The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-02 00:00:00

TUE CONTEST OF THE EYES

Lone had the sparkling eves of jet black hue,
The palm disputed with the eyes of blue:
To, plead in open court they now prepare,
For graver subjects ne'er concerned the fair.
Venus was chosen to adjudge the prize,
And end this long rivality of eyes.
Each in this solemn court assumes her place,
Anti each in turn unfolds her doubtful case
Cites from the ample code of Cupid's laws,
And pleads with native eloquence her cause.
The Graces sat with looks sedate and mute,
As fair reporters of the anxious suit.
The speeches closed, a breathless parse succeeds,
While Venus ponders o'er the cumbrous deeds :
With hasty glanee surveys the haughty dames,
And in the balance weighs their rival claims.
At length the graceful queen, their referee,
Thus mildly spoke her politic decree.
" Black eyes most dazzle in the festive hour—
The
gentle blue exert a milder power:
Black proudly vanquish—ravage at their will—
But the soft blue retain their conquest stiil.
The fickle black o'er thousand hearts woOild range ;
Blue are more tender and less prone to change: -
The black my darts, the blue my flame control—
Black picture wit, but blue can paint the soul."

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

POLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE MIDDLE
CLASSES.
(From the Manchester Guardian.)
On Saturday last.a dinner was: given to the members
for the borough of Cambridge, the Right Honourable
Thomas Spring. Rice, and George Pryme, Esq., by a
very numerous body of their constituents. In the course
of his address, on returning thanks for the healths of
her Majesty's ministers, the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer declared himself to be a.steadv adherent of the old
English Whig party, and said that his colleagues in the
government professed—and professed because they en-
tertained—the same principles. In speaking of the con-
stituency of England, he observed—
" I say, if there is one thing which more strongly madc. that
middle class than another, it is the moderation and firmness of
their opinions. It is thus they are against both extremes. It
is that they are resolved to maintain their liberty against old
tory principles—it is that they are not anxious for unprepared
and undigested alterations at the hidding of another harry. I
believe that to be the opinion of the middle • class of England;
and if that be so, it will constitute a source of strength to our
party which will support us on all occasions."
• - We believe that this is the true state of the case; we
believe that the bulk of the middle classes in
.England—
that is, the hulk of the constituent bode—are nut at all
inclined to extensive and rapid political changes; and,
Consequently, have very little sympathy, and are attoge-
. ther indisposed t 9 din-operation, with the more active,
load-speaking radicals.
We have at various periods heretofore brought forward
particular facts which have struck Its in corroboration. of
this opinion; and it seems to us, that another confirma-
tion maybe supplied by the recent fate,of tde True Sun
newspaper. That journal has unquestionably been edit-
ed, since it has been in the hands of Mr. Whittle Har-
vey, with great talent; yet the principles it advocated
found so little favour with the public, that, after a very
costly, though not very lengthened experiment, its pro.
prietor, as the only means of escaping a further loss, has
been compelled to dispose of the copy-right; and let the
• pro ter merge in the Sun.
Nor is this a solitary dose. Some time ago, the radi-
o cats, being desirous to possess a morning organ of their
: opinions, acquired possession of the old Public Ledger,
and changed its name to the Constitutional._ This pa-
, • per kept up a sickly existence for ,a few months; not
once, however, we believe, exhibiting the slightest pro-•
miss of success; and at length came to an end.
The result is, that radicalisar does not possess, because
it cannot support, a single daily newspaper devoted to
its. opinions. Nor can this fact he explained away by
any representation, that the persons, by. whom the daily
papers are chiefly taken in, are essentially of an aristo-
cratic class. Out of the metropolis the proportion of
private individuals,•in. the middle rank of life, Aim allow
themselves the luxury of taking in any daily paper. is
comparatively very small. Most persons read. the Lon-
don journals at some public news-room, where papers of
different politics are alike accessible ; and the numbers
of tne several papers respectively taken at these news-
rooms are genetally a sort of test of the cast of opinions
most prevalent amongst the subscribers to them., Hence
it fo!:Jws, that, if the majority of the frequenters of
news-rooms had been persons holding the opinions advo-
cated in the True Sun, that Paper would have had the
greaiestl circulation ; but such notoriously was not the
case. We believe, indeed, that its sale was less than that
of any other London evening paper.
It may, to be sure, be alleged, that its failure as a com-
mercial speculation was owing to the lowness of its price
—4l instead of 51., the price of tire other daily papers;
and, no doubt, this may have had an unfavourable effect
on the concern, as a commercial speculation. But the
circumstance tells two ways ; for if an advantage of 20
per cent in price was not foundsnfliciently great to corn-
' Mand a very extensive sale for a newspaper edited with
unquestionable talent, it is only a stronger proof how
great must be the public distaste" to the principles and
• opinions which it upheld. Yet, in the face of these con-
- .clusions, we are quite prepared to find the r'adicalS again
as coolly maintaining, that the people of England are of
their way of thinking in politics, as they have done any
time these five years!

WHAT ARE MINISTERS DOING?
(From the Aue.)
Can any one inform us where our Ambassador.at
Petersburg is at this present crisis ? Where is the Ea;l
of Durham? Berlin letters inform us that the-English
government appears to be at present engaged in a parti-
cularly.active correspondence with its legation at the
Russian court; that Lord W. Rnss,ll, our envoy to,t
Prussia, has for some time past established a regular sta-
tion at Berlin for British couriers, the despatches being
-I!'brought direct from London, and forwarded on immedi-
- afely to St. Petersburg. Is the British ambassador at
' his post to receive them The Earl of Durham
can bend his neck for the red riband, and dance after the
star of St. ..kr:•lt ew in England; he can obey Kensington
orders and hurry
,from his duty, but he seems to be in no
hurry to return to it.
•This is scandalous. There never was a period in the
history of our foreign relations when it was more neces-
sary to guard against intrigue—aye, Russian. intrigue.
It is at work at Constantinople ; it is at work at Tehe-
ran ; it undermines at. Athens : and it is our firm•Convic-
lion that Nichobts and Martin Van Buren understand
each other perfectly, and v.. 111 know how to " improve"
upon any great success achieved by their Canadian
• friends—vet our ambassador, who ought to be in St. Pe-
tersburg. is eating his Christmas dinner at Lanibton
Castle, after having been six months in this country,
during which time he has doubtless remembered to draw
his half year's •pay of £6,000.
Where, too, is Lord Palmerston ? Does he know that
a Belgian army has been marched to the Luxemburg
frontier as a "division of observation Y" Does he nut
know that two Prussian regiments have entered to re-
. infnre the garrison of Luxemburg? Does he know
that. the King of Holla id's eldest son is brother-in-law,
fr, the Emperor of Riwia, and that his (laughter is mar-
ri-d to a son of the Eing of Prussia ? Gentle Cupid
repuses in new year's festivity, whilst WAR, WAR, WAR is

brewing np ngainst Englgna in every platter of the
„ .

Mat •11 the meaning of this bit of news) viz.--‘! lu
the political circles at Stockholm it is .aid, that neoci-
tions are going on between F.nglan:l, Sweden, and Den-
mark, for afree pavage of the Sound to be granted to
tr,n-of-war. Denmark dues not object-nor
will Sweden.". •

What! can Cupid ruffle his pinions and grow %alo-
rolls ? Does he actually meditate a sort of treaty a la-
Unkiar 'Skelessi, and thus try to close the Baltic, as the
Czar has closed the Black Sea ? Or is it that, " with
bated breath and whispered humbleness," he prays of
Sweden and Denmark to allow that flag to ,sneak into
the Baltic, which once floated over a Nelson and a
Rion ?

How is all this to end ? War in Canada—war in
Ava; the American Eagle screaming over its frontier;
the claws of the Russian Bear protruding from Amrapoo-
ra to Montreal ! Whilst Lord Palmerston has so con-
trived our " amicable relations with forejgn powers," as
to leave England without a friend in the world. If we
are forced from peace, where shall we look for assistance ?
Shall we ask the Queen of Portugal to aid us from her
treasury—the Queen of Spain to lend us an army—or
King Leopold to help us with his per? But there is
France. Yes, there is France ! Would Franceenibroil
her young dynasty in an European war for England ?
Would she not, by remaining neutral, be the emporium
for the commerce of the world, and its carrier also ? Nay,
even if inclined to side with England, would. not the
whispering of the little word " Algiers" stay her friend-
ship ? In fact, we have not a friend, unless it be the in-
jured and insulted. Head of the House of Orange.'
But do we despond for our couptry ? No. Upon her
own energies must England depend. Let her cast off
her evil councillors who betray her; let her confide in
her honest and true sons; and then, should her Lion but
"shake the dew-drops from his mane," his rising up will
be in strength, and his walk will he in honour.

POPISH ALLEGIANCE.
( From the Dublin Evening Mail.)

" The Priests At St. Charles, previous to the troops coming
up, a•lininistered the sacrament to the rebels, to encourage
them to stand bold or die."—Letters from 'Montreal, December
I, 1827.

Of comse, he did.

In the Irish rebellion of 1641, the reigning Pope is-
sued a Bull. of Indulgence, with plenary remission of sins
in articulo mortis, to the faithful who should take up
arms and die in battle against the authority of their law-
ful Sovereign.
In the Irish Rebellion of MS, the Popish priests
blessed the arms and banners of the insurgent forces, and
inspired courage and fanatical zeal by the administration
of the sacrament to their troops -previous to an engage-
ment. Even predatory and skirmishing. hands received
the blessing or the priest ere they set out on their mur.
derous or rebellious expeditions.
At the elections of Waterford and Clare, the crucifix
was held up at the altar and in the poll•booth as th'e re-
presentative of Him who claimed the voters' suffrage.
['he rites of religion were denied to those who should,
dare to resist the appeal, and a curse in this world,. and•
eternal damnation in the next, was pronnuncel on every
soul which would dare to vote otherwise than as the
Pilest directed. Commencing here, the same sys'em
has pervaded every constituencyln the island. Votes
are extorted in faVour of Popery by the temporal hopes
and spiritual fears excited by the Romish priests and
their lay instrnments,•tbe agitators :—and constituencies
are thus, either Pope's-bulled, or Butt beggared into a
reluctant support of the church's nominees.
" Hic et übique," like the Ghost in Hamlet, Popery
is mining under ground its dark and portentous designs.