The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-17 00:00:00

: ntimation when the Commissioner will arrive or cause of detention is admitted. These commissioners were to have been in Canton early in December. "I mention to you that the censure of the Plenipotentiary is merited by the merchants, who, in smuggling opium' and all other kinds of goods at Whampoa and at Canton, have outraged all former precedents, and created much distrust In the minds of the Chinese authorities. Few of the ves sels now pay port charges, although the consignees no doubt Pay it, and the whole course of the proceedings in the Can ton river has been and is a disc, "It is admitted that, in direct contravention of the PI Potiary's authority, ships have been despatched secretly to the new consular ports. "At Canton business has not been interrupted. --- --- as Commissioner Elepoo arrives, Sir H. Pottinger will pro ceed thither cc to civilization " The Chinese Government has bought some foreign vessels, and is going to build some on European models for war purposes. They want much some steamers, and will Pay for them long prices. It was intimated to them, that if the treaty was amicably arranged, it was not unlikely the queen would present the Emperor with a fully.equipped war steatne:. Were there a dozen steamers here adapted to coast and river navigation, the Chinese would, I have no doubt, take them." It is seldom that the country derivesanfryonm those material benefi t or any great access of information ob structive motions, in either house of parliament, with which the opposition party are so much ena moured. W e did hope, however, for something in the S hane of i n f ormat i on, at least, from the debate in the 11 ° 11 se of Lords on Tuesday night, upon the motion of Lord of the le- Monteagl e . U n lik e t h e other branchneitself to the gislatur e , t h at house does ordinarily confine subject before it, instead of wavering into party and Person a l contentions ; and we, therefore, hoped on l'llesday night to see some light thrown upon a sub ject of deep i n t erest at t h e present moment ' to every class of the community. We have 'been disappointed, ho wever, in part perhaps by the discursivee otim on was and ram bling speech of th e no bl e l or d b y w h om ti introduced, and perhaps in a great measure l from the abse nce through i n di spos i t i on , o f t h e President hoard o f Trade (Lord Ripon), in whose of the department the question lay. T he motion of Lord Monteagle was for the appoint- Ment of a select committee of the house to enquire into practical working of the corn-law measure passed l ast yea r . The appointment of such a committee was, ° E course, out of the question ; and was very properly ref used, a s tend i ng still further to unsettle Mi nd upo n a topic already quite sufficiently to the the public agitated. Still, h a d the legitimate question proposed—as wor king of th e present law—been ever approached, the Pub lic must h ave ' been placed in possession of many va luable f acts, and might have been able to arrive at sornething calculated to point out the probable future direction of legislation upon this subject. It was not lin, however, for the worthy ex-Whig at e of confining C . Chancellor, in sent 1 himself to the working of the pre sent of comparing its workint„ d r , with that which preceded it, or a fixed duty—entere instead, into the wide question of the comparative merits of the P ri nciples of sliding scales and a fixed duty,and thus, ineffect, heaped d evil re up all the imperfections an Bu ts, real and allured, of past laws upon the . head of the present imperfectly tried law. His statistics, his rglitne nts his facts were all such, and such only, as Might fairly have been introduced into any They prepared left sPeech of the last or the preceding session. . the existing law untouched, or, whilst affecting n t f o im • ro- Pugh its merits and demonstrate the propriety . ete ding to a fixed duty, only established, in fact, ed P i t n h g e foregone conclusion that the act of 1828 and preceding s b ad worked disadvantageously. Thi s i t is Plain is not the question most interesting at th e present moment, and to which discussion and e tile watchful attention of impartial men mayfairly directed Sir Robert Peel has distinctly told th d e .s co n u se n d - Y"---and reasonably so, too—that he is not disposed (to enter tiponPof the further legislation upon the subject . a ct of until the modified principle contame l d . in the of last session shall have received a fair tria l. Has t h ad this ? su We maintain not. A committee, had ch , piV been appointed, could have reported only the must C eet s of its introduction ; and those effects even v e er y tal Z i t to . have been influenced in part, and indeed . being er iallY, by the state of the trade previous to its brought into operation. Vast losses, it is alleged, and tr .. nIY alleged, have been sustained since its passing 3' neatlY every party engaged in the importation of corn. . dieted Prices have fallen much below the limits pre th as likely to he established by it. Then, again, lalv the introduction of foreign wheat, under the nevv O a f s be en very similar to its introduction under the act Y 18 ! --- viz., a simultaneous introduction of nearlytha oefaht'' itnportation in one month, and that the month Ini t - , atve st• But how greatly have these, which are ad by -- erl evils, been precipitated or at least aggravated, hnd, and in pre-existing state of the law on the one hand, et experience inexperience of the working of the change . on the deb t :, ba nd ? Upon these fair subjects of enquiry - duc ted Lord Monteartle's motion, legitimately con rini r e v d ' 'ight have thrown important light ; but en to ' w as not his lordship's object so much as it was ti eti taak e a detnonstration in behalf of the pet proposi : k r °I the ex-Whig administration; and for all usefulth- le :uses, therefore, the debate itself was perfectly wo r s. tahb si The public could have gathered all which it thee Year led frur n any corn-law debate of last year or prec e d inn. A fair 6 : the act and dispassionate inquiry into the operation of i ti of 1842 will, we apprehend, establish the o . tionelnteuLuating circumstances to he applied in oPP°sl - to tue charges brought against that act. In the 10 8 ,,, i)lac e, the importer, it is said, has suffered heavy U nder ilrler its operation. But, we contend, he bought benuser the impression that he bought under the appre stneklau a deficient harvest ;he bought part of his la w ii arnid uncertainty as to what would be the cor.n that etern lined upon ; he bought under the impression ofd,s e. °lnhination could still work up the averages ; 8 In addition to these circumstances, and as a cause los s : s ate of them, he bought in a dear market. The d at, a - of the importer arc not therefore to be wondered his a nd the l Ill s ess so when we see the manner in which :itivockswereofressed into consumption. Upwards (4 t ._ 0 millions quarters of foreign corn paid duty many ins the space of a few weeks—a duty too which, in henceY instances, compelled the holder to realize—and ~ th e ress ure 14e4 t fallen• upon the market, and the conse the prices; but does this, occurring during r efer Year, and under the pe,:aliar circumstances i ti o rr l ed to, warrant us in supposing that it will occur, it t d Years, when the operation of the law is better Awe? We think not. 11 oh all ev ents, b e f ore the existing law is condemned fixed d, or befor e it can fairly be compared with a 1 14 du ty, the question ought to be asked, what would t h i e °eeri the operation of a fixed duty, introduced, iltridi at h tme, and under the existing circumstances, featly the present scale was introduced ? It is mani jh its unjust to Sir Robert Peel's measure to place it, /i 9 / 1 8 4 ' i (491 imperfect operation and most unfavourable slog is ' 4 the scales against a fixed duty, whose opera- N at i ? ta ken upon trust —upon merely theoretical spe glaniu-s-and in its most perfect operation ; for only s uch ee what the working of such a duty, passed at li n - titne, would have been. In the first place, the co porter either had bought, or must have bought, his t i on, . to be introduced at its first coming into opera ket in dear market. Then, there must have been a and to realize his stocks before prices retrogaded, not e°nsequently losses must have ensued, equal, if b„...greater, than those complained of. In addition, 81 ;7 3 e‘ t ier, so soon as the demand in foreign markets nun i i „ ed ' we must have had fresh importations, conti deer:' w ith an already overstocked home market and a rilaaSed consumption, until there was no longer left might of p r ofit. What, under such circumstances, Ati , .•• oa l ,- , u been the price of wheat now ? Let us see. froninvnortation of white wheat, of superior quality, bell at the duty .paid s old _tie Baltic, took place a few weeks ago, and was price of 565. per quarter, the duty lt i ,,!, 213 5., and the imperial average throughout the si,e's;'lll being about 48s. The wheat in question, we i ll . i 'nfor tned , by the Mark-lane Express, was bought b ei ttle foreign market at 325. per quarter, four shillings D in g all that was allowed for freight and charges. , girt • • • in En - 1 }-sirc shillings, therefore, was the price g . 44 ' doty f a Por 4t; - - ree; and suppose a fixed duty Bs. in tow, 4in, 4.15. would have been the price at which it i 0 .44 h aVe been sold to the miller. Taking its quality Into cons . . . otie deration this would have given an average hi theor the British farmer of about 365. 6d ge t th e of 5 65., at which it was sold, to 445. .I—being vet y tti e reader draw his own conclusions from this tagnificant fact. We are told exultingly, by the gentry of the Anti- Corn-law League, of the tons upon tons of tracts and other paper missiles, with which that body is deluging the agricultural districts of the country, in the expecta tion, no doubt, of converting from the error of their ways those very benighted people, the farmers of Great Britain. One of the tracts in question has just come under our observation ; and really—if this be a fair specimen of the " tons" of argumentation spoken of, and we presume it is—we know not that the money of the various foolish people, whose shillings and half crowns have furnished the paper and printing, could be expended much more harmlessly, although perhaps they might have had for it a little more honesty and truth. Ignorant and stupid, indeed, must be our agri cultural brethren, if they are to be duped by this come-and-be-killed style of pamphleteering; and we venture to predict that many a fifty-thousand-pound fund will be expended—provided it be spent upon such preposterous rubbish as this in our hands—before the League will convert by them a hundred men, whose opinions are worth a straw, upon the corn-law ques tion, or any other question. The production to which we refer is entitled " Dia logue on the Corn-laws, between a gentleman and a farmer ;" and we are informed on the title-page—and of course the information is " true, as truth has ever been of late"— that it " took place, nearly verbatim, on board a steam boat, between a gentleman and a farmer." As may be expected, the so-called dialogue is a sadly one-sided affair, the " gentleman" monopolising—as your free trader is rather apt to do—nearly the whole of the talk, whilst the " farmer" is only allowed, with honest Dogberry, to " write himself down an ass" at each break in his companion's wind. The first drift of the "gentleman" is to persuade " Farmer Stupid" that the position of the British agri culturist possesses a great advantage over that of the foreigner (a home market for his produce), and two advantages over that of the manufacturer. The ad vantage over the foreigner is that the latter has " lOs. 15s. or 20s. per quarter" to pay as freight, &c., before he can sell his corn in the British market; whilst the native grower " adds this sum to the price of his corn at the time he sells it, although he has been at neither cost nor trouble in the matter." The worthy and wonderstruck son of the soil professes that this "never struck him so before," and no wonder ! The poor fellow must be amazed to find that the produce of his last year's crop has made him 10s., 155., or 20s. per quarter richer than he ought to have been ! Then, over the manufacturer, he has the advantage of charging him this much more than the proper value of his commodity, whilst the latter must pay it over again before he can get the commodity of the foreigner; —hence the advantage of the farmer is, two fold ! If the corn of the foreigner could be brought to him without carriage, he would pay for it, say 365.; but as he has 10s. to pay for carriage, he opines that English Hodge is twenty shillings into pocket, and not ten only, when he gets for his article 465. ! This is the twofold advantage. In a similarly sophistical style the " gentleman" humbugs Farmer Stupid upon the subject of tithes, poor-rates, land -tax, highway-rates, and taxation in general, until at length the poor fellow, evidently quite out-talked, is driven to confess that "he thought he was more burthened than he appears to be"—a happy thing if his ingenious enlightener could persuade away the burthens from the backs of some other people ; —but the climax of the dialogue is that in which the Leaguer propounds his mode of benefitting the agri cultural community by a total and immediate repeal of protection. We shall give a portion of this in the lan guage of the dialogue itself. Gentleman.—Let us next turn our eye upon the Polish husbandman, clad in his dress of sheep skins. He grows corn sufficient for his wants, and would be glad to exchange it for the cottons of the Manchester weaver ; each is ready to supply the needs of the other to their mutual advantage ; but again the cupidity of the Corn Law interferes with its protecting duty, and both are brought to a stand still. Wide prospects are sometimes seen through small openings. Reverse the picture, and suppose these men at liberty to ex change the products of their respective industry, an impulse would immediately be given to foreign agriculture, distant markets would be opened to our manufacturers, commerce would increase, and all would participate in the general benefit. Farmer.—l am afraid not the farmer; his prices would fall, and his trade would be ruined. Gentleman,—lf so, it only proves the unsound and artifi cial position in which he stands, and which wants a remedy. The natural result of the change would be this; the demand fur foreign corn would enhance its price ; the price would auament the value of land abroad ; an improved system of culture would be introduced, better implements be required, more labourers wanted, and higher wages paid ; these, an d other concomitant circumstances, so far from tending to lower our home prices of corn, would carry the _foreign price up. And when to this we add the new demand for our ma nufactures, with the consequent stimulus that would be given to British industry, instead of the thousands and tens of thousands now emigrating for want of employ, and the nu merous manufacturing establishments formed and forming, in self defence, in nearly all the European states, we should be glad of our population at home at fair wages, and these would form so many additional customers to the British far mer, and again INCREASE rather than diminish both the price and consumption of his corn ! Now we rather imagine that if Farmer Stupid had been possessed of any more intellect than a plough handle, he would have said to his flippant instructor, " Sir, you prove too much, and amongst other things you prove the existence of a feeling of self-interest, which so high-minded a philosopher ought not to be influenced by. You say that the first result of free trade would be a benefit to the foreigner. It would augment the value of land abroad ; and again, it would carry the foreign price (of corn) up ! Very kind of you this ; but then you hope that every shilling placed in the pockets of the foreigner—every benefit derived by him from your measures—is ultimately and imme diately to come home to you ! Here, sir, you ought to have stopped ; for if you tell me that the price of home-grown corn is to be INCREASED, rather than diminished,—that an unlimited duty-free supply—an immensely increased supply—will produce INCREASED PRICES, you are guilty, in the first place, of a fraud upon the people, whom you have gulled with the cry of " Cheap Bread," and, in the next, of the most glaring folly ever propounded by a man possessed of reasoning powers !" But it was not necessary for the farmer to say a word ; for our " gentleman" proceeds to declare, as plainly as words can declare, the fallacy of his own promises of increased prices, and increased agricul tural prosperity, as the result of repeal. In reply to a request from the farmer for, at the least, a " gradual repeal," he says no ; for then " the landlord will put off the adjustment of rent from year to year, and in the end, probably, throw the whole of the loss, if there be any, upon the tenant." But, on the contrary, if the corn-law were immediately abolished, there would be an instant adjustment of rents all over the kiugdom," with the adoption of the system of corn rents, im proved tillage, and we know not what besides. The " instant adjustment," in question, would of course be a measure perfectly practicable (!)—no less, in fact, than the termination, by a universal scramble, or a legislative robbery, of leases and every other engage ment under which the property of the kingdom is held ; and this, whilst the very measure, which is to call for such adjustment, is one which the league as sures us will INCREASE the price of wheat, and add to the prosperity of the cultivator ! Enough of this paltry tract of the league. We crave pardon of our readers for stooping to expose such con temptible trash, and can only urge, in apology, that it is given to the world under the sanction of men who must know the grossness of its falsehoods, and yet, so knowing, are not ashamed to gather fools around their cause by its utterance. This motive, too, we have for bestowing a few words upon the document in ques tion. We wish to urge upon the few people amongst the leaguers of our own town, who realty think upon the question which they are agitating, the propriety of reading the appeals circulated by that body, which, we venture to say, will be found to contain perversions, both of fact and of argument, which, as honest men, they ought not to be seen co untenancing. Will any of our readers—will the league itself—favour us with a complete set of their publications ? We shall make a fair use of them. INSCRIPTION ON AN OLD CHURCH BELL IN DURHAM.— •".ro call the folks to Church in time, I chime When mirth a n d pleasure's on the wing, I ring; And when the body leaves the soul, I toll." LOCAL NEWS, EXTRAORDINARY PASSAGE.—The packet ship Inde pendence, Captain Nye, arrived at New York on the 27th ult. after a remarkably quick run from Liverpool of fifteen days. FASHIONABLE AltravAis.—Lord anti La!y Walkeourt and tautily arrived in this town during the past week, and are staying with Dr. Ileatheote, Mount-pleasant. The Hon. Misses Blake are also of the party. THE INCOME TAX IN LIVERPOOL.—The assessment on property and income in this town is said to be upwards of J.:4,000,000, and the sum to be levied on the inhabitants will, therefore, be about £120,000. CHESS.—The second game at chess played by correspond ence between the clubs of Armagh and this town has resulted in a draw. The first game being won by Liverpool, and the second drawn, the match is determined in favour of our town, and the experience of the great trouble attending games by currespouce has, we understand, decided the committee of the Liverpool club never to undertake another. ;;,THE GREAT WESTERN.—We find we were in error in stating that this vessel would leave New York for this port on Saturday last, our authority for which was a Bristol paper. The steamer was fixed to leave New York on the IGth inst. (yesterday,) and if she makes an average run across the At lantic, she may ue expected here on or about the 29th. She had nut, however, arrived at New York on the 28th mt., but was expected every tide. CONCERTS. — We beg to refer our readers to the adver tising columns, where are announced four classical chamber concerts, by the Messrs. Herrman, of this town, who will be assisted by Mr. J. Lidel Herrman, from Dublin, and other talented artistes, vocal and instrumental. Our musical friends will do well to lose no time in entering the lists as subscribers, for, we feel assured, they have a rich treat in store. ROBBERY BY SWEEPS AT LISCARD. Two persons, named John Farrall, (a boy,) and his master, John Jones, were yesterday committed, by Henry Winch, Esq., to Ches ter Castle, on a charge of stealing a silver and a wooden snuff box from the house of Mr. John Simpson, at Liscard. The prisoners were engaged to sweep the chimnies of Mr. Simp son, and, shortly after their departure, the boxes were missed, oue of which was afterwards found in the house of Jones. Wno WILL CLAIM THEM ?—The morning after Valen tine's Day two letters were delivered from the Post-office, Warrington, to the letter carrier. One was addressed to " The ugliest woman," and the other to " The prettiest girl," in Penketh. The postman must have found himself in "a fix." He wisely returned them, affirming that there were none of the former, and that as to the latter, there were so many he did not know which of them the valentine ought properly to be delivered. DUBUFE'S ADAM AND EVE—Now that these pictures are becoming well-known crowds of visitors are hourly inspect ing them. Public taste appears divided as to their excellence, some giving the palm to the " Temptation," others to the " Expulsion." From the low price at which the season tickets have been fixed, those who go once generally avail themselves of the opportunity of paying the additional shil ling for the season admission. It appears by the slate at the door that upwards of 3000 persons passed through the rooms last week. 7:PENMANSHIP, &c.—ln another column will be found an advertisement of Mr. Thompson, the celebrated instructor in writing, short-hand, and arithmetic. Mr. Thompson's system is a most excellent one, as thousands who have re ceived instructions from him can testify. Those' who at present have but a limited acquaintance with the useful arts Mr. Thompson professes, and are desirous of obtaining a ready and perfect knowledge of them, will do well to avail themselves of the services of so able a teacher. Miss FANNY TERNAN'S BENEFIT.—This pretty and ta lented little child will have a benefit at the Theatre. Royal, on Wednesday evening next. The entertainments selected are, the comedy of "Every One has his Fault," the fifth act of Shakspeare's tragedy of " Richard the Third," and the " Young Actress." Since the days of Clara Fisher, Miss Poole (when she was " little,") and Master Burke, there has not been a child of so much promise and talent upon the English boards. It may be said truly of Fanny Ternan that " she can snatch a grace beyond the reach of art." PERSONAL COMFORT.—The present season being that in which the utilities and grateful effects of " ROWLAND'S KALYDOR" become equally apparent with that of summer, we strenuously recommend it to those persons who suffer from the baneful effects of inclement weather on a tender and delicate skin. Its extraordinary efficacy in allaying all irratibility and tendency to inflammation of the skin, is no less esteemed than are its peculiar virtues in enhancing the beauty of the complexion; and as a toilet appendage, is of unqu estionable safety, efficacy, and of unrivalled elegance.— See advt. The fine packet-ship Hottinger, which sailed from this port for New York on the 17th January, went ashore on the after noon of the 26th ult. as she was entering the harbour of New York. The Hottinger, it will be remembered, first set sail from Liverpool on the 12th of January, in company with the packet-ship North America, but put back on the 14th, owing to the severe gale of ttie 13th. The thief mate was so severely injured in that gale that Captain Bursley was compelled to perform double duty during the voyage. He took a pilot on board as he neared New York, and went to bed exhausted. The ship struck two hours afterwards. About a thousand bags of salt, and a large quantity of tin were thrown over board to lighten her, after which, with the assistance of a steamer, she was got off in a perfectly sound condition. PORTRAITS IN CHALK.—We were favoured, a few days days ago, with an inspection of some portraits, drawn in chalk, by Mr. Gordon, an artist of first-rate talents, who has taken up his residence in this town. He produces, by means of black and white crayons, of various shades and depths, the effect of a mezzotint, imparting to the hands, arms, and face the fleshy appearance of life. In the imitation of silk or satin he is also very successful, as well as in representing gauze, lace, and other transparent fabrics. This style is new, and has many recommendations, two sittings of half an hour being only necessary, a pleasing and good effect is pro duced, and the expense trifling. Mr. Garnett, Mr. Hugh Neil, Mr. Bushell, and other gentlemen of the town have had sittings, and the likenesses taken are decidedly successful. Mr. Gordon will, doubtless, when known to the lovers of art, have his hands full of business. STOPPAGE OF CARS.—Mr. Gough, of the Woodside Ho tel, appeared yesterday before the magistrates at Birkenhead Town-hall, to complain of Henry Booth, and Henry Lawton, the owners of cars, for allowing their cars to stand in the public highway, at Woodsiik Ferry, a longer period than was necessary for the loading and unloading of the same, whereby, under the Birkenhead Improvement Act, they had incurred penalties of 40s. each. Mr. Williams, solicitor, who appeared for Mr. Gough, stated that the complainant had no wish to press the charge against the defendants, but simply to ascertain whether they had a right to occupy the stand, for if they had he would send cars also ; but being of opinion it was contrary to law, he had no course left but to summon the parties. The magistrates, after a long consul tation, expressed their opinion that, as the law at present stood, the defendants had no right to allow their cars to stand at the Ferry. There was, however, a clause in the bill before parliament which would enable the magistrates to fix coach stands. The case, however, was dismissed, on the payment of costs. MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE.—At the weekly meeting of the Dock Committee, held yesterday, the follow ing members were present:—Messrs. Sands, Holmes, Moly neux, Nicol, Bulley, Tobin, Shand, Smith, Holt, Aikin, Middleton. and Evans. The sub-committee for the depart ments of Works and the Marine Surveyor had no report to present. The Harbour Masters' sub-committee reported that in the case referred to them by the last meeting, the master of George's Dock, whose conduct was impugned, did not appear to have been blameable. The allowance to John Probert, late a dock gateman, of 15s. per week, was ordered to be continued for three months longer. Two letters were read from the Solicitor, reporting that the bill for regulating the mode of admeasurement of foreign vessels had been allowed to pass the committee on standing orders, on condi tion that notices of it be inserted in the Gazette, and in the local papers. He hoped it would pass the House of Com mons before the Easter recess. [The notice will be found advertised in another column of the Liverpool Standard.] Mr. E. G. Deane, solicitor to the Commissioners for Paving and Sewering, submitted copies of the bill now being applied for by that body for, obtaining a better supply of water for the prevention and eytinguishin.g. of fires. After some con versation it was understood that the committee decided they had no objection to the clauses. Mr. Cook, super intendent of the pilots, submitted a specimen of Carr's life buoy, with the view of their being adopted in preference to the cone buoys. now in use at the different dock-gates, stages, and slips. The communication was ordered to be acknowledged. Some financial business was then transacted and the meeting separated. MEETING OF MAGISTRATES.—THE HIBERNIAN SO CIETIES.—An adjourned meeting of the magistrates was held in the Town-hall yesterday, at two o'clock, on the sub ject of the procession of the Hibernian societies, this day, the anniversary of St. Patrick. The following magistrates were present:—The Mayor (chairman), John Holmes, E. Rushton, W. Earle, C. Turner, C. S. Parker, H. Hornby, R. E. Harvey, A. Hodgson, E. Evans, T. Booth, W. Potter, R. Houghton, W. Rathbone, C. Rawdon, R. Benn, T. Sands, and G. Grant. The Mayor said he had the pleasure of informing the magistrates that he had that morning re ceived a communication stating that it was the intention of the Hibernian societies to abandon all idea of their annual procession on the 17th instant. A placard had been for warded to him announcing this intention ; and a communi cation had been made to him, by Mr. Rushton, conveying to him a copy of the resolution. The Town-clerk then read a letter to the Mayor from the Rev. Wm. Parker, in which the rev. gentleman announced, as the result of a successful ap peal to them on Wednesday night, that the Hibernian societies would not walk, and enclosing a copy of a placard which was to be posted by twelve o'clock. The Town-clerk next read the copy of a placard issued by the magistrates, which ap pears in our advertising columns, in which they acknowledged the resolution of the Hibernian societies, their approval of it, and their earnest hope that all parties would unite in the preservation of the peace. A short discussion took place, in the course of which Mr. Rushton entered into an ex planation of the law. Eventually the placard was agreed to as it originally stood; and the Mayor was requested to ac knowledge Mr. Parker's communication, and their high sense of his exertions on this occasion. The meeting then separated. • MISS STOTT'S CONCRRT. — The fourth annual concert given by Miss Stott took place on Tuesday evening last, at the Royal Assembly Rooms, Great George-street, and, we are glad to say, was attended by a most numerous and fa shionable audience, who testified their approbation of the performances by repeated plaudits throughout the evening. The opening pieces were well executed, by a party of good performers. The trio, " Night's lingering shades," by Miss Leach, Mr. Armstrong, and Miss M. Swain, was exceed ingly well sung. Their voices well amalgamated, and the accompaniment was played in Mr. George Holden's usual admirable manner. The song, "The ray of hope," by Miss Stott (with a clarionet obligato by Mr. Stubbs) was a bold but successful effort on the part of that lady. The song was arranged by Bishop, for one of the first-rate vocalists of the day, and, as such, is one to which it is difficult for any singer, not of superior attainments and practice, to do entire justice, particularly the cadence, in which there is too much same ness and prolongation, and which, if shortened, would be more easily accomplished both by the singer and the player. Miss Scott evinced some timidity in encountering it, but got through it in a manner highly creditable to her talents. Of Mr. Stubbs's obligato accompaniment it is high praise to state that the subdued tones of his clarionet blended so sweetly with the lady's voice that it was scarcely possible to dististinguish the one from the other ; arid the solo parts ex hibited good taste and great precision of execution. "Oh ! Thou whose power" was well sung by Mr. Lewis--himself the composer. The concerto (piano-forte), by Miss Mat thews, evinced a command of the instrument, which, with increased confidence and practice, will probably ripen into true excellence. It was received with muc h app l ause . " The pearly deep," by Mrs. Armstrong, was finely sung — evincing great compass of voice. The trio "Oh ! listen to the Nightingale," by Miss Leach, Mrs. Armstrong, and Miss Stott was splendidly sung. Miss M. Swain " Sandy and Jenny" in a highly pleasing manner,ainnidsuwia% warmly encored. The instrumental introduction to se cond part was well performed—by Mr. J. Z. Herrmann, t gG. Eyton, Mr. Eyton, Mr. C. Herrmann, and Mr. c Miss Stott and Miss M. Swain sung a duet (not, we believe,es respec table, in the bill) with grea t sweet ness , a n d were loudly encored. a Mr. Armstrong 's " Moll y Bawn," a s erio - comic ball given with considerabl e q uaintness of style. We have waso riot r oom to notice the other performances , which were and some of the m fin e ; and ma y conclude by stating that the concert as a whole went off with great eclat. CHEAP TRAIN TO LONDON.—it will be seen from our advertising column, that the period for this economical and gratifying treat is now fixed upon. The days will be then at their longest span, and the season is usually devoted to agreea ble relaxation; and, of course, it is useless to say one word as to the fund of amusing and instructive variety in store for the company at the end of their pleasant journey. The gen tlemen who have entered into the necessary arrangements with the railway companies, offer to parties who intend to avail themselves of such a cheap trip to the great metropolis the option of five or eight days absence from home, thus, as tar as possible, meeting the convenience of the public. Though, we believe, no reasonable complaint could be raised against the management adopted on a similar occasion last yeat, yet. of course, several minor matters incidental to the comfort of the passengers (the want of which was not then anticipated) can now be and are provided for. An opportunity is al, o offered of contrec':iug for their " keep " during their residence in the city. THE FUNDS : 'WEDNESDAY EVENING. —The chief tran saction in the English funds to-day was a purchase by a leading broker of £170,000. New Three-and-a-Half per Cents. at 102 Z—a price he has previously Paid for similar investments. At that quotation the market was firm. Con sols for money and the account closed 961 to 97; Exchequer bills, 725. to 745. premium ; India Bonds, 765. premium. Among the jobbers in the foreign market the arrangement for the settlement of the six weeks' account was the object of special attention. There will be, it is expected, a more than ordinary qm.ntity of speculative dealings to settle, con sidering the turn affairs have taken in respect to this class of business within the last few weeks. The Spanish market has again been favourably influenced by operations for the rise, and with the abundance of money, which, for the ac commodation of parties in this department of the house, is at the moderate rate of from 3 to 5 per cent., there appears a probability of the continuance of some activity. As far as the progress of the account is yet known, difficulty in its final adjustment is not in the least apprehended. Mexican was the only security exhibiting a heavy price, and that seems to have been occasioned by a doubt of the payment of the dividend due next month. The advertisement announcing it should have been published to-day ; but it was not, and hence arises the fear. Spanish Actives left off 221. to ; Ditto New, 30 to ; Portuguese Converted, 40Z to 11; Mexican, 308 to ; Ditto Deferred, 8Z to ; Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents., 561 to i; Ditto Five per Cents., 1011 to 132 ; Danish, 861 to 871; Colombian, 261 to I; Brazilian, 80 to 81; and Belgian. 104 to 105. THEATRE-ROYAL.—A drama, produced during the last season at the Haymarket, called Grandfather Whitehead, was represented here, on Monday, for the occasion of Mrs. Clarke's benefit, and has been repeated every night since. It fs one of domestic character, and possesses deeply pathetic and interesting situations. The characters are such as we meet with in everyday life. Mr. William Farren's Grand father Whitehead is a masterpiece of acting, and, towards the close of the drama, so highly did he work upon the feel ings of the audience, that, as for the ladies, not one was without a handkerchief to her sweet eyes ; while the sterner sex, " albeit unused to the melting mood," di,covered that they had very bad colds, and that their noses required blow ing with very great activity. Nor do we say this to their discredit. Smiles may be false, but tears must be true ; and, if genuine ones were not shed on witnessing Mr. Farren's Grandfather Whitehead, we may never trust our eyes again. In fact, we pity that man who could sit unmoved to witness a drama like this, or see without emotion the old man fond ling his little grandchildren, with the kindliness of one whose end and aim is the happiness of all around him. It is a most exquisite piece of acting, and makes a deep impres sion upon all. Miss Fanny Ternan played Edward Drayton charmingly. This clever and pretty little child seems to enter fully into the spirit and feeling of the scene. Mrs. Seymour's Louisa was graceful, natural, and replete with feeling. Mr. W. J. Hammond personated Bob Lincoln, the lawyer's clerk, with spirit and considerable humour and drollery. Mr. Addison's Driver was also good. Mr. Stuart, as Lang ley, showed the evil effects of badly acquired wealth and the unhappiness that awaits the evil doer and ingrate. His act ing in the last scene was very effective. His falling at the old man's feet was well conceived. Grandfather Whitehead is one of the most interesting dramas we have seen for some time, and cannot fail to please. To-night Mr. Browne takes his benefit. He has a strong bill. INQUESTS BEFORE THE BOROUGH CORONER.—On Wed nesday an inquest was held on view of the body of Sarah Ann Worthington, a little girl who lived with her parents in St. Andrew-street. On Sunday night the deceased was washing some potatoes near the fire in a nighbour's cellar, when another girl told her to take care of the fire, to which she replied, " Do you think I have not better sense than to burn myself." In a short time, however, it was observed that her clothes had caught fire. Her companion ran into the street for assistance, and deceased followed her. Several persons went up and endeavoured to extinguish the fire, which, however, they could not do until nearly all her clothes were burnt off, and she was severely injured all over her body and face. One man, in assisting, had his hands much scorched. She was immediately sent to the infirmary, where she was carefully attended, but died on Tuesday. One of the witnesses, a young man, who was present, stated that police-officer No. 469 was in the street when the girl ran out, and refused to throw his coat over ber, otherwise her life might have been spared. It appeared, however, from subsequent testimony adduced, that this was not the fact, and that on the contrary, he rendered every possible assist ance. There was, therefore no imputation on his character. The jury returned a verdict of " accidental death."—Same day, on the body of Antonio Drouet, a seaman on board the American ship Michigan, lying in the river. The vessel ar rived on Monday from New Orleans. About twenty-five days ago, deceased complained of a pain in his chest, but was able to do his work during the whole passage. On Tuesday morning he was observed to fall suddenly, and was found to be insensible. Volatile salts was applied to his nose, but he ex pired in a few minutes. Mr. Dunn, surgeon, made a post mortem examination, and ascertained that the deceased had died from a rupture of an aneurism of the aorta, the result of natural disease. Verdict accordingly.—Same day, on view of the body of Ann Williams, who lived in Heath-st. Deceased, who was 63 years old, had complained of asthma, and died suddenly on Monday night. Mr. Carr, surgeon, gave his opinion that death was produced by disease of the heart, producing effusion into the lungs. Verdict accordingly. —Same day, on view of the body of 'William Jones, aged 44, who resided in Eccles-street. He bad had a severe cold and cough, and died suddenly on Monday night. Verdict, "Died from natural causes."—Yesterday, the 16th, on view of the body of David Leary, an infant living with, nis mother in Banastre-street. It appeared that deceased had been acci dentaly overlain. Verdict, " Chance medley."—Same day, on view of the body of Susanna Davies, who was between 60 and 70 years of age, and lived in Tkornion - street. On the 24th of December lust, she fell in Great Howard -street, while rather intoxicated, and sustained a compound fracture of the left leg. She was sent to the Northern Hospital, but gradually declined and died yesterday morning. Verdict, " Died from the injuries, but in what manner received there was no evidence.";—Same day, on view of the body of Bridget AP Kenna, aged 55. Deceased, with her husband and others, purposed to emigrate to America. Yesterday morning she went down to the ship Columbia, lying in the Waterloo Dock, and, while between decks, fell down a hatchway which had been left open to take in cargo, and where there was not sufficient light for a stranger to see it. When picked up from the kelson, her head was dreadfully smashed, blood was flow ing from her mouth, nose, and ears, and she almost immedi ately expired. The jury have not yet returned their verdict. THE TORPEDO.—GLow-wortm. —M. Zantedeschi has confirmed the experiments of M. Matteucci on the torpedo : he thinks that the nerves come from the dilatation of the medulla oblongata, which forms the fourth lobe with the grey matter covering it.—Mr. Morren has found phosphorus in glow-worms, as well as a system of prisms or transparent lenses above the luminous matter. ---. LEGALITY OF ART UNIONS.—A short time ago, Sir Ed ward Sugden, the present High Chancellor of Ireland, was at the Royal Irish Institution, examining some pictures about to be sold by auction. Mr. Stewart Blacker, the honorary secretary to the Irish Art Union, being in the rooms at the same time, spoke to him relative to the assumed illegalty of art unions, when Sir Edward stated his opinion that the laws which have been referred to did not in any way apply to such societies. Mr. Blacker having expressed his gratification at hearing this, Sir Edward said, " If you like I will give you that opinion in writing," and, taking a pen, wrote an order on the Royal Bank to pay the Art Union three guineas an nually until further notice ; thus gising his opinion in the most satisfactory manner by joining the society. - - - Another painful illustration of the danger of retaining in houses loaded fire-arms occurred in the vicinity of Fraser burgh, upon the evening of Tuesday last. Two brothers named Carr, and respectively aged about eight and fourteen years, in the temporary absence of their parents, proceeded to take down for amusement a gun from the beams on which it rested. In a few minutes, however, the children, fearful of detection, hastily attempted to replace it; in so endea vouring the piece unluckily went off, and the contents lodging in the head of the younger child, launched the poor little fellow into eternity. Wofully unexpected was the sight which met the unhappy parents' gaze, one child weeping and the other dead. It is but justice to remark, that the father had previously attempted to discharge the gun, but without effect.—Aberdeen Banner. PROCESSION OF THE POOR.—On Tuesday there was a procession of miserable-looking people—men, women, and children —along the principal streets of this city, carrying banners, &c. The chief part of the persons composing the cavalcade were very worthless, " ne'er-do-weel " characters —of that there was no doubt; but still the hardship of their lot, which was strongly impressed on their meagre counte nances and half-clothed persons, excited a good deal of sym pathy. We have seen the day when the carrying of such flags and insignia would have amounted almost to treason. On the hoard borne by the women, (who had also a black flag,) there was inscribed, " Bread or Death." On another " And is our Glorious Constitution come to this ? " We cannot say that the appearance of these poor people occa sioned any alarm to the citizens, but this might result from the fact that the Superintendent of Police followed in their wake, to take care that they committed no violence. We understand these people propose to continue their procession every day, but we hope they will be prevented by some mea sure of relief.—Glasgow paper. REMOVAL OF INPNALIGHTEN.—On Tuesday, at three o'clock, this wretched criminal was removed from Newgate to Bethlehem Hospital. The warrant for his transmission, signed by the Secretary of State, was received by Mr. Cope, the governor of the prison, at an early hour in the day. and on its arrival that gentleman at once made arrangements for the removal of the culprit under his own superintendence. 111`Naughten received with evident satisfaction the intimation that he was about to leave Newgate, and walked with a quick firm step to the outer prison gate, where a hackney cabriolet was in waiting to receive him. Mr. Cope alone accompanied the prisoner, and on arriving at the hospital handed him over to the custody of the governor. He was immediately con veyed to that portion of the building on the southern side appropriated to the reception of criminal lunatics, where an apartment had been prepared for him. The following brief particulars of the demeanour of M`Naughten since his in carceration will be read with interest at the present moment : nd On his committal he was placed in the cell previously occu pied by several of the more noto rious crim inals of late years, a commodious apartment on th He was constantly watched by two turnkeoorr, of the prison. ys, who were re lieved every twelve hours, and with these individuals the wretched man at all times entered into conversation with considerable alacrity. He frequently made inquiries as to the political movements which were going on, and manifested great anxiety when in the performance of their duty the officers attempted to evade answering the question. His excitement when conversing on thi , s subject a p pears to h ave impressed all those who we re brought into contact w ith hi m , with a belief that his min d was affected. His conversation generally is stated to have been extremely interesting, fre quently turning on mechanical subjects ; but it is a cur i ous circumstance, that on one occasion only did he allude to the fearful crime committed by himself, and then only in the most unconcerned manner. lie appeared t o h ave no anx i ety s as to his defence, and saw hissolicitor only t wo or t h ree times. He was impatient of _.. confinement, and w ou ld some times pace his cell backw ards and forwards for h a lf an h our together. He slept remarkably v7ll, generally retiring about ten o'clock, and seldom waking during the night. Si nce hi s acquittal he has been visited by his father, but no other • relative has seen him. He at te nded . divine s erv i ce i n t h e prison chapel twice on Sunday. last, and took part in the prayers with great apparent feeling and propriety. I t ma y not be generally known tha t the number of criminal lunatics at present confined in Bethlehem exceeds sixty. The visiting privilege, allowed to friends of the inmates generally, is also extended to those of the criminal lunatics, who are permitted to see their relatives twice a month ; but it is currently re ported that some more stringent r ules th an those hitherto in Toree will be immediately applied to this class of persons. THE POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY INTERESTING COMMUNICATION ON THE IMPROVEMENTS OF LIVERPOOL The general monthly meeting of this society took place on Wednesday evening, in the Lecture Room of the Royal In stitution. Mr. GRANTHAM, the president. in the chair• The attendance was very numerous—the room, and,even the entrances, being crowded. The chairman was supported, on his right, by his Worship the Mayor ; on his left by Mr. Wm. Fawcett; and we observed, amongst the strangers and members present, the Rev. R. Davies, Rev. T. Dwyer, :Mr. W. Earle, Mr. T. Blackburne, Mr. S. Holme, Mr. C. Boutflower, Mr. Priestley, Mr. ,Shepherd, Mr. Joshua Ed wards, Mr. Dover, Mr. Currie, Mr. R. Rigby, Mr. Rosson, Mr. C. W. Williams, Mr. Holt, Mr. Wm. Damon, Mr. Alderman Bulley, and many others of our distinguished townsmen. The CHAIRMAN, in opening the business of the evening, explained, for the information of the visitors present, the nature and objects of the society, in furtherance of whicn he read an extract, show ing that it sought the encouragement of science, arts, inventions, and practical improvements. He congratulated those present on the numerous attendance of members and friends, and particularly on the presence of the Mayor, who, by coming amongst them, did credit to his high office, and, by his encouragement, conferred a benefit upon the society, for which they could not but feel grateful. The society was open to the contributions of all parties, and, on the present occasion, they were fortunate in having a gentleman who would favour them with a paper on a subject which could nut fail to be highly interesting to all who were present. That gentleman—Mr. Holme—was at once a scientific and a practical man, and he doubted not they would derive both pleasure a❑d instruction from his observations. He concluded by calling upon Mr. Holum for his promised communication ON THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS OF LIVERPOOL Mr. SAMUEL HotAtE then came forward, and was re ceived with very great applause. He said, On ordinary occasions, it might be expected that at a meeting of the Polytechnic Society, the paper for the even ing should comprise an illustration of some mechanical dis covery, or a new adaptation of those scientific triumphs which are now in existence, and which are exercising such an important influence on the comfort and the destiny of the great family of man. But it is one of the advantages of such a society as this, that it brings mind into collision with mind —that as fire kindles fire, so does intellect brighten intellect, and the corruscations of intelligence and of thought cast a light upon distant and more remote objects, and, as the gloom is penetrated, fresh objects are discerned, and ideas are eli cited which, but for the gleams thrown out, would have re mained in obscurity, or have lain dormant in the mind. Here, the man of commerce arid the man of science,—he who is engaged in the honourable pursuit of mechanical industry and rie whose learned leisure enables him to dive deeply into literature and study,—the mechanic, who earns his bread by his daily labour, and by the exercise of the mysteries of his craft,—all can meet together on common ground • and the active and vigorous character of the commercial and trading community can be inseparably united with the graces and the accomplishments which distinguish the man of literature and of science, and both will be benefitted by being brought into juxtaposition with each other. Here the mine of science may be opened, here the great deep of profound thought may be safely embarked upon. It is a voyage of discovery, unconnected with selfishness ; and the freight which we adventure, and the commodities which we receive, are intended for general distribution, and for ge neral benefit. Here we can escape, for a time, from the tur moil of business. Here men of different opinions and senti ments may meet on neutral ground, and, escaping from those perplexing questions which at present agitate society, can join together in harmony and in concord in furthering those views which are inseparably connected with our prosperity as a nation, with our success as individuals, and which kin dle a spirit of friendship and esteem amongst many who might otherwise be enstranged from each each other by dif ferences of opinion on subjects which are not permitted here to be discussed. _ Having benefitted by the scientific inquiries of those who have preceded me, it has occurred to me that, on an occasion like the present, when we are honoured by the presence of our Chief Magistrate, who takes a laudable interest in every subject where the prosperity of our town is concerned, and who, in connexion with his family, has assisted in no slight degree to stamp this town with commercial importance, that it would neither be out of place on this occasion, nor incon sistent with the objects of the society if I brought before it a subject of local importance, possessing a more general charac ter, and divested of those technicalities which more or less attach themselves to every subject of a purely scientific cha racter, and which, it must be confessed, are not fraught with deep interest to many whose general avocations do not bring them into collision with mechanical science, or who have not pursued those particular subjects which it is the proximate object of this association to elucidate and to engender. I will, therefore, with your permission, direct your attention to a subject of general as well as local interest, assuming that every one who hears me is anxious not only for the commer cial prosperity of this great port, but is desirous of witnessing her progressive march in those improvements, both of con venience and of taste, which should always accompany suc cessful efforts, and which can only be accomplished by an outlay of capital directed by architectural and engineering skill, and fostered by that enlarged spirit which existed amongst the commercial princes of Italy, and which have rendered their cities the admiration of travellers, and the models from which the man of taste may draw the most im portant instruction. Permit me, however, to make a few general remarks arising from the consideration of the subject which I propose, namely, a sketch of our public improve ments and the best mode of rendering them effective. There never was a period in the history of the world when so many facilities existed for carrying out vast and magnifi cent designs; nor probably did there ever live such a num ber of men capable, not only of conceiving, but also of exe cuting, works of surpassing greatness and splendour. We view the great works of antiquity through the vista of 2,000 years ; our feelings are excited at the moss-covered ruin, grey with the touch of ages, and consecrated by the recol lections and the charms cast around them by the events of nations, now only matters of history. We view their mighty fragments with awe and wonder, and they are rendered sa cred by those feelings of reverence which are the fruits of our early impressions: and far be it from me to condemn those feelings of respect for the mighty dead, which must arise in the breast of every reflecting mind, whether he wan ders amidst the magnificent ruins of Petra, surveys the lofty Pyramids which are as durable as when they were erected— whether he gazes with admiration at the simple proportions and severe majesty of the Parthenon and the Temples of Paestum, or views the more modern, but not less interesting and gigantic, ruins of the Colosseum. These things connect us with nations and individuals which have long ceased to exist : and if I ever enjoyed serious and delightful, but reflec tive moments, it was when in silence, and with no companion but the moon, I have wandered amidst the ruins of the Foro Romano, and pictured to myself the mighty transactions which have rendered so celebrated that wonderful spot. For grandeur of arcbitectural design, for just proportion and har mony of parts, I cheerfully and willingly award the [need of praise to our illustrious ancestors; but having made this ad mission, and endeavouring to divest my mind of those feelings with which we view the great works of antiquity, I must claim for the engineering skill and the architectural talent of this country the praise due to it :—and it', in future ages, by the operation of those events which have rendered the an cient empires matters of history, the public works of Great Britain shall fall into decay, I doubt not but posterity will look with equal wonder on the ruins of many of the public edifices of this country, and they will excite feelings of admi ration, such as those which now attract the traveller, when he gazes on the ruins in Egypt, in Syria, and in Athens, or on those which connect us with the glories of imperial Rome. Let us take a few examples. The bridge which spanned the Tiber, and was rendered immortal by the exploits of flora tius Cocks, is surpassed both in grandeur arid in beauty by those which have been recently erected across the Thames. The ancient bridge, which by one arch spanned the Danube, was not to be compared with that light and airy, yet stable and graceful structure, thrown across the Menai by our own illustrious Telford. The Pharos of Alexandria will find its equal in the well tried erection of Smeaton on the Rock of Eddystone. No ancient port of which we read, could show a work so grand or so gigantic as the Breakwater of Ply mouth. The Cathedrals of St. Paul's and York Minster will not suffer by comparison with many of the edifices of old ; and our new Houses of Parliament will vie with many ancient erections, of which the ruins exist at the present time. The lofty viaducts which carry our railways across towns and rivers; the Tunnel which has given to the inha bitants of London a road beneath the Thames—the Chain piers at Brighton and other places, and the embankments and cuttings of our railroads, all these wonderful works, are so many proofs of engineering skill, which have become so common of late that they cease to excite surprise. But we must not forget the mighty power of the steam-engine. No Archimedes of old could conquer the winds and the waves, could bid defiance to the storm, and with artificial wings transport navies across the ocean, and annihilating distance, make the inhabitants of another hemisphere what Divine Providence intended they should be, viz.. our neigh bours. No man was found who could transport one thousand persons with their travelling equipments thirty miles an hour, who had the enterprise to penetrate the womb of the mountain, carry roads across the deepest valley, who could overcome the almost insuperable obstacles of nature by bringing the elements themselves into subjection, and making those elements subservient to the wants and wishes of man kind ; and who, by this mighty agent, could destroy the na tural boundaries of nations and assimilate in one, by ex tended intercourse, the whole family of man. True it is, that we have benefitted by the inventions, the works, and in genuity of our forefathers; and true it is, that, by the com parative beneficence of the governments of the present age, mechanical inventions are fostered and encouraged, and a freer scope is given to the architect, the engineer, and the mechanic, to carry out the promptings of intellectual skill, than was afforded during the times of old, when vast stand ing armies of barbarian soldiers were employed during times of peace in erecting national structures, or even at a later period, when men of enlarged mind, like Galileo, were cast into prison as necromancers, for eliciting those simple prin ciples, which are now understood by the humblest mechanic. But, notwithstanding the facilities afforded at the present time, notwithstanding the abundance of materials which geo logy and chemistry have made known to us, notwithstanding the comparative advantages of transit by the canal and the railroad, and the ease with which the largest mass can be raised from the ground, can be fashioned and shaped, and ;.oiled in the air; notwithstanding the engineering and architectural talent with which our country absolutely overflows; yet, anoma lous as it may appear, many of our public works would be wrongly designated if they were called public improvements, and in too many instances the man of science and of taste has to regret that he cannot dwell upon them with unmixed plea sure. How is this ? Is it for lack of national enterprize ? I answer no ! Our national enterprize discovers new countries. We establish mercantile settlements in barbarous regions. We trade, we colonise, we carry cizilization with us ; and the savage, who started at the report of a musket, ceases to wonder at the mechanism of the steam-boat. During the last century, India, Southern Africa, Australia, and the thousand islands of the Polynesian Archipelago have yielded to that spirit of national enterprise, which penetrates every clime, surmounts every difficulty, which draws out the pro ductions of every country, and converts them into sources of national wealth ; which creates artificial wants among people who were strangers, not only to luxuries but to comforts; and the looms of Manchester and of Leeds, and the forges of Birmingham and of Sheffield are called Into active opera tion to supply their new-born wants. Is it for want of na tional means? That cannot be. Sixty millions of money have been raised within a very few years wherewith to con struct railroads alone. Many millions a year are paid for the duty on ardent spirits. The plate possessed by the inhabi tants of Great Britain is said to be worth nearly two hun hundred millions sterling; and the produce of the soil is estimated at more than 250 millions annually. No country possesses such a number of individual capitalists; none, whose various institutions are so richly endowed; nor does any nation possess such available facilities for promoting works of public improvement. The whole island abounds with stone, with clay, with lime, with coal , and with iron, distributed and diffused in a remarkable manner, and 1 , 1 is highly probable that in a very short time Great Britain will p re sent the appearance of one great family , an d the Or k neys be only a few hours' distance from Cornwall. Is it for want of public spirit? I should libel our country if I was so unwise or so unjust as to hazard the assertion. Let a scheme be propounded In which it can be s ow there is reasonable hope of a g the moans of carry unlimited capital will be found to supply i o n return for investment , and ing it out. The country refuses not to any ministry the most ample means for the protection of our trade, or for uphold ing the national honour. What, then, is the cause ? lam compelled to attribute it to our want of national taste, and to that unfortunate love of cheapness which is unhappily characteristic of the present age, and which places the un educated and the unskilful on a par with the accomplished architect and the scientific engineer; which generates a love for quantity without reference to quality; which looks at per centage but forgets ability ; which chairs down the faculties of the intellectual, and too frequently rcdeces mind to the level of matter. This principle, if principle it can be called, prevades all or ders, and is becoming more and more developed in the national character. It assumes the specious name of public competi tion, and is one of the corollaries of our free institutions. It is in the nature of things that the greatest advantages, both physically and intellectually, have their corresponding draw backs, and the very freedom we enjoy has a tendency to fos ter that feeling which is a kin to selfishness ; and it gives birth to opinions, which, however admirable in their general effects, have an unfavourable tendency on the development of indi vidual skill and enterprise. In this respect, however, I la ment it not. Better for us it is to enjoy our public liberty than to exist as Russian serfs, though privileged to gaze on the splendid edifices which adorn the banks of the Neva — better to dwell amidst our national blessings and privileges than to witness the stately grandeur of other countries, at the expense of those civil and religious rights which we all so dearly prize. But why should national taste decay in pro portion to the advance of public liberty ? The nation surely need not to be told that judgment and taste are not the extra vagant commodities which men take them for, because it is too generally the case, that it is the absence of these qualities that is ultimately found to be expensive and unsatisfactory, because present cheapness and insufficiency is incompatible with permanence and stability. Present and immediate return, and a carelessness of future expenditure, arising out of speedy dilapidation or decay, is one of the evils of the present time. Men build for themselves, and not for posterity; and one might suppose that the present generation had seriously set themselves to answer the question of the Irish senator, " What has posterity done for us ? " As it is with indivi duals, so it is with nations and localities : the same ideas prevail, and pervade, in these days of competition, all our public improvements. And yet we need not to be told, that the cheaper the commodity purchased, the more evanescent and unsatisfactory it will be found in the end._ These general remarks would, if pursued, lead me into a wide field, and would be beyond the limits which I have prescribed for myself in this paper. It would also be a se rious encroachment on your time ; and I must therefore condense my subject, and ask your further attention, while I direct myself more immediately to our own locality. I freely confess to you, that, as a Liverpool man, I am jealous for the honour of our town. I desire to see it second to none ; and while with you I rejoice in its extended com merce and its growing importance, in its benevolent institu tions and in its local advantages, I am anxious that its beauty should keep pace with its extension and its prosperity. Let us for a moment glance at our local advantages. Li verpool is nearly in the centre of the empire. She is seated as the only navigable ricer between the Severn and the Clyde. Six millions of our population are supplied with foreign produce through her portal, and a great portion of our staple produce is exported through her. Our cotton ma manufacture, our salt, a large proportion of our woollens, our pottery, and our hardware ; the silks of Macclesfield, and the varied productions of our looms; these are generally exported through Liverpool, and give employment to our shipbuilders, our sailtnakers, anchor-smiths, ropers, and the many thousands who form the bulk of our population. Within a circuit of forty miles from the Exchange of Man chester, a much greater population is found than within the same circuit round the Exchange of the Metropolis. Our public revenues exceed that of many of the German princi palities ; and our dock rates (which is the best proof of our general prosperity) exhibit a steady increase, the surplus being available for continued improvements. Aud yet, I would ask you, with all the advantages which we possess, whether our local improvements have been commensurate with our local importance? We have not one street in the town which exhibits any pretension to beauty —not one grand and striking place to present to the stranger with pleasure or with pride. This circumstance may be easily explained. Our town, although of quick, has still been of gradual, growth ; and our ancestors were in the habit of having their offices, their warehouses, and their dwellings contiguous to each other, the custom being derived from the Flemings, who at this day adopt the same plan. A heterogeneous character was thus given fo the town. Hence we see the workshop and the dwelling, the warehouse and the mansion, in juxtaposition and a diversity of character, and a difference of elevation was thereby produced. A proof of this may be afforded by the building in which we now are assembled. This was the mansion of a Liverpool merchant. The western wing was his counting house, and the whole is overshadowed by an unsightly ware house, in which his sugar and his rum were stored. Our ancestors engaged in commerce did not probably anticipate the future extent and importance of the town. Meanwhile the soil became subdivided, and passed into a multitude of holdings. No general plan was devised for laying out what were then the suburbs, but which have since become the cen tre of the town. Every man laid out a street through his land as it pleased his own fancy ; and that street being cut up and sold in distinct lots, every purchaser adopted the same plan ; and thus we see in our principal streets a hundred different styles, a diversity of height, and a barbarity of de sign, which it is now too late to rectify. Improvement acts have done much to widen many of our thoroughfares, but little attention has been paid to the architectural character of the new structures which have been raised. Let us take a few instances. The first great improvement was that of Castle-street • and yet we find our chaste a n d e l egan t Town hall not standing in the centre of the street. Here was an opportunity for a splendid display. Here was a noble front age, and a fitting approach might have b een ma d e t o our great public mart. Had the architect who designed the beautiful dome of the Town-hall been employed then, instead of the plain surface and the mere perforated brick walls which we now see, we should probably have had the clustering colon nade, the splendid capital, the projecting cornice, and the lofty and graceful and perforated parapet, blended in all the harmony of architectural skill. (I: be remainder of Mr. Holme's address and the subsequent proceedings in our next.) LIVERPOOL WATERING A meeting of the inhabitants is summoned to-day for the purpose of taking into consideration a bill now before parli ament, intituled, " A bill for enabling the commissioners for paving and sewering the town of Liverpool more effectually, to water the streets of the said town, and to provide water for extinguishing fires therein." The main provisions of the act are as follows :—To empower the commissioners to pur chase land to carry out its provisions, the consideration money for which is to be determined by two competent sur veyors; to render it lawful for the commissioners, for the more expeditiously extinguishing of fires, to erect steam engines for the purpose of raising water out of the River Mersey, or the Liverpool docks, for the supply of the tanks, reservoirs, &c., which it is intended to erect and to lay in any of the streets such mains, &c., as may be deemed neces sary ; to give authority to persons in possession of a key of any fire-plug to use the water to be provided by the commis sioners for extinguishing any fire, •without making any com pensation for such water ; to enable the commissioners, " if they shall obtain a supply of water for the said tanks, reser voirs, mains, or pipes from the River Mersey or from any of the docks, to supply any inhabitant with such water, and also to supply such water to any public or private baths which may be constructed, on such terms and conditions respec tively as shall be agreed upon ; and the commissioners shall have the same powers of breaking up the soil and pavement of any street, and laying and fixing any pipes and other works therein, as are hereby granted to the commissioners for the purpose of laying down the mains and pipes hereinbefore di rected to be provided ; and the commissioners shall have the same powers for recovering any sum of money which may be agreed to be paid to them for such supply of water as are by the said recited acts, or either of them, granted for levying and recovering the rates or assessments thereby made pay able." The commissioners are to be empowered to borrow at in terest, on the credit of the rates, any sum not exceeding thirty thousand pounds; authority is also sought to levy a rate, with a proviso that it shall not exceed, in any one year, the sum of one penny in the pound. And, as the Corpora tion have agreed to contribute a certain anneal sum towards the expense of maintaining the engines, reservoirs, &c. a clause is inserted to authorize the treasurer of that body to pay to the commissioners the annual sum of five hundred pounds. Such are the chief features of the bill, and we are not aware that any reasonable objection can be made to them; but we hope the inhabitants of the town will be present in great numbers, as the provisions of the bill are of the utmost importance. His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge will complete his 24 year on Sunday se'nnight. There are about three records to be disposed of at the Castlebar Assizes. The seven men charged with the murder of Mr. Shine, in the county Limerick, have had their trials postponed until next assizes. The prisoners are to remain in custody. A PROPHECY.--The French papers are filled with abuse of the United States on account of their debts. They seem to imagine that bankruptcy will never overtake Europe. The United States, from mere want of strength, have broken down first, but they have preceded the repudiation of the English debt but a few years. Emancipation from the rule of kings and the aristocracy will overtake Europe simulta neously with emancipation form stock debts.—New York Herald. PIGEONS MADE WITNESSES.—A few days ago, two men were apprehended by the police of Hull on the Hedon New Road, having in their possession sixty-three pigeons; after being remanded, several persons appeared who had lost pigeons : difficulty arose in identifying them, and the priso ners were discharged. Suspicion existing, however, that some of them, at least, belonged to Mr. Leek, of Preston, a policeman was despatched thither ; some pieces of tape were tie,l to tile legs of several pigeons, which, on being re leased, flew home to their cote. The prisoners were re-ap prehended, and upon this evidence committed for trial. — Eastern Counties' Herald. BURGLARY AND CAPTURE.—On Sunday night last, whilst Mrs. Samuel Davies, of Welshpool, and her family were in church, some villains (supposed to be three,) entered the house by breaking a pane in one of the windows, and, after rummaging the house, succeeded in effecting their es cape br fore the return of the family, taking with them a black top co, t, nearly new, a black dress coat, much worn, a black waistcoat. torn at the pocket by a watch guard, and a gold watch. Three felllows have since been apprehended, along with three females, who, it is supposed, are guilty of the outrage.—Shrewsbury Journal. Mr. Mitchell, farmer, of Northowram, reduced the price of his milk, about three months ago, from twopence to three halfpence per quart ; the consequence was, that be was very much inconvenienced for want of farthings to give in change to those who came for pints. His wife advised him to return to the old price, as not only the easier but the more profitable plan, as she was also inconvenienced in the same way in his absence. But he was determined to serve his customers at the reduced price, and to obviate the farthing difficulty, he wrote to the mint for twenty pounds' worth of farthings, which, according to Cocker, would amount to 19,200. The small change arrived in due course, but be is now in another dilemma, for he is at a loss to know whether he has received his full change; but he says he will count it and see, "when he has a bit o' time." COMPOSITION OF THE MUSCULAR FLESH OF DIFFERENT ANIM Ls.—Dr. Schlossbergerexamined the flesh of the ox, the call, the hog, the sheep, the buck (of 34 weeks old), the roe, the hen, a young pigeon, a very young duck, the barbel, the trout, and the crayfish. All contained fibrine, cellular tissue, liquid albumen, animal matters soluble in alc9hol, ex tractive matter soluble in water only , salts, and, w hile fresh, more or less free lactic acid. The albuminous coagulum va ried according to the quantity of interm ixed blood; in the younger animals being less coloured. It was formed more speedily in the flesh of the fish and the crayfish, and invaria bly yielded, by incineration, phosphorous, sulphur, and iron. The pigment was entirely absent in most fishes, and had a more fatty or resinous character in the crayfish. The hsema tosine, whenever found was always the same. The quantity of contained blood increased with the age, and appeared to be in inverse ratio with the water, but in direct ratio with the contained fibrine. All the kinds of flesh contained osma zome. This was a brownish yellow, non-gelatinous extrac tive matter, having an aromatic odour and an acrid taste, and being soluble in water and alcohol. It increased with the age and with the height of the animal in the male of organi• zation. The fibrin, was everywhere the same. CORRESPONDENCE TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, - - Mr. Chiropedist Cobden's reply to Mr. 13ankes in the House of Commons, he made a am in simile when he said that the water dashing against the bows of a vessel shewed the progress he•made. It a marine had made such a statement in a stable, the horses would have kicked him out ; for I have a thousand times seen the sea breakin against vessels when fastened In the pier-head yi le ntly ma kiiw no progress at all! 16th March, 1843 ------..r4p•-. car MARINER THE HERO AND HIS HORSE TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDADD, SlEt o —l accidentally saw your remarks on the letter yot did me the honour to insert. You say my remarks on the press are laughabl refutable ? You say nine persons out of ten disliked the picture of the Duke and his Horse. I reply they should have looked at i till they did like it ; as Reynolds said, they, should have feigned a relish till a relish came. Granting that my understanding was equal to the under standings of the nine persons out of ten, my understanding had been devoted fur thirty-nine years to comprehend and practice an art which conveys thought by the imitations of things; and their understandings bad perhaps never thought about it. Do you not think it would have become nine per sons out of the ten to have questioned their capacities of judg ing, and not to have concluded I was wrong because they thought so? As Euripides said to the Athenians, I might have been justified in saying—l compose my works for your instruction and not your criticism ; and as my understanding had in structed Eastlake, the Landseers, and Lance (the greatest artists in Europe) in their way, it surely would not ha ve been far wrong, however self-sufficient. You say my hoping Liverpool will be the Florence of Eng land is ridiculous; I deny it. A city, which is the only city in England, Scotland, and Ireland, that has given three grand historical commissions for high art within a few years, thus setting a noble example to London itself—which city, with its vast wealth, which city, with its ri ch cor p oration, which city, with its companies, and nobility, and houses of lords, commons, and sovereign, has done nothing hof then o hrt the had on a public principle : I say a prov incial city which h moral couracre to do this—a city that was honoured by the residence and genius of Roscoe, and is now influenced, and ever will be, by the halo of his departed reputation, has given symptoms already of being worthy to be called the Florence of Enland, and we have a riht to exect will give more evidence in future times of fullgy deserving the appellation. I am, your obedient servant, B. R. HAYDON. London, March 10, 1843. re they [The above must greatly amuse our readers for its rank egotism. As for people looking at the original picture until they liked it, we apprehend that the spectators would have been in a mesmeric state long before they could have said they ap proved of it. Mr. Haydon reminds us of a story told—that atter the battle of Waterloo, a Frenchman was contending in a dispute with a Belgian that the English were Leaten. " In deed," said the Belgian, "but who ran away ?" " Non: avons faites tine retraite honourable—not run avaj ; de fact is dat John Bull is Men obstinate. be ncvere know yen he is betten enough." So it is with Mr. Haydon ; he never knows when he is beaten enough. We thought that the note ap pended to his last letter was quite sufficient to satisfy him that he was in the wrong box. We have no hesitation in telling Mr. Haydon, and from the best authority, that such is the opinion of the subscribers to his picture of it, they would be very glad to sell him back hero, horse, and poetry of space included, since appears to place so high a value on the work. Perhaps Mr. Haydon will inform us how the picture came to be engraved, an by whose permission it was placed in Mr. Lupton's hands? Some of the subscribers, we believe, were rather surprised to see the etching of their picture staring them in the face.—En. L. S.] TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SlR,—From a letter published in your paper from a cor respondent about a fortaight ago, relative to a risit he paid to the cathedral or chapel now building in Canning-street. I was induced also to pay a visit there, and from that visit I am sure, had your correspondent shewn a more inquiring instead of a curious disposition, he would be as much grati fied and instructed as I have been. So far from anything mysterious was there, that, after near an hour's conversation with, I suppose, one of the " m y s terious individuals," I was invited to come and learn more, which I shall most assuredly do. One thing, I must say, I was curious about—whether " the building, when completed, was to be handed over to the bishop for consecration." From what I could learn, nothing of the kind was ever co ntem p lated. There is one thing I have yet to learn though—what authority they have for taking such a high standing as a church. With regard to the building itself, it would not lose much by comparison with any structure in the land. The design carries out the design. At present, is of Christian architecture, and certainly the work fully as ou enter, you look along the side aisle, with an exquisitely beautiful. font facing you ;. (part only of this aisle is groined, but in time I sup pose it will be continued ;) and then. looking sideways.across the building, you see the beautiful 'screen of the choir, and the arches and pillars which go round the whole, and the splendid windows of stained glass of various devices in the background, giving to the beholde r a sight which is not often equalled for beauty. When you ge t into the centre, you see the beautiful and lofty roof, or ceiling. It is w hen you get inside you perceive that the roof, which outside appears I t ugl isy and too steep, is in true and beautiful proportions. . finely gilded and starred—an ancien t way of adorning churches ; but here I remarked that o nl y over the altar was starred—why pourable position. The organ (a very fine one, by the by I don't know, unless to show tbe more ho is on a stage, which evidently must be only temperery, till the building is carried further backward. The choir is being floored with ancient tiling, which has a beautiful effect. was In fact, the whole building left an impressio n on me, that it the attempt of man to make as beautiful anhabitation for his w ,, ith the . same feelings ' as myself. I be g God as was in his power—a doctrine few can disagree with. I would . strongly advise my fellow-townsmen to go and see this beautiful structure, and I think they will come away mysterious " person whom I saw for being so little so with me.—Hoping you will not. think this too long, leave to thank t . i.s. I am, sir, yours most obediently, CATHOLICUS. Liverpool, 13M March, 1843. ----dr ART UNIONS. The following ------ is a c opy of Serjeant Talfonrd's opinion on a case , submitted to him on thi s sub j ect : , am of opinion that all the schemes are in above describeddirect are lotteries, or such distribution s by chance, as violation of the statutes 12 G eo. 11, c. 28, s. 1, and 42 Geo. 111, c. 119, s. 2. Having referred not only to thos e statutes, 121.!t to others in part motive' with them, from 10 and 11 Wm. 111, c. 17, any valuable things, whether monies, lands, or chattels, are downwards, I think that a scheme by which offered as prizes, to be determined by lot or other machinery of chance, among parties who obtain a right to share in the chance by payment of money, is in the nature of a lottery, and within the penalties of the statutes. Societies like' The Art Union,' having for their direct object the encouragement against the temptations of of art, were, doubtless, not contemplated by the legislature gaming,—and possibly the good when providing, by repeated and cumulative enactments, resulting from that encouragement may countervail the evil of the means adopted,—but it cannot be concealed, that the lovers of art have, in , such a Plan, condescended to borrow aid from the love of chance, the principle of gaming, w hi c h attac hi ng to the scl o ie r m d e o — l a t s in i nk e it was the object of the law to repress; and 1 do not think that the end can, in the construction of the statutes, be holden to justify the means. In each of the schemes before me, the purchaser of a chance has, besides that chance, a cperertvaeinutsatdhveanitilaeggeailitbytiftrulwdo not think this circumstance each case, the partpation in the chance of prizes to be drawn by lot is part of tbe contract on which the subscription is paid or the purchase made; nor do I think the allegation en of Mr. Boys, that he will sell a number of prints at the sent prices, and give to the purchasers chances for picturesthe liability created by the acts against lotteries. N , that the legal objection to such schemes varied—whether the e w y h a ic r h o the speculation of individuals for individual gain, as in th case of ' The National Art Union,' and in that of Mr. B y e s sale of his stock —or whether, like ' The Art Union * '°- s e ' ; are sustained by a number of persons, having the advance''ti' ' .. 2 and meat of art as their object, but seeking it by excitingand gratifying that desire for acquisition by mere chance the legislature has song bt to discourage. .. Secondly and thirdly. I am, therefore, of opinion althoughly to the t shares the managers and projectors, and the printers and publishers of these schemes, are liable to the penalties infliete Geo. 11. c. 28, s. 1 and 4, and 42 Geo. 111. c. 119, s d by 12 forfeiture r s e uc e h f ' the iin 5 ; and that the parties subscribing to, or purchasing chancesiithe p r o o f p p o r s i e z d e s d a i s t t r t th e n d t i of f the o I p u r t o s c , e a e r d e t i o i ab a l k e Parties, I be enforced penalties of 12 Geo. 11. c. t m h y i judgment, nk these liabilities—exceptare tberespectiv e s 0 liabilities far as a o f f o t r h f e e f 2 ' r bsy. 3. G B e u o t . prizes may be obtained by information—can only by the Attorney-Geoeral ; ' all pecuniarY Penalties for an offence a a* * "8 ' a. 59 ' touching or concerning lotteries,' are directed d mst any law to the use of the Crown ; and all proceedings to be applied enforce them are prohibited, and made liable to recover or unless prosecuted in the name af the Atto to be stayed, the Court of Exchequer. There is, however,Y-Gal, in act, (6 and 7 IV. C. 66,) entitled, . A a subsequent the advertising of foreign and illegal loft • n Act to prevent enacted, ' that if any person shall print lotteries ,' whereby it is or to be printed or published, any advertisement Publish, or cause of or relating to the drawing or intended or other notice, foreign lottery, or of any lottery, not a drawing of any of parliament; or if any person shill authorized by some act cause to be printed or published any advertisementi print or publish, or concerning or in any manner relating to or police any ticket, chance, or share thereof or any such lottery, or therein,' the o of shall forfei t £5O, to be recovered of nd e er superior c ourts, one moiety to the with costs in any th o ther to the i nformer. Under this act, I think any pa use of the Crown, and the who can be p roved to have published, prospectuses cs- rtY, tion, of eithe r of the three or ordered the publica tion, t o the penalty there created, at before me , is liable the suit of any pers on ; so that each a ct of p ublication is There will, no ade only the grou nd of one penalty doubt, be a strong disinclination to ap ply the acts against lott • ees to associations for the ad vancement of art; but I think ri if they have a valid ground of should exem ption from the penrl restrictions of the law, they se ek it from the legislature , 'r w hence only, in my judgment, it can be effectually procued " (Signed) T. N. TALFOI7RD. " Serjeants' Inn, " 21st February, 1843." FEATS OF STRENGTH. —The following extraordinary feats of human strength and endurance are related in the New York Courier and Inquirer, to have been exbibited at the Bowery Theatre. It was announced in the bills that M. Paul was to resist the power of two of the strongest horses to be found in New York, for a wager of 1,000 dollars. The animals selected to pull against him were a pair of large sized Pensylvania-bred horses, which are in the daily habit of drawing from two to three tons of granite at a load, on an enormous truck. Paul, after firing a cannon weighing 4001bs. from his shoulders, and ascending the fireman a rope, feet uppermost to the , flies, by means of his bands alone, and performing other herculean feats, placed himself horizontally upon a strong oak ladder, in order to make the grand effort. The horses were led on by their regular driver, and harnessed to a rope fastened to Paul's feet. To this rope wereettached three broad ribands or girths, one of which was drawn tightly over his loins, and the other over his shoulder. The brace afforded by his feet against the step of the ladder, the power of the girths ' and his hold with both hands upon the upper part of the ladder, constituted his only resistance to the immense cleets in w — it t h he well power he bad to contend against. Paul's body, when thus disposed, resembled that of a malefactor upon the rack, pre paratory to being torn to pieces. When the colossal horses were brought upon the stage, and attached to the feet of the were performer, a sensation of horror seemed to pervade every part of the louse • The word was given—the harness straightened —the ladder creaked and strained—the two rop es one feet,end o s f t i r t a i w n a e s d s e cur ed eser yal to the a d stage , v e to by brace wh ic h t their known voice of the driver —the lash repeated again an d —aU failed to force the enduring champion fro h is ahgnalian The shoats of the audience, and tbe withdrawal froth fold. proclaimed h i s tr i u mph! Ikl. Paul attained hi 1 e horses, March last. s Sth year in