The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-04 00:00:00

COURT AND FASHION.

THE LEVEL—The Queen held a levee (the second this
season) on Wednesday, in St. James's Palace. Her Majesty
wore a train of white poplin embroidered in gold and flowers,
trimmed with fringe to correspond. The petticoat was white
satin, trimmed with white satin ribbon. Her Majesty's head
dress was formed of emeralds and diamonds. The presentations
were not very numerous, and consisted principally of military
and naval officers.—Her Majesty's dinner party in the even-
ing included the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of
Argyle, Mr. Buchanan, the United States minister; Count
Titzthum, the Saxon minister; the Earl of Eglinton, the Earl
and Countess of Mount Charles, Viscount Monck, Lord Ernest
Bruce, Lord and Lady Robert Grosvenor, the Right Hon. B.
and Mrs, Disraeli, and Sir Benjamin Hawes.

THE SHIPPING DUES BILL.

( PROM THE nuns.)
Tao' we're patching up Peace with the Russians,
Mid ourselves we are quarrelling still,
And we've had some amusing discussions
On Bobby Lowe's Shipping Dues Bill.
In_vain Robin droned in the Senate,
_ _ _

In the Times Robin scribbled in vain—
For a leader more dull, who could pen it ?
Who could speak in less logical strain ?
Bob thought that his Busbranging pleadings
Had grounded him well in the law;
But Thesiger followed his leadings,
And proved in each statement a flaw.
The Commons were sore discontented
With the shallow pretensions of Bobby,
And Pam, driven nearly demented,
Called the culprit out into the lobby :
" Why the deuce need you meddle with shipping,
With law, corporation, or due ?
My Ministry's surely caught tripping
Enough without succour from you.
"I deserve to be kicked for believing
You could father a measure of worth ;
My dulness is quite past conceiving,
But I'll strangle your whelp in its birth."
So on Tuesday Pam told us quite gaily
" The bill had been carefully weighed,
That the Cabinet sat on it daily,
But, ahem ! he was rather afraid—
" And thought the most dignified course
For the Government now to adopt,
In fact, they would not now enforce
This bill, which had better be dropped."
Disraeli withered with scorn
The imbecile holders of place,
Who sat there and writhed so forlorn,
Without honesty, genius, or grace :
Without genius to govern the realm,
Or grace for their faults to atone,
Or honour to give up the helm,
Into manlier hands than their own.
While the House with approval gave ear
To the eloquent leader's harangue,
A creature they called Labouchere,
With the look of a dog you would hang,
Rose, and froth'd up his syllabub spite,
So trashy, so sour, and so weak,
Pam groaned that " the shame of that night
Was as nought till his sub rose to speak,
" With that wonderful instinct of hate

For the genius which dullards must feel,
As the rusts which foul vapours create
Ever seek the most glistening steel.
" Alas ! but my Cabinet's full
Of men whom the people well know
Are as Labouchere, spiteful and dull,
And as vain and as empty as Lowe."

Tus churchwardens of Chelmsford have adopted the plan
of a voluntary rate. It is now in the course of collection, and
though the amount is ed. in the pound, it is met with the
utmost good feeling, not one, we believe, of those who dissent
from the Church having yet refused to pay it.—Essex Herald.

ME LATE RAILWAY COMPETITION.— The London and
North-western, Midland, Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln-
' shire, and Great Northern Railway Companies have issued a
joint notice, intimating that the reduced fares between Lon-
don and the various towns in the Midland and Yorkshire dis-
tricts have been withdrawn on and after the Ist of March.
ENTERTAINMENT AT TILE MANSICN-110052, LONDON.—The
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor entertained a very numerous
party on Wednesday night, consisting chiefly of merchants
connected with Canada and the United States. The dinner
was chiefly in honour of Mr. Buchanan, the American minister ;
but, in consequence of a command of Her Majesty to dine at.
the palace, he was unable to attend. The Lord Mayor gave
" Prosperity to the trade of Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham,
Newcastle, and Manchester." The toast was acknowlodged by
Mr. H. Berkeley, Mr, Ewalt Mr. Muntz, and Mr. HeNdiani)
respectively,

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

TUESDAY.

Their lordships met at five o'clock.
NATIONAL GALLERY OP PORTRAITS.—EarI STANHOPE
gave notice that on this day (Tuesday) he should move an
address to her Majesty, praying that her Majesty will gra-
ciously be pleased to take into her royal consideration, in con-
nexion with the site for the present National Gallery, the
practicability and expediency of forming by degrees a gallery
of original portraits ; such portraits to consist, as far as possi-
ble, of those persons who are most honourably commemorated
in British history, as warriors or as statesmen, or in arts, in
literature, and in science.
MERCANTILE LAWS.—The LORD CHANCELLOR called atten-
tion to the second report of the Commissioners appointed to
inquire into the Mercantile Laws of the United Kingdom, and
moved the first reading of two bills on the subject, with the
understanding that they should be referred to a select com-
mittee.—Lords BROUGHAM and CAMPBELL expressed their
approbation of the course pursued by the Lord Chancellor,
and the bills were then read a first time.

TICKETS OF LEAVE.—A discussion-then arose upon the
ticket-of-leave system, in the course of which Lord HAIL-
ROWDY said that, naturally, if no transportation were allowed,
criminals, after a certain term of imprisonment, must be
turned loose on society.—This declaration excited great alarm
in the mind of Lord MALMESBURY, who understood Lord
HARROWBY to say that it was impossible to return to trans-
portation, and that the country must be given over to the
present intolerable ticket-of-leave system.—After some ex-
planation from the Duke of ARGYLL, the matter dropped.—
Their Lordships adjourned at half-past six.