The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-12-11 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE "GREAT SLANDERER."

TO THE EDITOR OF TEE LIVERPOOL ST.4ND.4RD,

SIR,—It is not very common for ladies to address commu-
nications to editors of newspapers, but I fear the spirit of
chivalry in good old England is gone, and I have waited
With-much anxiety to see our cause taken up by some one
more accustomed to these matters than myself. I have read
in some of the papers which I am in the habit of looking
into, the vile slanders of that great curse to Ireland, Daniel
O'Connell, who, in one of his speeches, vilified the mothers,
wives; and daughters of England! Surely some of our spi-
rited inen:;in. parliauient u-idl>.trri.ng.•him to-account for his
words. But I fear the spirit of our country is gone, for he
has even called the House of Commons a band of ruffians!
Oh ! were I a member of that house, I would horsewhip him
from one end of London to rue other, or I would make him
retract his words. And to add to the aggravation, I find, in
reading the discussion in Dublin, that one of this abominable
fellow's filthy priests repeats the vile slander on the ladies of
England, and it has fallen to the lot of a spirited young
Irishman to vindicate our character.

Oh, England, England ! how art thou fallen ! Popery
and infidelity have now almost got the mastery of our once-
happy country, and no good w►ll be done till our maiden
Queen shall be requested, by the united voices of our fe-
males, to discharge from her presence all who would poison
her mind by the baneful influences of Popery, and chiefly
her vile intriguing ministers. Oh, for another good Queen
Bess!

I am, Mr. Editor, your obliged servant,
Everton. ELIZA THOMPSON.

EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.

TO TEE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Ste.—ln your paper of Tuesday last, I perceive a letter
signed A Shareholder, containing an extract from the Rail-
way Times, respecting the Eastern Counties Railway. Now,
as any account in that periodical of the progress made on
the line in question is invariably favourable, I would advise
every person who wishes to embark his money in this po-
pery to consider well the statements constantly being brought
forward about it. Toe said extract is connected with re-
marks of the Railway Magazine, to which publication the
permanent shareholders are indebted; for whatever the mo-
tives of the editor may be, he certa►nly expresses what is
wrong in the undertaking, and makes the distant proprietors
fully acquainted wi►h their interest. Is it not annoying that
the capital of the formation of this line is so soon increased
to £2,100,000 (500,000 more) although not 1-12th part is yet
complete, and this too, in the face of the nominal capital of
£1,600,000, which still stands in all the share lists.
Liverpool, 6i Dec. 1838. B. H.

THE BROUGHAM INSTITUTE.

TO 7118 EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STAND4RD.

Sig.—lt is much to be regretted that our conservative
friends do not attempt to get up something similar to the
"Brougham Institute," which is becoming decidedly popular.
It has cheapness to recommend it, and economy is the order
of the day : but what detracts from its usefulness and calls for
a rival establishment, is the very many questionable subjects
brought forward. Of the characters who figure there I can
sae nothing, my knowledge of them being so very limited.
The conservative young men who resort there, must, how-
ever, eventually be injured by it, though occasionally it may
administer to amusement; the gratification or the informa-
tion to be derived from such a source (under its present
management) must of necessity be very small.
My present object is to throw nut a hint to the conservatives
that they immediately set on foot a similar establishment.
A more suitable name for it cannot be hit upon than the

' PEEL'S iNsTrruTE," which might be Conducted on
the same model but in a superior manner;—its lectures more
useful and select; its library more extensive and judiciously
selected, and allowed to circulate; and above all, its manage-
ment to be placed in the hands of men of known moral
worth and character. There are many young men attached
to the party who would, with a little study and exercise, be-
come excellent lecturers, and herein the advantage to be de-
rived would be more than repaid by the exercise of such (by
no means arduous) office; in their acquiring a fluency of
speech, and what is not least, their being obliged to study
useful subjects t hemselves; wherein they would become more
useful and valuable members of society, and would accom-
plish, in no small degree, the extirpation of false notions and
strange opinions springing up among us.
Your very obedient servant,
Lieerpool, Dec. 7, 1838. BETA.

THE LIVERPOOL CHURCH BUILDING SOCIETY

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST✓INDARD,

SIR,-It was a source of high gratification to me to read
in your paper the account of the meetint, in behalf of the
" Liverpool Church Building Society ;" and' my earnest wish
and prayer is, that it may succeed, so as to realise'the most
sanguine wishes of its promoters. I cannot, however, but
regret the slow progress that is making in the subscriptions
towards this work of love—this doing of service to God; and
the more so, as the day, the Ist of January, is fast ap-
proaching,. on which, a general meeting of the contributors
is to take place, for the purpose of forming the society, and
of furthering its views. 'Will it tell well fur the professors of
christianity—will it tell well for christians of the established
church in Liverpool, if the new year is allowed to be ushered
in with such lukewarmness on their part? And would it not
be well that, to avoid such-an appearance, and to insure suc-
cess in so beneficent an undertaking, that you, in your edi-

tonal capacity, urged the clergy themselves to interest their
various flocks in aiding the great work that is now in hand.
It is strictly in their province so to do; and it is their ex-
hortation and importunity, that must awaken the feelings of
many; there are congregations from which very large contri-
butions might be collected; and from every church some-
thing;—so that an agregate might fairly be obtained which
should be at least equivalent to £lOOO a church
Yours, obediently,
Liverpool, Dec. Bth. 1838.

T. P. H.

TRYING CANNON ON THE SHORE

70 THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST/INDzIRD.
SlR,—Our recent proving of cannon upon the North
Shore having been publicly alluded to, we beg to observe,
that we have hitherto considered the proof a mere ceremony,
our cannon having, until the last trial, uniformly stood proof,
as, from the process of manufacturing them, is almost ren-
dered certain, being cast solid, and the calibre afterwards
bored. We have, accordingly, availed ourselves of the con:

tiguity of the northern beach- for the purpose of their proof
for a number of years, without before experiencing the ex-
plosion of a single gun, or, otherwise, we should not, of course,
on any consideration, have felt ourselves justified in the
practice.
However, on the result of the late proof, (arising entirely
from the cannon having been made of iron obtained from
new works, and falsely represented,) we immediately, on the
day preceding receiving any intimation from our most worthy
Chief Magistrate, despatched some confidential servants to
select another situation, upon an extended beach, greatly
beyond the limits of the borough, where all future proofs
will exclusively be made.—We are, Sir, yours, &c.,
FAWCETT, PRESTON, and CO.
York-street, Dec. 4, 1838.

THE RAILWAY INTERESTS OF LANCASIRE
No. IV.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL
SlR,—Since I last addressd the holders of railway property
here, through the medium of your excellent journal, it will
be obvious to any one acquainted with the amount of business
transacted in these markets, that no disposition has existed to
submit to be squozen out of the good things, of which we hold so
large a share, at the low rates which "the money changers"
have still endeavoured to keep them; and that interests in
those lines, which have only been freely sold, have been parted
with, at all freely, rather, because they bore a comparatively,
higher price than others which from the position of the mar-
kets, were of necessity by the lapse of time, bargains or other-
wise, brought to sale, than that they had attained to anything
like their real worth. A strong and wise disposition to hold
firmly for the day of fair prices has been manifested; and for
the encouragement of this feeling, I again venture to address
my brother shareholders ; and to urge them to disregard any
temporary pretences for depression, of which speculators
may seek to avail themselves: and rather to keep their at-
tention fixed upon the progressive and successful develope-
ments, day by day, of their most sanguine anticipations of
the value of their railways. Let every man look beyond the
November fog we are ju-st clearing from, to the early months
of the coming year, big with such momentous results to the
railway worl.l. Let me remind you that this same spring,
which we know must effect so great a change, is little more
than a month in advance of us; and that the time for even
these very speculators to store in their shares at low prices,
for the ensuing campaign, is so short, that every effort must
be strained to keep down the barometer, so as to cloud and
protract " the dull time- before Christmas," which all these
wise ones, these Ralph Nicklebys, these old spidets in their
holes, are looking fur—Query, to come at all? Not if you
are true to yourselves. Look at the share lists—in our news-
papers, and although you see the "last price" nominally low,
at which these buyers in perspective, may hug themselves in,
fancied security of their prey, yet refer to the daily column,
often in low times a very virginity, unmarked by a single
quotation—except it be Grand Junctions at 150 premium.
Should not this open the eves of these gentry, as well as keep
ours so; and tell them, it they mean to buy, and share in
the mines of wealth these things contain, to come up to the
mark, and pay us for them like men. We see the immense
returns the Grand Junction is yielding, and the noble di-
vidend secured for January ; and we know moreover,
that the parties now buying them at their present price,
(aware, as they are, of the value of other things under de-
pression,) would not buy them, unless thoroughly assured,
that the shares would be £5O higher before June Next. We
are aware also, that the London and Birmingham will pay
DI per old share, and per quarter for the current half-
year, although the •line was only opened throughout, late in
September. •"fhis splendid blunder," which was to yield
no dividend at all, according to the Jeremiad in Frazer, and
other antiquated croakers from the ditches of the old turn-
pikes. Bear in mind too, that the same increase which we
have seen on the Liverpool and Manchester, will quadruple
this return in three or four years, besides the offshoots of new
shares. Coming next to the Southampton—and I would now
speak to the Manchester (as the largest body of) holders, to
bring me to whom, 1 would beg of the editors of the Railway
Times, and of the Manchester Guardian, to insert this com-
munication in their respective columns. 'What au earth, fel-
low-shareholders, is there to justify the present depreciation
of our property in this line? Elere is a railway, with the
largest passenger traffic out of London, as officially proved—
made in the best manner, under one of our ablest and most
successful engineers, at one half the cost per mile of most
others; the whole length, excepting nine miles out of eighty,
verging upon completion, forty miles already in work, with
the traffic of ten coaches upon it, and that of thirty others
gradually joining, a traffic more than double that of the Li-
verpool portion of the Grand Junction, which portion has
mainly contributed to produce the large returns of the latter
line—a railway, calculated by experienced persons, on data
incontestibly established and given, to yield a revenue of 234
per cent. from its receipts, in the same ratio as the Liverpool
and Manchester company now pay 10 per cent. upon theirs.
Of all this you are most of you morally certain, and yet in
the face of such knowledge, you are gulled into yielding to,
and (to your own ultimate heavy loss, well deserved, as you
will find) aiding in the working of a series of stock-jobbing
manceuvering and trickery, by which the shares are held
down at less than one half of their legitimate value. The de-
pression is accounted fur by the assertion that large time-bar-
gains have fallen due weekly from September to the first of
this month, involving several thousand shares; in addition to
which, one of the largest proprietors, to meet some family ar-
rangements, has, within the last six weeks, sold four hundred
new shares. However the right to do as we like with our
own may be claimed in such cases, yet, with all deference,
such an operation does serious injustice to the joint interests
of the proprietary, is not well done, and may be rightly
punished by after cause of regret, and retaliation in kind.
But, this over, you may expect those who have sold for a de-
pression, will be seeking to recover their shares, and it is our
fault if they have not to pay for them. It rejoices me to see
the blank columns of our share list, now that a sort of "hobble
bubble" panic is attempted to beset a-work—to hear the bear
"roar me so rarely" in his muzzle. Only you laugh at him,
and remember the worth of your rails, and he will not only
furnish you with food for your laughter, but something more
substantial, for his tricks often cost him dear enough when
they fail to frighten. And what tricks they do play before
high heaven! It is amusing to hear these gents talk of the
1 business-like views of the long-headed men of the north—
, while they think to pipe us to any tune they please,—at one
, time giving us the eyes of eagles, regular sun-starers; losing
sight of all sub•affetira,—asphalto sky4ouuters, too kesu-