The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

She has added another to the " noble army of martyrs."
She has sent the spirit of the sainted F. Madiai to join
the kindred spirits of Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley,
whom she dismissed to Heaven in their chariots of fire.
Whether it be by fire or by torture, by lengthened
imprisonment, or by deadly poison slowly administered,
her guilt is the same, and the souls beneath the altar "
cry aloud to God for vengeance :

Avenge, 0 Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones

Lie scattered on-the-Alpine mountains cold.

How long, Sir, I would ask in the name of outraged
humanity, of our common Christianity, yea, in the name
of those principles of justice and charity, which even the
wild savage in his wigwam holds sacred, shall England
stand by and witness the cold-blooded murder of God's
people?

England has a high and noble mission from above—let
her take care how she fulfils the same.
There can be no doubt but that the army and navy of
Great Britain would be well and honourably employed in
enforcing the demands of Government for the immediate
release of the weeping widow of Francesco Madiai, and
liberty for all such to leave Tuscany and depart where they
may worship God according to the dictates of their con-
science.

Were it a question of fisheries, or commerce, there
would not be this culpably indifference. It is not long
since a paltry questiOn of this sort gave rise to serious
apprehensions of war with America,—the result whereof
would have been, peradventure, the lavish expenditure of
the national wealth and of the nation's blood.

Let no one say that this would be an undue inter-
ference with the international arrangements of another
people.
As well might it be said to be an interference with indi-
vidual liberty for any passer-by to i‘revent some ruffian
from murdering his own child.
True, the parent has authority ore: his child, but not
absolute • and when the limits of that authority are vio-
lated, and the guardians of the public welfare not present
to afford protection to the oppressed, then the main-
tenance of injured innocence devolves on any individual
who may behold it.
We recognise the authority of the Grand Duke of Tus-
cany over his subjects, but he is himself subject to the
law of justice and humanity.
Tuscany is but an individual in the commonwealth of
European nations.

Let Great Britain, then, call a solemn congress of the
Ambassadors and Representatives of these nations and
lay the circumstances of this case before them, pointing
out the flagrant violation of every dictate of humanity and
the danger of European liberty, civilization and ad-
vancement, if such conduct be allowed to go on
unchecked ; and let her call upon them to co-operate with
her in asserting and vindicating liberty of conscience.

.. -
If they act with her, well ; if not, let her act alone.
Were she to stand forth as the avowed champion of
oppressed humanity, and in the far nobler character of a
witness of the truth of God, He would bless her, and " the
fear of her, and the dread of her, would fall on all the
nations of the earth."

Let her not be afraid of acting on the side of right.
God has given her power, and wealth, and position. Let
her resolve to use them in his cause and for the promotion
of his glory, and let her back her resolves by an appeal
to his written Word. We should then have no open re-
petition, at least, of such murders as that which has now
been perpetrated on the heights of Volterra.
If we still remain inactive, without some national in-
terference, there will be too great cause to fear that, per-
adventure the time is not far distant when, in righteous
judgment, God will permit similar scenes to be enacted in
our own land.—l am, Sir, youis faithfully,
W. F. TAYLOR.

St. John's, Liverpool, 15th Jan. 1853.
P.S.—I cannot but think that it would be well to follow
the example of the Protestant Alliance, and call a great
public meeting on this subject in Liverpool.

PAYMENT OF POOR-RATES.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—In December last I took a house in the township
of —, and gave due notice that I would not be ac-
countable for Parish• rates in arrear. The day following
(such notice) I was served with a paper for three months'
rates—reading " Poor-rate, 1852, at," &c., and marked
simply at foot " three months," to be paid within ten
days from date, or legal proceedings to be adopted for
their recovery.
Now would 3 ou be kind enough to let me know whether
this is the usual way of collecting Parish-rates, or whether
a law has been lately passed empowering overseers to
enforce the payment of rates in advance ?
I know that in 1851 the Linn used was, " The rate-
payers are respectfully informed the undermentioned rates
are now due, and an early payment of the same is re-
quested."—Your kind attention will sincerely oblige,
A SUBSCRIBER.

LIVERPOOL ACADEMY.—As this beautiful exhibition
of pictures is announced to close on Saturday next, our
readers will thank us for reminding them not to lose the,
opportunity. Those who defer their visit beyond this
week will have themselves only to thank for their dis-
appointment.

A CLYDE SHIPBUILDER AND THE FRENCH GOVERN-
MENT.—It is reported that Mr. Napier, the eminent ship-
builder, recently received an order for six first- c!ass steam-
frigates, which he found emanated from the French
Government. He at once communicated with the Admi-
ralty, leaving it with them to decide the course he should
take. He was advised not to execute the order, at the
same time being commissioned with an order to build six
similar vessels for the British Government.
THE LONDON SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING EMIGRATION
has published several letters from female emigrants.
" J. F." and " M. F.," whose family had been reduced
from affluence to poverty, have married in Melbourne—
the one a gentleman with an income of £2,000, the other
a gentleman with an income of £1,500 a year. "M. M.,"
formerly a poor dressmaker in Poplar, has had offers from
a gold-digger with £7OO, a bushman with £9OO, and who
was going for more, and a midshipman : she writes in
despair to her mother, asking advice !
EXECUTION OF THE CONVICT BARBOUR.-011 Satur-
day, at noon, James Barbour was executed at York, for
the murder of Alexander Robison, a brother packman, of
Sheffield. He had been respited for a week in order to
institute further inquiries, as he persisted in maintaining
his innocence, and even went so far as to accuse another
packman named M'Cormick of the crime. The renewed
investigation, however, only tended to confirm Barbour's
guilt. A fortnight ago the culprit acrosticised his name
in some verses for a young woman named Agnes : he
was at infinite pains to execute this memorial. Up to
Saturday morning Barbour refused to receive the sacra-
ment, but at ten o'clock he sent for the chaplain, the Rev.
Mr. Sutton, and requested him to write to his parents;
comforting them. He then said :—" Well, sir, lam
guilty, and nobody had anything to do with the murder
but myself !" Having received the sacrament, he con-
tinued praying for some time with apparent fervour and
sincerity. When he mounted the scaffold all his fortitude
forsook him, and he became dreadfully nervous and,
agitated. Howard, the executioner, performed his duty
with great dexterity, and in two minutes after the with-
drawal of the bolt the murderer bad ceased to exist. The
rain fell in torrents during the execution, and there were
not more than 4,000 people present.