The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-06-01 00:00:00

ties are, no doubt, talked about; but securities have been talked
of before, with no less confidence.

"The return of Sir Robert Peel to office may be expected
when the Irish church question shall have been, quietly, thrown
overboard. Some superstitious conservatives regard the coining
year with considerable apprehension. The nines have been un-
lucky years for conservatism. 'ln 1829, the emancipation act
was passed. In 1839, the overthrow of the established church
of Ireland will, in all probability, be completed. •
These considerations are entitled to the most serious
attention of the people—the protestant people of
England. The time for a temporising policy has long
since gone by—the popish and republican factions are as
clamorous as everconcessioa has only stimulated fresh
demands—the very existence of our national church is in
imminent danger—our constitutional privileges are at
stake—and all that is rendered dear to us by the stamp
of antiquity and the impress of Christianity is now
vibrating in the balance. • It. is therefore incumbent
upon the people of England to be 'incessantly on their
guard, lest the grand enemy of their liberties should ob-
tain any advantage from the lukewarmness •of their
leaders.

The grand question at issue, and which must be speed-
ily resolved, is, whether Ireland shall be thrown into the
hands of the Popish faction, or be retained as an ap
pendage to the British crown--whether the Church of
Ireland is to be sustained in a state of efficiency, or of-
fered up as a sacrifice to glut the craving appetites of the
rabble-priests of Maynooth—whether the loyalty of the
Protestants or the rebellious machinations of the Ribbon-
men is to be stigmatised as a crime—whether peace, or-
der, and subordination; o'r misrule, violence, and anarchy,
are to obtain the ascendancy in that country. This is
the contingency which depends upon the policy pursued
towards Ireland—whether she is to be lost or preserved
as an integral portion of the British empire.

There is but one way in which Ireland can be go-
verned peaceably, and that is by.crushing the temporal
power of the Popish priests. It is perfectly idle to ex-
pect any good result from a conciliatory policy. What
has concession already done ? As we have said before,
it has only tended to increase the clamour of the peSti-
ferous popish faction—it has only added fresh fuel to
their zeal for the subversion of the Protestant religion—
it has only made them more turbulent and disloyal. It
is idle to talk of any " satisfactory adjustment" of the
tithe question. Is it not on record that the grand ob-
ject of the Papists is, not the purgation of the Esta-
blished Church from any of its abuses—not the removal
of any practical grievance connected with the collection
of tithes—but the entire overthrow of the church, and
the alienation of its revenues to Popish objects ? Is it
not as notorious as daylight that any thing short of this
must prove unsatisfactory to the Papists? Why, then,
talk of conciliating them ? As well might the lamb ex-
pect to conciliate the wolf. The supposition involves an
absurdity too gross to impose upon the most credulous.

These remarks have been extorted from us by a re-
trospect of the proceedings in the House of Commons on
Tuesday evening. Sir Robert Peel has consented, in
the name of the conservative oppositiOn, to the establish-
ment of municipal corporations in eleven cities and towns
in Ireland, each containing a population of 15,000 or
.more. The following are the particulars upon which
this Concession is grounded:—
First, that the members of the municipality shall be
elected by bona fide £lO householders, ascertained by
some unerring test of qualification, such as rating to the
poor if the poor-law bill should pass; but in any case by
some criterion by which fraud shall be absolutely and
effectually excluded.
Secondly, these municipalities too have no control over
the administration of justice by the appointment of either
' sheriffs or recorders—such appointment to rest with the
government.

Thirdly, the municipalities to have no authority over
any police force, the direction. of such furce- to remain
with the government.

Fourthly, the municipalities to administer the corpor-
ate funds, subject to review by a general board of audit,
which shall take care that the monies expended shall be
expended only for legitimate purposes.
. Fifthly, tolls where not hypothecated for the payment
,ofwdeht, to be. abolished—and

Sixthly, charity trusts to remain as at present, until
theslegislature shall otherwise provide, the Lord Chan-
cellor meanwhile filling up any vacancies as they may
occur; and in any future arrangement under this head,
provision must be made, that trustees of charities design-
ed for the use of the Established Church shall themselves
be members of the church.
In addition to these conditions the right hon. Bart.
proposes, that any of the smaller towns tnay, if a majority
of the- inhabitants. it, have municipal corporations

upon 148 samelerms:
In reference to the first condition, we would merely
remark, that it is useless to think of providing " any cri-
terion by which fraud shall be abSalutely and effectually
excluded," as long as perjury is considered a virtue when
the intereSts,. of the Romish church are concerned. Re-
specting the other conditions it is scarcely necessary to
make any fUrther observation, than that they interpose no
imaginable obstacle to the ascendancy of the Popish fac-
tion.

But the worst feature in the plan is, that any peddling
little town in Ireland may, if a majority of the inhabit-
ants require it, obtain a charter of incorporation. Oppor-
tunities will thus be afforded in every district for oppres-
sing the Protestants, whose condition in the smaller
towns will be found far more degrading than in the larger
cities. In the lattet, the Protestants frequently compose
a numerical majority, and possess a degree of influence,
from their wealth and station in society, which may, in
some measure, neutralize the mischief which any bill for
reforming the Irish corporations must entail ; but in the
smaller towns, the tyranny of the Papists will be found
overwhelming.
In shot t, we know of no safe way of dealing with the
Irish municipalities than to abolish them altogether, or
to leave them as they are. We have never heard of any
mischief that they have done under their present consti-
tution. They have answered the end for which they
were established. They have formed garrisons for the
protection of British influence in Ireland. They have
served as means of defence to the Protestants of Ireland;
and rather than we should throw these ramparts with
all their munitions into the hands of the enemy of British
influence and of the Protestant faith, let us rase them to
the foundation,—let us leave no vantage ground to the
foe,—let us not turn the means of safety into a weapon
of perpetual annoyance.
In whatever way the question of Irish policy may be
treated in Parliament, we are confident that the cry of
the people-of England will be "No SURRENDER !" •

STEAM TO NEW YORK.—The City of Dublin Company are
preparing to share in the competition in transatlantic steam
navigation. They propose announcing their plans immediately.
We wish this enterprising company every success; and though
last in the field, we do not expect they will be last in the race
for fame and profit.
THE TRADESMEN'S CONSERVATIVE ASSOCIATION.--The
gentleman from neristol, who spoke at the monthly meeting of
this association, on Monday night last, with so much originality
and eloquence, is Mr. Henry Bushell, merchant, of Bristol.
We were not in possession of his name when our report ap-
peared on Tuesday last.

. -
The Grace, belonging to Messrs. Shands, arrived here on the
23d instant, from Antigua, with a cargo of 600 casks sugar and
,
molasses- she commenced discharging 24th finished on the
26th, and went to sea again on the 30th inst., in all, a period of
seven days only.
NNW MAGISTRATES.—On Monday last, being the first day
of the pending Salford sessions, Paul Moon James, Esq., of
Manchester, late of Birmingham, and William Smith, Esq.. of
Reddish House, Stockport, came upon the bench, took the
oaths, and qualified as magistrates of this county.
Ma. ST. ALBIN'S BALL.—A morning ball was given yester-
day, at the Adelphi Hotel, to Mr. St. Albin's pupils, and a
greater treat could not have been afforded to the very numerous
and fashionable company that assembled. The room was quite
full, and presented a brilliant appearance. Some very elegant
and graceful dances were performed. We remarked particularly
a minuette and gavotte by four young ladies, also an allemand
by nine; La Cachucha was also danced in a style to elicit the
warmest applause. Mr. St. Albin should be proud indeed of his
pupils.

CURIOUS PIECE op MECHANISIII,—A. very curious as well
as elegant piece of mechanism is now exhibiting for sale at Mr.
Eastees in the Crescent. The figures consist of a Persian
Rope dancer with attendant musicians. It is really a beautiful
work of ingenuity andart.
GRAND CORONATION MASQUARADE.—NN e understand that
the Royal A mpitheatre will be fitted up fora grand masquerade
on the evening of the 28th instant, in celebration of the ap-
proaching coronation. The pit will be hoarded over, and the
loWer part surrounded with splendid paintings. A band of twenty,
two, under the direction of Mr. P. Stubbs, will he in attendanpe.
We have no doubt that the company will be both nutneroas and
select.