The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-04-17 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICES

The church of England Quarterly Review. April, 1840.

London : W. E. Painter, 342, Strand.

THE FOREIGN COMMERCIAL RELATIONS
WITH GREA I' BRITAIN.
(From the Scottish Guardian)
The growing interest of the community in the alarm-
ing state of our commercial relations abroad, and the
established conviction of individuals no less distin-
guished for station and ability than for their moral ex-
cellence, have compelled us to a more reflecting exa-
mination of the solemn charge so fearlessly advanced
against the Foreign Minister, of the blackest crime that
can attach to a native of these isles.
Considering the general prosperity of mankind to
he inseparably interwoven with the stability and power
of Britain as a commercial non-aggressive state, the
natural guardian of the seas, it cannot but appear im-
possible that systematic treason could be pursued be-
tween a British minister and any single foreign prince
for a series of years without involving its detection by
some friendly state, which would arouse the British
people and the world at large to a sense of danger to
the general welfare of mankind.
That the power of England, therefore, could be lent
to any single foreign state for a series of years to carry
out the overthrow of England's influence, may be fairly
admitted as impossible, since no minister of sane mind
could contemplate escaping the ignominious conse-
quences of his infamy.
This portentous question, however, assumes a very
different aspect under a conjunction of circumstances
in the internal state of Britain—singularly adapting it-
self to the peculiar relations of other states, when the
whole of the great powers, with one exception, having
interests conflicting with those of England, conspire to
support their separate and collective action against this
country by selecting an individual, false to every Bri
tish party, as the instrument of their designs; offering
to him the incitement of an ostensible position of ap-
parent supremacy in the direction of the affairs of the
world, and thus enabling him to secure and to disguise
their joint progress towards the accomplishment of
their separate ends, and the destruction of his native
land, by a general assurance to the Queen of England
of their cordial amity.
Peace hai been the proclaimed object, during the last
ten years, of England and every other state.

England, France, and Russia have been bound to-
gether by the strongest alliance, for the pacification of
the east ; England and the United States, through the
award of the King of the Netherlands, were at the
same time united for the pacification of the west.
The natural result of these sacred and mighty bonds,
had the alliance been a bona fide transaction, must have
been the peaceful direction of their diplomatic means
alone to the accomplishment of their ends.
What, then, is the state of England's mind, when
Russia, France, and Egypt alone, the joint partitioners
of the Ottoman empire, whose " independence" and
"integrity" the Sovereign of England has pledged her-
self to maintain, have at this hour in commission, ready
to unbend their sails, an amount of naval force equal
to one hundred sail of the line—Eugland Turkey hav-
ing respectively less than four, to defend their own
shores and their national existence ? Who, then, is
their enemy ? Who their intended victim ?

THE CAN ADAS.
(From the Morning Herald of Tuesday)
The bill for the union of the Canadas was read a
second time last night in the House of Commons.
The speakers, generally, reserved the expression of
their opinions until the bill should be introduced into
committee. An interesting discussion, however, took
place on the character of some of the relations in which
we stand to the Canadas.

Nothing can be more obvious than that, in legislat-
ing for Canada, a mistake of no great apparent mag-
nitude may involve the loss of those invaluable colo-
nies. The great object to be attained is the establish-
ment on the firmest possible footing of British supre-
macy throughout our North American provinces. It
is, of course, most desirable to secure the largest mea-
sure of justice to the French Canadians. Their griev-
ances, if such exist, ought at once to be redressed ;
but they must be made to feel that the ascendancy of
British views and opinions is the great end in refer-
ence to the Canadas of English policy. As yet it
might be unsafe to repose much confidence, during
times of danger, in the French Canadians. To the
British loyalists alone may we trust ; and in a nobler
body of colonists did no mother country ever repose
confidence. But for the almost superhuman efforts of
the loyalist British settlers, the Canadas would, as-
suredly, during the late convulsions have been trans-
ferred to the United States. The merit of these gal-
lant and patriotic men has never (as it seems to us)
been sufficiently acknowledged. Lord Durham was
too busy in courting popularity by the most paltry
means, to bestow a thought on the heroic volunteers
who so effectually seconded all the gallant movements
of Lord Seaton. Mr. Poulett Thomson again, is, by
the nature of his principles, opposed to our great co-
lonial systems; while his free-trade theories, in regard
to the staple business of the Canadas, render him at
all times a dangerous law liver for those provinces.
The Canadas constitute a daily increasing market to
the manufactures of England—a market second in
steadiness and value only to that which has been created
by the home trade. The Canadas maintain the balance
of British power, and place the United States in a con-
dition, more or less, of dependence on the political ar-
rangements of England. To abandon the Canadas
would be to invite a general dismemberment of the
empire; and if we would avert the necessity for the
abandonment of these noble provinces, we must sus-
tain, at all hazards, the ascendancy of the British loy-
alists, and break down, as rapidly as possible, the in-
fluence of those associations which, at present, prevent
the French Canadians from yielding aught but a grudg-
ing obedience to the sway of England.

THE DUKE OF SUSSEX—MARRIAGE PAST
AND TO COME.
(From the Dublin Evening Mail.)
We will not say that we are alarmed, but we certainly
are somewhat astonished, at the reverberations of our
own "thunder." The articles that have appeared in
this journal, with the documents and opinions substan-
tiating the claims of the children of the Duke of Sus-
sex, and confirmatory of the legality of the marriage,
notwithstanding their extreme length, have been deemed
of sufficient consequence by the conductors of the
London press to be transferred to the columns of the
leading metropolitan journals, and have appeared in
almost all the influential provincial papers in the em-
pire.
Never having taken up the subject except upon pub-
lic and constitutional grounds, we are extremely un-
willing in its progress to embark in anything like angry
controversy with our contemporaries; hut when mis-
statements the most monstrous are put forward, and
falsehoods the most vile are fabricated, we owe it to
truth and justice to contradict the one and unmask the
other. With this view, and for this purpose, we ex-
tract the following scandalous article from a recent
number of the Court Journal :

" MARRIAGE OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF

SUSSEX.

" The intended marriage (or rather acknowledgment of a
marriage which has already taken place) of the Duke of Sus-
sex to Lady Cecilia Underwood, has drawn forth from our
contemporaries many remarks, complimentary and otherwise.
With these we shall not deal at present, but upon some ob-
servations which seem called for in consequence of an article
which appeared in a Dublin newspaper, and has been very
generally copied by the London press, in respect of his Royal
Highness's marriage with the Lady Augusta Murray. We
suppose the subject has been brought upon the tapis by some
indiscreet friend of Sir Augustus and Miss D'Este. We
say indiscreet, because the matter, though not forgotten, was
by no means prominent in the public mind, and the present
revival of the affair seems to us to have been made for the
purpose of freeing the character of the late Lady Augusta at
the expense of that of his Royal Highness. This is not duti-
ful, to say the least of it ; we shall show that it is unjust also.
" Previously to the passing of the late marriage act, this
ordinance was considered, not only in England but in all
Christendom, to be one comprising three several and separate
contracts ; first, the contract between the parties contracting
the marriage ; second, between the parties and the Supreme
Being; and, third, between the parties and the public or
commonwealth. The second of these contracts is no longer
necessary according to law.
" Now in the marriage of his Royal Highness to the Lady
Augusta Murray, at Rome, the three contracts were un-
doubtedly literally fulfilled ; but was there the true spirit?
We say distinctly, no! There was one element wanting;
there was full publicity evaded by the 'parties, and we con-
tend that the contract with the public was- not virtually com-
pleted. When Lady A. Murray gave her hand to the Duke,
she must have been well aware that the marriage would be
utterly distasteful to the King ; she must have been well
aware that his Majesty had influence enough with parliament
to induce it to dissolve an engagement so repugnant to what
was considered good policy. The union, it will be remem-
bered, was altogether dissolved; and during the Duke's life,
the lady married again ; a conclusive proof to, us that her
Ladyship considered the marriage an invalid one ab initio.
It seems to us, therefore, an unwise and injudicious thing to
call the attention of the public to the circumstances, as
nothing can be gained from it.
" As for the Royal Marriage Act, it is so utterly repug.
nant to justice, that it ought to be repealed immediately ;
and we heartily rejoice that it will not be brought to bear
against the inclinations of the Duke
ii n n
hthiseßporeysaelnHt instance.ighnesa9a
With regard to the expected increase h
lone
agoof. stAritcttaojhuestdicteo,
twhheimc,hoigugphatrttyo,
ihuacvoeme beenit es nbduetr eadm a
otnh aat
bpeatrtteyr cfoa footing
i nrtoh
apno wt
heart,
wthhehaihtnahhdehawe rightoaun lddu rht
euadv eei
nxbpeceoenunt
eonltneisetseod
genedtleinmaitns
s'pelwqaucheeendnce of his opinions. '
iwrnipthosasibleto respectable cn c
je vuer n that
o r a ennyg gentleman
conduct, could have of himself so perverted
quiteedfac ts,
or
so wantonly put forth untruths, that we a
will-
ing to believe that the editor was imposed upon. But,
courting as we do, free and unreserved discussion—
and it would be presumptuous, indeed, for us to iden-
tify ourselves, however remotely, with the distinguished
personages who are directly interested in the issue now
pending—we defy calumny to insinuate aught disre-
spectful to the memory of the Lady Augusta Murray,
or ingenuity to substantiate anything derogatory to her
honour. And yet in the article quoted it is stated
" that the union with her ladyship was altogether dis-
solved, and that during the Duke's life the lady mar-
ried
again." This is mere invention---a pure and gra-
tuitous falsehood; and that cause must indeed be weak
that requires such props for its sustainment. We
quote the whole article, for the purpose of giving the
statement it contains the most flat and decided contra-
diction, and of challenging its author, whoever he may
be, to the proof.

The Earl and Countess of Wilton leave town in the course
of a few days, for Strathfieldsaye, on a volt to the Duke of
Wellington, during the holidays•

The interests of England are at stake—all we love and
venerate is threatened; and, therefore, with all the solemnity
of a high and Christian duty, we address you in the calm and
sober words of truth, but in language fervent and earnest.
We intreat of you a fair, candid, and dispassionate hearing..
We implore you to ponder deliberately what we say ; and we
beseech the Almighty Father of us all to bless, direct, and
guide you to a right conclusion. May the Spirit of our God
and Saviour rest mightily upon you ; enable you to walk in
His pure and holy light, and, with all the sacred energy of
His gracious influences, nerve your heart and hand to the
duty that lies before you.
Popery, the dreadful curse of every nation in which she
gains supreme power, is now struggling for the mastery
amongst us. Popery, which in the days of Queen Mary shed
freely the blood of operatives like ourselves, for no other
crime than loving the Lord Jesus Christ, and boldly main-
taining his truth, is daily gaining more and more power in
our free and happy land—power which she would, doubtless,
use again for the same murderous purposes. Popery, which
murdered John Huss, after granting him a safe passport—
popery, which massacred, in cold blood, thousands of Pro-
testants at Paris, on St. Bartholemew's-day, and struck a
medal to commemorate the wholesale murder—popery, which
slew thousands upon thousands of the innocent Waldenses—
which put to torture and to death tens of thousands by means
of the Inquisition--this very sane popery has sent up her
persecuting laws against us in these dominions, and only
wants the power to put them into force—popery, which fitted
out the Spanish Armada, and freighted the vessels with rods
of iron, thumbscrews, and other cruel instruments of torture
with which to torment and destroy our forefathers—popery,
which in 1641 stirred up a great rebellion in Ireland in which
many thousands of Protestants were barbarously murdered,
is again plotting, scheming, and organising her deadly plans
of treason and sedition in Ireland—popery, which tried by
the notorious gunpowder plot, to blow up king, lords, and
commons at a stroke, is again attempting to destroy the de-
fences of the throne, and the institutions of the country.
Her plans are deep laid with marvellous forethought and
profound sagacity. Her vigour is unabated, and gathers
strength progressively. She makes use of every instrument
that presents itself, avails herself of every opportunity that
occurs. Step by step she steadily advances. Her assaults
become more bold, powerful, and incessant. Her proud and
impious claims are urged with increasing audacity, and she
hesitates not to tell us that in a very few short years every
free-born Englishman shall again become the slave of the
Pope.
Brother Operatives! with these facts before us, and know-
ing from her own lips that popery is unchanged, and there-
fore as cruel and persecuting as ever, we cannot look upon
the rapid strides she has" lately made towards power in this
Protestant land without great fear and alarm. We behold
her chapels for idol worship springing up in every direction—
her power in the House of Commons fearfully great, her in-
fluence at court alarmingly manifest. We see with grief and
shame her college at Maynooth, in Ireland, receiving £8924
of the public money every year. We have seen within the
last month with deep and heartfelt sorrow, another of her
colleges, viz. St. Mary, Oscotts, in England, receiving a
charter from the Queen.

Brother Operatives, these things fill us with serious alarm,
for we know well that popery is the curse of nations," and
has always brought with her, wherever she has come, ruin,
misery, and persecution. But this is not all; neither is this
the thing that gives us the greatest uneasiness, or that fills
our minds with the most pungent grief, fear, and apprehen-
sion. In the midst of all these evils, brother operatives,
with popery coming like a deluge, bringing in its train every
imaginable evil—the Protestants of England are asleep—
asleep, with the volcano heaving beneath them, ready to ex.
plode and bury them in its ashes. This, this, brother ope-
ratives, is the most dangerous of all the fearful " signs of
the times." The majority of British Protestants appear to
be almost blind to their dangers, careless of their privileges,
and heedless of the hosts of enemies that are banded against
them. We see on all sides hopeless and reckless immorality :
socialism and every kind of blasphemy and infidelity running
like torrents of water down our streets. And in the midst
of it all—where are the souls faithful to truth? Where are
the zealous servants of God striving and protesting against
these " aboundings of iniquity ?" Where are the noble
witnesses for Christ, clothed with zeal as a cloak, lifting up
their voices with strength, vindicating the injured cause of
their Divine Master? Where are the true and patriotic
souls who " sigh and cry for the abominations of the land ?"
We scarcely know where to find them. They are few, scat-
tered, and divided. Instead of great, earnest, constant, and
united efforts to stem the torrent, we see only here and there
a solitary individual struggling in the strength of God to de-
:end the perilled cause of truth, and stave off the mighty
tide of national desolation.
Brother Operatives, ought this to be ? We put it to the
conscience of every one of you—ought this to be ? Ought
God to be thus insulted, Christ thus despised, derided, and
blasphemed ; his glorious gospel thus shamefully vilified, by
papists, socialists, and other infidels, and we standing by ?
Ought the liberties of Englishmen to be thus threatened—our
rights to be thus invaded—the peace and security of our
wives, our children, and our children's children thus endan-
dered by the persecutin system of popery, and the demo-
ralising system of socialism ?
Brother Operatives, we know you are too generous, too
warmly attached to your domestic comforts, too paternally
fond of your offspring to be inactive. You will not—you dare
not—permit this tide of desolation to sweep over your hearths
and the safeguards of society unopposed.
Brother Operatives, we feel convinced you love yourselves
too well to permit them to be torn from your grasp: you
know the value of that precious charter of salvation too well
quietly to permit any system to gain power, which would use
that power to deprive your offspring of that glorious gospel.
We know right well that you merely want information ; you
only require, as we did, to have these things pointed out to
you, to engage heart and hand in the glorious work of oppos-
ing anti-Christ, and beating back the deluge of popery and
infidelity which threatens to destroy ou'r once happy land.
Brother Operatives, we feel sure that you love and rever-
ence your God, the God of Britain, too devoutly not to come
forward boldly, " quit yourselves like men," and " contend
earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." We
trust that you love your Lord and Saviour too fervently not
to confess him faithfully and serve him truly in these days
"of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy." We call upon you,
then, brother operatives, with all the affection of a common
brotherhood—one with you in truth—one with you in occu-
pation—one with you in creed—bound to you with the closest
ties that can bind man to man ; with one common faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of us all—one with-you in our
temporal duties, and in our hope of a glorious immortality.
We call upon you, brother operatives, by your zeal for your
God and Saviour; by your reverence for the Bible; your
love to your country, your wives, and children ; your attach-
ment to your civil and religious liberties ; our loyalty to
your Queen ; your pity, love, and compassion for your poor
deluded Roman Catholic brethren, to be up and stirring—to
unite—" Arm yourselves with the whole armour of God,"
and be " valiant for the truth."

We do not summon you to perform a task from which, in
slothfulness, we ourselves would shrink. We are willing,
with God's will, to spend and be spent in this work. We
are Protestants from rational conviction—Protestants upon
principle—operatives by occupation. We find the consola-
tions of the Gospel our support in affliction, our solace in ad-
versity, the soother of our cares, the sweetener of our daily
toils, the soft quieter of our anxieties and fears ; and we know
that they will be our comfort and support in death. We
cheerfully earn our bread by the sweat of our brow, cheered
in our daily work by the abundant love of our compassionate
God and Saviour ; and while we learn from our pure and un-
defiled religion the duty and the privilege of labouring for our
sustenance, and are taught that the Christian operative is as
acceptable to God as the Christian monarch or the pious no-
bleman, our principles lead us to be operative and energetic
in defence of our religion. We have formed ourselves into
a society for mutual edification, to receive, at monthly meet-
ings, information on these vital matters, and to arm ourselves
with arguments and facts with which to relate the falsehoods
of the enemies of our God and of His truth. We call upon
you to do the same. We warn you, brother operatives, that
Popery unresisted will soon be Popery rampant. She cannot
be—she will never be, content with anything short of undi-
vided power over every man's body, soul, or spirit. Our
enemy is formidable—our danger is imminent--but the
strength in which we stand, the weapons with which we war,are
mighty, spiritual, and never yet failed the man who trusted in
them. We stand in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is omnipotent. We take the Bible for our weapon, which we
know to be eternal truth, the word of the living God, "sharper
than a two-edged sword," against which no form of error,
however subtle, no anti-Christian power, however formidable,
ever yet prevailed.
Committing you to God, who is able to make all grace
abound towards you, and to render you fruitful in every good
word and work ; humbly praying that the words we address
to you in much feebleness, but with equal earnestness and
strong affection, may be blessed by the life-giving energy of
the Holy Ghost, and so redound to the glory of God and the
spiritual benefit of our fellow-men,
We remain, Brother Operatives, your affectionate brethren
in Christ.
Signed, for the members of the Finsbury Operative
Association,
EDWARD DARRAII, Treasurer and Secretary.