The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

iberpool --ztanbarb.

.E'ROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING.
Ws were told the other day that a whole world of che-
-micals, lint, and other styptics, had been prepared by some
eminent persons in the trade for the soldiers now going
away to fight Russia (?) The medicine-chest and its con-
tents are all very well, but there are surgical instruments
needed—" wise saws." Waggon-loads of these have been
prepared and packed, since my last communication, in huge
iron-bound boxes, by the first manufacturers. They are
addressed to "Lord RAGLAN'S Army:' The instruments
are of every species and contrivance ; the nasty-looking
grinning saws, for helping off a leg or so, absolutely make
one creep as you examine them. A thousandfold more
attention is now being paid to preparations for the comfort
of the sick and wounded soldier than ever was dreamt of
on the eve of Waterloo. The things I speak of were all
sent away to Malta a couple of days ago. I don't believe
they will ever be needed : Queen VICTORIA is loth, her
women say, to fight against her brother Nicholas. Rus-
SELL may talk "fire and cannon,"—PALMERSTON "smoke
and bounce,"—soldiers may leave our ports to the tune
of " The girl I left behind me,"—but I almost am inclined
to think that there is something of "make-believe" in the
preparations. Sending cavalry by sailing-vessels is a
capital device,--as good as shoeing a troop of them with
fejt. Why, there's not a veterinary surgeon in the army—
or the New-road—that won't tell you the fact that the
horses, sleek and young when put aboard, will require to
be hoisted and helped ashore, and that they will require
weeks of drastic medicine, air, and ease, before they can
be worth the purchase of a Battersea-common donkey !
Do you think that, if ministers wanted to fight the CZAR,
they would go this way about it ? CHARLEY NAPIER, I
learnt last night, had a row, and has succeeded in getting
it all his own way. It was a struggle. Two or three
officers of experience have left London for Paris—guests
of Loris NAPOLEON,—with instructions from Lord RAG-
LAN-to arrange as to details of doing battle.
MILES STAPLETON, as he used to be called, is one of the
smartest peers in parliament. He rarely says much on
home affairs, but I firmly believe there is not a point in
this geographical world that MILES STAPLETON, Lord
BEAUMONT, does not know something of. Numbers of
places, heretofore little known or cared for, by the exigen-
cies of the times, have been brought into notice,—from
Afghanistan to Besika Bay, Beyrout and Gwalior : BEAU-
m owl' knows them all, and, though the Commons and
Lords, and Messieurs the public, surely had enough of
foreign7politics at present by the debates of last week,
MILES STAPLETON came out as fresh as a daisy in the
House of Lords on Friday, touching Turkey and Russia,
`by moving that it was the opinion of their lordships that
the honour and best interests of the country require that
immediate and effectual means be taken to repel the un-
justifiable aggression of Russia on the territory of the
SULTAN, and that the power and influence of this country
should be exerted to place the relations of the Sublime
Porte with the rest of Europe on such foundations as
shall appear best calculated to secure a durable peace, and
afford the Ottoman empire a fair opportunity for develop-
ing its natural resources, and of proceeding with its admi-
nistrative reforms, &c. The noble lord was much ap-
plauded on both sides of the house, if it have any side but
the neutral. It will be seen that the motion was with-
drawn—a mere peg. BEAUMONT will talk as copiously
about -the abuses of the sulphur trade in Sicily, -as
BnorroirA m about those in the Court of Chancery, and
with the same effect in both instances.
The Reform Bill has been printed and issued. A perusal
will satisfy the most shallow that the sentiments expressed
regarding it last week are entirely vindicated. Ministers
are serious at present in carrying it.
In a recent communication, I called attention to an
inquiry which had been instituted in regard to the great
revenues and patronage of the Dean and Chapter of St.
Paul's Cathedral. That inquiry originated in the petition
of two shrewd but discontentd Radical canons, who prayed
CHARLES JAMES, the Bishop of London, as visitor, to see
justice done to every body connected with the cathedral.
The other canons—a goodly array—took alarm, and set
forth, in documentary style, that they had neither "act
nor part" with the disaffected. I intimated which way
the bishop would decide, by and with the potent advice of
Sir STEPHEN LUSHINGTON and Sir JOHN PATTESON,
both learned in the law. The bishop has decided—and
that in a remarkable manner, taking into consideration
the antecedents of St. Paul's Cathedral, in connexion with
ecclesiastical history, both Romish and Protestant, as well
as the character of Dr. BLOOMFIELD, the bishop. A wit-
ness, the other day, in the Court of Queen's Bench, in a
case before Lord CAMPBELL, being asked something in
reference to who or what he (witness) was, naively
answered that " he lived in Cavendish-square, and was a
member of the Conservative Club." The court laughed,
but was satisfied with the witness's respectability. I
plead guilty to thinking that Conservatism, even without
being a member of her splendid club, is warrant for a
man's respectability. Conservatives don't hate reform—
the prudent application of the principle is all they con-
tend for. With this feeling, when a certified copy of the
Lord BISHOP of LONDON'S decision was placed before me,
I was much gratified to find these ever-memorable words
—the first of that character, perhaps, ever embodied in
respect of St. Paul's since it was a see. The bishop
speaks—l " direct and require the Dean and Chapter of
the said Cathedral Church of St.-Paul to prepare a plan
for the disposal of the benefices in their gift or patronage."
The words ought to be written in letters of gold, even if
we had not so much of the dust. This is reform. Let
me lift the veil a little higher, and show more, for the in-
formation of your clerical readers in particular. The
grand question—subject of " option," is not only scotched
but killed—done away with for ever ! But what is
" option"—a Latin word, merely meaning take your choice?
The option I here refer to has a meaning of a higher im-
port—yet the same. Option, in church history, signifies
a choice of preferment belonging to the patronage of suf-
fragrans, made-by the Archbishops of CANTERBURY and
YORK, on the -promotion of the person to a bishopric.
This same option was grievous to think of by those who
had it not—or but few and far apart, and small the
examples. As regards Paul's Cathedral's goods, it was
very. Many rich gifts are there ;—will you take Saint
Pancras—£2,000 a year, say ? this falls in "part and
parcel"— sample —of that same " option ;" " will go to
it ?" " Can't myself," says the party to whom the
"option" for the time belongs ; "but I have a son—a
son-in-law a nephew" Straightway GUTTA. PERCHA
gets his relative installed into the " option." This bad
system—bad for all but the partaker—is killed, not only
as regards the " options" falling into the see of London,
but those of all the bishoprics of England. The amount
of the revenues of these options I cannot reckon—many,
many thousands of pounds sterling per annum. Again,
this -is Conservative reform ; and let us exclaim, with a
little fidgetty French cure not to be named,

"Le bon temps niendra ;"
or with the English ballad singer,
" There's a good time coming, boys,
There's a good time coming I"
Among the parliamentary papers this week, I find a
bill for a lease of the undertaking of the Birkenhead, Lan-
cashire, and Cheshire Junction Railway Company, and to
authorise, until the granting of such lease, traffic arrange-
ments between the said two companies ; and also between
the Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire and Holyhead
Railway Company, and for other purposes. The bill ought
to be a well-digested one, for I find it endorsed by the
names of a round dozen of highly respectable individuals,
in. the shape of solicitors and parliamentary agents. The
reserved rent by the lease is a yearly sum of £80,000; and,
it is stipulated, if the Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire
Junction Railway Company shall, since the Ist of January,
1853, have expended, or shall after the passing of the act
expend, with the consent of the London and North-western
Railway Company, any further sum of money in the ex-
eeution of new works, to be authorised in the present or
any future session of parliament, or for the purposes of
their undertaking, the said last-mentioned company shall
pay to the Birkenhead Railway Company, in addition to
the said yearly rent, a further rent of such amount as may
have been agreed upon between the said companies. It is
further provided that the lease shall not affect the rights
of mortgagees or bond creditors. The London and North-
western Railway Company is to be indemnified against
the debts, &c., of the Birkenhead Railway Company. The
former company may redeem their rent. The last clause
of the bill is not a bad one,—all the costs, charges, and
expenses of and incidental to the obtaining and passing of
the act are to be paid by the London and North-western.
In fine, the bill contains powers to sell or lease to and
amalgamate with the London and North-western,—power
to make traffic and other arrangements with the Chester
and Holyhead.
It will rejoice each loyal heart to be informed that HER
MAJESTY, Prince ALBERT, and the Royal Children are
at present in the enjoyment of robust health and high
spirits, if one is allowed to judge by ruddy looks and fre-
quent smiles. On Saturday the good old system was
adopted for the first time this season ; the QUEEN, accom-
panied by her children, and a large suite occupying four
open carriages, drove through the parks, and received the
respectful attentions of large numbers attracted thither by
the beauty of the weather. There were no " ayes vehe-
ment," but heads were uncovered in loyal recognition,
which apeared to gratify the SOVEREIGN in a high de-
gree. plf the PRINCE of WALES'S education in every
other regard be, attended to (a.s. uho doubts it p) as much
as to polite hearing to the public, he will turn out a pro-
diu. The late DUKE of YORK, they said, jocularly observed
that he ought to have an additional grant
wore outof am a h
hat
foar :317f
hats, being popular at the time 9
a da
in public.
thisy to the
p .period, having to lift it timesmany
The young prince is very attentive respect.
PRINCE ALBERT has been much about during the latter
half of the week, and was received everywhere with the
most cordial demonstrations of attachment,—most grateful
to him after recent events, which now appear to be dis-
missed frrm the public mind. HER MAJESTY has been
twice or thrice to the theatres during the past week; and
CiLkaLss MATHEWS (Lyceum) was all , the better for
knowing some hours previously that a royal visit was to
be paid. And here I may mention that such a visit to an
English theatre does little good to the treasury thereof,
unless previous intimation be given. The levee on Wed-
nesday was the grandest and most numerously attended,
I was going to sa during the present reign. Between
two and three hundred individuals were personally intro-
&lced to the QUEEN, and twice that number paid their