The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-16 00:00:00

THE TENDENCY AND OBJECTS OP EDUCATIGN.

energy in the world to which its previous history can bring
no parallel. On ! and on ! and on ! is still the cry. It
seems (but alas ! the future is hidden from our view,
environed in the mists in which Providence, for wise pur-
poses, has shrouded it,) as if we were verging upon those
days when knowledge shall cover the earth : not as a
second deluge, to destroy, but to renovate and restore the
beauty which was lost by man's transgression. No—the
impulses of the mind, when they lead to good, cannot be
impeded in their course. Their origin is divine, and rea-
son acknowledges their sway, for they assist and enlarge
her own sphere of action. They were implanted in the
human bosom to refine the soul from impurities, to free it
from the grossness and stupidity which would depress it
to the earth, and alienate it from heaven, whence it came,
and whither it tends. We err when we attempt to separate,
even in idea, our present from our future state of being.
The former is a prelude to the latter, or rather a part of
it, for both form one continuous whole. And the soul,
expanding in its conceptions, and purified and sanctified
in its present existence, is prepared to enter upon its
second stage of being, to receive greater purity, accessions
of power, and increase of sanctity and of bliss.
To the heads of families and the superintendents
of educational establishments, this little volume '
will be an invaluable acquisition. Parents should
carefully study its recommendations, and all classes
may largely benefit by its suggestions.

The Northern Monthly Review. Liverpool :
Aylward.

An attempt to gain for Liverpool a place in the
literary world, commensurate with its importance
in commercial affairs, is a praiseworthy effort, and
is entitled to as favourable a consideration as the
merits displayed will possibly allow. The first
number has just been published of a new pe-
riodical, under the imposing title of 11. The North-
ern Monthly Review of Trade, Banking, and Navi-
gation," and with the equally imposing addition of
" Price Half a Crown." Being a first number, it
is, of course, entitled to a liberal discount for
defects inseparable from first numbers-, and to an
admission of the claim for indulgence. made. in the
opening address. Such liberality was never more
needed, if promises are to be tested by perform-
ances ; and it would be but justice to Liverpool to
warn the public against accepting this review as,
an evidence of the commercial knowledge or
literay ability in the northern capital. The' first
article, which is " by the editor," is entitled "'The
Banking institutions of the north, and monthly
monetary reviews." The writer would appear to
be a man of nothing but hard facts, and of these
he seems to be able to make no use. He wanders
through a number of disjointed statements that
appear separately to have no reference to monetary
affairs, while he endeavours to delude himself into
the belief that he is advocating the establishment
in Liverpool of a rival Bank of England, and show-
ing the advantages of a clearing-house. He is
evidently out of his depth, and is innocent of mis-
chief from his very obscurity of expression. An
article, entitled " The Paddle of the Piston," is to
be continued, but it would be as well to defer any
notice as to its merits until the author has fur-
nished a key by which his meaning may be made
intelligible : at present it forms an ingenious '
puzzle, and should have been published at Christ- '
mas as an amusement for the long evenings. In
"Protection and Currency," by James Harvey,Esq.,
the writer admits his conviction of the selfishness
of Free-trade policy, and, having thus shown a
gleam of good sense, dashes at once into a crotchet
about an unlimited issue of paper-money upon the
old story concerning the building of Guernsey mar-
ket. The only sensible article is one on "Emigra-
tion Reform," by Sir George Stephen, and this
would have been far More readable but for the pro-
lixity which is too often inseparable from the writ-
ings of members of the legal profession. It is an
excercise of exemplary patience to wade through
pages so destitute of every claim to attention ; but
some little compensation will be afforded in the
extravagant absurdity of a brief article on " Public
amusements." If the conductors be wise, they
will content themselves with the failure of their
first effort, for it will be difficult to tempt any
one to read a second number.

Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of
the Roman Enzpire. With
_Variorum Notes.

Vol. 111. London : H. G. Bohu.
This volume of Bohn's valuable edition of Gib-
bon's great historical work maintains its claim on
popular support. It is copiously annotated from
the writings of Guizot, Wenck, Scheiter, and
Hugo ; and is further accompanied by explanatory
notes by its present editor, " An English Church-
man ;" so that, while giving an umnutilated and
accurate text, many of the objectionable tendencies
of Gibbon are obviated. Besides being in all
respects tastefully got up, the present volume is
illustrated by a beautifully-engraved map of the
Western Empire, and it is published at a remarka-
bly low price.

Orr's Circle of the Sciences. London and Liver-

pool : W. S. Orr and Co.

This beautiful and popular series of elementary
treatises on the various sciences continues to make
gratifying progress. The fourth part, that now
before us, contains portions of the mathematical
sciences, including Geometry and Algebra ; elabo-
rate treatises on the skeleton and on the form and
structure of the teeth of animals ; and the intro-
ductory portion of the ethnological department of
the work. All the treatises are carefully elabo-
rated, with a view to their general popularity,
without being denuded of their scientific worth.
The work is beautifully printed and copiously em-
bellished with well-executed engravings, and it is
published at a very cheap rate.

Our Friend. A Monthly Miscellany for all Classes.

London : John F. Shaw.

" Our Friend" improves upon acquaintance ; his
miscellany appears even more miscellaneous than
at first, and its contents are increasing in interest
and utility.

Education, therefore, has a threefold aim :—it looks to
individuals—to the general community—and to God.
These are not parts of different systems, but are insepara-
bly connected by an invisible chain, which connects man
with man, and his whole race with his Creator.
By a universal law of nature, good has an expansive
tendency; for what is essentially good ceases to be such,
the moment you suppose it to be limited in its operation
by time or space. Mental cultivation is a part of virtue,
and virtue is a part. of religion : and as religion aims at
universal good (for benevolence is essential to its exist-
ence), so also its subordinate parts have the same tendency.
And the man who endeavours to enlarge his own know-
ledge, and promote his own happiness, must necessarily
desire to extend the benefits of both to others. For we
cannot conceive true knowledge, or even a desire for it, to
be ever debased by selfishness ; its tendency being to soften
the asperities of our nature, and create sensibilities in the
heart, as boundless as the human race, and as high as the
heavens to which we are destined. By the same general
law of our Creator, whilst we strive to build up the hap-
piness, and promote the well-being of others, we are
employing the most effectual means to advance our own.
A twofold good is thus attained : and efforts, however
humble, and impeded in their progress by weakness and
imperfections, when prompted by virtue and religion, will
be sustained by the cheerful and stedfast hope of the
Divine blessing.
In the moral, as in the material world, the Almighty
works by secondary means ; and to man he has assigned
energies of mind and strength of body, adequate to attain
the ends for which he was created. The earth is all-bounti-
ful, but her gifts
must be solicited by industry : the hus-
bandman could vainly hope to see his fields smile with
golden harvests, were he to neglect to scatter the seed •
her fostering bosom. We, by.the mercy of God, possessin
knowledge : we know our duties, and are endowed with
the means of discharging them.
.These are the instru-
ments by which seed, prolific with life, may be scattered.
The soil to be enriched by their diffusion is as boundless
as the earth, for it embraces the multitudesof the hu n
race who walk upon its surface. And doubtless, a km' d
Providence will shed its heavenly dew uponbenefit the good,
seed.
which man may sow for the of his fellow-creatures
until arrayed in the beauty of moral truth, and of religion,
they shall humbly aspire to that elevated position to 1
ch
they were destined by their benevolent Creator.
The processes of education are always going on in the
world, either for good or evil. A moral duty, therefore,
is imposed upon us to direct its ever-stimulating power to
a right and legitimate end. The mind cannot lie dormant.
There is an energy in its native constitution which cannot
be checked. The soul has longings after knowledge, which
seem like the aspirations of a righteous ambition to fit it
for a higher state. For this life is but the infancy of our
existence, and though short, the manner ins bich it is
passed is of unspeakable importance. As the world grows
older, the mind of man becomes more quickened to the
importance of progression, and more animated 'with a
- to forward it. There exists at this moment an

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, AND GENERAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.

seven Russian merchant vessels, captured by her. The
Russian barque Argo, from Cardenas for this port, has
been taken into Queenstown, a prize to a revenue-cutter.
Two Russian vessels, prizes to her Majesty's steamer
Conflict, 8, screw, have arrived at Hull—the first, the
Industrie, on Sunday, and the second, the John, on Monday.
On Thursday another Russian prize, the George Jonge-
bloed, arrived in the Thames off Gravesend, and was
subsequently placed in the West India Docks. The ship
Johanna Emilie, from Lisbon, seized in the London
Docks by Mr. C. J. Cox, Landing Surveyor of the Cus-
toms, as being a Russian ship sailing under false colours,
has been condemned by the Admiralty. Her cargo con-
sists of wine and gums, and is of considerable value. A
Russian vessel, a barque of 500 tons, was brought into
Plymouth on Thursday, by the pilot, and gave herself up.
She is from Moulmein with cargo of stores, it is said, for
the Russian Government. She is named the Thor.

The 36th Regiment, now at Barbadoes and Trinidad, is
to proceed to Jamaica to replace the 16th Regiment, which
is to proceed to Canada to replace the 26th Regiment,
which is to proceed to Bermuda to relieve the 56th Regi-
ment, which is to return to England.
ARRIVAL OF RUSSIAN PRIZESAT HULL.—Two Russian
vessels, prizes to Her Majesty's steamer conflict, 8, screw,
have arrived at Hull—the first, the Industrie, on Sunday
last week, and the second, the John, on Monday afternoon.
The Industrie was brought home by Mr. James Morton,
and the John by Mr. John Todd. They are two of four
vessels, di prizes to the Conflict, sent home under the
general care of Mr. Mason, master of that ship. The
other two, which are expected dally,are named respectively
the Caroline Charlotte, barque, and the Carl Magnus,
brigantine. The capture of these vessels has already been
made public. Their crews, who were in no way annoyed
at their capture, were handed over to. Sir Charles Napier
to be disposed of. The crew of the Carl Magnus, in par-
ticular, expressed their joy at being taken. It is said the
object of bringing time prizes to Hull is, if possible, to find
a market for them. A fine Russian barque, the Alex-
andra, which arrived there with a cargo of linseed, has
been sold.
A TABLE OF OUR WASS SINCE TUE REretUTION OP
1688.—The War of Me Revolution: Enemies, the
French ; our allies, the. Dutch, Austrians, Prussians,
Spaniards, and the people-of Savoy; commenced in 1688
and ended by the peace of Ryswick in 1697. Events
Battles of Dieppe, of the Bbyne, of La Hogue, of Stein-
kirk, and Nerwinde ; national debt began in England.
—The' War of the Spanish &accession : Enemies, the
French. and Spaniards ; allies; the Dutch, Austrians,
people of. Savoy, and Portuguese; commenced in 1702!and
ended bjctfie peace of Utrecht in 1713. Events : Battles
of Blenheiin, Ramifies, Oudetnrde, and Malplaqaet ;
England gains Gibraltar, Minorca, Nova Scotia, and
Newfoundland.—The Spanish War, 1739, and the. War
of Austrian, Succession, 1741: Nemies, Spaniards and
French ; Allis; Austrians, Dutck Russians, Sardinians,.
and Hungarians : ended in 1748 by the peace of Aix la'
Chapelle. Battles : Dettingen, Fontknoy, Culloden, and
Finisterre.— The Seven Years' War:- Enemies, French,
Spaniards, Austrians ; allies, Prussians ; commenced in
1756 and ended'in 1763, by the peace of Paris. Battles,
Minden and Abraham. England gains- Bengal, Canada,
Cape Breton, Tobago, &c.—American War : Enemies,
Americans, French,. Spaniards, and Dutch; allies, none;
commenced in 1776., and ended by the peace of Versailles,
in 1783.—Events Rodney's naval victories, Gibraltar
besieged, battles of Bunker's Hill, BrandYwine, and Ger-
man Town. England loses 13 North American provinces,
Minorca, Tobago, and the Floridas.—The War of the
French Revolution,:- Enemies, French and Spaniards
from 1796 ; allies, Spaniards till 1795, Dutch, Prussians,
Austrians, and Portuguese: commenced in 1793, and
ended by the peace of 'Amiens, in 1802. Events : France
loses all power in Indian;: battles of Lodi, Arcola, Marengo,
and Alexandria ; Engilmd gains Malta, Trinidad, and
Coromandel.—The War against Napoleon litronaparte :
Enemies, French, Spaniards till 1808, Americans from
1812 ; allies, Austrians, Prussians, Russians,. Spaniards
from 1808, and Portuguese; commanced in- 1803, and
ended by the peace of Paris, in 1816. Battles of Anster-
fits, Trafalgar, Saafield, Jena, Eylau, Vimiera, Corunna,
Wagram, Talavera, Barons, Albuera, Salamanca, Smo-
lenako, Borodina, Leipsic, and Waterloo. England gains
Ceylon, the Cape, Berbice, -Demerara, &c.

AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT DURING TER WARS.—
The war of the revolution, 445. per qr. ; the war of the
Spanish succession, 445. 6d.; the Spanish war, 325. 6d. ;
the seven years' war, 395. 3d, ; the American wail. 48s. 6d. ;
the war of the French revoludon, 78s. 6d. ; the war against
Napoleon, 925. Bd.
DIFFICULTIES or THE BALTIC.—An English' fleet en-
tering the closed sea will not encounter its only trials
at the intricate entrance. The difficulty which our fleet
had in venturing to pass the Sound, with its- shallow
waters, the necessity for taking the more circuitous route
by the Great Belt, formed only a foretaste • of the
obstructive navigation which increases as the capital of
Russia is approached. Passing by the cliffs of Holstein,
the sandy shores of Prussia,. the granite rocks of 'Sweden,
leaving. out of account the ice which walls up the water-
way to the upper part of the Baltic the greater part of the
year, let us take only what might be -considered the more
vulnerable points. We need not dwell much upon Riga
and the entrance to the Duna, strongly fortified, though
imperfectly manned, and not at present armed. enough
against' attack to be without terrors at the name of Napier.
The two parts of Russia that would seem to invite the de-
sired blow, are Finland, for its supposed disposition to
retum to . Sweden, and its importance in a military point
of viewfor approaching Russia by land; and the- Gulf of
Finland, the road to St. Petersburgh. As to Finland, the
province so dishonestly taken from• Sweden in- 1808, a
priori, it might be supposed that the inhabitants, whose
ethnological sympathies with the • Muscovites are • small,
would be ready enough to shake off the yoke, and return
to their orriginal fealty : but it will:not do to trust in war
to a priori reasoning. The Fins have a constitution
secured to them for fifty years afterthe cession ; they have
several' privileges; and there• it no positive evidence of
their Swedish tendencies. Moreover the approaches are
fortified by nature and the Czar, The entrance tantheCulf
is gated by that group of eighty-islands which go by the
general name of the largest Aland ; an archipelago of
islands, straits, reefs, bans, and hanks, which laugh at the
entrance of any craft but the galleys and gun-boats of old
north warfare. To the East, on the Finnish coast, lies
Helsingfors, and the fortified works which pass by the
general name of Sveaborg ; and: here lies a prize which
might tempt the approaching Napier, eight sail of the
line, a frigate, a corvette, and three steamers of the Rus-
sian Baltic fleet. But how to get at them ? Through the
single passage of Helsingfors Bay, between Langern and
Nester Svert, a passage' two hundred yards in width,
raked by a fire from the two islands, with other batteries
to be passed ; and commanded by the great works of Svea-
borg, a pile of battery upon battery, such as Sir Archibald
Alison, says the writer, can alone describe; such it would
seem as John Martin alone could paint, under the inspira-
tion of some military furor. Each series of works is
complete in itself as regards stores of all kinds, and bomb
proof cover. The batteries are formidable, both because
they are unassailable in the baldness of the rocks from
which they are carved, and because they have the heaviest
ordnance. Between Sveaborg and Revel lies the narrow
entrance to the Gulf of Finland, whose shores recede from
each other, to meet again near Cronstadt, at the entrance
of ,the estuary of the Neva. Well, if the fleet lying in the
Bay of Helsingfors cannot be seized, let the blow be struck
upon St.Petersburgh itself ; and the Scandanavians of the
Baltic provinces, taught to know that their Czar is not
invulnerable, may be shaken from their allegiance by that
one act of Napieresque daring. But how to get in?
There is no doubt the choice of two channels ; but the
northern is closed by a double or triple row of piles, five orsix
miles in length, which renders it accessible only to small
craft. It is Hobson's choice therefore ; and taking the ,
other channel, the adventurous sea-captain, on invasion '
bent, will have to steer his ship between Fort Alexander
on the left, and Risbank on the right, each 800 yards dis-
tant, each built of granite, and bristling with heavy guns ;
then come Fort Peter and the wooden fort of Cronslott,
the last of no formidable character ; but then again the
adventurer enters " the Middle Road," a passage 250 yards
wide, commanded by Cronslott and Mole Head, and the
cube granite-built Fort Menzikoff, with a very large num-
ber of guns. Beyond in the narrowing channel, lies a vista
of land fortifications not practically important; no fleet in
goose's file is likely to enter there, save as the Russian
admiral entered Helsingfors, when a Swedish admiral
capitulated—by force of golden artillery. Here then lies
the strength of Russia. She is a great hedgehog. Her
means of offence are not alarming ; her seventy-two ships
of all sizes in her Baltic and Euxine fleets, commanded by
generals, with captains who wear spurs, and gunners
who place less than one shot in the dozen—a Napier could
easily put such a fleet under his arm and present it to a
British museum. But to be conquered, the Russian ships
must come out, and they show no impatience to be con-
quered. Russian fleets steal victories from English foes
by stopping in-doors; and it is a winning game for the
spurred sailors. A mammoth hedgehog, with a more than
rhinoceros hide of granite, Russia cannot easily be made to
feel blows. Perchance she may be locked up and starved,
until her very intestines rebel ; but that is tedious work
even for those to whom victory is promised in reversion.
The only strength that can conquer inert, dogged, shame-
less obstinacy, is unflagging patience, actively persevering
paitence in officers and men, tranquil passive patience in
a public, guarded against harrasing its own servants by
expecting and demanding • impossibilities.—Fraser's Ma-
gazine for May.