The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-26 00:00:00

Poor John O'Connell has neither inherited his
father's mantle of cunning and legal lore, nor his
prestige of success in gammoning his fellow coun-
trymen. The ambition to live a mendicant, and to
shine as a martyr, are, however, strong in him;
and the latter ambition has just shone out most
brilliantly, but, at the same time, accompanied by
a just sense of its expensiveness, so far as personal
danger is concerned. John took precious care of
his small person, when pikes and muskets were
talked of; and still more when they were to be
used. He talked wonderfully large of " Repeal of
the union, or —"; but the practical part of the
alternative it never entered into his small soul to
dream about. More earnest people, however, have
entered upon the path, which this mendicant family
only hinted at—to earn a beggar's hire. Smith
O'Brien, and his brother young islanders, went
the whole animal—except biting—and are about
to be made " felons" and martyrs, for their earnest
adoption of the O'Connell representation : and
John grudges them their ovation, whilst he still
clings to his safe-side-of-the-hedge sort of rebellion.
The feeling of this small animal has oozed out in
a letter, addressed to his excellency the Lord Lieu-
tenant, prompted by a reply made by that function-
ary to a declaration of allegiance to the Crown of
England, by an immense majority of the rank and
property of Ireland. In the reply in question,
Lord Clarendon denounced, as destructive to the
best interests of the country, the agitation for
repeal. Probably, his Excellency might have
had his own, not very peculiar, views as to the
parties, for whose benefit that agitation was carried
on. He has had ample time and opportunity to
know the O'Connells, and the progeny of fools
which they have engendered—the bankrupt scamps
in green and gold, and the whey-faced renegades,
whose cabbage garden exploits have cost the em-
pire a round amount of its treasure, and the ha-
rassing marches and uncomfortable bivouacs of
thousands of its fine soldiery. At all events, he
offended the would be successor of Ireland's wallet
bearer; and this.is his demand for amends:—
" You compel me, as one of those who have been for-
ward in that agitation, to demand of your Excellency (I
do not use the phrase disrespectfully to you, but out of
respect to myself) to demand that ycu shall either deny
the accuracy of the application of the expression, or else
that you put me upon my trial before the country for the
' criminal' efforts which you have thus denounced."

Excellent young man ! We regret that we can-
not add chivalrous. It would have been perfectly
in your power to have earned the crown of martyr-
dom, which you demand. But you know, as well
as any living being, that you have most studiously
avoided the risk, to which aspirants to such a crown
are liable. You, John O'Connell, kept out of the
ring. You had not even the courage to hold the
clothes of any one of the combatants. We grant
you the disposition to hold any quantity of their
money, and that of their dupes; but you wanted
pluck. Even at the last hour your wish—couched
in insolence as it is—wears a cowardly aspect; for
you know that there is not a law which can touch
a hair of your head, so carefully have you kept
your tongue from transgressing beyond the limits
of puerile Billingsgate.
Poor John O'Connell! We conclude as we be-
gan. If you are the shadow of the great Liberator,
the world will witness in your children a race of
that fabulous people who have no shadows to give.

WE should think that, in questioning the pro-
priety of any of the proceedings of the National
Confederation of this town, we shall not be sus-
pected of a wish to injure the usefulness of that
important body. Our advocacy, thus far, of the
objects for which they have been exerting them-
selves, ought to protect us from such a suspicion._
But we must submit to them that, whatever may
be the straightforward character and the prudence
generally of their course as a body, some of
the proceedings of their committees do not appear
to deserve this praise. A portion of the conduct
to which we object is referred to in the following
letter, which appeared in a contemporary, with a
complaint of the writer that no reply had been-
vouchsafed to him :

" September 18, 1848:

" SIR.—A report has lately come ti) the ears of some of
the gentlemen connected with the• Rodney-street Ward,
which has occasioned them no little surprise, and in this
feeling, as Secretary to the Conservative Committee, I:
naturally participate.
" The report I refer to is to the effect, that your asso—
ciation has it in contemplation to-contest the ward, or,
what amounts to the some thing, that it is purposed to
nominate some person in opposition to Mr. Geo. Booker,
at the forthcoming election, in November.

"As it is generally understood in the town that the
Confederation is not hostile to any person, on account of-
his position in society, nor yet for his entertaining any
peculiar political sentiment (in the ordinary acceptation of
the term party politics',) I feel desirouu of knowing the
grounds upon which the association founds its hostility to-
Mr. Booker, should the report referred to be correct.
" What the causes can be I must own myself at a loss
to conceive, inasmuch as the votes by this gentleman in
the Council have favoured to the- utmost the expressed'
views of the body to which you act as secretary.
" His ideas have conformed with those of the Con-
federation upon the ' Water Question,' and the still more
recently discussed ' Rating of the Docks.' And I have
heard that a deputation from your association to Josias
Booker, Esq., expressed themselves perfectly satisfied
with his brother's opinions (G. Booker, Esq.) upon the
necessity of curtailed expenditure in our local manage-
ment, &c.

" I shall feel obliged by your laying this before your
committee, and, awaiting your reply, I am, sir, your most
obedient servant, "J. B. COOPER.
" - Macdonald, Esq.,.
" Secretary of the National Confederation."
Since this communication was made public, we
understand that a reply has been made, but merely
to inquire whether Mr.. Cooper has acted with the
authority of his committee. The charge of want
of courtesy, therefore, we pass over. But the
question still remains to he answered to the public,
—will a body, which professes to be neutral in
politics, permit one of its ward committees to or-
ganize an opposition against a gentleman, who,
like Mr. Booker,. is sound. and staunch upon every
point for which they are exerting themselves._ We
make no charge against the confederation itself,
that they are actuated in this, or any other case, by
political considerations. We would strongly_ advise
them, however, not to mar the confidence which the
public are disposed to place in them, by incurring
even a suspicion of being actuated by such consi-
derations. Mr. Booker, although a new member
as yet, is from his great energy and local experi-
ence, likely to prove himself a most efficient repre-
-1 sentative of the interests of his fellow-townsmen
in the Council; and we are quite unaware that he
has done anything to warrant his being replaced by
the electors of Rodney-street ward, by any untried
representative.
There are one or two more proceedings, con-
nected with the coming elections, of which we
much doubt the prudence. To these, however, we
may advert on a future occasion, if we see fit. We
may, in the meantime, extzl 4w that these are un,
connected with the charge of political
leanings, either in the body itself or its commit-
tees.

ONE of the most remarkable signs of the times
was exhibited last night at the Great George-street
Assembly-rooms, in a meeting convened by a party
of gentlemen, for the purpose of hearing a lecture
from Jonathan Duncan, Esq., of London, on the
effect of our present monetary laws in producing
commercial distress, and want of employment
among the working classes. Mr. Duncan is well
known as a staunch opponent of the theories of
the hullionists. Upon the platform we observed
some of the most prominent members of the Free-
trade party, singular to relate, listening to an ex-
posure of the fallacies of their great apostle, Mr.
Cobden, in his arguments on monetary science,
and of the ruinous results of the carrying out of
Sir Robert Peel's advice, that we should "buy in
the cheapest market and sell in the dearest." At
the close of Mr. Duncan's remarks, Mr. Charles
Holland, who was in the chair, attempted to vindi-
cate his position, as a follower of the Manchester
school of politics in one direction, and parting from
them on the question of monetary science. Such
a course was natural. We are only glad to see
that even amongst its most thick and thin advo-
cates, such as were some of the gentlemen present
last night, that free trade and a restricted currency,
with a basis of gold at a fixed price, are felt to be
incompatible things.
Mr. Duncan will deliver a second lecture on the
currency laws this evening.

CHINESE EXHIBITION.—This truly interesting collec-
tion of Chinese articles continues to attract numerous
visitors. Nor do we wonder at it. The people of the ce-
lestial empire are a race with whom we are very little ac-
quainted. Their manners and habits have long been a
source of curiosity, not only to the British public, but
every other civilized nation. In this collection we are
introduced into the most familiar acquaintance with them
and their manners—habits, trades, recreations and amuse-
ments, are all vi.idly placed before us. It is impossible
not to feel deeply interested in contemplating the Ow,
sand things here presented to our notice,