The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-07-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

BOOKS FOR REVIEW, &c.—Books, New Prints, Music, &c.
intended for review, may be left at Mr. C. Mitchell's, Red-
lion-court, Fleet-street, London, addressed " to the Editor
of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD," when they will be forwarded
and receive attention.

The Christian Conflict. By William Pearce, Esq

London : Painter.

This is the second edition (the author having
cancelled the first) of a long poem, in blank verse,
intended to picture " the Tractarian heresy" as the
spiritual leprosy of the present century. At the
end of the volume we perceive a heavy mass of prose
notes, which are a great relief to the reader bold
enough to attempt a page of the poem. Mr. Pearce
is, no doubt, an amiable man, who thinks he has
a momentous work in hand. His theme is cer-
tainly a solemn one ; and for it and the author's
sake we shall not seek to glean amusement from
the pages of a very absurd book. All we would
say is this—let Mr. Pearce do with the second
edition of his volume what he did with the first,
cancel it, and he will do good service to himself
and the public.
Manuel Pereira ; or, the Sovereign Rule of South
Carolina. London : Clarke, Beeton, and Co.

This work is the production of Mr. P. C. Adams,
lately a newspaper editor in Charleston, South
Carolina,•who has been able to look upon the effects
of slavery with an unprejudiced eye, and here
reports those observations which have led him to
engage in the hazardous task of telling the truth,
even at the risk of incurring heavy penalties.
Manuel Pereira, a native of Brazil—"an extract of
the Indians and Spanish"—was a sailor, who had
wisely adopted Old England as his country, re-
solving that he should never serve under any but
the British flag. This determination was, however,
overruled ; and, in 1852, his ship, the Janson, of
Glasgow, having been driven into Charleston on
the route from Jamaica to Britain, poor Pereira was
seized by the authorities of the American port, in
accordance with the arrogant law of the State of
South Carolina—a law setting aside all constitu-
tional rights, and denying the validity of stipula-
tions made by the United States in her general
commercial laws. The narrative of Pereira's suffer-
ings in prison will be read with interest and indig-
ration by every Englishman. We cordially com-
mend this picture of South American laws, life, and
hospitality to our readers.

Zone's Dream and other Poems. London: Pickering.
In this age of iron machinery and gold
nuggets, it might be thought that the art of poetry
was lost, were it not that occasionally we have
evidence to the contrary in the appearance of
some genuine poetry, the freshness of which be-
tokens its vitality. The author of the volume before
us is Miss Jane Emily Herbert, who has already
gained for herself a name by "The Bride of Imael,
a poem of the times of Richard the Second," which
was cordially welcomed in all the three kingdoms.
The late Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is no
mean authority, said of it :—" A beautiful volume,
in which I found grace and fancy, and the healthy
interest of a national subject." Irish writers warmly
praised it, and hailed Miss Herbert as their best
native poetess since the death of Mrs, Hemans, and
she now gives to the world another volume, which
will still further extend her fame. " lone's Dream"
is an Irish romance of pleasing metre, healthy
moral tone, and containing many passages of great
poetical beauty. The following extract will speak
for itself :

I love the trace of truth in this poor world—
It has no path so rugged or so bleak,
But there that banneret of strength unfurled,
Stands on the ravine—flutters in the creek—
Braves the broad waters where the bold cloud curled
Hangs high and threatening; its small voice can break
All earthly barriers; the true heart alone,
Firm in its purpose, changes fortune's tone.
The volume contains several short and pretty poems,
of which we gave a specimen last week ; now we
subjoin the following stanza as a further specimen
of very pleasing metre :

Oh ! let us not cling to this earth that is fleeting,
Nor long tor its honours, where all must decay;
But hope for that world where there's gladness at meeting,
And never for ever bright things pass away.
" A Dirge for Wellington," which extends over
thirty pages, concludes the volume, which will be
gladly welcomed by all lovers of• true poetry as an
oasis in the desert of our material literature.

SERIALS FOR JULY.—Home Thoughts, which
has reached its seventh number, contains two chap-
ters of a London tale by the editor, and other
contributions of alight and gossippy character, suited
to the taste of the young.—The Ragged School
Union Magazine is a repertory of original and se-
lected papers, with which it is the duty of every
Englishman to make himself familiar. The profits
are devoted to the promotion of ragged schools.—
The Home Companion is a magazine for the million :
which we may truly pronounce the cheapest of its
class, because its matter is excellent, its typography
and engravings handsome, and its price only a
penny. Punch, which has now completed its
twenty-fourth volume, is as fresh as when it first
made its advent a dozen years ago; its wit, though
expended somewhat partially at times, being cheer-
ful and animating, and thoroughly English in its
character.—Cocks's Musical Miscellany, for the
current month, contains, among the new music, the
beautiful song of Jean Paul, entitled " Were I a
Star !" which has been wedded to delicious music
by his countryman, Joh. Fried. Kittle. This song
is, of itself, worth the entire price of the number.
—The Protestant Magazine records the progress
of Mr. Chambers's Nunneries Bill ; and in the re-
cent demonstration in Dublin—in the truckling
policy of ministers with regard to Roman Catholi-
cism—as also in the dreadful workings of Popery
at the Irish elections, as revealed before the
recent parliamentary committees, the editor has
not found it a difficult matter to make a num-
ber of unusual interest and value.—The Scot-
tish Educational and Literary Journal is chiefly
notable this month fcr a continuation of " Vaca-
tion Recollections," which contain a most affect-
ing story of the Scottish Moors. The conductor
of this serial is a man of tact as well as talent ;
and, though designed for a particular class
of the community, the 44 Journal " cannot fail to
be interesting to all.—The Christian Family
Advocate, which has reached its fourteenth number,
contain an interesting account of the British Envoys
abroad, showing what they have done, or have not
done, to promote the cause of Protestant truth.
Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, formerly Sir Strat-
ford Canning, is pronounced to be the only
diplomatic man we have who understands and acts
aright in the matter of maintaining religious
freedom. His noble and persevering labours in
Turkey have been crowned with most .
wonderful
and complete success. Protestantism now,
through his exertions, a reality in that empire, and
it is a shield to any one professing it. The Anti-
podes of Viscount Stratford is pointed out in the
person of Lord Westmoreland, the man of taste
and the composer of Popish masses. The
Bulwark still claims from us the opinion that it is
the worthiest and most effective of all the
monthly publications issued by the Protestant
warriors against the Popish Church.—The
B ?Wish Journal, published by John Mortimer,
is a new candidate for popular favour. Angus
Reach and Horace Mayhew, a couple of north
country lights, head the list of contributors ; and
in the augTationpart we perceive papers by Capt.
Mayne Reid, William Dalton, Nicolo Puenni—a
Frenchman who writes much that is new and in-
teresting about the present Emperor of France,
Alfred W. Cole, and Paul Preston. Not the least
interesting contribution to this part, is the sketch
of that singular and useful article, "The Penny-
a-liner ;" his peculiarities and mode of life are
graphically pourtrayed by one who tells us that he
is familiar with what he speaks of, from his holding
the office of sub-editor on one of the London
morning papers.

THE SAXON has again cast his pestiferous blight upon
one of Ireland's chosen potatoes, having withered the
patriot Murphy into an insolvent commissioner !—Punch.
EXTREMELY PARTICULAR.—Nye know a Stupid oli
teetotaller who is so true to his principles he won't even
in society !

ORRESI

Letters addressed to the Editor

real name and address of the writer, not for publication, but
as a guarantee of good faith ; this is indispensably requisite
in any statement of facts.

The Editor wishes it to be understood that he does not hold
himself responsible for the opinions or statements of his

correspondents

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SlR,—One word more, and that chiefly in reply to Mr.
Hodson's letter in the Albion of to-day, upon the question be-
tween myself and the friends or adherents of Mr. Moore.
I, myself, never pretended to know the truth or falsehood
of the facts ; I simply restated what had been communicated
to me, under no seal of secrecy, and I gave up my authority.
If I have been in error, the error was not of my own creating;
others alone are responsible. I asserted only what Mr. Big-
horn had related to me in the omnibus, in the bearing of his
friend, Mr. Godfrey; and Mr. Godfrey, in the presence of my
friend, Mr. Robert Horsfall, has admitted, without any reser-
vation, that what I stated was correct, and, moreover, that I
was at liberty, though he himself had an objection to appear-
ing in print, to make use of his confirmation.

In regard to Mr. Bighorn's second letter, I do not think it
necessary to enter farther, except to declare that the remark
which he says I made, as to our conversation being strictly
private, had no relation whatever to the point at issue, but
simply to the information I had given him of the meetings
held antecedent to the election, and which, as I purposed re-
peating the facts at the ensuing meeting of the Dock Commit-
tee, I did not desire to see anticipated by their insertion pre-
viously in the public papers. What I required was, that
nothing should appear in print before the following Thursday.
That being passed, Mr. Bighorn is at perfect liberty to publish
each and everything I mentioned.
As Mr. Mellor denies his being present at the interview with
Mr. Moore, I am hound to admit his denial, though whatever
may now be Mr. Godfrey's doubts as to having spoken of Mr.
Mellor, Mr. R. Horsfall will corroborate me in asserting that
during another interview with Mr. Godfrey, in the earlier
part of the week, that gentleman unequivocally referred to
Mr. Mellor by name.

Throughout the whole of this transaction, I repeat I have
violated no private confidence, nor attacked any one beyond
what was forced upon me for the vindication of my own
honour, and I feel satisfied that the public should now decide
where the misstatement, misrepresentation, or falsehood lies.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Water-street, 25th July, 1553. THOMAS BOLD.

\_)Tl

HE LTVEBP

FIRST INIPML,

senzers

(FBOM THE TIMES.)

qsIONS OF VICTORIA.

The first exclamation of the traveller who for the first
time sees the southern shores of Australia is one of disap-
pointment, for the length of the voyage and consequent
longing for the land naturally invest it with a beauty it
does not possess, and for days before it is sighted he pic-
tures to himself, if not a land flowing with milk and honey,
at any rate a finely-wooded country, " with verdure clad,"
and with hold scenery and a vast expanse of water ; and
it is amusing to listen to the different pictures drawn, by
people from all parts of the world, of the land they expect
to find, each one, of course, depicting scenery with which
he is familiar. The Londoner, for instance, expects to
meet an exaggeration of Bushy-park, or of the view from
the hill at Richmond or Windsor-park, minus the Castle ;
while the Welchman and Highlander look for bold crags
and lofty mountains ; and yet one and all, the most ex-
citing as well as the most moderate in their expectations,
cannot help saying, as the land comes In sight, " Is this,
then, Australia ?" and, indeed, well they may, for it is
unlike any other country in the world, perhaps. To any-
one who has seen the coast of America, or even the dear
shores of Old England, the coast of Australia—at least in
the neighbourhood of Port Philip—appears sadly insigni-
ficant, and on nearer approach one looks in vain for the
" bush," of which one has heard so much, and which, to
one accustomed to Canada, conveys the idea of a dense
forest. here it consists only of trees far apart, and, like
all that is Australian, different from anything else of its
kind. On still nearer approach, and when objects on
shore can be distinguished with the naked eye, every man
is taken for a savage and every animal for a kangaroo ;
and many were the exclamations of disappointment on
finding that the men seen from the deck were white, and
the animals with them were nothing more or less than
unromantic dogs. _

But the land has been sighted since daylight, and we
are now running with a fine breeze up to the "Heads,"
as they are called, and which, again, to the lovers of fine
scenery cause some disappointment from their being in
fact no heads at all, but only two necks of land as flat as
flat can be, between which an opening of a mile and a
half gives admittance into Port Philip. The sea between
the Heads is more like a caldron than anything else, and
although the passage across this caldron is made in a short
time, everything is secured, as the rolling and pitching are
as bad as in the heaviest sea, and a nasty passage it is to
make—a ledge of rocks on both sides, with a strong cur-
rent running, and the pleasing certainty that, if the wind
fails, ashore you must go ; and to add to our anxiety no
pilot is to be had—he has gone on board a fine American
ship a-head of us, and sends a boat to tell us that we can-
not do better than follow him.

We see a bark, lying-to waiting for turn of tide—appa-
rently, and as we pass close by her we see a dense crowd of
men on her decks—some in blue frocks, some in red, all
unshaved and very dirty, and with the most forbidding
expression. These we are told by old " squatters," who
came out with us, are Vandiemonians, which being inter-
preted means men from Van Diemen's Land, though
their appearance would justify one's giving a very different
sense to the term.

The caldron between the Heads is passed at last, to the
no small relief of the captain evidently, and for the first
time since we left Channel we are again in green water,
when overboard go dog kennels, old slippers, tin pans,
and other " fixings," much prized while at sea, but dis-
carded when within a few miles only of our journey's end.
The sail up the bay shows first the quarantine station,
where two ships are at anchor, having already lost up-
wards of 200 passengers since they arrived—emigrant
ships , too closely packed and badly ventilated,—what
more need be said ? Further up we see to the left,
the arm of the sea stretching up to Geelong, and at
last, after a few hours' sail, we anchor outside the
lighthouse on the point which forms Hobson's Bay—the
captain prudently keeping as far off the shore as he can so
as not to lose his men. And here I may mention a
rather ingenious stratagem by which they manage to get
ashore and desert ; it is simply this :—in the middle of
the night the cry is raised, of "A man overboard !"
which may or may not be true, as sometimes a man is
fool enough to drop overboard for the purpose ; the men
then rush aft, lower the boat, pick up their comrade, and
pull ashore. This answers very well at II rld, but the
trick gets known at last, and we were prepared, should it
have been tried, to man the boats with officers and pas-

Next morning the steamers from Melbourne came
alongside to take people ashore ; and, to show that time
was precious, they no sooner got alongside than they per-
formed a most odious solo on a bell as a signal for
starting. Baggage, beds, trunks, chests—all are bun-
dled over the side, and off goes the little steamer to per-
form the same operation at another ship, and finally to
take the passengers up the Yarra-Yarra to the long-
sought El Dorado.
In a straight line Melbourne is not more than two
miles from the bay, but the windings of the Yarra-Yarra
stretch the distance to nine miles. It is a narrow river,
and yet very deep, even to its banks, as large vessels of
400 and 500 tons lie close to the shore, and make fast to
the brushwood. The water is as dark as the Ottawa
water in Canada, and its :effects on new corners pretty
much the same, generally causing dysentery.
A little below Melbourne we pass some of the most
offensive of slaughterhouses, then some wool-washing
establishments, then shipping discharging cargoes on the
grass, and finally the steamer stops at the wharf, and
ashore we go into the town, and cannot help repeating
our remarks that town as well as country is unlike any-
thing else of its kind. The wharf, which extends about
half a mile on one side of the river, does not seem to have
grown with the commerce of the place' as vessels are now
crowded on either side of the river far beyond it.

The first object that catches the eye Is a noble stone
bridge across the Yarra-Yarra, which would do credit to
any city, young or old, but it appears to be the only
public work worth noticing, and one cannot but be
struck with the diminutiveness of all the buildings in
Melbourne.

There can he but one opinion as to the site of Mel.
bourne—that it can be made one of the finest cities of
England's colonial empire; and, much as is yet to be done
to the town, one cannot look at it without surprise
when one reflects that sixteen years ago it was a wilder-
ness. Yet, strange to say, there has been scarcely any
enterprise in Melbourne since the positive glut of gold.
Had " Brother Jonathan" been here he would ere this
have cut a canal to the bay and converted the large
swamp to the eastward of the town into docks. That
such will be done eventually I have no doubt, but one
cannot but regret its not having been done, or, at any
rate, begun already, for, as I said before, the vessels now
stretch, on both sides of the river, far beyond the limits
of the wharf, the bay is full of hipping, and the con-
stantly increasing tide of commerce which is setting
towards Melbourne will soon render some other arrange.
meta necessary.

Rents are enormous, and even ridiculously so, £4OO a-
year being paid for houses which scarcely cost that sum
to build a few years ago. Wooden houses are being im-
ported from Van Diemen's Land in great numbers, but
not fast enough to meet the daily influx of population.
On the south side of the Yarra-Yarra has sprung up a
town the material of which is explained in its name,
" Canvas Town," and which is almost as large as Mel-
bourne itself, and many are the people who lived in
affluence at home whom one can see under this frail cover-
ing performing the drudgeries of household duties.
When the commonest labour is 10s. a-day, it may be
supposed that all produce is extravagant. Butter is
3s. Gd. a pound, and everything equally expensive. I
cannot help mentioning this, as in England one is assured
that " living" in Australia is a mere nothing.
Servants' wages are enormous—in fact, the working-
classes have it all their own way. Nothing in the shape
of a man-servant is to be got under £6O a-year, and fre-
quently two guineas a-week. Female servants get from
£3O to £45 a-year. All mechanics flourish here. Com-
mon carpenters get from 20s. to 30s. a-day ; cabinet-
makers get more ; and a paperhanger who came out in the
Anglesea told me he was getting 50s. a-day. Draymen
get is. a load for the shortest distance, and the policemen
in the streets all get
_los. a-day.

The price of land has of course risen in proportion, and
at a government land sale a few days since some lots at
the outskirts of the town—and which, to quote one of the
papers here, " can never become a centre of business, but
must always remain a mere suburb at best"—sold at the
rate of 2,000 guineas an acre. The distance from the bay
is about nine miles by the river, and yet it costs almost as
much to get one's baggage from the bay as it does from
England, the freight in the latter case being only £3 or
£4 per ton, while in the former it is £2 5a., and trouble-
some to get it at that even.

When our baggage arrived I procured a dray, the
driver of which I saw, malgre" his blue frock and hobnail-
boots, was not at any rate born a drayman, and on get-
ting into conversation with him I found he was a gentle-
man, the son of a clergyman, and had come out some
months before, and having found all attempts at getting
gentlemanlike employment unsuccessful, he had pur-
chased a horse and dray, and boldly put his shoulder to
the wheel in more senses than one, and was then saving
at the rate of £lO a week. I was rather struck with this
at first, but now I am quite accustomed to similar recon-
tres, as one often meets men hard at work, and whose
rough costume cannot destroy the stamp which nature
will sometimes put on one of gentle birth. One fre-
quently meets successful diggers—men dressed up in a
most extraordinary style, who insist upon buying every-
thing, cost what it may, and press everyone they meet to
have a "nobbler"—the colonial term for brandy and
water. I saw one the other day ask a whole gang of
masons, overseer and all, to go and have " a nobbler,"
and on their hesitating he pulled out a handful of
sovereigns to show that he was in earnest and could afford
it. Then, again, for the band, the other day, some in-
convenience was felt from there being no boys to hold the
hooks for the men, a service for which most of the ragged
juveniles of Melbourne have hitherto volunteered ; but it
was not to be wondered at that for this once they were off
duty, as a drunken digger was throwing about handsful of
sovereigns for them to scramble for. These men often
marry on their return from the diggings, dress up their
brides in a most extravagant style, and drive about the
town with them, stopping en passant at most of the
publichouses to have " a nobbler." They spend all their
money in a short time, and either die of drink or return
to try their luck again at the diggings. But this must
not be taken as the standard of diggers, as many, nay,
most of them, are steady, hard-working people, who
know that it is to their own interest to keep quiet; and
the crime—of which there is, unfortunately, an alarming
extent—must not be attributed to the diggers. It is the
men who do not dig who are the pest of the country. The
local government have passed an act for the prevention
of convict immigration from Van Diemen's Land, for
hitherto every vessel from Launceston or Hobart Town
brought over a cargo of ruffians, but now every passenger
from Van Viemen's Land who cannot prove himself
" free" is sent to work in ehains on the roads, and every
captain of a vessel bringing such a man is fined £lOO.
The measure seems a severe one, but it is really neces-
sary, as the trials and police reports but too clearly show.
To prevent, in some measure, the frequent murders and
attacks in and near the town, any person seen with fire-
arms at night is liable to be taken up ; and yet it would
be folly to go out beyond the town without them, and I
never cross the " common" after dark without carrying
a pistol on full cock in my band, with my finger on the
trigger all the way, preferring, if needs be, to be taken
to the police-office and give an account of myself to being
" stuck up," as it is termed here.
The murders, committed, however—and their• name is

'A_NDARD, TUESDAY,

_L \

legion—are mostly on diggers, who for days previous have
been " shepherded ;" that is, the poor fellow known to
have gold about him is closely watched, for days perhaps,
until he is caught alone, when he is brutally murdered.
There is a refinement of cruelty displayed in many of the
murders in the bush. One poor wretch was rubbed over
with turpentine, which was set on fire; another poor
fellow was rescued the other day, having been tied to a
tree by the throat in such a manner that the point of his
toes could just touch the ground. Sometimes it is proved
that a man is tied to a tree and shot in cold blood. The
district coroner told me a few days ago, that for the last
week he had held an inquest every day, and sometimes
two, and that independently of the city coroner, whose
office is no sinecure. Most of these murders are traced
to men who either are or have been convicts, and one
cannot but feel that the local Legislature is justified in
adopting the most severe measures to prevent a further
influx of these " Pandernonians," as they might well be
called, instead of Vandiemonians.
Of the climate of Port Philip it would be impossible to
give an account. In fact, in the 24 hours we often have"an
ircharatillon of almost all the climates in the known world,
and a great many more that one never dreamt of ; such a
roasting sun with a " London damp November" kind
of cutting wind ; then again that will in half an hour,
perhaps, change into a sirrocco laden with scorching dust
as the deserts of Arabia might be proud of, which in its
turn will be succeeded by a thorough " real old Jamaica"
shower.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY, JULY 19

BANKRUPTCY.—The house went into committee on the
Bankruptcy (Scotland) Bill, the object of which was con-
tained in its details. It was for the purpose of making
several improvements in the present state of the bank-
ruptcy law in Scotland, which at present is in a most un-
satisfactory condition.—Lord BROUGHAM said he should
propose some amendments at a future stage.
Several bills were forwarded a stage.
The Succession Bill was brought up from the Commons
and read a first time.

The Marquis of CLANRICARDE brought in a bill to
regulate the relations between landlord and tenant in
Ireland.

Their lordships adjourned at ten minutes past seven
o'clock. THURSDAY, JULY 21.

COPYIIOLDS.—Tho LORD bIIANCPT.LOR introduced
certain amendments in the Copyholds' Bill, which was
then read a third time and passed.
The Estates' (Scotland) Bill was read a second time.
The Transportation Bill, the Battersea Park Bill, and the
Westminster-bridge Bill were read a third time and passed.

COLONIAL CHURCH.—The House went into Committee
on the Colonial Church Regulation Bill after some discus-
sion, in which several lords took part. On clause 1 being
proposed, the Earl of HARROWBY objected to several
portions of it, especially those parts which conferred cer-
tain powers on the Colonial bishops, among which was the
power to compel the clergy of Canada to meet in synod at
the seat of the metropolitan diocese. The difficulty which
the clergy in the provinces would experience in attending
the synod would give the metropolitan diocese an undue
advantage. lie also objected to the power given to the
synod, to be decided by a majority of voices, consisting of
clergy and laity, with the assent, in the case of any diocese,
of the bishop, to make regulations for the management of
the affairs of the church within the diocese.—The BrsHOP
of Orroun defended the clause, and the Earl of HAR-
ROWBY having withdrawn his objection, it was agreed to,
as were also the remaining clauses, and the bill was re-
ported with amendments.
Their lordships then adjourned.
FRIDAY, 22nd JULY.

THE STATUTE LAW.—The LORD CHANCELLOR laid
upon the table the instructions which had been given to
the commission appointed to inquire into the consolidation
of the statute law, and stated that he hoped to receive
the report of that commission some time next week.