The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-15 00:00:00

" it is calculated by sober and experieneed judges,
that the British infantry is short by 20,000 men of the
amount which would be requisite to discharge the
duties assigned it, even in time of peace, with any
decent consideration for the health and comfort of the
soldier. India is now supposed to require a reinforce-
ment of not less than 6000 European infantry, keeping
in view the dangers which beset our empire from the
west of the Indus to the east and north of the Ganges.

" Keeping in view the obstinacy of the people in the
United States on the subject of their north-eastern
boundary, and the political impossibility of an acqui-
escence on the part of Great Britain in their demands
upon her, it is clear that no minister of this country
can think of reducing the present British force in our
North American provinces ; and, as some of the
regiments in these quarters have, never seen England
for fourteen years, it is difficult to guess, with the
scanty number of troops at home, where the reliefs for
Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, are to
come from.
•

" But the military authorities, we are informed by
our correspondent, deprecate the slightest imputation
to them of any blame for the hardships of the colonial
service, in which they deeply sympathize. They lament,
for the sake of the army, that they can neither help it,
nor themselves. They have remonstrated, complained,
and earnestly and respectfully besought attention from
statesmen of all parties to the unceasing pressure on
our brave troops of the line, occasioned by the in-
adequacy of their numbers to the duties entailed upon
them at home and abroad."

We are reminded by our correspondent of a great
man's observation in his place in parliament—" Of the
danger and mischief of attempting to make a peace
establishment supply the demands of extensive warlike
operations." _ .

Such is the defence of the military administration of
the Horse Guards, transmitted to us by a friend who
is not dependent upon it,' but who is responsible to us
for the truth and correctness of his statements.

CHURCH RATES AND TITHES

(From the Newcastle Journal.)

So, now that the friends of John Thorogood find
subscriptions cease to flow in, some one steps forward
and pays the amount of five and sixpence to open the
prison doors, and the poor "martyr" is, perforce,
obliged to sacrifice his " conscience" by accepting the
boon, and return to his original occupation of shoe-
making, after receiving more by idleness than he would
have received by honest industry in half-a-dozen years.
But, as agitation is to be kept up, and turn and turn
about is but fair in order that some division of the
loaves and fishes may be made, up :steps another in
the person of Mr. Baines to take Mr. Thorogood's
place, and become " martyr" number two ; and, when
the cause has become somewhat stale, to procure some
kind, unknown friend to pay the money, and allow him
to return to the bosom of his disconsolate family.
Now, what pure and perfect humbug all this is; it is
alike disgraceful to the members of a christian church
and to common sense. It is not the fault of the
Church, of her ministers, or the appointed lay officers,
that these demands are made, but that of the common
law of the land. When a rate is made for defraying
the expenses necessary to the worship of God as by
law established, the churchwardens have no alternative
hut to enforce payment, and it is for disobeying the
law that imprisonment ensues. The state is depend-
ent upon the church, and not the church upon the
state ; the one has existed from the commencement of
time, and will exist to eternity, while the other is de-
pendent upon circumstances, and is subject to changes
and to annihilation. The Almighty has decreed that
he shall be worshipped, and that a certain portion of
the goods of each person shall be set aside for that
purpose, levied upon the land, houses, and wealth of
each individual, and whoever refuses to pay the allot-
ted portion is guilty of disobedience to the divine
law, and of fraud towards his landlord or to the
party of whom he may have purchased his property.
It is the land and houses that pay all these taxes, not
the individual. No man purchaseth more than nine-
tenths of an estate, because it is clearly understood
between buyer and seller that the remaining tenth
belongs to neither of the two, but to the Church, So,
in renting a house, the landlord makes a reduction in
the rent proportionate to the parochial and other
burdens upon it. Take the poor-rate for instance,
which is much higher in some parishes than in others;
houses of an equal value will not let for so much in
that which is rated at the higher as in that which has
the lower charge, so that in point of fact, if any have a
right to refuse payment of a rate, it is the landlord and
not the tenant, he being only the agent in paying the
demands upon the former. Conscience has nothing
to do with this system of resistance as it is called, but
a love of notoriety. The Jews, whose creed is com-
pletely opposed to the Christian religion, never think
of opposition ; the Roman Catholic, who thinks it
highly meritorious to exterminate heretics, does not
hesitate to pay taxes imposed by the State for the
propagation of a system of religion which he firmly
believes ought not to exist; and yet, up starts a parcel
of people professing to belong to the National Church,
whose consciences will not allow them, forsooth, to
contribute to these charges. If some of these gentle-
men were to settle at Rome, would they leave that
place, if it suited them to remain, because exactions
were made to support the Papists? Oh no; con-.
science would then be subservient to convenience.
What perfect folly, and, it might be also said, want of
respect to their Creator, is it then to refuse to con-
t ribute to his worship in the method appointed by law?
Let no more be heard of resistance to Church Rates.

THE LAIRD OF BONNYMUNE

One of the many anecdotes current of the Laird of Bonny-
miine relates to his journeying home at night, which, after
dining at a friend's house, he invariably did; and to the soli-
tary instance on record of his riding homewards after a new
fashion, without reaching the place of his destination, or even
approachir', a step nearer. For the time, he was ike Don
Quixote, under the management of the gay duke and duchess.
This, perhaps, is worth repeating.
It happened that a young Englishman, who inherited pro-
perty in Scotland, had been exceedingly diverted with the
eccentric appearance and demeanour of the Laird of Bonny-
miine in his boot-hose, antiquated coat, most peculiar wig,
and cocked hat. Moreover, the said youth, having been on
one occasion induced by the laird to transgress the bounds of
temperance, had a strong inclination to play the old gentle-
man a good-humoured trick in return, which was done ; but
to his dying hour Bonnyrniine never forgave it, and would
not visit in the same house again.

I cannot recollect under whose roof the Ureic was played
off; however, that is but of little consequence. After din-
ner, just as the laird had imbibed a stout dram, quite suffi-
cient to impair the discriminating faculty of taste, two de-
canters, one labelled port, the other claret, were placed on
the table, and into the former were slowly poured the con-
dingy, cobwebbed bottle, duly chalked on one

tents of

side; all requisite formality being observed to detect on the
funnel whether the bee's wing were of the right transparency
and texture. This decanter was passed to the laird, who, on
trial, said it was a fruity wine, and of excellent body ; at the
second glass, he pronounced it to be the best port he had
ever met with in his life, and he " wad never wish to see bet-
ter drink." Being afterwards asked, whether he would not
take a glass of claret by way of variety, the laird answered ;
" Na, na! after port o' that quality claret tasted nae better
than sour milk; and he would not damnify his stomach by
mixing liquors," Accordingly, he adhered pertinaciously to
this " capital drink ; and in the course of the evening fin-
ished to his own share, under the name of port, three bottles
of brilliant, strong-brewed, cherry.bounce!
Such a dose would of course have annihilated any ordinary
man (or even George IV., who was partial to the same kind
of liqueur); but it by no means produced conclusive effects
on the Laird of Bonnymiine, who through the whole evening
seemed in the best possible condition, and highly pleased
with his entertainment. At the usual hour, Peter announced
that the horses were at the door ; but having been summoned
into the dining-room to receive his own "stirrup-cup," he,
on retiring, declared that the laird was " extraordinar' foo."
Foo or sober, however, the laird as a matter of course per-
sisted in his determination to ride home. On the present
occasion it happened that, in attempting to leave his chair,
Bonnymiine tumbled down ; but this was of no consequence,
his friends being sober and willing to help him up again.
Meanwhile, by the activity of the young Englishman, who
had retired from the room, a saddle had been adjusted to
and fixed upon a " fell dyke," that is to say, a turf-wall,
close by the mansion ; such fell dykes, often centuries old
(and mixed with whin-stones), being then an adjunct of
every ancient residence.

The laird was somewhat confused by his fall, and began
himself to suspect that he was rather " foo." He adjusted
his wig, drew up his boot-hose, and his spurs were buckled
on for him ; finally, his great coat, shawl, and cocked hat,
all endowed ; and with a look of authority, out he marched.
But, by the kind interference of his friends, his course was
directed to the " fell dyke " instead of the horses. A groom
held the stirrup, the laird mounted, (taking up a snaffle-rein
firmly attached to a stump) wished his friends good night,
tipped them a chorus to thelast song, flogged the dyke, and
did his best to ride away ; all of his friends retreating except
the young Englishman, who had sheltered himself in a neigh-
bouring broom-bush, and the faithful Peter, who stood by,
having tied the horses to a tree. In a little while the laird
whipped and spurred so bard that the saddle broke from its
fastenings, and he rolled down. Peter helped him up again,
and this time. prudently seated the laird on the dyke without
any saddle. After about half-an-hour's whipping and spur-
ring, Bonnynriine again fell off ; and Peter going up, an-
nounced in a decisive tow, " We 're at hame noo, sir ! Your
honour has just fa'en aff at the stable-door." • But his policy
was superfluous, for by this time the jaird was sound asleep •
and forthwith he was carried quietly to bed•—from Fraser 'a
Magaziqe for December.