Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-07-16 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK

The Royal Agricultural Society's Show this week
g, like most of the previous meetings, been a great

The attendance on the principal day was
upwards of 20,000. The show appropriated about 23
acres of the race-course at Warwick, so that, not-
withstanding the in crowd, there was no in-
convenient pressure, although more than one half of
the space was occupied by the implements, which
Were about 4000 in number. We understand that
the general impression has been extremely favorable
to the continued progress of Agricultural improve-
ment in every department of the great national inte-
rest which was there represented..

success

The consumers of cotton at Manchester, and else-
where, are extremely anxious that our Government
should accept the offer of the King of the Cannibal
Islands, to transfer to Queen Victoria the sovereignty
of the two or three hundred islands which form the
Fejee Group, on condition of his being furnished

with sufficient funds to meet a demand, made upon
him by the American Consul, in liquidation of cer-
tain American claims. This interest of our Man-
chester friends arises from the fact of these islands

The resources of the islands for that great staple
product are said ,to be immense. There are other
reasons why England should have a station in that
hemisphere ; but were cotton the only one, it would,
we think, be quite sufficient to justify the acceptance
of this Feejee Majesty's offer.

Power's Statue of the Greek Slave has just had its
value: tested in the market of art. It was sold by
auction, in London, a few days since, and brought as
much as 1,800 guineas. The purchaser was ;his Grace
the Duke of Cleveland. This statue, which is doubt-
less well known to all our readers, is considexad one

of the most celebrated works of sculpture of the day,
and if the artist, Hiiam Powers, had done nothing
else, it would, of itself, immortalise him.

The banquet to , the late Premier and his admirable
lieUtenant, at the Merchant Tailors' Hall this evening, is a
well-merited Compliment, indeed, to those excellent ex-
Ministers of State. We believe that her Majesty has been
much delighted to hear of it. And well she might ; for
never during her whole reign have the arduous duties of her
Government been so efficiently performed as they were by
the late Administration. We wish that Liverpool would
follow the example of London in this matter, as soon as Par-
liament rises.

Amidst all the squabbling in the Houge of Commons this
week about the Galway Contract Committee, we think that
Liverpool was too much forgotten. This port, from its po-
sition and its resources, has a claim to be considered in such
an affair, which appears to have been overlooked. One, at
least, of our borough members ought to have been put on the
committee. One of the members for Manchester is upon it ;
and Liverpool has quite as great an interest in the question,
although in another way.
One cannot wonder at Lord Palmerston wishing to get
Mr. Cobden out of the way, and perhaps Canada is about
as far off as he could reasonably expect to have him
transported to. But he must make up his mind to lose the
colony, if one with Mr. Cobden's ideas of government is to
have its destinies in his hands. Should the Yankees take a
fancy—which they do already indeed—to practice a little of
their annexation system in that direction, of course Governor-
General Cobden could never think of calling out her Ma-
jesty's troops to resist them—his conscience wouldn't let
him. Being one of your peace-at-any-price gentlemen, he
would never think of war, even against Yankee filibusters,
for any such purpose as that of preventing their annexing

a territory in which to carry out those political principles
he himself has so much at heart.

THE (EDIPUS OF THE ITALIAN DIFFICULTY.— _
Christian and Philanthropist must hail with joy, the cessa-
tion of war, from whatever motives it may have sprung.
Besides arousing the malevolent passions of man against
nmn, and educing the worst feelings of our nature, by the
suppression of our better sympathies, it is a retrocession in
our civilisation, and the inventive powers of this highly
cultivated age, are exercised in endeavours to discover means
for the destruction of the human race, with a Cain-like
hatred, in lieu of applying its genius for the advancement
of knowledge, useful to our common humanity, the increase
of social happiness, and commercial prosperity.
The conflict which has been raging between the Allied
Armies of Franee and Sardinia against Austria has sud-
denly and abruptly ceased. , It is but reasonable that we
should enquire, how so blessed a termination of the horrors
of war has been brought about. We might attribute the
most unselfish and magnanimous sentiments to Napoleon
111., did examination into his antecedents admit of it. In
the midst of a victorious career, an Army flushed with con-
quest, animated by a love of glory, and the admiration of its
nation, the conqueror makes advances of peace. After driving
from the plains of Lombardy ,into the famous quadilateral
fortresses on the other side of the Mincio, the Austrian
army; the self-imposed " regenerator" of Italy, without having
fulfilled his task of clearing Italy of the Austrian, from the
Alps to the Adriatic, pauses ; why has he done so, and left
his work unfinished? Is it because his victories have cost
him so much of life and treasure, that it was prudent in him
to make a compromise, or that pestilence as well as the
sword are doing fell work to his armed host ? Perhaps,
toe, he has 'his hands full at home, this loving son of the
Papal Church has aroused the jealousy of the priesthood,
and it will require all his sagacity to allay the agitation
which he has provoked by his alliance with Victor Emma-
nuel. Bourienne tells us his uncle used to say, when he
was unable to accomplish the secret purposes and schemes he
had in view, ‘! the pear is not ripe yet ;" he not only
patiently waited for its maturity, but never failed to let the
opportunity escape him when it arrived of plucking it.' It
may be, therefore, that Louis Napoleon has abruptly con-
cluded a peace only as a suspension of some scheme which
he has formed in his own mind. Ile has but taken an
instalment of some grand plan, which he has proposed to
himself. It is impossible to fathom and divine the mind
and intent of one so subtle, so unscrupulous, and so taciturn.
It was said of his uncle that he spoke sometimes, but this
man never speaks at all ; it is consequently impossible to
read, as has been well expressed by the leading journal of
the press, " what is brewing in the head of this silent man ;"
when reflecting upon his character, imitating as he studi-
ously does, with photographic exactness, the policy and
character even of his uncle, we have good grounds for being
suspicious of his apparent and assumed moderation. The
power and practice of dissimulation were great and frequent
in Buonaparte, and are so in Louis Napoleon. When
Bernadotte thought that he had removed- the dislike of the
Emperor, from the kind reception he gave him, previous to
his .departure for Sweden, related' with satisfaction to
Bourienne, the warm pressure of his hand by Napoleon.
Buonaparte, he remarked to his courtiers, that he had
treated the Prince Royal like a child, and was only sorry
"he had not sent Bernadotte to Vincennes to finish his
study of the Swedish language." This is only a parallel
in dissimulation to Louis Napoleon's professed champion;
ship of liberty. So long as the expression of the will of
the French nation, he exercises his own inflexible will and
despotism among them, it is well enough, but when
that will is extended into countries beyond his own,
he is to be :Watched and guarded against, as a person
not to be relied upon. Experience has taught us that
he tramples under foot anything that obstructs his
way to self glory and aggrandisement : oaths, treaties
solemn protestations, are all treated with supreme
contempt and unscrupulous disregard. The sohltion of the
Italian difficulties by the establishment of a confederation
(if it be perfected) without consulting other powers, is
assuming to himself the self-arrogated office of " arbiter
—".sic volo, sic jubeo" are with him convertible
do not believe that it was f

rom any love of