The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-07-22 00:00:00

THE EDITOR OF THE STANDARD.

" Westbrook, July 19,

" Sir,—As I presided at the meeting in Exeter hall, at which
the letter from Pope Gregory XVI. to the Archbishops and
Bishops of Ireland was quoted, I feel mys2lf called upon to ex-
press my sentiments upon the subject. I cannot say how deeply
I deplore the publication of the letter in question. In the pre-
face is contained a sustained fraud. It riimmences by saying
that `the translator of the following curious document is, un-
fortunately, not at liberty to explain the manner in which it
carne into his hands; were he* able to do so, the doubts which
may now, perhaps, be expressed as to its authenticity, could not
have been raised; he must, therefore, trust to the sagacity of
the reader to discern in it those marks of genuineness which no
fictitious doiminent has.eier been found to pessess.' Page 7 con
tains a libellous charge against the Pope, as giving to the Irish
Roman Catholic Archbishops and Bishops an express permis-
sion to disguise tl,eir real sentiments, and to act in all such mat-
ters according to the necessity of the times.' My touch valued
friend, the Rev. R. M`Ghee must have overlooked these pas-
sages, and their only intelligible import, when he expressed
himself so mildly respecting the document, and recommended
it to the perusal of protestants, instead instantly denouncing
it as libellous and unchristian. In then ame of the sacred cause
in which we are engaged, I would reprobate such `pious frauds.'
Let us borrow no weapons of defence from Satan's armoury.
The evidences adduced by Mr. M`Ghee during the first three
hours of his speech were irrefragable; the letter unwittingly re-
ferred to by hint, subsequently, I can only designate as an im-
pudent forgery.—l have the honour to be, your most obedient
and humble servant, " G. FINCH."

This is strong reproof, but it is just. We are the
more willing to subscribe to Mr. Finch's condemnation
of the forgery, because we see that the report of the Ex-
eter-hall meeting has found its way into the Dublin
papers, unaccompanied by any explanation on the part
of the author of the fabricated letter. That gentleman
is under a grievous delusion if he thinks that a very full
explanation is not due from him.
As to Mr. MGhee, the worst that can be said of him
is, that he has been the dupe of an imposition, aided,
perhaps, by his own zeal, and the influence of a surprise.

It is not expected that parliament will be prorogued before
the 11th or 12th of August.
A client once burst into a flood of tears, after he had heard
the statement of his case by counsel, exclaiming, " My lord,
my lord, I did not think I suffered half so much till I heard it
here this day."
THE SUBLIME AND THE RIDICULOUS.—My lodgings on both
occasions of my residence here was in the vicinity of the cathe-
dral. In the night of my first arrival in Antwerp I was amused
and surprised to hear the chimes of the cathedral play " Buy a
broom." Thought I to myself, Bonaparte was right; " there
is but one step from the sublime and ridiculous." The tower of
the cathedral of Antwerp, the noblest structure of its kind in
Europe—the church in itself the shrine of unpurchaseable, be-
cause unparalleledftreasures of art, the wonders of Rubens's
wonderful pencil, the admiration of the world—and—" Buy a
broom." I slept the better for laughter at the ridiculous asso-
ciation of ideas conjured up by this circurnstance.—A Saunter
in Belgium.
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT IN SWITZERLAND.—BERNE, July 6.
—The passage-boat from Thune to that town was lost this day
in going through the dangerous pass of the Guttegenphue.
Having by an accident unshipped her rudder, she became un-
manageable, and was carried by the current on to the rocks
with such force that she was dashed to pieces. All the passen-
gers who were good swimmers succeeded in reaching the shore,
but the rest, to the amount of fifteen, were drowned.
DANGEROUS BALLOON EXCURSION OF A LADY. The
Odessa Journal of the 17th of June contains the following :
" On the 12th of this month a young lady of Prack made an
aerostatic ascension. The balloon was made of paper, and,
having arrived at a great height, burst. The intrepid aeronaut
fell with frightful rapidity, but, by extraordinary good luck, was
picked up not only alive tut without having received any serious
wound."
HOUSE OF COMMONS.—ABOLITION OF FEES.—The following
written notice is affixed to the wall at the top of the staircase
leading from the members' waiting room to the lobby of the
House of Commons :—"The doorkeepers, messengers, and all
other officers of the Sergeant-at-Arms' department, are pro-
hibited from receiving any fee or gratuity whatever." And
over the entrance to the strangers' gallery there is also a written
notice posted up as follows :—" Admittance by a Member's
order only."
INGRATITUDE OF THE LADIES.—We find on examination
that the book which has been some time opened at Mr. G.
Berkeley's bankers, to receive subscriptions for a piece of plate
for the hon. gentleman, contains a most scanty list of names,
totally insufficient for the most trifling tribute. So we con-
clude our fashionable contemporaries:were right in predicting
it would end in an Almack jest.—Herald.
Canova, when he was asked, ,during his visit to England
what struck him most forcibly ? is said to have replied, that the
trumpery Chinese bridge, then in St. James's-park, should be
the work of the Government, whilst that of Waterloo was the
work of a private company.—Quarterly Review.
INTELLIGENT JURY,—The foreman of the petty jury, at the
county sessions, on Monday, assigned as his reason for finding
Woor guilty, "that as the grand jury had found him guilty,
what could they (the petty jury) do but find him guilty too !"
Nottingham Mercury. .
GOOSEBERRY Foor..—Last week a person purchased some
gooseberries from a green-grocer in the Pavement, on the fol-
lowing novel terms. He bargained to have four for the first
halfpenny, eight for the second, sixteen for the third, and so on
doubling for each halfpenny to the amount of sixpence. He,
therefore, had 16,380 gooseberries for his sixpence. We think
our readers will be of opinion with us that the green-grocer who
made this bargain must have been green indeed, and well entitled
to be called a gooseb,rry fool —nrkshireman.
THE LATE YORK FESTIVAL—It appears 'by the treasurer's
account, that the gross sum received during the festival at York
last year was £16,662 3s which, after payment of all expenses,
leaves a balance of £1.783 6s. 9d. towards the restoration of the
cathedral, and a like sum to be divided amongst the four infir-
maries of Sheffield, Leeds, York, and Hull; the moiety paid
into the hands of the treasurer of each institution, including a
small balance due from former festivals, being £450. It appears
from the items, that the money received for the morning per-
formances was £10,704 14s. ; and in the expenditure the prin-
cipal items were: vocal performers, £1,85110s ; instrumental
performers, £4,455 15s. al.; tuning of the Minister organ,
£B7 ' • use of timber and carpenters' work, El 650 Is. 6d.; the
total payments on the occasion having been £13,072 3s.
RATING OF TITHES.—MOST IMPORTANT TO THE CLERGY
—The clergy are strongly recommended to be alive to a bil
which has passed the Commons. It is Mr. Poulett Scrope's
bill on rating property to the poor's rate. There is no space to
explain the full evil ; but in short, it will set aside the old law
of the country respecting the rating of tithes, which was so
clearly laid down in the case of Rex v. Jodrell. The old law
was, in fact, that all persons should be rated fairly according
to their ability. If land is rated at its full rent, but no notice
taken of the farmer's profit, and tithes are rated at their full
amount, the land and tithes are not rated alike. Now, the
effect of Mr. Scrope's bill is to make this be done, and by a
side wind. The consequence will be, that, in addition to the
robbery effected in the tithe bill, the tithe owners will be
robbed to the extent of perhaps £20,000 a-year more. Time
lawyers on Mr. Scrope's side affect to say that the law, as laid
down in the case of Rex v. Jodrell, was overturned in the case
of Rex v. Adams. But this is not so ; nay, the law, as laid
down in Mr. Jodrell's case, is confirmed by this new case.—
British Magazine.
DISTRESSING ACCIDENT.—On Sunday last a distressing and
fatal accident occured opposite to the yard of Honey and Ar-
cher, the boat-builders, at Lambeth, on the river Thames, to the
Lady Emma, one of the yachts belonging to the Royal Thames
Yacht Club, which was to have sailed for the silver cup on
Monday. A sudden gust of wind arising, the boat was capsized,
and the whole of the party of six who were on board were pre-
cipitated into the river. one gentleman having just been pre-
viously landed. They consisted of Bucknell, of Crutched-friars,
the proprietor of the [mat, his brother and nephew ; John Judge,
an officer in the Thames police Mr. Honey. the husband of
Mrs. Honey, the actress; and Charles Maitin, a waterman,
who had charge of the boat ; the only boat near the spot was
that of Richard Tisdell, a waterman of Strand-lane-stairs,
having a fare of three gentlemen on board, whom he was con-
veying to Battersea, and who seeing the accident immediately
rowed to their assistance. John Jud're swam to the boat and
was taken on board; and Tisdell at great risk seized Mr.
Bucknell, the proprietor, by the collar, and afterwards his
brother by the hair of the head, all of whom he succeeded in
rescuing. The other three were drowned. Martin was a good
swimmer, but it is supposed got his feet entangled in the rigging,
which prevented him making his escape, whilst Mr. Honey and
the nephew of Mr. Bucknell immediately sank. The three
bodies were picked up within two hours afterwards by means
of drags, which were immediately procured; but, of course, life
was extinct. A. sister of the last gentleman was standing on
Vauxhall-bridge to witness the progress of the boat; her feelings
,were of the most harrowing description, and considerable
sensation was excited along the shore. Great praise is due to
Tisdell, the waterman, to whose exertions solely the preservation
Of the three lives are owing, and who has, on different occasions,
distinguished himself by his humane and intrepid exertions in
similar situations.

EXTRAORDINARY OUTRAGE-1N OPEN COURT.—At York as-
sizes, yesterday -week, during the examination of a witness on a
criminal prosecution, a large cat in a very infuriated state, rush-
ed from the body of the court upon the counsel table—it next
jumped on the bench, and after attempting to pay a visit to the
jury, it made a rapid descent on the head of one of the learned
counsel, inflicting a scratch upon his forehead with his claws.
This outrage was the signal for a general movement among the
"profession." The feline intruder, regardless of all dignity and
decorum, dashed anew among the briefs upon the table—from
thence it made its way into the crier's box, m l alanvst instantly
quitted the court. It was some minutes before the business was
resumed, the learned judge and every one in court being almost
convulsed with laughter.