The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-03-01 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS O ur last, the Liverpool " Protestant Operative S oc i e t y ' %creative Society.? Was wrongly denominated the " Liverpool Operative Con " We have received a long communication from one who says he was« on the precipice of Infidelity or Unitarianism," -nu who signs himself " ONE BENEFITTED BY THE DIS dicuIPON (the Unit ar i an. ) W e re j o i ce at i t ; but must h e tule, in me rc y to the Rev. Mr. Thom, publishing it. ere is no use in casting pearls before swine. ebt Ribtrpool kAanbarb FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 1, 1339. 1 ,11.11 E N EW LORD LIEUTENA NT FOR I RELAND.— , le f ate of o ur un f ortunate fellow-Protestants in Ire 'and is DOW sealed of Viscount EB RINGTON, the uncompromising enemy th e Establi s h e d Chu rch—the very joint of the Connell tail—is to be the successor of Lord NOR MAN/1y j rotest ants of Ireland ! P ro t es t an t s o f E ng l an d .. 111 , is a ct of the w hi g government should open your ye ou, like a voice of thunder, from your 8 ar gY — and c a ll f ort h a ll your a bili ty, to save your an from b e i ng swamped in the vortex of this Infidel E nd popish conspiracy. N : LAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO HIS DUTY! ''il l YOU remain silent, stupid, and inactive, in the ru idst of t h is storm ? If so, your blood be on your " I I heads re Atte nd to wh a t th e L on d on Times o f yester d ay says sPecti n me g this protege rn of the radico-whig gove- nt . Per o f~ th whig spaniel of the last ten sessions, stop 4gaps, leader of forlorn hopes, most indefatigable ' 4-ali en', thou hast thy reward; joint of the O'Connell y ati r'Ost practised and most pliant, verily, it is an aggra °ll. ofLord Normanby. There is nothing in the way of self. which which this fag of faction has not pledged him- The Protestant The Protestant church 'he murders while he smiles.' 6 ", _rabble under him will swell—the gentry wither. We .. " 11 have the looseness of Normanby without the spirit, his :'oote irtlpt for law with more (if in nature) than his legal gt , i taoce. R h e What th e feelings of the Protestants of Ireland will be n Vcet they h ear that Lord Ebrington has been selected for ;ko ° 7 of th a t part of the empire must be easily imagined ever Y roan whe re a d s th e f o ll ow i ng inflammatory and st seditious harangue : " SOUSE OF COMMONS, July 26, 1838. (On the third reading of the Irish Tithe Bill.) 1: w Lord E BRINGToN.—I am desirous of saying only a few dB , • 1 , for one , ent i re l y concur i n w h at was l ate l y sa i d eaLue noble Sacretary of War (Lord Howick), that this r will be a mere adjournment of the question. I have titte , c() naidered t h e existence of a church establishment so iteltl dis proportioned to the wants of the people as that of a t Z liti ' a stain and a disgrace to the Protestant religion, great misfortune to the country. I should not be in preeed t° support the bill if I thought its effect would be to b elie that reduction of the Irish establishment which I i'ehe ve will soon be extorted by the unanimous demands of t i l t le , Pe° Ple• If I could see in the present state of parties, n r ; t ! r ° 3 l 3 ect of carrying into effect the principle of appro- P t a l .°ll, 110 consideration whatever would lead me to listen t4 n " e question of a compromise. I shall vote for the bill rho because I expect, that so far from preventing a thorough of ° 2 111 ., of . the Irish church, it will, by throwing the payment ..."toes into the hands of those who have more power and l'itlence than the present payers, render the war now waged moist the church more formidable." • FREN AGGRESSIONS.—Every day exhibits more to '1 m ore the total incapacity of our present ministers 4 1111 , i de, regulate, or protect, the affairs of this great a tl°ll. Wherever we turn our atte n ti on , either to v e r s abro a d , or to a ff a i rs at h ome, we see abundant w l'"ide nce of their timidity, their want of foresight, their 44t of practical knowledge, and their want of that p rlnt iess of act i on an d o f d ec i s i on, w hi c h oug h t to b e at BBe ssed by t h e m i n i sters o f G reat B r i ta i n. Th ey : destitute alike both of suaviter in modo and of for re:. in re, as the following transaction will fully mani liaM2st of our readers are aware, that the FRENCH for some time past, blockaded the ports of th : 3c lco and B UENOS A YRES; but it i s p ro b a bl e t I the y are not acquainted with the circumstances it t t 'lat block a d e, nor t h e vast i nconven i ence an d l oss tee as been to many of our merchants. The commit of the South American and Mexican Association, t h ° were at l ength under the necessity of calling :ta at tention of our government to these circum tees, rem ar k, t h at " t hi s procee di ng on t h e part of Reh 'le P reach go vernmen t, w h e th er i n re f erence to t h e th er itY which appears to have marked the course of ti at government in its dealing with the States in ques f"—the indifference which, as a neighbouring and Gly Power, it has shown towards the inte r ests of pe l'ea Eritain, so grievou s ly affected thereby—or the stain, view which the British government has taken th e right o f bl oc k a d e assume d b y t h e French,—is L e of th e most i mportant that has for many years 117 brought under the notice of the commercial corn ePitY of the empire." This committee first address a lette r to Viscount Palmerston, dated July 31st, t e 38 ; and n o t h av i ng rece i ve d any satisfaction) or t h e i o aBt intimation that his lordship would pay any atten -444 whatever to their communication, as will appear l or L T edi ately, they addressed a second letter to his I P, dated August 30th, 1838. The answer to gi v ,: a a a verbatim copy (dates excepted) of the answer Itait —a to their for m er letter ! U n d er th ese circum e: they deemed it prudent to have an interview of d L ord Palmerston; and, accordingly, a deputation ochant s , f rom L on d on, Li verpoo l , M anc h ester, merchant s , and B e lf as t, h a d an au di ence o f hi s l or d s hi p . e 0 118 now advert to those letters ; for we must o lod ess we never witnessed—we never heard of, in oil ern times, any minister of England exhibiting, ar t , lliel l an important occasion, such indifference, p ro t ga ice, and rudeness. Whigs, the friends—the N,: ct( irs, of the :people ! Pshaw ! we are sick of count r ash ! We are grieved to the very soul that ou r Flo Y should be cajoled and deceived by the preten ,nB and empty p r omises of the se p ersonages . the Stith first l e t ter a dd resse d t o L or d P a l merston, f rom fStit 4o w h American and Mexican Association, is as 8 T o `L'e Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston, M.P., one of et Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, &c. " Freeman's Court, July 31, 1838. 1 Y Lord,—Th e C omm itt ee o f th e South Ameri can an d ad d ; a ll Associ a ti on f ee l th emse l ves un der the neces s ity of of th e P si tlg Your l or d s hip on th e su bj ec t o f the continuance r ench bl oc k a d e aga i ns t M ex i co . he co nsequences of this blockade are of the most inju ev e nob- char acter to all persons engaged in trade with Mexico. k e „N vessels despatched with cargoes from England for have b rought them b ack to England. Notice has R tiv en• that th e pac k ets are to b e restra i ne d f rom bring is (f e lleci e• and i n s h or t, commerc i a l i n t ercourse w i t h M ex i co Z°Yed. eo tr , , r 1 the cau se w hi c h h as produce d th i s state of th i ngs, the ren iar — i t tee feel that it does not become them to offer any • Rest As Briti s h su bj ec t s th ey can h ave no r i g ht t o sug of 4 -). in terference with the proceedings of the' government r ille: c4 ,, he r state, so long as the same are kept within the e ti °l in ternational law. But, considering that lar g e pe -141.Y interests are at stake—that the peaceful pursuits of 4 4u:2 1441 g Parties are ruinously interrupted by the con ::e of this blockade—the committee venture respectfully 1 4 r a e ss their h ope, that i t may not seem inexpedient to 4 O'a tl jest Y's governm en t t o o ff er it s friendly mediation to ge the existing differences between both parties, and itite„„ l ' llt an end to a state of affairs injurious not only to the Nlt s ' e° themßritish subjects, but to those of France and selves. " I have the honour to be, &c., " J. D. POWLES, Deputy Chairman of the South American and Mexican Association." W hat. . kind of an answer did this communication Open yo ur eyes, ye w hi g peop l e o f E ng l an d , ter m t ear n what you have to expect from YOUR minis letters Behold th e answer ! It ought to be printed in P • o f YON, and attached as a mo tt o t o every w hi g ';ztt e b eon J • 1). Powles, Esq., Deputy Chairman of the South Sire American and Mexican A ssoc i a ti on . Ngean directed by Viscount Palmerston to acknow .,tct of e re ceipt of your letter on the 31st ult., o n th e sub the French blockade of the ports of Mexico. " I am, Sir; &c., P o ,„ ; " W. FOX STRANGWAYS. 'p h 'gli-effice, August 2, 1838." 11 11q at e • ~e or nmittee felt thems e l ves necess i tate d , b y t h e him is ' ac tory nat ure o f t hi s answer, to apply again to frollilrd; and all the sa ti s f ac ti on t h ey rece i ve d l ien : 41 was a second edition of his former letter ! titikteny person should doubt the correctness of this tioutZ e a ll ts-for we co n f ess we ourse l ves s h ou ld h ave he ret h l, e 1184 W not seen it i n bl ac k a nd w hit e — we - "Pin his lordship's SECOND answer :- 4, sir raj " Foreign-office, Sept. 6, 1838. aril directed by Viscount Palmerston to acknow.. ledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th ult., on the sub ject of the French blockade of the ports of Mexico. • " I am, Sir, &c., " W. FOX STRANGWAYS. " J. D. Fowles, Esq., &c." What excuse—what palliative circumstance—can be adduced for this unparalleled conduct ? Could his lordship have treated the letter of a beggar with more sovereign contempt ? And when we reflect that the communication was from the committee of a highly respectable and wealthy body of merchants—that the subject was to them of vital importance, knowing not what they should do under the peculiar circumstances of the case--and that the answer was from a member of a whig administration, we have only to say, that the people who placed, and who keep whigs in office, richly deserve it. May they receive more and more of such treatment, till they spew them forth as nause ous and noxious vampires ! The committee, having abandoned all hope of re ceiving any satisfaction by letter, deemed it prudent that delegates from various parts of the kingdom should have a personal interview with his lordship. This they had on the 30th of last October, when, after re capitulating the substance of what the committee had before stated in their two letters, his lordship requested they would " put their application in writing, when he would return to it an answer" ! Accordingly, another (the third) letter was sent to.his lordship, to which, at length, he condescended to grant a reply. The letter from those gentlemen is well worth reading : it fully details the grievances our merchants are suffering, and the effeminate conduct pursued by our Government on the occasion. The Mexicans have offered to submit the whole question at issue to the decision of England : the French have refused ! The latter insist on having what they think proper to demand. How differently did they act on a late occasion, when they gladly ac cepted the mediation of England. But the difference is, that the quarrel then was with a nation (the United States) that would have given them a little trouble, and, peradventure, more than they altogether were disposed to risk. But now the French, considering themselves able to enforce their demands against an infant nation, not only refuse the just offer of the Mexicans to leave the question to the decision of Eng land, but, totally regardless of the serious consequences to innocent persons, and regardless of all feelings of humanity, they appear thirsting for human blood, and, like Shylock, they exclaim— " I'll have my bond ; I will not hear thee speak ; I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more. I'll not be made a soft and dull-ey'd fool, To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield To CHRISTIAN intercessors. Follow not ; I'll have no speaking; I WILL HAVE MY BOND." The French had better take care. One would imagine they had suffered enough, within the last thirty years, from ambition, tyranny, and unjust demands. But some people, like our radicals; and Whigs, will never learn to be wise. 1 we l lers , ;ter' t he the tee, her lea rd . ; 'so ;he i I. 2 , The report from the committee concludes thus : " The committee feel, in common with the whole body of merchants, manufacturers, and shipowners engaged in the trade with Spanish America, (comprising a commerce with 20,000,000 of people,) that the interruption thus suddenly and violently given by the government of France to their peaceful and legitimate pursuits, affords matter of the most anxious reflection to all who feel an interest in the protection of the commerce of Great Britain. Here is the current of a large and increasing trade suddenly stopped. Ports of com merce are closed ; the highway of the seas is shut up ; confu sion, disorder, and embarrassment are brought upon unof fending parties ; and for what ? Not because France cannot obtain satisfaction for a just demand, but because she refuses, contrary to the practice of all civilized powers, to submit that demand to the arbitration of any independent power. She claims to include within herself the attributes of judge, jury, and executioner; for, when under the evident pressure of an overwhelming force, Mexico surrenders the full amount of her pecuniary demand, she says, ' This is not enough ; you mu *now pay the expense we have incurred in compell ing you to submit. True, you did propose an appeal to an independent tribunal, whose decision would have been ob tained without cost of money, or the display of naval power. But that did not suit us. We have conducted 27 ships to your coast. We have shown how rapidly France can put forth her naval strength when it is her pleasure to do so; and, unless, in addition to our other demands, you pay the cost of this splendid display, we bombard your coast.' " We have now eleven ships of war on that station, under the command of Admiral Douglas ; but we have not heard that any remonstrance has been made against the proceedings of the French government. Since the above was written, we have heard that it was currently reported on Monday, in the Metropolis, that Lord Palmerston had followed the example of Lord Glenelg, in leaving his friends to " shift" for themselves ! We presume he must have lately read, " He who fights and runs away, Will live to fight another day." OUR NAVY.—The discussion which took place in the House of Lords, on Friday last, in reference to this important subject, furnishes the country with ano ther specimen of the wisdom of our rulers. We know not where, or when, these glorious specimens of whig administration are to terminate ; but this we do know, that our present exemption from foreign aggres sions on our shores, may be attributed to any thing, rather than to our capability to resist attack, maintain our rights, or defend our coast. The experience of mankind justifies the truth of the vulgar adage— " a stitch in time saves nine." But, things are changed—the wisdom of former times is discarded as obsolete—the schoolmaster is abroad—we are in the march of intellect—and future, if not our own, times, will tell, with whom sound wisdom now dwells—tem pus omnia revelat. Lord Colchester opened the debate in the House of. Lords, by observing that the Duke of Wellington had said, on the 14th of August last, that "the navy had been reduced too low, and was not sufficient for the protec tion of her Majesty's subjects." On that occasion the noble viscount at the head of her Majesty's govern ment replied, " that if the navy is not adequate for the public service, he must take some blame to himself." Here issue is joined—let us try the merits of the case— " Wellington v. Melbourne." On the part of the noble impeacher the following evidence was adduced by Lord Colchester :—First, two gallant and distinguished officers, both supporters of her Majesty's government, who, therefore, could not be suspected of any partiality towards the noble duke. One of these showed, in a letter addressed to the Se cretary of Foreign Affairs, that "he conceived the present state of the navy very inefficient in comparison of other countries ; that our ships of war were but few in number, and very ill-manned ; and that the Rus sians had prepared so considerable a fleet, that they could come over to our coast whenever they pleased, destroy our arsenal, and sweep our fleet into the sea." The other gallant officer attested that the manner in which our ships were manned for the duties they had to perform was indficient ; that our vessels were half manned, and half-armed . 1 Here we have the opinions of two disinterested, distinguished officers, friends of the present government, whose testimony could not be impeached. It is quite unnecessary to go into further detail of the evidence adduced against the present government. Now let us attend to the defence. The Earl of Minto, one of the accused, conducted the defence ; the substance of which was, " that there never had been a day in which this country had seen • so many ships in commission, in the time of peace, as the present." Viscount Melbourne, a particeps criminis, be it ob served, attempted to extricate himself and his friends out of the dilemma ; but, like the man and his horse in the bog, the more they struggled, the deeper they sunk, exhibiting the direful consequences of not heed ing the poet's adage, "ne sutor ultra crepidam." Now granting full credit to the defence set up, we ask is it any defence at all? A tyro in politics would be ashamed of it. What ! because, forsooth, there never was a time in peace when we had more vessels in commission, therefore we are now justified in the num ber we have ! We take leave to ask, was there ever a time in peace when Russia, France, and America had so many vessels commission as they have now ? True, they are our friends to-day ; but they may be our enemies to-morrow. As for the friendly disposi tions expressed in their communications to our govern ment, every man of common sense knows well that such are of no more value than the croaking of an Ame rican bull-frog, nor can any more reliance be placed in such friendly axpressions than in the words of a har lot. And we are really astonished, if any act of im becility in the whig administration could astonish us, that they should have ventured, in the presence of their peers, and, we may say, in the presence of their coun try, to adduce as an excuse for the present inefficient state of our navy, which inefficiency has now been proved by incontrovertible evidence, " that her Ma jesty had received assurances of friendship from fo reign nations" ! It is the interest of those nations to say so, to-day ; but it may be their interest to say the very reverse, to-morrow. The best' way to preserve peace, is to be ready for war. WI suppose our pre gent ministers are, like Lo r d Durhait attempting to follow the example of their republican brethren at the other side of the Atlantic. We wish they would also learn a lesson from, not the majority = the rabble in that country ; but from the minority 'from the wise, the virtuous, the intelligent minority—and receive a little good advice from those who have experienced, and are now experiencing, the evil consequences of Uto pian schemes. They would hear that that nation, while boasting of not having a standing army, is un able to govern her own people—has her institutions trampled on—her laws laughed, at—her officers often times scoffed at—and her people ever exposed to the tyranny of the mob ! But how stands the present case ? Facts, incontro vertible facts, have been adduced to substantiate the allegation, that our navy is, now in an inefficient condi tion. These facts have been met only by a kind of sophistry, that cannot be swallowed by any man of common discernment. The question is reduceable into a nut-shell, " are the facts stated true or false ?" If they be true—and their truth has not been invalidated— then our ministers stand convicted of having crimi nally neglected the WOODEN WALLS of Old Eng land—our nation's pride in time of peace, and her BULWARKS in time of war. We find, by the London Times of Tuesday, that one of those very vessels, the Implacable, a line-of-battle ship, at Plymouth, which ministers had the hardihood to state, in the House of Lords, on the day of the above debate, as " one of the fleet ready at the shortest notice," has just been taken into dock; has had two sets of masts, both of which have been found rotten or defective ; is now totally un fit for service ; and could not, on the most moderate calculation, be put into an efficient state under a month at least ! Were ministers ignorant of these facts when they entered upon their defence ? If they were, shame upon them ! If they were not, a still greater shame, to at tempt to justify themselves by false evidence ! We care not whether they were, or were not, ignorant of the, rcumstance : in either case, it only adds another facto the long catalogue of facts corroborative of their adical unfitness for their office. T,h testimony of a friend, against a friend, has al ways been considered the most unexceptionable kind of evidence. Very powerful motives operate on the mind of a witness in such cases, and influence him to advance every thing he can in favour of his friend, and to refrain from every kind of testimony that could possibly implicate or militate against him. The present ministry stand now 'convicted of inca pacity to manage the affairs of this kingdom, by , the evideAce of no less than three distinguished and Nlta lented peonages—all belonging, he it recollected, t o their ON party; and who, therefore, cannot be sus pected o any unfriendly feeling towards the present ministers. We have already noticed, in our remarks on the navy, two of them : the third is Lord Brougham, who, on Monday last, testified, in the House of Lords, 1 1 1 1 i when speaking on the subject of the has , POOR LAW AMENDMENT BILL, that "the last thi th e y did last session was to pass the Irish Poor La Act, and that the first thing they were called upon o do this session, was to pass an act to amend that act. He was satisfied that before the session closed they wo d be called upon to amend this Amendment Act !" The English Poor Law Amendment Act, since it was enacted, in 1834, has been amended no less than THREE TIMES ! What shall we call this ? Does it deserve even the name of legislation ? We venture to affirm, that more money is lost to the country by this kind of child's play, than would be necessary for the relief of the distress throughout the land. If those who profess to be reformers would only commence the reformation by reforming themselves, and thus set the country a good example, we might be induced to believe they were sincere ; but, till then, we cannot help considering them mere pretenders, making use of the word " reform" in order to obtain popularity, and be able the more easily to gull the multitude. When we censure any of the proceedings under, or effects of, the reform bill, we are constantly met with the question, " are things not better now than they were some years ago ?" For instance, when we com plain of the proceedings of our Town Council, persons are very apt to answer us by directing our attention to the bad things that were done before the passing of the municipal reform bill. This kind of sophistry is not without effect on the unthinking and shallow-minded. But we aver there is no force whatever in it. Suppose a medical man, at the present day, were censured for his unskilfulness in the treatment of any particular disease, would we think that his replying, he knew much more 'of his profession than men did twenty-five years ago, a satisfactory answer ? Certainly not ! For his know ledge ought to be relative, not to times past, but to times present. When we now see ignorance, selfishness, arrogance, or covetousness breaking forth in any of the members of our public bodies, it is no excuse whatever for per sons to reply, "we are better than those in former times !" Men must be judged now according to their high pretensions for liberality and for disinterestedness, according to what we now know of human nature and of civil society. Mankind has had its infancy, its youth, and its man hood : it is now in its old age. What would be natu ral or excusable in any one of the three first stages of life, would not be excusable in the fourth. We have had the advantage of the experience, the learning, and the labours of all past ages, and, therefore, we ought to profit by them. But, in endeavouring to avoid one evil, we ought to take epecial care not to fall into a greater—in shunning the rocks of Sylla, let us care fully avoid the whirlpool of Charybdis—and never for get the forcible language of the poet— " Est modus in rebus; sunt certi denique fines, Quos ultra citraque nequid consistere rectum." We have been induced to make these remarks, by the general' complaint which appears now prevalent throughout the country, against the misdoings of town councils. For the present, we shall content ourselves with the following extract from the London Times of Thursday :—" All the world knows that, prior to the passing of the municipal reform bill, the old class of close town councils did not stand remarkably high in our estimation : but certainly, when contrasted with the popularized bodies whereby they have been super seded, their general conduct must, in all fairness, en title them to a degree of respect which their reformed successors (in many cases more exclusive and rotten than they were) can lay no warrantable claim to. The fact is, that amidst the universal excitement which pre - vailed a few years ago, in regard to the amelioration of public institutions, the bad odour into which some of the unreformed town councils had fallen was indiscri minately attached to them all ; and consequeritly the whole of our British municipal corporations, London excepted, underwent a reorganization, the futility of which is now daily becoming more apparent, by the wretched working of the liberal juntos that supplied them. THE REV. DR. TATTERSHALL'S LECTURE ON THE CANON OF HOLY SCRIPTURE, MAINTAINED AGAINST UNITARIAN OBJECTIONS.—We have just received a copy of this erudite production, published by Mr. PERRIS, of Church-street. Only one day has elapsed since its publication, and we find the copy be fore us is out of the SECOND THOUSAND. We enjoyed the great satisfaction of having heard this lecture delivered. We sat in the seat behind one of the Unitarian ministers; and we fancied we could perceive him writhe under the lashes i ff eternal truth, as they proceeded from the lips of the talented lec turer. • If these lectures do not cause thole nitarian l.*mi nisters who have rd or read th em ,. to A b an d on, w i th horror, their corns o f Di v i ne T ruth, we can only s ay, " their consci . i ces must be seared with a hot iron." WESTERN AUStRALIA.—We have been favoured with files of the Perth (Australia) Gazette to the 28th of September. These papers contain much interesting news. We make the following extracts, which will serve to show the present state of this interesting colony : (From the Western Australian Journal of July 28, 1838.) A passenger per Marinus, of the firm of Stewart and Co., of Penang, left twelve tons of rice, &c., to be sold, and the proceeds to be invested in land. Mr. Steward, it is under stood, intends to try this climate for the benefit of Mrs. Stewart's health, that of England not agreeing with her. Captain M'Crea, R.N., of H.M.S. Zebra, who has gone to England, has remitted a considerable amount of capital to the Sound to purchase land, and has written to say he ex pects to arrive there with his family at the commencement of the ensuing year. Provisions being cheap and abundant, with the hopes of new settlers, and sheep-farms doing well, especially the flocks lately imported from Sydney, this settlement is de cidedly " looking up." It appears they only require, at present, some public works to be commenced to infuse fresh spirit into the labouring classes. Greater attention has been paid to the gardens of this place this season than had been the case before. Two American whalers the Samuel Wright, and Delphos, and one French whaler, Harmonie, lying at port Two People, will take off a quantity of vegetables ; the industrious labourer has therefore every prospect of reaping the benefit of his industry. (From the Western Australian Journal, Sept. 15, 1838.) For several years the abuse of this colony has been the favourite theme of Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Accord ing to his account, it had failed entirely—it had completely broken up ; the settlers were " ruined," " starved," " dy ing," " gone away," or " buried at the expense of the pa rish." Such babbling as this is matter of little importance ; but, in addition to these statements, the South Australian Association, comprising the names of fourteen members of Parliament, have lent themselves to propagate accounts of our failure, and have stated the particular cases which they imagined had led to that failure ; and Mr. Joseph Hume even went so far as to propose in the house, that the remnant of starving settlers should be removed elsewhere, and the plan of colonizing Western Australia should be abandoned. We have ever believed it to be the duty of members of Par liament to promote useful enterprises, to speak at all times the words of truth and soberness, and never to lend the use of their names to promote one interest by the necessary de pression of another. How far these golden rules have been observed or followed in the present instance, may be learnt by comparing the statements heretofore referred to with the following sketch of the rise, progress, and present condition of the settlement, every allegation in which is capable of the fullest proof. In 1829, the western half of New Holland was unoccupied and unclaimed. Its annexation to the British Crown took place in June of that year, and a small body of colonists were attracted to it by liberal inducements. They now oc cupy, on the coast and in the interior of a country as large as Spain, the positions most favourable to their various in clinations. Extensive surveys have been effected, towns founded, lands sufficient for the support of millions disco vered, new ports found and examined, the communications opened between the western and southern coasts. Within the last few years the whale fisheries have been established in the bays ; a bank has been brought into operation, with a balance of cash in hand of £7,000, and it has been hitherto exempt from a dishonoured bill. Agriculture has been ex tended, providing for the subsistence of the people; grazing successfully commenced ; vessels built from the timber of our inexhaustible forests ; and experience gained in the soils, climate, and products of this wide-spread region. The ad ministration of public business, civil, judicial, and ecclesias tical, has been put on a systematic footing ; education pro vided for ; industry established as the peculiar excellence of the people ; and the aggregate wealth of the whole body has been steadily progressive. The communication with India has been opened, foreigners have begun to frequent our coasts and ports, and of the few settlers who at any time have left this settlement, the greater number have returned, or are returning, to it. For a more precise account of these matters, we refer to the table subjoined : 1832. 1834. 1838. Population 1,497 1,800 2,150 Local revenue for the year ending March 31st. Estimated value of exports . .. Average number of acres assign- ed to each man of allotments. 2,022 .. _ Total value of improvements on , rural grants £20,000 .. £76,000 '— of ditto in towns £16,500 .. £100,400 Value of good waste land per acre 3d. 6d. Is. 6d. Number of acres in cultivation 2OO 918 2,250 —of sheep. of cattle. of horses l6l 350 of goats .. , 492 2,000 of pigs All this has been effected by a population comprising only 750 men, and their wives and children. Undoubtedly, they have had their share of evils and hardships—they have not found all things as they could have wished, and many of these have seen their hopes and expectations disappointed ; but they have been true to themselves and to each other, and true to their national character ; they have felt, in the midst of danger and difficulty, " their hopes awaken and their spi rits soar." Now, after the statement of these undeniable facts,' how stands the case between us and our traducers ? Has this attempt at colonization failed ? So far from its having been a failure, we are disposed to pronounce it the most zuccess ful effort ever made by England in this branch of enterprise. Since its commencement, it has been constantly progressive. It has not suffered from want, disease, depression, nor vio lence. Crime has been almost unknown. The natives have not been oppressed, but, on the contrary, have been attach ed, and partially civilized. The whole outlay of private per sons, collectively considered, has been returned to them fourfold, and the whole cost of this acquisition of territory to the British Crown has been a trifle. The value of that accession may be estimated directly as regards England, or relatively as it might have affected her in the hands of France, America, or Russia. Its position, its ports, its climate, and its products, designate it as the proper centr&of communi cation and of power on this side of the Cape of Good Hope ; and if, with a just appreciation of these advantages, her Ma jesty's advisers think fit to make it the bulwark of British influence in the eastern seas, they will deserve well of after times ; if they should think otherwise, let them take Mr. Hume's advice, and abandon all further chat* of this coun try and its occupants. The American and French whalers now are on our coasts ; and those amongst us who are not disposed to go elsewhere, would furnish, before long, a prac tical illustration of Mr. Hume's foresight and political wis dom. (From the Western Australian Journal, Sept. 22, 1838.) The explorations effected and discoveries made by Lieute nants Grey and Lushington to the northward, which were limited by an untoward accident, we learn with much satis faction, are about to be renewed by the former gentleman, who arrived here with his party from the Mauritius on Tues day last. The country they examined is well adapted for the growth of cotton, sugar-cane, coffee, &c., on a very extensive scale. The representation of its capabilities has induced the merchants and others at the Mauritius to think seriously of forming establishments there for the culture of these valuable commodities, and, from what we can learn, Mr. Grey's further discoveries and reports will determine their line of procedure. Their land, of course, can only be obtained by purchase, either from the government or individuals ; if from the former, the price is ss. per acre, but from the latter it may be obtained at 2s. 6d., with right of selection in fee simple in any part of the colony. Many thousand acres can be bought at the present time at this price. Lieut. Grey is a young officer of considerable promise and enterprise. If he should bring about the settlement of the northern portion of this territory by the capitalists of the Mauritius, he will deserve well of this country. His Excellency Sir James Stirling strongly favours the views of Lieutenant Grey, and will most probably despatch the Champion, on her return from King George's Sound, to convey the party to the scene of their further explorations. We shall endeavour to obtain some further particulars of this interesting expedition. THE WARSAW-VIENNA RAILWAY.—III our ad vertising columns will be found the prospectus of a pro jected railway from Warsaw to the Austrian Frontier, to which we beg to invite the special attention of our readers. As a general rule we would by no means re commend the transmission of capital to foreign shores, when so many opportunities present themselves for its profitable employment at home ; but the advantages to the subscribers are so self-evident, that we should feel inclined on these grounds alone to give our voice in favour of the scheme. But viewed in another light, the projected undertaking presents still stronger claims to our notice; for on the successful issue of this work it must in a great measure depend whether the railway system shall forthwith extend its influence over a large and important tract of country, which England has at all times felt so strong a desire to promote and uphold, or whether it shall be crippled and cramped in its progress from the failure of this commendable attempt. And as we doubt very much whether the project call be matured without foreign assistance, we think the case worthy of the notice of English capitalists, who may thus combine the certainty of a suitable return to themselves with the accomplishment of a public good. Our readers will observe, doubtless with admiration, and: probably with some surprise, the conduct of the Russian Emperor in offering so many facilities for the construction of this great national work. Not only is an interest of 4 per cent. guaranteed upon his autho rity, but no indemnity will be claimed for any domain of the state which may be required for the purposes of the railway. We have the satisfaction further to state, from authority, that a very considerable portion of this stock has been taken up in England, by persons of the highest respectability. Under these circumstances, we strongly recommend this valuable concern to the attention of the monied men in Liverpool. SCHWEPPES' SODA WATER AND LEMONAD ' Since the increased facility of communication with the ited States by steam-ships, Schweppes superior manufa ire has been exported to a considerable extent, as their ers keep in the finest condition, and are known to retain • eir original flavour and purity in every climate ; they poss; - highly salu tary and medicinal properties, so much este- • d and particu larly recommended by the most erninen of the faculty. Schweppes' continue to make large • ents to the East and West Indies, where their Waters 14 : held in the highest estimation for their peculiarly ritfres r g qualities, and are justly appreciated by the Natives and uropeans in tropical climates, who are so well calculated to discriminate the true quality of these beverages. Schweppes' Lemonade proves a most efficacious remedy for Sea-sickness, and is considered an indispensible requisite in ships' stores, from its superiority to any hitherto manufactured. Theirs is the only house, which (by virtue of a special appointment) has the honour regularly to supply the Royal Palaces in London and Windsor, as well as the principal Nobility and Gentry in the United Kingdoms. To meet the increasing wants' of their friends residing in the provinces, as well as merchants and exporters, they have branches of their house at Liverpool, B r i s t o l, and Derby, conducted on the same terms as the Parent, Establishfnent in London. CORN-LAW PETITIONS.—We find that several townships in the hundred of Wirrall are petitioning Parliament that no alteration take place in the corn laws. Messrs. Parry, jun., E. W. Thomas, the celebrated violin ist, Holden, of Liverpool, &c., have been making a tour of the Principality. On Saturday evening last, they gave a concert at the Wynnstay Arms Assembly Rooms, Oswestry, but which was not so well attended as we could have wished. —Salopian Journal. DIOCESAN CHURCH BUILDING SOCIETY The annual meeting of the Diocesan Church Building S - ciety was held on Tuesday, in the chapel of the Blue Coat Hos pital. The meeting, which was very well attended, was graced by the presence of an unusual number of elegantly dressed ladies, who took a deep and lively interest in the proceedings of the day. The chair was taken by the Lord Bishop of CHESTER, who, previous to the commencement of the business, called upon the Rev. Mr. Lawrence to offer up a prayer, and sup plicate a blessing on their proceedings ; on the conclusion of which his Lordship said he felt great pleasure in meeting the friends of the society, in order that, at their annual meeting, they might render an account of their stewardship, so that that they might see that the funds had neither been wantonly squandered, nor uselessly given away, or in any instance misapplied. The reason why Liverpool was selected lo hold their annual meeting, was on account of the unbounded liberality it had evinced by aiding the society by the liberality of its subscriptions as well as the example it had set to the other parts of th e Diocese, and he trusted the,time was not far distant when all classes of society might firld-a seat in the Rev. of worship e s t a bli s h e d by our forefathers. The Right Rev. Prelate then went into a long statement of the efficacy of the present state of the church, as compared to that of former periods, when no exertions were made on behalf of its mem bers. He need only mention that four or five years ago the important parish of Colne excited the commiseration and pity of the friends of the church, and to which his attention was particularly called. There was then only one church and one clergyman, and he was happy to say that at this mo moment there were three churches and five clergymen, and a sixth would soon be added. His Lordship might say the same as regarded Hale. Three years ago there was only one church ; there was now a second church, which would afford accommodation for 1000 people, whilst two more clergymen were added to administer to their spiritual wants • so that he might say, th e c h urc h h a d i ncrease d i n i ts strength four-fold. This was a theme of gratitude as well as congratulation. The Pastoral Aid Society, and the Curates' Funds Society, had largely contributed to aid the Diocesan Church Building So ciety in its operations, and it was a pleasing circumstance that the attachment to the church establishment was in no way diminished ; but, on the contrary, it was steadily and numer ically increased—he would mention that during the last year 20 churches had been built which had cost £48,000, to which several societies had contributed towards their support. This was a great proof of the attachment of the people to the church establishment. His Lordship then dwelt on the great advantages to be derived from the establishment of societies like the present, and the great good to be effected by them. He thought it due, therefore, to the persons who contri buted so handsomely to their funds, and that through their means the blessings of pastoral aid, and religious instruction would be administered to thousands who had hitherto been deprived of so much consolation, to hold the meeting in their neighbourhood,' that they might know their labour had not been in vain. With these few' observations he would no longer detain them, and the annual report, which no doubt they were anxious to hear, would now be read : The Rev. Chancellor RAIKES then proceeded to read the fourth annual report, from which it appeared that the amount of subscription during the past year was £lO,OOO, and that the Society had afforded grants to nineteen churches, which had been consecrated by the Bishop. Twelve new churches are nearly finished, and will be . consecrated during the current year. Deputations are appointed to to visit the manufacturing towns of Lancashire and Che shire, and to request from the wealthy part of the inhabi tants subscriptions 0I2• behalf of the society, and represent to them the great moral good to be achieved by their counte nance and co-operation. The report which was very volu minous, occupied a considerable time in reading. The Rev. J. BROOKS, Rector of Liverpool, rose to propose the first resolution, which was to the effect that the report now read be printed, and circulated throughout the diocese at large. The reverend gentleman said he did not feel it necessary on the present occasion to say much, for he was sure the information it contained was far too valuable to be confined to the persons now present, and when put in circu lation, he felt certain much good would be effected by its pe rusal, and it would be the means of increasing the funds of the society. With regard to the Town of Liverpool, it was placed in a different position to other places, for it would be remembered by his Lordship, that during the last year they had established a Church Building Society, and for which £20,000 had already been subscribed. This circum stance might make some little difference to the Diocesan Church Building Society, still he trusted that the interests of the society would not suffer on this account, and he felt per suaded that there were many wealthy inhabitants who would cheerfully contribute to both, and if it detracted a little from their purse, it would doubly add to their gratification. The• Rev. JOHN GLADSTONE felt great pleasure in second ing the resolution. He was the representative of one of the largest parishes in the diocese, and he could assure the meet ing that the greatest benefits had been derived from the so ciety. New churches had been opened, congregations in creased, and schools erected, which shew there is yet a very strong attachment by all classes of society to the establish ment of the church of England. He was happy also to ob serve that the contributions were confined not only to the wealthy and influential, but the humble and small farmer, as well as others, had added their mite. The JAMES HORNBY, Rector of Welling, moved the next resolution. He observed, that he would confine himself to a few words, for he felt that a statement of facts was far more valuable than sentiment. His lordship was aware that, in the month of May last, in the chapeiry of Ashton, which extended to a length of seven miles, a new church had been built, which afforded accommodation to 1100 persons, and he was most happy to say they had the services of one of the most efficient and active clergymen that could possibly be found. He was a truly good minister, and by his activity and exertions, had formed a Sunday sc h oo l, i n w hi c h up wards of 1000 children were receiving religious instruc tion. The cottages of the poor had been visited, and both their temporal and spiritual wants administered to, the com municants are increasing, and this pleasing picture is in a parish that was formerly deplorably neglected for lack of re ligious instruction. This is only another proof of the inesti mable benefit derived from the exertions of the society. He would mention another instance in the Chapelry of Newton , which from its vicinity to the Railway had greatly increased its population; several manufactories had now establishments there,—the Vulcan foundry who employed a vast number of hands, which almost formed a parish of itself. It was now in contemplation to establish a church and parsonage house;-there had been some impediments in the way which he was happy to say were now removed. This was one of those places which greatly required pastoral aid— religious instruction. The rev. gentleman, in an eloquent speech, dwelt on the necessity of the society continuing Its exertions, in which he was sure they would liberally be assisted by the friends of the establishment. The fields, he said, were already white to the harvest, and he trusted that the Lord would send forth faithful and true pastors to a faithful people. ADAM HODGSON, Esq., in a brief and energetic speech, se conded the resolution. The Rev. R. C. WILSON, Vicar of Preston, next addressed the meeting. He had been requested to take a part in the proceedings of the day, and though he felt unequal to the task, he was extremely grateful for the benefit his parish had derived from the society. It might be interesting to the meeting to know the great exertions which the Roman Catholics were making in the parish over which he had th e honour to preside . Two of their chapels were now being enlarged; of which a new one was opened a year ago ; four more were now rising from the ground—they had also opened a school for all denominations of Christians, capable of ac commodating upwards of 1000 children ; the sisters of cha rity were also busily engaged in pleading for the cause of the Roman Catholics. When,therefore,this meeting heard of such untold zeal which the Roman Church was making, surely it becomes the duty of all Protestants to arouse themselves, and come forward and assist the Church of England, in af fording religious instruction -to all sorts and conditions of men, and not to be behind their Roman Catholic brethren in supporting the cause of their holy and venerable church establishment. The rev. gentleman then proceeded to read an advertisement which appeared in one of the Preston papers of Saturday last, and which was dated as far back as the 20th of May last, and was from an establishment of monks, called the brotherhood of St. Bernard, near Lough boro',in Leicestershire. It stated that the bearer was a mem ber of the order, and was fully authorized to obtain subscrip tions in behalf of the Roman Catholic Church. And he could assure the meeting, that the missionary was extremely active, He would only mention one instance. He (the missionary) called upon one of his parishioners, who was a female, and requested her subscription for the church. She asked, what church ? He replied, for one in Leicester shire. But when she told him it was for a Roman Ca tholic Church, the missionary replied—Why you are a Protestant, and pray for the Catholic Church, and surely you cannot refuse to support it. Yes, said the re joinder, as a Protestant, I pray for the universal Catholic church ; but I have yet to learn that that means the Roman Church. About twelve years ago, when assisting in laying the foundation stone of a new church in his parish, he was yelled and hissed at, as if he was doing a disgraceful, un becoming action ; but he was now happy to say a great change had taken place, and better feelings towards the church establishment now prevailed. CHARLES GROVES, Esq., seconded the resolution. The Rev. HUGH M'NEILE moved the fourth resolution. In reference to the fact mentioned by Mr. Wilson, he said, they had been guilty of a sad neglect, in this opinion. in al lowing Romish Disssenters the title of Catholics. (Hear and cheers.) In order to avoid the appearance of unkindness, they had degenerated into a softness of tone respecting them, which had compromised the very title of the Christian church to which they had belonged. (Cheers.) The system of tam pering with the Protestant population had been carried on to some extent,—and was still carried on, in this town. He had himself witnessed much of it : and he was happy to say, that an instrumentality had been organised for counteracting it among the lower classes. The reverend gentleman then de scribed the objects and working of the Protestant Operative Society, and commented upon a memorial prepared 1?y the body for presentation to the Town-council, complaining of, and suggesting a remedy for, the injustice to which their children had been subjected, by the change- in the manage ment of the Corporation Schools. But there were, he ob served, other and higher objects to be considered in connexion with that society. In cordial compliance with their right reverend chairman's desire, the clergy had bee n re a di ng th e queen's letter in their church es , an d so li c i t i ng contr ib ut i ons in aid of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. He had been very much struck with one part of that letter. Amougst the statements made in behalf of the so ciety thus honoured by her M a j es t y w i t h h er roya l approba tion they found this one : " that the rapid progress of emi gration from Great Britain and Ireland into the colonies and other dependencies of the crown, and the consequent demand for increased means of religious instruction make it the duty of the mother country to increase the number of the colonial clergy." He rejoiced most unfeignedly to find that our most gracious soveryign had given her commendation to this senti ment, " that it was th e duty of the mother country,"—this was the very expression, notwithstanding the signature (J. Russell)—(a laugh)—" to increase the number of the colonial clergy." He found on turning to the first page, that this duty had been for a time, and to a certain extent, performed by the mother country : a grant was " annually voted by par liament for the supp or t o f c l ergymen o f t h e c h urc h o f Eng land in the North American colonies," The next clause said, that this grant was now discontinued. The Queen complained that the mother country no longer performed her duty ; and upon this ground her Majesty appealed, through the archbishops, bishops, and clergy, to the congregations of the church of England, to supply the lack of service which her Majesty's Commons would no longer supply. Hear.) But who was in fault ? who was it that held the purse-strings of the Mother Country ? The majority of the House of Com mons ; and the majority of the House of Commons was turned by Irish Papists. (Hear, hear.) That was the fact. The Pope, who appointed the archbishops and bishops, without suffering a veto to the British crown,—who had under those archbishops and bishops a staff of parochial clergy throughout Ireland,—was the nominator of from thirty to forty members of the legislature, and in the balance of opinion in the senate-house of Great Britain, the Pope's tail carried the majority, opposed the grant, and had driven the Queen to appeal from her unfaithful Commons to her faithful con gregations of the church of England. (Hear and loud ap plause.) This was not a mere ingenious argument raised without a cause, though he did most assuredly think the cause was undesigned. There were times when the good genius of a man impelled him to say what was far beyond the crooked ways into which he had been inveigled by his evil associates. And he did believe that some such presiding genius had dic tated this particular clause in the Queen's speech, and put it on record before the whole kingdom, and before the whole world, that her Majesty considers it the duty of the mother country to supply clergymen for the colonies of Great Britain. (Hear, hear, and loud applause.) But how was this to be done ? This made the subject so applicable to that society. If efficient labourers were to be sent abroad,—and they were reminded in the demands from all quarters of the world, that young, inexperienced men would not do they must have nurseries for t ra i n i ng them at home: Andiif they were to have congregations to which appeals could be made, to supply what the nation in a collective capacity refused to supply, they must have more churches such as that society was engaged in planting through the length and breadth of the land. (Hear, hear.) There was another point, already connected in their addresses and their report with the opera tions of the society, —he meant the subject of education. He confessed he thought the question of national education was in a much more alarming position then than it had been a little while before. He believed that the enemies of the Church of England had gained a signal triumph. The church party had been out-generaled. It was well known that an apprehension had been raised in the public mind concerning the education movement projected by the pre sent government, and that class of their supporters which occupied, with reference to the church, what was called in the French chamber, r extreme gauche. (Cheers and laughter.) How far ministers, or any of them, had contributed skilfully to increase the alarm entertained by the church party, it was not for him to say. Certain it was, that a more masterly prelude could not have been played. If they could bring a man to be under the apprehension, for two or three weeks, that he was going to be hanged, he would hail transportation as a reprieve. (A laugh.) It had been feared that a great movement was at hand, which at one fell swoop would have taken away its Scriptural character from the education of England. Instead of this, the soft and winning Secretary for the Home Department appeared, not with a large bag, whose inaccurate statistical contents might have roused Eng land to her point, but with a large letter, not more than would go gracefully into a fashionable waistcoat-pocket, so smoothly and sweetly worded as to cause no reclamation whatever. (Hear, hear.) The scheme had succeeded to a miracle. The Conservative party in Parliament, instead of taking alarm, received it as a great relief, and the member for Oxford congratulated the country that the right hon. gentleman intended to do so little mischief. (Hear.) Yet what had he done? He (Mr. M`Neile) held in his hand one of the parliamentary papers, containing a letter addressed by Lord John Russell to the Marquis of Lansdowne, and the Marquis's answer. One of the propositions in the letter was for the formation of a board " for the consideration of all matters affecting the education of the people." The board was to consist of laymen. Now here, on the very first step, the grand principle was conceded. The management, the control of the education of the people was to be taken out of the hands of the bishops and clergy of the national church, and vested in a board of five laymen ! Was that a subject for congratulation ? Could they, he would ask, stand by, and see it done, and say nothing? (Hear, and cheers.) He was altogether alarmed at the argument that a change of Minis ters would bring men upon the board who were friendly to the church, because it was composed of official men, not se lected because of their varying opinions on the subject of religion, but because of the position they held in her Majesty's councils. To sit down quietly under such a condition of things would be to make themselves partakers of what he could not call anything else than a crime. (Cheers.) Let them be never so friendly to the church,—nay, were they sure of always having a board friendly to the church, it would still be their duty to resist, as far as lay in them, any attempts to place the management of the education of the country in the hands of laymen. (Hear.) The education of the country be longed of duty—he would not say 9f right—to the clergy of the national church • and it was their duty, in carrying it forward, to do all in their power, consistently with principle and truth, to make it as comprehensive of the population as they possibly could. They only knew where to stop. Put it into other hands, and where could the line be drawn ? (Hear.) Again, the first thing to be done was to have a normal school for the training of schoolmasters, competent to assume the management of similar institutions in all parts of the country. They knew that the schoolmaster made the school ; and if that board had the making of the schoolmaster, it was a sim ple syllogism to say, that the board would have the making of the schools. More than this was contained in the pro posal. The board would consider " whether it would not be advisable to apply a certain sum of money annually in aid of the normal schools of the National and of the British and Foreign School Societies." This was very gentle language, certainly ; but he confessed it caused him extreme concern and dismay. Suppose the board should consider it advisable not to help the National Society—(hear)—and even the ex tent of this consideration seemed to be only for some years. These were serious proposals, however softly worded. The next point was perhaps even worse. " They would likewise determine whether their measures would allow them to offer gratuities to deserving schoolmasters." In the noble lord's speech a sum of £30,000 had been asked for in the first place for the board, and he had assumed the cost of the normal school in London at £5,000. There was an intimation in that passage of what would be the immediate use of some portions, at least, of the remaining £25,000. To afford gra tuities td deserving schoolmasters. Who would be the judge of the deserving schoolmasters ? Unquestionably the board; or persons appointed by them ; and they knew the effect that gratuities must have if bestowed on one schoolmaster in a place and not on another. The inquiry would immediately be made, " What did that man do who got the gratuity ? ' And it was too much to expect from, human nature, that conduct would not follow such as the board was understood to consider deserving of a gratuity. (Hear, and applause.) They ought to have had experience enough of the instalment system of those who were driving on the present government, to know that they would not bring forward their scheme all at once. What they wanted was, to avoid rousing the feeling of the people of England. The people of England did not wish to be disturbed. They said, A plague upon your Irish agitators !" (Hear, hear, and loud laughter.) The Irish party calculated on the people of England being qui escent. They said to themselves, "If we make a general assault upon them, and rouse them, they will come upon us, and thunder us out of the country. (A laugh.) We will go gradually, so that no part of the process will appear worth while being roused about. We will pick a hair here, and a hair there ;"—they would remember that the man who began by pulling a hair at a time was the first to pull the horse's tail out—(laughter) ;—they would not make such an assault as would cause John Bull to kick back, but they would go on by degrees, hair by hair, till they left him shorn of all the glory of his hinder parts. (Cheers and laughter.) The arrangement proposed in the letter was to keep four princi pal objects in view, the first of which only, namely, religious instruction, called for any remark. Lord J. Russell ob served, that " there was a wide or apparent difference of opinion" with respect to religious instruction. It was really a wide difference. They had no common ground to stand upon with the advocates of what was called general education without religion, because they differed in their views of the materials to be .worked upon. The advocates. of general edu cation thought the materials in themselves were good. The clergy, on the other hand, believed that the materials were so bad that, except they were radically changed, cultivation of them was like planting a weed in a hot-house. They might force it more, but what did they force ? The juices of the weed. There was nothing in additional cultivation to change the nature of the plant. The nature of the plant must be changed before cultivation could be an advantage, and there was nothing that could effect that change but Christianity. After some further observations the reverend gentleman concluded by proposing the resolution. The Rev. J. W. GuNrtrisTa seconded the motion. The Rev. C. G. T. DRIFFIELD, in proposing the commit tee for the ensuing year, spoke of the Unproved state of Pres cot with regard to church accommodation. The motion was seconded by the Rev. JAMES FURNIVAL, of St. Helen's. Thanks were then voted to the Bishop, for his conduct in .he chair, and the meeting separated. CORRESPONDENCE. THE LIVERPOOL ANTI-CORN LAW PETITION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SIR,—If you think these few lines worth inserting in your paper, I shall be obliged. The petition got up at Liverpool against the corn laws was signed (it is stated so) by 25,000 names. To show, Sir, how many of them were obtained, and how incompetent such persons were of forming an opinion upon such a subject, is my wish. A man was placed in the Goree Piazzas, to get as many names as possible. During the time I stood by (five minutes), some dozen persons affixed their names, among whom were five drunken sailors, three boys, and two or three old men and women, who had the pen thrust into their hands, but could not use it. The same scene took place at the top of Park-lane,, late on Saturday night, when some hundreds signed their names, chiefly persons of the lowest description, and who had just left the gin shops and beer houses in a beastly state of intoxi cation. Can we wonder, Sir, at so many signatures to the petition, when the originators had recourse to such base and dishonest practices.—l remain your obedient servant, S. K. THE CORN LAWS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. venture to send you a few lines on a subject just now much discussed, but, as it appears to me, by all most entirely as a party question, though each party professes to advance the good of their opponents as well as themselves? and I think that, as a party question, it can never satisfac torily be settled ; that is, if by satisfaction we mean the good of both parties. No doubt, a great deal of the outcry is raised by persons glad of any subject which gives them an oppor tunity of talking in public : but when we see such meetings as have lately been held, in all parts of the country, and at tended by persons admitted by all to be of the greatest re spectability and intelligence, we must cede to them the right to attention, though we may not admit, to the extent they claim at least, the truth of their complaints, or the feasibility of the remedies they propose. Without going through the details of the case here, we may at once challenge the justice of the charge made by the manufacturers, viz., that the only remedy for their present state is the repeal of the corn laws. They assert this ; but what proof do they bring? They talk a great deal about the encourageinent given to manufactures abroad ; but do they expect that all European states are to remain without any attempt to supply their own wants, merely for the benefit of the manufacturers of England? The notion is absurd ; and all the protection to her trade that England can command, are her natural productions, her energy, and experience. By the proper management of these she may still maintain her supremacy. The immediate re peal of the corn laws would, no doubt, produce a temporary relief to the manufacturers, by withdrawing to another, trade, some of the capital now employed at a very small'rete of profit but this could be but a momentary relief, and, there fore, I think they promise themselves too much when they, expect so many interests to be sacrificed for their temporary advantage. I am far from maintaining the perfection bf the present corn laws •, indeed, I think them very susceptible of improvement. The fallacy in them appears to me to be the actual prohibition they give to all trade in corn in ordinary seasons. Of course, such a season as the past must not be taken singly as the foundation of any calculations for a gene ral rule. A general understanding having been come to as to what is a remunerating price to the farmer, a duty is fixed upon at that price, with an ascending and descending scale. Perhaps that duty is too high, considering the natural pro tection the farmer enjoys in the expenses of freight, &c., in bringing foreign corn to this market ; but let that pass for the present. This fluctuating scale acts, I say, as a prohibi tion in the average of seasons ; for, in spite of all that has been said of the facility of forcing the averages of price, we find that it has not been worth while to provide a store, either here or on the continent, for the supply of this market. The remedy, then, would appear to be this :—Having decided what is the remunerating price to the farmer (and it will scarcely be prudent for them to have the naming of that price), let the rate of duty vary more gradually ; that is to say, vary by every shilling per quarter of price up to a certain point, and, of course, downwards in the same manner. But I would propose the alteration of the present duty should ex tend further on the increase of price than on the decrease. This simple alteration would render it worth while to hold foreign corn for home consumption. Nor do I think we need fear too great an influx from abroad ; for it very rarely hap pens that we have a short crop here, without a correspond ing deficiency of that on the continent. For the manufac turers to suppose that even the entire repeal of the present laws would be a cure for all they at present suffer, is merely snatching at a straw. If continental Europe will manufac ture, and we have no power to stop them, of course they will lin a great degree supply themselves with - ordinary things. But what has become of our long boasted superiority of working, to say nothing of our natural advantages, if we can not still maintain our ground. England must always be her own best customer ; but that is no reason the main article of life should be heavily taxed. A moderate duty, if it can be so arranged as to guard against either scarcity or repletion, must be best for all parties: As for the comparisons that have lately been made, as to the prices of articles manufac tured here and abroad, there is one grand mistake attending them all, the mere money price is no criterion of the value to parties living in each Afferent country. But this is a sub ject includingso many others, and I have already trespassed so much' on your notice, that I will say no more upon it than that not only the value of money as such, in the two differ,, ent countries, but also the proportion it bears to other things, supporting the relative position of the parties using it to those both above and below them in the scale of life, in the respec tive countries, must be considered.—l am, Sir, your most obedient servant, H. A_ 25th February, 1839. )PA. 10,,cf TOWN-COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS. A special meeting of the town-council was called for Wed nesday morning, to take into consideration the report of the Finance Committee relative to the proposed plan of erecting warehouses upon the dock quays. The MAYOR stated the object of the meeting, and then went on to observe that the report of the Finance Committee was a very voluminous document, extending to 200 octavo pages, and it was therefore thought that it would be inexpe dient to have it read to the assembled council. The printing of the report, too, was not yet completed, but it would be finished, he understood, in a day or two. Mr. Currie, the chairman of the Finance Committee, would lay before the council a proposition as to how they should act under the circumstances. Mr. CURRIE said, that the committee were desirous that the consideration of the report should not be gone into until the council had had an opportunity of fully examining it. The report, which the committee had decided upon having printed, and a copy of which was to be pMced in the hands of every member, would be ready for delivery on Friday morning ; and the final report of the committee, which was to embody their opinion upon their evidence, would be read on Monday morning. Under these circumstances, he should more that the consideration of the subject be postponed until Wednesday next, (the regular monthly council-day,) if there should then be time ; if not, perhaps the council would decide to take it upon the following day. By adopting this propo sition, the council would have time to read and examine the report, as well as the decision of the committee, the latter of which documents would be in their possession two days before the meeting. Mr. Currie then moved the following resolution : FINANCE COMMITTEE.-DOCKS, WAREHOUSES. Course of proceeding at the Council, 27th February, 1839. For the chairman to explain,- I.—That the committee have determined upon presenting a first report, which will comprise all the information arid evidence taken, and, pursuant to the direction of the council, recorded by them; embracing what would be equal to about 200 printed octavo pages. 2.—That it is proposed by the committee that the report shall, for the convenience of the council, be delivered to the members printed. 3.—That to save time in effecting this object, the Finance Committee have ventured to order the printing, which has now been in progress since Friday last, and will be complete by to-morrow evening. 4.—That the committee have deemed it advisable to make the opinion and recommendation required from them by the council the subject of a separate report ; in which determina don the committee have been guided by a wish to give des patch to the publication of the information and evidence, and to obtain for themselves the benefit of a revision of the case in print, before they finally conclude upon their opinions and recommendation. s.—That they now propose that the heads only of their first report shall be read short by the town-clerk, and that a copy of it shall be placed, in the hands of each member on Friday morning, by the post. 6.—That they shall have special leave from the council to print their second report, which will contain their opinion and recommendation ; and to place a copy of it in the hands of each member as soon as practicable, the formal presenta tion to the council remaining for the next council. 7.—That thus proceeding, they calculate not only upon every member having the first report by Friday morning, but on every member being in possession of the whole case, viz., the first and second reports, by Monday morning. And upon this plan, they propose, that after the first report is read short, as proposed, the council shall adjoiirn this matter to — The MAYOR said—you have heard the suggestion of the chairman of the Finance Committee ; what is your 'pleasure upon it ? Perhaps, however, the town-clerk had better read the heads of the report first ? Mr. MELLOR did not see any use in ,reading the heads of the report, as the whole.of the document was shortly ,to be put into their hands. Mr. PLATT observed that, as they were assembled,' he hoped that the Town-clerk would read the heads of the re port. The TOWN-CLERK said that to do so would not occupy above four or five minutes. The heads of, the report were then read by the TOWN CLERK, to whom we are indebted for the following brief outline LIVERPOOL—.DOCKS, WAREHOUSES. The first report of the Finanee Committee commences by stating the terms of the reference to them by the council, on the 21st of November last (then published). The principal question, which is divided into various ends, being " whether it is desirable or not that there should be warehouses on the dock quays." That the Finance Committee proceed by transmitting copies of the reference to the Dock Committee, the Commer cial associations, the Association of Land and. Warehouse Owners, the Underwriters' Association, and the Fire As - surance Companies, requesting their opinions. That from the Dock Committee the Finance Committee received a statement, divided into heads, corresponding with the reference. [This statement is then copied in the report.] That the Finance Committee had received, from the fol lowing commercial associations, statements of their views and opinions, namely— The Mexican and South American Association; The Brazilian Association ; The deputations of the Mercantile Associations ; The Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce ; The General Meeting of the American Chamber. of Com merce ; The WeSt India Association; The British North American Association ; .• The Liverpool Shipowners' Association. [These statements are given at length in the report] , That the Finance Committee had received from thi Asso ciation of Land and Warehouse Owners a case on their behalf. [The case is then inserted verbatim with an analysis.] That the Finance Committee had deemed it proper to refer part of the statements in this case to their officers, the sur \ eyor and clerk of committees, and that their , reports are as follow : [The reports of the surveyor and clerk of committees are then added.] That the Finance Committee, having deemed it expedient to call in the assistance of Mr. Clint (a gentleman of great practical information), had requested him to proceed to Lon don with Mr. Falcon (of the town-clerk's 'office), to make in quiries into the dock and dock warehouse systems crf the me tropolis • and that Mr. Falcon, on behalf of himself and Mr. Clint, had laid before the committee the following report : [This report, with an index, is then set forth.] That a letter from Mr. Willis Earle to Mr. Rathbone had been laid before the Finance Committee, and consideied. [This letter is copied in the appendix.] That the committee had taken the examinations of Mr. Walmsley, Mr. James Tyrer, Mr. Aitkin, Mr. Wilkes, Mr. Ward, Mr. Pollard, and Mr. Clint. [These examinations are added in the appendix.] • That the committee, on considering the case of the land and warehouse owners, had deemed it proper to request from them the information which they tendered as to the London charges, and that, on the 21st instant, they had received a letter from the secretary, with a statement of charges. [The letter is then copied, and the statement added; in the appendix.] . . That the Finance Committee, with reference to that part of the case of the Association of Land and Warehouse Owners, which states the information obtained by their deputation in London, with regard to the number of vessels found in the docks there, had requested a report from Mr. Clint and Mr. Falcon. That this report is added in the appendix. That the Finance Committee had (in the first report) re port the whole of the information obtained by them, and which, pursuant to the direction of the council, they had re corded ; and that it only remains for them to , sn'bmit, as required by the terms of their reference, their .opinion and recommendation thereon. That the committee reserve this conclusiou.a their duties for the subject of a separate report. tit ._• [The appendix is added to this report containing** letters, minutes of evidence, &c. &c., before noticethll bio i • The MAYOR.—You have heard the heads ?df , tireport read, and perhaps you will concur with the Chairrostrbf the Finance Committee, and consider the subject matponed till next council meeting. Mr. PLATT.—I will move a resolution to that effect. The MAYOR.—And with liberty to the Financtseorrirnittoe to print and distribute their second report, whichwiii con tain their opinion on the subject. nois Mr. PL ATT.—Yes. Mr. H. HOLMES seconded the motion,' 'which witt .. s agreed to with Out opposition. I . , The MAyOis then stated that the business of •tlieNtity w finished. ALARM OF FlRE.—About twelve o'clock, last night, an alarm of fire was given by the police. at proved to have no other foundation than that a flue on the premises lately be longing to Mr. Hutchinson, sugar-boiler, Temple-street, had caught fire. At the time of our going to press the alarm had subsided. " THE MOTTO ON THE SAND."—I-We beg leave to -direct the attention of our readers to the, advertisement of a song under the above title, the words of which are by Mr. James Stonehouse (formerly connected with this paperr and whose productions are well known to the public.of Liverpool), and the music of which has been composed , by Mr. Henry Ald ridge. It is a production highly creditable to the tade.nts of both parties. A collection at St. Jude's Church, on Sunflay morning last, for the Society for the Propagation of the poip e l in Foreign Parts, in obedience to the Queen's letter, shunted to the handsome sum of £5O 8 s 1 1d., and at St:. drew's , the sum of £5O. ...be. s . . ~ E VERTON AND KIRKDALE FLORAL AND .11ORTXO TUR.. At' SOCIETY.—The committee of this society has aired had 11.1 , one meeting, and arrangements for the business or the 7 orth coming season are in progress. Much as the society had 'reason to congratulate on the success which last year crowned their exertions, it is expected that the present year will yield inbie abundant evidence of prosperity. Doubtless the exten sive patronage of last year will be renewed, - andflOarge in crease of subscribers is confidently anticipated. '.• ~.,, NATIONAL RELIGIONS AND MORAL ADDCIATII)Nr"—On Thursday, a numerous meeting of the clergy from Lancaster and Preston, and the neighhourhood, was held at Mr. Rook - ing's the Eagle and Child Inn, Garstang, (at which the vicar of Preston presided) for the purpose of forming a dean ery branch in connexion with the Diocesan Board of,Educa tion in the principles of the Established Church. The Hon. and Rev. Horace Powys, rector of Warrington, attended as provisional secretary, and gave information on the subject. T. B. Addison Esq. took an active part in the prooeedings of the day.—Lancaster Gazelle. . In BELL'S LIFE IN LONDON AND SPORTING CHRONICLE of SUNDAY, March 10, will be recorded two Pugilistic Con tests, namely, Parker and Britton, Merryman andp3efferies. The price of Bell's Life in London is Fivepence. ' Published regularly in time to send off by the Two &fleck Saturday Afternoon Birmingham Railway. The sale of Bell's Life in London exceeds 20,000 Copies, and is the roost desirable channel for Advertisements relative to Sporting Matters. Holywell has adopted the provision of the lighting and watching act, authorising the maintenance of an efficient police, the spirited inhabitants of that borough haling long ago made provisions for lighting their'stFeets.—Chister Gas. A noble bull, bred and fed by .1. Moon Croft, Bas church, was slaughtered last we e k b y Messrs. T.ll..Hay cocks, of Whittington, and G. Jack son , o f, Osiiestri. It averaged 20 score 61b. a quarter ; rough fat score Mb. ; hide 7 score 151 b. Some fat sheep also from weighed gen tleman's weighed 401 b. a quarter: The legs weighed A court-martial assembled.on- Saturday last on board the Royal Adelaide, for the trial of Mr. -F. D. S.-. Edwards, mas ter of the Lapwing packet, on charges of disrespectful and insubordinate conduct towards his commanding crftwer, an d for having left the ship withinif leave on the morning of the 4th of February. After hearing the evidence and the prison er's defence, which was ably drawn up, the Court decided that the charges had not been proved, and therefore adjudged Mr. Edwards to be acquitted.—Devonport Telegraph.