The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-15 00:00:00

A FRENCH INVASION.

DEPARTURE OF THE MARCO POLO.

DURING the latter part of last week the fine ship Marco
Polo lay in the river, and her smart figure and ship-shape
appearance, exciting general admiration, attracted not a
few of the inhabitants riverwards, to obtain a parting
glance of this favourite vessel. On Friday, an absurd
rumour was spread through the town that her crew had
deserted. On inquiry in the proper quarter, the rumour
was soon proved to be a mere emanation from individuals
whose wish was doubtless " father to the thought." The
Marco Polo was on that day the only vessel in the river
with her full complement of hands-65 in number. it is
worthy of note that these men receive the handsome sum
of £5 per month, the average pay being about £3 10s.
On Saturday another rumour became current, to the
effect that two hundred of the passengers had come ashore
—the inference being that they took this step from dis-
satisfaction with the arrangements on board. So far
from this being true, we are able to say, from personal
observation, that a happier or more contented body
of passengers we never saw. Though a great amount
of disorder necessarily prevailed on deck, and matters
had not settled down into the comfortable routine which
would follow the organisation of a constabulary force,
on board, those who had spent several nights in the ship
seemed the most contented and comfortable. The only
people who complained, were a couple of Cockneys, who
found fault with the berths, stigmatised the delicious soup
served at dinner in the second cabin, professed that the
waiting was the most inefficient, and who finally endea-
voured to originate and organise an emeute among the
passengers. In this attempt, they were, fortunately, un •
successful. A quiet old gentleman speedily took them
down ,when they were proposing an "indignation meet-
ing," by a little pleasantry, at the expense of their ante-
cedents, which touched the representatives of Cockney-
dom NJ the quick, and in a moment destroyed all the
little influence they previously wielded over their fellow-
passengers. It is invariably found, we may here remark,
that the most troublesome and offensive class of passen-
gers are the Londoners, and no agent or captain need try
to remove the grievances of which they complain, while
their fellow-passengers will invariably discover that they
are as selfish as they are discontented. On Saturday night
an incident occurred which put the passengers on the qui
rive. One of our shrewdest detectives, accompanied by
another officer, went on board, and taking a passenger on
one side, said, " Your name is Ephraim Jacobs ?" " I
have the honour of bearing that name." " You car-
ried on business in Fetter-lane, London ?" " I did."
" You were seen, on Wednesday, in company with So
and so, at Manchester." " I dare say I was." " You
came to Liverpool on Thursday?'' " True," responded
the astounded emigrant, evidently perplexed. " There
have been two serious robberies of watches at Man-
chester, and it is suspected that you had some connexion
with them. I must search your box." The man pro-
tested and swore; but the box was opened, and in it
were found a considerable number of watches of every
description. He asserted that they were his own pro-
perty, and that he was taking them out as a specula-
tion ; and the officers, being unable to identify any
of them as part of the stolen property, were obliged
to leave him in undisturbed possession. We have
been assured that this man's stock of watches
and valuable jewellery was of a most varied and extensive
character. Mr. Ephraim Jacobs was attended by his
better half, and no one could have dreamed from their
appearance that they were the owners of a complete
El dorado of watches, stored safely away in their berth.
The Marco Polo, which then lay off the Prince's-pier,
took her departure hence for Melbourne, about ten o'clock,
on the morning of Sunday. She had 648 passengers on
board, and £90,000 specie on freight, of which £75,000
was from London, and the remainder from Liverpool
houses. Soon after daylight the ship was " hove short"
for the purpose of waiting for the mails, which were
brought on board about half-past seven o'clock. The
morning, which was somewhat dull and hazy, cleared up
beautifully after breakfast; and at a little after ten o'clock
the anchor was weighed, and the noble ship towed out of
the river by the powerful steam-tug Independence. Hun-
dreds of people had assembled on the shore from an early
hour, and as the gallant ship glided down the river—
discharging several parting salutes—loud and hearty
cheers burst from the pierhead, which were gratefully re-
turned by the crowd of emigrants on board. Mr. Baines
and Mr. Miller, two of the owners, and a number of their
personal friends, proceeded in the ship several miles
beyond the Northwest Lightship, returning with the
pilot, in the Independence, in the afternoon. The day
was serene and mild, and the ship glided through the
water without any motion being perceptible by those
on board. Everybody seemed in high spirits, and
none more so than certain lonely maidens on the
shady side of forty, who were betaking them.
selves to the land of gold, apparently with the hopeful
trust that " a good time was coming." We observed
several young ladies, who were said to be under the care
of Mrs. James, of London,—a Mrs. Chisholm on a small
scale—and whose operations would appear to be conducted
among a different class of people : one of her proteg6es, a
lively and vivacious girl, having been pointed out to us as
the daughter of an influential banker. That there were
not more of the fair sex on board, appeared to be a matter
of much regret. One young gentleman, a broken-down
" man about town" apparently, and whose incipient
moustache and budding imperial showed that he was
shaping his course for the diggings, was heard to express
his sorrow that there were not more ladies amongst them,
" they exercised such a humanizing tendency on man-
kind ! ' He expressed a lively interest in the banker's
daughter, and we are afraid that the domain of the good
Mr& James will require to be carefully watched by that
respected lady. The emierants are composed principally
of a highly respectable class, who must prove useful to a
rising colony, and deprive the mother-country of a consi-
derable amount of labour, and some of her best and most
spirited citizens. Among the first-cabin passengers, we
observed a goodly number of Germans. We spoke to
one lady, who sat aside, intently reading the " Pilgrim's
Progress," and whose early training, in the " North
Countrie," was exhibited in the reserved Sunday-
like silence and abstraction which she maintained
in the bustle and merriment of the crowd around
her. She and a few more were Scotch ; but the English
passengers preponderated. The sister isle was appro-
priately represented by a young barrister, a first-class
passenger, who has left a good practice in London for the
land of nuggets. He is a fine, jolly fellow, and, we
believe, is a native of Belfast, where his family is one of
the most influential and respectable. Dressed in huge
sea-boots, a blue shirt, and a marine cap, he lent a ready
hand in hoisting the anchor and spreading the sails, and
joined in the boisterous refrains with evident pleasure.
When the vessel had proceeded some distance past the
Rock, the emigrants were ordered on deck for the purpose
of answering to the muster-roll. " Search well below,
doctor," exclaimed the captain, to an ebony cook bearing
the patronymic of Dr. Johnson ; "and if you find any
stow-a-ways put them overboard, slick." " Ugh, ugh !"
chuckled the sable doctor, as he shuffled below. In
the course of a little time he re-appeared from the
lower regions with an unfortunate Irishman, whom he had
found concealed in the berth of a married couple. " Secure
him, and keep watch over the lubber ; and deposit him on
the first iceberg we find in 60 South !" exclaimed the cap-
tain. The poor " stow-a-way" trembled in his shoes, for
the fear of a righteous ducking in the salt brine evidently
suggested itself to the poor wretch. He was put on board
the tug when she parted company with the ship, and
placed once more on shore, a wandering " ne'er-do-
weel." One feature developed very prominently among
the passengers was the passion for note taking. If only
half the number who were taking fierce notes on board
during the first three hours of the voyage continue to
labour as industriously every day, and put each a portion
of his lucubrations in print, there will be a fearful inun-
dation of naval literature in the land. On the poop, at
the bows, and under the lea of the mainmast, indefinite
articles, note book in hand and spectacles on nose, watched
with open mouth and eyes " tightly skinned" to chronicle
the last cheer from the shore, the last chime of the church
bells, stopping occasionally to jot down the captain's last
joke, or the latest grimace of the ebony Dr. Johnson. To
show that the passengers are not likely to be often troubled
with the gnawings of hunger, we give a few items specify-
ing the amount of provisions on board :-40 tons of fresh
beef, GO live pigs, 40 sheep, 100 dozen of fowls, 5 dozen
of geese, 5 dozen of turkeys, 400 barrels of flour, 600
barrels of bread, 350 tons of water, &c.
Captain Forbes is taking with him a beautiful picture,
by Mr. 'Walters, of Liverpool, which represents the
Marco Polo coming round Crosby Lightship, under a
very heavy pressure of canvass. He intends it as a present
to the Town-hall of Melbourne. There is one fact with
reference to the Marco Polo's sailing on a Sunnay which
is worth recording. It is Captain Forbes's favourite day;
and for this reason. He left Liverpool for Melbourne, on
his last voyage, on a Sunday ' • crossed the Line on a
Sunday ; sighted the Cape on a Sunday ; arrived at Mel-
bourne on a Sunday ; left Melbourne on a Sunday ;
sighted the Cape on a Sunday ; recrossed the line on a
Sunday; and arrived in the Mersey on a Sunday. Capt.
Forbes is, we understand, a native of Aberdeen, and it
is not a little to the credit of that remote city of the
north that, while her clippers are the smartest afloat, she
has produced a seaman, who has accomplished the quickest
passage to and from Australia on record, and who
seems confident that he will again realise his first triumph.
And when we hear practical men like Mr. J. T. Towson,
the inventor of composite sailing, declaring that that
unprecedented voyage was the result not of mere chance
but of skill, and that Captain Forbes had combatted and
overcome difficulties which had well nigh paralyzed the
genius of a Columbus—we have good reason to believe
that the distinguished seaman will realize his anticipa-
tions, and be once more in the Mersey ere six months
have elapsed. The owners of the Marco Polo have in
their possession the model of a splendid clipper-ship, of
1400 tons burthen, which it is their intention to have
built in Liverpool for the Australian trade. Captain
Forbes will have the command, besides having an interest
in the vessel; and the command of the Marco Pols will
devolve upon Mr. Macdonald, her first officer. We
understand that Messrs. Jordan
and Getty are the builders
selected for the task of constructing this new vessel.
Before concluding this account of the Marco Polo's de-
parture, we may mention that a couple of " detectives"
were on board, in company with a respectable lady, ad-
vanced in years, endeavouring to discover the whereabouts
of some person supposed to be on board, and who had,
before leaving home, embezzled large sums of money. If
the guilty party was on board—and a rumour to that effect
was current—he certainly succeeded in evading the
officers of justice, and the Independence tug brought the
latest strangers on board into the Mersey with no culprit
on board save the miserable stowaway.

Late in the evening we sailed for Lytham' and had
some difficulty in threading our way through the shoals,
which tested Sam Johnson's skill and knowledge. It
was dark and foggy when we arrived at Lytham, still there
were a great many people on the shore, and evidently
alarmed at our novel, and sudden appearance • this
causing amusement, we hailed them in French ; and fired
our brass swivel gun ; the effect was prodigious, all fled
like a flock of frightened sheep, shouting that a French
lugger had landed. In the morning, also, when approach-
ing Southport, a fishing-boat with an immense lug-sail
bore down for us, and, when nearly alongside, lowered
their lug, and lay to to observe us ; we then fired our gun
and steered for them, when with hurried haste they
hoisted their lug, and put before the wind ; butt obgerv_
ing us laughing. anon after ret..,,,d, declaring that they
could not conceive what we were.

These occurrences gave us the idea of procuring masks,
which afterwards, in our voyage round the coast of Wales,
caused such terror and amusement.

With the fate of the unfortunate Rhyl boat
fresh in his memory, no one can peruse the Messrs.
Richardson's recital of their voyage without the
deepest interest. Theirs was decidedly one of the
most gallant deeds of modern days ; and while their
log reads like a romance, it will be deemed still more
precious as an assurance that a life-boat has at
length been provided which will, doubtless, be the
means of averting many calamities at sea. We
heartily wish the public-spirited inventors that suc-
cess which they so well deserve, but which a suspi-
cious and eccentric public are so frequently un-
willing to accord.

LAUNCHES.
At noon on Saturday, the largest iron sailing ves-
sel ever built in Liverpool was launched from the building
yard of Messrs. Jordan, and Getty. Sefton-street. Her
dimensions are, 166 feet, length of keel • rake of stern,
'lB feet ; extreme breadth, 34 feet • depth of hold amid-
ships, 21 feet 6 inches; registered burthen, upwards of
1,000 tons. She has an elliptical stern, lightly
and elegantly carved. She has a house on deck and
a topgallant forecastle. The noble ship glided beau-
tifully into the river, where her symmetrical pro-
portions excited the admiration of a numerous com-
pany assembled to witness the launch. Her owners
are Messrs. Clint and Son, who, we understand, intend
her for the Australian trade, for which she is peculiarly
suited, although she was originally contemplated
for the New Orleans trade. The moment before the last
prop was struck away, she was christened " The Evan-
geline," by Miss Clint. The band of Messrs. Rogers
and Son played several lively tunes during the interesting
operation. The vessel was afterwards towed into the
Brunswick Dock, where a large company, composed of
friends of the owners and builders, partook of a cMjefitzer,
provided by Mr. Fisk, of Castle-street. The Evangeline
is the largest iron ship ever built in Liverpool. The
figure-head, which is a very tastefully executed work
of art, represents the graceful heroine of Long-
fellow's poem, where the lonely pilgrim of love,
advancing in years and sorrow, becomes a Sister of
31ercy. The carving of the Evangeline, which was
much admired for its chaste and effective simplicity, was
executed by Messrs. Allan and Co. The:Evangeline is a
fine-modelled vessel; will carry an immense cargo on a
moderate draft of water, from her great body, and is ex-
pected to sail fast, as she has a very good entrance with a
fine run aft. She is also an eligible ship for passengers ;
her between decks are made lofty, say seven feet in the
clear; her kelson is made girder fashion, to stiffen her
bottom and carry water. Messrs. Jordan and Getty were
the first to introduce this principle in a vessel they built
called the Tubal- Cain, now in the service of the Govern-
ment at Calcutta and Rangoon.
About noon on the same day an elegant and graceful
screw-steamer, named the San Marco, of about 250 tons
burthen, was launched from the building-yard of Messrs.
Thomas Vernon and Son, Brunswick Dock. She is
intended for the service of the Australian Lloyds, in the
Mediterranean, and is to be fitted with engines of 60-horse
power, which are being made by Messrs. James Watt and
Co., of Soho, Birmingham, who have great celebrity as
marine engineers. This vessel is similar to the San Guisto
lately built by the same firm. They have also another
vessel on the stocks, nearly completed, which is like them
in all respects. We observe preparations in this yard for
a large paddle-wheel steamer, for the Londonderry trade,
which, it is expected, will be ready for launching in the
summer. The engines for this vessel are of 320-horse
power, on the side-lever principle, and are being COO_
structed by our eminent townsmen, Messrs. Fawcett,
Preston and Co.
On Wednesday last, a barque, which, for some
time past, has been an object of admiration to connoi.
seurs was launched from the building-yard of Mr. John
Pile. The latest improvements have been made upon her
hull and outfit, and her rigging will be set up with iron
plates. Her register tonnage is 700 tons, and she is classed
A 1 ten years. She is the property of S. A. Gibb, Esq.,
and it is intended to lay her on for the China trade, her
commander, being Captain Howard, late of the Panic, of
Liverpool.—Sunderland News.

STEAM-SHIP ANTELOPE.-ThIS fine vessel left the
Mersey at 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, with her full
complement of 140 passengers, a large and valuable cargo,
and a good amount of specie.- She passed the North-
west Lightship at 12 10, was off Point Lynas at 4 p.m.,
and passed Holyhead at 6 p.m. This is a good result, as
the vessel was fully loaded and had a strong breeze
against her. She calls at Queenstown, Madeira, Cape do
Verde, and Cape of Good Hope, to replenish coals and
fuel; and we believe the arrangements are so complete
that the delay experienced by other steamers need not be
apprehended.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Letters addressed to the Editor should be accompanied by the
real name and address of the writer, not for publication, but
as a guarantee of good faith ; this is indispensably requisite
in any statement of facts.
The Editor wishes it to be understood that he does not hold
himself responsible for the opinions or statements of his
correspondents.

THE MAYOR'S SOIREE.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SIR,--1 have read the various newspaper accounts of the
elegant entertainment given by his Worship the Mayor -on
Tuesday evening last with considerable disappointment. This
soiree was one of a series which it is believed the Mayor in-
tends to give, and, with one exception, unprecedented at the
Town-halt.

As an experiment and improvement upon the stately and
formal dinners to which hitherto civic hospitalities have been
confined, i expected the Press would have warmly encouraged
the Mayor in his liberal design; hence its coldness and apathy
are to be the more regretted.
What could any rational lady or gentleman require that
Tuesday's -soirée did not supply? What method of passing
two or three hours could be more elegant or refined 7—to say
nothing of the splendid suite of rooms, adorned with exquisite
flowers, and enlivened with delightful music—promenading—
meeting at each moment with friends and acquaintances—
twenty minutes of charming music, requiring the conversation
only to be-subdued, not suppressed—a cup of coffee—an ice—a
glance at beautifully illustrated books or curious autographs—
a few glees, a clever solo on the flute, and then an elegant
supper—the Mayor mingling with his guests, and receiving and
paying the usual courtesies of an host. Such was the enter-
tainment provided.

The Mayor not only deserves great praise for his liberality,
but also for 'his tact. The rooms were just pleasantly full, and
no more. The company were admirably adapted in age and
social position to each other; and as a large number of those
present had seen the wrong side of forty, the absence of dancing
was rather pleasing than otherwise. The great charm of the
entertainment consisted, however, in the presence of the ladies.
Many of those invited, of whom I "am one, feel grateful
to the Mayor for the pleasing opportunity affordedus of escort-
ing our wives through that magnificent suite of rooms, and
thus affording the ladies a gratification which hitherto has only
been enjoyed by their husbands. This alone would be a suffi-
cient justification for such a decided improvement in the civic
hospitality of ci-decant mayors, rendered still more agreeable
by the absence of headache, and aptness for business the next
morning.

Had your contemporaries done their duty, this notice would
have been unnecessary ; but I feel that remarks such as I have
made are fairly due to Mr. Samuel Holme. One good effect of
such re-unions I have entirely omitted to notice—viz., the im-
portant benefits conferred upon the tradesmen of the town by
the necessary expenditure in articles of dress and luxury by the
guests on such an occasion.—l am, Sir, your constant reader,
H. C. B.

Liverpool, 14th March, 1853,

LETTERS ON FAMILIAR SUBJECTS.—No.

DOMESTIC COOKERY

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
.9111,—T am not about to weary your readers with any details
of those culijary processes, which, however interesting in their
results, are 'Wally eschewed by all but the actual practisers in
the kitchen. Of all modern literature, cookery-books are the
least readable, and for the simple reason that they repeat
themselves in unintelligible directions to do certain things
which none but experienced hands can perform,—and they
seldom require such instructions. My object, however, is to
direct attention to the utter want of originality and powers of
invention in this all-important art, and the unmeaning same-
ness with which, day after day and month after month, an
almost similar round of duties is performed. With few ex-
ceptions, the science of cookery is thought beneath the dignity
of intellectual man, and its study is confined to those who
scarcely think it worth a thought beyond that of preparing a
limited variety of dishes after certain well-established modes
of procedure. This ill-deserved contempt by the great ma-
jority arises chiefly from an erroneous notion of the great im-
portance of cookery as one of the chief arts of civilised life.
We seem to forget that while Nature has provided abundance
of food for all the animal creation, man alone has little that is
suited for his sustenance without the aid of fire, and that the
preparation of his food by this aid, in order to fit it for the
nourishment of his body, constitutes the art of cookery.
There is hardly a production of the earth, either of animal or
vegetable matter, that might not, by a judicious and skilful
application of heat, be rendered good for food. Our varying
tastes lead us to desire a corresponding variety of aliment, and
yet, with an occasional dread of scarcity staring us in the face—as
was the case when the late Sir Robert Peel made the potato
disease an instrument of frightening the parliament into a
repeal of the Corn-laws—we ring almost the same changes upon
the same articles which satisfied the appetites of our ancestors.
Of the four-footed beasts which walk the earth, oxen, sheep,
and swine seem to content us; and to assimilate their flesh into
nutriment, roasting and boiling are the only variation. Of the
many birds which wing the air, how few does man sacrifice to
his necessities ; and of the finny tribe, how small is the cata-
logue of the fishmonger compared with that of the ichthyolo-
gist. Of the seeds of plants, wheat forms our staple and
almost our sole food; while or I. au,/ vegetables tile list is
very limited. It would appear as though man's inventive
genius had been absorbed in mechanical contrivances for
clothing, ornament, and means of communication, leaving the
first great want—the one of all others absolutely indispensable
—the sustenance of his bodily frame—as one beyond the reach
of improvement, except such ingenious devices as may pamper
the palate of the epicure.
It may be, and no doubt is, difficult to induce people to
accept as food things to which they have been unaccustomed ;
but we must not forget that many commodities of almost uni-
versal consumption are only enjoyed through an acquired
taste, for which, perhaps, fashion has set the example. Take
the case of tea, which possesses anything but a pleasant flavour
to the uninitiated, and yet it is largely consumed; and the
same remark will apply to many other beverages which, pos-
sessing no attraction within themselves, have by use become to
be considered almost as necessaries. I shall not, however,
suggest any new element to be brought within the list of our
sources of supply, but content myself with referring to those
which are generally admitted into consumption. With them
it is the mode of preparation which is at fault—for the simple
reason that we seem content to tread in the beaten path of
those which have gone before us, leaving all the inventive skill
in this direction to be confined to puddings and tarts, and such
things as make up the mere ornaments of a meal. With the
many thousands in the middle ranks of life, to most of whom
the expense is a matter of some importance, the routine of the
daily meals is followed with unvarying regularity, as though
there was a kind of heresy in striking into a new path. For
breakfast, bread, plain or toasted, and spread with butter,
perhaps accompanied with an egg, a rasher, or a herring, and
diluted with tea or coffee; for dinner, the joint of an ox, sheep,
or swine, either roasted or boiled, with potatoes and perhaps
some green vegetables and bread. The third meal is merely a
repetition of the first, and those who study their health make
it the last. Ido not propose that all this should be altered—
that we should at once discard our well-tried friends to which
we have been so long accustomed, and take up the customs of
the Continent, where, however palatable may be the dishes, an
ignorance of their contents is bliss ; but I would suggest that
much more attention is due to the subject than it has hitherto
received in respect to the economical mode of preparation.
Our cookery-hooks, instead of giving receipts for known pro-
cesses, should instruct our housekeepers in the art to which
Liebig and others have given such valuable aid. The great
end at which to arrive is the conversion of the cheapest mate-
rials, in the most practicable mode, so as to yield the largest
amount of nutriment ; and if the science of chemistry had done
as much for this end as it has done for our manufactures, I
think it would be found that the cost of feeding the family
would not form so large an item in the household expenditure
as it does at present.
It will not be necessary to specify any particular mode by
which this end may be reached ; but I might suggest that some
little progress was made in this direction when the celebrated
M. Soyer devised means for supplying the wants of the starving
Irish population a few years since. He did, however, only
point out the way, which was afterwards but little followed,
and now almost abandoned ; and I have thrown out these few
hints in the hope that some of those who are equal to the task
will turn their attention to this important branch of domestic
economy.—l am, Sir, &c., EPHRA

THE ROSCOE CENTENARY.

ligious opinions upon others, the theme was too sacred to
be touched upon while he was mouldering in his grave.—
(Great applause.) _

THE MAYNOOTH GRANT.

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SlR,—Although the motion for the repeal of the grant to
Maynootl► has been lost, Protestants have ample reason to be
gratified with the steady progress of their cause. The London
Times, hitherto a staunch pleader for the continuation of the
grant, admitted that its days were numbered ; and there can be
no question that, with perseverance for a short time longer,
victory will be ours. Had the pretended objectors to State en-
dowments of religion acted according to their professions, the
grant would have been repealed at the last division, as the fol-
lowing analysis proves :

Mr. Holmeßas followed by the Lord Bishop of
Chester, who addressed the meeting with an especial
reference to the intimate and friendly connexion between
literature and commerce. In the fame of Roscoe the
happiest incident of all was that the writings by which it
had been gained contained no single sentiment, no single
line, that could weaken the principles of right and wrong,
or taint or sully moral purity.—(Loud cheers.) His fame
belonged to the nation, to the country at large, and to
its literature ; yet his name possessed an especial claim
to commemoration here, because Liverpool was his birth-
place, and his home, in its sunshine and in its shade.
Having spoken of the influence of commerce in extending
the range of learning, and made an eloquent appeal in
behalf of circulating the Book of Life among poor
emigrants, his lordship dilated on the influence which
learning exercises in giving elevation and dignity to the
pursuits of commerce. He alluded to the Collegiate
Institution, which was under a most able principal, who
was both an accomplished scholar and a popular man ;
and, who, in conjunction with his immediate predecessor
in that office, had recently made a valuable contribution
to the sacred literature of our country, by his share in
their joint work. " The Ministry of St. Paul." He
also referred to the Royal Institution, and to Mr. Turner.
the accomplished translator of Herodotus. Remem-
bering how closely Roscoe's name was linked with the

literary institutions of the town, ho hoped he would not
be out of place in commending those institutions to their
continued favour and an increased measure of their
patronage. Ile also made an appeal that those present
would be, what Roscoe was, in his day, patron of the
education of the poor. The right rev. prelate concluded
by stating that he had gladly joined in the proceedings of
the day, to do honour to a learned man, a most eloquent
historian, and, not least, a great benefactor of his native
town.

Mr. James Crossley, president of the Cheetham So-
ciety, Manchester, in a brief but eloquent address,
said the name and memory of Roscoe was still the
richest heritage and proudest recollection of Liverpool,
and that was certainly a wise and judicious commemo-
ration, which, while it paid due honour to the distin-
gu;shed dead, read instructive lessons to the living.
Mr. J. S. Mansfield, stipendiary magistrate, said
with Roscoe he had little in common except what
every other stranger had—admiration for his ge-
nius, esteem for his virtue; and genius and virtue
were not local. He agreed with the Essays of
Elia, that "for a man to be truly great his mind must be
well balanced ;" and in the well balanced mind of William
Roscoe might be traced the success of that distinguished
man. In this he was fortunate, too, that it was not only
left to him to write of the good deeds of others, but he
had also left actions of his own which, after the lapse of
a hundred years, had a claim upon their admiration ; and
as long as genius commanded respect and virtue esteem,
so long would the memory of Roscoe be commemorated.
Mr. Mansfield concluded by suggesting that it was cer-
tainly a duty which we owed to posterity that these
celebrations should take place.
On the motion of the Rev. Dr. Raffles, a vote of
thanks was accorded the noble chairman, and the com-
pany broke up.
QUESTIONABLE SPORT.—The Court Circulars of the OPENING OF THE MUSEUM.
daily papers frequently state that " His Royal Highness The opening of the Derby Museum in Slater-street was
Prince Albert went out shooting." Bat we remark that 1 a highly interesting feature of the day's proceedings.
they never report his bringing home any game. I About half-past one the Mayor (in his official robes), the

Ayes
Paired off
Voted by mistake
Accidentally excluded

* Add Dissenters as per
contra
t Add ditto who abstained
from voting

The hundredth birthday of William Roscoe must ever
be distinguished in the annals of Liverpool. Tuesday
last, the Bth instant, was celebrated by a literary festival,
which, especially interesting in a local point of view,
affords to England and the world a gratifying proof of the
fact that literature and commerce have a close affinity to
each other, and are in no respect uncongenial—that, to
adopt the words of the Lord Bishop of Chester, " Com-
merce is the great civilizer of this world, and is in this
respect the handmaid of Learning."
The idea of the Roscoe Festival originated with Mr.
James Boardman, one of the few surviving friends of the
poet and historian. Mr. Sansom, secretary to the Lite-
rary and Philosophical Society, discharged the duties of
secretary to the conducting committee.
The proceedings opened with a breakfast at 10 o'clock.
Six tables running the entire length of the spacious
Philharmonic-hall were filled:; the boxes, galleries, and
orchestra accommodated many spectators, and hundreds
of ladies lent the charm of their presence to the occasion.
On an elevated dais, at the end of the room opposite the
orchestra, were placed two tables for the guests. Mr.
Lawton, of the Bee Hotel, who, thirty years ago, was
" mine host" of the house in which Roscoe first saw the
light, provided the entertainment. The president's seat
was the oaken chair made from a part of the wood of the
house in which Roscoe was born, furnished from Mr.
Mayer's museum. In front of the guests' table was a
marble bust of Lorenzo de Medici; while a bust of his
eminent biographer, crowned with bays, stood in front of
the orchestra. Beneath it were suspended memorials of
the great man to whose memory the popular ovation was
now offered. Upon each plate were laid certain presen-
tations—first, a poem printed by Mr. Marples, of Lord-
street, from the " Sacred Offering" of 1834, by its editors,
the two daughters of Mr. Roscoe ; secondly, a beautifully-
printed copy of Dr. Traill's Memoir of Wm. Roscoe, given by
Messrs. George Smith, Watts, and Co. ; thirdly, a poem
written by James Stonehouse, and printed by Mr.Marples ;
fourthly, a copy of Mr. Afayer's essay on " Roscoe, and
the influence of his writings on the fine arts," printed by
Mr. T. Brakell ; and, lastly, a reprint of Washington
Irving's Sketch of William Roscoe, printed by Messrs.
Harris and Co., successors to Mr. M'Creery, Roscoe's
original printer.
A. few minutes after ten, the Earl of Sefton took the
chair, the vocalists, consisting of four voices and a
chorus, led by Mr. Sudlow, meanwhile performing the
Roscoe anthem (music by W'ebbe). His worship the
Mayor sat on the chairman's right hand ; Mr. William
Caldwell Roscoe, grandson of the historian, on his left.
The Bishop of Chester sat next to the Mayor. In the
boxes were the Countess of Sefton and party, and Mrs.
Samuel Holone. The stewards were Mr. It. W. Ander-
son, Mr. H. Behrend, Mr. J. C. Redish, William Ihne,
Ph. D., D. P. Thomson, M.D., Mr. J. Abraham, Rev.
T. Moore, Mr. S. Martin, Pro. Rev. D. Thom, Ph. D.,
Mr. Wilson Ronald, Mr. Reay, Mr. R. Whineray, Mr.
H. Howard, Mr. F. Horner, Mr. J. Murray, Mr. W.
Weightman, Mr. R. Clay, J. B. Edwards, Ph. D., Mr.
H. S. Evans, Mr. N. Mercer, and Mr. W. Wright.
Breakfast concluded, Dr. Hume read various letters of
apology from many intended guests who had been invited
from a distance. Sir Archibald Alison felt " the greatest
respect for Mr. Roscoe, both as a literary man and an
historian, and should have had great pleasure in bearing
testimony to both," had it been in his power to leave his
duties in Glasgow. Mr. N. Wallick, whose botanic re-
searches in India had obtained for him " the high honour
and privilege of Mr. Roscoe's friendship and patronage,"
was obliged to be absent from long-continued indisposi-
tion. A letter from the Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli
was read amid loud cheers, and the other apologies were
from Mr. John Gibson, the sculptor, who is now at
Rome ; the Prussian minister • Mr. A. Panizzi, of the
British Museum ; Professor Train, of Edinburgh ; Mr.
Ingersoll, the American minister; Mr. Henry Hallam;
Lord Mahon ; Sir E. L. Bulwer ; Mr. T. B. Macaulay,
M.P. ; Lord Ellesmere ; Lord Carlisle ; Lord Harrowby ;
Lord Derby ; Mr. Charles Turner, M.P.; the Arch-
bishop of Dublin ; Lord John Manners ; Mr. Charles
Dickens, and several others. Parliamentary engagements
was the general excuse of the absent guests.
After a portion of these notes had been read, the noble
chairman pronounced a warm eulogium upon Roscoe. " I
may say," he remarked, " that Mr. Wm. Roscoe was not
altogether unknown to me. For when I was a boy, as
all sons do, I took the cue from my father, and I learned
in early life the high respect and admiration of my father
for that great man."—(Hear, hear, and applause.) He
concluded by calling upon
Mr. William Rathbone, a contemporary and in-
timate acquaintance of their greatest townsman, who
traced the high intellectual and moral position
to whch Roscoe was self-raised—viewing him as a
poet, a naturalist, a patriot, an historian, a lover of
nature, a patron of art, and, above all, as a christian
philanthropist.
The Rev. Dr. Hume next delivered a lengthy
and brilliant oration on the prominent topic of the
morning's meeting. In his estimate of Roscoe he
pointed to him as an example of " self-formation ;" as a
man who possessed such a wide range of attainments, and
such a high grade in each of them, as few men have ex-
hibited ; in the town of Liverpool his life might be said
to be written in her public institutions ; from the Town-
hall buildings, in the commercial centre, " where the
merchants most do congregate," the effects of his efforts
directly, and of his influence indirectly, might be traced
outwards to the very circumference. In future his
literary fame would rest mainly or exclusively on his two
great prose works, " Lorenzo" and " Leo ;" posterity
would name him in after times, as the enlightened did in
this, " Roscoe, the Historian ;" he was one of the faithful
few who occupied the fore front in the battle of humanity
—he contended against the hostility of the interested,
and the apathy of the unfeeling, neither fainting nor
faltering in his sacred enterprises; he was a literary man,
and yet he fought valiantly throughout the whole " battle
of life," neither deserting his post nor calling for quarter;
his benevolent purposes corresponded with his high at-
tainments ; and that great assembly, a becoming tribute
to the memory of him whom Liverpool delighted to
honour, was likewise a silent but solemn pledge that those
who tread in the footsteps of Roscoe and his companions
in sustaining and extending the local literature would
meet with countenance and support.—ln acknowledgment
of this address,
Mr. William Caldwell Roscoe, the historian's grand-
son, spoke in words eloquent and full of feeling.
He felt that was not a common honour, which, on a
working-day and in business hours, crowded a hall with
men who had come from the flags of the Exchange, and
the counting-house, and the docks. Liverpool was ac-
cused of too undivided an attention to commercial interests,
but its inhabitants, by the honour done the memory of
his ancestor, showed their belief that everyday business,
though of the highest importance, was yet subordinate to
a higher purpose, that of bringing intellectual culture into
nobler development. For this reason, Roscoe himself,
who always esteemed practical success above all principles,
would most have valued the testimony of that day. As an
historian, as a poet, as a botanist, even as a philanthropist,
Mr. Roscoe could be judged of in other places. But here
they could applaud him and honour him as a citizen and
a man—the highest character in which he could possibly
be honoured. Mr. Roscoe concluded with an eulogium
upon Mr. William Rathbone, as the truest and best ex-
ponent of a good citizen, thanking him for his introduc-
tion of the main sentiment of the day.
His worship the Mayor, in an eloquent speech, re-
joiced at the occurrence of that magnificent meet-
ing ; for it was a gratification in these days of ex-
citement, that there were broad and neutral spots
where men of all parties may meet in friendship and
in amity, without the sacrifice of a single principle,
but for the purpose of doing honour to those who have
been celebrated and illustrious. Whether they agreed in
the political or religious opinions of their illustrious towns-
man or not, they could all join in a tribute of admiration
to the benevolence of his character, the singular elegance
and cultivation of his mind. As he never obtruded his re-