The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-31 00:00:00

CONTE.IIPOI?ARY PRESS.

IRISH MEASURES.
(From the Manchester Courier.)
The principal subject of discussion in the House of
Commons during the week,besides that which we have
noticed in a separate article, has been Irish Tithes.
On Thursday week, on the house going into commit-
tee on the bill, authorising the issue of exchequer
bills for the payment of the arrears of tithes, Mr. Hume
opposed the grant, as unjust to the people of England
and Scotland, and divided the house upon it ; the re-
sult, however, was that the ministerial proposal was
carried by a majority of 170 to 61. Sir Robert Peel,
though he approved of the principle of extinguishing
the arrears, objected to the compulsory mode which
ministers proposed; and on Monday night urged the
expediency of giving an option to the tithe owner of
suing for the tithe, or of accepting the compromise to
be offered by government; because this arrangement,
as it would leave to every owner, declining the com-
promise, the same remedy as he before enjoyed, could
work no injustice to any man. Ministers, however, it
will be seen, resisted this reasonable proposition ; and
on a division, the right honourable baronet's amend-
ment was negatived by a majority 122 to 101. The
most remarkable circumstance in these debates, how-
ever, is the curious position which ministers occupy.
Step by step we see them following the course recom-
mended by Sir Robert Peel three years ago; and the
men who, in 1835, adopted the appropriation principle
for the sake of obtaining office, have now abandoned it
for the sake of retaining office ! Pure patriots ! Con-
sistent Whigs! Well might Mr. Grote exclaim, that.
Sir Robert Peel must feel himself now in a proud po-
sition. Poor Lord John, who evidently smarted un-
der the sarcasm of his " honourable friend," could
only reply that he had " done his best," and that "the
first duty of ministers was to consider the situation of
the country, and, in doing their duty, they must bear
personal imputations!"—bear anything, in short, he
might have added—but the loss of place; for that is
the principle of the Melbourne administration.

It would seem, however, that ministers themselves
are not united in their sentiments respecting the Irish
church. Lord Howick, in the course of some obser-
vations which he made on Thursday week, intimated
that in his opinion the time was at hand when the
great question would be whether the Irish church
should continue to exist. Sir Robert Peel alluded to
this ex officio prediction on Monday, and commented
upon it in strong and eloquent terms, justly observing,
at the same time, " that if they went the length of es.
tablishing the Catholic religion as the religion of the
state, they would oniy he engendering fresh causes of
animosity and religious discord." Lord John Russell,
to do him justice, threw his colleague overboard, de-
claring his determination to support the established re-
ligion ; but every man must see, that if Lord Howick's
influence were as great as his love of distinction, such
a declaration from a cabinet minister must have a se-
rious effect in weakening the chance of obtaining that
benefit from the measure which a tithe bill might
otherwise be expected to produce.
On Tuesday the Lords' amendments of the Irish
Poor Law were taken into consideration by the House
of Commons, and on the motion of Lord John Russell,
they were for the most part adopted. There is, there-
fore, now no doubt of this important measure soon re-
ceiving the royal assent. Welhink the tithe bill, not-
withstanding the differences which prevail on the sub-
ject of arrears, will also pass during the present ses-
sion ; but the fate of the municipal corporation bill is
less certain. It seems that the amendments of Lord
Lyndhurst have grievously offended the agitators, and
their organs of the press are loud in their condemna-
tion. They have discovered that the measure is cal-
culated to perpetuate " Protestant monopoly," a cir-
cumstance quite sufficient to make it odious in the eyes
of the "people" of Ireland. It remains to be seen
what effect these indications will have upon the future
conduct of ministers with respect to this measure.
It will be seen that the tithe bill passed the Com-
mons on Thursday, after a feeble opposition from the
radicals.
_

ATTACK ON THE REV. MARCUS BERESFORD.
(From the Dublin Evening Mail.)
We have ever found the Freeman's Journal an ho-
nest, hearty, and generous opponent—strenuous, in-
deed, for its own cause—but not condescending to the
baser arts of faction for the implements of its warfare—
and we should be sorry indeed that any thing should
give us cause to alter an opinion so candidly formed,
and often so unequivocally expressed. But we put it
to the Freeman himself whether the observations which
appear in his columns of yesterday, respecting the
diabolical attempt upon the life of a Protestant clergy-
man, are consonant with the attributes which we have
assigned to this journal, or in any way becoming the
fair advocate of one party, and the upright opponent
of another? We do assure the Freeman, it is with
sincere sorrow we see him resort to the paltry devices
of low guilt, and the indecent ribaldry of desperate
faction; and' we trust that, either on reconsideration
of the terms themselves, or in consequence of the facts
with which we shall conclude, his next publication will
• contain a withdrawal, if not a total disavowal, of the
following sentiments:—
"The Mail "says our contemporary," is sometimes
im-
posed on. No doubt he recollects instances where it has
been proved that men, aye, gentlemen ! have fired blank
powder at themselves, and then called themselves victims of
the ferocity of the peasantry. The Rev. Mr. Beresford has
been fired at—this we deeply deplore—but it is as well to state
that the current belief among the rev. gentleman's neigh-
bours is that his assailants were orangemen, and that they
had only made this wicked attempt with blank cartridge, for
the purpose of answerin the purposes of their masters.
•c, *
We would not for the world even insinuate that the Rev.
Marcus Beresford was aware of the shock his nerves were to
be subject by this blank explosion, but we do more than hint
that the attempt was not the result of malice or ill will towards
the gentleman."
Now, the subject of the diabolical attack, which our
contemporary treats with equal levity and ribaldry, is
a gentleman of as high character and noble bearing as
any in the land. Sprung from an illustrious line of
ancestors distinguished in the court and in the field,
he is son of the Bishop of Kilmore and a near con-
nection of the Primate of Ireland. Gifted with ta-
lents, and an enlaiged education, which would have
placed him high in the ranks of any profession, he de-
voted his mind to the Christian ministry. There is not
in the church a more working clergyman (as it is
called) than the Rev. Marcus Beresford—one more to-
lerant and charitable to those who differ from him in
faith—one more beloved by those amongst whom it is
his duty to minister. Amiable, accomplished, and
eloquent, he commands the regard of all who have the
happiness of his acquaintance ; and such is the respect
in which he has been held, that our only wonder is,
where an enemy to his good name or to his life could
have been found.
But the unworthy insinuations of the Freeman
against this gentleman may be best refuted by the

facts elicited in the progress of the investigation now
going on, viz., that the plan was known to many indi-
viduals; that the line of retreat for the assassins had
been agreed upon, and persons placed in waiting to
facilitate their escape; that shouts of mad dog, (Mr.
O'Connell's cry against the Beresfords at Waterford,)
were raised by the ill-disposed—and that several per-
sons willing to favour the escape of the miscreants,
pulled off their coats to baffle the pursuers; that very
few of the country people made even a show of assist-
ance, and above all—and a fact which clearly demon-
strates the absurdity of, the Freeman's insinuation—
the assassins passed through and mjngled with a great
number of Roman Catholics returning from early
mass—and, had there not been a desire on their part
to assist the escape of the pursued, they could easily
have been captured.
Nor is this all. The attack on Sunday, it now ap-
pears, was but the fulfilment of a design which was to
have been put into execution on the Thursday previ-
ous. It was well known that on that day Mr. Beres-
ford was to have attended his parish church for the
purpose of marrying a couple of his parishioners.
Some special providence interfered in his behalf, ant
the ceremony was performed by a neighbouring cler-
gyman. On that occasion, armed men were seen
hiding and skulking about the route which the rev.
gentleman must have taken; but no serious mischief
was expected, and therefore no alarm was given, until
the conspiracy developed itself in the attack of Sunday.
Much more remains untold, which shall be forthcoming
in due season.

Meanwhile, we can assure the Freeman, and he
may assure himself of the same fact, by a perusal of a
document which will be found in our advertising
columns, offering a reward of £l,OOO for the appre-
hension of the offenders, that his illiberal and unbe-
coming notion of the origin of this melancholy affair is
far from consorting with the sentiments entertained by
generous and respectable Roman catholics, and by
genuine and intelligent liberals, in the place I.N here, if
factious feeling were to overcome truth, it were most
likely to prevail and and overcome the truth, viz., in
the county where the disgraceful and atrocious event
took place. The signatures of men of all parties and
religious persuasions to this offer of reward for the ap-
prehension of the assassins mark the abhorrence of
Roman catholics and protestants equally of such dia-
bolical attempts, and may convince the Freeman what
little reliance is to be placed on his correspondent, and
what little countenance his opinions would meet in a
quarter where the facts and the characters of all the
parties are best known and appreciated.

THE MAN WITH THE GREY PAPER PARCEL,