The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-11-29 00:00:00

C C i excite the people againsl the monster grievance Which oppresses, which afflicts and paralyzes all the interests of the country." We do not presume to know anything l iaf the truth ° F the report to which the Albion here i4fers. We tr ust, however, that it has some good foundatioi. We trust this, because we are satisfied, that to the mis chievous agitation of the members of the League and t heir tools is to he attributed, mainly, the recent dis turbances in the manufacturing districts. At all events, a review of the speeches and proceedings of - the League I ' 6l l prove whether this is or is not the case ; and Should the latter he the conviction forced upon the Go vernment—should it be found capable of proof that the League itself stirred up rebellion in the land—then, no fear of the strength of that body, no fear of the strength of its press, or of its advocates in Parliament it self, should for a moment intervene between the e xecutive and the imperative duty which belongs to it, o f vindicating the laws and preserving the peace of the c ountry. If, on the contrary, the proceedings of this b ody have been strictly legal hitherto, and are strictly legal now, surely there can be no ground for the evident dislike with which the Albion regards the s upervision, by Government, of those proceedings. Sir Robert Peel, he may depend upon it, "has never had the madness to think of stopping the anti-corn law agitation by the arm of the law," although, we t rust that he has contemplated stopping SEDITION and I CITEMENT TO OUTBREAK, whether their source be in the League, in its press, or in the raving of its r epresentatives in the legislature of the country. Let us see, however, whether it is not in accordance With his duty of administering the laws with equal im- Partiality to high and low, that such an inquiry as has been mentioned should be entered upon. It may he r emembered that, at the sitting of •the recent Special Commission in this town, several parties, of Chartist °Pinions, were placed upon their trial, and traversed until the next assizes. What was the crime of which these men were accused ? Why, this—that during t he disturbances in Manchester, they were assembled in conclave to determine the best steps to be taken to divert the so-called turnout for wages into a Chartist movement. Now, we ask the Albion—and we hope to receive an answer to our inquiry—suppose it can be Preyed that during the same disturbances, when the tow n of Manchester was in the possession of a furious moll, after the riot-act had been read, and some hun dreds of special constables sworn in to preserve the Peace, a body of Rev. members of tile Anti-Corn-law League were sitting, in similar conclave, for the pur- Pose of diverting the riotous proceedings then taking Place into a demonstration of physical force in aid of t he Corn-laws :—how can we dray. a distinction be tween the two cases ? The Chartist agitation—as an agitation—is, we presume, as legal as the Anti-Corn law agitation ; and we are at a loss to know, if O'Connor and Scholefield be worthy V being indicted, by what logic or by what law the " ministers of all denominations" can be held guiltless. At all events, a calm comparison, by government, of the two cases, With the facts and circumstances before theM, will enable a just decision to be arrived at, and strict and i mpartial justice to he dealt out to all parties. The Albion, however, has another horn to the tlilemtna in which the report of this supervision of league oratory places him. " The new version," be t ells us, " is, that the Premier," by the inquiry which he is said to have instituted, " is merely contemplating a good digest and summary of the arguments em- Played by the champions of free trade (!), that he may strengthen himself with them, should it be his will and pleasure to make any further alteration of the Corn-laws when parliament again assembles." The ARGUMENTS employed by the champions of free trade ! And these to strengthen any sensible man in legislating l tPon the Corn-laws ! The notion is about as richly farcical as any we have lately met with. We cordially admit, however, the value to a statesman of such a s ummary as that spoken of by our jocose contem- Porary. The raving speeches and crude opinions of 'the champions" in question would be a shirt of mail to Sir Robert in his approaching parliamentary cam- Paign. They would enable him to refute Cobden with Cobden—th e quack of to-day with the Charlatan of Yesterday—and to hold up to the contempt of man ifold a collection of conflicting assertions and argu roents, of specious professions and dishonest practices, of affected loyalty contrasted by virulent sedition, such as never before disgraced a political party in this or any country. Oh, that we possessed such a " digest °l' summary !" The London Sun of Thursday evening contains the following remarks, to which we beg to draw the atten tion of our readers. " It was well said by Mr. R. Greg" —at a recent meeting of the Anti-Corn-law League---" that rent is not a necessary ingredient in t he cultivation of the soil :' that is, we do not need landowners to provide the country with the means of s ubsistence. The only classes required to obtain that Prime end and aim of all social institutions are the actual cultivators of the soil. The receivers of rent Perform no part of the indispensable operation." Couple with the above the following dictum of Mr. Richard Cobden, propounded at the Liverpool tea Party, and we may arrive at a tolerably accurate esti triate of the designs of the leading members, at least, of the League party, and of the kind of morality (!) by Which they are actuated. " The rental of the land," a Ys the latter eminent personage, " is laid down by Macqueen at £77,000,000. That seventy-seven mil lions stand between us and the danger of throwing the a gricultural labourers out of employment, and until that £77,000,000 be gone, it is an imposture to talk to us of the danger of throwing the agricultural labourers °at of employment." RENT, then, according to the first of these autho titles, is not " a necessary ingredient in the cultivation of the soil. Until rent, according to the latter, " is G ONE," you do not begin to inflict injury upon native a griculture. Do not BOTH contemplate, as a result of f ree trade measures, scarcely to be at all deprecated, T KE ENTIRE CONFISCATION OF THE RENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM ? but rent is the representative 0 f th e capital invested in the soil, and whilst getting rid of rent we get rid of capital too ! And whose is that capital ? Who are " the receivers of rent" who Perform no part" in society ? Imprimis, those who hold the title to the soil; and, next to them, numerous c lasses of " mortgagees," " lessees," " annuitants," a nd other claimants, interested under various tenures 411 c1 circumstances. These parties, then, must all be included in the proposed decree of confiscation ! We have a Church establishment, too, deriving in part itB revenues from the soil of the kingdom ; we have u niversities, schools, and charitable foundations of vario us descriptions, endowed out of the rent .of land. To them, also, the doom of confiscation must extend; they also must be involved in the common ruin, which 18 to be levelled against the " unnecessary ingredients" Of our social system! We ask our readers, what do they think of the h onesty of the gentlemen by whom a measure so infa tnolls is thus coolly contemplated, and as coolly pro- Pounded to the public ? We ask them, moreover, to We igh well how easily the principles here avowed may he extended to other interests besides that of the owner (3 f the soil. Admit that it is just and wise to confiscate t he entire rental of the land of the kingdom, to enable t he millowner and the merchant, the jobber in corn a nd cotton, the commercial blackleg and the usurer, to hoeep into their hoards the wealth of the world; and n w can you refuse a similar liberty with respect to "3' other interest which may hereafter be found to St and in the way of their aggrandisement ? The main tenance of the national credit, even now, stands in the a Y of a perfectly free trade. To be enabled to pay dwenty-four millions per annum to the national cre °r3 we must have duties upon imports, or adopt S ame direct and still more obnoxious mode of raising re venue. Why not, then, apply " the sponge," and get rid at once of the debt of the country ? To main t t , ai ° an army and a navy, and to keep up in its efficiency Working of the constitution, we must have taxes. hat moral obstacle exists to prevent our dealing with e se, as we are urged to deal with the rent of land ? Such would be the legitimate carrying out of the Pri nciple of confiscation. Such an atrocious exhibition n ational dishonesty would be the inevitable result of 0 ge a scendancy of the disinterested (') gentlemen who iiat ,l 4 se the Anti-Corn-law League. This great i nn —the cradle of the liberties of the world — would th en indeed be. fallen ; her name a mockery and a bye rci ; her high-spirited nobles swept away, her loyal yeomanry extinct, her industrious population toiling in slavery, to pamper AN ARISTOCRACY OF SLOP SELLERS ! Can Englishmen contemplate with pa tience a picture so black with infamy ? The Journal of Saturday affects to discover some inconsistency in the tone of two articles which appeared in our columns on Tuesday last. We expressed in one of these our opinion of the contemptible character of the recent " grand festival" of the Anti-Corn-law League, held in our town. We expressed in the other our sense of the danger attending the unopposed efforts of that body to poison and pervert the national mind. We still adhere to both these opinions; and, with all due deference to the great discernment of our con temporary, we can see in them nothing unreasonable. The arguments and the spouters at the Amphitheatre were alike trashy and shallow. But what of that ? hhallow people went to hear and see them, and cheered them to the echo. They were eminently suited to such an audience; and by their constant repetition, unmet by the attempt at refutation, even such displays of feebleness and folly become dangerous. It is the con stant dropping which at length hollows the stone. It is the frequency of these exhibitions, and the agitation which they are designed to foster, which we dread, as calculated to produce, in the minds of the lovers of the expedient in legislation, a wrong impression of the real strength of public opinion, with respect to the great question to which they have reference. Passing over this mare's nest of the Journal, let us come to the business portion of his remarks. We are told by the Journal, that the advocates of the League are always ready and anxious to meet the supporters of native agriculture in argument; and that he, the editor of that paper, " always rejoices to meet any opponent who is willing to enter into this question with a desire to discuss it fairly." Now we have every inclination to pleasure our contemporary, at any time, in this matter ; and as an earnest of our anxiety for informa tion, we shall at once direct his attention to one or two points upon which we are desirous of having our diffi culties solved. First, then, we require to know the source and mode of working of the promised increased demand for our manufactured goods, consequent upon a free trade in corn ; the probable extent to which we shall exchange manufactured goods for such corn, and whether this new state of things is to be accompanied with any re duction in the wages of the manufacturing producer. An explanation of this branch of the question, con veyed in a practical manner, will be of infinite value to those who, instead of flying off into abstract generali ties and magnificent professions, entertain a sincere desire, by reasoning from facts rather than theories, to arrive at the real truth; and we do not think we mis take the character of our contemporary, or our own, when we express our conviction that he will fairly make the attempt, and promise that we will, as fairly, meet, and if unable to reply to him, acknowledge our inability. -THE COTTON MARKET. Throughout the week before last the Cotton Market had a downward tendency, and opened on Monday with a sluggish feeling. On Tuesday morning a " change came over the scene," the news of peace with China, and all the important features in its train gave a new aspect to it : in the place, of all being willing sellers, few would even spew their stocks; and it was not till men's minds were a little sobered down that business fairly commenced, when it set set off at a canter, and from Tuesday last to yesterday evening, increased in speed, getting through 8, 10, and even 12,000 bales a-day. Specu lators are doing a little, but the best feature is, that the trade are buying freely, and du not grumble at the advance of to '; per lb., which is now established in all descriptions of American and Surat, whilst Brazil, &c., are only k per lb., and not so much sought after. The permanency of this advance seems not to be que'stioned, as all the manufacturing districts have participated in the improved tone and feeling ; and though we cannot possibly have the same extent of business done, yet it is generally acknowledged that the stock of the raw material (as well as the manufactured) in the interior is yet very inconsiderable to provide for a healthy trade. It is reported that most of the idle mills have been, or are about being, put into motion. The following is a comparison of the stock on hand at pre sent and at the corresponding period of last year : November 23, 1842 Same period in 1841 REDUCTION OF DUTY ON AMERICAN PORK CONVEYED THROUGH CANADA. By a Treasury Order, dated 31st October, which we give at foot, it will be seen that permission is given for the impor tation into Great Britain of hams, made from salted pork, the produce of the United States, smoked and dried in Ca nada, at the reduced duty of 365. per hundred weight. By this concession to our Canadian fellow-subjects, a large trade will, no doubt, be carried on in this article over the American Frontier, which may possibly afford to the Government of the United States a further convincing reason of the good policy of revising their present highly restrictive tariff. The salted pork of that country will afford to our Canadian bor derers a convenient article of barter, in return for the cottons and woollens of Great Britain smuggled over their Frontier. " Office of Committee of Privy Council of Trade. " The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council of Trade have had under their consideration the Report of the Com missioners of Customs, dated 29th ult., relative to the duty on hams smoked and dried in Canada, from salted pork im ported from the United States—and I am directed to acquaint you, for the information of the Commissioners of the Cus toms, that upon considering the whole of the circumstances before them in this case, my lords are of opinion that the hams in question ought to be admitted at the duty of 3s. 6d per cwt. (Signed) " Whitehall, Oct. 31, 1842." " J. MACGREGOR. LOCAL NEWS. COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION. — The Rev. J. W. Conybeare, the newly appointed Principal of the Collegiate Institution, arrived in Liverpool last week, and has since been engaged in preparing for the opening of the college, which takes place immediately after the Christmas vacation. Mr. Thom, whose name is appended, as translator, to se veral of the Chinese documents published in the London Ga zette Extraordinary, is brother of the Rev. David Thom, of this town. We understand that Mr. Bertinchamp, the well-known professor of iforeign languages, long resident among us, is a candidate for the situation of French tutor in the Collegiate Institution. His recommendations are of the highest cha racter, comprising many of the most eminent men in Ire land, and his general qualifications are too well known to require eulogy. THE " GREAT ANTI-CORN LAW LEAGUE FUND." — Yesterday a meeting was held in the large room of East wood's Royal Hotel, Moorfields, "to elect a committee and transact other business relative to the great anti-corn law league fund." Between-forty and fifty individuals, princi pally members of the anti-monopoly association were pre sent. Mr. Charles Holland was called to the chair, and on the motion of Mr. William Rathbone, seconded by Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, a committee was appointed to take subscriptions. The chairman said the subscriptions amounted to £450; of which Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, it appeared, had given £lOO. The proceedings, which lasted little more than half an hour, went off very tamely. CONVERTS FROM ROMANISM.—On Sunday last another convert was received into the Holy Catholic Church, at St. Simon's Church, Gloucester-street, from the apostacy. This is the sixth person who has publicly renounced Popery in St. Simon's Church this year. There are many inquirers in connexion with the congregation, some are now willing to come forward, but the minister (Mr. Connor) does not wish to receive any who have not duly deliberated on the impor tant step ; others have been prevented coming forward by intimidation; and many having learned the truths of the Gospel have gone to earn their bread in other lands, all more or less alive to the soul destroying errors of the Bishop of Rome's religion. If the Scripture readers of the Liverpool Protestant Association were at work, we have no doubt but that with God's blessing, hundreds of benighted Romanists would be emancipated from the spiritual bondage of modern Babylon. VERACITY OF AN ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUER.—We are quite willing to allow a reasonable margin to the distempered gentlemen of the league in their descriptions of passing events bearing upon their favourite agitation. The following para graph, however, of a recent speech of Mr. Bright, of Roch dale, is not to be passed over so leniently On the 18th," remarked this gentleman, " a very large meeting was held in Liverpool, about the largest which ever has been held there, certainly by far the largest which ever has been held on this subject. (Applause.) * * * The large amphitheatre was crowded, most inconveniently crowded, in every part. (Ap plause.) The committee were so besieged for tickets, though it was known that Daniel O'Connell was not to be there, and therefore the people did not go because there were lions to be seen (hear, hear), that they imprudently sold 200 after they had issued as many as the place would conveniently hold ; and 1 believe they could have sold several hundreds more if there had been room for them." Now, with respect to the magnitude of the amphitheatrical meeting, we make no ob jection to the 4escription of it by the Anti-Corn-Law Quaker. But that a great portion of the meeting were not attracted by " the lions," who were so widely placarded as being expected to attend, we must take leave flatly to deny. It was not pub licly known " that Daniel O'Connell was not to be there." On the contrary, during the whole of Friday morning the re port was current that he had arrived in Liverpool; and the truth of the matter was only announcedlat about five minutes to two o'clock in the afternoon, by a small placard posted on the window of the Mercury-office. A few copies of this were subsequently placed upon the walls of the town, upon the verge of dusk; and we are confident were not seen by one out of six who attended the meeting! In fact, the wording of the placard itself, which intimated that parties who had taken tickets, in expectation of seeing O'Connell, might have their money refunded, was a very significant proof of the import ance attached to the use made of his name ; and if few per sons did return their' tickets, that circumstance may readily be accounted for—first, by the fact that they did not know of the opportunity in time, if at all; and next, that the mere knowledge that there was to be a large assemblage would have been a sufficient inducement to one half of such a description of audience to have attended, had the exhibition been a Punch and Judy show, or any other similar performance, in stead of an exhibition of the persons of Messrs. Silk Buck ingham, John Bright, junipr, and Richard Cobden, M.P., or as our facetious friend over the water might term him Richard Cobden, M.T. AMPRITHEATRIL—There was a very full house last night to witness the first appearance of Madamoiselle Leroux. Her style is totally different to any other equestrian. Mr. North made also a successful d6but. THE PRESTON GUILD RODEERY. — Within the last few days the Bank of England has received from the branch at Liverpool a note of the value or £lOO, which turns out to be one of those stolen from the person of Mr. Marquise, on the occasion of the late Preston Guild, being the second note which has been discovered. it is presumed that some one who was concerned in the robbery has lately been in Liver pool, doubtless with the intention of embarking for Nmerica. No tidings have yet been heard of the parties who actually committed the robbery, although the utmost exertions are being made for the discovery and apprehension of the offenders. THEFT BY A SERVANT.—A female servant, named Ann Jones, was yesterday charged before Mr. Rushton with hav ing; stolen a quantity of wearing apparel from her mistress.— Alice Brookes said she kept a lodgin-liouse in Lawrence street, and employed the prisoner. She missed several ar ticles from the house from time to time, including a shirt, a sheet, a pair of trowsers, a cloak, &c. The prisoner left her service on Friday last. Suspicion being roused she was af terwards taken into custody, and upon her were found three pawntickets, which led to the discovery of the property, which had been pledged at different times and places. The pri soner had, it appeared, also stolen from the house a quantity of tools, &c., which she had employed a little boy to sell at a marine store-dealer. The prisoner said that some of the articles were her own property, and denied having taken the others.—She was committed for trial. THE DISTRICT BANKRUPTCY COURT.—The business done in the District Bankruptcy Court has not hitherto been of a character to afford much interest to the public. The opening of the court to the press (under the late system it was practically closed) will no doubt be productive of benefit, whilst it is an extension of the principle that all judicial tri bunals ought to transact their business in the face of the world. We understand that the commissioners are at pre sent endeavouring to find some convenient and central place for the holding of their court, as the Nisi Prius Court will shortly be required for the purposes of one of our local courts. Whilst on this subject, we would impress upon those who may be concerned, the desirableness of the boors appointed for the hearing of the several cases being observed. In most instances they may be without any inconvenience. We understand that the letter-carriers of this town waited upon J. Bockenham, Esq., on Friday, at the Angel Hotel, as he is visiting Liverpool as a Special Commissioner of the Post-office Department, and laid before him what they con sider to be their grievances respecting their extra duties, which are performed without pay ; but more particularly respecting the ship duty on the Sunday, which they cannot but consider a great hardship. The deputation were very kindly received, and every attention paid to their requests. As we understand that Mr. Bockenham is a practical man, we trust some good will result from this step, for we cannot but feel with these men that their case is one which deserves enquiry. Neither can we understand the necessity for the Sabbath being desecrated at the Liverpool Post-office, seeing that such is not, and never has been, the case in London. DEATH ruom DROWNING.—An inquest was held before Mr. Curry, on Saturday, on view of the body of Hobert Shield. The deceased was employed by Messrs. Skellicorn and Co.. painters, Blundell-street. He was ;about 25 years of age. On Friday afternoon deceased and another man were engaged painting the stern of the brigantine " Brigand," lys log iu the King's Dock. They were both on a single plank, supported by a rope at each end. While they were so en gaged the rope broke, and the deceased fell into the water. He rose to the surface only once, and then sank. The alarm was given, and a custom-house officer jumped into a boat; but before he had done so the deceased had sunk. The grap pling-irons were procured, and in about three hours after wards the body was drawn up, and conveyed to the dead house. The jury returned a verdict of " accidentally drowned." The deceased has left a wife and child. The painters, it appeared, had the fixing of their own stage, as is the custom of the trade. DEATH FROM INTOXICATION.—An inquest was held on Saturday, beforc Mr. Curry, on view of the body of Edmund Coxhead, police-officer. Mr. M'Whati stated that he found the deceased in Moor-street, lying on the steps of a warehouse. He was so much intoxicated that he was unable to move or speak. He was taken to Bridewell as quickly as possible. The deceased was there treated with attention. Edmund Coxhead, a carter, said that the deceased was his father, and was fifty-six years of age. WitnesS was in the Bridewell at the time of the deceased's death. Dr. Archibald Arnett, of the Northern Dispensary, described the manner in which he had treated the deceased. He found the deceased insensible, and on using the stomach pump found a strong smell of spi rituous liquor. He had since made a post mortem examina tion of the body. He found a large quantity of serium on the membrane of the brain, which was much congested. There was also disease of the heart. Witnees was of opinion that the cause of death was serous apoplexy, arising from in temperance.—The jury returned a verdict accordingly. LECTURE ON THE WILHEM SYSTEM.—A very interest ing lecture on the Wilhetn system of teaching vocal music, was delivered on Friday evening to a very crowded and respectable auditory, in the Music-hall. The Mayor pre sided, and amongst those present were, the Earl of Sefton, a large body of the clergy, and many of the principal families of the neighbourhood. Mr. Crowe's lecture was very in teresting : it was characterised by peculiar clearness, and de livered in a pleasing manner. The illustrations were given by a chorus of 110 children, and an adult class under Mr. Crowe's tuition. They were correctly sung, and afforded another instance of the common remark that the Williern system supplies the best means at present known of pro moting congregational singing in our churches, and other places of worship. One of Tallis's chants was effectively given, and the Old Hundredth (a favourite everywhere) would have been infinitely more impressive had the time in which it is usually written been observed. There were here and there defects in the execution of the illustrations, but, as the pupils had been brought together only for the second time, their performance must be pronounced not only cre ditable to themselves, but indicative of the practical utility of the system. This lecture was preparatory to establishing a singing school for workmen in the southern parts of the town ; and we believe that an exte ns i v e class of them i s n o w in course of rapid formation. MIDSHIPMAN HENRY LYON.—We stated in our last, that amongst the wounded in the naval service at the taking of the city of Chingkiangfoo, in China, was a son of Thomas Lyon, Esq., of Appleton Hall, near Warrington. We under stand that the gallant young man is Mr. Lyon's second son, end is only about 16 years of age ; hut, we understand, he has already given many proofs of a fine, undaunted spirit and noble bearing. After the usual course of education at Eton, he entered the naval college, at Portsmouth ; where the port admiral soon took notice of him, frequently stopped to con verse with him, invited him to his house, and finding he was desirous to onter the service, at once procured him a berth on board the Blonde frigate. Since the late affair, we un derstand, letters have been received by his friends, both from Captain Dourchier and young Lyon himself ; both of which state that the wound is but slight, and had not pre vented him from continuing in active service. It is some proof the estimation in which he is held by his superior offi cers, that when the Blonde's boats were ordered out for the important and responsible service of landing the artillery, Lieutenant Crouch taking the command of the barge, that of the cutter was entrusted to him, a young midshipman of 16 years of age. However, Henry Lyon showed himself worthy of the trust placed in him ; for Lieutenant Crouch having been struck down by a gunshot, be assumed the command of both boats, and effected the landing of the guns, notwith standing a very heavy fire which opened upon them under the walls of the town. Indeed, we understand that Captain Dourchier, in his letter says, that Lyon brought off his men with great credit; and expresses the hope that his wound will only add to his credit, and tend to aid his promotion when his time is served. PICTURE FRAMES.—We direct the special attention of ail persons interested in this subject, to the frames for pictures manufactured by Mr. Bielfield. They are of papier machee ; and the advantages they possess over the ordinary composi tion frames are so strong and so numerous, that they must, inevitably, be brought into general use. First, they are cheaper; being about two-thirds of the cost—much less, in deed, where the frame is of large size ; next, they will not " chip " in carriage ; and next, they are so much lighter in weight, as to supply an important item in their favour to those who are in the habit of transmitting large pictures from one place to another. This retnarable " lightness "is indeed desirable every where ; for in many rooms, where the walls are thin or aged, it is impossible to hang large pictures in the usual ponderous frames. To exhibitors in provincial exhibi tions these are no ordinary recommendations. But we refer chiefly to the appearance of those frames, which interests the collector as well as the artist, and, indeed, all persons who adorn their homes with pictures or prints, be they many or few. They look exceedingly attractive, and are in reality as much so as if they had passed through the hands of the cars ver, and been produced at about ten times the expense. The gilding tells with very brilliant effect ; and, no matter how elaborate the pattern may be, they have a clearness and sharp ness that we have seldom, or never seen obtained in composi tion. Now that so many frames will be required for the prints about to be issued by the several Art-Union Societies, we conceive we may convey useful information to thousands, by recommending them to examine these frames ; the patterns are infinitely varied ; some have been designed expressly to meet those particular purposes; and their advantages are so obvious as to be at once appreciated by all by whom they are seen.—Art-Union. COMMITMENT EXTRAORDINARY.—About the end of August last, a man, named Charles Griffiths, offered for sale a number of saws, and, suspicion being entertained that they were not honestly come by, he was apprehended. Se veral skeleton keys were found on him ; and as no owner could then be found for the saws, he was committed to gaol for three months, under the vagrant act, in consequence of his possession of the keys. He had completed his term of incarceration on Saturday last, and was no sooner released than he was again taken into custody on a charge of stealing the saws, the owner having in the meantime been discovered —and he was yesterday brought up at the police -court. Jane Higgins, wife of an ironmonger, in Park-lane, said that in the latter end of August last the prisoner came to the shop with sixteen saws, which he offered to her husband for sale. She opened one parcel of them, and remarked stamped upon them " Burgon and Cadman, cast steel." The prisoner asked £2 10s. for them, and the latter, suspecting all was not right, called in a constable, who apprehended the pri soner. When taken to bridewell, there were found upon him 9 skeleton keys, and he was committed as before stated. Mr. James Marsden, timber-merchant, said, that in August last he had an unoccupied warehouse in South John-street, where he kept a quantity of new saws, which he saw safe on the 23d of July. He afterwards went out of town, and did not return till the latter end of Augnst, when, from infor mation he received, he searched the office, and missed 16 of the saws. He identified those produced as his property. A constable stated, that on the 23d September he tried the skeleton keys at Mr. Marsden's office, and found that one of them would lock and unlock it. The prisoner was committed for trial at the sessions. FIRE ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND Loss OF LIFE.—On Sun day evening, about eight o'clock, Mrs. Brown, wife of Mr. Brown, flint glass dealer, Dale-street,went down to the base ment story of the premises, a place where a quantity of straw, old crates, and lumber of all sorts was kept. Shortly after she had descended, she was heard to scream, and her hus band, who rushed to the top of the step ladder, saw that the place was in flames. An immediate alarm was given, the police were called, and the officers of the fire-police, with Mr. Whitty and Mr. Hewitt, were quickly in attendance with engines and water tanks. The poor husband was in such a distracted state that he neglected to tell Mr. Whitty that his wife was in the cellar, till the engine had been playing on the burning straw, in the back of the cellar, for some time. Suffocating fumes filled both apartments, but, spite of them, Mr. Whitty and Mr. Hewitt took lanterns and searched the place. Their endeavours were fruitless, for the cellars were lumbered with crates, &c. The husband was called down to assist in the search, but he also failed to find the poor woman. It was surmised that she had, in her alarm, run from the premises, and taken refuge with some neigh bour. In a few minutes, however, the vapour having well nigh subsided, an officer stated that he had found a woman in a corner. Mr. Whitty and other officers entered, and found a woman under the stairs. She was brought forth im mediately, and several surgeons were sent for, to ensure a speedy attendance. The first who arrived was Mr. A. J. Jeffrey, of Queen's-square, who found that the woman was burned severly, though her death had been caused by suffb cation. Mr. Jeffrey ordered her to be stripped and put into a warm bed, and he continued for some time to use every endeavour to restore animation, we regret to say without success. The fire was speedily entirely extinguished. No doubt was entertained that Mrs. Brown, in searching for something, had set the straw on fire with the candle. The inquest will be held to-day. Poitrrco.—The Theatre Lazary, after a tolerably successful season, is about to close. Next Monday will be the last night. The entertainments are of the most innocent nature, and extremely amusing and curious. Those who wish to pay these ingenious contrivances a visit must lose no time. Mr. Henry Russell, who appears at the Royal Assembly Room to-night, is the composer of several very beautiful ballads. He has made a considerable impression in London. We have been informed that he possesses a fine voice, and that his style of singing is very original and effective. The Cork Constitution of Saturday says, that at the late examination in Trinity College, Mr. Thomas Waller Evans, only son of Eyre Evans, Esq., of Kilmalooda, in Cork County, distinguished himself by obtaining a first rank pre mium in classics.—[W e believe the young gentleman is a near relative of Alderman Evans, of this town.] FREE TEADE TEA FAItTY.— Last night there was a smell tea party in the !arse room of the Albion Hotel, Woodside, in aid of the .C 50,000 fund of the Anti-Corn-Law League. Only about one-third of the number who were expected were present. Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, who presided, addressed the free trade ladies present, in a speech of more than ordinary dullness; and be was followed by Mr. Bentham, a local quaker, Mr. John Bright, another quaker imported from Rochdale, and an Irish barrister named Moore. The affair, we should think, would hardly pay its expenses. THE FUNDS—SATURDAY EVENING.—The government broker was a buyer of stock to-day ; the extent of his deal ings was not positively known, but from their effect on prices being only temporary, it is presumed they were of a limited nature. Consols for money touched 94k, and closed 244; the account price left off 95 to L. There were no other bar gains of interest. Three per Cent. Reduced closed 94 ; Three-and-a-Half per Cent. Reduced, 1001 to L ; New Three-and-a-Half per Cents., 1014 to L; Long Annuities, 12% to 9-1 G; Bank Stock, 171 to 173; and India Stock, 265 to 267. Exchequer Bills were marked at the lower price of 545. to 565. premium. More confidence was displayed in the purchase of foreign securities, and the result was a much firmer position for prices. This applies to the market gene rally. Mexican was done a' 301, and finally closed 30f to 31L; the Deferred was 81 to ; Spanish Actives left off at the better quotation of 181—„ and the New Three per Cents., 22? i to L; Portuguese Five per Cents. were 374.' to 1; ditto Three per Cents., 221 to ; Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents., 521 to 53; Dutch Five per Cents., 101* to k; Da nish, 83 to 84 ; Brazilian, 651 to 664; Colombian, 211 to # ; and Belgian, 1021. FIRES LAST NIEEY.--Yesterday evening about half-past five o'clock, a fire broke out in the upper part of the premises of Mr. Chapman, jeweller &c., on the west side of Castle street, nearthe Exchange, and excited for some time. consider able alarm, though happily the damage was eventually but trifling. The fire broke out in a bed-room on the third story, and fronting the street. A boy had been sent up stairs to bring some article of dress from the apartment, and a spark from the candle which he took with him, had, no doubt, fallen amongst some of the clothing and ignited it. The en gines were speedily on the ground, and hose being taken up stairs the flames were subdued in a few minutes, the only loss being a small quantity of clothing.—This fire was no sooner extinguished than the alarm reached the fire-station that another fire had broken out in Limekiln-lane. The engine in Castle-street was immediately driven off to the spot, and others were dispatched in a few minutes afterwards from the fire-police-station, together with a strong body of the fire police. This fire had broken out in the paint, colour,' and turpentine works and sheds of Mr. William Glover, near the top of the lane on the east side, between the two high wind mills, and occupying an area of about 40 yards by 15. The materials were of the most combustible nature,—namely, oil paints, varnish, grease. tar, turpentine, &c. ; and the erec tions—of one story within a wall—were almost entirely of wood. The men had been at work after dark, with a light, rolling in casks of turpentine. About a quarter before six o'clock a blaze of fire was observed to issue from some of the turpentine and close to the wall that bounds the premises on the side next the street. There are two gates:one at each end of the wall, and efforts were made to extinguish the flames, by the men employed on the works, and a number of others, but without effect. The first engine came up about 20 mi nutes past six, and others immediately followed. The fire had, by this time, gained such a head that it became evident that little or nothing in the works could be saved, and the exertions of the firemen, under Mr. Whitty, Mr. Hewitt, and others, were diverted to the extinguishment of the flames, in order to save the adjoining buildings on the north, east and south sides, including the two mills at the extremities, Miss Burrow's house on the north, and other premises, in which their efforts were happily successful. After great ex ertions for about 40 minutes, the fire was so far subdued, that lamps were required to enable the men to corn plete their work. The whole of the sheds and works were destroyed as well as nearly the entire stcck—what little is saved being so much injured as to be of trifling value. We regret to say that Mr. Glover had not insured any portion of the property, and the loss will be to him a severe blow. Owing to the neighbour hood being densely populated, and the fire becoming known at the time when the workmen at the docks are let loose from labour, the crowd that had _collected in the street — which is very narrow and long—when the engines came up, was immense. No accident,, however, occurred. At one time, during the early part of the fire, the public-house im mediately opposite the spot where the fire commenced was in great danger of ignition, the paint of the window-shutters being scorched off, and the glass in the gas-lamp over the door broken by the heat. Luckily the wind was from the south-west, and tended to confine the body of the flames to the area of the premises where they originated ; and the dan ger was further averted by a number of workmen, who car ried and threw water upon the woodwork. The next house, on the south, was also in considerable danger, but also es caped. At the back of the burning premises —which soon resembled an open yard, strewed with half-burnt boards — stood several tea-vans, three of which were burnt, and ano ther much damaged. A horse was also burnt to death, and others bad a narrow escape in some stables on the same side, which are approached from Titchfield-street. By eight o'clock the fire was entirely subdued.—About half-past twelve o'clock this morning, another alarm of a fire was given, which had broken out in West Derby. We could not learn particulars, as we were on the eve of going to press. THEATRE-ROYAL. Miss Mitford's noble tragedy of " Rien9: " was pro duced here on Friday last. It has not beeit rei.resented on these boards for twelve years,—consequently it carne before us with all the freshness of a new production. In Rienzi Miss Mitford has presented us with a man of fine, sensitive feelings—alive to insult, and a,‘,Ake to any show of tyranny in the conduct of rulers. The same spirit that actuated Brutus of old on seeing the career of the "lustful Tarquin," pervades Rienzi's . breast ;, his is the soul that opposes " Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely." A man who sprung from the lower classes of life, raised himself to be the " friend of Petrarch," as he tells Angelo Colonna— _ " Sir, I'm the son Of him who kept the sordid hostelry, In the Jews' quarter : my good mother cleansed Linen for honest hire." Mr. Wallack played Rienzi. Amongst the fine actors—the very few of the present time—Mr. Wallack may be reckoned as standing in the highest position : taking his great range of characters, his versatile talents, his ability in shadowing forth the grave and gay, lively and severe, we may place him as an artist before even Mr. Macready. In many characters Mr. Wallack is equal to Macready, in others superior, and in melo-drama he is altogether unapproachable. Where is there a better Hamlet? Mr. Wallack is in it chaste, refined, and intellectual—his readings in many portions are strikingly novel. Is there any man on the stage can play Dick Dashall, Alessandro Afassaroni, the Old Sailor in " The Foundling of the Forest," equal to him ? He is incontestably the best Don Felix on the stage—while his Rolla has been admitted to be a fine performance for years. Other charac ters in plenty might be named in all of which he can be truly said to be excellent. Reinzi is amongst the foremost. In him we find our fancy embodied of the " last of the tri bunes" : his expressive features, gallant bearing, and grace ful carriage, all assist in the completion of the picture. Of Mr. Wallack's acting we can speak in terms of high praise —he takes nature for his model, and speaks and moves ac cording to her rules and laws. The scene with the people, in which he stirs them up, and strikes down the soldier, was full of fire and energy; his scenes with Claudia, (Mrs. Seymour,) were charmingly acted, especially that where he presses her to acknowledge her love for Angelo Colonna. The fatherly attitude, the encouraging voice, the gentle pat ting of the back, and the bent head to listen, while Claudia sighs her admission of affection, on his bosom, were beauti , fully done. The scenes with the nobles—the discovery of the plot—were replete with character and vigour. Indeed, the performance throughout was such as may be pleasantly remembered as one of the very few good things on the stage at present—it was artistical, easy, and natural; and those who saw it, will in some after time, when told of the merits of some new Rienzi, exclaim,—"Ah ! you should have seen Mr. Wallack's !" What a pleasant thing it is to praise, and praise where it is due. In this time of humbug, pretension, and mannerism, to see such an actor is quite refreshing. While we laud Mr. Wallack, we must not forget Mrs. Sey mour's Claudia. Miss Mitford draws her fair heroine as a lovely, loving, and loveable creature, in all the freshness of youth and innocence—and such she appears in Mrs. Sey mour's hands; her picturesque attitudes, her sweet voice,' gentleness of action and manners, the evident taste she pos sesses, all combine to give character and effect to what she undertakes : nor are her scenes of passion wanting of due energy—they are forcible with ou t b e i ng too strongly c oloured. The following lines were beautifully recited,— " Mine own dear home ! Father, I love not this new state; these halls, Where comfort dies in vastness; these trim maids, Whose service wearies me. Oh, mine old home My quiet pleasant ch am b er; with the myrtl e I Woven round the casement ; and the cedar by, Shading the sun ; my garden, overgrown With flowers and herbs, thick set as grass in fields, — My pretty snow-white doves,—my kindest nurse, And old Camillo. Oh, mine own dear home!" This passage, as well as others, but this more particu larly, the audience welcomed with loud applause ; being really an exquisite bit. Those who love good acting, and those who pretend to want to have fine acting, instead of scenery and spectacle, (though when they had stars enough to make a milky-way, complained that they wanted specta cle,) should, by all means, see " Rienzi." There has been nothing like it put on the boards this season. Mr. Nantz we did not like as Angelo Colonna; he was cold and artificial. Miss Cleaver made as much as she could of Lady Colonna. Mr. J. Lunt played the little part of Old Camillo with a good deal of feeling. " Rienzi " was played last night, and will be repeated . on Wednesday. 'We may here remark, that the part of Urs i n i was originally played by Mr. Mude. We p e rceive that the " Wife," " Hunchback," and other lead ing dramas, are to be produced during Mr. Wallack's sojourn. We have been told, his Shylock and Mrs. Seymour's Portia, on Thursday last, were admirable impersonations. The de livery, by the latter, of the passage, " The quality of mercy," was perfection. THE TRIFORIUM IN THE TEMPLE CHURCH.—Returning from the penitential cell, and ascending the winding stair case of the turret, we reach a small doorway which opens upon a Triforium, or covered gallery, formed by the " lean to," or sloping outer roof of the Round Tower. Into this Triforium have been removed the greater 'part of the monu ments which disfigured the walls and columns of the interior of the church. Previous to the recent restoration, the huge monuments and monumental tablets bad increased to such an extent. as to destroy the beauty of the building, and se riously endanger its stability ; for, in order to fix these vain memorials of departed mortality, incisions had been made on the walls and columns, with a reckless disregard of the con sequences. When these monuments had been taken down from their places, and the church bad been repaired, it was found that to replace them in their original positions would utterly destroy the beautiful architectural effect, to produce which so much money, care, and labour, had been expended, and it was, therefore, determined, after many schemes for the location of them had been proposed and rejec►ed, to place them in their present position in the Triforium. These mo numents were erected to the memory of distinguished lawyers, members of the honourable societies of the inner and middle temple. Among them will be observed the monuments of numerous lord chancellors, councillors of state, chief justices and judges, barons of the exchequer, attorneys and solicitors general, masters of the rolls, masters in chancery, members of parliament, baronets, knights, serjeants-at- law, treasurers, readers, and benchers of the inner and middle temple, pro thonotaries of the Court of Common Pleas, clerks in chan cery. barristers, authors, poets, clergymen, and chaplains of the Temple Church, and fellows and students of the two societies; and amongst all this goodly company may be ob served the monuments of many pious, noble, and distin guished ladies.—Addison's " History of the Temple Church" (just published). BIRKENHEAD IMPROVEMENT BILL-MEETING OF COTTAGE OWNERS. Last evening a public meeting of a number of the owners of cottage property in the township of Birkenhead, was held at the house of Mr. Moseley, the Albion Hotel, Woodside, for the purpose of establishing an association for the protec tion of their interests. It appears that the notice which the police commissioners have issued, of their intention to apply to parliament for a bill or bills embodying an immense num ber of objects, has excited the apprehensions of the cottage owners. The clause in the parliamentary notice which sug gested the idea of this defensive combination, is as follows : " Also to render the owners of all houses and buildings under the annual value of fifteen pounds within the said townships, (Birkenheerl end parts of Claughton and Oxton,) or so much thereof as shall he within the limits of the said intended tact or acts, liable to the payment of all rates and assessments chargeable o❑ the occupiers of such houses and bnildings." The meeting was numerously attended. Mr. HUGHES said he had taken the liberty of calling the meeting together in consequence of an intended application to parliament, by the commissioners, in which they sought to enforce the payment of all rates on property under £l5 a-pear from the owners. An enactment of this kind would be attended with great hardship, snd positive injustice; and therefore he hoped the intended association would op pose it. He proposed that Mr. Appleton, the greatest cot tage owner in the township, should take the chair. The mo tion was carried. Mr. APPLETON in taking the chair said, that the object of the meeting having been explained by Mr. Hughes, be should be glad to hear the sentiments of any gentleman upon it. Mr. WALKER said he thought it most injudicious on the part of the commissioners to attempt to place a tax on the owners of cottage property, from which _the owners of pro perty of a higher description were exempt. If they did not withdraw that obnoxious proposition, he, for one, would never cease to oppose the bill, on the ground of its partiality and injustice. In the meantime he should be glad if Mr. Knepper would state his sentiments to the meeting. Mr. KNAPPER said that nothing could have brought him to the Cheshire side of the water that night, but his deter mination to state to his fellow-owners of cottage property the disadvantage of taxing the owners, instead of the tenants, of small property. In 1831 there was a local act passed far Liverpool, by which the owners of cottage property were assessed to the poor's rate only—not to all the rates, as was here proposed. That law continued in operation from 1831 to 1834, when it was found expedient to introduce an altera tion, for, instead of being an advantage, it created a debt of £lOOO, and increased the rates from Is. 6d. (1831), to 2s. 9d. (1834) in the pound. What was the reason of this aug mentation in the rates ? It was the fact that the owners of cottage property, finding that they were compelled to pay the rates instead of the occupiers, were obliged to have no mercy on their tenants. The consequence was that the poor people got into the workhouse, where their feelings of inde pendence left them, and they became a burden upon the p Irish. In 1834, the house-owners and cottage-owners hav ing formed themselves into an association for the protection of their interests, procured the repeal of that abominable, unconstitutional, oppressive, and pestiferous measure ; and they had subsequently defeated the attempts of Mr. Slaney, the Earl of Darlington, Sir Charles Lemon, Sir Henry Verney, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Burroughs, and Mr. Brotherton, to introduce the same unjust and unconstitutional principle. The principle for which he contended was, that rates and taxes upon all property should he paid by the occupant of the pre mises. If the occupant could not pay, then it was impossible justly to make the owner pay what he did not receive. It was supposed that the owners of cottage property were re ceiving a great rate of interest upon their outlay, but it was altogether a false idea. What with wear and tear, non-occu pation, and loss of rent, the property which the first year paid perhaps ten per cent., would, on a run of from seven to fourteen years, pay no more than five per cent. He had himself lost from these causes, in one year—from the Ist of January, 1838. to the Ist of January, 1839, in cottage pro perty under £lO rental, without taking dilapidations into account—no less than £365, or £1 per day. On all these grounds, he contended that it was most unjust to call upon the owners to pay the local rates. In conclusion, be pro posed that the cottage owners of Birkenhead form them selves into an association for the protection of their interests. Mr. HUGHES seconded the motion. He said it was well know - n that land had been sold by the active promoters of the bill at 10s. a yard, on which to build cottage property; and as soon as they had accomplished their ends in that respect, they came forward and attempted to throw upon the owners of those cottages the payment of all the taxes. If they succeeded in their object, the rental of cottage pro perty would be reduced six or seven per cent., and perhaps more. It was grossly unfair to make this payment impera tive upon them, whilst the owners of property of a higher value were free from it. lie called upon every cottage owner to watch the progress of the bill, and to oppose this provision with all their power. It was indeed only defended upon one ground, namely, that cottage property was paying better than any other. The CHAIRMAN.—That is quite a wrong idea. Mr. DONALDSON said it might be true with respect to two or three owners whose workmen occupied the cottages, but, generally speaking, it was not the case. The CHAIRMAN observed that one question had occurred to him, which had not been mooted in that meeting or among the commissioners ; which seemed to him of some importance. It belonged rather to the other side of the question, and he mentioned it only because he wished to hear the whole thing fairly discussed. If a poor person took a house, and paid one year's taxes, from that time he became entitled to relief from the poor-rates. Whether it was ad visable for the meeting to consider only the other part of the question it was for them to determine. He asked them whether they would think favourably of a clause that two fifths of the taxes should be remitted to the landlord, if pay ment was made within a given number of days after the rate paper had been delivered ? Mr. Gilbertson, Mr. Knapper, Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Walker, and several others, expressed their decided objection to any provision of the sort. It had been tried in Liverpool and failed. _ The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, and it was carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. GILBERTSON seconded by Mr. KNAPPER, Mr. Hughes was appointed treasurer, and Mr. Willoughby secretary to the association. In reply to some remarks from several parties, The CHAIRMAN stated that some time before Christmas the whole bill, clause by clause, would be submitted by the commissioners to a public meeting of the ratepayers, who would then have an opportunity of expressing their opinion upon its provisions. In the meantime, the association just formed would be properly occupied in watching over any clause which affected their interest. A committee was then formed to carry the objects of the association into execution; the rates of subscription fixed: and other business transacted of a routine character. Mr. APPLETON was then thanked for his conduct in the chair, and the proceedings terminated.—The first meeting of the committee was appointed for Monday week. WIGAN.-MONDAY. IMPORTANT CASE RESPECTING MARKETS A ease of much importance came before the Wigan bench of magistrates, at the Town-hall, this day, in the form of an information against a butcher named John Robinson, who was charged in it with having, contrary to the 72d section of the Highway Act, fixed a certain stall in the Scholes last Monday, to the injury, interruption, and personal danger of the public. The information was laid by Mr. Georgeson, for whom Mr. Ackerley appeared in support of the complaint. Mr. Ackerley opened the case at some length, and contended that there was scarcely room for one cart to pass the de fendant's stall, much more for two to pass each other. The road itself was only seven yards wide—one foot more than described by the act of parliament; and the defendant's stall was two yards one foot wide, and a stall which was on the opposite side of the street was of the same width, making it quite clear that such was an obstruction, as the whole of the room in the centre of the street would be taken up with one cart passing. Mr. Ackerley then called Mr. Georgeson, the informant, to prove the facts which he referred to ; when Mr. Scott, who appeared on behalf of the defendant, ob jected to his giving evidence, on the ground that he was the informant in the case, and as such was a party interested, being entitled to half the penalty. ' Mr. Part, the magistrate's clerk, observed, that in common law such was not a disqualification, but merely went to his credibility as a witness. Mr. Ackerley contended that the objection was not at all one which could be sustained, as every person who came to give evidence was an informant ; and he had then a brief in his hand of a case brought before the Court of Quarter Ses sions, where the informant himself gave evidence and was en titled to the penalty. Mr. Scott had no objection to the complainant personally, but his duty as an advocate was to see that the bench adhered to those rules which were right. He alluded to several au thorities, and read an extract from " Chitty's Burn's Jus tice," in substantiation of his argument. Before any witnesses were called to prove the stall to have been complained of, Mr. Scott proceeded to make his objec tions to the information, assuming such to have been the fact. His first objection was, that the rector, as lord of the manor, was entitled to hold certain fairs and markets in any part of the borough, and that Monday was his market day. Secondly, that the magistrates had no jurisdiction where the defendant claims a right ; and he claiming a right from having paid the usual toll, the magistrates had no power to decide in the case. Mr. S. then read from Lord Raymond's reports, in the case of the King v. Speed, (page 583,) as relating to the question of jurisdiction. He also contended that the Scholes was a market by prescriptive right, and he could prove that parties had paid toll for above forty years. He then referred to several authorities in support of his argu ments, and cited a portion of the case of the King v. Smith, where parties were proceeded against for a nuisance. in ex posing goods for sale in a street where it was the custom to expose goods for sale for twenty years past,—in which Lord Ellenborough observed, that he could not hold a man cul pable for so acting, with the belief that the place was a market. Mr. Ackerley observed that the question of jurisdiction did not arise in the highway act, on which the proceedings were founded. The magistrates had jurisdiction given them in particular cases. One was in an obstruction of the highway ; and in the 94th section they are empowered to compel parties to make proper sewers. It was quite clear and easy for them to define what was an obstruction ; and if a mere claim of a party that he had a right to do wrong was to be taken, every defendant would set up the claim when brought before them. A discussion on the different points then took place with the bench, and the evidence was gone into. Edward Pickles was ;called by Mr. Ackerley. He proved the facts as stated by Mr. Ackerley, and that there was so little room that, when standing opposite, and opposite to Robinson's stall, a cart, which passed, turned him round, by the wheel catching him as it passed. Had lived in the neigh bourhood of Scholes 25 years, and never saw signs of a mar ket until lately. _ _ Mr. Scott called a woman, named Alice Anderson, aged 07, who stated that she had lived almost her lifetime in Scholes, and had paid toll on Wednesdays and Fridays up wards of 40 years. Was proceeded against 16 years ago for selling, and got off, when the rector's books were searched about the markets. The magistrates then decided she had a right to stand there. Mr. Ackerley cross-examined the witness, when she in ad dition stated that, other persons 40 years ago held stalls, and paid tolls in the same part of the town. Persons could never go through the Scholes without knowing there was a market. Mr. Ackerley said they could not possibly believe the last witness, when she stated that there were markets held every Monday from the Bridge to the top of the Scholes. The magistrates then consulted together as to the course they should take, and after some consideration dismissed the case, the Mayor observing that the bench regretted that they were unable to prevent the nuisance. LENDING UMBRELLAS.—Iiopkins once lent Simpson, his next.door neighbour, an umbrella. You will judge of the intellect of Hopkins, not so much from the act of lending an umbrella, but from his insane endeavour to get it back again. It poured in torrents. Hopkins had an urgent call. Hop kins knocked at Simpson's door. " I want my umbrella." Now Simpson also had a call in a directly opposite way to Hopkins, and, with the borrowed umbrella in his hand, was advancing to the threshold. " I tell you," roared Hopkins, " I want my umbrella." " Can't have it," said Simpson, at the same time extending the machine dedicated to Jupiter pluvius. "Why , I want to go to the east end ;it rains in torrents; what," screamed Hopkins, " what am I to do for an umbrella?" "Do !" answered Simpson, darting from the door, " de as I did ; Boutow ONE !"—Punch. CORRESPONDENCE. THE •M`NEILE TESTIMONIAL. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SIR,—I was rejoiced to see the suggestion, contained in your last Friday's STANDARD, as to the duty of the Pro- ' testants of Liverpool to give some public testimonial of their high estimation and grateful regard to that undaunted and exemplary servant of God, the Rev. Hugh M'Neile : for, as he has so long and so patiently borne "the pelting of the pitiless storm" of the rancour and malice 'of his inveterate adversaries, it is now high time that we, who profess to love and value him, should pour the oil and balm of our grateful and affectionate sympathy into his bosom, to the shame and confusion of those his enemies who have so long indulged their malignity in "falsely accusing his good conversation in Christ." (1 Peter, iii. 16.) Mr. M'Neile seems to have been raised up, by the good providence of God, at an important crisis of our church, as " a burning and a shining light," to revive the nearly dor mant principles of the Reformation, and to awaken us to the danger of those insidious inroads which Popery was rapidly making in the minds of the igi,i, g:it, the careless, and the lukewarm of our population ; many of whom, even amongst the nominal Protestants, were beginning to believe in their hearts—poor simple souls !—that the Papacy which is desig nated in the Word of the living God as " THE. MOTHER OF HARLOTS," and " drunken with the .blood of the saints," (Rev. xvii. 5,6,) was, after all, but a very harmless, in offensive, peaceable, good sort of old woman, who, so far from wishing to hurt a hair of the head of a "heretic," now really considered them all as " dear Christian brethren !!"* At such a juncture Mr. M'Neile was happily brought to Liverpool, where, for the last eight years, he has so faithfully and effectually " blown the trumpet" of the Gospel, and "sounded an alarm" in our beloved Zion, that, through the blessing of God upon his labours, sound Protestant princi ples have once more obtained the ascendancy, both in our parliamentary representation and in our municipal council; and TIIE BIBLE, that only true charter of our civil and religious liberties, which had fur a little season been " cast out as a thing of nought" from our Corporation Schools, by " profane and impious men," has again obtained, blessed be God ! "free course" amongst them, " and is glorified," as it ought to be. " What," then, " shall he done," by us, " unto the man, whom the King of kings hath thus delighted to honour," by making them his instrument in bringing about this great, this glorious change ? This is the question to which you have now called the public attention. " To render honour to whom honour is due" is both the duty and the privilege of a Christian; and although we Pro testants are not permitted to make idols of our ministers, (like the poor misguided priest-ridden papists,) yet we are enjoined by the word of God to " esteem them highly"—yea, 1 " VERY HIGHLY in love,for their work's sake." , (1 Thess. 3. 13.) Impressed, therefore, wills a deep sense of this duty, and after prayerfully weighing the subject in my mind, it has occurred to me that there cannot be a more suitable mode o; accomplishing it than by founding, by subscription, an an nual Prize - Essay, in connection with that noble .edifice, 4 (shortly about to be opened forsthe instruction of our youth,) namely, the Collegiate Institution;. the essay to he called " THE M'Nuisr: PRIZE ESSAY ;" and the subjects to be selected for it being exclusively directed, either to the eluci dation of some Protestant truth, or the exposure of some Papal error. And should the amount of the subscriptions he sufficient for the purpose, (as it cannot fail to be, in this populous community, if Protestants do their duty,) it might be desirable to appropriate a distinct Prize Essay to . each of the three schools, of whichthe Institutionis to be composed. ( It will also be advisable, in order that the opportunity of contributing to this fund may be as extensive as possible, and particularly that our Operative friends should not be ex cluded, that the amount of the subscriptions should go as low as five shillings, or even half-a-crown : and it might be well, as an encouragement to those who may come after us, to have a list of the subscribers deposited with the records of i the Institution. And now, Sir, having thus thrown nut these few hints for the consideration of the Protestants of Liverpool, I leave the matter in their hands, humbly trusting that it will be taken up, as it ought to he, by some persons of sufficient influence to carry out the object with the zeal and energy, and to the extent, which it so well deserves, and demands from them. I would especially appeal to the congregation of St. Jude's, as being the most intimately connected with Mr. M'Neile, to be the foremost in the field on this memorable occasion ; but let them quickly be " up and doing," lest the honour of the work should be taken out of their hands, for 1 am per suaded that there are a sufficient number of "good and true" Protestants amongst us, who will not suffer the pre. sent opportunity to be lost ; and I may add for their encou ragement that there are many at this moment ready with 1 their sovereigns, anxiously waiting for the opportunity of contributing to the subscription list as soon as the opening shall be announced. ...Wishing " God speed" to the cause, in the name of the Lord,—l am, Sir. &c., A CATHOLIC, (hut NO ROMANIST-) P.S.—I would just notice, that the proposed ptfblic.testi monial, need be no hindrance to any personal token of re gard, which it may also be thought desirable to present to Mr. M`Neile himself. * See the letters of Dr. Murray, the titular Archbishop of Dublin. ALLEGED NEGLECT OF MINISTERIAL DUTY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. Sin,—Aware that you take a lively interest in everything that affects the welfare of our Church Establishment, might I solicit a corner for a very brief note in your columns of to-morrow. But, not to be tedious, the facts are simply these :—Yesterday morning, bearing the bell toll, I attended a little church not quite a hundred miles from the French prison. Having inquired from the sexton, I was informed that divine service would commence at eleven o'clock. A friend kindly gave me a seat in his pew, when, after waiting for the clergyman considerably more than half an hour, the congregation rose simultaneously and left the church. Yet, stranger still, not a syllable was offered by way of explana tion, the clerk was silent, and the sexton mute, and not one word of apology was urged in extenuation of such culpable negligence and heartless indifference on the part of the mi nister.—l am, sir, your obedient servant, PH 11,0-EPISCOPUS. Liverpool, 28th Nov., 1832. - THE QUEEN'S ARMS HOTEL. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. Stit,—lt is said to be in contemplation to do away with the Queen's Arms as an Hotel; before such a measure is decided upon, it would be well to consider how far the con venience of visitors to the town would thereby be compro mised. The Queen's Arms is, 1 believe, the only respecta ble hotel originally built for that purpose in Liverpool, all the others having been converted from dwelling-houses, and consequently not nearly so well adapted to the business. Be sides, being so contiguous to the steam-boats, thr Queen's Arms has always been the resort of strangers visiting Liver pool by those conveyances; and the convenience of such, from their numbers and respectability, is surely worthy of consideration. Trusting that these remarks may find insertion in your valuable paper, I am, Sir, yours, &c., A STRANGER. 26th November, 1812. ' OUR LATE SUCCESSES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, Sin,—The glorious news from the two seats of war in the East has spread joy and satisfaction throughout the land ; great in proportion to the previous depression and deep anxiety so generally felt during the last few months, espe cially on the subject of Aflthanistan. Far be it from me to venture on the subject of justice or injustice, the policy or impolicy, of the commencement of these two wars. I would only take it for granted, that, in this Christian land, the great truth is more and more openly recognised, that from him who is the King of kings and the God of battles alone can victory be granted to our arms in warfare, or prosperity to our arts in peace. Therefore, while we rejoice in the two fold success of our armies, and the consequent re-establish ment of tranquillity and security, will it not be peculiarly befitting us, as so repeatedly favoured a nation, to offer a tribute of grateful praise to the Author of all our mercies ? May we not hope that this feeling will suggest itself to the proper authorities, and that a public thanksgiving will be ordered without delay, as in our former successful wars? This desire is so strongly impressed on my mind, and, doubt less, on those of many others, that I am tempted to write to you, sir, as the most widely spread and influential paper I know of. Hoping this will find a place in your valuable paper on Tuesday next, I remain yours, 26th November, 1842. C. M. Men learn to sing, to dance, to read, to write, and yet that for which all other things are learned—a well regulated and orderly life, and practical wisdom—depends entirely upon chance, and is the only thing that can neither be taught nor learned !—Plutarch. An inquisitive country gentleman thus accosted a boy who was tending pigs :—" Boy, whose pigs are those ?"—" The sow's, sir," was the prompt reply. " Well, then. whose sow is it ?" " Father's." " Well, well, who is your father?" "If you will mind the pig, I will run home and ask my mother." CHEAP Form—When pigs is scarce, there's plenty o' ways of filling the pork barrel for them Britishers. You know there's young porpesses, seals an slick dogs, as well as bears and possums—an there's plenty of bones o' them pigs as died in murriain time to put along with um. Them ere pigs wa'rnt a no use then—but now, we knows better—we sha'nt throw away nothing. But man, it an't lawful to put no young children in pickle.—American paper. NANKIN.—" As the wind continued unfavourable, a party of us set out early to explore within the walls of the ancient capital of China, and we met with no opposition, nothwith standing the late edict from Pekin. The comparative liberty which we subsequently enjoyed was to be attributed to the firmness of the ambassador, in resisting au attempt to shut the gates upon him as he was entering them this day during a walk on shore : and we were glad to observe a marked im provement in the behaviour of our conductors, as the conse quence of this little adventure. On entering within the wall, we walked to the top of a very high hill, whence we could see at a distance the inhabited part of the city and the famous porcelain tower ; which, however, is porcelain in nothing but the tiles with which it is faced. The larger portion of the area within the wall, though, no doubt, thickly inhabited when it was the residence of the Emperor, is now a mere waste, or laid out in gardens of vegetables, with occasional clumps of trees. The space enclosed is more irregular in shape than almost any other city of China, no doubt owing to the ine quality of the surface, as the northern part, where we were, is composed in a great measure of lofty hills. In the small population which the inhabited part bears to the whole area of the ancient walls, Nankin bears a striking resemblance to modern Rome ; though :he walls of Nankin are not only much higher, but more extensive, being about 20 miles in circuit. The unpeopled areas of both these ancient cities are alike, in as far as they consist of hills and remains of paved roads and scattered cultivation. But the gigantic masses of ruin which distinguish modern Rome are wanting in Nankin, since nothing in Chinese architecture is lasting, excepting the walls of their cities. As I stood at Rome on the Ccelian Mount, in 1837, the resemblance of its deserted hills (setting apart the black masses of ruins) to those of Nankin struck me at once, bounded as they are in both instances by an old wall. The modern town of Nankin covers less than a half of the immense enceinte of its walls, and, being at the southern extremity of the long-shaped plain on which these are built, was the furthest removed from us, who were at the northern. In the course of our stay some of the party . walked as far as the modern city without i n terruption, but were d eterre d f rom entering by the immense cro wd s w hich came pouring out to view the stran gers . The suburb on the o u t s id e o f t h e gate nearest to our boats was well built and populous. Nankin is not precisely situated on the Kiang, but about three English miles from it, though a communication exists with the south of the city by a canal. All the ancient palaces, observatories, temples, and sepulchres were destroyed by the Tartars. The existing city, however fallen from its former state, is as large and populous as most other provincial capitals, and forms the residence of the first viceroy of the empire, the Governor- General of the two Kiang provinces. It is celebrated as a seat of Chinese learning, and sends more members to the im perial college of Pekin than any other city. The books, the paper, and the printing of Nankin are celebrated through the country. The famous pirate. who so long possessed the island of Formosa in the early period of the present Tartar dyn a s t y , sailed up to Nankin, which he besieged. —Davit's Sketches of China. INVITATION TO UNITED PRAYER, FOR THE OUTPOURING OF THE HULA' SPIRIT, ON SUN DAY, IsT OF JANUARY, 1843, BEING THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR. DEARLY BELOVED IN THE LORD,—For the SEVENTH time, the delightful privilege is afforded to me of inviting you to unite, 011 the FIRST DAY OF THE NEW YEAR, IN A GENERAL CONCERT FOR PRAYER FOR THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The purpose of this devotional union, as mentioned in for mer Invitations, is to bring the tine members of the mystical body of Christ into the posture of humble suppliants before the Throne of Grace, that, whilst offering up their prayers in different places, and following their own accustomed mode of worship, they may with "one mind and heart" entreat our Heavenly Father, for the sake of his dear Son, to vouchsafe an abundant grant of his Holy Spirit in his quickening, en lightening. enlivening, strengthening, consoling, purifying, and sanctifying operations ; such a grant, as may, at the same time, quicken the dead in sin, enlighten the ignorant, enliven the lukewarm, comfort the afflicted, strengthen the weak and feeble 7 minded, and purify and sanctify the whole body of Christ. If any should inquire, wherefore are the true followers of Christ so earnest for such a union, I would very respectfully refer them for more detailed proofs to a small pamphlet entitled "Thoughts on the importance of Special Prayer for the general Outpouring of the Holy Spirit," of which nearly 100,000 copies have been printed and circu lated.* I feel especially encouraged to renew this Invitation, from the widely extending circle through which the Invitation for the year now present was spread, and the greatly increasing numbers who, by the Divine blessing, cordially entered into this devotional concert. Intelligence to this effect has been received from many parts of Great Britain and Ireland—from the Continent of Europe—from Canada—from the United States of America, the East and the West Indies, and the Mediterranean. In many of these countries, the Invitation was reprinted and published, either as a separate tract, or in daily or weekly local journals, or periodical religious publications. In our own metropolis, one bookseller sold between 12 and 13,000 copies, exclusive of those published in our large towns, and in the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin. Whilst encouraged by these tokens of the Divine goodness, I the more readily present this SEVENTH Invitation, as the year into which, if the Lord permit, we are about to enter, reminds us of the Sabbatical year—the year 1843 commen cing and terminating with the holy Sabbath of God—so that we shall awake on the first morning of the year, as our first parents did at their creation, at, the dawn of that day which the Lord has blessed.—May it Iddeed prove a most blessed Sabbath This New Year's Day will also be the Sabbath on which we commemorate the Circumcision of Christ, when our Lord took the name so peculiarly dear to every sincere Christian, " His name shall be called JESUS, for he shall save his peo ple from their sins ;"—a day, therefore, especially calculated to encourage our hopes, since it not only reminds us of the ineffable love of God in the gift of his only begotten Son, but of that gracious declaration of the apostle, " that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision to confirm the pro mises made unto the Fathers ; and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy :"—thus assuring us that, in this respect, there is " no difference between the Jew and the Greek ;" that the same Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him, for whosoever " shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." A day, also, when prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is peculiarly appropriate, since, on the day we com memorate the circumcision of Christ, the fathers of our church have directed us to offer up this devout prayer : " Almighty God, who madest thy blessed Son to be cir cumcised, and obedient to the law for man, grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit, that our hearts and all our mem bers being mortified from all carnal and worldly lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will, through Jesus Christ, our Lord." Our Protestant forefathers thus teaching us, that it is by the active power and energy of the Holy Spirit alone that any grace can be-wrought in us, or exercised by us. Entering upon the new year in such happy circumstances, , I feel particularly encouraged in presenting this Invitation ; and trust that, as we are " not straitened in the Lord," we shall not " be straitened in ourselves ;" but, putting away every thought which might excite division, we shall approach the Throne of Grace as one family, entreating our Heavenly Father " to open the windows of heaven, and pour out such a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." And surely, my Christian brethren, such a devout union is especially called for at this moment. For, reflect upon the state of our nwn highly favoured country. What, alas! is the position of the Established Churches of England and Scotland at this time ? Instead of the members being, as it is most important they should he, in these days of rebuke and blasphemy, a united body of Christian men, like compact armed columns, ready to follow the great " Captain of our Salvation" " in that war which the wicked are about to make with the Lamb," we are, alas, torn with divisions. So that, in the Church of England, when the under-shepherds desire to follow, as it is their duty and privilege to do, the godly counsel of their spiritual rulers, and to instruct their flocks upon those subjects which are now so much discussed, they find, alas ! "the Trumpet giving an uncertain sound :" that, if they bring forward the Scriptural Charges of many of our Bishops to warn their people against prevailing errors, they are met, alas, by the charges of others, who bold very differ ent language. 'We find, also, that such, alas, is the extent of the unsound tenets put forth upon some of the first prin ciples of the Gospel, and so great the deference paid to ex ternal things of comparatively very trivial importance, that, in these " perilous times," when we need such counsels as the Apostle St. Paul gave to his son Timothy : " I charge thee, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; PREACH THE WORD ; be instant in season, out of season; or, as he wrote to the Ephesians, when reminding them with whom they had to contend, "Take unto you the whole ar mour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast plate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the prepa ration of the Gospel of peace; and, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be abl e t o quenc h a ll th e fiery darts of e wicked." Instead of these heart-inspiriting counsels, it is deemed necessary to address the clergy upon the first principles of the Gospel, and even to instruct them in the vestments they are to use when performing the services of the sanctuary. Surely such a state of things is a call for prayer, for a larger measure of " the Spirit of wisdom, and counsel, and godly fear :" " the Spirit of power and of love, and of a sound m ind," that " we may l a y to heart the great danger we are in by our unhappy divisions; and that the Lord may take away whatsoever may hinder us from godly union and con cord : so that we may henceforth be all of one heart and of oue soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may, with one mind and one mouth, glorify God through Jesus Christ our Lord."t Then regard the Church of Scotland. Tierce, alas! as is too well known, the enemy has been setting brother against brother, and this at the very time when those four great schemes—for Church extension—scriptural education —the conversion of the Jews—and the sending the Gospel to the heathen—were beginning to prosper. NV no does not sympa thise with the faithful in these trying circumstances? And who would not entreat the God of peace and love to grant such a measure of that wisdom which cometh from above, that such a course of action may be suggested, and agreed upon, as will overcome every difficulty ; a nd enable tho se who have the rule, to come together, every wound healed, every jarring sentiment put away, every unkind thought dis missed, and in the spirit of " the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven." in such harmonious concord, that all who see them may say, " See how these Christians love." Such united prayer for our Established Churches is the more peculiarly called for at the commencement of the new year; as her Majesty's ministers have made known their in tention to bring forward those measures in which the spiritual welfare of both churches are so deeply involved. Oh ! surely every Christian patriot will fervently pray that He, "by whom kings rule and princes decree justice,' may specially guide her Majesty's counsels at this important crisis ; and that when the eyes of all the nations are turned towards our country, they may deeply reflect upon the re sponsible position in whi c h, as " the Protestant nation," we are placed, and seek to advance His glory who is " King of kings, and Lord of lords." Another reason for this devout union is, the peculiar cir cumstances in which the Lord's ancient people. the Jews, are now placed. A converted Israelite has been consecrated Bishop of the Church of England and Ireland in Jerusalem, has arrived there, and is now exercising his episcopal func tions. He has laid the foundation-stone of a Protestant Church on Mount Zion, and has preached the glad tidings of the Gospel in the Holy City. Unconverted Jaws are also beginning to return; and a wealthy Israelite has purchased land, and begun to build in another quarter. The attentive reader of the prophetic Scriptures will see that it is the rebuilding of Jerusalem, so as to make it at tractive to a northern invader coming down to make a spoil (see Ezek. xxxviii. and xxxix.), which will lead to the gathering of the nations, to the battle of Armageddon, and those other great events which are predicted by the Prophets (see Joel iii. : Zech. xii. xiv. ; Rev. xvi. 12-21.) The new circumstances, therefore, in which Jerusalem i s now placed may be termed a note of warning, saying to all the Gentile nations : " PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD." There are other very important calls for prayer : for still, alas, infidelity stalks abroad; still nominal Christianity pre vails; still the Eastern churches are unrevived ; still the Church of Rome is in great activity; still Mahomedan im posture holds its sway ; and still innumerable multitudes in Heathen lands are bowing down to idols. Entreating you to bear these and other interesting topics in remembrance, 1 would again affectionately invite all who love our Lord Jesus in sincerity, to commence the New Year by uniting in THE GENERAL CONCERT FOR PRAYER, FOR THE: OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ON SUNDAY, THE Ist JANUARY, 1843. The following suggestions are respectfully offered, to assist them in this devotional concert :- Ist. Let Christians follow the example of our blessed Lord (Mark i. 25), who rose up a grea t whil e before day for secret prayer. Let them thus secur e the bl essing of bin, who says, ' teeth Pray in to secret L y Fathe r shall rewardsie h i s theein secret, openly." and thy F a th er w hi c h 2nd. Let them call upon the Lord in their families, for his Spirit to be poured u p on them selves and their households, tthheeierhenreeighhes of neighbours, their country, th e m i n i sters of the Lord, Christ, the remnant of scattered Judah and outcast Israel, and upon the Gentile world. 3rd. Let suitabie sermons be preached, and the opportu nities which the Sabbath affords for Divine Worship, and the assembling the congregation, be specially improved. 4th. Let the ministers of the Lord meet on the following day, with their brethren of their own communion, in earnest prayer for themselves, their flocks, the whole body of Christ, and the world at large ' • and then specially consult together upon the most effectual means for hastening the coming of the Lord's kingd om, an d particularly for the c ontinuance of such a general concert for prayer, that the year may proceed according to this devout commencement. May the Lord accompany these means of grace, or such others as may be adopted, with his abundant blessing. Oh ! may it indeed be a season of special refreshment from the presence of the Lord. Let this be the prayer of all who read this paper; and a s the new year is now approaching, it would be a great kind ness if those who approve the o bject, and have influence over the press, would re-publish and c irculate 1114 invitation, which any one, into whose bands it may fall, HA S FULL PERMISSION TO DO. Peace be with all who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity. Thus prays their affectionate brother and tervaut in the Lord, JAMES HALDANE STEWART. St. Bride's, Liverpool. P.S.—Since the above " Invitation was first sent to the Press, the offi c ial accounts from China and Aff g h an i stan have arrived, affording not only special cause for thanksgiving to Almighty God for our success, but for earnest prayer that these singularly providential openings for the spread of the Gospel may be improved. * Published by the Religious Tract Society. t See prayer used on the Queen's Accession. The Rev. J. R. Beard, D.D., of Manchester, has recently received a diploma, constituting him an ordinary member of the Leipsic His torico-Theological Society, founded in the year 1814, and confirmed by royal authority 1830; which reckons among its members many of the first scholars and thonlovians of Germany. ::<~,