The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-04 00:00:00

THE STORMING OF ACRE

' The following graphic and spirited sketch is given by the
Devonport Gazette, from the letter of an officer of her Ma-
jesty's steam-frigate Gorgon :
" On the last day of September we were despatched from
Beyrout, with three steamers under our command, to bom-
bard this devoted place for three days before the general at-
tack was made, which we commenced on the Ist of October,
by standing in within range, and firing shells as hard as we
could pelt, and they returning two for one. They fell around
us like hail, but, strange to say, not a shot struck us ; our
bombardment was not very successful, as more than half the
shells burst before they reached the shore, owing to the fuses
being badly bored ; all the shells from the steamers failed
alike, a circumstance not very creditable to those who made
them, and sadly disappointing to us. It is not likely they
were ever tried at such a distance before, 4,000 yards. At
half-past four o'clock, (how shall I describe this,) as if by
one consent, all firing ceased, and oh, Heavens ! what a sight !
The whole town appeared as if it was in the air ; so awfully
grand a sight no one can describe. We saw nothing but one
devilish cloud extending thousands of yards into the air and
on all sides, and then we felt an awful shock which gave the
line of battle ships a heel of two degrees, so that you may
judge, from the moment of the explosion, all firing from the
town ceased. The Turkish admiral,' Walker Bey, was
boarded at one o'clock in the morning by an Egyptian colo-
nel, who informed him that they were evacuating the town
as fast as possible. Walker Bey immediately landed with 300
men, and took possession of the town, making 3000 prisoners.
Thus fell this tremendous fortress, which has not been over-
rated by report, for I really think it is the strongest place
(next to Gibraltar) in the world, and I think we should never
have taken it but for the explosion, which was caused by one
of our shells bursting in their main magazine of powder, by
which, to speak within bounds, 2000 souls were blown to
atoms, besides beasts of burden of every description. In all,
the loss of the Egyptians is computed at 3000 killed and
wounded. At daylight what a sight was exposed to our view
The stupendous fortification, that only twelve hours before
could boast of being among the strongest in the world, was so
riddled, we could not find a square foot that had not a shot.
On the morning of the 4th I went ashore to witness the
devastation ; the sight beggared all description. The bastions
were strewed with dead, the guns dismounted, and all sorts
of havoc. I then came to the spot where the explosion took
place ; it has laid a space of two acres quite bare, and hollowed
it out as if a quarry had been worked there for years. And,
oh heavens, what a sight ! It makes my blood run cold to
write of it. Mangled human bodies of both sexes, strewed
in all directions, women searching for their husbands and
relatives, tearing their hair, beating their breasts, and howling
and crying most piteously ; God forbid 1 should ever see the
like again."

MEHEMET ALI AND THE ENGLISH

(From the Salisbury and Wiltshire Herald.)

Of the character and of the friendly disposition of Mehe-
met Ali towards the people of England we never had a doubt ;
but, for the benefit of the sceptical on these points, we have
now great pleasure in giving publicity to some interesting
passages from the communication of a much-valued corre-
spondent, whose connection with the Oriental Steam Packet
Company of Liverpool opens to him authentic sources of very
important information :

" Captain Engledue, of the Great Liverpool, has just now
communicated to me some very interesting details of his con-
versations with the Pacha. You are of course aware that
Engledue went in gallantly with his ship and passengers from
Malta, after Sir J. Lewis had taken out the mails, and that,
in implicit reliance upon Mehemet Ali's promise, he an-
chored in the very jaws of his batteries. He tells me that
`the old man is a regular trump;' and infinitely beyond
alike the red-tapery of the whig-radical officials of England
and the stock-Jobbing gasconaders of France. ' Tell your
countrymen,' said the undaunted veteran, that I know it
is not the people of England who are fighting against
me, but my only two enemies, Lords Palmerston and
Ponsonby, wha, after giving their assent to my con-
quest and possession of Syria, now turn round and
take it from me.' Boghos Bey, his prime minister,
told Capt. Engledue that the Pacha bad been deceived
by the French, and that he meant to have nothing further to
do with them, but should loot. to the people of England,
whom he esteemed, and for whose alliance he was anxious.
The old man, Mehemet, had, through his glass, watched
Engledue's approach, and admired his faith, courage, and
confidence in his promises for the safety of all English mails
and passengers, which Engledue relied upon, though none
of the whigs would. At parting, he requested Capt. Engle-
due to bring him out some English salmon, and some apple-
trees, on his next voyage, which, of course, will be gladly
done. Rather inconsistent though, some may say, to be
bombarding his towns at the same time that we are sending
him presents of salmon and apple-trees ! But the circum-
stance marks the imperturbable spirit of the veteran chief,
who can give a thought to such things when his empire and
his very existence seem in jeopardy. The Pacha most kindly
offered the Oriental Steam Company the use of his arsenal
at all times, for stores, or such repairs as their vessels may
require."

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday morning, as the
mail train from London was approaching Leeds, an accident
occurred which was productive of very considerable damage
to the carriages forming
humanthe train, but which most providen-
tially did no injury tolifehe junctioniior l limb. b
of. t
hI
et seems
York thateud
when the train approachewdittiet
glwiaieyar to Normanset
rutllii,
uMidland u ltihnee , o
which
hh
ilVtlwidelsanrduultniani
the points of
im-
perfection of one of the self-actin
consequence
was junction had not been duly adjustegd, vtalvdeist,
was that, although the engine and tender took
g not
togku thefer
line of road, the whole of the carriages .
route of the projecting line. Of coarse they (Kil
in that direction ; carriage after carriage wasy pulledl off the
line by the force of the engine which still continueduv its
course, and as each carriage was pulled off it wasduneertutrned,
and greatly damaged. Great injury was also
rails, which were torn from the stone foundations and broken.
Some Some half dozen carriages were overturned, andsttahteepdassen-
gers were thrown out, but, as we have already none
of them were injured. We understand that the engine pro-
ceeded two or three hundred yards before it was brought to
a stand. The damage is estimated to amount to liarly
£lOOO. The mail bags for Leeds were sent forward by, the
engine and tender, and the passengers were forwarded by a
train which came up shortly afterwards.—Leeds Intelligoica..

" Mr. Watts and his Chairman having, on the part of the
Socialist body, thus withdrawn from the debate, the-Rev.
Chancellor Raikes, the Moderator on this occasion, declared
that under those circumstances, Mr.Brindley was entitled to
occupy the remainder .of that, and the whole of the following
evening, to substantiate his charges. _ .

" At the close of the proceedings, the following resolution
was moved by the Rev. Charles B. Tayler, and seconded by
Wm. Wardell, Esq., Mayor, and passed unanimously :
" That it is the opinion of the people of Chester, that
Socialism, having had a fair opportunity of defence, has
proved itself to be a most absurb, blasphemous, and demo-
ralizing system ; and that it behoves every right-minded man
and woman to use all fair and Christian means to uproot that
which has been shown to be so fraught with mischief to man-
kind for time and for eternity.' "

The Lord Bishop of the Ijiocese took the chair.
His Lordship, on rising, spoke,to the following effect :
Mr. Brindley, I am deputed by my fellow-citizens to be the
medium of conveying to you their thanks for the benefit which
you have been the means of conferring upon themselves and
upon the community at large ; and if I feel any hesitation in
taking upon myself this task, it arises from one cause, and
one cause only. It is a question, indeed, to my mind, whether
I ought to be the person who should enjoy this high gratifi-
cation ; and when the honour was first proposed to me, I
could not but think that the privilege more properly belonged
to one who is now present, and under whose auspices the
victory was achieved which we have now assembled to com-
memorate. I may indeed appear like one who has kept
asunder while the battle was being fought, but who has now
come in for the greater share of the spoil. Circumstances
have occurred which prevented my attendance at any of your
former meetings, and it was but right, therefore, that he who
has occupied my present position, on so many previous occa-
sions, should have been the crowner of the conqueror : but,
having been solicited by him to present the memorial, I felt
that I could not refuse the pleasing task. (Cheers.) I have
often, sir, deeply lamented that it is a matter of so much
difficulty in making the evidences of our holy faith' plain to
those who have not the leisure deliberately to examine its
proofs. I have often felt it to be deeply lamented, that a very
considerable acquaintance with the historic details of former
ages, is indispensable in those who wish to know the solid
base on which their religion is founded. But, sir, by the very
clear and comprehensive manner in which you.have executed
this work in your lectures, you have conferred an important
benefit upon the community, on the one hand, and have dis-
comfited the enemies of our religion on the other. (Hear,
hear.) And certainly I am not wrong in calling those enemies
of our religion, who though they sometimes recognise the
Scriptures, do so only in order to give permanence to the
falsehood which by the misapplication of its injunctions they
wish to establish. And if such persons are enemies to re-
ligion, I unhesitatingly declare they are enemies to mankind—
for what is human life without the light of revelation shining
upon it. We know how little there is even in riches and
honours to give anything like lasting happiness ;—even in
those distinctions which are so much desired—and desired
only because they have not been possessed, there is little that
can yield the possessor true happiness. But if we look to the
labouring classes—to those who are most exposed to the de-
lusions of infidelity—what, I ask, is human life then without
religion—religion, which alone can throw a gleam of light
over the very darkest path. After having laboured many—
many years, without having been able to earn hardly a scanty
pittance, is there any gratification in thinking that that pit-
tance is to be my all for ever. Ah, no ! when the light of
the gospel breaks in upon the soul such are not the views it
cherishes. Then, I am no longer here to enjoy my all. I
am then only a pilgrim upon the road, and must bear such
treatment only until I reach the journey's end. Then our
labour, however severe—our industry, however ill repaid, is
cheered by the reflection that it is appointed by God, and that
in the performance of our duties, we are only fulfilling our
Master's will. (Hear, hear.) The blessings which the gospel
communicates are an invaluable treasure, and the man who
deprives us of them makes us poor indeed. He who stands
in the way between mankind and this worst of robbers, is the
person to whom we ought to look up with the deepest grati-
tude ; and it is because the inhabitants of Chester feel assured
that you have acted this noble part—that you have been the
successful champion in this- holy cause, that they have com-
missioned me to present you with this testimonial of their
feelings. And I am happy to say, that no less than two
thousand two hundred persons have thus recorded their sense
of your services, and their acknowledgments for the benefits
which you have conferred upon them. (Cheers.) But the
inhabitants of Chester are likewise aware, that in the per-
formance of the labours to which you have been called, you
have had to forego the emoluments and advantage of a pro-
fession in which your talents ensured success—you have had
to forego those comforts and sympathies of domestic life
which every man must highly value—and they have therefore
deputed me to convey to you this additional tribute of their
feelings (a purse containing 75 sovereigns ;) and this gift is to
my mind only the corroboration of a truth of which I have
long been assured—that those who give their services to the
cause of God, will never be the losers by such a sacrifice.
(Cheers.) We read in historic annals of a king who was
accustomed to say to his minister, " You take care of my
affairs, provide for my interests, and it shall be my business
to secureyours ;" and I do believe, sir, (said his lordship,)
that the King of Heaven will never allow you to be a loser,
in having given up your secular engagements in defence of his
honour and his truth. You have renounced those engage-
ments and interests in order that you may hunt out and
pursue the enemies of God, and, while doing so, you have
that gracious promise to rest upon which declares, that those
who give up houses and lands, and wife and children, for my
name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold even in this world,
and in the world to come life everlasting. (Loud applause.)
Mr. Brindley, in a long and eloquent reply, which occupied
nearly two hours in its delivery, accepted the testimonial, and
expressed the gratification he felt on receiving such a signal
mark of their approval. lie then gave an outline of the
circumstances which first induced him to take up the advocacy
of Christianity against Socialism—recounted the many victo-
ries which he had gained over his opponents—and professed
his determination to continue his- holy enterprise as long as
God gave him health and ability to pursue it.
The meeting was subsequently addressed by the Rev.
Chancellor Raikes, Rev. F. Parry, Rev. S. Luke, and the
Right Worshipful the Mayor ; and a vote of thanks having
been presented to the Lord Bishop for his services in the
chair, the meeting separated about ten o'clock.

TUESDAY EVENING.—The Funds have been on the im-
proving order to-day. Consols left off for money at 901 to
'/, and for account at 91. Bank Stock 1581 to 94. India
Stock 241 to 2. Exchequer Bills 3s to 5s premium.
London and Birmingham Railways were 77 to 9, Great
Western 23 to 4 premium. South Western 531 to 44 per
share. North Midland Old Shares 26 to 24, the New 3to
1, Brighton 91 to 1, Blackwall 31 to 4 discount.
There was scarcely any alteration in the exchanges to-day.
The rates negotiated were, on Paris 25.55 to 574 ; on 11am-
burgh 13.71 to 8; on Frankfort 149 to a; on Amsterdam
12.21 to 3; on Rotterdam 12.3 ; on Antwerp 12.2 to 4, all
at three months.
WEDNESDAY EVENING.—The funds remain rather heavy
and a shade worse in prices. Consols, which shut to-day
for making up the books preparatory to the payment of divi-
dends, and for which, therefore, as no transfers can be effected,
there is no money price, left off at 901 to 1 for the January
opening. Bank Stock was 1584 to 94. India Stock 2414 to
24. Exchequer Bills 2s to 4s premium. The New Three-
and-a-Half per Cents shut to-morrow, to make up the books
for the dividends. _ _

This has been a flat day in foreign securities, with rather
a tendency to decline in peninsular matters. Spanish Active
with the Coupons were 23/ to 4. Portuguese Two-and-a
Half per Cents (fraudulently pretended to be Fives) were 34.4
to the One-and-a-Half per Cents (falsely called Threes)
22 to 4. Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents were firm at 52 to
4, the Five per Cents 99 to /. Belgian 971 to 84. Brazilian
72 to 3. Mexican 294 to 304. Colombian 26 to 4.
London and Birmingham Railways were 77 to 9. Great
Western 21 to 2, the half shares 81 to 9 premium. South
Westerr, 53 to 4 per share. Gosport 3/ to 4/ premium.
North Midland old shares 27 to 5, the new 4 to 2, South-
eastern and Dover 16 to 15/, Eastern Counties 14/ to 131,
Blackwall 4 to 34, Brighton 10/ to 10 discount.