The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-02-20 00:00:00

STEAM COMMUNICATION TO INDIA.

We understand that Mr. WAGRORN since lag visit to
staiverpool, has- received such faviittrable propOsals from-
tome of the *most influential merchants as have induced him
2 Proceed to. London forthwith, to lay, the same before
deal
government and the East India Company.• A good
has been said in praise of the expedition whiCh
,R_ltilecl front this port a few days ago for the Euphrates;
ont after
ap all, we cannot look upon that adventure in
3' other light than a whid. job. That a practicable
"iltnunicition can be opened. up to India via the En-
1-4irates, we hold to be all but impossible. - Some facts
nteresting to the lovers of science may be discovered by
the..„ expedition; but what has selectee to do with the real
,°Jeet of forrtiing a rapid communication with the East ?
r"no has only to look at a map to .see that the Mediter-
e tlean, ,cross Egypt, and down the Red Sea to India,
Only natural and safe route: The people of India
e most anxious to see a steam communication formed
:7 this.roule;.and are willing tobehr a large portion of
the cost of it; but as- they have not the materials for
commence
steam' vessels, they look to England to
I,lllnence the Undertaking.. For our part we are con-
:tleed that the time is come when this communication
`l'
the means in their power. If 'Mr. CHARLES GRANT
1,76 justified in' giving £20,000 in support of the Eu-
:,,),lrates expedition, which at the best is but a curious
Zoeature, and by no means a wise speculation, surely
rd
i ELLENBOROUGH would be much more warranted
tngiving twice or ten times that sum, if necessary, to ob-
:in a safe and` rapid communication to India and China,
the
sh enlipracticable route to which we have alluded.
.4:e Public money cannot be .better expended than in
tilling such modes of conveyance, which would bring
eastern possessions one-half nearer to our own,
19ree• In.short, the measure .speaks for itself, and the
taa who shall have the honour of promoting and carry-
-11. -e
it into effect will secure for himself the everlasting
latitude of many millions of" the inhabitants of India
China. The work ntst,be done, and we look to
p:3 rd ELLENBOROUGH, the present government, and the
1.1:18t India ComPany, as the patties who have the power,
we enterprise,, and the,public spirit to perform-it. Mr.
all praise,
zeal and exertions in this matter are beyiind
PNise, and be is entitled to the thanks of the whole
4)raunity ;-and we sincerely -trust that his plans will
oae carried into effect, under the patronage of the govern-.
fearet and the East India Company. It isgratifying to.
ready
that there are gentlemen in Liverpool who are
"Y to assist Mr. WAGnoRN to the fullest extent. -
Tit

E SOUTII SEA DUTIES oN'..I3RITISH SHIPPING

( From a Correspondent.)
t ho these who are not immediately'interested in the South Sea
I'e'l" it may not perhas e known that a duty f a artial and
e4r4sSiVe character is Ipevib , ed upon pri.Zish ship oping p , which has
eii°4lo instances caused the abandonment of an intended voy-
Be t° the Pacific. -
l'h
shill.e duty of three shillings per ton on the ship, that is, one
Ing and sixpence on the outward, -and the like sum on the
wa,
ew
the -su Voyage, together with £2 per cent. (ad valorem) on
to
Phihorgeward cargo, was originally levied on all,vessels trading
laces within • • the limits granted to the South Sea Company,
"th'"441,1 Buenos Ayres on the east, and all the places we trade
ei—
outh
cal the west coast of America. These duties were imposed,
°ller to indemnify the ci own for having purchased from the
South Sea Company their exclusive priiilege of trading to the
d Sea, hy the 55th Geo. cap. 57, which act expressly
14 `tea that these duties shall cease and determine when the
889 the
fund created by that act shall have been completed.
4114 Y the reciprocity treaty entered into with the government of
4°B Ayres a few years since, it is' stipulated that all goods
Ported • . .
higher
into Great Britain from that country shall not pay
fr, duties. than those levied upon merchandize imported
tle4ltl the most " favoured foreign country;" and, in conse-
erentee of this treaty, the goods imported from thenca are ex-
tint ed
fr°lllpaying the South Sea duties, while the toannage.
i 0. British shipping is still retained.
VidAt the period when the act referred to was passed, Monte
401.2' and. in fact, all places on the River Plate, were consi..
Lo 7: to be situate within the limits of the South Sea Company's
contrflitar, and, in consequence, all goods imported froM thenee,
thlt, contribute d toe fund; but in the year 1833 it was discovered
hiv as M Thonte Video, or the territory on the north bank of the
Po," Plate, miyht have been in possession of the crown of
(.44—uri:al before 1710, the-period when the South Sea Company's
re, r was granted; all the South Sea duties paid upon goods

imported from those places, within the Custom-house statute
limitations, were returned, and, of course, have not since tI

time been levied.

'As the fund intended to be created by the 55th Geo. 111. Iva
directed to be charged upon both the shipping and their tar
goes, the abandonment of one of these two sources of revert., .

under a treasury minute, would imply the right or power t(
abandon both. The cargo dutyi,infinitely the most valuable
and the least oppressive, wasitargeable on 'foreign products
while the one retained falls exclusively and oppressively on th.
British shipowner. The question then to be now considered is
have the shipowners paid their quota towards this fund, or is thl
tax to be continued until they only have raised the require('
amount? With respect to the South Sea duties it will be seer
that a treaty of reciprocity has virtually annulled an act of par.
liament in the most important of its provisions ; the minister 01
the day, who suspended these cargo duties, was, no doubt, pro-
tected by the annual indemnity act, which is generally passed
without being attended to by the members of either house of
Parliament. The tonnage duties paid in the port of Liverpoo.
amount to about three thousand pounds per annum, and this
sum we have reason to suppose is equal to the whole amount
collected in all the other ports.
Enough has been said to excite some further inquiry into this
subject. The sum collected is too trifling to be of the smallest
consequence as an object of revenue, but is exceedingly op-
pressive from the partial nature of its operation.

CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST-INDARD.

SIR,-With mingled sentiments of surprise and disgust, the
parishioners of North Meols have heard of the slanderous and
spiteful maledictions of "Civis" and Co., as inserted in that
vermiculous print, the Mercury of Friday last. It was to be
hoped that, the contest of the election over, all reference to the
past would have been buried in oblivion, and the peace of the
parish generally become the aim of " every resident therein.
But these anticipations are disappointed, and "Civis" has gain-
said his own recent declaration--"that he would not again in-
terfere as regarded the late contest," by ridiculing and stigma-
tising.men who never injured him, nor ever wished to do so—
men industriously and quietly following their own avocations,
and leaving others to do the same..
The rankling and festering genius of disappointment hath
yet sway over some minds • and an amusing and well-told
paragraph in the ManchesterLieurier, -respecting a rustic voter
from the moors, near Bolton, forms the weak and silly pretext
for "Civis" to ridicule the olden, fashion of the natives of this
parish, as regards their mode of accosting or designating each
other by their patronymic , appellations!—such as "fatty's
Dick," "Margery's Peter," &c. You, sir, and every well-
informed ruind—any person who has travelled through various
counties of England—will know that different counties pro-
.nounce a different dialect; and that.many towns in one county
(this for instance) have a different idiom or form of expres-
sion; and it is a well-known fact, that many provinces in Italy
scarcely understand the language of a neighbouring province.
To argue that such forms, or customary modes of expression,
are proofs of either ignorance, want of natural discrimination,
or powers of reasoning, is both absurd and renascent of long-
exploded errors. The electors of this parish will not yield, in
point of sagacity, natural shrewdness, or powers of reasoning,
to either " Civis" or his complottino abettors; and notwith-
standing all comparisons are odious, 'I
will boldly assert that
they are far more progressive in Civilization and christian edu-
cation, than many portions of this county; and this, too, with-
out being in possession, of equal facilities of obtainingknow-
ledge. If sectarian dissatisfaction does not spread its baneful
influence with sufficient rapidity—if political demoralization
bath not yet tainted their minds, and rendered them discon-
tented, idle, and envious—it must and will be acknowledged
by all whose opinions are worthy attention, that such facts are
strong indications of natural and sound powers of reasoning,
rather than, as wily " Civis" would insinuate, proofs of igno-
rance ! I will wager the Wrekin, near Salop, to a single sand-
hill, that "ninety-nine out of every hundred" of the conserva-
tive voters of this parish have a better knowledge, and more
consistent action, in the principles of right and wrong, than
those who would wickedly' asperse them, through the medium
of that weekly trash bag, the Mercury; and certain I am, that
not all the ignited cinders of sedition—not all the burning lava
of impiety vomited forth from the Lord-street crater—will ever
divert them from that course they have adopted. If some
dozen or so of disaffected spouters and scribblers have not
hitherto succeeded in their efforts to qpread their nets, and
catch votaries to any extent, it augurs favourably for the
parish; and when I state that about 220/of 250 voters (exclu-
sive of Birkdale) in this 'parish, polled foiEgerton and Wil-
braham, the friends of order will rejoice and be satisfied. ' -
Having stated what I feel and know to be facts, I shall not,
Mr. Editor, occupy your columns in rebutting the coarse per-
sonalities of "Civis;" they carry their own foil along with
them. No threats, no intimidation, no unfair practices were
resorted to in this parish in canvassing for the conservative
interest; no power, by authority, nor by assumption, beyond
that of fair reasoning, and .argument, and truth; and these
1 trusty and good weapons were successful in putting General
"Civis" and his Falstaff regiment completely hors de comb-at!
and hence the. bitterness of wailing of the' vanquished I No
steward, no "underling," no solicitor, (personally and coarsely
designated,) no canvasser, fought with any weapons but such
as I have stated. Verbum sat.
With regard to several falsehoods in "Civis's" mass of spleen
and vituperation, I shall be very brief. The 30 voters for
Molyneux and Wood contains a list of men who disturb the
penal in every ppssible way; some by sowing. the seeds of evilgoing from house to h;use, 'with religion on
tiprand discontent in their hearts; some by fighting
w,whilst one or two of their voters are far more
imbecile and bigotted devoteei than is prudent to express.
The scenes that "Civis" witnessed at the polling.-booth were
not more than two in number, and he could not witness much,
for he was not there two enntintious hours, and that to get a
bill sanctioned. There isaint one 'voter in this parish but well
knows his ;christian and surname, can pronounce them readily
and distinctly, and, if some cannot write their names, they at
least know how to spell them, and that is mote than can be
said for " Civis's" talent;.
I will make no remarks upon these
.proofs of falsehood ; but
shall close with stating -that certain- individuals in the whig-
radical interest here scoured the parish often; they. influenced
one voter's wife to scratch his face, and a tailor not to make
him a pair of trousers, because lie would support Egerton and
Wilbraham. Another voter 'had two loads of dung given to
him if he would vote for Molvneux and Wood. Several-
weavers have been refused work on the same account, in this
parish.
~
The malignant and slandered residents of this parish earnestly
hope that you will give this a place in your coluinns as soon asriossible'
that they may not be placed in a false and scurrilous
light be fore the rest of the county, by the Liverpool. Mercury
or.its myrmidons. - PUBLICOLA.
Southport, Feb. 18, 1835.