The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-09-06 00:00:00

IOZ) The following charming poem is from a volume entitled ..Poems, Narrative and Lyrical." By Edwin Arnold, of University College, Oxford Oh ! Was there ever tale of human love Which was not also tale of human tears ? Died not sweet Desdemona ? Sorrowed not Fair, patient Imogen ? and she whose name Lives among lovers, Sappho, silver-voiced, Was not the wailing of her passionate lyre Ended for ever in the dull, deaf sea ? Must it be thus ? Oh I must the cup that holds The sweetest vintage of the tine of life Taste bitter at the dregs ? Is there no story, No legend, no love-passage which shall bend, Even as the bow that God had bent in heaven, O'er the sad waste of mortal histories, Promising respite to the rain of tears ? Meseems Ido remember one ! It told Of lovers led by angel hands together, Who met most strangely, and who loved most strongly, To the last kiss of life. I heard it often, Down at Caserta, by the seven waters ; Fioretta sang the story to her lute At the Ave-Mary. Oh ! I would I had The merry music of her easy tongue, And the quick flash of her Italian eye, So should ye listen to the very last. She said—l think it was at set of sun— Down the green hill, where the Velino rushes, And through the valley where he rests ; and then On to the village came a wayfarer Of noble bearing ; young and fair he was, With smoothest face and forehead, whereupon Time had not written wrinkles. At his heels The scabbard of his sword kept even time, Merrily clinking on the mountain stone With every stride—Oh ! but he had an eye To make a lady look once and again, Where, if she looked, she could not choose bat love. The village girls dancing about the well, Stayed the quick music of the mandoline Even at the quickest, as he passed them by; Whereat, with smile and ready compliment, And jewelled bonnet doffed, and brown curls bowed, He questioned of the leagues that lay between bins And the " Tre Mauri." " Not a league, fair sir, But you shall find the castle and the court Full to the roof, and it were very pity To dull such doublet with the mountain mist, And rust your new sword ere the sun Bath seen it." " Nay,l must on !" " Well, there's the haunted chamber: If you can look a ghost into the face As you can look a girl, I nothing question There's sleeping-room ; so farewell, signor mine." Montorio left them laughing. and at night Beat with his dagger-hilt upon a door, Which opened up into the spacious court Of what was now a hostel, but had once Been Albertino's palace. Lit•le reeked he Though there were dances on the garden gross, And rustling satins, and brocades of gold, In every alley ; and the glint of gems, And quiet float of feathers in the hall ; Only he eased him of his belt and sword, And after ortolana and Alban wine, Followed the torches of the seneschal Along the rushes to an ancient room, Where, after many drowsy beads, he slept, Dreamless and still. Above him in the turret There sat two sisters, beautiful—but one Most beautiful: even as the evening star Sits in her place among the silver worlds )lost silvery. The lady Violetta, On wrist and arm of rounded ivory Resting her brow, read from the painted page The legend of the Milanese Manzoni, Until the night was old : close at her side Sat Beatric6, at the broider frame, Drawing the stained silks slow and slower still, For that her eyes were heavy ; so at last, Bidding her sister seek her in the chamber, Her quiet feet left Violetta reading, With bright eyes wearied, but with heart unfilled. How long the story held her, that I know not ; But long enough it was to let the sand Slide from the thrice-turned glass, ar d the light flicker, As though it strove to live and look upon her ; So that she started, and with opened lips, As when a bud opens to be a rose, Breathed from the dying lamp its little life, And stripping off the flowers from her forehead, Let the great waves of gold go to the ground, And walked in the white moonlight to her bed. And now she sleepeth, beautiful and calm, With those long glossy tresses for a night-robe, And her blue eyelids down upon her eyes. Ha I—naithought Beatrice's hair was black Whose are yon sleeper's clustering curls of brown ? Brown I—She has missed the chamber, and is laid By young Montorio, most unwittingly Wandering hither slumbrous and unlighted. Look. they are sleeping side by side ; their hearts Beating one measure, and their warm breath meeting, And his bright locks and her long tresses tangled, Whose eyes have never met by daylight. Stay ! Stir not !—and speak not !—oh, how shall it end ? They sleep ! the spangled night is melting off, And stilt they sleep ; the holy moon looks in, In at the painted window-panes, and flings Ruby, blue, purple, emerald, amethyst, Crystal, and orange colours on their limbs ; And round her face a glory of white light, As one who sins not ; on the tapestries Gold lights are flashing like the wings of angels, Bringing these two hearts to be single-hearted. They sleep I and it is morning !—Her white hand Falls light as snow on hie, and sends a dream— A quick, strange dream, into his heart. whose joy Goes through the spirit to the sense, and lifts The curtain of his eye. What doth he gaze on Is the dream vanished, but the dream's dear glory Left him for comfort ? Ah ! that hasty cry Bath snapped the spell I She starts—and she is gone— Rose-colour from the forehead to the foot. He thinks it is a spirit, and will kneel ; But, kneeling, spies a bracelet : pearl and gold Warm from the wearer, where her foot was last ; So bath he kissed it lovingly, and laid it Close at his heart, and when the house was up, Asked of the busy hostess earnestly— " Who holds the upper chamber of the turret ?" "The lady Violetta and her sister. Last night, fair sir ; but when the sun was up They rose, and parted from us, Venice-ward." He wrote the name upon his heart, and wandered Away into the world to search for her. Twice a year ended : at 'Perugia There was a solemn mass at Whitsuntide, The chant of priests and song of choristers Rose with the ringing of the loaded censors And the low breathing of a people's prayers, So that the sound went through the fluted pillars, Down the long nave, out by the portal-arch, Into the square, and smote upon the ear Of one who walked disconsolate. He turned, Following as it were an angel's word, And bent his proud knee on the marble, praying • And as ha prayed, the weight went from his heart, And the dull longing, and the baffled search Of twice twelve moons faded before the song Of her who knelt beside him, for she sang "The psalm of ended trials." Presently The veil was raised and it was—Violetta Once more Montorio was by her side ! Oli I shall I tell you bow he wooed and won her, Or when he won her, how he stamped the kiss, The long-delayed and life-expected kiss,. Upon her rose-leaf lips, and took her wrist And clasped the bracelet on, and whispered low, With a light laugh that none might understand, "Sweet Violetta ! hadst thou rot lost this, And thy dear self beside, I had not won A noble, beautiful, and gentle wife." REVIEWS OF BOOKS. The Triplet, a New Dance. By Edgar Webster, Liverpool: J. Smith. This handsomely got up piece of dance music is, by permission, dedicated to Lady Constance Grosvenor, and comprises "The Grosvenor Galop," and " The Sutherland Valse a deux temps. The measures are lively, and the directions for executing the figures explicit. It is well printed, and taste fully illustrated. The Man of Sin. _ By the Rev. W. F. Taylor, M.A. Liverpool: Howell. During Lent of the present year tliCßev. W. F. Taylor delivered a course of seven lectures, in St. John's Church, and these have been published under the above title. The separate subjects are diciously treated, under the heads of " The Demonology ..of Popery," " The Man of Sin the Son of Perdition,' " The Persecutor," " The Blasphemer," " The Mystery of Unity," " Satanic Influence," and " Judicial Blindness." Under these varied heads the pretensions of Popery are rigorously scrutinized, and pointedly denounced. The lectures were received with much favour during the course of their delivery ; and their popularity is more likely to be enhanced than deteriorated by publication. They invite and will repay attentive study. Protestant Conversation Cards. Liverpool: Howell , This may, and no doubt will, by some, be con sidered a singular title to what professes to be, and in reality is, a valuable means of diffusing among the working classes a knowledge of those essential points of difference which exist between the Church of England and the Romish Church. These Conversation Cards, in the words of their compiler, the Rev. James P. Shepherd, are "an attempt to explain and expose the Romish doctrines and ceremonies, as they now stand unrepealed from the Council of Trent." The diffusion of religious knowledge by such means is not new, and the merit of this application of such means consists in the directness, perspicuousness, and truth of the intelligence conveyed. On these points we are able to afford commendation to the labour be stowed in the effort. The intention has been well realised. The Illustrated London Magazine August London : Piper, Brothers, and Co. _ This magazine, of which the present is only the second part, is got up with much taste in so far as the eye merely is concerned. Its contents also Present a goodly array of authors' names, whose contributions grace, or are supposed to grace, the 3 2 11 1nber. How far this latter supposition is the "' learned affectation.e one, may be leaed from a piece of vapid pertly put forth by Mr. Horace Mayhew, , i ,,'l_or the title of "Materials for an Autobiography." — " . general tenor of the paper is flippant, silly, and. contemptible.rit, The tone of its insufferable vulga two sp however, can only be guessed at from one or earlirTfaellsasy. "My mother was very pleased at a s Mr. Horace Mayhew. " I have y kuintity of novels." " I have suffered se theverel same patravelling in an English railway." In wit ness the success Mr. Mayhew says, " I hate to wit- We pretend. nosst o f a man who does not deserve it." tleman's success ro,ineasure the extent of this gen ial to ponder o,:e uut would sincerely recommend possible, reform hi r s his own denunciation; and, if the of English composition. We regret to see t is evidently cornmen l 2ages of a serial, whose aim mission of such ungra(lable, disfigured by the ad miss rubbish as that we have pointed out, and ure to hope for an im provement in its future numbers, The Lw „ The present number will support the charact of this magazine as a literary serial. Its eon- 7:41 TTi tents are varied, clever, interesting, and gene rally well written. Among its papers will be found a valuable essay on " Industrial Education." It is founded on lectures delivered by Dr. Lyon Playfair, Professor Forbes, Sir H. de la Beche, and others, besides embracing also a resume of educa tional essays, recently published, relative to the state of artistic and industrial education in Eng land and on the con tinent. Besides this and other papers of great merit, there is also a capital contribution entitled " Geology, Popular and Artistic." By students and amateurs of geo logical science, this will be read with interest and profit. We cannot, however, avoid feeling the want of those -admirable political articles, with which, in bygone days, the pages of the Dublin University Magazine were wont to be enriched. Illustrated Handbook to Belgium and the .Rhine London : Bradshaw. Travelling through Belgium, on the Rhine, and in Rhenish Prussia, has become such an every-day occurrence, owing to the facilities afforded by rail roads and steam-boats, that a portable handbook of easy reference has become a land of necessary. The demand, however, has been well supplied by the publisher of the celebrated " Railway Guide," who has here given all the necessary information as to routes, hotels, passports, means of travelling, &c., with a popular description of the various ob jects of interest to be seen. The book is profusely illustrated with maps, plans of the streets in the various towns, and engraved views of public build ings, &c. The latter may not rank high as works of art, but they are sufficiently distinct to give a good idea of the objects delineated. The book will be warmly welcomed by all who travel in the di rection described, and from the moderate price at which it is published, will, no doubt, command an extensive patronage. Blackwood's Magazine. Edinburgh: Blackwood. The number for September opens with an article on " Scotland since the Union," being a review of a recently-published "History of Scotland from the Revolution, &c., by John Hill Barton." The reviewer, while describing Scotland as " tranquil, prosperous, and enterprising," sets forth a series of complaints. They want, he says, more of the public money spent there, a Secretary of State for Scotland, and a greater number of representatives in Parliament. He forgets the old adage, to let well alone. It may be that, if tt.e demands were granted, Scotland would not be so prosperous as she is at present. Ireland has had all these things, and her Celtic population is almost extinct. " Fo reign Estimates of England" is an amusing com mentary on a recently-published work by Schle singer, a German author of some repute. It is well that we should sometimes " see ourselves as others see us." A second part of " New Read ings in Shakspere" exposes a number of the ab surdities of which Mr. Collier has been guilty in his volume of alleged emendations, and the expo sure is justified on the ground that, "if the glory of Shakspere be a theme for national congratula tion, the purity of his text ought to be an object of national concern." The critic overhauls the plays seriatim, and promises the remaining ten in the next number. One curious fact is, that a word in the first part of King Henry IV. which has puzzled all the commentators is made clear by a reference to. Dick Swiveller's "Marchioness," in the tale of " The Old Curiosity Shop." After a humorous story, entitled " The Duke's Dilemma, a chronicle of Niesenstein," we have a continuation of " Lady Lee's Wid o whood," which has be come something more • serious as the catastrophe ap proaches. " Coral Rings" is an interesting and instructive description of those wonders of the southern seas, the coral reefs. The number con cludes with an ably-written letter, from Liverpool, on " The Extent and the Causes of our Prosperity," a subject too important to - be passed over in a hasty notice, but which we shall return to more at length another time. The writer entertains similar views to those which we have previously advanced, and his remarks are well deserving of serious and at tentive consideration. Wanderings in Spain. By Theoppe Gautier L - ondon : Ingram, Cooke and Co, This lively narrative, of personal experiences and wanderings in the Peninsula, is written by a Frenchman, if we mistake not a Parisian literateur, and its pages bear testimony to the thirst for novelty which constitutes so prominent a feature of the Gallic character. Theatres, balls, masques, and bull-fights mingle in strange, yet picturesque, confusion with cathedrals, religious processions, Moorish architecture, and fantastic carvings. The following description of varied scenery, travellers and costume, as witnessed by our author, is artistic and suggestive : APPROACH TO MADRID . The lofty mountain crests glistened and sparkled in the sun, like the skirt of a dancing-girl's robe under its shower of silver spangles ; others, again, had their peaks surrounded by clouds, and merged imperceptibly into the sky, for nothing resembles a mountain so much as a cloud. The whole view was composed of one succession of pre cipices and undulations. It is beyond the power of art, whether of the pen or the pencil, to convey an adequate idea of their different colours and forms ; mountains realise all that the imagination can picture of them, and this is no small praise. The only difference between the reality and the idea we form of it, arises from the fact of our fancying mountains look larger than they do. We are only aware of their enormous size by comparison. On gazing attentively, you perceive that what, at a distance, you took for a blade of grass, is a fir-tree sixty feet high. From time to time we met travelling rnaragatos in their costume of the sixteenth century, which consists of a tight-fitting leathern doublet, fastened with a buckle, wide breeches, and broad-brimmed hat. We also met several Valencianos, with their white linen drawers, like the robes of the Klephts, their handkerchief twisted about their head, their white gaiters bordered with blue, and without feet, after the fashion of the antique Knemis, and their long piece of cloth (capa de muestra), crossed diagonally by bright-coloured stripes, and draped over their shoulders in a very elegant manner. All that we could perceive of their flesh was as tawny as Florentine bronze. Then, again, we saw strings of mules, caparisoned in the most charming fashion, with bells and party-. coloured fringe and housings, while their arrieros were armed with carbines. We were enchanted, for we had fold an abundant supply of the picturesque of which 1011 were in search. The higher we ascended, the thicker and broader became the strips of snow ; but a single sunbeam made the mountains stream with water, like a woman laughing in the midst of her tears ; on every side little brooks, scattered about like the disheVelled tresses of some Naiad, and clearer than crystal, forced their way downwards. Madrid, like Rome, is surrounded by a desert; it is impossible to convey an idea of its aridity and desolation. There is not a tree, a drop of water, a green plant, or the least appearance of humidity ; nothing but yellow sand iron-grey rocks; and w hen you leave the mountain, you do not find even rocks, but large stones. From time to time you perceive a dusty yenta, a cork-coloured spire, just showing its nose on the horizon, large melancholy looking oxen dragging along one of the cars we have already described ; a countryman on horseback, or on a mule, with a fierce expression of face, a carbine at his saddle-bow, and a sombrero slouched over his eyes, or long strings of whity-brown asses, carrying chopped straw, which is corded up with a net-work of small ropes, and that is all. The ass which walks first, the coronel, has always a small feather or rosette, indicating his superiority in the hierarchy of the long-eared tribe. In the course of his perigrinations M. Gautier visited nearly all the towns of note, and inspected most of the scenes of interest in Spain, all of which he describes with a playful and appropriate fancy. The volume is plentifully embellished with, generally speaking, well-executed engravings of remarkable edifices, or striking scenery, and both the pen and the pencil have been cleverly, as well as industriously, employed in recording the ex periences of the traveller. Progress o f Russia in the West, North, and South. By David Urquhart. London : Triibner and Co. Liverpool G. J. Keet. The volume, of which the above is the title, is one which at the present time is sure to , command an attentive perusal by all who take an interest in the vexed question of Russo-Turkish politics. Its author is a gentleman whose familiarity with numerous points involved in that complicated dispute is undeniable, although there are, no doubt, many well-informed individuals whose judicious consideration of the subject, even as stated by Mr. Urquhart, will ensure their rejection of some of his conclusions. Notwithstanding this, however, the labours of our author in collecting the information contained in the volume before us, and in so con densing that information as to render it readily available to the general student or politician, have been such, and so well bestowed, as to entitle him to a large meed of public approbation. His means of acquiring information on the subject have been extensive and peculiar, and he has availed himself of those means with industry and no little skill. In stating his various propositions, he aims at perspicuity and terseness ; although it must be admitted that in some instances at least, his success in the latter aim is obtained at a conside rable sacrifice of the former. The work, which has been prepared at different periods extending over a considerable number of years, takes a comprehen sive, if not in every instance a sound or unpre bejudiced view of Russian aggression, as that has been openly or covertly displayed in the various FRE T even IC t to the first half r so, Mr. Urquhart More open demonstrations of Russian policy, as these have been applied in the affairs of Spain, Hungary, Norway and Finland, and Denmark ; on the Danube, and on the Euxine; in the Levant, and on the shores of the Red Sea. In all of which he labours to show the existence of a consistent and unceasing system of aggression on the part of Russia. It would be unreasonable to demand an indisputable demonstration on every point of belief adduced by Mr. ITrquhart on so widely open a subject of controversy as he has here chosen for himself; but it is not too much to expect from him some reasonable ground of presumption for the various hypotheses he advances, and in this expec tation the candid reader will not be disappointed. He states his cases broadly and with seeming honesty and unreservedness ; and is at least suc cessful in showing that there are sufficient grounds for a watchful, if not indeed a distrustful, vigilance on our part, in regard to even the most innocent looking movements of Russian diplomacy. The spirit of the book may, to a considerable extent, be gathered from the following KEY TO MR. 17RQUHART'S ANTI-RUSSIAN FAITH. Treaties are to her [Russia] the scaffolds by which she builds, as she ascends she knocks them down. That of Vienna, in 1815, gave her Poland, but did not prevent her, in , 1846, from disposing of Cracow. That of Adrianople, in 1829, gave her the mouths of the Danube on conditions, but does not prevent her, in 1853, from blocking up the entrance in violation of those conditions. That of Balta Liman, in 1849, gave her a conjoint occupation, for seven years, of the principalities, but does not prevent her, in 1853, from assuming and practising a separate and exclu sive occupation. So, too that of London, in 1841, gave her the exclusion of foreign vessels of war from the Euxine, on condition of respecting the integrity of the Ottoman empire ; and so, also, it does not prevent her, in 1853, from violating that integrity. __ Wilful misinterpretation, or disingenuous misap plication of the provisions of treaties, when it suits her own purposes, constitutes the gravamen of the charges which Mr. Urquhart brings against the policy of Russia, and it must be admitted that he establishes a fair ground for questioning the good faith of that power in many of her diplomatic arrangements. In an equally succinct and successful manner he disposes of not a few of the fallacies which have found currency and belief in this country relative to the inadequacy of Russian resources. The following will be found an interesting as well as a truthful resume of THE CZAR'S FINANCIAL MEANS. I cannot (says he) omit noticing a ground of confidence which has recently, for the hundredth time, presented itself as a novelty ; it is, "The Emperor has no money." The same thing was said in 1827, when he came forward to support the Bank of England, as he had already sup ported the Bank of France. £6,000,000 were vested in English and French securities, £22,000,000 of bullion were then held in deposit. She receives nearly £5,000,000 yearly from her mines, and actually her stock is quoted at 16 per cent. above par. She offers to remit a claim of £80,000,000 roubles for a province being [query lying] between the Caspian and Little Thibet, and to pay the difference ; yet, according to diplomatic report, " The guards, the crack corps at Zarskoi Zelo, are destitute of clothes and everything." Well, then, they can be clothed as well as fed in the principalities. Napoleon believed Europe to be in danger from the poverty of Russia;_ she preserves the appetites of poverty, while knowing how to employ the seductions of wealth. It is her gold you have to fear, and not her steel. She makes a little go a great way, and she takes it from yourselves. It has long been the habit to dispose of all warnings by the trite phrase, "Russia is a poor country, she cannot get money, and without money war cannot be made." All then acquisitions (referring to a long catalogue of enu merated aggressions) have been effected in peace. Poor as she is, she has so husbanded her means, and you have so mismanaged your wealth, that she can be able to come forward to support the tottering credit of the banks of London and of Paris. The house of Rothschild may hold down the head of the Emperor on the grinding-stone of an artful contract ; but Russia commands the monetary operations of the two first capitals of the world, and controls their policy by the Stock Exchange. _ Without committing ourselves to a full adoption of all, or indeed of any, of Mr. Urquhart's views as to the peculiar policy which this country ought to observe in her relations with Russia, remote as well as immediate, we can have no hesitation in recom mending his book to the attentive and careful study of all who feel an interest in those questions, now under consideration, relative to the course of events likely to arise out of the complication of Russian and Turkish affairs. In Mr. Urquhart's volume, they will find an important body of information from which they may readily elaborate their own theories, whether these regard the abstract or the practical bearings of the subject,—a subject of deep interest, in a commercial sense, and one thickly beset with difficulties. It is only fair to add, that an edition of the book has been issued at a very cheap rate. VARIETIES. 0 CONSENT to common custom, but not to common folly A FALSE RELIANCE.--An American editor, throwing himself upon the indulgence of his readers, fell through, and was taken up in a stupid condition: AMERICAN ToAsT.—" the ladies ; the only endurable aristocracy, who rule without laws —judge without jury— decide without appeal—and are never in the wrong.' YOUNG TURNIPS, when boiled in their skins and pared afterwards, are said to be of better flavour, and much less watery, than when cooked in the usual way. To SETTLE A CROCODILE.—The sure way, according to ancient practice, was to confront him with a mirror, when he incontinently died of fright at his own defor mity.—Fraser. _ "Dior, I say, why don't you turn that buffalo robe t'other side out?—the hair side is the warmest." " Bab, Tom, you get out. Do you suppose the animal himself didn't know how to wear his hide ? I follow his style." AT CORK ASSIZES a learned gentleman, dissatisfied at his success with a witness, complained to the court. Paddy exclaimed, "My lord, I'm no lawyer, and he wants th puzzle me."--Counsel: "Come, now, do you swear you're n o l aw y er ?" —witness : " Faith, an I do; and you may swear the same about yourself, I'm afraid." (Roars of laughter.) TnE SLEEP OF d. PASHA.—His Excellency not foster ing feelings of the most friendly nature towards Namik pasha, the new Commander-in-chief of Arabia, who was passing through Mosul on his way to the head-quarters of the army at Bagdad, and unwilling to:entertain him,:was suddenly taken ill, and retired for the benefit of his health to Baasheikah. On the morning after his arrival he com plained that the asses, by their braying during the night, had allowed him no rest ; and the asses were promptly banished from the village. The dawn of next day was announced, to the great discomfort of his excellency, who had no interest in the matter, by the cocks : and the irre gular troops who formed his body-guard were immediately incited to a general slaughter of the race. The third night his sleep was disturbed by the crying of children, who, with their mothers, were at once locked up for the rest of the sojourn, in the cellars. On the fourth he was awoke at daybreak by the chirping of sparrows, and every gun in the village was ordered to be brought out to wage a war of extermination against them. But on the fifth morning his rest was sorely broken by the flies, and the enraged Pasha insisted upon their instant destruction. The Kiayah, who, as chief of the village, had the task of carrying out the governor's orders, now threw himself at his excellency's feet, exclaiming " Your highness has seen that all the animals here, praise be to God, obey our lord the sultan; the infidel flies alone are rebellious to his authority. lam a man of low degree and small power, and can do nothing against them; it now behoves a great vizier like your highness to enforce the commands, our lord and master." The pasha, who relished a joke, forgave the flies, but left the village.—Layard's Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon. _ . . • A LIVE AIITHORESS. — Once I was driven by a young Irish friend to call upon the wife of a rich farmer in the country. We were shown by the master of the house into a very handsomely furnished room, in which there was no lack of substantial comfort, and even of some elegancies, in the shape of books, pictures, and a piano; The goodman left us to inform his wife of our arrival, and for some minutes we remained in solemn state, until the mistress of the house made her appearance. She had been called from the washtub; and, like a sensible woman, was not ashamed of her domestic occupation. She came in wiping the suds from her hands on her apron, and gave us a very hearty and friendly welcome. She was a short, stout, middle-aged woman, with a very pleasing counte nance ; and though only in her coloured flannel working dress, with a nightcap on her head, and spectacled nose, there was something in her frank good-natured face that greatly prepossessed us in her favour. After giving us the common compliments of the day, she drew her chair just in front of me, and, resting her elbows on her knees, and dropping her chin between her hands, she sat regard ing me with such a fixed gaze that it became very embar rassing. So,' says she, at last, ' you are Mrs. M Yes.'—` The woman that writes The same.'—She drew back her chair for a few paces, with a deep-drawn sigh, in which disappointment and surprise seemed strangely to mingle. ' Well, I have he'rd a great deal about you, and I wanted to see you bad for a long time ; but you are only a hmnly person like myself after all. Why I do think, if I had on my best gown and cap, I should look a great deal younger and better than you.'— I told her I had no doubt of the fact.—' And pray,' con tinued she, with the same provoking scrutiny, 'how old do you call yourself ?'—l told her my exact age.— ' Humph !' quoth she, as if she rather doubted my word, two years younger nor me ! you look a great deal older nor that.' After a long pause and another searching gaze, Do you call those teeth your own ?'—' Yes,' said I, laugh ing ; for I could retain my gravity no longer ; in the very truest sense of the word they are mine, as God gave them to You are luckier than your neighbours,' said she.—' But airn't you greatly troubled with head aches F—' No,' said I, rather startled at this fresh inter rogatory.—' My !' exclaimed she, ' I thought you must be, your eyes are so sunk in your head. Well, well, so you are Mrs. of Belleville, the woman that writes. You are but a humly body after all.'—While this curious colloquy was going on, my poor Irish friend sat on thorns, and tried, by throwing in a little judicious blarney, to soften the thrusts of the home truths to which he had unwittingly exposed me. Between every pause in the conversation, he broke in with—' I am sure Mrs. M-- is a fine-looking woman—a very young-looking woman for her age. Any person might know at a glance that those teeth were her own. They look too natural to be fake--Afre.,3foodie's Life in the Clearinse. —Quarles says: "At the first entrance into thine estate, keep a low 'sail. Thou must rise with honour; thou canst not fall without shame. He that begins as his father ended, shall end as his father began." CONVERSION AT CAMP MEETINGS looking out of the uPV Neiv York jouraa troubled with customers. - WORTH REI[E3IBERINC tory of a sin cried a girl TOcery, and addressigg an other girt who was trying to , enter at the front door, " we've all been to camp meeting, and been converted ; so, when you want milk on Sundays, you'll have to come the back way." EDINBURGH seems inclined to believe that the founda tion of a National Museum of Scotland is a settled thing. The Scotsman reports that Dr. Playfair has been there, comparing sites and preparing for the final examination of the President of the Board of Trade. "It is almost certain," says our northern contemporary, " that next session Government will be prepared to propose a grant" for this purpose.—Athenceurn. CONSIDERABLE LATITUDE.—Sir Richard Jebb, being called to see a patient who fancied himself very ill, told him very ingenuously what he thought, and declined pre scribing for him. " Now you are here," 'said the patient, " I shall be obliged to you, Sir Richard, if you will tell me how I must live, what I may eat, and what I may not." "My directions as to that point," replied Sir Richard," will be few and simple. You must not eat the poker; shovel, or tongs, for they are hard of digestion ; nor the bellows, because they are windy; but eat anything else you . please !" AN APPLICATION is before the Treasury for a new ex ploration of a portion of the Australian continent. M. Ernest Haug, if the requisite means are forthcoming, in tends to start from the mouth of the river Victoria, to trace this stream to its source or sources,—thence to con tinue in an easterly direction, according to the nature of the country and the facilities for pursuing the journey. In this cross movement it is expected that the party will strike the upper waters of some stream falling into the Gulf of Carpentaria ; and when so much of the geography of the continent shall have been ascertained, the explorers propose to make their way back again to the known world through some of the old settlements. PAID M.P.'s.—ln primitive days, honourable members were paid by their constituents, and, besides the usual presents of a horse to ride to Parliament, were entitled, by a statute of Edward 11., to four shillings a day, if they represented a shire, and half that sum for a borough. The famous Andrew Marvel, member for Hull, in 1661, is said to have been the last who received parliamentary wages. Occasionally the electors were able to strike an economical bargain, As an instance, we are told that "John Strange, the member for Dunwich in 1643, agreed with the pru dent burgesses to take his wages in red herrings." We are further informed, that "in the same reign the citizens of York, being anxious that the dignity of that ancient corporation should be properly represented, unanimously agreed that their members should be allowed four shillings a day if they kept a house in London during the but only two shillings if they went to board -- session, —Willis's Current Notes. A GREEK HOLIDAY NEAR JOANNINA.—It being a holiday in the Greek calendar, we passed numerous groups of Christians enjoying the charming weather, in gorgeous dresses of Albanian lace and embroidery, dancing the Ro maica in circles on the grass ; while others, assembled round low wooden tables, were tearing to pieces with their fingers lambs roasted whole on the spot, drinking and singing. I saw one striking group of Moslems. An aga, or Mahommedan gentleman, followed by several attend ants on horseback, was setting out on a journey, and had been accompanied as far as the first rising ground by his wife and her companions. I rode by just as they were parting ; and a bitter leave-taking it seemed, more than I could have deemed possible where polygamy is allowed. The waving of the white veils, as the ladies threw up their arms in an agony of grief, was very picturesque.—Bowen's Tourney from Constantinople and Corfu. BUTCHERS' SHOPS IN PEE' observed a great number of butchers' shops, whose mode of cutting up their meat resembles our own ; nor cau the markets of London boast a better supply of flesh than is to be found at Pekin. But they sell it cooked as well as raw ; and on my entering the shop I saw on a stall before it an earthen stove, with a gridiron placed upon it, and on my employ ing a variety of signs to obtain the information I wanted, the butcher instantly began to cut off small thin slices of meat, about the size of a crown-piece, which he broiled as fast as I could eat them. I took about a dozen of these slices, which might altogether weigh about seven or eight ounces ; and when I paid him, which I did by giving him a string of small coins, he pulled off, as I suppose, the amount of his demand. I saw numbers of people in other butchers' shops as I passed along, regaling themselves with beef and mutton in the same manner.— The English man in China. -. ANIMALS DRIFTING ON IcE.—Every arctic traveller is aware of the fact that polar bears are seen on the ice at a great distance to sea, and quite out of sight of land ; and my own experience bears testimony to the fact that not unfrequently they are found swimming in the sea when neither ice nor land is in sight. The arctic fox, and I believe also the wolf, animals not generally known to take water, are often set adrift upon the ice, and are thus blown out to sea, where they perish when the ice dissolves, if they had not previously died of starvation; and cases are known, although perhaps not recorded, in which human beings have been blown away from land upon the ice, and were never afterwards heard of. Two persons to my knowledge have disappeared in this manner from the coast of West Greenland ; one of them, however reached the opposite side of the straits, where he spent the remainder of his life among his less civilised brethren. And the ships engaged in whaling on the west side of this strait sometimes have to discharge a deed of humanity by taking up from the drifting fleet a group of natives, whose avocations have proved too decoying to be safe.-Ingle field's Summer Search for Sir John Franklin. A "DASHING" WEDDING.—" Well, if ever we should get married, we shall certainly adopt the sensible advice of Punch, and make the affair a runaway match with the consent of our friends."' This was our fervent mental declaration some fourteen months since, when, much against our inclination, we were staying at the house of a young neighbour during the preparations for her marriage with a good-looking clerk in the bank. This young neighbour was Emily Mason, the eldest daughter of a re tired commercial traveller, who managed to keep up a very respectable appearance, with a wife and five children, on three hundred a-year. We had always given the Masons credit for being people of good common sense, and used to quote them as an example of prudence ; but, alas ! i theirwi th George menta the i f e o i ll g y h th qui ey te exhi sa b p i p t e e d d a e t ur the ve u n n e i m on ti o e f n Err ftr il superiority, and caused us to imagine that weddings, like cards, were invented to amuse mad people. We knew f sca orra rce t l h y e tw ex o te h n u t n o d f re ms d a-year, estab. near Islington, with a th n a d t tha Geo t r George ! u fe r r l ta eig bw h leoul h a a pd d artmente l a is ‘ h ‘s ni mall ent ; do w in e e k st n i e c w ," that Mr. Mason had nothing to spare for extraneous luxuries ; and of course were considerably startled when we heard of six bridesmaids, a grand break fast for forty people, four dashing carriages, with grey horses and white favours ; that Emily was to wear a splendid lace veil instead of a bonnet, and that the whole paraphernalia was to be in imitation of the style in which the daughter of a duke is married. Every member of the family seemed bewildered by the approaching event, and the simple legal contract of marriage was evidently about to be performed in much such a temporary galaxy of spangles, foil, white tulle, and blue foil, as one expects to witness in the last scene of a Lyceum Christmas. piece. The confusion and profusion of dressmakers, Jailors, white gloves, orange-blossoms, milliners' boxes, confec tioners' trays, wine -baskets, and silver-decked cards, completely destroyed the natural state of household pro priety, and every room and every person seemed bitten by a matrimonial tarantula. The staid and stout mamma grew so " puce" In the face amid the perplexing anxieties and duties crowding on her, that she rushed about like an animated pickling-cabbage. No sooner had she tied on a very tight-fitting dove-satin dress, under the scrutiny of Miss Flouncem, which added a deeper suffusion to her cheeks, than the cook, hired for the occasion, begged her most earnestly to look out the jelly-glasses ; no sooner were the jelly-glasses produced, than her presence was demanded in the passage touching the arrival of " the cake" from Pursell's ; then, where was the blonde lace she had promised Julia ? in her private drawer up-stairs ; then, where was the parcel of almonds for blanching ? in the store-closet down-stairs ; Emily begged her to go directly to Regent-street to match some pink silk, and Maria requested her to be sure to call in Covent-garden to insure the bouquets. Poor Mrs. Mason (she might with justice have been taken for the long-sought realisa tion of "perpetual motion") ; but she wanted to " do the thing handsomely," and to show her friends that she knew " what is proper on such occasions," so she endured bravely, like a maternal heroine as she was, and felt as important amid her embarrassing duties as a parish beadle at the head of a charity-school. Where George Burleigh was during his visits on the two last evenings of prepara tion we could not quite make out. We fancied we caught a fading shadow of him at the street door once or twice as Emily gave rather an abrupt slam to the said door, but certain it is that he was not admitted into either of the receiving-rooms, and it is our belief that he was positively ordered out of the house. The night before the eventful morning, the excitement and confusion increased to an alarming extent ; some of the most important essentials were found defective at the last moment. Mr. Mason had discovered that the sherry was not drinkable, and then doubted if there were champagne enough. A journey from Bayswater to Fenchurch-street after eight p.m. was indispensable, and off he went, poor man, looking very like an escaped lunatic. Frank, the youngest son, de clared his vest was too short for the fashion, and flung himself into a severe hysteric of bad words about the tailor's masculine want of attention. Tom, the eldest, had not been able to get grey horses to all the carriages, without extra charge. Maria was in an agony to find that one of the bridesmaids intended to wear a far more splendid dress than her own. Julia was loquaciously bitter against a pair of tight shoes just come from the maker's ; and Emily, the bride, was on the very precipice of fainting, from the effect of general flurry. Mrs. Mason, long after midnight, was busied among the " things for breakfast," and was so lost to reason, that when Mr. Mason asked where his new black trousers were, she re plied, " They will be brought up with the custards, my dear." Dresses had to be altered, tradesmen had to be sent to, servants had to be schooled, and everything had to be looked for that should have been found a week be fore. We suspect that not a member of the family got one hour's sleep, and for our part we own to having en tertained desperate notions that the mere "broomstick" system of marrying was preferable to such a dreadful disturbance in a quiet family. We can never describe the wedding morning. We seemed in a sort of mist, and can only distinctly recollect that Emily was dosed with neat brandy, and that George Burleigh had to go hack for the ring ; that the guests made long speeches while the bride was gasping : that the bridegroom looked as happy as a duckling in a furze-bush ; and that Mr. Mason, between French champagne, Italiaq cream, and English sentfment, was compelled to retire from the public breakfast table to the private bed-room. We were never more glad than when, after an unlimited amount of tears, and hugs, and distresses, Emily and her husband left for the London bridge Station ; and so sickened were we by the foolish wedding display of the Masons, that we resolutely made up our minds to abjure any chance of A like infliction in future.-0144 Coo*. ~IVI RCIAL OBIGIIV Al) V 1 LL CO_RRESPO. 1. ~idt. NDI ITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD I was much pleased with week on the proposed new church in Liverpool, and I am sure that I express the opinions of every true Christian in saying, that I trust they will meet with a cordial response. It is not, however, for the advantage—confessedly a great one—that more church accommodation would be afforded to the busy thousands of this great commercial port, nor the still greater advantage that the opportunities for divine worship will be more frequent than heretofore, and the service performed with an order and regularity which might prove a beneficial example for other churches. These are benefits of no ordinary magnitude, and suffi cient of themselves to entitle the proposal to general approbation ; but they would be far outweighed, if your expectation should be realised of the new church proving a means of healing the unhappy differences which, we would fain deny, now separate our Zion into parties. Why should High Church be so high, or Low Church so low, that neither can discover any good thing in the other ? It is a grievance which should excite the deepest feelings of humiliation, and if any means could be devised by which the breach should be healed, and unity restored, I feel certain that the event would be hailed by Church men, of all ranks, with joy unspeakable. My letter was, however, intended to call attention to your remarks re specting the proposed choral aid to the services of the church. Why should music be withheld from any part where it can be appropriately introduced, or the practice of intoning forbidden when it serves so well to keep the congregation together, as they audibly join in the re sponses ? Music is the very language of heaven, and can never be out of place, whether for the purposes of prayer or praise. Of course I do not mean the elaborate compo sitions by which the Church of Rome seeks to please the ear and gratify the taste of her worshippers, but the simple, yet sweet melodies—the plain, but noble chants, and the other choral accessories which the pure Church of England has sanctified to the purposes of her d( .evotion. These can never be out of place. The words used in sing ing should, I think, also be confined to the Scriptures and the Book of Common Prayer, for I view with great ob jection the introduction of doggerel rhapsodies, which, under the name of hymns, are used in too many of our churches. I trust no apology is needed for this brief trespass on your valuable space.—l am, &c., A Ch URCIIMAN TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SIR,—In this age of church extension, it is not very surprising to find au appeal in behalf of a new church in Liverpool ; but the manner and matter contained in this address are somewhat unusual, and the grounds of its claims to public support are so extraordinary, that some observations respecting them may not be out of place. That a serious want of church accommodation exists in Liverpool, no one can deny who has taken the trouble to make even a cursory examination of its enormous popula tion, teeming as it does with thousands of the poorer classes, most of whom are quite beyond the reach of pastoral care. _ _ _ Districts, containing some 8,000 souls, are found with church-room for, perhaps, 1,000, and two clergymen are probably appointed to minister among such a multitude, while 1,000 souls are assumed to be the greatest number that one active and zealous minister can properly take into his charge. Churches are then undoubtedly required, where the poor can hear the glad tidings of salvation as set forth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, pointing as with a sunbeam to that blest yet rugged path in which the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err. In a recent appeal for this church in the London Times, and partly in the Liverpool papers, the proposed building is denomi nated a " poor man's church ;" and it is, moreover, said, that the greater number of those who desire so much to see the Rubrics and the Prayer Book "justified," and the churches fitted up with architectural correctness, are— the poor ! It also states that the rich and influential are satisfied with things as they are ; and, after a specious preamble about bringing (not the Bible but) the Book of Common Prayer frequently before the people, calls upon those very rich and satisfied people to aid the cause which they are said to disregard. Surely this is nothing more or less than a scanty garment of humility to hide a worth less and base deception. Can any one believe that the poor and uneducated man has any taste or desire for subjects of which he has never even heard, such as correct architecture, fast and feast days, daily services which he never could attend, and ru brics which are to him as an unknown tongue ? And is the wayfaring man to be a critic of stained glass and en caustic tiles and piscinas, credences, five-crossed stone altars, and rood screens ? Far be it from me to depreciate correctness of style and arrangement in our churches, but I maintain it to be a fallacy and popular imposition to seek thus to pin the pure faith of Christ to things having no possible connection with doctrine at all. If religion be a creed of piscinas and high pitched roofs, and open seats, and even of prayer books, and yet not of the Bible and of Christ, what is its value ? It is a faith of man's invention, of man's mind, of human taste, and not of Christ. I have thought it my duty to say thus much, in order, if possible, to influence the liberal and influential of our town and neighbourhood to extend their generosity in such channels as will best promote the well-being of man and the glory of God. I will therefore subscribe myself no Puseyite, although for years A MEMBER OF THE CAMBEIDGE CAMDEN SOCIETY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, have read with great interest your article on " the proposed new church in Liverpool." I participate very largely in the hopes with which you regard the pro ject, and shall rejoice to see the day when an accessible daily service shall be established in this town. Any one who has resided in—l will not say a cathedral city, be cause, happily, the daily service is not now confined to cathedrals, and, unhappily, all cathedrals are not, as they should be, models of church observance to their several dioceses—but any one who has resided in a place where the daily service could be resorted to, and who has valued and used the privilege, must feel that its absence is a heavy loss. Surely of the thousands who, at this port, take leave of the land they love, and enter upon the perils of the deep, there must be many who would be glad that some portion of their last hours here should be passed within the house of God, and that the feelings which are then uppermost should find expression in the prayers and benedictions of the Church. So, too, of those who return hither after long absence, or who, after encountering dan gers which seemed to exclude all hope, have ultimately reached in safety " the haven where they would be." What more natural, in the devout mind, than the wish at once to return thanks to God for His mercy, by joining in the services of His temple ; and what more clulhng to such a feeling, than the denial of the opportunity ! It often happens, moreover, that Liverpool is the first place to receive, and the last to part with, eminent members of our own and kindred communions, on holy mission bound. Archdeacon Sinclair and Mr. Hawkins lately embarked here on their voyage to visit the Ame rican Church. The Bishop of Fredericton, on the day of his last departure hence to . his diocese, did receive the Holy Communion at St. Philip's Church ; as did the two American bishops who visited this country last year, at St. Peter's. The privilege they desired and enjoyed is one which many an humble member of the Church has doubt less craved : and blessed is the work which aims at pro viding it for such as he. Then, as to the home and resident members of the Church. Consider the number of clergy and devout laymen who visit Liverpool, or reside for a while in the neighbourhood, during the summer months. Is it not a reproach to a town like this, if it can not afford them the same spiritual advantages which they enjoy at home ? Look, also, at that portion of the popu lation who are engaged in pursuits which exhaust the mental energies, disturb the equability of the temper, and leave no heart for intellectual effort ; but which do beget an earnest craving for the calming, comforting influence of Divine worship. lam not picturing an imaginary case. To speak of one class only—one, however, of which the description just given is eminently true—l have known the jaded schoolmaster betake himself habitually to one or other of the metropolitan cathedrals (St. Paula and Westminster Abbey) during the precious hours of his half holiday, there to seek Him who has promised to the weary " rest for their souls." For such the excitement of preach ing would be quite out of place : what they want is the soothing and the comfort of common prayer. With you, I do most earnestly hope that nothing may be done, in connexion with this noble design, to awaken the strife of controversy. That is an evil which I dread and deprecate with an intensity I cannot describe. My business, however, is not with details : I only write to express my joy at the project which has been formed, and at the prospect of its accomplishment, trusting that it will be well and wisely carried forward to a successful issue, and with all my heart wishing its promoters God speed. Liverpool, Sept. 1, 1853. LAICUS. TO THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD Sia,—Your , excellent remarks upon the proposed new church will be well appreciated by all sound Churchmen, and will doubtless be of good service to the praiseworthy object of erecting in this town a church, in the services of which "nothing is to be omitted which may tend to the decency, devotion, and solemnity of the Anglican wor ship, and in which a good choral service may be com bined with a hearty congregational response." Your suggestions as to the mode in which the services ought to be carried out I heartily agree with, excepting your opinion that the prayers should be "read," and not intoned ;" this opinion, with a little consideration of the relative merits of the practices, I think you might be induced to abandon. . . Reading the prayers is quite inconsistent with a good choral service ; in fact, when prayers are read, the service can only be semi-choral ; and what argument in favour of the people's responding heartily in unison with the har mony of a choir would not be destroyed, if you deny to the congregation the practice of intoning. If they re spond heartily in unison, and so as not to spoil the harmony of the choir, they must intone; and unless they adopt one tone, they cannot with one voice glorify God. And why should the clergyman be denied the privilege of assisting in worshipping the Lord " in the beauty of holiness" by only being allowed to read instead of saying, i.e., intoning the prayers ? If, as I said before, the use of one tone is necessary for the people, how are the people to get it ? Surely, by the use of the same tone by the priest, who would then lead the ONE VOICE of their sup plications before the Throne of Grace. . _ You can only have " a hearty congregational response" where the practice of intoning is adopted by priest and people, where the one leads the other, whether the ser vice be choral or not. By the use of one tone by the priest, and response in the same tone by the people, no one is afraid of hearing his own voice, it being in unison with that of his neighbour ; and the indistinct muttering of the responses in every variety of tone which we now hear in the churches of our popular preachers would be got rid of., You rightly say that "innovations of all kinds should be strictly eschewed ;" reading the prayers is an in novation, and one to whose charge may be laid the persent state of congregational worship in our churches. Where shall we find in the majority of them any approach to what you call the "magnificent simplicity of the ritual of the Church of England r The prayers are read to the people "distinct" enough, truly, in the cold, colloquial style prevalent, and they content themselves mostly with they call " Cathedral service look in vain for the choir, the people go to listen lead the devotions of the peopl which, they taking Lit join in v At St raying out spoiling the harmoi Campbell, in a note to the late improvements, intoned, and will not b " plain, but sweet melod3 shorn of half its beauty by the priest's taking r there is a special part for him in The rejection rejection of intonation by n gregation will effect lls us t the con the tone that me combination of a ing. The united voices of the l _ harmony of the quire, led in solemn into' pastor, is a true choral service, and forms ' sweet melody of our own church.", "Rom predate it—Dissent cannot understand it." Intonation of the service will, I trust, be the rule at the new church, or they will certainly omit that which tends most materially to the "decency, devotion, and solemn of the Anglican worship no part in ith tea blend ion by their plain but Yours, r ' A SUBSCRIBER TO THE BIIII,DING OF THE CHTJECH Liverpool, September 3d, 1853. WHITEFIELD-LANE QUART TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD Sig,—l was glad to see a letter in one of your contem poraries, calling attention to a deep quarry in Whitefield lane being badly fenced in. lam afraid nothing will be done until some serious accident occurs. There is also a quarry being opened on a piece of waste land opposite, without the slightest protection whatever; any person in the dark might walk into it, as it is open to the road. I have noticed several, I may say scores, of children daily in the field, and I understand two or three accidents have already happened ; and, as it is g something should be done to pr( Sir, yours respectfully ler every day üblic.—l am ROMANIST AGGRESSION. TO THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPO< SlB,,—The insidious policy and open and insolent sion of the papal hierarchy demands the watchful c classes of Protestants in the Brit common with many other Protestants. the passing of the Romanist Emanc that, with the lapse of .time, a ch among the Romanist laity, and they ,ggres ;Hance is. In to be under that mental thraldom to the Pope of Rome and his satellites, the priests, which prevailed in the dark ages, and that a more tolerant spirit and attachment to country had taken place ; but, looking at the general line of conduct of the Romanist body, and particularly its priesthood, since the Emancipation Act was passed, I find I was wofully mistaken, for, instead of being satisfied with being placed on a footing of equality with the rest of the Queen's subjects, they are evidently using this cession as a vantage ground on which to obtain ascen dancy, and if they once get this point, then farewell to the freedom of Englishmen, both temporal and spiritual. I boldly ask the question—are the bulk of the population of. Ireland in the enjoyment of either civil or religious freedom ? As regards the paternal and Protestant government of the country, they are; but the priests of the court of Rome step in and mar all, reducing the people over whom they exercise sway to mere serfs, devoid of both civil and religious freedom. They pretend to acknowledge that in civil matters they are the Queen's subjects, but they say that, .5 religious matters, they are the subjects of the Pope of Rome, a foreign potentate. Now, as religious obligations are more binding, and over ride all others, it is evident that they are more the subjects of the Pope of Rome than of the Queen. Some years since, when Pio Nono had the unparalleled impudence to in terfere in the internal affairs of this country, k his bull, and dividing the land as if it were his own claiming spiritual jurisdiction over the Queen's subjects, and sending a cardinal to carry out his behests, without as much as saying by your leave, did the Romanist body shew any opposition ? Not the least, but they seemed rather gratified than otherwise, as being one step nearer the subjection of this country to papal supremacy. If the Foreign Secretary had refused permission for Mr. Wise man to land in the country as a cardinal, he would have evinced the proper spirit of a Protestant, and of a minister of a Protestant and rightful sole Queen of the country. As things have been allowed to take place, there is now something like a tacit acknowledgment of a claim by a foreign power—the papal—to exercise jurisdiction in this country, and claim a sort of divided allegiance over the Queen's subjects. The Romish power is essentially an encroaching power, and its priests are always silently at work to make that power dominant over every other. I have no doubt but the present visit to Liverpool of Mr. Wiseman as cardinal is part of the policy of Rome, intended to familiarise the British public with Romanist institutions. He comes, in the first instance, to lecture on a scientific question. He thus gains a footing among Protestants. His lecture may be a clever one. He obtains notoriety. People begin to think that a man who can deliver a scientific lecture may be worth listening to on religious topics. They talk of him, and his name and abilities appear in print and obtain commendation, particularly from the Radical and Popish section of the press. All this is very jesuitical and a means to an end, that end being the subjection of the human intellect to serfdom under the Pope of Rome and his priesthood. The object of this letter is to raise a warning voice among my fellow-subjects and put them on their guard against the insidious policy of Rome. In this letter, I purposely avoid touching upon the religious doctrines of that church, which must be abhorrent to all true Protestants ; and, I think, I may add, all real Christians. A PROTESTANT DISSENTER, Issuing THE TITHEBARN-STREET RAILWAY STATION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD , Sin,—Having frequently seen in public journals, and having not unfrequently heard in company verbal state ments of the inconvenience, not to call it by a harsher name, to which travellers were subjected, in railway sta tions ; without having myself experienced any of the an noyances, although I have had a pretty extensive know ledge of the practical working of railways in many parts of both England and Scotland, I was inclined to treat the complaint as the exaggerated opinions, if not the inven tions of querulous individuals scarcely able to look after themselves, and willing to charge their own inefficiencies as grave crimes against the directors and officials of rail way companies. My experience in the Tithebarn-street station of the East Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, in Liverpool, on the afternoon of Wednesday last, however, was sufficient to remove any film from my eyes as to the gross bad management to be seen at important railway stations. On the afternoon in question, I had occasion to accom pany a friend about to depart for the North. Having got his luggage forwarded to the train while he was pro curing his ticket, the first difficulty encountered was in getting his luggage disposed of; that was got over. Then came difficulty number two ; my friend had taken a second-class ticket ; the second-class carriages were found to be full, or so nearly full as to cause a good deal of altercation between him and the prior occu pants of the carriage, and both with the porter who seemed to have charge of that department, as to whether the car riage was full or not full. While this was going on, a gentleman approached, and being probably in the same unenviable position as to the chances of obtaining a seat as my friend was, a warm discussion ensued between him and the porter aforesaid, in which the term " impudent scoundrel" was rather freely used. Ultimately an addi tional carriage was put on, and all parties, as I suppose, were accommodated. Had this been done at an earlier period, much unnecessary annoyance would have been avoided, and such altercations between passengers and the subordinate railway officials would have bee obviated. One effect of which was a great hubbub on the platform, an opportunity for the exercise of their industry, which was not lost sight of by the thieves, as I can testify, having had my pocket picked during the dispute. Surely such discreditable scenes are not indispensable concomitants of railway travelling, and if not, the manage ment ought at once to set about seeking a remedy.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, A SUFFERER. Liverpool, 2nd September, 1853. NOTES, NOTICES, AND OPINIONS. BY JOHANNES RUSTICES, V. RECEIPT STAMPS. It has long been a maxim with a large portion of the trading community, that " it is no sin to cheat the government,"—hence smuggling—the pur chasing of smuggled goods—the evasion of taxes, and a disuse of stamps, have all been looked on as matter of domestic economy, rather than as breaches of moral obligation to the state. Now, if it were considered that a certain amount of revenue has to be made up every year to meet the exigencies of the nation, every individual who evades paying what is legally required of him must shift the burden on to the shoulders of another, and does in effect precisely the same thing as putting his hand into the pocket of his neighbour. If the matter were viewed in this light, one cannot suppose there would be so much evasion of rates and taxes as there unquestionably is. The reduction and equalisation of the receipt stamp will, I should hope, cause the revenue derivable from this portion of our financial system to be more generally paid than it has hitherto been. At present, scarce one in a hundred ever thinks of giving or taking a stamped receipt ; and one reason for its disuse may have been the diversity of stamps ; another, the necessity of having it on a separate piece of paper from the invoice ; and a third, the incon venience of having to be always provided with a variety of blank stamps, some of which may lay on hand until they become unfit for use. These difficulties are now, however, all done away by the new act; and for the sake of public morality as well as the public revenue, it is earnestly to be hoped, that every merchant and trader, every shopkeeper and dealer, will make it a matter of conscience to give a stamped receipt on all occasions, when so required by the law. VI. C HEA P GAS. — If the reduction of the price i s t oo great a sacr ifi c e for the gas company to make w ith ou t uco pcompelled further deliberation and further delay, can th ey not give us ndchmeauspetr ayo rrs the a presentdozen 'rent times ta r beforeenormous,m the ? S article uey a p mete f is wor n out. Yet we cannotpurchase , to rent, and to rent of the company too. Let this be looked into. TUE HIPPOPOTAMUS has arrived safely in Paris, and is now exhibited to the public in the Jardin des Plantes. He is exceedingly rotund and fat ; his skin of a light rose-coloured tinge, paler under the belly, and he is en tirely without hair. On the back are numerous black spots slightly prominent, from which, especially on coming out of the wat er , a viscous reddish fluid may be seen to distil. He is very gentle and familiar, answers readily to the name of Cocci, and runs towards the first person who calls hfin. Thirty goats which supply him arrived with him in Paris. He does not, however, exclusively on milk, but eats melons and some other vege table produetiens, with milk 'R T ES tunic for the Q y : Passengers, Par' -- - goods, £1,397 6s. 7d. Steam-boats: 10s.'ld. Total, £7,612 19s. 6d. Increase as eor: . pared with the corresponding week last year, £2,701175 ; va FATALthe Tt is said that thirty human beings perished Lrg:! os sof STORM.—lnquiries o e t a m n d . I n propertyq ui r e by h t a h v e e r ee been ent n o t n t e . d y aa a l e t s o :, sheep, furniture, and farm produce id s ... u naged. Other counties will also have large ams to pay for replacing or repairing bridge s. RAILWAY TO THE VALE OF CLWYD.—The works,erwere demolished, were inhabitant s e of the picturesque and fertile Vale of Clwyd are bestirring' themselves to obtain the great advantages of raihvay cPn munication, without which the natural resourc es of their district cannot fully be developed. Looking at the varmi a , plans which have been proposed, we are of o pinion th t the best line is that which it is proposed to construct freni, Ruthin to Corwen, and thence to some convenient poin.t. along the Vale of Llangollen, to join the Shrewsbury cad Chester Railway ; continuin the line also from Ruthin t _ Rhyl, to connect what would then be a main trunk /in with the Chester and Holyhead Railway.- Chester Couran t ... FESTIVITIES AT APERGELE.—On Tuesday there Iva:, great rejoicings at Abergele, to welcome to Kinmel-par,t Hugh Robert Hughes, Esq., the successor to the late Lord Dinorben, who, with hs bride, came that daY , his newly-inherited demesne. The gentry of the neir,? bourhood, and the various friendly societies, e scorted 3 F: and Mrs. Hughes from the railway-station to Kirnel,:;n procession, and nearly every house in Abergele was oil decorated. Mr. Hughes was married on the 18th of - 4 P r last, to Miss Florentia Liddell, the daughter of the Hen` H. T. Liddell, M.P. for Liverpool. NOVEL HARE HIINT.—On Tuesday there was an amus ing scene on the beach at Aberystwith. In front of _ Terrace the ladies' bathing machines were being prep al to receive the fair candidates for a dip in the sea , si' be %l' suddenly the utmost consternation was created by an fortunate hare, which dashed amongst them, followed 1 some boys, and then went away for the rocks at the nori f w end. In passing the gentlemen's machines a fresh a ", , as sion was made to the number of pursuers. Poor Puss '; e l much exhausted, but by some clever doubles she maileil c , to reach the rocks, and was there, for a time, lost. In"i o than half an hour, however, some hounds were brough t the place, and having unearthed her ladyship, a brief err"- among among the crags resulted in her capture. e d THE NEW SCHOOLS AT EASTIIAM were formally °pa, yesterday week, when the event was celebrated with,liri propriate ceremony and festivities. After passing o ;7+ the church, the juvenile cavalcade passed on towards r 4,: ham Ferry, and returned in the same order. The Pl e e - ui sion then broke up, and the children assembled in belonging to the Rev. Canon Eaton, the vicar, where thell amused themselves with various pastimes. In the sc°fiill school-room they were afterwards liberally supplied tea, coffee, buns, and other refreshments. In the eveniqa a tea party was held in the new school-room, at whi el l e t i ve number of ladies and gentlemen who h a d t a ken an a in ma p n r y om of ot t in he g p t ar he en e t s a tab of lis t h h m e e e n h t ild o r f en th , schools' sides part sis The room was decorated with garlands of flowers, %", some engravings, maps, &c., were di s p ose d along the lo_ t; Amongst those present were the Rev. Canon Eaton ( 0 :ii; occupied the chair), the Rev. P. Haines, the Rev. T * Redhead (of Rock Ferry), the Rev. C. Barton, (of WO; borough), Mr. J: Torr, and Mr. R. Morris ; also the Re," Dr. Hume, the Rev. G. W. Warr, and other clergYi n ",d from Liverpool. After tea several of the clergymen e other gentlemen present addressed the meeting on t. 4 subject of education, and the necessity for extending 1 advantages as widely as possible amongst all c lasses e f society. The proceedings terminated about nine o'clock' STRANGE ELOPEMENT.—An affair of this kind, soineeci what too common in the present day, has lately exe, l A t b , some conversation at Bangor. A dashing-looking mi","L c i aged man, and an interesting young lady had been nnu',' ; for some days courting the summer breezes in the vaii e t a and on the bills, and had occupied apartments as Iria n a wife, at one of the lodging-houses in Bangor, when a detee" tive officer arrived from Birmingham, and made some /erY particular inquiries about them. At length, the latter' accompanied by Tomlinson, the local officer, accosted theiti ~ on Sunday afternoon, and endeavoured to persuade the laff to separate from her companion, and place herself n u , r , their care, with a view of returning to her friends in B mingham, but without effect, as she persisted, in 5 1 11 _' e th their remonstrances and persuasions, in remaining "" the gentleman ; and the detective employed for her rc': very was obliged to go back without having the satisfactlo.ns of succeeding in his errand. It appears that the fem ale a lady of great expectations, within a few months of at t f; ing her majority; and her companion is in busines s boot and shoemaker at Limerick. The parties, it apPel met at the Dublin Exhibition, when the elegant aPPearalibe and blandishments of the Irish Lothario overcame t delicacy of the fair one, who, we understand, is lug le ft connected, and the result was an elopement., They quantities of cattle away. Houses ged: In Brecon 16 brid together for Ireland.—North Wales Chronicle. jaCe (41 CHESTER REGATTA.—The annual regatta too,. p „(f, Wednesday, on part of the River Dee, from the seat of . I ', Pots, of Heron-bridge, to the umpire's boat, nearly °lt. site the Waterworks. There were ten races and one le over. The following are the most important contests „: 4 A Challenge Cup, value fifty guineas, given by the A 1 Grosvenor, M.P., for four-oared out-rigged boats, on rowed and steered by gentlemen amateurs. To be `L.,; gr two consecutive years by the same club or crew : Nerao"e (Nemesis Rowing Club, Manchester,) 1; Queen of the (Royal Chester Rowing Club,) 2. The Champion Prl",' of £6O, for four-oared out-rigged boats : The Derwel l " . (Newcastle,) 1; St. Agnes, (Manchester,) 2 ; The P ec rY (Chester,) 3. A Prize of £lO, for skiffs Confidence, Candlish, Newcastle,) 1; Never-Mind - It , (J. S p oor, Nee' castle,) 2. The re were five skiff's, all from Newcastle, ea' tered for this race, but only two ran.—A large compel?" dined at the Hop Pole Inn, Mr. C. P. Potts in the cluei Amonest other toasts the chairman gave "The He alth n 0 Littledale, the commodore of the Mersey Yacht ()1;:f and that of the rest of their patrons," which was rand with great cheering. Mr. Littledale res ponded:, Ae j thanked the company on behalf of the patrons. It el l ;ve him great pleasure, at the late Liverpool Regatta , roes the honour of presenting the crew which came filZt i j l oate ter, with the Ladies' Cup ; he hoped that the Ill"' result, as regarded the Chester crew to-day, weni d , s t two late them, as the lesson which Englishmen ,l e prov.,,ed, years ago, in yacht matters, from America, bad been" such a stimulus, that this year five yachts had 11 which had overcome the conquerors of the " Amen () re" trusted that the Chester Club would be urged oil thei r newed exertions, and that success would accorePanY future efforts. me et- THE WALLASEY CommissrolvEus.—The mont hl y ing was held on Thursday. It having been asee rt l o $ that under the Board of Health Act the treasurer _.,ht local board must give security, the subject under consideration. It appeared that Mr. Colburn wo o l. Penny had waited upon Mr. J. Naylor, banker, who. ,wa s d . ling to become security for his partner, Mr. Geo. ATl" e ' gr. undertook the office. It was agreed, on the motion of rd, Colburn, that Mr. Arkle be the treasurer to the be a ter , The law-clerk read an opinion of Mr. Cowling, barri as to the power of the commissioners to purchase or le' o f a ferry. The opinion was to the effect that the expel s : 0 1 taking a ferry and providing boats must fall on a ge ° , to district rate, and could not be defrayed out of mop be borrowed. The clerk had written to the general h d e re t in reference to the legal opinion, but no answer ha . , r io been received. It appeared that the committee of w' Ac e had had under consideration the applications for the . I ; ,t, was bro%Pr. of surveyor and inspector of nuisances. There we' ste d candidates, out of whom seven were reserved, and req ue h igh to appear before the board. The committee had s $ opinion of one of the candidates, but subsequenntifier. gentleman in the borough engineer's office, Mr. 3,,r i ,b e st son, was strongly recommended as possessing the p'„ fi ces qualifications for the office. Under these circurasrtbe the committee determined to leave the matter 3hic h g l e r n . e C ral olb be urn ard a . nd M on te e r or s t o w m o e thesm i e seeing n e t abtleinlia some that te the e , other d I li v ffi e as r e 1 1 l in c t a y e n v d ne moved introducingbt candidates orhnervemrsaemtibeendthuorionggit",teorea, d Mr. Halliday, that Mr. M mously. pherssothiradNeville, e nipMuoeiri secondt ild;.ribrr voeb: being no amendment, the resolution was carried Imo confirmed. The minutes of the finance corn The Proceedings of the committee we re were read and confirmed, and from a statement made $ Hill it appeared that on the 30th June last therece:o balance in the bank of 21,780 ; and calculating boa' arrears of rates to be got in, there was, including tliv A fter debt, a balance against the township of g 3,3°° ', bos l4 some routine business had been disposed of, th adjourned. as it if' THE QUEEN AT HOLYHEAD.—HoIyhead, sras—ereaa." did not fall during the Queen's staythere in the dt e t s festation of its loyalty. It had its triumphal arch , L.es e fireworks, and bonfires, after the fashion of larger r - il e : and under the superintendence of Mr. Evans ( t he London House, a stirring inhabitant, these r. 07 bl it he respectable show. Prince Albert, accompante;,(! Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, went to the . oitag h i e h Northßreakwater on Sunday morning week, in after. nutelythe very simpleyet bold and effective ine'r, . 1 the ire mittee 3fr, it is extended, foot by foot, into the sea ; and 'g eas re . noon the Queen drove in the Hon.W. 0. Stapl e} ate to the quarries whence the immense mass of rf; apPe e ' of quired in constructing it is obtained. They prto,r e h ie much struck with the quarries, and the 3'? u liin 'cs ;11- v ly s al it e . s, Ti es i p e ec Q ill ee y n , bore a e s d to to ne t a h w e a y y ac t h o t re i r gon i: ce t rta lL e r ; l a. how the works are carried on. way trucks, a rough conveyance for Sover e , - t o on l P — ip a • but one which enabled her more thorougl'Y as e in at' -- e d ance. During the afternoon, wrists also the F ri ll Mr. n e odel also v isit e , the South Stack Lihthouse Prince Alb ands, of Wales descendin g to the rock it 6 I , stov e .' g on winch It e spending some time in its examination, an Ana ther, be of the fine coa s t scenery w hi c h it conunand:L nde d s count says, "At half-past six, the Queen, t le Duchess of Wellington, Miss Bulteel, at the arrived at the temporary landing-stage, erected an .100 pier, at the western end of the breakwater, where B,,nsle mense concourse of her subjects were assembled,Sovereign. 1." of to testify their loyalty to their beloved ere tins t° the boats belonging to the royal yacht & el l" was reefeue convey the royal party on board. Th d eone of the or ci d ' the by Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, ainE rish tar -113 ; e nee seamen—a fine specimen of ai u boat, and Colonel WO; from w, ;l , e ice honour of handing her Majesty _to t P d the royal yacht. vi e ', a d in number, transferred on boar d aval costume, i'af, • were dresse n pour h youthful Princes, who ved in about half au h ° w it looked remarkably well, sented at the lighthonsebw she was, after a few vigorous I n ls of the oarsmen, 11' 41 0 terwards. They , had been . pr ithewhich they appeared hi!, some sea gulls egg s, w pleased " -- , a 44) the FALLING STAits.-:-M. Grader has communicate d to Academy of Sciences some observations on the falling 5'... of the month of August. It appears that the n umbe i r , sen al decreasing observations,y ear byy t ea he r re . Accordingereseen to e ight; t ; M lB . stars ; 1846, ninety-two ; 1847, one hundred and ~ht; 1848, one hundred and thirteen ; 1849, uinty-elvot 1850, eighty-three; 1851, seventy-one; 1852, ail t Y..• ue, 1853, fifty-two. Should this rate of diminution coil 1 .. 45a7ier's PL, in 1860 the falling stars of August will cease altog e ; t e be It is also to be remarked that the falling s tars ° ° month of November, which a re infinitely morenun3/)e111, nier°.... than those of August, are dimi n i s hing in Galignani,