The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

LAGOS.

Finn Toto has again occurred at Lagos, and, though
we have not now to deplore the serious loss of life
that was sustained in the former affair, still British
seamen had to fire shot and shell, and amongst the
natives much blood was sited. On the sth of August.
last Commander GARD►NER, of the Watertriteh, having
heard that civil war had broken out, proceeded up
the Lagos river in a boat to the residence of the King
ARATot. The King and Commander GARDNER
differed as to the course which it would be best to
adopt, and in the meantime two rebellious leaders
attacked the town, half of which they destroyed by
fire. Through the intervention of Commander
GARDNER and the British Consul, an armistice was
concluded which was to last until the 9th. t►n the
Ith the King was reinforced, in consequence of which
the rebels sent to request the aid of KosAso, a pre-
tender to the Lagos throne. Finally, KosAtio, with
tost armed men, and some large canoes, several of
which carried six guns each, were routed by the
boats of the Penelope and Polyphemus, both of which
ships it is said arrived "very providentially." The
English then withdrew for a short distance, and
AKATOI.B reinforcements began to burn and plunder:
even the property of the Europeans was not safe.
On the 3rd of September King ARAtot died, and was
succeeded by his son DocEsto. KosAxo again
claimed the throne and blockaded Lagos, but was
again roused, and Lieutenant STRICKLAND, of the
Polyphemus. had commenced building a wall across
the ►sland on which the town stands, for its defence.
These atfrays arise out of treaties which we have
entered into with the kings and chiefs for the sup.
premsion of the slave trade ; and, having made those
treaties, we are bound of course to abide by them. If
they are firmly maintained, and if order is preserved
along the coast, legitimate trade will in time spring up,
and, when once the natives have discovered the superior
advantages arising from that, there will be no danger
of a revival of the slave traffic. The only practical
conclusion we can come to is, that., having interfered,
faith must be kept with the kings with whom we
have made treaties ; and, as affrays like these will
recur, we should always have within call on sus-
pected points a respectable force such as we appeal
to have had—but only just in time—at Lagos.

MR. COBDEN AT BARNSLEY.
Mn. COBDEN has been this week not inappropria

lecturing at Barnsley on ignorance as a source of
vice, and on artistic education as of importance to
manufacturers. Having taken occasion at the same
time to repudiate the imputation that l►e wished to
see newspapers without leading articles, the Times
relentingly discovers the merits of his lecture in
other respects, and sets an entire leader to the refrain
of "xi sic omnia." There was, indeed, even more of
the same description in Mr. COBDEN'S speech than
the Times, with all its lenity. discerned. Apparently
he has withdrawn his anathema from THCCYDIDES,
for he held up to admiration the example of Athens.
"We don't read," says Mr. CoBDEN► in ancient

THE PRESS.

"Greece, when she sent forth her colonies, that
" they became the teachers of the mother country.
"No Athena always remained the teacher of
" the whole world." Hence Mr. COBDEN infers
that England ought not to be beaten by American
manufacturers, as if pre-eminence for compara-
tively mechanical products were as permanently
tenable as superiority in arts and literature. "The
" chiselled l'arian of Athens always commanded the
" colonial markets—then why not the cottons of
" Manchester ? " To this implied reasoning there
may be an answer humiliating to Mr. CoaDEN, and
those who, like him, have always placed their chief
reliance on our purely material advantages.