The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-02-01 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1853.

OLD DON'T CARE.

Old Don't Care is a murderer foul,
And a murderer foul is he—
He beareth a halter in his hand,
And his staff is the gallows-tree;
And slyly he follows his victim on,
Through high degree and low,
And strangles him there when least aware,
And striketh the fatal blow—
Hanging his victim high in the air,
A villain strong is Old Don't Care.

He looks on the babe at its mother's breast
And blighteth that blossom fair,
For its young buds wither, and fade, and die,
'Heath the gaze of Old Don't Care!
And in place of these there springeth up
Full many a poisonous weed,
And their tendrils coil round the victim's heart,
A lank and loathsome breed,
Blighting the spirit young and fair—
A villain strong is Old Don't Care!

He meeteth old Manhood on his way,
And wrestleth with him there,
He falls a sure and easy prey
To the strength of Old Don't Care
Then he plants his foot on the victims breast,
And shouteth with demon joy,
And treadeth the life from the panting heart,
And exulteth to destroy,
Crushing bold Manhood everywhere—
A villain strong is Old Don't Care.

LITERATURE.

J3ooKs FOR REVIEW, &c.—Books, New Prints, Mac. &c.
intended for review, may be left at Mr. C. Mitchell's, Red-
lion-court, Fleet-street, London, addressed " to the Editor

of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD," when they will be

and receive attention

e forwarded

A Funeral Sermon, occasioned by the Death of Mr
Hugh Bourne. London : Ward and Co.

The pamphlet before us, which has been pub-
lished in a very neat form, is, as described on the
title-page, the substance of the discourse which was
preached in the Seamen's Church, Rathbone-street,
Liverpool, and elsewhere, by Mr. William Autliff,
of this town, in commemoration of the death to
which it refers. Mr. Bourne was a founder of the
Primitive Methodist Connexion, and the discourse
enlarges on the many services which he rendered to
the cause in which he was engaged,

The Card-Player's Handbook of the Game of Forty-
fives. Liverpool: Howell.

A neat little pamphlet, not only descriptive of the
game of which it treats, but evidently the work of
an enthusiastic admirer, who occasionally expresses
himself in a quaintness of style which is really amu-
sing. It is, on the whole, a unique contribution
to modern literature.

The Art of Skating.

, Glasgow : Thomas Murray
and Son.

We can fancy that many a devoted skater will
look upon the title of the present work with rueful
countenance, regarding the art of which it treats as
thing of the past—gone for ever along with those
jolly writers of the olden time, when Christmas
came wreathed in snow and crested with icicles.
But, we pray thee, votary of the skates, despond not.
The frosty cycle will come round again for thy
delectation; and, if not in thy lifetime, " Cyclos"
has here penned a treatise which will at least re-
mind you of the enjoyments of bygone days, and
may thus afford some measure of consolation for
what has passed away. The author of this book is
a member of the Glasgow Skating Club, whose
remarkable evolutions on the ice we remember
;seeing some three years ago, at a great winter
gathering on a west-country loch. Appropriately
enough, the book is dedicated to that noble-hearted
patron of Scottish sports, the Earl of Eglinton,
whom we have before now seen on the same sheet
of ice with sundry members of the Glasgow Ska-
ting Club, at times enjoying their clever perform-
ances, while in another part of the field he keenly
contested, with a band of village curlers, some
match, upon whose fate, perhaps, depended the
payment of a boll of meal for the neighbouring
poor. After a prefatory chapter on sports and pas-
times in general, (and " Cyclos" here shows that he
has a style as merry and rollicking as his own
genial heart,) the author proceeds to trace the his-
tory of skating, from its advent into this country,
when, according to the historian Blaine, some
people on the ice tied " bones to their feete, and
under their heeles, and, shoving themselves by a
little picked staffe," glided along " as swiftlie as a
birde flyeth in the aire, or an arrow out of a cross-
bow." Then, in quick succession, comes a chapter
descriptive of the skate, one containing instructions
how to use it, and a fifth descriptive of the principal
figures. The author has penned a treatise emi-
nently practical, yet pervaded by a fine poetical
spirit; while his publishers have brought it out in
an attractive form, the illustrations being very pret-
tily lithographed by Messrs. Maclure and Macdo-
nald, of this town.

The Dublin Unirersity Mayazine.
M`Glashan. Liverpool : Orr.

Dublin

We received this magazine at so short an inter-
val before going to press, that we are reluctantly
compelled to confine our present notice to a brief
mention of the principal contents, but next week
we shall return to it at more length. It opens with
"Another night with the Mystics," by Mr. Freke
Slingsby, containing several amusing varieties. The
description of " heroes, ancient and modern" is
devoted to a comparison between Julius Cmsar
and Napoleon Buonaparte, and is illustrated with
diagrams of the battles of Pharsalia, and of
Austerlitz. There is an interesting article on the
6' Flowers of February," a very entertaining review
of some "recent travellers in the East." and also
some account of "the Ducal houses of Urbino and
Milan." The story of " Sir Jasper Carew" is con-
tinued. " Miscellanea Literati" comprises several
interesting facts ; and the fifth round of " a flying
shot at the United States" with which the
magazine concludes, contains some excellent ob-
servations on Democracy and Republican institu-
tions.

MYSTERIOUS TALE OF A CASTAWAY.*

Is the city of Dublin there 'ives at the present moment
a young and accomplished lady, over whose origin and
early history there bangs a mysterious veil. In the De-
cember of 1836, Miss Hartley, an amiable and Christian
woman, visited a charitable institution established in
Dublin for the relief of unemployed labourers and the
protection of destitute children. Her attention was at-
tracted by the appearance of a little girl, who sat shivering
in the meagre shreds of a muslin dress, and who was evi-
dently of gentle birth. She was apparently not more than
four or five years old, and, on inquiry, it was ascertained
that she had been brought thither by a disreputable girl,
named Biddy Kelly, who asserted that she was the child's
sister. The coarse, bad features of Biddy, however, pre-
sented such a striking contrast to those of the little cast-
away, that her tale met with no credit; but, unfortunately,
before a proper investigation could be made, the suspected
girl had mysteriously disappeared, and gone no one knew
whither. Of a delicate frame of body, and possessed of a
keenly sensitive nature, poor little Bessie did not thrive
among the coarse inmates of the Dublin institution ; and,
had she not been taken home by Miss Hartley, and nursed
with all the care of a mother, she must, in all probability,
have perished before the expiry of many months. But,
tended carefully by her foster mother, the parentless child
recovered her native strength of body and mind, awakening
gradually from the stupor into which she had been sunk
by her early trials. Every little circumstance confirmed
the idea that she had been born, and, for a time, brought
up in polite society ; and, as the days passed, there came
back to her memory the recollection of a solitary cottage,
in the midst of corn-fields and blue mountains, owned by
an elderly and careworn man called Nicholas Murphy,
who at evening time mysteriously left his home to the
care of its solitary infant occupant, who, within its bare
grim walls, spent nights of terror and distress—her woes
being not unfrequently aggravated by the pangs of hunger.
That she subsequently exercised an intellect unimpaired,
and a temper singularly sweet, shows that she must have
originally possessed wonderful strength of mind. She
bore no name while residing at the cottage ; the people
merely called her the " Little One." She was not related
to the Murphys, and, while they did not bestow affection
on her, they invariably treated her with respect.
The
image of a pretty lady who loved her dwelt continually in
her infant mind, and she looked daily for the arrival of one
who would come and take her home. But day after day
passed, and the lady came not ' • only the Dublin mail
toiled up the hill, and carts from a neighbouring colliery
went by. At length, one
morning
she saw the long-
looked for lady, and, transported with joy, she ran to
meet her in the valley. Alas when she reached the
highway the vision had fled. A: gazinggroan broke upon the
stillness of that quiet morn, andthrough a hedge
in the direction whence the sound cametlierw the loved
form writhing in the agonies of death
„...TsiaY. a tall Irish
vagrant, who was familiar with the Murphys, leaning
his victim. After this event the cottage was burned over
she was carried off by a strange woman to Dublin' andan
deposited in the miserable dwelling occupied by Torn
Kelly, the father of Biddy, whose wife received the little
stranger without an emotion of pity or a solitary gleam of
love. In a few weeks she was sent away in the arms of
Biddy, having been previously told by Mrs. Kelly to say
that her name was Bessy Kelly. From the institution
the was subsequently received by Miss Hartley, as we
have already related. At an early age she exhibited the
first fruits of a meek and pious spirit, and her guardian
bad her baptised at the parish church, under the name of
Lucy Melville, the child not knowing her real name, and
having most decided objections to retaining the hated one
of Kelly. Though little able to undertake such a burden,
Miss Hartley remained firm to her determination of never
abandoning the child whom a wise and merciful Provi-
dence had committed to her. She continued meanwhile
to make persevering exertions for the discovery of Lucy'e
relations. Hundreds of weary miles were travelled, but

•THE UNCLAIMED DAVOtITXR)
• a Mystery of our olTu Day.
Nth : /Mans and Opodnia.

in vain. Dublin was explored, but no Tom Kelly could
be discovered. Clergymen and police superintendents,
mayors and magistrates, were written to, but not one
could afford a clue to the mystery. In 1850, Tom Kelly
appeared to haunt Miss Hartley's house, though with
what purpose it is difficult to say. She consulted Sir
Duncan M'Gregor, the head magistrate of police in Dub-
lin, on Lucy's affairs, and told him of Tom Kelly, but he
did not think there were grounds enough on which to
base hn information against that person, of whom Miss
Hartley and Lucy have now lost all trace..ln 1851, while
visiting the Great Exhibition, Miss Hartley and her charge
were overtaken on more occasions than one by a military
officer, who, on horseback, followed their carriage through
the streets, stealing long and earnest glances at its occu-
pants. But, if he was connected by the ties of relatioe-
ship with the beautiful young lady, no friendly hand was
nigh to lift the veil and restore long-lost friends. Since
May, 1851, Lucy Melville and her pious and benevolent
foster mother have paid a visit to Paris, and sojourned for
a season in Bath. They are once more, we presume,
residingin Dublin, both reposing their trust in a merciful
Providence, and cheerfully leaving it to Him to direct the
future.

This narrative we have gleaned from the work whose
title stands at the foot of the present notice. It is edited
by the accomplished author of "The Curate of Linwood,"
" Amy Harrington," and other books of a kindred cha-
racter. Not only is it dedicated, by permission, to the
Countess of Clarendon, but numerous testimonials are
printed in confirmation of the tale. Among the authors
of these letters we observe the names of Sir Philip Cramp-
ton, of Dublin, Bart., M.D., F.R.S. ; John Cottle, secre-
tary to the Mendicity Institution ; Colonel Knox Gore,
Ballina, county Mayo ; the Dean of Lcighlin ; the Rev.
W. S. Guinness ; the Governor of the Mendicity Insti-
tution ; and others of undoubted veracity. We believe
the editor has undertaken the duty of laying the facts of
the strange eventful history of the young lady before the
public, in the hope that such a course might lead to the
discovery of the forsaken child's parents or kindred, and
unravel the secret of. her birth, That the publication of
the book may achieve this end must be the earnest desire
of every one who peruses its exciting pages. But whether
Lucy Melville is destined yet to see and know her parents
or not, the story of her life, as it is here written, cannot
fail to be powerfully instrumental for good. It is the
plain chronicle of a spirit's progress in the midst of trials
and temptations of no ordinary kind ; and as such, it
affords a good example for the young. It is an exhibition
of God's goodness and power, inasmuch as we here see a
mere infant, by His all-sustaining arm, preserved to a
pure and useful womanhood, in spite of cruelties against
which it might be well supposed that the human mind
could hardly stand unshattered. It is, besides, an admi-
rable incitement to the Christian to practise works of
God-like beneficence, helping those in distress, not with
the chary hand of earthly prudence, but with that noble
liberality justified in the conscience of every one who
believes in an all-sufficient Over-ruler.

THE AMERICAN MINISTER AND THE
MAYOR OF LIVEPOOL.

The following correspondence has passed between his
Excellency the American Minister and the Mayor of
Liverpool :
"45, Portland-place, London, Jan. 18, 1853.
" MY DEAR SIR,-If I have delayed too long to offer
you my acknowledgment, I trust that you will not impute
to me any want of gratitude. The kindness you did me
the honour to extend to me during my late visit to Liver-
pool has my liveliest recollection, and I beg that you will
receive for it my warmest thanks. The princely edifices
of the town are worthy of the noble feelings of the
inhabitants. Enterprise and liberality are conspicuous in
the arrangements for business and the fruits of charity.
The accommodation for shipping and all the details and
wants of commerce are of the widest extent and most
thorough convenience. No expense appears to have been
spared, and no effort of taste or skill is wanting. The
munificence of your hospitality is equalled only by the
grace with which it is administered. The home of com-
merce is the abode of taste and refinement. Believe me
to be, my dear Sir, most faithfully yours, _

" J. R. INGERSOLL.
" The Worshipful the Mayor of Liverpool."

"Town-hall, Liverpool, Jan. 20, 1853.
"MY DEAR SIR,—I have to acknowiedge the receipt
of your obliging communication of the 18th instant. It
will always be to me a source of gratification that I had
not only an opportunity of offering to your excellency
such attention as lay in my power, but that I had the
privilege of testifying my sincere regard for your personal
worth any attainments, and also for your diplomatic
ability.
" As the representative of a great country, indissolubly
bound up with England in the peaceful march of com-
merce and civilization, and in the protection of true
freedom, the people of Liverpool offered to your excel-
lency the tribute of their esteem; and I fervently hope
that no event will ever occur to mar the good understand-
ing which ought always to exist between such kindred
nations, but that the flag of the United States will ever
be welcomed in the Mersey, and that those whom you so
ably represent will reciprocate the feeling by giving a
similar welcome to the British standard in the harbour of
New York.

" I have the honour to remain, my dear Sir, yours,
very faithfully, " SAMUEL HOLME.
" His Excellency the Hon. J. R. Ingersoll."

LIVERPOOL SAILORS' HOME.

The annual meeting of this institution was held on
Saturday afternoon, in the Board-room.

There were present Messrs. James Aikin, (chairman,)
VT. Ratllbone, Tomlinson, Crosby, Jno. Aikin, Rankin,
James Tyrer, T. D. Anderson, Graves, Cotesworth,
Watson and Kent.

Mr. JoHN AIKIN read the report, from which we give
the following extracts :
" All seamen visiting this port have now not only the
great advantages, hitherto presented to them under the
temporary arrangements of the institution for the last
seven years, of recording a good character, of depositing
their money in safety, and of having it transmitted to any
quarter they may desire, but they have now the oppor-
tunity afforded them of enjoying in this spacious and
splendid establishment a degree of substantial comfort
and security to which they have heretofore been strangers.
The ball is well supplied with newspapers ; and a com-
mencement has been made in the formation of a library,
towards which contributions of suitable books will be very
acceptable. The charge for board and lodging is 14s. per
week for men, and 10s. per week for boys. The appro-
priation of a part of the building and the arrangements for
the Local Marine Board, under Government, to carry out
the provisions of the Mercantile Marine Act—embracing
the examinations of masters and mates, and the shipping
and paying off of crews, &c., which, it is necessary to ob-
serve, is altogether distinct from, and non-interfering
with, the working of the Sailor's Home—have been com-
pleted on satisfactory terms, and in a manner calculated,
it is to be hoped, whilst preserving the separate and in-
dependent action of each, to conduce to the successful
accomplishment of the aims of both, of the Government
on the one hand, and of the supporters of the Home by
voluntary effort on the other hand."

" The Savings' Bank has been used to an increasing
extent ; the payments into it during the past year
amounted to £3,302 3s. sd. ; and the balance remaining
in the bank, which was ;£2,221 9s. Ild. on the Ist Jan-
uary, 1852, was £2,438 15s. 3d., on the Ist January,
1853, after having been, some months ago, as much as
£2,700, about £3OO having been since drawn out and
taken with them by seamen emigrating to Australia, &c."
Several formal resolutions were carried.

A very feeling allusion to the death of Mr. James Bold,
who had been a most efficient member of the committee,
was made by Mr. Rathbone, and cordially concurred in
by Mr. Tomlinson and the whole of the gentlemen
present.

The CHAIRMAN" said he bad always been of opinion
that it would be conducive to the interests of the institu-
tion to elect a chairman annually. Ile had retained his
present position, at the request of the committee, up to
the time when the Sailors' Home was in full operation ;
and he now thought the period had arrived when he
should lie released from the duties, and when they should
elect a gentleman in his place. It had been said that he
had attempted to infringe upon that rule of the institution
which referred to the religious instruction of the sailors.
That was a grave misrepresentation. He had never
attempted to do ought which would interfere with the
religious instruction of the seamen ; hut, on the contrary,
he had ever been anxious that the Scotch Presbyterian,
Wesleyans, and religionists of all classes should have the
opportunity of going to their various places of worship,
rather than that there should be one church to which all
were to go. When the subject was broached in the com-
mittee, he found himself in a considerable minority. Ho
regretted that he had reluctantly been compelled to make
this statement, in order that he might stand before the
public absolved from the charge that he bad either
opposed the giving of religious instruction to the sailors,
or had led people to subscribe to the funds under false
pretences. . . .

Mr. RATIMONE said he thought it was right that the
person selected to read prayers and perform service in the
place should be a clergyman of the Church of England ;
but he did not think justice would be done to those sub-
scribers who, perhaps unfortunately for themselves, were
out of the pale of the Church, if their money were applied
to an object which they had not contemplated. He con-
cluded by moving a vote of thanks to those gentlemen
who bad conducted the affairs of the institution during
the past year.

TYRER drew Mr. Rathbone's attention to the
following rule, which had been in existence from the
first :—" 6. The committee shall form regulations, not
inconsistent with these fundamental laws, for the general
management of the institution. They shall appoint the
chaplain, who shall always be a clergyman of the Estab-
lished Church, and have the charge of the religious
instruction of the inmates," &c.
Mr. WATSON seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
Mr. T. D. ANDERSON expressed a hope that Mr. Aikin
would continue his services as chairman. They had still
some important arrangements to make with government
with respect to the Local Marine Board ; and he was sure
thetheir committee wproeusliddenbte
fogrlaadnoitfhehreyewaroualtdleareetta.in his
position ashis
w unanimouswillingness
es s feelingto oo
mf
plthey
mwieTtehitlinst
.g ,"11,plera.rAinigkintosibgenifitielde
The meeting then separated.

study, and a lady, pretending to knit, is .
affectionate
with her questions.—Lady (in
styAleF) A:
mMlLaYdeSachElNel—reActl gentleman
peleßaking,man
the drawling
s a dentist?
engaged
yedhiinin
Gentleman (short, wdeheapvtleyrip . .
derived from dent, French for teeth. Dentist is a man
who pulls teeth out. Lady (after knitting once round, in
sharp, aynd rather cross): Dentist is
order to give the gentleman time to become immersed in
his book again) : Ma deah I
you said this morning that
Professor Musty was a great linguist. Is not linguist de-
rived from the Latin lingua, a tongue ? Gentleman
(tartly) : Yes. Lady : Well, then, is a linguist a man who
pulls tongues out? Gentleman (very decidedly) : No,
madam ; but I wish to heaven lis did I—E:it lady, in a huff.

VARIETIES.

A FAST MAN is like a glass of champagne—directly he
begins to settle he gets flat.

WHY are deaf persons like real Cashmere shawls ?
Because you can't make them here (hear).
GARDENING FOR MANCHESTER..—YOU must get in
your cotton crop before you can begin your spinnage.
I" MOTHER," said a little fellow at Camden, " I'm tired
of this pug nose ! It's a growing pugger and pugger
every day !"

FRANCE has been accustomed to set copies to Europe;
but she will hardly be able to do so now—with no pen,
but only a ruler.

"JACK," shouted a Cotgrove drover the other day to
his pal, " these sheep vont move in this weather, lend us
a bark of your dog."

DELICATE WORICS.—Women are a great deal like
French watches—very pretty to look at, but very difficult
to regulate when they once take to going wrong.

WE KNOW A RISIBLE GENTLEMAN Who cannot shave
himself ; for the moment he looks in the glass he is con-
vulsed with laughter at his ridiculous appearance.
A MAN IN TEXAS has just invented a strengthening
plaster which will enable any one to " take up" anything,
from a three months' bill to a hogshead of sugar.
A CORRESPONDENT to the Nashville Gazette, who
signs herself " Sophia," says that woman is twice as
good as man, and proves it thus by the very orthography
—W-0-M-A-N—double you, 0, man !
DELICATE ATTENTIONS.—In the 10th century, to eat
out of the same plate and drink out of the same cup was
considered a mark of gallantry, and the best possible un-
derstanding between a lady and gentleman.

OLD KYSERLY says that he is the last man in the world
that will ever force a daughter's affection. So long as
she marries the man that he chooses for her, he is quite
indifferent whether she loves anybody or not.
STEEPLE-CHASING is to proper bold riding what fool-
hardiness is to courage; it proves nothing except that the
chaser is in want of a sensation, and that he has brains
not so much worth taking care of as those of other men.

A LAWYER was once pleading a case that brought tears
into the jurors' eyes, and every one gave up the case as
gone for the plaintiff. But the opposing counsel arose
and said—" May it please the Court : I do not propose
in this case to bore for water, but—" Here the tears
were suddenly dried, laughter ensued, the ridiculousness
of the case was exposed, and the defendant got clear.

A KENTUCKY LAWYER'S APPEAL.—The thunder
roared, the moon rolled, the stars winked, the sky was a
complete web—gentlemen of the jury—of darkling dark-
ness on that night ; and yet this 'ere man did, with ma-
lice aforethought, steal forth into the quiet shades of a
lonely farmer's house, and then maliciously pizened his
brindle yaller dog. Convict him, and the prayers of a
nation are yours."

A CELEBRATED COMEDIAN arranged with his green-
grocer—one Berry—to pay him quarterly ; but the green-
grocer sent in his account long before the quarter was
due. The comedian, in great wrath, called upon the
greengrocer, and labouring under the impression that his
credit was doubted, said—" 1 say, here's a pretty mul,
Berry; you have sent in your bill, Berry, before it is
due, Berry ; your father, the elder Berry, would not
have been such a goose, Berry. But you need not look
black, Berry,—for I don't care a straw, Berry—and
shan't pay you till Christmas, Berry.
AN OXFORD CASE.-Dr. Eveleigh, who, with his
family, was some years ago at Weymouth, gave occasion
to old Lee. the last punster of the old school, and the
master of Baliol College for more than half a century, to
make his dying pun ! Dr. E. had recovered from some
consumptive disorders by the use of egg diet, and soon
after married. Wetheral, the master of University Col-
lege, went to Dr. Lee, then sick in bed, resolved to dis-
charge a pun he had made. " Well, sir," said he, " Dr.
E. has been egg'd on to mat imony." " Has he?" said
Lee, " why then, I hope the yoke will sit easy." In a
few hours afterwards Dr. Lee died ; the yoke did sit easy
on Eveleigh, for he had a most amiable wife.

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.

TENANT RIGHT FOR ENGLAND.—No. IL

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—I resume the subject upon which I addressed you last
week, by referring to the importance of agricultural improve-
ments. A most important step—the absolute necessity of which
in a great proportion of the country cannot be disputed—is the
extension of thorough draining. This is the first practical
step to increased fertility. The most active manures may be
applied, the most energetic industry exercised, and the most
scientific course of cultivation adopted, but all will be in vain,
if, from want of an efficient outlet, the soil retains a cold and
stagnant moisture, which renders nugatory all attempts to
produce fertility. The necessity of draining is admitted, and
some progress has been made in its extension by loans from
the Government; but, at the most, it is only partial ; in nume-
rous instances the landowners have been either unable or
unwilling to have it applied, and the tenant who is convinced
of its importance, is absolutely prevented from doing it, should
he possess the means, because the right to the improved value
would vest in the owner of the soil. The destructive moisture,
therefore_ remains in the land, and the public is deprived of
the additional supply of food which it might be made capable
of producing. Should this difficulty be got over, which has
not yet been done to any extent commensurate with national
requirements, it will be found that others remain, of an equally
injurious tendency upon increased productiveness. If it be
admitted that the most approved system of profitable agricul-
ture is an alternation of green and grain crops, by which the
land is made not only to yield the largest amount of food, but
also to increase in fertility, it will be found that there are
means to be supplied which, though a landlord's duty, is too
often neglected by him, and the obligation thrown upon the
tenant either to provide them at the risk of forfeiture, or do
without them. A farmer, by the aid of artificial manures, may
produce abundant crops of turnips, and other descriptions of
food for cattle ; but to render them of real advantage, lie must

have a sufficiency of farm buildings, by which he may not only

Produce a supply of animal food, but also of manure, to render
more productive his future crops of grain. It will be in vain
that his successful industry has added many tons to his stock
of roots, if the want of sufficient shelter for the requisite stock
to consume them has deprived them of half their value to the
farm. The owner of the estate has the legal property in the
buildings, and if he is unable or unwilling to provide the addi-
tions rendered necessary by agricultural improvements, the
tenant must submit to the inevitable loss, or provide the neces-
sary erections, with the full conviction that he has expended
his wealth in adding to that of another. This cannot be ex-
pected ; and the consequence is, that he is absolutely prevented
from carrying out a system of farming which he is firmly con-
vinced would prove of the greatest advantage. If, on the other
hand, as in the case of manufacturers, the law gave to the
tenant farmer a right of removal of such buildings as he had
himself erected, some encouragement would be afforded for
his doing so, and thereby availing himself of the advantages
which would arise from increasing his growth of green crops,
and his number of live stock. Were this difficulty removed,
there arises the question respecting the right to the value of
unexbausted manures, of which the value would arise in future
crops. While in justice, and even in equity, the land is entitled
to receive the advantage of all manure which may be produced
upon it, the obligation ceases at this point. But experience
has shown the great and increased advantages which may be
derived from the use of artificial manures, either imported
from foreign countries or manufactured by chemical skill.
They not only add to the supply of green and root crops, and
the consequent increased supply of animals for the food of
man, but, by the larger production of farmyard manure, pro-
vide for a greater yield of grain, and considerably improve the
productive powers of the soil. In the application of these aids
the tenant has a direct and immediate interest, which may
have some inducement upon his use of them ; but there is also
a prospective advantage in which he has no legal property, and
this want of security tells with fearful effect against the adop-
tion of any beneficial system. In the case of tenants-at-will,
who comprise a great proportion of the farmers of this
country, the sole reliance of the tenant is upon the honour of
his landlord; and, however great this confidence may be, it is
subject to various contingencies—encumbered property, which
may forbid voluntary compensation, differences on political

opinions, the uncertainty of human life, a spendthrift heir,
trustees fettered by legal obligations, and others. In the most
favourable circumstances, it is hardly possible to expect that
the dictates of ordinary prudence would allow any man to
expend that wealth which he designs for the future maintenance
of his family upon so uncertain a security as that which is
involved in the good-will of another, without any law to which
he can appeal for redress. It is not only contrary to all ideas
of justice, but opposed to the common feelings of human
nature. In the case of short leases, which form the general
exception to a tenure terminable from year to year, the evil is
not removed or its effects obviated, it is only briefly postponed.
It has been truly observed that, with a seven years' lease, the
tenant employs the first four years of his term in getting his
land into good condition, and the last three years in racking it
out, so that he performs the strict legal obligation of leaving
his land in the same condition in which he found it, and no
way improved ; because, if he contemplated a renewal of his
lease, any increased value, which would have boon made at his
own expense, would tend to increase his rent, by which he
would be paying, instead of receiving, the interest on his own
capital ; or it would add to the number of competitors for his
farm, who would overbid him in their offers of rent, and pay
the landowner, who contributed nothing, the value which was
created at the former tenant's expense. It is useless to con-
tend that a tenant in racking out the increased fertility which
he had himself created, would be doing so to his own injury
equally with that of his landlord ; the strong objection which
nearly all men entertain to add to another's wealth at the
expense of their own, operates to their mutual disrdvantage,
and the consequence is fatally evident in the fact that improve-
ments, fully admitted to be such, are confined to a few isolated
instances. The growing demand for an additional supply of
food, to satisfy the wants of a fast-increasing population, ren-
ders it inevitably necessary that a greater progress should be
made in carrying out improved systems of culture, by the use
of artificial manures, the feeding of more live stock, and growth
of more productive crops of grain. To effect this, it is abso-
lutely indispensable that such encouragement should be given
to the tenant farmer as shall operate to produce the consum-
mation desired. It is upon his exertions, upon his industry,
upon bis skill, and ❑pon the judicious outlay of his capital,
that the nation must depend for those resources, and for that
prosperity, without which all other means are unavailable.
Our manufactures may command all the markets of the world,
our scientific skill may transcend almost thepowers of belief, and
the valour of our soldiers and sailors may win fer us new con-
quests,or defend our ancient posFessions,but all will be ineffectual
in maintaining our national greatness, if Agriculture, the main
trunk of our national tree, is suffered to languish and decay.
It is not sufficient for the purpose that the owners of the soil
may be able, and even willing, to do all which may be required
of them ; but the tenant farmer must be secured, by a legal
right, to the enjoyment of that property which he has himself
created, and by doing which lie has added to the actual wealth
of the community.—l am, Sir, yours, AGItICOLA.

➢IR. COBDEN AND HIS PEACE HUMBUG

To the EDITOR of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Ste,—Mr. Cobden has within the last week forced himself
and his peace twaddle prominently before the public, but
were it not that at the Manchester gathering he intimated
that he should send agitators round the country to enforce his
ridiculous nostrums and self-opinionated ideas, I should not
have trespassed on your valuable columns. I shall pass on to a
review of his Manchester lucubrations, delivered at the Pence
Meeting held in that town on Thursday last. Mr. Cobden is
attempting to prove that England was the cause of the late war
With France, and that this country is nosy (from interested mo-
tives on the part of our aristocracy,) endeavouring to pick
another quarrel, but that he, by divulging his nostrums, can
avert the latter, and the possibility of an invasion. With regard
to the latter war, it is a matter of history, and few who read it,
carefully, will doubt but that it was a just principle of self pre-
servation with this country to put the usurper, Napoleonßuona-
parte, down. As respects the cause and probability of a coming
war, Mr.Cobden had the audacity to remind his auditory that the
same cry of war and alarm had existed for some years, even so far
back as Louis Philippe's time, without coming to pass; but who
does not remember that Thiers recommended war with England
within the last ten years; that it would have been inevitable,
had not Louis Philippe changed his adviser; and that about
the same period, Prince de Joinville, commander of the
French Navy, published a pamphlet, which was distributed
throughout France, and particularly amongst the navy, show-
ing how easily England could be invaded, and our arsenals
destroyed; and more recently,LouisPhilippe,when a fugitive and
exile in this country, just prior to his death, stated that several
of his generals had volunteered to invade this country. Mr. Cob-
den must have a despicable opinion of the intellect of his hear-
ers, or a most exalted opinion of himself. He goes on to say that
this country is placing itself in the light of an insolent, impu-
dent bully. Now, this is presuming rather too far on the gul-
libility of Englishmen. What are the facts ? Is not this
country comparatively happy and contented ? Are we not
averse to war, except our shores be invaded, or our honour
impugned ? But, on the other hand, how stands the position
of France ? Has she not an army of 450,000 men, with com-
paratively no colonies—whilst ours does not exceed 120,000,
with innumerable colonies to defend in every part of the globe?
Is she not increasing her navy to an unprecedented extent, and
far exceeding any peaceful intentions ? Is France not governed
by a mere adventurer, who, five years since, was an outlaw, and
comparatively a pauper 7 Is he not a fatalist ? And has he
not very lately let slip that he believes he is born to avenge the
disgrace of Waterloo ? And did he not, the other day, when
addressing his naval commanders, state that he would
never rest till he had carried oat the grand idea of his
uncle--of making the Mediterranean a French Lake ?
Has he not his foot on Italy, his hand on Africa ? Is he not at
this moment intriguing in Turkey and Spain ? Who can say
when it will suit him to come out more prominently, and yet
there is an Englishman (and one who pretends to be a states-
man) who dares to say to his countrymen that they are a pack
of bullies ; that Louis Napoleon means peace, and nothing but
peace. Has not Louis Napoleon broken every oath lie ever
took ? Is he not trying to raise an immense merchant steam
navy under the protection of the government, and has he not
fixed upon Cherbourg as the port of embarkation and rendez-
vous,. being the nearest and strongest fortified position to this
Country, although it is well known it hes nothing like the ad-
vantages of several of the other seaports? It is, however,
satisfactory to know that Mr. Cobden stands almost alone in
his ridiculous notions that is, with intelligent persons ; for it
is a very easy matter to get a number of folks together to cheer
any mountebank. If proof of this assertion be wanted, look
to his own town, Manchester ; read the Guardian, a well-
written, Whig• Radical paper, and refer to the last meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce of that town, and there you will
see Mr. Cobden and his notions repudiated.—Yours,

AN ENGLIEHMAN.

NOTES FROM THE BENDIGO DIGGINGS.

The following particulars are extracted from a letter
received by a gentleman in Liverpool, from a spirited
young Scotsman, who left Ayrshire for the diggings up-
wards of a year ago, and who is tow prosperously pursuinz
the career of a storekeeper, in Peg Leg Gully, Bendigo
Diggings :

" I believe it is a common custom for ' folks about to
emigrate' to promise letters to whole hosts of their friends
and acquaintances left behind ; and I dare say 'tis quite
as common a practice to leave such promises unfulfilled.
Probably, my dear friend, you may have put me down as
one of the forgetful, and not without cause for doing so
either, seeing that it is now on the borders of ten months
since I last took pen in hand to address you. But I have
been so completely taken up, day and night, with busi-
ness, these four months gone, that I could scarcely get
time to eat my own victuals, far less write letters. The
past week, however, has been very wet and stormy, which
has caused a slackness in trade, so that I have been ena-
bled to devote an occasional hour to my old chums ; and
now, my dear W., you are to come in for your share.
I will take it for granted that you have heard of my pros-
perity in the wonderful land of gold. The date of this
will show you that I sin still in the diggings, and there,
too, have I every chance to remain for a year or two lon-
ger, by the end of which time I hope to be in a position to
return to the " dear auld town." Up till the present time
I have been most fortunate in my new business—store-
keeping—having cleared for my own share something to
the tune of ten or twelve hundred pounds, so you see I
have no reason to regret leaving home, but rather the
contrary. My partner is a Mr. T., belonging to Camp-
beltown, who came out in the same ship as myself—a fine
steady lad he is too. We have now two stores. He at-
tends one, and I the other ; and in these we sell all sorts
of goods, as you may guess, at rather handsome profits.
Not altogether clear of the hat trade either we sell lots
of these Jim Crow ones, only here get 10s. for one that at
No. 27, High-street, would hardly have brought two bob !
" Certainly it is wonderful to see so much gold lioukit
oot o'the grun' , more like what we read of in story-books
when we were boys, than a substantial reality. To think
that a man has only to sink a hole some te❑ or fifteen feet
deep, out of which he might get fifty pounds' weight of
gold. I know some `claims' that have produced upwards
of one hundred pounds' weight in a few days, and that
perhaps taken out by a couple of men, who were never
possessed of a five-pound note in their lifetimes before.
Of course many are unsuccessful, but the generality of
those who are industrious, can't fail to earn from £5OO to
£l,OOO per year at digging. The quantity of gold that has
been dug out of this district during the past eleven months
—something like 70 to SO tons' weight—is a proof of the
correctness of my statement, because at no time has there
been more men actually at work in the mines than 40,000.
To be sure there are thousands of others who keep stores
and bankers' stalls, also women and children who swell
the number ten thousand more—but, to go to the outside,
say 50,000 diggers. Reckon 70 tons of gold at £3 per
oz., and see the average that each man must have earned.
Verily, there never were such chances for the labour-
ing man. I expect that every poor o'erlaboured
Wight' in the old country, will make a struggle
to come out here, and so they ought too,
because there is room enough for all. Man money here
is as plentiful as blackberries on the barrick hills in har-
vest time. No grinding of soul and body for a scanty sub-
sistence ! Let artisans of all classes come in thousands ;
they will find plenty to do, apart from digging, and be
well paid for doing it. The profession of a compositor
pays well, something to the tune of Is. 6d. per thousand.
But there is as yet little encouragement given to real
literary talent. What horrid trash of papers are the Mel-
bourne ones ! and yet the circulation is enormous, and the
profits for one season must be very great indeed." * * *
" Nothing so sure as changes. These have been rung
wonderfully well since I left home. Many in the dear old
land of Burns are dead, and some are wed, both classes
comprising a few that I held in much esteem. Well, well !
1 only wish that neither yourself nor I may know such
changes for a long time to come. 1 like this country very
well ; the people it would be difficult to respect much—
they are all so selfish. Probably I would not be so fa-
vourably impressed even with the land, but for the suc-
cess 1 have met with in it. Home, to go home and spend
the winter of my days, is my leading star—a fixed one I
may call it. Yet I would not think of returning but with
a competency. This is the land for making money ; home
is the place to spend it. lam as happy as ever I was, and
why shouldn't I, blessed with health, and in the way of
having something to rhyme with it !"

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MELBOURNE.

We (The Times) make the following extracts from an
Australian letter which has been sent us for publication.
The writer, evidently a man of good education and accus-
tomed to the ease and luxury of English town life, went
out to Melbourne in autumn last with his wife, and evi-
dently without any positive idea of what he was to do
when he got to the antipodes. He arrived at Melbourne
late on the night of the 11th of November. His letter,
which is written on the 12th, not altogether 12 hours after
his landing, must be taken as containing the opinions of a
man whose feelings are .acute and whose experience is
small :

" I am sorry to say the place is in such a state that it
is impossible for me to take my wife on shore even—at
least, it is no place for her ; and from what I have seen
to-day, I have made up my mind to go to Sydney, and, if
I cannot get on as I wish there, I shall push on for New
Zealand. * * * The state of things here is indescrib-
able. One-half of the people are living in tents all round
the town. The scene at the banks to-day was extraordi-
nary, men in blue woollen frocks and corduroys, with a
fagged and wretched appearance, getting their small bags
of gold (a few ounces generally speaking) changed into
cash. One fellow rubbed his face as we stood by, and,
as he had been previously putting his hand into the gold-
dust, one side of his face appeared perfectly gilt.
" The diggers give such different accounts of the state
of things at the diggings that it is hard to arrive at the
truth ; but this is about it—viz., that about one out of 30
succeed ; the rest fail. The only men I should recom-
mend to come out (as matters are now) to Melbourne
are either young, strong, hardy fellows, eight in a body,
with a tent capable of containing the whole party, fully
prepared (with clothing and boots, and nothing else in
the shape of luggage) to encamp at once on landing, and
move on to the diggings at once ; or else men who have
been in a counting-house, and are not overburdened with
conscience. A smart fellow, just a bit of a merchant,
with a stock of billiard-tables, cards, dice, and Colt's (or
Deane and Adam's) revolver pistols, ready-made men's
and women's clothes, boots and shoes, and biscuits, would
make 200 per cent. and over that on every one of his
things. Possibly the expected arrival of corn may bring
down bread, but the other things will be in demand as
long as the diggings continue fruitful ; and now one in
every 30, as I have before said, make a splendid fortune.
I saw the P—'s. He has £3OO per annum in a savings-
bank here, and it is with the utmost difficulty they manage
to live. They have a very small house, consisting of one
hole fur a sitting-room, ditto for a bed-room, and a thing
they style a kitchen, for which they pay £3 per week.
His wife does all the work herself. Her servant, whom
she brought out, left her, and married a lucky digger,
who got £BOO of nuggets and dust, and now makes
£4 10s. per week by doing carriers' work between Mel-
bourne and the diggings. The common sailors in the
little steam-tugs here get £lB per month, and the boys
£l6. The common policemen get 10s. per day and their
house, or rather lodgings. The mounted police, the ranks
of which are filled with gentlemen's sons, as are also the
mounted gold escort, get 10s. per day, food and lodging,
and three suits of uniform a year. Water is sold for
drinking at ss. per gallon ; the four pound loaf of bread
costs 2s. 6d. ; eggs are sd. a piece ; mutton and beef 6d.
and 7d. a pound ' • and porters and men to do any drudgery
are not to be had except at prices ridiculously exorbitant.
Beer is 6d. per small tumbler ' • potatoes, 10d. per pound ;
cabbages, 15s. per dozen ; a boat to go about half a mile,
£3 ; and ls. a piece for washing for every article. Wo-
men's dress stuffs are cheap, for the market was over-
stocked. Men's clothing, made and unmade, sells at an
awful price.

" Land anywhere within two miles of the town is at
£2,000 per acre, and £5O to £BO per acre within 20 or 30
miles. So you see land is dear, near town enormous, the
necessaries of life enormous, and house-rent the dearest
of all. I was asked £4 per week for two rooms unfur-
nished, and £8 per week for a four-roomed house partly
furnished. Nothing like a horse can be bought under
£lOO. In short, to describe this place properly, it is a
regular hell upon earth. If you are out after nine p.m.
you are sure to be robbed. A man was hanged here for
shooting another fellow last week, and human life is not
cared for ; and, so far has the gold excitement taken hold
of every mind, that they did not care whether the Gre it
Britain arrived or not. Five of our crew have run away.
The passage to Sydney costs £l2 12s. each, but we can-
not stay here. It is, as I said before, a very hell upon
earth ; but money, money, money is flying like slates.
I was offered £26 each for my pistols, which cost me nine
guineas in Liverpool, and I bad that price offered by a
gunsmith."