The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-12-14 00:00:00

TUB BALLOT.

The friends of the ballot must feel deeply indebted to Dr.
M'Hale for a new argument in favour of that system, quite
as cogent as any hitherto advanced. According to this wor-
thy politico-ecclesiastic ( vide his speech at the recent pre-
cursor meeting in Galway), "the ballot is the method adopted
at Rome, by the holy cardinals, at the election of the Pope
—the sovereign head of the Romish Church !" Surely that
is infallible authority for the ballot : henceforth not another
syllable need be said for it, or can, with any decency, be said
against it. Nobody ever heard of bribes or intrigues among
that illustrious body of electors. Of course, not.

NOTES FROM LIBERAL SOURCES.
(1.) There are two points in my political career which con-
stitute my crown, and entitle me to the gratitude and affec-
tion of my country. The first is, the pinching economy which
I have successfully enforced upon the ruling powers (espe-
cially in the department of the navy), which has, 1 am proud
to say, robbed England of her supremacy at sea, and placed
her in the third rank of nations, below Russia and trance.
The second point is, the equally successful exertions I have
made to promote the Canauian rebellion, and annihilate the
baleful domination of the mother country. Whatever may
be the deserts of Papineau, Nelson; M'Kenzie, and the rest
of my fellow-workers, at the hands of Sir John Colborne
(supposing that straight forward gentleman should ever have
the opportunity of paying them), I conceive I am richly en-
titled to the saute reward. If not ; if my merits are neglected;
if the Sus. per Col. order of knighthood is not conferred upon
me, I shall have detected another "monstrous corruption and
abuse" in the administration of government, namely, that
even hanging goes by favour, like every thing else!
JOSEPH HUME.

(2.) I have often felt the force of that celebrated observa-
tion of Dr. Johnson,—" Patriotism is the last refuge of a
—." Bless me, I forget the last word !
FEARGUS O'CONNOR.
(3.) The most abominable heresy in social life that has
sprung up in my time is TEETOTALISM. 1 have always set
my face (including my mouth) against that system. The
man that would tell me brandy and water is objectionable
(no matter whether his beverage be tea or aqua fortis) must
be tipsy in his mind, and reeling in his understanding.
LORD BROUGHAM.
(4.) Some people are pleased to liken me to the ex-actor
Liston, others to Pontius Pilate. 1 believe I may claim the
credit of resembling both ;—the first in external physiog-
nomy, the second in mental.
VISCOUNT MORPETII.
(5.) Every Irishman knows that upon this fine head of
mine I wear a wig—a barber's wig;—and a mighty conve-
nient thing it is, otherwise you may be sure I would throw it
aside. Just in the same way, and for the same sensible rea-
son, I use the Whigs ;-1 inane the Whigs that are hung up
on the pegs in Downing-street. 'Truly they are "squeez-
able" into any shape, and I can cu►l them exactly to my
iligant taste:—devil take the unmannerly scoundrel that
called the like of them " base, bloody, and brutal."

DANIEL O'CONNELL.

(6.) The Tories are incorrigibly stupid and perverse, in
.seeking to repossess the government of the country. If they
were not blind as a nest of moles, they would perceive, in the
degraded and declining state of England's strength and glory,
the seal of their own irrecoverable degradation. Conserva-
tism is the natural and proper government of a state during
the stages of its lusty and vigorous youth and prosperous ma-
turity; but the genius of Whiggism is alone equal, when a
nation is demented and doomed to destruction, to carry on
the work to a speedy and perfect consummation.
THOS. BABINGTON MACAULEY.

(7.) The editorial " we" of this and other time-serving
Liberal Journals are very awkwardly situated at the present
moment, in consequence of the unfortunate quarrel between
Lords Melbourne and Durham. Which side to choose, is
the poser. Both of these worthy statesmen favour us with
their most winning smiles and tenderest caresses. Heigho!
what can we do ?
" How happy could we be with either,
Were the other dear charmer away."
MORNING CHRONICLE.

(8.) It is often said by the libellers and traducers of the
Popish religion, that we Papists entertain an implacable
hatred against Protestantism. Now, I beg leave to deny the
charge, as far as affects such Protestantism as that professed
by the enlightened Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and his col-
leagues. So far front nursing any hatred towards them, we
Papists respect, admire, and love the Protestants who, like
Lord Norman by, exhibit their sincerity of faith, and warm
attachment to the Established Church, by dealing out upon
it '• heavy blows and great discouragements." Honour to
those conscientious Protestants who discountenance and assail

their own religion, and favour the Romish—that beautiful
and fascinating religion, full of patent inventions, saints and
angels, the blessed virgin, the wood of the cross, confessions,
penances, masses, pilgrimages, dirges, purgatories, Papal
pardons, works of compensation, &c. Oh ! it is a grand re-
ligion; the only asy and accommodating religion; and it is
the religion of the Bible, except the bard and unwelcome
parts of the Bible : it is like eating a fish with the hones out!
ONE OF THE AGITATOR'S TAIL.
Manchester, 10th Dec., 1838.

'I he Elbe, as we learn by a letter of the 23d ult. from Ham-
burg, was so impeded at that date by blocks of ice, that many
vessels ready to sail were detained in port, and others were
prevented from entering. The English schooner Crosby,
bound for London, made an attempt to get away, but was
obliged to put back. The Neptune (steamer) took her de-
parture in the morning of the 23d, but it was not known whe-
ther she would be able to get out of the river.
DREADFUL CATASTROPHE—Loss OF FOURTEEN LIVES.
—At Blaenavon, on Wednesday, the 28th ult., after two
days' incessant rain, following a heavy snow of the same
duration, about mid-day the sky was suddenly darkened by
the accumulation of dense clouds uyon \Vain Avon, and
along the Coity, in the direction of the Varteg. when an
immediate discharge occurred, which soon inundated the
works, and almost tilled the valley, causing a sudden rise in
the river (already greatly swollen) of many feet additional,
and bursting over an embankment which protected the mouth
of an old level leading to the deep coal and iron works of the
Blaenavon Company. Messengers were instantly despatched
to the different workings, and the miners and colliers, to the
extent of many hundreds, immediately came out. Every
effort to divert and check the torrent was most energetically
made, which, from the numerous workmen in the employ-
of the company, and the almost immediate cessation of the
rain, was accomplished in a few boors, but, melancholy to
relate, not before some of the very distant heading (and one
which has for years been worked " under level") were filled
with water, in consequence of which font teen lives were lost.
Welsh paper, Saturday.
MORE OF THE GENIUS OF POPERY.—In our last publica-
tion but one, we stated a circumstance which came to our
knowledge, strongly illustrative of the genius of Popery;
and we have now to record another instance of toleration for
Protestants and Protestantism, the facts of which we can
vouch for, equally with the former:—On the mountains of
Latera, near the borders of this county, there has been for a
long time a small settlement of Protestants, amounting to
about sixteen persons. As they lay remote from any church,
and surrounded by a Roman Catholic population, they soli-
cited and were in the constant habit of receiving the visits of
the Clergyman of the neighbouring parish, (the Rev. John
Studdert,) n ho assiduously afforded them spiritual instruction
and consolation for some time past. This, however, could
not be endured by the neighbouring Roman Catholics, and,
accordingly, they have chased the Rev. Gentleman from the
scene of his labours; and, amidst the yells and execrations
of these miscreants he was glad to have escaped with his
life. The expulsion of the clergyman, however, did not
satisfy them, but the ejection of the Protestant inhabitants
became their next Object ; and we are sorry to say that, such
was the system of persecution pursued, ten out of the sixteen
have been glad to abandon their native land, and seek in a
foreign clime that toleration for Protestantism, which Pro-
testant England could not give them; and the remaining
six, in order to escape further persecution, bave requested
Mr. Studdert, if he values his own and their safety, to dis-
continue his visits to then.. This is a specimen of what we
might expect, if Popery once got fixed in that ascendancy,
which, we are sorry to say, it now has in our unfortunate
land, and it is but one of many instances. But this must
not be. Our patient quiescence hitherto must be discarded,
and, with the blessing of God, Irish Protestantism will yet
right itself, despite the frowns and oppression of a govern-
ment, Protestant in name.—Limerick Standard.