The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-04-07 00:00:00

CANNING'S_FATRONAGE OF MEN OF LETTERS

He never suffered an opportunity to escape, of promot-
ing the welfare of Remy men, or their connexions. Soon
after Sir Walter Scott had become involved in pecuniary
troubles, Mr. Canning, understanding that he was to meet
him at, dinner at Mr. Croker's, wrote privately to Sir
William Knighton, for the purpose of interesting his ma-
jesty, beforehand, on behalf of Sir Walter's son, " I shall
be glad," he said, " to have the protection of the king's
commands in doing an act of kinds ess by Malachi Mala•
growther." On another occasion, James Mill, the histo-
rian of India, a conspicuous Radical, a man of distin-
guished intellecturl power, the friend of 11-ntham. and
the most prominent writer in the Westminster Review,
(items not very recommendatory to the government of the
day) was one of the candidates for the examinership in the
civil service of the East India Company ; a situation of
£2500 per annum. The Tories besought Canning to use
all his influence against him. Canning refused. He
could not see why Mill's radicalism should prevent him
from being the best of all possible examiners. These are
slight facts, but, hey disclose fine traits of character ; as

. ,
fragments of o' on the surface indicate the rich veins
that lie below.

MR. CANNING'S CONNEXION WITH LIVERPOOL

Impressed with sentiments of pain and regret at his se-
paration from friends who had long bestowed the mist
signal confidence upon him, Mr. Canning repaired to Li-
verpool to take leave of his constituents. His connexion
with that place had been a succession of the most gratify-
ing triumphs, each fresh election increasing the number

-rhis supporters, au! converting enemies into active par-
tisans. He had been four times elected for Liverpool.
At the first election he lad four antagonists, the most for-
midable of whom was Mr. Brougham ; on the third elec-
tion there were three candidates, but as the struggle ad-
vanced, fresh names were added to the poll, and new bars
were opened, until at last there were no less than twenty-
one candidates in the field ; a curious piece of electioneer-
ing manoeuvring which was described by Mr. Canning. in
one of his speeches, with ex,,uisite humour. Some of Mr.
Canning's noblest orations were delivered at dinners and
meetings amongst his constituents, his eloquence render-
ing the scene of its achievements as renowneJ as Bristol,
represented; instructed, and elevated by Burke. Mr. Can-
ning's visits to Liverpool were galas to the people. He
was received with the most lavish honours ; entertainments
were planned for the purpose of rendering homage to his
genius ; and the " Canning Club" was instituted to com-
r. rnemoiate his connexion with the borough. He generally

took up his residence at Seaforth House, the residence of
his friend, Mr. Gladstone (the father of the Right Hon.

YY . row., ca. vaa ca .4%
of the town, and overlooking the sea. The room which
he occupied lo ked out upon the ocean, and here he would
sit for hours, gazing upon the open eat:wise' while young
Gladstone, who has subsequen‘ly obtained such distinc-
tion in the councils of his sovereign, used to be playing on

the strand below. The house is-no longer in the Posses-
sion of Mr. Gladstone, who let it to Mr. Paulet, a. Swiss
merchant. Latterly. Mr. Canning was the guest of Col.
Bolton. lie had been about a year and a half elected for
the fourth time, when having accepted the appointment of
Governor-General, he went to Liverpool for the purpose
of taking leave of his constituents. On his way down, in-
telligence overtook him on the road that Lord Castlereagh

(now Marquis of Londonderry—but one prefers the more
familiar name) had terminated his life at North Cray, in
Kent, with his own band. Connected with this piece of
news was a rumour, which gained fresh ground every
where, that Mr. Canning was universally looked upon as
his,successor.. But Mr. Canning was slow to yield to the
flattering suggestions of popular opinion, and pursued his

journey to Liverpool, wanoin D
Alibilig Vlrcaa
the unexpected contingency which had arisen. On the
23d of August he dined with the Canning Club. On the
. • A . from hip eon-

morning of the :iutti he receive(' an
stituents, unanimously approved and sanctioned by all
the mercantile as,ociations ; and on the evening of that
day, a grand Festival, to which 500 gentlemen sat down,
was given to him in the great room of the Lyceum. On
that occasion he delivered a speech of extraordinary
power, in which he reviewed the two great questions of
Emancipation and Reform, developing the put he had
taken upon each ; and ended by declaring that he was en-
tirely ignorant of the arrangements likely to grow out of
the recent vacancy, and that in the event of being con-
sulted on the matter, his determination should be guided,
not by a calculation of interests, but by a balance and com-
parison of duties.
MR. CANNING AND VIE OREGON QUESTION.
A question was discussed during Mr. Rush's tesidence
in this country, which as it is not yet adjasted, carries
with it a surviving interest, greater than its historical lea.

portance is likely to sustain. This question concerned
the right of territory in that dismal and inhospitable dis-
trict of country, lying between the Rocky Mountains and
the Pacific Ocean, called the Oregon. Both England and
America claimed a right of settlement and sovereignty in
the Oregon, and successive negotiations seemed to have
no other result than that of demonstrating the hopeless-
ness of arriving at a point of common agreement. The
great error on our part was committed in 1818, when the
British plenipotentiaries (Mr. Robinson and Mr. Goul-
burn), for the sake of a temporary evasion of the difficul-
ties, agreed to throw the country open to both claimants
for ten years—leaving the question of boundary for future
settlement. But what could be settled at the end of ten
years, could have been more easily settled then, before
the question had become embarrassed by new liens esta-
blished in the interval by emigrants on both sides. It is
impossible to comprehend th policy of postponing the set-
tlement until the difficulties shall have become increased
by the acquisition of local possessions, of which one or the
other, or both, to some extent, must be deprived in the
long run ; adding a practical grievance to be adjusted in
addition to the general right. Thus perplexed, the ques-
tion of the Oregon descended to Mr. Canning. Mr.
Rush, who had instructions to re-open this discussion,
waited upon Mr. Canning, and found him ill in bed with
the gout. But they nevertheless proceeded to the inves-
tigation of the claim. The map of America was spread
out upon the bed, and Mr. Rush traced the boundary de-
manded by America, which ran along the 51° of latitude.
Mr. Canning expressed his surprise at the extent of the
American claim ; and when the nepotiations were again
renewed, the American minister reduced his demand to
the 49°; to which Mr. Canning refused to accede. Fur-
ther attempts were made to bring about a pacific settle-
ment of this disputed boundary; and Mr. Canning, from
an anxious desire to avoid hostilities, proposed a middle
course, which was rejected by America. Mr. Canning
never omitted an opportunity in public or private of testi-
fying his amicable disposition towards the United States.
The weight of his influence tended materially to restrain
the temper of the English people, which was such,
throughout these and other similarly hopeless negotia-
tions, that Lord Castlereagh told Mr. Rush that war
could be produced by bolding up a finger. Having failed
in obtaining our acquiescence in her demand up to the 49°
of north latitude, America has lately set up a claim to the

whole country. '
She claims upon two grounds :—One by
right of discovery, i he other by right of treaty with Spain.
Her claim by right of discovery. dates in 1792 ;—her claim
by right of treaty, dates in 1819, when Spain made over
all her own possessions in that unmapped country to the
United States. Without descending into details, it is
clear that these two rights cannot co-exist. America can-
not claim through Spain in 1819, that which, she says, she
acquired by right of discovery in 1792. Spain could not
confer upon America, that which America herself already
possessed. There is another reason why Spain could not
bestow Oregon upon America—namely, that it did not
belong to her. " Such a union of titles," says Mr. Rush,
" imparting validity [perhaps he means in-validity] to
each other, does not otten exist,"—an observation which
might be safely carried a little further, by saying that such
an union never existed before.

* Chapman and Hall's Monthly Series. The Life of George
Canning, by Robert Bell. London: Chapman and Hall, Is 6,
Strand.—This Memoir, which is now completed, we have quoted
from so largely that it will not be necessary for us to remark
upon it et length. We may, however, suggeet to the publisher
that it would be well for contributors to a series of works de-
signed for all classes of readers, and especially for memoir
writers, to intrude less on the public their political leanings. The
present memoir is well written, but it has the fault we have
suggested.

THE LATE VICTORIES IN INDIA.-HEROISM
OF THE COMMANDERS.

(From the Earl of Ripon's and Sir Robert Peel's
Speeches, on Friday.)

PERSEVERING INTREPIDITY OF SIR HENRY HARDINGP

The commander-in-chief mentions, among those to
whom he was indebted for assistance on that great day
(the day of the last battle), the name of the Governor-
General; and, my lords, I know nut whether it is gene-
rally known, but I am sure it was not known when the
first dispatch was published, that that gallant officer had,
ten days before, met with a very severe accident—a fall
from his horse—which for some days incapacitated him
from a tending at head-quarters. So eager was he to do
everything in his power in order to facilitate the comman-
der-in-chief in the execution of his plans, that, one night,
something having occurred to him which he thought it
necessary he should communicate to the commander-in-
chief, he set off, without delay, in the middle of the night,
and rode to the commander-in-chief's head-quarters, and
it was on his return from thence that this accident hap.
pened. At the time of this battle, although his energies
were never broken down, his body was comparatively
weak ; and they who know what fighting is, and what the
feelings of a general must be upon such occasions, will, I
think, understand what must have been the feelings of
Sir Henry Hardinge when he was obliged to go down to
battle in a carriage. In a carriage, however, he went ;
but when he was there, his carriage was not used. He
mounted his horse how? lie was lifted upo❑ it, for he
could not mount it himself; and there, most probably
under bodily suffering of an acute kind, he was ready to
assist and to take his share, if he was called en so to do,
in rendering those services which have been so nobly and
honourably attested by the language of the commander-
in.chief. The moment the battle was over, he immedi-
ately proceeded to superintend the other part of the.plan.

DARING COURAGE

Brigadier Cureton directed a charge to he made in front
of the enemy's entrenchments, by two of these regiments,
the 16th and the Body Guard. The Ist Regiment of Na-
tive Cavalry, which was a weak regiment, was left in re-
serve, waiting for orders to act. Brigadier Cureton, after
the charge of the other regiments, came up to this regi-
ment, and said, " Now, ny brave boys, charge the camp."
They heard the word, and they did charge the camp ;
they chargell the entrenchment; they got over it; they
forced their way through it. They had the greatest pos-
sible difficulties to encounter, because the enemy's tents
were so near that there was little or no room for the ca-
valry to pass or to form. Nevertheless, in spite of all
these d fficulties they passed on, they saw before them in-
fantry and cavalry whom it was their duty to take, and
they pressed on in spite of these obstacles. Th-re was a
young officer in the regiment, of the name of Ellice, the
son of a right hon. gentleman who is well known, I be-
lieve, to some of your lordships, who headed the attack.
Ele had not joined his regiment for more than a few
months ; he certainly never saw any fighting of the sort
in his life; but Mr. Ellice knew what he had to do, and
that his duty was to press on, and in spite of all these ob-
stacles at:d difficulti' s he galloped on for the purpose of
taking those whom he saw within the entrenchments.
Ile turned round and found that such had been the diffi-
culies that he had only eight mea with him, the rest had
been unable to keep up. When he saw that, he saw that
at the same time a body of the enemy's cavalry before
him, and this boy at the head of these eight men charged
the cavalry. They did not stand to let him bring his
forces against him, but they opened tbeir ranks, and af-
forded him a passage through. They killed four of his
eieht men, and there he was left alone with four followers.
What became of the enemy ? They were all driven at
last into the river, not by this boy and these few men,
hut they must have been panic-struck with the gallantry
of the attack, and by the pressure that was afterwards
made upon them. As an example of the spirit by which
our troops were animated, and of the thirst for glory
which affected them all, this may not perhaps be without
its purpose.

SERVICES OF SIR HARRY SMITH

rt. AS, •
He was at the capture of Monte Video. tie was at the
capture and attack made on Buenos Av res. He served in
the Peninsular war, from the battle of Vimeiro to the bat-
tle of Corunna. He was wounded in action, under Gen.
Crawford at Cna ; he was at Sabagul ; he was at the bat-
tle of Fuentes d'Onor ; he was at the siege of Ciudad Ro-
drigo ' • he was at the siege of Bajadoz ; he was at the bat-
tle of Salamanca; be was at the battle of Vittoria; he was
at Oithes ; he was at the battle of the Pyrenese ; he was
at Toulose ; he was at Washington ; he was at New Or-
leans •, be was at Waterloo. (Loud cheers.) What a se-
ries of gallant services. And how rejoic: ci am I that there
should be the opportunity, through this signal victory, of
bringing before the view of his grateful country a long life
of military exertion, exhibiting at all periods the unbro-
ken spirit of military valour and military honour. After
he had achieved this signal success, for which we are about
to give him our especial thanks—after he had thrown back
the enemy—after he had driven the enemy across the
ricer, he instantly hastened to join his commanding offi-
cer, Sir IL Gough. He advanced on the Bth, two days
before the last victory was gained, to join the forces of Sir
Hugh Gough and Sir Henry Hardinge, and he then took
a part—a distinguished part, in the battle of Sobraon.

DISTINGUISHED EXPLOITS OF TWO DECEASED OFFICERS

Sir Robert Dick entered the service in November, 1800.
He embarked with the 78th Regiment for Sicily in 1806,
and was wounded at the battle of Maida, II e also assisted

at the capture of.Catrone, in Calabria. In 1807 he accom-
panied the expedition to Egypt; was present at the battle
of Alexandria, and was severely wounded at Rosetta. He
embarked with the second battalion of the 42d for the
Peninsula in June, 1809, and commanded a light battalion
at the battle of Busaco. He was at the action of Fez
d'Arouce, where he was wounded; and also at the battle
of Fuentes d'Onor. lie commanded the second battalion
of the 42d during the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo. He com-
manded a light battalion at the battle of Salamanca, and
the first battalion of the 42d at the storming of Fort St.
Michael; also during the siege of Burgos, as well as in
the retreat to Portugal. Jo 1815 he commanded the 42d
Regiment at the battle of Quartre Bras, where he was
again severely wounded. At length he fell in the battle,
for gaining which we are about to return our grateful
acknowledgements to the Indian army. ()n that occasion

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.