The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-12-02 00:00:00

PRESENT POLITICAL STATE OF THE

WORLD

(From the Eco del Comarcio.)
" A general panic prevails ; the period of disturbance
is very distant, because the people are happy ; prosperity
overflows in all directions, the principles of orr'er have
become fixed, and revolutionary theories have List their
influence." Thus do the Ministerial organs express
themselves in all the states of Europe; of these facts do
the statesmen who now direct the destinies of the world
endeavour to persuade us; and yet, notwithstanding, the
people remark a manifest difference between these words
and partial acts.
" The peace is profound 1" and yet all are making pre-
parations for war—all are observing, spying, fearing,
fawning upon, and detesting each other. " The peace is
profound !" yet, at this time, there are more warriors,
and more implements of war, more fortifications are
raised, and more marine armaments arc fitted out, than
during the first fourteen years of the present century.
"The disturbance of the peace is very remote," say
politicians, whilst all the armies of Europe are up in arms
awaiting and fearing the first cannonade of alarm.
" The people are happy," they likewise say, " whilst in
England they have on their hands the famishing Irish,
and stand in fear of the lower orders, who are una'ale to
find employment for their sinewy arms, or land on which
to work ; in Italy thousands of citizens are compelled to
emigrate, whilst others are immured in the State dun-
geons ; in Germany, are germinating political and religi-
ous exigencies ; in Russia, the Ca.icasus -is looked upon
as the tomb of its warriors ; in Portugal and Spain, a
hundred parties are struggling simultaneously in order to
gain the upper hand and to satiate their thirst for ven-
geance. Such is the boasted felicity of the nations of

Europe I
" The principles of order have become fixed," simulta-
neously proclaim our politicians. Assuredly ; but it is
the order of tombs, the order of bayonets, the order of the
e'mentes of Paris—the order of the Councils of War, of
the Swiss guards of Italy—the order of the " exceptional
state" of our governors in the different provinces of ;the
Peninsula, and that which Costa Cabral employs with the
Portuguese. This order is the precursor of peace, and the
complement of the felicity of nations!
Unfortunate nations ! The cynicism of the statesmen

who govern them makes the people desire the destructive
azote of war, in order that a period may be put to their
sufferings, and to so much misery and agitation.
The condition of Europe, like that of the entire politi-
cal world, is an unnatural one, and must terminate in a
violent explosion. The grand question at present agitated
may be founded upon the principles of democracy and
those of despotism, these two elements have ostensibly
been at unceasing variance for the last sixty years. Up
to the present period there has not been found any states-
man competent to reconcile them with each other; afl
have sought to reduce them by half measures to one
single and common principle; and all have been ship-
, wrecked with their schemes, inflaming still more violently
the popular passions, and rendering the task of concilia-
tion more difficult.

THE ATTEMPT TO SCUTTLE THE BARK
" CHAMPLAIN" ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Some weeks ago seven seamen, who had been brought
home from America in custody, were charged, before Mr.
Rushton, with this offence, on tie evidence of the mate of
the Champlain, which was published at the time. The
prisoners were remanded, in order that the evidence of the
captain might also be taken, and he having arrived in
charge of the vessel in which the occurrence took place,
they were again brought up in the police court yesterday.
The witness's testimony was so nearly the same as that of
the mate, that the following will suffice. The vessel
sailed with a cargo of timber from St. John's, New
Brunswick, on the 21st of August. Soon after putting to
sea, the vessel beg ,n to make water, to the surprise of
the captain, as she had been thoroughly calked, and the
weather was fine. The prisoners formed part of the
crew, and were at first eight in number, but one of there
escaped from prison in America. The names of the seven
are Matthews, Bode, flincker, Nl`Cann. Copplestone,
Watson, and Sheazel. On Saturday, the 231 of August,
in the morning, they all went aft, and Boyle, as spokes-
man, said it was of no use to

.t the ship

should go back, and they would go no further in her.
Tne captain said he should not return to port. Boyle
Om ordered the man at the helm to put it up, and asked
the others to square the main yard. The captain resisted
this, and the prisoners then endeav rF
-

ured to square

yard, so that the ship might not continue her course.
This, however, was frustrated by 'he captain, and the
prisoners all went below, and refused to work, though it
began to blow, leaving the captain, the mate, and the
cook only, to work the ship as they could. The captain

suspected that the prisoners wisht d to return to port, as
their shipping notes, amounting to half the amount for
the run home, would be paid in three days after their
having sailed. Meantime, the vessel began to make

much water, which increased towards next day, when
there was eight and a half feet of it in the hold. The
captain and his only two assistants then gave up
pumping as useless, and after this the water increased
but very slowly, though it nearly reached nine feet.'
The prisoners were repeatedly asked to [ump the ship,'
but refused. Boyle afterwards came aft, and wanted
bread for himself and his companions, but the captain
refused to give them any, or other provisions until the
ship was pumped out. Boyle said to this that, " they
would let the water come up to the forecastle deck, and
then take the boats, and leave the captain to walk the

plank." At length a vessel called the Noble (seeing the
Champlain's colours tvisted union down) bore down, and
sent the second mate on board, who piloted the vessel
into Macchias, the nearest attainable port in the State of
Maine. On the way thither the captain discovered that
two holes had been bored with an augur through the bows
of the vessel, under water, and that these bad been
clumsily plugged up from the inside of the vessel, which
accounted for the leakege being re.iuced. On the day
before he had observed the prfsoner Cheazil in the fore-
castle hand to another, (Mathews, the carpenter,) two
augurs, which had before been.seen in the ship. On ar-
riving at Macchias the ship was surveyed, and was found
bored and plugged as stated. The vessel was otherwise
sound, and when the holes were properly plugged she
made only l inch of water in 24 hours. Information
was given to the authorities and to the British Consul;
who investigated the case, and handed over the prisoners
to be sent home. The prisoner Mathews insisted, after
being cautioned, on putting in a written statement which,
however, so far from being a defence, corroborated or
admitted in almost every point the strong inculpatory
evidence of the captain.—With a view we presume to
having this evidence reduced to writing, the prisoners
were remanded until one o'clock this day, when there ap-
pears to be no question but the whole of them will be
committed to take their trial at the ensuing assizes.

THE OREGON TERRITORY

The New York correspondent of the London Times.
under the signature of " A Genevese Tray

informed persons of

,00king

ward to a re-election► for a
thinks can o Iv be accomplis'

tertain, that the 13ritiii Government

continuation of peace ut
shall be no sacrifice of hor.

the following important observations on this subject in
his letter received by the Caledonia. Ile has already
Proved himself a gentleman of enlightened mind, and his
information is considered by all w
considerable value :
In relation to Oregon everything is enveloped in mys-
tery. The Cabinet is not, and cannot be, united on that
question. The West is furious for taking immediate pos-
session; the South, while annexation was pending, was
apparently of the same way of thinking; but they are not
now for hazarding a war until every honourable means for
an adjustment shall have been exhausted. "i he president,
as I have said on a former occasion, is courting the West,
and dares not hazard their displeasure. No matter what
he says, or what his friends may

_ for-
I this he

active lead in his behalf; but here there is a lion in the
way. Mr. Walker, Secretary of the Treasury is from
the West. lie is for taking possession of Oregon forth-
with. He is a roost violent champion of free trade, and
with all these sympathies and qualifications is, and pro-
bably will remain a candidate for tlic Presidency. _ _ _

In this view of the subject there can be very little doubt
that the President will sugg- st to Congress that some
prompt measure, in reference to:taking possession of Ore-
gon, should be adopted, and that in any event the joint
occupancy of the territory should b., terminated. Mr.
Polk has placed himself, before his party and the world,
in such a position that he cannot remain silent, unless the
negotiation is progressing.
In t,,e House of Representatives there is about 60
majority of his party friends; in the Senate, six majority.
If this majority acts in concert, they possess the power to
carry any measure they please. On all subjects but the
tariff asd war, in my opinion, they will thus act. But the
Pennsylvania and New York Locofocus: and perhaps
others, will not consent to a free-trade tariff. Nor will
the Southern Administration men, generally, consent to
adopt any measure the tendet.ey of which is to provoke
war, What, then, is the position of Mr. Pulk ? and what
the result of his policy.
In my opinion, he will urge most strenuously, publicly
and privately, the termination of the joint occupancy,
and the establishment of military posts in the Oregon
territory. The House of Representatives will, probably,
adopt such a measure; and if it be certain, as I think it
will be, that the Senate will reject it, they will adopt it by
an overwhelming majority; but the Senate being a more
permanent, is a more calm and deliberate body, and will
hearken to no measure calculated to inflame the passions
and to produce a desolating war, so long as the door is
open for amicable negotiation.
It is known to every man of common sense in the
country, that the United States is in a more unprepared
situation for a war than they were in 1812. Their com-
merce, at the present moment, whitens every sea. By
means of embargoes, &c., in 1812, it was nearly all at
home. The government has now in its treasury about
7,000,000 dollars, %Hell, it is thought, will be exhausted
when the Texas expenditures are paid. In truth, if the
administration seriously intend immediate war on account
of Oregon, they are not fanatics, but lunatics. Mr. Polk
may, and I believe does, wish such a state of things.
thinking it might promote his political views; but the
people, the American
People, neither wish nor anticipate
a war. They will not sustain any administration that
prefers war to arbitration.
On the whole, I believe that the difficult
Go-sernments of Great Britain and the Unite
and will, be honourably and amicably
opinion is greatl; strengthened by the h

s between the
ites can,

hich I en-

ieerely desires a

Mr. Wilson will give two entertainmen's on Scottish
song, on Friday and Monday next. The ente:tairanent
will close before ten, and not el(ren, ns stated in an ad-
vertisement in one of our contemporaries.