The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-08-10 00:00:00

OUR NORTH AMERICAN FISHERIES

OUR Whig-Radical contemporaries appear to be
"hard up" for grounds of complaint against the
Government of Lord DERBY. Amongst the petty
matters fished up for the purpose of injuring the
Cabinet, the Manchester Guardian, of Wednesday
last, has taken advantage of the movement made
by the Colonial Secretary to prevent the invasion,
by American freebooters, of the fishing grounds of
our transatlantic colonies. Our contemporary ap-
pends to the heading of his article "The cloven
foot of Protection ;" and insinuates, that it is likely
that a rupture with the United States will be the
consequence of the steps taken by the British Go-
vernment. It is clear, however, that we possess a
right, by treaty, to the fishing grounds in question ;
and Mr. WEBSTER, in his official letter, the substance
of which was given in our last, confesses the fact.
If we are to tolerate every invasion of our rights by
the American people, for the sake of preserving a
market for the cotton-spinners of Manchester, we

had better at once recognise the peace doctrines of
JOHN BRIGHT, and hand over our colonies to the
first bully that demands them. The Hon. DANIEL
WEBSTF:R would, no doubt, make an excellent
" ticket" for the Presidency out of a cry for the
annexation of our territory in the Bay of Fundy.
In reference to this question, the Morning Herald
of yesterday says :

" Her Majesty's Government have made no new claims
on the United States, and have withdrawn no concessions
made to that Government. No renewal of the long-vexed
question respecting the Bay of Fundy has been mooted.
Lord Aberdeen's concession of 1845 respecting that arm
of the sea (guarded as it was by his lordship by an asser-
tion of our rights over the whole bay) remains where it,
was. The disputed interpretation of the technical
terms of the treaty of 1818 remains where it was.
All that has been cone bi the Government. is to
strengthen our squadron on the coast of Newfoundland,
Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, to defend a right which
the United States do not, and neverdid, dispute—namely,
that of retaining exclusively in our possestion the water
within three miles of our own shores froirl' the encroach.
ments of both French and the American fishermen • and
the American vessel, the Coral, alluded to, was seized
within a quarter of a mile of our own coast. Our squa-
dron is now no larger than the French one on the same
coast:. Our right is that which demands the respect of

thing like as bad as it was in the year 1846. Since 1846
a great improvement has taken place in the planting of the
potato. It was this year planted a month earlier than it
was in 1846, and the disease did not appear until about
ten days later, so that there has been an advantage of
about six weeks gained, and that, too, when a considerable
quantity has been planted—quite sufficient, it is belived,
for the population, now so thinned since 1846 by famine
and emigration. As to the other crops—wheat, oats, tur-
nips, &c.—an abundant harvest is calculated upon.
A correspondent of the same paper, writing from Meath,
gives, however, a more gloomy statement. He says :
" There is no use in concealing any longer the melan-
choly fact that the potato crop, as far as I can ascertain, is
doomed. I have myself the most unmistakeable evidence
of a general blight in my own potatoes, much worse than
it was last season. lam afraid there will not be near the
qltantity of potatoes there was even last year, although
there was a much larger quantity of them sown ; but the
visitation of this very mysterious epidemic is much earlier,
and a larger quantity of potatoes later sown, this season.
The tubers were scarcely formed on the late crops when
the disease attacked them ; so there will be no potatoes
unless where they were sown early."

From Newry, it is stated that " the blight is exceptional
rather than general." From Clonmel, it is confessed that
" the potato is going, if not faster, at least as quick as it
did when attacked by the disease in the ever memorable
year 1846;" and notwithstanding the greet-breadth sown,
it is doubted that one-half of them can be saved. In Tip-
perary and Waterford the same complaints are made; and
the disease appears to be especially virulent in the northern
counties. In Clare the loss is aggravated by the fact that
the people appear to have confined their sowings to the
potato, neglecting the cultivation of turnips altogether.
The result has been to give a great impetus to emigration.
From Galway it is said :

" The people only appear bent on leaving the country as
fast as they can. It is lamentable to see men fleeing from
the land of their nativity as from a pest house. The
young, and the strong, and the vigorous, ay. and many of
the compartively wealthy, too, are thronging to the emi.
grant ships. On yesterday morning no fewer than 200
souls left this neighbourhood by train for Dublin, en route
to America."

We may add, that on this aide of the channel the blight
has made considerable ravages; but not to an extent to
threaten us with very high prices.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THI
LIVERPOOL TRADESMEN.

THE discussion at the Council meeting on Wednesday last,
upon the subject of the administration of the Weights and
Measures Act, was not one which is calculated to add to
the popularity of the Finance Committee. A large body
of tradesmen complain that they are oppressed by the
carrying out of a hobby of the Corporation. That body
has constituted itself a trading body. it levies upwards
of a thousand a-year upon the unfortunate shopkeepers of
the town ; and, whilst doing so, assumes that they are ha-
bitually dishonest and knavish. Yet it does not succeed
in reforming a single practical grievance. The most ab-
surd nicety in the adjustment of weights and scales is
insisted upon ; and still the dishonest can give short
weight. The extremely "artful dodger" is generally the
party whose name is never found in the list of Mr. FELL's
informations. We are ourselves advocates of the most
severe measures being taken to put down dishonesty.
The possession of an unjust balance, or weight, for the de-
liberate purpose of cheating, ought to be punished se-
verely. But it is preposterous that respectable tradesmen
should be annoyed as they are at present, for the purpose
of wringing from them adjustment charges, one half of
which are utterly uncalled for.

As the effect of the resolution of the Finance Commit

tee, to perpetuate the present system of exaction, we can
perceive results not at all calculated to promote that good
feeling which ought to exist between the constituent body
and its representatives. If the Council, through their of-
ficer, Mr. FELL, insist upon being traders, they must do
business at the same charge that private traders are will-
ing to do it for. It is too bad that a public officer should
be the arbiter in all matters connected with buying and
selling, and at the same time be allowed to levy black
mail upon the uarortunate individuals whom he chooses
to select as offending against his arbitrary dictatorship.
If we are to have correctness to the amount of " the
smallest portion of a human hair," in a bargain, let us
have it as cheaply as possible. We object to tariffs for
adjustment, such as that laid down by the Finance Com-
mittee, which is about four times as much as ordinary
tradesmen would charge.

IRISH NOTIONS OF " CIVIL AND RELI.
GIOUS LIBERTY."

Our triends on the other side of the Channel have some
peculiar views as to the responsibility of a man entrusted
with the franchise. A correspondent of the Waterford