The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-10 00:00:00

A BRAVE FAMILY.

In the House of Commons, on Monday night, Sir R.
Peel, in moving a vote of thanks to the Indian army, for
their gallant •conduct during the recent disastrous con-
flicts, gave the following touching narrative of the self-
denial and bravery evinced by Sir Henry Hardinge and
his sons.

" I believe," said the right hon. baronet, " The night
of the 21st of December was one of the most memorable
nights in the military history of this country. The right
of the British army was led by the commander-in-chief,
Sir 11. Gough ; the left, by the Governor-General, as se-
cond in command. They made a brilliant attack, but
they had not time to complete their victory, which, how-
ever, dissipitated the Lahore army. The details are given
with admirable clearness in the despatches ; but there are
private letters which speak with less of formality, and give
a more vivid account of the scene. I will read an extract
from a private letter writte❑ by the Governor-General to
a member of his family :
" The night of the 21st was the most extraordinary of
my life. I bivouacked with the men, without food or co-
vering, and our nights are bitter cold. A burning camp
in our front, our brave fellows lying down under a heavy
cannonade which continued during the whole night, mixed
with the wild cries of the Sikhs, our English hurrah, the
tramp of men, and the groans of the dying. In this state,
with a handful of men, who had carried the batteries the
night before, t remained till morning, taking very short
intervals of rest by lying down with various regiments in
succession, to ascertain their temper, and revive their
spirits.' [That is to say, Sir H. H ardinge spent the night
in going from regiment to regiment, lying down with
them, anima►ing their spirits, thus insuring, as far as hu-
ma❑ effort could insure it, the conquest of the zoming
day.] ' I found myself again with my old friends of the
29th, 31st, 50th, and 9th, and all in good heart. My
answer to all and every man was, that we must fight it
out, attack the enemy vigorously at day-break, beat him,
or die honourably in the field. The gallant old general,
kind-hearted and heroically brave, entirely coincided with
me. During the night I occasionally called upon our
brave English soldiers to punish the Sikhs when they
came too close and were impudent ; and when morning
broke we went at it in true English style. Gough was on
the right. I placed myself, and dear little Arthur by my
side, in the centre, about 30 yards in front of the men, to
prevent their firing, and we drove the enemy without a
halt from one extremity of their camp to the other, cap-
turing 30 or 40 guns as we went along, which fired at 20
paces from us, and were served obstinately. The brave
men drew up in an excellent line, and cheered Gough and
myself as we rode up the line. the regimental colours
lowering to me as on parade. The mournful part is the
heavy loss I have sustained in my officers. I have had 10
aides-de-camp hors du combat, five killed and five wound-
ed. The fire of grape was very heavy from 100 pieces of
cannon. The Sikh army drilled by French officers, and
the men the most warlike in India.'

" I say, sir, that with my affectionate rezard for that
gallant man, I feel proud to exhibit him during such a
night as that of the 21st of December ; to exhibit him
passing from regiment to regiment, lying down on the
ground with the men, keeping up their spirits, and ani-
mating their ardour; and having had twelve aides-de-
camp, when ten out of them were disabled, placing his
young son, a boy of about eighteen years of, in front of
the British regiments, in order that they might not be in-
duced to fire, but that they might drive the enemy from
their cannon by the force of the British bayonet alone.
(Cheers.) There is, sir, a characteristic trait of my gal-
lant friend in this very letter. He says he had two sons
with him, one of them having entered the army, had been

present throughout the whole of the action at Moodkee,
and the early part of the 21st; the other was a civilian.
On the night of the 21st he sent the civilian to the rear,
saying that his presence in the field disturbed him. When
the son refused to go, he said he would send him out of

the field in custody, if necessary, as his presence disturbed
his mind, while he says the presence of the son who was
in the service, and who had a military reputation to form,
only made him the more determined and resolute in the

discharge of his duty. (Loud cheers.) He says also,
that on the 22d, when the danger was over, in visiting the
hospitals be took one of his sons with him, who has had
the misfortune to lose a foot, and telling the wounded
men that they saw a Governor-General who had lost a
hand, with a son who had lost a foot, consoled them under
their wounds, by showing them that men of the highest
rank are subject to the same calamities. He says, " I
visit the hospital and comfort the maimed by showing
them a Governor-General without a hand, and his son
without a foot, and these practical illustrations are conso-
latory to our poor fellows.' I think, therefore, that this
house will agree with me that the Commander-in-Chief
and the second in command. that the generals of the
army, and the army they led, have performed an exploit
worthy of the British name. And I think I may assume
that the gratitude of this house will be expressed to them
for that exploit." (Cheers.)

• FREE TRADE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING HERALD.

FlR,—This fascinating term has become the cant
watchword of the liberal free traders of the present day ;
they apparently use it without having well considered its
meaning or practical application, and regardless of conse-
quences adopt it as an authority for advocating the admis-
sion of foreign corn into this country duty free ; whereas
the true and ever-understood meaning of it is, a recipro-
cal exchange of the commodities of two independent coun-
tries, each admitting the productions of the °User free of
duty.
The system now pressed upon us by the free traders is
of a very different stamp and character, divested of every
principle that has hitherto constituted free trade among
nations. For in place of the reciprocal exchange of the
productions of each, free of duty, on either side, they pro-
pose to admit the free importation of foreign corn here,
whilst these countries refuse to admit the importation of
our productions into theirs, in a similar manner but.
on the contrary, exclude them by the imposition of pro-
hibitive duties, thus violating the sound principle of reci-
procity, which is the sure and only basis on which free
trade can be practically conducted beneficially to both
the parties. The proper name is barter, or mutual ex-
change, but here that principle is abandoned, and in place
dutyy
eutoa goods,
free,
thei t,
owhenever
fruits
go
without
of t t e
our may of an exchange of productions the fruits of the mutual la-
Lour of the people of each country, we are to receive their
corn
nr
h
disposedand
dr e
seek
tandureturn,
n and
nd
i t
for their interest to supply us with it, refusing to accept
o
obliging us to pay for their corn with gold, when we hap-
p else-
where for a market for our goods if we can find it.
I hope some liberal free traders will take the trouble to
inform the British public what they mean by free trade,
with which they profess to be so deeply enamoured; and
to let our manufacturers know, when they have purchased
the corn of the foreigner, who will only consent to receive
their goods subject to heavy duties acting with prohibi-
tory effe(t, by what means they propose to enable them
to provide funds to pay for the foreigners' corn? I ask
what avails it to the poor man to be tad that he may buy
the foreign loaf at a low price (which, after all, is a ques-
tion that remains to be proved) when be is without money
to pay for it—the foreigner having shown that he prefers
to keep it rather than adopt the principle of free trade,
and exchange it for the manufacturers' goods, the fruits
of his labour and skill ?

Hitherto our people, of all classes, generally fully em-
ployed, as at present, well paid for their labcur, appa-
rently contented and happy, were they permitted by the
factious free traders to remain so, have been fed from
bread made from home-grown corn, the fruits of British
labour, and the manufacturers have paid the agricultural
labourer in the practical spirit of free trade, with their
goods in barter, through the medium of our current mo-
ney; but if this new system is adopted and acted upon
he will be told that unless he has money ready to pay for
it, be can have no foreign corn to convert into bread, and
may starve, if dependent upon it, and cannot otherwise
procure it.
I will, in House of Commons language, suppose that
our manufacturer, in the spirit and practice of free trade,
says to the foreign corn-growers, " Well, my good fel-
lows, we will buy and consume your corn, as we don't
care much about home-growers or their landlords, (al-
though they ale constant consumers.) if you will consent
to take our goods in return for payment ?" But they
answer, " No, we cannot agree to such a measure of reci-
procity, because we, like you, have now an overgrown po-
pulation, a considerable portion of them have become also
manufacturers ; they can supply us with all the goods we
want ; they receive and consume our corn in payment ; it
is our duty to encourage and protect them, and you, no
doubt, know that charity begins at home."
I say may God preserve us from the delusions and
blessings of such practical free trade, and I pray we may
be so from our liberal friends, whilst we endeavour to
keep out of the fangs of their foreign ones.
AN OLD TRADER.

Londcit, Feb. 23, 1546.

[The writer of the above letter is, we are credibly in-
formed, a gentleman who was long and extensively en-
gaaed in business in this town. His opinion is entitled to
the greatest weight, and were.we at liberty to give the
writer's name, it would be a guarantee, independently of
the irresistible force of the preceding statements, that his
opin;ons deserve from commercial men the very greatest
attention. We are glad to have the fallacy of free trade
exposed by such an experienced hand. The free traders
are here placed on the horns of a dilemma, from which
they will find it impossible, by sound argument, to
escape.]

CAPTURE OF A GANG OF SWINDLERS.—On Wednes-
day last, a person named William Henry Chapman, before
well known for malpractices, was brought before Mr.ltush-
ton, charged with making a forged bill of exchange. The
prisoner, it appeared, in connexion with Win. 811, then
in Lancaster Castle for debt, wrote, in May last, to Mr.
Alston, capsule manufacturer, of Birmingham, for ten
c ieand
,
gross of capsules. The order was sent, and a bill of ex-
change purporting to be drawn on Nreff months,i
Co. and accepted by Ellis Williams, amounting to
£29 Snss" m andetayMss
payable in
thnsreturned dishonoured, upon which some of the capsules
was transmitted dto endorsed
Mr. Ablysto Bell,n. ip-he acceptance order was
were returned, with a letter stating that if the bill were
returned by Mr. Alston, £lO would be sent to him. Mr.
A. came to Liverrool, and saw the prisoner, who said there
was no such firm as Noreliffe and Co., and that he had
adopted his mother's maiden name. He was taken to the
Guardian Society's office, and repeating his statement was
taken into custody. Bell was brought from Lancaster.
and also brought before Mr. Rushton. Letters were
read shewing the connexion between the parties,
and implicating them in the transaction. The Gila' (Ilan
Society, it was stated, had other letters, shewing other si-
milar fraudulent transactions. The prisoners were re-
manded for a week. This exposure is another instance of
the vigilance of Mr. Reay, secretary to the Guardian So-
ciety.

eb Ina.

First vessel.—Having a large portion of her cargo engaged and
now going on board, will be despatched immediately.
For HONG KONG and SHANGHAE,
!!' (Both or either, at the option of the consignees of the
^;#' goods.)
vs; The beautiful Greenock-built-Ship
.MA
SCOTIA ,
ROBERT PAT.; mmander,
(Who is well ac anted with the trade;)
A 1 for twelve years ; 366 to , coppered; and sails very fast ;
and will be found in e espect a very first rate conveyance
both for goods and passengers.—For terms of freight or passage
apply on board, in the Prince's Dock, or to
W. and J. TYRER.