The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-14 00:00:00

cut to the last. Parties when they offend are handed over to
the custody of the Serjeant, who must, as a sine qua non,
have been a military man, in the line or militia. Col. PER-
civs..t, I believe, belonged to the latter. He was long the
Irish champion of high Conservatism, and was rewarded
some years since with the serjeantcy of the House of Peers
—a capital berth, requiring only full-dress attendance
occasionally during their lordships' sittings. The colonel
wears a rapier, more as a symbol of authority than for use ;
for I don't think, were the gallant Serjeant-at-Arms•to
draw it, a mouse would be frightened. Col. PERCIVAt is
now stricken in years, and a very heavy man in person ;-
1 he had a fit in his club the other day, but has got well
over it. _ _

But to return to ISAAC BUTT'S motion. A spirited,
though brief, debate ensued, the two points being chiefly
—that the sum of £3OO was sought for by an M.P. to ob-
tain for another party the situation of guardian of the
poor in Ireland, an office which was abolished within six
or eight months after the proposal was made ; that Dr.
GRAY, the editor of the Dublin Freeman's Journal, a
a man well known throughout Ireland, was appealed to
by the applicant for the place, who was told by the doctor
that he had as well keep his money, for-it was in contem-
plation to abolish the office ; and more wonderful still—
unaccountable, indeed—that Dr. GRAY, an individual of
great talent, great acumen, daily in the very " eye of
Ireland," should have the affair locked up •in his own
breast for three long years ! Tom DUNCOMBE wound up
the discussion in a spicy speech, concluding by saying to
the effect—Had not the noble lord (J. RuSsELL) given
notice that he was to bring in a bill to prevent bribery
and corruption among the poor electors who may get a
pot of beer, or, as in the case of Liverpool, -receive half-a-
crown ? Were these parties to be puniAlted, or their
crime to be placed on a parallel with that of those who
had corrupted members of that house ? The honourable
member's question was answered by " cheers in the
affirmative." It is altogether a curious affair, and some
of the Irish members, instead of being angry with the
English press—or part of it—for bringing forward the
question, ought to be glad of an inquiry—which, by the
bye, was granted by Lord Jornt RUSSELL right willingly.
Sailors in the North Sea, it is said, when afraid of a
stroke from the caudal fin of a whale, throw out a tub
to amuse—bemuse—the huge creature ; hence the appli-
cation of the familiar phrase of a " tub to the whale" to
every scheme intended to divert attention. The govern-
ment coopers have a few such tubs on hand at present.
They will be needed long before the end of the session.
Among the "tubs" is certainly not one touching the
future conduct of railways, for I can assure •the readers of
the Liverpool Standard that a short, but stiff and un-
mistakeable, measure is at this moment being framed for
an improved mode of railway management, the measure
bearing almost entirely on boards of direction. It may
not be generally known how such measures are framed :
The member of the government to whose department the
business of the intended measure is more immediately
considered to refer has instructions to proceed ; he de-
livers to his man of business—if not his secretary, a young
barrister of sound education—the memoranda for a mea-
sure ; it may be to an individual scarcely ever heard of.
Thus the gigantic poor-law bill was chiefly framed by
EDWIN CHADWICK, a barrister, who had read much,
thought he thought more, and was, as he is now, dis-
tinguished by a natural tact of condensing with per-
spicuity and perspicacity. Crtariwicx was never educated
—never held a brief ; I question if he ever had a wig
and gown—of his own. Yet he did the Poor-law
Bill, upsetting everything for three hundred years, yet
on the basis thereof! Mr. CHADWICK was eulogised as a
non such for his handiwork and headwork ; got a good
appointment under the bill, and a Something of the
" Bath," to form an elegant handle to his hitherto un-
adorned name. PALMERSTON, they say, has got the
heads of the Railway Bill, and a gentle swain, learned in
the law it is understood, is under command to lay the
fruits of his lucubrations on the desk of the HOME SE-
CRETARY with "all possible despatch." I believe —I know
indeed—that railway directors—railway shareholders—
will have to sacrifice—(l suppose they will use that phrase)
—a goodly amount of their present incomings, in order to
a more numerous, more effective, and better paid staff of
servants, than ever entered into their philosophy of
money-making. The framer of the proposed measure
knows that an "official" at a station cannot eat his dinner
—give tickets—take money— see if it be good or bad—
look after an out-going train—and at the same moment
keep his weather eye awake on the look-out for an in-
coming one. These are business details ; a learned lord
will supply in the measure a law clause of a higher order,
making the directors immediately responsible, by punish-
ment of fine or imprisonment—or both.. Can I say more
without breach of privilege already spoken of ? No. The
bill is safe; I refer not to the debate in the House of
Lords. Among the railway directors of this great country
are to be found men of first-rate respectability, honour,
and intelligence—nor would I deprive GEORGE HUDSON
of all these qualities. The secretaries are remarkable for
their intelligence, and I say this from knowing their
characters more than their rails. Liverpool, situated in
the very centre of railway net-work of England, must feel
deeply interested in this question. Let directors look
ahead ; I am only sorry that I have doubts of the measure
being law, until after Easter; the aforesaid "tub" system,
principal cooper, Lord JOHN RUSSELL, being busy with
what he knows he can't carry—the Jew " tub." The Re-
form Bill he will manage, because its provisions are not
worth a doit. There will be the usual bow-wow about the
ballot—barking at the moon as profitable. Referring to
the Jew Admission to Parliament Bill, allow me to state
that namby-pamby feeling—" little affected prettiness"—
was never more personified than by Lord Joint RUSSELL,
when proposing it the other evening. He minced his old
phrases, without a particle of burly defiance,—self-satis-
faction, honest conviction, or the self-imposture of some
who firmly believe themselves to be noble-minded fellows.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL, when he proposed the Jew Bill,
proposed it as if he didn't now care for it—" keeping the
word of promise to the ear." The Jews, at present, care
more about the price of marine stores than their admis-
sion to Parliament.

The Earl of HARDWICKE, though in his 54th year, a
rather dashing sailor, as he showed not long ago at an
Italian port, where he threatened to make macaroni of
the authorities, if they did not immediately lower
their pride to the English Jack—the son of an Admiral,
moreover, who, after having been afloat half a century,
was drowned in Southampton water in hail of his dining-
room windows—this same Earl of HARDWICKE is rather
a good scholar ; he is D.C.L., a favourite at Court, and so
is his lady ; a supporter of the Coalitionists, at least the
Conservative portion of them, for he hates radicalism as
rats are said to hate and shun a rotten ship ; he is, how-
ever, a reforming sailor. It was a pity he did not speak
out the other evening in that worst of places in the world
for hearing—the House of Lords. Perhaps, the noble earl
only wanted ABERDEEN to hear him. Certainly some of
his details were enough to make the young " smoke and
bounce" admirals of other nations (are there any P) laugh
heartily. The noble and gallant sailor also slyly observed
he would mention no names. 'Twas well. His speech
was a capital corollary to the current jokes touching old
port admirals, and he dilated with a degree of spiteful
pleasure on the mature age of the commanders of our
wooden walls, who certainly form strange contrasts in
years and physique to the DIINCANS and HOODS of the
last war. The average age of our full admirals at present
is 75, vice-admirals 69 ; of 16 officers in the retired list
the united ages amounted to 1,027 years ! • Of the same
number, 16, in the active list, the ages amounted to 1,038.
No committee was given, the navy being in a capital state.
In a high moral and intellectual view, the city of Lon-
don, perhaps, was never 89 distinguished as it was the
other day in bestowing the freedom on Dr. LAYARD, the
renowned explorer of Nineveh. The entertainment in the
evening, which crowned the proceedings of the morning,
was fitting in the extreme, especially as regarded the selec-
tion of the company. The occasion showed the necessity
of a gentleman and an educated one filling the distin-
guished office of chamberlain. Sir JOHN KEY'S address
was pre-eminently marked by those attributes—eloquence
and orthodoxy —necessary to the character of the scholar
and the Christian. This is no place for animadverting on
" modes of faith." I know that the city chamberlain
spoke to many a heart, when he told LA.YARD that he did
not think it possible to imagine an intellectual condition
of society in which discoveries like his could have been
deemed unimportant ; in which it would not have been a
gain to the strongest faith to see testimonies to the sacred
records rescued from the slumber and oblivion of 3,000
years (query more), in which it would not have awakened
the noblest sensibilities of the Christian mind to be able to
see with one's own eyes, and touch with one's own hands,
the sculptured forms which Israel's prophets (" most con-
secrate of old") describe—which Israel's kings beheld—
which Israel's oppressors boasted of. These were relics of
the truth of the Scriptures of the LIVING GOD. Such,
or such, were the chamberlain's observations. The ban-
quet was attended by eminent ancient scholars, antiqua-
rians, archite s ,senators, Sze.

Roses and Lilies—
" Violets dripping all with dew,"
are rather dear at this season. VESTRIS is extravagantly
fond of FLORA'S offerings, especially if they are exotic—
especially still if they are scarcely to be had ; consequently,
high priced, or priceless. I have heard of gardeners
trembling with trimming-hook in hand, when VESTRIS'S
" greeu and gold" made its appearance at shop-counter or
garden-gate. In truth, she is a tasteful creature. I have
known the exquisite plants and flowers, which margined
for'the evening the way to:the Royal box, so costly as to
swallow up all the profits of a queenly visit. VusTuis
had VICTORIA'S smiles. CHARLEY MATTHEWS, spouse of
the syren—for accomplishments never equalled onEnglish
stage. She has sung beautifully in six languages in one
night. . CHARLES, I was about to observe, is as expensive
in his way; he wears the prettiest boots on the stage, (he
never dirties them in the streets,) the most elegantly
made up waistcoat, trousers without wrinkle, coat geo-
metrical. All their dramas are most extravagantly
" mounted," demanding great supplies from the Treasury.
CHARLES was non est in the middle of the week ; he was,
they say, in the neighbourhood of that ugliest of streets—
Cursitor, called—singing something about

"Locks, bolts, and bars."

The theatre was shut for the night, but the irrepres-
sible gaiety of the manager was not at its last kick, for he
scarcely ever played more volatile in his life than on the
following evening. SMITH, at T.R.D.L., crams his prodi-
gious house every night. BROOKE is playing six times a
week. That won't do—for BROOKE, I ween. The finest
posset—of " lamb's wool" even that ever was made
would not suffice to keep down larynchal irritation under
such work. Hence huskiness has supervened. BUCK-
STONE is picking up a few pence over his expenses by
" Guy Mannering " and the sybil CusnMAN. Rumor
produced, in capital style, a play on Saturday night—
" Ranelagh" by name,—redolent of false character, paste,
puff, powder, patches, hoop, and brocade. It was very
grand, and very successful. The theatre absolutely
swarmed with critics (oh !oh 0. Mrs. C. KEAN is getting
better : so is not Mrs. WARNER.

THE COST or EPIDEMICS.—During the sitting of the
government commission, held at Newcastle-on-Tyne to in-
quire into the cause of the fearful ravages of cholera in
that town, Mr. J. B. Hume, the chief commissioner, from
evidence that had been laid down before him,-made a cal-
culation that the epidemic bad cost the town £3,800 for
medicine and burials alone, and would cost it £5O a week
for eight years to support the widows and destitute—
nearly 30,000. In addition to this sum, he said, some
thousands of pounds had been collected and distributed
by the vicar. There are also 200 benefit societies in the
town, and taking• the average loss at £6OO each, made
40,400 more.—Mornin,g Chronicle,