The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

rentals unpaid, and a seditious priesthood teaching
the people that their landlords were bound to pro-
vide them with food in their emergency. Yet it is
found that a liberty has to be taken with the Act of
Parliament, to enable the landlords to project any
thing really useful and profitable. The whole
budget of Irish legislation turns out to be a farce—
a hoax or something more—a thing to be made
merry over by unfledged priests at presentment
sessions, and the landlords of Ireland are to be the
scapegoats of Ministerial inefficiency.
With singular inconsistency, however, the tail of
his lordship's letter contradicts its commencement.
The poor Irish landlords were wrong at first, and
are all that is amiable at last. " I would here,"
he says,
" Conclude this letter, which is already too long ; but
I cannot do so without expressing my conviction, that
there is every disposition in persons of property in Ire-
land to meet the difficulties fairly, and submit to any sa-
crifices which the public good may require."

The preceding portion led us to expect that they
were anything but prepared to meet their difficulties
fairly.

The question who is to be the Mayor of Liverpool
for the ensuing year has been tantalising our Whig
and Radical contemporaries for some weeks past.
In the absence of any difficulty as to the selection of
a properly qualified party, we are told of " tricks
and manoeuvres" to exclude a certain gentleman
from the civic chair. Mr. George Hall Lawrence
is to be pitched overboard—his services forgotten—
and, Mr. Bramley-Moore waiving his claim, we are
to place "a creature of our own" in the Mayoralty !
And who is this "creature," pointed at by our con-
temporary of the Journal ? Mr. Thomas Berry
Horsfall—a man as little likely to be creature of
faction as our contemporary is likely to discover the
philosopher's stone, or to square the circle.
Possibly our Whig-Radical friends will concede
to us the chance, at least, of being as well informed
as themselves. We can tell them that there is no
" clique" working one way or the other. Perhaps
we might hint that Mr. George Hall Lawrence, who
has well earned the honour, is likely to be pro-
, moted to the mayoralty. Mr. Bramley-Moore's
claim we thoroughly appreciate, but we never put it
forward. He never put it forward. It will, how-
ever, be responded to in due time by his fellow-
townsmen. At this moment we do not know a
gentleman to whom Liverpool is more indebted, for
sacrifices of time and for talent devoted to its inte-
rests, than it is to Mr. Bramley-Moore.
With respect to Mr. Horsfall, we are certain that
he will never be placed in the position of compe-
tition for the office of Chief Magistrate for Liver-
pool with any opponent. When Mr. Horsfall is
Mayor, it shall not be by any " trick" or " manoeu-
vre," resorted to in order to evade the claims of a
friend. Mr. Horsfall would not thank his party
for making him Mayor under such circumstances.
There is a nobler game before him—one in which
we may shortly have to fight. Liverpool may have
to select from amongst her merchant citizens, not a
Mayor, but a representative of her interests in the
legislative assembly of the nation. Here we shall
have great pleasure in advocating the cause of Mr.
'l'. B. Horsfall. Such a man need not stickle
for municipal preferments. He has within him all
that is required to render distinguished the cha-
racter of a member of a higher house than our
municipal chamber; and there is not one of his
fellow•townsmen who will not feel honoured in
his success upon such an arena.
As regards Mr. Bramley-Moore, we could almost
assure him of the honour of the Mayoralty ; but,
much as we value him, we should prefer his waiting
for that honour, for the sake of the benefit which
we hope to derive from his services upon the Dock
Committee. 'We can't afford to lose a good man at
that board for the mere consideration of Mayoralty.

It is gratifying to observe the growing interest
that is manifest relative to that important question,
the " Tea Duties."

It really is monstrous that such an exorbitant
duty as that now levied, amounting to from two to
six hundred per cent. should still be persisted in,
the more particularly so now, when our commer-
cial views are becoming so enlightened : but the
fact is the tea duties' are and always have been a
kind of pet affair' with all and e, ery administra-
tion,inasmuch as ttieir derive from the man immense
revenue at trifling expense. They do not consider
that if they reduced the duty to we will say one
shilling the pound (a higher rate would be useless),
that an increased consumption to nearly double the
extent would be the result almost the very first year,
thereby proving their fears as to the revenue to be
groundless. We consider too that if the anticipa-
tions of the increased consumption were not quite
realised, that government would be at no loss ; as
from the increased demand for other commodities
which pay duty, they indirectly would be more than
amply compensated : they also do not take into
consideration the moral tendency of such a liberal
line of policy upon the kingdom at large. It is in-
disputable that tea is an agreeable and healthful be-
verage, and now almost a necessary of life ; indeed
a greater boon and one the public would more high-
ly prize than cheap tea it would be difficult to point
out. As a natural consequence the government who
grant it would receive the grateful support of the
nation.

Even putting the before mentioned argument out
of the question, we beg to submit that reciprocity is
due to the Chinese,—it is admitted on all hands
that a more liberal tariff than that granted by Sir H.
Pottinger could not have been expected, indeed it
almost surpassed our most sanguine anticipations.
With ether countries with whom we have commer-
cial relations the duties in comparison are almost
prohibitory to our manufactures. Let it then no
longer be a reproach to us that we are outdone in
our commercial policy by a comparatively barbarous

people.
It is a well ascertained fact that with a few excep-
tions the Chinese are poor, consequently specie is
scarce, how then are we to increase our trade other
than by further interchange of commodities. Their
principal product is tea, ours manufactured goods,
both of which can be supplied by either country to
almost unlimited extent—why then should restric-
tions be placed upon a trade the extension of which
would prove so beneficial to both countries ; it is
unjust, impolitic and highly prejudicial to the
dawning resources of that vast empire,and is endan-
gering the very existence of our present trade, and
also the good understanding which subsists between
us.

MV
We have now, thank? to our gallant troops, a fast
footing in the country, which if followed up on our
part by a more liberal commercial policy in con-
junction with the efforts of our worthy missionaries,
there is every reason to hope would ultimately tend
to their entire civilisation. 'What a noble field is
here open to the efforts of the Christian ; the philan-
thropic mind should at once seize upon it and give
the question his most strenuous support.
It will be unnecessary for us to enter into details
relative to our present trade with the celestial em-
pire,Seeing the statistics of it have so frequently been
before the public, more particularly in an able pam-
phlet published some short time ago by an esteemed
townsman, to the careful perusal of which we have
much pleasure in recommending those who are de-
sirous of a more intimate acquaintance with the sub-
ject. We will, however, merely observe that the
China trade is one Of the most important branches
of the commerce of this great port in which our
merchant princes are engaged.
We learn with much satisfaction that an influen-
tial body connected with the trade have taken up
the matter, and will energetically urge upon the pre-
sent government the immediate necessity of a reduc-
tion in the duty ; we wish their laudable efforts
every success, and would press upon all mercantile
bodies, that they give this momentous question, in-
teresting as it is alike to all, their fullest co-opera-
tion and support.

His worship the Mayor has received already the
only meed of thanks for his past services, which the
body, over which he has presided for the last twelve
months, could pay him ; and, in accordance with
our usual practice, we have to offer a few remarks
upon the manner in which he has discharged his
onerous duties. In ordinary cases this is no diffi-
cult matter. It is easy for any journalist, not to-
tally blinded by faction, to give credit where credit
is due, even to a political opponent; and as we have
(lone so in every previous instance, we shall scarcely
he accused of indulging our political predilections
in noticing the career of Mr. David Hodgson.
From his first entrance upon the dignified office,
which he is about to retire from, Mr. Hodgson has
been the mark of Whig-Radical calumny and spite.
His very features have been watched, and made the
subject of venomous comment. His manner, his
voice, his thoughts almost have been journalized
upon with a bitterness which is unaccountable, un-