The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

daring, as he has postponed the second reading to The British lion was apparently dosing, lulled by
the 24th of next month, four weeks after the time the dulcet tones of Manchester men, who cared
originally fixed for this ordeal, and may by that nothing about national honour, and knew nothing
time have discovered the folly of endeavouring to about the balance of power : but the word to arm
press it any further. was given, and the people have started as a nation
The danger, however, is too great, the risk too of heroes determined to emulate the glory of their
imminent, to be left to ministerial prudence, or ancestors, who never drew the sword but in the
even the probable course which may be taken by cause of justice, and never turned their backs
the House of Commons. The country is called upon an enemy. If the Emperor NICHOLAS relied
upon, if they value the blessings they enjoy, to upon the peaceful habits of commercial Englishmen
speak and act for themselves, to make public as immunity for his ambitious designs upon Tur-
opinion heard in unmistakeable tones, and to exer- key, the very enthusiasm with which the quarrel
h
cise that pressure from without which must tellas been entered upon, should serve to show him
with effect upon the representatives of the people the reed on which he leant. If the men with
in the House of Commons. Petitions against the whom WELLINGTON went forth conquering and to
conquer are no longer available, their sons are
Bill should be forwarded from every county, every
town, and every parish in the United Kingdom, emulous to share their fame; and should the AUTO-
and the prayer of them should be urged by those CRAT madly persist in his obstinacy, the very spirit
members who are true to the oath which they have of English chivalry which he has evoked affords
already taken, and no exertions should be spared an earnest of the issue of the contest. It can no
longer be said that devotion to the arts of peace
nor means left untried to convince the legislature
that Protestant England will make no further has damped the military spirit of .England; and
concessions to Rome. we rejoice at the circumstance, from the conviction
We have given in another page a full report of that such a fleet and such an army as England
the proceedings at the meeting in this town on will dispatch to the scene of conflict, will the sooner
Friday. It will be seen that the particular object bring the war to a termination.
was partially defeated by the trickery of the It will be observed that our respected represen-
Romish priests, who packed the building with t
ative, Mr. HORSFALL, has, very properly, brought
the subject of privateers being fitted out by neutral
their myrmidons ; but the most they gained was
temporary delay, for LtvEurooL, which has ever states to interfere with British shipping before the
been foremost in the defence of our Protestant in- attention of the Government in the House of Con-
stitutions, will again lead the van in resistance to mons. Lord JOHN RUSSELL rather evaded the
this iniquitious measure. The meeting was not,how-
question, by speaking of precautions for the pro-
ever, without its advantage, for the dupes of Romish tection of their allies. It would, of course, be
superstition were compelled in their own despite to premature, before the commencement of actual
listen to the withering exposures of the Rev. Dr. hostilities, to go into the question of arming Eng-
APNEILE and the able arguments of the Rev. W. lisp privateers ; but should we be compelled by
PoLLocK---both gentlemen, in common with seve- Russian obstinacy to " cry havoc, and let slip the
ral other tried friends of the cause, having perse- dogs of war," the ordinary practices of civilised
warfare will, no doubt, be pursued with that spirit
vered with praiseworthy determination, though at
considerable personal inconvenience, to make the and enterprise which is the peculiar characteristic
of Englishmen. It will be remembered that, during
truth heard by those who came to drown reason
the last war, English merchantmen, with letters of
with vulgar clamour. There was, perhaps, a want
of judgment in anticipating an adjournment ; but marque, did good service even against foreign
we would suggest to the worthy MAYOR, who acted ships of war ; and should the necessity now arise,
with rather over-scrupulous impartiality, that the
which we may still hope will be averted, the mer-
chant ships of Liverpool and London will not only
propriety of adjourning an overcrowded meeting is
a question rather for the opinion of the Chairman
be able to defend their own, but leave Russia with-
than the decision of those assembled, as the latter out a feather to fly with. It has been suggested
being present may prefer to remain where they that the few Russian ships of war in the Southern
hemisphere may prove dangerous to our Australian
are, whereas the number outside who cannot gain
admittance are the most interested in the meeting gold vessels ; but should England be called upon
being adjourned to a more spacious building. It to arm in their defence, such fleets as Liverpool
is the opinion of many that such a question should alone can furnish will suffice to render the high-
not have been the subject of discussion at a town's way to Australia safe from all intruders.

meeting convened by the MIYOR, owing to the
Chief Magistrate having no very large place at his
command, and a small one—as was the case at the
Sessions House—affording an opportunity for an

opposing party, unscrupulous as to means, to
occupy so large a space that 'they appear a majority
of thp meeting, while they represent only a frac-
tion of the public opinion of the town. It is noto-
rious that the resolutions, which were voted

against on Friday by a few hundreds, would have
been voted for by as many thousands, had the
narrow walls been able •to 'contain them, or had the
MAYOR, in his discretion, adjourned the meeting
to the Amphitheatre, where more than five times
the number that were in the Sessions House had

already assembled, in the full expectation that the
adjournment would have been decided on by The
MAYOR as a matter of course. The question cannot

'however remain whereit is-; and perhaps the most

advisable course would _be, for the Protestants of
Liverpool to be summoned to meet in the largest
building available, and there to enter their indig-
nant protest against this :foul and insidious attack.
The voice of Liverpool must be heard in Parlia-

anent against the Bill; .and, long before the 24th
of March, Lord Jorrx RUSSELL must be compelled

to say,

" We will proceed no further in this

bu sin ess."

MILITARY ENTHUSIASM OF A LADY.—During the
embarkation of the 28th regiment, on Wednesday, a lady,
who drove down to the Pier, in her own carriage, suc-
ceeded in getting on to the Lauding-stage, and while the
Harmonic Band were performing " The British Grena-
diers," took the sticks from the hands of the polite and
astonished leader, Mr. Peter Stubbs, and in a fit of en-
thusiasm, played the drum portion with immense spirit.
An eye-witness has forwarded us the following lines, sug-
gested by the heroic incident :
In history's page how oft we find
The bravest acts by woman's hand :
'Midst carnage, strife, the wound she'll bind,
With soothing look, and eye so bland.
In days of ancient chivalry,
Knights fell to her on bended knee,
She gave the banner, pledge, or prize,
Men fought for love and ladies' eyes.
If ages gone, then, heroines boast,
In present day we find the same,
Brave woman comes, amongst the host
Einbarking,—tyranny to tame!
Fair T--n, hailing freedom's cause,
Discarding pride and woman's fears, •
Descends, and, without word or pause,
She calls to arms "The British Grenadiers."

THE Bill introduced by Mr. ADDERLEY in the
House of Commons for-the extension of education
in Manchester and Salford, on the plan of voluntary
rating, has been thrown out upon the simple plea
of its interference With the more comprehensive
plan of education which Lord JOHN RUSSELL has
not brought in, and -does not know when he shall
nn so. Notwithstanding that' he Bill was mainly
supported by Conservative members and was op-
posed by the ultra Radicals, we feel rather inclined
to ,agree with the latter. The promoters of the
BM took credit for not having ignored religious
instruction as an indispensable accompaniment of
secular education ; but they committed a fault
almost, if not quite, as mischievous, in admitting
religious sects to be on an equality, and entitled to
receive aid from a general contribution in propor-
tion 13 their relative numbers. 'What must be
the feelings of a strietly conscientious Christian,
when by such a law as that just, defected he would
be talleti upon to contribute towards the instruction
of children in Romanism, 'Judaism, Unitarianism,
or any form of infidelity ? It would be an outrage
upon a eiristian conscience to whida no man
ought to a subject ; and yet it seems to be the
only plan which the wisdom-of our legislators has
been able to devise to obviate the serious objections
which are properly entertained to the extension of
secular education. The first demand, and the only
legitimate .ene, is for religions instruction to the
children of the poor ; and the first step in advance
is met by an. eatery from every form of religious
dissent, each being more anxious for the propaga-
tion of Their own tenets than fearful that:their
fellow-creatures should be left in ignorance. The
Government has not the moral courage to insist
that all'indruction contributed by the State shall
be the•religion of the State : and so, session after
session is wasted in the discussion of inspracticabie
projects,. and nothingis done.

Let none despise, who cannot feel the glow
Of 'valour in that fair one's breast;
'Tie her's, and only such as her to throw
True halo o'er a cause so blest;
And blest is freedom, in whatever land,
For freedom did she beat with feeling hand.
Usurper. pause l•fear England's host,
Whene'er i s lair ones aid the cause of right,
For were't 'gainst us you made your boast,
'Tie she. perhaps, might meet you in the fight I
As Sarragosaa's mod Iter city saved—
Guided the match that set Its people free—
As she, for liberty, all danger braved,
Fair T —D England's heroine would be.—J. C.

THE Scxzw-SrEAmiza CHARITY sailed on Wednesday
from the Clyde, for Portland, United States.
THE LI-VORNO which put into Lisbon with her screw
loose from the shaft, arrived here on Sunday afternoon.
Mrssus. Fox, HENDERSON AND CO. have contracted
'for the building of the Paris docks. A company has been
organized under their auspices to carry out the project.
THE REV. H. H. HIGGINS is about to deliver, in the
Collegiate institution, a series of three lectures on the
•" Sacred Localities of the East," the proceeds of which
will be devoted to the erection of schools in connexion
with the new church of St. Chrysostom, Everton.
IsLE or MAN.—The Manx Sun says,—" The cod-fish.
ling, notwithstanding the boisterous weather during part
of the week, has been prosecuted with success. Large
(shipments were made_ for the Liverpool market by the
(steamer on Tuesday and yesterday, from this port. The
oquantity,of fresh fish shipped yesterday for the English
markets from the Manx luggers and English trawl-boats
vras. very large."

- -
Two 'SERMONS were preached at St. Stephen's Church,
Byrom-street, on Sunday; in the morning by the Rev.
A. Hume, L.L.D., D.C.L.,-and in the evening by the Rev.
IL .Ponsonby Linton, M.A. This church• is now in a
thorough state of repair, and comfortably seated; offering
accommodation for 600 persons, the sittings in which are
very inexpensive, and may be had on application at the
vestry.
LAMA:BTM .tlin CARLISLE RAILWAY.—The revenue
account of this company for the half-year ending the 31st
of January shows that £162,404 had been received and
£67,808 expended, leaving a balance of £94,696. To this
sum is -added £4,267, the balance from the last account,
making £98,853. From this is deducted £64,216 for divi-
dend, at the rate of Eli per._cent. on the Lancaster and
Carlisleishares, £7,085 for interest on loans, and £28,607
the Lancaster and Preston Railway Company's proportion
of the traffic ; leaving a balance of £8,943 for the next ac-
count.

Cost or 'LIVERPOOL POLICE.—The return made by
Mr. W. fibuttleworth, town-clerk of this borough, in
compliance with an order of parliament, shows that the
total cost of the police-force, exclusive of any charge in
respect of cost of station-houses and bridewells, or of
interest of any money expended in their construction,
amounted, in 1852, to £41,344 25., of which sum £16,918
2s. 10d. was paid by the Dock Trustees, under the provi-
sions of a local act, as the cost of the portion of the force
employed in the dock division. This division consists of
twent-six officers and 279 constables ; the town division
of eighty officers and 501 constables, making the total
force of the borough 886 men. The amount raised by
the rate for the expenses of the town division was £11,892
10s. ld., the rate being made at 1 191-200 d. upon property
of the rateable value of £1,459,895. The amount beyond
the rate and the sum received from the trustees of the
docks was paid out of the borough funds.

ILLICIT DISTILLATION—On Saturday, John Price,
carrying on the business of a druggist in Whitechapel,
under the nsune of Denson and Co., was summoned for an
infraction of the Inland Revenue-laws. It appears that
the Customs' authorities have reason to suspect that an
illicit manufacture of spirits of wine is carried on in or near
Liverpool on a very extensive scale, and they are conse-
quently on the alert. From information received, Mr.
Chadwick was induced to visit defendant's premises on
the 23d of December last, when he discovered fifteen and
whalf gallons of spirits of wine, (a quantity very much
exceeding what druggists usually keep in stock,) for which
Mr. -Price could show no permit to remove, and which
there was not the least doubt had been illegally distilled,
and never paid duty. Its strength was 52 overproof, and
the duty .would amount to £9 4s. The spirits had been
seized, and an information laid, under an act the 7th and
Bth Geo. IV., cap. 54, section 32, by which a penalty of
£lOO /might be inflicted, or a mitigated one of £26, at the
discretion of the magistrates. After a short deliberation,
the magistrates fined Mr. Price in the mitigated penalty
of £26.

IT is so long :duce this country entertained any
notion of serious war, on a scale of magnitude,
that the preparations for the coming struggle with
the vast Empine of Russia have created a more
than usual degree of excitement. Nearly forty
years, the ordinamdaratiou ,of peace in the ancient
kingdom of Israel, have elapsed since the crowning
victory of Waterloo terminated the European strife
of nations, a new generation has sprung up to whom
war is but a matter of history, and manufactures
and commerce have taken the place of arms. It
might have been thought that, after so long a pe-
riod of rest and inactivity, the ancient spirit which
placed Great Britain at the topmost pinnacle of
national greatness had died within us, and that we
should have met the call to " arm, arm and out,"
with the same feeling which animates the profess-
ing members of the Peace Society, who would
oppose the bayonets of Russian serfs with soft
speeches and cotton bales. But a very brief time
has served to dispel the illusion., The temporising
Cabinet exhausted the arts of diplomacy without
making. any -impression on Imperial stolidity, and
then, goaded into activity by popular remonstrance,
made the signal for war. How it has been re-
sponded to, the events of the last few days will tell.
Thousands of troops have left the kingdom for the
scene of strife, amidst the enthusiastic acclamations
of tens of thousands of their fellow-countrymen.
Regiments have found an ample supply of willing
recruits to fill up their ranks even beyond the re-
quirements of additional numbers ; and volunteers
for the Royal Navy have offered in hundreds from
all parts—so that an additional fleet to sweep the
Baltic and blockade Russia in her northern ports
is being manned with almost incredible celerity.

MR. HENRY COLEMAN, THE POLTPTIONIST.-111 refer-
ence to the performances of this talented gentleman, we
find the following-remarks in the Birmingham Mercury,
which we extract with much pleasure :—" On the occasion
of visiting Liverpool a few days ago, we were much surprised
and delighted to find our old friend Coleman, 'Mathews the
elder's second self," starring 'it at the Clayton-hall, Clay-
ton-square—a new and very beautiful building recently
added to the public edifices of that town, and nightly
drawing around him the elite of the northern metropolis.
The success which attended ' Masks and Faces,' when re-
presented in this town for a period of something like three
months, and the high opinion everywhere entertained of
Mr. Coleman's rare talent and rich genuine humour, must
be familiar to every reader of the Mercury. Depending
entirely upon himself and a few stage adjuncts, in the
shape of pictorial and musical illustrations, alike remark-
able for beauty and effect, Mr. Coleman has succeeded in
producing an entertainment as complete, and polished,and
amusing, as full of racy mirth and well-drawn sketches of
actual life and character—as any yet presented before a
British audience. Many have attempted to follow in the
same wake, and imitations have sprung up on every hand,
but Mr. Coleman is without any compeer, and is destined
to achieve a name and a reputation in whatever part of the
globe he may appear. It is not to be wondered at, then,
that the good people of Liverpool, whosedaste and judg-
ment in such matters are not unknown to us, should set
a substantial value upon ' Masks and Faces,' and nightly
crowd to witness and applaud Mr. Coleman's extraordinary
exertions. It is an appropriate and well-deserved compli-
ment to their talented and popular townsman. We trust
there is no foundation for the rumour current in this towfl
a few months back, that Mr. Coleman contemplates a visit
to Australia. We cannot afford to part with him yet, and
feel assured Ogt tiicry is a wide field open to him at home.