The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-16 00:00:00

exist, are zealously endeavouring to prejudice the. public
Mind in favour of the insurgents, by describing the con-
duct of the British Government as most oppressive and
tyrannical, whilst they carefully lose sight of this simple
het; that the instigators of this rebellion are either de-
signing knaves, vvdio make a profit of agitation; or those
who are the hereditary .enemies of British ascendancy,
and therefore anxious to deprive Great Britain of one of
her principal sources of Strength—her colOniei. It
Would be vain to enter into a statement or the political
circumstances of these eblonieS, but we are fully con
minced that they participate in the advantages of the
British Constitution, and enjoy as great a share of pub
lic happiness and freedom as is consistent with the well-
being of society. This subject must very shortly engage
the attention of the British Parliament, and the most
energetic measures will, we doubt not; be adopted for
the maintenance of the connexion between Great Bri-
tain and her North American colonies. During the
recess measures have been taken for the preservation of
this connexion, which, we doubt not, will receive the
sanction of the Imperial Parliament, 'and also audio.'
rise the sending •out additional troops to maintain
the rights and interests of Great Britain. We hare
•perused with considerable interest an extract from the
Merthyr• Guardian, which treats this subject in a novel
light, and argues that the great secret of agitation in
Ireland and disaffection in Canada is rather the result of
our bad policy in encouraging popery, than fronaany
hostile design, on the part of the British Government.
In the views of the writer. we most.,cordially concur.
Protestanism is the main stay of the British Constitu-
tion, and its sacrifice will be attended with national dis-
honour and defeat. But we are anxious to put the pub-
- lie in possession of the views of our contemporary :

" The last news from Canada was what is termed fa-
vourable. In other wads, wherever the insurgents have
exhibited themselves they have ;been beaten: A few-
sharp and short conflicts have done the business, but. it
is quite clear that an atrocious spirit lurks in the Cana-
dian population.. Our original folly .in treating a con
iiuered people, as if they had been a country of generous
allies, was often predicted•as the sure source of final ali-
enation. By allowing all our publicacts to be in French,
all the proceedings of the courts, and, in fact, treating
the colony as if it were to remain French for ever, we
keep it French. The result was smothered hostility,
ready to rise upon any favourable opportunity into open
war.. But a still more fatal .source of disunion was our
national neglect of Protestantism under the form of our
Established Church, a form which more especially com-
bines with 'English feelings, English allegiance, and
English constitution. It is true that we have -had an
English bishop at Quebec, but for fifty years no step was
taken, that we ever heard of,, to give the French Cana-
dians the advantage of having the scriptures put in their
hands. They were, and are at this moment as supersti- '
tious as if they were living in the heart of Italy. It is
true we have now established a bishop at Montreal, but
this is only a' late and feeble exertion. -Much too will
depend on the characters of these two individuals, who,
we believe, have been utterly unheard of in this coun-
try, and utterly passive in Canada. We must send en-
ergetic men' were we to send at all. We tell the govern-
ment that I is neither on their troops nor their laws that
the allegiance of the colonies will finally depend, but on
their religion. The Papist will be always a dangerous
subject to fi Protestant throne. We abhor all persecu-
tion ; but it is not persecution, but mercy to declare the
divine truth to those who have only lived hitherto on hu-
man falsehood, to substitute, the divine justice- for the
false and cruel rules of spiritual tyranni-, and to rescue
the unhappy and bewildered slaves of idolatry from the
desperate and ruinous delusion of soliciting divine for-
giveness through the mediatorship of stocks and stones!
'Let Protestantism be spread by the honest means of
education, and the presence of an able, active, and elo-
quent clergy through the Canadas, and instead of an
encumbrance and an alarm, they will become a tower of
strength to Britain."

We_hope that the Government will at length be con-
.
vinced that the encouragement of popery is perfectly
incompatible with the spirit and temper of the British
, Constitution.—The Protestant religion inculcates loy-
alty and submission to the powers that be ordained of
God, where popery encourages treason, rebellion, and
revolution. , The principles of the two systems can never
be reconciled. Protestantism must either break the
neck of Popery, or popery will obtain- the ascendancy
under the favour and patronage of an unprincipled and
interested administration. The battle must be taught,
and the sooner we engage in the strife the better for our
civil and religious interests.

The Chronicle of Saturday last, tinker a feeling of
'yep vexation for the lois of a single advertisement,
chose to make a personal attack upon the gentleman who
holds the 'office of Treasurer to the Blind Asylum.—
Like the fox in the ftible, they have .made theidiscovery
that the grapes are sour, and therefore persuaded them-
selves into the belief that the advertisement was not
worth having, and ostentatiously boast of a long list of
Quack Advertisements as a proof that the public favour
is most liberally lavished upon them. But what new
born zeal is this ? Is our contemporary so enamoured
of liberality in the distribution of public favours ? If so,
we would beg him .to look
.at the columns of,sotne of our
Radical contemporaries, and advise the Corporation to
give the Conservative press an equal share of their
favours. We complain not of this, inasmuch as we
know that the liberality of liberals is but a word em-
ployed to deceive and delude the unwary.

Mr. M'Ghie has addressed a letter to the Rev. Thomas
Maguire, which will be found in. another column, invit-
ing him to a public controversy on several points of doc•
trine believed and taught by the Roman Catholic church.
We perfectly concur in the propriety of Mr. M'Ghie's
censure, that this "champion of 'the-Catholic faith" has,
by his conduct, disentitled himself to any notice, but we,
nevertheless, are pleased that this public challenge has
been given, and the catholics of the United. Empire have
now the opportunity of judging between the two parties.
We are especially glad, that Mr. M'Ghie has, with the
tact and foresight of a wiseeontroversialist, bound his an-
tagonist to a certain line of argument, which will, if
adhered to, prevent much of that obscene, low, and scur-
rilous language which has invariably distinguished the
speeches of this " champion of the church." We have
no fear for the result. Truth must triumph, and the mum-
meries, the superstition, and the lying miracles of Rome
must bow to the authority of Christ.

The editor of the Albion in introducing a ptripi,,,et
written by the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, entitled " The-Paral-
- )lel between Slavery and Popery," has chosen to indulge
in some gratuitous observations respecting the consisten-
,cy of this eminent minister in advocating alike the
•emancipation of the slave and that of the Roman catho-

.iio. it is evident that our contemporary has mistaken, the
intention of Mr. M'Neile, and to serve a party purpose
has, on a very casual perusal of the book, thought proper
to prefer the charge of inconsistency. The best answer'we
,ean give is—that all who read the work carefully, must
admire both the spirit and ability which characterises it.
The opinion we formed was simply this,—that the Rev.
gentleman advocated the civil. and moral liberty of the
slave and the civil and moral liberty of the poor Roman
catholic. We have in common with our conienrporary
a great hatred of popery, but God. forbid that we should
meet .them with any species of persecution for their faith.
We would redeem them from the degrading thraldom
*thick enslaves both body and mind, but at the same
time we would enforce those restrictions which are ne-
cessary for the security of that unrivalled constitution to
which they are and ever must be opposed so long as they
retain their allegiance to the Pope' of Rowe. But we
doubt not our contemporary will receive a' satisfactory
reply from the Rev. gentleman against whoin he has in-
icitently- preferred the charge of inconsistency.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MONEY.
MARKET.
(Prom the Sunday Times.)

CITY SATURDAY.—The total destruction of the Royal Ex-
change, Lloyd's Coffee-house, and the several departments in
which important branches of business were carried on, has in-
duped a total cessation of those commercial operations which
are most essential to the active prosecution of mercantile pur-
suits. As most ample details of this great calamity will be
found in other columns of our paper, it is unnecessary further
to alliert to an event which hatecreated but one feeling in the
Cify,''iqi? 'that of regret at the destruction of an important
publid tiiiilditift with which are associated recollections of the
most pleasing .description. The Royal Exchange has, by
affording complete means for the meeting of the merchants to
transact their business, added more than perhaps any other
circumstance to increase the commerce, and to raise this coun