The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-31 00:00:00

communities of Lontion, Liverpool, Bristbl, Glasgow, and,
indeed, of every port' of consideration in the United King-
dom. Cause of complaint permeated every portion of the
Customs. I hsvewitnessed it. Grievances affecting, not
merely the transTerof merchandize, bonds, warrants, and
so forth, but as regarded the mere traveller—the foreigner
arriving on our shoves. I have no business at present to
refer to grievances on the Continent, which sometimes
appear greater-than our own. I referred to the first day's
sittings of the new Customs Court. Questions of no
mercantile sinuosity—difficulty--had arisen ; as the Court
continues its operations, such questions demanding inti-
mate acquaintance with-mercantile law have arisen. Who
is to adjudicate.? Certainly not in all cases satisfactorily
the chairman, for the most part at best but an educated
gentleman, chosenbecause hehas interest, without reference
to forensic lore, and least- of all to that most difficult—be-
cause most detailed, most complicated, most varied among
nations—part of it,—mercantile law. The want of such
a functionary in the -new court of Customs during one
little month has been felt. It will be remedied, and the
chairman of the Commissioners of Customs (take my word
for it—as yet alone) will be relieved by a barrister of
known talent, who will preside as judge at these new sit-
tings. Two .or three quiet re-unions have been held in
the city within the lastlew evenings on the subject of a
testimonial to Mr. TRANERS, for the success which has so
far crowned his efforts. Who, of sterling worth in a great
cause, now cares for•testimonials of silver or of gold, can-
delabra, and all that sort o' thing ? To my certain know-
ledge, even in the act -of presentation, amid speeches
flowery as the ornaments which surrounded the gift, in-
terruptions, such as
" 06, my prophetic soul—my uncle !"

have been experienced by the too grateful speaker.
" Proudest moment of my life ;" " heir-loom in my fa-
mily," all disturbed sotto voce, by reference to the rela-
tive above named, as likely to be soon the custodier of the
tribute. And even so it has been ! My uncle ! That
energetic man, the late JOHN WALTER, was among the
first to put aside such testimonials ; he was a thoroughly
practical man ; with his apron on, and his sleeves tucked
up, he has traversed the printing-rooms of Printing-house-
square at all hours of the night—years, many ago, when,
then as now, in the very heat—whirlwind—of publication,
all was quiet as a summer's afternoon—serene ! The
Times had achieved greatness in following up a swarm of
organized swindlers planted all over the continent, from
Frankfort right and left to London—destroyed the " var-
mint." The merchants were in raptures—subscribed.
No ! said the Times people, silver and gold we shall have
none ! What have they got ? Two marble slabs and a
couple of scholarships, in good places—the latter for ever.
Sure as the Bank of England. TRAVERS after the same
principle. With a sigh, he remembers simple-minded,
confiding, good Sir THOMAS-GRESHAM. What mockery
that merchant's fortune has perpetuated ! Lectures on
every subject nearly but the right one ; lectures delivered
by owls—semblanees to bats—four or five in number.
One could have tolerated the Gunsulm lectures, had they
been well attended. Nobody cared for them. What has
astronomy to do with the use of the scales ? I beg par-
don, Libra. TRAVERS goes rightly about it, and the other
evening stated his views to a few friends. He suggested
that the proceeds of the testimonial, incommemoration of
Customs reform, should be applied to the foundation of
an annual series of lectures in the city of London on those
important subjects connected with commerce and commer-
cial law. The city has hitherto been entirely destitute of
established means for the advancement of commercial
learning, as important, Mr. TRAVERS contends, as the
learning of our Universities. He further suggests that
the intended lectures shall comprise—the migration of
nations—foundation of leading races—rise and fall of
States—spread of enterprise—beginning and growth of
mechanical invention—changes in the entire spirit of
mankind—the relations of one nation to another, and so
forth. The lectures he proposes should be delivered by the
most able and distinguished men of the day, whether men
of business, lawyers, or statesmen. Mr. TRAVERS con-
tends, like a merchant, that, from the want of general
commercial knowledge, we have periodic outbreaks of
speculation, scattering in the wildest schemes the fairly-
gathered fruits of years of legitimate trade. Mr. TRA-
VERS still insists for further reform, in fulfilment of Trea-
sury promises.
RICHARD COBDEN! RICHARD COBDEN! though neither
witty nor funny thyself, thou hast caused much of the
latter " article"—fun—in club Conservative, Reform—
Athenwum, where old and some of them Russia-travelled
scholars, most do congregate—yea, at the Athenaeum's
younger brother club Erecthium ! It was RICHARD COB-
DEN'S speech the other day at Manchester which made the
clubites gape and guffaw. He rose with his brother out-
spoken, blundering). JOHN BRIGHT, to speak of reform—
the new bill, of which he knows nothing—nor anybody
else, except a coalition man or two ; it may be also that
constitutional Conservative, FITZROY KELLY. RICHARD
rose to tell his auditors, men of Lancashire, what they
ought to expect in the way of reform, and off he dashed in
a tangent, for the sake of a handful or two of Gossypium
—cotton—he eulogised the EMPEROR or Russis as a
fatherly pattern of every virtue. Even Radicals as rabid
RICHARD laughed, and one or two of the order intend to
to have rod in pickle for him when he comes to Parlia-
ment ; and but that BERNAL OSBORNE is tongue-tied, by
his pay at the War-office, he might lay it on. He has the
will, and it is not his poverty that makes him consent to
spare the "unadorned" RICHARD COBDEN. But Mr.
COBDEN believed all he said ; it was a flourish—zeal—be
it without knowledge—carries one through sometimes;
men of sense and experience, sober minded, truth-talking
people, matter of fact men— JOE HUME if you will—listen,
and wonder why they have listened, to RICHARD, when
he has had done. The statements he has advanced will
not hold the unstable element,—they are erroneous,—so
Ptinihe h.ageosuiriaAle r. nctipeiMaaiii
g-
know that out of St. Petersburg and Moscow there are
neither school nor teacher scarcely? Does Mr. COBDEN not
know that no Russian, however high his rank, can leave
his country, without finding heavy bail—in rouble—for
his return at the very hour stipulated in the bond? The
money goes into the Imperial till, should the absentee not
have returned. RICHARD C. make a mistake—on purpose
—some evening, and drop into the Traveller's Club, next
door to your own, ask that bent old man, sometimes with
a very small glittering order on his breast, if what I have
just stated is not the fact. You may not find it in books
on Russia; it is not the less true. However, Mr. COBDEN
has the questionable honour of holding an exclusive opinion
in a company of six hundred and fifty-eight , gentlemen,
more or less. Baron BRUNOW himself would smile, albeit
not given to that delightful mood at this present period.
More of that gentleman diplomatist and his movements
by and bye.
JOHNNIE JONES is here just now, blushing with the
highest honour that a Sovereign can bestow on British
artist—aye, or Irish either ! Who is JOHNNIE JONES ?
A round, punchy man, for all the world vastly like a
cheesemonger when he walks abroad ; you would not
know that flaming son of genius from one such cheese-
monger, if, indeed, you did not look into his eyes, having
optics of your own. Of artists MICHAEL ANGELO is my
greatest ; PIIIDIAS PRAXITELES, ALCAMANES, and six or
seven other stonecutters, I could name. Of painters, first
the "divine-minded" RAPHAEL, and that painter of an-
tiquity who " did" SERVATIUS ; all these were " replete
with vitality"—just the phrase, though it smacks of
Hackney Marsh. Give me that before-named simple-
hearted Irish wag JOHNNIE JONES, in the van of all these
names "most consecrate of old" for telling expression.
JONES is a sculptor—an Irish one, and an Irishman.
JOHNNIE was somewhat startled the other morning as
he chipped—not his marble, but his questionable egg—at
breakfast. You must come to Windsor Castle, JOHNNIE ;

the QUEEN is going to sit to you for her own beautiful
bust, to give it in marble to WILLIAM DARGAN, the
Great-Heart of the Irish Exhibition ! The sculptor could
scarce believe it. He does now. The QUEEN, graciously,
has given two sittings to Mr. JONES, and I can, with best
authority, state, that he can have more, if need be, for the
bust intended for presentation to that humbly-born, but
noble, DARGAN. This is most honourable to VICTORIA—
what else could she suggest ?—most honourable to WIL-
LIAM DARGAN and to JOHNNIE JONES. To the latter
especially so. The QUEEN'S sittings for portraits are not
only few and far between, but they are short. WINTER-
HALTER, with his famous full-lengths, had the longest
sittings. In fifty years after this the work of the Irish
artist will be appreciated. Two busts are, I understand,
to be executed—one to DARGAN, 'tother to the Sovereign.
No more.
For a long period of theatrical reminiscence, the reign
of pantomime has not continued with so much eclat as
during the present season ; it still draws at every house,
except one, where it was withdrawn ; and, to crown all,
morning performances, let the day be wet, raw and gusty,
dry and sunshiny, the houses are crowded. Of novelties
there have been none. Miss CUSHMAN, to be sure, has
re-appeared, and attracted vast numbers to the Hay-
market, by her spasmodic violence in MumAN's "violent"
play of "Fazio," and in KOTZEBUE'S unnatural play of the
Stranger." In the former, her earnest energy and won-
derful physique startled the people, without touching the
heart : in the latter she was not so successful,—more deli-
cate shading being required. She appears, in a night or
two, as Meg Merrilies, a character which Miss Cusnacur
sustains with terrible emotion. The portrait is Miss
CUSIIMAN'S—not Sir WALTER SCOTT'S. If BUCBSTONE
pays attention to the ballad-music of the melo-drama, it
will do for a time. The Preston boys had Drury-lane
Theatre on Saturday night ; they paid the lessee, it is
stated, £l5O for the house, and had the receipts for the
benefit of the " strike."

FlRE.—About four o'clock on Friday morning a dwel-
ling-house in Minshull-street was discovered to be on fire.
The brigade arrived, and in a short time mastered the
destructive element, but not until three of the inmates
had been placed in imminent danger.
ST. GE oRGE's-HILL.—A meeting was held at the Town-
hall on Friday, at which, the Ven. Archdeacon Brooks, the
Rev. Rector Campbell, and other gentlemen, were present,
for the purpose of making arrangements for the grand
musical festival with which it is intended to celebrate the
opening, in autumn, of St. George's Hall.
LIVERPOOL VESSELS AT AUSTRALIA.—By the last
accounts from Australia, the following ships had arrived
at Melbourne from this port :—The steamer Great Bri-
tain, in 65 days ; the Wild Wave, 139 days (having had to
put into Rio Janeiro for repairs) ; the Admiral Juan Ever-
stern, 116 days ; the Goldfinder, 87 days ; the Tasmania,
in 90 days ; and the Maria Elise, in 115 days.
SutcxnE,—On Friday morning, John Guthrie, an engi-
neer at the Newton Junction of the North-western Rail-
way, who had been lodging for a week at No. 74, Leeds-
street, in this town, and had been drinking all the time,
was found suspended by his neckerchief from the bed-post.
He was cut down by a policeman, but life was quite
extinct.

TRANSATLANTIC STEAMEES.—The Pacific, Capt. Nye,
sailed for New York, on Wednesday afternoon, with a full
cargo and fair complement of passengers. The Africa,
Capt. Harrison, sailed for New York on Saturday, with a
full cargo and about 40 passengers. The America will
start for Boston to-day, having been chartered on account
of the United States government to carry the troops
rescued from the San Francisco. She will take cargo, but
no other passengers. The Baltic, Capt. Comstock, with
dates from New York to the 21st inst., may be looked for
to-morrow.
THE SHIPWRECKED AMERICAN TTOOPS.—The Ame-
rican consul chartered the British mail-steamer America
to convey the troops from this port to Boston on Friday.
They were
.disembarked from the Antarctic, and placed on
board the America, which will sail to-day. The troops
will be accompanied by Captain Watkin and three of his
principal officers.