The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-12 00:00:00

SELECTIONS.

PROTESTANTISM V. POPERY.—It is the unceasing aim
of the Romish sect to represent the church of England as
a schismatical body, and thus to brand It with contempt,
as having no existence previous to the reformation. The
fact is notorious, however, that long before the arrival of
a legate from Rome, or Augustine ever set his foot on
English ground, Christianity had been preached and pro-
fessed in Britain. Whether the gospel was preached here
by St. Paul himself, or not, it is indisputable that it was
previous to the close of the second century. In 311 the
bishops of London, York, and Lincoln, were present at
the council of Arles. The councils of Sardica, A.D. 347,
and of Ariminum, A.D. 359, were likewise attended by
British prelates.— Church of Eswlantl Magazine.
STAFFORDSHIRE EARTHENWARE.—If we compare
the common earthenware of England with that of the
French and Germans, or of any other nation, it appears
not only excellent in quality, but also highly ornamental
and unsurpassably beautiful. The common French and
German earthenware is comparatively ugly, coarse, and
misshapen. On the other hand, English porcelain, par-
ticularly those articles in which beauty and elegance are
the main paints aimed at, are far behind those of the con-
tinent. I believe there is something characteristic or the
English in this. In articles of ordinary use, the English
seem better than we to know how to combine excellence
of quality with outward elegance and beauty, whereas in
those articles in which grace and beauty alone are to be
kept in view, the English are never equally successful.
Their tools, their furniture, their machines, their knives
and scissors, their bread, their joints of meat, are not only
excellent, vigorous, and nutritious, but also beautifully
formed, and not to be at all surpassed ; whereas, their
pictures, their sculptures, their pasties, and their cakes,
and, in short, everything in which fancy takes precedence
of usefulness, are far behind ours in excellence. Look,
not merely at the earthenware of the French, but at their
tools and their implements of gardening and agriculture.
They are all strikingly rude and little suited to the purposes
they are intended for. Even the common bread in France
is inferior to that used in England. On the other hand,
how much loftier flights of fancy are displayed by the
French in works of art.—Khol's England.
CHARACTER OF LORD ELLENDOROUGH.—Lord Ellen-
borough possessed many qualities which, had they not
been neutralized or vitiated, would have earned for him
much admiration as a statesman and much affection as a
man. He had abilities of no common order, great quick-
ness of perception, extraordinary ardour of tempera-
ment, unquestionable courage, amd indefatigible industry.
' The moral sense was not very strong—as the appropria-
tion of Sindh amply testifies; but he was capable of acts
of justice and moderation, and sometimes exhibited in his
conduct the gederosity of a great mind. His impulses
were often kindly, often noble ; and his errors were sel-
dom the growth of mean and corrupt motives. There
was nothing inherently low in his nature; but he was
subject to very strong prejudices, which lie had not
always the magnanimity to resist, and which therefore
sometimes caused him to commit mean and unrorthy
actions. As in his policy, so in his personal bearing, he
was impulsive and uncertain. With strong predilections
and strong antipathies, which sometimes alternated
towards the same individual, he was by turns courteous
and uncourteous, attractive and repulsive, now produc-
ing impressions of deep gratitude, now of ineradicable dis-
like. Though he often showed great kindliness and con-
descension towards individuals, he at other times betrayed
an utter disregard for theirf eelings ; and hesitated neither,
as the whim led him, to caress nor to strike those beneath
him. In this manner he made many enemies and many
friends, and the different judgments which have been pas-
sed upon him by different parties can never afford matter
for surprise. There is generally in the public treatment
of an individual a just compensation in the end; his
virtues are exaggerated by one party, his vices by another,
and the undue enthusiasm of his friends is balanced by the
undue bitterness of his enemies. Thus has it been with
Lord Ellenborough.—Calcutta Review.
PRESENT FEELING OF A PORTION OF THE IRISH
CLERGY ON TILE EDUCATION QUESTION.—The time,
they say, has come, when the friends of Scriptural educa-
tion in Ireland, and especially the clergy, should look se-
riously at the aspect which the education question has at
present assumed, with a view to such arrangements as may,
if possible, prevent the scheme which has been adopted
by the government from operating most extensive evil.
That they have appeared, hitherto, in an attitude of hosti-
lity to it, was only, it is admitted, their bounden duty. As
long as there was a possibility, by pretext and reclama-
tion, of effecting any modifications in that system, by
which its anti-Scriptural character might be changed, so
long they were called upon to use their best exertions, that
such modification of it should be procured. Those espe-
cially, who occupied the responsible position of an esta-
blished clergy, were imperatively required to use " all
faithful diligence" in admonishing the rulers of the coun-
try, respecting the evils which might reasonably be appre-
hended from an educational system based upon latitudi-
narian views. But having failed to move " the powers
that be" into the abandonment of their pernicious scheme,
true wisdom would seem to indicate, that the next best
thing would be, to extract as much good as possible out of
inevitable evil. For the dangers with which the Irish
education scheme is pregnant they are not responsible.
They have duly forewarned our rulers of what may be
looked for as its natural fruits. This they have done, not-
withstanding the sternest discountenance awaited them as
individuals, fur their single-mindedness and fidelty to their
great master. Against their solemn admonitions the wis-
dom of this world has prevailed. As spiritual advisers,
they have been set aside—religious truth has been deli-
berately sacrificed to political expediency—and any further
contest with the government or the legislature, in such a
matter, would only be a bootless waste of strength, and
loss of time, from which, until a change has been operated
upon the national mind, no good result is likely to follow.
The clergy, therefore, are not bound to continue such a
contest; on the contrary, it seems their bounden duty to
avail themselves of such facilities as the national system
may afford for carrying out better views, than could be,
without their agency realized—and for securing to the
children of their own communion a sound Scriptural edu-
cation.—Dublin University Magazine.
EMIGRATION OF THE FOURGOUTII TARTARS INTO
CHINA.—The nation of the Fourgouths, one of the
branches of that Tchong-kar, separated itself from the
throne at the time when the most cruel wars desolated all
the country of the Eteuths ; they removed themselves
from their native places, and by degrees advanced to those
lands which are strider the domination of the Russians,
and obtained from them permission to fix their dwellings
in the districts watered by the Etchil. There have they
dwelt more than 70 years, in a profound ignorance of ail
that was passing in the neighbourhood of the empire.
The ill treatment which the princes of the Fourgouths
formerly received from Tchoung-kar obliged them to for-
sake their country to seek a living in a distant land under
a foreign government. The ill treatment which they af-
terwards received from the Russians, have equally com-
pelled them to abandon their recent abodes, to relieve
themselves from a yoke which they found more burden-
some from day to day ; they determined to return to their
ancient territories to live in peace under the dominion of
our great emperor. The favours of his majesty extend
even to the most distant regions ; he treats foreign na-
tions with the same goodness that he evinces towards the
Chinese themselves who are his own subjects. The Four-
gouths come of their own accord to be able to live under
our laws ; he did not reject them ; he received them even
with pleasure and all the marks of the tenderest affection.
When they arrived on our frontiers (to the number of
many hundred thousand, although the extreme fatigue,
hunger, thirst, and all the other miseries inseparable from
a long and painful journey- had caused the death of as
many more) they were reduced to the last stage of suffer
ing; they were in want of all things ; the emperor fur-
nished them with all things. He had prepared for them
dwellings suitable to their mode of life ; he distributed
among them victuals to feed and clothes to cover them ;
he gave them oxen, sheep, and utensils to place them-
selves in a condition to rear flocks, and to till the ground
and this entirely at his own expense, which amounted to
an enormous sum, without counting the money which
he liberally gave to every chief of a family, to put him
in the way of working afterwards for his own livelihood,
and to provide substinence for his wife and children.-
Chinese Olio.

BUItLEIGH HOUSE.—Burleigh House, near Stamford,
Lincolnshire, the seat of the Marquis of Exeter, to which
the Queen pays her next visit, is a magnificent Gothic
pile, remarkable for grandeur and for various interesting
associations. The founder of the family was the famous
Cecil, the cautious and wise minister of Elizabeth. Here
' are collected some of the richest paintings of the ancient
masters, including the famous Salvator i\lundi by Carlo
' Dolce, which Sir Walter Scott said was " worth a king's
ransom," and for which six thousand guineas were of-
fered. It is a small enamel-like picture, of transparent
purity and brilliancy of colouring. The groves and park
of Burleigh are worthy the splendid mansion, and were
admired by Dryden, who translated the seventh book of
the .zEneid in this patrician and hospitable residence.
Ilazlitt has related a story of Burleigh House more touch-
ing and romantic than any fiction. The late Earl of Exe-
ter had been divorced from his first wife, a woman of
fashion, and of somewhat more gaiety of manner than
lords who love their ladies like.' He determined to seek
out a second wife in a humbler sphere of life, and that it
should be one who, having no knowledge of his rank,
shculd love him for himself alone. For this purpose he
went and settled incognito (under the name of Jones) at
Hodnet, an obscure village in Shropshire. He made over-
tures to one or two damsels in the neighbourhood, but
they were too knowing to be taken in by him. His man-
ners were not boorish, his mode of life was retired, it was
odd how he got his livelihood, and at last he began to be
taken for a highwayman. In this dilemma, he turned to
Miss Moggins, the eldest daughter of a small farmer, at
whose house he lodged. Miss Hoggins, it would seem,
had not been used to romp with the clowns ; there was
something in the manners of their quiet but eccen'ric
guest that she liked. As be found that he had inspired
her with that kind of regard which he wished for, he made
honourable proposals to her, and, at the end of some
months, they were married, without him letting her know
who he was. They set off in a post-chaise from her fa-
ther's house, and traveled homewards across the country.
In this manner they arrived at Stamford, and passed
through the town without stopping, till they came to the
entrance to Burleigh Park, which is on the outside of it.
The gates flew open, the chaise entered, and drove up the
long avenue of trees that leads up to the front of this fine
old mansion. As they drew nearer to it, and she seemed
a little surprised where they were going, he said, Well,
my dear, this is Burleigh House; it is the home I have
promised to bring you to, and you are the Countess of
Exeter !' It is said the shock of this discovery was too
much for this young creature, and that she never reco-
vered it. It was a sensation worth dying for. The world
we live in was worth making, had it only been for this. Ye
thousand and one tales of the Arabian Nights' Entertain-
ments ! hide your diminished heads ! I never wish to have
been a lord but when I think of this story."

THE LORD CHANCELLOR, SHEIL, AND HUME.—
Everybody must remember the " swePering venom" with
which Mr. Sheil, Mr. " Success-to.fox-glove "
some time ago revived against our excellent Lord Chan-
cellor the oft-refuted falsehood with respect to the im-
puted alien speech. Will it be believed that what Mr.
Sheil, with a " rhetorical artifice," attributed to the
Chancellor as applied to the Roman Catholics of Ireland,
, was actually applied by a co-joint of the " tail "—no less
a person than the veritable Joseph Hume—to the Protes-
tants of that country ? On referring to the debate on the
King's speech in 1833, es reported in a generally-recog-
nised journal of the proceedings, we find Joseph thus
unbosoming himself:—" Why, I would ask, is it that
Catholics are carefully excluded from the list of twenty-
six stipendiary magistrates recently appointed by Lord
Anglesey, in Ireland ? Why are they carefully excluded
from such situations, and twenty-six FOREIGNERS ap-
pointed to them ?" (Several members—" Hear, hear r')
" Yes, I contend that they are foreigners—they are per-
sons foreign in their hal:its and religion to the bulk of the
people. I say, then, that foreigners were appointed to
these offices." Mr. Sheil heard this. The man who
thus dared to malign the loyal Protestant population of
Ireland was a Scotchman—yet, foreigner as he was, an
Irish member—the Kilkenny joint of " the tail ;" an ex-
conservative, and then radical ! Verily, the " rhetorical
artificers" who calumniate Lord Lyndhurst had better
look at home. At this time, however, the poor " tail"
had scarcely a home to look to.—Herald.
WHAT IS THE CHURCH DOING ?—Tractarianism has
seen its zenith. It was true that a few had gone over to
Rome. Let Rome have her own. We could afford her
I a few traitors from the camp. He only prayed that, like
the sincere-minded Sibthorp, they might discover their
1 error. He was happy to say that he knew several clergy-
men who had held Tractarian opinions, who had wholly
renounced them, and now preached sound Evangelical
doctrine. The Chtirch of England, though troubled, was
not perplexed ; although persecuted, she was not forsaken.
If Rome had built fifty mass houses within the last ten
years, the Church of England had built 600 new churches.
If Rome had built twenty or thirty schools and colleges,
the Church of England had built and opened between 300
and 400 daily schools. Rome had applied for aid to build
one or two schools ; the Methodists two schools ; the Bri-
tish and Foreign School Society some thirty or forty; but
the Church of England had applied and received grants
for 500 new schools. This did not look as if the Church
of England was heartless in the cause of education. He
wished, however, for no amalgamated system of educa-
tion. The Church of England was strong enough to
stand by herself, and as it was a glorious English Queen
who nursed and cherished the Reformation, in a compa-
ratively weak state, so he hoped it would be a British
Queen under whose fostering care and protecting hand
the Church would be rescued in the time of her peril. Of
this her Majesty had given some pledge when she went to
worship in a church which had been branded as Samaria.
—Speech of the Rev. Hugh Stowell.
INVENTION OF GUNPOWDER.—DateDS has selected
many passages from Greek and Latin authors, favourable
to the opinion that gunpowder was known to the ancients.
He mentions the attempt of Salmoneus to imitate thun-
der, of the Brahmins to do the same thing ; but his most
remarkable quotation is from the life of Apollonius Tya-
mats, written by Philostratus ; showing that Alexander
was prevented extending his conquests in India, because
of the use of gunpowder, by a people called Oxydracw.
The passage to which we have alluded is so curious, that
we make no apology for giving it. " These truly wise
men (the Oxydracw) dwell between the rivers Hypharis
and Ganges ; their country Alexander never entered, de-
terred not by fear of the inhabitants, but as I suppose by
religious motives, for had he passed the Hypharis, he
might doubtless have made himself master of all the
country round them ; but their cities he never could have
taken, though he had led a thousand as brave as Achilles,
or three thousand such as Ajax, to the assault; for they
come not out to the field to fight those who attack them,
but these holy men, beloved by the gods, overthrew their
enemies with tempests and thunderbolts shot from their
walls. It is said that the Egyptian Hercules and Bacchus,
when they overran India, invaded this people also, and,
having prepared warlike engines, attempted to conquer
them ; they in the mean time made no show of resistance,
appearing perfectly quiet and secure, but upon the enemy's
near approach they were repulsed with storms of light-
ning and thunderbolts hurled upon them from above."—
Polytechnic Review.
EFFECTS OF SCRIPTURAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
When the scheme of Scriptural education was decided on,
about six or seven and twenty years ago, confident predic-
tions were hazarded of its certain and speedy failure. The
Roman Catholics, it was said, would not read the Bible—
would not accept secular instruction, on condition of re-
ceiving Scriptural also. Notwithstanding the discourage-
ment of such insinuations, the system was tried—and was
found to prove successful, to the utmost extent to which
the parsimony of public grants, made for its support, ad-
mitted of its being carried out. It is unnecessary, and
would be tedious, to repeat the arguments by which this
truth has been unanswerably proved—but there is one form
of the argument which has not yet received the notice it
merits, and to which we beg the reader's attention. The
experiment of Scriptural education was a trial whether,
and how far, the Irish people could be influenced to re-
ceive the Bible. It was proposed first in the form of a
test, whether their hostility to Scripture was such, as that
they would not accept of secular education, if accompanied
by Scriptural; it gave, at the same time, to the people at
large, an opportunity f showing what they thought, (whe-
ther favourably, or otherwise,) of the propriety of making
children acquainted with God's word. The result was very
remarkable, Before the end of thirteen years, exclusive
of the Sunday schools, amounting to considerably more
than a thousand—perhaps, to nineteen hundred, in which
two hundred thousand children were instructed, there were
found one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven
schools, sander societies, in which Scripture was read—and
of daily schools, not under societies, four thousand one
hundred and seventy-nine were avowedly Scriptural. We
say avowedly, because a large proportion of schools had
declined sending an answer to the query which demanded
if Scripture were read in them. It is not, perhaps, too
much to say, that nearly two thousand of these school's
should be added to the amount of the Scriptural. But,
further, Scripture was read in 2,667 schools, under Roman
Catholic masters—and was read in many schools under the
roofs of Roman Catholic chapels, and under the govern-
ment of their priests. Such was the result, when the state
demanded of Ireland that the education of the people
should be Scriptural. In the year 1812, there were in Ire-
land six hundred schools, no doubt all Protestant, in which
Scripture was read—the attention of the people at large
was aroused to the question which the state propounded ;
and in about thirteen years after the experiment was in.
stituted, the judgment of the people was expressed in the
existence of more than eleven thousand schools in which
the Bible was read. Within that period, surely, secular
schools had not increased in number—nay, notwithstand-
ing the great increase in the population, they appear to
have diminished ; while Scriptural schools, to which so
fierce and effective an opposition was anticipated, had been
welcomed by all classes and communions, and had increased
more than thirteen-fold. Such was the issue which a
Whig government regarded as a failure—let it be com-
pared with that which a Tory government exalt and en-
dow, as a great success.—Dublin University Magazine.
FORMATION OF RAIN.—The opinion of Professor Ste-
velly and Mr. Bowall is, that each particle of vapour
rising through the air carries with it its portion of electric
fluid according to its expanded surface; that if it remains
within the electrical attraction of the earth, the vapour is
condensed, and forms dew; but, if it rises beyond the
electrical attraction of the earth, and is there condensed,
the electricity, being insulated, forms an atmosphere
round each particle of vapour, and on the removal (by
any cause) of the electricity, including the vaporous par-
ticles, the repulsion is removed, and they then attract
each other, and form rain. Having observed that there
was more rain and less thunder at Belfast than in Lon-
don, I was led to examine into the cause of the peculi-
arity, and especially on account of the electric fluid being
less abundant in the atmosphere at the latter than at the
former place, and found the above hypothesis to agree
most perfectly with the peculiarities of the neighbourhood
of Belfast, which is surrounded by hills. The highest of
these is to the north of the town, and one of them, named
Devis, twelve miles from it, is nearly 400 feet above the
level of the sea. Whenever any mist or cloud descends
upon the top of this mountain, it is a sure sign of rain ;
and I have never observed it rain without some previous
indication of the kind, which frequently takes place fur
hours before the rain conies on. The cause of this ap-
paers to be, that Devis, which is conical, acts as a con-
ductor to draw the electric fluid from the cloud. that a
portion of the clouds descends with it, and, as the fluid is
drawn off, the watery particles in the atmosphere unite
and descend as rain. On the 6th of May last, I had the
good fortune to observe a remarkable instance of the
drawing off the electric fluid from the clouds by this
mountain. The weather, in the early part of the day,
was clear and warm. Between 1 and 2 p.m. clouds ga-
thered ; they became gradually more dense, and were
strongly charged with electric fluid. Whenl first ob-
served them, they were moving from Devis to the west ;
but the wind, along the surface of the ground, was mov-
ing in the opposite direction, namely, towards that moun-
tain. This was before the clouds presented any signs of
a strong electric charge; after they assumed this appear-
ance, a slight shower fell, and the clouds and wind at the
surface reversed their direction, the clouds moving from
Devis, and the wind at the surface towards it. When
this shower ceased, the clouds became stationary, and the
wind at the surface of the ground ceased, the smoke from
the factory chimneys, which had moved in the direction
of the surface wind, rising perpendicularly. At this
juncture a peal of thunder ensued, and a heavy shower
fell; the clouds then remained stationary, and the wind
began to blow at right angles to its former direction. It
then gradually veered round until it blew direct towards
Devis, and the clouds began to move to the same point.
In four minutes the shower became very heavy, but in a
short time the weather cleared up. I was so situated that
I could not see Devis during the time of this phenome-
non, but at 6 p.m. it was repeated, when I was able to
attend particularly to it, and watch that mountain. At a
quarter-past six the clouds had gathered again, and were
much charged with the electric fluid. After the occur.
rence of similar movements to those mentioned above,
the clouds became stationary, the wind moving from Be.l vis, the clouds overhanging the mountains became denser
and denser, but they appeared to be kept by some influ-
ence from touching it, assuming the form of a mould in
which the mountains had been cast. After they had re-
mained stationary some time, the wind still blowing from
Devis, some fragments of them began gradually to de-
scend to the top of that mountain, a peal of thunder
scarcely perceptible ensued, and a body of c'oud, sufficient
to cover the summit, descended with rapidity and rested
upon it, whilst the other clouds began to ascend. Within
two minutes after the thunder and descent of the cloud
upon Devis, a very heavy rain came on, accompanied by
violent gusts of wind. At 8 p.m. the rain had ceased,
and the clouds reposed in streaks of white and black, on
lines from north-east to south-west.—Polytechnicßeviete.