The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-11 00:00:00

".T4g,,,mAs,,,mgETING."

- • ~..•
IT *rOlikdr:Oie' A 414404 C/thlitiiilltiOh that it
Perniitki the moat perfeot:freedoniof opinion and
of speech. We are not only not afraid to allow
the people to assemble and harangue each other
on political subjects; but we look upon. the exey-
cise of such a privilege as one of the best guaran-
tees for the safety and stability of the throne
and of the several estates of the realm. Believing,
as we do, in the irresistibility of progress and the
necessity tor occasional amendment in the intri-
cate machinery of the state ; we also believe that
truth is more powerful than error, and sooner or
Jitter • must- prevail. Free and fair discussion,
therefore, in the end serves- the cause of truth
and instice. The suppression .Sr. restricted,
use of the platform is the cowardly resource
of tyrants who dread the opinion of their peo-
ple. Such restriction, however, history tells
us, has done more -to overthrow than. to
uphold the tyrant's-power. We have no objec-
tions, therefore, to offer against our itadical
friends for- doing their utmost to assemble the
people and harangue them upon the subject of
Lords and Commons. Nor can we seriously
object even to such " a mass- meeting" as that
which came off outside St. George's-hall on Mon-
day evening, If the orators ran sonfe risk of
their lives, and if the peace of that locality was
to any extent endangered, these are matters
which we are content to leave in the hands of
the gentlemen who volunteered to risk their
personal safety, and of the police authorities who
granted them permission. We may, and do
think-it-a very -grpst pity, that one very worthy
citizen should have sustained:a broken limb; but
it is to be presumed lie spoke -the truth when he
declared after the accident that he had pleasure
in falling in what he designated the cause. of the
people. Pf course if voluntary martyrdom be his
choice, we have o cemplaint, Wd cannot help
thinking, however, that " the people" themselves
having tints been "the cause" of Mr. IfEYWORTH'S
fall, they 'can scarcely be said to have sympa-
thised with " the eaus " which brotight him to
the meeting. That genfeniati said he appeared
in the cause of " the people," and " the people!'
answered—(suiting the action to the word)—

" Then ld that which moved thee hither remove
thee hence," and down went good Mr. HEY-
WORTH. Then; sgain,.the proprietors 494 tply4s
of the tfelgllbovtfhood nay feel aggrieved I?), the
danger of A great mob assembling of an evening
near their premises, to hear irritating discussions.

But this maybe one of those penalties they have
to pay for the freedom. they enjoy. Moreover, we

have perfect' Confidence in the discretion of the
great body of-the population, and are quite satis-
fied to leave the rest to Major GREW and his

men.
The propriety and expediency of holding such

" mass meetings," so far as they can serve any cause,
is an entirely differerit question. Even this point

we are bound to say is for the judgment of those
who undertake to promote them. If they think
they can thereby serve their cause, why not let

them have their own way in so far as may be
consistent with peace and order. We may be

permitted, however, to ask our readers to weigh
well the following facts in connection with
Monday's meeting. The report says,—" Mr.

HEYWORTH attempted to address the meeting ;

but, unable to make himself heard by the fore-
most of the audience, he turned his back to them,
and addressed the reporters." Then again, as to
the formal constitution of the meeting,.the report
bears that " Mr. WILLIAMS proposed that Mr.
JEFFERY should be called upon to preside. The
motion was quite unheard by the crowd, but Mr.
JEFFERY stepped forward !" Like the first
speaker he addressed himself only to tbe
reporters. He said, " if:that vast assembly could
not now hear his voice, they would .have
an opportunity of reading in the morning

in the papers what he said !" Whether or not the
impracticibility of such a meeting might have
been anticipated by Mr.. JEFFERY, we leave to
be inferred from his statement, that " Liverpool
unfortunately had been but too celebrated for
these interruptions, whenever meetings were
called for the purpose of enunciating progressive
principles." .There's a compliment to the people
of I vorpool. Supposing, however, that Mr.
JEFFERY had "'made a mistaken calculation as to
the probable usefulness of such a meeting, what
conclusion are we draw from the fact appearing
from the report, that, notwithstanding " the scene
of indescribable confusion which ensued, during

which several gentlemen upon the lorry (or plat•
form), convinced of the impossibility of con•

tinning the meeting, advised that the attempt
should be abandoned and the speakers retire,"
Mr. JEFFERY ,still persisted in keeping up
the excitement, awl went on to address,
not the meeting, but the gentlemen of the
Press. We can have no possible objection
to Mr. JEFFERY affording good practice to
short-hand writers; neither do we grudge him
a column for his speeches occasionally, but we do
think he might accomplish these harmless objects
without insisting upon the reporters helplessly
attempting to exercise their functions in the open
air, surrounded by some thousands of noisy and
disorderly people, to whom his performance was
lade better.than a dumb show. Before the age
of penny papers there was a greater necessity for
the instrumentality of the platform and open-air
meetings, when it was desired to reach the minds
of the masses. But Monday's " mass meeting"
.was most imperfectly, if at all, available for that
purpose, through the agency either of the plat-
form or the Press. In getting up and persisting
in such a demonstration, in the face of every
remonstrance, there must, of coarse, have been
some other object in view. We shall not trouble
ourselves or our readers by guessing what that
object may have been. Whether it was good or
bad, the public will find it out for themselves, and
appreciate it accordingly.
The ostensible object of the meeting was expressed
in two resolutions. The first is expressive of
satisfaction that the first of Lord PALMERSTON'S
harmless resolutions had been unanimously passed
by the House of Commons. In this we all rejoice.
*lt is worthy of note, however, that three little
words have been omitted in the Radical resolution,
which professes to be a repetition of the terms
adopted by the Commons. The latter speak of
granting aids and supplies 44 to the Crown"—but
the Radicals make no mention of the Crown. The
Radicals, if they had it all their own way, would
make no such grants at all. They are revolu-
tionists in disguise ; and here, as on other occa-
sions, they allow the cloven foot to appear.
Precious defenders are these of the British Con-
stitution ! The second resolution is a terrible
jumble of nonsense and bad grammar. It asserts
that the House of Lords has violated the right of
the Commons to limit the duration of the paper
tax. The paper tax is not an annual but
a permanent tax, It was made so by the
Commons with the assent of the Lords. It
was no motion of the Lords. They gave their
assent at the request of the Commons. In declin-
ing to assent to a repeal under entirely different
circumstances, when it 'is admitted that we cannot
affi.ird to throw away-a single farthing of revenue,
can it be said that the Lords make any innovation
on the Commons' right of limitation ? Certainly
and clearly not. .The rest of the resolation is
clifficnit tq comprehend, except in so far as it con-
veys a solatium to the unhappy and disappointed
Tory - Peelite -Whig - Radical Mr. GLADSTONE,
and denounces the calm and dignified conduct
of Lord PALMERSTON . in so adroitly averting
the calamity which Messrs. BRIGLIT and GLAD-
STONE desire -to bring about. The practical
part of the business was the pretended
appointment of a clepntation of delegates
to attend the Constitutional Defence Assoeiation
in Loudon. The three gentlemen named for that
purpose may .go there, and assume that they
represent the people of Liverpool, with as much
truth as." the three tailors of Tooley-street" did
the people of. England: It is worthy of note that
,the best speeches at the mass ineetiN, and the
only ones .patiently listened 'io, were by working
men, one -of whom appeared in his shirt sleeves,
-who opposed the object of the meeting and the
several resolutions. But, after all, it is difficult
to see what the Radicals -would be at. They
hive come into the field a day aftex the -fair ;
the whole question is finally - settled, and
there is no ‘, action " possible in the matter
—unless, indeed, it be to hold a sort- of
"death-ewake,
waanscitince;peibirraiiteatiao4:un.:lllr,reesq:laienmd
over Mr. GLADSTONE'Sand Mr. BRIGH.T'S defunct
for selling the highest interests of the country to
the Emperor of the French, to satisfy the short-
sighted avarice of the Cotton Lords and gratify
the distempered ambition of. an unprincipled
Chancellor of the Exchequer. .

CHARLIE OF INDECsB4T ASISA.V.LT AT BIRKENHEAD.—
A man named William Martin, a labourer in the employ
of Mr. Laird, and a resident of Ruabon-street, Birken-
head, was charged yesterday, before the magistrates for
the county of Chester, with having committed an indecent
assault upon a girl eight years of age, the daughter of a
neighbour. He was sent for trial at the assizes.
BIRKENHEAD SABBATH SCHOOL TBAcIVP' UNAON.—
The quarterly tea ineeting of the Sabliath School.
Teachers' Union of Birkenhead, was held last evening in
the sohoolroom attached to the United Presbyterian
Church, Grange-read. There was a pretty large number
of teachers and friends present. After tea, an inteTesting
and comprehensive address on the salibAth, schools of
America was delivered by Mr. .George J. Stuart, of
Philadelphia, chiqrnan of the United States Sabbath
School Union.'The address was listened to withe.
attention. At the close of the meeting a collection was
Ttl,e. gentleman to 74'l
made to defray expenses.
VERY GENEROUS.—On Monday last as P. Pgrnrebs:
was passing through High-street, chippeniut
picked up a cheque of the value of £7OO. lur
1
owner's name was well tnown in the taiii,l-6
time2l/44 til.Q.
the
w om 1,
belonged,idoPsnsit:allerin42.,a:pr
pipne!refiqiaitaptsi:n appreciating
tee honesty
done
duty as a policeman, very generously‘oftnroetiin'teod:ie:ticliiinV'l!9).
glass of
Monday,of pale ale
—t
a! theSa w/isbue;xl;7lo4l.r
;:ai.
On is)
The evidence justifies the belief' that he David Werays; Johson was i '''' ' ' . '. . '
eourt,
.rM41:::.
' defamatory" li -13 , ! .. gall charged with pubhsh-
Og a hel upon Sir James F usson M.P.
under some, extraordinary' delusion. ne waccotrimitted
ergis lab.; u '
ti) PTisoh, not being able t0`444 bail for his re-appear-
ance, • .

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FRANCE.
(Front our own Correspondent.)
PARIS, July 9, 1860.
The report of the Committee of Ways and
Means, presented to the Corps Legislatif on the
first of the month, is published to-day. It is

signed by M. Busson on their behalf, and states
that the sum required for the service of the year
is 1,840,121,858 f., or rather more than seventy-
three and a-half millions sterling.

The fitst part of the document deals with
general matters, and includes an exposition of the
present "political situation" of the Empire,
which is alluded to in terms of much approbation
by more than one of this day's journals. The
Constitutionnel, which joins in the laudation, de-
clares that the report in this particular only
echoes the unanimous sentiments of the Chamber
and of the country at large, and that it manifests
beyond dispute the closeness of the ties which
bind France to the Emperor and to the fu-
ture of the Napoleonic dynasty. On the subject
of the " political situation" of affairs, so
far as France is concerned, the Committee state
that they need only say a single word ; it is
sufficient to refer to the speech addressed to the
Chamber by the Emperor, at the opening of the
Session, when his Majesty said, " If all be not yet
clear in the political horizon, it is at all events
permitted to us to hope for a speedy solution.
The moment appears, then, to have arrived, for
setting bounds (mettre une ternze) to the prepos-
sessions which have so long occupied us, and for
pursuing earnestly the means of inaugurating
boldly in France a new era of peace." This part
of the report goes on to say that the Emperor,
" not content with having signed the articles of
peace, has assured it. He gives every security
for its permanence ; of that we have recently
had the strongest evidence. He does more :
he constitutes peace the foundation of the
political and commercial state of affairs."
This is certainly a very strong disclaimer of
all those views of aggrandisement, which con-
tinue to be so freely .and confidently attributed
to Napoleon 111., and seeing that M. Busson, in
giving utterance to these sentiments, is the
mouthpiece of the Corps Legislatif, as well as of
the Emperor, it would be difficult, so far as
words go, to expect any more authoritative denial
of the designs so freely imputed to his Majesty,
and so generally, one may say, so implicitly,
believed in. But—there is always somehow a
" but" in all these disclaimers—there are excep-
tions, and they are thus alluded to :—" If France,"
says M. Busson, " does not fear war, if she makes
it without hesitation where her legitimate influence
or her security are concerned, she desires before
everything, she wills, peace,". &c. What is the
meaning of " legitimate influence ;" by what
iaolitical canons is it to be determined ?

I mentioned in my letter yesterday, that four
large English steamers were last week expected
at Genoa. I see it ,stated to-day, in the same
journal, that two of these vessels have already
sailed from Liverpool for that destination, and
that they are conveying gratis to Genoa, to a
large number of Italian endures, who, for want
of the necessary means, had not been able pre-
viously to return to their own country. You
will, no doubt, have heard of this circumstance, if
it be correct, of which I have, however, consider-
able doubts. The statement seems made rather
with a view to connect England as much as pos-
sible with the giving of aid to Garibaldi.
The Ilfaaiteur publishes, to-day, along with a
variety of other official documents relative to the
decree of Francis 11. reviving the constitution of
1848, the address presented to Baron Brenier by
the inhabitants of Naples, expressing their regret
at the assault made upon his Excellency by a " set
of wretches, who, after having so long oppressed
and outraged our country, have sought out of
spite, to have recourse to infamous extremities."
It is dated that the address is loaded with the
signatures of the popular classes in all the four
quarters of the city, and that the baron's wound
was,more serious than was generally supposed.
Harvest, I see, has commenced in the neigh-
bourhood of Valence, under circumstances of -a
highly favourable character. The crops have
been found to have suffered scarcely at all from
the rains which were as heavy throughout France
as with you, and the yield of every description of
grain is satisfactory, both as regards quantity
and quality. I recur to the subject of the harvest,
because it is one that is not only interesting
to the world at large, but to the numerous deni-
zens of this city-'-native and foreign—in particu-
lar, more especially to the consuming portion of
them, who have had to pay fabulous prices of late
for almost every edible article. For my part, I
have often wondered how the many English
families who are here, many of them partly from
motives of economy, have possibly been able to
mal(e the two ends meet. You may fancy, there-
fore, how eagerly all intelligence regarding the
state of the markets is scanned, and all tidings of
abundance, and of a consequent fall in prices, is re-
ceived. At the same time subscriptions through-
out the country, in behalf of the fund for carrying
on the war of independence in Italy, have been
unusually liberal for the French, and are accom-
panied, in the giving, by a vast deal more enthu-
siasm than one who only judged, of what was
going on, by what he saw M the papers, could
suppose. It appears that the destination of the
tiquadron which the government has recently
assembled in the Mediterranean, for, as was sup-
posed, particular service at Naples, is in reality,
Syria; the Emperor being of opinion that he has
a right, and is bound, under the existing treaties
for the settlement of the Turkish question, to
interpose in behalf of the Syrian Christians, who
are being butchered wholesale by the officials of
the Porte, Who is either powerless to interfere,
or clelaya t 9. (Ick ao effectually,
The -Corps Legislatif stands firm on the subject
of
rags, and there seems likely to be a conflict
between the two Chambers, similar in its subject-
matter, if not parallel iu its other features, to that
which has just terminated in the resolutions of
Lord Palmerston, which seem to meet with ap-
proval here. This is not the. m),ly instance of late
in Which the Lower chamber has shewn refractory
symptoms; and the elect of universal suffrage,
notwithstanding all the safeguards under which
-the polling at the elections takes place, may, after
all, be found more troublesome than pliant, It is
also understood that the members of the Corps
Legislatif are abotit to chitin\ th,e. right of being
reported correctly by the Government reporter, and
in the first person ; and that all the journals which
choose, should be allowed to send reporters, and
to report the proceedings in their own way. But
the Senate has the power under the constitution
of refusing these demands, and there cannot be
much hope of their not doing so.
A variety of rumours are current respecting
of the silence
Garibaldif the OttsFing in which
his uwvements have' been enveloped of late. If
related of any other man, many of them would
be at once rejected as incredible, but the case is
noth
at ing,
different with one who sticks and
accomplishes almost everything that he -under-
takes. According t 9 sole accounts he has re-
solved to attcWalt a coup de main upon Naples
wit ont ft ther delay, disregarding any changes
in the opinion of the people, which may have
Jake'? place since the renewal of the offer to
them of the constitution which they had. accepted
in 1848. It is also stated that, sonte time ago, he
sent a secret agent to Naples t° study the ground,
ascertain the diT4tions of the inhabitants, the
best plan of attack, and place for landing, and
that this individual has returned to Sicily, but
little satisfied with the result of his inves-
tigations. But, -en the othear band, it is
asserted, as regards the latter point, and with
greater vtpAearc}gCe ofprobability, that the
prespnt .o.inquillity and absence of opposi.
tion on the Part of the Neapolitan• only,
and that the Liberal party in Naples
apparent,
Wily wait for au opportunity, to throw off their
indifference and reserve, and break out into acts
of open hostility. U this be 404 cisaibaldi is not
the man to lose se tiAN9lra,l49 an opportunity of
reaching the end of the design with which he
• origiV,lTY took up, avm in this cause ; you
may., thcrgote, as I remarked in my letter
yesterday, expect any hour to h,eav of grave
events. -I am, sorry t(3 see i‘t stated that General
Turr has mrixe4 it Genoa, in very bad health.
ge will be a great loss to Garibaldi.

COUNTY COURT, YESTRRDAy.--,-.**o W.
ton, Esq.)—The follow 4 debtors were committed to
prison in defAtAt p payrcit :—Hugh Pritchard, 3A
Blackstone-street, fourteen days in a month;, Vcaorge
ludlow, at Mr. Curtis, butcher, 5,k, lAeniaonrstzeet,
fourteen days ; John Adlington, Leigh, near Wigan,
fifteen days.