The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-02-22 00:00:00

LOCAL.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.—We perceive that Mr. Ewart
has presented a petition from certain inhabitants of Liver-
pool, in favour of a system of Ntional Education.
We should, indeed' rejoice beyond measure to see one
kind of national education established—an education
which should involve religion as its master principle.
Such a national education would be an immeasurable
blessing : but one which excluded, or compromised, or
nullified religion, would be a deadly and an irremediable
curse. We had rather, ten thousand times over, see
ballot, annual parliaments, universal suffrage, and a long
train of similar nuisances introduced than a system of
national education, which, under pretence of peace,
should remove the only hope and the only way of peace
to fallen man, by excluding the knowledge of God and
' of his Word.
We desire, certainly, to see constructed, if it be pos-
sible, such a system of national education as shall tend
to attach the people to our reformed and scriptural Church,
yet without excluding from its benefits • the. children
of Dissenters holding the fundamental truths of Christi-
anity. They must be included : but .as to attempting
the inclusion of others who deny the essential points of
the Christian faith, it were fatuity and wickedness to
attempt it.
Mr. Ewart said, he saw with joy that a notice had been
placed on the books, of a motion for establishing a system
of national education. It has been placed on the books,;
and, we lament to say, by Mr. Roebuck, a reputed writer
in the Westminster Review ; which Review is, as is
known to many of our readers, active in the support of
infidel principles ! Will Christian men contemplate
with joy the announcement of any system which can
emanate from such a quarter ? We consider that we
act the part of a friend, and not a foe, when we beseech
Mr. Ewart to think well, and pause long, before he again
lends the sanction of his name to a proposal, likely to in-
volve, what would be of all others. the surest means of
destroying our national character and institutions, apd
drawing down upon us the displeasure of an offended
God.

DISFRANCHISEMENT PETITION.-It IS currently rumoured
that a most disgraceful overture was made to Lord Sandon, by
a deputation now in London, to the effect that if he would sup-
port a bill for the disfranchisement of the old freemen, they,
the deputation, would not proceed with a petition against his
lordship's return for this borough. It is needless to add, that
Lord Sandon indignantly rejected the proposal. Our readers
may rest assured, that as soon as the particulars of this honour-
able proceeding on the part of the deputation are permitted to
transpire, we will nut fail to make them public, as well as the
names of the parties implicated. In the meantime we shall
feel indebted to any of our friends who may be enabled to.fur-
nish us with the names of any of the parties who signed the
disfranchisement petition. e have already in our possession
about fifty of their leading inen,_ which we purpose publishing
very shortly for the perusal of the freemen, in order that they
may see and know who are their real friends. . •

Loon SANDON.--We understand that the petition against
the return of Lord Sandon as member for this Borough, which
was so noisily announced to have been forwarded some time
since, has been abandoned, in consequence of, the fallacy of
the grounds on which it was supposed to rest.
In our shipping intelligence will be found a melancholy ac-
count of different vessels either totally. wrecked cr driven on
shore during the gale of Wednesday night. It is some conso-
lation that the loss of life is not so great as might have been
reasonably expected; yet we fear that all the disasters which
have occurred are not yet known. A long continuance of west-
erly gales has detained a great number of vessels in port for
some time past, but the wind having come round yesterday to
the eastward, about 60 sail of vessels put to sea for foreign ports;
besides an almost innumerable host of coasters.

WATSON V. COL4UITT.—The trial of this cause, which, as
our readers may recollect, was an action found on some state-
ments made biCapt. Colquitt, affecting the seaworthiness of
the Roam!, Castle steamer, of which Mr. Watson was the
owner, has terminated, we understand, in a Nonsuit.
LIVERPOOL. AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.—We understand
that the bill for making this railway will be brought into the
House of Commons in a few days.

PaEsf (Yr; GAS the House of Commons on Friday,
the petition for lighting the town of Prescot with gas was re-
ported, and referred to the select committee on standing orders.
Sometime in the course of the forenoon of yesterday, while
the servants were engaged in the front part of the house, some
thieves effected an entrance through the backdoor of a house, in
Anson-street, and carried off a number of silver spoons. This
is the third robbery of this description that has occurred in the
same street within a very short period.
FIRE.—On Tuesday night a fire broke out on the premises of
Mr. Watkinson,' tobacconist, Old Haymarket, which notwith-
standing the prompt and strenuous exertions of the firemen and
police, we regret to state, was very destructive in -its conse-
quences. It was first discovered, we believe, by a gentleman
who was passing about half-past nine o'clock, who observing a
smoke issuing from the shop, communicated his fears to the
'watchman that the place was on fire. The alarm was given,
and soon after the flames burst upwards with great fury. The
engines of the Manchester, West of England, and. Royal
Exchange Companies were quickly on the spot, but though the
supply of water was immediate and abundant, and the working
of the engines most efficient, they produced no visible effect
upon the fire, which, fanned by a strong wind, raged most
furiously, till in an incredibly short space of time, the whole
interior of the front building, the upper portion of .which was,
we understand, occupied. by Mr. 'Janson,- a chairmaker, was
consumed, leaving nothing nut the walls standing. The flames
had by this time communicated to the back warehouse of Mr.
Watkinson, which was quickly destroyed. By the unremitting
exertions of the engine-workers, the conflagration was pre-
vented from spreading to any of The adjoining premises, though
they appeared to be in considerable danger. It has not yet
been ascertained how the fire originated. The prevalent
rumour is, that it was communicated from the tobacco stove
in the warehouse of Mr. Watkinson.
On Tuesday night, during the fire, to which it was no doubt
imagined the whole attention of the police would be directed, an
attempt was made to rob the shop of Mr. Samuel, pawnbroker,
at the bottom of Atherton-street. Fortunately the thieves were
disturbed before they had time to commit the intended depre-
dation.