Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-20 00:00:00

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SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1857

THE DAY'S NEWS.

In the House of Lords last night the Transpor-
tation and Penal Servitude Bill was read a third
time and passed. Some discussion ensued upon
Lord Redesdale alluding to the resignation of the
Bishop of Norwich, for the purpose of directing
the attention of the House to the desirability of
making some definite arrangements for the retire-
ment of prelates. The L )rd Chancellor was of
opinion that no further legislation was at present
warted. The law was sufficient to allow a
Bishop to retire. Such retirement would of
course incapacitate him from occupying a seat in
that house, as such seat was held in virtue of the
office of Bishoprick. The matter then dropped:
In the House of Commons, a petition was pre-
sented by General Thompson, from Mr. Newell.
parliamentary agent, stating that a sum of had
been offered to High Rothwell, a witness in the
Rochdale election petition case, for the pur-
pose of inducing him to proceed to New
Orleans, out of the way. Newall and Rothwell
were both called to the bar of the House, and main-
tained the accuracy of the information. The
briber, a Mr. Peter Johnston, was ordered to
attend the bar of the House forthwith. Sir Geo.
Grey stated that tampering with witnesses of the
House of Commons was a very serious offence,
and the law was severe in such cases—the pains
and penalties being of a rather stringent character.
In reply to Mr. Hamilton, Lord Palmerston stated
that it was not in the power of the English Go-
vernment to remonstrate with the American
Executive on the bombardment of Greytown,
nor to look for indemnity, as the law of nations
would not authorise the interference. He at the
same time stigmatised the conduct of the Govern-
ment who ordered, and the officer who obeyed, such
order for the bombardment of Greytown as bar-
barous in the extreme. A long discussion followed,
in which Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Disraeli, and others,
took part. Lord Palmerston was severely
censured for his cowardly share of this
business, and Mr. Roebuck stated, that if it had
been China instead of America which had com-
mitted the outrages complained of, we should have
had the ministry calling out for vengeance on the
insulters of the English flag, Sze. Mr. Bentinek
remarked that there had for some time been a want
of determination to resent outrages committed by
the American government, and contended that that
policy was more likely to provoke hostilities than
to avert them. Lord John Russell defended the
ministry, and the subject dropped. In Committee
of Supply, a number of votes were agreed to, and
the house adjourned.

There was a large gathering of nverend and
other gentlemen at the Colleoiate Institution yes-
terday, on the occasion of the delivery of the prizes
at the close of the Midsummer e-lamination A
full report of the proceedings will be found in
another column.

At the Police Court, 3esterday, the three men
charged with the death of a seaman on the voyage
from D3naerara, to Liverpool, were committed for
trial on a charge of " Wilful Murder."
An important meeting of the association for the
supply of cotton, was held at Manchester, yester-
day. Several interesting speeches were delivered
on the occasion, including one by Lord Stanley,

M P., a full. report of which, will be found in our
columns of this morning.
To-clay, the 20th of June, her Majesty, the
Queen, will enter on the 20th year of her happy
and prosperous reign—happy and prosperous for
herself and her people, because of the progress of
the arts of peace and the extension of industry
and commerce. The anniversary is to be celebrated
however, in a way little in accord with the spirit
which has led to these results. Military reviews,
the glancing of sabres and bayonets, the roar of
cannon, and the parading of soldiery, at the great
camps, and all over the country, will mark the
day. . .

A testimonial is to be presented to Sir Joshua
Walmsley, at Leicester, on Tuesday next. A social
tea meeting will be hell in the evening, when Sir
Joshua Walmsley, Dr. Noble, J. F. Hollings, Esq ,
and the other gentlemen engaged in the presenta-
tion, will If present.

The annual motion of Mr. Berkeley on the
ballot, will be made on the 30th instant. A London
cotempory in noticing the fact, says :—Mr
P. W. Martin, M.P. for RocheSter, is engaged on the
30th to attend a performance at the Rochester
Theatre. Surely, the electors of Rochester would
be better pleased to see their representative
attending the most important division of tha
session. The hon. membr was elected, it is pre-
sumed, to represnnt the constituency of Rochester
in the House of Commons, and not in the Theatre.
Mr. E. G. Salisbury, M.P. (Chester), " will be
absent from town on the 30th." Why, the hon.
member deos not say ; but the electors of Chester
will, it is hoped, be satisfied with the reason for
their member's absence on an occasion when it is
of the utmost importance that every member
favourable to the Ballot should record his vote is
support of Mr. Berkeley's motion. -44

A fact, carrying with it consequences quite as
important and general as anything in parlia-
mentary or foreign politics is now silently pro-
gressing; to completion. We mean the harvest of
1857. '-From all the reports made the crops in
these islands promise 'to be extraordinary
abundant ; and we are happy to add that the
harvest abroad is of a similar character. The
prospect is one aplenty and contentment.
We have interesting itt elligence from the Con-
tinent this morning. It is thought that the warning
given to the Paris Siecle will probably irritate the
opposition in Paris, and produce some thousand
additional votes against the government. But it
is estitnated that the suppreasion of the Siecle at
this moment would have cost the government
100,000 votes in Paris, while the public resentment
occassioned by the warning will only be measured
by 10,000. The government has, therefore, acted
with tact and prudence. A pamphlet, by Louis
Blanc is circulating privately, in which he strongly
urges opposition candidates, who may be elected,
not to take the oath. His advice is that they
should not content themselves with a simple
refusal, but state their reasons ! That, if inter-
rup: ed, they should p'ersist; and, if threatened,
resist until they are turned out of the Chamber by
physical force Then, he says, the Government will
either prosecute them, or it will not. It will suffer
a moral check, and if it do prosecute, the people's
representatives have the glorious consolation (?) of
joining their fellow-citizens who are refugees in
London.

The Danish Government seems to hesitate
about assuming definitely the attitude of resis-
tance to the German Powers, said to be prepared
in its last Note, drawn up, but not sent. Denmark
waits to consider further of the matter ; but
letters from Copenhagen describe the feeling
there, and generally in the nation, to be one of
determined hostility to the claims of the Con-
federation.

In Sardinia the conflict between the Stato and
the Church threatens a partial revival. The cool-
ness shown at the interview between Buoncoin-
pagni, the Sardinian representative, and the Pope,
and the mutual attitude generally of the State
and the Clergy, are to form the topics of impend-
ing interpellations in the Chambers. In the
meantime the soldiers are turning the monks out
of their convents at the point of the bayonet, in
enforcement of the law, which the monks refuse to
obey.

From a statement in a Brussels paper it would
seem that Protestantism, or at least opposition to
the Roman Catholic Church, is making consi-
derable strides in Bavaria. It is part of the
reaction, more or less observable on the continent,
against the revival of inordinate ecclesiastical pre-
tensions.

Letters from St. Petersburg state that cholera,
which is never totally extinct in that capital, is
now raging violently, and that the average deaths
exceed seventy a day.
The Bank returns are again of a very favourable
character. Last night's Gazette says that the
amount of bullion in the bank coffers, on the
12th inst. was £10,909,255, against £10,290,649 the
previous week, showing an increase of £618,606.
This week's returns are above those of any week
since September last.

THE existence of Slavery is not merely a
political question, but a moral one ; it comes up
again and again, appealing to the consciences of
men ; and it must return, many a time and oft,
till it is satisfactorily disposed of--that is, till it
is settled in harmony with justice and Chris-
tianity. There is no need of referring to the
common rights of man, the cruelty of the traffic,
or the horrors of the middle passage ; every one
deplores the evil, admits its enormity, and
would be glad to see any practicable method of
getting rid of it. Probably, the planters of the
Southern States of North America would
co-operate in its removal, if any safe and effectual
means could be indicated. None are so blind as
those who will not see; and it is hard to reach,
by argument, men whose interests lie the other
way, whose chief property is locked up in this
hideous American " domestic institution." A
deputation of gentlemen has waited on the Prime
Minister to urge renewed and better devised
efforts to put down the traffic, and the system ;
and they have offered, as we think, some useful
and really feasible suggestions.

It is instructive and very encouraging to see
how, in a free country, advancing in knowledge
and civilisation, the public mind works out for
itself the solution of many problems which were
really dark and difficult. A safe and effectual
solution, we believe, will be obtained of this
most difficult question of slavery ; and it will
come through the action of good and earnest
men ; impelled by benevolence, and guided by
the light of experience. That experience shows,
that our efforts have hitherto not produced the
full results that were expected and desired. Our
blockade of the African coast, at a cost of half-a-
million a-year in money, has not put down the
Slave Trade. Low, swift-sailing craft, are built
to elude our cruisers; it is even alleged that the
strictness of our watch has aggravated the horrors
of the run across the Atlantic ; that if the Slave
Trade were open, the unfortunate negro would
suffer less in the transit. Five thousand slaves
are, on the average, imported every year
into Cuba ; and the Americans of the
South, speaking our language, quoting
our classic authors, and professing our