The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-02-17 00:00:00

With the main provisions of the bill itself as propounded
referred to, and brought forward in extenso

be even

sy night, your readers will already have become

familiar
^; and they will readily admit that the prescription I

is one of the most heterogenous to be found among the
Whig legislation. The best that can be
the best friends of the cabinet, is, that it is

of even

comparativel

harmles

;s ; and that it is a measure of I

" progress

'—as though it were not well understood at

the present day that the cant about progress invariably I

Proceeds from those unteacbable drawlers who are them-
--the men

selves incapable of keeping pace with society

He proposed observing the English Church from three
points—her religious, political, and practical aspects • and
of self-knowledge and worldly wisdom, and been left he trusted that the result of his review would be' the
behind to make their way by the next train. deepening of their gratitude and expansion of their affec-
" Progress," indeed ! Of what progress can an age ions for such a sound and tyulv
ins
system:
tory was held as an essential element in the safe investi-
have to boast which has witnessed the worship of Mr. gation of principles and practices. And it was contended
George Hudson ; the successful delusions practised by that the history of the Church of England would best il-
Daniel O'Connell and Feargus O'Connor; the subscription lustrate her real character. The spirit of the age mani-
-wards of .Z 70,000 for the patriotism of Richard Cob-
festly gravitated towards that which was real, and scorn-
ful rected mere He claimed fr the N
the establishment of a military dictatorship in Church heaven.directheorted wisdom in the desiogn of herationa po-
-1
lity, and thorough practicability in theexecution of her
mission. The mainspring of her action might be disco-
vered in the clearness of the charter which she held.
The Word of God was the basis of her structure— -the in-
strument of her defence, and the only recognised standard
of her faith. The proof of this he produced in the " Sixth
Article." From Holy Scripture, as the only source of
infallibility, she had drawn up all her statements of doc-
trine and practice ; and because she was scriptural, she had
been successful. The admitted blemishes in the character
of some of her Reformers could not be used as an argu-
ment against herself. Peter denied, and Judas betrayed
' the Divine Founder of Our Faith. He thought he saw in
her a designed liberality in matters of comparatively ail
nor importance. She was sufficiently Catholic, and unal-
terably Protestant, in her service-book. " Holy orders"
and " Holy Baptism" were dwelt on at considerable
length ; and it was maintained that, whilst the children of
the Church of England were to be satisfied as to the au-
thority of their clergy, and their own position as Chris-
tians, she was silent on the authority of others, and signi-
ficantly general in the terms she employed in the presence
of doubt or difficulty. In the Book of Common Prayer,
the English Church stood committed to a distinct prefer-
ence for precomposed supplications. The question of
written and unwritten forms was largely entered upon,
and many examples were given of the superiority of our
mode of worship over the best specimens of what are
called " free prayers." The care of the Church of Eng-
land for the religious training of the young had been a
prominent feature in her spiritual development. She had
never withheld her protest against education made secu-
lar—so secular as to preclude her teaching and vigilance;
and although in peril of temptation by her contact with
the state, she had never been silenced in her warnings, or
won over from her allegiance to the Word of God. On
the second general statement of the question, viz. the
Church politically—the subject of her union with the
state—its advantages and dangers were referred to, and
the opinion of the lecturer was distinctly in favour of the
continuance of this bond. The tithe system was fully ex-
plained, and satisfactorily accounted for. The property of the
Establishment would, no doubt, erelong be brought into a
more productive state ; and it was a matter of thankfulness
that Reform had been in successful operation for some years.
The last portion of the lecture was devoted to a very ge-
neral retrospect of the periods in which the Church of
England had proved herself practical. Her parochial sys-
tem was of this stamp. So also she had been regarded in
times of commercial and political trouble. She had sanc-
tified the Great Exhibition of the World's Industry ; and
it was singular that, from the moment of her chief pastor's
appearance, in the attitude of prayer, in that vast struc-
ture, every fear had been removed from the minds of
those who were almost afraid to enter its portals. When
famine and plague swept over our country, the Church of
England put on sackcloth and ashes, and stood before the
altar of God, crying " Spare thy people, 0 Lord To
the rich, she was invaluable as a means of calling out
their benevolence. To the poor she was precious, as a
shelter from the house of sorrow, and the consoler of
their spirits in the prospect of death. To all—even to
those who stood apart from her—she was of great practi-
cal importance; and his end would be fully answered if
the young men of that Institution renewed from that eveti-
ing their vows and promises of undying loyalty, first to
Christ, and then to His Church. (Applause.)

who, in reality, have fallen out of rank in the advance 1

France,

sanction o

'ersal suffrage, merely

to enlarge the shadow of a great name ; a kingdom revo-

lutionized in homage to the Mac

s of Lola Montes

3eneral Tom Thum

b" exalted to the rank of a

millionaire, solely on account of his personal littleness

We have pretenders ; but the want of the day is men.
The superficial abounds on all sides of us; what we re-
quire in statemanship is solidity ; high intellect, pregnant
thought, the force, the command, the compelling power
of genius, to direct the energies of living men, in an age

of scientific discovery, of steam and electricity, to great
cial ends. Does Lord John Russell's Reform

so much as

spire to meet

y of the practical

ciety at the present moment

a genial response in any boson

iich has been stirred b

the events of Europe during the last four years ; by the

_ . .
" Irish Exodus ;" or by the deteriorated condition of
the peasantry, and, indeed, of the working and middle
classes of England and Scotland, under free trade, where

it is daily becoming more and more perceptible, to all who

are not wilfully blind—

That wealth accumulates, and men decay ?"

But the battle of the new Reform Bill has yet to be fought

Though I

ave noticed this uncalled-for measure, with

nobody appears to symp

athise, first,—as a topic of

home concernment, it will be generally conceded that the
recent attempt to assassinate the Queen of Spain has far

excelled the extension of the suffrage in public interest.
The history of the gloomy friar who sought to perpetrate
the foul crime—bringing back to us vividly the recollec-
tions, and realising our dreams of the mysterious, subtle,
and almost supernatural heroes of Mrs. Radcliffe's ro-
mances—has been sought, recorded, and read, as matter
of marvel ; as projecting the men and events of the dark
ages into the middle of the nineteenth century, and show-
ing us that, withal' our boasted philosophy, our civilisation
and " progress," we stand but on the brink of barbarism
still, if we have fully emerged from it. And then the
sudden trial and prompt execution of the culprit ! The
name mail—the very same papers—which brought the de-
tails of the atrocity, informed us that the assassin had
perished by the parole vil—had been strangled ; not on
conviction by a jury, but by sentence of an impromptu
court, assembled in the Palace, and refusing admission to
any but accusers. Feudal times could supply us with few
incidents more picturesquely savage or summary, than the
whole of these proceedings ; and thongh there can be no
doubt that nothing more than substantial justice was done
upon a criminal of the worst stamp, the narrative sounds
strangely upon our ears, as one belonging to those far-off
days and nations which teemed with monsters, and when
the vengeance of knight-errantry was applauded as a better
thing than the slower martyrdoms of law.
Next in importance to the happy escape of Queen
Isabella, come the escapades of Prince Louis Napoleon,
who is following up the imitative Imperial career which
he commenced on the 2d of December, with a vigour
which, in a better cause, and for a more laudable purpose,
would deserve praise. Having first expelled the legis-
lative corps at the point of the bayonet, as his uncle did
half a century ago, he appointed his own minions to
office; conciliated the clergy ; extinguished the liberty of
the press; erased from all public acts and monuments the
words " sovereignty of the people, liberty, equality,
fraternity ;" heaped his blandishments upon the army,
whose chiefs he loaded with honours and distinctions ;
_installed himself in the Tuileries, where he revived the
pimps and pageantry of a more than regal Court ; and
',en looked round him for a cause of quarrel among his
'ibours, in order that he might find work for the
he maintained, and be elevated on their shields
ae empire which he coveted.

SEACOMBE FERRY

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SlR,—We should feel obliged to your correcting a mistake
which has been copied by several newspapers—(under the
bead "The Ferries of the Mersey") ;—the number stated as
returned for the Seacombe Ferry being erroneously put down
at 74.290, instead of 744,646, the number returned by us exclu-
sive of contractors.—We are, Sir, your obedient servants,
JOHN AND RICHARD PARRY.

Seacombe, Feb. 16, 1852.

soldit''''
to '-

SUNDAY-SCHOOL INSTITUTE.—A lecture will be de-
livered this (Tuesday) evening, by the Rev. S. Hulme, on
" The Romish Hierarchy."

President" has pursued the old track, treading
in the ancient footprints, almost without a deviation.
Even the. latest results seem about to be developed. A
quarrel is being fastened upon Belgium by police spies
and political emissaries, who are straining every nerve to
seduce the allegiance of the people, not because King
Leopold has „meddled with France, or even damaged M.
Bonaparte's in terests, but because Belgium is within that
magic circle wh,:ch Louis XIV. claimed for France, when
be demanded from the powers of Europe the sanction of
solemn treaties to extend his sway over all the soil and
people included wit, bin the `boundaries of the Rhine, the
Alps, and the Pyrevnees." Of course, should success
attend the effort to ' annoy" Belgium, a claim will be
made to Holland, with a still greater show of reason. Was
it not the kingdom be, stowed by the Emperor Napoleon
upon his brother Louis, the father of Louis Napoleon ;
mid did not the father, when he ran away from his throne.
sceptre, wife, and family, abdicate in favour of his son ?
What more natural, than that the heir should demand a
restoration of his inheritance.

AMERICAN QUAILs.-4he first importation of American
quails this season, arrived in the mail-steamer America,
on Sunday from New York. They were consigned to Mr.
Waters. They are said to be in fine order,
COLLISION YESTERDAY.—Yesterdavevening, two small
craft, in entering the George's Dock Basin, came in con-
tact. Both vessels sustained some injury, but it was not
of any great moment.

1-16UiE ROBBERY..--OR Saturday morning last, about
day-break, the heuse of Mr. David Davis, of Cottenham-
street, was entered by thieves, and a large quantity of
wearing apparel stolen therefrom. The rogues gained
admission by " starring" a window. Davis's loss is severe,
as he is in circumstances anything but affluent.
LANDSEER'S PICTURE OF THE FORESTER'S FAMILY.
—This picture has been painted by Sir Edwin Landseer,
R.A., for the King of the Belgians, who has lent it in order
that it may be engraved for the delight of a large number
of the'community. The original, one of the most charm-
ing productions of one of the most delightful artists of the
day, is now on view at the gallery of Mr. Grundy, Church-
street, in this town, and will well compensate for a visit.
The object of the author—to pourtray an interesting scene
of highland forest life—has been carried out in a manner
which could only be excelled by life ; while the execution
is—but need we commend the skill, exquisite handling
and truth of a picture by Landseer.

The freaks of Mr. Fearglus O'Connor, " the honour.
able member for Nottingham," have created some gossip
-- the week. His week'a confinement in the House
'ction has been viewed in very different lights,
as people regard Feargus as really irresponsible
actions, through mental imbecility, or as assuming
insanity for the purpose of evading a settlement of
accounts with the " Chartist National Land Association."
geople naturally ask why his
Assuming that he is lunatic
Mends do not adopt the proper nleans to take care of him ?
On the contrary, if he is merely tatting a part, it is cer-
tainly a cheap exchange for the cootributions of a multi-
tude of unfortunate dupes, to sustairf sereu days impri-
sonment, and escape the responsibility attaching to cog-
nisable offences under the statutes of the realm. From
some incidents in Feaigus's "prison experi,lnce," I should
feel inclined to attribute to real insanity the strange con-
duct which has astonished the public. He has refused to
take the ordinary food provided for him ; though by no
=eons conformable to the gaol dietary ; but when, for
breakfast, coffee, tea, cocoa, &c.,_ were tendered to him,
he tizimandod cold meat and brandy and water. His per-
sonal ap;searance, too, has undergone a marked change.
Instead of :11e florid complexion for which the once burly
Chartist leader wasremarkable, he is now pale, sallow,
and haggard. Hi: eye is restless and wandering; and his
every motion indicaL..
,be that disturbance of the system
which i 3 one of the mosprominent characteristics of a

f Correct

accord

c,
THE SCREW STEAMER ARABIAN.—The following letter
has been received by Messrs. Henry, Dixon, and Co.,
of this town :

" GENTLEMEN,—Bring a passenger by your screw steamer
Arabian for Constantinople, I have much pleasure in announcing
to you our arrival here, after a passage of nine days and nine
hours, from the Bell Buoy, Greenwich time. We passed the
Rock of Gibraltar in five days and ten hours, which is, I
believe, one of the fastest passages, if not the fastest passage
on record. Knowing that it has not been accomplished under
any peculiarly favourable circumstances of wind and weather,
I cannot but express my admiration of the Arabian's excellent
qualities as a sea-boat. I would also add my conviction, that
for speed and comfort she is unsurpassed by any screw steamer
afloat. With vessels of such competency, I have no doubt the
I voyage to Constantinople will be reduced. on the average, to
fourteen days, including the usual time for stopping at Malta
wishing you the success your spirited
1 am, gentlemen, your obedient
enterprise SpYrirse—Heartily
l y
deserves,
se"Malta,rt "Joust SOPER, Jun.
.6th Feb., 1852.
"P.S.—we started from the Bell Buoy in cot:many with the
beautiful screw ogeainers Frankfort and Orontes, lint in a few
hours left them nitoy
miles astern. I leave you to make
whit use you may thJIA
proper of this communication.
"J. .9."