Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-03 00:00:00

SATURIIdr, DECEMBER 2, 1859.

THE DAY'S NEWS.

The President of the Provisional Ministry at
Florence has gone to. Turin, at the call of the
King of Sardinia, in order-, it is understood, to
make the necessary arrangements regarding the
regency. This regency, however objectionable
it may be to. the French Emperor and. others, is
now to be organised and carried into effect, as
though it were intended to be permanent. And
yet it is a part of the general question, one would
suppose, with which the Congress will have to
deal, and by whom it 'will not improbably be set
aside. Possession, however, is nine points of the
law ; and the definitive arrangements which are
now in progress may, perhaps, be intended to
test that principle.
France is evidently in jeopardy of becoming
entangled in the Spanish war with Morocco.
Some of her ships having been cannonaded—or
alleged. to have been—by the forts at the entrance
of the river Tetuan, the Admiral on the station
proceeded. with four steamers to destroy the forts
which he succeeded in doing ; and the Moors, of
course, abandoned them. He has since gone to
Tangiers, to remonstrate, promising that should
justice be oktained, he willE resume the part of
neutrality. -,iniro!) mr:J ai gl'3 1.11171:i 4T, LI 0
Nothing certain appears yet' to be known as to
the appointment of the plenipotentiaries for
England at the approaching Congress. It is still
urged by the leading journal, that Lord Palmer-
ston should go himself, since his weight in Europe
is far greater than that of any other statesman,
and that, as well as being an adequate represen-
tative of British feeling upon the subject, he
would be so capable of defending the propositions
of his Government, as ;to stand a good chance of
persuading the other great Powers to
accept
It is argued, however, on the other hand, that
the Premier and his Foreign Secretary, although
they remain in London, will be able, by means of
the electric telegraph, to communicateconsttahnetml
andy
t a expeditiouslys
b i
derived by their being personally
I present at the Congress. it is still supposed that
o and thereby leer eb y with
have much of the advantage their plenipotentiaries in
Par_

Lord Cowley will be instructed to act, and that
some other diplomatist will be appointed to assist
him.
The Times appears to be perfectly satisfied with
the final disposal of Dr. Smethurst, the result of
whose trial for bigamy we' published yesterday
"After occupying for months together," it is
observed, " a position of unexampled notoriety
after having been twice- tried, twice convicted,
and once pardoned,—he retires at last from public,
view on a sentence of a year's imprisonment.
It seems, however, that he might have escaped,
even from such a comparatively insignificant
sentence as this ; for it was attempted to
be shown in evidence, upon the trial, that
the first marriage was no marriage at all'
and, consequently, did not vitiate the second.
And there was certainly a good deal to Bur
port this defence—to throw doubt upon the
lawfulness of the prisoner's marriage in the first
instance. However, there is now an end of the
whole matter in dispute. He has been tried- and
found guilty of bigamy,—for that crime alone
was he tried on this occasion, and for that alone
is he now punished. "No other matter," says the
leading journal, " could be taken into considers(
tion, and if the same impartiality is adopted by'
the public it will probably be thought that the
requirements of justice have been fairly satisfied
by the verdict and the sentence now recorded."
We have much pleasure in directing attention
to the report, given in another column; of a Meet?
inglield last night, in the school-room of Chrie_V- -
Church, Christian-street, for the purpose of ev
pressing- the sympathy of his congregation with
the Rev. Jr. W. Twist, incumbent of Christ
Church. The chair was appropriately ec"
cupied -by the Churchwarden;-a proper medino
of communication in such circumstance!,
between pastor and people. The meeting
was numerously attended, and all present
evineed an earnest desire to express- their
affection for and their sympathy with their
esteemed pastel-. An address, embodying- those
sentiments, and expressive of their attachment to
the reverend gentleman, was presented to Mr"
Twiss. Besides the address there was also pre-
sented to him a purse of money, intended to indi'
cate the belief of the donors, in the inade-
quacy pf the stipend by which the- valuable ser-
vices of their beloved pastor were considered to ber
but were not, remunerated. As a further mark
of the general, affection and esteem in which
Mr. Twigs is held, it may not be impropa
to alhide to the fact that the fine band of the
First Volunteer Rifles attended of their own
accord, and, by their musical performances, added
much to the gratification of those prqsent. Such
manifestations of gratitude, for the inestimable
services rendered. by a clergyman to his flock, are
at once pleasing and improving. The reply by
the reverend gentleman to the address was full
of right feeling, and breathed the true spirit of
one anxious and earnest in the discharge of ILL 4
duty.
The popular proceeding of the
day is still the
volunteer movement. Every locality in this
neighbourhood
,has resolved on—if it- does net
already possess a volunteer corps of some arnr--
the rifle having been first started has had, and
still continues to have, the prestige which belongs
to those earliest- in the field. Now, however, Nce
begin to organise extensive and potent artillerf
corps. La.st' night our neighbours at Walley
•
resolved, in addition to their already orgarueed
rifle corps, to form an artillery company. Sappers
and,Miners, it appears, we are to have in eV.'ient
force, by the patriotic exertions of the employes
of the Health and Water Committees, and eel":
arm of the service seems provided for in 13%
neighbourhood, except one. No step has le,
been taken of a practical character for securill;
us a cavalry contingent. Several correspondent
have advocated in our columns the propriety;
forming such a body of volunteers. All cone A
in the utility for having such a contingent, and
we cannot doubt that the desideratum w
beill
speedily: supplied.

NEVER, perhaps, was the well-known apoPhthef:
of Mrs. MALAPROP, that " comparisons are '"..,..°
ous," more signally illustrated, than at
-
" great" Financial Reform demonstration $1
Thursday night. So, odorous was the coraPariscill
with that to which it was intended to be a coax,
teraction—we mean the great Derby Baneet'b.c,
that its unhappy fragrance not only Ailed ht-gt
spacioui hall ::here the meeting took place, '-
ti
diffused raal
itself throughout our whole cow
the trumpet
that loudlywas ill i
and Everybody seemed to be affected by it. It ale
in everybody's nostrils : even. .the ppressi.i °n
it
ts. P
and
Liberal interest—even those whose weA° e
was
represent soundt
h it e
a
i
grand,—could not pretend to compare it' Ics
out betraying that odorousness which cer,,,erf
comparisons cannot but emit from the
nature of the case. " The Soiree last wg
at the Philharmonic Hall," candidly confe69e
gait
one of our Liberal contemporaries hero, "
.110'
paled in brilliancy to the .Conservative e
in sia°
quet which recently took place the 0,
building." Now-, in this " hardly paled" the
mission, we find the whole " odour" of •
1, a
comiatrison. The fact i* er
—, that not - only
"
it ",hardly pale, but it was no more fit, teeth
brilliancy or in any other high 4tutlity, t°
is
compared with the Conservative Banquet, tiliirrilhis
a farthing rushlight with the noontide eun' e;
is not a matter of opinion, but a matter of feetoor
and a matter of fact of which every man hee
judge for himself. At the DEBBY Banquet' t-003
was A phalanx of rank, and respectabilitY,
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the
."(Financial Reformers" could only muster an
assoulbiage of the most ordinary character, utterly
devoid' of those great attributes which go to con-
stitute the brilliancy of such a public
demonstration as it pretended to be. We
have seldom met with a more amusing list
°I" nobodies," than that which has been paraded
48 presenting the elite of the company on this
great " occasion. They had it is true one—just
live Lord," to blazon forth in the foremost
ranks of their galaxy of " distinguished person-
ages;" and if they had sought the peerage
through, they could scarcely, perhaps, have found
°lle who, on any personal, or other consideration
Whatever, would have added less weight, or
bestowed less honour, on such a meeting. All
this, we say, is no mere matter of opinion. We
base our statement on the broad facts of the case.
And this being so, it cannot for a moment be
pretended that the " great " demonstration, for
Which such extraordinary preparations were made
tor weeks before, has been anything but a failure,
a ibiserable failure,—a 'failure too, the miserable
nature of which appears all the more striking,
Itera the circumstance of its having been
intended to eclipse that splendid Conservative
Ilealquet which preceded, and no doubt pro-
vc)hed it.

Of the speeches at this " great" Financial
Reform demonstration, it is not necessary to say
The principal speech, of course, was that
TMr. BRIGHT, in which he elaborated the new
Itadical system of finance,—certainly in a very
4ble manner, as a special pleader in its behalf—
blsinging out all its more salient points very for-
cibly and practically, and presenting in detail,
therefore, the leading principles of the Financial
Reform Association in a manner perfectly com-
prehensible to the meanest capacity. And yet has
he utterly failed, we believe, to secure, even
among Reformers themselves, any unanimity upon
the great question in hand. The same Liberal
contemporary we have already quoted, is, upon
this part of the case, compelled to say, that
many will question alike his facts and his in-
‘`
ferences ; in some things he was certainly
Wrong, in others inconsistent." Such, we say,
Is the opinion entertained of Mr. BRIGHT'S finan-
cial schemes in a quarter where his general
Liberalism is pretty freely fallen in with. The
object, therefore, of the demonstration, must
have been a pointless one. Sure we are, that it
)vill do no harm to Conservatism, so long as its
bearing is exposed in the true light, and the people
are preserved from being imposed upon by its
Plausible fallacies.

One good, at any rate, may come out of the
failure of Thursday night. Mr. BRIGHT must
have seen with his own eyes, that it is not only
the aristocracy, and those connected with them,
that fight shy of him in his Radical and revolu-
tionary career; but that even in a great
clinmercial town like Liverpool, it is only
the second-rate portion of the community,
g it as a whole, that are disposed to
ratify themselves with his cause, and become
'4B followers in a career of revolutionary mis-
11,liet He cannot have left Liverpool, one would
;441k, with any very proud or hopeful feelings
0r he is quite shrewd enough to be able to un-
"Btand, from the general aspect of the demon-
4tration to which he was invited, and which
/vaa, no doubt, held out to him in antici-
-1/4 tion as one that would present itself
Nery different colours from those in which, in
the reality, it was seen, that as a politician, as a
Political agitator, he is held iu but very moderate
l4teein in this great commercial community. •In
411ort, the failure of Thursday night has read a
:all:table lesson, not only to Financial and other
r_eformers in general, but to Mr. JOHN BRIGHT
`4 Particular—a lesson which it is to be hoped
they will study for their own, if not also for the
iblic advantage, and the influence of which will
llot fail to tell upon the Parliament and the
tt/lintry.

?-titE is one very pleasant device in the Times'
iltillant repertoire, which is now becoming
It7engh constant use stale and threadbare.
enever a complaining or other distinctive
ranee is made to go forth from quarters iden-
ed with certain political doctrines which the
Yates sneers at, it is the trick to laugh the com-
!iltinants at once out of court as a sort of gal-
ittlized fossils who are making a feeble and
.°tesque attempt to reproduce a life which has
28' since waned for ever. Having to its own
.447.18 faction succeeded in adroitly fastening a weak
ludicrous appearance upon the complainants,
it
t, Proceeds to plentifully bespatter them with
•
I,ke pity due under certain circumstances to that
;Peetable character, the " old woman ;" and
*t.ll an offhand, airy,touch dismisses the case.
Irvuntur rise tabula. There is nothing. more
13e said.
I%l°Nv this was a pleasant enough sort of fancy,
o /41i1e it was new. Probably most of us have not
`-cted to see the protectionist resuscitated from
grave, and marched on stilts through the
eIY columns of the Times. We have often
iithed to see the graceful art with which the
w4ler has given imaginary life to his figures as
Y (lanced through all the mazes of metaphor.
ty: allnost thought we could hear the showman's
irttiVde as he made. his " pterodactyles " start
their gyrations ; or his " megatheria" burst
llto
_the full tide of their clumsy power ; or the
N4thYosauH" and " plesiosauri " take their
tlllan in imaginary waters and imaginary mud;
the
ttila mammoth toad" and " big fossil sloth"
111,11. out their crawling and climbing limbs for
hair 'unsightly and gigantic locomotion. We
e
hitivattended these interesting and fanciful ex-
-1141, 10118 with the same feelings as those which
been excited by any other " collection of

" fabulous animals"—and no others. In fact the
world itself has laughed, and passed on ; and we
doubt not can turn to the investigation of real
abuses, and the removal of improper obstacles,
with as much seriousness and goodwill as ever.
Now it is to this latter spirit of justice and
fair-dealing, among their countrymen, that those
engaged in the Shipping Interest have ventured
to appeal with some confidence, and some impor-
tunity. Nothing can be fairer than their proposi-
tion, nor more free from abject querulousness or
interested mystification, than the way they have
stated their case. True the " leading journal,"
confident that the interests of the party which is
at present strongest in the State, will impel them
to use that strength to override the claims of
justice in a certain masterly and overbearing
manner, can afford to make merry. True it is
his pleasant device, neither to strike nor hear, but
to reproduce on his antediluvian stage, the repre-
sentatives of a great national interest in the stock
character of " galvanised fossils," and bid the
world do nothing but laugh. But we think
it will turn out that the Times has chosen but an
ill occasion, and a subject of too much national
importance for the repetition of a joke very good
in its day, but ridden at last to death. And
while he mourns the wearing out of a favourite
commonplace, we believe the public are prepared
to give some serious attention to a subject which
affects not merely a class of traders, but the
interests of a whole nation.

Let us, for the sake of argument, accept the
parallel in the Times between the Shipping Inter-
est and the boot and shoe interest, or any other
interest. Surely we could not with any common
fairness or justice recommend the Legislature to
disregard the complaints of that most re-
spectable and most necessary body of trades-
men, if they found their trade impeded
and curtailed —if they found themselves
on the verge of bankruptcy, and their workmen
struggling with destitution on account of an
exorbitant duty on leather. It might be feasible
to meet these applicants with argument ; to tell
them that the duty on leather was not exorbitant,
and that their craft was clogged with no liabilities
which were not common to all branches of trade
and commerce. At least the shoemaker, well
prepared with his statistics, would know with
what reply to back up his original demand. But
if he were told that his professed ground of re-
monstrance was such that the legislature would
be going out of its proper path to recognise it as
a ground of argument, that he was not only in
no other, but did not pretend to be in any other,
position than that of a tradesman who had been
unfortunate or improvident, and was demanding
from another source the redress of his own want
of luck, or want of skill, he would most
probably think that this was the reply of
authority that did not wish to be just,
and of might which called in the aid of the
blindest falsphqod in its struggle against right.
The Shipping Interest is not unwilling to meet
the Times with arguments, nor the legislature
with facts. This is what all its desire consists
in : all that it objects to as a preliminary is, that
it should be charged with not putting forward a
case which even demands legislatorial notice,
with not complaining of the undue pressure of
burdens which the legislature has imposed, and is
solicited to remove. Argue with us that these
burdens do not exist, or that they are not undue,
or that their pressure is not the cause of our
present condition ; that their removal would not
relieve us, and ought not to be conceded if it
would—Meet us on this ground of argument, and
we admit your claim to be heard in our opposition.
But we are properly told that the mere allega-
tion of a fancied grievance, or a state of actual
depression, is not prima facie a reason for the
action of a House of Commons committee. We
admit it. But we say the Shipping Interest has
established a claim to be heard at the bar of the
Senate. First of all, the interests and safety of
'the whole nation are intimately concerned in its
prosperous or unprosperous condition. Second,
it complains of being weighted with a burden
which places it at a disadvantage, not with other
national interests, but with the foreigner. Third,
the Act which repealed the Navigation Laws
looked forward to the possibility of such a state
-of things ; and itself provided a power of redress.
They are, therefore, not out of court in praying
that it be exercised.

If anything be needed to strengthen this case,
then let one fact be borne in mind. There was
one dissentient at Tuesday's meeting among the
Shipping Interest itself, and he received his pro-
per pat upon the back from the critic of the
Times. But the latter well knew that the reason
for the pardonable though perhaps uncourteous
hostility with which the audience received Mr.
LINDSAY, was, that this advocate for the foreigner
happens to possess a very 'considerable stake in
foreign shipping !
It is a subject of congratulation to the suffer-
ing shipowner, so far as it goes, that the only
testimony of any weight or pretension brought
•igainst his claims, is that of an interested wit-
ess ; and that the fiercest criticism to which he
is exposed, is that of a buffoon.

THE SHIPPING INTEREST.

We would call the particular attention of all
who are interested, whether directly or, indirectly,
in this great Interest, to a communication that
is inserted in another column, signed " Rule
Britannia." This signature is a significant one
on such a subject. " Britannia rules the waves :"
it is by ships, therefore, that we must realise the
spirit-stirring national sentiment of Rule
Britannia." But in the present state of the
Shipping Interest, we shall soon have no ships by
which Britannia can possibly " rule the wa.‘;es.,,
Our maritime supremacy is already on the wane ;

and unless something be done to stop the down-
ward progress of that Interest, it will fall into
utter decay, if not become extinct,—foreigners
will have taken the trade entirely from us, and
Britannia will no longer have an opportunity of
" ruling the waves," and thereby fostering our
commerce, and protecting our island home. Our
correspondent, as well he may, expresses his great
surprise, that whilst meetings have been held in
other ports, no movement has yet taken place in
this the greatest port of all.
"It is true," he says, " she has spoken through
her delegates on Tuesday last; let her speak
out here at home, where every man, woman, and
child, interested in the prosperity of British
Shipping can hear." Surely it cannot be neces-
sary to use any arguments in advocacy of such a
course as this. Liverpool is almost more deeply
interested in the shipping question than any other
town in the kingdom, and ought, therefore, to
take the lead in any movement in favour of Bri-
tish Shipping. Here, as elsewhere, there is a
great deal of misapprehension on the whole sub-
ject in the public mind; and to this may be attri-
buted, perhaps, more than to anything else, the
apathy that prevails on a question of such vital
importance to the general interests of the town.
We have a Shipowners' Association : " Why," it
is well asked, " has it not moved ? What is it
for ? " We quite agree with our correspondent
that " if it does not instantly take up the matter,
let some of those who have already done good
service, and who ought to be leaders in such a
movement, only start the subject fairly, and they
will find true British feeling prevalent on it."
Let us hope that this appeal, to which we have
gladly opened our columns, will not be made in
vain to the Shipping Interest of Liverpool.

ALLEGED CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
FOUR LIVERPOOL MERCHANTS AND
THE EMPEROR OF FRANCE.

For a day or two past, rumours have been in circu-
lation to the effect that four merchants of Liverpool had
put themselves in correspondence with the Emperor
Louis Napoleon, representing, it was said, that the un-
certain policy which he is pursuing is detrimental to the
best interests of the commercial world, and in particular
to the commercial interests of Liverpool. Few people
believed the statement, although there exists an under-
current sort of averment that the appeal to his Imperial
Majesty has actually been made. Yesterday, however,
a sort of quasi publication of the original letter, and the
Imperial reply, was published in the columns of a
contemporary. At first it met with some acceptance,
albeit with much regret; but as the day wore on, the
public mind was agreeably relieved by learning that the
publication referred to was a very small and questionable
joke.

HEALTH COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS.

At the present moment few topics afford to the jour-
nalist so prolific, or a more gratifying theme for record
or remark, than the readiness with which all ranks and
professions come forward as volunteers in defence of the
unsullied honour and unstained sacredness of our shores
and people. On many occasions we have been gratified
to record the alacrity with which the general public
have come forward to promote this patriotic cause ;
and on not a few have we felt a similar grati-
fication in alluding to the formation of sectional, or
professional corps. To-day we are delighted to increase
our list of such records by announcing that under the
patriotic and judicious direction of Mr. Newlands, our
able borough engineer, the men employed under the
auspices of the Health Committee, have resolved to
form themselves into a corps of " Sappers and Miners,"
and that up to the number of four hundred they are
ready to be enrolled, and to commence drill. The
organisation of such a corps is in itself no
small matter ; but when we take into account
the fact that those men are all skilled artificers. Men
capable and accustomed to carry on excavations—to con-
struct earthwork and masonry, and, in short are already
trained to do all the kinds of work required in forming
entrenchments, raising breastworks, and other opera-
tions connected with military field processes, the impor;
tance of its organisation becomes more obvious and
greatly more assuring. The subject, we understand,
will be formally brought under the notice of the
Council, at its meeting, on Wednesday next, and
little doubt need be entertained that it will meet
with a favourable reception. This matter becomes the
more important from the very efficient and altogether
invaluable assistance rendered by Mr. Newlands to our
army in the Crimea, an assistance which elicited the
warm thanks of the commissioners appointed by Govern-
ment to inquire into the causes of disease and mortality
so destructive to the army ; it did more than this, it
must be borne in mind, it stayed the march of disease,
and drew forth the heartiest commendations of Miss
Nightingale, an authority whose juigment and justice
no one will question. We also learn with kindred feel-
ings of satisfaction—indeed with delight—that, under
the auspices of Mr. Duncan, our water engineer, the
men employed in that department of the public service
are also adopting the requisite' steps for carrying out
among themselves the organisation of a similar corps.
• _ _

PANAMA.—From the Panama Star, of the Bth ult.,
we learn that the English screw steamer Plantagenent,
from Liverpool, arrived at Aspinwall on Sunday (6th)
2 p.m. She brings news from Carthagena that Nieto
had obtained possession of Mompos. From Central
America, we are informed that heavy rains have damaged
the cochineal crops, and it is expected that the January
gathering will be very short of an average. At Costa
Rica the coffee crop is not very promising, and the
other branches of industry and produce are not
flourishing.

THE LATEST NEWS.

[BY BRITISH AND IRISH MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.]

FRANCE.
The monthly average price of wheat in France,
published in the Moniteur, shows an advance of
of a centime on the average of the preceding
months.
The French frigate Perseverante, with troops
for China, has been twice driven back to port by
bad weather.
The Dieppe boats engaged in the herring
fishery lost all their nets, valued at 200,4)00
francs, in a gale which prevailed on last Saturday.
FRENCH FUNDS.
PARIS, Dec. 2.
12.12 P.AI,---Funds open very buoyant; Rentes
at 70.60.
3.3. P.M.—The Bourse has been inanimate, and
prices have further improved; Rentes close at
70.90, an advance of y since yesterday.
ITALY.

The Piedmontese Gazette publishes the new
Electoral Law of the Lombardo-Sardinian King-
dom. The number of deputies is fixed at 260,
being about one deputy for every thirty thousand
inhabitants. An elector must be turned twenty-