The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-02-13 00:00:00

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POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

Mr. Wyse is forthwith to be appointed British Minister
at the Court of Athens.

Petitions against the proposed alterations in the Naviga-
tion Laws havebeen laid forsignature, duringthe past week,
at the Town-hall, South Shields, and at the different ship
insurance offices in that town.

THE SOURCE OF PERPETUAL MOTION.—This great
principle has at length been discovered. A reference to
the present and past debates in the Houses of Parliament
will prove it to be neither more nor less than—lreland.
Mr. M. T. Baines told his friends at Hull, the other
day, that before he accepted office at the poor-law board,
he was offered, by Sir George Grey, the office of Under
Secretary for the Home Department, which he would not
accept, because it would have involved his taking leave of
the electors of Hull seven months after they had favoured
him with their confidence.
MR. MUNTZ AND FREE TRADE.—Mr. Muntz, M.P.,
having been invited to the Manchester free-trade festi-
val. wrote a note to the chairman, in which he said—" Al-
though I felt bound to vote for the repeal of the corn-
laws as being partial in their operation and unjust to-
wards other interests, I have not yet seen such benefit
from free-trade, unaccompanied by other legislation, as
to induce me to celebrate it." This note was not read at
the festival : so Mr. Muntz has published it.
Mr. Cobden's friends in the West Riding are going to
try to revive his dying popularity among his constituents
by a public dinner at Leeds. But it won't do. The
people know what a grand mistake they made when they
took this mere destroyer for a statesman ; and no doubt
the error of 1847 will be amply remedied next election.
The League made some thousands of votes in the West
Riding, but even these will not save Mr. Cobden from
being sent after Sir Culling.
THE BOLTON ELECTION.—It Seems that the scale
would, in all probability, have been turned against Sir
Joshua Walmsley but for the following circumstance :
For the last few weeks a tedious yet important suit has
chained Mr. Bridson to a London law court so stringently,
that it was only for hours—not days and weeks. as his
true interests required—that he could run down to Bolton
at all. The result, of course, has been that Mr. Briilsan
,ciiivass personally a single

elector,

The Protectionists were signally caught in a radical trap
on Friday. They held a meeting at the York Hotel,
Bridge-street, Blackfriars, for promoting the repeal of the
malt tax, as they have several times done before ; when
they were overpowered by the knavish tricks of certain
free traders, who carried a resolution, pledging the meet-
ing to join with the Radical Financial Reform Association
not only to obtain a repeal of the tax in question, but to
effect a reduction of the public expenditure. Mr. Frewen,
the member for Sussex, who was present, appeared much
annoyed at the result.

A WHIG'S OPINION OF THE NAVIGATION LAWS.—
In one of his recent speeches on his re-election for Hull,
Mr. M. T. Baines, a Whig and Free-trader, denounced
the attempt to repeal the Navigation Laws. He said:—
Itis perfectly well-known that ministers introduced a
measure with respect to that bill, against which 1 voted.
Ithought it my duty to do so, and although 1 know I
differ from many of my constituents on this point,—gen-
tlemen of very great intelligence, who think, that the na-
vigation laws ought to be repealed, yet I must say that I
am not satisfied that they ought to he repealed : on the
contrary, I am of opinion that the principle of the naviga-
tion laws ought not to be repealed. This being so, I
voted accordingly, and opposed ministers in every stage."
RECIPROCITY V. ONE-SIDED FREE-TRADE.—We are
glad to find that the commercial mind is rapidly recover-
ing, from the effect which to some extent had been pro-
duced upon it by the showy and plausible, but altogether
baseless, theories propounded by the self-called " Free-
traders." A most important movement on this subject is
taking place in the mercantile world, one example of which
is to be found in the recent formation of the " Glasgow
Reciprocity and Industrial Society," the objects of which
are " to obtain free trade with foreign states on the basis
of a true and equitable reciprocity, and to adopt all rea-
sonable and legitimate means to promote the interests of
British and colonial industry." It is a fact that nearly
200 eminent firms (men of all shades of politics) in Glas-
gow have joined this association, and have sanctioned its
objects by appending their signatures to a document pub-
licly promulgating the principles which it advocates.
A HARD HIT.—At a meeting in Bradford, a few days
since, Col. Thompson, M.P. for the borough, was ad-
dressing the electors, and introducing the subject of free
trade, contended that the people of Bradford were
better off on that account. On hearing this, a workman

in the gallery shouted "It's a lie; they'll give us nothing
for working now that bread is cheaper ; the manufactur-
ers have reduced our wages more than makes the differ-
ence." Before the close of the meeting a number of
queries were put to the Colonel, whose replies were re-
ceived by the chartists with yells, groans, and other marks
of disapprobation. A question was asked if he would
vote for a separation of Church and State, to which he
replied that he considered the church was fast approach-
ing to popery, and as the dissenters were the principal
means of sending him to Parliament, he thought it would
be his duty to act as they required him. To the question
of whether he would give up bis half-pay as a colonel,
he stated that he had paid two or three times for it ; and
without they could shew him sufficient reasons for relin-
quishing it, he would not give it up.
ELECTIONS.-Sir Francis Baring, now First Lord of
the Admiralty, was, on Monday, re-elected for Ports-
mouth without opposition. Mr, Frederick Peel, son of
Sir Robert Peel, was elected member for Leominster,
without opposition, on Wednesday, in the room of Mr.
H. Barkly, appointed Governor of British Guinea. Mr.
Matthew Talbot Baines, who has been appointed Chief
Commissioner at the Poor-law Board, was re-elected for
Hull, on Wednesday. Such, however, was the uproar
and confusion, the hissings and the hootings, of the as-
sembled electors, that Mr. Baines did not deliver an ad-
dress at the place of election. The hon. member having
accepted office under Government, appears to have given
mighty-offence to the Chartists and Radicals. The election
of a member for Bolton, in the place of Dr. Bowring,
appointed to a Government situation in China, was fixed
for Wednesday last. The candidates were Sir Joshua
Walmsley and Mr. Thomas Ridgeway Bridson, bleacher,
of Bolton. The show of hands was much in favour of
Sir Joshua Walmsley, when a poll was demanded by the
friends of Mr. Bridson. At the close of the poll on
Thursday, Sir Joshua was found to be elected by a ma-
jority of 567 to 521

MEATY BETWEEN ENGLAND AND BORNEO.—A copy
of the treaty of friendship and commerce " concluded
between her Majesty the Queen of England and the Sultan
of Borneo (signed in the English and Malay languages, on
the 27th of May, 1847), has just been laid before both
houses of parliament. It consists of twelve articles.
They provide-1. That peace, friendship, and good under-
standing shall for ever subsist between the two powers of
Britain and Borneo. 2. That the subjects of her Majesty
shall have full liberty to enter into, reside in, and trade
with all parts of the dominions of the Sultan Omar Ali
Saifadeen, and enjoy the privileges and advanges of the
most favoured nation ; the subjects of the Sultan to enjoy
the same privileges in this country. 3. That British sub-
jects may purchase and acquire all kinds of property
+l .1 : c. 1.. t_• •

ing that such British subjects shall, as far as lies in his
power, enjoy full and complete protection and security.
4. That the trade between the two countries shall be per-
fectly free, subject only to the customs' duties which may
be hereafter enforced. 5. That no duty exceeding per
ton shall be levied on British vessels entering the ports of
Borneo. British goods and British trade to be exempt
from all internal duties, &c. 6. That no export duty
shall be levied by the Sultan on any article the growth or
produce of his own dominions. 7. That the ships of war
of England and the East India Company shall be permitted
to enter the ports, rivers, and creeks of his dominions, and
to provide themseves with such supplies, stores, and pro-
visions as they may require. 8. That assistance shall be
rendered to vessels wrecked on the coast of Borneo. 9.
That every means shall be taken by both the high con-
tracting parties for the suppression of piracy within the
seas, straits, and rivers subject to their respective control
or influence, &c. Article 10 confirms the cession of the
island of Labuan, situate on the north-west coast of Bor-
neo, together with the adjacent islets of Kuraman, Little
Rusakan, Great Rusakan, Da-at, and Malankasan, and
all the straits, islets, and seas situate half-way between
the afore-mentioned islets and the mainland of Borneo ;
likewise the distance of ten geographical miles from the
island of Labuan to the westward and the northward, and
from the nearest point half-way between the islet of
Malankasan and the mainland of Borneo, in a line run-
ning north till it intersects a line extending from west to
east, from a point ten miles northward at• the northern
extremity of the island of Labuan, to be possessed in per-
petuity and full sovereignty by her Majesty and her suc-
cessors; and, to avoid disputes, the sultan engages not to
make any similar cession of territory to any other nation
without the consent of her Britannic Majesty. Every
measure is to be taken by both parties for the suppression
of the abominable traffic in slaves. The treaty, which was
to be ratified on or before the 27th May, 1848, is signed
by James Brooke, on the one part, and attested by the
great seal of the Sultan of Borneo, on the other.