The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-03-29 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICES.

The African Slave Trade. By Thos. Fowell Buxton,
Esq. London : Murray. 1839.
No one is better qualified to speak or write on the
subject treated of in the volume before us, than Mr.
Buxton. Engaged as he has been, during so long a
period of his life, in the benevolent enterprise of seek-
ing the suppression of the traffic in slaves, he may be
supposed to have maturely studied 'the best modes of
ameliorating the condition of those nations in Africa
among whom this trade has been carried on. Despair-
ing of effecting any radical change in the habits of the
Africans by force of arms, he proposes to annihilate
the slave trade by an appeal to their interests. The
plan which he suggests seems plausible. On its feasi-
bility we can scarcely venture to offer an opinion. The
principles on which he rests his plan are the folloiving :
—l. That the present staple export to Africa renders
to her inhabitants, at an immense cost, a miserable
return of profit. 2. That the cultivation of her soil,
and the barter of its productions, would yield an abun-
dant harvest, and a copious supply of those articles
which Africa requires. 3. That it is practicable to
convince the African experimentally of the truth of
these propositions, and thus to make him our confede-
rate for the suppression of the slave trade. "If these
views," says Mr. Buxton, " can be carried into effect,
they will have, at least, thus much to recommend them:
they will not plunge the country into hostility with any
portion of the civilised world, for they involve no vio-
lation of international law—they require no monopoly
of trade—and they involve no schemes of conquest."
The various suggestions offered for carrying these
principles into operation, are deserving of the most
serious consideration, especially from those who are
engaged in commercial pursuits. The statistical de-
tails which are contained in this volume, respecting
the extent and accompanying atrocities of the African
slave trade, are calculated to produce a deep impression
on the mind.

Irish Tranquillity under Mr. O'Connell, Lord Mulgrave,
and the Irish Priesthood. By Anthony Meyler, M.D
Dublin : Carson.

At the present moment this work possesses more
than ordinary claims on our attention. It is very pro-
bable that the fate of the Melbourne administration
will depend\upon the results of the inquiry which will
he shortly made in Parliament into the state of Ireland.
Dr. Meyler's work will, therefore, be found of great
utility, as furnishing facts demonstrative of the wretch-
ed policy pursued by the present government. He has
furnished the most conclusive evidence of the palpable
connivance at Popish violence on the part of Lord
Mulgrave, and shown that the fearful excitement, so
industriously kept up in Ireland, is a warfare against
Protestantism and the connexion with England, carried
on by the peasantry at the instigation of the priesthood.
He proves that " the Popish clergy are the real and
only exciters of the rebellious and lawless feelings now
so prevalent," and that " the people, if left to them-
selves, would be tranquil, and would remain deaf to
the voice of the agitator." We recommend this vo-
lume to the attentive perusal of every sincere friend to
the peace and prosperity of Ireland. The startling
truths which it demonstrates, and the numerous hor-
rible facts which it details, cannot fail to convince the
most sceptical of the absolute necessity of Protestant
ascendancy as the only safeguard for Ireland.

Socialism, as a Religious Theory, irrational and absurd.
By John Eustace Giles. London, Simpkin, Mar-
shall, and Co.
Those who wish to possess a masterly refutation of
the infidel, degrading, and filthy dogmas proptiunded
by Robert Owen and his school, cannot do better than
procure the lecture before us, which furnishes the most
conclusive proofs of the absurdity and ruinous tend-
ency of the principles so ostentatiously paraded by the
socialists as the foundation of their system. Mr. Giles.
has given us a full exposure of the impious and licen-
tious consequences of this system, and proved that it is
utterly irreconcileable with the duties of reason and
common sense. It is really surprising that men can be
found who are so besotted in ignorance as to receive
for solemn truths the palpable and self-contradictory
absurdities of socialism. We cordially recommed this
lecture to the notice of our readers.

The late Commercial Crisis ; with Tables representing
a Plan for the Abolition of the Corn Laws and Re-
strictions on Commerce. By a Glasgow Manufactu-
rer. Glasgow : Lymington. 1839.
The only part of this pamphlet which we think
worth a moment's attention is that which recommeds a
reduced scale of charges for postage—a practical sug-
gestion which we hope to see carried into speedy ope-
ration. The rest, though evidently written with a good
intention, indicates great ignorance of political eco-
nomy.
The Birmingham Iris, and Midland Counties Monthly
Magazine. Feb. 1839. Birmingham : Ouseley.
This is the second number of a new provincial as-
pirant in the field of periodical literature. This maga-
zine is thoroughly conservative in its tone, and we hope
that it may be long continued as an advocete for " the
church, monarchy, and constitution." This number
contains some very sensible remarks on the " Corn
Laws."—" Owenism and its Adjuncts"—and the
"'Tithes of the Church." " A Death upon the Sea"
is an affecting narrative. The article on " The Romish
Confession of Faith" is calculated to do much good,
by opening the eyes of Englishmen to the absurdities,
superstitions, and blasphemies of the Church of
Rome.

Cqnduct of the Romig Church with regard to the Bi-
ble. A Sermon preached in St. Michael's Church,
Pitt-street, on Friday, December 21. By the Rev.
D. James, MA., Minister of St. Mary's, Kirkdale.
nierpool : Newling.
This constitutes the seventh of a series of sermons

against the errors of the Church of Rome, preached at
St. Michael's Church, in this town. The rev. author
has exposed, with much power and cogency of argu-
ment, the systematic opposition of the Romish priest-
hood to the free circulation of the holy scriptures, and
the contempt with which their contents are treated.
We recommend this sermon to the notice of all who
may have any doubts as to the real policy of the Pa-
pacy in reference to the suppression of divine truth.

Christ the only Mediator. A Sermon preached in St.
Michael's Church, on Friday, January 18. By the
Rev. J. H. Stewart, M. A., Incumbent of St. Bride's

Church. Liverpool: Newling.
This is the eighth in the same course of sermons,
and, perhaps, looking at the importance of the subject,
one of the most interesting in the whole series. The
subject is handled with Mr. Stewart's accustomed abi-
lity. He proves the utter fallacy of the Popish doc-
trine of a multiplicity of intercessors, by showing from
holy writ that there is "only one Mediator between
God and man," who is Christ Jesus, the only atone-
ment for sin. There is a deep and fervent spirituality
pervading the whole of this admirable discourse.

The Poetical Works of the Rev. R. Montgomery, A.M.,1
Oxon. New Edition, carefully revised by the Author.
Vols. 1 and 2. Glasgow : John Symington and
Co. 1839.
Mr. Montgomery is already well known to the pub-
lic of Liverpool as a powerful and talented minister of
the Church of England. He is now exercising the
avocations of a Christian pastor as one of the episcopal
clergy at Glasgow. May he be long preserved to em-
ploy his great powers of mind for the good of his
fellow-creatures in the extensive field of usefulness
which he now occupies. We are glad to find that Mr.
Montgomery has determined upon re-issuing his poeti-
cal works in the convenient form of periodical volumes.
We have no doubt that they will meet with an extended
circulation. The two volumes before us contain
" Satan" and " Woman," both of which poems
abound with passages of great beauty. The appended
notes are extremely valuable and interesting. The
typography and general execution of these volumes are
highly creditable to the publisher, and conjointly with
their intrinsic merits must procure for them the patro-
nage of a discerning public.