The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-11-21 00:00:00

using them, that he was not precisely in the posi-
tion of a hero of romance ; that he was not a Lochiel
or a Charles Edward Stuart, seeking a temporary
retreat after the disasters of a well-fought field ;
hat be had left no Culloden behind him, but only
a handful of police ensconced in an ordinary "brick
and slate house;" that, in short, he and his friends,
the leaders of the abortive rebellion, were showing
no disposition to sink with the ship, but rather a
disposition to launch themselves on the nearest
hencoop. Another passage, however, in reply to a
further remonstance by the same rev. gentleman,
that " the people would be better pleased to hear
that he had got free of the Government," is still
more magniloquent :
Perhaps so," Mr. Meagher continued, " but it would
be for a time only. I see this, as clearly as I see that
stream there, -that were I to escape, men bidding for
popularity against our memory would hereafter say,—
those leaders incited the people to a certain point—
disaster met them there—many of the poorer classes be-
came involved—they were arrested, imprisoned, tried,
and punished, whilst the leaders, availing themselves of
their superior, .facilities, made ff, and left these poor
fellows—their honest and devoted followers, to bear the
whole brunt.' So far as lam concerned, this shall not
be said. Nothing will induce me to escape, and when
the Government comes to wreak its vengeance on our
failure, the people shall still see we are at their head—
standing in the front rank—breaking the fire they would
otherwise receive—breaking it, by receiving it in our own
hearts."

The passage which we have marked in italics is
just what the public were likely to say, and have
said, and have been fully justified in saying; for
every one of them, who could get away, did get
away, and Mr. Meagher and his friends, no doubt,
were trying their best. As to rallying the country
by skulking in disguises on the Keeper mountain,
hiding in coal-pits, and sleeping in ditches, tke idea
is preposterous. But we come to another portion
of the narrative, which, indeed, was that which most
particularly attracted our attention. It is that in
which we discover that Mr. Meagher, on the follow-
ing day to that on which he had made the above
professions, consented to entertain terms of sur-
render, 'provided that he "and all the parties con-
cerned in the movement were permitted to leave
the country." In this transaction, we must ac-
knowledge, that both MI. Meagher and his friends
exhibited a nobility of mind, which we should not
have expected from the previous absurdity of their
conduct. The proposition was made, and the fol-
lowing was the result :

" On the Saturday morning of their arrest, a letter from
the Rev. Mr. —, enclosing one from Mr. Redington to
the reverend gentleman, was handed to Mr. Meagher,
who, with his companions, were at the time in a place of
concealment, close to the Waterford and Limerick Rail-
way. Mr. Redington's letter mentioned that the under-
secretary was authorized to state, that the Lord Lieutenant
would guarantee the life of Mr. Meagher, and those of
his three companions, on condition that they would sur-
render and plead guilty to high treason. A further con-
dition was required—that the arms of the insurgents in
the south—the arms in all the disturbed districts, should
be delivered up without delay. The moment Mr. Meagher
read this letter, he wrote to the Rev. Mr. —, who was
still in Dublin—` that his proposal—viz., a surrender, on
condition that permission were granted to him, and all the
parties concerned, to leave the country, having been re-
jected, he would make no other. The one he had made
was the only honourable one he could make. As to the
government proposal, he rejected it without hesitation
and with the deepest scorn. In this his friends fully and
proudly concurred.' "
We have already given Mr. Meagher and his
friends credit for their conduct in this matter, as
honourable, although we think it was a little obsti-
nate and foolish. But what shall we say of the
conduct of Government in thus treating with rebels
in arms? This Rev. Mr. - was clearly indictable
under the recent act far concealing the place of
retreat of such rebels, of which he acknowledged
himself to be cognizant. Why was not the same
measure of justice dealt out to him which was dealt
out to many poor Irishmen, who, probably from the
ties of relationship, or the fear of the "wild revenge"
of the people, were induced to commit no worse an
offence ? Any one of these, we have said months
ago, if they had attempted to open such a negoti-
ation with the Irish Government, and refused to
betray the parties in whose behalf it was opened,
would have been rewarded with instant incarceration,
and, probably, as the sequel of his fate, expatriation
for life from his friends and country.

IN our last publication we asked of the Manches-
ter Guardian to apply himself to the consideration
of the point, as to whether it would not be possible
to obtain a steady value for money by a definite
rate of interest; and then inform us under what
circumstances—except in the case of a political
commotion—" such currency could vary in value."
A fear that such variation would occur was pre-
cisely the point, to which our contemporary himself
said that his objections were narrowed; and we
fully expected that he would have responded to our
invitation, and favoured us with the ground of his
fear. We were the more warranted in doing so,
inasmuch as we had already disposed of every
argument which he bad urged in behalf of his
views, as to the probable variability of our proposed
basis. Two publications, however, have now ap-
peared without his having noticed us ; and we beg
in the very best spirit, and acknowledging the
courteous tone in which the controversy with us
has, thus far, been conducted by the Guardian, to
redirect his notice to the point which is between us.
We repeat, what we previously stated, that we
care nothing, in this matter, for any triumph as
controversialists. We disdain, on a question so
important, the use of any " cunning of fence." To
elicit the truth is our first and only object; and we
feel assured that, by guaging accurately the pro-
gress of public opinion, the Guardian will find that
the views of the Liverpool Currency Association
have already taken a great hold upon the minds of
the reflecting portion of the community. If our
contemporary can shew us that we are wrong, he
will do good service by protecting that community
from running into error.

IT is at length an understood fact that a full
enquiry is to be instituted, by the newly appointed
Water Committee, into the correctness of the state-
ments made, with respect to the existence of a suf-
ficient supply of water in the sandstone foundation
under our town; and, incidentally, into the mode
in which previous enquiries have been conducted.
The step comes rather late, after the large expendi-
ture which has been already incurred in prosecuting
what may be discovered to be an unnecessary pro-
ject; and we learn that there are some amongst
the members of the committee who entertain the
idea that, whatever be the result of such enquiry,
we are on account of the expense in question, and
of our further liabilities, too much committed to
allow of ®r receding from the Pike. Perhaps we,
are not so committed.

There is one consideration, bearing upon the en-
quiry, which it will be most important for the gen-
tlemen conducting it to bestow their particular at-
tention upon, in estimating their prospects of
revenue in the event of deciding upon the Riving-
ton scheme. We refer to the possibility—nay the
great probability of the ratepayers, and especially
the great water consumers, resorting themselves to
the supply to be found upon the spot. Already
this has been done to a considerable extent, even
although the private wells have to be sunk deeper
than they would require to be, were the supply in
the upper strata not diminished by the pumping in
the Corporation wells. In some neighbourhoods
in the town we have information of water having
been found by the owners of private houses, at very
moderate depths, which can be economically dis-
tributed, for the purpose of supplying baths, &c.,
by an ordinary force pump. Let the Water Com-
mittee ask themselves whether the providing of
their own wells will not be the rule, rather than the
exception, with owners of property when, by the
abandonment, or partial working of the deep wells
of the Corporation, the whole area, upon which the
town stands, shall have become, as inevitably it
will, full of water, procurable by sinking five or ten
yards below the surface. What dwelling-house of
£2O or £3O rent, or what row of half a dozen cot-
tages of £lO a-year, will in that event be without
its separate pump and an abundant supply of pure,
naturally filtered, spring water ?
We are satisfied that by sinking deeper the ex-
isting wells, and adding to their number, an inex-
haustible supply may be secured; and we may
refer to the recent instance of the well at Gorton,
near Manchester, in proof of our assertion. But
it has been urged against deeper borings that they
tend to drain existing and less deep sources of sup-
ply. In reply, we beg to direct the attention of
the Water Committee—and the members of the
late Board of Highway Commissioners will remem-
ber the circumstance—that such a thing actually
did occur during the sinking of the Green-lane
well. It was said that the bulk of the private wells
in the neighbourhood of the new suburbs of Fair-
field and Stanley were either dried, or ceased to
produce their usual supply. Existing facts, how-
ever, prove that this was only a temporary result.