The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-12-21 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The letters of " A Churchman" and " Philo-Clericus-Felix"
have bee❑ received.
The insertion of the circular issued by the Montreal Friendly
Union would subject us to the advertisement duty.
"J. L." will perceive that there is no longer any necessity
for the insertion of his excellent letter. We would not
wish to introduce any thing into our columns to disturb
the existing unanimity on the subject.
We are obliged to defer the address of the Rev. J. H.
Stewart until Tuesday. Had it not been printed on both
sides of the paper we might have found time for it to day.

Elie iLiberpool

FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. 21, 1838.

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.—By the packet
ship Cambridge, Captain Bursley, which sailed from
New York on the Ist instant, and arrived at this port
on Wednesday, We have received American papers to
the above date. The news brought by this arrival
adds little to our previous information. The state of
the money market at New York was rather depressed.
In Philadelphia difficulty was experienced in obtain-
ing money for commercial purposes, even at the rate
of 12 per cent. Little was doing in the cotton mar-
ket. The southern ports were crowded with shipping,
and freights were unusually low. The wool trade is
described as in a healthy and improving condition. The
stocks and supplies in this mate►ial were very large.
The tobacco crop is said to have been a decided fail-
ure. An advance in price was the consequence of
this intelligence, when received at New York.
A great fire had taken place at Mobile, which ori-
ginated in the theatre. The loss was estimated at
nearly 100,000 dollars.
The news from Canada is of importance. The
Morning Herald states that " among the prisoners cap-
tured at Prescott there were forty or fifty young Ame-
ricans, natives of the state of New York. They as-
serted positively in their examinations that they were
engaged to invade Canada by certain respectable and
influential citizens of that state, residing in Caynga,
Onondaga, Oswega, and Jefferson counties. They
were promised 30 dollars per month, a supply of arms
and ammunition, and one hundred acres of good land,
when the conquest of the two provinces was completed.
It also appears in-evidence that funds to fit out the ex-
pedition to seize Prescott and overrun L'Acadie, were
procured by discounts at certain banks in New York,
and on the borders. Persons standing high in the
confidence of Mr. Van Buren and his party were the
indorsers of that paper, discounted by the banks. It
is now well known that not three Upper Canadians

joined the expedition, and but few of those in the
lower province. The whole affair was planned in this
state, by a band of the same land speculators, con-
nected with our government, who have been ruining
their country and destroying its commerce during the
last five years."
The Morning Herald remarks upon this foul con-
•- spiracy in very strong terms, directly implicating the
President in the charge of a guilty cognizance of the
pre-concerted movements of the mercenary crusaders.
We offer no apology for quoting the following ob-
.servations
" We are even persuaded that the president knew very
well the existence of their dangerous intrigue in all its de-
tails. It is true he carne_ out with his proclatnation of neu-
trality, but not the slightest symptom of this document
appeared till both the expeditions against Canada had failed
entirely. The rascally refugees, such as Nelson, Ill'Kenzie,
Cot; anti others, were used merely to forward a land specu-
lation, similar to that by which ex-collector Swartwout used
the funds of his office to forward his speculations in Texas
lands. Even Col. Ming, Riell, and others, in our custom.
house, were part of the same manoeuvre. It was also con-
nected with the boundary question, about which so great a
fuss has been made in Maine. A revolution, leading to the
independence of the Canadas, would settle at once the dis-
puted boundary, and leave the land speculators a fine field
for their operations.
" What a dangerous precipice the country has been stand-
- ing on ! In order to destroy the remembrance of his foolish
measures, the president has been intriguing to.create a war
feeling in the country, and thus to put in jeopardy ail our
- commerce and foreign trade. The trials about to take place
in Montreal and Kingston will reveal matters that will as-
tonish the people of this country.
" How came the poor patriots' to collect together three or
four pieces of artillery, 20,000 rounds of ball cartridge, more
than a dozen barrels of powder, several hundred muskets,
rifles, &c., under the very eyes and nose of Van Buren's
indefatigables without their cognizance? If this was not
done, without their knowledge, why was it not prevented?
Let Van Buren choose which horn of the dilemma he pleases
to rest upon till we take him off.
"The expedition to Prescott was fitted out at Oswego by
certain land speculators. It was in Oswego that the great
land speculations were commenced some years ago, and it
was in those speculations that Mr. Van Buren made the
greater part of his fortune."
There are 573 prisoners in the gaol at Montreal on
the charge of treason. This number, added to those
confined at Fort Henry, make a total of 758 prisoners,
who are shortly to be tried for their lives.
The British party in Canada are still complaining
that all vacancies in the public offices are filled by
French Canadians, who, of course, are mostly ran-
corous papists—hating the very name of England.
The bench of magistrates is so composed that the
French party manage every thing as they please.
Eighty-four known rebels were struck off the list of
avern-keepers by the British party ; but the French
went to work, and had them all reinstated These are
facts to which we hope the attention of Parliament
will be forcibly directed. Unless this atrocious sys-
tem of preference be done away with, there can be
very little hope for the future tranquillity of the
colonies.
An ordinance has been passed declaring that no
person shall be brought to trial for high treason, un-
less the crime vr as committed after the Ist of November.
The Morning Herald states, that great dissatisfaction
prevailed in Lower Canada at the delay relative to
the business before the court martial. The Montreal
Herald states, that " the rebels are very confident that
the proceedings of the court martial will be reversed
by the Parliament at home."
One of the three brass pieces taken at Prescott be-
belonged to the state of New York. This is stated
by the Morning Herald, from which paper we take
the following extract
"The Buffalo papers are glorifying Von Shultz, because,
as they say, he is a Pole, and, like Brutus, ran on his own
sword. 'l'bey compare him to Marco Botzaris, and a host of
heroes. Unfortunately for the perpetuity of all this rhodo-
montade about the brigand, he is a rascally Russian, and so
far from running on his own sword, he will have to go down
by the run, `paid off' with a halter."
The accounts from Mexico are of a conflicting cha-
racter. The New Orleans Bee of the 21st ult. an-
nounced a letter from Lieut. Clonef, commanding the
French brig of war, Laurite, (then at Havanna,)
which letter set forth that the French fleet had com-
menced bombarding the castle of St. Juan de Ulloa,

and had debarked three thousand troops on the coast,
and were on their march to Vera Cruz. This letter
was received by the British brig, Catherine, which
sailed from Habana four days before.
The Morning Herald discredits this account, assign-
ing the following reason—

"Captain Webster arrived on the 22d in the Lewin Jones
from Havana, which place he left on the 15th; he says he was
not aware of the news of the bombardment of the St. Juan de
Ulloa, having reached Havana—neither was the captain of
the British brig Catherine, stated to have brought the letter
from Lieut. Clouet. There bad been no arrival from Simi-
ficios at Havana previous to the sailing of the L. J., so that
we are inclined to place little reliance on the statements given
in some of the papers with respect to the debarkation of troops
and bombardment of the castle."

From Monte Video, the Morning Herald gives the
following news:— • -
" We have received the El Universal, published at Monte
Video, up to the 9th October. The insurgents were still be-
sieging the city, but their number was small, amounting to
only about six hundred men. Don Frutos Rivera .was the
generalissimo of this rebellions band.
" On the 6th of October, General Rivera made an attack
upon the city, but after some fighting he was repulsed. From
the appearance of affairs, we should judge that this renowned
don does not entertain a wish to take possession of the city,
but seems to take great delight in harassing its inhabitants.
Don Frutos undoubtedly supposes that by such manoeuvres
he will compel the Monte Videans to make him some great
offer.

" Since his proclamation, put forth early in September,
he has issued several decrees connected with his government,
as he pleases to style it, and has concocted laws for the im-
provement of the revenue. It was the general impression in
Monte Video, that Don Frutos would soon have to give.up."

The New York journals state that the French squa-
dron before Buenos Ayres had taken seven prizes, live
Buenos Ayrian vessels, and two bearing the flag of
the Oriental Republic. They were sent to Monte
Video, to be sold by the French consul there. The
Buenos Ayrians were still busily occupied in the erec-
tion of fortifications, as it was feared that the differ-
ences between their government and that of France
would end in war. There appeared to be no other
alternative at the date of the last advises.

THE NEW POOR LAW.—Greatly as we are opposed
to the traitorous and diabolical proceedings of the
chartists, we still persevere in denouncing the in-
humanity practised towards the poor of this country,
under the sanction and direction of the Poor Law
Commissioners. These despots have, by their arbi-
trary interference, already disgusted a whole body of
guardians so far as to cause their resignation. This
instance of rebellion against the authority of the com-
missioners, took place last week in Worcestershire.
We extract from the Morning Herald the following
account of the proceedings which induced the board to
take this step:—
"Previously to the resignation of the guardians, the fol-
lowing resolution, which is explanatory of the motive to that
act, was put and carried unanimously:—`That the board has
read, with much regret, a letter received from the assistant
commissioner, Sir F. Head, to the master of the workhouse,
in which he continues to object to the humane resolution
adopted by this board on the Bth, and confirmed on the 15th,
and peremptorily insists on the governor not complying with
their instructions relative to such resolution ; under these
circumstances, the board think it necessary again to express
their firm adherence to the resolution.' Mr. Hood, one of
the guardians, in moving this resolution, asked, who was
the toaster of the workhouse? was he not the servant—the
paid servant of the guardians? And yet they were to be told
that they had no control over his conduct in office.' Even
so, and we told the guardians the same thing long ago, when
we assured them that, according to the provisions of the act
of the whig 'liberty-boys,' all the guardians of the poor
elected or to be elected under it were intended to be no more
than mere servile instruments in the hands of the absolute
commissioners or of their satraps, called assistant commis-
sioners, and that to have a will of their own would be to sub-
ject them to the perils of contumacious disobedience to the
triple-headed despotism of Somerset House—a power which
was established, as we have more than once shown, by pro-
fessed reformers, in gross and flagrant violation of the prin-
ciples of the constitution.

The resolution of resignation states that, in conse-
quence of the very arbitrary power vested in the poor-law
commissioners, and exercised by them towards the board of
guardians in not allowing them any discretionary power as
regards the inmates of the workhouse, particularly the aged
and infirm, as solicited by them, this board, after mature de-
liberation, and under all circumstances, regret that they are.
compelled to resign their trust as guardians.' In reference
to the charge herein made, the commissioners not allowing
the guardians any discretionary power as regards the inmates
of the workhouse, let us observe that the great argument
urged by the authors and promoters of the law as cruel and
unchi istian as it is arbitrary and unconstitutional, for taking
away the controlling authority which magistrates exercised
with regard to cases of relief under the old law, was that the
rate-pavers, or their representatives, appointed to take care
of the interests of the poor, being the persons who best know
the characters and circumstances of the individuals applying
for relief, ought not to be interfered with by persons seldom
or never residing on the spot, and who knew nothing of those
matters. So, by way of reforming the state of things, the
power formerly exercised by the magistrates was taken from
them, and the rate-payers, or their representatives, were
placed under the controul—not like that of the magistrates,
a limited one—but the absolute controul of persons still more
ignorant of the characters and circumstances of the indivi-
duals applying for relief—the commissioners sitting at the
London board. This was reformation with a vengeance, or
to use a homely adage, it was " out of the frying-pan into
the fire."

"The whigs and their radical friends—the Grotes, Humes,
and Haweses, who were zealous and active abettors of the
whigs in working this bill through parliament, have reformed
also the condition of the industrious poor, by placing them
in such a dependance upon their employers, that they are
in most rural districts compelled to work for lower wages
than before the bill passed. They have no choice between
accepting such wages and submitting, with their heart-broken
families, to the imprisonment, privations, and degradation
of the union bastile."

With the foregoing rema)ks of our able contempo-
rary we cordially agree ; and we would intimate to
the Liverpool Times our intention to re- assert our
former views respecting the cruelties perpetrated under
the authority of the New Poor Law. Every one who
has perused the London police reports for the last
three or four weeks must concur with us in opinion
that the law is intrinsicably bad, and that its faithful
administration involves the greatest inhumanity. It
must be modified before it will ever become popular.

THE LIVERPOOL—This splendid vessel is now
hourly expected to arrive in Liverpool. From the
following extract of a letter received from the New
York agent of the Transatlantic Steam Ship Company
it will be seen that she was to sail for England on the
6th instant:—

" We had arranged the day of departure of the Liverpool
for the sth instant, hut the British minister at Washington
having requested a day's detention, to enable him to write
despatches after he reads the president's message, we shall
keep her until the 6th. The St. Lawrence and Hudson are
both frozen over, which is unusually early for the latter.'
Unless some further detention shall have taken
place we may expect to see her once more proudly
floating on the Mersey in the course of this day. We
have accordingly made arrangements for the publica-
tion of the President's message, which she will bring,
in a second edition. A great number of bets, we hear,
are pending upon her homeward voyage.
We learn from the New York papers that Captain
Fayrer was to give a splendid entertainment on board
the Liverpool, on Monday, the 3d instant, to a select
number of guests. The crowds who visited her ex-
pressed the highest admiration of her gorgeous deco-
rations. We wish her a safe and speedy arrival,

THE TRUSTEES OF THE NEW CHURCHES.—some
scribe,—with a malevolence only equal to his imbe-
cility,—has had the presumptuous effrontery to address
a letter signed "A Lay Churchman" to our senior
rector, the Rev. J. Brooks, through the medium of
the .Albion, calling upon,that reverend gentleman to
express his determination, that such men as the Rev.
Dr. Tattersall, Mr. M'Neile, Buddicom, &c.,
should not be appointed Trustees to the New Churches
which are about to be erected in this town. This self-
styled "Lay Churchman"—(! !) (we more than doubt
his being a member, if he be, he is a bad one, of the
Churchof England) although he has, unquestionably,
a strong claim to the character of a person who would
lay low the Church, must certainly have estimated at
a very low par the moral worth, and sterling Christian
character of our respected and beloved rector, to sup-
pose, that he would be diverted from an imperative line
of duty by the rancorous ravings of an anonymous ass.
We know our man perfectly well. He is a sneaking,
hypocritical coward, devoid of manliness enoughp/ain/y
to avow what his real object is,—"the muzzling" of
the clergy who are to be nominated to the proposed
New Churches.—He would have "dumb dogs" in
them, instead of watchful, faithful, loving teachers,
who would warn their congregations of the stealthy
strides of the thief, and the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Good easy man, he would have automatons stuck in
them, who, like heathen, or Roniish idols, would look
unmoved on the grossest superstition and fraud, with.
out raising their voice loudly to protest, and faithfully
to warn their congregations against them. We would
have this dictator, whoever he may be, to know,—that
Christian principle is not, as he would suppose, a
thing that can be assumed or laid aside as expediency
may dictate.— A straight-forward course alone lies
before it, and in that its possessor must walk, or at
once resign all claim to it. A temporizer in Christi-
anity is no better than an infidel;—and of this class
are all those, who, not having soberly and seriously
weighed and considered the fundamental truths of
scripture, assume it as a feature of Christian charity—
" to tolerate error, and to allow as great a latitude,
and afford the same facilities for its propagation, as
if it were truth itself !"—Hence all that rancorous
•
spleen, and lying exaggeration which is belched fora

with such remorseless hate against our Tattersalls, our
M'Neils, our Buddicoms, Jameses, &c., because they
are the avowed, the determined, the consistent and
successful denudors of the abominable deceits of Ro-
manism. Hence, too, the so named "liberality" with
which certain individuals contribute to the support of
what their Bible (if they read it) and their conscience
(if its dictates were listened to) must convince them
is "a lie." But in vain will the spoliators of the
Church—such men as the "Lay Churchman"—look to
our venerable Rector for that temporising expediency,
which would lead him "to blow hot and cold with the
same breath :"—the resources of genuine Protestantism
are not now so crippled as to induce us to stoop to the
degradation of infidel assistance ! Let them who give,
give not grudgingly, and bearing in mind the end they
have in view in giving. We wish to see no experi-
ments made in our Churches, alter the disastrous one
liberalism has introduced into our corporation schools
rendering them nurseries for Popery, instead of se-
minaries for gospel truth. The protestant community
expects to see such characters as those aspersed by
"A Lay Churchman," appointed to the trusts in ques-
tion:—in them they have an assurance of fidelity and
uncompromising integrity,—and under their auspices
they can rest satisfied that " the spirit of the Lord will
lift up an ensign" against the flood of iniquity which
threatens to deluge the world.

THE LIVERPOOL CHURCH BUILDING SOCIETY.--We
rejoice to hear of the unanimity prevailing upon the
subject of the proposed Trustees for the new Church
Building Society. The arrangement announced at the
meeting on the 6th inst. was that they should be elect-
ed by contributors of £25 and upwards; but if we are
correctly informed, the election will be rather formal
than real. The names proposed have already appeared
in print. They were suggested, it is understood, when
a Church Building Society was contemplated, more
than a year ago, and met with general approbation
then, though circumstances occurred to delay the for_
illation of the Society. They are, Dr. Sumner (present
Bishop of Chester), Rev. Jonathan Brooks. Rev. Au-
gustus Campbell, Rev. R. P. Buddicorn, and the Rev.
Hugh APNeile. 'We quite agree with the Courier in
thinking that these names represent fairly the various
shades of feeling which exist among churchmen. That
there are diversities of opinion on some points is unde-
niable, and, in truth, where men think freely, as it is
the privilege of churchmen to do, such diversities are
inevitable. It would, therefore, be improper to pro-
pose an exparte list of trustees. Even if it were pos-
sible to carry such a list by management at an election,
the persons so doing would have little cause to con-
gratulate themselves on their success. But it gives us
sincere satisfaction to learn that no such attempt is
p►ojected ; on the contrary, that the list above-men-
tioned is commending •itself daily to the deliberate
consideration of all reasonable men. It cannot, of
course. be expected to escape observation. There are
individuals of extreme views and feelings, who will
object to any list, and that on either side; but their
number among us is happily very small, and we con-
gratulate our readers on the true churchmanship, which
is about to avoid even the appearance of disunion
which might have attended a contested election.