The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-01-26 00:00:00

JANTIU.t Y 26. IS:'6

his life. Poor Mr. LAzARTIS VENABLES ! we pity him,
and feel for his disappointment. To be sure the old ma-
gistrates did the business of the borough for nothing;
but then the council conceived that it would be cheaper
to the public to pay the paltry sum of one thousand per
annum, titan to have the magisterial power vested in men
whose crying sin has been that they have devoted hours
and weeks of their time to the public service.without fee
or reward, and with unquestioned integrity of purpose.
But this species of disinterestedness is beyond the com-
prehension of our modern patriots ;—hence the change.
That the new council would spend much of their time
in talk was to be expected. On this head we have to
observe that if some of them do not consult LINDLEY
MURRAY or some other grammarian a little oftener, and
if they wilfully persist in clipping and corrupting the
King's English, we shall in future report their speeches
literatim et verbatim. This .hint will perhaps suffice for
the present. It would really weary our readers were we
to present to them all the trash that is uttered in the
Council-chamber. We cannot take the trouble to do
this; for a good thing dropping from any one of the
speakers to relieve the tedium of their dull orations, be-
yond a little -"stringency," we have looked for in vain.
Mr. WILLIAM RATHBONE, the leader of the house, Whose
modesty, sweet temper, and sound judgment so admi-
rably fit him for the office, makes a splash now and then,
gives the lie direct, makes an apology, and so on ; but
this in him is quite natural, and, therefote, creates no
surprise. The Council too have granted the. Town-ball
to the papists for their especial use, touching a hall, or
something of that sort. We beg to inform the very ho-
nourable and worshipful body that if the chimney-sweeps
of Liverpool should also wish to give a charity hop
.for
the benefit of the decayed members of their profession,
and should prefer a similar request, they must not be re-
fused, they having even a prior tight as natives of the
good old town. Upon what principle the council can,
for the future, deny the use of the Town hail rooms to
any society we are at a loss to conceive. Why are the
operatives of the town to be shut out when Irish papists
are to be accomodated ? Why are our excellent!,friends
with their thistles and their kilts to be excluded on St.
Andrew's-day ?or why our neighbours with their rosy
cheeks and sweet-smelling leeks on the anniversary of
their patron saint? Fair play and no favour is all we
ask.

But one of the most notable acts of the new counciris
the address to his Majesty, lately forwarded fur presenta-
tion to our learned representative Mr. EIVART. That
one of the objects for which such bodies were called into
existence was to prop up the decayed, and battered, and
staggering ministry, no reasoning person ever doubted.
They were intended to be convenient fulcrums on which
to rest the lever of popular excitement, and the council
were in duty bound to be grateful to their creators and
do their bidding, or as they were expected to do ; and so,
after hours spent in debate—and such a debate—an ad-
dress was voted to his Majesty, as if one half of the
council care any thing about the sovereign ! Are not
ninny of them, in their individual capacities, busying
themselves in bringing to the town the man who of all
others is the greatest enemy to kingly government—who
has just called one of the King's brothers "a mighty
great liar"—who has made tours of agitation to bring
the office into contempt—who has outraged the decencies
of civilized life?--and yet we find our councilmen and
newly made magistrates delighting to do him honour,
and, with unparalleled meanness, prostrating themselves
in the mud before him ! Again, we repeat it, republi-
canism is at the bottom of all this, and, only that " the
pear is notsipe," we should see the same men pass over
the sovereign altogether and present their addresses only
to the representatives of that mildest, and most benefi-
cen►, and most constant of all monarchs—the sovereign
people.

But education—of course without the scriptures, for
the Bible is an old-fashioned book which teaches-men
obedience to the powers that be—education -of 'all and:
every sort except scriptural—a jumble of popery, soci-
nianism, infidelity, independency, unitarianism?, Muggle-
tonianism, Sot-ism, London-Universityism, Penny Ma-
gazineism, and, a long array of other isms and istics Ig
floating in .the imaginations of our " new lights;" and
L— to cote, fur -7.-aung
places,. and the rising generation is to be taught the
beauties of republicanism—but nothing else. Of course
the masters of these schools will be appointed by the
council, and no doubt great care will be taken in their se-
lection to appoint none but men of the right sort. Why
was Mr. HOPE, the long-avowed and staunch advocate of-
bible education, silent on this subject ? Mr. HOPE, the
man who for years has been seen en every platform,
speaking at every bible meeting, and who,'for ought we
know to the contrary, still is the secretary of that noble
institution—let him, at least, stand forward, and not be
ashamed of his Master; let him reduce his professed'
principles to practise, and oppose the papists and the
unitarians in their anti-scriptural education schemes.
Unless the scriptures be interwoven with every system
of education, it were far better that the rising generation
remained ignorant of the sciences, and plodded their
onward course, undisturbed by those crude theories which
unzettle the mind. but give no consolation, amidst the
vicissitudes of this life, and leave it destitute of hope in
another. On this subject, at least, we hoped fur, better
things from Mr. HOPE. 'We are in possession of several
of his speechei delivered some years ago, and they do
him infinite credit. Let him not, therefore, subject him-
self to the charge of inconsistency or of cowardice by •
shirking this vital question for merely political objects,
but act up to his. former professions with his accustomed
zeal and boldness. We like consistency wherever we
can find it. Mr. SHIEL, in his opposition to the scrip-
tures, is at least consistent. His church would soon
tumble into fragments if the light of revelation Were.
but permitted to shine upon it.
A proposition from Mr. BUCKINGHAM, that the council--
should aid him in the recovery of his claims against the
East India Company was met as it should be met. The
merits of these claims may be summed up in a few words.
BUCKINGHAM, an adventurer, went to India to reside.
under a licence revocable at pleasure whenever the au-
thorities thought fit, or considered that-he had committed
a breach of the laws then and there in force. He com-
mitted a breach of those laws, was warned of the conse-
quences, remonstrated with more than once, persisted in
setting them at defiance, and was finally ejected from-the
settlement.. What then had the town council of Liver-
pool to' do with Mr. BUCKINGHAM'S claims ? Nothing a;,
all. But, Mr. BUCKINGHAM finding that the radical int,
teresti'preponderated here, and as all -pattiOttilikreelii.
one thing, viz., that nobody but themselves shaltplunder,.
he looked to our council chamber for help—but. foutid
none. Humbug t—humbug!
Poor old Don MERCURALDOS, with praiseworthy bene-
volence, tried for a grant in favour of the sufferers on-
board the ice-bound whale-ships. Very like a whale !
The council could not entertain that proposition, having
discovered since their accession to office that charity
begins at home.

It is bruited about that an application will be made to•
destroy the church endowment deed. That the attempt.
should be made is quite natural, considering the quarter.
from which it emanates. The proceedings would be a
snug job for the town•clerk as law-agent, and RUSIIMN,,
the briefless and the unprovided for, might perchance get.
a junior's brief. Nothing at present excites any wonder,
unless it should accidentally happen that whigs evince
the slightest trait of liberality. Let them revoke the en-
dowment deed; let them shut up the churches if they can,.
or if they please. We apprehend no danger to the con-
stitution of the country from alrthe radicals, whigs, and
papists in it. The danger to be guarded against' is the
apathy and lukewarmnegg of the members of the Church
of England themselves. Powerless, indeed, would their
efforts be, however united, if their unholy band were not
swelled by the professing members of the Church
itself ; and, as evil usually contains within itself its
own cure, perhaps the closing of a dozen churches for
want of funds might operate as an eye salve to numbers

who are
careless
indolent

now too liberal to think any evil of others, too
to regard keriously even passing events, and too
to examine for themselves.

T.e purpose from time to time resuming our strictures