Miss Goodwin,
of Blackheath, to be applied to the support of the widows
and orphans of missionaries. The Earl of- Harrowby
moved the adoption of the report, and resolutions con-
veying the-thanks of the meeting to the Bishop of Ossory
and Ferns-for a sermon preached by him in support of the
society, and to the president, &c. of the society, and ap-
pointing: the committee for the ensuing year. He had
heard with pleasure mentioned in the report their supe-
riority in contributions over the Roman Catholic mis-
sions, but was sorry to hear there was a want of ministers.
He dwelt on the difference in the constitution between the
two churches, which gave to the Romish the advantage of
exercising an absolute power over the consciences and
actions of their adherents. But with this advantage the
Jesuits-were satisfied with a very low standard of conver-
sion, and were content if they could impose the sprinkling
of holy water or the cross under any circumstances. In
Thibet a French missionary found their idolatry and the
Romish worship were so similar, that be obtained his
symbols at the same shop, and thought that Buddhism
was the faint foreshadowing of Christianity in the east.
But'the Protestants did not possess these advantages, for
they did not appeal so much to outward forms. The
Bishop of Bombay drew a contrast between the present
state of the society and its position at its commencement.
In conclusion, he pointed out the necessity for increased:
liberality.

BRITISH ARD FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.--The forty-
seventh annual meeting of the friends of this society was
held on 'Wednesday, at Exeter Hall, Lord Ashley in the
chair. On the platform were the Earl of Harrowby, the
Marquis of Cholmondeley, the Bishop of Cashel, Mr.
Plumptre, ALP.. Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., Sir Thomas D.
Aeland, M.P., Mr. Samuel Guraey, and a number of dis-
tinguished clergymen, both native and foreign. Lord
Ashley, in addressing the meeting, urged upon them the
necessity of upholding, at the present time more than
ever, the principles of the Reformation, which were again
assailed by its ancient enem7. They ought to assert more
strongly than ever the right of private judgment,,and the
necessity of freely circulating the word of God among
those nations which were still ignorant of the light of the
gospel, or where those superstitions and practices, so re-
volting to the Protestant feelings of Englishmen, obtained.
The entire receipts of the year ending March 314 1851,
amounted :to £103,330 2s. Bd., being an increase of
£11,695 10s. ld. upon those of the year preceding. The
receipts, as applicable to the general purposes of the so-
ciety, amounted to 53,795 7s. 10d., including £33,896 as
free contributions from auxiliary societies.. The amount
received by the sale of Bibles and Testaments was £49534
14s. 10d. The issues of the society during the past year
had been as follow :.—From the depot at home 788,073
copies, and from the depot abroad 349,51t4 copies, giving
a total issue for the year of 1,137,617 copies, and a gene-
ral total of 24,24Z667 since the foundation of the society.
The expenditure of the year was £103,543 Ios. 10d., being
£6297 Ss. 10d. over that of the preceding pear. The so-
ciety still remained under FilOties to the extent of
£61,552 2s. The efforts of the society and its agents for
the promulgation of the scriptures continued unabated.
and the committee hoped that those efforts would be
found to have contributed in no mean degree in guarding
thousands against the pernicious influences of Roman
Catholicism, Rationa"sm' and religious indifference. The
meeting was afterwards addressed by Sir R. H. Inglis,
the Bishop of Cashel, the Ecrl of Harrowby, Dr. Duff, &c.

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

The extension of the Buckingham railway to Oxford
will be opened on Thursday.

The Eastern Counties Railway Company have con-
tracted to convert fifteen of the arches near the Shore-
ditch station into stables.

INCREASE OF TRAVIIC.—We find by the traffic returns
of the week ending May 4. that the London and North-
western Railway exhibits an increase over the previous
week of £5,250 ; the total receipts for the week being
£49,215, and of the preceding week £43,964. The Great
Western shows an increase of £1,950 over the preceding
week. The total receipts for the week ending May 4,
being £18,595, and for the preceding week, £16,647.
The number of passengers from Manchester to London
by the London and North-Western Railway, on the first
three days of la.t week, was as follows :—Monday, ;
Tuesday, 239 ; Wednesday. 270 ; which shows an increase
in the numbers as compared with the preceding week of,
Monday, 34 ; Tuesday, 171; Wednesday, 223. This re-
turn is exclusive of passengers booked through by the
night mail train. It is stated that 91 through passengers
went by the night mail, and that by the trains of that
day 53 private carriages were conveyed from Manchester
to London.

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.—On Saturday the usual half-
yearly document relative to railway accidents was printed
by order of the House of Commons. In the half-year
ending the 31st of December last there were 123 persons
killed, and 188 injured. Nine passengers were killed and
138 injured from causes beyond their own control; 11
passengers killed and 9 injured owing to their own mis.
conduct or want of caution ; 40 servants of companies or
of contractors killed and 11 injured, owing to their own
misconduct or want of caution ; 26 trespassers and other
persons, neither passengers nor servants of the company,
killed and 5 injured by crossing or walking on railways ;
one suicide. The number of passengers conveyed during
the half year amounted to 41,087,9191. The length of
railway open on the 30th of June last was 6.308 miles, and
on the 31st of December the length Was 6,621 miles, mak-
ing au increase of 313 miles.

SHREWSBURY AND CHESTER RAILWAY COMPANY.—
At the adjourned half-yearly meeting, held on Wednes-
day, at Dee's Royal Hotel, Birmingham, Mr. 0. Gore
presiding, Mr. Scott informed the chairman and directors
that at an adjourned special meeting, held that day, they
had affixed the seal of the company to an agreement with
the London and North-Western Company, and he now
begged leave to move a resolution sanctioning such agree-
ment. Mr. Tarratt seconded the motion. The Chairman
said he had been advised that the motion could not legally
be put, and he should therefore decline doing so. Mr.
Scott thereupon put the resolution himself, and it was car-
ried almost unanimously. Other resolutions, with respect
to the appointment of directors, &c., were then moved,
but the chairman refused to put them. They were, how-
ever, put to the vote by the movers and carried, and sub-
sequently the meeting was adjourned to the 4th of June,
to be held in the same place. On Thursday a special gene-
ral meeting of the shareholders of this company was held
in the Assembly-rooms, Wolverhampton, for the purpose
of considering, and, if approved, sanctioning and confirm-
ing an agreement for the leasing of and ultimate amalga-
mation of their line of railway with the Great Western
Company. The attendance was numerous, and through-
out the proceedings were conducted with extreme order.
Mr. 0. Gore, M.P., presided, and on the authority of Mr.
Butt, Q.C., pronounced the proceedings in Birmingham,
the preceding day, to be illegal. Mr. Dunmack, of Wol-
verhampton, moved that the agreement with the Great
Western Railway Company be adopted. Mr. T. Cheshire
moved as an amendment an adjournment to the 7th of July.
A show of hands was then taken upon the amendment for
the adjournment, and it was declared to be lost by a con-
siderable majority. The report of the scrutineers will
be presented at the meeting to-day.