The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-25 00:00:00

ciations against the encroachments of Rome, and
then go to the hustings, and vote for Radical
Representatives who would sell their country to the
POPE of ROME, if they did but know how to effect
the conveyance. If Protestants would but unite as
closely as their opponents do, and support the
Church and Conservatism, as the surest bulwarks
against encroachments from any quarter, they
might set Rome at defiance, and not one of its
priests would dare to raise his voice above the
bated breath and whispering humbleness, which is
the most fitting tone for a delusion which cannot
stand the light of public discussion. Ignorance is,
however, caught by gaudy trappings, and this
accounts for the zeal with which scarlet robes and
red stockings are paraded before the public gaze.

THE labours of the Commissioners for inquiring
into the charges on shipping and goods in Liver-
pool, were considerably lightened at their sitting
on Wednesday, owing to the comprehensive replies
returned to their questions by the Town-clerk, Mr.
SHUTTLEWORTH. The charges upon shipping, pay-
able to the Corporation of Liverpool, are anchorage,
or keel-tolls, on all vessels entering the port, of
one shilling for every coasting vessel, one shilling
and threepence for every British ship, and one
shilling and sixpence for every foreign ship ; and
town dues, of which a table was furnished to the
Commissioners. The dues form part of the Borough
Fund of the town, and belong to the Corporation.
In the discussion which took place, it was stated
by Mr. BRAMAH, the law-clerk of the Birkenhead
Dock Trustees, that on all vessels going from
Birkenhead to any of the Liverpool Docks for
repairs, or any other purpose, the full rate of dues
was charged as if the vessel had arrived from a
distant foreign port. An instance was also stated
in which the full charges were levied on a vessel
of which part of the cargo was taken out in lighters
in the river, in order to enable her to enter the
Birkenhead Docks. The right to levy Dock dues
under such circumstances was justified, by the re-
presentatives of the Dock Trustees, on the ground
that they were authorised by Act of Parliament ;
and that, though it was a hardship on the Birken-
head Dock Estate, the promoters had full know-
ledge of the difficulties before the scheme was
undertaken. This is no doubt true, yet the
same line of argument would have prevented
any reduction of the Dock dues which were
made for the especial object of improving the trade
of the port,—an object net likely to be gained by
imposing double dock dues on vessels taking the
opposite side of the Mersey, because they may,
from some reason, be compelled to resort to this
side. The only remedy will be the establishment
of Graving Docks, and other facilities for Shipping
on the Birkenhead side ; but re-consideration may
induce the Liverpool Dock Trust to compromise
the matter by a more equitable adjustment of rates,
under such circumstances as those alluded to. The
attention of the Commissioners was also drawn to
the fact, that the Town dues were not levied on
goods sent to or from Liverpool by railway,—an
equality which, it was contended, operated unfairly
towards the coasting vessels. It was stated by the
TOWN-CLERK, that the only exemptions from the
payment of town dues were enjoyed by the freemen
of Liverpool, London, Bristol, Wexford, and Wa-
terford ; but as the exemption applied only to those
who were freemen before the passing of the Muni-
cipal Reform Act, the number is rapidly dimi-
nishing.

ANOTHER week has gone by, and we know no
more—if as much—as to what is going on between
Turkey and Russia, than we did before. The receipt
of advices by Electric Telegraph is almost of daily
occurrence, but the cry of " wolf" has been raised
so often, and so often proved to be a Elie alarm,
that now no one believes it, and the intelligence of
a sanguinary engagement between any of the par-
ties engaged would excite very little surprise. We
may, however, believe that Turkey has made a
formal demand upon the Russian General for the
evacuation of the provinces of Moldavia and Wal-
lachia, with a threat of hostilities if the demand be
not complied with ; that such a refusal has been
given, but that, owing to the lateness of the season,
it is very probable that anything more than a mere
show of military force will be reserved until the
Spring ; so that ample time will be afforded in the
interval for diplomatic arrangements, by which
there is very little doubt a settlement of some kind
will be finally arrived at. Much as has been said
about national honour, which in the present case
means very little, it is manifest that England is
greatly interested in the maintenance of peace, in-
asmuch as she would be by far the greatest sufferer
in commercial affairs. The Ministers, therefore,
have been fully justified in the temporising course
which they have pursued, and the more so as, after
the rejection by Turkey of the note agreed to by
the Vienna conference, no legal or moral obligation
existed to afford her any active assistance. The
point in dispute, as is well known, is the
possession
of the provinces on the Danube, to which Russia
has no title, but it may be a question, if the subject
was debated on the principles of strict justice,
whether Turkey has a better title. The strongest
claim th it either party could set up would be con-
quest or possession. The latter Turkey certainly
has not, and we may doubt the propriety of admit-
ting the validity of the former, under the circum-
stances of the population being nominally Chris-
tians, and the power which assumes to have the
mastery being avowedly Infidel. But then comes
the difficulty, that it is a surrender to the Empire
of Russia, which modern European policy chooses
to think is already sufficiently spacious and power-
ful. The alternative is, therefore, to submit to an
act of aggression on the part of the Northern po-
tentate, or forcibly restore a Christian population
to the rule of a Mohammedan power. Perhaps the
better solution of the ;difficulty would be for the
Great Powers of Europe to pursue a similar course
to that which they took in. the case of Greece, and
declare the independence of Moldavia and Wal-
lachia as a separate state, under a Christian prince,
whose rule should be guaranteed in a similar man-
ner to the instance referred to. Such a state would
present as efficient a barrier :to the territorial ag-
gressions of Russia in a southerly direction as the
effete government of Turkey,. and might, by its
position as an intermediate state, prevent much of
the quarrelling which usually accompanies the ne-
gotiations between Russia and Turkey. The ar-
rangement might also have the effect of removing
the conscientious objection which many entertain
to any assistance being afforded by Christian Eng-
land to the perpetuation of an Infidel power in
Europe.

THE industrial classes, for whose especial be-
hoof almost every other interest has been en-
dangered, have seized upon the notion that their
labour is indispensable, and have acted upon
it by refusing to work, except at such exorbi-
tant wages as would give them the lion's share
of the profits, and leave little or nothing for the
capital, skill, and enterprise, without which all the
labour of our artisans would be literally worthless.
There are now thousands of operatives—who a
short time since were in better circumstances than
ever they were before—in a state of idleness, and
dependent for a bare subsistence upon what can be
raised from the wages of the few who have not
yet turned out. The
question has been argued
upon the abstract right of each party being free
agents in the matter; that the masters have a full
right to pay only such wages as they please, or
can get workmen to accept; and that the latter