The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-02-12 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL ST ANDARD.

Brougham has declared that the Lord Lieutenant has
the power to proclaim martial law, without the consent of
parliament. Why allow this power to be questioned,
and give O'Connell and his party the means of increasing
the excitement and encouraging the turbulence and the
systematical acts of violence ? A suspension of the
constitution is a curb on thepress, and it is by means of
the press alone that the demagogues are enabled to
work upon the passions of the peasantry. While the
cabinet are fiddling, Ireland is burning—while the house
is .debating the assassin, and not the schoolmaster, is
abroad. Let ministers, if they be sincere—if they do
not stand in awe of the orators—act with the ordinary
firmness and Ireland may be saved—a few months more
of dalliance and she is lost for ever!

Sir Robert Peel, on Thursday night, delivered an ad-
mirable speech, which was listened to with the utmost
attention on all sides of the house and, for the most part,
loudly cheered. He laid down the principle on which he
thought it right to act, in a manner so luminous that
none could misunderstand it, and so manly that none could
refuse his admiration to it :—" No gentleman in that
house was farther from the prospect of office than him-
self. In the altered position, in which he and those who
thought with him stood, to contemplate playing the game
of party politics, was utterly absurd. All temptations of
that kind were for the present removed from their path.
They would therefore be enabled to pursue a thoroughly
independent course. From what he had always appre-
hended, and from what lie had already seen, of the con-
stitution of the new parliament, he was persuaded that
ministers, supposing them determined to maintain, gen-
eially speaking,-the institutions of the country, would
have on their hands a very arduous task : In its perfor-
mance he would aid them to the best of his power—not
from confidence in the men I but-from regard to his coun-
try. At the same time he expressed himself strongly in
favour of the necessity of maintaining the Church Estab-
lishment in its integrity, not only for the security of pro-
perty in general, but for the interests of pure religion."
Admitting that there is much justice in the complaints
lodged by the Irish members on the score of absenteeiSM,
we cannot help noticing a grievous inconsistency in their
reasonings on this head. Granted, that absenteeisin is,
as they say, the crying grievance of Ireland. Why then
are they so loud_ against the. clergy, who are in fact the
-only body of resident gentry, while they are really paid
by the landlord, not the tenant ?
Again:• his Majesty's ministers propose severe law's
against the disturbers Of the public peace. They have
told the Honse.of Commons over and over again, that
this is equivalent 'to declaring war against the peofile. of
Ireland. Why, they do then, virtually,. identify the people
of Ireland with the distUrbers of ,the public peace, in
defiance of their own. repeated•
.asseyerations, that the
outrages and their perpetrators are wholly unconnected
with the general political excitement prevailing among
the people.

DUTY OF THE CONSERVATIVE BODY.—In a day of
clamour and of agitation, when. the earthquake of pas-
sionate excitement rocks the understanding in its seat,
and confounds the regnlarity.of its processes, the weak-
ness of huMan. nature. is powerfully tempted to the as-
sumption uf false colours, as a temporary expedient for
protection and security., until the peril be overpast. But
it is a base, and therefore a destructive policy. Church
and king—the' maintenance of order and the security of
property—are the true principles of the Conservatives,
and as such they should be avowed. For the terms are
used -in' no narrow nor .exclnsive sense. They do not
exclude the heartiest desire to -remedy abuses, though
they do involve a pledge to maintain the substance. We
are friends to the monarchy, because we deem it the
.go-
vernmerit-best suited to human nature, and the govern-
ment which here, in particular, has been singularly blessed
by Providence. We are friends to the church, fel' many
minor reasons, but for this principal and comprehensive
one, involving and overshadowing all the rest,—that we
see in it a lively branch of the apostolic church of Christ,.
crowned with his blessing and grace, and efficaciouS in
promoting the purposes of his wonderful sacrifice on the
cross.

iNeitlier• let Conservatives imagine—as some few
strangely do-----that they benefit their country by with-
drawing from the struggle, and .suffering the revolution-
ary current to pursue, unresisted, its devastating- course.
If we have satisfied. One own consciences that the move=
meld• is substantially and thoroughly unreasonable, we
ought at once to admit, as a consequence of this convic-
tion, that no good can be gained by compromise or with-
drawal, and that we must struggle to the last.
The great. French revolution commenced with much
reason on the side of the movement. •But after, as well
as before, it had passed the bounds of moderation, the
royalists were so weak that no .determined or persevering
resistance was offered to it throughout its whole course.
The• fallacy that. giving .wiay.tti. a revithitionary spirit is
the best and easiest way to get -rid-of it; was then signally
exposed, though the' lesson, of experience was dearly
bought. Faction, meeting with little resistance, satiated
herself with plunder and destruction, and left not one
stone Of the ancient edifice..upon another. The indeci-
sion of the royalists caused the completeness of the revo
lutiom The connectiph"Letween the existence of insti-
tutions, andAhe property of those who are friends to them;
was made manifest: fur when those institutions were
overthrown, thb property orthe. upper classes was at once
confiscated—it changed • hands by the national sales—
and therefore, of course,: and at once,. interested all its new
possessors in the continuance dale revolutionary system.
Hence, when the Bourbons returned to France, a great
deal of its. property was. .already. enlisted And arraye4
against them : • •its owners 'continually suspecting that
atterupts would be made to restore it to its old possessors.
Hence the return of Napoleon from Elba: hence, in part
at least, the- revolution'of .1830. Such -were the conse-
quences of the facility with which the royalist party ori-
ginally yieldcd up their cause.- •
:Shall we do. the same ? .No : inasmuch, as our revolu.:
tionary movement is infinitely more unreasonable :—for
all the improvements we' want are essentially practical,
and easily to be. effected without Thither approximation
to democracy : 'we are much 'more powerful, and much
mcre_united, in the deteruiiira.(ian. to resist:it. . The, con-
stitution has provided remedies against a too powerful
infusion of popular feeling into the Commons' House,
by the coequal verdict of the lords, and the supreme veto
of. the crown..
.1a milder time it Was not used, because
a more skilful and philosophical arrangement had been
devised. But it may be used.
' • • " The lion is a lion, that clpth sleep."
Nor will the brave peers of England yield their country
a prey to the Destroyer without a Struggle, whose pro-
gress it is fearful to contemplate, though we may trust
in the Supreme Ruler of events that its final issue must
be for good.

THE CLERGY OF IRELAND.—It is with pleasure that
we follow up our remarks recently- made respecting the
distressed state of the Irish Clergy, by a reference to a
preceding column, where it will be seen that the Clergy
of this town held a meeting yesterday, for the purpose
of assisting their distressed brethren. Prompt and liberal
aid is absolutely required; and we trust the example al-
ready set by our clerical friends, will not be lost upon the
laity. Upwards of £l2O was subscribed at the meeting,
by the Clergy alone, in addition to several other subscrip-
tions; the whole of which, with some liberal additions,
we hope to acknowledge in our next. Never was there
a call which we feel more anxious to press upon the
attention of our readers, because we believe there is
no set of men who have a stronger claim upon the chris-
, tian sympathies of the Protestant community of this coun-
try, than the Clergy of Ireland. We trust that those
who have this benevolent object in hand will not rest
satisfied with opening the subscription, but will follow up
the suggestions thrown out and approved of at the meet-
ing, by having collections in the different churches of this
town and neighbourhood. By this means a large sum
would be raised, and opportunity afforded to many, of
contributing a trifle, who would willingly and cheerfully
contribute more if it were in their power.
At the above meeting we are happy to learn that a
petition to the House of Commons was adopted for pro-
moting a better observance of the sabbath.

THE rumour that Letters of Marque were to be granted
in the United States to all persons who might choose to
fit out privateers under the flag of Holland has caused a
considerable sensation at Lloyd's. It is well known. that
repeated applications were made at the Hague, by cer-
tain adventurers in London, to procure these licences,
which were refused by the Dutch Government. But it
is quite possible that it has changed its policy, seeing that
England still persists in detaining the merchantmen of
Holland. We should hardly think, however, that this
bold measure would be resorted to ; but if so, woe to our
trade in all parts of the world ! We should not be safe in
our own seas, and, in many cases, not safe in our own
harbours.

CHANGES IN PARLIAMENT.—Some interest may attach
to a review of the changes which have taken place in the
composition of Parliament by the ejection of old permanent
members : and it may afford our readers a fair opportu-
nity of judging what the temper of the newly assembled
House will be.
The following list comprises the names of those, who
had more or less celebrity among the Conservative party
in the last Parliament, and who have either voluntarily
retired from the present, or have been defeated at the
elections :—Mr. Croker, Sir G. Murray, Sir C. Wether-
ell, Sir E. Sugden, Sir .. Clerk, Mr. gadler, Lieutenant
Gordon, Sir G. Cockburn, Sir J. Malcolm, Mr. Pember-
ton, Mr. Stuart Wortley, Major Bruce, Mr. Praed, Lord
Porcliester.

We give next the most known of those Ministerial
candidates, who haVe retired or been defeated :—Sir H.
Parnell, Mr. (now Baron) Western, the Irish Solicitor
General, Mr. Duncombe, Serjeant Wilde, the Right
H9n. Holt M' Kenzie.

The following may be considered as the most prominent
men: holding Conservative principles who are returned to
the present parliament. Of the old Tory party :—Lord
Chandos, Sir E. Knatchbull, Sir R. Vyvyan, Messrs.
Attwood, W. Bankes, Shaw, Lefroy, Sir IL Inglis, and
the Speaker. Of those holding. somewhat more general
Conservative principles:—Sir 11. Pee4—unquestionably
the first man, as regards practical ability, .;ra-the House of
Commons—Sir H. Hardinge, Sir J. Scarlett, Sir J.
Walsh, Mr. A. Baring, Mr. C. Wynn, Mr. Berries, Mr.
Goulburn, Mr. Frankland Lewis, Mr. Pollock and Lord
Mahon.

The Radical party have lost Messrs. Hunt, Evans, and
Dixon (of Glasgow). They have gained, Messrs. Ait-
Wood and Scholefield,.Grote and Key, Cobbett and Fiel-
den, Buckingham, Roebuck, Faithfull, &c. &c. &c. ad in-
finitum. -The True Sun estimates the Conservative at
156.: the Radicals at 135: and calls the remainder Whigs:
a fair division, we conceive, except that of the three hun-
dred and sixty-seven termed Whig* about thirty are more
inclined to. conservative policy than the Ministers, and
are termed in town " doubtfuls. '

Sonie persons conceive that our prospect is now satis-
factory, because the avowed Radicals are in a numerical
"minority. • . But we would ask them whether it has not
alicays been the case in the early stages of all the Revo-
lutionarymovements which the world has seen, that the
thCrough-going Revolutionists have been in a minority ?
ACtivity and clamour exist among them to such a degree,
that we should form indeed a most inadequate estimate of
their effective strength, if we took it as no more than
commensurate with their numerical amount. The ques-
tions we must consider, in order really to ascertain it,
are—are they a compact body, a determined body, an
united body ? Have they made a lodgement within the
legislature which they can speedily enlarge, and have they
acquired strength enough to make them very powerful in
turning the scale of parlianientary divisions when it is
at all nearly balanced ? If we are compelled to answer
these questions in the affirmative, then, we say, away
with all false and hollow consolations ; we had rather
know the extent of our dangers, and meet it as we may,
for unreasonable and unfounded hopes will only tend to
engender and embitter disappointment. When ten men
are, together in a house, and one intends to burn it down,
he may often be able to effect his purpose, although he
be, as the Radicals in Parliament now are, in a, minority.

The election of a Physician to the Infirmary, in the room of
Dr. Traill, who has resigned, took place yesterday. Dr. Baird
was proposed by W. Brown, Esq., and seconded by J. N.
Wright, Esq. ; and Dr. Scott proposed by 'the Rev. T. Bold,
and seconded by Edward Cropper, Esq. At the close of the
poll the numbers were—
For Dr. Baird. 246
Dr. Scott

Majority for Dr. Baird 140
We are glad to see the exertions of our townsman, Mr.
Stubbs, leader of the Royal Harmonic Band, • have been so
deservedly crowned with the patronage of her. Royal Highness
the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria. His friends
kill doubtless rally round and patronize him on the eve of
Valentine-day, being his annual ball.—See adv.

A considerable improvement has taken place in many branch-
es of the local manufactures of Sheffield. Iu some of the larger
establishments, the quaniity of work given out last Week-ex-
ceeds any week during the past year.
RISE IN THE PRICE OF TOBACCO.—The price of leaf tobacco
has advanced, within these two months, 50 per cent. owing to a
failure in the crops: In consequence f which, we understand
an advance of 4d. per pound in the price of manufactured to,
bacco has taken place generally throughout Scotland.—Edn--
buryh Advertiser.