The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-07-26 00:00:00

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

The most important article of news in the Paris Jour-
nals of the 20th is contained in the Journal des Debuts,
which announces with all due solemnity, that the King
and Madame Adelaide left Neuilly for Paris at fifty -jive
minutes past twelve o'clock. It is a pity that the exact
journalist did not add whether it was solar or mean time,
by the dial in the garden or the clock over the stables. It is
a lesson for our Court Newsman to mind his P's and Q's
in this respect, and, not be behind his French brother in
accu racy.

The subscription for Lafitte the banker proceeds slowly.
Fresh appeals are made to the public in his favour for
Louis Philippe is a'rigorous creditor ; he has foreclosed
his mortgage on Lafitte's property, in return for his pav-
ing the Duke of Orleans' way to the throne. We never
liked either M. Lafitte or his principles, but Louis Philippe
always professed to admire both; besides, it was at Lafitte's
house that the resistance to the ordinances of Charles X
was organized ; it was his money that consolidated the
revolution,- it was his funds that afforded the first relief
to the sufferers ; it was he and Dupin who raised the
Duke of Orleans to the throne. It was the revolution
of 1830 and the accession of Louis Philippe that ruined
him, but the Harpagon King has forgotten all this--a
striking example of the virtues of a Citizen King ! Yet
Lafitte obtained for him a civil list of eighteen millions
of francs, twelve millions of which he put into his sav-
ings bank, and if the journals tell truth, he sent it for
safety to England and America.
The French ministerial journals declared that the con-
struction of detached forts was abandoned; to this asser-
tion the National gives the lie direct, . and publishes the
certificate of several inhabitants of Bagnolet, a village
close to Paris, and which is attested and certified as true
by the deputy ulayor. This document proves that go-
vernment up to that very day (the 19th) was sending
every 'day aye i mmense quantity of materials for con-
structing the fort. The editor adds that in a day or two
he will give several similar certificates. So much for
ministerial assertions. _

Yet both the National and the Tribune have been
seized for having asserted that the construction of the
forts was not abandoned.
The colony of Algiers is in the most dreadful state.
A committe of eight men " unknown to fame" are to be
sent to inquire into the cause, and to see what is to be
done. _ _

The Courts of Vienna and the Turneries do not seem
to be very cordial. The Augsburgh Gazette, the semi-
official journal of the Austrian Government, does not
spare Louis Philippe; and the Journal des Debats at-
tacks the German paper and tries to rouse France to
avenge the insults offered to the Citizen King. It says,
" A people cannot remain a stranger to the humiliations
and the reverses of those who preside over its destinies."
As to the humiliations, certes the Citizen King has his
daily share of them; and as to reverses, the Journal
des Debats is inspired with the spirit of prophecy, Alas,
poor France! we thought she presided over 'her own des-
tinies; but no, they wait the nod of the Citizen King.
If this be not humiliation, we know not what is.—Guar-
dian and Public Ledger.

LIVERPOOL BURGESSES.— We are not generally in-
clined to enter upon the politics of other boroughs, but
we cannot avoid offering a few remarks on the late pro-
ceedings towards the old Freemen of Liverpool, out of
consideration to those of our own town. There may
have been malpractices at former elections in Liverpool,
but the original understanding was, that if the Commit-
tee of the House of Commons appointed to investigate
the Petition presented against the result of the last elec-
tion in that borough were satisfied that no bribery ex-
isted on that occasion, no ulterior proceedings were to
take place. It is in proof that a more immaculate elec-
tion never occurred in any borough, and yet the old free-
men, in contravention of a previous specific understand-
ing, are to be further harrassed by parliamentary pro-
ceedings. It does appear to us that this step can only
have been taken by certain parties at Liverpool for the
purpose of annihilating the municipal freemen there, in
order that more influence may be given to the ten-pound
householders. If the object by a certain class of politi-
cal adventurers be to destroy the old constituencies of
the kingdOm, which we more than suspects in order to
give more power to the new ones, it behoves this and
all the ancient boroughs of the kingdom to be on the
alert and make the case of Liverpool their own, for they
know not how soon their turn may come In the work of
spoliation. Why are not the old and new constituencies
to work together ? That was a main object of the sup-
porters of the Reform Bill, according to their own state-
ments.—Salopian Journal.

It is a piece of supererogation to set about finding
whether bribery and corruption, to such an amount, has
long existed in Liverpool ; nobody doubts it: the mys-
tery is, how this is to be connected with the present race
of burgesses, and what it has to do with being brought as
a make-weight to transactions acknowledged to carry no
penalty with themselves. The chief reason why it is now
right to accumulate these with the faults of the last elec-
tion is one, we must allow, which shows the party far
above the vulgar ambition of being noted for common
sense. It is alleged, on the proof that I:4 or £5 were the
utmost expended in bribery under the new system, while
tens of thousands have been spent at one election under
the old, that there is not, and cannot be, any change in
the corruption of Liverpool, without the entire removal
of those on whom that corruption has been practised !
This only shows that minds may be as impervious to facts
as they are to reason. But surely, if the practice of bri-
bery remains the same, it must be as liable to the punish-
ment on recent charges as on any so long ago as 1823,
so that the very fact of seeking evidence so far back re-
futes
the assertion that the freemen are as corrupt now
as they were formerly. And if the practice is not the
same, as the result of the laborious inquisition must sa-
tisfy every common understanding, there is not even the
shadow of their own argument left, for confounding the
offences of the two periods together, in order to heap up
destruction to those freemen's privileges. Why it should
be supposed, also, that amongst a body of ten or twelve
thousand electors, all exercising the same rights, and in
the same manner, the old burgesses are the only indivi-
duals who stand in the way of this being a perfectly pure
constituency, we are at a loss to conceive, unless it be
that a majority of them have generally been found in op-
position to a certain party, for which they are to be got
rid of by any means. As far as the law could take away
the power of exacting bribes it has done so; and if they
are given from a voluntary perversion of principle, cer-
tainly the vote of a householder is worth as much as that
of a freeman. By what rule, then, are the burgesses of
Liverpool more susceptible of corruption than all the
other electors, who are precisely in the same situation ?
We are far from urging this as an argument against the
possibility of bribery ; we only bring it forward that peo-
ple may know how much value to attach to the smooth
pretence, that the burgesses are only to be struck out be-
cause they hinder the borough from becoming perfectly
pure. With respect to the honest design of condemning
a body of men on facts so long gone by, we have only
this to say, that as many of the persons whose offences
are to be visited upon the heads of the present freemen
have been dead for years, and many of the present free-
men were not in existence at the time when those offences
were committed, we are promised a kind of proceeding,
for the benefit of English justice and purity, beside which
some of the outrages of the inquisition or the star-cham-
ber might hide their diminished heads.—Liverpool
Courier. . _

We are glad to see that there is some prospect of an
end being put to those alarming
_combinations, the
Trades' Unions. The masteri; in`different parts of the
country, appear to be at last bestirring themselves.
Those of Liverpool and its vicinity have resolved not to
employ workmen who are members of any of those
Unions, and have published an address to that effect.
The Leeds master-dyers have unanimously come to the
determination not to employ a single workman any way
connected with the Trades' Union; consequently about
eight hundred hands are thrown out of employment.
These men had a meeting on Woodhouse Moor on Mon-
day last. We are informed that the workmen engaged
at the various cloth manufactories resolved to " turn out"
in the course of this week. There was also a meeting
on Tuesday, at Leeds, of the master bricklayers, masons,
plasterers, and builders, to determine upon the best steps
to be taken in this emergency; and similar measures
are contemplated by the manufacturers, both in cloth and
stuffs, in this neighbourhood. We heartily wish that the
masters, all over the kingdom, may have the good sense
to adopt a similar course, and the firmness to persevere in
it. By such a course only can they hope to save them-
selves—and not only themselves, but the misguided men
whose conduct drives them to it—from the most fearful
consequences. There are thousands upon thousands of
workmen, in the counties of York and Lancaster alone,
now living in a state of rebellious idleness, and the
licentiousness which necessarily attends it—squandering
the earnings of their forgotten industry, while their
wives and children are depending for subsistence on the
funds raised, by the nefarious organization of these
Unions, for the purpose of enabling them to stand out
till their ends are accomplished. The contagion is spread-
ing, and if not effectually checked, will continue to
spread till it pervade the whole operative body ; and then,
what must be the state of a country filled with an idle,
starving, and desperate population, ready to listen to
the suggestions of the tempters who are always busy, at
such seasons, and ripe for every kind of disorder and
violence ?—Halifax Guardian.

We have just seen a letterfrom MOntrose, which states that
twelve sudden deaths have recently taken place at Ferryden,
in that neighbourhood, from a disease which had all the symp-
toms of malignant cholera.—Edinburgh Evening Post.
• An insolvent debtor, of the name of Wm. Longstaff, bread-
baker, Durham, who intends to apply for his discharge at the
next sitting of the commissioner, states, -in his schedule, that
the cause of his insolVency arose from the following facts, viz. :
—" in having a large family to support, and entertaining the
primitive methodist or ranter preachers."—Newcastle Journal.

' ' \ '1

JULY 26, 181:,•ed

KENTUCKY SPORTS.

We have individuals in Kentucky, kind readet,a;a-,
even there are considered wonderful adepts in the feat,
agement of the rifle. To drive a nail is a comnionii,
not more thought of by the Kentuckyians than to e,_';.,15,
a wild turkey's head, at a distance of a hundred ~°lrsa,
Others will iarh off Squirrels one after another, ton
tisfied with the number procured. Some, less intarie a
destroying game, may be seen under night alizle.irt
candle at the distance of fifty yards off-hand, night"'
tinguishing it. I have been told that some have Pfra foe
so expert and cool as to make choice of the eve ° are'
at a wonderful distance, boasting beforehand of the fully
ness of their piece, which has afterwards bee
proved when the enemy's head has been exaininlavi:ig
Havin resided some years in Kentucky, and
Pre
more than once been witness of rifle sport, I sha--, volt
sent you with the result of my observation, leavittb that
to judge how far rifle shooting is understood
In
State. ert
Several individuals who consider themselves exP t, fur
the management of the gun are often seen to to tri•
the purpose of displaying their skill ; and betting 4,.00.
fling sum, put up a target, in the centre of which a_uf iti
mon-sized nail is hammered for about two-thirds °cow
length. The marksmen make choice of what theYfaeh
cider a proper distance, which may be forty Paees,', err
man cleans the interior of his tube, which is ea"eSuring
ping it, places a ball in the palm of his hand, Pt' This
as much powder from his horn as will cover itA.;.taace
quantity is supposed to be sufficient for any clese
within a bundled yards. A shot which comes veir.orebt
to the nail is considered as that of a very sole'
marksman; the bending of the nail is, of course, -0 tbe
what better; but nothing less than hitting it tight °t' the
bead is satisfactory. Well, kind reader, one out
_O, the
three shots generally hits the nail; and shoulaeo
shooters amount to half a dozen, two nails are fretladrire
needed before each can have a shot. Those wlto
4
the nail have a further trial amongst themseice'o'fflit
the two best shots out of these generally settle al spell'
when all the sportsmen adjourn to some house, 11.,,b"
an hour or two in friendly intercourse, appoillt1;11e
fore they part, a day for another trial. This is
cally termed Driving the Nail. s'°li
Barking of squirrels is delightful sport, and in a'„'
nion requires a greater degree of accuracy tha-sqei'
other. I first witnessed this manner of procurinf,
rels whilst near the town of Frankfort. The Per tor
was the celebrated Daniel Boon. We walked OtlttA
ther, and followed the rocky margins of the hoover
river until we reached a piece of flat land thickly c'eperl'
with black walnuts, oaks, and hickories. As the g
mast was a good one that year, squirrels were 013.5';
holing on every tree around us. My companinnt:otio
hale, and athletic man, dressed in a homespun, Pfi—g o'l
shirt, bare legged, and moccasined, carried a twroc,,,t"
heavy rifle, which, as he was loading it, he said hal,leb 7
efficient in all his former undertakings, and w",„"oci
hoped would not fail on this occasion, as he felt Prfoei,"
show me his skill. gun was wiped, the powei%
sured, the ball patched with six-hundred-thread line,:tibu"
the charge sent home with a hickory rod. We 111,grI),I
00
°
a step from the place, for the squirrels were so 0-5
that it was unnecessary to go after them. Boon rd
to one of these animals which had observed 700
was crouched on a branch about fifty paces„hit,
and bade me mark well where the ball show', hejo'
He raised his piece gradually until the head (tha:of
the name given by the Kentuckians to the sight),be
barrel was brought to a line with the spot wiliediP rOIIF,
tended to hit. The whip-like report resounded 'AI
the woods and along the hills, in repeated echoes.; billy.
of my surprise when I perceived that the ball haundo,,r
piece of bark immediately beneath the squirrel, a" V'
vered it into splinters, the concussion produced hri,`
had killed the animal and sent it whirling throi oil
air, as if it had been blown up by the -explosie'ltri
powder magazine. Boon kept up his firing, ait
fore many hours had elapsed, we had procured asesg
squirrels as we wished; for you must know, kindhr,ttif
that to load a rifle requires only a moment, and tlotir.,
is wiped once after each shot, it will do duty WI be
Since that first interview with our veteran Boon,
seen many other individuals perform the same ferotry,
The snuffing of a candle with a ball I first ba°,r, 71,
poitunity of seeing near the banks of Green Riv:iol';'
far from a large pigeon-roost, to which I had Vrei't,oy.:
made a visit. I ieard many reports of guns dur,;elll'
early part of a dark night, and, knowing them to cf;
of rifles, I went towards the spot to ascertain the of
~
On reaching the place I was welcomed by a dozelityr,
stout men, who told me they were exercising for, tlie
pose of enabling them to shoot under night a', 0:1
fleeted light from the eyes of a deer or wolf, 1;14 r;,.
light. A fire was blazing near, the smoke of NO:et $
curling among the thick foliage of the trees. `-t0),,,j
tance which rendered it
,scarcely distinguishable e r
burning candle, as if intended for an offering t° t':at3'd
dess of night, but which in reality was only fifty Y",etitde
which we all stood. One man was within a few,or.-13t
it, to watch the effect of the shots, as well as to
candle should it chance to go out, or to replace ''';ieyr
the shot cut it across. Each marksman shot in h'i" $1;
Some never hit either the snuff or the candle, at'Leats
congratulated with a loud laugh ; while others ltei
snuffed the candle without putting it out, and ' rsite
compensed for their dexterity with numerous hurory
One of them, who was particularly expert, was
tunate, and snuffed the candle three times out:b; or c
whilst all the other ca
shots either put out the nu
e I
it immediately under the light.
Of the feats performed by the Kentuckians ‘l,op
rifle, I could say more than might be expediettiof
present occasion. In every thinly peopled Pt°ithet4
the state, it is rare to meet one without a gun °'
scription, as well as a tomahawk. By way of tecteb'd
they often cut off a piece of the bark of a tree, oar ot.l
get of it, using a little powder wetted with waterilebt
liva for the bull's eye, and shoot into the mark allmt
they have about them, picking them out of t'
again.—Audubon's Ornithological Biography