The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-11-06 00:00:00

GENERAL TRADE REPORT.

Monday Night.
No sooner does one political difficulty get solved on the
Continent than another comes to disturb that confidence
which is so essential to manufacturing and commercial
pursuits. The peremptory dismissal of the French minis-
try by the President is the latest announcement ; and
with respect to this, it is generally admitted that Louis
Napoleon has sheen great courage, but only done that
which any other person similarly situated ought to have
done ; and it is to be hoped that having unmasked his
pretended friends, he and the new ministry may be ena-
bled to carry on the government with spirit and honesty.
The Share market looks better to-night, and closes
very firm, with a tendency upwards. We give the
quotations to-day :
Aberdeen, 14; Birkenhead .e22-shares, sad; Clydesdale
Junction, 59; Leeds, 61 ; Do. halves, 193: d; Do. fifths, 6 6/3 d;
Do. ."10 pref., 12 6/3; Thirsk extensions, 2 d; London
stock, cll4 14* 14 a cl 5; Do. new quarters, 2 c 96/ 16/3 p;
South-Western, 303-; Midland, 48; 1)o. halves, 21 d; North
British 10/; North Staffords, 9* d; South Statfords, 3if d;
Scottish Central, 17 ; Newcastle extensions, 83 d; N. Midland
pref., 3a d; Union Bank, 11, d; Steam Tug Co., 7a.
Our markets are generally firm, but there is little to
report since the brokers' circular of Friday. Sugar,
Coffee, and Molasses continue in fair demand. 5000 begs
of Bengal Rica have been taken at Os. for goad broken to
10s. 91 for good white. Rum is also a shade dearer.
In Tea there is little stirring.
. _

Letters received this morning from all parts of the
United Kingdom report still lower prices for most arti-
cles of the Corn trade, with the single exception that at
Newcastle-upon-Tyne farmers' Wheat was sold at an
advance of is. peg quarter, and Flour was held
with somewhat more firmness, which may be mainly
attributed to the comparatively small supply of country
'Wheat brought to market, and, considering the near
approach of the half-yearly rent-day, this can only be
accounted for by the unwillingness on the part of the
farmers to realise at the present low rates. In Ireland
the positive decline in value is principally confined to
Indian Corn, which in Cork is 2s. 6d. to ss. per ton lower;
but in other articles, although the markets do not display
so much weakness as in England, a very cautious business
only.is transacted.
The dulness which pervaded the Corn trade in Bruns-
wick-street on Friday, has since continued ; prices,
although not lower, evince a tendency to participate in
the general decline mentioned above. Indian Corn, in
consequence of the depreciation in value which has taken
place in the Irish markets, has been offered here again on
rather lower terms, which, however, led to no actual
sales.

The sales of Cotton for the week are 41,900 bales, of
which the trade have taken 19,000 only. Prices have
ruled irregularly, and are generally an eighth per lb.
lower. The stock of American cotton is reduced to
273,500 bales, against 344,000 bales last year; and to
56,000 bales of Surat, against 74,000. The other descrip-
tions are in small packages. With this reduced stock,
and nearly a total absence of supply till the close of the
year, the stock must unavoidably become much reduced,
and future prices will be governed by the nature of advice
of the growing crop, and the ability of holders to keep
their stock off the market. On Saturday the sales were
8,000 bales. and to-day 6,000, (including 2,000 on specu-
lation and for export,) at steady prices. Of to-day's sale
1,000 were Surats, 700 Brazils, and the rest consisted
mainly of Americans, at 51d. et) 61d. per lb. The Cale-
donia is off the port, and will be up at midnight : it is not
expected she will bring any accounts of moment, though
those by the following steamer are looked forward to with
considerable interest.

Irish Butter is about 2s. per cwt. cheaper, with little
doing.

Our market for Scotch Pig Iron is rather inanimate.
Mixed numbers may be quoted at 425. 6d. f. o. b. at
Glasgow, and 475. 6d. to 48s. at Runcorn. Bar Irou
£5 ss. f. o. b. here.

By circulars of brokers in London and Liverpool, it
appears that the price of Tobacco has risen within the
last few days, and that there is every probability of its
continuing, in consequence of the comparatively small
quantity in hand.
At Liverpool the market has been very animated during
the past month, and the sales amount to the very extra-
ordinary number of 4385 hhds., which is stated to be the
largest on record.

The Wool market remains in the same steady state as
quoted in our last week's report. We have had a fair
importation of Mediterranean wools. Importation for the
week ending sth November, 1849 :—Foreign, 1,199 ; Irish,
53 ; Scotch, 304 ; English, 4 ; Total 1,560 bales.
The arrivals from British America, since our monthly
report, consist of one vessel, GOO tons. St. John Pine
ranges in price from 17d to 18(1 per foot, being a slight
decline. One cargo (very inferior and low average) sold
at 14d. Quebec Pine is firm in price, but at the low
quotations. Deals.: Spruce sell at £7 to £7 10s, and
yellow Pine at £9 lOs to £lO 10s. Messrs. Holme,
Slater, and Crook's Circular.

Yesterday afternoon, a boat, with four persons on board,
was upset during the squall, at the Cobourg Dock, and
two of the party were drowned.

On Sunday morning a female named Catherine Morri-
son, aged 68, was found dead in bed. She had been com-
plaining for several days.
The dwelling-house of Mrs. Clegg, at Oxton, was robbed
on Sunday night, during her absence, by the domestic
left in charge, who decamped with thirty shillings, foUr
£5 notes, and some plate,
On Sunday, Mr. George Matthews, a commercial tra-
veller, whilst stepping on board the steamer at Woodside,
fell into the water, but in the fall was so severely crushed
between the vessel and the slip that he lies in a dangerous
condition, having crushed his ribs and injured his lungs.
ROYAL Am CHITIIEATRE .-The performances this week
have been of the usual diversified character and ability.
O❑ Friday Mr. Shuttleworth, the active and polite box-
bookkeeper, took his benefit, and gave an excellent even-
ing's bill. The performances of the two Viennaisis Dan-
senses were especially admired.

TxEATRE.RoYAL.—Last evening Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Kean commenced a short engagement at this theatre, on
which occasion the play of " The Wife's Secret" was ad-
mirably put on the stage, and supported by a powerful
cast. The house, considering the inclement night, was a
good one ; anti the piece went off most satisfactorily. The
Amyott of Mr. Kean, and the Lady Eveline o. Mrs.
Kean were splendid pieces of acting. The Page was
excellently played by Mrs. J. Newton, and Jabez Sneed
was well played by our old favourite, Mr. James Browne.

SCRIPTURAL EDUCATION.—On Sunday evening last an
eloquent and instructive sermon was preached in St. Mi-
chael's Church, Pitt-street, in behalf of the South Church.
of Er.gland Schools, by the Rev. Dr. M'Neile, to a
densely crowded congregation. The rev. preacher se-
lected as his subject one of the typical institutions of the
law, and drew forth from it, with his usual perspicuity,
the great truths of the Gospel. Some remarks with which
he prefaced his sermon, on the imperfect character of
mere secular knowledge, were exceedingly valuable and
well timed ; and equally so were his observations at the
close of the sermon on the great Christian duty of liber-
ality in the cause of Christ. Between £3O and £4O were
collected after the sermon.

POST-OFFICE SABBATH DESECRATION STOPPED.—We
rejoice to be able to state that there is good reason for our
belief that Mr. Rowland Hill's scheme for the desecration
of the Sabbath at the Post-office has proved suicidal—
that, ere many days shall have elapsed, it will cease to
exist, save in the memory of the masses of individuals
whose earnestness, zeal, and fidelity to the claims of our
religion have contributed to the downfall of this daring
plan. We can inform our readers that on Saturday even-
ing the superintending president of the Inland Office
announced that yesterday (Sunday) should be the last
Sabbath on which he would perform the duties recently
imposed upon him. The result, there is every reason to
expect, will- be—a complete abandonment of the whole'
scheme in the course of a few days ; but, whilst even the
shadow of a doubt of success remains, no effort to pror
cure a triumphant issue should be left untried.—Morning
Herald of yesterday. [Many of the ria9st efficient clerks,
&0., have also resigned their offices.]
MR. RYALLS, THE VOCALIST.— Of this gentleman
we will be allowed to say, that he requires not the pres-
tige of his British celebrity to cause him to be received
favourably—we may add enthusiastically—by an Irish
auditory. Glowing, yet refined, his notes fall upon the
senses with a freshness that never wearies. His judg-
ment and style of singing happily unite to do justice to
the natural gifts he possesses, and no vocalist knows
more successfully to employ or add those lights and
shades to the theme lie illustrates, and which so fully
evidence the resources of a highly cultivated and con-
summate artiste than does this gifted gentleman. "In
this old Chair," which he gave with his usual precision
and beauty on Thursday night, he was rapturously greeted,
and in the beautiful ballad of Shield, " The Thorn," ho
was repeatedly interrupted by bursts of applause, as also
in the " Irish Emigrant," which he gave in reply to an
enthusiastic encore. In the other pieces, in which he
took so leading a part, his auditors were carried away by
the admiration which his powers called forth.—Water-
lord Mail.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.—On TUCSday. morning a
distinguished member of the medical professpn, in Lon-
don, was found dead in bed. with a bible. lying near his
right arm. Mr. Morton was in the halm!
.of getting up
fortnight
A
rtnignn beforeigtnuest was
ho
helddvee ar yt huepl
upon
nj
taly idine s
body,
rohadenygm,
euow, rhaneyinns gta Fora
and sayings.
he 7a s
revealed that the
deceased gentleman had killed himself by swallowing
prussic acid. Two letters were found on a slab in the
hall after his death. One of them was addressed to his
wife, and ran :—" My dear Maly Ann,—Employ the
lawyer to execute my will. You and Annie can do it.
If you will take advice, I am sure Mr. Pringle will advise
you. You will find £lOO in my drawer, in the vol. of
' Bell's Surgery,' page 472, also nearly £450 at Hoare's
bank. Pay my debts, which are small. Let my pictures
and prints be sold is the spring by Christie and Manson.
May God bless you and Missey, and preserve you from
harm or trouble,—Your ever affectionate husband
T ,
HOMAS MORTON." The other letter was resignation of
his situation at the hospital. Some very curious memo-
randa were found in the pockets of the deceased :
" Last year I was spending at the rate of £5OO a year,
which was absurd. I might have kept a brougham, or
furnished the drawing-room, or bought £2OO stock, which
would have been best. Extreme and constant economy,
spending not one shilling I can avoid. Pay off my debts.
Always be engaged in some useful and honourable work.
Always be a gentleman, honest, truth-telling, and affec-
tionate to my family. Rule.—Pray morning, noon, and
night ; be strong against the temptation. Every one gets
on best on water. The strength and cheerfulness of
strong drinks induce great exhaustion next day. Remem-
ber Mr. Cooper, Brodie, Quain, Sir J. Fife, Dr. Head.
lam, acrd Valpcau all take very little."—The juryth
returned ave. diet to the effect that the deeeasedcernmittea
suicide by taking prussic twit', while in an lemoulact,A)
01 mind.

..~.e.:

Etteraturt.

NOTICES.

Freemasonry: A Sermon, preached by the Rev. J. Tay-
lor, A.M., V.W.P.C. of the Province of Cheshire;
before the R.W.P.G. the Lord Viscount Cornbermere
and the Grand Lodge, held at Chester, in September
last. Birkenhead, J. Griffith ; and Walmsley, Liver-
pool.

This sermon may be considered a defence, not only of
Freemasonry, but of all secret societies which are bound
together by signs and pass words, provided their objects
are within the pale of the law and constitution of the land.
It was delivered at Chester, before a large body of free-
masons attending the P.G.L., and a numerous and highly
respectable congregation, by whom it was listened to with
marked attention, and on whom it appeared to produce
considerable effect. The whole sermon is deserving of
serious consideration, not only on account of its intrinsic
value as

a literary production, but from the feeling of
scriptural charity and piety which pervades it. We have
not available space for more than the following extract :

"Is there, then, any one here who objects to this association
on the score of its mystery and secrecy? There may possibly
be many such ; and for their sake, as well as for that of the
lembers themselves, I will give you a short explanation of the
There can be no doubt then, that all secret orders (anil

matter,
esDecia

masons, who are the root from whence all
~,,ng) owed their origin, in the first instance, to
the praiseworthy effort to promote the arts and sciences, and to
preserve and perpetuate the true religion. All these orders
were, without doubt, religious in their origin and in their aim.
They looked out upon the wide domain of nature, and consi-
dered it as one vast allegory, replete with truths of moral and
spiritual signific

truths,.at a period when written
language was scarce and inaccessible to the masses, they sought,
and wisely sought, to interpret through the medium of expres-
sive signs, symbols, and hieroglyphical characters. And the
principle upon which they proceeded was this, that the key for
deciphering these symbols should be given to none but the
worthy; in other words, that none but the worthy should be
admitted to s participation of their secrets, and they only by
degrees, and according to the proficiency that they had made in
the lower steps both in theoretical knowledge and in moral at-
taimnents. Hence no candidate for admission into these or-
ders could be received, except he was free by birth, of full age,
properly recommended, and duly qualified ; and even then he
had to pass through a severe ordeal, before even the least and
lowest of their secrets were imparted to him. After his first
initiation, and before he could be eligible to the higher degrees,
and consequently to the higher mysteries, he had on each oc-
casion to undergo a severe trial and examination, and to prove
to the satisfaction of the members his qualification, both of an
intellectual and moral nature. Thus these secret orders, whose
origin is lost in the recesses of a remote an iquity, but which
certainly existed many ages anterior to Christianity, were at
once schools, both of philosophy and of religion, the great and
enduring channel, by means of which, in dark and barbarous
ages, the knowledge of the fine arts and the truths of pure re-
ligion were kept alive, and handed down by a perpetual and
unbroken tradition. And had it not been for this very secrecy,
which in fact was adopted partly as a protection to these orders
themselves, and partly, perhaps, with a view to lure men on by
the prestige of their name and the powerfutmotive of curiosity,
from gross and ignorant ways to brighter and better baths—hut
for this secrecy, there is no doubt that the arts and sciences
would have greatly degenerated, if not have utterly perished
from the earth, and the truths of religion have been even more
obscured than they were."

Mangnall' s Historical and Miscellaneous Questions. By
W. Pinnock. London : Partridge and Oakey.
_ _

We have, of course, in our time seen no few very useful
publications for young persons, but we have never met
with one which contained such a mass of important in-
formation as the work before us. Besides a selection of
general biography, the contents include geography ;
history, ecclesiastical, ancient, and modern; the elements
of astronomy, &c., enriched with numerous maps and
illustrations. Every page teems with instruction, and a
series of questions being appended to each section, the
pupil, by means of this book, can become acquainted in a
familiar way with every necessary information in these
important branches of study, brought down to the present
day. A poor man desirous of obtaining an outline of
knowledge by an easy expenditure of time and money can
do so by means of this work.

POETRY.

AUTUMN.

(FROM POEMS BY THOS. J. OUSELEY.)
The flowers all are fading,
Their sweets are rifled now;
And night sends forth her shading,
Along the mountain brow;
The bee bath ceased its winging,
To flowers at early morn :
The birds have ceased their singing,
Sheaf'd is the golden corn :
The harvest now is gathered,
Protected from the clime ;
The leaves are seared and withered,
That late shone in their prime.
Thus when fourscore years are gone. o'er the frail life of man,
Time sits heavy on his throne, as near his brow we scan;
Like the Autumn leaf that falls, when winds the branches wave
Like night-shadows daylight palls, like all, he finds a grave.

COMMON SENSE VERSUS COMMON LAW.
A SCENE IN AN IRISH COURT OF LAW HALF A CENTURY

SINCE.

(From the Dublin University Magazine for Nov.)

" Before such masters of equity as Lord Redesdale or
Sir Edward Sugden, an ignorant practitioner was soon
weighed in the balance and found wanting. The stimulus
to exertion which an early marriage gave Mr. Bennett,
sent him speedily into the Court of Exciliequer. The
Chief Baron was a man of peculiar sagacity ; the in-
tricacies of the Irish character were instinctively familiar
to him. The strong common sense of Mr. Bennett soon
brought him into favourable notice in the court, and busi-
ness began to flow in upon him rapidly. At that time
proceedings of our courts did not, as now, become public
property, by the aid of reporters ; and, in the natural
course of things, liberties were taken, in the confidence of
a coroner, which could scarcely be allowed in the open
publicity of our present practice. The Chief Baron, in
the nook of the Exchequer Bench, with his droll, waggish
countenance, demolishing an argument with his wit, or
scouting subtlety with a sneer, the fraud of the litigious
tenant had no prospect of escape, and the claim of the
landlord as little chance of defeat. ' A nice way of pay-
ing rent with a special demurrer,' was the caustic pre-
face to the ominous words, 'We must overrule your
demurrer.'

" How we remember our enjoyment of a scene in court,
when a member of the bar, since honourably distinguished
in his career, determined on making the Chief Baron
listen to a ' learned' argument. A young fop had hired
a horse to ride from Dublin to the race-course, at Bel-
lewstown, (about eighteen miles,) he returned on the
same day, and from the length of the journey, and the
severity of the ride, the horse died. The owner demanded
the value of the horse, but the young gallant resisted : an
action of trover was brought, and the defence set up was
infancy. It was urged that this was virtually a case of
contract, and infancy a full defence. The jury, however,
under the direction of Baron Pennefather, found a verdict
for the plaintiff, and his lordship reserved for the con-
sideration of the Court of Exchequer the question of the
law. When the leading counsel, the present Judge
Perrin, stated the point, he was interrupted by the Chief
Baron, thus :
" Mr. Perrin, suppose the young man had shot the
horse, would you say he was not responsible ?'
" The acute mind of Judge Perrin at once perceived
that this question exposed the invalidity of the defence ;
and he relieved himself from the difficulty by saying,
That was not this case;' but that his learned friend who
was on the same side, was prepared to argue the question
on authority. The junior, with a pile of books, folio,
quarto, and octavo, looked ' unutterable things ;' the
Chief Baron leered jocosely at the `great guns' and
musketry, and the attack commenced.
" Counsel.—' My lords, I propose in this case to call
your attention to some authorities two hundred years old,
when judges understood the common law better than they
do now.'
" Chief Baron.—` May be so ; but we're better up to

horses now

" Some cases were cited and patiently heard ; when the
counsel thought a little illustration might enliven the
argument.
" Counsel.—`Now, my lords, suppose an infant, wish-
ing to make a false show of property, borrowed my purse,
of pocket-book, and refused to pay or return it, would
trover be maintainable ?'
" Chief Baron.—` Perhaps not ; it is hot unlikely that
if the young gentleman disposed of the contents of the
purse, he might properly be indicted and hanged.'

" The discomfiture of the counsel, and the arch gravity
of the Chief Baron's countenance, can never be for-
gotten by any who shared in the merriment of that me-
morable ren cont re.
" Counsel.—` My lords, this is virtually a contract of
hiring ; there is no tort—no vi et armis—nothing which
any man who understands the law of the land can say
brings this case out of the operation of the general rule as
to the contracts of infants.'
" After proceeding in this strain for a long period, and
exhausting all the authorities which he had brought into
court, he sat down under the belief that he had given the
Chief Baron a ' nut to crack,' which would try his
powt

Now the peculiarity of the Chief Baron was this,
..henever he got hold of a good plain sterling principle,
which disposed of the case before him, he disregarded ar-
gument and authority as the idle wind.'"
" Here, said he, a horse was hired; he was ridden to
the race-course; refreshed with a canter there, and then
ridden back to town, and dies of the abuse he receives.
A trespass vi et armis : which I will venture to translate
into plain English, ith whip and spurs'? and sc it is
plain to us all that, in law and justice, he who killed the
horse should pay the price of him to the owner."

VARIETIES.

An Irishman, in speaking of a spell of sickness he had,
said, " I laid spachless six weeks in the long month of
August, and all my cry was, " Wather, wather."
A judge asked a witness " How do you know that the
plaintiff was intoxicated ?" " Because I saw him a few
minutes after supper pulling off his trousers with a boot-
jack." The plaintiff was nonsuited.
At an entertainment given to James VI. in his progress
to London, it was proposed to his Majesty to eat some
goose in the Cheshire fashion, namely with boiled groats;
and being asked how he liked it, he said he should have
liked it much better if they had given the oats to the poor
animal before they had killed it.
COMMUNISM DEFINED.--"The other day," says th•
Constitutionnel, " a workman was declaiming in the midst
of a group against communism. One of the group said,
' you talk against communism, and yon do not even know
what it is.' The workman said nothing in reply at first,
but taking off his blouse he tore it into fragments, and
after giving a portion to each of the persons present, he
said, ' Communism, my friends, has for its object to make
of what may be very useful to one person a collectioD of
morsels which are useful to nobody.' "