The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-08-16 00:00:00

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THE LITTLE HAND.

BY MRS. SIGOURNEY.

Thou wak'at, my baby boy, from sleep,
And through its silken fringe
Thine eye, like violet, pure and deep,
Gleams forth in azure tinge.
With frolic smiles and gladness meek,
Thy radiant brow is drest ;
While fondly to thy mother's cheek
Thy little hand is prest.
That little hand ! what prescient wit
Its history may discern,
Ere time its tiny bones shall knit
With manhood's sinews stern?
The artist's pencil shall it guide ?
Or spread the snowy sail?
Or hold the plough with rural pride ?
Or ply the sounding flail?
Through music's labyrinthian maze,
With thrilling ardour rove?
Or weave those tender tuneful lays,
That beauty wins from love ?
Old Coke or Blackstone's learned tome
With weary toil explore ;
Or trim the lamp in classic dome,
Till midnight's watch be o'er ?
The pulse of languid sickness press ?
Or such high honour gain
As in the pulpit raised, to bless
A pious listening train ?
Say, shall it find the cherished grasp
Of friendship's fervour cold ?
• Or startling, feel the envenomed clasp
Of treachery's serpent fold ?
oilinked in hallowed union, blest
Of changeless love benign,
Press some fairinfant to thy breast, .
. , As thou dost cling to mine?
Jut oh ! may the Almighty Friend,
From whom our being came,
Thla dear and powerless hand defend
• From deeds of guilt and shame ;
From cruel war's discoloured blade,
From withering penury's pain ;
From dark oppression's direful trade,
And from the miser's gain.
Grant it to dry the tear of woe,
' • Wild folly's course restrain,
.The alms of sympathy bestow,
4:19 - The righteous cause maintain.
.1)614,4.
d.gd,Write wisdom on the wing of time,
Even 'mid the morn of youth,
And, with benevolence sublime,
Dispense the light of truth.
Discharge a just, a useful part,
Through life's uncertain maze ;
Till, coupled with an angel's heart,
It strikes the lyre of praise.

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

RIBBONISM IN IRELAND.
(From the Standard)
Our worthy contemporary, the Morning Chronicle,
wh6 never seems so much in earnest as when he is
wholly in the wrong, having discovered a passage in
thespeech of Lord Wharncliffe on Thursday, which
wilt, he fancies, favour his view of the scope and ten-
dency of Ribbonism, has returned to the subject, like
a ' giant refreshed by wine." After felicitating him-
self on having " done something to promote the ex-
posure and defeat of this most intrepid fiction," this
"mnet impudent attempt ever made by the jugglers of
!dying faction," to impose a " monstrous figment" on
" a too credulous and simple public," he puts into Lord
Wharncliffe'l mouth a statement to the effect, that his
lordship had not yet satisfied his mind whether Ribbon
Societie: are directed to political views and objects or
not: We know not if his lordship ever expressed any
such doubt upon the subject; but of this we are cer-
tain, that if he did, the opinion was singularly at vari-
ance with the testimony laid before him by gentlemen,
tharuuThom he most earnestly declared he had never
met witnesses more intelligent or respectable in his life.
Even ,the testimony of Mr. Rowan, which the Chro-
nicle has tieen at such pains to impugn, was, his lord-
shiO'aisures us, fully corroborated by the statements of
other parties. Now, at the risk of being considered te-
dious, We must once more direct the attention of our
readers
,to what the nature of all this testimony really
was; requesting them, at the same time, to remember,
that every one of these gentlemen, with one exception,
were -actually holding situations under government,
and were, consequently, rather unwilling witnesses than
otheiwise.
Major Warburton, inspector-general of the consta-
bulary force, after various details in reference to the
extent and character of Ribbonism, asserts that " he
never knew a Protestant engaged in it."
Mr. Rowan, a chief magistrate of police, asserts that
the. Ribbon Society " is exclusively Roman Catholic :
it teing impossible, according to the rules, that a Pro-
teitent should belong to it." Moreover, he declares
their objects, as unequivocally stated by their oath, to
be the subversion of the Protestant and the establish-
ment of the Catholic religion in its stead.
Mr. John Hatton, who has been chief constable of
police for more than 16 years, agrees with the witnesses
whose testimony we have quoted, " as to Ribbonmen
being ,coned to Roman Catholics exclusively."
Mr.. John Wright, who has been 22 years in the
constabulary, in which he has for some time past been
chief constable, " has not the slightest doubt that
Ribbonism has increased rapidly since 1835. Never
heard of a 'Protestant being among them."
Samuel Tracy, Esq., who has been nine years a sub-
inspector of police, confirms Mr. Rowan's belief that
one of the objects of Ribbonism " is to recover the
estates that were forfeited."
Mr. Christopher Plunkett, who has been upwards
of six years a stipendiary magistrate in the county of
Louth, nine years previously sub-inspector of police,
and altogether 18 years in the service, declares that
he believes the object of the Ribbon Society to he
". the extermination of Protestants and the establishment
Of•the'Rornan Catholic religion throughout Ireland."
• Capt. 13. Warburton, who has been nearly 15 years
a resident magistrate in Galway, " has seen placards
from the Ribbon Society calling for the restitution of
the forfeited estates."
John Wetherall, 'Esq., believes the Ribbon Society
to be a ", confederation of both a religious and political
character, and always confined to the Roman Catholic
party?,
Maxwell Hamilton, Esq., is Crown solicitor for the
north-east circuit since 1830; has " not the slightest
doubt. that the Ribbon Society exists wherever Catholics
reside ; to whom it is entirely confined."
Major George Brown, is one of the commissioners
of police, in Dublin, and was many years a magis-
trate • he has no doubt " that they (Ribbonmen) are
all ROMan'Catholics, and do not admit Protestants."
Mr. liernmis is Crown solicitor for the Leinster cir-
cuit, Crown solicitor for the county and city of Dub-
lin, and Solicitor to the Treasury in Ireland ; all of
Which offices he had held for 38 years ; says that
Ribbon Societies are composed entirely of Roman Ca-
tliolicS, and that the substance of their oath is " to be
true
.to the brethren, to attend to any call, NOT TO
ASSIST A HERETIC, and to keep secret the acts of
the .s6ciety."
John Lewiss O'Ferrall, Esq., is one of the Commis-
sioners of Police in Dublin, which office he has held
since 1838 ; " never heard of but one instance of a
Protestant belonging to the Ribbon Society, as Rib-
bonmen never admit of any but Roman Catholics."
Now, if, after all this evidence, and much more that
is strictly corroborative, from witnesses whose great
intelligence and respectability he eulogises so highly,
Lord Wharncliffe is " unable to satisfy his mind whe-
ther Ribbonism is directed against the l'rotestant or
Catholic religion," all that we can say is, that he is
more sceptical than we took him to be; for, unques-
tionably, if the gentlemen whose evidence we have here
quoted be what his lordship describes them to be, the
fact - that Ribbonism is confined to Roman Catholics
has been proved as completely as it is possible for a
fact to be proved. Its other objects, its general cha-
racter, and its extent, we have already discussed; and
have shown how little foundation there is for the vapid
attempt at wit of Lord Lurgan, who describes it as " a
political torso"—a thing without a head; an idea that
E, appears to have tickled the fancy of the Morning Chro-
r nick mightily. It will be seen by a reference to the
s' evidence of the gentlemen to whom we have above
alluded, that no doubt exists that the monster is fur-
nished with a head ; and that its affairs are organised
by persons much more astute, and who have greater
interests at stake, than the miserable tools who do
their bidding. The difficulty which exists of obtain-
ing convictions against even the humblest members of
the body, however, instead of being proof of its non-
existence, has been sufficiently accounted for ; and
proves nothing but the dangerousness of its character,
in having been able so frequently to evade detec-
tion and punishment. No great time has elapsed
since the ministerial journals denied the existence of
Ribbon societies altogether : now, with Lord Norman-
by and Mr. Secretary. Drummond, the most incredu-
. lows of witnesses, they admit its existence, but deny its
extent ; and describe its objects as " agrarian," rather
than political. We must, however, do his lordship's
:secretary the justice to express our belief, that he has
. seen and heard less of these societies than a gentleman
-in his situation might have been expected to do; a de-
grie of ignorance which is easily accounted for. It
testy be inferred from the evidence of Colonel Shaw'
i tonnedy, that the police had little encouragement in
1 riting out this class of offenders and bringing them
. .
t ',justice; and that so chary were his excellency and
'-111&secretary in making Ribbon disturbances known
'to the public, that even when
_they did unkennel a
Ribbon lodge, they took especial care to let the inspec-
tor-general of the constabulary, Colonel Shaw Ken-
nedy, know SS little about it as possible. Lord Nor-
- manby knew, or at least the " Viceroy" over him
,'knew, that this troublesome class of agitators would
chair " a cabbage stalk" if it pleased them; and so
„ long as they limited themselves to such performances,
there appears to have been no great disposition to med-
dle with their amusements. This may possibly ac-
tauntr for the ignorance which his excellency' appears
~..).'
' to be so anxious to avow.
4 ,
at. 4,11' ""."'''''

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