The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-10 00:00:00

1.111: VERPOOL STAN DARD.

essential or expedient for the better regulation, ma-
nagement and confront of the fund," are Such.as may be
conducive to the interest and advantage of the objects of
their " benevolence," or in accordance with the strict
rules of justice, are matters into which we shall take the.
liberty of making a somewhat free inquiry. This, how-
ever, we are compelled, from want of space, to defer
until our next publication. But we cannot take leave
of the subject., to-day, without expressing our obliga-
tions for the favour of a communication from the " Se-
cretar► to the Customs' Fund" in London, transmitted
by the conductor of the Bill of Entry Office at the Liver-
pool Customhouse, and just received by us, in answer to
an application that we made for certain accounts relative
to shipping, whiCh would have enabled us to furnish in
a little more perfect form some statements that might
have been interesting to the mercantile body. To use
the words of the communication, we are told, forsooth,
that " the Directors having considered your application,
desire me to acquaint you that, under the circumstances,
they decline furnishing the accounts in question." Mercy
on us ! "Under the circumstances !" What circum-
stances ? Why, courteous reader, as you may recollect,
we " dared," a few weeks ago, to hint that a little in-
quiry into this said " Bill of Entry" office might be de-.
sirable ; and so, out of revenge, as we suppose, they
refuse us a little information which might facilitate the
perfection of statements of a commercial kind for the
public benefit, as we are inclined to ,contend ; and for
which information we would willingly have paid three
guineas again, as we did before. Now, we tell this
little "imperium," that we have no petty. feelings of re-
venge to gratify ; but they will find us " daring" enough
to probe their concerns a little deeper. We tell them,
too, that when we want such accounts in future, we will
have them in spite of the " Directors."

" Whenever you are at a loss for a subject," said Ar.
HENRY BROUGHAM, some years ago, to that indefatiga-

angry spirit of the agitator in every part of tke KING'S
dominions, and a determined assahlt upon all the old in-
stitutions of the country has been declared even by the
avowed partisans of the ministry in the House of Com-

mons.

•
Where is the moral force to stem this threatened ir-
ruption ? What is to indemnify England for the loss of
her colonies—a loss as certain and irreparable as if the
whole of these fruitful islands were swallowed up by the
sea ? Previously to this gratuitOus sacrifice, we had
sunk from being a first to that of a third-rate state in
Europe ; but what shall we be with these islands in a state
of anarchy, and one of the richest mines of our wealth
shut up ? With distraction at home, and disorganiza-
tion, if not rebellion, abroad, shall We appear more formi-
dable to our enemies ? Look at Russia. She does not
even consult us in matters where our national interests
are fearfully involved, and where formerly we were the
absolute dictators. The Czar concludes treaties with our
" ancient ally" without even communicating his inten-
tions to the British cabinet. Is not this insult and ag-
grandiseMent at one blow—conquest in the first instance,
and obloquy afterwards ?
This is what we have gained by reform and Whig
principles ! The people have obtained their bill, but
the costs remain to be settled. Slavery is abolished,
and there, also, is a long score to be wiped off. The
twenty millions will be the least part of the expense.
The tax upon sugar must go too, and that will take at
least five millions from the public Creditor, unless the
amiable reformers who are the authors of the measure
be content to pay two shillings per pound for their sugar,
which we strongly suspect they will. be reluctant to do.
In one word—the day of reckoning is' at hand.