The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-08-09 00:00:00

MALTA.

We have received Malta papers al Mediterraneo and
courier-Harlequin) to the 24th of July, but they add little
to our present information of the movements of our Medi-
terranean fleet. The former journal mentions the arrival of
the Meg era steam-vessel at Malta from Gibraltar ; and adds,
that she fell in at sea with the Implacable, Powerful, and
Ganges, all of which were bound up the Mediterranean. It
is presumed that they were going to the relief of the Rodney,
Bellerophon, and. Asia, whose period of foreign service has
expired, unless, indeed, the augmentation of the French
squadron, and the aspect of affairs in the east, should lead to
the extension of our force on that station.—Standard.

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN IRELAND.

(From the Morning _Herald of Wednesday.)

Lord Brougham brought forward his motion, last night,
relative to the administration of justice in Ireland, in a
speech which occupied in delivery upwards of three hours.
The vast importance of the question to be discussed, pre-
cluded, obviously, the possibility of presenting, within a
shorter period, even a brief, outline of the facts and argu-
ments which the noble and learned lord felt himself under
the necessity of submitting to their lordships.
When we state that Lord Brougham rendered ample jus-
tice to the great cause to which he has devoted himself, we
render to his lordship but a small portion of the praise to
which he may fairly lay claim. Lord Brougham has entitled
himself to the gratitude of the country, by the masterly
exposition which he has furnished of the infinitely-varied
modes in which, during the vice-royalty of Lord Normanby,
justice was perverted throughout the length and breadth of
Ireland. This great service the noble and learned lord last
night rendered to the community almost unaided. " Alone
I did it," he is well entitled to exclaim. He fluttered the
Volscians of the treasury benches, without needing to appeal
to any supporter for assistance. His opening speech,,al-
- somewhat flat at the commencement, was complete
as a lucid statement of his case ; while his reply—a reply in
which he rebuked all the paltry misrepresentations, acid scat-
tered to the winds all the miserable sophistries, on which his
antagonists traded—may be regarded as perhaps the most
brilliant effort of Lord Brougham's intellect during the pre-
sent session. That reply occupied an hour and a half, ter-
minating at half-past three this morning. Its efficacy may
be estimated by the fact, that it reclaimed the wandering
attention of the house, and called forth signs of animation
in the listeners not often exhibited in the very commence-
ment of a debate.

Of the figure made by ministers, all that need be said, is,
that it harmonises with all their state displays. There was
the same unblushing meanness—the same helpless imbecility,
that mark their conduct, whenever they are put on their de-
fence. These wretched men are now so inured to public con-
tempt, that it has become the element in which they breathe.
They even derive in some measure their sustenance from
the unwholesome nature of the atmosphere in which they
move. They are passive under disgraces, which would have
annihilated any twenty cabinets in times past—because if
they ceased to be passive, they must be content to undergo
official annihilation. They are content to be carried un-
resistingly down the stream of public scorn. They would be
overwhelmed by the current, if they attempted to stem it.
Lord Normanby presented, last night, a spectacle, which
might have softened the hearts even of those who dispise him
most. No culprit in the pillory ever appeared less able to
struggle with his fate. No offender against the law seemed
ever, by implication, more decidedly to admit his guilt.
What, for instance, can be thought of his miserable, petti-
fogging complaint that .sufficient time for his defence had
been denied him, when that complaint is contrasted with his
allegation at another time that the subject matter of Lord
Brougham's resolutions had been discussed so often, in
former sessions, as to impart to the discussion before the
house, a character of vindictiveness? His feeble, mincing,
yet occasionally glib style was worthy of his man-milliner-
like qualifications.

Lord Melbourne knew, as usual, nothing at all about the
matter before the house. He accused Lord Brougham of
inconsistency—and moved " the previous question." Lord
Brougham's reply to the noble viscount was of the most
crushing kind.
Poor Lord Plunket, who was brought over from Dublin
specially to defend his patrons, made a miserable exhibition !
But although the talent which once belonged to the Irish
Chancellor has vanished, his cunning remains in unabated
vigour ! He hazarded, last night, sundry misrepresentations,
and did not shrink from the use of certain disingenuous in-
ferences. The effect of his whole display was contemptible !
The only ministerialist, who spoke in a manly style, was
Lord Hatherton. Lord Stuart de Decies inflicted his friend-
ship, in the shape of a superbly-silly speech upon poor Lord
Normanby ; and deeply ashamed as the ex-viceroy must have
felt of his own display, deeper by far must have been his in-
judicious eulogists harangue !
After Lord Brougham had replied in the most exquisite
manner, his lordship's resolutions were carried by a majority
of 34.

No other ministers but the present high-minded men would
hold office for an hour, after such a decision. But they—
What to them can signify the addition of another unit to the
vast sum of their disgraces ?

The oak timber, the property of the Right Hon. Lord
Wenlock, sold by auction at the White Horse inn, in York,
on Tuesday week, realised the sum of £7,735.
WHIGGERY.—On Tuesday the House of Commons met at
twelve o'clock, but, although it met on public business, only
two bills were marked in the vote paper for discussion at such
morning sitting,—namely, the " County and District Con-
stables' Bill and the " Bastardy" Bill ; consequently every-
body supposed that the other orders, &c., would be, asusual,
' discussed at the evening sitting • but instead of this course
the very first thing done was Mr. Baring presenting, on the
motion of the chancellor of the exchequer, the report of sup-
ply, which was not in the list, which, however, contained
seventy-one resolutions for grants of money, voted in the
most hurried and slovenly manner on the previous evening—
thus cutting out Joey Hume and everybody else from all op-
portunity to make any remark on the said votes. They were
all agreed to as matter of course £32,240 for Barracks in
Great Britain to be erected; £1,000,000 for the Canadas,
" consequent upon the insurrection," &c.—Herald.
TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES.-Our accounts from
Washington furnish us with the custom-house returns to the
treasury department of the United States. By these it ap-_
pears that the total value of imports during the year ending
September 30, 1838, was i i 3,717,404 dollars, being 27,000,000
less than during the year _937 and 79,000,000 less than the
year 1836. The falling ;1 of the exports had not been so
great • the total value of exports of every description from
United States, during the last year, was 108,486,616 dol-
lars, being 9,000,000 less than in 1837, and 20,000,000 less
than in 1836. The chief falling off in the imports had been
in cotton, woollen, and silk goods, linen, iron and steel, sugar
and wines. Salt was the only commodity of any importance
the imports of which had increased; in the exports the chief
falling off was in cotton, tobacco, and rice. The imports
from Great Britain and its dependencies during 1838 had
been 49,051,181 dollars, and the exports 58,843,892. The
imports were less by 37,000,000 than in 1836. In 1816 the
commercial balance was, as exhibited by the custom-house
books, nearly 22,000,000 in favour of Great Britain ; in 1838
it was nearly 10,000,000 in favour of the United States.