The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-02-12 00:00:00

BOROUGH OF ST. ALBAN'S ELECTION,

The election for a represeijtative in parliament for this
boiough, in the room of• the Hon. Mr. Gritnstone, who has
accepted the Children Hundreds, took place of Monday last.
Shortly before 8 o'clock, Mr. B. B. Cabbell, the conservative
candidate, and a large party of his friends, joined the mayor
on the hustings ; and they were followed soon after by the
Earl of Listowel, a radical and a lord of the bedchamber.
On reaching the hustings, Lord Grimstone handed to the
mayor a requisition to put the bribery oath to all the electors.
At a quarter past ten o'clock an incident occurred in the
progress of the poll unexampled,, we believe, in the history of
election proceedings. In order to make the transactions and
the colloquy which ensued upon it understood by the reader,
it is necessary to state that the Dr. Webster referred to is
not a physician, but a surgeon and apothecary in the town,
was one of the deputation to the Reform Club, and not only
brought dovin Lord Listowel as a candidate, but proposed
him yesterday on the hustings. An elector of the name of
Robert Adams (an old freeman), presented himself at one of
the polling booths, and on the book being tendered to him to
take the bribery oath, handed up to the mayor a small paper
parcel. The mayor inquired what the parcel was ; Adams
replied that it contained two £5 notes and two sovereigns.
Upon this the mayor broke open the parcel, and found its
contents to be as stated by Adams. The two notes were of
the bank of Mr.Muskett, the Whig member for the borough.
The Mayor (to Adams).—Where did you get them from ?
Adams.—Dr. Webster gave them me.
The Mayor.—Which Dr. Webster ?

Adams.—The old man (pointing out Mr. Webster, who
was standing in the crowd.) He gave them to me to make
me vote for Lord Listowel.

This conversation took place in the booth, and at its ter-
mination the bribery oath was administered to Adams, and he
polled for Mr. Cabbell.

The mayor then came forward to the front of the hustings,
and said to the electors assembled below that an extraordi-
nary fact had just come to his knowledge, and to that of those
more immediately near him, which, as it was a public fact,
he felt bound
_to make it fully known :—A freeman of the
name of Robert Adams had just handed hint two £5 notes
and two sovereigns, and had declared he had received them
from Dr. Webster to induce him to vote for Lord Listowel.
(Great sensation.) He (the mayor) felt it his duty to state
the fact, in order that the electors might deal with it as they
ple.sed. (Groans and bisses.)
Though Dr. Webster and Lord Listowell heard the state-
rnebt thus publicly made, neither the noble candidate, Dr.
Webster, or any other of his supporters offered the slightest
denial of the fact, nor even attempted any explanation of the
circumstance. They all, however, exhibited considerable
chagrin at the (to them) unpleasant discovery.
The mayor finally closed the poll precisely at four o'clock,
and after an absence of upwards of half an hour, he,announ-
ced the numbers to be—

For the Earl of Listovvel
For Mr. B. B. Cabbell

Majority
and declared the election to have fallen upon the right hon.
the Earl of Listowel. The announcement was received with
mingled cheers and hisses.

It appears from the speech of Mr. Cabbell, that the most
unwarrantable means have been made use of to gain the elec-
tion for the whig radical candidate, and we are glad to per-
ceive that a petition will be presented against the return of
the Earl of Listowel, with every prospect of success. The
following are extracts from Mr. Cabbell's speech :
" Having had an intercourse with the greater part of the
constituency at no very great distance of time, when he can-
vassed the borough on Thursday last, he had met with the
most unexampled success. (Hear, hear.) The same result
had attended him on Friday ; but on Saturday he discovered
in his course symptoms which evidenced that an undue in-
fluence had been used, to divert from their pure channels the
wishes and the intentions of the majority of the constituency
of this borough. (Cries of•' No, no V followed by loud cheers
from the Blues.) He repeated, that he congratulated those
who heard him upon the result of this day. It was one of
the greatest moral victories achieved for many years. (Great
applause.) The events of to-day would transmit this bo-
rough to immortal and everlasting fame, because it had shown
that it contained within its limits 205 honourable and inde-
pendent men, who had resisted treasury gold (cheers and
clamour), brought down there to an unlimited extent. (Great
confusion and cheers.) He knew not whether it was to be
called whig gold, or chartist gold, or radical gold ; still it was
gold that came from Downing-street. (Loud cheers, follow-
ed by hisses from the Reds.) Let those who heard him be
assured that the events of to-day would not end here, for he
should feel it his duty to take that course which he was ad-
vised under the unexpected results which had attended him.
(Cheers.) He (Mr. Cabbell) had no hesitation in saying
that very shortly he should have an opportunity of appear-
ing before the constituency of St. Alban's as their represen-
tative." (Cheers.)

It is worthy of remark, that during the day the town was
graced by the presence of the Hon. Mr. Cowper, one of the
royal household, and nephew of Lord Melbourne ; Mr. Ro-
bert Stewart, late a lord of the treasury ; and Mr. Ward,
M.P. for Sheffield. Mr. Coppock, of Ludlow notoriety, was
associated with these gentlemen, and how far the statements
contained in the speech of Mr. Cabbell, and 'the i,cident
connected with Robert Adams, are referable to their pre-
sence, it is not our duty, but that of the public, to eßr.nisc.
On the best authority, we learnt that upwards of £OllO had
last night been expended in support of the ministerial candi-
date, who was " declared to win" at any price, and even £5lO
was offered to the mayor's bailiff for his vote. The defeated
party not only have good evidence of numerous other cases
of bribery against their opponents, but are actually in posses-
sion of the identical notes paid.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY AT SHADWELL
STATE OF THE RIVER.

(From the Times of Wednesday.)
Yesterday morning, in consequence of the high tide and
the immense quantity of ice which floated up the river, serious
damage was done to the wharfs and craft at Shadwell, and a
great destruction of property took place. It appears that the
ice had accumulated for three days previous, and the pressure
was 'so great on the craft and boats moored close to the wharfs,
that a great many broke adrift and were carried up the stream,
and are still floating about. At low water on Monday night
the wharfingers, coal-merchants, ship-chandlers, and others
made fast their barges, lighters, and craft alongside their pre-
mises, and they were secured to posts. When the tide ebbed
out the shore was covered with icebergs and piled irregularly
on each other, elevated a considerable height. The flowing
tide at an early hour yesterday morning forced up vast fields
of ice, which covered the whole surface of the river, and the
tiers moored off. Ratcliff and Shadwell, unable to bear the
pressure, were driven from their moorings, the cables and
anchors were broken, and the vessels taken up the 'stream
or forced on the opposite shore. An indescribable scene of
confusion' and alarm took place, and the colliers sustained
great damage. Several tiers brought up on the opposite shore
with loss of anchors, cables, and bowsprits, and others met
with greater injury by coming in collision with each other.
Three ships loaden with coals were overwhelmed by the ice,
and sunk near Globe-stairs, and it is feared will become total
wrecks. Two other colliers are aground near the same place,
and masses of ice and icebergs are piled up on each side of
them. The most extensive damage caused by the ice was at
Lovier Shadwell, where a scene of wreck and devastation,
unequalled during the period of the most intense frosts of
1813-4 and 1829-30, took place. The barges, punts, and
boats made fast here were unable to resist the pressure of the
tide and the ice, and the platforms, and wharfs were carried
away, while the coal-barges, long boats, and other craft were
forced upon each other, and crushed or stove in. Charring-
ton's coal-wharf has suffered extensively, several coal-barges
were broken to pieces, others sunk and stove, and the wharf
forced in. The piles supporting the platform were crushed,
the front of the counting-house torn away, and the wharf da-
maged to a serious extent. To the east and west of Messrs.
Charrington's premises great mischief has been done. Large
masses of ice and icebergs were piled one upon another, and
broken barges, punts, and ships boats were interspersed in
all directions, while the facings of the wharfs were forced in,
' the platforms overhanging the river knocked to pieces, and
walls and counting-houses crushed by the ice and the barges
being driven against them. One of Charrington's barges
was made fast to an anchor of eight hundred pounds weight
in the five foot-way or passage of Mr. Forster's premises,
and ice dragged the barge away, sunk it, and pulled down
the gates and a great portion of the brick wall of the pre-
mises. The east end of Mr. Lumley's wharf was torn quite
away. Mr. Hutchinson's and Mr. Benson's wharfs shared a
similar fate, and the post and timbers supporting the plat-
forms on the river fronts of their premises were shivered.
One of Mr. Kent's barges, laden with thirty-five tons of
coals, had her bottom forced out, and only ten tons of coals
were recovered. A barge called the Mary Ann, belonging to.
Mr. Rundall, an assistant of the Watermen's Company, was
forced against a large square pile which supported a portion
of Lumley's wharf, the barge was cut in two, and in the af-
ternoon of yesterday, when the tide again rose, was in &
sinking state, without any possibility of its ever being reco-
vered. Mr. Woolfe, whose premises are close to Shadwell
dock stairs, is a great sufferer. Nine boats, belonging to
various ships, intrusted to him to repair, were carried away
in the ice, .and are lost, John Fenwick, a poor man, lose
two longboats, almost his sole fortune. Such a scene of de-
vastation was never before witnessed on the river. Messrs.
Cloves, coal merchants, at Ratcliffe, have sustained great
losses. On Sunday twenty-one of their craft, coal laden,
broke loose, and were carried by the ice up the river. Some
of them were recovered, but at a great expense to the owners,
and were again moored. Yesterday they were again cast
away by the ice, and several destroyed. The others are
likely to drift up and down the river till a thaw takes place.
The damage incurred by Messrs. Cloves amounts at least to
the sum of £4OO. Among other sufferers by the severity of
the weather,sis Mr. Charles Farrier, of Wapping. On Mon-
day he had just done discharging chain cables at Her Ma-
jesty's dock-yard at Woolwich, when the two anchors of' his
barge, the Thomas and Charles, gave way, and she broke
loose from her moorings, and was driven as far as Charlton
in the ice, where Farrier employed several watermen to haul
her ashore, which they succeeded in doing, but not until the
barge had sustained . great damage. About the same time
several light barges were sunk by the swell of the ice at
Woolwich. A barge, the property of Mr. Alexander Hinds,
laden with forty-nine tons of coals, consigned to Hodgson
and Abbott's ale brewery, at Bow, grounded upon a mass of
'ice yesterday morning, opposite the Sun brewery, (belonging
to the same firm,) ae'Wapping, and was at least fifteen feet
from the ground. It was expected that she would sink when
the tide rose, but, a number of men haying been employed,
she was hauled in close alongside the brewery. Two barge
loads of Hodgson and Abbott's pale ale, destined for an
gest Indianian at Blackwall, were taken out and transferred
to waggons, which conveyed' the ale to the ship in the West
India Dock, at an expense to Mr. Hodgson and Abbott of
£l5. The barge containing the ale had been ice bound for
the last four days.

Yesterday evening the ice had accumulated in the lower
pool to such an extent that, for the first time since the me-
morable winter of 1813-14, persons began to pass over the ice
with the assistance of hurdles from the north to the south
shore ; and the river in the neighbourhood of Shadwell was
covered from side to side, the ice in many places appearing
six and seven feet above the surface of the river. There was
a drift way from the ice above St. Katharine's-wharf, bat the
tiers on both sides of the river were locked in off the Custom-
house and Tower, the field of ice extending one third across
the steamers, and people were proceeding to and from the
ships without much difficulty. There was a continuous field
of ice extending from London-bridge to Rotherhithe Church,
nearly half way across the river ; below that, at high water,
it was a:complete block. The business in the river was nearly
at a stand still, and the few barges afloat were those which
had been cast adrift by the pressure o the fields of ice, and
were doomed to be carried up and down the stream until the
arrival of fair weather. The Albion steamer from Ipswich
landed her passengers at Blackwall on Monday night, and
came up the river next morning with the tide to the surprise
of every one, and incurring manifold danger. The Royal
Victoria steam ship for Leith left St. Katharine's yesterday
at two o'clock, with a schooner in tow, bound for the same
place. She got as far as Execution-dock, Wapping, when
she was brought to a dead stand by the ice floating upwards,
and the warps made fast to the schooner gave way, and the
vessel was carried back again. The Victoria had no, sooner
fof rid of her charge than she ran into a lighter navigated by
our men, vfho were drifting up. The men in their alarm
jumped into a boat, and were carried up amidst the masses
of ice, while the Royal Victoria went on, and we understand
cut through the ice; and was heard of at Woolwich at five
o'clock pursuing her voyage.

011210SXWX0.1

Three labouring men have been found near Dumfries who
were frozen to, death during the late severe sOro). The pocir
fellows were discovered together in a sitting position by the
road side.

FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 12, 1841

We would not desire a more convincing indication
of the danger which the nation incurs by having over
its affairs such a ministry as the present, than the mere
fact of their adopting the bill introduced last week by
Lord Morpeth. This bill stamps upon them a charac-
ter for utter contemptuousness of all just principle
which should stir up the people to put in requisition
every lawful means for their removal. The unfortu-
nate holder of a Bank of England post-bill, or note,
no matter of what. amount, who,. on presenting it to
be cashed, receives, instead of gold, the same note
back again, with the word " forgery" stamped upon it,
in legible characters, is not more distinctly and intelli-
gibly apprised of the worthlessness of the paper he
holds, than the country is now told the genuine cha-
racter of its ministry by Lbrd Morpeth's mock regis-
tration project.

This bill proposes a totally new description of elec-
toral qualification, and, if it were to be adopted, would
extend the power of the Popish priesthood in Ireland
to the utmost limit to which, with the existing popula-
tion of the country, that tremendously mischievous
and detestable domination could be carried. Under
the law as it exists at present, we have learned some-
thing of that barbarising and unchristian influence.
We have learned it from its modus operandi, and from
the effects which all have seen it produce. We know
that, in the former respect, it operates to enslave and
degrade the people. Give an elective franchise with a
low qualification to persons in the condition of the Ro-
manist Irish, and you compel Popery to put on its
steam ; you incite its priesthood to exercise all their
unhallowed power to make the multitude obedient to
their will; you make the people worth hunting down,
and, at the same instant, set the priests at them, who,
scenting their prey afar off, undertake the task with a
greedy and fanatical voracity. To enfranchise such a
rabble is, in short, directly to encourage Popery, and
stimulate its merchandise by a bounty.
In a religious point of View, therefore, the scheme
developed by
Lord Morpeth's bill is perfectly mon-
strolls, an& coming from a.Protestant government, un-
conscientious and unprincipled. But analysise the
process still further, and You find, that what is mani-
festly wrong in principle, is absolutely disgusting and
abominable in detail.

An experimental acquaintance with the working of

existing laws has taught us, that the elective franchise
is of little value to the devoted slaves of priestcraft,
and a curse rather than a blessing to many of them,—
distracted as they are by the fear of the priest on the
one hand, and a just regard for their more immediate
interest on the other. The priest, in order to effectu-
ate his purposes of tyranny and selfishness, is perfectly
unscrupulous as to means. He threatens his misera-
ble dupe with everlasting ruin in the next world if he
does not obey his commands, and cares not what con-
sequences may come upon him in this, if he does.
His tyranny is almost always successful—its victims
are past counting. Well, and Lord Morpeth, by his
proposes—to curb or restrain ?—no, but to diffuse
this evil, and give this tyranny a range hitherto un-
thought of even in Ireland We are astonished that
the noble lord could have so betrayed himself to a
faction as to bring forward a scheme, religiously con-
sidered, so replete with evil as this. He cannot ima-
gine that the pauper whom he would enfranchise would
have any will or mind of his own in the use of the
privilege that he would confer upon him. As
well might you think of feeding mice with new
milk in the presence of a tom-cat—as of giving elec-
toral power to a Papist pauper which the priest would
not seize upon. It does amuse us then, we say, to
think that Lord Morpeth—a man who is said to speak
reverentially of sacred things—should have proposed
this new law—a law which might justly be described
as one for extending and confirming the .power of Ro-
mish priests in Ireland, and rendering for Ever domi-
nant that superstitious influence which is the blight,
mildew, and curse of that country.

So much as to the immediate effect of the bill in the
locality where its operation is to commence. But we
have another cause of interest in it; we are interested
in it not only for the purpose of defeating a scheme so
exceedingly unpropitious for Ireland, but for the pur-
pose of guarding this country also against the evils
which it would necessarily entail upon it. Few per-
sons in England are curious or anxious to behold an
Irish demagogue coming over every session of parlia-
ment, carrying after him a tail of forty joints, and put-
ting down as well as setting up administrations by
means of this formidable appendage. Still fewer, we
suspect, feel any desire to add more links to it, in order
to make the sight more wonder-moving, or to unite it
more firmly to his person. In short, the majority are
decidedly for docking it rather, or ridding them altoge-
ther of both master and men. But Lord Morpeth's
bill would most effectually do that very mischief which
we desire to undo, and would tend, in every way, to
establish and perpetuate the nuisance which we wish to
get rid of. There cannot be a stronger proof of the
foregone conclusion of " bargain and sale" existing
between ministers and their Irish Mephistopheles than
the issuing forth of such a production. Without some
most stringent and mysterious compact secretly ex-
isting between them, it is inconceivable that they would
patronise it.

"With regard to a low property qualification, per se,
we are not opposed to it. We should wish to extend
electoral privilege as widely as moral and religious qua-
lifications would permit. The possession of property
is but a secondary means of ascertaining a moral fit-
ness. If ministers will only have the kindness to bring
in a bill reviving the test acts against Popery cotempo-
raucously with this £5 household suffrage scheme, our
opposition to it will certainly be greatly mitigated, if
not altogether removed. As it is, this wretched bill
stands forth a proof of unsoundness, recklessness, and
unprincipledness in pUblic men, such as we have rarely
had exhibited.

It was not with much astonishment, but certainly
with great disgust, that we read the report of the pro-
ceedings at the election of a representative for the bo-
rough of St. Alban's on Tuesday last. Our readers
will perceive, from a reference to the facts stated in
another part of our paper, that the most barefaced
bribery and lavish expenditure of Treasury, gold have
been resorted to in order to secure the return of the
Whig-Radical candidate ; and the only marvel is, that
with such unwarrantable expedients, the majority is not
greater. Every day brings fresh proofs of the daring
profligacy and unblushing extravagance of the men
who at present hold the reins of government ; and, as
the day of retribution approaches, they seem more and
more reckless of the means they employ .to prolong
their continuance in office.

We are glad to see, however, that the return of the
Earl of Listowel will be petitioned against, with every
prospect of success ; and we feel persuaded that Mr.
Cabbell, in a short time, will, according to his own
prediction, be the sitting member for St. Alban's.
We have had sufficient proofs that the people, if left
to themselves, know well how to exercise the franchise;
and the interference of any members of the household
is disgraceful to themselves and an insult to the elec-
tors.

The case of Mr. M'Cleod, which has this week ex-
cited so much attention and caused so much just in-
dignation, furnishes clear proof that the laissez passer
system, in which Lord Melbourne delights, will not
answer always. His lordship and company have had
more success with it than usually falls to the lot of
mortals ; but the tide will turn at last ; the pitcher
that goes too often to the well will not always escape;
nor are your federalist republicans and border pirates,
a description of people in dealing with whom it is at
all safe to " go sleep."

A British subject is now incarcerated in the state of
New York, and not altogether free from danger for his
very life, owing in a good measure to this let-drive,
live-to-day system ; and ministers, when called to ac-
count, have evinced that sort of drawling, diplomatic,
and dilatory indifference respecting the matter, which
one might expect from persons who act in ordinary
upon their miserable, make-shift principle.
Fortunately, however, there has been no act done by
which the Crown is implicated in their laches. The
case of Mr. M'Cleod stands unaffected by ministerial
supineness,—and the British government, whoever
may be minister, is free to demand his liberation with
every necessary ingredient and circumstance of justice
on its side, notwithstanding any delay that has yet oc-
curred in making the demand. The seizing and burn-
ing of the piratical steamer Caroline which has been
well described as " one of the most righteous, prompt,
and brilliant transactions of the stormy but brief cam-
paign of Upper Canada," remains, as at the first, an
act perfectly justified by the force of circumstances,
and one in which the agents, if they disregarded the•
precise line of territorial boundary, are excusable, not--
withstanding any rule of inter-national law which caw
be applied to the case. The act has been properly de-
fended, and approved of by our government; but that
which is to be lamented is, that as it was made a sub-
ject of complaint by the Americans, the case was per-
mitted to grow into one of protracted negotiation, and
to remain over unsettled up to the present time. They
are now availing themselves of our indecision, and in-
sulting, what they suppose to he our weakness. Treat-
ing the burning of the Caroline as a wrong which we
have not denied with sufficient explicitness, or energy,
they have seized Mr. M'Cleod as a wrong-doer in the
transaction whom we might not be disposed to protect,
and have perhaps by this time brought him to trial as
a felon whom we might abandon to his fate. True,
that the Americans are thus committing a gross, and
palpable, and unendurable outrage; true, that the kid-
napping of Mr. M'Cleod so long after the date of the

transaction complained of, is a mean and dastardly pro-
ceeding ; yet is it not to be regretted that they should
have been supplied with even the slightest pretext for
the act by some complimentary equivocation or official
tameness on the part of our ministers ?

The pretext alluded to is contemptible enough; but
the 'whole affair, viewed merely in its American lights
is damnatory—we will not say of the'
and shadows,
Americans as a nation—but certainly of " federalism"'
and " republicanism," as they present themselves to)
our optics. The beauty and advantages of federalism
are exhibited in this, that when our minister at Wash-
ington presents his remonstrance to the President of
the States against the imprisonment of Mr. M'Cleod,
he is turned over to seek for redress elsewhere, in
strict conformity with the laws of the Union. Go to
the local government, says the august President; I
cannot interfere with the administration of law in the
State of New York. And thus the minister of a fo-
reign power may be fobbed off, and bandied about
from state to state, whilst the general government re-
mains safe from all responsibility. This may be con-
sidered as' an advantage ; but such trickery may also
be regarded as evidence of weakness in the executive,