Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-03 00:00:00

THE NORTIitIIN TIMES, TUESDAY, MAY 3, liS§

form-of governinenitprovided by the it_AU ta- I
Colu
tution, are ta--be enumerated unity- of counsel,-
activity, decision, secrecy, despatch, and the strength;
and energy which: result from Ithesi qiialitie§ of
government, and which are often of vital ithpor-
tance, especially in cases of emergency. They are'
qualitieF, however; which-can only be relied upon in
a Cabinet±-2noe in a 'popular 'astsenibfy:: The influ-
ences of such an assembly-May frequently be very
wholesome in their operation upon the counsels, of a
Cabinet: But as regards the executive administra-
tion of. the Country's affairs,—the: determination of
its policy first, and then the direction of that policy,
more particularly in times of dispute -and distur-
bance among the Powers with Whien the country has
diplomatic relations,—there must be a Select body of
men—a Cabinet, as it is called —to whom the
administration is committed, and for_ the manner
in which so great a duty is discharged they are held
responsible to Parliament and the country.

If the House of Commons had the direction of our
foreign policy entirely to itself, —and ' some persons
desire that it should, —we should eeldom,it is to be
feared, be free from some foreign embioilment or
another. It is all very fine to prate about non-
intervention ; butt -too`many Hof 'tho4, who
do so the most loudly, -Would . never keep
us --:nut of interferences, of one sort or
another, if they had their own way. When,
for instance, we saw a popular member of the late
Parliament, like Mr. DuscdmnE, declaring, in his
place, that the Austrians must be " expelled from the

Peninsula "—that is, from their Italian possessions;
and winding up a speech, full of the fiercest spirit of
intervention, by proclaiming that, " for his own part,
:he would have:been sorry to let the discussion cose
without at all events- raising his voice in favour; of.a
mUch_ more liberal policy than the Government
seemed disposecr.to' pursue towards: the unhappy
people of' Italy,"—the conclusion to be drawn is
inevitable, .that 'this country is to take a part in
-dictating forms of government to, and forCing
liar-
ticular institutions upon, -certain of the States of
Europe,
_which would not fail to involve us in inter-
minable Continental conflicts. .

- • ,
And it deplorable to sea a similar spirit disple/yed
upon
.the hustings. In .Marylebone, fur example,
the Liberal candidates, whilst in words insisting
upon this country's neutrality in the present
European conflict, in deeds would have u.s to present
u front which would be found practically opposed to
any such position. " Austria," said ode of them,
had too, long exercised a withering, influence 'Over
Italy, and since that influence had been exercised
wrongfully and in defiance of treaty , engagements,
the power of public_ opinion_ in E 'gland should be
cast into the scale of Sardinia." The postulate itself
may, to some extent, be true; and it'is undoubtedly
reasonable and right that our syavathies should be
With Sardinia. But whin it is said on such an
occasion, and 'with immediate reference to Parlia-
inent, that "the power ofpublie opinion in England
Should be cast into the scale of Sardinia," what does
it imply but that Parliament and the Government
should take a part oa that particular. side of the
dispute ? And .when it is' considered that Sardinia
is now baing made as cat's-paw of by the two autocrats
of Russia and France, is it not to b 3 feared that
there could:be' no such " casting into the scale," to
any practical effect,.withent provoking the hostility.
of Powers with whom we are in friendly
and which alliance it is most d,tsirable should not be
broken-up P - -

It'will very much dept :1 upon' the complexion of
the new. Parliament, wlether or not we arecto be
enabled to keep out of this most criminal European
war. So far, by the care and prudence of her
Majesty's Government, we arc free from any
entanglement, either ort one side or the ether. -- How
lonrwe may-remain so must depend very much, we
say, upon the,,character of the Hmie of Commons
that is now ircproCess of election. A 3 the 8311 very
truly remarks, " we may have war forced upon us ;
but unquestionably her M-ajesty'sGovernment have
adopted every means to avert it, without in any
degree corn.prornisin; the honour or dignity of Great
Britain, or reco.now ling- to other's anything of
which they could justly camplaid. France, Austria,
and Sardinia have all baenrin fault, and it, would be
greatly to the credit of the Power that exhibited a
disposition to retrace its footsteps, and to make_ the,
first concession in favour of universal peace and
tranquillity,"--a procedure, however, which can
never be brought about through the influence of
England, unless popular members of the House of
Commons act in a different spirit from that which
has been displayed- by, such members as those for
Mar.Ylebone and Finsbury.

remarked, that " the anfOuni 'of halppinss afforded
to this-large-number of persons -rescued from
in one of its: most appalling! forms, ari to theCtla-
fives and friends to whom they have been restored,
can only be fully realised by themselves. The_
'British2:public -in general may,- however," it adds,-
" entertain a iense of the national benefit derived
from the preservation of so many shipwrecked sea-
men ; and it especially must belt souree'of satisfac-
tion to ;every philanthropic indiiridual Who ha
directly or indiiectly aided in the good work"
Now, when one considers the prevalence -of ship:,
wreeks on our, shores, arid the suffering and the
sacrifice they involve,
,the urgent necessity of such
humane exertions is strikingly seen. It is stated,
-for instance, that the number of-shipwrecks on the
coasts of the United Kingdom during _the past yeat
has been nearly the same as that of the previous
year, 1;170 in all, but they have been differently
distributed a much smaller proportion than, usual
having occurred on the East' Coast of England,
owing to the more general, prevalence of westerly
winds.. Fortunately, they have been attended,
comparatively, with little' oSs of life. The total
:number of lives saved from. shipwreck- on our -coasts
.during the past year, as stated in the Official Retirn
of the -Board of Trade,' is up wards'of fifteen. hundred.
,But it is remarked, that ".although by-these returns
-a much larger number of lives are represented as
having been saved by ordinary boats, ships' boats,
than by the life-boats, yet it must be borne in
mind. that the majority of such services have been
performed under circumstances- of little or no
danger;- whereiS. the life-boats ..are, for the most
part,- only called. into requisition when the sea is
-via heavy and the Wind too high "-for an ordinary
„boat to venture out." —The Official Return -states
'the number of lives lost during the same period is
-stated by the -reports to have been: 343. "It is
admitted," says the Report before us, " that thii
number is-still very large, but when it -is remem-;
tiered that the average loss of life fiom shipwrecks
in past years, en the coasts of the Biitish Isles, has
been-800, the result of the strenuous exertions which
:have betn made in this humane work- ,by:l the
'lnstiintion and other bodies is very gratifying, and
calls for inuch tivaikfuliess,"—and -so uuduubtedly
-it is. •

There can be no mistake, then, about such an

institution as this.

Its objects are too publicly and
indisputably those of real humanity and practical
philanthropy, to be questioned for a moment. To 'a
'maritim6 community like ours, it makes an appeal
for sympathy and support which ought to receive
,tho .most liberal and generous, response. Several
Liverpool ships have been assisted, when in great
distress and danger, by the Life-boats of this institu
flan; during the past Year. But its funds need
replenishing. - In carrying out its great .national
work still more freely and more vigorously, it has
had-to ineur, it seems, large liabilities, in the hope and
trust- of being repaid, which,-: for _the credit of the
country, and especially of its commerce' and shipping,
must not be disappointed: Most feelingly and
seesibly do the Committee -observe, that with so
sacred an object in view as the rescue of
.our fellow-;
creatures from au appalling death by ship Wreck, it
might be supposed that the National Life-boat
InstitutiOn had claims which would come home to
the

heart of -every one in this great maritime
country; Such, we. may_hope," they add, " will be
the -ease as its operations become more generally
known; aud..thaka great advantage will be the per-
manent result, not
.only from-popular sympathy, but
from general pecuniary support," —a hope in which,
-we very siticery and earnestly participate.

PLILTHCITTAKE AT QUITO : Loss OF 5,000 LIVES.---On the
-2nd March an earthquake destroyed nearly the whole city
o! Quito. - The damage is estimated at nearly thred million.
dollars, and the deaths at five thousand. Several other
small towns to the *south. of the capital have also been.
destroyed. The shock was felt in the West India Islands.

:5 D o cx. RATING.—Mr. Owen, one of the overseers of the
pariSh of Liverpool, having "addressed the Conservative
candidate for South Lancashire, on: the question of Dock
Rating, received the following reply from the Hon. A.

Egerton :----

Worsley, May 1, 1859,

Sir,--In answer to your letter of yesterday (I have not received
your previous letter), I have to say that, before pledging myself to
support or oppo:e the government bill to abolish general exemp-
tions from local rates, I wish to hear and examine what can be said
in favour of or against it. The general principle should be first
settled ; and I would, therefore, oppose the introduction of any
partial measure affecting Liverpool alone. The question in regard
to the Liverpool docks is about to be tried in a court of law, and
prior to its decision I decline to pledge myself, as the full discussion
of the case will materially assist me in forming an opinion; and I
shall endeavour,_in doing so, to consider the interests, not merely
of Liverpool, but of the whole constituency. You have my full
permission to make this letter public if you wish it.—l am yours
truly, ALGERNON EGIRTON.
To Thomas Owen, Esq.

THE MAGISTRATES, THE MAYOR, AND THE VESTRY.—In
reference to the observations made by a Magistrate, on Satur-
day, regarding the Mayor having allowed polling to take place
in the. second court, to the exclusion of the magistrates, his
Worship the Mayor said (yesterday), he received a letter on
last Monday from Mr. Haggar, the secretary to the' Select
Vestry, requesting the use of the court for the Tuesday
following. He sent the letter to the Court, to inquire if it
would be convenient that he should comply with the re-
quest. A messenger returned, and said it would. The
Town-Clerk-then •wrote a tote,
,saylig the Cduit could be
had.' - Subsequently, he was informed that a. poll had been
demanded, and that the Court would be required for that
purpose on Wednesday. He said he had no authority to
give the CoUrt, as it was for the magistrates to do that. He
complained-of the observations made by Mr. T. Rathbone, and
'thought he should have asked for some explanation before
he attacked him. Mr. Thomas, the court-keeper, said he
went with'Mr:',Tones to the Town hail, on Tuesday, to as-
certain if the Court could be given the next day for the use
of the Vestry. The -"Mayor said he had no authority to give
the Court-house,' as it belonged to the magistrates. He
(Mr. Thomas) said he did not think it would be inconve-
nient, as the magistrateS sat in the next room, and they
might stop there the next day. Mr. jones then said: Well,
we will take the Court to-morrow, and we can go, out. if the
magistrates .order us to do so. That was the whole case.,
-Mr. Wybergh said, if he had been aware of the facts men-';
tioned by Mr: Thomas, there would not have been any ob-1
servations made relative 16 the case. The subject then!
dropped. •