The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-06-25 00:00:00

they can: and for what illegal and arbitrary conduct
does not English History afford a precedent ? When
seven of the twelve Judges gave judgment for the
Crown in the case of Ship-money, they did not lack
precedents for their decision, by " shaking off the dust
of ages from parchments in the Tower." We quote
the words of Mr. Hallam. But we have only touched
on this most important subject. We shall take an
early opportunity of returning to it, when we hope to
demonstrate that the Judges of the Queen's Bench
have been right and wise in their resistance to an un-
just usurpation on the part of the House of Commons.

Last night, in spite of the almost overwhelming op-
position of the conservatives in the House of Com-
mons—in spite of the unequivocal condemnation of
probably a million and a half of the adult population
of Great Britain—the " degraded ministry" intended
to call upon the House of Commons for a vote of
money in support of their Popish and Socinian scheme
of national education. Was there ever seen an instance
of such reckless disregard of that popular voice to
which those pinks of consistency, the Whigs, have
always professed to pay such unhesitating deference ?
Was there ever witnessed so gross and flagrant an in-
sult to the Protestant population of this kingdom ?
Was there ever beheld so so humiliating a spectacle
as that exhibited by Lord John Russell and his coad-
jutors in their abject truckling to the Popish and infidel
factions ? Well, indeed, might Lord Duncannon pro-
nounce the present ministry "degraded." Dragged
as they are through the filthy quagmires of expediency,
chained to the triumphal chariot of O'Connell, they
are contemplated as a warning example to mankind of
the awful depths of infamy to which men may descend
when they sacrifice principle to a selfish love of power.
It is asked with astonishment, by every man who
has the slightest regard for consistency of character,
whether it is really conceivable that the whigs will per-
sist in demanding a vote of the public money in order
to propagate popery and infidelity, in the face of such a
powerful opposition as that which they have to en-
counter. It is but reasonable to propose such a ques-
tion. A majority of five on the Jamaica question—a
question of third-rate importance—a question affecting
the interests of a small and remote appendage to the
British crown—caused them to abandon their offices,
and to declare most emphatically that they " had lost
the confidence of the country." With a majority of five
again on a question of first-rate and vital importance
—affecting the temporal and eternal interests, not only
of the millions who now inhabit this island, but of
generations yet unborn—on this question, with such
an insignificant majority, they have the audacity to urge
forward a measure upon which the brand of public re-
probation has been indelibly impressed. Such unparal-
leled impudence cannot escape unpunished. The reli-
gious feeling of the country cannot be thus set at defi-
ance with impunity. The whig ministry will yet find
this education scheme to be the mill-stone around their
necks, which shall sink them irretrievably in the gulph
of political perdition.

Since our last we have had three arrivals from the
United States. On Saturday the Columbus, Captain
Cropper, the packet of the Ist instant, arrived; and,
a few hours aftenvards, the new ship Rochester, Capt.
Woodhouse, which sailed on the 6th instant, reached
the Mersey, having had a passage of only sixteen days.
Yesterday the George Washington, Captain Henry
Holdrege, the packet of the 7th instant, arrived.

The Great Western arrived at New York on the Ist
instant, after accomplishing the outward passage in
the incredibly short space of thirteen days and seven
hours. The passengers describe the voyage as " a
pleasure trip"—so smooth was the sea, and so favour-
ing the winds.
The most important news in the New York papers
is that from Mexico. By an arrival at New Orleans
intelligence had been received from Vera Cruz to the
16th ultimo, giving further particulars of the battle
which had taken place between the central and federal
forces, in which the government troops were victorious.
The action took place six leagues from Pueblo, at a
place called Necarigo. General Mejia, with a thousand
men, attacked the enemy. The government troops
consisted of 2,500 men, under General Valencia. The
action' commenced on the 7th ultimo, at four o'clock,
and lasted till ten o'clock, a.m., during the whole of
which period General Mejia fought with the most
undaunted bravery, having taken the artillery of the
enemy no less than three times, which was afterwards
retaken. When on the point of gaining a victory, he
was attacked in the rear by Santa Anna, who had just
arrived with 1,400 men from Pueblo. His sudden
and impetuous attack thre /v the federalists into confu-
sion, from which they could not be rallied. They fled
in all directions, leaving their commander, Mejia, a
prisoner in the hands of the centralists. He was im-
mediately ordered by Santa Anna to be shot, and the
sentence was executed without delay. The loss on
either side was not ascertained. According to the
accounts of the federal party, Mejia died like a hero.
The news from Canada is of very little importance.
The papers are occupied with comments on the cap-
ture of the American schooner by Colonel Fraser, the
particulars of which we mentioned last week. Some
skirmishing seems to have taken place on the " dis-
puted territory" between rival parties of timber-cutters,
but nothing likely to lead to any serious rupture.
From the United States there is little political news
of importance. The Florida war, in which the govern-
ment had been engaged with the Indians, had termi-
nated satisfactorily.
The commercial intelligence from New York is, on
the whole, rather unfavourable. The Morning Herald
of the 7th instant states that money was very scarce,
and that it must so continue until some regular system
is adopted by the banks, and harmony and mutual
confidence is in some degree restored. Some little
anxiety had been created, within a few days previous
to the above date, by a demand which had been made
on the State Bank of New York for specie to a large
amount. That institution, in the course of the spring
trade, had redeemed a very large amount of country
bank bills, paying out her own in exchange. This had
created a balance of trade against her, and in favour of
most of the other city banks. This balance had been
drawn in specie. In the same manner the United
States Bank recently drew from the other city banks
400,000 dollars, being a balance which she had accu-
mulated against them by means of her sales of sterling
bills. For this purpose the United States Bank at
Philadelphia had purchased exchanges in that market
at 91 per cent., which had been re-sold in the New
York market for the purpose of drawing specie. The
city bank, being called upon for balances, would be
driven upon the country banks to relieve herself, and
their firmness under the pressure would prove a test
of their position. Some difficulties were apprehended
from this posture of affairs.
The Morning Herald (a good authority on commer-
cial and monetary affairs) states that with each suc-
ceeding day the inertness of trade generally increased.
The last week before the sailing of the George Wash-
ington had been one of very inclement weather; but
the paralysing effect of the foreign news on the great
staple cotton, seemed also to have chilled the anima-
tion of large dealers in all descriptions of articles.

We have received copies of the St. John's (N. B.)
Weekly Chronicle, of the 24th ultimo, and the Halifax
Times, of the 28th ultimo; but they do not contain
any news that has not been anticipated by the New
York papers.

We have received, by the Alexandria, Capt. Turner,
a file of the New Orleans Louisianian and Journal of
Commerce, to the 21st ultimo inclusive. They do not
contain as late news as that which has reached us via
New York. These papers describe the tide of emi-
gration to the west as stronger than ever the last
spring. Quoting the 147-heeling Gazette, the Louisia-
nian states that there appears to be a continuous line
of waggons on the national road, loaded with emigrants
and their furniture. Most of these emigrants appear
to be Germans from the banks of the Rhine and its
neighbourhood.

Business was extremely dull at New Orleans. The
small amount of shipments in the market for foreign
and home ports, coupled with the large amount of
shipping anxious for despatch, rendered the rate of
freights very fluctuating.

THE ASSIZES.—York Assizes are fixed for the Bth July;
Lancaster Assizes for the Bth Augus, and Liyprnnol 4gliges
for the nth 414PIPP'