The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-18 00:00:00

Entperiat 13aritament, •
HOUSE OF LORDS.--MONDAY.
The Earl of STRADBROKE moved the third reading of
the Night Poaching Prevention Bill.
Tile Earl of RA DNOR was of opinion, that the best way
of getting rid of all legislation on this subject was to re-
lieve tie necessities of the people by removing all the re-
strictions on the importation of the necessaries of life.
Unfortunate labourers were driven to these practices by
distre•s.

Earl FITZIIARDINGE said, he was as anxious as his
noble friend to alleviate the distresses of the poor. This
bill, however, he thought a very neussary one. It was a
measure that would not interfere with the honest and
industrious poor. He could most truly slate that, during
an experience of 40 years in the county of Gloucester, he
Lad never known an instance where a party convicted of
poachrr.; was driven to the commission of that offence
through distress, or who could otherwise boast of a good
character.
The bill was then read a third time.
The Copyhold and Customary Tenure Acts Bill was
read a second time.

Church in Ireland. The Protestant Clergy in that coun-
try were not open to the censures which they had justly
incurred in earlier times : they were now pious and dili-
gent ministers of religion. The Roman Catholics now
professed to repudiate all State provisions for themselves;
and the present object, therefore, was not to endow the
Roman Catholic religion, hut to take away the property
of the Protestant Church for the purpose of applying it
to secular uses.
.Mr. Sunw said the question seemed now to be no
longer whether the Irish Protestant Church should have
a little more or a little less, but whether its whole pro-
perty should be transferred to another Church, or carried
away from Church purposes altogether. The general
state of the Church of Ireland might challenge compari-
son with that of any establishment in the world. The
income of the Church, as stated by Mr. Ward, was the
gross income : its net income was only about £550,000.
lie rejoiced that this motion had been met with manly
resistance by the government, and felt assured that the
people would sanction no other principle.
The debate was then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-WEDNESDAY.

The amendment of Mr. Miles was supported by Mr.
Baillie, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. Bernal, Mr. F. Baring,
Mr. Hume, Mr. Colquhoun, Mr. Hampden, and Lord
J. Russell. It was opposed by Mr. Ewart, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Godson, Mr, Bouverie, and
Mr. Gladstone.

Lord Howidx then reminded the committee that they
were about to divide on the government plan, and should
that be negatived, it would be open to any hon. member
to move any amendment upon the proposition of Mr.
Miles.

The committee then divided—
For Mr. Mites's motion....
Against it...

Majority against the government 2O
Sir U. PEEL proposed to resume the discussion on the
11 on Monday night.
The house then adjourned.

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

ARRIVAL OF THE BRITANNIA.

At eleven o'clock on Thursday night, the royal mail
packet Britannia, Captain Hewitt, arrived in the Mersey,
bringi,ig papers from the United States up to the Ist,
and Canada papers to the 3d instant.
The United States is in a complete ferment of agitation,
in reference to the presidentship, the taiiff and the an-
nexation of Texas being considered as questions valuable.
or otherwise as auxiliaries or impediments to party pros-
pects. There were four candidates in the field, Mr.
Tyler being one of them ; but as a democratic convention
bad assembled at Baltimore, for the purpose of fixing the
popular interest upon one, they will now, in all probability,
be reduced to two, viz., Mr. Clay and Mr. James K.
Polk, of Tennessee. Great anxiety was felt during the
sittings of the convention : some were for Mr. Tyler, and
some for Van Buren ; but, the nomination having fallen
on Mr. Polk, it is probable that the other democratic
candidates wi 1 retire. Mr. Clay is the whig candidate;
and Mr. Webster is attending public meetings, making
speeches in his favour. With these speeches all free-
traders would be terrified ; he is for protection for every-
thing; for no reciprocal treaties.; and for high-priced
agricultural products. The doctrines of the last century
are all revived by him with apparent approbation. He is
very sanguine of success.
Mr. Wright, who was named by the democrats as vice-
president, has, it is said, declined the honour.
On the 15th of last month, the president seni a message
to congress-announcing, that he had made arrangements
for an exhibitiOn of naval force in the Gulf of Mexico :
arid; as the Mexican government felt angry, a Collision
was anticipated. The annexation of Texas is evidently
popular in the Union ; for, even Mr. Webster, while de-
claring that the presidential power required abridgement,
did not venture upon a single word of disapprobation as
to the Texan treaty—at least, not in his great speech at a
Jersey meeting, la,,t month,
A most disastrous conflagration occurred in New Or-
leans on the 18th ult. The flames were first discovered
bursting from Mr. Go:t's carpenter's shop, near the cor-
ner of Franklin and Jackson-streets, which be-fore they
could he subdued spread to the adjoining tenements with
frightful rapidity. The fire raged for ti'ree hours, de-
stroying a large number of elegant and costly brick resi-
dences. The total number of houses destroyed is stated
to be not less than 280.
The Bee of the 20th says—
" The number of persons left houseless by this dis-
tressing calamity cannot 1,11 short of 2,000, the greater
portion of whom are of the poorer classes of society."
Another journal of the same date says—
" The amount of loss on the houses is estimated at
335,000 dollars. A large quantity of furniture was burnt,
and insurance had been effected on about one•fiAli part.
Total loss Of furniture, groceries, &c., say 100,000 dols.—
in all 435,000 dollars. This is a heavy tigui.e, and is
much greater than the loss sustained at the last fire at the
k.;(lqton Piess.

The Caledonia steamer bad made a very rapid outward
passage, having arrived at Boston early on the morning
of the lst of the present mouth, being only 121 days. The
Boston merchants were thus enabled to answer their let-
ters by the steamer now arrived.

There are accounts of great destruction of property, by
the overflowing of the Red River. Property to the value
of upwards of a million of dollars is said to be destroyed.
From Canada we learn, according to a Kingston paper,
" that the Governor-General has formed his new cabinet,
and that the nomination will be promulgated before his
excellency's departure from Kingston."
The provincial parliament is convoked to meet in Mon-
treal on the 24th of June next.
The latest commercial account in the money article of
the New Fork American of the 31st, "Thesays—
prosperous condition of the country seems to be
indicated by what is not generally an indication of pros-
perity—the abundance of money arid the consequent low
rate of interest. Yet at this moment trade is flourishing,
industry fully carried forth and rewarded, and wages are
rising while money goes begging and interest is falling.
Stocks of all sorts have risen."
lu regard to the cotton crop the latest circular of
Stewart and Wright says—" the opinion expressed in our
circular of the 30th of April, that tire extent of the cotton
crop for the year ending the Ist of September, 1844, would
prove a full average one, has been confirmed by the re-
ceipts duriro, the present month, which have swelled the
amount to 17,899,644 bales, against 2,251,175 bales to the
same period last year. For toe remainder of the season,
which, at the south is fast drawing to a close, the number
of bales will be but comparatively small: sufficient is
known, however, to justify us in saying, that the crop
will not vary much from 2,009,000 bales."
As to the corning wheat cops, notwithstanding com-
plaints in parts of Virginia and elsewhere of the divasta-
lions of the canker worm, the crop promises enormous.
Exchange on England had somewhat risen, and was in
demand at from 9to 94, per cent. On France at sf. 25c.

WAR BETWEEN FRANCE AND MOROCCO.
Hostilities have already commenced on the frontiers of
Morocco, between the troops under the command of Ge-
neral Lamorciere and the troops of the Emperor of Mo-
rocco. The same letters also state that there is not one
word of truth in the statement made by the French autho-
rities relative to the proclamation of a holy war against the
infidels by the emperor. As far as our information now
goes, the attack upon Morocco was entirely on the side of
France. Abd-el-liader acts with the Moorish army.
Ina letter dated slagruia, May 30, General Lamorciere
states that on the morning of that day his troops were at-
tacked by about two Clousand Moorish and Arab cavalry,
who, after about an hour's engagement, were worsted
with great slaughter, the.survivors flying towards Onschda.
„Ile French loss is said to be only twenty-five wounded.
.His despatch concludes, as follows:—" Whatever may be
the construction put upon this recital, war exists in fact.
,Fortune will demonstrate to what degree it will be carried.
It is not doubtful but that Abd-el-Kader will endeavour
to profit by it. I write this night to all the commanders
of columns. I shall have the honour to. address you a
new rep6rt as soon as any fact of importance shall require
it."

The Bishop of EXETER, after some observations from
the Lord Chancellor, Lord Lovelace, and Lord Brougham,
suggested the propriety of having a national gallery for
the reception of statues to public men, instead of placing
them, however incongruously, in our churches, by reso-
lutions of either house of parliament.
After a few words from Lord CAMPBELL, the bill was
read a second time.
Some bills on the table were forwarded a stage, and
their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.."-FRIDAY.
A discussion arose respecting a power exercised at the
General Post-office of opening letters, for reasons which
Sir JAMES GRAHAM declined to explain, except by say-
ing that, as Secretary for the Home Department, he
possessed the power, and believed it necessary to exercise
it in the case which was brought under the consideration
of the house by Mr. 'l'. Duncombe, and which that hon.
gentleman said he would again bring forward on a night
of supply.
In committee, on•the Sugar Duties Bill, Mr. P. MILES
rose. He objected to the change proposed by ministers
in the old amount of protection, as a measure which was
not expedient in itself, and which had not even the merit
of being a final settlement. Ministers ought to have
taken the whole subject into consideration, so that wh-n
it was affected it should be set at rest. An extensive and
systematic immigration had been premised, but not
effected, and the West Indian colonist would be ruined by
the abolition of protection before the completion of the
immigration promises could arrive. After entering into
some details for the purpose of showing the general de-
pression of the sugar interests, he adverted to the reduc-
tion which had been made in the protection upon coffee,
and asked what security the planters had, that the small
protection now proposed upon sugar would not be in next
year still further diminished? He called the attention of
the house to the importance of this country's commerce
with her West Indian colonies, and to the amount of
shipping employed in it, and contrasted the former pro-
sperity of those regions with their present decay. He
wished the Chancellor of the Exchequer would pay a
visit to his estates in Jamaica, and view a state of things
which was the sad spectre of what it once had been. He
begged the agriculturists of England to remember that
their cause and that of the West Indians was a common
one, the difference being only that while the British
farmer grew corn, the West Indian farmer grew sugar;
and that if the protection to the one description of agri-
culture should be abandoned, the protection to the other
would soon be at an end. He concluded by moving that
from the 10th of November next the duty on British
colonial sugar should be 20s; on the sugars of China,
Java, and Manilla, 305., with a duty of 345. upon the
foreign sugars, when imported at a certain degree of re-
finement ; and with an addition, as usual, of 5 per cent
upon the whole.