The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-11 00:00:00

DISTRESS IN LIVERPOOL

Last evening, a public meeting of the burgesses of Lime-
street Ward, called by the alderman and councillors, was
held in the York Hotel, Williamson-square, for the purpose
of considering the best means of relieving the distressed poor
in thig vunrri sinrinfr rtrace,rlf • ...L..

••• ••c..4 u.aub 1.4 t. auu 111CICUICIIL season.
There was a large attendance of men of all parties. On the
motion of Mr. Councillor Rigby, seconded by Mr. Councillor
Kilshaw, JOHN BRAMLEY-MOORS, Esq., the alderman of
the ward, was called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, after few preliminary observations, said
the object of the meeting was to take into consideration the
best means of raising a fund towards the relief of their poorer
brethren in this ward. Every one knew what they must
suffer at such a season as the present; and the miseries they
must endure from the frost. A great number of them were
thereby thrown out of employment, and much misery in-
flicted upon their families. However, it would ill become
him to make an appeal to their feelings or passions to induce
the meeting to subscribe, for they all came with benevolent
intentions, to do whatever they were able to do, and in sub-
scribing their mite to think they had aided and assisted the
poor man, if it were only for one night, to enjoy a condor:a-
ble fireside with his wife and children about him.
Mr. BLACEBURNE moved the first resolution, which ex-
pressed the deep sympathy of the meeting with the situation
of the poor inhabitants of the ward during the present in-
clement weather, and pledged itself to use every means to
raise a fund to alleviate their sufferings. lie trusted that all
would feel great pleasure iu contributing- for this purpose,
but, at the same time, whatever was contributed must be dis-
creetly and properly distributed to meet the wants of the
really deserving poor. It was an undoubted fact that much
distress existed, but there was also much simulation of dis-
tress, and unless due care was taken much property might
be wasted upon those who were not worthy of it, whilst the
really deserving, who required to be sought out, were for-
gotten. One advantage of association for this purpose was,

that persons went from house to house to ascertain where
real distress existed, and to provide means for its alleviation.
It would not be in his power to take an active part owing to
his professional engagements, but he should be willing to
contribute his mite towards accomplishing this important
object. With these remarks he begged to move the first
resolution.

Mr. Councillor RroBY had very great pleasure in second-
ing the resolution, and said, that if every gentleman would
assist in this object with his money, that would be the best
speech he could make.

The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, and it was unani-
mously adopted.
Mr. WILLIAM BENSON moved, and Mr. WIGHTMAN se-
conded a resolution, appointing several gentlemen, with
power to add to their number, a committee, to obtain sub-
scriptions and to distribute relief.
On the motion of Mr. Councillor KILSHAW, seconded by
Mr. Coocan, Mr. George Riding and Mr. A. King were
appointed trrasurers of the fund, and Mr. Henry Holt and
Mr. George Silk Harris secretaries.

Mr. Councillor RIGBY said the next business would be to
send a subscription paper round the room, that gentlemen
might put down the sums they intended to give; likewise
that sections of the committee should take districts in the
ward, and collect as much money as they could.
Mr. CROASVIELD said, as there was no doubt of the exist-
ence of distress, he hoped the committee would go to work
immediately, and that, to enable them to do so, a consider-
able sum of money would be put down before the meeting
separated. If any gentleman would take the trouble of visit-
ing the soup shops, they would see how thankful the poor
people were to get the soup ; and if any person would distri-
bute sixpence in copper there, he would he surprised with
what gratitude it would be received. Ile bad no doubt that,
if applied to, the soup committee would make the committee
just appointed a grant of tickets, as they had already granted
£5O worth each to the District Provident Society and the
Friendly Society.

Mr. C. E. liawervs, although not a burgess of Lime-
street Ward, but of the neighbouring ward of Rodney-street,
begged to be allowed to make a few observations. Last year
when he went to the alderman of his own ward, Mr. Evans,
requesting him to call a meeting in consequence of a good
deal of distress existing in the ward, Mr. Evans thought it
was very doubtful that distress existed, although he and some
of his own family had gone round on a personal inspection,
and had made a report of it. He had adopted the same
course the present year. He spent the whole of yesterday
(Sunday) and part of to-day (Monday) in visiting the poor
in their own habitations ; and as Rodney-street Ward was
supposed to be one of the best in the town, as far as regarded
the wealth of the inhabitants, lie would give a few records of
the visits he had paid. There were in that ward families
composed of two hundred men, women, and children who
were so destitute, that any gentleman in that room with
ordinary sympathy and humanity who had gone into their
wretched cellars, would have felt himself imperiously called
upon to relieve their distresses. As some index to their
actual condition, he would state, that among those two hun-
dred men, women, and children, he found only five blankets
to cover them. He found five women, all within three
weeks or a month of their confinement ; and of those
five there were only two that had baby linen ; three out
of the five had obtained the valuable aid of the La-
dies' Charity, and the other two' were seeking for it, but
hitherto they had not succeeded. The destitution of the poor
in Jones-street, and the other similar streets bordering upon
Lime-street Ward, was 50 per cent, greater at the present
time than it was twelve months ago. The poor were more
destitute of clothing of every description, and some cases of
this description which had come to his knowledge were really
distressing. In one instance, a man, who had a wife ill, and
seven children, told him that on Saturday he had been
obliged to sell the bedstocks from under his sick wife to pro-
vide her and the children with food till Monday. (Hear,
hear.) Indeed, lie had found several cases in which he could
not avoid administering as much relief as was in his power
both o❑ Sunday and yesterday ; and he mentioned these
facts in support of the suggeStion offered by Mr. Cross-
field, upon the necessity of domiciliary visits. It was very
true that when the poor found their distresses relieved, their
gratitude was beyond bounds. The point, however, was to
clothe them in these cold night times. To think of theni
being entirely destitute in this respect, as 54 families were!
In most cases they had nothing but a hit of carpeting and
and some old clothes to cover them ; and in three instances
he found three children stark naked, whilst their mothers
were washing their clothes ! It being Sunday, they were
crawling round the fire, whilst this office was done for them,
as they had no change ! And this lamentable destitution did
not arise merely from the present severe frost, for the parties
had bee❑ out of work from three weeks to three months,
and many of them were a class of persons whom lie had
never met out of work,—that was the coopers. The frost
did not prevent them from working ; and it the frost went
to-night (Monday), of which there were some signs, the
distress would still remain. Indeed, it would take these
poor families weeks and months before they could get those
little necessaries about them which were absolutely necessary
for their comfort and subsistence.

The CHAIRMAN said the meeting were much obliged to
Mr. Rawlins for the statement he had just made, because
Rodney-street was one of the wealthiest wards in the
borough, and if destitution prevailed in that ward how much
greater must it be in Lime-street ward ? It had been stated
that it was not intended to distribute anything in the shape
of money or clothing, as it was thought more prudent to
distribute coals, potatoes, and meal; but, he supposed, it
would be open to the committee to distribute blankets in any
extraordinary cases which might come under their observation.
Mr. CROSSFIELD remarked that there must be limits to
relief in this way, otherwise, from the experience he had had
three or four years ago, it would be abused.
The CHAIRMAN replied that all such cases must be left to
the discretion of the committee.

A Subscription paper then went round, headed by the
alderman and the three councillors, who put down their
names for XlO each. When it was returned to the chair,
The CHAIRMAN said he had the pleasure to announce that
the subscriptions obtained in the room amounted to £64 69. ;
and he thought with so good a beginning the list.could not
fail to meet the expectations of all.
The meeting then separated.

On Tuesday next, there will be an annular eclipse of the
sun. It will be invisible in this kingdom, but visible at the
Cape of Good Hope, Cape Horn, &c. On the 26th of the
present month there will be a partial eclipse of the moon,
visible in this kingdom.
GETTING ON WITH A BARROW.—Thomas Louth, better
known by the appellation of the " Crowland Barrow-man,"
has, until lately, regularly attended Spalding market twice a
week with his barrow for 30 years, and during that time has
wheeled a load of between 1 and 11 cwt. a distance of 62,400
miles, the distance between Crowland and Spalding being 10
miles. In addition to this labour, Louth has for the last 20
years visited Deeping Fen (distance eight miles) once a week
with his ponderous vehicle—making altogether the astonish-
ing number of 79,040 miles. During the period, he has worn
out three new barrows and several old ones. This singular
individual, although in his 80th year, still continues his visits
to Deeping Fen and Cowbit, and performs his herculean task
with the greatest ease.—Stamford Mercury.
ACCIDENT ON A RAILWAY.—On Thursday morning, at
seven o'clock, as a train of laden coal waggons was coming
down the branch of the St. Helens and Runcorn Gap Rail-
way, close by the Union Plate Glass works, at Pocket Nook,
the swing bridge, by which it should have crossed the Sankey
Canal, was withdrawn to allow a flat to pass ; and, it is
stated, without giving the usual signal. As soon as the cir-
cumstance was seen by those having the care of the train, the
steam was thrown off trom the engine, and the break applied;
but, finding that an accident was inevitable, the engineer and
stoker jumped off, safely; and the engine, which had lately
been repaired at a cost of £5OO, with the tender and two of
the coal waggons, were precipitated into the canal. The en-
gine was under the waggons lying on its side, and the damage
it has sustained is not yet known ; but the tender and wag-
gons were much broken. The water was immediately let off
from the canal, and preparations made for getting the wreck
out ; but it is probable that the engine must be taken to
pieces, as there was no tackle on the spot that would lift one-
fourth of its weight. At the time of the untoward accident,
the flat had not approached near enough to be injured.

POISONING THE MARQUIS OF WATERFORD'S HOUNDS.
—A most influential meeting of the gentry of the county of
Tipperary was held in Clonmel last Wednesday, for the pur-
pose of expressing their regret and indignation at the perpe-
tration of the atrocious act of poisoning the Marquis of Wa-
terford's hounds in the covert of Dangan. On the sugges-
tion of the chairman, Mr. Stephen Moore, of Barn, it was
agreed that an address should be presented to his lordship in
accordance with the object of the meeting, which in a few
minutes received upwards of 100 signatures, comprising the
names of gentlemen of all creeds and parties. The noble
marquis, notwithstanding his many unaccountable freaks, is
greatly beloved by poor and rich in the district where, as is
unfortunately too seldom the case, he spends the princely
fortune he draws from a contented tenantry. But if his
lordship's patriotism is to be reciprocated in the way it has
been, by the commission of such a wanton outrage as that
which has disgraced the county, it is only natural to suppose
that the marquis's name will be speedily added to the long
and dismal list of Irish absentees. The radical papers de-
clare that " the.people" were guiltless in the matter. Do
they mean to insinuate by this that the wanton act was per-
petrated by the gentry of the neighbourhood ?

Ye that sit easy and joyous amidst your commodious
apartments, solacing yourselves in the diffusive warmth of
your fire, be mindful of your brethren in the cheerless tene-
ment of poverty. Their shattered panes are open to the
piercing winds ; a tattered garment scarcely covers their
shivering flesh ; while a few faint and dying embers on the
squalid hearth rather mock their wishes than warm their
limbs. While the generous juices of Oporto sparkle in your
glasses, or the streams, beautifully tinged and deliciously
flavoured with the Chinese leaf, smoke in the elegant porce-
lain, 0 ! remember that many of your fellow-creatures,
amidst all the rigour of these inclement skies, are emaciated
with sickness, benumbed with age, and pining with hunger.
Let " their loins bless you," for comfortable clothing.
Restore them with medicine, regale them with food, and
baffle the raging year. So may you never know any of their
distresses but only by the hearing of the ear, the seeinz_ot
s
the eye, or the feeling of a tender commiseration. Methinks
the bitter, blustering winds plead for the poor indigents.
-
May they breathe pity into your breasts while they hlow
hard-
ships into their huts. Observe those blue flames and ruddy
coals in your chimney ; quickened by the cold, they look pore
lively and glow more strongly. Silent but seasonable_ adnioni-
tion to the gay circle that chat and smile a_
eeronundd,
kindle into a them. Thus,
may your hearts, at such a juncture of
peculiar benevolence ! Detain not your superfluous piles of
wood. Let them hasten to the relief of the starving family ;••
bid them expire in many a willing blaze, to mitigate the sever-
it}, of the season, and cheer the bleak abodes of want. so
shall they ascend, mingled with thanksgiving to God and
ardent prayers for your welfare—ascend more grateful' to
kleaven than columns of the most costly iwerenee..—ffervv.

AVARICE OF POPISH PRIESTS

In a recent number of the STANDARD we inserted a letter
from Mr. Eastwood, a zealous and conscientious Roman
Catholic, to his confessor, the Rev. Richard Brown. Mr.
Eastwood, who resides near Lancaster, is the heir-at-law to

a gentleman who died recently, and, owing to a most unjus-
tifiable influence, left nearly the whole of his property to the
Popish priesthood. Mr. Eastwood pressed his claims before
a court of law, but the ingenuity of the Papacy was too much
for him ; and now that some demands, which appear to Mr.
Eastwood to be unjust, are made upon the congregation, that
gentleman has felt it his duty to require some explanation
on the subject from his pastor. Hence have arisen the letter
to which we have alluded, and also the following, which ap-
pears in the Lancaster Gazette of last Saturday, addressed
to the Rev. Richard Brown. Mr. Eastwood administers a
well-merited castigation to his pastor, and, through him, to
Roinish priests generally, fur subjecting their already-too-
closely.clipped flocks to such frequent shearings.
Are you aware, rev. sir, that some of these wills, written
by sacerdotal bands, arc base frauds; impositions of the
blackest dye ; fabricated for the purpose of hoodwinking re-
latives, and deceiving the public ? Are you aware that the
band which but a short time before had offered up the sacred
elements at the altar hesitated not to trace those solemn
words—" In the name of God, Amen,"— on a foul, detest-
able lie that calls to heaven for vengeance, since the God of
all truth is invoked to bear witness to it? Are you aware
that these wills, purporting to be the last testaments of poor
infatuated creatures, are mere records of sordid avarice,—of
the profanation of the confessional ? Have you not heard of
a will being made by a reverend gentleman, who disposed of
his penitent's property, consisting of some thousands, to a
person in his congregation—another penitent—no relation
whatever to the testator? Do you not know that this testa-
tor had brothers and sisters in very indigent circumstances,
and yet this confessor, with this knowledge, did not insert
the name of every one of them in the will ? That not even
the smallest article of the wardrobe was left by this will to
the relatives who stood in want of clothing? Have you
not heard of a will being made by a reverend confessor for
his penitent, legally proved by the pseudo sole executor
and sole heir, which was all deception? Have you not
heard of poor relatives being informed by a reverend, that
their relative (whose will he hnd made) had left all her pro-
perty to a gentleman, whose name does not appear in the
will, but who had, with extraordinary kindness, offered to
give to the brothers and sisters £lOO each, which he advised
them to take, or else they wouid get nothing? Do you not
know that wills are made, giving to confessors a moderate
legacy, whilst there are spiritual wilts behind, which convey
to these confessors the larger portion of the property? I
fear, rev sir, tir:t I am fatiguing you. I could pursue this
subject to a much greater length. I could show you how
very pious, very holy, very parental have bean the labours of
a reverend confessor. I could explain to you how mock
sales of property have been effected ; how bonds have passed
from hand to hand ; how heirs-at-law have been disinhe-
rited ; how it happens that the will of an old maid in this
county is a verbatim copy of the will of an old maid in ano-
ther county ; how bankers' checks, deeds of gift, wills, spi-
ritual wills. and other abominable means are invented to
circumvent weak, deluded victims, and to injure surviving
relatives. This is only a slight sketch of the picture I have
in hand.

I must now, rev. air, call your attention to a few extracts
from the diScourse of a very holy man, the virtuous and
and pious Bishop of Clermont. As some of my Catholic
neighbours do not, I fear, examine sufficiently into the works
of Catholic writers, they may be pleased with this digression.
"'That which the Apostle requires in the first place of a
minister is, (says Massillon,) that he do not even allow a sus-
picion to be entertained that he administers his holy and
sublime functions for sordid gain. Our whole ninistry is a
ministry of charity, of disinterestedness, and of edification :
what a character, therefore, must that pastor and father bear,
who vigorously exacts a price for the cares and tenderness
bestowed on his own children; being, as regards them, a
cruel and inexorable extortioner, a degraded mercenary,
equally indifferent as to the salvation or to the loss of his
flock, and solely occupied with the sordid and temporal gain
to be derived.from it ! * * * Has not the avarice of
priests become so common, that it has passed into a proverb ?
I feel that the dignity of our ministry blushes at these re-
proaches ; and it is with grief that they fall from my lips.
But with whom can I console myself for these scandals, un-
less with you, my brethren, to whom they arc known, and
who with me daily lament them.? If these wounds were,
like many others, concealed in the secret of the sanctuary,
we might cast a veil over them ; but from this grasping
avarice there daily arise such contests and scandalous law-
suits, that even the secular courts of justice resound with
the shame of the priesthood."

Mr. Eastwood then denounces some further abominations
so prevalent in the church, of which he is a member, but
says at the same time, in terms of true sincerity, that the
vices of the clergy shake not his faith, which is his greatest
comfort, and though he firmly believes in the sacrament of
penance, &c., he doubts very much the right of confessors
making their penitents' wills. This power, as he acknow.
ledges with sorrow, he has severely felt.