The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-01-29 00:00:00

useless, unless it had reference to some subsequent action, If
it is expected in this manner to influence the action of Congress,
then they are aiming at an usurpation of power. Legislation
by Congress would be a violation of the constitution by which
that body exists, and to support which every member of it is
bound by the solemn sanction of an oath. The powers of Con-
gress cannot be enlarged so as to bring the subject of , slavery
within its cognizance, without the consent of .the slave holding
states. The proceeding of the abolitionists have rendered their
object in this respect absolutely unattainable. They have al-
ready
excited such a feeling in all those states; thata proposition
so to enlarge the poWers of congress, would be instantly rejected
by each with indignation. If their operations here are to in-
flame
the fanatical zeal of emissaries, and instigate them to gd 1
on missions to the slave holding states, there to distribute aboli,
tion publications and to promulgate abolition doctrines, their
success in this enterprise is foretold by the fate of the deluded
men who have preceeded them. The moment they pass the
borders of those states, and begin their labours, they violate the
laws of the jurisdiction they have invaded, and incur the penalty
of death or other ingnominiotts punishment. 1 conceive no
Idler object that the abolitionists can have in view, so far as they
propose to operate here, but to embark the people of this state,
under the sanction of the civil authority, or with its connivance,
in a crusade against the slave holding states, for the purpose of
forcing abolition upon them by violence and bloodshed. If such a

mad preject as this could be contemplated for a sin le moment
as a possible thing, everyone must see that the first step towards
its accomplishment, would be the end of our confederacy, and
the beginning of a civil war.

At New York, great anxiety prevailed respecting the
course likely to be taken by the insolvent insurance com-
panies in the division of their assets among the claim-
ants. Tinder the head of 4‘ Insurance Losses," the Daily
Advertisei makes the following observations :

" The mass of the merchants have cast up their accounts,
and ascertained their loss,— the amount insured, and the pro-
bable amount they will receive from the Companies. In the
face of all this, They hava almost to a man concluded to gn on,
there has not as yet been any failures ;, the banks have 4Sen-
liberal where there was good security, and so far, notwithstand-
ing so large a portion of our city is in ruins, and nearly a
thousand merchant firms scattered to various parts of the city,

there has been no pressure or embarrassment. This comae of
conduct is worthy of all praise, and speaks volumes fur the sol-
vency, "punctuality and fidelity of the merchants. All this
hOwever has been done with a confidence that the Insurance

Companies would pay up, all they had to provide with promp-
ness. If however the affairs of these Companies are to be
thrown into the hands of receivers, and to go through all the
litigation, delay and expense necessarily attendant on such a
course, the claimants will be most cruelly treated, and seriously
injured. Such a proceeding as this would be a second calamity,

almost equal to the first. On this subject we think there cannot
be two opinions. The Presidents and Directors of the various
Companies have a perfect knowledge of their own affairs, know
their customs, and are familiar with the whole operation. They
can judge well of the character of the proof of loss, a most
difilcult point; for in the thousands of losses that have occurred,
more must necessary depend on the honor and character of the
merchant in his representation of loss, than on oaths and certifi-
cates.—lt is therefore absolutely necessary that those gentle-
men and no others, should have the settlement of their own affairs.
If the present laws prohibit them froM taking this step, as we
presume it does; the legislature now in session, will beyond all

question pass a law of such manifest justice."

We given elsewhere the American Court Newsman's
description of the new year's day grand levee at the Im-
perial Palace of Washington. The subjoined extract

contains the most important part of the proceedings "In

Con gress."
" Mr. Parker of New Jersey, proposed a resolution that the
members of the House sit uncovered during the season, which
was laid upon the table, where it will probably lie till the next

generation, which perhaps will be more courteous than the

present."

Well might Mr. DANIEL O'CoNEr.r, exclaim on quit-
ting the Corn Exchange, on Wednesday evening. "save
me from my friends !—save me from Mr. WILLIAM
RATHBONE—frorn Mr. THOMAS COG LAN—from the cattle
I was before unacquainted with ;—save me from all and
snndry of my Liverpool friends, and I will tight my ene-
mien!"—No, we forget—" I will bully, not fight, my
enemies;" for to his professed friends and ardent admir-
ers, intoxicated with their elevation to seats in the town
council, he is indebted for a rebuke which he will remem-
ber, however long 11;s life, to the latest hour of his ex-

istence.
Of all the compliments intended to be paid to a public
man, we never yet have seen or heard of a defeat so
,complete, or of a failure so miserable. Ordinary curiosity
to see a personage of O'CONNELL'S celebrity would, we
should have imagined, have collected a much :arger mob
than the one which assembled to hear his oration from the
balcony of the Adelphi, and yet even that stimulus failed
to attract one-fifth the number who attended the execu-
tion at Kirkdale Gaol at the last assizes. Even his own
catholic countrymen, resident in Liverpool, and these,
we are told by their priests, amount to fifty or sixty
thousand in number, were negligent on this occasion,
for we have not heard the crowd in front of the Adelphi
estimated at more than eight thousand. The inference,
therefore, is, that even with his countrymen resident in
Liverpool his influence is at a very low ebb.
His general unpopularity here is further proved by
The fact that the dinner tickets were hawked about
the town, sold at any price, and on Wednesday afternoon
as low as eighteen-pence—eighteen-pence for a guinea
ticket !—forced upon their tradesmen and dependents
by the Managers of the entertainment, and 300 were ac-
tually consigned to an agent in Manchester for sale,
with-
out meeting any, or but very few, purchasers. At the
Lyceum News Room a notice was posted in the usual
place, couched in these words :—" On sale, Tickets for
O'Connell's Dinner at a reduce& price. Apply at the
bar." In the Exchange News Room they were offered
at ten shillings on Tuesday, but—no buyers.
It will be seen from our report that Mr. RATHBONE
acted the part of bear-leader on this grand occasion. His
reception at the Town Hall by the Mayor was precisely
that which might have been expected from the high. mind-
ed gentleman who fills that office, namely, the cool civi-
lity of manner which reproves impertinence without the
use of words. Of this O'CONNELL was perfectly sen-
sible, for in an aside speech to his leader, Mr. RATHBONE,
he was heard to say, " We had better be going, for we
are not mighty welcome here."
Undismayed by the hint given him at the Town. hall,
so infatuated was Mr. RATHBONE that he could not avoid
hazarding the more dangerous experiment of a visit to
the Exchange News-room. Here, we speak from per-
sonal observation, his appearance created a simultane-
ous and general burst of indignation ; here his presence
would not be endured; here the merchants of Liverpool
appeared determined to act from the honest convictions
of their minds and set the members of Brookes's Club an
example as to the speediest mode of ejecting a Man who
is a stranger to all that constitutes the common honesty
and the common decencies of civiliied life. Ml'. RATH-
BONE and his bear did not advance more than twenty feet
within the principal entrance of the room before they
found it impossible to make good their footing within its
walls, and they retired, or, more properly speaking, were
kicked out amidst the execrations of nearly every, person
in the place. It will, perhaps, be attempted to prove
that the room was packed beforetand, and that O'CON-
NELL'S reception,was a party manceuvre. This we deny,
and are prepared to prove the contrary. if necessary.
Before O'CONNELL entered, the room was but very little,
if any thing, more crowded titan it usually is on a wet or
cold day. The most active leaders of the conservative
party were not there ; O'CONNELL'S intention of appear-
ing there was not known until announced from the bal-
cony of the Adelphi Hotel land besides this, no opposi-
tion was offered to the entrance of strangers. The in-
dignation was roused and directed against the profligacy
of Mr. O'CONNELL'S character as a public man, and not
against his political creed. In proof of this we refer to
the polite reception and the patient hearing given in the
same place to Mr. SPRING RICE, Lord MOLYNEUX, and
other whig and even radical politicians whose principles
were by no means approved of by the generality of the
subscribers.
At the dinner, noise and confusion prevailed. A
stranger would have imagined each guest was in turn
chairman, and that poor Mr. RATHBONE presided only
to be laughed at, or to perform the part of the lord of
misrule. We cannot learn that a single merchant of the
slightest standing, except the chairman, was present;
and the only distinguished guests at the preiident's table
were Mr. HALL, the stipendiary, Mr. RIGBY WASON, a
catholic priest, Mr. War. EWART, Colonel WILLIAMS,
and O'CONNELL'S son MORGAN !
Tire length of our re, recludes us hot

.port p

Im, and indeed: