The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-09-24 00:00:00

SELF-SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS.

It will perhaps be known to some of our readers that
Mr. John Minter Morgan, a gentleman, we understand,
of independent fortune, has for some years past been en-
deavouring in the metropolis to raise the necessary funds
for the commencement of what he terms " Self-supporting
Institutions." His object is, by means of an entire re-
form, or reconstruction, of the fabric of society, to re-
move the evils inseparable from the present system,
(particularly as affecting the working classes,) by religious,
moral, and industrial training in rural establishments of
so many families and individuals as can be drawn together
for that purpose, and induced as one common family to re-
trieve themselves from the destitution, vices, temptations,
!and other evils of crowded cities and communities, and
work together for the common good on that principle of
equality of rights, privileges, and rewards, which he ima-
gines to be the most conducive to human happiness, and
the most in accordance with the intent and purport of the
Christian religion. It may also be known that he has
been countenanced by some distinguished clergymen, and
that a prospectus to obtain shareholders for one " model"
institution has been drawn up at Exeter-hall, from which
it appears that, with an outlay of about £60,000, such an
establishment, capable of accommodating, employing,
and' supporting 300 poor families, averaging four each,
may be fairly put to the test—that £4,000 a year might be
thus realised—and that a petition from him was, in
March last, presented to parliament, representing his
scheme, and praying that in the Inclosure Bills now in
progress provisions may be made for eligible portions of
land, for such purpose.
Mr. Morgan, in furtherance of his object, has com-
menced a tour through the provinces, and is now in this
town. We had the pleasure of visiting him at his private
lodgings, on Friday evening, to hear his explanations.
The meeting was preliminary, we learned, to a public one.
Mr. Morgan entered into a long exposition of his plan,
which he illustrated by a large transparent painting of a
community located under it, and which certainly repre-
sented a pleasing landscape, with a quadrangle of cottages
and public buildings, a large farm, gardens, and addenda,
and groups of well-clad individuals, young and old, in the
wooded foreground, with cheerful countenances—a pic-
ture, indeed, of happiness, the realization of which were
" devoutly to be wished." Although the theory was
pleasing, startling objections were raised by some of those
present as to the possibility, in the complicated state of
modern society, of bringing it into practice. We may
briefly state, that it appeared to us to be precisely the
" social system", so long and unsuccessfully advocated
and attempted by Robert Owen and his followers ; but,
we must pointedly impress, with this great and redeeming
difference, that the author, (who admits it to be a modifi-
cation of a preconception,) in place of exhibiting a care-
lessness or a scsrn of religion, makes religious education
and moral training the basis and hope upon which he relies
for success—his motto being, " Love God with all thy
soul, and thy neighbour as thyself and, in reference to
the happiness that might be enjoyed under such a system,
" Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added unto you."
In his printed explanation he states :
Competition, a principle at all times hostile to the best inter-
ests of Religion and Humanity, becomes more intense with the
progress of machinery, which, although rapidly advancing the
wealth of the nation, reduces the value of labour, and thus,
misdirected, inflicts upon the people poverty, demoralisation,
and increasing misery. A complete Model Institution, discard-
ing competition, once established, a new and more happy era
of Christianity will commence.
We much question the practicability of this doctrine of
non-competition ; for competition is, to our thinking, only
another word for that superior exertion, mental or physical,
or both, which produces superior articles or works, and is
the main promoter of excellence. It would be all very well
if mankind could be induced, on a large scale, to with-
draw from their present modes of subsistence (fluctuating
and uncertain as they are) ; renounce all further haza-d
in the grand lottery of the noisy world, and betake them-
selves to secluded valleys or mountains, there to live in
quadrangles of given size ; submit themselves to strict
discipline and reciprocating employment for the general
good of the whole, without a desire to amass extraordi-
nary wealth, or to yearn after extraordinary distinctions.
This might do for those who have long been destitute or
unfortunate: such might there find a happy asylum ; but
while men's minds are so differently constituted as they
are, this cannot take place to such an extent as to amelio-
rate the general family of mankind. The liberty of intel-
lect would be bated down ; ambitious spirits would arise
demanding greater rewards for superior skill or talent,
and all would again revert to the present struggle for life,
competency, or fortune. The clever man may, it is said,
indeed, withdraw himself from the institution and exert
his talents elsewhere. If so, these establishments would
resolve themselves into mere seminaries or colleges of
education and industry. They seem to be best, if not ex-
clusively, suited for an isolated rural population, who
might cultivate waste lands to advantage,and by a division
or reciprocation of labour in the various handicrafts supply
each other with the common necessaries of life ; but com-
petition being excluded, they could never become either
wealthy or great. For commercial or maritime pursuits ;
for the purposes of science, in mining, engineering, &c.,
or for thepromotion of commerce—without which civilized
countries must retrogade and savage countries remain in
stale quo—they would be totally inapplicable. A Milton,
a Newton, a Cook, a Brunell, or a Stephenson, could
scarcely be expected to confine himself within the walls of
such a settlement. There are other objections arising
from the variety of religions, politics, general government,
&c., which form an inseparable barrier against their
adoption. the thing is impossible without an entire
change in the whole system of our internal polity. Ilovy
would the taxes be collected from persons who thus lived
in common occupation of ranges of cottages, and pos-
sessed no individual property ? How would they exercise
the franchise ? or would any of them be qualified ? We
could dilate on the subject, but we consider it unneces-
sary to say more.

MR. CHARLES KEMBLE'S READINGS FROM
SHAKESPEARE.

On Tuesday last, this eminent actor gave the first of
his course of readings from Shakespeare, which have be a
so successful in London, at the Collegiate Institutio;,,
which was crowded on the occasion by a numerous and
fashionable audience. The play selected was, " Romeo
and Juliet," and excited great interest, not only from the
circumstance of Mr. Kemble's known ability and taste as
a Dramatic Reader, hut also from that of the leading cha-
racter of the piece (Romeo) having been the chief d'oeuvre
of his career as an actor. The expectations of the audi-
ence were not deceived. Considering the advanced pe-
riod of life of the recitor, and the consequent want of that
fire and vigor which distinguished his more youthful im-
personations, the various characters were beautifully
pour rayed, and the whole given in thebest and purest taste.
Mr. Kemble was greeted, on his entrance, with acclama-
tions ; and throughout theevening, in the mosteffective por-
tions of the play, was loudly applauded. On Friday evening,
the First Part of King Henry IV. was given, with a happy
union of force with comic humour, every character, from
the fiery Hotspur to the "inimitable Jack Falstaff."
being nature itself, a little tamed down, it is true, stripped
of the rant and glitter of the stage, but still—nature. At
the conclusion of the reading, Mr. Kemble retired amidst
loud plaudits, due, we are sure not more to the talent dis-
played,!than to the private character which this last:of the
distinguished race of the Kembles has carried from the
stage unsullied into private life. The reading for this
evenieg will be the tragedy of Julius Cmsar.

SOLUTION OF A KNOTTY POINT.—A contemporary
of Saturday remarks that " the dispute now raging
between some of the local papers, relative to the
right of the magistrates to dismiss Orangemen from the
police office," (Query, force ?) " is a very simple one.
The point appears to us to be this :—Were the parties re-
ferred to found in flagrante delicto?" It is a pity surely
that any parties should go to law to decide a question so
easy of solution. It may be remarked, however, that our
contemporary does not inform us what he means by
Orangemen beinc, found in flagrante delicto." We pre-
sume he means being caught in the act of doing something
very heinous ; but whether that something very heinous
consisted in drinking " The glorious, pious, and immortal
memory," swallowing the Pope alive, or some other
enormity, we cannot for the life of us make out. Will
our contemporary inform the Town-clerk, the Watch
Committee, the Magistrates, the Lawyers, and our hum-
ble selves, what he means by the Orangemen in the police
force being " caught in flagrante delicto."
CURIOUS MOVEMENT IN THE DUBLIN CORPORA.-
TION.—A. special meeting of the Dublin Corporation is
fixed for to-morrow, (Wednesday,) at which Mr. O'Con-
nell and the whole body of the town council, it is ex-
pected, will be present, for the purpose of taking into
consideration the following notice of motion, which has
been placed on the books by Dr. Maunsell, one of the
leading conservatives :—" That a humble address be pre-
sented to the Queen, praying that her Majesty will be
graciously pleased to hold her court, and to summon an
imperial parliament to meet at least once in every three
years in her loyal city of Dublin ; also, that she will re-
commend to the consideration of parliament the propriety
of making such provisions as shall secure that the same
shall be done in future times." The motion will receive
the unqualified support of Alderman Butt, and the whole,
if not all, the conservative section of the town council—
and will probably meet with no great opposition from Al-
derman O'Connell and the repealers. The question in-
volved in the motion is not, perhaps, worth very serious
consideration, but any immediate movement which is
likely to combine the two antagonist parties must be re-
garded as indicative of a modified state of feeling with
respect to the agitation which now distracts the country.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE LITURGY !—The Mercury of
last week has the following morceau in his notices to cor-
respondents, under the head of " Improvement of the
Liturgy l"
" We have for some time had in reserve the letter of A Sincere
Friend to the Church, advising that the Sunday service of the
Church should be rendered somewhat shorter, and, therefore,
more acceptable to thousanes, especiafly of the young; not,
however, by omitting any thing that is said in the service, ex-
cept the repetitions; it is too beautiful to be mutilated; but he
thinks it unnecessary to pray three distinct times for the Queen
(lately this was done lour times) in a forer,con, or to recite the
Lord's Prayer five times, to use two distinct but similar creeds,
or to repeat the " Gloria" so very frequently as at present. if
Lord's Prayer being the most solemn act of the ser-
vice,sermon were limited to half an hour, he con-
ceives the
the prayers were always concluded within the hour, the offering
up i
v of
alle
thateisuch a space of time at one meeting would be ample
for e
public devotion and edification, and he
cs l
and
the
i
expresses his belief that the Church would receive a large acces-
sionone ;the pa be t
of adherents. If we have room some day, we will give his
o
acrestlamsl mightt h o
bu e-
letter at length.
We would suggest to this wiseacre, as his next feat in the
improving line, an improvement of the Old and New
sands, especially of the young." Perhaps the four Gos-
TpeelsstammiegnhtPts",brPeteocs
cut
of
nteddoe them
"more
down
ninto
condensed, for instance, " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
of sabaoth " might be shortened into "Holy God of
sabaoth." and other portions of the sacred volume con-
siderably simplified. H • aving executed this great work,
he might proceed to the still more diffic
ult one of improv-
ing the Liverpool Mercury, after any ,
which
one, or all of
the labours of Hercules would b e child's play to him.

Sept. 24, 1844.

BRAZIL.

The following very important intelligence being part of
a letter to a commercial house in this town, was posted
in the Underwriters' Rooms here on Friday. It explains
the statement previously-alluded to in the London papers/
" Bahia, July 30.
"The latest dates from Rio are to the lith instant.
The packet had been detained in_ consequence of a new
treaty, the ratification of which- is to be sent on by her.
It is also reported that Monte Video is again to be a pro-
vince of the Brazils, she having solicited the protection of
the empire under the guarantee of Great Britain and
France. It is evident that there are preparations made
for sending troops to the river. Plate."
Ihe packet is now overdue about three weeks, and as r
it is asserted that she was detained at Rio for the ex-
change of the ratifications, her non-arrival gives some
colour to the report. We believe, however, says the
Herald of yesterday, that we will be found right in pre-
suming that no treaty conferring any special privilege on
our commerce in the ports of Brazil is to be expected,
and that the basis of any arrangement will be merely to
place us on the footing of the most favoured nations.

Thomas Forsaveth, Esq., has been appointed Recorder
of Cork.
The Rev. Dr. Scoresby, vicar of Bradford, has reached
home, after a voyage across the Atlantic and sojourn in
the United States of some months' duration.

LAUNCH.—On Thursday next, at eleven o'clock, a new.
wilt
be belonging to the Steam Tug Company, Wl
be launched from Mr. Royden's ship-building yard,
Baffin-street.

HORTICULTURAL CURIOSITY.—There is now in the
garden of Henry Ashton, Esq., Woolton-wood, an apple-
tree of the peach kind, a part of which is in full bloom,
while the other part bears a quantity of delicious ripe
fruit.

-----
VISIT OF LOUIS PHILIPPE TO ENGLAND.—We under-
stand that their Majesties and the Royal Family will
remove to the Palace of St. Cloud about the 25th, and that
the King, after seeing his family installed, will go to Eu,
from which place he will proceed to England.
CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD RAILWAY.—The half-
yearly general meeting of the proprietors in the Chester
and Birkenhead Railway Company was announced to
have been held yesterday, being one of the days named in
the act of parliament ; and in pursuance of the notice
several proprietors assembled in the director's-room, over
the office in James'-street. Mr. William Jackson pre-
sided; and the only business doge consisted in the adop-
tion of a motion for adjournment till the 30th of January
next.

The British and North American royal mail steam-shiP
Hibernia, Captain Judkins, which would leave 80-ton and
Halifax on the 16th and 18th instant, may be expected
here towards the end of the week. The Great Western,
which would leave New York on the 20th, will be due in
the following week.—[The Albion, from which the above
is taken, is incorrect as to the Great Western. That noble
vessel would leave New York on the 14th instant, and map
be expected here on Saturday. Indeed, it is a subject of
speculation whether she or the Hibernia will arrive first.]
GENERAL TOM THUMB.—This small specimen of the
human kind and yet great phenomenon, gave his first
levees yesterday at the Liver Theatre, to numerous and
delighted audiences. The public are infinitely self-de-
ceived with respect to the size and conformation of the
general. We have lac en accustomed to associate with the,
idea of such beings as himself; something dwarfish and'
repugnant. Geoffry Hudson, the favourite of Queen Hen-
rietta, wasa small man cu: short; and most of the species are
inelegant in shape and appearance. Our friend Tom has none
of these characteristics. He is (as the bills say, and the'
are, as far as we can estimate, right) but twenty-five
inches high—and as perfectly formed as many of the men
of larger species that we see every day. He is somewhat
infantine in face, and marvellously active. He runs UP
and down the table, ranged along the pit of the theatre,
with an alacrity worthy of any of the "children of a larger
growth" who disport in the same atmosphere. At the
conclusion of the performances, he saluted (price one
shilling) a number of the rising generation, and
not a few ladies of a certain age, who appeared
delighted with the treat, as no doubt was Tom
himself. We may add that his carriage, a perfect
gem, was exhibited yesterday in all our public thorough-
fares, drawn by two ponies, with a coachman and tiger
unapproachable in littleness, and excited, wherever it was
seen, the surprise and admiration of beholders.
Sea ROBERT AND LADY SALE.—The gallant General
and his heroic Lady are expected in Liverpool this week,
on their return from Ireland ; and on Thursday next, our ,
worthy Chief Magistrate will entertain the distinguished
officer at a dinner at tile Town-hall, a select party being
invited to meet him on the occasion ; on the following
day, the General and his Lady, we believe, will be the
guests of his Worship at Elms-wood. Invitations to the
dinner on Thursday evening have been forwarded to Lord
Stanley, Earl Sefton, Lord Francis Egerton, J. Wilson
Patten, Esq., M.P., Edward Mitchell, and Major Pot-
tinger, of the 6th Regiment of Foot, now in Chester, both
of whom have served in India with Sir Robert.

FIGURES IN STONE, ILLUSTRATIVE OF "THE COT-
TAR'S SATURDAY NIGHT."—We invite our readers, and
all the admirers of sculpture, to an inspection of the
splendid group of nine figures, in stone, from the chisel
of the celebrated Mr. Anderson, illustrative of Burns:s
beautiful, domestic, and affecting poem, of" The Cottar s
Saturday Night." The figures are admirably and cha-
racteristically finished, even to minuteness of detail; and
the whole are calculated, in an eminent degree, to exhibit
the " masonic" skill of the artist, and his just apprecia-
tion of the fine and natural conception of ihe bard of Scot.
land,—an admirable likeness of whom, as " the neighbour
lad" is happily introduced. We shall notice this im-
pressive work of art—which must have cost great and per-
severing labour, united to no common stuck of genius—
more fully hereafter. Meantime, we can but wish Mr.
Anderson every success.
COMMISSION OF LUNACY ON A SON OF THE LATE
POET CAMPBELL.—A commission de lunatico inquirendo
was opened on Saturday, at the Ship Inn, Waltham Ab-
bey, before Mr. Commissioner Winslow and a special
jury of sixteen gentlemen of the county of Essex, of whom
Mr. J. Colvin was foreman, to inquire as to the star, of
mind of Mr. Thomas Telford Campb 11, aged 40, only son
of the late poet Mr. Thomas Campbell. The commission
was taken out at the instance of the trustees, under 45
will of a relative, from which the subject of the commis-
sion derives an annuity. The inquiry was rendered ne-
cessary by the demise of his father, under whose will he,
however, takes no property. After the jury had been
sworn, and the proceedings were about to commence, Mr.
Campbell, having expressed a wish to be present, walked
in the court, & took his seat by the side of the learned ant
missioner. He is about 5 feet 5 inches in height, dark
complexion, very good humoured countenance, with 3
stout, robust, muscular frame. He throughout paid the
greatest attention to the proceedings, and evinced no
symptoms of a disordered intellect. The counsel for the
commission, which was unopposed, stated, in his open-
ing address, that Mr. Thomas Telford Campbell was
perfectly harmless, but had several singular delusions.
One was, that Chinn's lozenges, which be had formerly
taken, had got into his bones and destroyed his constitu-
tion ; and he had some time since accustomed himself to
lie down in the sun in the forest, in order, as he said, to
evaporate Chinn's lozenges out of his bones, and eradt-
cate the diseases they had engendered. He took occasio-
nal dislike to some of the inmates at Dr. Allen's, at whose
asylum he abode, and had been known to attack some,
when, as he said, they got into his way in the passage,
although on such occasions there was plenty of room for
him, and he would afterwards say he thought be ought to
thrash them well. He had exhibited some extraordinary
conduct to the tailor who worked for the establishment,
and to the slaughterman who killed the beasts, &c., for
the use of the inmates ; in the latter case he had eaten
part of the brains of an ox which had been just killed ; be
would have them warm from the head, without being
cooked, and ate them without any bread. After the
evidence had been gone through and Mr. Campbell had
put several que-Aions to the witnesses the jury after 6
consultation of about an hour announced, that althougb
two jurors objected to give a verdict at variance with
the medical testimony, yet that 14 jurors out of the lu
were of opinion that Mr. Campbell was of sound mind'
A verdict was accordingly recorded, "That Mr. Thomas
,
Telford Campbell was of sound mind." Mr. Campbell
throughout conducted himself with the greatest urbanity'
coolness, and composure; indeed, no one could have sur
posed that he had been an inmate of a lunatic asylum, er
that his intellects had been impaired.