The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-11 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1852.

RABBI ISAAC'S BENEDICTION.

The aged Rabbi Isaac had gone to visit his friend,
Rabbi Nachman. Many weeks they abode together, con-
versing of the law of Moses, and mutually instructing and
enlightening each other. At length the hour of parting
came. The idea that he might never again behold his
aged friend, caused Rabbi Nachman's eyes to fill with
tears. At length he said, " Bless me, even me, my dear
and honoured friend, ere thou dost depart from me."
" /bless thee, 0 thou excellent of the earth ! thou who
art so like yon palm—tree." " What palm-tree, Rabbi
Isaac ?" " Listen, my brother. There was once a wan-
derer in the wilderness ; he was hungry, thirsty, and very
faint. Suddenly, he discovered, on the banks of a stream,
a thickly foliaged palm-tree, hung with ripe dates. He
lay down beneath its shade, satisfied his hunger with the
fruit, and quenched his thirst from the stream, and was
refreshed. He arose, and leaning on his staff, looked
thankfully upon the shadowing tree. Kind and liberal
palm, I bless thee ; but wherewithal shall I bless thee,
that thy fruit may prosper? Lo, they are even now sweet
and refreshing. That thy branches may spread around?
Yet how lofty is thy crown, and how cool and extended
is thy shade. That a rivulet shall water thy roots? How
bright and pure is the stream that floats beside thee. Yet
thus will I bless thee, thou mighty palm ; may all thy
saplings be like unto thee ! Even thus I bless thee, my
friend and host. Thou host great wisdom ; and wealth
and high station are thine ; the joys of a pure conscience,
a happy home, and the love of the righteous, are thine in
all their fulness. May thy children resemble thee ! may
their lot be as thine.' "

This is followed by a series of sonnets descriptive of
the Thirty Years' War. From a continuing chap-
ter of " Sir Jasper Carew, Knt.," we give the fol-
lowing extract descriptive of the wretched scandals
which made up

AN IRISH COURTIER IN THE: OLDEN TIME

" You wilt be at large again, Barry," said one of the
group ; "these new people won't know your value."
" Pardon me !" cried he, laughing, " I'm handed over
with Cotterell and the state coach, as functionaries that
cannot be easily replaced. Let them try and manage
Dublin without me ! I defy them ! Who knows every
flaw and crack of reputation—every damaged character,
and every tarnished fame, as I do? Who can tell each
man's price, from knowing his weak points ? Who can
play off the petty jealousies of rivals against each other ;
disgust them with their party; and buy them cheap for
the Castle ? Who but Barry Rutledge ? I'll offer a wager
of five hundred, that there is not a family secret I can't
have the key to within one week."
" What the devil ever induced you to take up such a
career ? " asked a deep-voiced burly•looking country
gentleman.
" The turf gave me the hint," said Rutledge, coolly. I
lost every sixpence I once possessed, when I backed this
horse or betted on that one. I regained a considerable
share of my loss when I limited myself to looking out for
what they style ' disqualifications'—to discover that Wasp
wasn't a two-year-old, or that Muffin was clean bred ;
that Terry had won before, and that Ginger was substi-
tutedgrand opening for theof
for another. I saw that political life was pretty
much the same kindr. game, and that there would be a
craft to bear on the first fellow that brought his racing
outre,tworld of state affairs. I'm sure
others will followand doubtless eclipse all
the cleverness of Barry Rutledge;lntiie but at all events, they
invention.a They talk to
can't deny him the merit of
you about skilful secretaries and
ow,fino,aetlsyoitf
Dickthem
Talbotall,
able debaters;
eltnhttaei
than
lnayenoduy.
I've got more votes for the
his wife's losses at
you ; and if
100 that made him join us last session ? 14—ow did Rowley
come
7halyantedielrs, can. What's
come over? Ask Harvey Bruce who horsewhipped
in the mess-room at Kells. Why did Billy amillsicrn
desert his
Georgehis parGt
.:3- ?r d
oLna, Lady Diary
the use of going through the list. from old Hemphill, that
l‘tillearHy
was caught cheating at picquet, down to Watty Carew,
with his wife won at a game of Barocco ?"
Among . the rest of the contents will be found " A
Trio of •
Novels," being an extended notice of
" Esmond,"
"Reuben N e i I dlicot, " and " Basil."
This is followed by the firstof descriptionof
part a
" Clonmacnoise, Clare, and Arran ;" a lengthened
Y
notice of the recentl ul3s)lisbed memoirs of the late
Thomas Moore, edited i
" St. Sylvester's Eve," dyevoted to Christmas books
Lord John Russell; and
and poems. The magazine
concludes with an ex-
planation and able defence
on the Land Question. of Mr. Napier's Bills

The Bulwark, or Reformation Journal. London

Seeleys

A monthly work, published at a very low price,
showing by numerous articles and illustrations the
enormities and blasphemies perpetrated by the
Romish Church. Among the contents of the
number for January is a paper on the approaching
struggle respecting the endowment of Maynooth
College. We may remark that the repeal of this
endowment is almost hopeless, so long as the
present ministry hold office.

Chambers' Edinburgh Journal. Liverpool : Orr.
Almost the first of modern cheap publications,
this work has now stood before the public more
than twenty years, and displays as much vigour and
originality at the present time as at any period of
its career. Alone, out of the great number who
were its contemporaries at starting, it continues to
enjoy, as its promoters have taken care to deserve,
a very large share of public favour; and combining
as it does both entertainment and instruction, its
continued prosperity may be confidently predicted.
Among the familiar essays in the part just published
we may notice " Susannah Balderstone's Baby,"
" An Apology for Husbands," and " The Happy
Valley." We do not make' any extracts from it, as
it is cheap enough for every one to buy it for
themselves.

The Post Magazine Almanack. London : Pateman.
One of the cheapest of the many almanicks
which issue from the London press at this season.
For a few pence there are above a hundred large oc-
tavo pages, containing an immense amount of mis-
cellaneous information, including even the Aberdeen
ministry, and in addition a considerable amount of
information on insurances offices.

The Domestic Commentary on the Old and New
Testarnent. London : Wooolridge.

The first part of a new work, the object of which
is shown in the title. Each chapter is followed
by a commentary, said to be by a clergyman of the
Church of England, and is issued in parts, of which
the first, as a specimen, contains forty-two chapters
of the Book of Genesis, each followed by its respec-
tive commentary. It is well printed, in double
columns of large type, on quarto pages, with
explanatory notes, showing the meaning of par-
ticular words derived from the Hebrew language.
The specimen number is issued gratuitously, and
the whole is announced to be completed in about
thirty monthly parts.

The National Temperance Chronicle. Liverpool

Dewar

While much may be said for and against total
abstinence, a remedy the necessity of which is to be
regretted, all will agree in the advantage and pro-
priety of temperance. The work before us is pub-
lished monthly, at a very low price, and is designed
to show by a variety of ways the evils of indulging
in intoxicating liquors.

Cocks's Musical Miscellany. London : Cocks.
This entertaining monthly publication has now
had the experience of a year in its enlarged form,
and proves a valuable addition to our periodical
literature. Each number contains four full pages
of well printed music, and twice that number filled
with original articles and contributions on this de-
lightful science, with occasional anecdotes of its
professors. In this January number is the music
of the Funeral March composed by Carl Czerny, on
the occasion of the death of the late Duke of Wel-
lington, and also, " Holy, Holy, Lord," from
Spohr's oratorio "The Last Judgment," and a song
for New Year's Eve, from the German, composed
by Schulz. Among the literary contents is a series
of contributions on the important subject of " Con-
gregational Singing."

Punch. Office : Fleet-street, London. Diogenes.
London : Piper.
. . .

Of the first it is unnecessary to speak, because its
cuts and its jokes are widely disseminated. The
second is the first number of what appears to be an
imitation of the former. If its projectors would
succeed in their attempt, they must avoid the error
which the former has committed, in making it a
mere political engine; for however good may be the
jokes, it is impossible for Conservatives to approve
of that which is party-political on the side of Radi-
calism.

The Art-Journal.

London : 'Virtue

There is perhaps no publication which possesses
higher claims to public patronage than the one be-
fore us. For a comparatively small charge, its
patrons are supplied each month with three steel
engravings of a first-class character, together with
a profusion of wood engravings, to say nothing of
nearly forty large quarto pages of articles on
various subjects connected with the fine arts. It
is by such means as these that the love of art is
disseminated, and no work has more contributed
to this end than the Art-Journal, which numbers
its readers by tens of thousands; and, after a career
of several years, comes before the public with un-
diminished exertions to secure and increase the
favour it has so well earned. The first part for the
new year is equal to any that have preceded it. The
subjects of the steel engravings are, " The South
Sea Bubble," from the picture by Ward, R.A., in
the Vernon Gallery ; " Uncle Toby and the Widow,"
from the picture by Leslie, R.A., in the same collec-
tion ; and " The Children in the Wood," from a
group in marble, by John Bell. Any one of these
is worth the price of the whole number. In
addition, there are a great many wood en-
gravings, including an illustrated almanac of the

month.; a series of designs illustrating passages in
the voyage of life ; illustrations of a work by Mrs.
Merrifield, on "dress, as a fine art ;" and also of
"The domestic manners of the English during the
middle ages ;" a portrait of Nicholas Poussin, and
several specimens of his works; illustrations of
Scott's " Lady of the Lake ;" the progress of art
manufacture; an artist's ramble from Antwerp to
Rome, &c. It is really difficult to particularise,
where beauties are so profuse, but our readers
should judge for themselves.

Reply of the Professional Life Assurance Company

to the attacks of its assailants

The author of this pamphlet, which extends to no
fewer than fifty-two pages, is Mr. Edward Baylis,
the resident manager and actuary of the society,
and whose name has long been before the public in
connection with the important subject of life assur-
ance. This subject has lately undergone much
discussion, in the course of which some of the
recently established offices were unsparingly
attacked by those in the interest of the older ones.
Without disputing the charge that many of the
new offices have been established on an insecure
basis, Mr.. Baylis enters the lists in defence of the
one with which he is connected, and cites as one of
the best proofs of the soundness of the system
which he has acted upon, the gratifying fact that
the shares of the six life insurance offices which he
has established now bear high premiums, varying
from 25 to 100 per cent., the highest premium
being the office to which he is now allied. It is a
subject in which the public are largely interested,
and ought to be perhaps more than they are, for it
is a melancholy fact that out of the great number
to whom life assurance would afford a safe means of
providing for their families against contingencies,
very few avail themselves of the opportunity.

The Home Companion. London : Bennett. The
True Briton. London : Hall. The Cheerful

Visitor. London : Evans.

Among the many cheap publications which ema-
nate from the metropolitan press, those before us
can claim the character of cheapness, not only for
the low price at which they are published, but the
extent and variety of the entertainment and infor-
mation which they afford. They are all of a large
quarto size, of which sixteen pages are given for a
penny in the two former, and in the latter there are
eight pages for a halfpenny. The contents are a
miscellaneous collection of tales of fiction, poetry,
instruction in domestic economy, farming and gar-
dening, biblical queries, anecdotes, and matter of a
similar character. The first has been published
fourteen months, the second five, and the third four
months.