The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-08-24 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

ing with the different qualities of tea, on the principle of
that which was attempted for the first eighteen months
after the opening of the trade.
But the fiscal and commercial convenience of a single
fixed duty, together with its proved tendency to draw a
better quality into consumntion, overbear in this case, as
in many other similar cases of taxation, the apparent
equity of attempting to proportion the duty to the quality
of the article consumed.

WHAT SUPPORT CAN THE PRESENT GOVERN

MENT EXPECT ?
(From the Morning Herald.)

We have shown, in one or two former articles, that,
dividing the New House of Commons into the two great
classes of " Liberal" and " Conservative," there will be
found from 826 to 328 votes in each.
That this is a fair and moderate statement, and not
exaggerated on the Conservative side, may be seen by
comparing it with the Morning Post's estimate, which

Protectionists
Liberals .... .
Peelites
Nondescript ..
Returns not yet received
Sudbury

Which, in two classes, would give—
Liberals .... .

Conservatives

Thus giving the Liberals six fewer, and the Conserva-
tives five more, than our calculation.
Starting, then' with our first-ascertained fact, that the
Liberals in the house will be 326 or 328, our next duty is,
to separate these into the two sections, of Whigs or
Ministerialists and Irregulars, consisting of Radicals,
Repealers, Dissenters, and the like. The necessity of this
subdivision will be as evident as the propriety of distin-
mishing, which we shall hereafter do, between the fol-
-Avers of Sir Robert Peel and the followers of Lord
tanley. Those who remember the bitter opposition
ven to Lord John Russell's Manchester Bill, by the
mcombes, Humes,- Brights, &c., and who marked also
delight with which the same party helped to throw out
Secretary Hawes at Lambeth, Mr. Macaulay at
iburgh, and General Fox in the Tower Hamlets, will
'm importance of distinguishing between those who
,Trove the church, and those who would pull it
down—between those who- venerate and would preserve
the aristocracy, and those who ask, with Mr. Bright,
" How much longer is this humbug to be carried on ?"
Well; then, taking- the whole Liberal strength to be
328 votes,—how many of these will submit to take the
word of command from the Whigs ? To how many will
Mr. Tuffnel, when the St. Alban's and Bodmin Bishop-
ricsregu
eßillstigneo comes
their attendance
l) e able (br address
certain
divisions"
h i s littl
?Let
circulars,
us analyse the list with this view. And if we select the
" Irregulars " first, their number, deducted from the
whole, will leave the net amount of actual " Ministeri-
alists."

Mild in

:bibit a collection of

Governor, with remarkable prudence and foresight, sent
down a large force of soldiers from Castletown, at an early
hour, in case of an attack frcm the shore upon the royal
squadron! They were drawn up rank and file upon the
pier, but as for himself he was not to be seen. At length
he made his appearance accompanied by the Clerk of the
Rolls, and after procuring an old punt and two ragged
lads as oarsmen, pushed off to greet her Majesty, but he
was the day after the fair—the wheels were in motion—
the royal standard floated in the breeze; and the Monarch
of half the globe had left this gem of the ocean&left it,
we fear, with no favourable impression of our state of
civilization, or of official etiquette pertaining to the Isle
of Man. We do not regret that his Excellency failed to
reach the Royal yacht. He was neither dressed nor equip-
ped for the occasion. He was not in official costume, but
dressed in plain toggery, seated in an old boat redolent
of herrings and fish offal, with two " pinks " at the oars
that smelled equally strong of Tommy Statham's tap.
That her Majesty was slighted and the people insulted by
such studied disrespect on the part of our authorities, is
unquestionable ; but we contend that it was well the re-
presentative of royalty in the Island never reached his
destination. A hurried compliment and a shabby mode
of making it, can convey neither honour nor respect.
Her Majesty was more honoured in the breach than in
the observance of Governor Hope's etiquette ; and as for
the rest of our'authorities, so called, they were better at
home curing their herrings than floundering in herring

THE NAVIGATION LAWS.—The following facts,
ced in evidence before the select committee of lasts(

can scarcely fail to *duce a strong impression of the ne:
cessity of upholding the principle of the navigation laws
in all their integrity. And, first, we may say that history
is favourable to the maintenance of the n '
The immediate effect of the passir

of the N

igation
avigation Act

of Charles the ,
the mercantile navigation of the country
years more than doubled ; and under the operation of
navigation laws the mercantile tonnage of the country ha
rapidly increased, and has now attained the enormous
magnitude of 3,800,000 tons. Again, it is a fact that
Prussia 35 per cent., in Denmark and Norway 31 per
superior ships can be built in Finland 50 per cent., in
cent., and in the United States 17 per cent. cheaper than
in England, and thus an open competition would be ruin-
ous to all engaged in the construction of shipping in this
country. One great cause of this is that labour is much
dearer in England than elsewhere, and foreigners can,
therefore, both man and build their vessels much cheaper
than Englishmen ; so that British shipwrights, and Bri-
tish seamen, if the navigation laws were repealed, mu'
submit to foreign rates of labour if they would .retain
employment. Again, it is a fact that more goods are .n.
ported into British ports thdn into all the rest of the world
put together. Thus " reciprocity" treaties, as they are
,for a
called, must be unequal, and place us at a disadvantage.
We
theia admission dmmairsks ieotnfoorra
tshmealelaorgnoee.s a
We are
opening
bartering
loi.ts
vessels from a foreign country, which cannot import goods
enough to fill one British vessel in return. These are all
proved facts. And when to these we add this other fact,
that no means have been suggested by which, if the navi-

within twenty

gation laws were repealed, an efficient na%
maintained for the defence of the country i

e think it is pretty plain that thou.

hipping might ao very well if all the work
Jtopia, yet, under the less happy existing
uch a principle of protection as that on wh

lavigation is based,is essential both to ti
he safety of the empire.

h the present
rosperity and

EXT I

A.ORDINARY FAILURI

(From yesterday's Times.)

srs. William R.
and
from

The suspension of the house of Me
Robinson and Co. was announced this morning,
caused a degree of excitement which arose rather _
the Circumstance of the senior partner being the Governor
of the Bank of England, than from the actual extent of
the liabilities of the firm. These liabilities are stated at
about £105,000, and it is understood that the assets, as
nominally made out, show 15s. in the pound, although
no expectation is entertained of the ultimate realizatior
of that amount. The event is attributed entirely t"
culations in wheat, and the house has for
been included amongst those whose ability to res.__
recent pressure has formed the subject of discussion on
the Corn Exchange.

) spe
veral week

The failure of a governor of the Bank of I
fortunately not an event so novel as to creal
which should properly be consequent upon it
last eighteen years, if we recollect rightl
parties who have either been
that position have. fallen, not
in the majority of instances k
quent winding up of their affa
of mismanagement (to use no
rarely met with in the or

Within the

exhibited in the int

Lch as

This frequency of
►s can scarcely be

of persoi

inquiry will now naturally art

%s to the particular causes

in which it may hay

;Vhatever may be the re-

;ult of t

inquiry

[tint to an undue

it usually made with suf

ender UT
t• up, that

conviction which has long 1

ode of ap-
.nd to the

)f door

,nd with justh

n from all pe

anal 'yea

isite tt

in that of Governor of ti

ink ; yet not only is the post
)ed in legitimate business of

with the anxieties of the
one main duty of a banker

ince, but by those who are not even per-
n to the advantages of experience, even
isposed to benefit by the opportunity.
s in most other branches of business or
a lifetime of prudent cultivation is considered

if their were

'owaid

Governor of the
is consequently

ana to pass to

learner, that he is f

rasp of them. Hence a

frittering away of power, a restless
zested measures, and an inconsistency

ion of ill-di

tion, which in
re practicable,

Lst time

when a re

and which even no'

fitly frequent to brit

establishment into

t. One means of remedy would obviously con-

ist in render

it upon some party wholly un
business
vat

nd who might I

on and recognised financial abilities. Another
remedy, but perhaps a less effectual one, would be the
abolition of the practice at present pursued by the pro-
prietors of adopting " house lists," and thus leaving each

vacancy in the direction entirely to the nomination
of the existing court. The advantage of the opposite
.fied at the India-house; and whatever
wy be reformed in the constitution of the Bank of
ngland, it is hardly possible but that the close system
hich has hitherto prevailed must soon cease to be tole-
ited. The proprietors have now for an ample period
,nfided this branch of their power to the directors, and
Amy in which these parties have justified the confider),
reposed in them has been sufficiently manifested

practic
else m

e is exempl

years the ordinary number of governors would be nine,
and during that period, as we have already observed, no
less than six of those who have either held or passed
through the office have broken down ; it having
been afterwards demonstrated in almost every in-
stance that each of these parties was, not only at the
Period of selection hopelessly insolvent, but that

such must have been his condition for many years previ-
ously. With these consequences before them, the proprietors
can have no excuse fr They ma,-

further supinenes

escape the trouble of selection, but not its responsibility-;
and if they feel indisposed to fulfil the duty they owe in
this respect to the public, from whom they receive so
much, it will certainly devolve upon the Government to
terminate as far as possible all relations with the establish-
ment, since its power of compromising the reputation of
the country arises solely from its connexion with the state.

THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMPANY

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on
Wednesday last. There was a full attendanc,.

Railei, jun., Es-q., M.P. Joseph R
Potter, Esq., Samuel Holme, Esq.
Joseph Bailey, jun., Esq., presided
Mr. M. LAIRD read the report, which went minutely
into all the details of the company

liley, sen., Esq ,
, and J. Laird, Esq

Al referred

interviews had taken place with the Board of Woods

Forests, and the direc-tors being unable to raise money on
bonds of the company, had been obliged to press hard
upon the shareholders. Until the company's land pro-
duced a rental, and the competition of the outer works
was' secured by contract, they could not hold out hopes of
relaxing this course of proceeding. The liabilities of the
company must be met ; but_by confining their operations

they could accoinr

,list, they trust

of the u;

1, if no

on the Birkenhead
tveraze width of 50€

They had an extent of ground occupying 112 acres, and it
was obvious they must look to the rough trades for makin,
it profitable, as it was in vain to suppose they could expec
to cover the whole with warehouses. As to the statemen
of assets, &c., it included everything, and the land ha
been undervalued at 255. per
yard had been put upon it by

on the Hercul
prised about 21

Mersey w hic

yard, as a pric

entrance of I

tewart
£192,1

34 ;

len went o