Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-13 00:00:00

THE DAY'S NEWS,

The most important circumstances attending
the French Emperor's visit to Bordeaux, would
seem to be his reply to the speech of the Cardinal
Archbishop, which is noticed elsewhere. His
Majesty, it will be seen, touched upon some
delicate points, in the present position of the
Pope, both as respects his • pontifical and his
temporal power. There is no doubt that his
Majesty's remarks will produce some sensation
in the States of the Church.

There is now good reason to hope, it will be
seen, that the San Juan dispute will soon be
settled, by the two Governments concerned, in a
manner satisfactory to both. The language of
the United States Government is_ said to be fair
and honourable ; and if that of our own Govern-
ment be the same, there can be- no difficulty
whatever in the way.
There is a .probability, it appears, of the dispute
between Spain and Morocco being settled without
hostilities. The Moorish Government, at the

instance, it is understood, of our own, now shows
a desire to concede what is demanded by Spain ;
and if this is carried out, there will be an end,

we suppose, of the grievances for a redress of
which Spain was about to appeal to arms.
According to the opinion entertained on

'Change, it seems that little or nothing can be
clone in Central Italy by the revolutionary party,
for the want of funds; and if this continues to be
the case much longer, it is confidently expected
that the Emperors of France and Austria will be
able to accomplish the.original stipulations of the
treaty of Villafranca

Amid the varied and often conflicting proposals
said to be submitted in different quarters for the
settlement of the Italian dispute, it is extremely
difficult to form a definite opinion of what is
intended by those who profess the greatest
anxiety for a peaceful and satisfactory solution
of the difficulty. In this day's paper we present
to our readers a sort of semi-official announcement
of what is proposed by Austria. That this pro-
posal will not be adopted is most likely; but if
some definite proposal were propounded by each
of those Powers pretending to be interested in the
matter, some approximation to a conclusion might
be foreseen.

The liberality with which the Liverpool chari-
ties—more particularly the medical charities—
have been supported, has formed a general, and
deserved topic of enconium ; and it has therefore

been remarked among the patrons of our nume-

rolls medical instrtu.

no means, in any

degree commensurate with the requirements Of
so large and fluctuating a population as that of
Liverpool, has been provided for the relief of
females about to undergo the pains of mater-
nity, but who are unprovided with the assistances
indispensable to the exigencies of such an
event. Some considerable time since a move-
ment was commenced by the indefatigable and
benevolent secretary to our Lying-in-Institution,
for the erection of a Lying-in-Hospital. The
movement was patronised by his Worship the
Mayor, and by a numerous band of benevolent
ladies and gentlemen, and a subscription was set
on foot for the purpose of collecting funds. In addi-
tion to the subscription, however, it was determined
to open a Bazaar in St. Georges-hall, in futherance '
of the praiseworthy object. Great exertions were
made to ensure the success of this mode of appeal,
and the Bazaar was opened yesterday. The
display of fancy work of all kinds was extensive
and admirable, and the attendance of visitors
large beyond expectation. Our readers, we feel
assured will, as well as ourselves, be delighted to
learn, that the sum realised for admission and the
sale of goods was upwards of a thousand pounds.
The Bazaar will be open to-day and to-morrow ;
and, considering the excellence of its object, and
the tempting nature of the wares presented
within its precincts, we cannot doubt that the
auspicious commencement will be effectively
carried out.

Garibaldi has issued an address to his soldiers,
in which he states that the probabilities of their
being attacked are great, and the danger of colli-
sion imminent. He counsels them to be firm and

resolute in defence of the liberties of Italy

The Archbishop of Vienna has addressed a
astoral letter, to be read by all the Bishops in
is diocese, in which he urges the people to offer

up prayers for the preservation of the temporal
power transmitted to the Sovereign Pontiff and

his successors

The rumoured recall of Lord Canning from the
Governor-Generalship of India receives an autho-
rised contradiction in the Globe of last night.

WE suppose the dictum, that if the people know
their leaders they will gladly follow them, is in

a manner as true on the stage of a municipality
as of a nation. If so, it may be a. matter of con-
jecture whether the municipal electors of Liver-
pool have a happy facility in finding the desired
article, or in choosing it when offered to their
acceptance

In parliamentary elections, where
the man after one's heart is to be recognised by a

colour or a name, the mode of fixing one's choice
is easy ; though when fixed, it stands an equal
chance of being right or wrong. But it is hard

to discover the true touchstone hr the petty con-

tests of a borough : we can scarcely raise our
selves to the dignity of a choice ; and to look for

a principle or a cause at the mouth of a ward
canvasser or candidate seems often like looking

for a pearl in the gutter. There was a time
when the question of Scriptural Education in our
Corporation Schools kept alive much zeal, and
inflamed to a high degree the spirit of contention

in our local parliament. Happily that contest
has now almost faded from public memory, in the
triumph gained for the cause of Christianity and
the Bible. Much more recently, parties ranged
themselves on opposite sides with all the zeal of
political combinations, to fight out a question of
public convenience, economy, and health, and de-
cide whether wells were to be sunk through the red

sand-stone, or pipes laid on to Rivington, for the

supply of water to a thirsty and not over-cleanly
population. This, too, has been shelved by a
happy compromise, which mixes Pike water and
well-water together. So that chemists have in-
troduced to the dinner table what is of no further
interest in the laboratory, and thirsty souls have

given up smelling their water-bottles before they

drink

Now—thinking still of the Pike-water
composition of the whole Council may be said to

—the

be a compromise of this latter sort; so that out
and out politicians in another -walk, are

generally disappointed, if they expect the
article pure and unmixed in this. But what
seems strange is, that while most men proclaim
freedom from " party " in the Town Council, yet
many, and particularly our Radical contempo-

raries, are always hoping or predicting political
triumphs, and very eager to claim them where any
accident gives a chance of imparting that aspect
to a contest. The truth seems to be, that in the
Council, as among any other body of men having

regular functions, and meeting for the expression
of opinion on public affairs, there are, and must
be, two states of mind conflicting with, and
balancing each other. And as nature and educa-
tion produce these states of mind, and a man

cannot split himself into two beings, mentally or

physically, he is much the same in the provincial

as he would be in the national parliament.
Though questions of party politics, therefore, do
not directly intrude into the local legislature, yet
the terms Radical and Conservative denote states
of mind in which men treat almost all questions,
and which insensibly colour the expression of
almost all their opinions. Long, indeed, may
faction absent itself from the Town Council.
Never, we hope, will the managers of our
local interests range themselves into personal
followings, and give their votes according to

their bearing upon the fortunes of a party or the
maintenance of an organisation. Yet there must

always be many questions, and many interests,
which appeal to those mental idiosyncrasies
which political designations symbolise, and which
by their unconscious process are rejected, modi-
fied, or approved.

Our opponents are fully aware of this, and are,
in fact, cautiously infusing into municipal contests

more of a decided party-spirit every year. It must
have been a strong motive of this sort that prompted
the very strange presumption and, perhaps,
rather clever cunning, of a certain knot of party-
men in the Council, who ventured, on their own

responsibility, to make the offer of an aldermanic

week or two ago to the object of their

autocratic choice. That that choice fell upon a

gentleman whose venerable age, local munifi-

cence, and social virtues have secured the uni-
versal respect of all parties in the town, only

showed the astuteness of their political zeal,

and, at the same time

the strength of their

animosity against the candidate whom they

used such novel and violent measures to super-
sede. These men could not be contemplging

any honour or any service to the retired senator,
who had earned respect and esteem on a much

higher stage than that of a Corporation Com-
mittee-room, in dragging him fr'm his dignified
—may we not at such an age of life say, sacred ?
—leisure, into the arena of local politics and
small ambition. Their object was, under a
specious guise, to make Mr. WILLIAM BROWN a
stalking horse of faction ; and it was only what
we expected from a man of such antecedents,
when he refused the prostitution.

It becomes, therefore, a question of some im-
portance, what are our Conservative friends
about ? Let party feeling be as much as possible
scouted and discouraged in our little senate. Yet
a certain preponderating spirit has hitherto
seasoned most of its deliberations and directed
many of its decisions. The Conservative element

has been strong enough just to give a tone to

tolostgain a be
n
liari
al tone of mind supremacy to
the whole body, and to stamp a certain peal_
pt y
losf
tchhea rita catdeirc. Is
one this

advantage ready for any future accident which

may give opportunity for its development ? There
are at this time several noisy and restless spirits