The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-20 00:00:00

LOCAL NEWS

The Rev. H. M'NelLE.—The Rev. Hugh APNeile, with
his amiable family, left Paris on the 10th instant, and he is
now sojourning with a near relative at Jersey. We under-
stand that he will arrive in Liverpool about the end of the
first week in June.

LECTURES ON THE CREED OF POPE PIUS.-Dr. O'Sulli-
van's lecture on the eleventh article in the creed of Pope Pius
the Fourth will be delivered this evening, (Friday.) No
doubt the splendid eloquence of the reverend gentleman will
attract a numerous auditory. The last lecture of the series
will be delivered on Friday, the 10th of June, by the Rev.
Hugh M`Neile.

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the Countess De
Grey and suite left St. James's-square, London, on Wednes-
day afternoon on their way to this port, from which they will
embark on board a government steamer to-morrow evening
for Dublin.

BODY OF A CHILD FOUND.—Yesterday morning the
body of a female child was found amongst some night soil
that had been discharged from a court in Standish-street. It
is not stated whether it appeared to have been born alive. An
inquest will be held this day.

SUDDEN DEATll.—Yesterday morning a young woman
named Mary reury, servant with Mrs. Gray, Harmony-court,
Clayton-street, was found dead in bed. She had returned
on the previous night in good spirits and apparently in good
health. The cause of death cannot be assigned until a post
mortem examination has taken place prior to the inquest
this day.

INCENDIARISM.--Within the last few days the Messrs.
Adamson, proprietors of the patent slip at Woodside, have
been favoured with an epistie, signed " Captain Single,"
threatening to burn their property unless they choose to com-
ply with the tyrannical wishes of those who are opposed to
the introduction of machinery. In order to prevent the
threats of the anonymous villain, or villains, from being put
into effect, a party of police are constantly on the watch, and
the premises are so well guarded, that any attempt to carry
the threat into execution is almost certain to be frustrated.

CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEMENT.—A young man, named
Gaskell, was, yesterday, placed before Mr. Rushton, on a
charge of having embezzled certain sums of money, the pro-
perty of his employer. Mr. Moreton, a solicitor, said that
he had employed the prisoner as a clerk ; that he was
authorised to collect rents from a number of his tenants in
various parts of the town, and that he left his service about
twelve mouths ago, leaving no account of his receipts for the
previous week, or paying over the same. Several witnesses
were called, tenants of the complainant, who deposed to
having paid the prisoner in April, 1841, several small sums,
for weekly rent then due, and receipts for which the prisoner
had given them in their respective rent books. The prisoner
stated that he had handed in an account of all the sums he
had received, in the week alluded to, before he left the town
for London, and had paid the amount over to a man named
Clegg, who was also employed by Mr. Moreton, with direc-
tions to hand them over to the head clerk, Mr. Con-
nor. Mr. Rushton called for Clegg, and required the
account referred to by the prisoner to be handed in, but
the complainant stated that Clegg would not come unless
he were compelled. Mr. Rushton on being told that
he was in the Court of Passage, sent an officer for him, and
he was brought into court after some delay. On being
sworn, he stated that the prisoner had handed him no money,
hut had given him an account, which he handed over to Mr.
Connor, for the week alluded to ; but admitted that both he
and Mr. Moreton knew that the prisoner had returned to
this town, and had been in the employ of Mr. Jones, in the
same line, for the last ten months. The prisoner had always
paid up to the last farthing before. Connor was then called
to produce the account, which he did. It was in the pri-
soner's own handwriting, contained all the names of the
parties, with the sums they had respectively paid (as stated
in evidence) with the exception of one, who it appeared had
paid 4s. It also contained a memorandum at the foot, in
Connor's writing, acknowledging the payment, and stating
that 2s. 6d. was found in prisoner's drawer in the office, ac-
cording to his statement to Clegg. Mr. Moreton wished the
prisoner to be committed for the 4s. not in the amount. Mr.
vl
cmt ehnitmh
ua had
dbeeresnu
cbhr otue
sg
thi
mt aognayi s t
Thhi me
c,
Rushton said he should not commit him. A serious charge
obmuptlanionajnutr'ys
owfoeumldbceoznz
confidential clerk had received the account, and bad found
the money in the drawer correct. The complainant had de-
nied that any account had been handed in, or money paid.
He knew, moreover, that • the prisoner had been in the town
for ten months, and had not had him apprehended till now.
As to the 45., he might possibly have paid
no reliance could be placed on such testimony as that given.
His opinion was, that if anything were due, the matter re-
solved itself into a debt, and it was most improper, after the
lapse of a year, to magnify it into a criminal charge. lie then
discharged the prisoner.
DEFECT IN THE NEW POOR LAW.—PROSECUTION FOR
DISOBEYING
A MAGISTRATE'S ORDER.—A case of con-
siderable novelty was brought before the Recorder, at the
sessions, on Wednesday,—arising out of the refusal of a man
to make certain payments to the parish funds, and which he
could not be compelled to do by the new poor law, under the
circumstances. It appears that in May, 1841, an order was
made by the board of guardians, on a man. named John
O'Donnell, for the payment of a periodical sum for the sup-
port of his illegitimate child which was in the workhouse.
He continued to pay for about eight months, and then re-
fused, stating that he had taken the advice of his attorney,
and found tat he could not be made to pay. Before stating
this, however, i.e had vim up the beerhouse which he had
previously kept and gone into lodgings ; and though it was
well known that he was well able to pay, (as he made a good
living out of some leases of houses in Marybone which he
held,) he was not tangible under the new poor law, as it,
provisions only empowe
• r the justices to take the goods, or
attach the wages of the party,—neither of which the man
had, as he had neither house nor situation. 'When thus put
at defiance, they found that there was still an act extant, by
which any one could be indicted for a misdemeanour for dis-
obeying a magistrate's order. The board of guardians,
therefore, had him indicted, and the case was disposed of on
Wednesday evening. The defendant pleaded guilty, and.
begged to be liberated, promising to -
pay up all arrears, and
to obey the order in future. The Recorder said that if he
would do so, he should suspend judgment, so that if he did
not continue to obey the order, he might be brought up for
sentence. This, we believe, is the first case of prosecution in
this town under the act for disobeying a magistrate's order.

Lord Sandon has been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of
the county of Stafford.

ACCIDENT TO THE Rev. HUGH STOWELL.—We regret to
state, that the Rev. Hugh Stowell was thrown from his horse
on Monday last, and severely bruised ; but we understand,
that he was better yesterday ; and it is hoped, he may be able
speedily to resume his duties.—Manchester Guardian.
Sta. THOMAS HESKETH, BART.—We regret to learn that
this gentleman lies at Rufford-hall in a very declining state
of health. We believe his symptoms during the last few days
have assumed an appearance alarming to his friends.
THE ACCIDENT AT THE DUKE'S DOCK.—We are happy
to state that the poor man, Murphy, on whom the load of
iron fell last week, and by which he was so shockingly crush-
ed, Is not dead as reported in last Friday's STANDARD. Dr.
M'Carron, of Russell-street, was immediately sent for, and
by the timely administration of stimulants revived him ; his
attention since has been unremitting, and the man is now
out of danger.

ACCIDENT AT QUEEN'S DOCK.—Yesterday morning, as a
porter was backing his horse and cart on the quay of Queen's
Dock, he unfortunately made a false step, and both were
precipitated into the water. The horse was drowned im-
mediately. After considerable exertion the cart was re-
covered, but much damaged.

IMPORTANT FOR THE DESPATCH OF VESSELS.—If any
goods cr produce are not entered within three days after the
report of the vessel, the law gives the power to the owner or
agent to enter and warehouse the same, and all charges at-
tendant thereon to be paid by the consignees of such pro-
perty.

Tin; SESSIONS.—The Sessions, which commenced on
Monday, terminated at half-past three o'clock yesterday
afternoon. An interesting case which occurred on Wednes-
day is reported elsewhere. Nothing of interest occurred in
the proceedings during yesterday.

SUSPENSION OF A POLICE •OFF/CEIt.-officer 198 was
ordered by Mr. Rushton, on Wednesday, to be suspended,
for having, on Tuesday night, pushed about the wife of a
man, who keeps an exhibition in Great Howard-street, and
who was quietly walking homewards at the time, in com-
pany with another female.

(The Tea Trade.) Further Reduction upon good Me-
dium qualities. —ln consequence of the present unexpected
abundant arrivals of Teas from China, we are now prepared
to invite the attention of large Families,—proprietors of
Hotels,—Schools, &c., viz., to our FINE STOUT CONGOU,
at 4s. per lb.—particularly recommended. In single pounds,
61b. Bags, and small Chests.

ROBT. ROBERTS and Co
Royal Bank Buildings, May 16th, 1842.

•
SERIOUS ACCIDENT.—We regret to state that an accident
of a very serious nature, occurred yesterday morning to Mr.
John Harley, the son of Mr. Hartley, surveyor to the trus-
tees of the Liverpool Dock Estate. Mr. Hartley was with
his father on No. 1 Pier-head, superintending the erection of
a pair of " sheers," a kind of temporary crane, when from
some carelessness on the part of the workmen the upper part
of the erection fell and struck Mr. Hartley to the ground.
He was immediately taken up and conveyed home, when it
was found that he had received a very serious injury in the
spine and lower part of the body. No bones, we believe,
were broken. Mr. Hartley was extremely unwell last even-
ing ; but we understand that unless inflammation intervenes
he may ultimately recover.

BAIL FOR COPELAND.—On Wednesday, at the Police.
court, David Bird and James Simm appeared for the pur-
pose of becoming bail for Samuel Martin Copeland, who it
will be recollected was committed on a charge of having de-
frauded Miss Crellin of the sum of zt.:250. The former
stated that he lived at 29, Marybone, and had occupied the
house for three years, paving £26 per annum for it. His
business was a veterinary surgeon, and he also bought and
sold horses and carriages. His property consisted of five
horses and eight or nine carriages, new and second hand, and
some household furniture, the value of which articles Mr.
Bird could not estimate until they were sold. The bail was
rejected. Mr. Simm said that he was a coal-merchant, and
that his property consisted of his stock in trade, two houses
and a boat. He had in business about -.C500. His house
was in Mill-street, and his office, 47, Oldhall-street. He
had not received any promise of indemnity in case Copeland
ran away. Mr. Rushton consented to take his bail. The
parties then retired.
THE FUNDS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—In the first part
of the day there was a decided tendency towards a fall in the
Funds, but in the afternoon a rally took place and Consols,
the barometer of the Funds, became more firm, and closed
at 92- to •1 for money, and 92a to .1 for account. Bank
Stock 167 to 8. India Stock 249 to 30. Exchequer Bills
37s to 39s premium. There was a demand for money, but to
nothing like the extent reported in some papers. A decline
took place in Mexican, although not of great extent. The
Bonds closed at 35,1 to 7. Colombian 27 to +. Peruvian,
so little dealt in, started suddenly to 191 to 201, upon the
faith of some trumpery story that the export duty on Guano
dung (in the morning paper in which it appeared, ignorantly
called Guiana) was to be specially appropriated to the pay-
ment of dividends on the foreign debt. Spanish Five per
Cent. Active with the Coupons were 23 to the Three per
Cent. capitalised Coupons without the dividends 23 to 1.
Portuguese Five per Cents 37+ to 1, the Three per Cents.
221 to Brazilian 67 to S. Dutch Two-and-Half per
Cents. 52 to -1, tim rive per Cents. 1001 to LI-. Belgian
102 to 3.

SMUGGLING TOIIACCO.-At the Police-court, yesterday, a
sailor named Samuel Brown, who had been remanded from
Monday, was brought before Mr. Rushton, on a charge of
smuggling a considerable quantity of tobacco. Mr. Brooks,
solicitor for the Customs, attended for the prosecution. It
appeared that on the 13th instant, soon after the arrival of
the " Siddons" packet-ship from New York, a chest fastened
up, and which was found to contain 871 b. of foreign manu-
factured tobacco, was found on board, and for which no
owner could at first be found. The prisoner seeing the offi-
cers seize it, at length claimed it as his own, stating that he
had bought it for the purpose of selling it to the passengers
on the outward voyage hence to New York. He gave the
same account of it yesterday, and said he was a Welshman.
Mr. Rushton said the case was clearly. one of smuggling,
and was not only a fraud on the revenue, but o❑ the captain
and owners of the ship, who by such practices were put to
great anxiety and trouble. fie then imposed a tine on the
prisoner (under the act) of A.:100, and as he could not, of
course, pay any part of it, he was committed to the Borough
gaol.

MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE.—The weekly
meeting of the Dock Committee was held yesterday, when
the following members were present :—Messrs. Sands, (chair-
man,) Horstall, Barclay, Holt, Holmes, Saudbach,
Aikin, Evans, Tobin, Bold, and Ripley. At the request of
the surveyor, the erection of the sheds ordered to be placed
at the east end of 'Waterloo and Victoria Docks was postponed
until the railway, now in progress from the new dock works
to the north shore, be completed.—A letter from the sur-
veyor, relating to the transit sheds, suggesting that application
be made to the customs to allow them to become bonding
sheds, was referred to the Harbour Masters' Sub-committee.
The accident at Queen's Dock, and that to Mr. John Hart-
ley, as described in another column, were reported to the
committee. A memorial from Mr. Matthew Tiernan, agent
for the herring smacks fishing off the coasts of Ireland and
the Isle of Man, praying to be accommodated in George's
Dock, was referred to the Harbour Masters' Sub-committee.
The committee then proceeded to the transaction of some
financial business, after which they separated.
NEWTON HORSE FAIR.—The Lord of the Manor of
Newton, ever anxious to promote the prosperity of that
town, has this year revived the horse fair heretofore held
with the cattle fair, in the month of May annually, and a
spirited subscription having been entered into by the inha-
bitants, a variety of premiums were offered to the horse
,deafer bringing for sale the best string of cart horses, or
siding horses. For the best brood mare. For the hest three
year old colt or filley offered for sale for farming use. For
the best farmer's stallion ; and for the best team of farm
horses shown in the fair, being the bona fide property of the
farmer. Unfortunately, Tuesday, the day on which the first
horse fair was held at Newton, happened to be that on which
similar fairs were held at Ormskirk and other neighbouring
towns, and in consequence the show of horses offered for
sale was scanty. There were plenty of buyers in attendance,
and they were evidently disappointed at not meeting with a
stronger muster of dealers. There were no entries for the
two first premiums. The judge, Mr. Brady, of Lyme Park,
steward to Thomas Leigh, Esq., awarded the premium for
the best brood mare, to Thomas Leigl , Esq. The premium
for the best stallion, was given to Mr. Thomas Ashton,
of Burton-wood, for a black horse four years old. To Mr.
Thomas Peters, of Lowton, was awarded the prize for the
best team of farm horses. There was a large show of cows
and yearlings, which fetched rather high prices. In the
afternoon the tenantry of Mr. Leigh dined together at the
Leigh Arms, where an excellent repast was provided by
Mrs. Wilcox, the landlady. Mr. Woods, the deputy stew-
ard, presided, and the remainder of the day was spent with
the greatest hilarity.

TilE New AMENDED POOR-LAW.—Our attention has been
0.% a 1 a to a clause of the " amended"new poor-law, now be-
fore the House of Commons, as proposed by Sir James Gra-
ham. We allude to the bastardy clause. Under the present
law the power given to justices to enforce payment of orders
for the maintenance of illegitimate children is too much cir-
cumscribed. The clause in the new act professes to give
them the requisite power,—but the advantage is nullified, by
the restriction at its close,—by which it is proposed to be
enacted, that no order whatever can be nzade for the support
a child if it be not in the workhouse! The clause con-
aains no reference whatever to the mother, so that the in-
/...erence is that a child may, under this humane law, be taken
oorn its mother's breast, and placed with strangers in the
isoilthouse, apart from all those who might naturally pay it
more attention that it can possibly receive in such an es-
tablishment. Sir James Graham, moreover, not contented
with seeking to establish such a law with respect to cases yet
to arise, purposes that it shall have a retrospective effect, for
the clause goes on to state, that no order already made shall
hereafter be enforced except for the support of the child in
Me workhouse. The gross impolicy, not to say cruelty and
injustice, of such a law is to us quite obvious. It is, we take
it, an emanation from the tender-hearted, and considerate
trio of poor-law commissioners. In place of softening down
the rigours of the present law, as affecting illegitimate chil-
dren, such a clause would render it doubly severe, not only
on the mother, but the unoffending offspring. We can state,
from authority, that it would not be practicable in Liverpool.
The workhouse has no accommodation for the reception of
one half of the children who would thus be driven into it—
and if they cannot be accommodated within its walls, they
must, it appears, starve without—an alternative too prepos-
terous to be for a moment entertained.

TREATMENT OF EMIGRANTS.—TILE SHIP " MERSEY:,
In. our last, we mentioned
from Liverpool to New y the arrival. here of the Mersey,
York, which put back in distress a
second time. This vessel from Liverpool, the first
time, on the 30th and December, again on the 24th March.
'l he
.are wandering aout our streets in a state of
destitution. Lieutenant Hemma the
.government agent
here, has, we are informed, brounst;t
details
their case before the
Procurator-Fiscal. The foilowinihihave been fur-
nished by some of them:—The
register, left Liverpool for New Yorkpo Mersey, of 722 tons
under the command of Captain Williamnitthe 30th December,
tow-
ed out about three miles by a steamer • b ea. She was
state of the weather, she could not proceed,
from the foggy
to anchor after having nearly got foul of another'ariil had. to come
following day she weiged anchor and proceeded ship. The
n
till the 6th of February, when she encountered a
violenton voyage
which continued till the 14th, when one hundred and storm,
of the passengers signed a petition to the captain prayingsevePty
him to return, which request was complied with • and
Mersey reached Liverpool on the 25th February, With
main-
mast sprung, and bulwarks, tiller, and roundhouse carrieclaway. For the fortnight previous, the passengers were short
of provisions, and they complain much of the prices charged
for such articles as were sold to them. The vessel lay in the
Liverpool docks till the 17th March, when she went out into
the river, where she was examined by the government agent.
Nile sailed again on the 24th of that month, and on the day
following she put back from stress of weather.. She remain-
ed again till the 3rd April, when she set sail, and had a pros-
perous voyage until the 17th ultimo, when she encountered a
strong gale of head wind, in the course of which it was dis-
covered that the vessel had' sprung a leak ; and on the 18th
she put about for the purpose of making for the nearest port ;
but, when they got near the Cove of Cork, they were again
blown out to sea. On the 4th May they were boarded by a
Clyde pilot, under peculiar circumstances. A passenger had
hung up a shirt to dry, which got entangled with one of the
ropes ; and when the clew were hauling, it got hoisted to the
s
top of the foretopmast, and was seen by
the pilot at a dis-
tance of seven miles, and he instantly made for the ship,
boarded, and broughtGreenock, her to after she bad been
46 days out in her second attempt the Atlantic. She
had 285 passengers on board to cross
;three '
had died, and and one been
born, on the voyage.—Greenock Advertiser.

MAYNOOTH PETITION FROM MANCHESTEE4—We are
delighted to find that the Protestants of Manchester have
again nobly done their duty, by sending a petition for pre-
sentation, signed by above 30,000 persons. If the hon.
member for Dungarvon continues his office of Maynooth-
petition inspector, we guess he will find it rather an arduous
office shortly. For ourselves, we would challenge inquiry
into every petition presented from the Protestant party in
this town.

THE WEATHER.—This town and neighbeurhood was
visited yesterday with showers of fine seasonable rain, which
must have been gratefully received by the thirsting vegetation
in the grazing districts around. The country, we are glad
to state, exhibits a verdant and delightful appearance.
INTERESTING TO WELSH PROTESTANTS.—Perhaps the
most interesting feature in the forthcoming anniversary. of
the Liverpool Church Missionary Society, to the Welsh in-
habitants of the town, will be the delivery of a sermon in
Welsh by the Rev. Joseph Baylee, of Woodside, which will
be preached in St. David's Church on Sunday afternoon next.
The rev. gentleman has acquired a perfect knowledge of the
Welsh language, and has now, we are informed, service for
the Welsh population of his district every Sunday afternoon.
ST. BARTHOLONIEW'S CHURCH SCHOOLS, NAYLOR-
STREET.—On Friday night or Saturday morning last some
mischievous persons broke into these premises, and though
they were guilty of some wilful damage to the rooms, there
was fortunately little property worth the trouble of carrying
away—the books, &c. being so stamped throughout as to be
easily identified.

PRAISEWORTHY CONDUCT.—On Monday night last, a
boy accidentally fell into the Brunswick Dock, and by his cries
soon attracted a crowd of persons near the spot, amongst
whom was a dock gateman, of the name of Williams, who,
on perceiving the poor creature in the water, immediately
jumped in, and at the risk of his own life, succeeded in saving
that of the boy, though the little fellow was evidently strug-
gling in the agonies of death. We believe this man, some
little time ago, was the means of rescuing a poor woman
under similar circumstances. We shall be glad if his meri-
torious conduct does not go unrewarded.

TILE " WHITE CAT" NOT MR. POPJOY'S.—OUT friend
Mr. Popjoy, having been catechised upon the subject in
many circles, begs of us to deny, most emphatically, that
the puns contained in the arnewsing " extravaganza" re-
cently introduced under this title at the Theatre-Royal, were
supplied directly by him. Many of them, he admits, may
have been first purrpetrated by himself ; and he '6 could a
tale unfold " with respect to the mode in which they have
been pilfered. The idea, however, that such a catalogue of
catterwauling should be identified with his mews, has almost
driven him cataleptic.

CONTROVERSY.—The Reverend J. Baylee, Incumbent of
Holy Trinity Church, Woodside, is at present engaged in the
delivery of a course of lectures proving the falsity of the
li omish system, in reply to that wily reasoner in behalf of
Popery, Dr. Butler. On Tuesday evening the reverend
gentleman delivered his second lecture to a most respectable
and attentive congregation, who appeared much pleased with
the display of learning, piety, and pure Scriptural argument
brought to bear out his statements. Perhaps no controver-
salist of the present day has made himself so thoroughly
acquainted with the peculiar tenets of the apostate church
of Babylon, and at the same time puts them so closely to the
test of divine revelation as Mr. Baylee ; whilst his intimate
and profound knowledge of the languages in which that reve-
lation was originally made known to man. give a weight and
authority to his statements which all candid persons acknow-
ledge, and none can truly gainsay.
MONSIEUR LAFONTAINE IN DUBLIN.—We perceive, by
the Dublin papers, that this gentleman has been highly suc-
cessful in his lectures and experiments in that city. The
Dublin Evening Packet states, that his conversazione on
Friday last " was attended by a distingnished and scientific
audidence ;" and by a successful experiment upon a young
gentleman well known to the assembly, and admitted to be
perfectly above suspicion of leading himself to collusion, the
scepticism previously entertained by the professional and
scientific gentlemen present was entirely dispelled. At a
subsequent lecture given on Tuesday last the same subject
was experimented upon, and in about three minutes and a
half rendered perfectly cataleptic and insensible, although
the usual tests were applied. Another gentleman—a more
difficult subject, however, was attempted, and although not
so successfully as the first, yet, after a lapse of fifteen
minutes, was compelled to acknowledge the usual sensations
of incipient somnolency.
HER MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY.—GRAND DINNER AT THE
TowN HALL.—The anniversary of the birth of her Majesty
was celebrated in this town yesterday with becoming tokens
of loyalty and affection. The Custom house, the Excise-
office, and all the other public offices, observed the occasion
as a holiday ; and from all the churches and principal build-
ings the Royal Standard of England was displayed. In the
evening, the Worshipful the Mayor gave a splendid banquet
to a select party, in the magnificent dining-room of the
Town-ball. Fifty invitations were sent out, and about forty
gentlemen were present. The Mayor, of course, presided;
and amongst the guests we noticed all the officers of her Ma-
jesty's army and navy now in this port, the foreign consuls,
Mr. Haggerty, the newly appointed Consul of the United
States of America at Liverpool, the Rev. Dr. Tattershall,
the Rev. Fielding Ould, the Rev. Dr. Raffles, &c., &c. Mr.
Schuyler, the late American Consul, was invited, but we un-
derstand that pressing business connected with his approach-
ing departure prevented him from accepting the invitation.
The dinner was of the most sumptuous character, and the
wines called forth special admiration. The toasts relating
to her Majesty, and the circumstances of the occasion, were
very appropriately given by the Mayor, and elicited the warm-
est applause. The party broke up about ten o'clock, after
having spent a most agreeable evening.
ENGLISH SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE RELIEF OF THE
DISTRESSED SUFFERERS BY THE GREAT FIRE AT HAM-
BURG.—It is most gratifying to observe how liberally Eng-
land, at this comparatively early stage of the appeal to her
generosity, has come forward to relieve the unfortunate poor
of Hamburgh, who have been reduced to utter destitution by
the conflagration of that city. For instance, the city of Lon-
don has subscribed upwards of X 20,000, Manchester has al-
ready sent £2OOO, and will remit as much more in a few
days, and Liverpool, although the subscription only commenced
in reality yesterday, has furnished upwards of £llOO. On the
other hand the port of Havre has at present only contribu-
ted 8000 francs (not £400), and Paris itself has only given a
little more than £3300. We do not mention these facts by
way of invidious comparison, but to show that it is our na-
tional characteristic to be ever foremost—whether in arms,
commerce, or that which Shakspere says—" Droppeth as the
gentle dew from heaven "—mercy. As far as Liverpool is
concerned, the national characteristic will certainly be up-
held, and with that confident expectation we beg to recom-
mend the sufferers by this unexampled calamity to public
sympathy.

ASSAULT ON A CAPTAIN.--Two sailors of colour, named
West and Jones were put forward at the police-court, on
Tuesday, on a charge of having assaulted their captain, Mr.
F. W. French, of the American ship Cornelia, under aggra-
vated circumstances. Mr. French deposed that he was
master of the ship in question, and that she was at present
lying in this port. The prisoners were part of his crew.
Aboot 12 o'clock on the previous day, Jones came to him and
demanded money, which he refused to give, having previously
given him some. He then took hold of complainant and said
he should have it, and on the latter attempting to go on shore
he took hold of him and endeavoured to throw him off the
rail. Not wishing to have any disturbance on board the ship,
complainant requested a friend who was present to fetch
a policeman, and when the latter had arrived on the spot,
a good deal of altercation took place, and Jones refused to
go to prison. The other prisoner, West, then interfered,
became very noisy, took hold of complainant, either acci-
dentally or designedly, and pulled him off the water-cask.
The police-officer having told complainant that it would be
necessary for him to accompany them to the station at the
docks, he went there with them, and while there West struck
him on the eye with his fist, and severely cut and otherwise
injured him. This statement was corroborated by two per-
sons who witnessed the outrage.—Mr.. Rushton ordered the
prisoners to pay a fine of each, or be imprisoned two
months, and said that for their brutality they should lose all
their wages and clothes, regretting that the powers of the
magistrates were limited to the infliction of an inadequate
punishment for the offence which the prisoners had com-
mitted.

FIRING IN THE MOUNT GARDENS.—On Wednesday, at
the Police-court, Mr. Joseph Nicol preferred a complaint
against two gentlemen, one a member of the Town Council,
for having illegally discharged fire-arms in the Mount-
gardens. It appeared, from the evidence, that Mr. Nicol
was roused from his slumbers about seven o'clock on
Tuesday morning, by the loud report of fire-arms in the
gardens, contiguous to which he resides, and that on going
thither he saw the two gentlemen firing a kind of spring gun
at some rooks which were in the trees. They were reluctant
to give him the authority by which they were enjoying the
sport, but said that another member of the Council was cog-
nizant of the fact of their having entered the place for such a
purpose. They appealed to the keeper of the gardens to
interfere on their behalf, but he declined to do so, because
one of them was a town-councillor and a member of the
gardens' committee, A policeman also refused to interfere
for the same reason. Neither of the defendants appeared in
court, but a young gentleman attended for them and stated
their willingness to pay any fine which might be imposed.
They were ordered to pay each a fine of 40s. and costs, not for
shooting at the rooks, against which it appears there is no
law, but for having illegally discharged fire-arms within the
borough. [The rooks complain, and not without caws.]

THE SISTER OF BURNS.—A sister of Burns, the last sur-
vivor of his father's family, still lives. She is now a widow,
at an advanced age, and resides at the village of Tranent,
in Haddingtonshire, with two unmarried daughters, who
endeavour to support her by the exercise of their needles.
She is a decent-looking old person, with a good deal of the
poet's physiognomy, and particularly his fine dark eyes. The
youngest of William Burn's children, she was twelve years
old at the time when he died at Lochlea, a broken-spirited
man. She was one of the household at Mosgiel during its
occupancy by Robert and Gilbert Burns in succession, and
she afterwards married a person named Begg, who, for
ten years, conducted the business of Gilbert's farm,
of Dunning, on the estate of Sir Charles S. Monteath,
of Closeburn. Since the death of her husband, her sons
being all removed from her, and unable to assist her, she has
been dependent upon her two daughters, who, though active
and most respectable young women, are barely able to keep
house for themselves and their venerable parent. In short,
the sister of Burns has fallen, in the course of providence,
into poverty, the dread of which is the theme of so many
of her brother's verses.—Correspondent of the Inverness
Courier.---[There must be many admirers and countrymen
of the bard of Scotland resident in Liverpool who would be
glad to administer relief to his widowed and poverty-stricken
sister. We have seen a letter from the minister of the parish
in which she lives. He speaks of her in the highest terms
of commendation ; and we shall be glad to receive any con-
tributions towards her relief, and will immediately hand them
over to a gentleman in this town, who has generously inter-
ested himself in the matter, and who will see to the right
appropriation of the money.—E. L. S.]
So distressing are the accounts from tne manufacturing
districts generally that the Privy Council have come to the
determination of the issue of " Queen's Letter, inviting
contributions in the several places of worship throughout
the kingdom, for the purpose of affording more adequate re-
lief to the industrious population of the manufacturing dis-
tricts than local subscriptions can be expected to yield."
It is not known generally that the Affghanistan territoryis
mentioned in Scripture. It occurs in that chapter of Kings
which relates the life of King Solomon, chap. 9, v. 13.
" And Hiram came out from Tyre to see !he cities which
Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not. And he
said what cities are these thou bast given me, my brother ?
And he called them the land, of Cabul unto this day."

DESPERATE CONFLICT—PWO POLICEMEN WOUNDED
AND ONE OF THE ATTACKING PARTY KILLED.-It be-
comes our painful duty to have to record in our present
number, a most desperate conflict, which occurred on Wed-
nesday night last, within three miles at this side of Mitchels-
town. We subjoin the particulars which have just reached
us, and which are as follow :—As three policemen of the
Ballindenny station were on patrol on Wednesday night last,
they fell in with an armed party of ten men. The police-
men very boldly endeavoured to arrest some of the party,
but a simultaneous attack was made upon them, and two
r: byin a from
awddhi
of them were beaten in such a dreadful manner as to leave
no hope of their recovery. The third policeman escaped,
and in the confusion, took off one of the fellows' guns in-
stead of his own, which yet may be the means of detecting
a n
et
the gang. The body of one of them was found about a mile
bayonetetir
addition
then to
theconflictwound,n
i inflictedan y
instances, took
by place.
the
which
police. His
showsdeath
This was
the a i s
causedos
h
danger of permitting so small a party to patrol the roads in
a country where the people are so- lawless.—Tipperary Con-
stitution,

GREAT FIRE AT' HAMBURG.
In accordance with a requisition, signed by a great number
of the principal inhabitants of the town, a public meeting was
held in the Sessions-house, Chapel-street, on Wednesday,
for the purpose of adopting measures to relieve the numerous
sufferers by the late awful conflagration at Hamburg. The
meeting was attended by a most numerous and respectable
auditory. The MAYOR took the chair.

The MAYOR opened the proceedings by saying that it was
almost unnecessary to have presented him with a requisition
for a public meeting to be convened upon so awful an oc-
casion, and when such a lamentable event had taken place as
the late fire in Hamburg, but that he had nevertheless re-
ceived a requisition, signed by numerous and respectable
parties, to convene the meeting, a copy of which he would
read. Having read the requisition accordingly, he proceeded
to say that he was sure the occasion to which the same al-
luded was very familiar with the gentlemen assembled, as it
had appeared in all the papers, and that it was fresh in all
their recollections. He believed a more awful calamity had
never occurred to any city in the world, and that it must
have been a subject of deep consideration to all who lived at
Hamburg. He thought, if they could only suppose a similar
occurrence had happened to themselves, that they would
look to parties at a distance to relieve the unfortunate people
who would have suffered in such a calamity. He, therefore,
urged the meeting most strenuously to contribute towards
the alleviation of the distresses of an innumerable number
of persons who had suffered by the conflagration in Ham-
burg, and who had thereby been deprived of assistance, and
to relieve the wants consequent upon that awful visitation.
He would conclude by calling on Rector Brooks to propose
the first resolution; but previously, he knew not but it
might be prudent to read a letter he had received from
Messrs. Roade and Boden. On reading the first line of the
letter in question he thought the subscription it inclosed was
to be applied to the purpdses for which the meeting had been
convened, but at the conclusion it terminated differently,
and seemed to him to have been written with the view of
giving an excitement to the inhabitants of Liverpool to con-
tribute largely towards the alleviation of the distress in Ham-
burg. He had been in hopes that the subscription was ap-
propriated to the present purpose, and he had called at the
residence of the gentlemen who wrote with the intention of
learning from themselves something more explicit on the
subject, but they were from home at the time. His worship
having read the letter, again expressed his belief that it had
been written for the purpose of exciting Liverpool " to do
to others as they would be done by." It inclosed thirty
guineas, to be distributed among the charitable institutions
of the town of Liverpool, according to the discretion of the
Mayor.
The Rev. JONATHAN BROOKS rose to move the first re-
solution. He said he had great pleasure in complying with
the wish expressed by the gentlemen who had presented the
requisition to the mayor, to move the first resolution, which
was to the effect that the town of Liverpeol deeply sympa-
thised with the inhabitants of Hamburg under the awful ca-
lamity which had befallen them—a calamity that must have
reduced a large number to destitution, and which, from its
nature and extent, must have impaired the ordinary means of
local and national relief in such a way as to justify an appeal
to the whole civilised world. (Hear.) He conceived that
what had been expressed in the resolution would meet with
the hearty concurrence of every gentleman assembled at the
meeting that day. It was seldom, thanks to the care of a
superintending providence, that visitations so extensive and
so awful as the one in question took place in the world.
They had but few and rare instances of cities having been
destroyed to the extent which had taken place in Hamburg.
They ought to be thankful for this ; but when such calami-
ties did happen, they should all be agreed that they furnished
strong claims on the Christian sympathy and feeling of every-
body to whom the sad tidings were borne. (Hear, hear.) He
had been told that the property destroyed in consequence of
the late fire amounted to no less than £7,000,000 ; but he
conceived with regard to this, that the present meeting had
nothing to do—that its object was not to attempt to replace
the property—he meant the mercantile property—destroyed,
but that the only thing in the power of this town, or indeed
of this country, to assist, was the destitute state of the num-
ber of persons wholiad been cast houseless on the country
at large without the means either of subsistence or a roof to
shelter them. (Hear.) He had been told, upon authority
on which he could rely, that the number of houses, perfectly
independent of warehouses, destroyed by the fire amounted
to 2000, and that the number of inhabitants rendered house-
less amounted to 30,000, of which number 20,000 belonged
to the labouring classes—persons who, from their situation
and means, being driven out of their houses, had nothing but
the canopy of heaven to shelter them. They bad been hos-
pitably received, as far as their means allowed, by the other
inhabitants. They had taken shelter in the churches. Many
of them went to sleep under the roofs of the churches be-
cause they had no other place. Others slept in tents which
had been placed round the city to receive them in a tempo-
rary way ; and those were people, be it remembered, who
had no resources to which they could go, and who had no
means whatever except that which, thank Heaven ! was not
a bad resource—the kind feeling and benevolence of their
fellow creatures. (Hear, hear.) It would appear that that
sympathy had been exerting itself to a very considerable ex-
tent, not only throughout the immediate neighbourhood of
Hamburg, but throughout a great part of the continent of
Europe, and, he was happy to say, through a great part of
England also. (Ilear.) He had seen in the newspapers
that a meeting of the British inhabitants of Hamburg had
been held, and that they had drawn up an appeal to the be-
nevolent people of this country to assist the destitute people
of that city. What a delightful thing it was for the public
here to think that England had stood forward before the ap-
peal arrived! (Hear.) He believed the city of London had
sent no less a sum than £lO,OOO to their relief within three
days after the calamity had become known, and before the
appeal reached. (Hear, hear.) The people of England,
therefore, had not waited to be instigated by the appeal,
however proper and deserving of their regard such an appeal
might be, hut that feeling of generosity, kindness, and be-
nevolence which every Englishman felt proud to say was one
of the great characteristics of his country was not wanting
upon the occasion. (Cheers.) The amount at present sub-
scribed in London amounted to £20,000. Frankfort had
subscribed £30,000. Manchester, beforehand with its money
though not with its intention, had subscribed £3,000 ; and
he was quite confident, from a forty or fifty years' residence
here, that Liverpool would not be behind the rest of the
country. (Hear, hear.) It was quite unnecessary for him
to say any more ; he had detained the meeting longer than
he intended ; and he could not think it necessary to say any-
thing further but move the resolution. The rector concluded
amid loud cheers.
Mr. LEwIN NIOZLEY said, be had only been that moment
called upon to second the resolution which had been moved
by their worthy rector, and though his expressions would be
brief, they would be given with sincerity. He sincerely ex-
pressed his desire, in conjunction with the rector, that the
sympathy of the inhabitants of Liverpool might be carried
out to the fullest extent on the present occasion. In second-
ing the resolution, he could assure the meeting, that there
was not a word in it which lie did not feel the fullest import-
ance of, strongly worded though it had been; and in feeling
the importance of it, it was in the full conviction, that whe-
ther they viewed themselves as a commercial town benefiting
by a reciprocity of interest with other commercial places, or
called on by a deep feeling of gratitude for the favours they
were daily and hourly receiving from Providence, they should,
under any circumstances, step forward to alleviate the in-
describable misery and the dreadful distress, which a fire
like the late one must have inflicted upon all classes of so-
ciety. There was scarcely any one point upon which he could
touch that had not been briefly but forcibly alluded to by the
worthy rector. He would not, therefore, take up their time
longer than by seconding the proposition already submitted,
in the fullest conviction that it would be successful, and in
the fullest hope that all they could desire would be accom-
plished by the kind and cordial feeling of the inhabitants of
the town of Liverpool. (Cheers.)
The first resolution was then carried unanimously.
Mr. HARDMAN EARLE said that the very feeling address
delivered by the proposer and seconder of the first resolution
had so completely exhausted the subject, and anticipated, in
so much better terms, what he had to observe, that he would
content himself by simply moving the next resolution, which,
after all, embraced the important business of the meeting.
It was to the effect, that a subscription be opened to relieve
the distresses of the suffering inhabitants of Hamburgh, and
that a treasurer and other officers be appointed to receive
and remit the same. [Both the resolutions will be found
at length in our advertising columns.] Mr. Earle concluded
by saying he was quite sure the present appeal would be re-
sponded to as all similar appeals had been responded to in
the town of Liverpool.
Mr. SHIPLEY seconded the resolution.
Mr. JAMES MULLENEUX begged, before the resolution
was put, to address a few words to the meeting. He was
aware that he placed himself in a very ungracious position in
offering to the meeting any reasons which might be considered
as opposing the resolution moved and seconded; but though
such might be the case, and though he might incur the risk
of being charged with a desire to restrain benevolence, still
he did not hesitate to avow, with all due deference to the
gentlemen who had signed the requisition, that the present
meeting had been called rather hastily, and before any esti-
mate had been made of the sufferings of the people or of the
capability of the more fortunate inhabitants being able to
afford relief. He had ever been a supporter of the words of
Mr. Canning—that he distrusted that generosity which over-
looked its own and extended its care to distant objects. They
had a mass of misery and distress around them sufficient to ex-
ercise and excite their benevolence. At the present moment
their people were without the means of support, and even in a
worse state than those in Hamburg, which had been described
by Mr. Brooks. The sufferings of a great portion of the
poorer classes were very severe. To meet this distress, the
parish authorities doled out what they called relief, which
amounted to about 2s. 4d. to 4000 families, or 7d. a-week for
each individual. They bad, moreover, 2000 individuals in
their poor-house, and all the charities in the town were in a
languishing state. Their Infirmary, their Hospitals, and the
District Provident Society, were applying to them for relief;
and the Dispensary, last, though not least, had been obliged
to narrow its operations, and if the appeal which bad been
made to the public were not quickly responded to, it would
have to be given up altogether. This institution relieved
50,000 individuals yearly, and if this state of things were not
sufficient to excite their benevolence, he knew not what
would. The cry of distress was reaching them from almost
every town in the kingdom ; so much so, that the prime mi-
nister had recommended the Sovereign to issue letters, call-
ing on the inhabitants to subscribe for the relief of the poor
and wretched. He yielded to no man in sympathy for human
suffering, in whatever part of the world it existed ; but he
maintained, that before they went to a distant land to seek
out objects of distress, they ought not to overlook the wretch-
edness at their own doors. (Hear.) It was not his wish to
move any counter resolution, because the feeling of the meet-
ing would not, he believed, be with him if he did ; but if he
thought it would, he certainly should do so ;—contenting
himself by simply expressing regret at the calamity which
had befallen the inhabitants of Hamburg, and not calling
upon the town for that support which they seemed either un-
able or unwilling to give to their own countrymen. (Cheers.)
Mr. MACARTHY (a chartist) rose next, and said he was
desirous of offering a few remarks having strict analogy to
the present subject. He believed that, however much they
might be desirous of expressing their sympathy for the suffer-
ings which had been entailed through the visitation of Al-
mighty Providence on Hamburg, thye,yooodu
tgahkt e t oallaCroteoanosthine
ossible to remove, the
tphreinircippoleweorf
tjouastiliceevipatreio,riftoitgweneereroismitp
distress at their own thresholds. While 9000 of the inhabit-
ants of Liverpool, according to the authority of Mr. Lawrence
Heyworth, were rising daily without knowing whence the
breaking of their fast was to come, it came with a bad grace
to expect that that sympathy should be extended to other
shores which was so much needed at their own thresholds.
He moved an amendment to the resolution, to the following
effect :—That the meeting, sincerely sympathising with the
deplorable misfortune which had visited the town of Ham-
burg and the distress resulting from the conflagration which
had there taken place, towards the inhabitants, and adhering
to the principle of justice prior to generosity, would take
steps to alleviate the distress in this country and extend all
the assistance possible to Hamburg after the removal of their
o"otohe,
He quoted an extract from aspeech
in the course of a recent debate
dt r ebsys
itr. h. o
pmueo.
in the House of Commons, for proof of the deplorable condi-
°dewlnivedries
tion of the great body of the working classes, and said that
there were objects sufficiently strong in this country to call
for the exercise of benevolence on the part of the public, and
that such benevolence could not be spared or other places.
The MAYOR said that with all due deference to the gentle-
men,f whom he had not the pleasure of knowing, the question
thep relief of the Whether people ofthey
Hamburg ?ot
etted as much as any one that the condition of many of the
at resent was— should n contribute
He (the mayor)towardsre-
gr
people of this country was as just decri
ect. The qu be but the pestion now
was not the time to discuss that subj
was—whether they should not contribute to the relief of the
resent
though the subject introduced by the last speaker might be
people who bad suffered from the recent conflagration ? and,

properly mooted at another time, that time did not then
exist.

Mr. MACARTIIY denied that he had come to the meeting
for the purpose of carrying on a factious opposition.
The MAYOR said he had not charged the gentleman with
anything of the kind. The present meeting, however, was
confined to one subject, and that not the one which Mr.
Macarthy was pressing. He (the mayor) thought, with all
due deference to others, that the present meeting would not
be without actual interest to the port of Liverpool, which
was so largely concerned with the interests of Hamburg. He
thought it would be attended with advantage, and that the
interests of the poor of Liverpool would be increased by the
inhabitants contributing in some way to the relief of the poor
in Hamburg; in other words, if they restored the port of
Hamburg, the trade of Liverpool would be increased.
(Cheers.)
Mr. MACARTIIY said he should not have been fulfilling
his duty to the great bulk of the suffering people if be had
not attempted to move the amendment. He could assure
the meeting that he stood unprepared with a seconder ; but,
of course, if the amendment were not seconded, it would
fall to the ground.

No person having volunteered to second it, the resolution
proposed by Mr. Earle was declared to have been carried.
Mr. THOMAS TODD said he had to propose a resolution
for the adoption of the meeting, which he believed would not
meet with any dissentient voice—it was a vote of thanks to
his worship the mayor for convening the meeting, and sanc-
tioning the object by presiding at it. (Cheers.) With all
due deference to the last two speakers—Mr. ?lolyneux and
Macarthy—he thought that what they had been doing that
day was calculated to make the British name still more be-
loved and respected. Admitting the validity of much that
Mr. Macarthy had advanced, yet he thought that no more
proper object for their sympathy, or one having greater claims
upon them could exist, than a suffering community like that
of Hamburgh, whose pursuits were so congenial to their
own. The mode of conferring an obligation often materially
enhanced it, and was remembered even when the solid advan-
tages derived were forgotten. It, therefore, would be grati-
fying to the feelings of the people of Hamburgh to be in-
formed that the meeting called in Liverpool for their relief
had been presided over by the chief magistrate of thatim-
portant town. (Cheers.)
Mr. WILLINK seconded the vote of thanks to the mayor,
which was carried by acclamation.
The meeting then separated.

DISTRICT PROVIDENT SOCIETY.
The annual meeting of the District Provident Society was
held on Tuesday, at one o'clock, in the large room at the
Savings Bank. The Worshipful the MAYOR presided. The
audience was principally composed of ladies, of whom a large
number were present.

The Rev. Mr. APPLETON read the report, which com-
menced by expressing the satisfaction of the committee at
the amount of good which the society had been enabled to
effect, and their regret at the still continued failure of their
appeals to the public for a larger amount of annual subscrip-
tions, which, during the past year, bad been only £1,031 10s.
The committee acknowledged, with much satisfaction, the
readiness and liberality with which their application for tem-
porary aid was met by the public during the lengthened frost
of last winter, when their relief fund was entirely exhausted,
and that department of the society must consequently, with-
out such assistance, have been closed. At the same time
they lamented that their certain resources remain so inade-
quate to supply the extensive and rapidly-increasing demands
upon the society, and that they still have to depend so much
upon the precarious supply of occasional contributors. From
this source had been derived, since the last annual meeting,
the sum of £1,341 lls. The increase in the number of fa-
milies relieved during the past year over that of the prece-
ding one had been beyond all precedent. The number of
families relieved in 1840-41 was 14,506, at a cost of £1,236
ls. 2d.; that for 1841-42, 25,877, at a cost of £1,667 12s.
Ild. Of this large number 16,036 were Irish, 7,958 Eng-
lish, 1,342 Welsh, and 403 Scotch. By this large measure
of relief the balance in the treasurer's hands was reduced to
£25 9s. ld. The report expressed the grateful acknowledg-
ments of the society to the soup establishment for their large
gratuitous supply of tickets during the last winter. Those
tickets had been found of the greatest value. The commit-
tee, taking into consideration the rapidly increasing number
of applicants for relief, and the very limited funds at their
disposal, feel the necessity of adopting some material changes
in that department, and they recommend the subject to the
careful consideration of the subscribers at large. They were
of opinion that if the society were more generally made the
channel for conveying relief, much imposition, which could
only be detected by such personal investigation as the society
employs, would be prevented. There has been an increase
in the deposits, during the last year, to the amount of £3Ol
14s. 10d. The amount of deposits returned during the past
year was £13,176 Os. Bd., with a premium of £334 17s. sd.
The committee had the satisfaction of recording an increase
of nineteen in the number of visiters. It was hoped that this
important department would receive a still greater accession
of assistance.

Mr. T. RATHBONE read an abstract of the accounts.
The Rev. Rector BROOKS moved that the report, &c. be
adopted, printed, and circulated, and he hoped its dissemi-
nation would have the desired effect of improving the condi-
tion of the institution. He knew, from experience, much of
the generous and benevolent inhabitants of the town, and he
should be doing them great injustice if he did not say, on all
occasions of pressure upon the poor, the rich hastened to re-
lieve it. They had heard from the report that when the pres-
sure did come last winter, a large sum was poured in upon
them to enable them to meet it. He would be sorry, how-
ever, to see this society degenerate into one of mere tempo-
rary relief, for that was a matter that was already attended to
in other quarters. This was a provident society ; it was not
one to dispense the bounty of others at a moment of pres-
sure, but to teach the poor to be provident to themselves.
That department seemed to be going on in a properous way,
and so far as the permanent relief was concerned, for those
who were accidentally in distress, through want of employ-
ment or any other cause, they ought always to have funds
ready. It must be evident to all that, with such a popula-
tion and such a mass of wealth, £lOOO a year was a very small
income. He wished, therefore, that those persons, who
were present and heard that their balance was reduced to
£36 in the treasurer's hand, with which they had to conti-
nue operations till September next, would use their utmost
exertions amongst their friends to induce them to become
subscribers and visitors to the institution. There was no so-
ciety through which they could do a greater amount of good.
They would see this if they looked at the principle—which
was to teach people to be provident. They could show in-
stances innumerable in their books of individuals who had
money in the savings bank, whose habits of saving had com-
menced, been encouraged, and carried forward by that soci-
ety. He hoped the truths would be sufficient to induce the
public to come forward. The society was not adequately
supported. £lOOO a year was not enough. Looking at the
wealth of Liverpool it was nothing. It was a very paltry sum
indeed. He hoped by the exertions of the individuals present,
in urging their friends to assist, that it would be very greatly
increased.

Dr. FRECKLETON seconded the resolution, which was
passed. •

Sir EDWARD CUST said he felt that it was somewhat pre-
sumptuous in him, the youngest subscriber on the list, to
stand forward to suggest some improvement in the practice
and system of their society. He found that the first rule of
the society set forth its objects to be the encouragement of
industry and frugality, the suppression of mendicity and im-
posture. and the occasional relief of sickness and unavoidable
misfortune. In this rule were two principles : one a consi-
deration of their own poor, the other for strangers. Such
was no doubt the general selfishness, even of generosity, that'
the benevolent were inclined to afford assistance to their own
poor even before they gave it to the stranger. A moment's
consideration would show that the resident poor were the
subjects of legal provision ; that they were probably sur-
rounded by relatives, friends, or individuals who knew them
and their wants, while the stranger was far from home, had
no legal claim for relief; and if the helping hand were not ex-
tended to him he must perish. There was no question, how-
ever, that in order to assist strangers there was one great
difficulty to contend with—that of ascertaining that the ob-
ject of charity was one who deserved it. The disproportion
amongst those claimants for relief who did not deserve would
be well known to those who had opportunities of observing,
though it would not strike another. He held in his hand a
report of the society for suppressing mendicity in London,
and it appeared thereby that, in the course of 18 years, no
less than 20,646 individuals, who were worthless, had been
taken up in the streets as vagrants by the officers of the so-
ciety, and a large proportion of these were so glaringly so
that they were convicted. It was certainly hard to have even
a doubt that we might be turning our back on some one who
was destitute, while there was not one of us but would feel
gratified and pleased at the idea that we had been made in-
struments in the hand of Providence in relieving the distress
of a fellow-creature. Sir Edward read from the report an
account of a poor female, a native of America, who, in a state
of destitution, sought the aid of the society, and he asked
what would have become of her if she had not had such a
society to fly to. On the other hand, he read of a woman
who was taken from the streets in an apparent state of desti-
tution, importuning at the door of a carriage, on whom was
found no less than £25. The resolution which he had to pro-
pose was, that tickets should be given by all members of the
society to individuals soliciting relief instead of money. If
all the benevolent could agree to this system they would be
enabled to effect what was so desirable—to suppress mendi-
city, to relieve the distressed in the proportion to their ne-
cessities, and to give support only to the deserving. This,
however, he was aware was impossible. Much, however,
might be done, and he hoped the members of the society
would give the subject serious consideration. One other
system he would recommend—it was that to all applicants
the test of labour should be applied, as it had been found
most effectual in detecting imposture.
The Rev. Rector BROOKS seconded the resolution, and
would not allow the opportunity to pass without thanking Sir
Edward Cust for his kindness in giving the society the result
of his experience. It was well known that one of the pri-
mary objects of this society was the suppression of mendi-
city, but the truth was they bad not the mean.. He hoped
the public would not allow this reproach to remain. It was
admitted that it was most desirable to. get rid of mendicity,
and here was the means of doing it with a diminution of the
sum of human misery, if the public would but support it.
He made it a rule at his own house not to relieve till he made
the proper inquiries, as to the reality of the alleged distress.
He was pained to say that nine out of every ten were cases of
imposture. If all others did so, what a mass of money
would be saved, and to how excellent a use could it be ap-
plied. If a man wanted food, God forbid that any one
should have so cold a heart as not to give it to him whatever
might be his undeservings. If he hungered and was in want,
no matter what his misdeeds. God forbid that any one
should forbear to administer to his wants. If the man were
really in want, give him bread whatever his character might
be. The rain of heaven falls alike on the just and on the un-
just, and it was not for. man to hold his hand when his fel-
low-man was in want. Put bread into his mouth, relieve
his necessities, and you will have a better chance of amend-
ing him after. The object, however, was to discover the re-
ality of the distress. Most of the money given away in in-
discriminate charity was wasted, for most of the individuals
who solicited it were impostors.
The resolution was put and carried.
Mr. JAMES MuLLENEtoc, seconded by a gentleman whose
name we did not learn, moved the next resolution, which was
put and carried.
The Rev. Rector CAMPBELL proposed thanks to the visi-
ters, and passed warm encomiums on the individuals filling
those offices, particularly the ladies, who compose the ma-
jority of them. To them- he said, the society mainly owed
its influence, and he hoped to see their numbers increased.
Mr. RICHARD RATHBONE seconded the resolution, and
backed the Rev. Rector's commendation of the ladies, who
had wrought great good by their influence amongst the wives
of poor labourers. Mr. Rathbone adverted to the subject of
t
they could induce the premiums, and said he had long__ been of opinion that they
ought to be done away with. 1
peo-
ple to lay aside the premiums, the society would save £3OO
a-year, and he need not allude to the amount of good that
could be done with such a sum.
Mrs. LANGTON made many judicious and forcible remarks
on this subject. She did not conceive the discontinuance of
the premiums as at all a hazardous experiment, if it were ju-
diciously effected. The proper mode would be to give three
or six months' notice of the intention, and she felt confident
that the principle once fairly established, there would not
ultimately be one depositor the less. The evil was at present
that some received the premiums and some did not, so that
without a general rule to affect all equally the visiters could
not do away with the system, which she had always been of
opinion was a very bad one, and a great waste of money.
The Rev. Mr. APPLETON moved a resolution, in accord-
ance with Mrs. Langton 's wishes, to the effect that the com-
mittee should be instructed to take the subject into con-
sideration.
The thanks of the assembly having been voted to the
Mayor, the meeting separated.