The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-29 00:00:00

THREATENED CALAMITY 1

The Evening Post, the organ of the Irish government,
makes the following alarming remarks on the probable

departure from Ireland of the " good shepherds " who
manage the political as well as the religious affairs of the
Roman Catholic population. In short, the poor fellows,
like the gardeners in hard weather, are being frozen and
starved out. The Repeal agitation is dead ; the " Religious
Equality " movement is also defunct ; " the country has
been sold to the Whigs ;" and so there is no exciting the
people to hand out their money for prayers, parliamentary
petitions, or other of the ordinary objects so long kept in
view here. To the diggings, then, they must go, to incul-
cate " good-will amongst men :"

" There is another country (quoth the Post). which
need not be named, that imperatively demands the inter-
position of the state with regard to its Catholic clergy. In
that country these were hitherto maintained by the volun-
tary contributions of their flocks ; but these are departing
from the shepherd with a rapidity unparalleled in the
annals of the human race. The priests, except in the
cities and great towns, are left without any income what-
ever; and if government do not speedily step forward to
their rescue from utter destitution, we see no other end
to it but that they will per force be compelled to join in
the Exodus. We confess we are only surprised that this
course has not been already taken to a very considerable
extent. It has not, however. Very few Catholic clergy-
men have left for America or Australia, but we may be
quite certain, if means be not found to keep them at home,
that the young and healthy must betake themselves to
exile."

COMMERCIAL AND MONETARY NEWS.

MONDAY NIGHT.

great object of the parties aggrieved—men with unfaithful
wives, and vice versa—is not touched at all by the Com- THE apprehensions of a general embroilment of
missioners. What, I would ask, do the large community j the great powers of Europe having been set at rest,
referred to, whose habitat is the metropolis, care for the the Funds have recovered from the slight depres-
nice distinctions between divorce a vinculo rnatrimonii, sion under which they suffered, and have since
and ir mensd et there, if they cannot obtain either by steadily maintained their value. There is, however,
reason of the heavy cost ? Not a jot, as Othello says.
but little doing, owing to the holiday time of the
What they want—so I have heard them declare, with
broken hearts, or well nigh broken, and with tears year, nor will there be any disposition to embark
streaming from their eyes, more fools they,—is to obtain in new transactions until the CHANCELLOR of the
a divorce a vinculo at a rate of expense within the EXCHEQUER has made his long-expected financial
reach of ordinary people. Now it so happens, that I statement. We hinted last week at the probability
though the proceedings in the disagreeable business are ;
of
_ some reduction being made in the interest of
simplified, and so forth, by the Commissioners, they
don't appear to be much cheapened, for at the end ' uonsols, and the opinion is gaining ground, that,
of the report I find the following ominous sentence : with the present favourable rate of the public
" That there shall be only one appeal from the decree of securities, and the large and increasing balances in
the court, and that the appeal shall be tarried to the the Exchequer, the opportunity will not be allowed
House of Lords." Why, this was the monster grievance
all through. That when a lord or " ladye fair" went to pass over without interfering with this important
astray, unless there had been criminal winking at the Part of the National Debt. The rate of discount
offence on either side,—could go to the House of Lords, on first-class paper is below the minimum fixed by
and obtain such a separation as would allow the corn- the Directors of the Bank of Englend ; commercial
plainant to marry again—if he or she thought fit. At credit was, perhaps, never in a more favourable
the lowest calculation, this would cost about £2OO, but in •
position, owing to the general absence of undue
many cases, caused by attendance of witnesses at a dis-
speculation, and the confident expectations of still
tance—from the continent—for it is there the sinning
parties chiefly go, as many thousands. I think I never larger arrivals of gold from Australia will tend to
was at a more lugubrious party than one composed of render the money market easier for all legitimate
injured husbands. Two or three wags just poppedin,—there purposes. These are circumstances which cannot
was no intrusion,—to witness the fun, such as it might
be. One by one the poor de'ils sneaked into the room, fail to have their weight with a Finance Minister
looking into each other's face in the most scrutinising who has any pretensions to ability. Mr. GLAD-
manner, to ascertain, I supposed, if he were a brother STONE has shown that he has an eye to the saving
sufferer—" a fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind." of the national expenditure by his reduction of the
They had hard work to get a chairman. The secretary, a interest on Exchequer Bills, and this circumstance
little blear-looking man, put me in mind of the cook's should not be left out of view in estimating the
eels, who, it is fabled, care nothing for being skinned,
robabilities of future operations.
inasmuch as they are used to it. So with Mr. Secretary ;he P
was perfectly au fait. Ultimately a sufferer was found Among the new schemes which owe their origin
hardy enough to act as chairman,—under protest that his to the abundance of capital in this country is that
name was not to be given. Agreed. Then came resolu- of a railway of 110 miles from Cologne, along the
tions to cheapen the law of divorce ;—mover and se- banks of the Rhine to Wiesbaden, to be constructed
conder there were none, unless the protest aforesaid was
allowed. Agreed again. With these preliminaries settled, (at a cost of two millions sterling. It is said that
to it they went. How they did blow up their absent some Liverpool merchants are on the Board of
spouses I One wife had had five children, yet left them, Directors. Another scheme is a Water Company
their father, and a nice little business, to run away with a for Berlin, with a capital of £350,000, and the
journeyman earpefiter ;—another, who had been married
three and twenty years, cut and ran with a schoolmaster, Directors consisting of London merchants. Some
—44 a little bandy-legged whelp." Sic the efflictj would have thought that Englishmen had had
orator. All, all of them complained bitterly that, though sufficient experience in foreign investments to deter
they could get a divorce in Doctor's Commons, they them from embarkin
could not marry again wlthuut getting vile In the Nouse g any more money out of the
reach of British protection.
of Lords. A great hardship some of them—good-looking
im-
men enough—complained of was, that they were " tor- We reported last week the formation of an
mented" when they went out to little parties, by the portant association of the Corn Trade of Liverpool
young women usually found in such assemblies. Speak for their mutual protection and advantage. This is
to one of them,—the mysterious whisper went round— a step in the right direction, and it were well if it
"la ! nonsense—what's the use ? b e ,
I" ',t —." This led to the establishment, by legal enactment, of
would go on until the poor man became frantic, left the Local Boards of apurely commercial character, with
party, took to the tavern and the friendly pipe for
authority to decide upon all questions of dispute in
solac. The numbers of such persons are incredible in
London. Where's their relief ? Ask echo. mercantile transactions, arising either out of the
I once recollect the famous scholar and wit, WILLIAM general law or the custom of merchants. In dis-
Ma.oixer, commonly called Dr. MAGINN, cemmeneing putes affecting the shipping interest, such as
leader with the remark that " Rump steaks" cost
ashit-salvage, collisions, &c., the case is referred to a
special court, in which the judge has the assistance
ling a pound weight in Parringdon market. Poor MAGINN
of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, who are
could say and write anything he liked at that time • it
might be outre, it was always applicable and scholarli'ke
experienced mariners, and Somebody had told him, on the occasion referred to, that. usually s, the judgment
he should make the attempt to eat a juicy inch-and-a-half has, therefore, the chance of being founded on
thick underdone steak for his dinner. MAGINN was no justice. In cases, however, affecting important
great eater in his latter days, poor fellow, but he took
mercantile transactions, where much may depend
courage, went to the slaughterer's, came away steakless
on long recognised customs of any particular
and horror-stricken at the apparent iniquity of the charge.
It was the first, lam sure it was the last time MAGINN port or branch of trade, the cause is argued at
knew the price of the raw material. lam led into the great expense before `a judge who is incapable of
relation of this anecdote,—much against my will. Were understanding its merits and bearings, by counsel who
MAGINN's pale and shrivelled ghost to revisit the glimpses
are equally ignorant; and though the intention of the
named, or, indeed, ~ l 'of the gas in the city market above.et right be done," the probability is
any other, it would slink back to its coffin like Teddy of way. B , the establishment
high Provisions for many a year have not been so quite as much the other )
net may be "
high in price as they are at present. Free-trade! Pshaw !
Measled pork from abroad,—I will not say where, because. of Local Boards, which should combine legal skill
the Standard is ray/,her popular there,—poor, wretched, and mercantile experience, the commerce of this
fleshless, fatless, broken-backed cattle, skin, bone, and countrya more satifactory footing,
would
be
it
horn, from Holland and Spain. These are what we haveplaced on
got from Free-trade, Not that I find fault with it, disputes would be decided with infinitely less both of
as a loyal subject, it being new part and parcel &c., delay and expense, and dishonourable dealing would
I give it my support—the support that the sturdy ,
Protestant Peer, WINCHELSEA, gives to the Roman be more seldom perpetrated or attempted, because
Catholic Emancipation Act. Ah ! but, said RICHARD the remedy would he more readily accessible. In
COBDEN, the other night, if you had not had Free- the endeavour to obtain such an object, Liverpool
trade, rump steaks would have been higher in price. should decidedly take the lead, because, as the
Perhaps. The love of gold (money) is the root of all greatest commercial town in the world, she has the
evil, says an inspired one; sometimes we are inclined to greatest interest at stake ; and now that the LORD
say the want of it,—it you please. It is the prodigious, CHANCELLOR is busily employed in a praiseworthy
the hitherto unheard of quantities of gold coming here I .
attempt to effect a codification of the statute law, a
which have raised the price of the poor man's dinners and