The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-12-01 00:00:00

MR. ELIHU BURRITT'S LECTURE

We are quite acquainted with the difficulty which th
conductors of such an institution as the mechanics have,
in insuring that the matter of the various parties, whom
they engage as lecturers, should be sound and fitted for
the ear of youth. They are expected to seek out talent
wherever it can be made available, bat they cannot tell
beforehand all the crotchetty notions, or even false views
upon vital subjects, which such talent may entertain. An
instance of the impossibility of guarding against the in-
trusion of such false viewsis before us in a report of a
lecture, delivered on Saturday evening, at the Mechanics'
Institution, by Mr. Elihu Burritt, an American, with
whose name our readers will, doubtless, be acquainted.
Mr. Burritt, to use the language of the president of the
institution, Dr. Hodgson, in coming to this country, be-
sides the natural desire to see the land of his fathers, had
had two objects in view ;—first, to explain his views as to
the dignity of labour—to undeceive the working classes
that there was nothing degrading in their position, or any
thing which disqualified them from mental exertion : and,
secondly, to act as the apostle of peace and brotherhood
among all the nations of the earth. Both objects are un-
doubtedly good. There is nothing degrading in the po-
sition of a working man, as such merely. He fills the
place of a link—a low one, perhaps,—of the chain ordained
to connect together mankind. But Mr. Burritt's en-
thusiasm in the advocacy of a favourite doctrine leads
him into something very like positive infidelity—certainly
into statements in direct contravention of God's word.
He said, according to the report in the Albion, that
" there was no foundation for the notion that the neces-
sity to labour was to be regarded as a punishment of sin—
a condition introduced into the destiny of man after his
first transgression." He continued,
"God had not inflicted labour upon man; but He had
conferred it upon him, as one of the highest prerogatives
of his first, his happiest, his holiest estate. The first mes-
sage he received from his Creator was to be active and in-
dustrious. He was informed that the whole earth had
been fitted up for his residence and empire. He was told
to multiply, to people, and to cultivate it, and to enforce
his dominion over every living thing."
We find quite the reverse of this in Scripture. We find
there that God "creatcd man in his own image," and
gave him the earth as a possession, with "dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over
every living thing that moveth over the face of the earth,"
but we hear of nothing about being active or industrious
until, as the result of sin, the doom was delivered—" in
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return
unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken : for dust
thou art and unto dust shalt thou return."

Mr. Burritt enunciated other sentiments quite as erro-
neous as these—a sad proof how dangerous is a reliance
upon mere human intellect. . . _..

Man," he says, "was the substance and end of all phy-
sical motion. He was not made for the material world,
but the material world was made for him. " Dustlthou art,
and unto dust thou shalt return," was a law that animated
every form, whether it were physical or animal combina-
tion of matter, whether being or thing, and it must be re-
solved back into its legitimate element. If God had said,
" Dust thou art, but into dust thou shalt not return,"
and, "if he had multiplied and replenished the earth, at
this moment the weight of living human flesh would have
outweighed the solid globe."
What is this but to say that the almighty maker of
mankind could not have carried out his purpose with res-
pect to this world had Adam not fallen and brought death
into the world ? for we need not remind our readers that
the sentence of " man's return to dust" was pronounced
as a part of the curse of sin. We are sorry to have those
remarks to make upon the errors of a very clever man,
whose position in the literary world is a credit to him, and
whose tastes and intentions are no doubt pure and dicta-
ted by a sincere regard for the welfare of his fellow men ;
but an equally sincere regard on our part for the interests
of the truth compels us to point them out.

Sir George Cockburn, Bart_, _
rienced a severe attack of paralysis
The requisition from Bath, to Lord Ashley, has been
most numerously and respectably signed.
Lord George Bentinck,. on leaving Newby Park, pro-
ceeded to Knowsley Park, on a visit to Lord Stanley.
Lady Elizabeth Whitbread, the last survivor of the
children of the first Earl Grey, and sister of the late Earl,
died last week.

M.P., has lately expe-

...
The court will leave Osborne House, on the long in-
tended visit to Arundel Castle, the seat of the Duke of
Norfolk. . _

Leeds, under the presidency of its chief magistrate, will
shortly give in publicly its adhesion to the agitation for a
reduction of the duty on tea. Norwich and other towns
have already done so.

-THE RIVER PLATE.—Our Government hasunited with
the French Cabinet in approval of Mr. Hood's proposition
to terminate the difficulties of the River Plate. We may
consequently anticipate a speedy pacification of the affairs
of the Argentine and Oriental republics.
The Irish correspondent of the London Times says,
"Take up what country paper you may, and almost the
first paragraph that catches the reader's eye relates to the
flourishing state of the gun trade, and the consequent
rapid spread of the popular armament.' "
RARA Avis.—A fine specimen of the colymlus septen_
trionalis (red-throated diver) was shot a few days ago on
a pool near Birmingham. These birds inhabit Europe,
Asia, and America, frequenting lakes, and oftentimes the
open sea, in quest of prey, which consists of fish, marine
insects, and crabs. Length about 30 inches. They breed
chiefly in America, and undertake their annual migrations
in September.

FOREIGN IRON.—Very extensive importations of iron
are at present taking place, especially from Stockholm,
Gothenburg, and Gefle, the produce of Sweden, one
vessel having brought 10,885, another nearly 14,000, and
a third the large quantit; of 18,349 bars of the article.
Numerous other vessels have arrived from the same places
with large cargoes, varying from 5,000 to 10,000 bars.
The late manager of the Royal Victoria and Sussex
Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, in a letter to the Times, states
his suspicion that the paragraph in the Gloucester Journal,
announcing the death of the celebrated swindler, Wynd-
ham, the purport of which we have given elsewhere, was
written by himself. He did not decamp from that estab-
lishment till the 6th of July, and consequently could not
have died on the 20th of June as stated.

Tbc accounts from Constantinople furnish lamentable
details of the ravages of the cholera in Asia Minor, where
it was reported to have carried off some 40,000 persons.
Letters from Bagdad, of 15th October, state that the ma-
lady had disappeared in that city. It first made itself
manifest about the end of September, and in le g. a
fortnight 4,000 persons died out of a population 0fi6,000.
The English consul took up his residence at Ctesiphon,
where he placed himself and his establishment in quaran-
tine. Father St. Alphonse, the head of the Latin mission,
was carried off, as was Reschid.Effendi, brother of Fuad-
Effendi, who was Turkish ambassador in Spain. Letters
from Taurin state that the cholera appeared there on the
11th Oct., and in the first 3 days carried off 150 persons.
FEENEY'S ORIENTAL DIVAN.--OYSTERS! The
country visitor to the metropolis has been, for more
years than we can remember, accustomed to take his first
oysters and stout at the Cock Tavern, in Fleet-street;
and we have occasionally, like other people, trespassed
upon his well saw-dusted floor. The lovers of this fine
shell fish can now, we find, procure it of splendid quality
at the Oriential Divan, in Clayton square, with the ac-
companiments in the usual excellent style of that elegant
establishment. We have had an opportunity of tasting
the oysters provided by Mr. Feeney, and can safely
vouch for their fine condition and excellent flavour.
Better, certainly, cannot be had in London or elsewhere.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
MONDAY, 30th NOVEMBER.—Wind N.N.E., light

Aari IVED.—Nelson, Wade, from Quebec—Alarm, Leonard,
Miramichi—Cork Packet, Young, Lisbon—Cicero, (late Gra-
ham,) Savanilla—Margaret, from Laguna—Belus, King, from
Zante—Dagger, Frankish, and Diana, Rann, St. Petersburg.
SAILED.—FIora, Farren, Terceira—Woodbine, Skeoch, New
Orleans—Mary, Cuthbertson, Africa—Marmora, Barnes, Con-
stantinople—Helene, Anderson, Tonsberg—barnson, Murdoch,
Marseilles—Princess Victoria, Walker, Alexandria, E—Mersey,
Steele, Oporto.

Senator, Wilson, hence for Batavia, got on shore near the
Roadstead 31st August, but floated off with trifling Varnage 2d
September, and discharged all her cargo in perfect order.
Alpha, Merrill, hence and Rio Janeiro at Anjer 16th Sept.
Ripley, from Sincapore at Manilla.
Sandersons, hence at Java Sea 28th Sept.
Chartley Castle, from' London at Java Sea 28th Sept.
Superb, from New York to Greenock, is on shore on the Isle
of Harris.

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, Nov

On Suturday a great revival of demand occurred, which has
continued throughout to day. The sales reach 10,000 bales, at
very extreme prices, some say-id. per lb. on last Friday's. Spe-
culators are also buying again no packet in, but accounts via
Havre rather exciting.