Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-25 00:00:00

reception

At. St. Sauveur all the young ladies

of the best families, dressed in the ancient cos-
tame of the country, came forward to present a

bouquet to-the Em-i•ress. The house prepared fox

their Majesties is the last at the southern-extremity

of St. Sauveur, anti commands a fine view of the

plain of Luz. • Pleasure grounds in the English

style stretch below the house,

The Emperor's

suite occupy a house in the neighbourhood

The King of Sardinia has been reminded of

s which are reciprocal between

sovereigns and subjects, by the presentation of a

medal from " a private society" commemorative
of his address delivered to the Piedmontese Par-
liament in January. In reply to that address the

King has expressed his adherence to the sentiments

he had previously uttered regarding his sympathy
with the " cry of grief" whiCh reached him from
every part of Italy. He further stated that the

great national cause was ever before him ; but
that difficulties impede the full realization of his

desires in that direction

Suspicion still hangs over the state of Conti-
nental arrangements. Letters from Vienna, which

ippear in the continental journals, express appre-

hensions that the difficulties which attend the
settlement of the Italian dispute, will not be
cleared away at the Zurich Conferences. On the
same authority, it is stated that the furloughs
granted to the Austrian soldiers returning from
Italy have been suspended, and that seven out of

the twelve Austrian corps d'armge are to be re

tained on a war footing

The Italian settlement appears still distant

The Pays, which is understood to represent the
feeling of the French Foreign Office, proposes the
return of the Dukes to central Italy, at any price,
even if contrary to the' will of the people.
On Tuesday the plenipotentiaries of France and

Austria, at Zurich, held a conference, which lasted

two hours.

Elsewhere, we give prominence to Mr. Lind-
say's address to his constituents at Sunderland,

and that address we also comment on. Beyond

this, however, we unhesitatingly direct attention
to it, as in some degree a sort of semi-official indi-
cation of what might have been, or still may be,
anticipated from a Conservative Government.

The ultimate fate of Dr. Smethurst, as the con-
victed culprit is generally called, appears to be
the subject of discussion, in private circles as well
as in the press. In some minds an impression
seems to exist that the last sentence of the law
will not be carried out in his case. Whether that

will be so or not it is impossible to say ; but
judging from the alleged unanimity of the jury,
the strong features of the evidence, and the pointed
remarks of the Chief Baron—the judge who tried
the case—small reason seemingly exists for be-
lieving that the life of the wretched man will be
spared.

I The strike among the members of the building

trade still continues. The masters held a meeting

on Tuesday, from which newspaper reporters

were rigorously excluded

The men have also

held meetings, and, so far as can be seen at pre-
sent, this unhappy dispute does not appear to
have made much pr ogress towards an amicable

termination.

_►--

"A DEFENCE," writes ADA

SMITH, "however,

is of much more importance than opulence. The

Act of Navigation is, perhaps, the wisest of all
the commercial regulations of England." It is

the Act which was repealed in 1849 that is thus

spoken of by this profound economist,—repealed,
indeed, with a proviso, that all other countries to

whom we throw open o

ports, should recipro-

We are nov

cate this bold and suicidal venture,
in the decade of this grand and generous ex-
periment, sf competing with the shipping of the
world, at long odds against us. Not any country

which has a carrying trade of any significance,

has yet, however,

reciprocated

pealed those restrictions, said, " I also propose to
" allow to the Queen in Council, the power

of re-imposing these restrictions, wholly or in

part, in any case in which it may be for the

" national interest that that power should be
" exercised." He had no doubt that the United
States would open up to us their coasting trade.

He was rather sangu

But Mr. BANCROFT was not perfectly willing to

throw ope

31-1 the coasting trade ire that undefined

manner wiaie

'le ha:

he House

The voyage from New York round Cape Horn

is closed against British shipping, and reserved
to the Americans as their coasting trade. The

amount of tonnage that reservation appropriates
is something like 2,796,240, and nearly two
millions and a-half of dollars. The effect of the

repeal of our Navigation Laws has tended to
increase the mercantile marine of all other

countries, and to aiminish our own. Foreign
tonnage entered inwards has increased 96 per cent.
during the last eight years, and-during the same

period British tonhage has advanced but 21 per

While British shipping h&s scarcely kept
pace with the rapid growth of our commerce, the
premium we have held out to foreign nations, to
engage in our trade, has caused an over-produc-
tion of tonnage, which has overwhelmed our
mercantile marine.

The differential duties which France, Spain,
and Portugal have imposed upon imports in Bri-
tish ships amounts to almost absolute prohibition ;

so that while we have given every advantage to
the foreigner, he has given us no equivalent. He
gets a better freight ; has less heavy dues to pay ;

he has the option of chosing

own port

Thus,

for the sake of example, we suppose two vessels to

arrive at Port Lou

g, the

Mauritius, one under thr

commander of each goes on shore to seek cargo

Sugar being scarce, 'rd freight low, the English