The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-06-17 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

THE CONVICT SYSTEM.

given to the Virgin Mary Dr. Murray said the proper trans- _ _
latioe was;ipea, instead of ipsum, and it was put into the educa-
tion board notes, and is circulated and supported by these who (From the Sydney Herald.)
cried " the bible,• the whole bible, .and nothing but the bible.
(Cries of " bravo.") We are very much cow:et ned that this We coprthe following , paragraph from
.the Sydney
should be so, and •nothing, but. an imperative sense of duty (New South Wales) 'Times, of •October 16, 1834 :—"..A.
shouldurge us to make such an exposure ;• for I would venture correspondent requests the favour of the eche:or to insert
to say, without, leaving ourselves open .to any charge, that we the following query, Wishing that some of the readers of
cordially desire the co-operation of our christiaa brethren—we
hold out the right-band of fellowship to them, and if they say the Times, who may be qualified, would send an answer,
there are .abuses in our church. we cannot agree in; we say which he will also publish, it being a sebject of some . ,
in-
agreed, come and join us and weovill turn out those abuses; o Wrest to the commercial community : viz., whether fe-
juin us to get-rid of those abuses, but inehe name of consistency . male merchant, of Sydney, whcise husbends 'are prisoners
don't join papists who are all . abuse ; and socinians who -
are all abuse.- (Loud cheering.) There is this union of •
of the crown, can plead the privilege of a feining cou-
effort ,to getrid of our constitution. . I am sorry, grieved to say• ,
verte, as the law terms it--in other words can' they be
1 am ealledon to second such a resolution as this, and to invite . ' eded against independently" of their hus-
arrested or proce,,,
you •to pass such a resolution. Now these same persons to j bands ; it being known that they , are living with their
whom-I have been alluding, and whom • I again disclaim the husbands, who are what is 'called assigned servants to
slightest intention of. offending, these persons are -labouring themoret are, nevertheless, buying estates, and acting in
under a mistake- Their idea is that the very circumstance ef
establishment by the *tate is so -disastrous--that it so inter-
,respect as persons in indepeveryendent circum-
anferes with The progress of truth—that it so hampers men and stances.' The above paragraph we consider interesting
prevents them laeing free and. bold iu their sentiments, that the and curieus. Our readers will at once perceive, that the
' hestpthing they can do is to gelerid of an establishment—that it . persons denominated prisoners of the crown, and assign-
even hecomes.lawful for theme° make use of _the popish battle- 'ed-servants in Australia, are the convicts disposed of at
axe and socinian claymore, if they can but cut down the esta-.
blishment. (Cheers.) - I would beg to throw out this hint; an periodica gaol deliveries in this country. On vari-
our l'
established church ought to exist, under a certain variety of ous occasions we have 'noticed that the 'wives of delin-
circumstances 1 grant. An established church is an appoint- ' quents Sentenced to transportation had applied for leave
went of God under -the Old Testament—l am not begging the to accompany "or follow them ' • and, as far as the pare=
question ; I know they- say 4' come to the New Testament," I graph we have -quoted may he relied on, with reason
will come to that in its proper place. An established church
eood We entertain no doubt that, as far as London is
was under the Old Testament the establishment of God. God is '
unchanged; what he appointed at one period of the world, concerned, the portion of its population who live by sys-
though he may alter. in. government,. cannot be essentially ternatic depredations' on the public, are far better in--
wrong,. if it were essentially wrong it is absolutely ineom- formed regarding the state of affairs in penal Colonies
patible with divine perfection, -and. it. is .absolutely. impossible -than the general run of newspaper readers here. Ladies
that it eould have had the divine sanction. In itself, :therefore, sitnated'as above may. be emphatically said to wear the
it is not essentially wrong. . Now, here is the popish morality . inexpressibles,
book; is that essentially wronoenoti I would ask our eon- and an assigned servant of the' crown
scieutiousfhtrethren whether they are willing to support it, or au could hardly wish to fall into more indulgent hands than.
establisharept ? I wish I had a protestant dissenter who op 4 those of one who is "bone of his bone and flesh of his
posed,usgbefore me; I would ask -him is it right to join your- flesh." , _
selves totwbat is eternally evil, in order to get rid of what is not
essentially evil, at least. (Cheers.) .1 ask no more at present, . The foregoing remarks furnish another instance,
for. this is sufficient for my argument. Another argument they a rl.ong rn,a.nrinore•that might be adduced of fhe.almost
use is this, they say they protest against this; they say Abut the !universat IgnoranCe that prevails' in the Mother Country,
circumstance of being established by the state, rendering the respecting the abominations of the convictsysten, as it is
income of the clergy fixed whether they please the people.or practised iiere.. Yet occurrences li.ke that which seems so
not, has a tendency. to . make .them lazy; anti that:you have
nothing to de but e ndow a church or a collegein orderto maket to excite, the surprise of the English writer, are of every
day notoriety, in this part of theworld,
the professors, and the students, and the ministers lazy, and to the disgrace of.
in-
operative.. I will not answer for the words, but in substance that the authorities 'and the utter abandonment of eeery sha-
re the meaning of. a pamphlet.published, entitled- "The -Case of dow of penal- disCipline. It is, we knOw, a tickllidi aid?.
the Dissenters."- In the examination of this we will appeal to ject to dilate,uPon, particelarly at this time ; but we run
facts, -the best tests of theories. Has the volutory, system pro-, no risk-in merely stating, that . money can do as much
duced better ministers, more.devoted and faithful men than are
to be found ,in our endowed church ? (Cries of " No, no.") . •tl tof ill le ''d • • Y t
here as in any o ter par e ing s °minions. e
There is an evil tendency in human nature to take advantageot we would have supposect•that`this practice of permitting
anything and everything, and I honestly confess that to have- a swindlers and thieves to expiate their offences in' wedleck
.
fixed income, whether a man works or not, has-a tendency to would be the very first that. a.,governor would strike at
make a man lazy. ( A slight interruption here occurred from a the root of—we mean, of course, a governor who did his•
person talking aloud at the bottom end of the room.) I consi- e •
der, continued the rev. gentleman, that little interruption there duty in accordance with. the well-understood intention
is my fault ; lie does not understand me. - Let him alone a little of the British government respecting the treatment of
and he shall understandeaud he shall be as quiet as a mouse. convicts in these colonies. And here we would call at-
Is there not a tendency to evil on the other side when a man's tention to one fact, which is, in our Opinion; beyond clis-
ineome.depends on the approbation of his people ? Is there not pute—nainelv, that either Sir Richard Bourke or Colonel
a tendency that, instead of being a teacher, he shall only venture Arthur departs from the instructions of the secretary of
to say what a learner may venture to. say„ without offending .
those whO occupy the place of paymasters? Is there not a risk state, mastneell as the systeM' upon'which the convict
that he Shall feel if he boldly declare what is disagreeable to the population is managed is widely-different in each colony.
beads of the-chapel, " I may happen to be turned off nextyear." That of Governor. Arthur, however, affords general sa
(Cheers.) I would only have this fairly looked at and exa- tisfaction to •the colonists of Van Diemen's Land, while
mined; and .I would remind any dissenter of the kind who may Sir Richard's has already been-so sufficiently denounced
be in this room--I would remind him that 1 don't s. anything
against this system more than I have said against .oar own by the respectable settlers here 'as to.render 'any- renewed
amongst those who are so favourable to the church of England description of it in this • place Wholly unnecessary: But
that they don't like to hear there is a spot upon her. But I to return to our subject.
must hasten to a conclusion, and I will tell Toe my reason for We should suppose that it ought to have occurred long
taking advantage of " orthodox agitation." these parties corn- since to any rational government, that the system of as-
threat are attempting to force things on us and from us by . ..*. •
enings; they threaten numbers • -the talk. of millions ; signing convicts possessing property., to their wives, is a
is that language which Englishmen will bear? to have a projeet perfect mockery of the transportation laws. Rich thieves,
whiCh justice will not bear out forced upon us by numbers ? at home, have .hitherto been well known toJeave their
There is a talk of justice too ! To have a clamour of numbers I lunder in the hands of relatives, who, very soon after,
behind,-and the grossest mis-statements touching the population make their way out here. Assigned servants are then
of Ireland. I will state one or two fads as contrasted with the
last government census for the population of. Ireland. That applied for ; and the assignment Of. the father, husband,
census passes for a correct one. In describing the relative or sort, as the case' may tie, may-then be obtained; and
numbers of the protestant and popish population it is grossly thus, while the offenders are relieved of the punishment
erroneous. I hold in my hand a speech lately delivered by Dr. due to their crimes, the: stolen property is employed in
Cook, a minister of the Scotch church in the north of Ireland, at trade, to the acquirement of a fortune and its accompa-
a meeting of the general assembly in Scotland. He had calculated • fine house, •
the'numbers of the presbyterians of.lreland, and he believed thehorses, & &c. And
niments—a
'lumbers in communion withehe church of Scetland amounted this is the " worse than death"• system, forsooth'!—this
to 700,000; others, he adds, have estimated them at amillioe. is -a 'specimen of the 'punishment which some. of 'thd
Others calculate the people of the synod of Ulsterat 800,000; . learned judges of England have been deceived into de=
the late government census estimates the number of the people scribing from the bench as the terrible and almost hope-
as under 663,000. . He also states that the Presbyterians of ari
less visitation to .which evil-doers sentenced to transpor-
entire county were returned in the public census at 50. He
does not mention which it was. Searching after in this county tatiou will be subjected' in New South Wales!!
he discovered a presbyterian . population, far from a place of ' But there is, besides, another specimen of punishment
worship, dwelling in the mountains, and he reported their posi' to which, aswe shall very soon have to speak of it at
tion to the presbytery; and in his own parish he discovered an
error in the return of upwards of 6(xo. :600 in One parish, and more-length, we shall now merely allude. An act of the
British Parliament 'vas passed for the express purpose of
the government census gives 5f for the whole county. 'lf I re-
- fer. back to the previous census I could give an instance of which preventing convictstunder sentence from acquiring pro-
I myself was eoenizant. Being myself a curate in thenorth of perty. We have already seen how that act is evaded in
Ireland when the census was made, and knowing the return, I one respect; but it is also evaded in another. Convicts
afterwards found that the return which appeared in the public under sentence -here are frequently permitted to marry
census was most grossly erroneous. I introduce this merely to
give you a notion of the bravado which is made when the millions free women of property—thus setting at nought not only
are threatened. It is allied to the oratory which is called the every pi inciple of penal discipline, but a positive law in-
bretum jetmen; there is no fear on this account. Ireland would tended to keep them in their proper sphere. Of this,
be tranquil enough if England were united—if men could love however, more. anon. We shall conclude, for the pre-
truth, rather than their own notions of what they call liberalism.
sent, with an extract from a work on this colony which
If they could make revelation the basis of legislation, instead of has lately fallen into our hands :—" How important,"
population the basis of legislation„,then all would. be well.
says the writer, "with such a people, is it that the se_
(Cheers.) This then is our request; this is our standing as ve
protestants a is christians. We have the word of God; of government should be right-minded and wise
make that th not only of your private duties but also of all mean influence, and in every act or actor guided' by
your relative is. Follow out this principle in your shops, steady and enlightened principles, so as to be a govern-
in your mercha dice, in your manufactures, not excepting your ment of system and not of accident. If his majesty be
political duties. Show me a man that is making the Bible the
basis of his actions in his business, and let me ask drat man upon well advised, this is the last colony in the. empire to be
what principle it is—when he goes to the hustings for instance— selected for a provision or retreat for the unfortunate or
;that be shall cease to make the Bible his standard, that he'shall vicious who happen to have claiMs on the liberality of
throw it overboard, that he shall be a Bible christian in every- the crown. All its subordinate officers:should peculiarly
thing in society, with his friends and neighbours, and, when he .be men of honour and efficiency, and its governors should
enters on a political action, he shall then cease to be a Bible
,be truly statesmen. , •• - •
christian. (Loud cheers.). All we want as protestants and,
christians, all we plead for is, that revelation shall be the basis
of English legislation, and that the laws that are based "on the
word of God shall not be altered because of the experimental
feelings for vague trials of honourable and enlightened senators.
The rev. gentleman sat down amidst immense applause, which
continued a considerable time.
The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, which was carried
unanimously.
JOHN CLARE, Esq„ rose to propose the next resolution. He
said, it will ill become me to attempt to address this assembly at
any length, but, as a protestant, I shall say a very few words.
I have for more than fifty years, I trust, attended to the bible;
I find it the only hope for me as a christian ; and I question it
not at all, if the bible were more read that there would be a greater
number of protestants. I have endeavOured to bring up my
family under it, and I shall, as long as I live, endeavour to sup-
port it. I am directed to move the fourth resolution, "that
while this meeting disclaims in the strongest manner every feel-
ing of personal hostility to Roman catholic's, it feels it a duty of
the highest importance to resist, by all proper means, the er-
roneous doctrines of their church, which it considers destructive
of real religious liberty, and dangerous to the best interests of

MILITARY DISCIPLINE.

The soldier in the ranks is a mere machine; and he is
the more efficient for being so: the less he is able to cri-
ticise what he sees in a campaign the better, because
what actually comes under his own knowledge can be
only a trifling part of a whole; and from that part he
cannot possibly judge, with any accuracy, of the several
operationsperhaps seemingly at variance with each
other—which his general finds it necessary to combine
to work out success. The mercurial Frenchman, who is
more theoretically a tactician than the Englishman, and,•
from his national character, more given to criticising the
plans of a campaign, is a good man in' advancenone
better; but when his cause appears to faille desponds:
lie has sufficient military knowledge to discover readily
enough when he is worsted ; and the cry of " Sauve qui
pent.'' is a Gallicism too well understood throughout
Europe to need translating into any'continental langu-
age. In a retreat he is the woast soldier That I know of
—always excepting the Spaniards and "braves Belges,".,
who are notoriously the greatest possible cowards under
every change of circumstances ;- while the-British, who,,
even so far-back as the time of. Our blbff Henry VIII:,'
:had a character-for being slow to find out that thely were
beaten, ‘are unquestionably the bestidthe world. And
this arises, as much from. their ignorance,: which makes:
them dependent upon -their officers' judgment, as from:
their own solid, 'unflinching hardihood. ' Bet it is totally'
different with the 'man who has to put this machine in
motion, and regulate its Stops.;.- The mightier its pow-
ers, the nicer should be his touch ; and no.pains should
be spared to make him master of -his craft. Besides,.the
wish-to employ military officers- in civil situations is.
gaining ground,- as they are universally admitted to he
men in whose perfect. integrity and high tone of honour
the most implicit confidence may be placed; which is an
additional reason•for forcing an exercise of their talents,.
at an age. when-those talents are most susceptible of cal-
ture. There are feW systems of any kind I think worth
borrowing from our Gaelic neighbours;particularly ap-
pertaining unto military matters; because what may be
all very applicable to Jack Ft enchman, ten to one, does
not suit the notions uf•John • Bull ; but here his plan- is
better than ours.' I find that. when Marshal Nev" com-
manded the camp at Montreuil-sur-Mer, in 1804, seeing
the:necessity of instructing „the officers under his com-
mand, he had a spacious room constructed in the rear of
each regiment,_ which. he, 'designated the officers' council
room. Herelhe officers'efthe respective corps, from the
colonel to the yOutigest.stibalterti, were obliged to meet
and study their profession together. Each-officer was
called upon to give an explanation of every manoeuvre
in which he had- taken a share of in battle, discuss' its
utility, advantages, &c. Ney- would then 'briefly offer
his own ideas, and argue each pOint familiarly with his
comrades. The marshal hirnielf regularly attended. the
council-room of every regiment in rotation, and gene-
rally gave out -subjects for study. It was in this view,
and for this objectiAhat he wrote a great many papers on
tactics, but at-tbe moment without any other motive than
the:laudable desire of insfruCting. his'offfeers,-and Mak-
ing:them conversant with 'his own evolutions ; and he
had the satisfaction to see that'his labour wasnotin vain;
for Ney's .oftlderSWere'confessedly the best instructed,
the 'most ready, aritlintelligent in the army.' Not that
think tile marshal's example in arguing fainiliarly with
his comrades is to be followed, :because, by so doing, he
was likely tolbringthe wits of the rnareehal and the sous-
lieutenant in eolli'sion ; nor would I counsel the establish-
Ment of such debating societies as these-Ito-ins for pub-
lic discussion 13761 M-ere-ate, beeduSe I am no advocate for
aught that:might tend to sap the discipline of the '.army:
But in the main point he was right.. He had most inde-
fatioablystudied hiS own profession in theory, though he
had risen from the ranks; and, finding the advantage he
derived therefrom, inade the officers serving immediately
under him do the same.—Paper in Fraser on the Cot,-
poral Punishment.Commission,.43-c.

man."
WILLIAM HALL, Esq., said, in rising to second the resolu-
tion perhaps I may be permitted to state my own reasons for
doing so, and I doubt not, in stating them, I state the reasons
of all the members of this association. If it could be supposed for
one moment that we were acting. with any personal hostility to the
Roman catholics, I.should4isclaim my connexion with the as-
sociation, and I should, 1 have no doubt, be followed by most of
the members of the association. I disclaim all hostile feelings
to Roman catholics.. Our feelings are far different 'to these,
and we only desire, tlem to judge with an unprejudiced and un-
biassed mind, whethe'r popery can stand the christian trial of
that awful hour when time shall. cease in eternity. Mr. Hall
concluded with seconding the resolution. (Cheers.)
The resolution was then put by the chairman, and was unani-

mously, carried. - 7
JosEPH LEE, Esq., moved that the thanks of the meeting be
given to the chairman. (Great cheering.)
The Rev. HUGE I.II`NEILE cordially seconded the resolution.
It Spoke for itself as many of the truths they had heard. that
night spoke for themselves. Let them, when they left that
meeting, think over the sentiments which had been expressed,
and follow them in their families, in their businesses, in their do-
mestic relations, and in their political duties. (Loud cheering.)
The Chairman shortlyreturned thanks, and the meeting se-
parated about half-past nine o'clock, the greatest unanimity and
enthusiasm having prevailed throughout.

FAMINE IN. THE:WF.ST
OF Intmaiso.—The most Melan-
choly accounts of the distress which at present prevails in the
northwest reach .us daily. The people are starving, and still it
is said we live under a fostering administration; a famine is in
the land, and we are desired tO " wait awhile." When the pri-
vations are.so great at present, what must they be when the po-
tato crop,of, last year is entirely consumed ? Would that we
could; then, without mOckitiv their. Misery, desire our famishing
countrymen to " wait awhile," and.a British ministry will pre-
vent the future recurrence of, an absolute starvation by the In-
troduction Oa system .of poor laws! If the people ,could live
on promises, all would be well; but we regret to say, that the
symmtbies expressed fnr them are "vox et preeterit iha"—thern
is no practical proof of ri'syMputhy—theta will be' no poor laws
this sessiun.—Freeman.