The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-26 00:00:00

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

A RUMOUR AS TO SIR ROBERT.—The Post of Satur-
day says that it was rumoured that Sir Robert Peel had
been sent for by her Majesty, with whom Sir Robert had
a private audience. It is true that the right hon. baronet
left for Windsor on Saturday, and it is said that he was
in communication with several members of the govern-
ment prior to leaving London. The Observer of Sunday,
however, denies that the visit of the ex-premier and his
lady to the Queen has anything to do with publicaffairs.
Tax TEN Howls BILL.—The Halifax Guardian pub-
lished in the very heart of the manufacturing districts,
says, after some very excellent remarks on an article pub-
lished last week in the Liverpool Standard as to the
progress of the cotton manufacture, " We cannot close
without noticing how entirely one act of the last Parlia-
ment has escaped the failure and disappointment which
have fallen upon its other leading measures. The Ten
Hour Bill. instead of being demonstrated (as some vainly
prophesied) to be a ruinous evil, shines forth as a measure
which, had it been passed two years ago would have done
more good than all the Free Trade measures put together."
AN INFERENCE.—On Friday the Lord Chancellor sent
out his notice of the order is which business would be
taken in his court during Michaelmas Term, that is, from
the 2d to the 25th of November, inclusive; and at the foot
of the notice were these words :--Except on those days on
which the Lord Chancellor may sit in the House of
Lords." This saving clause looks, prima' facie, like an
early meeting of Parliament; but as Ministers can hardly
be supposed to have made up their minds yet, on this or
any other subject, the exception ought, perhaps, only to
be considered as so much margin, of which they may pos-
sibly find it convenient to avail themselves, if circumstances
should render such a step " expedient."—Morning Post.
SIR CHARLES WOOD AND TILE STATE OF CREDIT.—
The Newcastle Journal of Saturday re-publishes the letter
of Sir Charles Wood, dated Sept. 17, to the merchants,
&c. of Newcastle, in which that gentleman said " there
is nobody who thinks that there is any want of circula-
tion or extraordinary pressure on the money market for
houses in good credit." As a practical commentary on
this statement and to supply the most convincing proof of
the ignorance of the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a
subject immediately within the province of his depart-
ment, our contemporary enumerates a list of upwards of
seventy commercial houses of high standing who have
suspended payment since the 7th August, with liabilities
amounting to more than fifteen million sterling.
DEPRECIATION IN THE VALUE OF PROPERTY.—It iS
now generally thought that Government must come for-
ward with some plan of assistance, or nearly universal
ruin will be the result. The belief is, that that must be
by an extension of the circulating medium. It is a
curious fact, that the whole circulating medium of this
country is scarcely above double the amount passed day
by day (15 millions) through the London clearing-house,
exclusive of the Joint-Stock Bank business and other
transactions in various parts of the country. According
to an estimate of an experienced banker, the property of
this kingdom has suffered a depreciation of at least between
500 and 600 millions. Of the Consols alone the depre-
ciation has been 160 millions, and on railway property very
little less, besides the effect on produce and manufactures
nearly incalculable.

NARROW ESCAPE OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND.—On
Saturday, the 17th of December, 1825, having then only
£1,027,000 of treasure in its cellars, the Bank of England,
was rescued from its peril of stopping payment by the
accidental discovery of a huge box of notes. These,
with the approval of Lord Liverpool's government, it im-
mediately issued as a substitute for sovereigns. Mr. Fran-
cis, in his valuable history of the Bank, records that "the
delight with which these notes were received in the coun-
try proved that the want of a secure small currency alone
was felt." Mr. Harman, in his evidence before the com-
mittee of the House of Commons, said, "They (the 1:1
notes) worked wonders; as far as my judgment goes, they
saved the country." Mr, Francis further relates, that
"In Norwich the Messrs. Gurney are said to have stayed.
the plague by merely placing a thick pile of £1 notes of
tha Bank of England on the counter! In most of the
provinces," continues 3tr. Francis, "they (the 1:1 notes)
were received with acclamation. Within a week from

then the peril and the panic had passed away." But a
recurrence to so well-tried and efficacious a remedy would
be tainted too strongly with the spirit of Protection, and
would savour too much of the policy of Pitt, to be pala-
table to a set of Ministerial philosophers "distinguished
only for their knowledge of the science of political econ-
omy," and, of course, "caring nothing for the two or
three millions of people who may be reduced to beggary
by their operation."

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
At the Westminster County Court it has been decided
that a servant has no right to refuse to shake mats on a
Sunday, unless she has made an express agreement with
her mistress to that effect.
SHAREHOLDERS IN JOINT-STOCK BANKS.—There is a
very general misapprehension entertained that a joint-
stock bank cannot sue any shareholder for money due to
said bank; but the error will be immediately dispelled by
reading the Bth clause of the " Act to regulate Joint Stock
Banks in England," passed on the sth September, 1844,
and which is as follows :—" That no action or suit by or
against the company shall be in any wise affected by reason
of the plaintiff or defendant therein being a shareholder or
former shareholder of the company ; but any such share-
holder, either alone or jointly with another person, as
against the company, or the company against any such
shareholder, shall have the same action and remedy, in
respect of any cause of action or suit whatever which such
shareholder or company might have had if such cause of
action or suit had arisen with a stranger." The 10th
clause of the same act also sets at rest another point of
discussion, as to the liability of shareholders, whom, many
believe, could be immediately sued for the bank's debts;
but it appears that judgment must first be obtained against
the bank, for it enacts, " hat it shall be lawful for the
plaintiff to cause execution upon any judgment, &c., to be
issued against the property and effects of the company;
and, if such execution shall be ineffectual to obtain satis-
faction of such judgment, then it shall be lawful for him
to have execution against the person, property, and ef-
fects of any shareholder, &c.
CURIOUS CASE.—The Morning Herald of Saturday
says, " There are some things that may be made so ex-
cessively cheap as to become excessively dear, and the
New County Courts are every day showing that law is
one of those commodities. A meeting held on Wednes-
day evening at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, ' to take
into consideration the late decision of the Judge of the
Westminster County Court, in the case of Lord Bury v.
Clark,' arose out of a circumstance which would seem to
prove that a shopkeeper has no remedy whatever against
the most galling impertinence, and also, that matter
clearly fit for a jury to consider, is, under the new system,
left to the discretion of a single individual. The case of
Bury v. Clark, we gather from the report, and a subse-
quent letter of the defendant, to be this, Lord Bury, it
appears, entered the shop of the defendant, a stationer in
Jermyn-street, and requested to see certain penholders,
marked price 6d. These were shown to him, according
to his request, but not liking their quality. he said,
` These things are of no use,' and added, addressing
Mr. Clark, ` It is very well for you to puff off your trum-
pery articles.' Upon this Mr. Clark, who does not seem
to be the most long-suffering individual in the world,
feeling naturally insulted by a charge of fraudulent deal-
ing,—replied that his lordship was " a trumpery fellow,'
directed him to leave his shop, and on his ' taunting' re-
fusal sent for a policeman. Lord Bury now left the shop,
but again returned to it, when Mr. Clark removed him
by force. For this an action was brought, and Mr. Clark
mulcted in damages of twenty pounds.',

COURT AND FASHION.
_4-

The Court still remains at \Vindsor, and there has been
little variation in the ordinary routine of court life since
our last. The Queen, the Prince, and the royal family
are well, and have taken their usual out-door recreation
as the weather has permitted.

On Tuesday, Prince Albert, the Duke of Cambridge,
and the Duke of Wellington (who had joined the royal
party) enjoyed the sport of shooting. After lunch, the
Duke of Cambridge took leave of the Queen. The Lord
Chief Baron (Sir Frederick Pollock) and his brother,
General Sir George Pollock, arrived at the castle in the
evening, on a visit to her Majesty.
On Wednesday, the Queen and Prince Albert took their
usual early walk. Her Majesty rode out in the forenoon
in a pony carriage and four, attended by the Duchess of
Sutherland. His Royal Highness Prince Albert went out
shooting this morning with his Serene Highness. Prince
Lowenstein. The Duke of Wellington, the Right Hon.
Sir Frederick Pollock, and General Sir George Pollock
left the castle. The Countess of Desart arrived, and suc-
ceeded the Countess of Gainsborough as the lady in wait-
ing to the Queen.
Lord Stanley has returned to Knowsley from New-
market. The Hon. T. Eden is at present on a visit at
Knowsley.
The Duke of Devonshire has left Hardwicke Hall, Der-
byshire, for Wynyard, near Stockton-on-Tees, on a visit
to the Marquis and Marchioness of Londonderry.