The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-11 00:00:00

The news from Egypt will be found under its prop2r I Liverpool, but
head. We announced, in our second edition of Tues- the kingdom.

day, the commencement of operations on the part of I
Commodore Napiei.. The Malta journals inform us
that there was very little probability of the Pacha's
agreeing to the terms proposed to him by the four
powers. A courier extraordinary from Beyrout, with
despatches from Abbas Pacha for Mehemet Ali, had
reached Alexandria on the 19th of August. These
despatches announced that several ships of war, Turk-
ish and English, had arrived at Beyrout, with 6,000
All.anians on board, and that Commodore Napier, in
command of the squadron, had given Abbas Paella
notice to quit Syria immediately, and withdraw into
Egypt. He had demanded a respite of ten days to ask
instructions of Mehemet Ali. The Viceroy replied
immediately to Abbas Pacha, that if the English should
attempt or favour a landing, or should proceed to any
act in the least hostile, he was to fire upon them. The
ultimatum of the four poweis was presented to the
Pacha, on the loth ultimo, by the four consuls of the
allied powers. The reply of the Pacha plainly intimated
that he had determined upon taking his stand in oppo-
sition to the demands made upon him. He told the
consuls that he had not seen any reason to change his
former determination—that he would cede nothing—
and that he was ready to defend himself against every
attack. His preparations for resistance were still going
on. He was strengthening all the fortifications and
supplying them with ammunition.
A letter, dated Alexandria, August 26, states that
the Pacha had given a definite answer' in the negative
to.the first proposition of the allied powers, and that
his affairs were daily assuming a more warlike appear-
ance. The same letter ,states that Commodore Napier
had actually commenced hostilities, by stopping two of
Mehemet Ali's transports—one containing ammuni-
tion, and the other provisions for the army of Abbas
Pacha. It is also said that he had detained a brig of
war bound with despatches from Alexandria to Syria.
The conduct of Commodore Napier is described as rash
and precipitate in. the extreme. Such had been the
confusion and distress, produced by his proceedings,
that the greater part of the
Beyrout had fled to the mountains

Christian population of

The Turkish ships had been placed across the har-
bour at Alexandria, so as to answer as floating batte-
ries. The Pacha is said to have expressed his deter-
mination to blow up every one of these vessels rather
than ',offender.

The Journal of Saturday last contains a very singular
article in reference to the late trial of Hearne v•
Stowell. We allude to those portions of the article
which relate to the ,practice of the Romish Church,
and the authority of her priests in imposing penances.
The writer does not venture to call
.into question the
statements which we recently published respecting the
penances imposed upon penitents" at the " stations"
in Ireland; but he very strongly asserts that these
statements have nothing to do with the merits of the
case under consideration. ' Nothing to do with the
case! Why, they corroborate, to the very letter, the
statement put forth by Mr. Stowell. They shew that
such practices as crawling upOn the bare knees on the
high road, are matters of constant occurrence in the
Church of Rome. They prove that the tale related
by Mr. Stowell, so far from being " incredible," was
strictly in accordance with notorious facts. They
,elucidate the whole case, and prove the relevancy of
Mr. Stowell's remarks, while speaking of the abomina-
tions of Maynooth.

The method by which the Journal seeks to prove
that the practices to which we have alluded have.
nothing to do with the case of Hearne v. Stowell is
extremely curious and original. Such penances may
be all very well, as the Journal remarks, in " the great
metropolitan cathedral of Catholicism at Rome," on the
floor of the holy sepulchre at Jeruialem, or by " the
springs which gush from the ruined shrines" of Ire-
land ; but it does not follow that it would be right—
that "it would be decent, or edifying, or orderly, to
kneel amid the scoffs of the unbelieving, or unsynzpathi-
sing, in the mud of a large town, in a Protestant
country." Here is a dirert.acknowledgment from the
organ of the Popish priests of Liverpool, that such
degrading and "incredible" practices as those de-
scribed in the statement which was put into the hands
of Mr. Stowell are actually imposed by the Church of
Rome. How are we to reconcile this candid admission
with the jesuitical and evasive answers given by the,
Romish. priests who were examined on the trial.
What are we to think of their solemn denial, upon
oath, of all knowledge of such humiliating and deba-
sing practices ? .

Rome is truly "semper eadem." She carries her
discipline into effect, to use the emphatic words of the
Journal, "rudely among the rude, courteously among
the polished." Where she obtains the supremacy, she
treats her deluded followers as slaves, imposing upon
them "burdens grievous to be borne ; " while she
consigns her enemies to the stake or the horrors of the
inquisition. Where the Church of Rome is under
subjection to the civil power she adopts a more con-
ciliating policy. 'Where she does not dare to fulminate
her she endeavours to gain her ends by
fawning and flattering. How admirably does she
adapt herself to circumstances ! Among the heathen
she multiplies her idolatrous practices ; among the
superstitious she imposes her degrading penances ; and
atriong the enlightened and civilised she puts on the
plausible mask of liberality.

The present position of Great Britain is eminently
critical. We are already. at war with China, against
which empire a large proportion of our naval force has
been despatched. .Russia is menacing the northern
frontier of our Indian empire, where the recent territo-
rial acquisitions of this country have tended to weaken
our power, and to multiply our difficulties. There is a
strong probability that we shall speedily be embroiled
with France and the Pacha of Egypt. Our West In-
dian colonies, goaded as their inhabitants have been by
the cruel neglect and indifference of the home Govern-
ment, are in a very unsatisfactory state. The boundary

question is likely to involve us in a serious and pro-
tracted quarrel with the people of the United States.
The-rebel factions of the Canadas, are still panting for
an opportunity to throw off the yoke of Great Bt:itain.
While our foreign and colonial relations are in this pre-
carious state, Ireland is all but:in a state of open rebel-
lion—thanks to the guilty conrivance shown by the
present degraded administration towards the miscreant
who has obtained such an ascendancy over the irascible
race across the channel.

Thus surrounded by difficulties, what are the present
ministers doing to avert the consequences of their own
infatuated policy ? Literally, next to nothing

navy—the gran c

for forty years past in so crippled and inefficient a

condition as it is at present

This is far from being the condition of foreign pow-
ers. -Even the Paella of Egypt has about 300,000
men in his various armies. France has her armaments
on a gigantic scale. She is in a state of efficient and
acknowledged preparation for any emergency. Russia,
with her population of 50,000,000, has every means at
her disposal for carrying into execution her long che-
rished schemes of aggrandisement.
Why is England in her present difficult position ? Is
it not owing to the'glaring imbecility of her Govern-
ment ? How much longer will the people of this great
empire tolerate this state of things ?

It must he a source of great consolation and en-
couragement to the Christian philanthropist to wit-
ness the annually increasing interest excited by mis-
sionary enterprise, and the efforts made for the diffu-
sion of the Holy Scriptures, and for the spread of. reli-
gious instruction. A few years ago we remember that
St. Andrew's school-room, or the Institution in Slater-
street, was fou-nd large enough for the purposes of pub-
lic meetings in connexion with the various auxiliaries
to the religious societies. The Music Hall then became
requisite in order to accommodate the increasing audi-
ences. But latterly even' the Amphitheatre has been
found inadequate in its dimensions to hold the thou-
sands who throng to these meetings. Already one
crowded meeting has been held in that building this

month—that of the friends of the Naval and Military
Bible Society ; while three others are announced to
take place in the same place in a few days—one in aid
of the Society for Promoting Christianity among the
Jews, another in aid of the Diocesan School Society,
and the third to promote the objects of the Collegiate
Institution. We are happy to add that these truly en.
couraging " signs of the times " are not confined to

The Morning Herald of yesterda

ge towns in

ontains a state-

ment of the most startling character, and one v

hich, if

true, is likely to involve Lord Pal

ton in difficulties

of a most serious description. Our metropolitan con..

temporary states that the quadruple treaty contains a
clause of which the following is the aubstance

" In case of need a Russian army will be directed
on Asia Minor, and placed so as to cover and secure the
capital of Turkey : BUT THE DARDANELLES AND

THE BOSPHORUE

TO DE CLOSED AGAINST

VESSELS OF WAR OF ALL NATIONS WHATSOEVER

This arrangement amounts to a complete surrender
of Turkey to the tender mercies of Russia. Lord Pal-

has either

merston, in acceding to such a stipulation,
been bamboozled and over-reached by Russian intrigue
and finesse, or he has been guilty of wilfully and trai-
torously compromising the honour and safety of this
country.

In another column we have given a report from

our own correspondent, of the committal of the man,
Misters, for an attempted murder at Ludlow. We allude