The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-26 00:00:00

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1853

NOTWITHSTANDING the auguries of some, and the
misgivings of others, we have passed the first three
months of our existence ! When the idea was
mooted of a daily paper being established in the
North of England, we confess it was regarded as
perfectly Utopian. Some shook their heads—
others shrugged their shoulders ; some smiled—
others looked .serious ; some exclaimed " Don't
attempt it !" whilst others we have no doubt re-
garded its originators to some extent as non combos
naentis ! For the honor of Liverpool we are happy
'to say those " croakers" have been disappointed.-
Never did Sibyl prophecy more falsely. Never
has divination proved less prescient.
The extraordinary advantages conferred by a
daily journal have, after a few months, been seen
and appreciated by the inhabitants of this great
town, who, it gives us great pleasure to state, have
neither been slow in acknowledging nor backward
in rewarding our efforts. Indeed, perhaps no
newspaper during the short period of its existence
has experienced such a degree of public support and
public encouragement. Not only have we won
" golden opinions" from those whose political faith
and liberal sentiments harmonised in a great
measure with our own—but we have drawn
encomiums from others decidedly hostile in'politics
• and Conservative in principle—who nevertheless
give us credit for boldness of speech and freedom
from party feelings or sectarian bias.
In our preliminary address ,to the'public we laid
down a line of policy for ourselves from which we
have neer swerved. We made a bold declaration
of our social and political creed ; and we have faith
fully and undeviatingly abided by our profession.
'We shall continue so to do through every circum-
stance and in every emergence—abandoning our
principles only with ourpens. If probity of purpose
—honesty of action—liberality of thought can win

the last !

laboured and recondite tomes of ancient sages,. or

the teeming productions of modern- genius. The
Newspaper Press of the country now essays to
perform the office of public instructor; and men
look up to it not merely as the repertory of re-
markable occurrences, but as the creator of opinion
—the scrutator of events—and the inculcator of
morals. What a striking contrast between jour
nalism in Queen ANNE'S And that in Queen
VICTORIA'S time ! One cannot help smiling when
looking over the newspaper collection at the Bri-
tish Museum, and perusing the editorial trash
contained in the Craftsman, Postboy, and The
British Apollo ! Lord ! how one stares ! One
indeed then feels that the world has changed, and
that the phases of English society have undergone
a thorough and complete revolution ! Truly the
Newspaper Press is daily becoming all and all to
us—our Church—our Senate—our whole social
constitution. Topics and themes—theorems and
theories—formerly considered out of place except
drawled from the pulpit, or dogmatised from the
professor's chair, are now carefully examined, and
coolly descanted upon by journalists. " The true
" POPE of Christendom," says THOMAS CARLYLE,
" is not that feeble old man in Rome, nor is its
" AUTOCRAT the NAPOLEON, the NICHOLAS, with his
" half million of obedient bayonets, but that man
the real or seeming wisest of the past age,
" crowned after death, who finds his hierarchy of

" authors, his clergy of assiduous journalists,
" whose decretals are written not on parchment,
",but on the living souls of men." In Queen
ELIZABETH'S time, if she wanted to bring about
any political measure she had recourse to a little
jesuitical stratagem known as " tuning" the pulpits !
She issued her orders to her clergy, and they, as a
matter of coursaiand to 'the best of their ability
performed her behests. The measure, whatever
its tendency, was carried nentine contradicente.
Now, only fancy how futile similar attempts would
prove at the present day ! Neither QUEEN nor
Government any longer rules this country. It is
governed by the popular intelligence_ and will; and
that will and intelligence are chiefly formed by the
Newspaper Press !
Journalists of the present day do not confine
themselves to the exclusive discussion of social or
political questions. Whatever relates to man is
no longer uninteresting to them. Hence they take
a scope wide as the univ erse, and commensurate
with the aims and destiny of the race. Ethical
philosophy, no less than
.political economy, en-
gross their pen. Some diva into the depths of
metaphysics—others hesitate not to descant, like
ADDISON, upon the . highest and noblest of all
sciences. And why not ? "Is the glory of
heaven," says THAOKERAY, "to be sung o'nly by
" gentlemen in black coats ? Must the truth be
' only expounded in gown and surplice, and out of
" those two vestments can nobody preach it ?"
Journalists now are the teachers and preachers—
the apostles and inspirers of mankind. Theirs is
an onerous and ponderous office. They cannot es-
timate it too highly, or love it too we!l. High and
beautiful is the lot of the Instructor of the People
His lyre is the world, and the strings on which he.
plays are the souls of men.

One of the finest panegyrics ever passed upon a
free press was made by SHE RIDAN, in one of his in-
imitable speeches in the Senate Chamber. " Give

." them, (he observed) a corrupt House of Com-
" mons—give them a tyrannical prince—give them
" a truckling court—and let me have act unfettered
" Press, and I will defy them to encroach a hairs-
" breadth upon the liberties of England." And no
doubt this is the most secure and impregnable
bulwark the Constitution or the country can have.
There are but two forces in the world, the Sabre
and the Pen, and the latter invariably triumphs no
matter how vigorous or prolonged the contest
The victorious Sword at length boWs to the vic-
torious Thought !—a truth which the Emperor
NICHOLAS will yet learn to his cost. No nation can.
flourish in this epoch when the Press is not pre-
dominant.. In thOse countries where it is either'
partially interdicted, or else placed under govern-
ment espionage, we observe the natural and pal-
pable results, in the absence of commercial pros-
perity and the mental and. physical inanition of
their inhabitants. On the other hand, where it is
free and unfettered and healthy in its tone, we find
the fruits of social prosperity, energy, happiness,
and progress in luxurious bloom. Oh ! it is a fear-
ful thing for any Government, AUTOCRAT, or POPE,
to obstruct Goo's light from the souls of men. Of
old the Scythian slaves had their eyes destroyed
in order that they might work the harder. But
to extinguish the human understanding, or place
barriers in the way ofhuman mentality, is a far more
barbarous crime. Who art thou, 0 man ! that thou
should'st thus darken thy brother's soul? Yet this
abominable practice is with the utmost hardihood
carried into effect every day. The policy is trans-.
parent. -Rotten thrones and tottering dynasties

are only upliolden by such nefarious means. The
light of intelligence would destroy them, just as the
sun in ascending the heavens disperses the black
shadows of night. Too many Continental Govern-
ments, now-a-days, ad opt the apparently politic,
but invariably fatal, opinion of Cardinal RICHELIEU
—" that subjects with knowledge and reason were
" monstrous as beasts with an hundred eyes, and
" that such would never bear their burden
" patiently."

In the great Republic of America

that country

of unexampled progress—the newspapers are al-
most unlimited. Brother JONATHAN, whatever be
his faults—and what 'country is 'faultless ?

is not

slow to recognise the inestimable advantages con-
fessed by journalism. Hence whilst Great Britain
and Ireland can only number,soo,.the United States
can boast of 1,800 newspapers ! Will it be denied
that herein lies not only a direct proof Of American
progress, but an unfailing assurance of her ultimate
consolidation and political power? Would that the
British Government would see the propriety, policy,
and equity of removing all fiscal taxation off the
Press of this country. The Press taxed and bread-
stuffs free in 1853 ! Incredible !

We cannot conclude without tendering our ac-
knowledgments to our subscribers and readers for

the amount of sympathy and support they hay(
bestowed upon our exertions for the public benefit

We trust we shall continue to merit their good
offices, confidence, and esteem. We shall pursue
the same liberal course—continue the same en-
lightened policy—advocate the same popular and
progresSive views. We shall labour for and.with
the public iu every national and social undertaking,

lnd shall stand by the colours we have hoisted to

The most important feature in the long list of

IF

()veil Lit. 113%

ial ini

which was the only ship channel, connecting

them with the ocean, they possessed.- In addition
to these the republics of Peru and Bolivia, with a
population of 3,000,000 expressed a. strong desire
for greater freedom of intercourse with commer-
cial countries, while the government of Ecuador
denied openly the right of Brazil to prevent the
vessels of any nation from trading with the people
by the mouth of the Amazon, any more than they
had by that of the Guayas. Thus surrounded by
claimants and disputants whose pretensions were
warmly advocated by the representatives of the
United States, the Brazilian government were
compelled to concede that which they had so
long refused to their own subjects and those of
the adjoining, and the European States.
In dealing with the question it was not required
of Brazil, however, that she should open her ports
on the Amazon to vessels of any other nation,
or that she should forego ally of the
advantages she derived from her geographical
position in carrying out her commercial pursuits
on the contrary, her right to lay a perpetual em-
bargo on commerce in her own ports was fully re-
cognised. But her right to exclude the other
nations similarly circumstanced to herself, and
whose very existence mainly depend on the full
enjoyment of the only line of navigable commu-
nication with those other nations was very signifi-
cantly and very properly questioned. In speaking
of the navigation of this stupendous river, we
are almost lost in its beauty and magnitude.
By the free navigation of the Amazon, a territory
equal to 2,048,480 square miles, well watered, and
perhaps the healthiest in the world, is rendered ac-
ccissible to the home-seeking emigrant—the enter-
prising merchant—the hardy gold-digger—the more
skilful miner, artizan, and ship-builder. Of this
vast territory, now added to the possessions of ci-
vilisation, the nations lying immediately round the
Brazilian frontier, occupy about 800,000 square
miles. In this broad area of land we find all the
elements of an illimitable commerce and successful
trade. In the immense expanse of the eastern
plains and slopes of the Andes, which are watered
by this majestic stream, in addition to the valuable
mines of Potosi, an endless supply of gold and
silver are only waiting for capital, Machinery, and
labor, to add millions of bullion to our present in-
creasing stock.
But to the manufacturer, the ship-owner, and
the ship-builder, the opening of the Amazon pre.
Bents an endless source of employment for capital,
time, and skill. The unfolding of the internal re-
sources of the hitherto hidden countries on tyre
upper tributaries of the Amazon, or the Maranon,
as it is called throughout South America, will lead
to an exchange of commodities which must impart
new life to our powers of production—our means of
transit, and to our natural disposition to increase
the numbers and capacity of our merchant ships.
In measuring the powers of consumption in distant
nations, we must not be guided so much by what
they have accomplished while laboring under re-
strictive embargoes, but by the quantity of products
they Can send forward, under circumstances which
leave but ono problem to solve ; namely, the means
of transit or the power of distribution. For this
purpose the trunk of the Amazon seems to have
been designed by nature to provide for the greatest
emergency the people inhabiting its banks have to
contend with.

Steamers of the first class can navigate its
waters for a distance of 3,500 miles, while its forty-
five tributaries, more particularly the Beni, Ma_
deira, Ucayali, Huallaga, Pastaza, Napo, Japuras,
Rio Negro, and Putamayo, divide and subdivide
the whole face of the land with a sufficient depth
of water to carry the largest steamers to the pier-
heads of every village or hamlet on their banks.
Here, - then, is a field for the ship builder, and
those who only await a favorable opening to be
come ship-owners. In this promising direction
we must naturally expect to. meet a long season of
competition from the States, but as they can
neither carry all or consume one-tenth of the
products of the vast valley of the Maranon, Great
Britain - must participate largely in that keen dip-
lomacy which may be said ..to be one hundred
years in advance of that of the English govern-
ment.

In all that we have read on the subject of a no
gotiation fraught with so many startling advan-
tages to civilisation,, we have not'been able to trace
one word from our Foreign-office. Nor are we at
all certain that our Minister at Pao Janeiro is
taking the least pains to see British. interests in the
opening of the navigation of South America placed
on the same footing "as those of the most
favoured nation." But this is one of the first sub-
jects that must be inquired into immediately on
the opening of Parliament. The navigation of a
far less stream is of much greater importance to
England than it is even to the United. States.
The creation of new vents and markets for our
prodigous productions is the real safety left for
• their existence. When the spirit of enterprise
which hes marked our career for the last century
seized upon our country, it was backed by those
great and comprehensive views which left no
rational idea of doubt as to the expansion of which
legitimate trade and commerce wen; susceptible.
But the sagacity that saw the greatness and success
which was then looming in the distant future has
forsaken the haunts of our statesmen, and the ad-
vancement which we may hencefOrth expect ap
pears destined to be forced upon us bythe wisdom
of the councils of other lands. A new treaty of
trade and navigation between Great Britain and
Brazil is now indispensible, and let us hope that if
it should be entered upon even at the thirteenth
hour, that it will embrace all those points which
America has secured, and which are of such vital
importance to the capital, skill, and industry of the
British people.

EAST GLOUCESTERSIIIRE.—Mr. Holland, Liberal, and Sir
M. 11. Beach, have expressed an intention of going to the
poll. The last contest for the division was in 1834.

NOVEL IMPORTATION.-Thirty puncheons of Liverpool
whiskey have been imported into Dublin, and it is said under
3s. a gallon.

TIIE LARGEST ASSORTMENT IN TOWN OF
BOYS' and YOUTHS' CLOTHING, beautifully made,
At Wm. EARP and CO.'S, 59, and 61, LORI) STREET.
The British and North American Royal mail steam-ship
Canada sailed on Saturday from the Mersey for Boston,
with the usual mails, a large cargo, and upwards of 80
passengers.

INSTALLATION OF THE LORD BISHOP OF DERRY AND
RAPHOB.—On Monday evening the Lord Bishop of Derr7
and Raphoe arrived at the deanery, Londonderry, attended
by his chaplin, the Rev. William Edwards, and was
installed in the episcopal throne of the cathedral.

Mu. COLEMAN'S ENTERTAINMENT.—This gentleman will
repeat his wonderful " comic' mimic, vocal, and scenic en•
tertainments," in the Music Hall, Bold-street, on Monday

vening next, and during the week. The entertainment,
which is entitled " Masks and Faces," is altogether of a novel
character, and exceedingly clever and amusing. As described
in the announcement, it is graphically "illustrative of the
men and manners of the age," and having seen the enter-
tainment ourselves,_ we can with confidence state that an
evening could not be more agreeably spent.
There are at present 14 officers of the Woolwich division
of Royal Marines employed on the recruiting service in
various. parts of the country, and they have been so successful
obtainingin and sending to head-quarters a number of fine
young men that the allowance of recruits for this division
has been filled up, and they are now acquiring a knowledge
of the duties of the profession they have chosen
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