The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-15 00:00:00

THE zrpoot t TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 18:56 WILL SUNDAY AMUSEMENTS ELEyATE . THE MASSES? - - -WHILE we quite agree with those who are accus tomed to urge, that it is useless to endeavour to make 'Men religious by Act of Parliament, we by no means assent to the conclusion which is too frequently drawn, viz., that Parliament should take no cognizance of religion—in fact, should ignore its existence. Far higher, indeed, than any power possessed by man, or by any assembly of men, is that required to convert a sinner : and yet it does not follow but that the legis lature of a Christian country is bound to recognise both the existence and the obligations of Christianity; and to a certain extent, at least so far as externals are con cerned, to enforce them. The law cannot hinder a Man to be in heart a blasphemer, but it ought to punish him for the utterance or publication of.blasphemy ; just as, though it cannot make a man honest in heart, it ought to punish him whenever he ventures to indulge his dishonest propensities. And just upon the same prin ciple, though no advocates for puritan gloom and dul ness, we should not only be sorry to see any of the laws, which at present protect the sanctity of the Lord's Day, relaxed, but should be glad to see them in 'some particulars rendered more stringent. That . the poor have, in the present day, few opportunities for innocent relaxation and enjoyment, we well know, and deeply regret ; and such are the insatiate demands of the spirit of mammon, that the few which they do enjoy on any of the six working days, are more likely to be curtailed than added to : but it would be a sorry remedy which should give them additional opportuni ties by sanctioning the desecration of Sunday, by for mally - secularising a portion of that day which belongs to GOD. Let those, who have the welfare of the poor really at heart, persuade the employers of labour to relinquish a part of what is now devoted to their ser vice. A monthly holiday would do much, a weekly half-holiday would do more, to remedy the evils com plained of, and render all such suggestions as we have lately heard for throwing open places of amusement upon the Lord's Day, utterly unnecessary. Both letters and leaders have of late appeared in some of our local contemporaries, urging the authori ties to sanction organ-performances in St. George's Hall upon Sunday evenings. We can only say, we -fervently hope that the authorities will do nothing of the kind. Music, it has been urged, and in a. quarter from which• we had reason to expect better things, would prove a means of elevating the masses. That they need to be elevated is too true; but that which is needed will never be accomplished by music. It was not by such means that the Apostles succeeded in elevating the fearfully-debased mass of heathenism, upon which they acted ; it was not by such means that their successors kept alive, and caused to spring up and bear fruit, the seed which they had planted. True, it may be said, that all this was done by God, and not by man : but by Him mediately ; and music was not the mean which He blessed to its accomplish ment. Many causes have combined to produce the practical heathenism which is now so rampant in our large towns ; clergy insufficient in numbers, and in sufficiently supported ; want of church-accommodation for the poor, or church-accommodation, when provided, of a character to repel rather than to invite them, by making them feel keenly the difference between their position and that of their more favoured brethren ; want of schools, and too frequently, even when schools existed, want of sound religious instruction. These are some of the causes of what we now witness among the masses. And, besides the absence of what was necessary in order to their being induced to go right, there has been the presence of many things calculated to cause them to go wrong. Scant wages, rendering such a continuance of toil necessary as left no time for exercise or amusement, except the Lord's day, or else rendered those who were subject to it incapable of, or indisposed to, exertion of any kind ; wretched habita tions utterly void of cleanliness or comfort, and fre quently rendering the preservation of decency and morality impossible. Flaring gin-palaces temptingly placed at every corner, and inviting by their warmth and comparative comfort, and offering to the jaded and toil-worn, that which they know will afford them at least, a counterfeit of the happiness which they will never find in their miserable homes. These, we re peat, are some of the causes which have combined to bring the masses, in our large towns, to the sad con dition which they at present exhibit. The upper classes belong, for the most part, to the Church ; the majority, perhaps, of the middle classes to the meeting house ; and the labouring classes, we might almost say, to nothing at all. Christianity alone can elevate them from the condition into which they are sunk ; and it is mere folly to talk of christianising them by Sunday-evening performances upon the great organ. They might, possibly, attract a few of the more steady going among them for a time : but we do not believe that the frequenters of our gin-palaces would be per manently diminished by so much as one. Nor have we reason to think, that any plan which could be de vised would be effectual in producing a rapid cure of the evils which exist ; but, undoubtedly, that which must- most commend itself to any, reasonable man is the removal or counteraction of those causes by which they have been produced. And though, doubtless, something might be done with the existing, our hope would be principally centered in the rising, generation. In arguing with the advocates of Sunday amuse ments for the million, we are aware that it is useless to take high religious grounds, because, in doing so, we shall necessarily appeal to principles which, they deny ; but still, as the majority of them do at least profess to be Christians, and acknowledge the Bible to be the Word of God, we think that a very safe stand may be made upon lower grounds, We would claim, then, for every man, woman, and child, one day in §ovEm, as a day ofrest, as a day which they may devote to holy purposes, if they will, but which they shall not be compelled to devote to toil for the profit or amuse ment of others. Now, it is all very well to advocate the opening of the Crystal Palace, the National Gallery, the British Museum, and similar places, upon Sundays, for the amusement of the masses—and it may be quite true that many of those who would fre quent them if they were opened, now frequent the gin-palace instead; but what right have we to deprive the many individuals, who are employed in these various institutions, of their day of rest ? We are not to do evil that good may come. If the proprietors of the first of these places pleas e t o th row it o p en t o the p u blic free, placing it for one d ay i n seven upon th e same footing as Hy de Park, we have no o bj ec ti on ; but, even setting religions consideration s aside, we maintain that the public can have no right to expect that they should deprive their various officers and servants, for their amusement, of the day of rest which they now enjoy. And, similarly with St. George's Hall, the public have a right to the services of the organist, and of all the other paid attendants, from Monday morning to Saturday night ; but it would be an act of gross injustice to set them to work upon the Sunday. And, further than this, we feel well assured that the opening of such places upon the Lord's-day would only be as the insertion of the small end of the wedge ; it would lead to results, at no very distant day, which, we are glad to think, many of the advo cates of the measure, against which we are contending, would be the first to dep reca t e . Th ere i s sa dl y t oo much compulsory labour upon Sunday, under plea of necess ity, even now ; and yet, bad as things are, most can spend it religiously, if they will. But once let our good old English be changed to a French Sunday, and it will become impossible : one man's business or pleasure will be perpetually interfering with another man's devotion. And here, we would remark, that this plea of necessity needs to be very carefully scruti nised. We are told that tea is a necessary, though we know that millions are alive whOse grandfathers never saw it. The fact is, that what men have had for a certain period is straightway counted a necesSary for all time coming. The Sunday excursion-train; the Sunday delivery of letters, and hundreds of other things which could be mentioned, are necessaries for, no better reason. London has never had a Sunday delivery, and, consequently, has never discovered its necessity ; but we will venture to say that there is no obscure country town, consisting of -a high street and a couple of back slums, but would consider itself irre trievably injured if it were deprived of this privilege, even though it had only enjoyed it for a couple of months. Let working men have their hours of toil shortened ; let their homes be made more com fortable and decent ; let them have more churches, free to all, and clergy who will. spend .and be spent among them ; let them have Sunday at their own dis posal, and sufficient inducements to spend it reli giously ; and in time, with God's blessing, we shall see good results, which not all the organs•in Christen dom will ever produce. This plan may cost more in the first instance, but less, we verily believe, in the long run ; while it will redound to the glory of God, when the other never will, nor can do. FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT. MONDAY MORNING. THE Court continues to reside at Windsor, and, maugre the snobbish surliness of King SMITH of Drury, our beloved Sovereign found no difficulty in having a highly interesting display of Court theatricals on Thursday night. The pieces selected for the occasion were Mr. C. DANCE'S Comic Drama, "A Wonderful Woman," and Mr. OXENFORD'S farce of "Only a Halfpenny." The cast was a strong one in both pieces, and the performances such as to grace the Royal halls. Public opinion is freely expressed, in theatrical as well as other circles, condemnatory of the tyranny which prevented three deserving public favourites from conducing, by the exercise of their talents, to the gratification of HER MAJESTY; and from deriving such high honour as is implied in performing before the QUEEN andler august family, together with their illus triOns and distinguished guests. In regard to CIIALLES MATHEWS, in particular, sympathy is widely felt and pointedly expressed; and most people venture to predict that Mr. Manager SMITH will neither reap laurels by his contu macy, nor add greatly to the resources of his exchequer by the boorish obstinacy which he has exhibited on the occasion. Within the last few days the Royal circle at the Castle has been augmented by the arrival of a Belgian Prince, who comes to pass a fortnight on a visit to HER MAJESTY. This " illus trious stranger" is PHILIPPE, Count of Flanders, second son of LEOPOLD, King of the Belgians, a youth now in his nine teenth year, having been born on the 24th of March, 1837. The young Count is healthy and well grown, and much given to athletic sports. Those venerable ladies, who in humble life have been represented by the mythical impersonation of Mrs. HARRIS, or her equally mysterious congener Mrs. GAMP, but who have never in the highest circles received a very pOpular idealized representative, yet who are neverthe less equally busy in high and low spheres of action, their pe culiar vocation being to "give out conjectural marriages," will have it, that while the visit is ostensibly to the heads of the Royal house, it is in reality meant for one of the juvenile branches. In other words, these profound seers in the mysteries of connubial engagements will have it, that as. the Prince Royal of PsussrA has been on a visit to Windsor Castle, as rumour would have it, paying his addresses to the PRINCESS ROYAL, so this new visitor must needs be on a similar errand to her Royal sister, and the PRINCESS ALICE is, among these worthies, set down as the affianced bride of the COUNT of FLANDERS. Consequent on tliis sage conjecture, the clubs are busy in canvassing the probabilities of his attain ing the' Belgian crown. The DtrxE of BRABANT, his elder brother, say these curious inquirers, is of a more delicate con stitution and less robust frame than the COUNT. From these premises the deduction is easy and obvious, to them at all events, that the eider brother may die early and childless, and then, of course, the ascent to the throne is unimpeded to the handsome participant of the Royal romps and balls at Wind sor. True, there is a slight impediment in the way of a matri monial alliance with a daughter of the Royal House of Great Britain. He is a Roman Catholic. Parties, however, who are startled at a straw, often make no difficulty in stepping over a bundle; and those who can see nothing but visions of bride-cake and wedding-rings in the accidental and. ordinary civilities of life, if exchanged between young persons of oppo site sexes, see no obstacle in difference of creed, and have an easy mode of merging objections of magnitude. They have set their minds upon match-making, and who shall say them nay? The dealers in court gossip find another rich treasure in the invitation given to COUNT COLLORADO, the Austrian minister, who arrived at the Castle on Wednesday afternoon. This is construed into an expression of approval of the decided atti tude (?) taken by Austria in reference to the alleged pending peace negociations. This source of satisfaction is almost en tirely confined to the retailers of court gossip and the small knot of quid nuncs, who can see no practical virtue in any thing but the intricacies of diplomacy. To all other eyes the prospect of peace, in the present juncture of affairs, assumes more and more perceptibly the aspect of Some fleeting good that mocks us with the view ; That, like the circle bounding earth and skies, Allures from far, but as we follow flies. The proposals of Austria, if they are fairly represented by the Independence Belge, are of a kind which can never be brought into practical operation ; they are, if that representa-: tion be correct, evidently drawn up with the intention of being negotiated, talked about, explained—anything but acted on. Nearly every point put forward in them is carefully con structed with the apparent view of bearing two or three con flicting interpretations. Impartial judges say that if they had been contrived with a view to initiate interminable negotia tions, and so to enable Austria to avoid taking part with either of the contending parties, they could not have been more skilfully concocted ; others, with less charity, and fewer scruples, broadly aver that such has been the only purpose held steadfastly in view while the cooking of the proposals has been going forward. The parties latterly alluded to stoutly declare that the pretended ultimatum of the " brave and resolute young Emperor" is of a piece with the Hapsburg jugglery of 1854. The dreary and monotonous speculations about peace pro posals, which are no peace prospects, and the interminable repetition of the assurance that there is no news which for the last week or two has met every one in every place, has received a slight variation in the publication of a pamphlet by Mr. COBDEN, the Russian M.P. for the West Riding of York shire. The pamphlet, like most of the proceedings of that wise legislator, is remarkable on several accounts, not the least singular of which is its entire failure to create a sensa tion. For a day or two after its publication people of an in quisitive turn of mind, with no business to do, and no aptitude or inclination for business if they had it, made langUid inquiries as to what the pamphlet meant ; but, being assured of its incomprehensibility and inconclusiveness,they abandoned the attempt to become acquainted with its contents without the trouble of reading it, and, with these efforts to acquire a surreptitious knowledge of its what-abouts, the pointless riddle fell dead from the press. The booksellers stood cautiously aloof from connexion with it, and but for the constrained attention of the morning journals the Russianized manifesto would not have received publicity anywhere beyond the dominions of the CZAR. The document is, as already said, a singular one, abounding in muddled and irrelevant statistics, monstrous averments, and inconsequential deductions. The title of the brochure is " What Next, and Next ?" and under this title the ally and admirer of Russian policy proceeds to discuss the progress of the war, and endeavours to show suo more the probabilities of its continuance. In reference to these latter he holds out a very dolorous prospect, for he tells us that "the war entered into by France and England must be carried on without intermission until peace is concluded with Turkey." Yet a little further on he admits his bewil dered readers into one of his secrets : France and England, he tells * us, cannot compel Russia to make peace with Turkey ! So, according to the West Riding oracle, the allies are con demned to the Sisyphian labour of carrying on war with Russia without intermission until peace is concluded with Turkey, which in the same breath he tells us cannot be con cluded. A prospect this sufficiently uncheering, it must be admitted. The non-sequitors of Mr. COBDEN, however, are most comfortingly numerous. An important foundation for hi s argument consists in the assumed fact that the CZAR Cannot be compelled to any terms, unless his metropolis be occupied and his ports blockaded ; yet this cannot be done, because "the example and fate of NAPOLEON for ever forbid an invasion of the interior of Russia," and" Petersburg stands twenty miles above Cronstadt on a shallow river." A little further on he demolishes any chance of benefit from this daring attempt, which he represents as impossible, and, after his own fashion, proves to be useless; for he tells us the pro tectionist policy of Russia renders her independent of seaborne commerce, so the blockade would be ineffectual, while the " fate and example of NAPOLEON for ever forbid the invasion" of the capital. Mr. COBDEN has long been notorious for the possession THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. of what some call modest assurance, while others apply to it a much stronger epithet. He has, on many occasions, earned the reputation of speaking without understanding, and advising without knowledge; but on no occasion has he made out his title to all these qualities so fully and unmistakeably as in this pamphlet. His right to lecture his countrymen in the most ex cathedra fashion on the mighty power and invulnerability of Russia, he assumes on the strength of a flying visit to some portions of that vast and anomalously-circumstanced coun try. In a corner of his pamphlet, he narrates his expe. riences of Russia, and, with a modesty truly Cobdenic, to sneer at, and contemn as worthless, the experience and know ledge derived by others from long residence and continuous travelling in the country. " These gentlemen," says he, with a high burst of candour, " have, I doubt not, travelled longer and further in Russia than myself" (thus the Cobdenic gram mar). "My only advantage has been, that I had possibly an eye and ear more open to the commercial movements and the economical resources of the country." Now, all the world who knows anything at all about RICHARD COBDEN, and his won derful travels in Russia, knows that they were performed in a very brief period of time, and under circumstances which pre cluded the possibility of his seeing or knowing anything about the " commercial movements and economical resources of the country.". He was, so far as an unenlightened world knows, as ignorant of the Russian language as he is unacquainted with the quadrature of the circle, or the practice of navigation. From his own showing, like other inquisitive travellers in those regions, he was under surveillance, and strictly watched from the moment he set foot within his friend the Caen's dominions till his final leave-taking at the frontier. " His departure from Berlin," says the Daily News, one of his Liberal friends, "was telegraphed to St. Petersburg. He was taken possession of at the frontier by a Government official appointed to receive ( and watch ? ) him ; and passed from the hands of one official to another, ' like a bale of goods,' till he left the country. He saw nothing but what they were pleased to show him ; everything he was told was interpreted to him. He spent one forenoon at the fair of Nishnei-Novgorod, and remained in each of the other places he visited a corresponding length of time. He proceeded straight from the Prussian frontier to Moscow and Nishnei-Novgorod, and thence to St. Petersburg. In short, he saw as much of Russia, and had as good an opportunity of making observations on it, as Lord MACARTNEY and his suite enjoyed in China, on their mission to Pekin. And on the strength of this, he presumes to pass off his plentiful lack of knowledge on the public as irre fragable wisdom." Peculiar crises have arisen in the career of most great coun tries, when it has been found difficult to obtain the services of the man best qualified to cope with them. The histories of the Roman and Greek Commonwealths afford numerous illustrations of this truth ; and the instance of CINCINNATI'S, in the former, of THEMISTOCLES, of EPAMINONDAS, and of others in the latter, will readily suggest themselves to the mind of the a holar as examples ; nor are cases illustrative of the position unknown in our own annals. To be sure, in all the recorded instances, the fitness of the " coming man " was' imagined, if not known to his confiding countrymen, and he was called on to step into the gap, which, by common consent, he was considered competent to fill. A statesman of the "bagman school" has no occasion for, nor can he afford the exercise of such modest forbearance. He knows that his wares, if not pushed, will meet with no market ; and, like a thorough man of business, he dashes at a chance of sale. Un acquainted with the wisdom which teaches humility of thought, and regardless of the rebuke contained in the aphorism that Fools rush in Where angels fear to tread, Mr. COBDEN has felt himself called on, as the only man who can save the falling state, to point out what he should do, if placed at the head of HER MAJESTY'S government, instead of being, as at present, located at the very " tail " of HER MA JESTY'S .opposition. Well indeed may he exclaim—" What Next ? and Next!" Listen, good reader, and you shall learn. He would at once renounce hostilities; but how about the condition's ? These, like the counselled performances of HAMLET'S friends upon the pipe, are "as easy as lying," and Mr. COBDEN has them on his fingers' ends. First he "would seek, above all things, to withdraw every British soldier from Russian territory. Our army may now be brought away with out further loss or discredit. It may not always be so." Not long, if they were entrusted to the enlightened and humane management of Mr. COBDEN. He evidently thinks the British army has caught a tartar. "With regard to the terms of peace, I should attach no value whatever to the promises of Russia as a guarantee for the future." In point of fact, this refining political casuist objects to the word " guarantee" altogether, as implying mistrust of the party from whom it is exacted, and so has a tendency to create soreness. His late friend, NICROLAS, had a somewhat different and more practical view of the value of guarantees, and the importance of promises. His third proposition is a rigmarole about a tripartite treaty between Britain, France, and Austria, to establish, by negotiation, a western barrier against the aggressions of Russia in that direction ; the East he would at once abandon to its fate. How the tripartite treaty could bind Russia, whose promises Mr. COBDEN rightly values at nothing, that incipient head of the government does not con descend to say. His finale, however, if not the most original is the most intelligible of his propositions. " COBDEN loquitur, " would not risk the life of an Englishman, or spend another shilling, for the barren triumph of extorting pacific pledges from the Russian government ; and having come to this determination, there would no longer be any obstacle to peace." Of course there would not. The butcher makes no quarrel with the lamb which lies bound in the shambles awaiting his convenience for slaughter. Having withdrawn the army from Russian territory,, and having resolved to extort no pacific pledges from the CZAR, there remains only one other obstacle to the establishment of a permanent peace, and that obstacle would fly like a cob-web. before the first application of the Cobdenic broom. He would_ annihilate the navies of Britain and France.! Modest and patriotic counsellor, he would not annihilate theta ; but would. place them on a par with the "naval standard. of the United' States." What Next ? and Next ! With COBDEN Prernier,_ who can tell ? While Mr. CODDEN has been blowing off the singular corn.- pound of his pacific steam, operations of a different character, for the final pacification of Europe, have been undertaken and are in course of being matured at Paris. On. Tuesday last a Council of War assembled in the palace of the Tuileries,. under the presidency of the Emperor LOUIS. NAPOLEON. It was composed, besides the Emperor, of Prince IsTaroLsos., the Duke of CAMBRIDGE, Prince JEROME NAPOLEON, Lord COW LEY, Sir ED3II7ND LYONS, Admiral DIJNDAS, Sir RICHARD ACRE; Sir HARRY JONES, General no L.A.MAnaLonA, Marshal VAILLANT, Count WALEwszr, Generals CANROHERT, Bos- QUET, NEIL, and MORTEXPREY ; Admirals HAMELIN, GRAN IERE, and PENAIID. The result of their deliberations will of course only become public as the proceedings armed upon are brought into operation ; but it is already rumoured that energetic attacks by sea and land on different portions of the Russian territory will be carefullo , considered and adopted. Capflicting reports as to the reception of the Austrian pro posals at St. Petersburg agitate political circles on the conti nent and at home. The only thing connected with them which can be relied on, is the certainty of procrastination which these pretended negotiations incur. A belief in their efficacy is not entertained anywhere. In the British metro,.. polis people are making up their minim with calm fortitude to the endurance of a further augmentation of the expendi ture consequent on a vigorous prosecution of the war. On. all sides it is hoped that the provision made to meet the exigency will not be limited by the peddling spirit which, under the guise of a pretended economy, is productive of the most reck less extravagance. In the literary, artistic, and dramatic world there is not much stirring. The thirty-five thousand copies of MACAULAY'S England have produced a surfeit among bookworms and a glut in the market. The sale has hung sadly. Among re cent literary curiosities of interest has been the appearance of WARREN'S " Ten Thousand a Year," in St. Petersburg in a Russian translation ; and it is currently rumoured in well-informed circles that a Danish translation of the same author's inimitable sketches, " The Diary of a Late Physician," is in progress by the celebrated HANS CnursTlAN ANDERSEN. The atmosphere of the artistic world appears to be in a great degree stagnant. Some little stir was excited a short time ago by the arrival of GIBSON'S statue of the QUEEN ; but, after provoking a small extent of adverse criti cism, it has sunk into the ocean of forgetfulness, and is no more heard of. Madame GOLDSCIIMIDT LIND continues to reign alone as the " bright particular star" of our musi ca l hemisphere. Other luminaries are talked of as approaching ; but they have not as yet risen above the horizon, though the advent of some of them is looked forward to with much anxiety. In the theatres, the orders "as you were" seem to have been extensively issued, and sternly acted on. BRITISH IlAnwirs.—ln his annual address to the Insti tution of Civil Engineers, Mr. R. Stephenson, M.P., as chair man, on the Bth inst., in allusion to the railway system, said, that 8,054 miles of railway have been completed in Great Bri tain and Ireland, at a cost of £286,000,000, equal to one-third of the national debt. In 1854,111 millions of passengers were conveyed on these railways, each travelling an average of 12 miles. The receipts of the railways in 1854 amounted to £20,215,000. The wear and tear required the replacement of 20,000 tons of iron annually, and 300,000 trees were required yearly to make good the loss of sleepers. Mr. Stephenson also alluded to the Electric Telegraph, which be considered an offspring of the railway. In the telegraph system, he said 7,200 miles of line, or 36,000 miles of wires have been, laid down. He entered also into an elaborate statement of the physical and moral effects of railway working, contending that the benefits conferred by it on the public were incalculable. W.LI I? IItiDEMNITY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANiDARD. SlE,—Hull has set us a worthy example, an example that I hope Liverpool will riot be unwilling promptly to follow, along with other large and influential communities throughout the country. She has addressed the Throne, praying the mo narch to draw the attention of her ministers to the necessity of exacting an indemnity from Russia for the expenses of an aggressive and unprovoked war. This is as it should be. It is a bold but a proper and righteous course to take, and, if carried out, will be the most potent prevention of another recurrence of war, for a couple of generations at least ; for where the sinews of war are wanting, we can have few better preservatives of tranquillity ; and such an exaction would require no ordinary time for her exhausted empire to meet, pari passu with her requirements to re-establish a normal state of things at home. That she would kick at such a stipu lation we can well conceive, but without referring to the first Napoleon, we have Russia herself, as a justifying example for such a course, in her cruel pecuniary exactions both from Turkey and Persia, after plundering those empires of territory, which plunder I do hope she may shortly be compelled to disgorge. This indemnity, therefore, is no novelty, now, for a first time, to be attempted, but a systematised practice, pursued by her self, after scandalous robbery of weaker states. Surely our own Liverpool community will lose no time in following the glorious example of Hull. It is our duty to strengthen the hands of the Ministers of the day, (whoever they may be, who will have to negotiate the terms of peace,) against the petty batteries of the "Peace at any price" party, who might per chance suppose such a stipulation to interpose an obstacle to an arrangement. Nor would it be either supererogatory or gratuitous to introduce a further request, that Austrian and Prussian interference might not only be dispensed with, but repudiated if attempted ; an interference from which we have nothing to gain, but everything to fear. My opinion is, that the more we cease to cultivate either of those two scandalous, shuffling, and cowardly powers, the sooner shall we arrive at a satisfactory ultimatum, and on sounder bases too. The time is at hand when the various factions and parties will be arranged against the government in the House of Commons, and the country will do well to encourage any latent feeling of the minister to propose an indemnity for our expenses, but which the fear of those various and varying opposing parties might prevent his attempting, except he be supported by opinion out of the house. There is scarcely one of the English press innocent of the crime of pandering to the vanity and hopes of Russia, by leading articles full of anxiety for peace, and by magnifying the courage, resources, and greatness of the enemy, a course antago nistic to the result desired. If we are to have a satisfactory and a speedy return to peace, we must rise in our demands. We show too much anxiety for it, ever to realise it in a form in which alone it ought to be made. Indemnity for the past, must be a sine qua non; security for the future equally so, or there ought to be no peace with Russia. The four points must be blown to the four winds. The impertinence of Aus tria must be put a stop to ; the enemy told that any propo sitions he has to submit must be direct to the three allied powers, without the intervention of any party. With those he does battle with—with those alone he must treat. We must away with all these vaticinations, and this eternal din and uneasiness for peace; they must be buried beneath a bolder English front ; the Gallic cock must be spurred, and the English bull-dog let loose, before the enemy will believe we are in earnest to conquer peace, and not to sue for it. De pend upon it, Russia's game of war is all but played out. Her present implacability is assumed only to obtain better terms. Secrecy has ever been her policy. Few foreign intru ders into her territory leave it with any reliable information as to the true state of its policy, economy, and resources for protracted war. She has sagacity to impress strangers with a belief in her overwhelming greatness and invincibility. But where are the proofs? We saw them not on the banks of the Danube, when opposed to the supposed effete Turks. We found them not on the banks of the Alma. They are both a sham, as is everything Russian—except extent of territory, profundity in diplomacy, and insolent aggression , to all which an end must and will be put if the united allies use the means and avail themselves of the opportunity which, to my thinking, Providence has instituted the present crisis for accomplishing. Breathes there a man out of ignoble Greece, (save one little un-English, brainless booby who endeavoured to sell his eountry's interests at Vienna, to preserve intact what he traitorously called "the honour of Russia,") breathes there, I repeat, a man who desires not to see Russia split up into prin cipalities and small harmless states ? If there be such an one, he is an enemy to peace, and, consequently, to humanity. T., leave her empire as now will be-to leave her to renew the traditional policy of universal empire so soon as another Czar and another generation shall arise ignorant of her present defeats and prostration. Bat, in my zeal, I am wandering from:the object of my intru sion, which was to hope that some influential townsmen will call a meeting to second the Hull address, to Her Majesty, for requiring an indemnity for the expenses of the war ; a punish- ment that will most contribute to keep the Russian eagle's wings from expanding far a future flight for foreign conquest. Isle of Many Jan._9,1856. BROOK VALE. AUSTRALIAN EMIGRATION-. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, Stn,—ln your publication of Tuesday last, you have an article entitled "Australian Emigration from Liverpool," in which you are strangely wrong in some of your statements. For instance, you say the " Red Jacket" made the quickest passage on record from Liverpool to Aostralia. Such is not the fact—the quickeit passage- on record having been accomplished by. our ship " James- Baines," in 63i days, or one week less time- than the above vessel. Our clipper ship " Lightning" made the passage home from. Melbourne in 63 days, being six. days less than any other ship afloat ; and the quickest voyage- on record to and. from. Australia, was also made by the "Lightning," in five months and eight days. The largest and most valuable cargo ever conveyed to Aus tralia in one ship, was by the-" Sovereign of the Seas," when she sailed under the " Black Ball" flag, on the 7th September, 1853. The greatest number of passengers ever carried in one ship, to and from. Australia, has been by our famous " Marco Polo" —four thousand seven hundred and eighty souls in three years.—The Emigration Statistics for 1256, will show that out of 15,333 passengers who sailed from Liverpool, the " Black Ball" Line conveyed 9,3..4, being considerably more than one half the. entire emigration from Liverpool, and nearly three times as:many as any other Line in England. We write this in justice to our ships and their commanders,. and.the-facts will speak for themselaes.—We are, Sir, yours,. respectfully, JAMES BAINES AND CO. Liaerpool, Jan. 10.1858. ZYPORTANT TO THE MERCANTILE' AND SHIPPING: INTEREST. DROITS OF ADMIRALTY. CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN XESSES. J. BRAMLEY.M.NiRE AND CO. AND Tag. BOARD OF TRADE. DECISION aF THE BOARD. Liverpool, December 10,..18.55. MY Loan,—We.beg to call the attention of Her Majesty's Government to the following case:— The ship "Tied-nee arrived in the Mersey on tho.4th inst., and let go her anchor, about 7 p.m., and, on checking the run, the chain parted. The master had on board, at the time, boatman from the shore, and agreed with them to lift and restore the chain and cable for the sum of £l6. The ehain was lifted in due course, when the men went to inform, the master that they were not permitted to deliver the same without an order from the receiver of droits ; and, to ob tain this order, the master was compelled to pay a deposit of £lO,. and 30s. fees. Being anxious for the ship not to incur any penalties, by a refusal to comply with the demand of the receiver of droits, we paid the money on behalf of the vessel. At the same time, we cannot find, in 17 and 18 Vic., cap. 104, any warrant for such a demand. This otticois becoming such a nuisance, and the exactions on shipping so heavy, that we deem it our duty to bring this under the notice of Her Majesty's Government, and ask if the claim be a legal one ; and, if not, to claim protection from such impositions by the interference of your Honourable Board.— We are, your Lordship's very obedient humble servants, ( Signed) J. BRAMLEY-MOORE AND Co. The Right Hon. Lord Stanley of Alderley, President of the Board of Trade, &c. Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Marine Department, 17th December, 1855. GENTLEMEN,—I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, relative to an anchor and chain cable slipped from the ship " Pied-nez," and the conduct of the receiver of wreck with regard to its delivery to the owners ; and in transmitting to you the accompanying copy of a letter from Mr. H. C. Chapman, in reply to your complaint, I am to observe that the case appears to my Lords to assume a different complexion under the circumstances, as stated by the receiver ; and they are desirous, before coining to any decision, to be favoured with any further observations you may wish to offer on the receiver's statements. I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, T. H. FARBER, Messrs. Bramley-Moore and Co., Liverpool. (Copy.) Liverpool, Dec. 13, 1855. Sts,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 12th (9439), requesting me to report on the case stated in the enclosed copy of letter from Messrs. Bramley- Moore and Co. The facts are as follows : On the Bth inst., William Christian, of Kitchen-street, " re ported an anchor, 21 cwt., and 7 or 8 fathoms chain, picked up near the Rock, now lying in Prince's Basin." In the afternoon, a person representing himself to be the Master of the "Pied-nez" appeared to claim the property, and was informed that he would be required to identify it, and fill up the printed form, one of which was given to him, and when he presented the Salvor's receipt for salvage, an order would be given for the delivery of the property. It then transpired, that the boatmen were not willing to deliver it on board the ship in the river without being paid, or a deposit made at this office ; the master said he had no money, and would neither pay.the salvors nor make a deposit until the property was put on board his vessel. It subsequently appeared that the master had made an im provident bargain with the boatmen, by having promised £lO to whoever recovered the property, being under the im pression that 30 or 40 fathoms of chain were attached to the anchor. I explained to the master, that the act was intended in the first place to protect the owners of property, and prevent boatmen from concealing property and selling it to marine store dealers. While, however, inflicting heavy penalties on wreckers, it equally protected them and insured them the payment of such fair remuneration as the magistrates might award, in case a mutual arrangement could not be made, and that the law required that I should either hold the property or a deposit. I recommended the master to make a deposit, in order to save the expenses of carting and labour at the depot. This was done ; and on the delivery of the anchor and chain, my clerk paid, by order of the master, £l6 to the sal vors, receipt enclosed. The report was forwarded to Lloyd's, being above the value of £2O. I have not had any remonstrance from Messrs. Brumley- Moore and Co., or been asked for any explanation ; and have .no doubt that, had the master paid the salvors, they would never have reported the anchor and chain, but have delivered it at once, without troubling themselves to ascertain whether or not he was the lawful owner: The quantity of chain at tached to the anchor does not correspond with the master's impression of the quantity on which he founded his calcula tion of salvage, nor was the anchor buoyed; nevertheless he claims it, but he does not produce any marks ; and an anchor of 21 cwt. is rather light for a ship of 521 tons. According to scale it should be 26 cwt. Messrs. B. Moore and Co. evidently write under misappre hension of the facts of the case, so far as this office is con cerned ; they evidently confound the exactions of the boatmen and the ignorance of the master with the Merchant Shipping Aet, which, if properly understood, is intended to repress the one and remedy the other.—l remain, &c., HENRY C. CRA.PMAN. J. H. Farrer, Esq., &c., &c., Board of Trade, London. Liverpool, 18th December, 1855. MY LORD,—We have the honour to acknowledge the re ceipt of your Lordship's letter of yesterday, accompanied by copy of a letter from the Receiver of Droits, in explanation of our complaint under• date of 10th instant. It is difficult to deal with the special pleading contained in Mr. Chapman's letter, but we are in a position to substantiate our case by a simple reference to dates, and Mr. Chapman's own documents. We submit the case. is not correctly stated by the Receiver of Droits, and this will be pretty clear when the statement is stripped of its garnish and reduced to points of fact. It would appear from Mr. Chapman's statement as if the boatmen had accidentally found and picked up the chain and anchor, as though they belonged to some wreck, and then reported the fact at his office. We submit there is no foundation for such a supposition. The boatmen who lifted the anchor and chain were employed on board the vessel at the time the chain parted, and a bargain was then entered into between the master and the boatmen for its recovery and restoration. . . . The chain and anchor were never lost in the sense and meaning of a wreck. We have had the master of the " Pied-nez" before us to-- day, and read to him our letter to your Lordship under date• of 10th instant, and he confirms the accuracy of that state ment. In answer to the statement respecting the payment of the deposit, we refer your Lordship to enclosure No. 1, receipt for £l6 deposit, and £1 10s. commission, under•date Bth Dee. Now with reference to the charge for reporting at the Cus tom-house, we have made inquiry at the Custom-house, and cannot learn that any such report was ever made there. We call your Lordship's attention to the following facts : ___ The chai; and anchor were delivered on board on the 9th instant. Enclosure No. 2, the. document to clahn the chain and anchor, was sent here for the master's signature, and returned to the receiver on the lOth, subsequent to their delivery on board. On the 14th this document was sent back toas to have the description filled up, and - in this state we sent it for your Lordship's inspection, without - date, description,mr declaration. The fees were paid, so these were minor points, until we addressed your Lordship on the - subject. We pass over the nonsense and dust about the boatmen, and fictitious claimants. The documents herewith, we submit, prove the conduct of. this office to be a nuisance, obstructive,. and meddling with matters not authorized by the Act of Parliament. We are contending for a great principle; to• put a stop to unjustifiable interference and unjust demands upon shipping, and we trust your Lordship will point out to the Receiver of Droits the difference between a cable and chain dropped in the manner the ship " Pied-nezte 7 was, and a chairrand cable belonging to a wreck, within the meaning of thalith and 18th of Victoria. • We:submit our case to your Lordship's decision, and hope you will order the 30s. fees to be refunded.--We have the honour•to be, your Lordship's most obedient humble servants, (Signed) J. BEAMLET-MOOSE aid CO. The Right Hon. Lord Stanley,. of Alderley, President of the Board of Trade; London. Office of Committee of Privy Council fm Trade, Marine Department, 24th December; 1855. GEZWYLEMEN.—My lords have(rarefully , onsidered the state ments forwarded by yourselves and by the receiver, and beg to call your attention to the following observations. The facts appear to be as follows - The ship " Pied-nez" arrived in:the Mersey on the 4Th De cember,und on letting go the anchor, at 7 p.m. on that day, the cable parted, and the arichori.with some fathoms of - ebain, was slipped. There were boatmen on board from the shore, and the master - of the vessel made a bargain with them to lift the anchor and chain for £l6. The-anchor was not buoyed,. It is-stated by the receiver that there was a dispute. after wards about the salvage; and that the boatmen, suspecting that the master would not keep to his bargain, refusedlo de liver the anchor on board without payment or a deposit for £l6 with the receiver. Upon this. part of the case the evidence is not clear; but upon Mr. Chapman's statement, that on the Sth, (four days after the anchor-was lost) Mr. William Chris tian reported to Mr. Chapman, the receiver, " an anchor and seven or eight fathoms of chain,_ lying in Prince's Basini.and pickedimp near the Rock ;" and that he then claimed Sl6 for salva z .TA., On the afternoon of the sama.day, (Bth) the master of the "Pied.nez" appeared to claim the property, and was tad that he must identify it and fill up, a. form, (which was given to him) and that when he presented the salvor's receipt the pro perty-would be delivered to hit.m. To•save cartage and labouri.. Mr. Chapman recommended the master to deposit the I:l6;with him, to be paid by him to the salvors when the property was delivered on board,. This was-done ; and the anchor mulchain were put on board on the 11th. You do not appear to dispute-the bargain made for the £l6 salvage, but argue that the anchor, &c., were not wreek.within the-meaning of the act, and , protest against the interference of the receiver as not warranted, by which you hare been compelled to pay £l. 10s. for charges, which you request may be-refunded. If the above facts are nit accurately stated, my lerds will be glhd to be corrected; but assuming them to be correct, they desire to observe: • 1. That it. is the reeeiver'r; duty to detain property even though not "wreck" where there is a disputed claim for sal vage, until the dispute is-settled or security given, (sec. 468.) This power is given him• for the purpose of preunting the, indefinite detention of - the property which might take place were the salvors to exercise. the rights which they have at common law of keeping : it as security for payment , of what is due to them. In the- present case the salvors,. it appears, applied to the receiver to interfere, and he could. not lawfully refuse. Had the salvage been paid at once, the receiver's interference might never have been called for. 2. It is by no means clear that the receiver was not justified in treating the property as " wreck." If the anchor was really all the time so buoyed, marked, or otherwise dis tinguished, as to be in the custody of the owners, or of persons employed by them, and if these facts were. brought to his notice, it would.not be within his province to. take possession of it, unless. for the purpose above-mentioned, of settling salvage disputes. If it was not, or if any mistake or dispute could have arisen. as.to the ownership, the- receiver would be justified in treating. it as "wreck," and in: requiring it to be strictly identified. If the anchor was "wreck," it was right to report it at Lloyds, and it should also have been reported at the Custom House, wider section 452, and the fee orlOs. would be payable. If there, was a dispute with salvors,. the receiver would,' as, above statekbe obliged to detain the. anchor, under section. 468, and would be entitled to charge M. My lords have gone fully into this ease, as they are satisfied that your object in bringing it forward must be to 'see the receiver's position and duties placed on a proper footing. They desire me also to enclose a copy of the instructions issued by them to receivers, and to call attention to para graphs 3; 33 to 44, 52, and 63. My lords delay their final communication to the receiver till you have had an opportunity of replying to this letter. The papers inclosed in your letter are returned, and I am to request that the form of claim may be duly declared to and delivered to the receiver, as a voucher for his protection.—l am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, Messrs. Bfamley Moore and Co., T.. H. FARBER. Liverpool. (Copy.) Liverpool, 20th December, 1855. M LORD, — We have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 24th instant, and beg to thank your lordship for the care and attention given to our complaint in connection with the case of the " Pied-nez." We are of opinion that some misapprehension exists on the mind of your lordship, and shall now endeavour to explain the points in doubt. We have had the master of the "Pied-nez " before us to-day, and have read to him your lordship's letter ; and, with reference to any dispute between him and the boatmen, he most emphatically denies that there ever was any dispute between them. He says there could be no dispute, they having mutually entered into an agreement when the chain was slipped. Whether the bargain was an improvident one or not is beside the question ; the master never disputed or tried to upset the arrangement. We here enclose the agree ment for your lordship's perusal, signed by W. Christian, on the 4th December. (Enclosure No. 3.) This document is also and anchor, No. 4.) as if they h a d an answer to Mr. Chapman's statement about "some boatmen" been reporting found accidentally Iv a re chain ek . With reference, also, to Mr. Chapman's recommendation to the master to deposit the £lB to save cartage and labour, &c. the master affirms there was no recommendati on i n the case,, but that it was authoritatively demanded. It is difficult to fix the receiver to any point; his state ments are so uncertain and change from day to day. We enclose copy of a letter (enclosure No. 4) received from him, dated the 17th inst., from which we embody the following extract :—"I have doubts as to the articles being what he (the 'master) supposed, from circumstances which have since come to my knowledge." Now there never was a doubt about the property, and if there had been any doubt, it was too late to raise such a question on the 17th inst., when the chain was delivered on board on the 9th inst. There never was a shadow of a doubt about the identity of the property, and such doubt was never raised till it suited [JANUARY 15, 185 G. the Receiver to embody such a gratuitous notion in his le° referred to above. We think we have answered the points to which your l °lll ' ship specially directed notice. f cotir We are advised, and submit to the consideration o ;th , lordship, that this was not a case for the interferenee, °l /0 ; Receiver of Droits within the meaning of the 17th and ", Vic. There Was no dispute with the boatmen, or doubt T i c' ez the identity of the property; and we feel confident, with tlit additional facts and explanations, your lordship will orde r , £1 10s. to be refunded, and which we are advised 105 improperly received. The 30s. is-not worth the letters we have written an cl 4 t k, trouble we have imposed upon your lordship, but Vtl3? principle is involved. And it is necessary to pert avaricious and grasping manner in which the Be ce , t l duties are discharged' and m a d e su b serv i en t t o the 1 33 J" of fees without reference to the public good. t° t/ ' Again thanking your lordship, we have the hono ur o; &c., &c., &c., (Signed) J. BRAMLE Y -M O ORE, an' To the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, of Alderley, President of the Board of Trade, London. GENTLEMEN,—I shall feel Li o v b e l r ig p rd l, form of claim filled up by the Master of the " Pied-rid _.OO anchor and six fathoms of chain, reported by some boa and claimed by him. I have doubts as to the articles being what he suPP °s e dge. circumstances which have since come to my knosvl am inclined to think that he would never have agree c i i i t e any salvors £l6 to procure property worth only, ace% tbei l his statement, £2O; he was under the impressi°l lo o was frGm 30 to 40 fathoms of chain, and wanted to reu ttv agreement he had made. b D y ec y e o m ur be re r sad. .# Now, the chain at six fathoms must have gone a',1,09 windlass ; if so, the broken link and size of the am enable him to identify the property. If he had any doubts, he should have satisfied h' lx thoroughly on the point, i ns t ea d o f w hi c h h e ga ve th e men an order to pay them £l6 out of the deposit. t ify It was impossible for th e b oa t men t o k now or ideo, d o f property, and while sea r chi ng th ey m i g h t h ave got 1,°,1,0j0a anchor and supposed it t o b e l ong t o t h e Pi e d -nez , a nd ' 4 0 4 as they got it claimed an d rece i ve d £ l6, they wou ld Dv whether or not the right owner had claimed it. btiD It is not at all an unusual occurrence for boatmen h e i r sP • fictitious claimants, in o r d er th a t th ey may get paid thi4 vage, which, when no agreement is made, is usually 00e- 1 When, however, a specific ag reemen t i s entere d into not interfere. i g 10, The Marco Polo's ancho r an d c h a i n, va l ued at XITO4IO' recovered for £lB, but it was b uoye d , an d never left „s'",ge, The " Pied-nez's " was n o t b uoye d, th ere f ore i t ' was Ale, work on the part of th e b oa t men. —l remain, 0111— y iur obedient servant, HENRY C. CHIPMAN, Receiver of 04' Messrs. J. Bramley-Moore and Co. Tr° Office of Committee of Privy Council for Marine Department, Jan. 19, • 1 010 GENTLEMEN,—With reference to the qu e s tion sv.": 0 .0 arisen between yoursel ves an d M r. Ch apman con cernO,t4tY anchor of the " Pied-nez," I am directed by the Lords ti Committee of Privy Council for. Trade to inform Y sll ' or, after considering the repo r t o f C omman d er Robertsli the evidence taken by him, my Lords have determia De o the fees paid by you to M r . hapman ought not to ba re 0 11 charged, and they have accordingly directed him ter' them.—l am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, .N.iessrs.• Brantley-Igo:ore and Co., T.. a Fs Liverpool. Mr LORD,—We have the Liverpoo l, hono j a a c n k u n a o ry wedg th e ' r ith ; P ceipt of your lordship's letter of the 12th instant, in i() doe us that, in the dispute between the receiver of droitsanj selves, my lords of the Committee of Privy Council for had determined that the fees levied by the receiver O. w ought not to have been c h arge d ; an d th a t th e i r l o rds]' accordingly directed him to return them. ;(0 We beg to thank your lordship for the attention r- - 0 4 this ease, and to assure you that the decision is in 10 „ 0 0 0 with the universal feeli ng o f a ll s hipo w ne rs an d reel) i amongst whom it has been freely canvassed and discaste The conduct of this office has long required the P', l ll , fork of reform striking into it, and, o n th e conserva tici e V ciple of removing all proved abuses, w e - h o p e thi s may lott' a furthar and more searching investigation of its manag e vita Instead, of the receiver being the dignified judicial betweer, , parties, the office is almost redue.sd-to a mere of fees. It is matter of notoriety, that a systematic plan of Pl odes ing ships , is carried on in the Me rse y w hi c h thi s .office tt to put dow-n and suppress : it wa s the i n te n ti on of tzl e „ chant Shipping Act to protect the shipowner alike fr°l o ttf exactions of boatmen or the receiver of droits,. but, W I to 'lately, their-interests run in the same channel. Aoll 3 It is no umoramon occurrence for the buoys of al' d be cut away, and the anchor s aft erwar d s picked up 8 0 1 passed through the sweating process of boatmen's salvia' receiver's fees.• Dot We will noiv state a case in which we had. some iterest';d which only came to onr knowledge on Saturday lest, otb e ,ol we sh3uld have brought it under the n oti ca • o f your 1 01 sooner. ft° - The master , of the Raritan, on his outward voyag e v p Dic ll Liverpool to Quebec, in August la s t, pi c k e d a p a boat , ! A lie found floating on the high sea s . .Th e mas t er . repurt'..",o circumstance on Ins arrival at Quebec, and advertised beV no one interfered, and he returned to Liverpool with theio The master and the mate were not on good., terrns, 2l _l io n mate, by way,. as he supposed, of ge tti ng the maste r trouble, reported the circumstance of the flotsam t 4i ci Chapman, who. immediately sum mon ed the-master an bOOl mantled the boat. The master refused to deliver up t h , e b eY, unless freight were paid to and from Quebeq and, as mend for freightexceeded the value of the boat, the cnid, " Wall, :lever mind : keep the boot, Fes}' the fec.l, there's an end ofit.." Thirty-five shillings fees were pa , ' here the matter - dropped. This is the statement of the mas t er o f th e 'Raritan " to us this day. tbC If --- .---mture to , - it ) • °souk we may venture to suggest a beneficiaL reforn. department which would be universally approved,. it 0)1 be to relieve tha-present Receiver of Droits from his doL l fo transfer them to some independent person in the Casten, the fees no longer to go for private benefit, but into the ci chant seamen'slancL n gig4 The proneness of the public t o fi n d f au lt w ith the governments compels us, in justice to my Lords of the co p Council for Trade, and for the satisfaction of the reef community, to publish this correspondence... We have the-lionour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and humble serv 2it 'co.' J. 1313A.31LEy-Moog an' i e p To the Right - Honourable the Lord Sta n l e y, o f .Alde c President of the Board of Trade, Jr..e,,,&c., , In reference, to the above case, the• Times 53 ,V , :, "A dispute is. pending in Li v e r p oo l,_ o f some i'r ance to the shipping interest. Th e l aw f u l exercise' o powers of Receivers of the .Droits of the. Admiralty many occasions been doubted, and a question. has an' 3e ." - rei that functionary at Liverpool, under' the. following c_ l o pel stances, the point to be sol ve d b e i ng the perplexing c o' what is a wreck within the m ean i ng of the 17th and l' e f Victoria in the Merchant Marine Act vessel noe 3 jolt Pied-nez was-dropping her anchor, to wa it• th e tide le` $1 , 05 ing, when thu chain parted. Boatmen from shore veered e t , ing at the time on board, a n d th e mas t er contraetc, yl them to lift and restore th e c h a i n , an d anc h or ~,,fe,r e e rl Upon their being raised and brought alongside, the of Droits prohibited their delivery except upon an signed by him and a deposit of £l6, with .-X1 1r„ cry The deposit- and fees were paid, an d th e chain t i restored, lint no order, it is sa id, was ever sig' o cli the receives_ The ownership w as - never disputed,` to ' '„5 questions contested are,—was this. a wre c k, an d l ";/, receiver entitled to a n y f ees ? M r: ivi'Culloch says a s usually understood to mean any ship -or goods driven ,111 or found floating at saa in an unma nagea bl e con ditild, ,i that, according to the legal sense of the word in is assumed a ' wreck' must bave•cometo land, since f o ti4 sea it is. distinguished by the bazbaro us a pp e ll a ti ons of P ., 0 0 1 ,, jetsam, and lagan In the pres en t cas e i t i s i ns i s t e d ' i n these terms are applicable, a s th e ca bl e parte d i n the fot i and net at sea or in a road s t ea d ; an d may be said neveeffifi moment to have been out of cogn i zance.. The B oar d of have considered the m a tt er of sufficient consequence t0 i. 4 0 ffi down:an officer to inquire sp e Ci a ll y i nto the circui t° and the decision is looked for with, interest both by in el. ;ji; and underwriters. Ma n y comp l a i nts are made of the. A;)) AcLin consequence of the vexatious. exactions for wh i c i r o used , as a pretext. The government, however, are 0 to have shown e v ery di s p os iti on t o i nvest i gate an d these evils. ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGEIO PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS' 'CO ° . Rev. W. Cooke. of St. Stephen's. Hammers:lli th,lto the of Gazeley, with the Rectory of Kentforil Suffolk. ftell o Rev. D. Craven, 11. A. , to the Curacy o f St. Thomas , '" gr R een. ev. T. Drought, to the Living of Dysart, diocese 0f,, 11 .109 ft Rev. E. M. Dumbleto n , 8.A., to the Perpetual t , ‘" Vobster, Somerset. ' C ' Rev. W. L. Fielden, to th e P er p e t ua l C uracy o•$ - goo Lancash H. (A O" Rev. . Gough, M.A., Fellow o f Q ueen ' s C o ll ege , the Rectory of Cliarlton•upon-Ottnoor, Oxfordshire. a r e t Rev. G. C. Hingston, to the Benefice of Clonmel, or p, town, diocese of Cl9yne. CP - Rev. W. Jones, to the Incumbency of St. Thai:rle- Penyhonvawr, Pennant, Montgomeryshire. Rev. S. Kingsford, M.A., to th e P erpe t ua l C ura cy of 0. ton, Somerset. Rev. E. G. Pym, to the Perpetual Curacy of Filit Yorkshire. cottry Rev. It. J. Rice, M.A., to the Vi ca rago of Sutton with Appleford, Berks. tifi Rev. W. M. Smith to the Pe r petual Curacy of Tia Somerset. Rev. 1.. F. Thomas, to the Perpetual Curacy of St. e i4 Church, Toxteth Park. Rev. C. H. Whitehead, to the Assistant Curacy of Sherborne, Dorset. 140 DIOCESE OF CHESTER. p4Snof LICENSES.--WIDNES Docec, FAIINIVORTII, IN Tff- OP ill OF PRESCOT, IN TUB COUNTY OF LANCASTER.-- r l( ,, f iriC e i3O has granted a license for the performance of Divine sv e ' e tlAi r r the newly-erected church, for three years, in the esP„ry that, before the expiration of that time, the neceOlco,6lllo liminaries to consecration will have been completed. Of / d r LEN CIIIIRCII OF ENGLAND INSTITUTION, LIVEFI!, ( , ) ,:,,joe,Y I Bishop has granted a license for the performance of,n' e t vice in a room in the above institution, exclusivel3;; i ort, for that purpose.—The Bishop has granted a license ' 1 ; 1 % i ll s o' deuce to the Rev. W. H. G. Mann, vicar of Bowd °l lbe county of Chester, on the ground of ill health, until 1 1 0 Dec., 1857. ,ThorP /'' fl ijj PREFERMENTS.--The Rev. Lewis Frederick been licensed to the perpetual curacy of St. Jam e° the rettt e Toxteth-park, in the county of Laneaster, vo id by.' o fd nation of the Rev. Henry Hampt on , on the nominr4 lo tliejA Rev. T. G. Leigh, rector of Walton-on the-Hill, l i ver , dof county, patron thereof in right of his rectory.—Th e i c ollo °' Leyland Feilden has been licensed to the perpetu e Knowsley, in the county of Lancaster, void by the Q 10 4 0 the Rev; F. G. Hopwood. Patron, the Earl of Der, i ll,,Y;4 t 1), £3OO, with a house.—The Rev. Wm. Anderson OLu ttef o: t i been licensed by the Bishop to the stipendiary ee r t oe,c,V, united parishes of St. Michael and St. Olave, , r e tP; Chester.—The Rev. Paulus Amilius Singer has be e / 7(0 fil; to the stipendiary curacyof Tattenhall,in the count , ' "NV ( the on the nomination of the Rev. Fielding Ould, the ree_,,, 0 A rt Rev. John Thomas has been licensed to the care:'o)oLp' newly-erected church at Widnes Dock,in the p a rochi,e,; of s ift of Farnworth, in the parish of Prescot, in the cotill, l, , se t es t 9 caster, which has been temporarily licensed for P.,iv,'', o tln t ori' VACANCY.—The rectory of St. Mary-on-the-1 1 w'; of Chester, by the death of the Rev. W. H. 141 1 10 0 5e ' the Marquis of Westminster—value, £322, with