The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-14 00:00:00

SELECT EXTRACTS.

Hon. George Elliot, brother of Lord Minto.
Hon. D. Bouverie, brother of the Earl of Radnor.
Among the commanders of the ships in commission, are
a few equally distinguished by Whig names, and favoured
by Whig connexions. We merely select a few, of the most
glaring experiments :
Britannia, 120 guns, Captain Dundas.
Britomart, 10 guns, Lieutenant Owen Stanley.
Champion, 18 guns, Commander G. King.
Charybdis, 3 guns, Hon. Robert Gore.
Cleopatra, 26 guns. Hon. George Grey.
Columbine, 16 guns, George Elliot.
Counts, 18 guns, Hon. P. P. Cary.
Conway, 28 guns, Captain Bethune.
Griffon, 3 guns, Lieutenant D'Urban.
Harlequin. 16 guns, Commander Lord F. Russell.
Hastings, 74 guns, Captain Loch.
Howe, 120 guns, Captain Paget.
Lynx, 3 guns, Lieutenant Broadhead..
Magicienne, 24 guns, Captain G. St. John Mildmay.
Pearl, 20 guns, Lord Clarence Paget.
Rodney, 92 guns, Captain Hyde Parker.
Rover, 18 guns, Commander Eden.
Royal Adelaide, 104 guns, Sir William Elliot.
Royalist, 10 guns, Hon. E. Plunkett.
Russell, 74 guns, Sir William Dillon.
San Joseph, 110 guns, Charles Seale.
Scylla, 16 guns, Hon. Joseph Denman.
Talbot, 28 guns, Captain Codrington.
Tweed, 20 guns, Hon. F. Pelham.
Wasp, 16 guns, Hon. 1). Pelham.
Wolf, 10 gulls, Edward Stanley.
Wolverine, 16 guns, Hon. E. Howard.
The promotion of most of these 'fortunate and libera
gentlemen has been singularly rapid, and their employment
almost constant and unceasing. The vessels they command
form no inconsiderable portion of the whole naval force in
commission; and if so, how few ships remain for the veterans.
who fought for their country before many of these " honou r-
ables" were born ! Truly,lord Minto has "reformed" the
naval service in a peculiar and effectual nihnner; he has
introduced a degree of patronage and favouritism never
attempted before; a system which, if it had been acted on
during the war, would have consigned the bulwarks of the
nation, to inexperienced hands, and probably have ruined not
only the service, but the cause it was required to defend. It
was not by such a system the unfriended Nelsons, Coiling-
woods,-and Rodneys gained the opportunities of fame. But
tempore mutantur ; we play at war on the coast of Spain, and
it requires no heroes to win bloodless victories. Nelson was
not more fitted' to conquer at Trafalgar, or Wellington at
Waterloo, than any defeated whig candidate is now at Barce-
lona, or General Evans at Fontarniti and Irun. An attack
on a Sardinia schooner, or a grand movement against a few
Carlist guerillas, is all that is expected now-a-days from our
navy and our legions; it is perfectly right, therefore, that
ministers should prove that• they consider that any one can
execute tasks so mighty and important.
We might proceed to examine in detail other departments,
but we refrain from doing so. We have mentioned enough
to call attention to the subject of whig-radical corruption,
and we trust that another session of Parliament will not be
allowed to pass without the extortion from the ministry of a
complete list of all the new places created since 1830, the per-
sons filling them, and the salaries apportioned to each. It
will be found by such returns, that under the pretence of ex-
tending the system of centralization, the amount of govern-
ment patronage has been augmented more than in any pre-
ceding eight years during the whole history of the country.
It will be seen that- every charge formerly levelled by. the
whigs for factious purposes, and with fratidulent professions
against their political opponents, applies now with redoubled
force to themselves, and strikes them severely with a back-
handed blow. For instance, it used to, be the whig practice
to select certain families fur inviduous notice, and hold them
up to public odium, by representing them as fastened on nu-
merous places, and gorging with ill-gotten gains. But we
ask if ever a family thus made the object of vituperation,
displayed a nepotism and grasping selfishness equal to the
whig families of Grey, Elliot, Adam or Ponsonby ? A list of
the Greys in places once went the round of the papers, and
even now, though Dr. Grey, Bishop of Hereford, is dead,
and Earl Grey and Mr. Edward' Ellice have retired from
office, makes a tolerable appearance. We may mention as
specimens of these patriots, Viscount Howick, Secretary at
War ; Hon. Colonel Grey, commanding 71st Regiment;
Hon. Grey, Rector of the rich royal living of Wooler ;
Hon. Frederick Grey, Under-Secretary of the War Depart-
ment; Sir George Grey, Under-Secretary in the Colonial
Department; Hon. Fiancis Grey, Rector, with a valuable
living; Hon. Barry Grey, Aide de-Camp in Ireland ; lion.
Sir Henry Grey, General; and Colonel of a regiment in the
army; Mr. Charles Wood, (son-in-law of Lord Grey.) .a:c-
cretary of the Admiralty; Mr. F. T. Baring, (married a
niece of Lord Grey,) Secretary to the Treasury; Earl of
Durham, (son-in-law of Lord Grey,) Governor of .Canada;
Lord Ponsonby, (brother-in-law of Grey,) Ambassador
to Constantinople; Mr. E. Ellice, jun., (nephew of Lord
Grey,) Secretary of Lord Durham, &c. We believe the
Elliots make a still better show; nor are the' Howaris, Rus-
sells, and Abercromhies quite forgotten. The judges they
have made, after all their flue promises of rewarding merit,
and merit only, are those on the bench who have had least
practice as counsel, and are least learned and efficient as in-
terpreters of the law; we refer to the Williarnses and Colt-
mans, whose political principles were their sole ostensible
recommendations. In the church they have dispensed their
patronage amongst the Bishops in a manner to which we
have already alluded, and, not content with this, have sought
out as recipients of other favours only anti-church-rate agita-
tors, such as Dr. Joynes, of Rochester, and Dr. Knox. of
Tunbridge, of pamphleteering and political dinner-speaking
notoriety. And then in the colonies they send a Lord Dur-
ham to Canada, with Messrs. Charles and Arthur Buller,
Thomas Turton, Thomas Duncombe, and Edward Gibbon
Wakefield; and to New South Wales, Sir Maurice O'Con•
nell, a fit and proper instrument for carrying out that infidel
system of education which is adopted to please the Eonian
Catholic emigrants, and against which the excellent Bishop
LB
or ordug
Eh tiopnh
uassi
oi in
evain
ep ryooteusttheiut
cornet doifa
Life l t Guards, se
as
governor of the important settlement of'Madras; and with
nt and discretion, by
:am t re
Ca d 'S.
it
seoxoq,ugiseist,e dhiasvceritudiisnia)ltalyoend, whiletheir appointingiudgme these notable per.
recalling Sii• John Colborne, who saved Lower!)
Brine
r in India,
Francis
art
leaaodd, whowh o
willsaved n t the Upp r
(scrupulous
man v ce, Sir p ere.
trifling offence against God of sanctioning. idolatry
and Sir Benjamin D'Urban from the Cape of owl
governors
abroad as exactly suit his Lordship's purposes and views,
and have not more vigour about them than he considers ne-
cessary, who will say our colonies are not secure, and are
not certain to flourish ?
With more materials in our possession, a much stronger
case than we have here made out, (although this statement is
perhaps amply sufficient) might easily be produced against
the whigs. But, in truth, it is not easy to discover all their
sinuous windings and all their extended and increasing cor-
ruption. It would be desirable to be able to ascertain the
exact number of Roman catholic chaplains and schoolmasters
now paid by the British government in India and the other
colonies. The number is not small, nor their influence
insignificant The publication, too, of such a return as we
have suggested, of all the newly•created places, would also
be beneficial; but in the absence of the necessary documents
from whence information on this subject can be gained, we
are left more to generalities and conjectures than we could
aestra:---Stet enough remainsvand-errottgirxre trope has been
stated in this paper to prove that the whig party have long
been striving to strengthen themselves by the unscrupulous
abuse of patronage, and even by the extension of ministerial
influence in every
.possible direction. It is natural to a weak
government that it should be tempted to the use of arts a
Strong one can neglect, and an honest one would despise.
And in proportion to the increasing weakness of its position,
and the experienced failure of former intrigues, must be the
increased temptation to fresh and extended corruption. The
Melbourne ministry, then, which hitherto has been tottering
in increasing imbecility; which never enjoyed public respect,
and, therefore, had no inducement to struggle to retain it;
which has found session after.session end in greater weakness,
trick after trick issue in new disappointment, must now in its
decline and approaching fall, in its distress rising to despair,
be peculiarly tempted to preserve its contemptible existence
by bartering places for votes, and honours for neutrality or

* Rose on the influence of the crown.
t Lord John Russell on English Government, p. 40.

AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN IN TIIE HOLY LAND.—Stopping
at Tiberias, told us that a European had arrived during the
night. I hunted him out, and found him to be an English-
man, as I afterwards' learned, a merchant of Damascus,
and a sportsman, equipped with shooting-jacket, gun, dog,
&c. He was in a miserable hovel, and having just risen,
was sitting apart from the Arab family; his rug and coverlet
were lying on the mud floor not yet roled up, and he seemed
in a most rueful mood, objurgating all travel for pleasure,
and whistling earnestly " There's no place like home." I
knew his humour; fur I had often felt it myself, and could
hardly keep from laughing. He was not more than half-
dressed, and reminded me of the caricature of an English-
man standing in his nether garment, with a piece of cloth in
one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, as not being
resolved after what fashion to have his coat. cut. We spent
half an hour together, and parted. He was an old stager,
and did not travel for scenery, associations, and all that; but
he could tell every place where he had bagged a bird, from
Damascus to the sea of Galilee.—Stephens's Incident of
Travel.

Wnxeonn, the county town, is situated on a large and ca
pacious bay, into which the Slaney discharges its waters.
The bay has a defined elliptical shape; its seaward sides being
botinded by long sandy ridges, formed by the action of •the
sea. These vast accumulations of sand extend for many miles;
and, approaching each other, leave only a narrow inlet to the
bay. It has a considerable export trade in cattle and agricul;
tural produce, and possesses 109 registered vessels, the tonage
of which is 6,750 tons. Owing, however, to a bar at the mouth
of the harbour, vessels above 200 tons burthen cannot enter
it (even at spring tides) without being lightened of a part of
their cargo. The town is of great antiquity, and as far as can
be inferred from the earliest historical notices concerning it,
was a maritime settlement of the Danes, and is mentioned
by its present name in records not long subsequent to the con-
quest of Ireland by Henry 11. The traces of the old walls
may be seen around the town.. With the exception of the
quay the principals streets are very narrow, and ill adapted
for business; but the town is comparatively clean and orderly,
and can tiniest of a great number of highly respectable inhabi-
tants. The public buildings are the County Court-house,
Gaol, Infirmary, Fever Hospital, House of Industry, and Lu-
natic Asylum, and various municipal offices connected with
the town. There are two Churches—St. Iberius and St.
Selsker ; several Roman Catholic Chapels; two small Meet-
ing-houses for Dissenters: and various large schools, inclu-
ding St. Peter's College foi the ethication of Catholic divinity
students. Notwithstanding the obstacles presented by the
bar, commerce is increasing. Two steamers ply regularly to
and from Liverpool; and the shipping interest has been
greatly promoted by the erection of Morton's patent slip and
a ship-building yard, by Mr. Redmond. The principal manu-
facture is malt, and some years ago from 70 to 80,000 barrels
were annually made. There is a large Distillery, and a great
deal is done in the general provision trade. The ecclesias-
tical ruins are those of the Priory, and St. Mary's church,
which though small, are of elegant workmanship. The wooden
bridge and embankments (together extending 2,100 feet,) and
crossing the arm of the bay, running up to the quay, is a
striking feature. Wexford has long been noted for ;he qua-
lity; quantity, and cheapness of its provisions; and certainly,
in the preparation of butter, poultry, &c. for market, the
farmers of this neighbourhood, greatly excel. The environs
of Wexford are hilly, very picturesque, and considerably im-
proved.—Frazer's Guide through Ireland.
ENNISCORI'HY, as Mr. Inglis observes, has an ancient
look about it. It is situated on the side of a steep hill, and
the old castle, grey towers, church, and wooded banks, the
parsonage and Rock-hill plantations, and the eastern heights,
form a striking assemblage of objects. The Slaney, which
flows through the town, is so far a tide river, and navigable
for small craft, from Wexford. The town is principally on
the western bank of the Slaney, and carries on a good trade
in the export of corn, &c. 'there is a large brewery and
i
distillery n the immediate neighbourhood. Near the town
is Vinegar Hill, where the insurgents were encamped in 1798,
when routed by General Lake. The various lines of road
leading to this place, which have -been lately made, the
lowering of the bridge in the town, and the contemplated
deepening of the river, so as to render it navigable for larger
craft from Wexford, must add much to the improvement of
Enniscorthy. We would advise the traveller to ascend
Vinegar Hill, from whence he will readily obtain a correct
knowledge of the surrounding country; and the course of
the river Slaney for a considerable distance above and below
the town. Westward, that portion of the county Wexford
which is bounded on the north by the Mount Leinster, and
Blackstairs mountains, and on the south, by the Forth hills,
diversified intermediately by the hills of Bree, Rahenahoun,
Camrosc, Carrickburn, and Lacken.—Fraser's Guide through

Ireland.
NEWTOWNBARRY is situated in a deep, wooded valley
through which flows the Slaney; and although there is much
to regret, as regards many of the houses, on the score of in-
attention to neatness and comfort, there is much to admire
in its general appearance. A number of respectable people
have located in and around it, and there is a comfortable inn
and excellent post-horses. The. cottage and beautifully
planted grounds of Lord Farnham's demesne, adjoining the
village;—the extensive plantations and neighbouring villas;
the meandeting of the Slaney;—the detached conical hills;
the Wieklow mountains on the east; and the westward the
lofty ranges of Mount Leinster and Blackstairs, render the
scenery around this little place highly interesting. A little
to the right of the town, on the Ross-road, are tire slate-
quarries; the slates, however, are of an inferior kind.—
Fraser's Guide through Ireland.
ANIMALS IN AFRICA.—An the large wild animals are to
be found in the Namaqua country; but elephants are now
several days' journey east of the Fish river. Lions are
everywhere found, most of which are of the usual light brown
colour, whilst others are entirely black. with long hair; a
third sort is white; a fourth has stripenegs; like those of a.
tiger; and a fifth has a white neck. I saw the common lion,
and part of a white one; the others I heard of from the
natives, and I feel confident that they exist. The two-horned
rhinoceroses, both black and white, are now found in the
upper parts of the Fish river; zebras are everywhere in the
land; beautiful spotted panthers;' plenty of giraffes ortame-
leopards, buffaloes, koodos, geinboks, elands, hartibeests,
klipspringers, springboks, and others of the deer tribe; hye-
nas, wild boars, jackals, polecats, Tate, and mice. are in great
abundance. The larger birds are ostriches, eagles, vultures,
bustards, cranes, pheasants, and guinea fowl. There is a
great variety of small birds, particularly along the constant
waters of the Fish river. Snakes and serpents are in plenty,
but fortunately there are very few mosquitoes. The people
are not much tormented with the plague of insects, except
with those which multiply from habits of neglect, and with a
troublesome and small red-bodied tormentor with eight legs,
called a bush-louse.—Alexander's Expedition of Discovery.
THE FIELD OF AGINCOURT.—Those who travel to Paris
by way of St Omer and Abbeville pass over the field of the
battle, which skirts the high road to the left, about sixteen
miles beyond St. Omer; two on the Paris side of.a consider-
able village, or bourg, named Fruges; about eight north of
the fortified town df liesdia ; and thirty from Abbeville. All
accounts of the battle mention the hamlet of Russeauville,
through which very place the high road to Paris now passes.
Aziucour is a commune or parish, consisting of a most un.
interesting Collection of farmers' residences and cottages,
once, however, distinguished by a castle, of which nothing
now remains but the foundation. The scene of the contest
lies between this commune and the adjoining one of 'frame-
cour, in a wood belonging to which latter the king concealed
those archers whose prowess and vigour contributed so
emi-
nently to the glorious result. Part of the wood still remains,
though, if I remember tightly, at the time of our visit the
corner into which the bowmen were thrown had been mate-
rially thinned; if, indeed, the original timber had not been
entirely cut down, and its place been scantily supplied by
brush or underwood. Some of the trees, however, in the
wood of Tramecour were very old in 1816. The road above
mentioned is the great post-road; the old road, now degene-
rated into a mere cart tract from Abbeville to the once cele-
brated city of Therouenne, passes over the scene of action,
and must have been that by which the French army reached
the ground hefore the English, who bad been compelled to
make a great circuit.---Ingtis's Memoirs of Henry V.
A FEMALE Vocaus.r AND DUELIST.—Among the singers
of that period, who are mentioned by French writers, there
are none whose names are worthy of being preserved on ac-
count of their talents. One of them, however, La Maupin,
the successor of La Itochois, may be noticed on account of
her wild and lawless character, and the strangeness of her
adventures. She was born in 1673, and married at a very
early age, but soon ran away with a fencing master, from
whom she learned the use of the small sword. After remain-
ing fur some times at Marseilles, where she narrowly escaped
the punishment of being burnt alive for setting fire to a con-
vent, she went to Paris, appeared on the Opera stage at the
age of 22, and was for a considerable time the reigning fa-
vourite of the day. Having on some occasion been affronted
by Dumeni. a singer, she put on male attire, watched for
him in the Place de Victoires, insisted on his drawing his
sword and fighting her, and on his refusing, caned him, and
took his watch and_ snuff-box. Next day.-Dumeui havinit
boasted in the Operu-house that he had defended himself
against three men who had attempted to rob hint, she told the
whole story, and produced his watch and snuff-box in proof
of her having chastised him as a coward. Thevenard, another
singer of note, was nearly treated in the same manner, and
had no other way of escaping but by publicly begging her
pardon, after hiding himself in the Palais Royal for three
weeks. At a ball given by Monsieur, the brother of Louis
XIV., she appeared in men's clothes, and having behaved
impertinently to a lady, was called out by three of her
energc a( ru some
friends. Instead of avoiding the combat, by discovering her
sex, she drew her sword and killed all the three, and then
tsEui elreuecri
swrh
of
fowßieiabn‘t.t.aatireni
ael3. dr
uhTseshrei
Issp,
Pal
noe ncr
eei
shhAaevf tbi
returned very coolly to the ball-room, told the story to Mon-
other adven-
rssfeolf
thethe
eittmedisthree
Countess of Arcos, sent her by that lady's husband a purse
of 40,000 livres, with an order to quit Brussels. But this
singular heroine threw the purse at the Count's head, telling
him that it was a recompense worthy of such a contemptible
scoundrel as himself. She afterwards returned to the Pa-
risian stage, which she left in 1705. The conclusion of
such
a life is not the least extraordinary part of it. She became
at last very devout; and having recalled her husband, from
whom she had been long separated, lived with him in a
pious manner till her death, in 1707, at the age of 34. Such
is the history of this woman • given by Laborde and other
writers; and, strange as it is, there seems no reason for
doubting its truth.—Memoirs of the Musical Drama, by Ho-
garth.

PHOSPHORESCENCE OF THE OCEAN.—About the middle
of the month of April, in lat. S. 45. north, and long. 21, 02.
west, during the day, large quantities of a beautiful pink
medusa (a species of jelly fish) were taken in the towing net,
and at night the ocean was brilliantly illuminated, which
luminosity continued until about eight p.m. after which time
it had almost totally disappeared. During the time the
phosphoresence was visible, the medusa before mentioned
was captured in large numbers; but on the disappearance of
of the luminosity, no more were caught, evidently showing,
that the phosphorescence of the sea was occasioned by their
presence. When the ocean appeared brilliantLy luminous,
besides the animals producing the phosphoresence, several
crustaceous animals and a number of small fish were usually
taken in large quantities. The presence of these may pro-
ceed from their being attracted by the phosphoric light.
Sometimes, during heavy rains within the tropics, the sea
would become sufficiently luminous, as rapidly passing off
again, and the effect of the sudden transition was exceeding-
ly splendid to the beholders. During its continuance, lumi-
nous species of Snipes Beroi Pyrosoma, and other molluses,
were captured in the towing. On placing some of theie lu-
minous medusa in a bucket of water, the phosphoric light
was not emitted from any one particular part of the animal,
but commenced at different points. Upon spieezing the
animal, the hands became covered with a profusion of the
luminous secretion, which could be communicated from one
object to another.--;-Bennett's VoyagefrontEisfand to Sydney.
• •
BOULOGNE, Sept. who shot Mr. Mirfin, is here,
at the Hotel Bedford.