The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-04-12 00:00:00

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING.
" FOR unto us a child is born." The booming of the
Park and Tower guns, between one and two o'clock on
Thursday afternoon, gave joyful interpretation of the
text. Shortly after the auspicious birth of the PRINCE,
I met His Grace the Duke of NORFOLK, one of the great
officers of State " present on the occasion ;" I quote the
words from the official announcement. His Grace the
premier Duke intimated that all was " as well as could be
expected," household words happily applicable to HER
MAJESTY and the illustrious stranger at this present
writing. Uneasy rests the head that wears a crown—to
this effect at least has been said by a great master of
human nature—to indicate that the Sovereign has more
care than the meanest subject. " Present on the occa-
sion,"—of those in the royal bedchamber I say nothing,—
in the adjoining apartments, within ear-shot of every
breath from the royal couch, were upwards of twenty
individuals. Such is State etiquette—State precautions,
most necessary, doubtless, at certain periods of our
country's history. The " calls" at Buckingham Palace
since the event have been unprecedentedly numerous.
The Duchess of KENT, HER MAJESTY'S august mother,
looks remarkably robust, and is in almost constant atten-
dance on HER MAJESTY. lam led to believe that after
a few days there will be no more bulletins exhibited.
It has been communicated to me, by an authority
whose sources of information during an acquaintance of
some twenty years' standing have proved highly reliable,
especially in matters political and financial. that the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER contemplates in his I,
forthcoming budget a considerable reduction, if not the
total repeal, of the duty on paper. According to the
statement of my friend. who holds a responsible position
in immediate connexion with the Finance Minister's
department, Mr. GLADSTONE put his colleagues on Friday
in possession of this portion of his scheme, which, by the
way, is to be unfolded to the House of Commons on Mon-
day next, and they unanimously awarded it warm and
hearty approval. Of course, the repeal of the paper duty
will give very general satisfaction, especially to newspaper
proprietors, who feel the pressure most severely, and it is
to be hoped that the CHANCELLOR'S determination to
grapple with the injustice and oppression is a vindication
of his desire to abolish all taxes upon knowledge.
You will learn with regret that your excellent repre-
sentative, Mr. FORBES MACKENZIE, is about being sub-
jected to some annoyance by the Irish SOLICITOR-GENE-
RAL and Lis ABERDEEN allies ; that in all probability he
will have to undergo an ordeal somewhat similar to that
imposed on Major BERESFORD in connexion with the
Derby election. The Athlone election petition, by which it
is attempted to deprive Mr. KEOGH of his seat, and to
Secure the representation of that pure and immaculate
borough for Mr. LAWES, is now being prosechted. The
inquiry commenced on Saturday, and was resumed to-
day, when some very curious disclosures were made
regarding government patronage and other matters, which
you will find in the newspaper reports. The petitioner's
case will close this evening, and Mr. KEOGH opens his
defence to-morrow. Among other matters, I have heard
that he intends alleging and endeavouring to prove that
some members of the late Government unduly interfered
with the electors, for the purpose of assisting Mr. LAWES
in his representative aspirations. Mr. FORBES MACKENZIE
is one of those whose conduct is to be impugned ; and,
if rumour be well founded, the Irish SOLICITOR-GENERAL,
who has more brains, tact, ability, and undaunted perse-
verance than all the other members from Ireland put
together, intends producing a letter written to Mr. LAWES
by Mr. MACKENZIE in his capacity of Secretary to the
Treasury, promising an appointment in the Customs to
one FALLoar, an elector of the borough of Athlone, who,
in consequence of this promise, it is contended by Mr.
KEOGH, either abstained from voting for him, or voted
for Mr. LAWES. I forget, indeed, which course the elector
took ; but that Mr. KEOGH, through the exertions and skil-
fully-laid plans of a well-known London correspondent
of an Irish journal, is in possession of Mr. MACKENZIE'S
letter, there can be no doubt whatever, and that it will be
used to damage Mr. MACKENZIE and the late Govern-
ment, those who know to what desperate lengths Mr.
KEOGH is in the habit of going to sustain his own party
and injure his political opponents, will not hesitate for
one moment to believe. It is to be hoped that the plot
laid to become possessed of Mr. MACKENZIE'S letter may
be inquired into by the committee, and that those who
were the actors in it may be introduced to the public.
You announced last week, on my authority, that the
Cabinet was at sixes and sevens, or, rather, to speak more
accurately, at fives and sixes, on the subject of our future
Government of India. I told you that no measure had
been prepared on the subject,—that one section of the
ABERDEEN Administration peremptorily refused assent-
ing to propose permanent legislation for another year, and
that the Whig clique battled strenuously to have Lord J.
RUSSELL'S views carried out, by renewing the charter at
once, and arming the East India Company with addi-
tional powers of monopolising and absolute terrorism.
My information was corroborated in the House of Com-
mons on Tuesday evening. DISRAELI inquired when
there was to be a declaration of Ministerial intentions
regarding India. Lord J. RUSSELL, looking the very
embodiment of spite, passion, and venom, answered,
amidst some tittering, that when the Cabinet had
made up their minds they would lay their plan
before the House. Now, in addition to the curt reply
of the leader of the Commons, I can state that within the
last week the most unusual step has been taken of ap-
pointing a Committee of the Cabinet, consisting of five
members, to determine upon some mode of reconciling
the differences which exist among Her MAJESTY'S ad-
visers, and of preparing such an Indian measure as the
Cabinet can agree on presenting to Parliament. The
India meal riots in Ireland, during the famine years, are
described as mere trifles when compared with the stand-
up fights which have ornamented the four last Cabinet
Councils, when the topic of the Indian Charter was
brought under discussion. Out of doors the feeling
against allowing permanent legislation to pass this session
decidedly increases, and should it be attempted, the defeat
of the Ministry is just as certain as that they went to the
Treasury last Friday, and took up their quarter's salaries.
Mr. RICH will persevere with his motion, but in the
following terms :—" On going into committee of supply on
the Miscellaneous Estimates, to bring under the notice
of the House, the approaching termination of the period
of government of India by the East India Company,
under the Act 3 and 4 Will. 4, c. 83, and the deficient
state of information in which the House stands as to the
operation of that Act, and more especially as regards the
natives of India."
LORD JoHN RUSSELL'S Education Bill will never be
carried. Does he mean it ? No. He spoke his speech
on Monday evening, from beginning to end, as claptrap
ought to be spoken. Besides, he came down to the house,
RS we are told RICHARD THE THIRD made his appear-
ance in this breathing world—before his time—not half
made up. Lord JOHN as bad as confessed he had not got
his materials, was twitted by more than one member for
not waiting for the Education Commission report, and
laughed at by a whole league of dissenting ministers,
including JOHN BURNETT, of Camberwell, who occupied
seats in the gallery. Far be it from me, as. I hope, a
discreet correspondent, to animadvert in a spirit of ridi-
cule on any of HER MAJESTY'S subjects; but knowing, as
I do, the great lack of real education among dissenting
clergymen—many are true scholars—l could not help
smiling when I noticed the phalanx of black coats and
indifferently washed white " chokers" around ; their
owners sitting, as it were, in judgment on the noble lord's
remarks, as he went along propounding a scheme of na-
tional education with only one point in it, namely, a money
rate, agreed to by two-thirds of the payers, to defray the
expense of the education to be given. Lord JOHN eulogized
the exploded systems of BELL and LANCASTER, told the
house glibly enough of what his father, the Duke of BED-
FORD, did, and what Lord BROUGHAM, and his old friend,
Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY. He then made a few references to
the statistics of schools, and fairly ended on the horns of
a dilemma,—between the Church system and that of the
Chapel. No man can serve two masters,—Lord JOHN
this
RUSSELL was oppressed with a sense of belief. Wide
as the poles asunder, no system of education palateable
to the Established Church will ever be received by the
Dissenters. The significant shrugs—the nods and becks—
I saw not the wreathed smiles—of the dissenting people
present, testified to that. The Education Bill may pro-
duce some good debating,—interesting speeches,—but it
will end in nothing. Vox et, SIT. Your BURNETTS
and HOWARDS, the loud speaking-trumpets of the
Dissenters, care not so much for the quality of the educa-
tion, or the quantity either. Why should they ? It suits
the part JOHN BURNETT has to play or preach, to quote
MELANCTHON, Jams CALVIN, or the venerable BEDE—
it may be, for a contrast, SCALIGER and BELLARMINE ;
JOHN'S education (I mean JOHN BURNETT, and not JOHN
CALVIN or JOHN RUSSELL) is most innocent of " He-
brew, Greek, and Latin." His knowledge of the sweet
sympathies of the subjunctive, mood is scant, nor
does he care to exclaim Formose pastor Corydon."
What JOHN BURNETT, on the part of the dissenters,
wants, is to keep the educational purse-strings out of the
fingers of Churchmen. JOSEPH HUME, Mr. BURNETT'S
countryman, must needs come out with some of his non-
sense in his old age, and forgetting the religious education
which be had at home sixty years ago, told the house that
Lord JoHN's plan would never do, because it did not sepa-
rate religious from secular education. Bah ! JOSEPH, I am
ashamed of you, to say this when you ought to be looking
out for another and a better world. JOSEPH, JOSEPH,
let us have our schools open and close with prayer—divine
recognition—and they who do not choose to stay (prayers)
may remain away ; nothing compulsory LI hold that re-
ligion Li the backboug of 011 education. WILLIAM EIYAAT