The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-14 00:00:00

DEBATE UPON LORD SANDON'S MOTION.

It would be a dull affair to attempt to analyze this debate.
The most happy efforts on Monday night were those of Lord
Francis Egerton and Mr. W. E. Gladstone ; yet two speeches
more dissimilar in their character it is scarcely possible to
magine. The speech of Lord Francis was one of those beau-
tiful displays of lofty principle, conveyed in fine and eloquent
language, which distinguish that amiable and talented noble-
man ; whilst that of, the member for Newark, equally correct
in language and lofty in principle, addressed itself more to
the business details of the question. In the concluding sen-
tences of his speech Mr. Gladstone alluded, with happy effect,
to the position uniformly maintained upo❑ the question of
slavery by the father of one member of the cabient—Mr.
Zachary Macauley —and contrasted it with that which his
son, the member for Edinburgh, at present occupied, as the
advocate of a measure which must inevitably tend, whatever
may be its effects upon the condition of the emancipated ne-
groes in our West Indian colonies, to aggravate the horrors
of slavery and the slave trade as carried on in other countries
—an allusion the more valuabie inasmuch as it had the effect
of placing the glib-tongued placeman—Mr. Babington Ma-
cauley—upon his trial, and has afforded the country an op-
portunity of ascertaining with what reasoning a professed
abolutionist edn defend, upon principle, the policy of govern-
ment.

On Tuesday night, accordingly, Mr. Macauley came down
with a set speech, which is verbatim reported, as all his pre-
pared speeches are, in the Morning Chronicle of this day.
:` You cannot," urged Mr. Macauley, " dispense with the
use of slave-grown products. You must have slave-grown
coffee, cotton, &c. ; and why, then, your holy horror of
slave-grown sugar ?" Alas, has it come to this ? Are we to
be told now that all the speeches, written and uttered, of
Wilberforce, Buxton, Clarkson, and Macauley—that all the
diatribes of this same Thomas Babington in the pages of the
blue and yellow—all the eloquent denunciations of Chatham,
of Fox, of Brougham—all the amiable philanthropy of a Gur-
ney—have been utterly misplaced and thrown away because,
although we can do without slave-grown sugar, we cannot
yet dispense with slave-grown coffee, cotton, or tobacco?
Shame upon you, Mr. Thomas Babington Macauley—shame
upon any man whom the preservation of a seat upon the
treasury bench—whom a dirty question of salary—can induce
to falsify the recorded opinions of a lifetime,—to unroot and
trample upon the laurel which hangs over the grave of a dead
parent !

For one candid confession, however, we must thank the
Secretary at War. We know now, ex cathedra, that in this
sugary proposition the ministry have " miscalculated"—
have committed an unfortunate error. Until the promulga-
tion of Lord Sandon's present motion the ministerial dreams
were all "coleur de rose." They confidently expected sup-
port, even.from the Conservative side of the house (!) in
this endeavour to recruit their exhausted treasury at the ex-
pense of the agricultural and colonial interests of the empire.
But they know now their error ; nuy, they tell us by the
mouth of Mr. Macauley that they know its consequences.
They will have very shortly—hard fate !—to occupy other
seats, from which they expect to witness the carrying out of
the very measure which they now propose,—an expectation
which we should be very glad, for my part, to allow them to
gratify, when the country shall become tired of seeing them
occupy thsoe seats,—but certainly not sooner.
Without this admission, however, it is sufficiently evident
that a grossly false move has been made by the unlucky
Chancellor of the Exchequer. The " unsething" of the
agricultural and colonial interests—the attempt to raise a cry
of cheap sugar, cheap timber, and cheap bread, has recoiled
upon the heads of the ministry ; and, worse than all, has
placed them in a false position. They must now bid farewell
for ever to the support of the anti-slavery party in Great
Britain. They are now the avowed advocates of slavery and
the slave trade. Their press already has thrown off the
flimsy concealment, under which for a time, perhaps, this
fact might have been concealed ; the more indiscreet mem-
bers of their party in parliament have abjured the profes-
sions of humanity to the Negro race, which in past time have
formed the staple of many an eloquent diatribe—at anti-
slavery meetings, upon electioneering and other occasions ;
and full time it was that the hypocritical pretenders were
unmasked. Humanity to the enslaved African, from the
supporters of infant slavery in our factories—from the
supporters of adult slavery in our poor-law bastiles! No ;
from henceforth the people of England will look for no such
fruit upon the barren branches of the tree of Whig-
radicalism.

DISASTER IN THE CHANNEL

PAINFULLY INTERESTING PARTICULARS.
(From our Second Edition of Tuesday, 11th inst.)

We furnished in our first edition a brief statement of the
loss of a brig, near Holyhead, on Sunday night, by being run
into by the ship Brooklyn, outward bound, to New York, and
which left this port on that day. The supposition then was,
from those on board of the Brooklyn, that:the then unknown
vessel, (which was supposed to be of about 300 tons:bur-
then,) had suddenly disappeared with all:those who were on
board of her. We are glad, however, to state, that six of
the crew were saved, and from one of them—the mate—the
following particulars are derived :

The vessel was the ship Mary Scott, from Valparaiso,
bound to Liverpool, with a cargo of copper ore, &c., and a
quantity of specie. She was the property of Mrs. Little.
widow of the late Mr. Little, of Liverpool. She sailed 12th
January. On Sunday night, when off Point Lynas, she
showed two lights on the starboard side for a pilot. About
ten o'clock, while she was running on, a ship, without any
lights that were seen by the Mary Scott, ran into her,
striking her between the two lights, abaft the main rigging.
The wind was blowing fresh at the time, and the topsailsof the Mary Scott had been reefed. The concussion carried
away some of the spars of the latter vessel, and by the
fall of one of them the captain had his back severely
injured, if not broken. The Brooklyn was hailed by the
Mary Scott, but, according to our informant, did not
make towards her, and they soon lost sight of her. As
it was evident that the vessel was in a dangerous state,
the jolly-boat was lowered, and the mate told the captain that
now was the time for him to save his life. He said that if
the mate would fetch up a box of spice, he would follow him
into the boat. The mate went down and fetched up a box,
but, on his reaching the deck, he found the water up to his
waist, she being in a sinking state. An attempt was then
made to clear the long boat, so as to save all hands ; but she
was so entangled with spars and cordage, that this could not
be effected; and the mate, as the ship sunk, got into the
jolly boat, together with the carpenter, four of the crew,
and a boy,—being seven in all. He believes that all the
remainder, amounting to eight. in number, (including the
captain) sunk with the vessel, of which they soon lost sight.
The boat drifted first towards Holyhead, and afterwards to-
wards the Isle of Man. Those on board had neither food
nor drink, and were, in the confusion of leaving the ship,
but scantily clothed. The weather was stormy, and they
were left at the mercy of the wind and waves. They had se-
cured the chronometer, but having nothing to bail with, had
to break out the works and use the metal case as a scoop or
ladle. After being tossed about for about twenty-four
hours they were picked up, naturally much exhausted, by a
Manx fishing-boat. There were no passengers in the Mary
Scott. Just before they were picked up, they passed a
water cask which they recognised to be one of those belong-
ing to the Mary Scott.
In addition to these particulars, we are informed that the
vessel and her cargo were insured for £35,000—a1l in Liver-
pool. Independently of the melancholy loss of life, the de-
struction of property involved will fall heavily upon our
underwriters. As in all probability a legal investigation of
the facts, as affecting the Brooklyn, will take place, we
abstain from all remark on the fatal disaster,—the' more par-
ticularly as some conflicting testimony regarding the collision
may hereafter be adduced.

Captain Richardson has furnished us with the following
statement of this melancholy affair
On the 9th inst., at six a.m., the ship Brooklyn, under
my command, proceeded, with the assistance of steamer,
from the river Mersey to sea. At two p.m., being seven
miles outside the Bell Buoy, discharged the steamer, and
made sail, wind light, from S.E. At 8 30 p.m. saw Point
Lynas light S.W., about 8 miles distant, wind brisk, from
S.S.W. At 9 p.m. brisk breezes from S.W. by. S. ; took in
the studding sails. At near 10 p.m., being on deck myself,
and having a good look-out kept by myself and men, we ob-
served a sail on our larboard bow. 1 immediately saw her,
and seeing she was steering in the opposite direction, (that
is E.S.E. and ourselves about W.N.W.) and she to wind-
ward of us ; the wind having just headed us one point, and
thus favoured the strange sail, I was induced to keep my
ship off, by putting my helm aport, which was done, and my
ship immediately swung off two points ; but on looking to
the strange sail again, to my astonishment I observed her
keeping off, which caused me to believe that as we were so
near each other we should soon come together, bow to bow,
which would have destroyed us both almost instantly. 1,
fearing so frightful a collision, thought, at the moment, that
if my helm was put down my ship might come to quick
enough to clear her ; consequently, I had my helm put to
starboard, and my ship began to come to quickly, and had
there been one or two minutes more time, the strange sail
would have been sufficiently ahead to have cleared us, as we
struck her about the mainmast. I saw her in one minute
after she was seen by the look-out. I did not see any lights
on board of her, neither have I learnt that any on board my
ship saw any. My ship lost her bowsprit, cutwater, stem
badly split, bows much injured ; and at the time of the col-
lision, and for two hours afterwards, I had strong fears of
my ship springing a large leak suddenly, as, in addition to
the injury just sustained, her bowsprit was thrashing her
bows sufficiently to cause great anxiety for the safety of 195
souls on hoard • also the foremast was much endangered by
the want of head
_stays. As the strange sail passed from un-
der us after the collision, I heard dreadful shrieks and cries.
I had no doubt they were cries of distress, and I feared the
strange sail was sinking. I thought of the drowning crew,
but I had not the power of affording any relief, as my ship
was under full sail, and in an unmanageable and extremely
dangerous state ; however. in a few minutes I let my sails
fly, backed my maintopsail, and stopped the ship's way ; but
did not, at that time or afterwards, hear or see anything of
the strange sail, her boats oac r
e men,until I heard of the arrival
of some of them at this pl.
ABEL W. RICHARDSON,
Commander of the ship Brooklyn.
P.S. Understanding that a report has been circulated very
prejudicial to my character for humanity, to the effect that
immediately on the collision taking place I caused the hatch-
ways to be covered for the purpose of preventing the passen-
gers from coming on deck, I beg most distinctly to deny it,
no such order having been given by me, or by any officer on
board ir.y ship ; on the contrary, to my own certain know-
ledge, I state that the hatchways were open, and that several
of my passengers were on deck at the time of the accident.

On the subject of the above remarks of Captain Richard-
son, we beg to state that one of our reporters was in the of-
fice. of the consignees, INlessrs. James D.
s
Roche, Goree,
yesterday, and there saw many of the passengers by the
p
Brooklyn ; our reporter interrogated many of them on the
subject of the assert ter had been made res ectin the
" closing of the hatches, at the time the circumstanceg took
Captain Richard-
place : they one and all bore testimony to
, and the anxiety he ex-
son's attention and kindness to them
They distinctly stated that no in-
preased for their safety. •
structions were given to close the hatches by any one, on the
contrary some of the passengers were, requested to come
upon deck and assist at. the pumps: How the report origi-
nated that Captain Richardson gave orders to close the
hatches, it is difficult to discover. We have, however, plea-

sure in setting the public and the friends of the passengers
right upon the subject, in denying the report which has given
Captain Richardson and the consignee of the vessel great
annoyance. Sixty-five of the passengers from the Brooklyn
were despatched to New York yesterday, by the Rickard
Anderson, and the remaining passengers will be sent by Mr.
Roche's first vessel. The consignee has shown a good deal
of liberality on the occasion, having provided for the pas-
sengers, so that they should experience as little delay, in-
convenience, and loss as possible.

THE

BUDGET

TO THE EDITOR OP THE MORNING POST.
SlR,—Having lately addressed you on the subject of the
corn-laws, in consequence of the appearance last evening of
the financial Budget for the year, and the means by which it

is therein proposed to provide for the deficiency in the re-

venue for the present year, I am again induced Co do so.
That deficiency is proposed to be made good by what is
termed regulating existing taxes, and not by the erection of

new ones: The-objects of regulation are'stated to be the
duties now payable on timber and sugar, with the abandon-
ment of the principles as well as the application of the gra-
duated scale of duties on foreign corn, and the substitution
of a fixed rate of duty, to be payable at all times, without re-
gard to the abundance or deficiency of our own crops.
As regards timber, the contemplated changes promise to
act most injuriously on the interests of our North American

colonies, and those of our shipping. The apparent object of
these changes is increased revenue without regard to the in-
jury they may be expected to inflict on those interests; the
objects of the present system were to promote the interests
of those colonies, first, because they afforded a wide field for
emigration and employment to our growing surplus of popu-
.

lion ; next, becaUse-these colonies were paid for the pro-
ace with which they supplied us, in British manufactures
id the productions of our other colonies ; and, lastly, that
British shipping were alone employed in the trade, it af-
wded a most valuable nursery for British seamen, to which
le mother country could at all times look with confidence

man our fleets whenever she required their assistance and

'otection

Such was the policy that produced the system which has

theft() be acted upon

In its place it is now proposed to

minish the inducements which have hitherto existed to cul-

vate and protect that connection, and, in the hope of in-

reasing the revenue, to encourage the importation of Baltic
hnher, of which the greater part has been hitherto imported

in foreign shipping, to the discouragement of our own the
cost of the cargoes with the freight being chiefly paid in
money and not in goods, the ships, with the exception of salt
from Liverpool, an article of no small comparative value, re-
turning to their own ports in ballast.
These are the simple facts of the case. and it is for those
who will take the trouble to consider and reflect on their re-

fative tendency to judge of their bearings on British interests

If the effect oftheir trieasures is to increase irritation and dis•
appointment in those colonies with a view to their separation

filim the mother country, the object is likely to be effected,
though the price to be paid for it may be considered both ex-
travagant and injurious.
The next declared object is to reduce from 635. to 365. per

cwt. the duty on foreign sugar when imported into the United
Kingdom, the duty on the growth of our colonies and foreign

,ossessions being 245. -
Hitherto_the growth of these colonies and possessions has

been at all times fully adequate to the supply of the home
market, and for many years it was considered wisdom in the
legislature to protect by a small bounty included in the draw-
back the employment of our refiners in preparing annually

;out thirtythOusand tons of Muscavado sugar, which was

exported in a refined state ; but it was reserved for the policy
of our present government to withdraw that encouragement
and extinguish the trade. _ _ .

The supply of sugar from the West Indies, Bengal, and
Ile Mauritius, is estimated for the present year at 230,000
)ns ; the home consumption (and there is now no other

vent) cannot be taken at more than 130,000 tons, leaving a

surplus of 40,000 tons ; yet it is now proposed to increase it
by the admission of foreign sugar, alike the produce of free
and slave labour, whilst the produce of our colonies is the
fruits of free labour alone; in fact, to possess it, a price

arge in amount was paid by the public, though barely re-
iunerating to those who received it. The result to them has
the infliction, by ministers, of severe restrictions on
ration to our colonies, and an immense increase in the
of labour, caused by an inadequate population to carry

r-
on the cultivation and manufacture of sugar, by which the

cost has, to the manifest injury of the plan-ter, been greatly
and unavoidably enhanced, who is thus deprived of the

- -.
power of helping or protecting himself, and he is now threat-
ened with an overwhelming and ruinous competition in his
only market of consumption, that of the United Kingdom.
If this measure is persevered in by Ministers the British
planters have no choice left them but to maintain the conflict

against foreign growth whilst their means or resources will
enable them to do so, under the protection, such as it is pro-

•
osed to be, that the reduced duty on foreign sugar may afford;
• • •

~..
a protection most unequal to the heavy expenses to which
they are now subject, and the disabilities under which they
must suffer ; a competition that is likely to terminate in their
. .

ultimate ruin, but Which they will no doubt maintain to the

As, then, the British planter has no second market to re-
sort to, like the foreigner, to whom the Continent of Europe
if open—because, from the low price or cost of slave labour,
he can afford to sell his sugars there at prices with which it
is impossible for the British planter to contend, he (the
planter) must at all hazards retain possession of the home
market, and at whatever prices the foreigner may offer to sell
his sugars here, the British planter, whilst he exists, must
necessarily undersell him, since he will have no other choice
to make. Let not, then, the importer of foreign sugars, who
expects to find a market here, the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, who expects to obtain a revenue from the increased
duty, small as it is, that he will require them to pay, or the'
manufacturer, who is hugging himself in the expectation of
finding an increased sale for his goods to be taken in pay-
ment for the sugars he expects to be sold and consumed here;
I say, let not any of the three united enemies of the British
planter lay the flattering unction to their souls, since they
must, at least for a time, be subjected to disappointment,
though they may be gratified by seeing our planters strug-

gling against ruin under which they would eventually perish,
unless the public should awake to the policy of such a disas-
trous course, and, while it may yet be time, stretch out their
hands to save them, by returning to the safer policy of past
times, when the theories of Free Traders, as they denominate
themselves, were without influence to delude and mislead the
public mind.
But let us for a moment, and for the sake of argument,
suppose that the objects of those lovers of change were
gained; and it is begun with the more formidable, the ma-
nufacturers, let us inquire what their gain would be ? At
present our colonies and foreign possessions purchase from
them all the goods they consume, and that consumption is
only limited by their means of payment. Let them, as they
propose, be supposed to succeed in extinguishing those means
by the substitution of foreign sugar, the result must neces-
sarily be the loss of the colonial markets for the sale of their
manufactures • and the substitute for it, the expectation of
an increased demand for trade from the foreign grower, who
could not be bound to receive such payment, but must be
left at liberty to invest the mony received for his sugar here,
or in the purchase of goods elsewhere, should he find it his
interest to do so. What. then, is the manufacturer to gain
from the change fie would effect by the most unnatural sub-
stitution of the foreign for the British planter—the labour of
the slave for that of the freeman ? The disappointment of
the merchants who might be the importers here of these
sugars would be in all respects similar, and the Chancellor of
the Exchequer would find that, for a time at least, he must
be satisfied with the revenue that the present duty on British
sugar might produce. It is true the great and (to the plan-
ter) ruinous reduction in price would probably lead to a
given, but moderate, increase in consumption; but I think
even his fellow ministers would hardly wish him joy of such
fruits to be gained by the ultimate sacrifice of our West In-
dia colonies, which were once considered to be a source of
wealth and of great national importance to the mother coun-
try, and maintained during war at an enormous expense !
The next subject I have to consider is the substitution of
a fixed duty on foreign corn for the present graduated scale.
I believe the comparative merits of these systems are, that
the effect of the graduated scale is to protect the grower in
seasons of abundance, when our crops have always proved to
be adequate to the home consumption, and that supply was
secured from the interference of foreign growths by a scale
of duties that increased as the prices declined, thus giving
confidence and security to the farmers of the United King-
dom and ensuring their industrious exertions to provide that
supply, the only one on which it has been found the public
could place a safe dependence; on the other hand, in adverse
seasons, when deficiency has been experienced, that result
was ascertained by the falling off of the supply, for which
higher and increasing prices were to be paid ; then the scale
of duties, no longer required for protection, fell in proportion
as the prices advanced, until they wholly ceased, and admit-
ted the free importation of foreign corn at a low nominal duty
for the supply of the consumers, when that supply was thus
tested to have become necessary ; in this manner the gradu-
ated scale has been found to work well for the general bene-
fit, by affording the principle of protection alike to the groTer
and to the consumer ; but this it is now proposed to abandon,
and substitute in its place a fixed rate of duties, to be equally
applied at all times, without regard to the seasons being fa-
vourable or adverse, the crops abundant or deficient ; the
effect of which, it appears to me, will be, in seasons of scar-
city, when prices are unavoidably low, to load the consumer
with an additional burden when least able to bear it, in the
shape of a fixed duty, and in seasons of abundance, when ex-
perience has shown that our home growths have proved fully
equal to meet the consumption, to expose our farmers to com-
petition with foreign supply for the introduction of which no
necessity can exist—a competition which no protection from
a moderate fixed duty, subject as he is to bear heavy public
burthens and consequent greatly increased expense, insepara-
ble from cultivation here, from which the foreign grower is
exempt, could protect him under, or enable him to bear up
against, and although he would struggle fora time, he must,
if persevered in, eventually sink under it.
These appear to me to be the respective merits of the ex-
isting and proposed systems •, the beneficial consequences
that I believe have been reaped from the first, and the dis-
astrous results to be, in my opinion, apprehended from the
last, 1 did endeavour to point out and to condense, partially,
in the letter I lately addressed to you, but before more
largely (though then but briefly) in a statement I ventured to
make cud submit to the to the public in January, 1839, of
which I now beg to trouble you with a copy ; since then no
eveftts have occured to induce me t. alter my opinions, or
change the conclusions I then came to, and to which I beg
to recall the attention of those of your readers who may have
done me the honour to read that brief attempt to explain and
support our existing system of corn laws.
If, as I think I have shown, that in seasons of plenty our
home growth are sufficient to meet the whole consumption,
it follows that at such periods to admit foreign supply would
be to increase the stock to a degree of which the unavoid-
able effect would be, to reduce the scale of prices to .rates
much below those required to remunerate the farmers of the
United Kingdom, against which they could only struggle for
a time, and ultimately fall under a hopeless competition, with
the foreign grower ; in such case the inevitable consequence
promises to be that home production trust rapidly diminish,
to be followed by the ruin of the British farmer, and the
British public would be placed in a state of the most preca-
rious tenure, dependent for his supply of bread on the
growers of foreign corn !
Let us consider the probable results of such a state of
things. Our farmers thus pressed down to poverty, would
no longer be the important consumers they now are of British
manufactures, thus far the market for them would be di-
minished or lost ; but the manufacturer exults in the expec-
tation of foreign demand to be increased or created by our
consumption of foreign corn. Let us fora moment suppose
this to be the fact, would it not be only the substitution of
one vent or channel of consumption for another, in the most
favourable point of view, of the same extent, the home cer-
tain, the foreign contingent and uncertain, but still only equal
in extent or amount, as they must be governed by the means
for purchase to be produoed by the same sourcesoftconsump-
tion. If this is correct, I ask, where, then, will
manu-
factures find the advantages they fondly flatter themselves
they are to reap from the change of system they are anxi-
ousgy ht e
m n t
from
to effect—taking it for granted they a
sup-
posing that the foreign corn grower would takere payment
them for their bread in their manufactures, as the home
grower now does, in place of requiring to be paid in cash,
which has hitherto been his invariable practice?
I venture to say to the manufacturer, do not delude and
deceive yourselves by false hopes, or continue to persevere
in requiring changes in the policy of the country, that, in.
my opinion, would, if adopted, (as I trust they will not be)
in the end, spread ruin and dismay throughout the commu-
nity, from which they could not escape participating in—let
them seek for the true cause of the distress they are now
suffering under, and apply the remedy to remove it, which,
I believe, rests with themselves alone, before it may be too

late ; the cause I believe to 6e over production, supply
beyond demand ; whilst that demand, after making due
allowances for interruptions, occasioned but temporary, vet
inseparable from the nature of commerce, has, I believe, in
the aggregate, undergone no diminution of a permanent cha-
racter, but continues gradually to increase, whilst on the
other hand, the increase of production has grown with great
rapidity, stimulated by grievous success, and the application
of overgrown capital, applied to the creation of new spin-
ning-mills in endless numbers, and of corresponding manu-
factories, which cover extensive districts of the coun-
try, and have hitherto brought up and given employ-
ment to a most extensive mass of population, dependent on
these means for employment, which to afford them, has
caused their rates of wages to be reduced to the lowest terms ;
and that are now thieatened, from their increasing numbers,
with still further diminished means of employment. I con-
fess it is frightful to contemplate such a state of things, and
of society, but it can no longer be concealed; and yet the
only remedy seems to be, to diminish their sources of em-
ployment in order to produce future or permanent good ; the
love of gain, chastened by loss, will abate, and more limited,
but safer undertakings, will, iu time, I hope, restore prospe-
rity to all; but it is said, " that whilst the grass grows the
steed may starve"—to avoid this, increased niciais for immi-
gration will, I trust, be provided, and, fortunately, we pos-
sess a field for beneficial employment in our distant colonies
for the industrious and well disposed ; to emigrate may, to
many, be a painful alternative, but it seems now to be the
only one left to us for the excess of our population of all
classes.—l remain, sir, your constant reader,
Carlton Gardens, May 1. JOHN GLADSTONE.

BRANCH OPERATIVE PROTESTANT
ASSOCIATION
FOR ABERCROMBY AND RODNEY-STREET WARDS.

On Tuesday evening a crowded meeting was held in the
school-room belonging to St, Mark's Church, Upper Duke-
street, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Operative
Protestant Association for Abercromby and Rodney•street

The Rev. B. MARSHALL took the chair, and after prayer
had been offered by the Rev. W. W. Ewbank, he opened the
meeting by a few appropriate remarks. He said it had been
deemed advisable that associations should be attached to the
different wards in the borough, that we might have machi-
nery to work out our principles with more effect. St. Mark's
Association was the, oldest branch of the parent society in

Liverpool, and it had been found to work so well, that other

churches had followed the example, and from one step to
another, we had arrived at a systematic plan of dividing the
.._

whole town into wards, and in each Of those wards- dif-

fusing Protestant principles

The Church of Rome was

carrying on a syste-rn of aggression, not merely against the

liberties and principles, but against the persmis of all who
opposed her. But when her great guns were brought down
here, such as Dr. Butler, it shewed that some alarm was felt

in the enemy's camp, that the leaven of Protestantism was

actively working among the mass of the people, and that the
priests felt it necessary to use exertions of some kind, for
they generally avoided anything like controversy upon the
doctrines of their church.—The rev. gentleman, at consider-
able length, then contrasted the Church of England with the

Romishapnstacy, and told the meeting that it was not enough

for them to know the truth which was taught by one church,
but fhu must practise and diffuse it. At the close of his
address the rev. gentleman exhibited a sword, the property
of a gentleman, a member of his congregation, one of whose
ancestors fought under Schomberg, and was present at the
closing of the gates of Derry. With that before them, they.
might in this day call out "No surrender." (Cheers.)
The Rev. D. JAMES seconded the resolution. It recog-
nised in the first place, that popery had made great advances
in this country of late years; and in the next, that the as-
pect it assumed at the present moment was such as made it

imperative upon all piotestants to unite in defence of the

Britishcensiitution ; and further, that it wa—s—On-t7liiy-IO

use all legitimate means to restore that constitution to its
previous character and spirit. It would be out of his way to
enter into a detail of those facts which went to prove that
popery had made great advances_in this country of late years,

the fact itself was so obvious. It met us at every turn, and
wheresoever we went. It was his lot to have spent twenty-
six years of his life without having seen a Romish chapel, or
falling into company with a ,Roman Catholic clergyman or
layman ; but it would now be very difficult for a man, except
he had the misfortune of being locked up in Bridewell, not,
to see evident proofs of the progress of Popery every year
in his life.

A VOICE.—And in prison too. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. JAMES resumed. If he had the misfortune to be

thrown into prison, -too, with our friend Gregg, he should
have seen the same effects. (Cheers.) But Gregg was out
to tell his own tale (cheers), and he was out with this advan-
tage—that it was admitted upon the part of those who had
imprisoned him, that they had thrown him into prison ille-
gally. (Great heers.) The advances of Popery, he said,
were to be seen to a greater extent here than they could be seen
as yet in the Principality. It was his iot to have spent the

years to which he had referred in South Wales but in
North Wales, he beard, a movement was going on in the

present day which he thought called upon-the-inhabitants
to be upon their guard against the insinuating spirit which
was beginning to spread from one end of the country
to the other ; Popish chapels being erecting in anticipation
of a Papist population, and with the hope of making
converts of those poor simple people who had hitherto had
the gospel preached to them in its purity. However, they

would have something to do before they could make advancis

in that part of the United kingdom, Because they must first
obtain a knowledge of the language so as to be able to speak
it with great fluency. The inhabitants of the Principality
were better acquainted with the Bible than with any book in
existence ; they were well versed in the Scriptures, and
though they might not altogether live up to those principles,
it would be difficult to persuade them that the admission of
contrary principles would benefit them either in this world or
in the world to come. So far, he promised himself the con-
solation of seeing the struggle going on in that country with-
out great success on the part of popish priests. (Hear,
hear.) But in England it was different. It was in vain to
conceal the fact that Popish priests were making converts,
and that they were wearing away the strong Protestant prin-
ciples from the minds of gentlemen who still remained
members of the Church of England, but who willingly ad-
vanced them money to erect Popish chapels and schools.
Seeing, then, these advances, we might learn one lesson
from the conduct of the Romanists. They never gave
up a point—they never sacrificed a principle—they never
gave in, whatever suffering they
_might endure, because

they felt it their duty to stand up- for their religion. We,
Protestants, must do the same. (Loud cheers.) Hi-
therto we had conceded one point after another, but we
must in future act upon the resolution adopted by Papists
themselves—to concede no point—to give up no principle—
and to stand up in defence of our church, her creed, and her
articles, to the last. (Great cheers.)

The resolution was then carried
The Rev. W. W. EWBANK moved the next resolution
One part of the duty of ministers of the gospel was to preach
the gospel as the gospel of peace, but it was only part of it.
The other was thus expressed by a poet who was a country-
man of his friend Mr. James :
" Woe to that shepherd who will not keep
From Romish wolves his sheep,
With staff and weapon strong."
(Cheers.) This was an excellent commentary upon the
scriptural duty of Christian clergymen under this aspect ;
therefore we were not afraid of being considered political.
(Hear.) It was a fact which could be proved by history,
that England was not originally Popish—that the gospel
preached here was not mixed with Popish superstitions, but
consisted of the pure doctrines of the Word of God. This
was capable of real, substantial, and historical proof; and it
was essential it should be established, because Roman Ca-
tholics were always anxious to make us believe that Rome
was really our mother, and therefore it was our duty to be
obedient sons to that mother, and that we had revolted from
the allegiance which we properly owed to the Pope of Rome.
This was not the fact, and it could be proved by reference to
past history. (Hear, hear.) It was a positive fact that
there were three—Protestant he might call them, because
they protested in their day against error and superstition as
truly as we did in ours—bishops from this country, at a
Christian council in the year 311 after Christ. (Hear.) When
was Popery introduced into this country, even in its most
mild and modified form ? He was not speaking of Popery in
the reign of Henry the Second, or of that grosser form of it
acknowledged by the council of Trent, or that Popery which
murdered our bishops in the reign of Mary, but of Popery
before it became so bad as it was now. He was speaking of
Popery. It was introduced by the monk Augustine in the
seventh century.
A VOICE.—It was in the eighth century.
Mr. EWEANK, in continuation, said that was so much the
better. Another historical fact connected with this subject
was this :—The Saxons were victorious over the Britons,
and drove them into the mountains and fastnesses of the
country. The true church of Christ, however it was first
introduced into this country, of which there was no exact
and particular proof, existed before that among the Britons, and
when Augustine came over to establish Popery, he attempted
to convert the Saxons, and be succeeded. The consequence
was that the bishops and clergy of the Britons, properly
speaking, protested against the Popish heresy of that day, as
we now did at this very hour. Indeed, they actually refused
to eat and drink, or to have any conversation with, those who
held the doctrines of Augustine, because he had mixed up
the true religion with idolatry and superstition. These were
encouraging facts to look upon, because they taught us that
we owed nothing to Rome, and that we never had anything
to do with her, except when she had polluted and defaced
the fair form of Christisnity—(cheers)—and when she
took away from us the Bible, which was our birth-
right, and gave us instead nothing but her own fatal
superstitions. (Long continued cheers. The resolution
entrusted to him was, " That this meeting cannot but
regard it as sinful in a Protestant government to grant
any sum of public money towards the support of a sys-
tem which is avowedly the enemy of Protestantism, and in-
directly the foe of civil and religious liberty." (hear, hear.)
In supporting this resolution, the Rev. gentleman ably con-
trasted the tolerant spirit of the Church of England, as ex-
hibited in her articles and creeds with the persecuting princi-
ples of the Church of Rome, as laid down in her authorized
stindards, and concluded almoLt effective speech amidst gene-
ral applause.
Mr. RATCLIFFE, in seconding the resolution, said he would
mention a circumstance, in which he and the Rev. Dr. But-
ler, the Roman Catholic priest now engaged in delivering lec-
tures in St. Anthony's chapel, were concerned. He (Mr.
Radcliffe) was tempted one evening to go and hear the Rev.
doctor. He did not, however, pay anything to go in, as he
had a conscientious objection to it. He told the man at the
door that he had no objection to hear the lecture, but that he
could not conscientiously give one farthing towards the sup-
port of Popery. " How then is the chapel to be supported"
asked the man. " I have nothing to do with that," he (Mr.
Ratcliffe) replied, and eventually he was allowed to go in free,
Previously to his Mr. Baylee had sent a challenge to Dr. But-
ler, who had not condescended to answer it; and he (Mr.
Ratcliffe) therefore took the liberty of writing a note to Dr.
Butler anonymously, not that he was ashamed of his name,
but because be knew they would not like him at St. Anthony's
as well as they liked holy water. That note gave great of-
fence to Dr. Butler, for in consequence of it he attacked
him (Mr. R.) from the pulpit. A person was sent to watch
him ; he went to the front of the gallery, and when
the rev. doctor got in his pulpit after a few preliminary re-
marks he said, " I have just received a very impertinent
letter from a gentleman who has insulted mein my own place of
worship. Is it come to this," he said, to the congregation,
" that you will allow Protestant heretics to insult a Catholic
clergyman in his own church ? That is the gentleman,"
said he, " sitting in the front of the gallery [pointing at
him] who has insulted me ; he is M'Neile's clerk." Dr.
Butler said he (Mr. R.) had insulted him by calling him a
Romanist. He had no intention of insulting the rev. gen-
tleman, but he called him a Romanist for this reason ; he
could not conscientiously call him a Catholic, and would not
call him Papist, because he knew that term was offensive
therefore he used the term " Romanist." This gave the
doctor mighty offence, for he said he would have him sent to
the tread-mill to learn better manners, and he also told the
people lo treat him with contempt. When the lecture was
over, the people were waiting outside for him, in an infuri-
ated state, and no doubt he would have got broken bones
from them, but two priests of a better stamp than Dr.
But-
ler, to their honour be it spoken, seeing the danger he' was
in, in, told the people to go away. At last he wasconducted
through the vestry into the chapel- past the priest's
house, and in that manner he escaped. He would now read
the note, that the meeting might judge whether he had in-
sulted Dr. Butler :

" TO THE REV. DR. BUTLER.
" Rev. Sir,—Will you be kind enough to inform your
audience this evening why you have not accepted the chal-
lenge of the Rev. Mr. Baylee ? Be assured that, unless you
can give some satisfactory reason, your audience, both Pro-

testaats and Romanists, will cohie to the conclusion, not-
withstanding all your boasting, that Romaaisca cannot stand
before the light of Divine truth.)
" I am, Rev. Sir,"yours respectfully,

•
After a few comments on this note, Mr. Ratcliffe concluded
by seconding the resolution, which was immediately adopted.
The meeting then sang the doxology, and separated about
ten o'clock.

DREADFUL SHIPWRECK

LOSS OF THE SHIP WILLIAM BROWN, FROM LIFERPOOI

TO PHILADELPHIA

(From the Havre Carrespondent of the Lon
Post)
HAVRE, MAY 10.—The Louis Philippe New York packet-
ship has this moment arrived. Information having reached
the town that some shipwrecked seamen were ou board, the
report became general that they belonged to the President,
and the excitement was beyond all description. On the ar-
rival in dock, however, a strong body of the gendarmerie
were in waiting, and immediately took into custody the mate
and eight of the crew of the ship William Brown, bound
from Liverpool to Philadelphia, which was sunk by an iceberg,
in the latter part of last month, for as yet I cannot give you
precise dates for anything except that three men were taken
from the Crescent, which vessel had picked them up in their
long-boat. But a tale of horror is to be told about them. It
appears, when the vessel struck, thirty-three passengers, the
mate, and eight of the crew took to the long-boat ; the cap-
tain, three of the crew, and eleven passengers took the jolly-
boat ; all the rest sunk with the vessel. The boats parted in
the night. Some days after the mate and crew determined
(as they say in order to lighten the boat) to throw seventeen
of the passengers overboard, which they accomplished, and
some of the most horrid and revolting scenes took place.
There were two brothers and a sister of one family ; the
brothers were thrown over, and the sister jumped in after
them. One fine boy prayed for a few minutes to say his
prayers; they refused, and hurled him into the sea at once.
Some clung to the sides of the boats, praying for mercy, but
their hands were cut off, and they were pushed into the deep.
Fifteen ladies and two men remained in the boat. One hour
after this massacre the Crescent fell in with the boat, and
saved the survivors of this horrid deed. The passengers re-
mained on board the Crescent, the crew arrived in the Ville
de Lyon ; they are now under examination before the

Morning

rican Consul; the result I will not fail to coin

unicate

you ; but yoU may rely on what I have already stated

jolly-boat has not been heard of. The dates of the Ville de
Lyon have been anticipated by the Acadia.

LIVERPOOL QUARTER SESSIONS.-TUESDAY

THEFT FROM A LAWYER'S OFFICE.
Agnes Weir, aged 30, was charged with having
_ .

stolen a

large quantity Of law-books, account-books, papers, and do-
cuments, from the counting-house of Messrs. Keightlev and
Banning, attorneys, of this town. She pleaded guilty.
William John Clements was placed at the bar with the
same prisoner, charged with having received part of the above
property, knowing the same to have been stolen.
Mr. Henderson conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Mur-
phy appeared for the defence of Clements.
The female prisoner was employed to clean out the office
of Messrs. Keightley and Banning. One of the book-keepers,
Mr. John Dixon Ford, having occasion to refer to an old
letter book, went to the closet where they were kept, and
found it empty. He went to another closet in which account-
books were kept, and found that empty also. A further

search was made, and it Was discovered that a vast quantity
of papers of various descriptions had been taken away. In
consequence of some information which Mr. Ford had re-
ceived, he went to the shop of Mr. Clements, in Great
Crosshall-street. Mr. Clements was just giving up his busi-
ness in that street, and his shop was dismantled. On the
premises, Mr. Ford found a large portion of the books, &c.,
which had been missed from Messrs. Keightley and Ban-

ning's office. Amongst them were several old folio volum.
of Salkeld's, Hardwick's, and Wilson's reports.
these had names in them. The firm was formerly Roc
and Keightley, and some of these contained the name of
Rodgers. None of the names were erased. Constable
M'Combe was sent for, and he and Ford went to several
other shops, and there found other books, papers, &c. Mr.
Clements having a considerable quantity of this paper on his
hands, was endeavouring to sell it before he gave up his shop.
As it was suspected that the woman who cleaned the office
had stolen the papers. Mr. Clements was asked from where
he purchased them. He said he had purchased them from
a woman, and offered to go and identify the woman if she
could be found. He was taken to the female prisoner, and
he identified her.

Some of

Mr. MURPHY questioned Ford as to whether it were not
common for grocers to purchase old books, &c., for the pur-
pose of enfolding butter. Mr. Ford did not know that it was
common. It appeared that the whole transaction was au
open one on the part of Clements.
The learned RECORDER stopped the case, and put it to
the jury whether, though Mr. Clements had evidently been
exceedingly indiscreet, he had acted with such a guilty mind
or knowledge as was necessary to constitute a felony.

The jury acquitted the prisoner.
Many highly respectable persons were in court ready to
speak to the character of Mr. Clements, had it been neces-
sary.

STEALING IN A DWELLING-HOUSE

John Redman, aged 25, was charged with having, on the
14th March last, feloniously entered the dwelling-house of
Mr. John Harvey, shopkeeper, and stolen from thence cer-
tain moneys the property of John Harvey and Mary Arm
Hopkins.
Mr. Harding.conducted the prosecution, and Mr
the defence

Murphy

Mary Ann Hopkins, who lived as servant with Mr. Harvey,
stated, that on Sunday evening, the 14th March, she went
to church. Her master and his sister were also out. She
returned about nine o'clock, and, on opening the door, found
that some person was in the place. She heard a noise, and
knowing that no person belonging to the house was there,
she became alarmed and dropped her bag, in which was 7s.
6d., on the counter. She rau out and shut to the door. She
went to the house of a neighbour, and gave the alarm. A
Mr. Turner and his sister went with her, and they saw a
light in the shop. Mr. Turner opened the front door with
the key, and he heard a noise of two men in the house. He
locked the door fast, and went round to the back, with his
sister, where they saw the prisoner and another man drop
from the wall of Mr. Harvey's back yard. These men ran
off and were pursued by Mr. Turner and his sister, who
caught the prisoner. He was rescued by a body of men,
and Mr. Turner was knocked down. They returned to Mr.
Harvey's house, and found that it had been completely ran-
sacked. The goods had been turned over, and the beds
tossed off the stocks. The prisoner was subsequently taken
into custody by police-officer 55. He was taken to Mr.
Harvey's shop, where Mr. and Miss Turner identified him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty. Sentence deferred.