The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-17 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

CANNING'S BOYHOOD.—The childhood of George
Canning was passed under the inauspicious guardianship
of Mr. Reddish (his mother's second husband), whose
disorderly habits excluded the possibility of moral or in:-
tellectual training. The profligacy of his life communi-
cated its reckless tone to his household, and even the ma-
terial wants of his family were frequently neglected to feed
his excesses elsewhere. Yet amidst all these unpropitious
circumstances, the talents of the child attracted notice ;
and Moody, the actor, who had constant opportunities of
seeing him, became strongly interested in his behalf.
Moody was a blunt, honest wan. of rough bearing, but of
the kindliest disposition ; and foreseeing that the boy's
ruin would be the inevitable consequence of the associa-
tions by which he was surrounded, he resolved to bring
the matter at once under the notice of his uncle, Mr.
Stratford Canning. The step was a bold one ; for there
had been no previous intercourse between the families, al-
though the boy was seven or eight years old. But it suc-
ceeded. Moody drew an indignant picture of the boy's
situation ; declared that he was on the high road to the
" gallows," (that was the word ;) dwelt upon the extraor-
dinary promise he displayed; and warmly predicted, that
if proper means were taken for bringing him forward in
the world, he would one day become a great man. Mr.
Stratford Canning was at first extremely unwilling to in-
terfere ; and it was not until the negotiation was taken up
by other branches of the family, owing to honest Moody's
perseverance, that he ultimately cmsented to take charge
of his nephew, upon condition that the intercourse with
his mother's connexions should be strictly abridged.—
Bell's Life of Canning.
GAMBLING IN THE EAST.—Cock-fighting is carried on
to a great extent here (Bencoolen), and is indulged in by
the natives, high and low. On market-days vast numbers
of natives may he seen wending their way to the cock-pit
at tached to each market or bazaar, with one of the cele-
brated Malay game cocks under their arms. At the pit,
some hundreds of these birds may be seen in the hands of
the fanciers, who weigh and examine them thoroughly be-
fore betting on them. As soon as the bets are arranged,
the two birds first on the list are brought into the centre
of the pit, armed by their owners with a fearful spur about
four inches long, of the shape of a scythe, and as sharp as
a razor. The combat seldom lasts a minute ; the first
charge generally rendering one, and frequently both the
combatants, hors de combat, by inflicting upon them mor-
tal wounds. Then begins the most disgusting part of the
scene. The owner of each bird takes him up, blows into
bis mouth and eyes, and uses every exertion to make the
poor tortured victim give the last peck to his adversary.
Failing this last peck, the battle is drawn. Bets are usu-
ally paid, particularly in the country, in gold dust, which
is weighed out in small ivory steelyards kept for the pur-
pose The Dutch, with their usual policy, derive a reve-
nue from every cock-pit within their boundary here. For
my own part, I am not inclined to blame them, and think
our revenue at all the three Straits' settlements might be
materially increased, and the scamps of those places kept
in better order, by having every gambling-house in them
registered and subjected to a tax. To put a stop to gamb-
ling, in any Asiatic town, is beyond the power of man ;
and the attempt to do so only drives the gamester to the
secret haunts where he may indulge his propensity, and
where, I fear, too often he heccmes a witness of, if not a
participator in, deeds of blood. As a grard juror in Sin-
gapore, I have had evidence enough of this —Davidson's
Trade and Travel in the Far East.

THE POLICY TO BE PURSUED IN INDIA.—The most
eminent statesmen who have learnt their lessons in Eng-
land, and those who have gained their experience in India,
have uniformly concurred in the opinion that extension of
territory was not only undesirable, but hurtful. Those to
whom the local government of our Eastern empire was
intrusted have had every motive to preserve peace and to
avoid war. Nevertheless, they have almost all engaged
in war, and those who have avoided doing so have con-
fessedly left it as an inheritance to their successors : and
let us add to this strong fact that the different Presidents
of the Board of Control, the very institution of which was
associated with the object of preventing the pursuit of
schemes of aggrandizement and the extension of domi-
nion, have almost in every instance concurred in the wis-
dom and necessity of those measures of the local admini-
stration which have been attended with such results.
This forces us to a conclusion that all the English states-
men which this observation includes have either ben in
their turns tainted with the culpable ambition of which
the Indian Governors are accused, or that their fuller in.
formation obliged them to give the sanction of their ap-
probation to such wars, from being satisfied that they
were just and expedient. There may be some cases where
it is possible to prove that the temperament or the judge-
ment of individuals has precipitated a contest ; but, on the
other hand, it is clear that the most moderate have been
compelled to the same course, and that the orders of
superiors and the enactments of.law have not only failed
in the end proposed, that of averting the growth of our
power, but have actually caused it to be more rapid than
it otherwise would have been. These are the deductions
which must be drawn from the events that have occurred ;
but the law which forbade conquest and interference is
now a dead letter. We are the acknowledged lords of
India, and there exists not a sovereign prince or a chief in
that vast country, with whom we have no ties that imply
friendship and protection on our part, and dependance or
allegiance on the coher.—Menzoirs of Marquis Wellesley.
AN ITALIAN SCENE.—There lies Genoa, in beautiful
confusion, with its many churches pointing up into the
sunny sky ; and down below me, just where the roofs be-
gin a solitary convent parapet, fashioned like a gallery,
with an iron across the end, where sometimes, early in the
morning, I have seen a little group of dark-veiled nuns
gliding sorrowfully to and fro, and stopping now and then
to peep down upon
•the waking world in which they have
no part. Old Monte Faccio, brightest of hills in good
weather, but sulkiest when storms are coming on, is here,
upon the left. The fort, within the walls (the good king
built it to command the town, and beat the houses of the
Genoese about their ears, in case they should be discon-
tented), commands that height upon the right. The broad
sea lies beyond ;—in front there ; and that line of coast,
beginning by the light-house, and tapering away, a mere
speck in the rosy distance, is that beautiful coast that
leads to Nice. The garden near at hand, among the
roofs and houses, all red with roses and fresh with little
fountains, is the Acqua Sola—a public promenade, where
the military band plays gaily, and the white veils cluster
thick, and the Genoese nobility ride round, and round,
and round, in state-clothes and coaches at least, if not in
absolute wisdom. Within a stone's throw, as it seems,
the audience of the day-theatre sit, their faces turned this
way. But as the stage is hidden, it is very odd, without
a knowledge of the cause, to see their faces change so sud.
denly from earnestness to laughter ; and odder still to
hear the rounds upon rounds of appause, rattling in the
evening air, to which the curtain falls. But, being Sun-
day night, they act their best and most attractive play.
And now the sun is going down in such magnificent array
of red, and green, and golden light, as neither pen nor
pencil could depict ; and to the ringing of the vesper bells,
darkness sets in at once, without a twilight. Then lights
begin to shine in Genoa, and on the country road; and
the revolving lantern out at sea there, flashing for an in-
stant on this palace front and portico, illuminates it as if
there were a bright moon bursting from behind a cloud,
then merges it into deep obscurity. And this, so far as I
know, is the only reason why the Genoese avoid it after
dark, and think it haunted. My memory will haunt it
many nights in time to come, but nothing worse, I will
engage.—Dickens's Travelling Letters.
THE INFLUENCES OF THE ENGLISH FLAG.—Previous
to the occupation of Port Essington, every English vessel
that had resorted to the islands lying between Timor and
New Guinea had been attacked, and, when successfully,
the crew massacred ; so that the names of many of the
larger islands were associated with outrages committed on
our countrymen. The Essington, the first vessel sent
out to the islands, was only saved by an accidental occur-
rence ; but no sooner had it become known that the Bri-
tish possessed a settlement in the neighbourhood (and this
occurred within an exceedingly short space of time), than
these aggressions suddenly and totally ceased ; and al-
though the number of vessels resorting to these islands is
far greater than it had ever previously been, no single act
of hostility was ever again committed. Indeed I speak
advisedly when I say that small vessels may now traverse
the adjacent seas with greater safety than they can coast
the island of Java, the oldest established of the European
colonies in the Indian Archipelago. The western coasts
of New Guinea were never visited by our merchant ships
for purposes of trade previous to our establishment in
these seas ; but an intercourse has now been opened which
bids fair to become a thriving and profitable branch of
commerce. The Timor Laut group, again, the nearest to
Port Essington of the islands of the Indian Archipelago,
was so notorious previous to our arrival, that even the
native traders of the Eastern Islands dared not visit it.
Vessel after vessel, whether English, Dutch, Chinese, or
Macassar, was cut off and plundered ; but the spirit of
peace has now extended itself to this important group, and
it has became a favourit e resort for traders; an inter-
course having been established with ports, especially in
the southern part of Timor Laut, which were never before
frequented. When it is taken into consideration that our
manufactures form the bulk of the cargoes of all vessels
resorting to these remote parts, whether European, Chi-
nese, or Indian, the circumstances here detailed become
interesting. The commerce of these Eastern Islands is
little regarded by the mercantile community of this coun-
try, simply because its details are not known. The mer-
chant loses sight of his goods after they reach Singapore,
for even his consignee in that emporium of the further
East has only a vague notion of what becomes of a large
portion of them. He knows that they are carried away
to the eastward by hundreds of small craft, which return,
in the course of time, laden with valuable produce, but of
the particular countries from which it comes he does not
often know even the name.—Enterprise in Tropical Aus-
tralia.
THE CUSTOMS AND MORALS OF THE SlKHS.—Gooroo
Govind banished all distinctions of caste amongst his fol-
lowers; he granted to the converted (whatever might be
their belief) equal privileges; and, to cause greater unifor-
mity, he ordered a peculiarity of clothing and manners.
Every one of his disciples was obliged to serve as a sol-
dier, to carry some kind of weapon, wear blue garments,
and let their hair and beard grow. The Sikhs despise to-
bacco, because it renders them impure ; and, like the
Hindoos, they hold the bull as holy. But by this spirit of
moderation and patience are the Gooroos, their present
priests, and the Akalis, fanatical fakirs, no longer inspired,
for the Musselmen can only quietly and secretly conduct
their religious worship. The Akalis acknowledge no ste•
perior ; they only endure their princes, whom they abuse
at their pleasure, whose life they would, without any re-
spect, attempt, if he interfered with any of their projects.
They are usually armed with a round iron weapon, which
is carried either at the point of the flowing turban, or at
their side. It consists of flat iron rings, from eight to
fourteen inches in diameter, whose outer edge is exceed.
inply sharp, and which they are so skilled in whirling
round their finger or a stick, and then darting it at the ob-
ject aimed at, as to unfailingly sever the head from the
trunk. Several of these Akalis form a peculiar troop in
the army of the Maharajah. The Grauth, the Bible of the
Sikhs, which contains their commandments, is the sole
object of their reverence ; in nearly every village it is to