The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-08-09 00:00:00

AUGUST 9, 18:36,

bound up with their own temporal interests. This is the
equitable view we take of the question, and on the result
of his division, which is offered to the reflection of the
Prime Minister, that he may avail himself of it, on the
occasion of his next interview with our most gracious
Sovereign.

Upon Lord John Russell's own showing, his proposi-
tion, if capable of application at ali, (and which we posi-
deny,) under Lord Melbourne's declared sympathy and
affectionate solicitude for the welfare of the protestant
church in Ireland, gave but the assurance of a negative
benefit to that church upon the entire face of the pro-
ceeding; for it is fallacious to deny that the papistical
supporters of the ministerial appropriation bill, in such
its designed plunder of the legal and just subsistence
and property of the Irish Church, received it on any other
understanding or foundation than as an " instalment"--
a precursor to the total extinction of her long-held pos-
sessions, or their positive and direct application to Ro-
man Catholic uses—the utter subversion of a protestant
ministry (declared by their priesthood to be " the bane
of our days") and a protestant government too, prede-
termined by them to be carried into effect under all the
crafts of jesuitical policy,paripassu, with the means they
may be enabled to command, and no matter how treacher-
ously' or disingenuously applied so long as the end should
be attained, and their church, infallible, obtain her wonted
supremacy. Is the position of the subtle enemy un-
masked or not ? Have we not made a fair and full
reconnoisance of the very heart of the papal entrench-
ments, and placed our protestant brethren "en fait de
position" herein ? Dare they make a sortie upon us ?
Now, in the language of the immortal Burke, have " we
dragged the tiger from his den ;" we will draw his talons►
nor be driven from our holy purpose " by the buzzing
of wasps !" Whether the papal whigs act upon it or
not, or make a show of fight, we will, at all events, for
these remarks, act the part of le gerand responsable, in
sustenance of our premises, and in stern defence of the
altars of that pure religion, wherein dwell the purest
consolation and the surest hope. It was a positive un-•
mitigated insult to the protestant Church of Ireland for
this " minister of justice" to tell the House of Commons,
that under such a measure, if passed with the obnoxious
clause, the government would have stood "pledged" to
pay the miserable allowance assigned to it by a conscien-
tious majority of Roman Catholic members, its sworn
enemies at heart, out of its own legitimate possessions•
Verily, this was " out-heroding Herod !" Proh-pudor,
my Lord of Russell—blush you not whilst making such
hypocritical assertions in the face of God and man?
What is the intrinsic value of such a pledge at your
hands, or, rather, at the hands of your Roman Catholic
—your O'Connell ridden cabinet ? The British nation,
in waiting ezpectancy, demands your answer—will yOO
freely, honestly give it? No! Rather, my lord, shall it
be obtained from the frowning spirit of your illustrious
ancestor, but not your prototype—the Protestant Russell
of a former and a more virtuous age—it will decide the
question against you and your long train, or tail, of
priestly coadjutors; and we, as Englishmen still, maY
yet have reason to venerate the name you bear, (sinking
the memory of your own acts,) and now ingloriously at-
tempt to uphold in your own feeble person by means °I
au un-English association, and by principles at once dig-
creditable to your lineage, to your understanding, and
to your professions. Finally, in the spirit of peace, we
would recommend the noble colleagues of office to reflect
seriously on the severe but just satire of the great Re-
man senator, and read thefein its adaptation to the
circumstances of their own present position with an inde-
pendent community of Britons.

" Nullce runt occultiores insidice quain ex qua latent in simula"
tione qfficii, aut in aliquo necessitudines nomine!"

Protestants of England, remember the warning We
here give you !

At the last meeting of our hopeful Town Council gr.
Rathbone added to his justly-acquired celebrity.
This man is rapidly becoming demented. His vault?
eats him up, his passions minister to his vanity, and 131
ignorance to both. But in looking.at his character as a
whole, we are quite at a loss to say whether his love 01t
mischief or his stupidity prevail. .If compelled to decide,
we should incline to the latter limb of the alternative for
the sake of the proverb—" Curst cows have short horna•'

It was observed that at the council meeting, on Wed-
nesday, Mr. Rathbone was in a desperately sour mood.
Something had ruffled him, that was clear ; the secret
afterwards came out. The unhappy man had met with 3
reception somewhere about the north school which vvri°
exceedingly grating to so keen a searcher after pop°.
larity.

After the usual quantum of twaddle regarding thing.
in general, and the Magazines in particular, the "Church
question," as it was termed, came under consideration'
This was the signal for poor Mr. Rathbone's innate pro-
pensity to indulge in extravagance. Only mention the
Church in Councillor Rathbone's presence, and he hi.
continently fires off a broadside. On Wednesday, "11:
would first ask a question." And what was that questioo •
" Whether those bills of the Churches had been paid 25
well as passed ?" The italics denote the orator's O.
phasis.

Mr. Councillor Sheil (a savage papist at times, but
possessing many good qualities, and among them the
milk of human kindness) seemed to take a malicious
pleasure in telling Brother Rathbone that the bills had
been paid ;—a fact, by. the way, of which Rathbone was
as well informed as Sheil, but he wanted a peg on whieb
to bang his hatred of the Church for present use.
Well, then, the bills having been unfortunately Paid'
there was no help for it. What's done cannot be
undone. But Councillor Rathbone was bent on provid-
ing for the future ; so he moved an instruction to the
Committee that " no further payment take place Until a
report on the Church question be made." Having Per;
formed that exploit, he proceeded to tell the council wha
he " felt as a dissenter." In some respects, this was
ca
work of supererogation, because the council haVe had
many opportunities of seeing how Mr. Rathbone "feels
as a dissenter ;" yet, after all, the sweet-tempered gen',
tleman has made a considerable reservation on that head
as a matter of prudence. However, on WednesdaY,2;,
was Mr. Rathbone's policy to say that he wished tii`
Church question to be left in the hands of churchmen
he ought to have added, provided he can find churchrneli
(so called) as ready to insult and pull down the Chuteo,
as he himself is. But as that is a sort of moral- impo9s/.:
bility, why, Mr. Rathbone was constrained to do his ow
work with his own hands ; and he vents his miserable
spite by endeavouring to intercept the corporation 1:1,
t,
tance from reaching gentlemen who would most heart";
despise both the corporation and its pittance did 111,
their duty incline them to look upon the errors of the'
fellow-men with Christian charity.
The best of the joke was, that Councillor Rathbor et
gave himself credit for having ‘. shown by his conduct,
that he had leaned to the liberal side" on the Cllur
question. He now avows, however, that he takes tie
r
" opposite" side; that is to say, he has determined belie f°
forth to be illiberal and unjust; and if lie can contrive to
make a more cqnspicuous display, in this respect, in tit° to
come than he has done in time past, we shall be read,'
give him the praise of surpassing ingenuity. lie
The amiable Mr. Rathbone went on the new 11.71" #hot
had chalked out for himself, and it must be confessed
he shone with considerable brilliancy. He nhargose
Messrs. Gladwin and Wray with indecency, beca„,es
they, as Ministers of God's Word, had put their
to a placard cautioning the public against sending
re el
dren to the Rathboneized Corporation Schools, where
attempt has been made to substitute something v.cit,
than God's Word ! This, in the stupid councillor's and
nion, is indecent on the part of Messrs. Gladwitllfroo,
Wray, " they at the same time receiving paYmeri boo
the corporation funds." In this short sentence we cive
the whole soul of Mr. Rathbone. He cannot conotbe
how a man can dare do his duty as a Minister
ot_ of
Gospel, in opposition to the unitarian corporatit
inreo,
Liverpool, "at the same time receiving Pa.Y6l!n
the corporation funds." Why what idea does this
cillor Rathbone attach to corporation funds ? Are
the councillors ti
these
fade°
funds his pr( perty, or that. of any one
who suppurt him in his vagaries ? Heaven