The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-11-30 00:00:00

by knowing that we have nothing to do with this or that
opinion, but need only ask who holds it, and then rank
ourselves accordingly.
It matters not; that the highest principles of Divine
law are to be violated; it matters not, .that blood is to
flow,—that wives are to be widowed and children. to be-
come orphans ; it matters not, (we are almost ashamed
to name such a motive in such association,) that funds are
to'be squandered : the conservatives are opposed to this
iniquity, therefore let it be done ; and he who hinders it
is a traitor to his country !
Colonel Williams declared publicly, in 1827, that he
" would support the devil himself, if he were doing good."
It appeared a safe declaration, as the contingency was
somewhat improbable ; but something like a parallel case
has occurred. Suppose a conservative no better, will he
and'his friends not support- him? will they not join him
in the work of stopping the effusion of blood,—the con-
tempt of law ? •or is the conservative so much. worse than
Satan, that the gallant • Colonel • and his friends are
shocked at entering his company ?
Let thOse.who are friendly to the Ministers, but op-
posed to the war, adopt the plain and honest course, of
,petitioning against this particular measure, and, at the
same time, formally expressing their warm, general at-
tachment to his Majesty's Government.
When they have adopted this course, we shall know,
even more fully than-at present,.the sense of the nation.
But so long as they continue, even upon their own show-
in.-b, to prefer the maintenance of Lord Grey in office to
justice,—to the saving of blood and of treasure,—let them
advance what other claims to approbation they please;'but
let them not call -themselves, in -mockery of facts, the
friends of peace.
In the meantime, the Dutch have done well. They
have used every human means of precaution, sand they
have Called in another and a more faithful arbitrator, by
solemnly reposing their cause in the hands of God. Their
cry has ascended to Heaven ; they await their doom in
patience and in calmness; but for us, once alas ! wont to
act another and a different part, shall not the avenger of
blood dog our path, and the swoop—it may be tardy, it
may be swift, but still the effectual swoop—of Providen-
tial retribution descend upon our
,prosperity and our
pride ?

In another part of our paper- our readers will see the
address of Sir Howard Douglas, who has acceded to the
wishes of a large and respectable portion. of our fellow-
townsmen, by offering himself as a candidate for the re-
pre§entation of this Borough in.the ensuing Parliament.
This gentleman enters the lists at the eleventh hour, and
were he a man of ordinary mould, we should say,. the
lateness of his appearance rendered his cause hopeless ;
he comes amongst us, also, a stranger,—or known only
as the able advocate of the British colonists at a time
when our liberal. reforming administration proposed to
sacrifice their interests to the chimerical theories of free
trade. Under circumstances thus apparently disadvan-
tageous, does Sir Howard come forward, to tender us his
services in the hour of danger, and to stand in the breach
to defend what remains of our glorious constitution from
the sacrilegious hands of those who would immolate it on
the altar of visionary experiment. To those who have
not seen and heard this gallant soldier, no words can con-
vey any idea of the effects produced by his bold, manly,
independent bearing, and his simple and unaffected, but
energetic and captivating, eloquence.' Since. the. days of
Canning we have beard nothing at all resembling it, and
we are not sure that the fascinating manner of that great
Master of oratory, is not eclipsed by the noble frankness
of one who seems to carry his heart in his hand, and who
gives utterance to the glowing effusions of his soul, in
streams of impassioned eloquence. We congratulate
our townsmen on the opportunity now afforded them
of having a representative_ of true constitutial prin-
ciples,—one whose motto emphatically is "Ships,' Co-
lonies, and Commerce ;" and who promises to devote
himself heart and soul to our service. • Let the true
friends of their country lay aside all minor differences
and petty jealousies or, fears, and with one united " long
and strong pull" place our present noble representative
and Sir Howard _Douglas, as our representatives in the
ensuing Parliament, and prevent the disgrace which
would attach to the second town in the empire, from be-
ing represented by gentlemen holding the opinions
avowed by Mr. Ewart and Mr. Thornely.
It is no secret, that the canvassers of these gentlemen
are working into each other's hands, and where an elec-
tor promises either party one vote, the second is solicited
for their friend :—coalition may be denied by their re-
spective committees, but we have proofs in abundance of
the practical operation of the system. We, therefore, feel
no hesitation in calling upon the friends of Lord Sandon
and Sir Howard Douglas to go hand in hand, assured as
we are, that the result must be glorious victory.

IN our last number we promised to
._resume the consi-
deration of the professions of the several candidates, who
are soliciting our suffrages fora seal in the first reformed
House of Commons, as representatives for this important
connnercial town:; 'and 'we now proceed to the examina-
tion of those professions, as we find them brought before
us.in the published addresses Of each candidate.
First, in' order, stands. Mr.. twart ; and here we are
forced to confess ourselves almost entirely at' fault at the
very commencement, to sift"otit the Meaning of his well-
rounded periods. " Upon the Electors of England,"
quoth he, " now devolves the important power of tempe-
rately, yet firmly,' removing those abuses which a too
aristocratical system of Representation and of Govern-
mefit has engendered or maintained." We had, erro-
neously, 'it now appears, come to the conclusion, that if
such abuses did exist,lit" Wmild'have been for the Repre-
sentatives of tl-1. Commons of Great *Britain and Ireland,,
in Parliament assembled,
.to have „removed them,..Aud
that the duty of the. Electors was limited to the select-
ing and returning to Parliathent good men and true,
upon whom that duty would have devolved. Mr. Ewart
has kindly instructed us better.

Next comes the awful responsibility of the Representa-
tives. ". To their hands the reform bill-is.consigned, not.
as,the idle trophy .of victory attained; but as the active
instrument of future good." • We have a faint recollec-
tion of having been taught at .School,:that instruments
were .pcts.sive, the hand that wielded them active : . but
let this pass. Hear the member !—" Laws equal and
humane, Justice accessible and cheap, commerce free and
universal, religion purified and disenthralled ;—these, are,
or ought to be, the great and final objects of reform."
It is very clear to every man, of the least reflection,
that: if reform is to -be considered-merely as the active in-
strument of future good, and that .Mr. Ewart has cor-
rectly described the great' and final objects of reform, we
have, hitherto, been the subjects of a king,'under whose
government we have not had the benefit of .laws, either
equal or humane; that justice has not only been dear,
'hut inaccessible; that our commerce has neither. been -
free nor universal; and, that the religion which we. pro-
fess has neither been pure nor unfettered !. How griev-
ously have the people of this once so much boasted, free,
and happy country been mistaken in their estimate of
their former privileges. What slaves they must have
been so long to lick the hand which oppressed them As
our worthy member, for so he still is, does not. con-
descend to particularise the various improvements which
be contemplates in our laws, administration of justice,
commerce, and religion, we are left, unfortunately, in
the dark; and can only draw this inference, that under
the active instrumentality of the reform bill, wielded by

himself, and others of kindred sentiments, our new state
of things will be as unlike the old as the most radical re-
former could desire. It is for our fellow-townsmen to
decide how far such a change will be acceptable to them.
"Impressed with the importance of these principles," he
adds, " I proportionately feel the responsibility of again
becoming a candidate for your suffrages, I derive my
only confidence in so doing, from the anxiety with which
I have endeavoured to discharge my public duty, and
the 'sincerity with which I have maintained my political
opinions." What the political opinions of the honourable
gentleman either were or are, we have never been able
to discover, beyond this, that he felt it to be. his duty to
sit, night after night, in the House of Commons, until
the. division took • place, and when the minister cried
"Aye," to say " Aye ;" and when "No" was the note
from the treasury bench—to echo it. We crave the ho-
nourable gentleman's pardon. On one memorable oc-
casion he ventured to sheW his independence, by voting
against ministers on the 14th clause of the reform bill,
expressing his satisfaction at such an opportunity having
occurred, as his so voting could do no harm, the ministe-
rial majority being quite sufficient to carry the measure.
In fact, we have-always been under the impression, that
Mr. Ewart considered it his duty to have no political
opinion, but, 'that being returned to -Parliament, for the
express purpose of aiding in passing the reform bill, and
keeping the Grey administration in office, he never was
to vote in such a way as to endanger either the one or the
other. Presuming- this to have been his own understand-
ing of his duty, we feel compelled to acknowledge, that
his conduct has been perfectly consistent.
Of the important alteration in our criminal statute law,
of which he is the vaunted originator, it may be enough
to observe, that it merely fenders statutary that which had
_previopsly been the practical operation of the law; for,
although the crime therein described had formerly ren-
dered the perpetrator obnOximis to capital punishment, it
would puzzle Mr. Ewart to point out the instances (a few
very flagrant and aggravated cases excepted) where the
extreme penalty of the law was carried into execution.
Great credit is also claimed for him by his friends, for
having given notice to bring forward a bill, to allow pri-
soners, on indictments for capital felonies, the benefit of
counsel; not merely to cross-examine the witnesses, but
to address the jury for the defence. This is no new idea :
—it has been mooted by lawyers -of much greater celebrity
than' our 'worthy representative; . and, after being dis-
cussed in all its bearings, it has been discarded- as a mea-
sure fraught With injury in place of benefit, to those who
are the objects of its charitable intentions. The reasons
are so obvious to those who have been in the habit of at-
tending criminal prosecutions, that to state them here
would be a waste of time. Should the honourable gen-
tleman be again returned to Parliament, and obtain leave
to bring in his bill, we venture to predict, that he will
find it opposed by every constitutional lawyer in the
house.

We come next to Lord Sandon, whose address, whilst
it bespeaks the scholar and the gentleman, breathes that
spirit of candour and independence which first recom-
mended him to our notice, and which, we entertain the
fullest confidence, will ensure him a continuance of our
support. Professing himself a firm friend to our consti-
tution in church and state, he avowed himself, at the
same time, friendly to a large measure of reform, and,
as regarded the bill then under the consideration of Par-
liament, that he unhesitatingly pledged himself to the
support of the greatprinciples therein contained, namely,
disfranchisement of decayed boroughs; enfranchisement
of places which had grown into importance, and a liberal
extension of the right of suffrage, reserving to himself,
as he explicitly declared, the right of exercising his judg-
ment as to the best means of carrying these great leading
principles into effect. The open, manly, and independ-
ent manner in which he has given his opinions and votes
upon this measure is before the public ; and we delibe-
rately affirm, that to any unprejudiced mind, it must ap-
pear as obvious as the sun at noon-day, that more ho-
nourable and conscientious conduct cannot be imagined.
At present we deem it unnecessary to repel, seriatim,
the charges which have been ,so malignantly and falsely
urged against our noble representative :—to candid minds
there can be no need of this ;—to prejudiced opponents
it would be a waste of time to attempt it :
" Convince a man against his will,
He holds his own opinion still."

Attached from principle to our Church establishment,
his lordship avows himself the friend of religious tolera-
tion, and an advocate for the removal of every civil dis-
ability imposed on account of difference in religious opi-
nions; and, whilst he would maintain, unimpaired, the
constitutional rights and privileges of the Church, he is
ready to join in such measures as may remove defects,
and avoid occasions of dissension, without impairing her
efficiency, or endangering her stability.
On the difficult and important question of Colonial
Slavery, his lordship expresses his opinions and feelings
in a manner which, in our humble opinion, ought to se-
cure for him the unqualified approbation of every honest
and honourable mind. Favourable to the extinction of
slavery on principle, he yet sees and acknowledges the
many difficulties with which the subject is surrounded ;
of these, perhaps; the least important is compensation to
the piaster;—the most important, unquestionably, is the
effect which immediate and unqualified emancipation
would have upon the condition and welfare of the negroes
themselves. That Lord Sandon should find this question
one upon which.he cannot come to a satisfactory conclu-
sion, without further extensive enquiries, can excite
no surprise in the mind of any person who, from personal
experience, knows anything of the matter; but, that
many who never. were in the West Indies, nor in any
place where negro slavery exists, should have formed
opinions, and promulgated them to' the world as axioms
not to be qtiestioned or doubted, is only. adding one to
gte many proofs which we have often, had, that

"Fools will rush in where angels fear to tread."

We now turn to Mr., Thornely's address; the second
paragraph of Which evinces some . inward misgivings as
to his hold on the public mind. It will be remembered
that; when he was so signally dekated,laSt year, he gave
an assurance, that he would again offer himself as a can-
, didate.on the fii:st opportunity which should occur. Now,
how-ever, he'considers it becoming. to wait till he is in-
vited. , In regard to his political principles, Mr. Thornely
does:hot leave us in any doubt; mid he is fairly entitled
011ie merit of being candid and explicit on this subject.
He is friendly to short Parliaments, " whereby the peo-
ple will have a greater control over their representatives,
and the House of Commons will more faithfully embody
the tone and character of. public opinion." This is pure
republicanism, and may be to the taste of Mr. Thornely's
supporters. We think, on the *contrary, that a body of
gentlemen, such asthe House of Commons has hitherto
been, and, we trust, will still'be composed of, are much
more capable of judging what is most for the interest of
the country, than the great masses by whom they are
elected; and, that it is more fitting that they should give
a tone and character to public opinion, than regulate their
proceedings. by the clamour of the multitude. Mr.
Thornely is favourable to the vote by ballot, and to the
pre'serVation of peace with foreign countries y?
Is he opposed to the attack upon the unoffending Hol-
landers ? He • would reduce expenditure by abolishing
useless places and pensions, and would revise the whole
system of -taxation, repeal -the corn • laws, open the
trade with china awl India; abolish all _commercial mo-
nopolies, and would emancipate the negroes " as early as
shall be consistent with the personal safety of all parties
concerned." In. this last sentiment we most.fully and

cordially agree with Mr. T. By all means abolish sias,ell ,
as soon as it can be done with safety to the whites as
t?'
as the blacks. The abolitionists say, there is no 7;0'1
to be apprehended from immediate and unqualified e's3r,'
cipation, whilst the white population of the coloniesos
no white person would be safe for a day after sue-Tv&
event should take place, and they demur to an eljroot
ment of so awful a nature being tried at the hazal7fhich
only of their property,.but of their lives,—a feeling
we really do not consider unnatural. s e 4
Chartered corporations are absurdities in Mr..l,,,b:lob—
timation, and so, we may infer, is our Church es'aei
rnent, from the ostentatious manner in which he
that great body, who build their own places of wc)J-301'
and pay for them,—who elect their own ministers', be,
support them." Well pleased he would evidently 0
that there should be no churches in the land, but sup rite
are founded on this principle; and the •panacea ,
oe
heathen darkness, which would inevitably follow' "'pre'
nihilation of the parochial clergy, is to be found, Ice cloy
sume, in the system of national education which he .pet'
siders so essential. To, Mr. Thornely's political Pri
pies we object, in almost every particular : sole
pe
deem unwise, others mischievous ; but, as a wllf-ii'itert
view them as affording conclusive evidence of "I„,p `sv
unfitness for the situation to which he aspires: '''llol
scribe more whit he would undo
;asnd unsettlf, thatri,. otie
he would provide as. a substitute nd admitting, "%in?
moment, and merely for argument's sake, that the t‘.l sit
which he would do away with are defects, still, °lid be
effectual remedy, or substitute is provided, he w°uin
acting like a man, who, having a house with a flaw de
side, should pull it to the ground before he had Pr°ss
other shelter for his helpless family. Demolishing,l„o
easy task, and may be accpmplished by the rudest re'
but to build up an elegant, and commodious structurc
quires the exertions of master craftsmen. Such 15
Mr. Thornely, and we both hope and believe, that 'leo,
receive a lesson on the present occasion which 11:ed
thrown away upon him, but that he will be contetiot
for the future to advance the good of his country in
sphere within which he has heretofore both usefo,',', the
respectably moved. He cannot do better than folle'se),
maxim laid down by.the worthy president of the Al! dl5,
nits' Institution, in his published address, that an 111011
pensible preliminary to instructing Others, is " preWeif
to remove his own deficiencies," and to make hiels stO
competent master of those things which he undertal'e
teach.

IT has been made a subject of reproach by the TV
zans of Mr. Thornely, that his election is opP°s°, be'
churchmen, and also by many Christian dissenter-110
cause he is a Unitarian: and it is maintained, t,,1130001
opinions on religious subjects ought to be no fair di`'
for objecting to him. From this opinion we entire
sent ; and we consider his hostility to the E5t.313:4111'
church as one of the strongest reasons for rejeetl°s 03°
As a mere matter of opinion, we quarrel with
for cherishing his own sentiments upon religion;Tti-tv
a political point of view, we look upon it as the duty'
every loyal subject to keep this particular class
se out of Parliament. °II
The Church of England, as by law established, 1.

essentially component part of the British Constituitralv
its maintenance in the full enjoyment of all its rii'Lly the
privileges is .as much a part of the. compact betvvrl the
King and his people as the liberty and security a' sl'
subject, and the faithful administration of the 10'
this tenure the King holds the crown to which lie, %eot
as justly forfeit his title by destroying, the etablisAil'iriol
as by the abolition of the Habeas Corpus Act an,"„ fo
by Jury. How any consistent churchman Can
man wbo openly avows his inteution to do a," -11titti'
power to destroy this essential branch of the tien-atio
tion, and to. Kingforce the to violate his corelimpre",
oath, we cannot understand; still less do we c°,ll6lll°
beefhed, why then holding consituional rinciPes re'
und fault with, for doino•t all in their power led.
We plainly and unhesitatingly' destor,.,_o(
vent that Constitution being undermined and
that lie is
clan
strongest objections to Mr. Thornely that s
tided Unitarian that he is a member of
us in teatfor itfr,
tt
dissenters who, not merely differ from
church government, but who profess a differ Ibae the
who deny the truth of that which we believe to
only sure ground of peace of mind here, and of
the on tile
hereafter—of comfort and consolation
life, and of strength and support when we stand Oi
brink of eternity. We call, not only upon Chnr"-,/,
but upon Christian dissenters, to prevent the retn'ive
men to Parliament whose religious profess
assurance that they will not merely attempt to overt,
the Church Establishment, but to undermine the lib
tian faith. avow, that one. la u,

LONDON LATEST NEWS•
(From our Correspondent.)
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, Half-past 7 o'clock•
This although settling day on the Stock Exchange, has Pee
ed off without any materal variations in the British and or_re
securities. Our funds, as well as the Portuguese Stock, riot'
shade lower, but the difference does not deserve qa°t3o,ili.
The fact is, the general and intense anxiety which pre ties,
respecting the Belgium question, absorbs so much att%
as to prevent speculations in all matters unconnected 11
question of war or peace. Accounts from Holland an, ivic`
glum were expected during the whole day, but none
ea,.l
arrived, and the Ostend Steamer, which was due at ac„"gt
hour, has not vet arrived. The general opinion anianc'aercii
best informed men is, that Antwerp will not be surretiojoit
without a struggle ; and from what I have heard, my
is, that the bombardment of the citadel may be yet deli Meet;
several days. The mode of attack has now becoinc a tioleo
not only of more serious consideration, but, if lal itarres)
rightly, of formal- diplomacy. Here, then, bogins ,turea:
procrastination: where it will end cannot even be collie'oitos`
I cannot flatter you with the promise of any
ipjd
intelligence for the next few days, but, if any a-shott!t.
Lions lie erroneous! and that important intelligenc,loo of 't
arrive, you may depend upon hearing the first inttata'ciock•to
Globe o.ffice, Three ooth frr4
We learn that dispatches have been received, b, „Oset7.,
Brussels and Merxem, but too recently for us to lear- ;
the formal and final summons had yeebeen issued ors 11°,45 the
bombardment had certainly not commenced. As rePntore tje,
mode of attack, we apprehend some concessions of a tnectr
remove at least a portion of the difficulty may be eryelre
The French preparations are said to be in fine railita`itigeact
ing. General Chasse, it seems, has been receiving'
by pigeons, on which account the flying of pigeons wilt.rtrassel
sloe
the offenders to martial law. The-deletes iu the ',O,
Chamber on the subject of the address are very strenuolooi
the division will probably be a close one. The latest c'"
-
nications from Berlin are very satisfactory. iiae
The German papers state, that several PrussianreEitio
on their way to the Rhine, have lately passed by the '1;1,0/
route through the kingdom of Hanover, and that othfie
sian corps have been for some days marching towards t
through upper Hesse. The road more to the north arof;
Waldeck, is also covered with Prussian troops of a.`o6psle)
especially considerable trains of artillery. " All the ti of ti
have seen," says a.writer in one of these papers, ~•arelit9
line, but it is said that the Saxon Laudwehr reginle
soon foll4w."—Staiidard. ci
The accounts wr; publisheil YesieraaY, 'relatic to the_orre,c,
ado of Opoito by Don Miguel:turn out to be perfectlY,ub
The Osprey has returned from that place to Portsinou!sw..s
ing been .unable to.enter the .river. .As this blockade I
force, not .by ships but by batteries., how can our city. pusses fa"'
be such asses ps th believe in the daily accounts a ss dent
sorties by Doti Pedro ? Why does not lie, it victorioui t ei;;,
the batteries which preyent vessels .from bringing ti,,lii;rt°'
provisions, which are becoming very scanty in
Standard.
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