The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-07-11 00:00:00

if there were such power, the unfairness of voting. that
sum to the exclusive use of one sect, and to the consequent

Levance of all other religious denominations. To prove
.ne validity of his first objection, he appealed to the Town-
clerk as to whether the grant was not altogether illegal.
Confident what the answer must be, he moved a veto on
that portion of the committee's proceedings.
Mr. ROBERTSONGLADSTONE seconded the motion
The Towx-CLEax said that, Mr. Bighorn havl.
informed him that he should bring the question before
the Council, he had looked into the Dock Acts, and had
arrived at the opinion that the dock funds could only be
applied for the purposes specified in the act; and, as a
contribution for religious purposes was not specified in the
act, that thereforesuch an appropriation was illegal.
In reply to Mr. Turner, the TOWN-CLERK stated that
the confirmation of the proceedings by the Council would
not remove the responsibility of snaking an ill I rant
from the shoulders of the Dock Committee. ega
g Mr. C. TURNER : The Dock Committee are willing to
bear the responsibility.
Mr. DOVER, in justification of the grant, instanced the
amount of good already done by the grant of the very
small sum of £5O, the schools having been attended by.
upwards of 200 children daily, who received sound re-
ligious instruction ; and the labourers, who, for the most
part, belonged to no communion, but were sunk in de-
plorable ignorance and sin, had the benefit of being fre-
quently visited. by an earnest minister, and the additional
privilege of attending Divine worship within a convenient
distance,. while there was no other church or chapel within
the distance of a mile. He expresied his fear that Mr.
Bighorn's objection, though ostensibly founded on legal
arguments, and professedly guided by motives of economy,
was in reality founded on the fact that the educational
instruction to the children, and the spiritual admonitions
to the labourers, were to be afforded. through the instru-
mentality of the Church of England.
Mr. Alderman PARKER said the manner in which thil
subject had been brought 'forward was rather extraordinary.
He was perfectly prepared, as a member of that council
and an inhabitant of a protestant country, to support what
had been brought forward by the dock committee. (HeOr,
hear.) He wished to ask Mr. Bigham where his act of
parliament was when Mr. Lynn's bill of £202 was paid.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) There would be no difficulty
there, and he could not help complimenting the dock
committee and Mr. Bigham for the hospitality which had
been shown them on . their inspection of the lightships.
He (Mr. Parker) repudiated sectarianism, but there was
no necessity for this. They all knew what a field there
was for protestants- and sectarians as well. (Hear, hear.)
They need not dispute who 'should do good': there was
room enough for all, and he really believed that Mi.
Bigharn would withdraw his motion, seeing the minority
in which he would be placed. (Ifear, hear.)
Mr. ROBERTSON GLADSTONE expressed his surprise
that those gentlemen who were so fond of talking about
church, state, law, and constitution, should persevere in
countenancing this proceeding, which the Town-clerk told
them was illegal.
Mr. Alderman HoLMR, who spoke with evident effort,
from the effects of recent indisposition, said, when he
considered that railway companies, composed of persons of
every shade of religious opinions, had erected places of
worship at Wolverhampton, at Crewe, and elsewhere, for
those whose thews and sinews they used, he felt that the
moral responsibility of the dock committee, with reference
to the men whom they employed, far outweighed all legal
argument on the question before them. He denied that
the men employed at the dock works at the north end of
the town were chiefly Roman Catholics, and maintained
that the great body of them were Protestants, and adhe-
rents of the Church of England, if they went anywhere;
as likewise did he deny the assertion that the Church of
England, numerically, was in the minority of other reli-
gious denominations ; an unfounded statement, which was
sufficiently disproved by the recently published statistics
of public worship. He regretted the state of his health
would not permit him to go more largely into the question,
but he could not sit in his place and be a silent witness
of the paltry sum of £5O being made a poisoned arrow, by
which a side-blow was aimed at the establishment. So
long as the dock committee took upon themselves the
responsibility, and so long as he believed a moral obliga-
tion rested upon everybody who employed workmen, that,
in using their bodies, they should not neglect their souls,
he, for one, was prepared to support the dock committee
in the grant. While men could sanction the expenditure
of £250 for an excursion, he could not avoid thinking
their opposition to the payment of £5O for a religious pur-
pose was prompted by a motive which could not fail to be
understood, both at the council-board and out of doors.
A desultory conversation ensued, in which Messrs.
Hornby, Chilton, Tobin, Hodson, C. Turner, Holt, Big-
ham, and Aldermen Bold and Bennett took part ; and in
the course of which the TOWN-CLERIC, in answer to a
question, stated that. the £250 expended on the light-house
and life-boat excursion was also illegal. Mr. Bigham's
motion for vetoing the grant of £5O for a chaplain was
put to the vote, and lost by 15 to 26. For the motion:
Councilors Bigham, Bradley, Moss, M`Guffie, Hornby,
Avison, Holt, Fernihough, Gladstone, Johnson, Picton,
Hodson, Beckwith, Clint. and Ald.Langsdale. Against the
motion : Councillors Woodruff, Tyrer, Turner, Banner, J.
Holme, J. Gladstone, jun., Wagstaff, MNicol, A. Shand,
Fleming, Braneker, Tobin, Houghton, Stewart, Robert-

son, Halhead ; Aldermen Bennett, Bold, Dover, Parker,
Turner, Gardner, Shand, Toulmin, S. Holme, and the
Mayor.

Mr. Alderman BENNETT asked whether the legality of
the £250 was not now.to be discussed ?

Mr. S. HoLms understood that Mr. Bigham would
bring forward a motion on the subject. (A. Voice : " He's
gone.") (Laughter.)

The proceedings of the St. George's-hall and Courts of
Law Committee comprised a letter from a committee of
gentlemen, whose combined exertions had furnished a fund
which had enabled them to have executed, at Rome, marble
busts of Dr. Shepherd and Mr. W. Brown, M.P., which
they placed at the disposal of the committee. They were
presented by the subscribers in the hope that they will be
allowed to occupy positions of honour in St. George's-hall.
On the proposition of Mr. J. H. IN:RICER, the proceed-
ings were confirmed.

The proceedings of the Markets, Education, and Gaol
Committees; of the Church Expenditure Committee, com-
prising a recommendation to grant the sum of £460
towards the cleaning and repairing of St. Luke's Church ;
of the Gardens and Observatory and Water Committees ;
and of the Town-hall Establishment Committee were con-
firmed.

The proceedings of the Health Committee comprised
the following recommendations —To increase the salaries
of the following officers in the treasury department—
namely, Thomas White, from £2lO to £250 per annum •
Wm. Hardisty, from £2OO to £220 per annum ; Thomas'
J. Hughes, from £BO to £9O per annum ; Jas. 31Tadzen
from £7O to £BO per annum ; Thomas J. Nicholson, from
£54 12s. to £7O per annum ; James Rogers, from £32 to
£6O per annum ; Benjamin Owens, from £32 to £6O per
annum ; and that Robert John Brew, Joseph Jones, and
John Jones Langley, collectors of the third-class, be pro-
moted to the second-class, their salaries and poundage
respectively being calculated at £lBO per annum.
On the proposition of Mr. Alderman
- T Aliekt3DlLß, the
recommendations as to increased salaries were agreed to,
pursuant to standing orders, and the proceedings were
confirmed.

The proceedings of the Library and Museum Committee
included a recommendation to defray the expenses of a
stand and shade for the model of ancient Liverpool lately
purchased by order of the council for £lOO.
Mr. PICTON moved that the proceedings be confirmed ;
and in answer to a question stated that, as chairman of
the committee, he had recently received a letter from Mr.
Wm. Brown, asking if anything had yet been done
with reference to the proposed new building for a museum ;
and he (Mr. Picton) had no doubt that when the £lO,OOO
voted by the Council had been paid over to the museum
fund, Mr. Brown's munificent donation of £6,000 would
be added to it. In order that the matter might assume a
more tangible aspect, he gave notice that, at the next
meeting, he should move that the £lO,OOO be transferred
to the Museum Committee. (Hear, hear.)
The proceedings were confirmed, as were also those
of the Hackney Carriage and Licensing Committee.
The report of the Baths Committee included a state-
ment to the effect that a permanent situation, as " towel-
mender," had been found for Mrs. Wilkinson, (the origi-
nator of public washhouses,) at the weekly wages of 12s.—
Confirmed on the proposition of Mr. WAGSTAFF.
The Mayor's communications comprised a letter from
Mr. Alexander Neilson, clerk in Mr. Ashlin's office, re-
questing to be placed in another situation. Ordered to
lie on the table.—A memorial from Mr. James M`Donald,
praying for an inquiry into his case, was also ordered to lie
on the table.—An account of the cost of prosecutions at
February Sessions, March Assizes, and April and May
Sessions, (£1,911 15s. sd. ;) an application from master
carters, requesting permission to place their carts on the
new 'Wapping-road, on the south-side of the Custom-
house—referred to the Hackney Carriage Committee.
A letter was read from Mr. Harwood Banner, asking
the Council to direct the necessary paving and
aopposite the new Orphan Boys'Asylum and Church7gg
respect to this last application there was much acrimonious
discussion, Mr. BIGIIAM, Mr. HODSON and Mr. BRCY-
wir attributing personal and riinterested motives to Mr.
Banner, in causing the erection of the church ; the first-
named gentleman railing at " the mawkish sentiment"
displayed by Mr. Banner ; and the last-named hinting
that he erected the structure for the purpose of "setting
up his son in business."

Mr. %lass, in explanation, replied that it was said
he went round for contributions: Now, be could state
that he built it at his own sole and entire expense, and he
had not asked any one to pay a farthing towards building
it. (Hear,. bear.) It cost him a considerable sum, and
he built it entirely. Mr. Horsfall built a church, and
Mr. Charles Inman also built one, and whatever the
council did for those gentlemen he asked no more. (Hear,
hear.) If he asked too much, he was quite willing to do
anything himself that might be required. What had called
forth the personal observations made by Mr. Hodson he
could not conceive. (Hear, hear.) He believed no one
would participate with the speaker in such a feeling as he
bad evinced. (Hear, hear.) He could not conceive how
any gentleman could treat another in so personal a manner,
and he (Mr. Banner) was quite unconscious of having
deserved_it. (Hear, hear.)

, •
Mr. Alderman HoLica regretted that the question had
taken such a personal turn. As regarded Mr. Banner, he
had devoted his time to the asylum in a way that no other
gentleman would have done besides, and he had built the
church out of his own pocket. (Hear, hear.) The cor-
poration gave the land on condition that a church should
be built, and that condition had been fulfilled. He much
regretted that the subject should have taken such a turn
that motives which spring from the purest sources should
be questioned and become the subject of personal remarks.
(Hear, hear.)

,
Lltnnately the matter was referred to the Health
Committee.

The concluding business was the following motion, of
which notice had been given by Mr. Banner :—" That the
building and premises in Gill-street, now used as a market,
be appropriated for salt-water baths, under the direction
of the Baths' Committee." Whilr Mr_ Thinner was urging

~,• II 1111, .011. Ullllllvl ..0- •
arguments in behalf of his motion, the MAYOR announced
that a sufficient number of members were not left for the
transaction of business, and the Council stood adjourned.

TnE DECAY of BASIL—The citizens of Bath are anxious
to resix.scitate its departed fashionable glory, and, a few
days ago, appointed a deputation to wait on the town
council,_ suggesting measures for reliving its attractions
444 Pcinll4*!..