The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-16 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN TRADESMEN AND OPERATIVE

PROTESTANT ASSOCIATIONS

On Tuesday evening the second annual meeting of the
above associations was held at Exeter Hall, London. About
3,000 persons were present. Mr. B. B. Cabbell was called
to the chair, and on the platform we observed Sir F. Nichol-
son, Rev. H. Stowell, Rev. J. Maclean, Rev. A. S. Thelwall,
Rev. T. Watson, 13tev. T. Cuffe, Rev. K. Grove, Rev. J.
Atkins, Mr. Lord, &c. The proceedings having been opened
with prayer, _ _

The aaiiman said, they were assembled to celebrate the
second anniversary meeting of the Metropolitan Tradesmen
and Operative Protestant Associations, and it must be a
source of great satisfaction to every well-wisher of this great
country, that at the moment, he might say of almost anarchy

-Jew business to step ot.
_
of their usual sphere and rushed into the agitation of matters
of which they had scarcely any knowledge,—he said that at
a moment when large numbers of persons had, to the injury
of themselves and families, combined together for the pur-
pose of disturbing the public peace, it was a source of satis-
fation to witness such a meeting as he then had the honour
of addressing, assembled for the express purpose of main-
taining peace and order—(cheers,)—and also to support a
government closely associated with our Protestant religion—
s government which he believed to be the best under the face
of heaven. Never let them forget that the liberties of
Englishmen were inseparably associated with Protestantism,
and that the surest way to destroy them was to permit our
holy religion to be undermined by the insidious encroach-
ments of Rome. To resist these encroachments the Pro-
testant Operative Association had been formed. In two
years they had done much, but much still remained to be
done. He now begged to call upon the secretary to read the
report.

The report stated that eight Operative Protestant Associa-
tions had been formed in London ; viz., in Finsbury, South-
wark, Marylebone, Tower Hamlets, City of London, Lam-
beth, Shoreditch and Hackney, and Peckham and Camberwell.
The six first were in a flourishing condition, and the two last,
though but just formed, promised to be eminently useful to
the Protestant cause.

Mr. R. H. Benden, Secretary to the Marylebone Associa-
tion, in a brief speech moved the adoption and printing of
the report.
__ _

The Rev. K. Grove seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
The Rev. H. Stowell, who was enthusiastically cheered
upon rising to address the meeting, moved the next iesolu-
tion to the following effect :—" That the increased efforts
made by the church of Rome to re-establish her heretical
system in our land, together with the re-organisation of that
fruitful source of anarchy and revolution, the order of the
Jesuits, in defiance of the existing laws of the country, call
for the most strenuous, prompt, and energetic measures from
the Protestant operatives of England, and from all well-
wishers to the peace and welfare of their native land." It did
his heart good, he said, to see, however other classes might
become cold and faithless, that the operative classes of the
country were still faithful to Protestantism. (Cheers.)
They had had evidence in the recent tumult in the provinces,
that there was wanting more attention to the masses of the
people ; and if masters did not enter into the moral, spiritual,
and intellectual wants of their servants, and if the aristocracy
did not make themselves acquainted with the wants and wishes
of the working classes, it would not be long ere mischievous
men would get such mastery over them, that they (the work-
in., classes) would become like an ungovernable ocean, tossed
about by the winds, and make shipwreck of all parties in
church and state. Whatever might be the errors and faults
of the working men, they had originated to a great extent in
the errors of those above them. There ought long ago to
have been provided church accommodation for all the working
classes.- (Cheers.) What meant a national church unless
she had her adequate supply of nurseries for her rising chil-
dren? (Hear, hear.) Ought not our church to have a parish
school for every parish church,—(church,)—and her parish
church sufficiently large, and not too large, with one accre-
dited minister to watch over the poor ? We had allowed the
poor to grow up in ignorance of their moral and religious du-
ties, to be the dupes of demagogues and Papists. We
had allowed the Jesuits to creep among them, and were
now witnessing the results of our neglect. (Hear, hear.)
The marvel was not that the working classes were so
restless, but that they were so patient and so forbearing,
neglected as they had been. He bore testimony to the patient
bearing of the poor in the manufacturing districts, under long
and accumulating distress, and could say they were the com-
pelled, rather than the voluntary agents, in the disturbances
that had recently taken place. The great mass of manufac-
turing labourers in Manchester would have worked on in
contentment, had they not been driven from their quiet
employment by the force of a foreign mob—(hear,) and
whilst the youths, who took the most active part in the mob,
were from schools where they had not been taught sound
principles, it was delightful to find that not one belonging to
the Protestant Operative Association took part in the dis-
turbances—(cheers.) He mentioned this fact with the more
delight, because it had been insinuated that they were making
the working classes restless and disaffected. He would say
that had it not been for the degree of moral influence and
enlightened conscience that had been produced amongst the
masses of the people by the quiet operations of our church
and our church schools, and the schools of Wesleyans and
others, that teach the truth—he hesitated not to say, that had
it not been for that moral influence and enlightened con-
science amongst the masses of our population, it was not the
police, nor the regiments of soldiers, nor the artillery, that
would have availed the authorities ; for if the entire working
classes were once to arise, he scarcely saw how, if Gon did
not miraculously interfere, to calm the storm. But, thank
Gon, there was so much of conscience in an Englishman's
mind, if not debased by Popery or defiled by infidelity, that
he could not be brave to do that which was bad—(hear.)
Take them as soldiers fighting for their native land, they
were the bravest of the brave; but when they had not right-
upon their side—when their conscience was not with them,
they were the greatest cowards, he believed, upon the face of
the earth—(hear.) The reverend gentleman then took a
luminous survey of the doctrines of the church of Rome, and
sat down amidst loud cheering.
The Rev. J. MACLEAN seconded the resolution, which
was carried unanimously.

Mr. SELBY and others addressed the meeting, and a
petition against the grant to Maynooth having been adopted,
the meeting separated.

WEST INDIA STEAMERS

(From the Times.)

Considerable anxiety is expressed among several of the
shareholders of the West India Steam Navigation Company
__,„„„,- frnrn the adoption of
and has argued an annual loss of 4:170.000, exclusively of the
loss by wear and tear, casualties, &c. The calculation on
which he bases this opinion is as follows :
Actual cost of steaming
Actual cost of sailing

£390,000
40,000

To be received from government

430,000
240,000

Receipts from passengers, &c,

190,000
20,000

Loss..
170,000
This calculation presents a serious aspect, but explana-
tions have been offered. In the first place, an error into
which we ourselves were led in the first instance has to be
removed. This error consists in representing the figures as
pounds sterling instead of miles, when it was in miles, and
not in money, that the statement was intended to be made.
In the item of steaming this makes no difference, as the
expense is reckoned to be, as nearly as possible, £1 per
mile, so that the figure £390,000 is a correct one—that is,
for a statement in round numbers. But the expense of
sailing being considerably less, the £40,000 should repre-
sent miles only, and not proceeds, and about £lO,OOO, it
seems, should be substituted for it. This emendation,
however, goes but a little way towards clearing up the diffi-
culty, as it still leaves the expense, less the sum from go-
vernment, £160,000, and the loss £140,000. It is therefore
asserted by those who advocate the new system, that the
sum of £20,000 set down for passengers and freight is much
too small, as even in the present disjointed state of things
the receipts are at the rate of £lOO,OOO, and it is thought
that the improvement when the new system is established
may be fairly estimated at £60,000 additional, which would
completely make the receipts balance the outlay. If this
explanation be correct, the shareholders will have the satis-
faction of perceiving that if the prospect of gain is distant,
there is, at any rate, no fear of a serious loss.

BRISTOL POLICE

At the Council House, Bristol, on Wednesday, Mr.
Gregory, solicitor, appeared before the bench to prefer a
charge of assault against Police-constables 215 and 60. He
said, he had a most painful duty to perform, which was that
of appearing before them to prefer a charge against the two
policemen for a brutal assault upon his wife. The facts were
as follows :—On Wednesday his wife went into High-street
market to purchase a little fruit for one of the members of
her family, who was indisposed. She agreed for fourpenny-
worth of fruit, took her purse out of her pocket, and having
selected a sixpence, asked change. On looking at the six-
pence, Mrs. Gregory saw it was a darkish colour, and said,
" Dear me, this looks odd ; I will give you another." and
immediately took another one out of her purse, when she
found that the whole of the silver was of the same colour.
The moment this occurred, Police-constable 215 came up,
seized her by the arm, and snatched the purse with the
money out of her hand, saving, " You must come with me,
I take you on suspicion of attempting to pass counterfeit
coin." She was very much alarmed, and said, " Take me
to my husband, Mr. Gregory, the attorney." Now, his
office was very little mere than 100 yards from the spot
where this transaction took place; and the policeman might
have taken her there, but he replied, " Oh, no : you shall
go with me; you have plenty more about you." He then
took her through the market in High-street, passing by the
shop of Mr. Chinn, the butcher, with whom they were in the
habit of dealing. She said, "This is my butcher's; let me
call in here, and they will confirm what I tell you." He took
her in there, but Mr. C. was not at home. His daughter
said, " Why, you have got Mrs. Gregory in custody," and
immediately sent to his (Mr. G.'s) office ; but he and his son
having to attend a public meeting, were not to be found, and
they remained in ignorance of the circumstance for some
time. Several persons passed at the time she was in the shop,
who knew her, and informed the police who she was, but he
would not be satisfied with the representations of any one.
In the meantime police-constable 60 came up, and notwith-
standing every remonstrance of his wife and several other
persons, who knew Mrs. Gregory, the police dragged her
from the shop, through High-street, towards the station-
house; she was then almost fainting, and had not Mr. D.
Vickery very opportunely come to her assistance and sup-
ported her, she must have fallen to the ground. When she
reached the station-house, Mr. Bell, the inspector. insisted
upon knowing her name, when a person named 'Plummer
then said, "This is Mrs. Gregory, wife of Mr. Gregory, the
solicitor." Mr. Bell said, "That will not do ; I must dis-
sahe haide
charge my duty ; tell me your name, I must put it down in
the printed charge-sheet." Mr. Plummer then said, " Mrs.
Gregory, have you not had some quicksilver in your pocket ?"
immediately
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was discharged.
After hearing evidence of the above facts, the magistrates
expressed their regret that Mrs. Gregory should have been
placed in so unpleasant a situation, but stated that in
conse-
quence of the extensive circulation of bad money which had
recently beet' complained of, the police had received orders
to keep a sharp look-out. Thinking, therefore, unfortunate
as the circumstances were, that the police had not exceeded
their duty, they dismissed the case.

A Goon SIGN.—The doors of the prison in Moor-street
were thrown open on the morning of Saturday se'nnight,
owing to there not being a single person in custody. Several
individuals availed themselves of the opportunity to inspect
the cells and other internal arrangements of the establish-
ment.—Aris's Birmingham Gazette.
UNION HALL, MONDAY.—Elizabeth Bailey and Benjamin
Lovell, both well dressed, were charged with stealing from
the person of Mr. Marquis, of Accrington, at Preston Guild,
the sum of £2,000, ou Sunday the sth instant. The only
evidence against them at presentwas some suspicious circum-
stances deposed to by Thomas Stowell, the informer; but,
as the police declared they had other traces, the magistrate,
Mr. Trail!, remanded them.