The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-05-18 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1852.

CROSSE AND BLACKWELL,
PURVEYORS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY,

FSPFCTFULLV invite the attention of the
1: Nobility and Gentry to the following rich SAUCES and
CONDIMENTS :
SOYER 'S RELISH.

Thisj ustly celebrated Sauce s newt n universal use E1T0117,11-
out the world. The great renown acquired by M. Soy cu,
having induced the. ntroduction of several i mitations of his
Relish, purchasers are requested particularly to observe that
every genuine bottle hears his Portrait on the Label, accompa-
nied by the names of his Wholesale Agents.
SOYER,S SAUCE.

Of this Sauce, two distinct varieties are prepared, both simi-
lar in flavour and alike in excellence. One is delicately mild,
produced expressly to suit the palate of the Ladies; the other,
fur Gentlemen, is of a much warmer description.
ROYAL TABLE SAUCE.—A new Sauce of a peculiarly de-
licious and piquant flavour, lately introduced by them. It has
received ❑niversal commendation from the most distinguished
epicures, and is already in very general use at the tables of the
Nobility and the principal London Clubs.
SOHO SAUCE.—The distinguished patronage this Sauce has
obtained w,•rrants the proprietors in recommending it as one
of the best Sauces extant, possessing a peculiarly rich and
piquant flavour, which renders it a most desirable adjunct for
Game. Stakes, Made Dishes, Sz.c.
DINMORE'S ESSENCE OF SHRIMPS.—One of the most
delicious Sauces ever introduced for imparting a relish to all
kinds of boiled and fried Fish, and being milder than the Es•
sence of Anchovies. has met with a decided preference ; the
true flavour of the Shrimp is fully retained.
TRUE MADRAS CURRY, AND MULLIGATUNNY
PASTE AND CHATTNYS. Messrs. BARRIE and Co., Ve-
pery, Madras, to enable their old correspondents returning
from India to continue the use of these celebrated Condiments,
have made arrangements to forward regular supplies of the
above, packed in glass jars for family use..
ESSENCE OF ANCHOVIES, in the preparation of which
none but the best Gorgona Fish are used.

SIR ROBERT PEEL'S SAUCE, for general purposes; each
bottle is labelled with a fac-simile of the late Right Hon. Baro-
net's letter of approval.

STRASBOUIi6 MEATS.—This delicious preparation sur-
passes every description of Potted Meat _yrt-tntroduced to
public notice ; the flavour is full and rich, yet at the same time
so mild and bland that the most jjrricate and fastidious palate
is pleased. It is also very ea of digestion, and adapted to
weak stomachs. •
ESSENCES OF HE AND SPICES of all kinds, for
purposes of flavouriu .
The above, toget with their other rich Sauces, and supe-
rior Pickles, (pr ared in pure Malt Vinegar,) which have for
so many years itained universal preference. may be procured
from most re pectable Sauce Vendors in the United Kingdom.
and the principal Stores in India and the Colonies. Wholesale
Warehouse, 21, Soho-square. London.

IN CHANCERY-INJUNCTION.

MILNER V. HARRISON.

LL N application was made on Thursday, the 25th
IA September, before his Honour Vice-Chancellor Sir
George Turner, at Bath, on behalf of Mr. William Milner, as
Executor of the late Thomas Milner, the Patentee of an inven-
tion of " Improvements in Boxes, Safes, or other Depositories
for the Protection of Papers or other materials from Fire," for
an injunction to restrain the defendant, John German Harri-
son, of Liverpool, his agents, servants, &c., from making,
using, putting in practice, or vending, or procuring to be
made, &c., during the remainder of the term mentioned in the
Letters Patent granted to Mr. Thomas Milner, any Boxes,
Safes, or other dpositories made in such or the like manner,
or on the same or the like principle as the said Thomas Mil-
ner's Invention, or in anywise counterfeiting, imitating, or
resembling the said . Invention
_ _ .

Mr. 'Webster appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Shebbeare
for the defendant, and affidavits in support of and in opposition
to the motion were read. Milner's invention consisted in the
use of substances, distribirted in an absorbent material in
spaces between the outer and inner casings of the Box, which
substances, when exposed to heat, evolved steam or moisture,
the combined effect of the moisture and the material, kept
humid, protecting the Safes, enclosing papers, &c., from fire.
The defendant sold Safes and Boxes, which lie represented
to be made under a Patent granted to Messrs. Tann, of Lon-
don. but which the plaintiff contended were substantially
made according to Milner's Invention, and were an infringe-
ment on his Patent. An action had been brought by the
plaintiff against the defendant for the infringement, and tried
in June last, before Lord Chief Justice Campbell and a special
jury, and a verdict found for the plaiptiff, the defendant's
counsel tendering a Bill of Exceptions to the direction of the
learned judge on the construction of Mr. Milner's specification.
Notwithstanding this verdict, the defendant Harrison had
continuel to sell the Boxes and -fes complained of, and the
affidavits filed by the plaintiff owed the recent sale by defen-
dant of a Safe, which scienti witnesses stated was substan-
tially the same as those pro don the trial, and found to be an
infringement. This was erified by Doctor Muspratt whose
analysis accompanied his, tfidavit. The affidavit of Mr. John
Tann stated that lie believed this Safe had been made by him
and his partners, and he alleged that it was made according to
their specification

His Hoxoua stated the principle on which the Court inter-
fered in cases of this kind, and observed that Tann's specifi-
cation appeared to contemplate only a dry non-conductor to
stop the heat, whereas Milner's created a further obstruction
to the fire, by producing at the period when the fire began to
act on the box an effusion of steam, which pervaded the non-
conducting material with moisture, and thereby protected the
Safe and its contents. His Honour adverted to the ong enjoy-
ment of the Patent which 'was granted in 1840, the result of the
trial at law, and the clear opinioni n the plaintiff's favour
expressed by the Lord Chief Justice, and in which his Honour
concurred, stating that lie considered Milner's was a Patent
claiming every mode by which the liquid. &c., might he em-
ployed to moisten the absorbent material; and he concluded
by granting the injunction in the terms of the motion.

PRESERVATION OF BOOKS, DEEDS, &c.,
FROM FIRE,

COURT OF QUEEN S BENCH, JUNE 23RD, 1851, BEFORE

LORD CAMPBELL AND A SPECIAL JURY.
MILNER r. HARRISON.

(Me latter selling Tanu's Safes and Boxes, and adrertisinq
himself as soie proprietor of 7ann's Patent Safes, Chests, .5-c.)

The above trial was instituted for the purpose of vindicating
the exclusive right, on the part of the Plaintiff, of applying
liquids, or materials evolving moisture on the application of
heat, together with ether absorbent materials, within the
chambers of Boxes, Safes, or Depositories, calculated to per-
vade the chambers and contents of the safes with moisture
and steam, when heated by fire, thereby preserving the papers
from ignition. Mr. Crowder, Q.C., Mr. M. Chambers, Q.C.,
and Mr. Webster, appeared for the Plaintiff; and Sir F. The-
tiger, Mr. Knowles, Q.C., and Mr. Hindmarsh, for the Defen-
dant. After the case had been stated by Mr. Crowder evidence
was given by Mr. Grantham, of Liverpool, Civil Engineer and
Surveyor •f Steamers to the Board of Trade; Mr. Samuel
Woods, jun., of London, formerly of Liverpool ; Mr. J. W.
Pitcher, of Liverpool ; Mr. Alderman Bennett, Ironfounder, •f
Liverpool ; Dr. Sheridan Muspratt, Professor of Chymistry,
Liverpool; Mr. John Smith, President of the Guardian
Society, Liverpool ; Mr. B. Woodcroft, Professor of Machinery
at the University College, London ; and by Mr. John Owens,
one of the foremen of NI ilner's Works for the last twenty years,
on the utility, originality, &c., of Nlitner's Safes—of which
upwards of 25,000 are now in use—and also of the infringe-
ment of Nlilner's Patent by the Defendant, who was proved to
have used the very materials in the Safes and Boxes he had
tested and sold, which he had seen used by the Plaintiff's firm,
when in their service as Shopman, from 1846 to 1849. This
was followed by Sir F. Theaiger's reply for the Defendant, who
called several witnesses, but whose testimony, on cross-exami-
nation, completely established the Plaintiff's case. Mr.
Crowder finally addressed the Jury on the facts, and

Lord CAMPBELL then summed up. This, he said, was an
action for the infringement of a patent granted on the 26th of
August, 1840, for certain alleged improvements in boxes for
the protection of papers from fire. The deferdant set up
several defences, which he would not take exactly in their
proper order. Ist. He said that there was no proper specifica-
tion of this patent. 2dly. That Milner, the patentee, was not
the inventor; also, that it was not a new invention, that it was
not a useful invention ; and that, at all events, the defendant
had not infringed the patent. He had taken the evidence very
fully, and if the jury thought it would assist them he would
read it over.

The Jury intimated that they did not think it necessary.
Lord CAMPBELL then said, he should shortly direct their
attention to the several qnesti,ns they were to determine, for
they were all for their determination. With regard to the in-
fringement, lie would repeat the direction he had before given
them. Here was the specification, and although be thought
this issue was hardly disputed, they must consider whether an
ordinary workman, of ordinary skill, looking at it, could make
one of the boxes it described. The witnesses had said that an
ordinary workman, in their judgment, would be able to do so.
The next issue was with regard to the novelty of the inven-
tion. The third and fourth were so much alike that they might
be taken as part of the same question.
It lay on the plaintiff to show that this was a new invention,
and if he gave prima facie evidence that it was ro, the defen-
dant would have to show that it was not. Now there was cer-
tainly strong evidence on the part of the plaintiff to show that
it was new. It was for them to say whether it was properly an
invention for the protection of papers against fire. The papers
were locked in an iron box, having cases enclosed, leaving
chambers between t• e two cases, and the object was to have
some substance that would give out a moisture upon the appli-
cation of the heat, and the steam thus produced was to be in-
closed in the box and moisten the papers so that they might be
preserved from the effects of fire. There had been several wit-
nesses of respectability on both sides, although several of those
called for the defendant had only recently turned their atten-
tion to this subject. Several witnesses for the plaintiff said
that, although there bad been an addition to the old safe which
consisted merely of a single iron box, a mode having been in-
troduced of having an outer box, the great object was to in-
troduce some non-conducting substance, so that the operation
of heat might be retarded as much as possible; but that there
was nothing until Mr. Milner's patent to moisten the papers
by the operation of steam.

On the part of the defendant, he chiefly relied on Marr's and
Chubb's patents, and it would be for them to say whether those
patents were not confined to introducing non-conductors.
The object of both was to save papers from destruction, but the
mode and operation was the question in dispute. He had been
puzzled to know the difference between the two patents of Marr
and Chubb, and he afterwards found from one of the witnesses
that there was no distinction between them. They both had
non-conductors in the inner case, but neither seemed to have
had the slightest contemplation of any liquid, as their object
was rather to have substances as dry as possible, but had no
notion of a liquid which was to be condensed into steam t•
moisten the papers in the inner case. They had heard the
evidence, and it would be for them to say whether they were
satisfied that the invention which Mr. Milner set out in his
specification was known before the date of his patent. If they
thought it was, thex would find thht issue for the defendant ;
and if they thought it was not,they would find it forthe plaintiff.

The third and fourth issues were substantially the same, being
that Mr. Milner was not the inventor, and the invention was
not new. If Mr. Milner was the inventor, the invention was
new; and if he was not the inventor, it was not new. Then
came the issue of whether it was useful, and he must say he
had been astonished to find such strong evidence of its useful-
ness. Up to this hour he had no idea that there were any
human means of so effectually preserving papers from the
action of fire. It appeared that, by means of the condensation
of steam, the papers enclosed in the inner box were rendered
moist. It was a comfort for one to know that there was an in-
vention, by which valuable documents might be rendered secure,
notwithstanding the terrible calamity of fire breaking out in a
house. Although the defendant had thought fit td say it was
not useful, be was really at a loss to say what evidence there
was to raise any doubt as to its utility; but the question was
for them alone. Now came the direction he should give them
in point of law, and in this they must he guided by what he said.
He thought there might be an infringement, although the de-
fendant did not use vessels, pipes, or tubes for containing the
liquid. All the rest lie left to them ; but he only said that it
was not indispensably necessary that the defendant should use
pipes, tubes, or artificial vessels, but they were to consider
whether the evidence was sufficient to convince them that the
defendant had infringed the patent. They would bear in mind
that respectable professors from King's College, and other
seminaries of learning, had been called for the defendant, and
they would consider whether they disproved the infringement.
Tann's patent could only be evidence on the ground of infringe-
ment, for it was not taken out until nearly four years after
Milner's; but if, as it would appear that Harrison sold Tann's
boxes, he could not say that they were not to look to Tann's
specification, if they came to the conclusion that tne boxes made
by Tann were the same as those Milner described in his specifi-
cation. They were to look on all the evidence on either side
bearing on these issues ; and if they thought that, although the
boxes that the defendant sold did not contain any pipes, tubes,
or artificial vessels for containing the liquid, they contained
alum and other substancyl
e
stft;rom which moisture was to be ex-
tracted by beat; if the
same as Milner's, they would find
they were substantially the
that issue for the plaintiff;
and if they thought they were not the same as Milner's, for the
defendant. They were at liberty to find that issue for the
pfaintiff, although the detendant did not use any pipes, tubes,
or artificial vessels. If they thought the process was substan-
tially the same as that mentioned in the plaintiff's specification,
they would find that issue for the plaintiff. They must bear in
mind that the plaintiff said, "I claim as my invention the in-
troduction or application of the combined effect in chambered
boxes, or depositories of the moisture and material kept humid

in the space surrounding the innermost box, and its contents,
without in any way being confined to the material or liquid
employed, or the manner in which it may be distributed or
arranged, in order to produce the desired effect of protecting
boxes, safes, or other depositories enclosing papers, or other
materials, from fire." It was on the construction of these
words that he had directed them in point of law, that the de-
fendant may have infringed the patent, although be did not
make use of tubes, or pipes, or artificial vessels. With this
exception, he left it for them to say if the defenchlt had in-
fringed the patent ; if they found that it was so, =ages not
being; in dispute, the sum of forty shillings would be sufficient:
but they were to consider, themselves, which way they would
find their verdict

The Jury, after a short deliberation, said they found their
verdict upon all the issues for the plaintiff.

VERDICT FOR THE PLAINTIFF.

Upon this verdict, establishinz the validity cf Milner's Pa-
tents, so fully confirmed by his Hon •iir the Vice-Chancellor's
decision,f miller proceedings in Chancery are being adopted
azainst all parties Selling, Holding, or Using these Safes or
Boxes.

`,/)ibi'rtioof

TUEDAY 31ORNING, MAY is, 1852.

THE WEEK.

THE great military fete in Paris, towards which
the eyes of the whole of Europe have been turned
with ill-concealed anxiety for months past, took
place yesterday week in the Champ de Mars ; and,
happily, passed over without the assumption by
Louis NAPOLEON of the title and office of
" Emperor" of France. The spectacle was a mag-
nificent one. Sixty thousand of the finest troops
in the world, so far as regards their appointments
and enthusiasm—a large portion of them composed
of men bronzed by service on the plains of Africa
—passed in review before the PhESIDENT; and
each regiment was presented with new standards,
bearing as their device the imperial eagle, asso-
ciated in the minds of Frenchmen with the memory
of past conquests, and of desolated Europe pros-
trate at the feet of the first NAPOLEON. The
address delivered on the occasion of the presenta-
tion was a striking one, and contained some
suggestive features. " The history of nations," we
were told, "is, in a great measure, the history of
armies." It is not, as some weak-minded people
would tell us, the history of tariffs. " The Roman
eagle," the PRESIDENT said, " adopted by the
Emperor NAPOLEON at the commencement of this
century, was the most striking signification of the
regeneration and of the grandeur of France. It
disappeared with our misfortunes—it ought to
return when France recovers from her defeats ;
and, mistress of herself, seems not any longer to
repudiate her own glory." The " misfortunes,"
with which the imperial eagle disappeared, were
those reverses of her ambitious chief which pre-
vented France from continuing the dictator and the
scourge of Europe. What the " glory" is, which
she now no longer repudiates, needs scarcely be
pointed to. The winding up, however, is most
pacific—
" Soldiers,—Resume, then, these eagles, not as a
menace against foreigners, but as the symbol of our inde-
pendence, as the souvenir of an heroic epoch, and as a
mark of the nobleness of each regiment. Take again
these eagles which have so often led our fathers to vic-
tory, and swear to die, if necessary, in their defence."
The good, easy British public, of course, see
nothing in this " heroic" talk, and these sugges-
tions of coming martial " glory." Peace progress
men, in Manchester and elsewhere, dreaming only
of mules and spindles, blue books, and arithmetic,
will tell us, after this, that we are quite snug and
comfortable in our immediate proximity to this
mass of powder and blue fire, although a hair-
brained fatalist holds the match by which, at any
moment, Europe may be set in a blaze, to be
quenched only with blood. "No necessity for
militia bills, or for any preparations against foreign
aggression," is the parrot cry of these people. Yet
had the one man, whose power controlled last
Monday the sixty thousand soldiers congregated
in the Champ de Mars, but uttered the words, " A
bas le perfide Albion," and pointed to Boulogne
or to Cherbourg, can any man doubt that the
interpretation put upon them would have been that
the moment to achieve " her own glory" had
arrived for France ?

The Netherby Baronet has just issued his address
to the electors of Carlisle; and, from the tone of
that document, we gather some notion of the sort
of political morality possessed by the small faction,
of which our own Mr. CARDWELL is a member,
as well as of the nature of its aspirations. Sir
JAMES is, of course, vehemently in favour of Free-
trade. It has produced for us the height of finan-
cial prosperity ; and, apropos of the latter, there
seems to be amongst us a class of people who treat
that as the best possible policy which extracts the
most money from the pocket of JOHN BULL. In
their eyes a clever finance minister is a sort of human
pump, whose spout is turned towards the Treasury ;
and, provided the stream produ 'ed is abundant, no
question is ever asked as to the depth of water left
in the well, that well being the pocket before men-
tioned. Free-trade, however, Sir JAMES GRAHAM
is ready to swear by. It is the all-in-all—the shib-
boleth—of his party. The Monarchy, the Consti-
tution, the religious institutions of the country, are
secondary matters. Lord DERBY cares for these ;
and Sir JAMES suspects him of treason to the cause
of cheap sugar and a big loaf. Therefore, he says,
" the simple question to be propounded by Free-
traders to candidates is this—"are you a supporter
or an opponent to Lord DERBY'S Government i"
There is a question or two, however, which the
electors of Carlisle might with great propriety put
to Sir JAMES himself, "Is the sum of, say, five
thousand a-year, paid quarterly, so desirable to you
in these days of declining rentals that, to ensure it,
you would complete your political and other gyra-
tions by becoming a worshipper of Mahoined, or
a dancing dervise, if required ?" or, "Are the Mrs.
Mailsetter propensities for reading other people's
private letters still so strong in you, that a seat in
the home office is indispensable for your peace of
mind ?" Perhaps, also, it might be advisable to
learn from Sir JAMES who are the snug little party
—what are the heterogeneous materials—presented
to his mind's eye as likely to be able to govern the
country, in the event of the overthrow of Earl of
DERBY'S administration. For ourselves we do not
quarrel at all with Sir JAMES GRAHAM'S catechism
for candidates. We are quite content that the
question should be, " Are you a supporter, or an
opponent, of Lord DERBY'S Government ?" and
we are tolerably confident that, whenever the new
parliament meets, and this question is put from the
chair, the answer will be, "the Ayes have it."
Our local Whig-Radicals are having recourse to
every possible " dodge," in order to advance the
position of their candidates, Dlessrs. CARDWELL
and EWART. Their latest was contained in the
announcement of a meeting in Scotland Ward, on
Tuesday last, headed—
No BREAD TAX !
THE QUEEN, THE CONSTITUTION, AND THE
PEOPLE!

The Queen and the Constitution, of which the
Whig-Radicals—facetiously, we presume—an-
nounce themselves the guardians, are, of course,
secondary to the cheap loaf. Possibly, when they
make their next appearance in the " back slums"
—as Cardinal Wiseman would say—of Vauxhall-
road, " where Irish most do congregate," they will
be prepared to take a leaf out of his Eminence's
book, and treat the admiring Paddies with

TAXES ON INTELLIGENCE.-FURTHER
TIGHTENING OF THE SCREW.

WHENEVER a burthen is laid on men's shoulders,
which neither they nor any one else is able to bear,
a reaction is to be expected ; and the object of
those who tighten the screw beyond endurance will
be more than defeated. This is a sort of vicarious
law to teach men justice ; but there are some men
who will continue to be practical strangers to
abstract justice, notwithstanding all that moralists
have written and statesmen decreed.

There is not a country in the world in which
useful knowledge should be more widely promul-
gated than in our own, by example and precept;
for it is only by the intelligence and good principle
of the people that its high position is maintained.
In countries where a grinding superstition prostrates
the human faculties and places the intellect of the
man under the lock and key of his father confessor,
knowledge is an unhealthy plant, and always of
stunted growth. When a rigorous censorship rules
the press, and confines public announcements to a
sort of extensive Government gazette, knowledge is
not to be expected ; and as the intelligent are objects
of suspicion, ignorance is sometimes really bliss.
Where the canopy of royal or presidental power is
supported by bayonets, as in Austria or France, one
feels thankful that the learning and knowledge of
the past have not been driven from their shores ;
and even where Lynch law is superior to statute law,
it is not probable that truth will always have the
upper hand. But in a country like our own, where
the rights of all citizens are freely acknowledged,
and where our standing army and local police forces
are unusually small, we evidently calculate on ruling
by moral force, and assume a gradual diffusion of
intelligence.
Mr. MILNER GIBSON addressed the House of
Commons lately, in a telling speech, respecting the
taxes on knowledge; and appealed to the CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, himself distinguished
in the world of letters, as one personally acquainted
with the evils of the present system. The whole
subject is deserving of minute attention, hut at pre-
sent it is only a collateral topic. Strange enough,
at the very period when he was pressing these con-
siderations on the minds of our legislators, the
distributors of one kind of knowledge, the book-
sellers, were quarrelling among themselves as to the
extent of accommodation which they should afford
to the public in purchasing their literary wares; and
the judges of the land were about to draw the line
of demarcation on the question of " Dickens's
Household Narrative," between that which is actual
news, and that which is retrospective or historical.
A stamp is not necessary for a publication of that
kind ; it is for all those of less frequency.
On the subject of newspaper stamps we shall say
nothing, for the bargain still remains in force by
which newspapers pass free in letter bags ; but on
the subject of Advertisement Duty we feel strongly.
There are some taxes which. are immoral and unjust
on principle : for example, the property tax, which is
paid when a policy of insurance is effected; for it is
a tax upon prudence, and holds out a bonus to die
thoughtless and improvident. In like manner, the
duty upon advertisements is a clog upon business;
and while the reduction of other duties and the force
of competition absolutely demand a rapid sale and
free circulation of money, the government who have
created the necessity, and whose interest it is to
promote the arrangements, step in and say it shall
not be. If in England, as in America, a tradesman
could make known the articles which he has for
sale, and thus smooth the path between buyer and
seller, if a meeting for public purposes could be
made known ; the interests of mankind would be
more kindly and fully cared for in the latter case,
and the wheels of commerce would move more
pleasantly in the former. The mistress cannot seek
for a domestic servant, nor the servant for a situa-
tion ; the subscribers to a public charity cannot
assemble to hear the progress of the cause, or the
manner in which the funds have been expended ;
men cannot be convened for the purposes of
humanity, piety, or charity, till they pay at the
government turnpike, and are permitted to pass
through.
But the iniquity of the system is, that these evils
are inflicted only on newspaper advertisers, though
the fact of each copy having paid stamp duty—
whether advantage is taken of the post-office or
not—ought to secure to -them some privilege. At
all events, they should he placed on something like
an equitable footing. Yet what is the fact ? The
railway companies reap a large annual revenue from
papering the inside of their carriages with adver-
tisements ; there is not a dead wall but is clothed
with the garments of the bill-sticker; one is
accosted in public thoroughfares and at the corners
of the streets by men with boards containing
announcements; and the way is sometimes nearly
blocked up by the vans whose four sides of announce-
ments scarcely leave room for horse or driver.
Theatrical performances, concerts, dancing dogs,
learned pigs, miraculous fleas, and gossamer coats,
stare at us in enormous woodcuts ; while for those
within doors, the merchant in his office, the invalid
in his chamber, or the matron in her family circle—
for those, in short, who are not street-walkers, to
be reminded and edified by this "reading made
easy," Government has prepared the tender mercy
of an advertisement duty.
"They manage these things better in France,"
as Sterne said; for there, a tombstone over a
departed husband will tell that his disconsolate
widow still keeps a pastrycook's shop in the Rue
Marseille ; and a marble cherub over a tender
infant reminds us that its papa is the best wig-
maker in the city. We once knew a Dutch clerk
in this town who used to boast that each of his
children supported itself from its birth. The arrival
was duly announced in every paper in Holland as the
ninth or tenth child of a commission merchant and
general agent in Roscommon-street, Liverpool, and
the profit from new orders enabled him to rear the
infant. It will be long before an Englishman can
do the same thing.
But the intolerable annoyance is not exclusively
in the system, nor even so much in it as in the
administration of it. An ordinary reader, in his
simplicity, supposes that he knows sufficiently well
what an advertisement is—an announcement in
which some one has a pecuniary interest, or some
society or body of men ; and usually it is placed
in a known part of the newspaper, or distinctly
announced as such if placed elsewhere. But by the
free and easy way of charging adopted by our local
executive—a mode, in short, which is without any
known principle, and against every one--it is impos-
sible for any one to tell a priori what is an adver-
tisement, and what is not. The following are
specimens ; but we can hardly say that they are
worse than others that we could furnish. In our
paper of March 2nd, the Rev. Mr. LOWE, in a letter
which formed part of our correspondence, accepted
the challenge of a Mormon leader, and forthwith we
are charged for it as an advertisement. A para-
graph mentions the fact of steam communication
being opened between Liverpool and Antwerp, and
it is marked down also. Mr. SHAND writes to us
on the dispute respecting Mr. HERBERT'S Outcast,
and though he has no beneficial interest in the
matter, and merely gives evidence to show unfair
treatment of his brother, we are charged for it also.
And a case not perhaps worse than the others, but
sufficiently gross, is the following. We announced
the establishment of a Homoeopathic Dispensary in
the neighbourhood of Mount-pleasant, and we have
been mulcted in the sum of eighteenpence for this
exercise of our benevolence. It is almost unnecessary
to say, that in each of these instances the matter was
inserted as ordinary correspondence or intelligence,
without any charge whatever. We repeat that bad as
the system is, it is nothing to the ingenuity with
which it is carried out. We may receive an adver-
tisement from an auctioneer, and, after receiving
payment for it in the ordinary way, we may actually
have to insert it at a dead loss by being charged
seven or eight duties for the one advertisement.
Yet all this while our newspapers are filled with
notices to the advantage of individuals, without any
attempt to construe them as advertisements. There
is the puff direct and the puff inferential, the puff
collateral and the puff conclusive ; besides pieces of
news which produce the same effect. The announce-
ment that a physician has graduated is a hint that
he is ready to practise in that department ; and the
hint that a young lady is married is an intimation
" to all whom it may concern" that they must look
for those strange animals, the other good fish in the
sea that have never been caught. The military,
naval, and clerical promotions, the arrival an.l de-
parture of ships and tourists, and the notice of pro-
ceedings in Parliament, are much more of the
nature of advertisements than those for which the
account has just been furnished to us.
It is really too bad that men will create dishonesty
by assuming its existence, and taking the initiative
in wrong.; and it is intolerable that public officials
shall injure ad libitum, throwing upon their victims
the onus of watching them, or the annoyance of
appealing against their iniquitous decisions.

FOREIGN NEWS.

FRANCE.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE EAGLES TO THE
FRENCH ARMY.

The grand military fete fixed for Monday, the 10th of
May, passed off with the greatest order and propriety.
From a very early hour in the morning every road and
street leading towards the Champs de Mars, the scene of
the grand f(lie, was thronged with eager sight-seers ; and
many, in their anxiety to get a good place, passed a great
part of the night on the embankments skirting the ground.
To a foreigner unaccustomed to such sights the appear-
ance of Champ de Mars was one which will not be readily
forgotten. The whole extent of the ground was sur-
rounded by groups of flags and military trophies of every
kind. The front of the Ecole Militaire was completely
masked by tribunes, the one in the centre was destined
for the Prince President and his immediate suite, and
those on either side for the Senate, the legislative body,
and other great dignitaries of the state with their fami-
lies. The appearance of these tribunes, when filled with
elegantly-dressed women, and glittering with the em-
broidery of the official costumes, and the uniforms of the
gentlemen, presented a coy)) d'ceil of the most dazzling
description. In front of the President's tribune was an
estrade approached by a flight of steps, by which the
officers approached to receive the new colours of their
respective regiments. The military, amounting to about
60,000 men, marched on the ground and took up their
several positions about eleven o'clock. They were drawn
up in two lines, extending the whole length the Champs
de Mars. The infantry were on the right on entering by
the Pont de Jena, and the cavalry on the left.
The President of the Republic, accompanied by Marshal
Jerome and the other marshals, General Magnan, Com-
mandant-in-Chief of the Army of Paris. the Minister of
War, and a number of other general officers, with their
respective aides-de-camp, arrived on the ground about
twelve o'clock. The cortege was closed by the twenty-
five Arab chiefs, who have come from Algeria expressly
to be present at this grand file. They were mounted
after the fashion of their country, with the short stirrup
and high saddle, blue velvet housings, with richly mounted
holsters at the saddle bow, pistols at the belt, and scimitar
at the side, their snow-white and transparent burnous
floating in the air.

The- President pass-d along tile line of infantry, re-
turned along that of the cavalry, and then crossing the
Champs de Mars in front of the artillery, proceeded to
take up his position on the estrade in front of the Ecole
Militaire. The distribution of the standards then com-
menced. They had been all arranged in order numeri-
cally, and were handed out one by one to the President,
who delivered them into the hands of the respective
colonels, who ascended the steps to receive them. After
they had all been distributed, the officers took them to
the grand altar erected in the centre of the ground oppo-
site the estrade of the President, where the Archbishop
of Paris and a numerous body of his clergy were in wait-
ing. Mass was performed, after which the Archbishop
gave his benediction to the flags, followed by a very im-
pressive address. The conclusion of the religious service
was announced by a salvo of artillery, after which the
troops marched in review order past the President, the
different divisions headed by their respective generals.
A salvo of twenty-one guns was fired on the Pi:nce
entering the Champs de Mars, and the same number
when he retired.

The following is Louis Napoleon's address to the army:—
" Soldiers,—The history of nations is, in a great mea-
sure, the history of armies. On their success or reverse
depends the fate of civilisation and of the country. If
conquered, the result is invasion and anarchy ; if victo-
rious, it is glory or order. Thus rations, like armies,
feel a religious veneration for those emblems of military
honour which sum up in themselves past scenes of trou-
bles and of triumphs.
" The Roman eagle, adopted by the Emperor-Napoleon
at the commencement of this century, was the most stri-
king signification of the regeneration and of the grandeur
of France. It disappeared with our misfortunes—it
ought to return when France recovers from her defeats;
and, mistress of herself, seems not any longer to repudiate
her own glory.
" Soldiers,—Resume, then, these eagles, not as a me-
nace against foreigners, but as the symbol of our inde-
pendence, as the souvenir of an heroic epoch, and as the
mark of the nobleness of each regiment. Take again
these eagles, which have so often led our fathers to vic-
tory, and swear to die, if necessary, in their defence."
The jete was marked by an immense number of pro-
motions in the army and other services.

On Tuesday night, a grand ball given to the President
by the army, took place at the Ecole Alilitaire. So im-
mense was the number of persons invited that at half-past
ten streams of carriages two miles in length were seen
converging from the populous quarters of the city on both
banks, to the Ecole Militaire. The preparations which
had been made at the scene of the festivities were upon a
most gigantic and magnificent scale. The ball-rooms,
ante-room, and supper rooms extended two acres and a
half, and the whole of that space was filled to overflowing,
the number of guests amounting to not less than 15,000.
The greater portion of the ladies were the wives and
daughters of the officers.

A-dinner was given by the President of the Republic on
Wednesday to the superior officers of the army of Paris,
as also to those who had come from the different military
stations of France to witness the " Feast of Eagles,' in
the grand gallery of the Palace of the Tuileries. The
guests were 800 in number.

The celebrated astronomer Arago, having refused to
take the oath of fidelity, resigns his situation of director
of the observatory after an occupation of nearly 50 years.
The government has, however, declined accepting the
resignation, and has intimated to that philosopher its wil-
lingness to exempt him from taking the oath required from
all public functionaries. M. Arago will, therefore, resume
his office as director of the observatory.
General Changarnier has sent to the Minister of War,
and has caused to be published a letter refusing, in the
warmest terms, to take the oath to Louis Napoleon.
The Constitutionnel expresses great delight with the
speech delivered by Earl Derby at the Mansion-house,
and particularly so when viewed in connection with the
addrass of Louis Napoleon to the army ; inasmuch as it
sees that both France and England are solicitously anxious
to continue the most friendly feelings towards each other,
and that no exertions will be wanting on their part to
maintain the peace of the world. The Debats entertains
similar opinions.
The Count de Chambord has written a letter to his
friends, giving it as his opinion that it is the first duty of
Royalists to do no act and to enter into no engagement in
relation to the present Government, in opposition to their
political faith, and that whatever advantage may be
obtained by filling positions and offices which place them
in relation and habitual contact with the people, they
must not hesitate to refuse all such in case engagements
or promises be required from them contrary to their
principles. The Conslilulionnel expresses its satisfaction
at so overt an act of hostility. It is supposed that the
Imperialists will take advantage of it to urge forward the
Empire. The letter was much talked of at the Bourse,
where it produced a gloomy effect.
Generals Lamoriciere, Bedeau, and Leffo intend to fol-
low the example of General Changarnier, and refuse the
oath of allegiance to the President.