The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-14 00:00:00

LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S PATRIOTISM.

THE speech of Lord JOHN RUSSELL in the House
of Commons, on Tuesday, when he made a convulsive
effort to wriggle himself once more into notice as a
public man, has excited the ire of our contemporaries
of almost every phase of political opinion. The
Radicals have discovered, to their mortification, that
they have grievously mistaken their whilome idol, and
that, so far from his being a statesman of profound
sagacity, he has displayed the peevishness of a spoiled
child, and tried to damage the Ministry in which he

had lost all hope of taking a part ; while the leading
journal charitably concludes that he is labouring under
a kind of hallucination, something nearly allied to
insanity. It would hardly, indeed, be considered the
act of a sane man to take the opportunity of the
session being about to expire in order to indulge in
a series of platitudes, and to make observations which,
if they were entitled to the slightest weight, would
damage the cause he has professed to espouse. The
rejection of his peculiar notions about the conditions
of peace might certainly rankle in his bosom, because
the exposure made him appear so extremely ridiculous ;
but it would scarcely mend his position to tell the
House of Commons that the Turkish Ambassador,
who was a very intelligent individual, agreed with him
on the subject. In the first place, it was not true;
and, if it were, it would not mend the matter, unless
we are prepared to give Turkish intelligence the pre-
eminence over that of civilised Europe, which would
be a somewhat new phase in modern statesmanship.
As for his forebodings about the difficulties of the war,
and the awful responsibility incurred by persevering
in it, such remarks could only have emanated from

one in the interest of Russia ; but, as we cannot
believe his lordship to have sunk so low as to be acces-
. sible to Russian gold, we can only believe that ,he has
r suffered from that peculiar fascifiation which is said to
be characteristic of Russian diplomacy. Like the
harmless bird under the gaze of the basilisk, he has
been charmed at Vienna, and cannot in England dispel
. the illusion. But the most extraordinary part of his
speech was his 'allusion to the affairs of Italy, and his
well-feigned horror at the tyrannical despotism prac-
' tised in States professing the Romish religion. It
must be a return of one of those fits of ultra-Protes-
tantism which have sometimes seized him, such as
when, like the boy who wrote " No Popery" on the
door and then ran away, he wrote the famous Durham
letter, and afterwards shrunk from his own doing in
the milk-and-water scheme called the Ecclesiastical
Titles Bill. However true his statements that Pro-
testants in some Italian States suffer grievously from
religious persecution, and that the Bishop of Rome is
only maintained in his authority by the presence of
French and Austrian troops, calling attention to the
subject at this critical period could not have the
slightest effect for good, while it might tend to
embarrass our foreign relations, when it is more than
ever necessary that attention should be concentrated
on the prosecution of the war. If his object were to
make a speech to be talked about at a time when he
was afraid of being politically extinguished, there is
no doubt he has been to some extent successful ; but
if he fondly thought to create out of it political capital,
or to recover any portion of that public confidence
which he has forfeited, he has wofully deceived
himself. He has sunk so low that all his old friends
have turned their backs on him; even the Radicals
are foremost in crying him down ; nor could he find
an apologist, unless it were ayuongst that shred of
faction known as the Peace party.
There is nothing, after all, surpejsing in this. It
is now about a quarter of a century ,since the time
when, by the over-heating of the political cauldron,
the scum was thrown to the surface, and L,lrd JOHN
RusszLL, being foremost in raising the cry oig The

[AuGusT 14, 1855.

c':'
Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the Bi.ct);i
going so far as to threaten the House of Lordbr4
physical demonstration of armed men from Bi p
ham,—was elevated into the position of 3 Pjatv,
idol. With that peculiar tact of which he is sil.uP.rio;
to be a master, he has contrived since then to
himself before the public eye, displaying 3:dt
versatility in principle as in talent, and ehan,'),
tone as varying circumstances seemed to rerio
order to preserve a show of popularity wiliefry
has deserted him altogether. His position as
man has been as little creditable to popular integ;
as the cry with which it originated. The 0100,
nothing but the Bill, and truly it may be f
nothing but the Bill has been the result 04
political mania which shook society to its b`lieeittO
Lord JOHN RUSSELL took the first step to plactog
he has since clung to with unscrupulnus_Ae,
The Liberals have now discovered the var.".eit
of their idol ; but they have themselves 0'
blame for being so blinded by party as to DI,
such a leader. It may truly be said that thereot,
shade of political opinion which he has not ataci, loof his life espoused, and at another repudiate 'els
his crowning act has been to advocate Pete,
price, and discourage the prosecution of a
might never have been commenced but for
yK
servile letter to the English Ambasoader
Russian Court.

LIMITED LIABIL.I-
0,14
THE important question of opening ori er';
companies, under certain restrictions, the
OP)
usually accorded by a charter of incorporation' yob":
the crowning act of the session, though ititAitt
forced through Parliament with such Preelicv:o;
must tend to deprive it of much of its Prae-00dr
It has been acknowledged by several of tDe,tyl,,eF,
minent members of the House of Lords that
real objection to the principle of lirni_A "
7ptlro
but they consider it of the first importa"-.?,
privilege should be guarded with such restr:,
may prevent its being abused. Owing, tilleoof;
its having been delayed to within a fevi for 4'
close of the session, no time has been agbriu ad
amendments as might have been deenle".:l,
and the Act will come into operation off
crudities attaching to hasty legislation. et
I#A/
undergone so many alterations that it Ors
t
define precisely what are its provisions, bilbeeorp;
briefly allude to such amendments as have ttoti
since it left the House of Commons. The acoid7
limit its operation to companies having. $1)157y
not less than £lO,OOO was defeated, so that f
no element of the measure, but the eloselipield
altered as to confine its application to C 01110.06,
not fewer than twenty-five shareholders. fatee;
clause was also amended so that the offltirs,ofillsi
pany before being admitted to the privilervoiAte"A
liability shall be audited by some person 5,13;;,icY
the Board of Trade, and its complete 5,./16 fleehtait,
blished. Another amendment was that -e
AP,
securities issued by companies with 1"-, - sifl
should have that fact mentioned on theilai...lect°ls'yt
was also agreed to, providing that where erect
;
a dividend when the company was i135°410111,1
should be jointly and severally liable for
the debts, exempting, however, such dire',
opposed the dividend ; another additiona',.. tie,
prevent the note-of hand of any
and also one
received in payment of stock,
threeo,
that, in the event of any company losing
of its stock, it should be forthwith wound uP•
ifl
are the principal alterations which were n 3 solo
ti
g,h committee of tiles e,:iit
bill in its passage thrall
Lords. It remains, however, to be seen, vi'De
affect
shall come into operation, how far it °it!,
commercial operation:4 of 'ChB country; bg",De fledi
considering the hurried manner in which .0
were gone through, that an amended nle5311ill:
found necessary in order to provide for coat,eraii
which have not as yet been foreseen. If itojeitt:d
sible to conceive that the managers of Of° ct 7
formed under the Act would in all cases CO',
by the principles which guide the honest tfrbele#i
the measure might prove beneficial, and lot 'rebflt
that the knowledge of the liability of h°.tedjr
being limited might tend to restrain that urilipfk fltedi
shareholaeo,o;;l
which has often been the bane of joint-stVll•
turers. Unfortunately, however, there 1100
things known as " cooking" acccounts eitcefelter
cerns where the directors have been DePoonbe
highly honourable men ; and it is, thereßsdr
of surprise that some anxiety should be ettioo,..4'
coveted privilege to be hedged in with restrttlael`;or
the other hand, it should not be forgotten tliS.oo°olt
alluded to were perpetrated under the old "led
limited liability, that against such conduett:t 01.01
to provide an effectual legal remedy, and ti;`-
fact of creditors being deprived of that seed:a 03e o;
they often falsely imagined was derived fr°to the
limited liability of shareholders may prove
el
more efficient protection.
4.11 refil,'
The discussion which took place, on
the Board of Trade to grant a charter o'll-6:
f. ts itV
to the Canadian Steam Navigation ComPaPY
in this town, owing to the opposition of s'ieri,
great steam-packet companies, was Oh° col ftV
LordSTANLEy of ALDERLEY,III moving Ws-Tied d
ing of the bill, to have been the primary e$
introduction of the measure. That conl)3l,73seelsoi
its incorporation by an act of the Colonial gr°Deell
of Canada, but it was felt that the dufY°,l,ert°
or refusing such privileges, which had hivi, /'
exercised by the Board of Trade, was
invidious character, being liable to si-rele
political bias, and that, therefore, it was f3rDoOl4
that companies, under certain conditions, s thea
general right to the privilege. This 18.35 obri et
of the measure as first introduced, but Ate' veil
confined to companies possessing a eert3illeptil,,ffe
capital, a restriction which has subseetweiao;),jell
abolished, so that the condition of haviligtoceer6
pi
shareholders is the only one of any ine.pailpest
remains, the bill applying to sleepingj
mercantile firms having being postP°)le
session.

AFFAIRS OF IT—Al7;''
THE aspect of political IY' hoistbeall6lllot:t
the great
is:rile:L. iliseiiseeef;elliii
in which the subject
rest, however inopportune beendi 0-°ll4l
hComlmons, on Tuesday,
..lvahsbeaybffwrLamoai
ourrarsg,
ydhi in
sht
:1
have
as ong been evident that the infljub°eelinf
xtiaEll
churchß has been rapidly waning, and eve° city ti»°ll4
pa
the presence of French troops, which inertwore hborlti
y can tanl
withdrawn,
hold hisow
isnega t
tion
thui
the
own il
demands from the Crimea. In the neigothafgjv
provinces a similar duty of upholding 311.00,1 in7j{
which is alleged to be maintained by sPifi 00 i,/
encc is performed by Austrian troops ; so that tee
, 11C11r oinf;
power which at one time boasted to swa) a te
thre° j
dom is now virtually a military tyrannY, Tile of
every moment to break into insurrectioll. owelslo,
of SARDINIA has nobly thrown off the °tic ilistioe
superstition, and not only suppressed Tnellas with of
tions, but shown his practical sYlnPatbliitinee°o
cause of Western Europe by sending a c°",:„:,4t9 nf
spiritual and military bondage, fool ' Jet
have not followed this example, it is not -
,sa on
.1.,,, grv*-- oee
sympathy on the part of the people, w..- , they ii
15,000 men to the Crimea. If the other 1/911'-vol/t
from °lien fore,
'
f thefe' 0 "
the ctii 0/
the opportunity to free themselves ; and,
civil and religious liberty, when the war, %bap ble,
confined to Russia and the Western Power°' ortiggef
is not easy to foresee the consequences to 0, al° I
involved other States in the momentous boid
the st" 11
Even Spain, which has long been

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