The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-22 00:00:00

4 CONFESSION. WHEN first I looked upon thy face, 0 sister of the meek-eyed Dove I I wondered at its gentle grace, But never thought of love. -•-• And when, again, in later days, Thy simple tale of grief I heard. My heart outwent my lips' weak praise, But ne'er a pulse was stirred. Slow►y, at length, the feeling grew, All common Passions far above ; I found that when thyself I knew, To know thee was to love. Bat now, when years have passed, and these Rave brought us mutual joy and pain, When children gathering round our knees, Hut closer draw the chain ; I find my days have been so free From loneliness, despair, or strife, If my late love grew dear to me, How precious is the wife I Nor thou with disappointment hear A secret I had ne'er confessed, Were that slow trust that made thee dear Less rooted in my breast, Not thine the vain and wanton look On which the moths of passion feed, Nor is thy soul such trivial book As he who runs may read Nor envy I the vagrant race Whose loves as soon as felt are gone, Who wander on from face to face, Till age shall leave themllone. The gourd that in a night appeared Next noon had withered on the sand The oak a hundred years have reared, For ages crowns the land. —Blackwood's Magazine REVIEWS OF BOOKS, The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope. Edited by Robert Carruthers. Vols. I. and IL London : N. Cook. A new and comprehensive edition of Pope's works, in the middle of the nineteenth century, after the labours of that eminent author have been 110 frequently published, may appear to some parties a superfluous undertaking ; by the majority of the intelligent public, however, the production will be looked on with a very different eye. Few authors, perhaps none, have contributed so much to the purification and refinement of the English language as Pope has done. To the sweetest harmony of versification he added precision of expression, and sonorous accuracy of lan redundancy o f eve guage. R u d eness an d ry kind he carefully eschewed ; to a chaste propriety of diction, he added vigour and t erseness, combined with ' polished ele gance ; and by his precept and example, did much to establish the language in its present position as a classic tongue. This, be it remembered, is a character to which Pope's poetical and prose com positions, as compositions, are entitled, apart from and independent of a considerable amount of coarse ness and indelicacy of sentiment which they occa sionally contain ; and which, in a very great degree, may be attributed to the manners of the period. To reproduce his works, therefore, in a form so elegant yet so cheap, as to bring it readily within reach of the humbler class of readers, while its beauty and completeness will recommend it to those of ampler means, is to confer on society a boon of no ordinary character. The edition now under consideration is to consist of four volumes, two only as yet being published. The first is devoted to a life of Pope, on the production of which, Mr. Car ruthers, editor of the Inverness Courier, has b.?stowed much and well-directed labour. His biographical sketch conveys to the reader a lively idea of the irrascible, jealous, and somewhat vindic tive poet, whose sickly and deformed body was the tenement of a mind ill at ease, yet generally cha racterised by spirited and becoming independence. As a biographer, Mr. Carruthers displays no small amount of industry, tempered with good judg ment and sound sense ; •his style is easy, uncon strained, an d marked by delineative ability of no ordinary power ; while his penetration and sense of justice secure a fair amount of impartiality in his estimate of Pope's character as a man, and standing as a poet and satirist.. The following may be taken as a fair, and also a favourable, speci men of Mr. Carruthers' style. It conveys a lively idea of Pope, in his every-day sort of life, and is happily indicative of the prevailing tone eofr a ry and society as that was t o b e met with in the lit fashionable circl es which characterised, if they did century, not adorn, the initiatory decade of the eighteenth THE GAY PERIOD OF POPE'S LIFE. The Homer subscription had brought the poet honour, wealth, and troops of friends. The year 1714 may be considered as marking the commencement of the gayest period of Pope's life. It was the beginning of a decade of prosperous years, in which, through all circumstances, his spirit was sanguine, exultant defiant. He had not yet assumed th e philosopher's robe, or hardened down into severe satire and ethics. His wit was sportive ; and his enemies —for he always supposed himself to be sur rounded by a cloud of enemies—he could afford to smile at. His pen was the sword with which he had cut his Way through the world, and it was bright and trenchant, ready for any service. At first his good fortune seems to have transported him into excesses foreign to his real character. He set up for a bon-vivant and rake—fre quented the October Club and gaming -houses (but was never known to bet) ; boasted of sitting till two in the morning over burgundy and champagne, and g ashamed o f b us i ness. Poor authors, of course, were rew his special aversion. H e sketched plans and architectural bras with L or d B urlington ; lounged in the library of Oxford breakfasted with C ; talked of the Spanish w ar w i t h the chivalrous Mordaunt, Lord Peter borough, the English Amadis • or, i n th e even i ng , joined in the learned raillery of Arbuthnot. With young Lord Warwick and other beaux-esprits he had delicious lobster nights and tavern in Windso r F orest ! gaieties—how different from life At the ry seats of Lords Har court, Bath urst, and Cobham count be was a frequent visitor -- criticising groves, walks, glades, gardens, and porticoes ; and he may claim the merit of having done more than any other poet to render English scenes classic ground—a dis tinction in which he was followed by Gray and Walpole, the latter acting as historian of patrician improvement and rural beauty. In the society of ladies of rank and fashion the diminutive figure of the poet might be seen, in his suit of black velvet, with tie-wig and small sword, discoursing on topics of wit and gallantry, his fine eye and handsome, intellectual face soon making the defects of his person forgotten; for, in company entirely to his Mind, Pop e th en possessed the art and gaiety that could " Lady Mary Wortley Montagu had recently quitted her retirement at Wharncliffe, and shone "a b r i g ht p ar ticular star" in th e brilliant circles of the metropolis. Pope was often by her tide, whispering flatteries that were after wards to be changed to curses. The Duchesses of Queens laurelled poet, and carried him to their concerts and pleasure parties on the Thames. The Maids of Honour in the court of the Princess Caroline —the beautiful Mary Bellenden, Mary Le 11 Miss Griffin, and Mrs. Howard, admitted him to their confidence—" took him into their protection, contrary to the laws against harbouring Papists"—and instructed him in the tracaneries of the court, or joined him in ridiculing pompous Ministers of State. They had also their own grievances to pour into the poet's ear; for the life of a Maid of Honour was little better at Hampton Court, under the philosophical Caro line, than Fanny Burney found it at Kew or Windsor under the regime of Queen Charlotte and George M. Of Pope's great satire, " The Dunciad," one of the greatest and most important, if not the greatest and most important in the English language, Mr. Carruthers gives us the following judicious ESTIMATE OP THE DIINCIAD. The object of the satire (which was chiefly to expose authors unworthy of exposure) is undignified, and in many parts is effected at the sacrifice of decency and pro priety. Swift has been accused of familiarizing Pope with images physically disgusting and impure, which most men Instinctively shun. This indelicacy, however, was appa rent before the acquaintance of the two wits commenced. It is seen in Pope's boyish lines on Elkanah Settle, and in subsequent productions, especially his imitationsof Chaucer and Spencer. But as Swift was at Twickenham when Part, at least, of " The Dunciad" was composed, and as the grossness we have alluded to is nowhere so conspicuous as in this poem, the Dean's conversation and example may have still farther vitiated the taste and blunted the per ceptions of his friend. The second book of " The Dam-lad" 18 greatly disfigured, and in some parts rendered absol u t e ly repulsive from this cause . In these remarks we think Mr. Carruthers Presses his inferences rather severely upon the Dean of St. Patrick's, particularly as he himself admits that Pope required " no prompter" in indeli "72 as was app aren t i n hi s boyish lines. The second volume commences the poetry, which Is furnished with copious notes, and contains many -nein, l oPe's b es t k nown and most admired pieces, :fOng the " Rape of the Lock." Both volumes e p rof usely as well as tastefully illustrated by eevetlY-exectited w oo d- engrav i ngs, among which di ff s 9veral ch aracter i stic portraits of the poet, re,vr'llg considerably from each other in some 6Lects, yet all less or more tinctured with simi -wader and expression. 4A Historic Society cfrlngs and Papers of --e • 1 : The its—to2rinceizssochiiret and Cheshire. Liverpoo l The tranga.etiorYis. of a Literary Society is neces arilY at all tirnes an object of much local interest, and that i4terest is enhanced in a very gree, when t hehigh de- P a pers are th emselves of an im portant local na t aste tur e, and are written with literary elegance and Among the papers printed in this number, one possessing peculiar local charms i s on the subject of Lancashire and Cheshire-men of the siztveuth ciutury ; it i fs from the pen of Dr. A. Hume, and relates chiefly to the part per formed by the chivalry and soldiers of the two counties which border the Mersey, at the memor able battle of Flodden ' which has formed a f er til e and stirring fheme for the minstrelsy of both kingdoms. After alluding, in felicitous terms, to the metrical celebrations of the event in both coun tries,we find the following judicious remarks on the PRESENT CONDITION OF LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. Three centuries and a half have passed, and a monarch, who unites the blood of the Scottish and English royal lines, rules on both sides of the Border. The sword has become a plough-share; and the descendants of Scottish knights, who found a grave with their people at Flodden, are proud and happy to sympathise with the men of the palatine counties, and are as jealous for the honour of the district as the children of the soil. But though the people of our own island are one in heart and interest at present, it is well to revert to the troublous times of the past. Whatever we may say of the aggressors, let us honour the memory of the stout-hearted patriots ; and while we record their gallant deeds, let us learn to imitate them in similar circumstances. There was lately a little cloud hlie a man's hand, rising in the south beyond the channel, which may even yet be the forerunner of a storm ; but if so, and if the battle of Hastings must be fought again, the story of it shall be told like that of Flodden or of Bannockburn. In the centuries that have passed, our island empire has been consolidated at home and extended abroad, yet the two counties of Lancashire and Cheshire have 'increased instead of diminished in relative importance. Lancashire alone outnumbers Middlesex in population ; and the two together, will probably in after years, equal the whole of Scotland. Nor is their importance limited to mere numbers ; that is one of the smallest elements in the calculation. Two prominent parties in the State are both identified with this one shire ; and, to use the language of the law, the cross case recently tried before the Supreme Court was Manchester versus Knowsley, Knowsley versus Manchester. Our own neighbourhood, too, modern as it is, has links of interest that connect us with the past, for the Hall of Speke contains the trophy of Norres, and the Church at Sefton proclaims the prowess of Molyneux. It is interesting, too, to trace a stream of noble blood, pure and distinct, amid centuries of change;—to follow it like a thread of gold or silver, amid the complicated tissue of a more homely fabric. Thus, the representative of Molyneux is at this hour the military head, the Lord Lieutenant of this great county; while the representative of Stanley, still keeping his position in the race of honourable ambition, has stood foremost in the councils of his Sovereign. Nor is the soil of the district exhausted yet. It produces fruits which are rare and valuable in themselves, and still more rare in their combination ; commerce and manufacture, agriculture and mining. And, though last not least, it possesses another union of rare and valuable qualities ; for while history has been delighted to honour the valour of its sons, tradition and poetry have been at least equally zealous in proclaiming the witchery of its daughters." The number also contains interesting papers from the pen of the Rev. J. S. Howson, James Stonehouse, Esq., the Rev. Dr. Thom, the Rev. W. Thornber, and others. It is likewise illus trated by a number of engravings, lithographs, and wood-cuts ; and is altogether a publication highly creditable to the society whose proceedings it records. The Bible of the _Reformation Reformed. Three Volumes in Seven Books. By John Finch, Esq., merchant, Liverpool. London : James Rigby. To their credit generally, it must be admitted that the merchants of Liverpool adhere with a rigid and becoming pertinacity to the management of their important, and often very complex business matters, leaving the field of literature and art to be cultivated by such hands as have more leisure to bestow on its seductive, though often unpro ductive and ungrateful soil. When a literary out break from mercantile avocations takes place among their number, the effort is certain to excite attention and to call forth remark ; but when, as in the instance before ns, it assumes so bold a character as to essay the improvement—reforma tion it is called—of our accepted version of the Holy Scriptures, curiosity is awakened with a livelier start, and a watchful inquiry is set on foot to ascertain the amount of interference intended to be made with that sacred volume which professing Christians of every denomination are taught to look on with reverential awe. The extent and character of the professed amendments intro duced by Mr. Finch, we pretend not to esti mate or designate ; that is a task more fitting for the pen and more congenial to the studies of some of our learned divines. We shall confine our ob servations, and they shall be brief, to the fact that Mr. Finch, in the form of prefatory and introduc tory remarks, has attached to his version of the Bible some very peculiar dogmas of sectarian faith, and in terms by no means sparing or choice, however carefully they may have been chosen, attacks the religious observances of all who do not coincide with his views on the subject of religion ; whilehe exhibits uncompromising bitterness against the privileges and observances of the Established Church. The introduction of such matter into such close contact with what purports to be a nar rative of the sacred oracles of God, cannot be looked on by any Christian as other than unbe coming; while many, and those neither bigoted nor illiberal, will view the proceeding as highly repre- . hensible, if not absolutely impious. The Word of God they must feel is of too sacred a character to be thus, as it were, surreptitiously made the vehicle of vituperative sectarian controversy, and in this view will lend no favourable countenance to the work before us. 11••••••••• Lorenzo Benoni : Passages in the Life of an Italian. Edinburgh Constable and Co. This story, which is given in the form of an autobiography, is written with much spirit. The adventures and scenes introduced run through the periods of boyhood, adolescence, and manhood. and they are elaborated with such skill and art as to seem the truthful flow of individual experience. The .Ecclesiastical History of _England and Normandy. By Ordericus Vitalis. London : Henry G. Bohn. To the student of English ecclesiastical history the annals of Ordericus Vitalis are invested with a peculiar interest, connecting that history as they do with the events which, occurring on the adjacent continental state of Normandy, produced a lasting effect on the ecclesiastical institutions of this country. The volume is prefaced by some admi rable introductory remarks from the pen of M. Guizot. The period comprised in that portion of the annals contained in the volume under conside ration extends from the Birth of Christ to the year 1066, and necessarily embraces many interest ing events in the history of the Church ; it is par ticularly rich in the legends and traditions of the period, as these were to be met with in monkish records. VARIETIES. SLANDERS are like flies, that leap over a man's good parts to alight upon his sores. _ - THE FA - SITIOI - fABLE STRIKE AMONGST THE LOWEST CLASSES.—A brute of a husband is one who fancies, when he marries, that he is at perfect liberty to treat his wife as if she were no better than a street-door, on which there was nailed the polite request : " Please to ring and knock." THE MODEST MAIDEN, the prudent wife, or the careful matron is much more serviceable in life than petticoated philosophers, blustering heroines, or virago queens. She who makes her husband happy, and reclaims him from vice, is a much greater character than ladies described in romance, whose whole occupation is to murder mankind with shafts from their quiver or their eyes.—Goldsmith. TIEN-TE TUE CHINESE USURPER.—In his habits he is silent and reserved; he lives in close retirement, only showing himself occasionally to his immediate followers, and then only to issue his commands. His expression, though far from prepossessing, denotes mildness, com bined with great decision and a degree of firmness verging upon obstinacy. His complexion is sallow, with a decided saffron tinge. In stature he is about the middle height ; and though of about the same age, is taller and less strongly built than Hienfoung the Emperor, whose deposition he seems resolved, at all hazards, to effect. He travels in a palanquin enclosed with curtains of amber coloured silk, borne on the shoulders of sixteen officers of distinction ; his preceptor, or privy councillor, or adviser, carried by eight coolies, follows immediately in his wake ; and then come Tien-te's 30 devoted wives, for all of whom he is said to possess the sincerest affection. They are arrayed in costly apparel, and follow each other in single file, not as they might on the shores of the placid Serpentine, in Clarences or Broughams, but in commodious arm-chairs picked out with vermillion and gold. A long retinue of servants and a vast array of soldiers bring up the rear of the procession, which is said, u p on the w hole, strongly to resemble those gorgeous affairs occasionally exhibited on the boards of the Lyceum.—Quarterly Review. BARBOURNE GRANGE—THE ENGLISH PARK.—In no place save England can you find those emblems of solid wealth which are to be found in every county into which our country is divided. We allude of course, to those domains called " Parks," in which the country residences of our nobil ity and gentry are situated. In France you may have fine houses, dignified by th e name of c h ateau, in which hospitality may be supported; but they lack that indescribable appearance of comfort which an English country residence possesses. There is that about the appearance of an English park which finds no parallel in France, and which England alone can produce. Around a French mansion in the country there is dreariness, and comparatively a desert. Round the mansion of an English country gentleman there is the broad domain, ornamented by ancestral trees, which are typical of the strength and wealth of the class to which they belong; and Barbourne Grange is such a place. The house is one of those solid structures which combine elegance with comfort, and is essentially an English country gentleman's residence. The house is white all over, being cemented over the bricks of which it is built. In the centre are folding glass doors, leading to which is a low flight of stone steps, ornamented with diminutive trellised work and small stone carvings. At each end of the mansion are green-houses, stored with the choicest productions of the horticultural world, and communicating by glass doors with chambers in the house. Around the mansion is a noble park, to produce which must have been the work of centuries, seeing that every tree with which it is ornamen t e d is o f g i gan ti c s i ze an d i n high Perfection.—Dick Dinging. MOTTO FOR THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—" Between you, me, and the Post."—Punch. AN UNPUBLISHED SONG, by Dante, has been found in the library of the Prince Barberini, at Rome. THE BEARD AND MOUSTACHE MOVEMENT.—RaiIway Guard : "Now, ma'am, is this your luggage ?" Old lady (who concludes she is attacked by brigands) : " Oh, yes ! gentlemen, it's mine. Take it—take all I have; but spare, oh spare our lives ! !"—Punch. HANNAH MORE.—" I know not," says Mrs. H. More, " whether my writings have promoted the spiritual welfare of my readers, but they have enabled me to do good by private charity and public beneficence. I am almost ashamed to say that they have brought me thirty thousand pounds." . . . GRAY mentions, in his recently-published letters, an old alderman he knew, who, after living forty years on the fat of the land (not milk and honey, but arrack-punch and venison), and losing his great toe with a mortification, said to the last that he owed it to two grapes which he eat one day after dinner. He felt them lie cold on his stomach the minute they were down. CARRYING TUE BABY. — The most beautiful sight in nature, met lately by a florid correspondent, was a woman, " Grace was in her step, heaven in her eye, and in her arms a baby." A rosebush with a bud clinging to it was nothing compared with such a heavenly combination. But what was poor John like, when the baby was handed to him to carry ? A NEW, BUT NOT IMPROVED, VERSION.—During a discussion at a late church convention in America, the Hon. Luther Bradish (late governor of New York) spoke of new translations of the Bible lately put forth in America, and produced much amusement by quoting one of these, in which for the words, " no variableness nor shadow of turning," there is substituted "no parallax, or tropical shadow." FAST AND Loosz.—An Irishman, just landed in this country on a sharp frosty morning, was run at by a fierce, noisy mastiff, who threatened to devour him ; whereupon Pat stooped down and seized a stone, with which he expected to stave in his assailant's frontispiece, but found the stone frozen fast—a phenomenon utterly new to his experience. " A fine land of liberty ;" soliloquised Pat, sulkily, " where they let their dogs loose, and tie their stones fast to the ground."—American Paper. A MATCH FOR ABERNETHY.—Sometimes Mr. Aber nethy would meet with a patient who would afford a useful lesson. A lady, the wife of a very distinguished musician, consulted him, and finding him uncourteons, said : " I had heard of your rudeness before I came, Mr, but I did not expect this." When .Abernethy gave her the prescription, she said : " What am Ito do with this ?" Anything you like. Put it in the fire, if you please." The lady took him at his word—laid his fee on the table, and threw the prescription into the fire, and hastily left the room. Abernethy followed her into the hall, pressing her to take back her fee or to let him give her another prescription ; but the lady was inexorable, and left the house.—Macil wain's Memoirs of Abernethy. PEN-AND-INK SKETCH OF NICHOLAS.—The Emperor is of a great height, and is very proud of it ; too proud, perhaps, as he has acquired the habit of certain airs, which often give him a strong resemblance to a peacock when about to spread his tail. It is a fact well known in St. Petersburg, that every well-grown man newly recruited for the guard is called into the Emperor's presence, who measures heights with him. His air is serious, his glance wild, even a little savage ; his entire physiognomy has something hard and stern in it ; his gestures are abrupt, and he cuts his words in pronouncing them. The Em peror never shows himself but in the military costume, the stiffness of which is in perfect keeping with his tastes, and which makes his great height still more conspicuous. Meanwhile, there is a want of ease in his movements ; since a fall from his:horse,he drags one leg after him in a dis agreeably inelegant manner.— The Czar and the Sultan. ALEXANDER THE GREAT IN CHlNA.—After Alexander had made war against Paor, or Porus, and slain him, he marched against the Emperor of China. That monarch did not consider himself equal to the conflict, and went in disguise to the Grecian camp. He was discovered, and brought to Alexander, who asked him how he could act in such a manner ? The Emperor replied, " I was anxious to see you and your army. I could have no fear on my own account, as I knew I was not an object of dread to Alexander ; besides, if he were to slay me, my subjects would instantly raise another king to the throne. But of this I can have no fear, as I am satisfied Alexander can never be displeased with an action that shows a solicitude to obtain his friendship." The conqueror was completely overcome by this truly Chinese flattery, and concluded a treaty by which China was spared on condition of paying tribute. The Emperor returned to his capital to make preparations for the entertainment of his great ally; and the third day he returned with an army, the dust of which announced its great numbers, which made Alexander pre pare his force for battle. When both lines were opposite, the Emperor of China, with his ministers and nobles, alighted and went towards the Grecian Prince, who asked him why he had broken faith ? " I wished," said the Emperor, " to show the number of my army, that you might be satisfied I made peace from other motives than an inability to make war. It was from consulting the stars that I have been led to submit. The heavens aid you, and I war not with them." Alexander was so gratified that he released the Emperor from paying tribute, as he was too wise, too pious, and too great a prince ; he was perfectly satisfied to have hisfriendship.—Montgomery Martin's China. DEATH AMONG TILE Rums.—ln digging out the ruins of Pompeii, every turn of the spade brings up some relic of ancient life, some witness of imperial luxury. For far the greater part, these relics have a merely curious in terest ; they belong to archieology, and find appropriate resting-places in historical museums. But there are some exceptions. Here, for instance, the excavator drops, an uninvited guest, upon a banquet; there he unexpectedly obtrudes himself into a tomb. In one place he finds a miser cowering on his heaps, another shows him bones of dancing girls and broken instruments of music lying on the marble floor. In the midst of painted chambers, baths, halls, columns, fountains, among the splendid evidences of material wealth, he sometimes stumbles on a simple inci dent, a touching human story, such as strikes the imagina tion and suggests the mournful interest of the great disas ter, as the sudden sight of a wounded soldier conjures up the horrors of a field of battle. Such, to our mind, is the , latest discovery of the excavators in this melancholy field. It is, a group of skeletons in the act of flight, accompanied by a dog. There are three human beings, one of them a young girl, with gold rings and jewels still on her fingers. The fugitives had bags of gold and silver with them, snatched up, no doubt, in haste and darkness. But the fiery flood was on their track, and vain their wealth, their flight, the age of one, the youth of the other. The burn ing lava rolled above them and beyond ; and the faithful dog turned back to share the fortunes of its mistress, dying at her side. Seen by the light of such an incident, how vividly that night of horror looms upon the sense ! Does not imagination picture that little group, in their own house, by the side of their evening fountain, languidly chatting over the day's events and of the unusual heat? Does it not hear, with them, the troubled swell of the waters in the bay; see, as they do, how the night comes down in sudden strangeness, how the sky opens over head and flames break out, while scoriae, sand, and molten rocks come pouring down ? What movement, what emotion, what surprise ! The scene grows darker every instant, the hollow monotone of the bay is lifted into yells and shrieks, the air grows thick with dust and hot with flames, and at the mountain's foot is heard the deadly roll of the liquid lava. Jewels, household goods, gold and silver coins, are snatched up on the instant. No time to say farewell ; darkness in front, and fire behind, they rush into the streets, streets choked with falling houses and flying citizens. How find the way through passages which have no longer out lets ? Confusion, danger, darkness, uproar everywhere, the shouts of parted friends, the agony of men struck down by falling columns ; fear, madness, and despair unchained ; here penury clutching the gold it cannot keep ; there glut tony feeding on its final meal ; and phrenzy striking in the dark to forestal death. Through all, fancy hears the young girl's screams • the fire is on her jewelled hand. No time for thought, no pause ; the flood rolls on, and wis dom, beauty, age, and youth, with all the stories of their love, their hopes, their rank, wealth, greatness, all the once affluent life, are gone for ever. When unearthed, after many ages, the nameless group has no other importance to mankind than as it may serve "to point a moral or adorn a tale."—Atheneum. EXTENT OF TILE BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN INDIA.— Our territory is equal to all continental Europe, Russia excepted. Peshawur is as far north of Tanjore as Stock holm is of Naples ; Chittagong as far east of Kurrachee as Athens is of Paris. Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden, unitedly, do not equal either our territory or our population. The re port of the grand trigonometrical survey, which has lately been printed for parliament, gives the total,—area in square miles, 1,368,113 ; population, 151,144,962. And a corrected copy, with which we have been favoured, adds seven millions and a half to this population, most of which is in our own territories, but part in the native states, making the total 158,774,055. But the fact is, that even from our territories many of the returns are no better than guesses, and from the native states few are to be relied upon. It has, however, generally proved that ac curate returns give a higher population than previous estimates ; and after considerable attention to the subject for years, we should not be surprised to find the official statement gradually coming up from its present advanced figure, to nearly two hundred millions. This splendid empire is distributed into four governments or presidencies —Bengal, Madras, Bombay, and Agra. The first is the seat of the governor-general and the supreme council ; the next two have each a governor and council ; and Agra is administered by a lieutenant-governor without a council. The army is —Queen's troops, 29,480 ; company's Eu ropean troops, 19,928 ; company's native troops, 240,121 ; total, 289,529 ; native contingents, commanded by British officers, and available under treaties, 32,000 • total at the disposal of the governor-general, 321,529. This is a great army ; yet its proportion to the extent of the empire pre sents a forcible comment on the nature of the British rule. Compare it with the proportion which the armies of the continent bear to the population of the respective coun tries, and you might imagine that they were holding con quered nations, and we governing our hereditary soil. Forty-nine thousand out of the whole are Englishmen—a less number than is generally found necessary to garrison the one city of Paris. Even the native rajahs, with a population of 55,000,000, have 400,000 soldiers ; while we, with double the population, have 110,000 less, though they are guaranteed against external war, and we have to take all risks. Then our 240,000 native troops are a strength or a weakness, just as our authority is popular or the re verse. Were their attachment lost, how formidable would they be, taught in our mode of war, and five times as nu merous as the English soldiers. Were they and the troops of the rajahs united against us, it would be 60,000 against 640 ,000. You may travel through India for days together without coining on a military station. You may pass through kingdoms with three millions or more inhabit ants, containing only one post of European troops. You may find great cities without a soldier ; the remains of vast fortifications, near which not a uniform is visible. Facts such as these, when contrasted with the constant display of military force in the countries of even civilized Europe, forcibly prove that the power of the English has foundations in the homes of the people as well as in the cantonments of the soldiery. In the native regiments the officers are, as to numbers, about half native, half English ; but no native officer can rise higher than to a sort of cap taincy or majority, and even then is under the youngest European ensign, —a position much worse than that en joyed by Hindoos in the armies of the Mussulmans. Ben gal, Madras, and Bombay, have three distinct armies, and three commandere-in-eluef.—Quarterly Review. THE ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION OP SALMON has been commenced at Perth. Upwenna of £1,200 has been raised for the sufferers by the late inundations at Cork. NOTHING—A NEW DEFINITION. —That portion of a lady's head on which her bonnet rests. LADIES' MouTns. — An old beau says : " A lady's mouth never looks so beautiful as when she is pronouncing the word ' Yes.' " A NAVY SURGEON, who loved to prescribe salt water, fell overboard one day. " Zonnds, Will," said a sailor, "there's the doctor tumbled into his own medicine chest." A FEARFUL STRlKE.—Talking of strikes, we hope the Emperor of Russia will not take it into his head to strike the balance of Europe. WAITING FOR THE CARRIAGE. — Charles (seven years old)—" Thiti will be a stupid affair, Georgy." Georgy (a young lady of nine winters)—" Oh ! yes—only a white frock and black mitten party —very slow !" Old nurse wonders what neat. — Punch. KENNY DODD ON THE RITSSIAN QUESTION.—TO all appearance we are not far from a war; but where it's to be, and with whom, is hard to say. There's no doubt but fighting is a costly amusement; and I believe no country pays so heavily for her fun in that shape as England ; but, nevertheless, there is nothing would so much tend to revive her drooping and declining influence on the con tinent as a little brush at sea. She is, I take it, as good as certain to be victorious ; and the very fervour of the enthusiasm success would evoke in England would go far to disabuse the foreigner of his notion that we are only eager about printing calicoes and sharpening Sheffield ware. Believe me, it is vital to us to eradicate this fallacy ; and until the world sees a British fleet reeling up the Downs with some half-dozen dismasted line-of-battle ships in their wake, they'll not be convinced of what you and I know well, that we are just the same people that fought the Nile and Trafalgar. Those industrial exhibitions, I think, brought out a great deal of trashy sentimentality about universal brotherhood, peace, and the rest of it. I suppose the Crystal Palace rage was a kind of allegory to show that they who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones ; but our ships, Tom, our ships, as the song says, are "hearts of oak !" The Dodd Family Abroad. THE IBIS.—A most beautiful feature in the Nile voyage is the sight of birds, as tame as if domesticated, perching on your boat, on the housetops, on the palms, on the backs of oxen and of camels, chirping, warbling, skipping, everywhere as free and joyous as if they never knew an enemy. Nor have they an enemy in the native population, for the Egyptians do not molest birds, only travellers affright them with the sportsman's gun. This may be because the Egyptians are an unarmed people, but, to whomsoever the credit belongs, let Egyptians have the praise of the land where birds are safe and free. Most sweetly do they carol at sunrise, and at sunset in the acacia groves and among the palms. Some, of unknown names, are of beautiful plumage and delicate form ; but the bird, for which the traveller looks from the moment be enters Egypt, is the pure and sacred Ibis. We had several times seen at a'distance a bird that we conjectured must be this, but to-day we had a nearer view, that by comparison with the sculptured form quite satisfied us of its identity. It was a most delicate creature, about a foot long, from the beak to the tip of the tail, with long, slender legs, and a neck that curved gracefully and ter minated in a long, crooked beak. It was of stainless white, and, when it flew, seemed rather to swim with gentlest motion on a buoyant sea. The selection of such a bird as sacred, and the association of it with their religious sculptures, shows a nice sense of beauty in the old Egyptians.—Rev. J. Thompson's Letters from the Nile. ARCHEOLOGY.--A discovery has been made on the small Danish island Yhrlen, which may not be without its interest among historians and antiquaries of the day. This little insignificant spot is situate between the islands of Thorseng and Fyen, close to Fuhnen. Some persons, ob serving near a few moleholes in the ground several coins lying about, commenced digging up the soil dose thereto ; when, to their surprise, they found the remains of a leathern bag, which had been decorated with gold orna ments, in which, and round about it, were a quantity of broken necklaces and bracelets of silver, of very curious workmanship, and 250 pieces of silver coins. These coins in part contained on the obverse side the bust of some person, with and without a sceptre, with the inscription " Adelred Rx Anglo ;" and on the reverse a cross, with an inscription, but which as yet has not been made out. It is thought that these coins belonged to some portion of the " Danegold" by which king " Ethelred the Unwise," at the conclusion of the 10th century, sought to compro mise the devastating incursions of the Danish King "Svend Tveskjog." Besides these coins th ere were others, bearing Byzantine and Latin inscriptions, with busts and bishops' mitres on them. In all, there are 30 different sorts of coins found, all of which will soon be forwarded to the Ancient Northern Museum at Copenhagen. The island in question has never been touched by the plough share ; and it appears that this fund has been the result of some former plunder, which, for security's sake, was placed in the position in which it was found.—Atheneum. A HALF-NOISY THOROUGHFARE.—Every man who has shifted much about in London, knows that a half-noisy thoroughfare is much more excruciating than a wholly noisy one. Upon the edge of Oxford- s t ree t you may d oze as by the margin of the sea ; your ear becomes accustomed to the uniform roar, and soon almost ceases to heed it. But a half-noisy thoroughfare brings every a va il a bl e method of confusing . and distracting human ears to bear upon you ; heightening the effect of every bit of uproar iby a dull setting of silence. Every omnibuss seems to run its wheels over your head; every new burst of cabs and waggons out of doors is a new outrage upon the repose within. Instead of the one noise running through the day, you have two hundred noises at two hundred inter vals in the day. When we got baby to sleep after dinner, there came punctually a series of special nuisances that had their regular days for disturbing her ; and we came to know their times. On Monday evenings there was a horn ; after which (separate concern) a German band; organs; boys whistling " Pop goes the Weasel." Tuesday, Ethiopian serenaders ; organs; boys whistling " Pop goes the Weasel." Wednesday, a detached performer on the bones ; a brain-crushing machine drawn by a donkey —a man on a platform grinding all our heads in it; other organs ; band of Scotch fiddlers, scraping and scratching hideous strathspeys with unrosined horsehair ; boys whis tling " Pop goes the Weasel." Thursday, ophideides, cor nopeans, and trombones ; Indian beating tom-tom ; acrobats and two drums ; organs ; boys whistling "Pop goes the Weasel." Friday, Ethiopan serenaders ; psalm singing by an old man playing the violincello, with two girls in white tuckers, every two lines first read by the old man, and then sung by the whole strength of the company ; organs ; boys whistling " Pop goes the Weasel." Saturday; street fights and shouts ; extra carts (butchers' ca r ts v e r y aggravating); German Band; Ethiopians; hurdy gardy ; harps and accordions; brain-crushing machine; knife-grinder (most excruciating) ; Finnan haddocks ; hearth-stones ; and " Pop goes the Weasel" until eleven o'clock at night. —Dickens' Household Words. A LADY OF DAMASCUS.—We will first describe the daughter of the host—a very fair specimen of her sex in Damascus. Her eyes are beautifully dark, her eye-lashes, eye-brows, and hair of a glossy jet black ; the latter, tinged with henna, hangs down her back, and reaches nearly to the ground, in a succession of plaits, each ter mkating with black silk braid, knotted and interwoven with various sized golden coins ; I}er features (excepting Th t e he no c s h e in is dimpled, the clear, with f e aca b ne u do st vslial an g,h d antl fi d gure are unexceptionable, the att t hh h r e : slle form y y p e s sti n) cherry,a of ef. the all h small, but compact. pouting,the complexion arms comely, the wrists and ankles well turned, and the feet and hands perfect models for a sculptor ; yet this is one out of the many nondescript beings that we en countered with izar and veil in the street. Her face and by head l theheaddress wears a small rie dresandorien oriental cap, cos t figr e e . which is encircled by a handsomely-flowered handkerchief, and over the latter strings of pearls and pieces of small aroenwell the set top off of her gold money are tastefully arranged in festoons. In the centre of her red cap is a diamond crescent, from which hangs a long golden cord with a blue silk tassel, usually ornamented with pearls ; her vest fits tight, and admirably displays the unlaced figure. In summer this vest is of blue or pink satin, bordered and fringed with gold lace ; in winter, cloth edged with fur is substituted for the satin;. and over the vest is worn a short gray jacket, chastely embroidered with black silk braid. The vest is confined to the waist by a zunnar, in summer, of a silk Tripoli scarf—in winter, by a costly Cashmere shawl ; and from under this a long robe reaches to her ankles, and is divided into two long lappets, lined with satin and fringed with costly trimmings. This latter robe partially conceals the shirwal, or full trousers, which hang loosely over, and are fastened round the ankles ; the tasty mixture of colours, and the graceful arrangement, render the costuma a perfect study. Latterly European shoes have been much used by the Damascene ladies, especially those gaily flowered kid shoes imported into Syria from Marseilles.—TheThstle and Cedar of Lebanon. THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE AT BeitnA.v.—We were in some doubt whether I should be admitted into the body of the synagogue ; but Ibrahim came forward to meet us, and led us to the " chief seats," placing us between him self and David Sassamin, the richest Jew in Bombay—a very fine-looking old man, with an eye like a hawk for brillancy and depth. The synagogue was a long room, with a high divan all round it, on which the worshippers sat cross-legged. A chair was provided for me to put my feet on. Down the middle were two benches, back to back, for the boys: of the congregation ; and nearer the door a desk, like a high sideboard., at which the reader stood ; opposite to which was a curtained recess, contain ing the Law. All present wore veils, generally white, with blue striped borders and a single fringe at each corner ; but some of the younger boys had them of spot ted net, adorned with little tufts of wool of various colours. I never saw a handsomer set of men ; and this, with their varied dresses of rich colours, and the beauty of the little children, who, gaily dressed and covered with ornaments, were curled up by the side of their fathers; or sitting on their knees, and ever and anon roving about or eating sweetmeats as bribes to be quiet, rendered it: a most picturesque scene. But though this was my first impression, it soon changed to astonishment at beholding the heartlessness of their worship, which excels anything I have ever seen as a mockery of devotion. Every man had a prayer-book, but the service was gabbled over in a way that rendered it impossible even for Mr. Mitchell, who is a good Hebrew scholar, to follow it. The boys seemed " to strive who should read loude s t, and shouted " amin, amin, min, as if it wer e very amusing, looking about and laughing the while. The men were talking, and I soon found there would not be the slightest objection to my sketching the scene. Water was ;brought me, and I took the group on my left hand. No sooner did David Sassanan perceive that I was sketching him, than he put down his book and spread his hand upon it that I might observe his valuable diamond and ruby rings. Several were called up to the desk in succession to read different parts of the service, which they did in a sort of loud chant, rocking themselves to and fro. Several young boys, after reading, came to kiss the hand and fringes of David Sassanin and a venerable old man who sat next him, who laid their hands on the head of the boys. It was a pretty action on both sides. One or two little girls were there with their books. During one part of the service, each man collected the fringes at the four corners of his veil and kissed them repeatedly, touching both eyes with them. Most of them did it in the same per f un ctory style in which Romanists generally cross themselves. Then they drew the veil o ver th e right side of the face, and uttered a lamentable cry. Then the whole congregation turned towards the west, and, bending, uttered a confession of sin. This was the only part of the service in which there was the slightest appearance of earnestness.—Mrs , ColinMackenzge's Six Years in India. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, AND GENERAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER. ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. SCOTLAND'S DISSATISFACTION, TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. Sin,—l have been induced to write to you from the desire of addressing your English readers on the subject of the present agitation in Scotland, as I am aware that in England, as well as elsewhere, many inisrepresen tatibns have been given as to the true spirit of that agitation. I am also anxious to show that the Scottish movement has not originated in any desire to revive or create national anti pathies between the two countries. It has been admitted in England that Scotland does possess grievances to complain of ; but, say some, there is no necessity for her appealing to her separate nationality. Now, this is an important point, as it relates to the most successful method of redressing those grievances. How was this to be done ? Have we not, year after year, sought and yet found not ?—asked, and it was not given unto us ? Have we not, until patience became exhausted, appealed, memorialised, and petitioned, and all to the same effect ? This we did as Scotsmen and loyal Britons, ever anxious to remain as such. Then can it be matter of wonder that, since our prayers have been unheeded, we now fall back upon our nationality ? In thus raising our national voice —for, in the words of Professor Aytoun, Scotland stands where she did,—we do so because it is our dernier resort. No animosity—no mischievous desire towards England has given birth to it, and time will show how mistaken those have been who first promulgated such a report. I cannot see why the fact of Scotland merely asking for her rights ought to create any animosity between the two countries, and I will not believe that Englishmen are so illiberal as to view the Scottish movement with prejudice. We do not reproach your countrymen with having created our wrongs—nay, we look to you to aid us in redressing them. Our own apathy and the disinterestedness of our representatives have been the main cause, and from the effects of these we seek now to recover. It cannot be questioned that Scotland possesses certain rights distinct from those of England, and which were specially referred to in the Articles of Union, and their security guaranteed to the country by that document. Now, the Articles of Union were all that made a Britain, and were also intended to place Scotland on the footing of equality, or as near as possible, with England. These Articles have not been held sacred, and it is this fact which has produced the complaints in Scotland. Facts cannot be overturned. These Articles were never intended to be broken, or else they would never have been framed— to judge otherwise would turn history into fiction, and the rights of nations would be but a bagatelle ! Well, then, as Scotland is not a province (though treated in some respects as such), it is impossible she can have any rights as one ; but as a nation she has, and as a nation she calmly demands those rights to be respected, just as England would have done if placed in the same position. If, as has been foolishly hinted in some quarters, the Articles of Union be a dead letter, then, logically speaking, there is no union, but a confusion instead. If they be held faithfully by " all concerned," and as Scotland desires them, then the union is not only the more secure, but we are the truer Britons.—l ain, M. G. Edinburgh, Nov. 17; 1863. LIVERPOOL TOWN COUNCIL. TO THE EDITOR. OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, Stit,—The accompanying statement, which I have care fully compiled, will_speak for itself.—l remain, Sir, yours obediently, G. W. M. Liverpool, November 19th, 1853. A TABLE, SHOWING THE COMPARATIVE STRENGTH OF PARTIES IN THE COUNCIL When last Councillors. Party. How Elected. electd No I.—EvERTON. 1850 Alderman E. Langsdale R 1851 11,bert Aked C Defeated J. Johnson. 1852 T. D. Anderson 1853 S. M. Mellor R No opposition. No. 2.— SCOTLAND. 1850 Alderman W. Bennett. C 1851 James Thompson It No opposition. 1852 John Bingham lt Defeated S. Taylor, C. 1853 John Woodruff R Defeated Jas. Jack, C. No. B.—VAUXHALL. 1850 Alderman Preston C 1851 Edward Bradley 1852 John Moss R Dfted. Alex. Shand, C. 1853 William Nicholson C Defeated R. Powell, R. No. 4. ST. PAUL'S. 1853 Alderman Thos. Bold . C 1851 John R. McGulfie R. No opposition. 1852 Thomas Godfrey C Defeated J. Savage, R. 1853 Oliver Holden , lt No opposition. - No. S.—EXCHANGE. 1850 Aldmn. Jas. Lawrence*. C 1851 T. Littledale* 1852 James Tyrer C }No opposition. 1853 Charles Ter No. 6.—S. CASTLE-ST. 1850 Alderman Thos. Dover C 1851 Hugh Hornby* 1852 T. Avison - }NO opposition. 1853 George Holt No. 7.—ST. PETER'S. 1853 Alderman Jas. Parker. C 1851 Harmood Banner 1852 J. C. Fernihough R INo opposition. 1853 James Holm No. B.—PITT STREET 1850 Alderman T. Robinson C 1851 John Gladstone, jun C No opposition. 1853 W. P. Jeffreys 1853 William Mann C Defeated J. Smith, R. No. 9.—GT. GEORGE. 1853 Alderman Jos. Cooper. C 1 8 51 Thos. Wagstaff C No opposition. 1852 John McNicoll C DeftedJno. Rogers, R. 1853 Alexander Shand C No opposition. No. 10.— RODNEY-ST. 1853 Aldmn. Samuel Holme* C 1851 Thomas Fleming 1852 John B. Bra neiser C }No opposition. 1853 Jas. Aspinal Tobin C No. 11.—ABERCROMBY. 1853 Aldman. R. C. Gardner C 1851 Hugh Neil C No opposition. 1852 Robertson Gladstone* lt Defeated B. Hall, C. 1853 William Earle* lt Defeated T. Lee, C. No. 12.—LIME- STREET 1863 Alderman J. B. Moore*. C 1851 James Johnson 1852 J. A. Picton 1853 J. B. Lloyd* (The Mayor) No. 13.—ST. ANN'S. 1853 Aldman. E. Molyneux. C 1851 Raymond W. Houghton C Dfted W. P. Freme, R. 1852 Thos. L. Hodson R Defeated F. Shand, C. 1853 John Nicholson No. 14.—WEST DERBY 1850 Aldman. Sir John Bent* C 1851 It. M. Beckwith 1852 Arthur Henderson 1853 Francis A. Clint —— No. 15.—N. TORTETI4. 1853 Aldmn.Thos.Toulmin.. C 1851 Thomas Royden 1832 Hilton Hothead 1853 Matthew Gregson C No opposition. No. 16.—S. TOXTETH. 1850 Aldmn. John H. Turner It 1851 John Stewart C Dftd E. C. Hindley, R. 1852 Wm. Jos. Horafall C 1853 James Robertson 'hose marked * have been Mayors.—C. Conservative, R. Radical. RECAPITULATION. Wards represented entirely by Conserva tives, Nos. 3,8, 9, 10, 15 No Ward represented entirely by Radicals Wards represented by 3 Conservatives and 1 Radical—Nos. 7, 13, 14, 16 Wards represented by 2 Conservatives and 2 Radicals—Nos. 1,3, 4, 11, 12 Wards represented by 1 Conservative and 3 Radicals—Nos. 2 and 6. 20 0 0 0 Wards. SCOTTISH RIGHTS, TO THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDA.RD. SlR,—Allow me to thank you sincerely for the pleasure and satisfaction yon have afforded to myself and other Scotchmen, resident in Liverpool and elsewhere, by the disinterested advocacy you have devoted to the vindication of Scottish Rights, and, while doing so, I trust you will bear with me while I make one or two remarks. . The claim of Scotland to have additional representatives the House of Commons was so well and dearly stated in your first article on the subject, as hardly to require further illustration. One point, however, appears to have eluded your observation, and that is, that an augmentation of the number of Scotch members would have a tendency to elevate the moral character of. the House ; for it is a singular fact, that, notwithstanding the number of notoriously corrupt elections which have from time to time, and particularly during the last two sessions, been brought to light by indubitable proof, no one case has been either proved or alleged against a Scotch constituency. Another may also be noted, which is, that although no property qualification is requisite for a Scotch burgh member, and although these constituencies have been occasionally wooed by the O'Connor and liagrath tribe, in no instance has a worthy of such description found his way into the British senate through the agency of a Scottish constituency. Could better evidence be ten dered of the fitness for self-government on the part of Scotchmen, than the existence of facts so conspicuously creditable to their judgment, their moral training, and their political integrity; or could they advance a higher claim to the possession of increased political influence than by pointing to the significant fact, that, surrounded by glaring examples of political turpitude, their purity o f political action and feeling r emains untainted even by the breath of suspicion ? As to the subject of a separate Secretary of State for Scottish affairs, few would be inclined to question the propriety of such an office, who are acquainted, as I am, with the manner in which parties, having important public Scottish business to transact in any of the Govern ment departments, are warded off from post to pillar, between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Lord Advocate ; the one finding that the appli cation does not full within his - province, or that the in formation sought must, of right, be communicated by the other. Private convenience, or personal indolence, being thus made to stand in the way of public business. In your last article you make correct allusion to bene fits conferred on England as well as Scotland by Scotch men, and put that properly forward as a plea for the sympathy, respect, and assistance of our English brethren. Under this head the catalogue might easily have been much enlarged ; I shall, however, confine myself to an observation Of two relative to one subject you there allude to, I mean the Darien Canal. Upwards of a hundred and fifty years ago the Scotch organised a company, and took active measures for having a ship canal cut through the Marrow isthmus which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. A line of route was marked out, and a settlement of Scotchmen was made in connexion with it on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus; but, through the agency of the East India Company, and the anti-Scotch partialities of William 111., the scheme was discountenanced and the company ruined. Within the last few years the current of mercantile traffic has again directed attention to the necessity of a ship canal through the same isthmus ; and what takes place P A scheme is now on foot to execute this canal, and it has been declared, within the last twelve months, by competent authorities, that the best route in existence for it, is the identical line pointed out by the Scotch Darien Company a hundred and fifty years ago ; nay more, that its Atlantic harbour shall be Port Escoses (Scotch port). Here we see an important undertaking and a vast source of national wealth sacrificed, lest its prosecution and development should interfere with the successful prosecution of English enterprise in another direction. Is not this fact alone conclusive as to the English connexion not being one of unmixed benefit to the trade and commerce of Scotland P Trusting you will excuse the inroad thus made upon your space, and again offering my best thanks, for your aid in the good cause, I have the honour to be, your obedient servant, A SCOTCH3IAN. Liverpool, 19th November, 1853. NOTES, NOTICES, AND OPINIONS. BY jOHANNES nusTrcus. XV. EDuce.nolc:--A; curiosity, I should like to see a prospectus of the course of instruction which would meet the views of the popular declaimers against our national ignorance. It is the fashion now-a-days of some leading characters to attribute everything that goes wrong to a want of education in the people ; and perhaps this may be true in the abstract ; but can these learned philosophers devise any scheme of education which will be a remedy for all our physical, moral, social, and political evils ? Mr. Cobden attributes the reappearance of cholera, juvenile depravity, the Preston strikes, and the Russo- Turkish war, alike to the ignorance of the people, and quotes how many out of thirteen jurors signed with a X, but can Mr. Cobden or any of his " school" point out what, and what degree of, education would prevent all these calamities ? The old Tory doctrine was that the clergy man was the best schoolmaster ; but Toryism, it is said, is exploded now—the clergyman, as a teacher of the young, gives place to the popular lecturer, and the church is less resorted to for instruction than the Mechanics' In . - stitute. This "emancipation of the intellect" has been the boast of the nineteenth century, but its fruits are crabbed and unwholesome. The poor peasant who makes his mark on the register of his child's baptism is, in nine cases out of ten, a more honest and respectable man than the town operative who divides his leisure be tween the newsroom and the debating class, the shilling novel and the penny concert. Let us be just : the educa tion that makes a human being an honest man—" God's noblest work"—is not a matter of alphabets and numerals, but of right principles and proper feelings. He who fears God, honours the king, and loves his neighbour as hip self, is sure to be a respectable member of society, both morally, socially, and politically, whatever amount of so called ignorance he may happen to be convicted of by Mr. Cobden. XVI. THE FREE LENDING LIB/ART.—If the branch of the library at the North Corporation Schools is to be of any extensive benefit to the public, it will be necessary to extend the hours of delivery, or to increase the efficiency of the librarian's staff. Even if the benefit be gratuitous, parties who have come a long distance should not be com pelled to wait half an hour or more, and then, seeing no chance of being served, have to return without the desired volume. Some allowance must, of course, be made for want of expedition at the commencement, but it ought not, under any circumstances, to take a quarter of an hour to issue three volumes, when thirty or forty people are waiting, as has, it appears, been the case hitherto. Then, as respects the hours of delivery—it may be very conve nient to the tradesmen and apprentices in the neighbour hood to attend between seven and nine in the evening, but it is not so for clerks and others residing at Everton, Kirkdale, and Walton, who leave their offices at six, and have to loiter about for an hour before the library opens. Nor is it particularly pleasant, especially during the win ter nights, to find oneself, between seven and nine, in the very midst of one of the worst localities in Liverpool, obliged to elbow the way through crowds of drunken and quarrelsome Irish, in Scotland-road, or Marybone, or Bur lington-street. The managers of the Free Public Library will do well to re-model the arrangements for the north branch, and so extend its usefulness. ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS, Rev. G. Aldington, M.A., to the Curacy of Boughton Mon chelsea, near Maidstone. Rev. Samuel Arnott, M.A., to the Curacy of St. James's, Westminster. Rev. F. Borradaile, M.A., to the Vicarage of Bishop's Norton : cum-Atterhy, Lincolnshi re. _ Rev. H. T. Deacle; M.A., to the Curacy of Holy Trinity, Bungay, Suffolk : _ RCV.D. C. Delafosse, M.A., Rector of Shere, Surrey, to be one of the Domestic Chaplains to His Majesty the King of Hanover. Rev. H. Dowson, M.A., to the Curacy:of Church Eaton, Staffordshire. Rev. J. Dunkley, 8.A., to the Curacy of :St. Stephen's, Birmingham. Rev.ll. Parish, M.A., to the Incumbency of Ecclesball, Bierlow, York shire. Rev. S. C. Gregory, late Curate of St. Clement Danes, London, to the Incumbency of Barnard Castle, Yorkshire. Rev. M. W. Gregory, 8.A., to the Incumbency of Roade, near Northampton. Rev. W. Boils, M.A.. to the Rectory of Bradfield, with the Rectory of Rushbrook annexed, near Bury St. Edmund's. Rev. W. H. Hugall, M.A., to the Incumbency of Tad dington, Derbyshire. Rev. E. Huxtable, M. A., to be Prebendary in Wells Cathedral. Rev. W. Keene, M.A., late Head-Master of Bishop Corrie's Grammar School, Madras, to the Perpetual Curacy of Whitby, Yorkshire. Rev. F. V. Mather, to the Curacy of St. Paul, Clifton. Rev. R. Mitchell, 8.A., to the Curacy ,of Hope, near Cast letop, Derbyshire. Rev. W. B. De Moleyns, M.A., to the Curacy of Wrington, Somerset. Rev. A. P. Morris, M.A., to be Morning Preacher at Arch bishop Tehison's Chapel, St. James's. Westminster. Rev. G. Naylor, 8.A., to the Rectory of Rougham, near Bury St. Edmund's. Rev. J. P. Oliver, 8.A., to the Chaplaincy of Her Majesty's ship Minden. _ _ Rev. C. Otway, 8.A., to the Curacy ofg Stoneleigh, War rickshire. Rev. F. Spurrell, ➢I.A., to the Rectory of Faulkborn, Essex. Rev. D. L. Williams, M.A., to the Curacy of Carnarvon. Rev. E. Wood, M.A., to the Incumbency of Bradfield, near Sheffield. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER n, 1853. incumbent seems to be quite beneath all consideration. There is evidently no occasion to treat him as a gentleraap , by even answering his letters. What we w ant is simplY the performance of those duties without which our cures can never prosper. We want the clergy to have a faF share of respect from their own bishop, an d not that should be lavished on dissenting preachers. We wan, churches to be attended to, as well as mechanics' ipso' tutes. We should like to have more time for necessari intercourse with our diocesan. At present only one day Se ! in every week is professedly set apart for this urpop when the episcopal palace is, for a few hours, exchangl for an office in town, attached to which is a small dirty all disagreeableroom, occupied by the clerks , where st. . ordinary visitors must wait until they are sunnne.a And happy that poor incumbent or curate who can obtatrit . an early inte rv i ew before the wealthy or the officious, or the querulous layman shall arrive ; otherwise he e la l dance a long attendance, and, perhaps, have to repeat his visit a second, or, it may be, even a third Tuesday, to a'? neglect of important duties at home, ere his humble aPPII: cation can be attended to. No*, is this as it sho uld be Is one day in a wee k su ffi c i en t for listening to th e ; peals; and consulting for the necessities, of a diocese this ? And yet even this is not what we get. P e mentary duties, and visits to distant friends , te t ml e pt too frequently from this small allowance, and w e get work done, and, consequently, we cannot presPer A ought. And so things go on, many self-denying an" ligSt lig ' working pastors sorrowing at the state of affairs amo to - and some, even if they have the opportunity, dre ading se have an interview with one who should be looked upo n a friend and a spiritnal father, but who receives them:t with a scourge in the right hand. We do, ind eed / °— a change in the state of things, and sympathy in difficulties." FAMILY PRAYER. issued by THE following pastoral letter has just been the Bishop of St. Asaph Mr DEAR ARCIIDEACON,—I have, clergy this year, pressed; u p on them the duty of our t rsytlanbit to bring it to pass, that Family Prayer should be e ivar e lished in every house in their parish. • IIaMY a. I mash. a but that much delicacy is required in p a work of this 50rt,,,,00 cannot but hope that the blessing of the moo' ry "l ont mygchwargcare ra . Y_ wsoolgul oc ci callny at ha te na n rd l lyte ou m r pt. exertions in endeav in ourip doubt but that the great Uiai Ong t° ,,' pe ea will r th hail that with blessing,joy theef which prospect theyo f t h e e l ra t vh e so may"fee every op e h the value. But there are three classes of persons - less cordially accept our exertions. cliffie nitY In the houses of the great, there is often a t a bliS l ' assembling regularly all the members of a large e s r been ment ; a real difficulty, of which they who have nev e A n d it connected with such matters are hardly aware' used Will happen that great people, who have never been io r to, or who have neglected the ustom, may be little Pi e ' 0 when the minister of the Gospel presses such matters ut tb , their notice. They may not like to be interfered s t he Now, our success in such a mission must dePe .°ri n tid ,i °° o ll" vi ur e Christian way in which our attempt is made ; and as we are in conscience bound to make the attempt, se ,7`," the called on to mingle the wisdom of the serpent per' simplicity of the dove. We must try to let s uc '.., a it; sons as we would convince see, that we ourselves,. u" - na r. earnest in our desires to serve God, not to magn l4 wish selves, and to enforce our clerical authority ; that to promote the good of their hou s eholds by introd,ut;rg Christian custom, not to constitute ourselves the cu r— an and masters of their families. It is not difficult for of humble Christian to do this ; but it is not easy for loy us to be in truth humble Ch r i s ti an s. We mus t 'i ' our wait our time. Mention the subject generanY •ty sermons. Give the owner of a great house an °Plat 'Wo of speaking to us. And if all other means and cprie by nities fail, then it is generally easier to coati:unm e t. let' letter than by word of mouth; and in writing atl eP ter we have an opportunity of expressing our guy n-d , c o w - and unwillingness to interfere, where duty does we' pel us to do so. Writing not as though we would 01-0 ourselves lords over God's heritage, but as the b urci a nd servants of Him who never feared the face of we n ' will not allow His faithful soldiers to do so, when the tiA at vation of the souls of both master and servants rag n ," - tt st stake. In all this we must use much caution, but we ; anY not be afraid of man ; and in such a case, if there jilt special difficulty, it is easy for a clergyman to con s w ' bishop. ther e The next class of persons with regard to whom our may be some difficulty is of those who differ f rom of Church, and sometimes reject our nainistratio ns • ai course we cannot hope to do much good to those vill°6oo not receive our ministry, but as in general all Cb rjs a yee, who profess a sense of religion approve of familY to I cannot believe that any of our parishioners will e b i ee tcl a; our inquiring whether they practise this godlY endoit and in case we find any who are negligent—Winn e ' se of the propriety of our remonstrances, and the kin dne the offer of assistance, in commencing the habit of domes l c devotion, and should we find any so unreasonable, we only pray for them. The to d e third with. class lea isthmemaostthneaue who are so merous,andthdeade me cult t2st u uly sense of religion that they admit not the duty ef i ,..7 c t to prayer, and are offended at our mentioning th e s uLd- s ense them. There are in most parishes men who hav e no 4 of religion—who never hear our public exhortationes;nusaut, are offended with our private admonitions. Nof , w + , ca tch like St. Paul (2 Cor. xii. 16), "being crafty' Thirend them with guile." We must not by our bluntnesse every them, and drive them further from religion , Christian method to draw them to Christ. sae to gr;:. no hold on the parents,_ we must teach the and beseech God that these childre SO taught may curate a been el a l i r: ed the instructors of their parents. Many has opened the door of a house, which has been long b c ho against him, by the hand of one of the little ones; i x belong to that house. But we must use all P" tieric n 'e to gentleness, that; if it please God, we may s ti r aer, Christ, who are at present deaf to the voice of the ch., t be and remember that it was the importunateness o.;,dge. widow which gained the attention of the unjus t 'f r iend That it was because he went on knocking that the but use .. obtained the loaves. And here I cannot help mentioning the duty of e be t to teach our school children to pray at home. rce the way of effecting this seems to me to be te °lwo to subject on them by oral instruction in school. wrath accustom them to a form of prayer in school, whieli'rnyee some small alterations, may become their bedside P er o' And then to ascertain from them personally and °el whether they do pray by themselves. f 1 I have distributed a form of school prayers °f be, have not yet ascertained the success, but Wen may employed by the children themselves at home if co ogle to memory. The children, too, should be taugh t tomor in their regular forms of prayer such petitions as a re necessary from their own special wants at the tim e ' I have caused, also, a short tract containing so m e to be liar forms of prayer for children and poor fam ilie be reprinted from my Parochialia, which may perl Pb ee s ° ' found serviceable in promoting this object. An d r r ra by the assistance of some friends, to put out some 'e i family prayer in Welsh and English. v gble le When we have done all we may obtain but little rticos, success, but our Heavenly Father will accep t our e and I hope bless them to some of our people. hliciti ll6 I shall thank you to give this letter as much Pu you can, and to believe me, yours, truly, THOMAS VOWLER To the Venerable Archdeacon Clough. DIOCESE OF CHESTER LOWER WITITLEY.—The yard or cemetery, recently, attached to this chapel, was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester, for interments, on Tuesday last, the 15th inst. CREADLE.—The piece of ground recently added to the churchyard of Cheadle is to be consecrated, by the Bishop of Chester, to-morrow, (Wednesday,) the 23rd instant. PREPERMENT.—The Rev. Arthur Francis Sheppard to the'Rectory of Lumplugh, in the county of Cumberland, void by the death of the Rev. Joseph Gilbanks. Patrons, the Trustees of the late John Roper, Esq. Value, £256, with a house. The Rev. Russell Cope has Ilipicensed to the Stipen diary Curacy of St. Peter's Ch , Chester, on the nomi nation of the Rev. Frederick Ford, the Rector. DIE REV. E. BOTELER CRALMER, jun., A. 8., senior curate of Tintwistle, near Manchester, has been appointed Association Secretary for the Northern District to the Colonial Church and School Society. A SEE NOT A SINECIIRB.—The 'Bishop of the Cape of Good Hope observes that his diocese is four times as large as Great Britain; that many of his journeys have to be made in a cart or on foot ; and that he is to a large extent responsible for the support of each clergyman whom he appoints. Natal is 1,200 miles from his see ; Graham's Town between 500 and 600 ; and at present the whole population of the diocese is 800,000. He mentions one truly astounding fact—that some English emigrants have actually been converted to Mahomedanism by certain Malay settlers! PRESENTATIONS VACANT.—The Rectory of Little Sax hom, near Bury St. Edmund's ; value, £3OO a-year; patron the Marquis of Bristol. The Vicarage of Bramford, near Ipswich ; value, £lOO a-year ; patrons, the Dean and Chap ter of Canterbury. The Rectory of Little Plumstead, with the Rectories of Blundall and Wilton annexed, near Nor wich ; value, £BOO a-year ; patrons, the representatives of the late Incumbent. The Vicarage of Neateshead, near Coltishall ; value, £240 a-year ; patron, the Bishop of Norwith. The Rectory of Curry Mallet, Somerset ; value, £4OO a-year ; patron, the Crown. The Rectory of Sal combe Regis, Devon ; value, £l5O a-year ; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. THE AMERICAN Cnuncrr.—A letter from New York, dated 28th ult., says Since my last, our general con vention has met and adjourned. Its session, which was held in this city, has now become a matter of history, and we propose merely to give you a few remarks on its general character, and a short summary of its acts. It may be interesting. however, to some of your readers to learn how the convention or council, which the American church calls its general convention, is composed. It is composed of two houses, sitting separately, and the concurrence of both of which is necessary to the passage of any canon. The upper house, which sits with closed doors, is composed of all the bishops of our church; and the lower, of four clerical and four lay delegates from each diocese, who are elected by the diocesan conventions, which meet annually, and are composed of all the clergy canonically resident in the diocese, and a lay delegation from each parish. The upper house now numbers thirty-two bishops, The senior bishop present presides, and the Rev. Dr. Balch, of Pennsyl vania, is its secretary. The lower house elects some pres byter for its presiding officer, or speaker. The Rev. Dr. Creighton, of New York, at present fills that office, with great acceptance. The proceedings of this house are conducted with regard to parliamentary rules ; and its proceedings are open to the publie, i.e., spectators are allowed to occupy the gallery of the church in which it is held, and large numbers of both sexes are usually present. Questions in this house are often decided viva voce, but when required by the delegation from any one diocese, the vote is taken by orders, the clergy and laity voting sepa rately. The delegation from each diocese has but one vote for either order, and a majority of both orders is required for the passage of any qusstion. This principle, which is observed in all our diocesan conventions, secures either order from any undue aggression on the part of the other. ADMINISTRATION OF THE DIOCESE OF MANCHESTER. —An incumbent of the diocese of Manchester draws a doleful picture of the mode in which its affairs are admi nistered Like other ambitious ones mentioned in history, who prayed for a King, we once prayed for a Bishop to be sent among us ; and we had every confidence that as soon as the old Chester diocese should be divided, it would be a happy day for the Church in these parts. But I solemnly assure you, sir, and it is the almost unani mous feeling of the Clergy here, that the work went on much more systematically and prosperously under the old regime than it does now ; and that any progress which has been made under the present system has consisted chiefly in a more careful looking after the fees. When the present Archbishop of Canterbury ruled over us, we never made a reasonable request in vain, and we were never disappointed, if once we had a promise. If he were written to, he scarcely ever lost a post in his reply. Now, excepting in extraordinary cases, we either get no answer at all, or it comes so late as to be o f no serv ice, or else greatly toin terfere with our other arrangements. lam told, indeed, that influential laymen, and one or two popular preachers, of whom the Bishop has a salutary fear, done they may wial for at any time. can get anything But an ordinary HORTICULTURE - -- - - - WnaRE there is a geometrically arranged gr l e s i llL' lC den, its utter want of beauty during the winter 311- t ifiti a .li r months is felt to be a great drawback. The be au ,,,s - t St' a n it metrico E r e l v a s bedst on withC a s more theresent in summer makes the cenw• , ho ar disagreeable tled ever, remedy this defect. Mr. Barron, the head gr he geo' ,w.inaartfrvoeedvryuergrcelidettetlnheeemplaalinagoefri;nt ;wad:pert if n ot oe dwarf by pruning ;by this means the beds, / ital. o ld liant as in grown i n pots, 31 s 1 0 bril summer, certainly look very ornan ae ‘,400, mall variegated varieties are extensively used at tc• o f sin add much to the beneral effect. cobundunee-.;etY '',i evergreens may obtained • iderable ir,low every good nursery, and they be nini ' ~ts. " ( 1 m m ight cons i e dilte6 r.ki e it in the beds for the present season without i r w ell e'''` • ; / t April they could be taken up and potted, O ld ' trill' t he for during the summer, would be in bettelLO, trio t,,,, winter : they should be removed, when IrT g : e onie t V c i reserve garden. In placing these plants in Toy cove r i gy garden, the plants, of course, should be en laced r iaced It e 4;cll with the soil of the bed, and they should be Toss. cement.." close together, so as to produce a dent,,, e . o rali i ber brilliancy of effect may be introduced in t '', 4 n os, a" 0 .00 . by placing pcits, filled with crocuses, suouutn-ale o . lr t e tr eao spring flowering bulbs, between every alt er ..„Th g• On- 0 12; of the marginal row. The season for/rain-wool vcieottit. and bushes has now commenced, au",,,Nare w,,7,,naidei kind should be proceeded with w `' -- G ar dener 1,1`.„--.-.- The following good advice, from the rdeue' ' oo will be valuable to amateurs and cottag e g r app tre es LoPPncrn.—Nothing shortens the lives , e'_.4 . the rir,, o t much as the removal of large branches, becun tt leaa eca - y s from such amputations do not heal, er,,, w00di,,,. i 0 readily. The surface of the cut blackens,,r;ise. 'P_ ,..i .r, to and dies,. water gets in and increases the WS g rad''the the origin of those hollow trees which fain t bY, O 4 pieces, if they are not at once broken or 'IP t he bill• P , e il wind. It should never be necessary to use o . been ",,, i f , in a properly managed tree; for, after hav i '`' the 0 " ._.„l w hen car s '' trained in the nursery, it should be visiw‘. down, if not every year, at least once in tw (7° lh t e b a ree hee lt :,r,h °r other; and in general everything in order to take off with the pruning" that crossiojlf branches that are too close together, or , eve nt _;,,. prove injurious, either by preventing the free troling hurt and 9 0,00 of t i; and light between the branches, or by .e° _ y e ho shape of the head, or that bangs over so ol e o ir tuis pro p , ful to the undercrop, should be cut off. T a: su ilicl o c ; perly requires intelligent foresight, united v ta tioo, .e acquaintance with the phenomena of ege. , we llaY to manage. Where the pruning-knife cannetercrvii cine r : t with the habits of the species or varieties whiciAl/40f averuncator is a good substitute. It is a verL es w oo 1 instrument, which can be used in m ost tier ly getting up into the tree, and thus saves t .. , var ia vi _. little bruises. After an abundant crop it ahnn u st i f ot do happens that the lateral branches, having be:e _,,,'''' to thus with the weight of the fruit, cannot come na_c,7 na i i , ; former position. If they were allowed to 7, 01 , 1 1 d 0 .. they would be within reach of cattle, and they .. bo ellif shade the soil too much. To remedy this, the is o'l branches should be cut back to one of those shoo ~e , 0 take an upward direction. This pruning w sho .U s i t J i v ie 13 owing to the bending, usually push on the uP i l , es - sit ' j o elo akie in the winter following the heavy crop. It 2 g l , h e , trey n i a more graceful form, recruits the vigour of - ales, ° lf confining the sap to a smaller number of brancre4.. . . allows the ground beneath to produce better ~, _ . 1 ;41 16 any accident, such as breakage by wind or by theftiug„, of fruit, renders a large amputation necessarY , 7diateu wax, or Forsyth's composition should be low.,oseible• applied, in order to heal the wound a s speedily us r- TILE ...,T OXBOW BANKRUPTCY COURT has susPe'avO certificate of Lord Huntingtower for six montiAZ;ilint he did not keep books, which every person render-uri ployed in self liable to the bankruptcy laws was bound to T de joiaeo A NUMBER OF MULES have been imported ink- be Or South Australia, from South America, and are _,, 0 the copper mines. carrying copper ore and fuel to and Pv