Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-26 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Tns MACNAUWIT C-mtritovaasv —"Te have several communications
upon this sli,js3t w:iich we are ob!iged to hod over until Monday.
Correspondents are recvested to write on one side on!y of the
paper.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1837.

THE' DAY'S NEWS.

We publish to-lay further despatches from India
It would appear by our.advices that Lucknow was
taken on the 17th of November. Sir Cohn Camp-
bell and trii3 forces had been fighting from the 12th
The British crossed the Canal on the 16. h, end
early on the 17th a communication was opened
with the distress,ad garrison. Five officers were
killed, and 31 wounded, amongst whom was Sir
Colin Campbell, but not so severe as to " interfere
with doing his duty." The Gwalior reels had
retired to Calpee. From Delhi there is an important
announcement. Some twenty-four inferior members
of the Royal Family, and Zeokeen Abdoolah, an in-
fluential rebel chief, had been executed. At an
encounter near Delhi, the British had completely
routed the rebels, but we regret to state that Gen.
Gerard was killed on the occasion. The mutiny
was spreading to several minor presidencies, but,
on the whole, we may congratulate ourselves ou the
satisfactory tenor of the news by this extra mail.
The chief event of importance this week we
announce to-day. The Bank of England Directors
have reduced their rate of discount from 10 to
8 per cent. This must have a most favourable
and important influence on the business
transactions of the United Kingdom. The
Directors of the Bank have cancelled
the two millions of notes issued under the
authority of the government letter, with the
exception of 200,0001. The returns of the Bank as
published in the Gazette must be received with the
most lively satisfaction. The Bullion in the Bank
is approximating to eleven millions sterling, and
there is a reserve of notes of nearly seven millions
and a half; Government securities have increased
46,5261., and Other securities have declined
1,176,564.
The meeting of the Dock Committee on
Thursday was not of niuch importance It was
announced that the sub-committee approinted to
investigate the letter from the Customs respecting
measurement of breadstuffs in Liverpool, had come
to the conclusion that it was not their province to
appoint " sworn meters." Mr. Hubback, corn
broker, though not satisfied with the manner in
which corn and other cereals were measured in
Liverpool, acquiesced in the decision of the Sub-
Committee. He is evidently of opinion that the
Government ought to make such an appointment.
Messrs. George Booker and Co. complained of the
inadequacy of dock accommodation for the timber
trade of the port. They had been obliged to
order one of their vessels into the Huskisson dock,
entirely out, of the way for that business, and they
intimated that in future, unless something was
done, they would be obliged to send their timber
vessels to another pert.
At the meeting of the Health C Jeamittee this
week, the case of alleged neglect of the parish
officials to inter the body of a pauper, which body
through such neglect lay for nine days in
the house, and when it was interred it was
in a state of decomposition, was discussed.
There is something wrong in some quarter, and
we would draw cur readers attention to the corres-
pondence which has taken place in reference
thereto. The health of the town continues about
the average. The deaths last week were 268.
At the Police Court, on Thursday, Alexander
Grey, said to be a sea captain, was sent to gaol for
three months for stealing some I'7o- He pleaded
guilty, but said he did not know what he was doing
at the time he committed the robbery.
The trade and navigation accounts for the month
of November, and the eleven months of the present
year ended 30th November, has been issued. The
declared value of the expo is of the United King-
dom for November was 8,285,8151., being less by
two millions than those of November, 1856, and by
half a million than those of the same month of
1855. On the whole eleven months of the present Such suggestions carry their own condemnation
year, however, the exports amount to 115,007,1961., with them, and can never, therefore, become a
being an excess of upwards of nine millions over
the same period of 1856, and of upwards of twenty-
part of our Indian policy. The folly and
eight millions over 1855. The shipping returns iniquity of their authors require, nevertheless'
nearly correspond.
We regret to announce that Mr. Archibald Pren- to be watched and exposed ; and, having
tine, of Manchester, died on Thursday. He was a discharged this latter portion of our duty, we
well known political man--tine of the originators
would direct the earnest attention of our readers
of the Corn Law League, a journalist. and a temper-
ance advocate. A Loudon paper says that "ho to the proposed dissolution of the East India
Company. That a divided sovereir,T ty and a
was the most honest Reformer which thin century
has produced. The language of eulogy cannot do
justice either to his public usefulness or his private division of supreme control, are dangerous
worth."
anomalies cannot be denied. In the present
No doubt our readers will remember the case of
Thomas Pooley, a weak-minded, harmless person, instance, they have plunged us into all the
who was sentenced at the Bodmin summer assizes inhuman horrors of a war of extermination.
to 21 months' imprisonment for the alleged offence
T
of blasphemy. The conviction and sentence were they have revived in our army the worst phases
generally considered to be very oppressive, and of our buccaneer wars; and that these should
that, it seems, is the view which Sir George Grey
has taken of the matter, for he has advised the have been forced on an army who have always
Crown to grant Pooley a free pardon. been renowned for valour and daring, which
Our Birmingham friends have been holdin
fog a
meeting for the purpose of establishing a,t Rerm have out-rivalled the wildest romances of chivalry
Union." The meeting was adjourned. —to tarnish the brilliancy of our career of
There is very little news from abroad. We have
conquest, by bringing on us such bitter
somewhat more detailed reports of the earthquake
in Naples, which we find in the official newspaper. national humiliation, can never be too deeply
A very great number of human lives have been lost,
lamented ; and, in reorganising our Indian
and the full extent of the calamity was not known
at Naples when the steamer left. It would seem government and army, care must be taken
as if the earthquake was not so much in connection by the English people, that both these elements
with Vesuvius as with Etna, or perhaps with the
cluster of volcanoes in the little islands north of ; of future greatness in the far East, are thoroughly

When contrasting the military qualities of the
Sikhs with the Sepoys, he says :—" In their
"homes they are quite an agricultural race, by

'no means predatory, and they submit well to

" discipline, while they have enough of casual
" drunkenness and disorder to give discipline a
hold on them." This is the first time we have
heard that drunkenness and disorder are proper
agents of civilisation and religion. The mer-

cenary troops belonging to the Nizam have

however, still stronger recommendation, in the

opinion of this refined specimen of British-
Indian purirty. When speaking of these

ncorrigible scoundrels, he says :—'

" Turbulen

" as the foreigners now are, they would, probably

" under us, with regular pay and regular strict
" discipline, make admirable troops, ready to cut
" the throats of any number of natives, whenever

" required ; while, I fancy, that their numbers
" are not sufficient to render them dangerous to
"the empire when enlisted for general service."
Such are the materials which are strongly

recommended to form " the nucleus of the
partisans "of our future rule in India ! We

are engaged in the desperate work of annihilating
an army in which all the worst traits of a savage
race have lain dormant for a century ; and is it
possible that we can think of entrusting the
future destinies of our Asiatic Empire to troops

whose sole recommendation is their natural love

of drunkenness, disorder, and cutting the throats

of natives ?