The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-01-19 00:00:00

GOVERNMENT VESSELS ENGAGED TN THE
SUPPLY OF FOOD FOR THE DISTRESSED
IN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND.

In order to provide increased facilities for the transport
of foOd to the sufferers from famine in Ireland and Scot-
land, the Government have placed at the disposal of the
relief committee 31 steamers, with a total tonnage of
21,773 tons, and six sailing vessels, tonnage 464 tons. Five
vessels besid6, with a tonnage of 5,282 tons, are moored
in various ports as depots. The total tonnage employed
is 27,523 tons, manned by 2,660 men. Of the above the
Terrible, 1,847 tons, is refitting at Woolwich ; the
Avenger, 1,444 tons, is at Devonport loaded for the West
coast of Ireland ; the Centaur, 1,269 tons, is to be immedi-
ately loaded for Tobermory and Portree, Islands of Mull
and Skye ; the Scourge, 1,124 tons, is getting ready for
a cargo at Portsmouth for Cork ; another 1,100 tons,
taking in a cargo at Plymouth ; the Rosamond, 1,059 tons,
preparing to load at Woolwich ; the Sphynx, 1,056 tons,
preparing to load at Devonport with meal ; Geyser, 1,054,
at Portsmouth preparing to load with meal ; Stromboli,
970, distributing meal at the Western Islands of Scotland ;
Rattler, 880, preparing to receive a cargo at Devonport ;
Medea., 835, ordered to Deptford to load; Rhadamanthus,
813, gone with a full cargo to Clifden ; Acheron, 720, con-
veying provisions from depot at Galway to neighbouring
districts; Dee, 704, carrying provisions from Cork to
Cahirciveen ; Firefly, 552, at Oban for the service of the
Western Islands of Scotland ; Blazer, 527, conveying pro-
visions to Meeur and Kenmare ; Tartarus, 523, fitting at
Woolwich to proceed with meal to Bantry and Beerhaven ;
Albani, 405, replenishing depots in the South of Ireland ;
Lucifer, 387, employed in Ireland by the Commissary-
General ; Porcupine, 382, preparing to load at Portsmouth
for Kenmare ; Myrmydon, 374, at Cork towing provision
vessels ; and nine other smaller steamers are employed
carrying provisions along the coasts of Ireland and Scot-
land. Of the six sailing vessels, one is loaded and about
to sail for Scotland, and the remainder are for Ireland.
The depot ships are—Andromeda, 1,215 tons, moored at
Killibegs, Ireland ; Madagascar, 1,165, moored at Tar-
bert, Ireland ; YEolus, 1,077, moored at Portree, Scot-
land ; Belvider4, 946, moored at Tobermory, Scotland ;
and Andromache, 717, moored at Galway, Ireland.
In addition to the above there must be added the crew
lent from guardships, &c., amounting to between 600 and
700 men, making a total of nearly 3,000 men ; and three of
the largest packets will be temporarily taken from their
stations for the relief service, of which the aggregate ton-
nage would be about 2,000, making the whole tonnage
close upon 30,000 tons.

LOSS OF BRITISH AMERICA AS A COLONY.

In an able letter which
.appears in the Canadian hews-.
papers, addressed by Mr. Isaac Buchanan, of Glasgow,
to Lord Elgin, the Governor-General of British North
America, the probable separation of that country from
Great Britain, and its annexation by the United States,
as the result of our free-trade policy, are thus pointed
out :

" When fighting the rebels in 1837 i we had it to say
that Church matters would be righted—that it was not
the British government, but a mere Colonial faction, that
wished exclusive privileges ; and as retarded material
prosperity, or at least its elements, we emadshow Canada
to be better off than the United States.

" But the rebel of 1847 could show a very different
picture. He could show Church questions unsettled, and
he is now armed with the FACT, that it is better (under
Free Trade) for an emigrant to go to the southern or
American side of the St. Lawrence, for the self-evident
reason that there he has all the advantages of the English
market for his labour, as well as the American market,
while the Canadian farmer has only the English market.
" To show your Excellency the utter impossibility of
Canada continuing a part of the British Empire, if free
trade is carried out, the single fact will be enough, that,
by withdrawing the advantage in the British market of a
dollar on each barrel of flour that the Canadian enjoyed
over the American farmer, free trade reduces the price in
Montreal to about a dollar the barrel below New York ;
because the British speculator will be as well able to pay
four dollars a barrel in New York (so much less are the
freight insurance and outlay on money) as three dollars
in Montreal.

" The Canada farmer, with his disadvantage of climate,
cannot live unless he gets access to the New York mar-
ket, from which the Americans debar him by a duty of
10s. per quarter on wheat ; and even if he gets access to
New York, and otherwise gets free trade w►th the Ameri-
cans, this only (by amalgamating the two people) makes
the annexation the more certain, though deferred for a
few years.
" It is therefore my solemn conviction, • that your Ex-
cellency will be the last British Governor-General of the
North American Colonies,"

THE MINISTERIAL INTENTIONS.

Under this head, the Manchester Guardian, which,
from the fact that its information may be presumed to
come from Mr. Milner Gibson, a member of the admi-
nistration, and one of the members for Manchester, is
entitled to credit, contains the following remarks with
respect to the intentions of Lord John Russell's govern-
ment

"We are informed, from an authority on which we
depend, that, immediately on the meeting of parliament,
ministers will propose strong and decided measures for
the purpose of facilitating in every possible way the
importation of food, and of economising the •use of the
stocks of grain in this country by the removal of the
existing restrictions on the use of sugar and molasses.
We have reason to believe that the plan of the govern-
ment will comprehend provisions to render available for
the English market those stocks of grain in the N.Tedi-
terranean ports and ' elsewhere which are at present
excluded by the operation of the navigation laws.'
After expressing its opinion of the probable power of
the premier to carry his measures, the Guardian con-
tinues :

" If our anticipations be fulfilled, Lord John Russell
will effectually remove from his administration the impu-
tation of doing nothing with which, during part of hii
former tenure of office, he was so constantly assailed ; and
the parliament of 1841, in which the party of resistance
saw the complete triumph of its principles, will be, to
future ages, a still more signal example of the great truth,
that in this country no power can withstand the require-
ments of an advancing public opinion."

MEETING OF MAGISTRATES.-IMPORTANT
LETTER FROM MR. RUSHTON.

A meeting of the borough magistracy, preliminary to
the sessions on the Ist of February, was held on Saturday
at the Sessions-house.
G. H. LAWRENCE, Esq., the mayor, presided ' • and
there were also present Thomas Bolton, John Holmes,
David Hodgson, William Earle, Christopher Rawdon,
and Thomas Booth, Esqrs.
The Worshipful the MAvon said he would commence
proceedings by reading a letter received from Mr. Rush-
ton. He expressed his regret that the Council had not
increased Mr. Rushton's salary—a regret, he was sure, in
which all present participated. Every member of the
Council had spoken highly in his favour, and from first to
last bore testimony to his great zeal m faithfully dis-
charging his duties. But although the Council, on public
grounds, had declined to increase his salary, he should
say that Mr. Rushton and his friends would not regret
the discussion which had taken place on that occasion.
The debate embraced, among other matter, the question
whether Mr. Rushton would not be relieved, and the
public convenience promoted, by the establishment of a
second court. This was a point of so much importance,
that he would but refer to it on the present occasion, and
at some future time call a special meeting of the justices
to consider it. The mayor then read as follows, Mr.
Rushton's letter :---

"Sessions-house, Liverpool, Tan. 14th, 1846.
GENTLEMEN,—T should not do justice to my feelings
if I failed to express to you how highly I estimate the ap-
probation, which you have recorded of my conduct as a
magistrate, and your approval of the manner in which the
duties of my office have been discharged. The terms of
the resolution passed at your meeting on the 10th day of
November, conveyed to the council your opinion of my
services ; and I assure you that I value that opinion more
than the pecuniary reward which it was your object to ob-
tain. Though I fully appreciate the delicacy which pre-
vented Mr. Sands from consulting me before he made his
motion, yet, if be had consulted me, I should have given
him the opinionvbich, on more than one occasion, I have
given to other magistrate; who have from time to time
consulted me on the subject I should have told him, as
I told them, thqt the application would be unsuccessful,
and that it might possibly have the elTect of involving-a
procescional moan in the unseemly struggle for higher gain
than he was revering, whilst; with some persons, it might
have a tendency to impair the moral force and iajluvnce
of the office. I feel grateful to Mr. Sands for having
relieved me from any personal connection with his motion ;
and to him and to Mr. Adam Hodgson I.return most
sincere acknowledgments for the anxiety which they have
evinced to promote my welfare. Indeed, gentlemen, I
feel this towards you all. I should have written this
letter before if 1 had not desired carefully to avoid any
appearance of personal participation in a discussion at-
fecting the emoluments of my office.. I shall in future
discharge the duties of that office with more satisfaction,
from the conviction that my exertions have secured fur
me the confidence and respect of men like youraclves.•—
With great respect, believe me, faithfully yours.
" EDWARD RUSHTON."

We are extremely glad to find from the Cork papers of
Saturday, that the situation of the people in that neigh-
bourhood does not appear so distressing as it was, owing,
probably, to the very liberal relief sent from this country.
The letters in those papers are now devoted to the very
important subject of cultivating the country.
DESTITUTION.—At the great meeting of noblemen and
gentlemen iu Dublin, on Thursday, referred to elsewhere,
Mr. Dillon, who spoke as a landed proprietor in two of
the west destitute districts of Ireland, Cork and Kerry,
gave the following lamentable account of the eondition of
the people ;---`.‘ 'Would to God that be had even the power
to hold to their view a single family taken indiscriminately
from the mountain; of Cork or Kerry ! - What a picture
of desolation would be in that view. They would see the
child once ruddy, healthy, and merry, changed now into
a miserable and ghastly object, and in place of- the laugh
once joyons and exhilirating, nothing could now be heard
but groans and cries for bread—(sensation) They would.
see the miserable father—once athletic, etrong. and in-1
dustrious, now a perfect Skeleton ; no remnant of his fur-:
mer strength remaining ; but still, even in his weakness,
poseessing his desire for industry-Ahcar•) They would
see the half famished mother sharing the nourishment
which nature gave for her latest offspring with those of a
larger grwth-e--(sensation.) Yee—thee scenes were to
be daily witnessed—they were unhappily , but too general
—in almost every dietriet in the places he had marod.
these, and cases even more horrifying, were to he daily
obrterred."