The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-09-06 00:00:00

POPERY AND THE IRISH CORPORATIONS.

TO THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR, THE MEMBERS
OF THE CORPORATION, THE FREEMEN OF THE CITY OF
DUBLIN, AND ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
LETTER 11.
My Lord Mayor and Brethren,—lt is an amusing thing to
hear Mr. O'Connell talk of liberty. In one of his late let-
ters I think he spoke of Englishmen being slaves, because
only one in a hundred of them, or so, possessed the elective
franchise. Would the learned gentleman be so kind as to
state what popish countries they are in which the people have
any franchise at all—any parliament or any constitution,
derived from popery, as ours are, confessedly, derived from
protestantism ? lam reminded, through the learned gen-
tleman, of old Andrew Fuller. He used to express very
loudly his indignation againit the infidel philosophers of his
day, who were in the habit of composing elaborate systems
of what they called natural religion, treating of the unity of
God, the nature of spirits, the character and moral duties of
mankind, all derived, as they said, from the mere exercise
of reason, without any assistance from Scripture. " These
fellows," observed the worthy divine, " imbibing the popular
sentiments, grow fat upon the pastures of Revelation, and
then ignorantly and proudly attribute their increase to reason
and philosophy." Just so it is with our papists. They
breathe our protestant atmosphere—they imbibe the spirit
of our constitutional liberty—that liberty which has sprung
from our protestant principles ; that glory in a state of
mind as native to their system, which is absolutely foreign
from it, and truly protestant in its origin—and they then
taunt us with not being free ourselves, and use the very
liberty which they derive from us to build up that popery
that would crush both us and them. I verily believe that
Mr. O'Connell does not himself perceive that the success
of his measures and the progress of his principles would
lead to the total overthrow of liberty amongst us. 'We, who
are freemen " whom the truth makes free," know better.
Therefore, amongst other reasons, it is that we oppose him.
Freedom is the birthright of protestants—and that because
their principles are self-governing principles—principles
which at once teach duty, and dispose to the fulfilment of it,
which, making every individual run as a freeman in the way
of wisdom, render the acts of a community composed of
such freemen wise and holy. Britain is free, because she is
protestant. Our press is !ree, because there is nothing to
be feared from its liberty. Inquiry is free, because it can
only lead to faith. Infidels, heretics, and papists are free,
because we know that truth must triumph in spite of them.
Whereas, the very nature of popery renders slavery essen-
tial to it. Now, do we desire to preserve our liberties, and
the manifold advantages that have flowed from them—the
glory, the power, the opportunities for blessing the whole
world that this protestant empire possesses ? If we do we
must bestir ourselves, for they are in jeopardy at this present
moment.
But allow me to bring the subject before you under two
heads. I shall speak
I. 'OF OUR DANGERS.

IL I WILL POINT OUT THEIR REMEDY, AND
SHOW ITS PRACTICABILITY.
I. Then for our dangers. All who are acquainted with
Scripture will admit that it reveals to us that the welfare of
nations, and more particularly of such as profess to serve
God, is made to depend upon the obedience that they render
to the Divine will. "If they will not obey, I will utterly
pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the Lord."—Jer.
xii. 17. The whole course of scriptural history illultrates
this threat.
We there find the people of Israel raised up and preserved
for our instruction. Their history is given to us by the
Holy Ghost himself, and that history shows us that when-
ever they fell away from God they were visited with calamity,
disaster, and overthrow.
It has been well and wisely remarked by that distinguished
ornament of our times, the great Doctor Croly, that
" THERE IS NO DAY OF JUDGMENT FOR NA-
TIONS." Nations, as such, receive their behests here :
" The Lord shall send
.upon thee cursing, vexation, and re-
buke, in all that then settest thine hand unto for to do, until
thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly ; because of
the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken
me."—Deut. xxviii., 20. Here is the universal and awful
result of national declension from God.
And, indeed, this is the result which, in the natural course
of things, must follow. The wisdom of God has so con-
structed society as that the ordinary working of cause and
effect accomplishes the astonishing denunciations of His re-
vealed word.
Ungodliness gives rise to vice, wickedness and practical
iniquity. These weaken, distract, and overthrow commu-
nities.

1. Remember that the protestant doctrine is, that a man
is not the author of his own good works. We account good
works to be the gift of God. This is the doctrine of Scrip-
ture itself. "It is not in man that walketh to direct his
steps."—Jer. x., 23. " Every good gift and every perfect
gift cometh down from on high."—James i., 17. We hold,
that if God withdraw his grace from us, we are liable to
plunge into all the depths of crime.
2. What is it in Christian nations that keeps the wicked
in awe—that makes them tremble at the violation of just
laws ? It is the terrors of the Almighty whom they know
not—the pressure of his invisible arm. "It is God," said
David, "who subdueth my people under me."—Psalm,
cxliv., 2. Let God in wrath withdraw his terrors from the
wicked, and the immediate sesult will be rebellions, insur-
rections, and popular commotions. Look at Israel under
Solomon—all was peace, all tranquility, so long as he served
the Lord ; but he abandoned his service, " and the Lord was
angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the
Lord God of Israel, and the Lord STIRRED UP AN AD-
VERSARY unto Solomon, Hadad, the Edomite—and the
Lord stirred him up ANOTHER ADVERSARY, Re-
zon, the son of Eliadah." Mark ! these were a couple of
agitators—they were the agitators of the day—the O'Con-
nell's, O'Conners, O'Briens (all great O's) and the Ste-
phenses of earlier times—" there is nothing new under the
sun"—they were agitators—" gathering men unto them,"
and baffling even the wisdom of Solomon in his endeavours
to crush them, and, lest these should not be sufficient to dis-
tract and disturb the country, a third, more able than either,
is added to them—" Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, whose mo-
ther's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up
his hand, against the King—"—l Kings, xi., 8, 9,14, 23, 26.
And what was the result of all this? Why the result was,
that in a short time the kingdom of Israel, from having been
the most powerful in the then world, rent, torn, convulsed,
the prey of the surrounding states, became as contemptible
as it had previously been exalted in glory.
Ab, my brethren, we must " become fools that we may be
wise." I tell you, that until our drivelling statesmen come
like little children to their Bibles for wisdom, we need ex-
pect nothing but wretchedness and calamity in the land.
Does not this unerring word of truth that I have brought be-
fore you, picture out to you the state of things in Britain at
the present day ?
We have, in the heart of the empire, tumult and confu-
sion ; Ireland in such a state that it may he expected to ex-
plode at any moment, while the enemy stands ready to de-
vour us in distant places. And, give me leave to ask you, is
it any wonder that things should be thus, that Great Britain
should be rent to pieces with dissensions ? No ; the wonder
would be if it were otherwise.
The legislature acts on the principles of infidelity. They
declare that they are not to be guided by religious principle
in deli- decisions—that religion has nothing to do with civil
polity—that religion, in fact, is not to enter into the consi-
deration of civil questions. Now, I beg to ask if our law-
givers are warranted in disregarding the a ord of God in their
dealings with the people, why should not the people be war-
ranted in disregarding the same word in their dealings with
their lawgivers and such like?
The word of God says (to take one case out of many] that
rulers " are set for the praise of them that do well ;" 1 Peter
ii. 14. That is to say, for the promotion of them that do
well; but our rulers trample that holy word beneath their
feet, and treat it with contempt.
ACCORDING TO LAW, mind that, O'Loghlen, Ball,
and the rest of you! according to law—
The Attorney-General of Ireland is an IDOLATER.
The Master of the Rolls is an IDOLATER.
The Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer is an IDOLA-
TER.
The Fourth Justice of the Court of Common Pleas is an
IDOLATER.
The Chief Remembrancer is an IDOLATER.
One of the Chief Commissioners of Police is an IDOLA-
TER.
The Assistant Barrister for Louth is an IDOLATER.
The Assistant Barrister for Kilkenny is an IDOLATER.
The Assistant Barrister for Tipperary is an IDOLATER.
The Assistant Barrister for the King's County is an IDO-
LATER.
But in fact it would be impossible, within the limits of a
moderate publication, to enumerate the many cases of those
whom the LAW OF THE LAND brands as guilty of
" abominable idolatry," " detestable idolatry," " damnable
idolatry," and yet who are elevated to posts of eminence,
honour, and authority amongst us. Now I ask, if our go-
vernment thus sets at defiance the total word and will of
God, how can they find fault with the commonalty in Eng-
land who by rebellion, bloodshed, and pillage, do nothing
worse ? Oh, but then to commit these outrages is a viola-
tion of the laws of man as well! But what right has one
man to impose laws upon another ?—if he do not derive it
from the word of God, he must derive it from brute force.
Now if the law-giver impose laws upon me simply by the
right of force, I am warranted by his own principles in tram-
pling his laws beneath my feet the moment force enables me
so to do.
It is demonstrable that the state is constituted upon prin-
ciples at the present day which actually warrant the perpe-
tration of robbery, murder, adultery, rebellion, and every
other enormity.
I very little wonder, then, at the condition of things in
England : they are precisely in keeping with the principles
that are publicly acted on—professed and gloried in by our
rulers. The socialists—that is the followers of Robert Owen
—have established themselves in most of the great towns
there—Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham, and
London itself. They openly laugh the Bible to scorn. They
have assemblies on Sundays, in which they dance, sing, and
amuse themselves. They propagate their pernicious senti-
ments without disguise, and without apprehension. Is it
any wonder, under these circumstances, that crime should
abound—that chartism should be rampant and audacious—
that the foundations of liberty and property should be sha-
ken ?
But in what respect are the Owenites worse than the le-
gislature itself ? The legislature says, "We disregard reli-
gion in our conduct. It makes no matter to us what any
man is—Jew, papist, Turk, or atheist ; we esteem all alike.'
The Owenites say just the same thing. Mark, then. The
principles of the state at the present day are calculated to
demoralise the people, and if so, as before proved, necessa-
rily to destroy the country. Some one will, however, object,
and say, " These are merely your own private opinions—this
is simply your own private judgment as to the interpretation
of the Scripture."
Hear, then, the voice of the Church of England—our holy
catholic and apostolic church—the true glory and bulwark
of the land ; hear her voice, as spoken forth in her Homilies
—her admirable Homilies—which, by the way, thanks be to
God for it, are part and parcel of THE LAW. Thus, then,
speaketh the church :
" The evangelical prophet Isaiah, agreeing, with Christ's
parable, doth teach us, saying, ' That God made a goodly
vineyard for his beloved children ;'—lsaiah v.—` he hedged
it, he walled it round about, he planted it with chosen vines,
and made a turret in the midst thereof, and therein also a
wine-press. And when he looked that it should bring forth
good grapes, it brought forth wild grapes.' And after it fol-
loweth—` Now shall I show you (saith God) what I will do
with my vineyard : I will pluck down the hedges, that it may
perish : I will break down the walls, that it may be trodden
under foot : I will let it lie waste, it shall not be cut, it shall
not he digged, but briars and thorns shall overgrow it ; and
I shall command the clouds that they shall no more rain upon
it.'—Matthew xxi. By these threatenings we are monished
and warned that if we, which are the chosen vineyard of God,
bring not forth good grapes, that is to say, good works, that
may be delectable and pleasant in his sight, when he looketh
for them, when he sendeth his messengers to call upon us for
them, but rather bring forth wild grapes, that is to say, sour
works, unsweet, unsavoury, and unfruitful, then will he pluck
away all defence, and suffer grievous plagues of FAMINE
and BATTLE, DEARTH and DEATH, to light upon us.
Finally, if these serve not, he will let us lie waste, he will give
us over, be will turn away from us, he will dig and delve no
more about us, he will let us alone, and suffer us to bring
forth even such fruit as we will to bring forth, brambles,
briars and thorns, ALL NAUGHTINESS, ALL VICE,
and that so abundantly, that they shall clean overgrow us,
choke, strangle, and UTTERLY DESTROY US." Fur-
ther on, continuing the same subject, we have—" He will
take away from them the teaching of his holy word, so that
they shall be NO LONGER OF HIS KINGDOM, they
shall be NO LONGER GOVERNED BY HIS HOLY
SPIRIT, they shall be put from the grace and benefits that
they bad and ever might have enjoyed through Christ; they

shall be deprived of the heavenly light and life, which they
had in Christ, whilst they abode in him ; they shall be (as
they were once) as men without God in this world, or rather
in worse taking. And to be short, they shall be given into
the POWER OF THE DEVIL, which beareth the rule in
all them that be cast away from God, as he did in Saul and
Judas, and generally in all such as work after their own wills,
the children of mistrust and unbelief.-1 Samuel, xv."—
(Homily of falling away from God, 2d part.) Here is the
mind of the church of England and Ireland—here the voice
of the nation, as expressed in unrepealed
Am I not warranted, then, in saying that the godless, lati-
tudinarian, infidel principles which—aye, it shall be told—the
Duke of Wellington and Sir R. Peel established in 1829, con-
trary to the expressed voice of the protestants of the kingdom,
have infused a principle into the state which is absolutely
working its destruction, and which, if it be allowed to con-
tinue, will utterly overthrow our constitution and liberties?
There is one thing that I should like to test by the theory
of the present day ; I mean the right of the Duke of Bedford,
the father of Lord John Russell, to Woburn Abbey and its
dependencies. I beg to ask Lord John Russell wherefore we
should not esteem Woburn Abbey, with its manors, mes-
suages, lands, tenements, rents, meadows, woods, pastures,
and other hereditaments, to be just precisely stolen goods?
The monks, under the pretence of their being infected with
idolatry, superstition, dangerous and damnable errors, the
unfortunate monks were thrust out of Woburn Abbey, and
the grandsire of Lord John Russell took possession thereof.
But, according to the theory of Lord John Russell, popery
should be no prejudice to any man, lay or clerical ; therefore,
according to the aforesaid theory, the grandsire of Lord John
Russell was just " a thief and a robber." And the present
Duke of Bedford is in possession of stolen property—just
stolen property—ay, my lord, nothing one whit more respec-
table than stolen goods—plunder, in fact ! Now, I ask why
should a kingdom that tolerates such foul, unchristian, sa-
crilegious fraud be undisturbed ?—Why should not the peo-
ple at large, burning with indignation, arise as one man, seize
by the throat this Bedford—this hereditary thief, and make
him disgorge ? . Why should "he be allowed" to strut abroad
and breed his lordlings in the green acres of the poor ? I,
for my part, if I could think that popery were a correct sys-
tem—nay, more, if I could believe that it were a tolerable
evil—that it were not an odious, soul-destroying, hell-born
thing—l would feel myself warranted, as a citizen of the
state, in even taking up arms to wrench from such hereditary
robbers their ill-acquired prey. From this one case learn all.
If popery is dealt aright with in the present state of things,
this whole protestant nation ought to be swept with the
bosom of destruction—to be sunk in the depths of the sea, for
it is just a den of thieves. He that hath ears to hear let him
hear!

Mark then, brethren, I beseech of you !—Again and again
mark ! that the latitudinarian principle which now character-
ises the constitution—the national abandonment of God, is
demoralising, and must demoralise the nation, and, therefore,
destroy it.
I believe that it is in our power to save it. We cannot,
however, I find, come to this subject yet. For the present,
then, I remain, my lord mayor and brethren, your humble
servant in Christ, T. D. GREGG, A.M.,
Chaplain to the Corporation of Tailors.
Vestry, Free Church, Swift's-alley, Dublin, Aug. 22,1839.

WRECK OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.

(From the Hampshire Telegraph.)

We have already mentioned that the great cylinder, con-
taining about one ton of gunpowder, which was lowered down
on the 23d inst., which did not explode when the action of
the galvanic battery was applied to its priming, had become
somehow entangled amongst the wreck, and could.not be
extricated. The hawser which was attached to it being
broken, and the downhaul rope having got foul of the ship's
timbers, it was necessary to investigate matters by means of
the helmet divers, and as these men could only work at slack
water, a period which at slack water is extremely short, many
successive days were employed in this difficult research. At
length, on the morning of the 30th, the cylinder was got at,
and a hook rope being attached to one of its rings, the mon-
strous charge was drawn to the surface, when the whole of
the powder was found to be saturated with water. The
cause of this accident has not yet been ascertained, nor can
it be till the cylinder is completely dismantled and inspected
by Colonel Pasley, whose official duties have called him away
to Chatham ; and we shall, therefore, content ourselves at
present with mentioning the fact. And here it may not be
amiss to state what is the purpose of these operations. The
Royal George was overset and went to the bottom on the
29th'of August, 1782, and she has been allowed to lie there
during no less a period than 57 years—much to the disgrace,
we'must say, of the engineering science of this country.
The plan seems to be to blow the Royal George to pieces
by means of a succession of great and small charges, and
then raise the fragments by means of ropes attached to them
by help of the diving bell. Many technical difficulties occur
in this process, in placing and fixing the vessels properly, in
sounding over the wreck, in warping and securing the light-
ers containing the charges, and finally in adjusting the boats
and ladders by which the helmet-divers descend, or from
which the diving-bell is lowered. In arranging and con-
ducting the details of these complicated manipulations Col.
Pasley, we are glad to see, bas the advantage of Mr. Sadler's
experience ; and we are sure that his abilities, his cheerful-
ness, and his habits of resource, cannot fail to prove of the
greatest use. The engineering details, on the other hand,
are under the immediate management of Captain Williams,
of the Royal Engineers, and of Mr. Symonds, also of that
corps, son of the Surveyor of the Navy.
These officers, with a party of Sappers and Miners, live
on board the Success, a frigate in ordinary, which, with no
small consideration and foresight, had been moved out to
Spithead, for the accommodation of-the various parties em-
ployed on this service. Boats, officers, and seamen are also
furnished by her Majesty's ship Pique, Captain Boxer, to
assist in the many laborious processes connected with these
operations.
On Thursday last, the 29th of August, being, the anniver-
sary on the day which
" Brave Kempenfelt went down,

With twice four hundred men:"
Colonel Pasley made an effort not to let the old ship be any
longer in peace, and on this occasion he succeeded so com-
pletely, that, if ever we had held the slightest doubt of his
being able to accomplish the object in view, our apprehen-
sions on this score must have been removed. Five succes-
sive charges were sunk and exploded on the wreck, and, so
far as can be ascertained, with the most destructive effect.—
These charges. however, were comparatively small, the
largest containing only 4801 b. of powder, the other two be-
ing of 451 b. each. They were all fired by means of Bick-
ford'i fusees, an ingenious device, by which a match is made
to burn for two minutes under the water before the fire
reaches the charge, which then explodes.
The method of setting off these charges may interest our
readers. A weight, say a pig of ballast, or, for economy, a
heavy bag of sand or shingle, is lowered till it reaches the
wreck, by means of a small slip rope, rove through an iron
ring, both ends of the rope being kept on board the boat.—
To one end of the rope the vessel containing the charge is
then made fast, and the other being well manned, the match
is lighted, the vessel plunged into the water, and the rope
briskly hauled in, so that long before the fuse is burned out,
the charge is close down to the ring, and the boat removed
at a safe distance.

The first, or largest explosion, on the 29th, produced a
double shock, sufficient to shake one of the largest of the
dock-yard lighters or lumps, from end to end, and to pro-
duce a sensation to those who were on board her, resem-
bling a smart shock of electricity or galvanism. The inter-
val between the schocks was very short, say the 10th of a se-
cond. The sound was sharper and louder than we had ex-
pected, of a quick, angry character. The effect on most per-
sons was remarkable, but not the same on all. Several la-
dies who ware present felt severely shaken in the back, many
imagined they were thrown up an inch or two off the deck,
and one person had a head-ache instantly after feeling the
shock.

The water over the explosions was not in the .smalles ,
degree affected, so far as could be observed, for four or five
seconds, when a boiling motion became apparent, and an
evident rise in the water over an area of 10 or 12 yards, ac-
companied by the most violent ebullition. Some go so far
as to say the water rose four or five feet over the great explo-
sion ; we dare not say that it much exceeded a foot, or a foot
and a half. Be this as it may, no smoke was seen, and at
first only a prodigious evolution of air or gas, and a violent
commotion on the water. In the course of a few seconds a
cloud of mud, of a dark blue colour, rose to the surface, ac-
companied by a disagreeable smell, caused either by the in-
flamed gunpowder, or by the foetid mud collected over the
wreck. Several large fish were killed by the first explosion,
but none by any of the others ; at least none rose to the
surface.

What change Colonel Pasley may make in his operations
when he comes to examine the unexploded cylinder, now
recovered from the wreck, we cannot pretend even to guess.
That he will not be baffled is all we are certain of.

ANOTHER FRENCH OUTRAGE UPON BRITISH

SUBJECTS AND PROPERTY.

(From Me Shipping and Mercantile Gazette.)
We received the annexed communication this day (Satur-
day) from our Berwick correspondent. We have had, lat-
terly, some complaints of the absence of all protection by a
vessel of war for our fishermen on the northern coast of Eng-
land and of Scotland; but the outrage committed in this in-
stance is of so gross a nature that it is impossible to suppose
that it will be overlooked by government. At home and
abroad it seems to be taken for granted by the French that
they can commit outrage upon British subjects and destroy
British subjects with impunity. Abroad our merchants are
injured in their trade or plundered, and our flag is outraged
and insulted. At home, within our own harbours—on our
own fishing ground—upon our own coast our fishermen are
ruined by the havoc and plunder of their nets ; and'had they
offered resistance to this daring aggression upon their pro-
perty, there can be no doubt but that the lives of several of
them, from the superior size of the French boats and num-
ber of the men, would have fallen a sacrifice :

" TO THE EDITOR OF THE SHIPPING AND MERCANTILE

GAZETTE

" Berwick Spittal, Aug. 29.
" SlR,—There was great destruction committed last night
by the French fishermen getting amongst our herring boats,
and cutting and carrying away not fewer that 10 or 12 boats'
nets. A fleet of nets costs upwards of 60 guineas, so that the
poor fishermen whose nets are destroyed are ruined for the
season. A French boat is about 40 tons, with from 14 to 16
men ; our boats, about 9 or 10 tons, with four, or at most,
five men. We have a government that will protect a fo-
reigner, but a native may go and beg. I hope you will ex-
pose this in a proper manner. There is no ship of war to af-
ford protection to our fishing, although government says
there is one. If there be, she has not been in sight of this
place for I think now five weeks.
" YOUR CORRESPONDENT!'

On Monday and Tuesday the following novel experiment
of locomotive steam-power was tried on the Forth and Clyde
Canal. Mr. John M`Neil, the civil engineer of the Clyde
navigation, has had constructed on the banks of the canal a
railway upon blocks, on which a locomotive engine has been
put, which was used on the above-named days instead of
horses, to draw the canal passage-boats, and succeeded in
taking them the whole distance of the line at the rage of eight
miles an hour. The company having ascertained the full
success of the experiment, will construct a tramway along
the canal bank, and will be able to take their passage boats
in future at the rate of 18 miles an hour.—Stirling Journal.

EXHIBITION OF ASSES IN AMERICA.-Of the Cattle show
at Lexington (Kentucky) the fourth day was for the exhibi-
tion of jackasses of two years and one year, and for foals and
jennies also; this sight was to me one of peculiar interest.
Accustomed as we are in England to value a jackass at 20s.
we look down upon them with contempt ; but here the case
is reversed; you look at them with surprise and admiration.
Several were shown standing 15 hands high, with head and
ears in proportion. The breed has been obtained from the
Maltese jackass, crossed by those of Spain and the South of
Prance. Those imported seldom average more than fourteen
hands high ; but the Kentuckians, by great' attention and
care, have raised than up to fifteen hands high, and some-
times even to sixteen. But the price paid for these splendid
animals—for such they really were—will prove how much
they are in request. Warrior' a jackass, of great celebrity,
sold for 5,000 dollars, upwards of. £l,OOO sterling. Half of
another jackass, Benjamin by name, was sold for 2,500 dol-
lars. At the show I asked a gentleman what he wanted for
a beautiful ass, only one year old. He said that he could
have 1,000 (X 250) for her, but that he had refused that sum.
Fora two-year-old jack, shown during the exhibition, they
asked 3,000 dollars, more than £6OO. I never felt ranch re-
spect for donkeys before ; but the fact is, that mule breeding
is so lucrative, that there is no price which a very large don-
key will not commatid,

THE TOURNAMENT AT EGLINTON CASTLE.

(From the Morning Herald.)

The attempt to revive at the present day the chivalrous
pastime of " the tournament" has been derided by the cold
" philosophy" of a money-getting, utilitarian age. Yet, let
us ask, are the mass of the people happier because the " age
of chivalry has past," and, hi what was once " merry Eng-
land," the sordid, heartless, sensual doctrines of utilita-
rianism have triumphed over sentiment, and nearly extin-
guished the fine impulses and generous instincts of man's na-
ture?

Chivalry, divorced from the feudal system, of which it was
the graceful accompaniment and softening influence, may be
thought to be altogether out of place and out of season.
What is there in our advanced state of civilisation, it may be
asked, which can make it desirable to re-introduce its forms
and usages—the inventions of ages comparatively illiterate ?
We answer that, though the feudal system has vanished, the
spirit that tempered its despotism—that mitigated its ferocity
—that, in an age of comparative darkness, restrained the
arm of savage violence and led power captive in the silken
chains of woman's finest influence, may not be without an
object to operate upon, and a field for the exercise of its no-
blest powers.
If the feudal power was fierce and rude and lawless until
chivalry came to subdue its passions beneath the yoke of an
artificial refinement, is not the utilitarian age grovelling,
mean, and sordid, and does it not require some counteract-
ing influence—some elevating and inspiring sentiment to re-
deem its character from the debasing bondage of that mate-
rial " philosophy" under which the manly virtues, and all
those generous energies that exalt and adorn humanity, are
fast perishing from the soil of England, where they once
flourished in such vigorous luxuriance?
Is not such a condition of society tending rapidly to realise
the melancholy prediction of the poet Goldsmith, who, with
the prophetic eye of genius, foresaw the national degeneracy
which the utilitarian system, then only beginning to develope
itself, would eventually produce :
" A time may come when, stripped of all her charms,
The land of scholars and the nurse of arms,
Where noble stems transmit the patriot flame,
Where kings have toiled and poets wrote, for fame,
One sink of level avarice shall lie,
And scholars, soldiers, kings, unhonoured die."
Of all systems of tyranny a ploutocracy is the most cruel,
selfish, and grinding. It is, therefore, that our utilitarian
" philosophers" admire a money-government ; for they are
cold-hearted and unfeeling sensualists, who trample the poor
in the dust, and rail at the aristocracy of birth, because it is
associated with generous, elevating, and heroic recollections.
They despise, or affect to despise, the patriot-passion which
makes a man prefer his own country, its interests, and its
glory, to all others, because that passion, whatever it may be,
is not a selfish one. To those who have no directing power
but selfishness it costs no struggle of intellect to get rid of
the generous attachment, or prejudice, or whatever it is, to
one's country. Their cosmopolitism is but the absence of
manly sympathy—but the negation of heart—just as latitu-
dinarianism in religion is not a triumph of charity, but a re-
sult of cold indifference.
How can such persons understand the feeling of the bard,
when, in the fervour of a patriot's enthusiasm, he exclaims,—
" 0, Caledonia! stern and wild!
Meet nurse for a poetic child ;
Land of brown heath and shaggy wood,
Land of the mountain and the flood--
Land of my sires—what mortal hand
Shall e'er untie the filial band
That binds me to thy rugged strand?

Had that bard himself, the learned,• graceful, and im-

passioned POET OF CHIVALRY lived to' see the tournament
revived on the soil of his beloved Caledonia, how would he
have welcomed with the fascinating strains of his magnificent
genius the revival of the chivalrous splendours of the " olden
time." Then, perhaps, another canto would have been added
to the " Lay of the Last Minstrel." Even in the feebleness
of old age such an event would

" Have lighted up his faded eye
With all a poet's extacy."

To view the " tournament" merely in the light of a manly
exercise and pastime, is it not one which deserves the en-
couragement of those who are admirers of recreations which
strengthen, instead of enervating, the human frame, and
teach, the noble combination of hardihood of spirit and gen-
tleness of character ? What can be more masculine, adroit,
and graceful, than the action and riding of a well-accom-
plished knight in the enterprise and evolutions of the tourna-
ment ? As an exhibition of mere animal dexterity and
prowess, it is a most interesting spectacle, but when there is
added to 01 that the indispensable accompaniment of the pre-
siding charm of beauty, and the virtuous influence of woman,
all civilised men must admit that the interest of the spectacle
is greatly enhanced. Even the mighty genius of Milton did
homage at the throne of the " Queen of Beauty," when he
sang of the scenes—

" Where ladies' eyes
Rain'd influence, and judged the prize
Of wit or arms, where all contend
To win her smile whom all commend."

Now what other masculine exercise is there which invi-
gorates the mind and frame of man, at which it is graceful
and becoming in woman to preside ?
Is it fox hunting in which a lady is occasionally seen, but
never to advantage ? the poet of The Seasons," speaking
of the British fair, says—
" Far be the spirit of the chase from them—
Uncomely courage—unbeseeming skill,
Whereby they roughen to the sense, and all
The winning softness of the sex is lost."

Is it steeple and hurdle chases, these brutal and barbarous

pastimes of mercenary and unmitigated cruelty to which that
generous animal, the horse, is inhumanly sacrificed to the
cupidity of betting speculatOrs ? Scarcely do we ever hear
of one of those cruel and senseless exhibitions in which one
or more horses have :not their backs or necks broken, and
not unfrequently the inhuman riders. This is a pastime, if
anything so savage can be called so, which deteriorates both
horse and man,and surely if the revival of the exercises—
the manly and graceful exercises of the tournament were to

put it out of fashion among the young aristocracy of the
country, who are followed in this vice by a crowd of vulgar
imitators, it would confer a great benefit on society, or, at
least, abate a most disgraceful nuisance.
How different to behold
" Young knights and squires—a gallant train—
Practise their chargers on the plain
By aid of leg—of hand and rein
Each warlike feat to shew.
To pass, to wheel—the croupe to gain,
Mid high curvet, that not in vain
The sword-sway might descend amain
On foeman's casque below."
All this is exercise which serves to develope all the strength
and all the activity of the human frame. It was the recol-
lee tion of the personal prowess of the steel-clad knights of
old, which caused the great Lord CHATHAM to make a some-
what disparaging comparison between " the silken barons of
the present day and the iron barons of antiquity."
Lord Eglinton has had the laudable ambition of endea-
vouring to remove that reproach from the young aristocracy
of the present day. How different is the recreation which
he, by a most bountiful expenditure of wealth, has endea-
voured to make fashionable from that which destroys the
health and ruins the morals of its votaries at the gambling
table. Better are the tented lists of Eglinton Castle than the
gilded saloons of Crockford's. There the success of him
upon whom fortune smiles is not followed by the anguish,
destitution, and despair of the vanquished. There no sordid
passions take possession of the heart and burden human na-
ture until it puts on the malignity of the demon. There the
ancient patrimony of the infatuated devotee of this miserable
vice is not flung away on the cast of a die or the turn of a
spotted card. How many noble castles, beauteous parks and
woods, and lawns, have been passed in this way, as if by the
wand of the enchanter from the silly inheritor to some prac-
tised sharper, which in " the age of chivalry" had displayed,
as Lord Eglinton's domains have lately done, the noble ar-
ray of that panoplied knighthood which was the " cheap de-
fence of nations," and all the circumstances of a splendid
hospitality !

The scene of the tournament was graced by the fairest
women of Scotland, and among them was the noble mother
of the chivalrous host. It is not one of the least recommenda-
tions of such a scene that it cannot be considered complete
without the presiding attractions of the fair sex. And, surely,,
in all times and countries there has been no such incentive to
deeds of high emprise and honourable estimation as the vir-
tuous influence of woman.

The last gleams o! chivalry were shed upon a " maiden
reign." The father of Elizabeth trod the " field of the cloth
of gold," and that great princess spoke as with the lion-heart
of real knighthood (if we can apply that word to woman)
when she rode on her splendidly-caparisoned steed to Tilbury
Fort, and in addressing her troops while the armada of Spain,
then the greatest nation of the earth, threatened her kingdom
with extinction, spoke of " the foul scorn that Spain and
Parma should dare to invade her dominions." Oh ! if but a
small portion of that great Queen's spirit animated the hearts
of the little men who rule England at the pi-esent day, the
flag of England would not have been so dishonoured as it has
been by the barbarians of the north and our treacherous allies
of the west.

If the " age of chivalry" expired with a " maiden reign,"
the revival of one of its most manly and beautiful spectacles
has been attempted, and we hope with success, in another
" maiden reign."
If ever a powerful enemy should again attempt our shores,
would England be in a worse or btter position for trium-
phant resistance by having a nobility not lapped in enervat-
ing pleasures, and debased and enfeebled by luxurious indo-
lence, but trained in athletic and masculine exercises, enured
to danger, and inspired with that high feeling of honour
which caused chivalry to be of old " the nurse of manly sen-
timent and heroic enterprise."
Another national advantage of the revival of such specta-
cles would be the inducing the nobility and gentry to think
more of their own country than of foreign lands, and to
spend more of their money at home than among foreigners,
who, while they worship the contents of an English purse,
hate the very naive of English.

We are glad to observe the ardent, and, indeed, enthu-
siastic feelings which the noble and high;.minded conduct of
Lord Eglintoun called forth from our northern fellow-sub-
jects. We were also glad to find, that in a spirit of nation-
ality which is greatly on the decline in England, they adopted
their country's costume. It has been' said by some critics
on the tournament that this was improper, because the tour-
nament was of Gothic not of Celtic origin. -This-is true, but
when they also go on to say that the Celtic costume was
never seen at tournaments, this is not true.
Were there no joustings and tourneys in the reign of James
IV. of Sccitland, who fell at Flodden-field? Did not the na-

tional dress of the Celtic race then appear in the monarch's
army, and at his court? But let us quote, as the best argu-
ment on this subject, the authority of the great minstrel of
Scottish chivalry—

" Next Marmion marked the Celtic race
Of different language, form, and face—
A various race of man.
Just then the chiefs their tribes arrayed,
And wild and garish semblance made ;
The chequered trews and belted plaid,
And various notes the war•pipes played
To every varying clan.
Wild through their red or sable hair
Looked out their eyes with savage stare,
On Marmion as he past ;
Their legs above the knee were bare,
Their frames were sinewy, short, and spare,
And hardened to the blast.
Of taller race the chiefs they own,
Were by the eagle's plumage known."
That was the time when the Scottish monarch indulged in,
`• By day the tourney, and by night
The merry dance-- "
Here leave we the tournament and its hospitalities for the
present, hoping that the golden sun which withheld its beams
on the late occasion, may shine auspiciously on it at a future
day.

WOLVERHAMPTON ELECTION.-Mr. Villiers, M.P. for
Wolverhampton, has received a requisition from the bur-
gesses of Manchester, calling upon him to offer himself as a
candidate on the Reform interest at the next election. This

the hon. gentleman has refused, declaring that the obliga-
tions conferred on him by the electors of Wolverhampton
would make him prefer representing that constituency.—
Staffordshire Examiner.
Major-General Sir Wm. M. Gomm, K.C.8., whose ap-
pointment to the Commandership of the Forces in Jamaica
arid its dependencies we recorded a fortnight ago, will leave
England for Jamaica in October, accompanied by Lady
Gomm, his suite, and personal staff, consisting of Captain
George Howard Vyse, of the 2d Life Guards, as his military
secretary; and Lieut. C. Hope Kerr. of the 53c1 Regipaept,
as WO iiidO•de.CaMp.—United Service Gazette,

TIDE TABLE.
_
Days. Mn,. Eve. !Height.
H. st. H. AI • F. 1.
Friday 6 10 20 10 41 14 10
Saturday 7 io 59 11 17 15 11 Enurchus MX. Mary.
Sunday 8 11 34 11 50 16 11 15th S. aft Trin. Nativity.
Monday 9 0 0 0 5 17 3 Ancient Dog Days ends.
Tuesday 10 020 036 17 4
Wednes. 11 050 1 4 16 7
Thursday 12 119 134 15 11
PREMIUMS OF INSURANCE AT LLOYD'S.
Outward. Home.
LONDON & LIVERPOOL, -----.
t 0.... .... .... ....
Jamaica 2ss Od @ —30 s 40s 0
Leeward Isl. Dem. & Berbice 2O 0 20 0— 25 0
Honduras 5O 0 --- 105 0 —147 0
New York, Boston 2O 0— 25 0 17 6 20 0
Charleston, Savannah
New Orleans
Havana 5O 0— 6o 0 so o
Canada 25 0— 30 0 25 0— 30 0
British North America 3O 0 25 0— 30 0
Newfoundland 2O 0— 25 0 20 0— 25 0
Brazils
River Plate
East Indies
China 45 0 —.. 50 0
Batavia 4O 0 140 0
New South Wales
Cape of Good Hope - 40 0
Africa 3O 0 -- 126 0 --
Gibraltar
Uma, Valparaiso, &c.
Malta, Sicily, &c.
Smyrna and Constantinople
Malaga 2O 0 20 0
Madeira 2O 0 20 0
Western Isles, Cape de Verds —
Lisbon
Cadiz 25 0 20 0
France
Holland l5 0— 20 0 20 0 --
Hamburg, Bremen, &c.
Gottenburg, Stockholm - 40 0 ----
Petersburg, Riga, &c,
0;orto • SO 0 --' 20 P

THE WORKHOUSE.

Statement of the average number and expense of pauaers in the
Workhouse for the week ending
Paupers.
1669
1640

Aug. 24, 183 g
Aug. 25, 1838

Per Head,
Is. Hid.

Per Week.
.164 5 3
155 9 2

More 2g Less 0 0 More s 16 1