Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-13 00:00:00

IHE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY.

.e following is the substance of a petition to the House
of .I.mmons, alopted at the last weekly meeting of the
C ouncil of the Live pool Financial Reform Association,
' Awl ordered to be forwarded to Mr. J. C. E wart for pre-
, sentation

" That, in the opinion of the petitioners, neither mem-
bers of Parliament, nor the corn nercial, manufacturing,
and industrial classes, are generally aware of the important
consequences involved in the continuance or cessation of
the privileges of the Hudson's Bay Company. That this
Company Irtlds nearly the whole of British North America,
part in pretended virtue of a caarter from King Charles
the Second, and part by Royal License, in conformity with
a comparatively recent Act of Parliament. That the terri-
tory thus consigned a body or private individuals, con-
tains millions of acres of fer+ile ar ible land ; abounds in
mineral wealth ; is capable of producing immense quan-
tities of corn, hides, tallow, hemp, flax, and other valuable
commodities ; possesses the finest system of wa'er commu-
nication in the world; is admirably adapted for colonizt-
tion; and is endowed with all the necessary requisites for
a most extensive commerce. That the only use to which
the Hudson's Bay Company has put this vast and almost
boundless territory has been to retain it as a hunting
ground for wild beasts ; the only trade which it has carried
on—one in their skins and furs. That the charter was
void originally, inasmuch as it conveyed powers of exclu-
sive trading, of se,zing and imprisoning British subjects,
and confiscating their property, such as the Sovereign
himself does not possess; and never had the sanction of
Parliament, exc •pt during the reign of William the Third,
when it was confirmed for seven years, and no longer.
That, even if legal, the granting of such powers was con-
trary to public policy and public justce, and they ought at
once to be abolished. That the same objection applies to
the powers and privileges granted by royal license. That,
as regards both charter and license, it is probable that
family, personal, and political influences alone have in-
duced the sacrifice of the public good to private advantage,
and therefore parliament and the public have a right to
know who the shareholders are."

The prayer is for a return of the names of the share-
holders, the number of shares held by each, the amount of
the paid-up capital, and the rate per cent. of the last year's
dividend, immediately, and the adoption of such measures
as may be necessary to abolish the monopoly of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, bath char:ered and licensed, at the
earliest possible period,

THE LIVERPOOL HER ,ILD AND THE CATHOLIC
CLERGY OF THE ISLE OF MAN.

On Saturday, after the usual business had been dis-
charged at one of the po ice courts, Mr. Aspinall, barrister,
instructed by Mr. Yates, applied to the sitting magistrates,
Messrs. Bolton and Stewart, for a summons against Mr.
Ousley, the proprietor and editor of the Liverpool Herald
newspaper, on the ground that he had, in that journal
written and published in the issue of the 4th July, a false,
acandelous, &c , libel, on the catholic clergymen of the
Isle of Man. The learned counsel handed up the article
to their worships, who perused it (not a'oud) and then
expressed their readiness to grant ttie summons, but were
of opinion that the applicants should be present. Mr.
Aspinall said, Mr. Yates was instructed by the clergy,
and appeared on their behalf to make the application and
that was the usual way. Their worships, after a short
consultation granted the summons for Tuesday, (to-
morrow).