The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

IHE HONEST NEWSPAPER

(Prom the Press ant the Public Service.)
A vast concern is constantly expressed for the libertY'of
the press, and the utmost abh.meace for its licentiousness ;
hat by the licentiousness of the press is meant every
disclosure by which any abuse is brought to light and
exposed to shame. By the liberty of the press is mean`,
only publications from which no such inconvenience is to
be apprehended. A sham approbation is employed as a
mask for real opposition to all free discussion. To write
so ill that nobody will read—to censure evils in terms
so weak that no hatred is excited against them—this is
liberty, To write boldly and well, to strike terror into
the guilty, to rouse the attention of the public to the
defence of their highest interest—this is licence. This
is the crime which is punished by timid and corrupt men
with the greatest severity they still dare to inflict.
Whoever writes or speaks in a plain, straightforward
manner is immediately hun'ed down by the cry, '• He
has gone too far." Nothing is more absurd than this
charge, which is always brought against sincerity. It is
bandied about also by the oddest people. Even Jeffrey
taunted his colleagues with it. But if every man who
attempts to do a public servic' is to be hooted at, under
the pretence that be has gone too far, perhaps some gen.
tlemen jobbers will kindly state how far a man may go
on the right road before he reaches the wrong one. Is it
when he goes too near the goal and puts their spoil in
peril ? Every hearty writer has gone too far to please
bigots and cowards. Swift, whose preception was pecu-
liarly keen, saw through this trick at once, and appealed
to public prudence for protection :
If not quite lost to common sense,
Assist your patriot in your own defence :
That stupid cant, "He went too far," despise,
And learn that to be brave is to be wise.

How can the charge of severity be avoided ? No one
will accuse Maria Edgeworth of virulence in her writings.
She was assuredly no ferocious calumniator. That
admirably balanced mind, that sweet and temperate nature,
never indulged one hateful thought. Yet the gentle
author of the moral tale gives us, in one of the best novels
we possess, a conversation well worthy of recording for
i's homely good sense : Frankly and sincerely," said
Mr. Percy, " I detest and despise the whole system of
patronage." " That's very strong," said Mr. Falconer,
and I am glad, ftir your sake, and for the sake of your
family, that nobody heard it but myself." "If the whole
world heard me, said Mr. Percy, " I should say just
the same. Strong! very strong ! lam glad of it ;
for (excuse, me, you are my relation, and we are on
terms of familiarity,) the delicate, guarded, qualifying,
trimming, mincing, pouncet-box, gentleman-usher way of
speaking truth makes no sort of impression. Truth should
always be strong, speaking or acting."

SCHOOLING FOR COSMOPOLITES.—The Manchester School
has been converted into the School of Adversity. It is to
be hoped that this change will conduce to the improve-
ment of the scholars, who in consequence of it will get
grounded in a thoroughly English education.—Punch.
THE BANK CHARTER.— A "blue blook" of 5d6 pages
was yesterday re-published, containing the minutes of
evidence taken by the secret committee of the House of
Lords in 1848, appointed to enquire into the causes or the
commercial distress which at that time prevailed, and into
the operation of the laws for regulating the issue of bank
notes payable on demand. There is an appendix containing
several documents which illustrate the subject, and there is
.-.
-SINGILARMIRTII AT DROITWICH.—An extraordinary
circumstance has occurred in this borough. A few evenings
ago a person, bearing the appearance of a gentlewoman,
arrived at the railway station, and proceeded to the Old
Cock Inn, where she desired to be accommodated wiai
lodgings. The landlady, observing that she was in an
interesting conditior," referred her to Mrs. Harris, next
door, who keeps private lodgings, and here she took up her
abode for the night. Before morning a fine boy was born.
Two days afterwards the mother stated her determination
to leave the town, saying she wanted to meet her husband
at Liverpool, and in spite of the entreaties of Mrs. Harris,
did, in fact, lease on that day, having first paid down a
a handsome sum for the maintenance of the child for tiro
months, promising within that period to return to Droit-
wich and fetch it. She represented that her name was
Pope, and that she was a married woman, though the
lodging house keeper observed that she did not wear a
wedding ring. It was afterwards ascertained that at the
railway station she took a ticket for Worcester, and not for
Liverpool. Worcestershire Chronicle.

- -
WALKER'S POSITION IN MCARAGUA.—There has been an
arrival from Nicaragua during the week. The news, as
usual, reverses the intelligence that preceded it by way of
New Orleans. It was stated that detachments of Walker's
force at Punta Arenas had ascended the San Juan, had had
a great success, taken Castillo, and recaptured some of the
seized steamers. It turns out that the expedition was a
total failure ; the river was not forced, and Castillo was
not taken. On the contrary, the attack on that fort ended
rather ignominously ; its leader, Colonel Titus, one of the
heroes of the border ruffians of Kansas, lost his head,
' blundered, finally ran away, and lost also his reputation.
His men accused him of cowardice and threatened to shoot
him; the offic-rs refused to serve under him, and Col. Lock-
ridge deprived him of his command and sent him down the
river in disgrace and drunk—a very collapsed celebrity
indeed. An English naval officer boarded the steamer on her
arrival at Punta Arenas to make some enquiries, and the
dep sed Titus grossly insulted and threatened to shoot him,
whereon a file of marines conveyed him on board the
Cossack a prisoner; but he was soon afterwards reldased
by the commanding officer. He was seen for a Space
walking about the town with a revolver, but disappeared
on board the first steamer, leaving his destination indefi
nite. There are no accounts of Walker himself, except
rumours of two attempts by him to take San Jorge, which
were repulsed. In one of them his men, worn oui by
marching, and irritated by the ill treatment they had
suffered from their officers, refused to advance; the first
time disaffection has shown itself openly, though deser-
tions have been numerous. Only a few of them fired
some shots into the place, and the attempt completely
failed.— Times' New York Correspondent.
Tsct HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY.—The stockholders of
this company are British capitalists resident in Great
Britain-239 in number, according to the list of 1847--
representing a capital of £2,000,000 sterling. The
dividends range from ten per cent upwards, and the shares
command a premium of one hundred per cent. The stock-
holders elect from their own number a board of managers
who transact their business at the Hudson's Bay House,
in London. The board buys goods and ships them to their
territory, sells the furs for which the goods are exchanged,
and superintends all other business. The actual collection
of the firs is entrusted to a class of men called partners,
and who in fact receive certain portions of the annual nett
profits of the company's business as a compensation. The
partners are of various ranks; the highest rank is that of
1 Governor-General of all the company's posts in America.
He resides at York factory, west shore of Hudson's
Bay. The second class are chief factors ; the third, chief
traders ; the fourth, traders. Below these clerks, from
whom the vacancies in the classes are filled ; these clerks,
usually younger members of Scotch, families are not
directly interested in the company's profits, but receive an
annual salary of 500 dole., besides food, clothing, and a
servant. Atter an apprenticeship of seven years they are
eligible to the tradership, factorship, and the like, that
may be vacated by death or retirement. These partners
and clerks number some twelve hundred persons scattered
over a vast extent of the country. The servants about
the posts and their journeyings are half-bred Indians and
Canadian French; these enlist for five years, at froin 350
to 400 dole. a year. The furs are collected by the Indians,
who are supposed to number 300,000. Annual council,
composed of a Governor-General, chief factors, and' chief
traders, is held at York factory. Before this body are
brought the reports of the trade of each district, proposi-
tions for new enterprises and modification of old ones ;
reports from the districts being forwarded to Loriden for
final orders. Under an Act of Parliament extending the
jurisdiction of Canadians over those territories, some
partners in the fur company hold commissions as justices
of the peace, with authority to try minor offences, and in
graver cases to arrest the culprits and send them to
Canada for trial. They also have jurisdiction in civil
suits when the amount does not exceed 1,000 dols. The
settlement on Red River, which is said to number 'about
ten or twelve thousand inhabitants—moStly half breeds
is under the government of a council, constituted under
the authority of the company's chartqr, and exercising
both judicial and legislative powers. An agricultural
colony was commenced on Vancouver's Island in 1848, but
it does not appear to have made much progress ; except at
these two points, it has not been the policy of the
Hudson's Bay Company to encourage colonisation.__
Ottawa Gasette.