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

THE-BUTTER PLACE.

THE RIGHT MAN IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Ma. KELLY—to ',main tor the present in "The Butter
Place," and think no more of Parliament until the mutt Election.

BOYS' CLOTHING MADE WITH GREAT TASTE,
At LEWIS & COMPANY'S Ranelagh street.

Clje liartttni Timeo

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 1857

ITHE DAY'S NEWS.

A telegraphic despatch dated Marseilles, Friday
evening, informs us of the arrival of the Simla 's
mails from Australia in little over forty eight days.
This is a satisfactory announcement, and if the
rapidity here inaugurated continues, the commer-
cial community will not have much reason to
object to the mail contract being placed in the
bands of the present company.
Yesterday the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone paid
a visit to Liverpool, and delivered an electioneering
speech in favour of Sir Stephen Glynne, who is a
candidate for the representation of Flintshire. In
the course of his lengthened address he made a
strong attack on the financial policy of Lord
Palmerston's government, particularly as regards
the income tax and the duties on tea and sugar.
He called on the electors of Flintshire, whom he
then addressed to resist by their votes at the corn
ing election the schemes of the present Chancellor
of the Exchequer, and not to sanction the plans of
taxation which pressed so heavily on articles of
general consumption. He advocated in able and
eloquent terms, a more rigid economy in our
national expenditure, and concluded in speaking
in warm terms of Sir S. Glynne. Several questions
were put to the Right Hon. Gentleman. as to Sir
Stephen's opinions respecting the Maynootli
Grant, vote by ballot, and an extension of the
suffrage to all of which Mr. Gladstone
replied in courteous and satisfactory terms
Alderman Toulmin enquired what the opinions
of Mr. Gladstone were respecting the Liver.
pool Town Dues, to which Mr. Gladstone replied
that he was in favour of settling the affair by giving
a fair and equitable allowance for the revenue now
levied upon goods shipping.
The captains frequenting the port of Liverpool
held a meeting yesterday, in the Cotton Sales
Room, for the purpose of devising some means
to deprive the Board of Trade of the
arbitrary power which it exercises over the Mer-
cantile Marine of Great Britain. The meeting was
well attended, and everything passed off satis-
factorily.
The elections yesterday were principally that of
counties. The only one calling for attention is
Kircudbrightshire. It will be seen that Mr. Max-
well, of this town, has been defeated by thirty-
three votes—the polling being 365 for Mackie, and
332 for Maxwell.
Olt the Chester Assizes, yesterday, Smith, who
was convicted, the previous day, of the murder of
Vaughan, the Birkenhead police officer, was sen-
tenced to fourteen years' transportation; and Peter
Campbell, the second mate of the packet ship
J. L. Bogart, charged with shooting John Chrystie,
a negro on board that vessel while lying in the
Mersey, was tried, and found guilty of attempt
to do grievous bodily harm. The learned judge
passed the several severest sentence the law
allowed—transportation for the natural term of his
life.

We find it stated that a Commission is to be
issued for the purpose of enquiring into the several
dioceses of Canterbury, London, Winchester, and
Rochester. The Commissioners are to he his
Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. the Earl of
..Harrowhy, the Earl of Chichester, the Right Hon.
Spencer H. Walpole, the Right Hon. Stephen
Lushington, Travers Twiss, D.C.L , Vicar General
of the Province of Canterbury ; the Venerable
Archdeacon Sinclair, the Venerable Archdeacon
Wigram, and the Venerable Archdeacon Jones ;
Mr. Felix Knyvett, Secretary to the Archbishop,
to be Secretary to the Commission.
The Neufchatel difficulty is the most absorbing
topic of Continental politics Another sitting of
. the Conference has taken place at Paris, and it is
said all the Conference has now to contend with is
a demand by the King of Prussia of two millions
francs as cempensation for the revenues he aban-
dons, an:.-1 the repayment besides of expenses
- incurred by Prussia, on account of the recent
difficulties with Switzerland. Another version of
the affair is, that in addition to the above, Prussia
demands restitution of the property of the Church
incorporated in the year 1848 with the property of
the State; contribution by the population to the
expenses at the charge of the State; amnesty for
all political offences anterior to the events of Sep-

tember; guarantee by the State for the capital and
interest of pious establishments, hospitals, &c.,
particularly of the sum bequeathed by the Baron
de. Grury ; and suspension of all discussion rela-
tive to the conslitutiou of Neufchatel until after
111. exoirttion of ft term of six months.

Lat.e news from Vienna indicates the probability
of the nondescript state of Montenegro again
becoming what it has so often been, a peg for
diplomatists to hang a quarrel on. Austria
declares the Montenegrins to have violated her
territory, and prepares to exact renaration.
Instructions have been sent to Count Mamula,
Governor of Dalmatia, to demand the immediate
release of Lucas Radovitch, who was seized on
Austrian soil, and to insist on the punishment of
the offenders. The condition of Montenegro itselt
seems to invite ambitious interference on the part
of its neighbours.
Letters from Venice describe strong popular
manifestations in that city against Austrian rule
and in favour of Italian independence. The
authorities became so apprehensive as specially to
arm the soldiers and place cannon to command
the city. A demonstration took place at
Venice on the anniversary of the battle of
Novarro. At the theatre one of the scenes,
in which slaves burst their chains, was
received with such significant applause, that
the piece was prohibited. The ladies held boquets
composed of flowers representing the Italian
colours. The walls of Venice were covered with
placards, such as " Italy for ever," and words ex,
pressive of regard for Sardinia, its King, and Count
Cavour. The Austrian Archduke Maxmilian,
brother of the Emporor, v, ho arrived at- Venice
during this state of affairs, was received with
coldness and silence.

Turin adVices of the 30th March mention the
fact that Count Cavour sent the Austrian Ambas-
sador, Count Paar, his passports the previous day.
Count Cavour suspected that the Ambassador was
lingering there to give countenance to a belief that
he had been asked by the Sardinian Government
to remain. The situation was becoming daily more
critical and menacing.
We have Spanish news to the Ist of April
The King was slightly indisposed. It is
not true that Marshal O'Donnell intends
to publish a manifesto. The Duke of Mont-
pensier has abandoned his projected journey
abroad. Orders had been sent to continue the
fortifications at Mahon, and the funds for them
had been provided. The Espana says :It is
rumoured that the captain of an English vessel
now anchored in the Bay of Santander is dis-
tributing to youths devoid of experience, books
advocating Protestant doctrines, of which books he
has brought over a large quantity. We know not
what degree of truth there may be in this rumour ;
but we mention it in order that the authorities
may be on their guard, and redouble their vigi-
lance.

The affair of the Kangaroo whieh lately con-
veyed a body of volunteers from Constantinople to
aid the Circassians against Russia, has been com-
plicated by the discovery, that several hundred
false decorations of the order of Medjidie have
been distributed amongst amongst the Circassians
in the name of the Sultan. A letter from Con
stantinople says, that the French Ambas
sador has interfered in a friendly but not
official manner in the affair, and as he is aided by
other members of the plenipotenic body, it is
hoped that it will be satisfactorily arranged.
The Divans of the Danubian Principalities are
to meet on the 20th inst. The idea of their unity,
under an independent prince, has made great
progress.

" PEACE, retrenchment, and reform" ought to
be the motto of the ensuing Parliament. Fortu-
nately, we have now no Russian war, and even
our China and Persia skirmishes are at an end.
We have the friendship of the gallant French
people ; the Emperor NAPOLEON 111. is the
firm and honourable ally of our QUEEN ; the
Central-American difficulty may now, for the
fourth or fifth time, be considered settled ; and
President BUCHANAN is unexpectedly but wisely
gracious to England. We trust, as Lord JOHN
RUSSELL has been returned for London, and as
there is an unusual tone of moderation pervading
all parties, that the new Parliament will witness
and carry forward real and needed Reform.
May the number of such men as Sir JOHN PAR-
INGTON and Lord STANLEY increase; and this is
our worst wish for our Conservative friends. We
need many such enlightened and moderate men.
We hope we are not wrong in adding the name
of our member Mr. HORSFALL to those whom we
have called the Independent party. We entirely
approve of what the honourable gentleman said
when we heard him declare at the meeting at the
Amphitheatre, on Monday, March 15, that he
entered Parliament unpledged, and as an inde-
pendent member. Let him keep to this. We,
the Liberals, are quite satisfied; we claim Mr.
HORSFALL as being more of a Liberal than a
Conservative. We differ from him entirely on
Maynooth, the best system of public education,
and on Church matters ; but believing in the
high honour and independent purpose of Mr.
HORSFALL, we are content to agree to differ. Let
him only take for his model the Liberal-Conser-
vative Lord STANLEY, and all we can say is that
his Conservatism will look excessively like our
Radicalism.

Liverpool has now two excellent representa-
tives, both liberals. It will count for something
in the votes of the House ; and the reproach will
cease, that whereas, according to the rule of ad-
dition, one and one make two, yet according to
the divided representation of Liverpool, one and
one made nothing; algebraically, 1 minus 1 equal
to nothing.

Our clever and versatile Premier has met with
a favourable response from the country, in so
far as may be judged from the progress of the
elections hitherto. We anticipate a slight de-
crease in the county elections ; but the whole
will be before us by the beginning of next
week.' The Minister will then see how the
wind blows, and he will set himself to trim his
barque accordingly. The voyage will not be over a
sea of glass ; for, though generally the new mem-
bers approve of defending the honour of the
British flag in the China sea and in every sea,
yet this is a very different thing from uncondi-
tional confidence in Lord PALMERSTON. It is
notorious that many Conservatives will back up
Lord PALMERSTON on this one point, who will
not accord a general approval of his policy.
Mr. HORSFALL is an example of this measured
support. The Ministry must, then, as DISRAELI
expresses it, go for peace, diminished expendi-
ture, and general reform. This must ever be the
burden of our song—not men but measures
There is nothing purely evil, without some
redeeming trace, as there is no good thing under
the sun without some defect. Even Party,
which has been called the " madness of many for
has yet some incidental advan-
the gain of a few,"
tage. It stimulates a more thorough criticism,

by exposing every measure in the alembic of
opposition.
Ministers are always placed under the whole-
some check of hostile criticism. The partiality
which they t,•_i for the progeny of their own
brains is all unfelt by the opposition. And the
contest for place makes men keen-witted, if
neither very pure nor patriotic in their aspira-
tions. Even Party is not a pure and unmixed
coil, It .is undesirable, therefore, that Lord
PALMERSTON should be too strong in the new
Parliament. It might enable him to resist
Reform, if he should afterwards be so disposed.

We desire no dictator in England. With
the utmost respect for our friends across the
narrow water, we do not need even a NAPOLEON
the Third. Our people are inspired by a wise
and moderate desire for national progress. There
are no threatening signs in our domestic atmos-
phere. There is no Chartist Association
assuming to dictate; and no National Political
Union at Birmingham headed by some ATTwoop
of the day. Even the Manchester League,
having done its work, has paid the debt of nature.

The Ministers, therefore, have a useful and
hopeful career opened before them, if they will
see their duty and understand the signs of the
times. There will be no obstruction of real and
well-considered Reform from any side of the
House. Should the Government obtain a majo-
rity of fifty in the new Parliament, perhaps it
would be the best thing that could happen for
themselves and the country. This would be a
good working majority ; and the wholesome
friction of a powerful opposition will give assur-
ance that Ministers shall not be allowed to sleep,
To keep ahead of the nation, they must outbid
the most liberal of the Opposition.

IN the few days which have elapsed since the
Liverpool election, nearly all the warm and
angry feelings which accompanied the contest
have evaporated. Both parties appear tolerably
satisfied with the result. Probably no trace of
the event might have remained apparent in any
unkindly or bitter feeling at the present moment
but for a circumstance which marked it
somewhat distinctly from cotemporaneous strug-
gles. This circumstance was a charge of a very
serious nature, brought forward and firmly main-
tained against the commercial honour of one of
the candidates—a charge of a nature which, if
substantiated, must render him a questionable
representative for any constituency, and in the
peculiar position in which Liverpool at present
is placed, utterly ineligible for this Borough. It
is scarcely necessary to say that we allude to the
" bales and trusses'' accusation brought forward
against Mr. CHARLES TURNER. No lengthened
statement of the nature of that charge is needed,
where the question forms a topic of warm dis-
cussion in every circle. It amounts to this—that
for some ten years the firm of which Mr. CHAS.
TURNER was a leading partner, were in the habit
of entering for Town Dues " bales,' instead of
" trusses," thereby evading the payment of half
the current amount, and in a similar manner enter-
ing " cases" as " boxes," and obtaining a similar
result. It is further averred —and this becomes
a very painful characteristic of the case, and a
question which ought to be promptly met, and
decided one way or the other—that Messrs
SANDS, TURNE4 and Co. were in the habit of
charging their customers in the manufacturing
places the full legal amount, while, by adopting
the means we have stated, they were enabled to
deduct from the Corporation half the Dues in
each instance.

Nothing need be added to prove the serious cha-
racter of such a charge, and to shew that any gen-
man against whom it can be maintained is utterly
unfit to appear in Parliament as a representative
of Liverpool, and a champion of the right of the
Liverpool Corporation to levy those Dues which,
in his own instance, he is alleged to have for-
feited his commercial character to evade.
Those who are accustomed to the manner in
which such questions are usually dealt with, when
not absolutely under the investigation of some
qualified and recognised tribunal, will not be
surprised to find that in the discussion at pre-
sent going on every point is dealt with but
that which involves the whole subject, and every
circumlocutory plea put in except that which
would at once bring the impeachment to a defi-
nite issue. One thing, however, is certain :
either the question must be fully and fairly dealt
with, or the mind of the public must decide the
dispute for itself, according to the ordinary
perceptions of honour and honesty, by which an
accused party scarcely secures a full acquittal who
can only claim the benefit of a doubt.
Defined as well as it is possible to do so from
the mist of words clouding them around, the
points put forward in vindication of Mr. TURNER
by his apparently recognised champions are
these :—First, that this charge arose fourteen
years ago, an I has been only now revived for
electioneering purposes, Second, that it has
been already fully investigated by two competent
Committees. Third, that the gentlemen charged
denied that they had any dishonourable intent ;
and fourth, that the want of a sufficiently clear
distinction between " bales" and "trusses,"
boxes" and " cases," fully justified any slight
confusion on their part as to the precise amount
they were called upon to pay.
The first point may be very shortly disposed
of. No one is anxious to urge any charge against
the private character of Mr. TURNER. He might
have remained for ever in his capacity as a mer-
chant and private citizen, without any one feel-
ing disposed to assume the odium of reviving a
long past away and partly investigated charge.
It is no business of any one's to remind the
public that fourteen years ago somebody else was
under a passing cloud with regard to his mer-
cantile character, so long as both parties remain
in comparative obscurity. But when a gentle-
man advertises himself as a fitting representative
of a community, it is the business of every one
to see that no serious doubt rests now, or ever
did rest, upon the integrity of the candidate. It