Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-08 00:00:00

TO CORMAPONDENTS.

Short letters are encouraged on matters of public interest.
They should be legibly written on one side of the paper only,
and contain, (in confidence) the writer's name and address.
Under no circumstances can we insert communications not
accompanied' by the author's real name and address, not
necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.

gortan TAmts

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1859

TI(E DAY'S NEWS

The private telegram received from India, inti—
mating that the European troops had acceptedl
the bounty and consented to go to China, occa-
sioned, it seems,„ great satisfaction in London,—
damped subsequently, however; by there having
been no confirmation of it in any later accounts.
These are now awaited with considerable anxiety.

Parma is beginning to exhibit some of the more
violent results of its revolutionary operations.
There has been a fatal disturbance produced by
an effort to get up• a conspiracy against the Pro-
visional Government. The author of the project,
Colonel Anviti, has paid the penalty of his life
for his temerity. Tranquillity was thereupon
restored. But it is doubtful if. it can be long
maintained.

There has been some mystery., it would seem,
as to the destination and the object of the French
Naval squadron, which lately sailed for the Me-
diterranean. It has proceeded,. we now learn,
to the African coast,.where, it is stated, the six
thousand men it has. on board will disembark,
with the view of posting themselves on the fron-
tiers of Morocco. _ .

Austria does not succeed in securing the sup-
port of Germany.. The note of the Austrian
Cabinet, on the subject,. hai been replied to, to the
effect that though. the exclusion of that empire
from the German Union is not contemplated, yet
by the defects of the Federal Cbnstitution, and
the recent sudden conclusion of peace in Italy, its
support has for the present been rendered im-
possible.
Considerable alarm has been exeited—it would
seem somewhat unnecessarily—as to the rapidly
failing health of the eminent civil engineer, Mr.
Robert Stephenson ; who, we are glad to say,
after having suffered a protracted, though not
serious indisposition, is now recovering,- although
we regret to say he is not quite convalescent, as
has been stated.

From Tarifa we learn that a gross outrage has
been committed: on three British officers belong-
ing to the garrison of Gibraltar. The officers, it
appears, were out shooting, when they were
attacked by the Moors, and after much difficulty
were compelled to escape in an open boat,
in which they were, it is said, exposed seven days
without food. One of them is said to have since
died of the injuries he sustained.
Last night a meeting was held in the Liverpool
Institute, Mount-street, for the purpose of in-
augurating an extended scheme of instruction in
the evening classes of the Institute. The meet-
ing, _which was presided over- by our respected
townsman Mr. William Brown, was a very
crowded one. The proceedings were of a highly
interesting character, and several of the ac-
knowledged public speakers of the town, includ-
ing Mr. Brown, the chairman, and Mr. T.. M.
Mackay, were present, and addressed the meeting.
We have to record the arrival of two vessels
from the United States, the Kangaroo—at Liver-
pool, with $1,570,000 of specie on freight, and
the Ocean Queen, at Southampton, with 151,250,000,
making in all nearly two millions of dollars
received fiom America in one day. The political
intelligence is unimportant, and although the San
Juan, difficulty continues to furnish an almost
unexhaustalale subject for the comments of the
American Press, yet the whole matter appears to
remain in statu quo. The equinoctial gales have
been attended with most disastrous effects in
various parts of the States, both inland and on
the sea coast, in the former serious freshets being
produced, and in the latter violent hurricanes
devastating the shipping.

WE are no advocates for the invasion of the
liberty of the subject; but it is a condition neces-
sary to the well-being of society at large, that if
it can be shown that any particular restriction of
it is advantageous to the community, such an
expedient is quite justifiable; and, as members of
society, we are bound to submit to it at once.
In fact, it is a compact which every indi-
vidual enters into with the State to. which he
belongs, that his own personal freedom should
only have that exercise which is generally con-
ducive to the whole body's welfare:. This is a
special benefit of civilization,—that the portion
of liberty which is given up, and contracted
from its normal range in the savage life, obtains
for its contraction the counterbalancing gain of
security, justice, and order. We do not object to
the display of a spirit jealous of any arbitrary
and unnecessary infringement of that great
boast and privilege of this our country—its liber-
ties. Any interference with it we would have
charily enforced ; valuing highly, as we do, the
full and free enjoyment of civil and religious
liberty—the very bulwark and independence of
our glorious Constitution. Still, we say, there are
many occasions whin not only it cannot be
avoided, but its exercise is of vital importance to
society.

We are led to these remarks, from the very
important social question involved in the report
presented to the Town Council, on Wednesday,
by Mr. CLINT, as chairman of the Health
Committee, upon a system of public lodging-
house inspection. The question was not so
much as to the desirableness, or otherwise, of
a system of superintendence ; as whether a
staff appointed by the Health Committee should
be invested with the power, or this duty should
be performed by the Police Force. We cannot
but think it perferable that a special corps should
be appointed by the Watch and Health Com-
mittees, since already the Police have sufficient
to occupy their time and attention. The num-

ber of lodging-houses are so numerous, and the
Jwners so ingerdattS In evading any rules and
regulations laid down, that it would fully employ
the energies and time of any distinct force en-
rolled for, that -particular. duty. The legitimate
labours of the constabulary force are already
overtaxed, without entrusting them with the
enforcement of sanitary, duties. It is a service
which requires great judgment and tact, being,
as it 'is, one of much delicacy, least there should
be any encroachment of that boast of which we
are so proud in England, that every English'
man's-house is his castle. Mr. Councillor EARLE,
with his usual acrimony and strong antagonistic
teMperantent, sneered at the report. Ile, in
spite of such sneers, it is much to the honour of
our town, we consider, that it was the first to
originate the basis of those reformatory measure:
which have been adopted in the metropolis, an
generally attributed to the Christian philanthropy
of Lord SHAFTtsZURY. Indeed muchhas been done
in this direction by the authorities of Liverpol'
within our own recollection. The first step Was
closing the cellars where pigs and human beings
held one habitation in common—generating
mephitic odours a low typhoid fever, fiera whil3chl
the courts and alleys were scarcely ever freci
Looking at the measure in a sanitary point
view ; as one in which the general health of the
e
public is concerned,. and therefore, as such, nu
which is:a question of the deepest importance t°
the town; there is connected with it another On:,
sideration, equally valuable,—that is, the Inc`l'
improvement of that class of individuals 11P°
whom the system of Unproved lodging-houses'i%
operate. " Cleanliness; •says an accepted
tna
"is next to, godliness." It is utterly hopeless f°
expect any- fruits to be borne by our Home
sionary efforts, and the different actions We env
ploy for the religious reformation of the humbler
classes, unless-we teach them self-respect, decenel;
and other social virtues. The separation of tbir
sexes, and the prevention. of all the members `)
the same family,—and, indeed, in many instance'
of different families—inhabiting the -
apartment, will tend, without doubt, to
up barriers, to indelicacy, which unfortunT).
the present crowded state of the humbler dwell
houses in this town has too much broken doe
We have no doubt whatever concerning as
statement made by Mr. Alderman S. HoLO,,eit
to the effect produced upon him, when he 'oe
that it was " utterly impossible to remain in on
"of such crowded- houses for more than three „
" four minutes, and he left absolutely vornitisg:e
With_such testimony as- this,. we must all reica'f
to see the members- of the Council, irrespectiv;
any political or party bias,. heartily setting
th ell
selves to the work of improving, by wise and our
digested provisions, the physical condition of°
humbler fellow townsmen.. Much as has
done,. of late years,. by the attention directed ere'
philanthropic spirits to effect this object, o'l t,
remains yet ample scope for further attentiollthe
the crying want ; and we would hail as e
chiefest good of the. onward march of this %jig
that every working, man should have a clef
comfortable, and decent habitation—as a liaPr
home for his family.

Wz. have never seen with regret the full exPre:i
sion of the views of the ultra-advanced Liber;
party. On the contrary, we have ever regard 4,
the declamations of Joint BRIGHT and his folln
• se,
ers, as contributing, to preserve our pollehe
constitution from complete destruction. of
views enunciated by the most Radical sectiO
50
that party are so extravagant, their prineiPlett
revolutionary, their reforms so sweeping'° oed
indifferent and. easy-going politicians are.rt, are
into action and_ enthusiasm : progression-le v.ses
startled into comparative moderation.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, with all the ternerit9.ll ice
the witty SYDNEY SMITH attributes to Illin'tbe
think, from what may be gathered freillcet areo fa
speech he delivered at Aberdeen, has been 5.
into comparative moderation, on the slib•/:itich
reform. After referring to the principle,.se,"
guided him in the extension of the frane".l„ jar
" when it was his good fortune to succeed
"proving the representation of the eettnti„Yo'call
his lordship proceeded to sav,—ancl LviisB
doubt to what party he points,' although f the
accepted them as allies for the overthrow "eon
late Administration, he will find theta Peisise
of a tenacity and pertinacity, from which —fe see
not be able to disengage himself,---Yet 'looo°
he is constrained to say,—" I observe, that siitsd
" those who are advocates for Parliane th°,l
" Reform, there are some who coneelvb-tsisP
" Parliamentary Reform can only be tioo 0
" when the noble frame of our Constittthou
" altered—when it no longer consists e'_joiisll
" parts which have hitherto acted so liartne'a upon"
together ; but the State shall be fours Coast"
" some principle hitherto unknown to earatiotte4,a
" tution. Now let me at once say," he c°oloYes•
" that all my humble labours have been eutione"
itistilov
" sincerely to improve our existing
But if his lordship has always been tr 'Aber'
tuated by such motives as he announces atbros,
deen, why did he frame a motion to overiltivg he
Government which was doing the veil t tnee
thus professes to approve of? Was it ion? 'f
mischievous restlessness of his thsPlionse :f
ably analysed by Mr. DISRAELI in the ose a
Commons, and by Lord DERBY in fewer tia(r
Lords ; or was it from the love e0013.r„
possession of office, that he consented tiu ?Dello
mise many of his long cherished alletaisiilo 0
declared convictions ? Much as we
.„,,e to CI,
attribute motives, we can reasonably entvss9e
other conclusion, than that Lord JOU' out
this
lend his talents and influence to ta'. th`
of the best and most loyal Admin. is'l.9,_r the l'„st
country has ever been favoured with,,.lv few slice
pose of bringing in a confederation otee' to 001,4,
Whig families, and in whose access'
s' very
he would not himself be omitted. It b. the e°le,
dent that now he does not relish ralle get,tchester 0
pact he then made with the I‘l9-1. hoPrttiv
men, who want to "go the Wll°, 3.00
JOSEPH HUME used to say. If LorufeD, .vi,ben
be,
SELL did really express what he „But 1, e,
uttered the following sentiments costicrbe
" lieve that while they (our instituti°l7: We'd— tie
" from time to time, to be imp those orroot
" rash and unwise to attempt of the guilty
' " changes which would unsettle ailaYhe any Petri,
"foundations of society,"---wilY di so dill° nit
self with men whose principles !trei sod org6id
tally opposite ? It is only radifirti„ Co <<
changes that would satisfy' BRIG':
,;11. the eof
Co.,—and this, not of one, but oi
.P short :0,
Nothing eeriwr
" foundations of society- itadical r
boulversement will content the

OCTOBER s. 183 P.

'whom the present " Motley Administration" have
I enlisted into their service.- We' hope that under
r Lord JOHN'S tutelage, .the Manchester party will
learn the lesson which he has at Aberdeen read
e to them from that admirable axiom laid down by
r Mr. HENLEY, that " change is not necessarily
e reform."

It is pretty generally known to many of our
readers, that in the EaSt a religious enthusiast
or fanatic, will infuriate himself by eating a
quantity of a powerful narcotic drug called
"bang ;" and, supposing that he is a Malay, he
Will take his crease, rush out of his, habitation,
kill and destroy everything he.meets with, indis-
criminately, whether friend or foe, until at last
he is himself overcome and restrained. This is
idiomatically called " running- a niuek." And
does not the pell-mell, helter-skelter way in
which JOHN BRIGHT attacks the institutions of

our country, represent to us a career in politics
very like that of the maddened Malay ? In his
desire to upset everything which is established,
the muck he runs" is equally alarming,—What
is there that would escape him ? _What part of this
delicate machinery of Government is there that
he has not the arrogance and self-sufficiency, not
only to alter, but to destroy, and to substitute in
its place something of his own invention ? We
lament to see Lord J. RUSSELL, a statesman not
Without some good qualities, and of whom we
.wollld not "set clown aught in malice," entangled
la the meshes of such a set of politicians as he has
Wove around himself, for the gratification of per-
-0711,4'l Pique and party triumph, and for a tenure
Power Which cannot possibly be of any long
duration.