The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-12-15 00:00:00

THE ARMS MANIA IN IRELAND.

This dangerous movement goes on apace. Birmingham
is absolutely panting under its exertions to supply guns,
rifles, and bayonets, for " starving Ireland!" The " fins
pisantry" appear to have more than human appetites, and
can digest gun barrels, and munch their stocks, quite as
easily as they can accomplish the same feats with potatoes
and buttermilk. Unfortunately, however, our fellow-
countrymen are occasionally tempted to put this new
food of theirs to its legitimate use, previously to making a
meal of it—to shoot an unoffending individual or two be-
fore swallowing their newly-acquired aliment. Popping
off a bailiff or process server is nothing in their way, and
never has been much ; but it is a little singular, that wits
the means of this gentlemanly and humane amusement,
kindly afforded them by the liberality of the British peo-
ple, the " fine pisantry" should resort to the Gothic prac-
tices recorded in the following, which we quote from the
London Times of Friday :

" The Evening Mail states, on what that journal con-
siders competent authority, that an overseer in the em-
ployment of the Board of Works has been barbarously
murdered in the county of Clare. It if, said that the body
of the wretched man was C,41 into pieces with reaping
hooks. No other particulars are given."
Surely Lord John Russell ought to send to a people
thus evidently preparing themselves for a graceful use of
the " better sort of food," which is to result from the pre-
sent potato calamity,—to wit, the use of butchers' meat—a
supply of carving knives. Cutting up a human being, or
any other subject for practice, with a reaping hook, is ob-
viously not the most handy way of doing things.
Another similar affair is recorded as having occurred in
the county of Galway :—" On Monday evening last Mr.
Lynch was entering his own gate, when he was fired at
from behind, and it would appear the shot mortally
wounded but did not kill him. The assassin or assassins
—for it is supposed that he was attacked by more than
one person—beat him dieadfully on the head, and, not
content with depriving him of his life in that manner, they
houghed and mangled his body in a shocking manner
with some instrument, supposed to be a reaping hook."
Of course, it will be supposed that this poor gentleman
was some dreadful oppressor of the poor—some human.
ogre devouring the substance of widows and orphans. No
such thing. He is described as " one of the kindest and
most benevolent gentlemen within the district in which
he resided—a most inoffensive gentleman, greatly esteemed
by every person, rich and poor, in the neighbourhood."
Why, therefore, this " houghing" and " mangling," un-
less we are to believe that Irishmen are naturally blood-
thirsty ? It is a problem to us, we must confess;, and
would almost lead us to the conclusion, that in this por-
tion of her Majesty's dominions the people are, under the
blessed influence of Popery, relapsing into a state little
removed from cannibalism.

The very material question arises, bowever,—What is
to be done with such a people ? They are starving, we
say ; and it is urged,—" Give them employment and.
money to buy food." Well, we have tried the experi-
ment. We have given them employment—and they re-
fuse to till their fields. "We have given them money to
buy food—and they buy guns, and use them, to destroy
the lives of human beings. How long is this sort of
thing to go on? Has Lord John Russell no better way
of managing Ireland than that of arming its rebellious
and murder-loving population? If he has not, it is time
that he confessed his difficulty, and handed over his trust
to other and more capable hands.

BROTHER JONATHAN'S AWKWARD MISTAKE.'

Making war does not appear to be quite so easy a thing
with our brother as gasconading about it. He has got
himself into rather an unpleasant fix in his Mexican
affair. A correspondent of the New Orleans Picayune
thus speaks of the present feelings of the gallant volun.
'eers, lately so buoyant and confident:—
"The reaction that has taken place in the army, upon
settling down quietly after so much fatigue and excitement
is really painful in its effects. There are few here whose
hearts do not ache to see their homes and families. The
uncertainty that prevails with regard to the future causes
much uneasiness. Judging from present appearances the
wisest and longest-sighted of the officers have arrived at
the conviction that the war has only commenced."
Poor fellows! We presume the tune of " Yankee
Doodle" would have pretty nearly the same effect upon
them as the "Rang des ['aches" upon the Swiss soldier,
or "Farewell to Lochaber" upon the Highlander. A let-
ter from an officer in the army, given in the same paper,
contains the following unpleasant admissions :
" There never was a nation so much mistaken as ours
in regard to that of Mexico. I mean in respect to its
military resources. The people are warlike, and have an
abundant supply of the munitions of war. Our battles
with them improve them as soldiers. Our invasion is
held by them in abhorrence, and has united all classes in
determined resistance against us. The battles of Palo
Alto, Besaca de la Palma, and of Monterey, were battles
with their frontier army. From this place onward, if we
have to march on further in this direction, we shall meet
their borne army, made up of hardy mountaineers and a
better class of soldiery. So far I consider we have not
injured their nation, but done it a service, by defeating
their old officers, thus causing their army to be placed
under the direction of younger, more ambitious, braver,
and more accomplished generals.
" In fact, so far from the war being ended, it bas just
commenced. Our position is critical. Our supplies, at
Camargo, 180 miles distant, must be waggoned to this
place. This long line has no protection. The Ranchero
troops, numbering near 2,500, are behind us as guerillas,
and if they choose to act, our trains must be cut off.
Although this is a rich valley, its supplies are inadequate
to our wants, except in beef, for any length of time. Oar
army, or the effective part of it, is too diminutive to meet
a strong force. It is weak, physically, for it has now
been in campaign over thirteen months, with scanty
clothing, and much hardship and exposnre. The volun-
teers are numerous, but, with the exception of those regi-,
ments commanded by late officers of the army, without
discipline. 1 suppose our whole army will muster, when
all arrive from below, 9,000 men for duty, and we hear
the Mexicans have one on the advance to meet us of
30,000 men. I am convinced, and so is every officer of
the army, that we have done wrong and committed an ir-
reparable error in leaving the Rio Grande to march fa
this direction."
In future we trust our beloved brother will attend to
the maxim, " Look before you Leap!" •

SKATING IN BIRKENHEAD PARK.—The lovers of
skating will now have an opportunity of enjoying this de-
lightful recreation almost at their own doors, the com-
missioners having given permission to all persons, without
distinction, to make free use of the two extensive lakes in
this beautiful park. We visited the park yesterday, and
observed several skaters on the upper lake; the ice, how-
ever, on the lower lake was not considered sufficiently
strong ; another night's frost will, no doubt, remove all
danger.
A VETERAN.—The heroes of the late war are fast dis-
appearing from amongst us, and in a few years' time, but
for the opportunities afforded us by our Indian cam-
paigns, we might possibly arrive at the disagreeable pre-
dicament of having an army without a soldier who has
ever seen a battle, or even smelt gunpowder, except at a
review. It may, perhaps, not be known to many of our
readers, that the little village of Thurstaston, Cheshire,
contains one of the few, who can now remain, of the gal-
lant crew of the Shannon, renowned for the chivalrous
engagement with, and capture of, the American frigate,
Chesapeake, in Boston Bay, the history of which achieve-
ment is familiar to most readers of our naval annals.
Richard Molyneux was sergeant of marines on board the
Shannon, and one of the first to obey the order to board
the enemy, in the performance of which feat he received
a severe scalp wound, not sufficiently desperate, however,
to prevent his taking an active part in the melee which.
ensued. Our hero is at present comfortably settled as
host of the head inn at Thurstaston. where he occasion-
ally " fights his battles o'er again," and is especially ex-
cellent in his execution of the well-known ballad—
" The Chesapeake so gay,
Out of Boston sailed one day,
All to take a British frigate neat and handy, oh."

HIGHWAY BOARD, THURSDAY.-Mr. Duncan re-
ported that three feet of brick work and the stone coping
were all that were required to complete the tower and
chimney of the Green-lane Water-works ; that the roof-
ing of the boiler-house was all but finished, the fixing of
the boilers, well advanced, and that the joiners were fix-
ing the sash panes in the windows; that the erection of
the engine was in a forward state, and as soon as the
workmen were finished on the tower the setting up of the
stand piping would be commenced; that one of the cool-
ing ponds was pitched with stone up to the high-water
line, and that the excavation of the other would be out of
hand in the course of the present week. The Chairman
hoped the works would be got into operation before the
board was handed over to the Corporation. The Trea-
surer, Mr. Capes Ashlin, laid before the board a state-
ment o; the collection of the rates for the year 1845, ended
30th September, 1815. The total amount collected
within the year was £17,575 Hs. 5d., including the sum
of £3,543 15s. of arrears, which, when added to the pre-
vious year's collection, gave (exclusive of the rates for
public companies) £B2 18s. fild. per cent., being an in-
crease this year of £1 6s. per cent.. There appeared to
be a decreased per centage this year in Mr. Greetham's
and Mr. Widdow's districts, which were wholly accounted
for in the former case, and partially in the latter. There
was an increase in the number of payments in all the
wards, except Scotland and Vauxhall. The number of
payments received by the collectors was 14,741, and the
number paid into the office was 5,448.. The amount of
money collected by the collectors was £38,901 19s. Ild.,
and the amount paid into the office £8,673 18s. 6d. The
number of persons served with notices to appear before
the members appointed to hear appeals against rates ex-
ceeded eleven thousand, and it was stated that legal pro-
ceedings were now being taken against those who had
neglected to attend, or pay the rates according to the or-
ders made in their respective cases. The Treasurer
spoke highly of the efficient services and upright conduct
of Mr. Archibald Tweedie, the chief clerk in the office,
and the board referred the further consideration of the
report and statement to the joint Sub-committee of the
Watch and Highway Trusts to award the bonuses to the
collectors, according to the merits and diligence displayed
by each in the collection of the rates in their respective
districts. The Chairman said that in Toxteth-park above
5000 summonses had been issued for the non-payment of
rates.

MADAME VESTRIS.—The Musical World says, "We
understand that the highly -talented and most popular
actress and vocalist,MadameVestris, is about to bid fare-
well to the stage, in consequence of declining health. She
intends closing her theatrical career next season. She
makes a parting tour in the provinces, and returns to
London, to appear, for the last time, on the boards
of the Italian Oper"a-house, where she made her debut to
many years since. Madame Vestris will pay a farewell
visit to Liverpool, and appear at our Theatrc.Royal.

LIVERPOOL AND BELFAST.
The splendid new Iron Steam-ships
11/11k ••SEA KING or TYNWALD
74. 7-- Are intended to sail from Liverpool for Belfast,
(With or without a Pilot,)
From the CLARENCE DOCK BASIN,)
Friday, the 18th December, at 10 o'clock, Evening.
Wednesday, the 23d Deceef,at 12 o'clock, Night.
Monday, the 28th Deeember, at 7 o'clock, Evening.
Leaving Belfast for Liverpool on the 16th, 21st, 26th and 30th.
LANGTRYS and Co., 20, Water-street, Liverpool.

STEAM TO AND FROM SLIGO.
Afy The powerful Steam-ship ROVER,
JAMES TURNBULL, Master,
Is intended to sail (with or without a Pilot)
during the month of DECEMBER, 1846, as