The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-01-12 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS

Owing to the length of our local reports we are compelled to
omit several original articles, prepared for publication in
our present number. We have to plead the same excuse
for the brevity of our editorial remarks.

Ribrrpool 'taiibarb.

TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY

12, 1841

By the packet-ship Shdield, Captain Allen, which
sailed from New York on the 17th ult., and which
'arrived here yesterday, we have received New York
papers to the former date, which contain that long
expected document, the President's message. The Con-
gress was organised on the Bth ult., and on the 9th the
President transmitted his message to both houses.
This document is of considerable length, but a great
portion of its contents is of comparatively little interest
to the English reader. It opens with some congratu-
latory observations on the prosperous issue of the late
harvest in the United States, in reference to which it
is remarked that " seldom has the labour of the hus-
bandman been more amply rewarded " than in the
course of the last year. The most material items of
international interest, referred to in the course of the
message, are, the present position of the north-eastern
boundary question—the proposition made to the Bri-
tish government relative to the line separating the
northern frontier from British America, between the
north-western corner of Lake Superior and the Lake
of the Woods—the survey of the Texas boundary line
—the claims upon Mexico and Columbia—the com-
mercial treaties entered into and ratified in the year
1840—and the foreign relations of the United States
in general. On these topics we have furnished else-
where the most important extracts.
There is very little news of general interest in the
papers•before us. It is stated on the authority of letters
from Washington, that General Harrison intended to
offer Mr. Webster either the department of Secretary
of State, or the Mission to England. A general scramble
for office on the part of Harrison's friends was antici-
pated.

The New York Herald, of the 16th ultimo, announces
that the labours of the Boundary Commission had
closed for the season, on account of the snow, except
those of Major Graham, who was to run the meridian
from the source of the St. Croix. The following is given
of the result of the exploration :
Mr. Renwick returned to this city late on Monday even-
ing, and through him we learn that the United States have
a claim over more territory than has yet been thought of.
Mr. Renwick's party have traced a range of mountains from
the north shore of the Bay of Chaleurs, around the heads of
the sources of the St. John's, as far as Temiscouata portage,
the lowest gaps in which exceed the average height of the
pretended highlands of Messrs. Featherstonhaugh and
Mudge. The space explored'extends from tide-water on the
Bay of Chaleurs to St. Andre, on the St. Lawrence, except
at the termination of the exploring meridian line, and at the
sources of the Green and Tuladi rivers, the dividing ridge
lies considerably north of the line, traced by the American
agents on the map presented to the King of the Netherlands.
Te operations of the party under the direction of Captain
Talcott, have given an accurate survey of the height of land,
from the sources of the Connecticut river to the Kennebec
roads.

It was suspected that the exploring meridian line, run by
the former commission with a compass, in a region where the
western variation was continually increasing, must, in spite
of the skill of the surveyors engaged in it, deviate to the
westward. The transit meridian, as far as it has been traced
by Major Graham, renders this suspicion almost a certainty ;
for, although the exploring line is crooked, from the anxiety
of those who traced it to return to the true meridian, and he
has therefore crossed more than once near its origin, it is
reported that he has now left it more than a mile to the east
of him, and that it will therefore include some important
positions over which New Brunswick has exercised juris-
diction.

Since the above was written we have received New
York papers to the 19th ultimo, by the New York,
Captain Bairstow, which arrived off this port yesterday.
From these we learn that a treacherous attempt had
been made by the Centralists of Mexico upon the
Texans in alliance with the Rio Grand Federalists. A
detachment of 300 Centralists had set foot upon the
Texan territory, crossing the Rio Grande, and march-
ing some distance into the interior.

The commercial news of the 1 gth ultimo is contained
in the following paragraphs :
(From the New York Commercial Advertiser.)
A full ordinary business was transacted at the stock board
this morning. In a few instances prices varied a little from
yesterday's sales. United States improved per cent. ;
Delaware and Hudson k; North American Trust ; Paterson
Rail Road 1.1 ; Stoningtou and Canton la-; Vicksburg
fell offi, and Harlem 'a.
STATE STOCKS.-5,000 dollars Indiana bonds sold at 74i.
EXCHANGE.—Foreign. —B ills on London, 81 a 9, and dull.
CorroN.—The sales for the week have been rather light,
amounting up to this afternoon to about 2,500 bales, of which
9
say 1,400 are Upland, ata 10i, and the remainder New
Orleans and Alabama at 94 a The stock now amounts
to between four and five thousand bales. There is very little
doing this morning.-
FLOUR.—The market since Saturday last has shown but
little variation ; the sales, as is usual at this season of the
year, being very light. Some purchases of common brands
canal have been made as low as 4 dollars 94 cents, but hold-
ers generally demand 5 dollars.

On Friday last Mr. Highton was unanimously elected
by our Town Council to fill the office of Governor of
the Borough Gaol. We do not, for a moment, wish
to impugn the appointment. Mr. Highton's qualifi-
cations we presume to be of an unquestionable charac-
ter. This we infer from the unanimous decision of the
Council in his favour. Our reason for adverting to
the fact of his election is, simply, to expose a system
which frequently converts the ceremony of such ap-
points into a mere farce. We have been informed by
one of the disappointed candidates for the situation
which Mr. Highton now fills, that, upon his waiting
upon one of the members of the Town Council, to so-
licit his vote and influence, he was told that it would
be of no use for our informant to make any applica-
tion, as it had long since been decided who was to have
the appointment, and that the appearance of the ad-
vertisement in the public papers was " a mere matter
of course." We protest against this system of mis-
leading the public. It is neither more nor less than a
piece of cruelty towards the candidates who come for-
ward in consequence of the appearance of such an
advertisement as that relating to the Governorship of
the Borough Gaol. Many of these candidates are fre-
quently induced to make great sacrifices of both time

and money, in orde

own interests,

to further their

It will be.seen from our report of the Council pro-
ceedings that the Rev. Mr. Carter has been appointed
Chaplain to the Borough Gaol. We do not question
the fitness of Mr. Carter for the office ; but we con-
fess that it would have given us great pleasure to have
had to record the election of the Rev. Mr. Picton, who
has been so long and so favourably known among, his

fellow-townsmen, both as a clergyman and an instruc-
tor of youth, in which latter capacity he was not less
deservedly_ celebrated than generally respected. We
are glad to find that eighteen of the Conservative
Members of the Council recorded their votes 'in his
favour.

The various offices in the Borough Gaol are now
filled in a manner that must give satisfaction to the
most outrageous latitudinarian. The only office that
is filled by a member of the Church of England is that
of Chaplain. No thanks, however, are due to our Cor-
porate authorities for this, appointment, as the law
renders it imperative that none but a Clergyman of
the Established Church should be chosen as Chaplain.
The following is a list of the various " religious deno-

minations" who are, at present, represented within the
walls of the Borough Gaol :
Chaplain .... A Clergyman of the Established Church.
Governor.... A member of the Methodist Association.

Surgeon

A Socinian

Schoolmaster

An independent

Schoolmistress.... A Roman Catholic.
We do not know how the subordinate offices are
filled ; but we have very little doubt that the same
"liberal' system prevails in every department. What
effect can such a medley of religious opinions be ex-
pected to produce upon the minds of the prisoners ?