The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-15 00:00:00

going on which is not lost upon
minds are stimulated.' They look around
lumbers, and have notions of the

education continualiv

them.

on their growing

power of multitud

And what may h,a the Chronicle's prescription for
this state of things ? The conversion of "unskilled"
.tilled" lahourers—the diffusion of " educa-
nd-a repeal 4:1 the corn laws!

" There ought not," urges our contemporary, " to
exist in this country a numerous race of unskilled la-
bourers. So long as it does exist, we are treading
upon gunpowder. The permanent safety of society
through all its ranks, and in all its institutions, is con-
tingent upon the instruction of the poorer classes.
Every one should be put in training to become a skilled,
instead of an unskilled labourer."

education

How very string

"education" -is the panacea !
that the Chronicle, after showing
t exactly as " education" has ex-
sery and discontent become dif-
)ouring classes, should still look
thing " education" as a cure for
le humbler portions of society.
is merely education

with infinite car

tended itself, have

fused arno

to this indescril,-)
the evils t'

at aft'

It is not Whig

itteation,'

in error) that th

lab ‘wring classes require—but pro-
tection from the schemers who rob and oppress them.
It is worthy of note, moreover, that the men who cla-
mour most loudly in favour of " education" for the
poor are invariably the men who never weary in their
attempts to lower permanently the rewards of labour—
he men who never cease extolling
cheapness" being only another name

are invariably t

heapness'

for low wages to the labourer
The Chronicle evidently misunderstands the mean-
ing of the terms " skilled," and " unskilled" labour.
The labourer is denominated " skilled." or " un-
skilled," not by virtue of any reference to the state of
his general knowledie—or to the quality of his " edu-
cation"—but to the el!aracter of the work which he
performs. The humbler kinds of labour—those, to
master
which no " apprenticeship" is required—are
essentially " unskilled ;" and all the " education" in
the world, if lavished on the men who perform the
kinds of labour in question, would fail to convert them
into " skilled" labourers. Before the class of " un-
skilled" labourers can cease to exist, all the humbler
performed kinds of labour must be

and more easel

annihilated

HEARNE VERSUS STOWELL.
(From the Manchester Courier.)
According to the letter addressed by Mr. Stowell to
the editor of the London 71mes, a new trial is to be
moved for next term. The conduct of Mr. Baron
Rolfe, and the course pursued by Mr. Stowell's coun-
sel, have left the reverend gentleman no alternative;
and we have little doubt that the Court of Queen's
Bench will grant the application. net abundant
cause for a new trial can he shewn, no one who has
paid any attention to the late proceedings will deny.
Tile case, as we demonstrated last week, stood upon
two issues-Ist, whether it was or was not a libel upon
Mr. Hearne to say that he had imposed a certain pe-
nance upon the man O'Hara—that particular penance
i,nnosed by other priests, and sane-
,es, discipline, and practice of his
nether, in the course he pursued,
aved malice towards Mr. Hearne.
t point, it may be said that no evi-
ki to prove that such a penance as
(PlT.ara was coremonly enjoined by
and as far as that particular p
i -
it s true, the evidence was defect-
as Mr. Crooke admitted that "it
mace of a priest . to prescribe pe-
at those penances are left " more or less to
ion of the priest," and, that "it was difficult
to define a limit" to that discretion, there was sufficient
mance as that performed by O'Hara
.scribed by Mr. Hearne, in the ex-
" without exceeding the prac-
cnurch ; therefore, it could be
a course of conduct which
permitted by that church. Of
course, we do not take into our consideration the testi-
-tomes wko ought to have bee* oiled

tinned by the d

Mr. stove

fouching

fence IN

that im

fiance is C.

nances

the discret

uch a jet

Might nave been

is " discretion,

Lice and

no libel to i:n

came wihin the I

loony of the wr

for the defendant ; for, although that evidence may and
does aid our conviction as individuals, it cannot be ad-
mitted in an argument upon the case as it went to the
jury. The law always presumes that the best evidenCe
that can be had is adduced; and even abiding by that
strict rule, we maintain that according to the evidence
of the witnesses on Mr. Hearne's side, it was no libel
upon him to say that he was the imposer of O'Hara's
penance. It could neither "endanger him in law," nor
tend to "exclude him from society," nor " impair his
trade."

Come we now to the second point in issue, namely,—
whether, in reading the document subscribed by the
four policemen, Mr. Stowell was guilty of malice
towards Mr. Hearne. Some nice distinctions between
malice in law and malice according to the general
acceptation of the term, have been attempted ; but, we
take it, that what is understood by "malitia prcecoyi-
tata," or by the French definition, "un disposition afaire
une male chose," was meant in the case before us. We
leave that, however, to be settled by those who think
the point worth discussing. What we maintain is,
that no malice—either " express" or " implied"—was
prqved against Mr. Stowell. He was engaged in
denouncing principles not men ; and, although it hap-
pened that Mr. Hearne's name was made use of, the
circumstances with which it was linked were no reflec-
tion upon him personally, nor were they related in
that sense maliciously ; therefore, we say, that as. far as
malice has to do with the question, Mr. Stowell was
not guilty of libel. Baron Rolfe says it is not necessary
to constitute a libel that malice should be proved.
That is viewing the law of libel by the new light thrown
upon it by Lord Denman ; but, for our parts, we are
disposed to go along with Mr. Cresswell ; and in this,
we are strengthened by Mr. Justice Blackstone, who,
speaking of slander, says, (with emphasis on the word
" maliciously,") that words to be actionable must be
"maliciously spoken, which is part of the definition of
slander." Hence it seems to be manifest, that on both
the points in issue, the verdict of the jury worked in-
justice and wrong towards Mr. Stowell, and that a new
trial ought to be granted.

CAPABILITIES AND RESOURCES OF BRITISH
GUIANA.

(From !Sch?mb!srfik's " drc)

No part of the dominions under the British crown sur-

passes Guiana in the commodiousness of its situation for com-
merce, and in maritime strength, in diversity of soil and luxu-
riant vegetation, as conducing to national prosperity, and in
the connecting the interior with the coast regions, to make
these treasures available to the fullest extent. In the fore-
going remarks I have given a general outline of the produc-
tions of this rich and beautiful country, and it is now my in-
tention to state how far its capabilities and resources might
prove of advantage to colonists and the mother country, and
Its riches be made subservient to the wants of mankind in
general.

The clayey and alluvial marshy land which is now under
cultivation, extends to those sandy hills which I have already
described, and has, when protected against the encroachment
of the sea, and rendered mellow by labour, produced asto-
nishing returns, which make it probable that if immigration
to the colony increases, its produce will be doubled in every
ten years. This extensive district is at present only partly
cultivated with sugar, coffee, and cotton, the three staple ar-
ticles of the colony, intermixed with a few plantains.—To
enable my readers to judge of the richness and fertility of
that soil, I may observe that it has been recorded to have
produced 6,000 lbs. of sugar on an acre, or 20,000 lbs. of
plantains.* To this fertility the former prosperity of the co-
lony was to be ascribed ; how much that prosperity might be
increased, if the flow of emigration were to be directed to
British Guiana, may be imagined chiefly, if many of its in-
digenous productions, which, comparatively speaking, are
almost unknown, were added to the list of exports orinter-
nal consumption. It wants only the means of drawing them
from their obscurity, to open new resources to the enterpris-
ing emigrant.

It is not probable that British Guiana contains gold and
silver mines. I have explored its chief rivers, and visited
the mountains which traverse the heart of the colony, with-
out finding the slightest indication of precious metals. The
bare and rugged mountoins of Pac rims, and the chain which
takes the direction of the meredian in the equatorial regions,
are the most likely to possess in their bowels gold and silver ;
but the colony possesses a treasure superior to those metals,
and able to enrich millions of its inhabitants, namely, its
amazing fertility, and the diversity of its soil and natural
productions.
The sand-bills are followed by savannahs, which generally
extend to the first rocky belt, and are sometimes interspersed
with woods and rivulets. They are most extensive between
the rivers Demerara and Berbice; they are also frequent be-
tween the latter river and the Corentyn ; but these must not
be confused with those of the Rupununi, which are sterile.
The former are clothed with nutritious and wholesome grass-
es, and in consequence of springs and brooks, and the
thickets of wood with which they are interspersed, it appears
that nature herself had pointed them out for the pasture-
grounds of thousands of cattle and horses. Those between
the rivers Berbice and Demerara occupy upwards of three
thousand square miles, and the favourable circumstance that
they are plentifully watered by woodland to afford shade
during the heat of the day, enhances their value as grazing-
grounds. _ . _ _

The soil between these hills and the central ridge of moun-
tains, consists of a strong, fertile loam, mixed with clay and
vegetable mould, and sometimes with ferruginous matrer,
which gives it a reddish appearance. Indeed it is a rich,
primitive soil, retentive andspringy. The fitness of the hilly
tract, of the central chain of mountains for the cultivation of
coffee, and in consequence of its gravelly and clayey nature
for the cultivation of the vine and olive, is perfect. The
springy soil in these mountains would produce almost any-
thing; but the sides of the mountains, I am sure. as far as
my experience goes, are qualified for the production of the
finest tirapes, equal to those of Madeira, and without much
labour or expense ; these fertile regions have a great advan-
tage over the African Isles, in not being subject to great
droughts. The Catholic missionaties, who before thestruggle
for independence broke out in the former Spanish colonies,
were settled on the banks of the rivers Caroni and Caura,
tributaries to the Orinjco, are known to have cultivated the
vine. The revolutionary war destroyed their missions, de-
prived them of their lives, or rendered them fugitives.
In ascending the river Berbice, and having passed the
central ridge of mountains, we found, in lat. 4 20 N. the
bank of the river low, and forming large inlets. The under-
stratum of the soil was here highly retentive, while on the
surface it consisted of a claye marl, mixed with mud and
sand, the deposit of periodical floodings of the river, it is
therefore particularly qualified for the cultivation of rice ;
and thousands of square acres, now lying in a worse than
useless state, might thus become subservient to the wants of
man. This morasty soil is bordered by gently undulating
ground of great fecundity. The soil which I found between
the two rivers, when crossing from the Berbice to the Esse-
quebo, was very rich : we found near the banks of the Esse-
,quebo, at the abandoned Indian settlement Primrose, nume-
rous cocoa-trees; they extended more than a mile from the
river's banks, being loaded with fruits in different stages.
,Though some of the trees might have been planted by the
Indians, it was evident that nature had assisted in propa-
gating them :—their luxuriant growth and numerous fruit
proved that they throve well in this soil.t
The vegetation of the river Rupunnni is far less luxuriant.
The savannah which approaches its banks, consists of arid
sands upon a clay substratum, and are unproductive. Woods
form only here and there a fringe along the rivers, and
either disappear entirely at some distance from the banks, or
become quite stunted in the growth ; the only fertile soil at
the regions of the savannahs is along the foot of mountains,
or on their ridges.
If we turn our attention to the consideration, how far the
mineralogical productions of Guiana might be rendered use-
ful to economical purposes, the clays of the alluvial flats
first claim our attention, as being nearest the cultivated
part of the colony. The immense masses of fine white
clay of the river Corentyn would probably prove a
valuable article for the manufacture of stoneware or
porcelain, while the coloured and coarser clay might
be used in the manufacture of bricks, which, at pre-
sent, for the construction of the necessary buildings on
sugar-estates, are imported at great expense from Europe.
The Indians are the only individuals who prepare a coarse
earthenware by mere manual labour from the clays of the
country ; the white clays of the Corentyn alternate with
quartz particlee and layers of sand, the latter a necessary
ingredient in the fabrication of porcelain. The sand which
forms the fii6t elevation, when penetrating trom the sea-
coast towards the interior, contains much silex, and is well
adapted for the manufacture of glass. Experiments were
made with it in Boston, U.S., which proved highly satis-
factory, and prnduced a better glassware than is generally
manufactured from the sands in the United States. These
cliffs become of further interest, as their structure, if judged
of by analogy, renders it probable that coal might be found
in that situation ; if such proved the fact, it would add a new
and valuable resource to those which the colony alrrady
possesses.

Steam is not only employed in the manufacture of sugar,
but likewise in cleaning the coffee of its husks and the cotton
of its seeds. Coal is at present imported from the mother
country, comparatively at an easy freight : but would this
continue if Great Britain should be involved in a war with
any other power ? Setting aside all other advantages which
it offers, a reference to this circumstance is alone sufficient
to demonstrate the vital importance of the discovery of coal
measures in British Guiana.

Though it may be possible that gold and silver mines exist
in the mountain chain of Pacaraima, no native specimens
have ever been brought by the Indians to the colony, although
they frequently bring the mountain crystals, red chalcedony,
and coloured agates. Captain Cordiero, the commandant of
Fort San Joaquim on the Brazilian frontier, told me in 1835
that the Indians from the upper river Branco had brought
him at different times specimens of native silver.
The Dutch made several attempts at mining in 1721, and
sent a miner by the name of Hildebrand to examine the in-
terior; but though his search was conducted with great at-
tention, he did not discover any indications of the precious
metals. Red iron ore is sometimes met with in the granite
regions
but the brown iron ore is most conspicuous in the
tracts previously alluded to. I have observed, elsewhere,
that the oxide of manganese, which I have seen in the pos-
session of the Indians, consisted only of small quantities.
Whether large mines of that metal are extant in Guiana it is
difficult to say, and the limited use of it does not increase the
importance of such a discovery. The Indians employ it to
give a lustre to their native pottery.
The granitic tract in the vicinity of the mouth of the
Mazaruni, and the adjacent country, has already afforded
building materials, and has been used in the construction of
wharfs and in the building of houses : if once fairly intro-
duced, it will be of great advantage to the colony. The tracts
of sandstones in the river Corentyn may prove likewise useful ;
some of the blocks would square ten to twelve feet.
The vegetation of the interior contains treasures which
need only be developed to insure the welfare of millions, and
to minister to the comforts, necessaries, and elegancies of
mankind in general. The beautiful timber which abounds in
the vast forests, and covers millions of acres, profits, under
present circumstances, only a few ; and if we except the tim-
ber which is employed for colonial use, scarcely more than
one hundred to one hundred and fifty pieces have been ex-
ported annually. This trifling export does not arise in con-
sequence of the inferior quality of the timber ; and, as every
competent judge acknowledges, the mora and green-hearts
vie or ever, surpass the East India teak anti African oak ;
but the high rate of labour, and the trouble connected at pre-
sent with transporting the timber from the far interior to the
coast, allows only a trifling profit to the enterprising wood-
cutter. There are about one thousand eight hundred to two
* I -e been infor

nay. _.stormed that at the estate, Mary's Hope,
on the Corentyn, 80001bs. of anger have been produced on
an acre ; and with regard to plaintains it is goecohruagllyoutthe
calcu-
lated
n that an acre gives seven hunches a week t
year. The above weight of 20,0001b5. is by meansooths.
o f
extra-
ordinary, since instances are known that 3,0
plaintains have been produced.
t The cocoa-tree is found indigenous on the banks of the
Rio Branco ; it is, therefore, more than probable that those
at Prinross are likewise indigenous.
T. Several cargoes of green-heart have been sent to the
Clyde, where it is preferred to any other timber ; but the
want of labourers in Guiana makes it impossible to meet the
demand. Another cargo was lately imported at Liverpool
and bought by the corporation at a shilling per foot higher
tiaaa any other woad.

It is well InOwn that vessels built with indigenous wood
(and there are now two in the trade of Demerara, the Moun-
taineer and the Christina, which are built entirely of timbers
furnished from Guiana,) are of superior description with re-
gard to strength and durability : the vessels employed imme-.
diately in the colony are in a great measure constructed of
indigenour woods.

If the great expense connected with supplying the British
navy with timber from North America, Italy, and the Baltic
be duly considered, it becomes an object of consideration
whether it would not be advantageous to establish a naval
arsenal in Demerara. This river is navigable for vessels of
one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons for one hundred
miles up; and though the bar does not allow vessels that
draw more than twenty feet of water to go over it even at
spring tides, it affords a safe and commodious harbour for
thousands of that description, where they may anchor in five
to ten fathoms water; indeed, the river from Fort Point to
Hababu Creek may be said to form one vast harbour. Here
the ships lie undisturbed by gales and harricanes, which are
unknown phenomena ; thus its fitness for a naval arsenal be-
comes evident.

I have already alluded to the valuable more, (Mora excelsa,
Benth,) one of the trees most abundant in the forest. The
wood is very durable in any situation in and out of the wa-
ter, remarkably strong, tough, and not liable to split. Its
crooked timbers would be of the greatest utility for knees ;
and the finest stems for vessels of any size ;night be procured,
as well as the choice and valuable pieces in request for keels,
kelsons, stern-posts, floor, beams, &c. The close nature of
its wood, which never splits, recommends it for bulwarks of
men-of-war, bomb-vessels, and gun-boats. Not less recom-
mendable are the planks of greenheart ; siruabally for plank-
ing ; the purple-heart for bulwarks, gun-carriages, mortar-
beds, &c. ; and the red cedar, which reaches a height of up-
wards of eighty feet, for masts and spars of vessels. The
colony is also rich in woods which are adapted for cabinet
work, turnery, and ornamental purposes, many of which are
at present entirely unknown to the cabinet-makers of Eu-
rope, and which only in a few houses of the opulent colonists
have been used for furnishing their rooms. The elegant ap-
pearance of these woods in a great measure hides the want
of taste in the execution of the furniture. Pre•.eminent
among these ornamental woods, stands the beautiful letter-
wood, which in elegance of appearance, and the readiness
with which it takes polish, recommends it above all others to
notice.

If it should please her Majesty's Government to encourage
the timber trade, it would not only open a new resource to
the government, but afford double advantage to the colony.
In consequence of the increased demand, the lands would be
cleared, and by this a great step towards civilization and an
improvement in the health of the colony would be gained.

WRECKS OF THE LORD CASTLEREAGH AND
LORD WILLIAM BENTINCK.

(From the Calcutta Courier of July 8.)

At four o'clock on Thursday a squall arose, and when it
was over, the people from the shore looked again to the
Castlereagh, but it was broken up. -

The number of those saved from this wreck cannot as yet
be exactly tohl ; it is said to exceed 200 ; and among them is
mentioned Lieutenant Grant, of the Ist European Regiment.
Among those whose unfortunate deaths are declared, are
Captain Earle, of the 24th Regiment; Dr. Davies and Lieut.
Walker, of the Engineers. The captain (Tonks) and the
chief officer were saved through the exertion.of Mr. Atkin-
son, the second assistant to the master attendant.

Among the persons saved was one recruit, who on the
breaking up of the Lord William Bentinck swam to the
Castlereagh, from which he afterwards had some difficulty to

escape

Tile shore was yesterday strewed anew with bodies ; those
of the captain of the L. W. B. and of his son have been
found ; very many exhibited the dismal effects of having been
driven on the rocks, the eyes being beaten out, with number-
less bruises and various mutilations. One man's body was
found with his child fastened on his back.

Goods of various sorts are seen floating about or cast upon
the shore ; among other things a portrait was found in a tin
case, which looked placid, as if the original was to be for ever
unconscious of disaster. A bag of letters from Karak was
found on the rocks, and sent to the Postoffice, where endea-
vours are making to dry them. Among them are said to be
some despatches for Earl Auckland. Nothing in the shape
of letters or parcels has been as yet found from the Lot d W.
Bentinck.

Thus almost within a month have three ships been wrecked
on the Prong, as this ledge of rocks is called, viz., the Com-
petent on the 7th of May, and the Lord W. Bentinck on the
17th, and the Castlereagh on the 18th of June. The like was
never before seen in Bombay ; and the old Tindal, who has
been 40 years in attendance at the lighthouse, wrings his
hands, and says he never saw such repeated disasters.
The public mind is powerfully excited, and its voice is
loud in reprobating the system adopted for the benefit of
this magnificent harbour, into which during fine weather
there is but little difficulty to enter. But the want of suffi-
cient lighthouses during the monsoon, or in blowing, hazy
weather, is much spoken of. The two points (Henery and
Kenery) at the entrance into the harbour, could with ease
be provided with such edifices. The Shah Allum, which on
her voyage to Calcutta was from stress of weather obliged to
put back in the beginning of this week, was nearly wrecked
too, near those islets ; but the captain's knowledge of the
port saved him. The pilotage and lighthouse dues are suffi-
cient to maintain those advantages to the benighted mariners
—being for instance on a 1200 ton ship 230 rs. for the for-
mer, and 180 rs. for the latter. The want of a sufficient es-
tablishment of life-boats and courageous crews at the light-
house is also talked of; and yet such is the actual system,
that the poor sufferers in the Castlereagh declared that they
could not hear the report of the guns, though not more than
a mile from the lighthouse, because the orders are that no
wadding is to be used, and the report is consequently weak-
ened. Surely on such occasions, and when the storm is
raging, a conditional power might be allowed to the officer
to give double efficacy to those warnings.
But now when the loss is so severely felt even by the Hon.
Company, the necesssity of something effectual being re-
quired cannot be denied. Among those who witnessed the
inutility, or rather the positive inadequacy, of the means
used on Wednesday was the Hon. G. W. Anderson, third
member of the council t • he went to the lighthouse, to see if
there was any means of saving his nephew, who was coming
by the Lord W. Bentinck, but he saw that with those means
nothing could be done, and his nephew perished. He can
bear the testimony to the, truth of these observations.

There were 114 men of the Marine Bettellion on board
the Lord Castlereagh, 19 of whom are missing ; and of the
24th N. I. there were 176, of whom 32 are missing. There
are 15 in hospital suffering from wounds and bruises of
various sorts, but none of them supposed to be in danger.
One native officer and one sepoy have died of injuries received
on leaving the ship or landing. Captain Tonks, the Com-
mander of the Lord Castlereagh, and one of the most skilful
and experienced officers in our port, was picked up from a
spar. We have received no account of the casualities amongst
the crew, but know them to be heavy indeed. Dead bodies
are now coming fast ashore, and already a great many have
been buried.

The body of Captain Earle, of the 24th Regiment N. 1.,
was found yesterday afternoon, and interred in the burial
ground at Colaba. Mrs. Fraser, whose body was washed on
shore from the Bentinck, was also buried last evening in the
Scotch burial ground.
A quantity of specie which was on board the Castlereagh,
was saved through the presence of mind of Captain Tonks.
He caused several barrels to be emptied, the money to be
put into them, and then the bung-holes corked and leather
to be nailed over them. The barrels were then thrown over-
board, and have been since found on the shore.

The number of the persons lost from the Castlereagh is
stated to be from 70 to 80.