The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-24 00:00:00

ment, if w believe that she is divinely appointed for

this work,

In the meanwhile, we trust that Churchmen of
every grade of opinion will receive our statements,
in that spirit of candour which is the invariable at-
tendant of earnestness and sincerity. It is easy to make
things pleasant for each other, and to avoid dilVences
by repressing the discussion of questions upon which
great interests depend. But let us think that while
we are patching up theories of peace, that theory
waits to be constructed by which the heathenism of a
Christian country shall be converted to Christianity.
That while we are building castles in the air,
the throes of an earthquake heave beneath our
feet. That while we are paltering in the courtesies
of religious conventionality, we are on the very
edge of a precipice in which our Church
threatens to be engulphed. We have been too self-
satisfied and too self-commendatory in the midst of
these difficulties and dangers. We have shut our
eyes to the little cloud till it has. overspread more
than half our horizon, and are still in danger of
reposing lazily beneath its shade. Impavidunt
ferient ruince may be a good character for a stoic,
but it certainly is not for a Christian,

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MO4ENING.

THE early part of the past week's parliamentary history
is of a character from which the working of constitutional
government is not likely to receive much honour ; nor" is the'
theory of ministerial responsibility and parliamentary stiore-
macy much better off in the brief retrospect, which becomes
darker and more portentous as the inquiry is pursued further
back. Since the commencement of the present session, up,
almost to the present moment, the chief theme of legislative
eloquence has been the incapacity of ministers ; the orna-
ments of that eloquence have in no small degree been bor-
rowed from the abundant stores of patriotic denunciation;
and the general tone of its declamation has been spiced
strongly with threats and rendered piquant with sarcasm
which seemed, to lend fatal vigour to the ordinary power
of its current. From week to week the iniquity of
government was expatiated on by honourable- and right
honourable members of the People's House ; and from
time to time the same topic was glanced at and some-
times insisted on in the Upper House of Parliament. Now
notice of one motion, implying national distrust of the
responsible advisers of the Crown, caused a disruption;of the
Cabinet, and the extrusion of some veteran member-of its
ranks ; now another menaced utter demolition of the general
structure. Occasionally the intended expurgation assumed' the
form of a damaging inquiry, under which was scarcely
attempted to be concealed an explosive compound, intended
for the disfigurement, if not the absclute annihilation, of the
Ministry as a body. Still, as the moment arrived for applying
the fatal match, the courage or skill of the intended engineers-
failed—the fusee was wet, and hung fire,- or the " infernal
machine" was found to be unloaded. As the time came
for producing the withering exposure, it turned out• to be a
mere brutum fulmen, and the labouring mountain pro-
duced, indeed, a very ridiculous MOTISt.,.. ThiS unpro-
fitable game of politics was played with such appa-
rent earnestness, that each newly-announced coup
received an anticipatory credit which the fate of its pre-
decessors warned against the value of in vain. Ultimately,
however, the people began to doubt the utility, if not the wis-
dom, of such frequently recurrent excitement. ft was found
that the stimulus of political agitation, like toe• free a use of
condiments, is not wholesome—that, while both houses of
parliament rang with the condemnation of MinistErs; the busi-
ness of the nation was condemned to stand still, and practical

men began seriously to dislike so great a cry attended with so

very small a collection of wool. Such, however, had been the

vitiated system introduced by the dangerous habit of stimu-
lating opinion, that each new production of the pyrotechnic
art contrived, for a time, at least, to arouse attention, if it did
not awaken expectation. The performers in mystery of state
jugglery, too, played their respective parts with such studied

adroitness, that some degree of success in the intended
manoeuvre was scarcely to be wondered at. The whole-arcana

of the State necromancers has now, however, been exposed;

and it is presumed that what remains of a very unprofitably-
expended parliamentary session will be devoted to a hasty and

crude dispatch of such portions of the national business as
cannot be evaded or postponed. A melancholy and unsatisfac-
tory conclusion this is to arrive at, nu doubt, bat one which
the course of events, and especially recent ones, forces upon
the reluctant vision of even the most sanguine believer in
Conservative energy.

At the conclusion of the week before last, expectation. was
high throughout the country that the present Government,

damaged as it was by the exhibition of weakness and duplioityof
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, and a portion, at least, of his colleagues,

must come to a speedy and.ignominious termination. Coupled

with the untoward exposure of truckling, shutling,, and

double-dealing in respect to the late Austrian negociations,
which had been directly fastened upon Lord Jo RUSSELL,

and, inferentially, upon his colleagues, the motion. of Sir E.
B. LYTTON, which stood for debate on Monday evening, was
looked upon as a test for reducing the Ministry to a display

of its true colours, and an inevitable prostration, consequent
on its inherent moral weakness. For several days antecedent
to that debate coming on, the Clubs of every political hue

were in a state of unwonted ferment. The Radicals were
dubious, doleful, and waspish ; the Whigs looked grave, and
assumed an air of conscious- though unappreciated martyr-
dom, their countenances saying plainly, " We are- sufferers for
the public good, yet no one will believe us ;." the Conserva-
tives were busy, bustling, and self-satisfied—they made sure
that the Baronet of Knebworth was no professional gladiator
whose weapon might be arrested at the• beck of a
timid or over-cautious leader, but a knight of the
true chivalric order, whose lance once laid in rest, he
would run his joust in earnest, and which, if shivered in the
conflict, he would replace,and continue the strife with falchion
and battle-axe till he had vanquished his. antagonist, or
himself been worsted in the fray. Alas, for the vanity of
human expectations ! The valiant Knight took his place in
the lists without steed or armour, his pennon found no place
in the field of contest, and the willing spectators of the ex-
pected contest were reluctantly convinced that, like all the
parliamentary encounters of the session, the no-confidence
motion of Sir E. B. LYTTON had ignominiously ended in a
" Cross." True, suspicions of divided views, on the part of
the Conservatives, were faintly whispered in the corridors of
the Carlton, on Sunday morning—these waxed stronger and-
received a wider currency as the day wore on. By Monday,
at noon, the oracles of the National had it distinctly in their
mouths, that the leaders of the " strong opposition" would
not go into harness, and that for this bout, at least, the
Conservative " drag" should not be driven to Downing-street.
At these unlooked-for deliverances some of the gallant listeners
chaffed and others fumed ; but they were gently rubbed.
down—paced about upon varying grounds—reminded that
Mr. ROEBUCK'S motion for the following night could. and
would be worked to much better purpose in damaging the
Ministry, and that, willy-nilly, there should bes, no Conserva-
tive display on the faux pas of the Vienna Conferences. A
resolution such as this was too important to remain a secret.
It travelled rapidly from club to club, and from those
Elusinian temples to the City. Long before the evening
meeting of the House it was known all over London, and by
means of cabalistic telegraphs had received circulation in
many a rural district.
Although it was generally understood that no decisive
action would be taken on Sir B. LYTTOS'S motion, it was not
exactly known what course of policy might be observed on
the occasion—it was also understood that Lord JOHN would
once more have the honour of explaining a portion of the
Ministerial programme of cross-purposes, in the carrying out
of which he has so frequently, and more particularly of late,
borne so conspicuous a part, This expectation and that un-
certainty had the effect of " drawing," and, in theatrical
phrase, so far as those "in front" were concerned, the per-
formances were honoured by a bumper-house. The parts
assigned, and the same set, the farce, for it hardly amounted
to the dignity of comedy, began by his lordship informing the
House, amidst shouts of laughter, that " for some time past
events had been complicated and perverted !" This novelty.
of statement he repeated, and the fun of its repetition, added
to its unexpected newness, so completely took the audience
by surprise, that it was once more hailed with an explosion of
merriment. Having thus established what is called a good
understanding with his audience the accomplished and expe-
rienced actor proceeded, with his well-known ability, to- give
an explanation in which nothing is explained. He stated and
retracted—withdrew his retwtation, and restated his original
averment—at each turn of his rhetoric taking care to unsay
all that he undertook to prove, concluding by a pathetic
appeal to his established reputation and a deep cutting sar-
casm upon those " false, fleeting, perjured " friends whom he
took care to say fell from him, and were like water,

—Never found again
But when they mean to sink ye—

a class which probably his lordship has as much reason to
know, and as little reason to complain of as any public man ;
yet whom he took the opportunity of informing that he held
them in contempt. He next passed into a laudatory review
of his own political career, in which he could act all the more
disinterestedly, as he must have known that nobody regarded

it. In following out this cleverly-concocted sketch of his pub-
lic actions, he, with no inconsiderable amount of skill, con-
trived to drag in a parallel to his own repugnance of office in
the well-known desire for retirement evinced by Lord
ALTHORP; and canonized in some degree the penance he is
now suffering in losing place by an ingenious reference to the
calumnies raised against Lord RAGLAN. His lordship con-
cluded his well-contrived defence by challenging his opponent,
and daring his worst wrath. The exhibition of Lord JOHN
having been brought to a close, the champion of the opposition
prepared to run his tilt but, from the careless manner in which he
made his movements, it was obvious from the first that the fight
was meant to be a "draw." He proceeded with no small amount
of grave make-believe to show the importance of the motion
which he bad given notice of his intention to move. As no
one ever entertained the slightest doubt upon this subject, the
explanation of it was felt to be only so much waste of-time,
people generally entertaining an opinion, however fallacious
it may be, that a legislator will not, or at least ought not, to
waste the public time by the tabling of motions which are of
no use. The second step in the honourable baronet's process
was to review the recent history of Lord Jolts Russatt, and
in dissecting the moral structure of his lordship's actions, he
exhibited no small amount of anatomical skill, operating with
great dexterity in such a way as to avoid the vital points, yet
to inflict severe gashes on the most sensitive. This, however,
has been done so frequently of late; that, except in so far as
it displayed the surgical skill and neatness of the operator,
it was felt to be a work of supererogation, and as such fell
flatly on the ear. In drawing a contrast between the frank
and manly tone which pervaded the condUct. of Lorti,Cna-
nrXDON, and the plain and straightforward style in which his
State papers. have been drawn up, as compared with the fluc-
tuating views and hesitating counsels which had marked the
proceedings-of the rest of the Cabinet, and particularly there
of Lord SOHN RUS3BLt, Sir E. B. LYTTON made' his great
point; and. while it was being uttered the only half-initiatetf
and the wholly ignorant in the arrangements of the tourney
were led to expect some serious purpose on the part of the'
orator. In this- they were' disappointed. The motion was-
withdrawn. 142.1 n explanatiowof the "round-robin" portion of
the intrigue, or at least" a part of it, was volunteered by Mr.
ITGITVERIE. His' treatinent of the- subject, and the rode in
which it was received, by the frottse, was an excellitft ii-
lusthtion of a proverb which is- current among tint' ho=
nourable gentlemen's- constituentS,.. to, the effect that " is
best to let the sleepindogs-lie." The-part he and his friitida
had acted in the matter had fallen out of notice, and the deri-
sion with which the house received the, member for Kilmer.
nock's re-awakening of it' must have convinced him, with
tingling ears, that he had'fsr better have'let that "sleeping
dog lie." His explanaticit was laughed at by all parties.
Lord PALMINISTON; with even more than hii-asuai acerbity of
manner, and'with, at least, the full amount of his- customary
acidity of ingredient, dilutedand-analysed the-statenaents of
Sir E. B. LYTteN; whom he accused of gross- ignorance, or
wilful insincerity, as displayed In the 'mode in which he had
distinguished the conduct of Lord CLARENDON from that of
the government' of which, he formed a part. The tone of
angry petulance is which he addressed the house -and criti-
cised the address -of Sir E. B. LiVTON‘ was felt to- be un-
worthy of the firat minister of a' great country like Bri-
tain, and, ere long,' the moral recoil it is sure to pro-
duce will have a much more damagin,g- effect on Lord
I,ll,3mnsrois than it can have on' the honourable- and
accomplished baronet The philipid- of his lordeltin. • re-
ceived just castigatiomfrom Mr. Drex,nanr, who designated
it as a piece of worthless rhodomontadevu2zdeserving of eons--
matt la the course of his speech, the righthonourable gentle-.
man- asserted that the whole. British Girvernment were; for
some hours if not days, -consenting parties- to the proposal
Lordlours RussEtt„ and expressed his belief that, if Parlht-
mentlasted so long, within six months this,etateinent would
be vorified. In terms- of fierce acrimon,y,. Mn ROERN-C.'
accused: Lord- PALME3I.3rOIit of having deeeheed and
boldly. asserted that Lord-Soul ,Russnnv-had not done MI,
duty to- that house or the country. A good deal of anm‘r
sparring M a similar chmeter passed with ready celerity from:
one honourable member to another; and,- after a sufficient
quantity. of powder had been burnt in the sham-fight, the.,
combatants were withdrawn; and the battleendeck No one•
however; is satisfied with tho resat. Too much has been said
without any practical result: The characters ofpublic men have-
received a rude shock, fro:n,the damaging effect of which
they will , not speedily, and perhaps never wholly recover,.
while no, tangible good has-resulted to any- party. If- the
national interests have been.sacrifized and ita -honour - com-
promised by the incapahlllty amt moral turpitude of the
Ministry, the. same men are still left in possession: of power.
True, indeed, Lord JOHN RUSSELL has been politirally and
personally " dished ;" but the "squashing" of hint. is but a
sorry compensation for the suspicion whith has-bees. uidis
criminateiy, thrown on the Government, and na,smalliportion
of ,ttaeh-to the- leaders of -Hka Mrainresell oppo-
sition, who cannot be heid= guiltless, it, atter roptatecuy
making grave charges and all.but proving their :we- against
Ministers, they suddenly "dodge.' out of the- prosecution,
and leave the culprit- in possession of his damaged repu-
tation, and .full power of mischief., If they sincerely believe
the allegations they bring forward; as honest men-ands patriotic
citizens they are bound to. prosecute to a full conviction ; if
they have doubt of the truth of the charges, or-miagivings as
to the policy of prosecution„let them " bide their. time." After
the fate of Sir E. B. LYTTON'S motion, that of /211!...ROF.BvCic
created comparatively little interest. On all sides it was felt
to be more- an opportunity offered, for the exchauge.of personal
altercation and individual bitterness, than an event upon
which the-character of the-national counsels was likely to be
dependent. The debate with which it began, and the vote
with which it: ended, were alike'understood and canvassed by
anticipation. The former was- tolerated and drawled on rather-
than enjoyed and .participated.in ; the latter gave ministers
a majority of 107 in a house which numbered, 471 member&
present.. Everybody appear& now to consider-that the gledia-
torship of the - session has been expended, and that such,
portions- of. the .public business as are indispensable will be
proceeded with as rapidly as possible ; that is, that, they. will
be pushed ,through the legislative chambers, AS, fast as the
forms of parliament will .permit, without- a very stringent
consideration of the real-purport and value- of -the measures.-
enacted.

The war in the Crimea continues- to drag its 'slow
length along" without marked variety in the circumstances by
which, for a considerable number of mouths past, it has,been
characterised in its gsmeral features. The works continue to
make steady progress on the part of the Allies, whose ad-
vances are of course interrupted from time to time and
occasionally checked by sorties and other means of aggressive
defence on the part of the enemy._ The allied troops are in
good, health, notwithstanding the. great heat and,the severe
toils to which they are exposed; and their general, spirits are
represented as, excellent, although, like their countrymen at
home, our soldiers manifest considerable impatience for the
day which shall see the allied banners wave in triumph over the
walls of Sebastopol. The Russians .within the city are said
to be suffering great privations. The se:pi:dies which the
enemy can throw into the place are now, itcis known, greatly
circumscribed, and the reinforcements which have been so
long and so largely promised are now, it, is. believed, unlikely
to be forthcoming in any great numbers. That the garrison
must succumb, and the town fall into the hands of the
Allies ere long, is now a matter of general belief in the army,
as well as at home ; and, judging by the expression of feeling
which is everywhere Manifesteci in metropolitan circles,, the
warlike spirit of the country has not undergone the slightest,
abatement. In the Baltic, too, deeds of desultory daring. have
been successfully executed in various instance; and, so far as.

the harrassing, pinch of war is concerned, without doubt the.
Russians are severe suittkera." Wherever complaints,dare be
uttered among the-serf-Subjects of:the Cass, thaevils of the
conflict in which he is engaged are loudly complained of,
Trade is, and has long been, all but absolutely annihilated—
the exactions to which all classes are subjected, for the purpose
of carrying. on the war are exhausting and. oppressive, and
numerous millions mourn in sadness and, in, sorrow the mad
ambition of a wayward Sovereign.
In the absence of more exciting, if not also more profitable
game to hunt, the metropolitan "best public instructors," as
Conarrr used sneeringly to call. the• press, are making the
most of the food-adulteration committee's inquiry and its
astounding :revelations. Many years ago, Aunt, or, as he
was wont to be called, "Old Death in the Pot," contrived to
"fright the isle from its propriety," not by showing As
" what to eat, drink, and avoid," but by letting us into the
secret, that, eat what we liked, or drink what we might,
we were sure to be ingesting a villanous array of moat dele-
terious compounds; and that, in point of fact, the only way to
escape being murdered by the poison administered to us through
the agency of bakers,brewers, and butchers—of grocers and pie-
men, and that most iniquitous of all classes, the compounders of
London milk, was to commit suicide by voluntary starvation.
He, it may be remembered, was taken in at the British Museum,
and has no doubt been _long since gathered to his fathers.
Whether he is now converted into an ornamental mummy
or not, is now of little consequence ; but it is certain that his
mantle of horrors has fallen pat upon the shoulders of the
Food Adulteration Committee. In their investigations they
go further than Acirrs did, and, like many who go further,
they fare worse. Luxuries and necessaries, matters pleasant
to the eye and seemingly good for food, to the eyes of those
scrutinizing gentlemen present only a mass of foul and fester-
ing corruption—water, the hope of the teetotaller, and the
last refuge of the abandoned drunkard, at least in the metro-
polis, and they shrewdly extend their suspicions to the same
commodity in all great towns, they describe in such terms
that all prudent people will enter into a combination to omit

allusion to it, and adhere rigidly to a resolution to " never
mention it." Pickles in the view of these worthiei are made
chiefly of copper: Lavender-water is said to be
.produced
largely from the scourings of the London dairies (?) Eau de
Cologne is understood- to be a product derived from dray-
horses. Flour to exist in, and be extracted largely from, the
bones of the mastodon and megatherium. They do not credit
the popular belief that raisins grow on vines, or that cauli-
flowers are garden produce. Everything they touch they find
to be a sham, each article they- see is proved to be a delusion.
That a large portion of their averments is true cannot be
denied; and that much good may result from their laboura
is greatly to be desired. Whether the exposure of the ras-
cantles they have detected will lead to a permanent cure of
the evil out of which it arises, may well admit of doubt.

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.—THE SECOND MINISTER
and the RADICAL PARISH CHURCHWARDENS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

S/E,—As your columns are ever open to the recital of any
grievance that affects the welfare of the Church, I take leave
to detail to you a few of the shabby tricks to which men,
calling themselves members of our communion, condescend
to stoop• at the bidding of a party, A certain sum has been
for many years voted by every Vestry; save the last, for the
cleaning* of the parish churches, St. Nicholas's, St. Peter's,
St. Paul's, and St, John's. The present wardens, however,
have discovered a cheaper mode of effecting, this object, and
they send. paupers from the Workhouse every day to clean
these edin'tes-, leaving the parties sent to provide dusters,
brooms, water, Sic., as they best can. They have even had
the modesty tourge the. wardens of the churches to supply all
these articles viiiil4 they withhold the funds.
To their other dirty acts they have added Mr which; to
meet with the reprobatiOn: of all the parishioners,, requires
only to be known', Near the termination of the half-year.
Beginning with Jam/try-last; they gave notice to the vtardens
of St. Paul's that they would not pay a portion of the zaliry
or the second Ministerof that. church, which had never been
disputed from the foundistiontot the'church up to that thme,-;-
a•period of more than eklitk years: This act is most creel
and unjustt. The sum of which the labourer is thus defrauded-
is-a.great part of this minister's stipend. To refuse payment
for twd-quarters past, withovi an' previous notice—leaving
him to meet his engagements as-he best cars—is a deed which
only a -Radical could perpetrate:- It. is said the two wardens
are harmless-and good-natured sort'of -men—if so, their con-
duct only shows to what persons-mill. stoop who have sold
themselves to a party.

Trusting, Sir, that you will permit me again to trespass on
your columns,- and say a little more 'on the Ininstice of this
act of the wardens—at present I would only add, that these
are the very men, who would force ROmish priests upon the
Workhouse, and pay them from the parochial rates.--I remain,
yours, &c., A LOVER' OF FAIN PLAY.
Liverpool, July 21, 1851

GOV:ERNMENT AND THE 13.EIVE7IT

BUILISING SOCIETIES

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STAMM RD.

SIR,--4 beg to draw the attention of those'of"your readers
who are umembers of Benefit Building Societies -to the•par-
ticulars of a second attempt made by the Government to
deprive suet societies of the exemption from, Stamp Duties,
which they have enjoyed for nearly twenty years;' on their
internal arrangements alone:,

OA the 26th • June 184, -the fust attack (in a 'Friendty
Socities' Bill.)swas defeated in- the House of Lords -by the.
active and unremitting exertibm t 4 our late representative,.
Lord Ravenswerth, aided by the Earl of Derby,. Marquis of
Salisbury, East: of Ellesmer?i. Load Monteagle; and other
noblemen.

Within ten days afterwards, -the very clause rejected by
the House of Lords was introduced into the House of
Commons, in aBM relating to: Stage Carriages). evidently
with the intention' of smuggling irthrough Parliaments with--
out attracting the attention, of time interested ; - this
manceuvre was dbteeted both by, our member, Thomas- B.
Horsfall, Esq., rattl by William Scholefield, Esq.,, MX. for
Birmingham : the latter divided4liellmse upon it, but was
defeated by 65 votes-to 39.
On learning this, =I in the emergency having received fun'
powers from our Liverpool Benefit,Building Societies- to* act
in.-their name, I proceeded to London,. and (with some assis—
tance from Manchester and other places) succeeded- in.
organising a formidable opposition. ,

The result was, that on Monday night last, the letii inst.,
when the bill went into. committee; Mr..liorsfall succeeded in
empunging the clause,. which would -have deprived all'such
societies of their exemption from. stamp duties. The-Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, fituling..... he was in a minority,
attempted-to ,
A-as. eorapeilect to withdraw the clause; to avoid the. defeat
which.he saw was inevitable..

cannot eulogise. Mr. Iforsfall'S••exertions better than by
si;ating that, had it not been for his• perseverance and influ,
enco• in procuring us additional support, we could not have
planed the Government in a minority on the question. 1-
trust- that the members of our Liverpool Building Societies.
willy. when the opportunity offers). show their appreciation of
his,valu3ble services; by rendering-:their assistance unitedly
towards placing him at the head of the poll at our nextgene,
ral election, which may not be far distant.
Mn Horsfall's motion had the active support of the Hon..
Mr.:Liddell, Lord Robert Cecil,. Lord John Manners,- and
many others who aro,sor have been., connected with our town;
including Messrs. J.. C. Ewart and J..Bramley-Moore ; also
the members for South Lancashire, South Cheshire, A 00.7—
Yours, respectfully,

JOSIAH 110SKING,
Chairman of the General Committee of the.
Liverpool Building Socities....
Brunswick-street„July 23,1806.