The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-06-15 00:00:00

The mere qu'estion of qualification, in connection wit!'
the.lrish, municipal bill, is one of a secondary character,
in comparison with the 'grand principle of resistance to
Popish ascendancy. Even should Sir Robert Peel suc-
ceed in obtaining what is termed a bona fide ten-Pound

qualification, the bill will prove far from innocuous in its
operation. Unless some enactment can be introduced
into the bill which will put an effectual stop to the bloody
and accursed system of intimidation, practised through-
out Ireland towards the Protestant electors, it-will be in
vain to insist upon any increase in the amount of the
franchise. The Popish party will be sure to avail them-
selves of the ready instrument of terrorism, to deter the
Protestants from voting, and thus render the hill an
auxiliary to Popish ascendancy. Those who are aware
of the personal, risk which the Protestants would gene-
rally incur by asserting their municipal rights, will
readily believe us, when we say that very few indeed
would have the physical courage to exercise the fran-
chise. The field would, in the majority of instances, be
left clear to the turbulent demagogues who might obtain
favour with the murderous mob of Papists.

There are also other evils in the bill which a ten
pound franchise would by no means contribute to re-
move. To these we may, perhaps, hereafter refer, as
the several clauses are discussed in committee.

Much stress has been laid by Mr. O'Connell and
others on, the alleged inconsistency of imposing a higher
qualification upon the Irish municipal constituencies
than upon those of England and Scotland. The cunning
jesuit, who is pleased to take Lord John Russell and his
associates under his protection, avows his willingness to
accept a ten pound franchise on certain conditions; but
then it must be such a franchise as will leave the door
open to perjury and fictitious voting. "If this is re-
fused," he exclaims, " then give me the English or
Scotch franchise." Now the English franchis. would
please us much better than the much-vaunted "bona fide
ten pound" qualification. Here all who have been rated
for three years, and residents in the borough for the same
Period, and who are not in arrears for their taxes, have
the privilege of voting. Let it be so in Ireland, and
let the Poor Law' Bill be taken as the test for rating.
We believe that holders paying a rental of £5 will not
be rated at all under the liish Poor Law Bill ; at all
events we believe that this is not enacted in reference to
large towns. Give us, then, a bill allowing all who are
rated to have the municipal franchise ; hut, then, let the
other conditions which we have enumerated, as apper-
taining to the English municipal bill, be imposed upon
the rate-payers. Let diem be compelled to prove that
they have been rated. for three years; let them pay up
their arrears of taxes, and let them prove their residence
in the borough fur the requisite period. Such a bill
would be like the English act. But such a -bill would
never satisfy O'Connell, and for this, among other rea-
sons, that it would bo impossible for it to come into
operation until after three years from the passing of the
Irish Poor Law Bill.

THEATRE ROYAL-Mr. W. Farre❑ has been playing during
the week in some of his principal characters. It will be seen by
the advertisement that this veteran comedian takes his bene-
fil.to night, when we hope The appearance of the house will he
on a par with the estimation in which he is held by the public
as the first comedian of the age. Mademoiselle Celeste suc-
ceeds him next week. The managers appear determined that
we shall have a constellation of stars.

PENN'S BATHS.—The bathing season having commenced,
we take an opportunity of drawing the attention of the Many
stiangers now in town, to the excellencies of Penn's Baths—
They are at once an ornament and a credit to Liverpool. Every
convenience conducive to comfort may be found in them, either
for the invalid who seeks a restoration of health, or the valetudi-
narian who luxuriates in an occasional dip. The absence of all
danger must render them to the timid, a great attraction.
A large timber ship, the Majestic, bound from St. John, N.B.
to Liverpool, and which is said to have been abandoned so long
as eighteen months ago, had drifted cff the Berlinques, and was it
suet with there and subsequently towed in by the Trinculo, brig of
war, on the 25th. The Portuguese war steamer Terceira was
sent out to try to tow her in, but did not succeed, and damaged
herself in the attempt. The Majestic was entirely dismasted
and water-logged, and it required great exertions to bring her in.
She is a very large vessel, 130 feet long, and 600 or 700 tons
burthen. • She had been stripped of all the iron, and of every
thing which could be carried away. It is reported that another
large vessel has been seen in the same neigbourhood in a simi-
lar situation.— Letter front Lisbon.
PRESENTATION OF PLATE TO MR., EGERTON SMITH.—A
very handsome and valuable service of plate was, on Wednes-
day evening, presented to Mr. Egerton Smith, as a testimony
of regard to himself, and as a token ofthe general feeling enter-
tained towards him for his benevolent exertions in founding the
permanent Night Asylum for the Houseless Poor. It is well
known that Mr. Smith was the first originator of the above-
named institution, and that the example set by Liverpool,
through his instigation, has been followed by Many other towns
in the empire, the metropolis included. About fifty gentlemen,
'subscribers to the testimonial, sat down to dinner On the occasion
at the house of Mr. Horne, MerSey-hotel, Old Church-yard.
The dinner was sumpttious, and the nines excellent. The
service of plate is really very beautiful and it does extreme
honour to all parties concerned.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—Vesuvius belched forth from its
bowels a second eruption of smoke, sulphureous flame, and
molten lava on Tuesday evening, and, we must do the mountain
the justice to say, that, like other actors of less note, it has
greatly improved by practice. Its preparatory and accompany-.
ing groans and flashes of lightning showed this improvement in
an astonishing degree. The Bay of Naples too, owing. we pre-
sume, to an increased supply-of water and fresh caulking, pre-
sented fewer shoals, and was therefore snore effective. The at-
tendance could not have been less than three or four thousand
persons, all of whom appeared to he highly gratified with the
exhibition, which would have been more numerous but for the
doubtful state of the weather. There will be another eruption
this evening.
ENoursous PLATE OF IRoN.—We were- on Tuesday shown
in Messrs. Fawcett, Preston, and Co's.. yard, two plates of iron,
which are said to' be the iargest erer made. They measure 10
feet 7 inches long, 5 feet t inch wide, and 7-I.fiths of an inch
thick; and weigh between 7 and S cwt. They are intended for
the bottom plates of two steam generators on Mr. Howard's plan,
and were made by the Coalbrook dale Iron Company, Shrop-
shire, who, we were informed are the only company its
(we may say in the world,) that can snake plates of this size,
or even approaching it.
LIVERPOOL ASSIZES.—The Assizes for' SOuth Lancashire
will be opened in this town on Thursday the 9th of August, be-
fore Mr. Baron Alderson and \l r. Justice Williams. Mr. Baron
Alderson will preside in the Crown Court, and Mr. Justice
Williams in the Nisi Prius Court. This is the first time Mr.
Justice Williams has come the Northern Circuit since his pi o-
motion to the Bench. The commission for the Northern Circuit •
will be opened at Lancaster on Saturday the dth of August.
AS'PHALTE FOOTWALK IN CHIJRCH-STREET;—SOMe months
ago an application was made, by Claridge's Asphalte Company '
to the Highway Board, to permit a portion of the footwalk in
Church-street, opposite to St. Peter's Church, to be laid with
asphalte, the new material used (and it is said with great suc-
cess)' in the composition of roads. The intention of the appli-
cants was to convince the Board, and the inhabitants of Liver-
pool
generally, of the value of the material, but for some reason
or other the experiment was delayed. On Tuesday, however,
the workmen commenced their operations, which were regarded
with great curiosity by a number of individuals. Several yards
of the footwalk were completed in the course of the afternoon,
since then a large portion has been completed. Judging from
this Specimen' however, we hardly think it will be a substitute
for flags in a country where flags are cheap. In the first instance,
there is a layer of brick work which we should imagine more
expensive of itself than flagging, and this is covered with a
layer of about an inch thick of the composition, which appears
to be a mixture of boiled pitch and pounded gianite. The result
will. however. prove its utility.
TRINITY 'COLLEGE, DUBLIN.—On Tuesday the following
gentlemen were elected to vacant Fellowships :—Jas. Malet,
• Robert Dixon, S. Suck. Premiums were awarded to W. Lee,
G. M'Dowell. J. Moran, William Atwell, James Booth. The
following were declared St holars :—C. Bickmore, H. F. Neely,
Richard Longlield, C. C. Power, W. J. Thm nhill, Jas. Smith,
Win. Stackpoole, 11.'1'. Wheeler, F. Keoruey, F. King, A.
Daly, G. bee, 'Win. Magee, A. Purcell, J: Ringwood, .1.
Hamilton, Win. Bassett, A. Read, J. Gaggin, G. Stone,.C. S.
Ralph, Thomas Tracy.
ATLANTIC STEAM NsvIGATIoN.—We understand that the
British and AMerican Steam. Navigation Company, owners of
the splendid steam-shin British Queen, have contracted with
our townsmen, Messrs. Fawcett and Co., for a pait of engines
78 inches diameter of cylinder, and 7 feet stroke for their second
steam-ship, to be calleil the Pre.ident. a vessel of I,Boos tops
measurement, building expressly for the Liverpool and New
York trade, and that the manufacturers have undertaken to put
these engines i
Couipaity will n operation
st
.h tehefi sftoiteobt etifini rdeo
establish
bn others,
t t
whaitth tiai elianfbeoor the
of
fessup
suitable ai
spirited
Packets a regular 'steam communication with America, and
their arrangements are so far advanced for building additional
vessels, that therei is every reason to suppose, in the course of
next year they will be able to fulfil the intentions expressed in
their prospectus, (published nearly three years ago) of sailing
their Packets. from Liverpool .and London, to New York
alternately, on the Ist and 16th of each month.
"ROYAL WILLIAM" STEAM-SlllP.—Lieutenant Swainson,
R.N., to whom the Cityof Dublin Company have confided their
Steam-ship, the •Royal for her intended 'voyage to
New York, conies favourably recommended to the notice of the
public, by his command of several ships out of Liverpool, of
which town he is a native. Capt. Swainson was for many. years,
during the late .war, employed on the American Coast, and
hence became familiar with the port of his present destination.
He was subsequently employed off Long Island and Sandy
Hook, (New, York) in his Majesty's Ship, Dragon, Captain
(now Admiral) Sir Robert Barrie, C.B. Since the termination
of the war,.Capt. Swainson. has been engaged in the command
of several vessels from Liverpool to the East Indies. In the
• course of his Services he made five voyages to India, and one '
to New York, in command of the Albion, belongingfto Messrs.
Cropper, Benson, & Co. He also commanded the Othello out
to India, and.subsequentiy made two voyages to Madras and
Calcutta, in the St. George, of •601 tons, belonging to Messrs.
Acramau of. this town; after which, he was again called into
his late Majesty's service,• being appointed to. command the
naval establishment in Lower Canada, and thence to New York.
In 1835 he was'appointed to the command of the • Enmore to
Madras, Calcutta, Singapore and china, and returning in 1836,
he has since been engaged in making himself familiar with the
peculiarities of.stearn-navigation, to qualify himself for his pre-
sent command.—Capt. Swainson is in possession of a handsome
tribute of respect, from the passengers by the St. Gehrge to the
East Indies, and we do not know an officer better qualified-for
his new.apPointment, either in urbanity of manners, or as an
exOrienced seamen. We wish him
,every success ,iii his'com-
marid of the first steamer out of his native port, fur the United
States.