The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-02-10 00:00:00

,t trespass on her for the invitaliOn.itbeir;

as that lie was as
re not less than fc

These agents are. distributed among all ranks and grades.
They are " authorised" to attend every large party, with
or without the sanction of the host, avowedly as police
instruments. While others are employed, to whom no
suspicion of their avocations could attach, to worm out
expressions of those warm and bitter feelings which such
a state of things can scarcely fail to excite in honourable
minds.

As will be readily conceived, considerable speculation
has been aroused by the recent attempt to assassinate the
Queen of Spain, who, at the time—on Wednesday even-
ing last—was on her way to the Church of Atocha to
return thanks for her safe delivery. There seems to have
been no possible cause or object for the crime. The
young sovereign, personally, has always been an object of
attachment to Spaniards of all parties ; and loyalty to the
royal blood, and to the sex, is part of the nature of a
Spaniard. Even Joseph Bonaparte, when once he had
been acknowledged as king by the nobles and people of
Madrid, was sacred, so far as related to his person ; and,
Ferdinand VII., in the very height of his unpopularity,
when he had brought in a huge Frenith army to suppress
liberalism throughout his dominions, and daily executions
presented a series of disgusting and horrible spectacles,
could fearlessly and with perfect impunity show himself in
the bull-ring, and hound on the rabble to their brutalising
sport with applause. Whence, then, has this attempt
arisen ? What end has it been proposed to serve by
setting an example in Spain of ruffianly, dastardly,
murderous disloyalty ? What motive has instigated the
deed ? All who speak of the subject are anxious for
answers on these points ; but all that is known at present
is that a pistol was fired at her Majesty, and that the bullet
wounded her in the shoulder, though. happily, not very
seriously. Everybody reprobates the attack; and it is
creditable to the good faith which the political factions of
Spain entertain in the inherent loyalty of each other, that
no peroon seems for a moment to suppose that the occur-
rence originated in party prejudice or predilection.
During the past week, as will have been generally seen,
Feargus O'Connor, the M.P. for Nottingham, has once
more risen into notoriety, both in the House of Commons
and in the Master's Office of the Court of Chancery. In
Parliament he has twice or thrice, since the opening of
the session, "done the familiar" with Lord John Russell—
walking up to shake him heartily by the hand, taking a
seat close betide him on the treasury bench, and whis-
pering to his lordship in a confidential way; and, when
the victim sought to escape by removing to another
place, pulling him back by the coat-tail, till brought to a
sense of decorum by loud peals of laughter, mingled with
indignant whig calls to "Order, order." In the Master-
in-Chancery's Office, Feargus has undergone an exami-
nation—at least, if such it can be called—of three days'
duration, concerninhe affairs of the exploded Chartist
" National Land Company," and National Bank. Here
Feargus has assumed a violent, instead of a bene-
volent tone and aspect, refusing to give any
statement of the debts and accounts, beyond those
which have been published in the Northern Star. Has
affected eccentricity ; talked pompously, and declared—on
his oath !—that he had not eaten anything, or slept for
twelve nights, and had got the spasms! He subsequently
swore at the master, at his own solicitor, and at the
counsel engaged ; called them ruffians and idiots, and
seemed pertinaciously determined to create in his own
favour that kind of feeling which was awakened by Sheep-
face in the farce, when he escaped from the hands of jus-
tice, by putting on a silly look, and exclaiming " baa" fn

answer to all questions. Of course, no one can suspect
Feargus of a desire to say " baa" to the claims of his
" dear children," the Chartist subscribers, in respect to
the land scheme. He has told them fifty times that he
had rather eat his own head off than wrong them, or allow
them to be wronged, by his instrumentality, of the value
of a farthing; and it would be uncharitable to imagine
that he will not redeem his word to the letter.
Need I tell you that the interesting gastronomical de-
bate, which took place on Wednesday in the House of
Commons, has been more interesting in many quarters—
especially in certain departments of the Club-houses—
than would have been some half-score of other questions,
of fat greater national importance ? It was raised by Mr.
F. French, who complained of the domestic economy of
Bellamy's kitchen. Soup was too dear at Is. a plate,
under free-trade ; chops, steaks, fried soles, stewed eels
and boiled whiting, cod's head and shoulders, and even
turbot, ought to come down to the measure of pockets
which have to depend for replenishing on the proceeds of
competition with foreigners ; while wine should be reduced
50 per cent., not in quality, but price ; and clean table-
cloths should be supplied to honourable members gratis—
most of themselves just now being badly off for soap, and
loose change for washerwomen. Mr. Chisholm Anstey
had also a special complaint to make against the said
kitchen. They had no Roman Catholics cooks, and con-
sequently had made no provision for fasting. They were
always preparing to feast themselves and the members ;
and, on Fridays, it was really distressing to see the strong
temptations set before gentlemen who, by no manner of
means, could think of taking anything more substantial
than salmon and lobster sauce. Of course, the matter
will undergo an investigation. Whether a special com-
mission is to he appointed, and a blue-book published, for
the edification of housewives in the art of cheap living, did
not transpire.

THE STEAM-SHIP CITY OF MANCHESTER.

We annex a copy of the log of the screw steam-ship City
of Manchester, on her outward voyage to Philadelphia,
which only came forward by the Asia, owing to the Dela-
ware being frozen over so tightly that the passengers and
papers had to be forwarded overland to their destination.
Though the vessel encountered head winds and high seas
throughout, she behaved very well, and the engines
were never stopped during the whole passage. She
endeavoured to force her way up the river through
the ice ; but, after proceeding about thirty miles, was
becoming so blocked up that she was obliged to return for
safety, and although the ice-boat had been sent to assist
her, she had been so damaged as to be compelled to return
for repairs, after having only got eight miles down the
river. The Delaware was fast frozen about thirty miles
down, and, of course, until the weather moderated,
nothing could be done with her. She will, however, come
away immediately on her discharge, and, if possible, will
be despatched from here punctually on the 25th instant.
Dec. 31.—Wind northward and westward. At 130 p.m. got
under weicd-; ; 2 15 passed Rock Light ; 3 30 pilot left off Bell
Buoy ; course set N.W. by W. W. ;7 30 Lynas Light S.W. S. ;
8 30 South Stack S.W., wind moderate ; 6 a.m. rounded
stl" Tuskar ; 9 a.m. Saltees.