The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-23 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL FINANCIAL REXORNI
ASSOCIATION.

The mcnthly meting of the Liverpool kexiation
was held on %Vednoday, in the Concert.ltall.
Mr. EDWARD BRODRIBB was called to the chair,
and, in opening the burness of the meeting, alluded to an
setack made by Mr. Fox Motile, in tie seat is tie Douse of
Commons, on lklon.`ay °man, last, upon the as, ociation on
the enbjce• of e lothing the army. He sap creed his opinion
that Mr. Fox Mauls had not read No. 7 Tract of the arso-
dation ; and ho contended that, although the present system
of clothing the soldier might have existe d fir 110 years, now
that it wee Mond out to be a bud one, the sooner it wat
changed the better. The a,‘ elation now detour Ind to turn
their attention to the leincipls of direct over indirtct
taxation.

Kr. J. H. STEWART read the report, which con-
gratulated the members and tennis of the assuria-
lion on the rapid progress of its principles and
it-fluent* throughout the length and breadth of
the land. Toe accounts received from all quarters
justify the council in the a.ausar so that a secure lodgment
hoe been made in public opinion, which must ultimately
issue in bringing about the imp..rtant objects they have In
siew. The refusal of the liouse of Cemmons to entertain
the proposal for • materialsy reduc. d upes,diture, affords
only a fresh incentive to nue.. d end more vigorous I vet-
lions on the part of the associa•iosi. Having, for a time, cealt
chiefly wish a pnr ion of the g vern.nent mid-administration.
the varciation in now about to ois. n rip the great subject of
direst taxation; hiiugoneol the m.•nuhjevecontemplated
in its formation. In commencing 11 is branch of its opera-
tion*, the coned hate just issued . n sti,,nl.l address, a copy
u! which has been placed in the bends of every member of
the House of Commons, Ethel sod to all the principal news-
p - pers throughout the hisiestour. They have also prepared
the form of a petition to psi iarnsist, suggestive of to pies
suitahls for the cotsidtrai•tn ut the reprtsentativee of the
people.
Mr. J. FINCH gave asketch of the use and progress of
the association, as well as its transastsions during the time
whit hit has been iu existence. 11 • concluded by ap,ealing
to the 'wooing to elippott the anucisti n and recommend-
ing its claims upon the public fir support.
Mr. F. 11011 LT pre. posed th adopti nof a petition to the
pause of Commons. read the document, which was of
considerable length, and st god : • • •
That your petitioners have heard with alarm and dismay that your
honourable house has decided not to adopt any large or essmprehro.
sire measures, of retrenchment; that the reductions alluded to in
her Majesty's speech at the opening of writ anent, to far as their
nature hart been dirclosed, consist chiefly in the discharge of a
number of private soldiers, I.OOOl'S mi MOP, a.tiloent, and clerks at
small saLaties, misty of whom, there is mooch reason to fear, will,
Is consequeuce, become chargeable to their parishes, while no corn
responding reduction pruposd in the number of military and naval
ogle. is, or, with few csoeption.e, in the number and salaries of the
many 'highly paid beside of commissioners, and other principal
officers in the various civil departments: anti, that sinecures
and unearned pensions, wine of them singly absorb mg more titan the
ply of five hundred private soldiers or ra lore, are to be allowed to
continue without abatement. That your fietitionere consider such
retrenchmems unjust in principle and imams• in pihey, so calculated
to pro lux e a large amount of irdividual suffering without proportion-
ate public good. That, in the judger of of your petitionere, the true
temely consiqs In the removal of legal hindrances to the herd cm-
ployment of capital and labour, but top-Malty in the removal of those
impale of customs and excise upon t ommoditiesof general use and
consumption, whereby trade and m inufactui es are, to an incalculable
event, practically prohibited, ur made wholly unprofitable to all con-
cerned.
The meetiog wan afterwards Odressed by Mr. John
Smith, of the Mercury, and Mr. Castles, and the petition
war ca•ried by acclamation.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
TO THE EDITOU OP THE EXPRESS.

Sin,—l quim as happy as your correspoh-
dent can be to find mystlt mistaken in the opinion I
entertain that thera is r ally more mercy in execu-
ting criminals for the worst Cilfei of murder than in
spar:ng their lives and subjecting them to transporta-
tion for life. My permute nis that your correspond-
ent is as far from the truth in his sentiments as he is
erroneous in his fact..
The wretched convict Wicks never declined my ser-
vices, but was always thankful, although I spoke fre-
quently to him with much severity. That youth
mentioned to me when the vi,its were int. rdicted of
a young woman to whom be was attached, aid of
whom he was told that she had been seen walking
with another young man while he wns in prison, that
had she been showed another vi-it he meant to hsve
seined her by the throat, and with his teeth to have
bitten throu.h her windpipe Woes assistance could
have been afforded.
He more than once expressed hie great regret that
instead of killing his master he had not incurably
wounded him, so that he might have been only trans-
ported for life.
I was well aware of the opinion of Dr. Ford—but
my sentiments are the result of my own observations,
and I feel it just as much a duty to state what I feel
on the subject of capital punishments, as I stated be-
fore the House of Lords two years ago whatthe result
would be of not sendmg tranep rte abroad. Had you,
sir, power to abolish the panis..ment of death for the
worst cases of murder, in two or three years, Comm
humanity would induce you as earnestly to come back
to the present law, as the public voice is loud for send-
ing our convicts abroad.
The presence of executed persons at previous exe-
cutions does not bear upon the point that there are
many among the criminal population who are
restrained from committing murder by the certain
knowledge that they, if guilty, will b, put to death.
I am no theorist, sir, but wish to be taught by facts—
and however sad the result may he, I am afraid ex-
perience will prove that I am correct.
Your obedient servant,
Newgate, March 20, 1849. JOHN DAVIS.