The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-04-28 00:00:00

water is not a more ridiculous misapplication of power

than the whole force of whiggery—its Mercury,
Times, Journal, and Chranicle—engaged in cannonading
the single person of Nit.. Wm. Birkett ! The entire
affair, however well disguised under the cloak of an
assumed zeal for the due adniinistration of the affairs
of the workhouse—(for which Nlr. Birkett is just as
much or as little responsible as any other of the 25
members of the select vestry)—has been, in very truth,
no more than a splenetic persecution waged by the
united Whig faction against this gentleman—waged
against him because they durst not attempt the same

manifestation of feeling against the Conservative body
—waged against him upon the same principle as that
which incites a malicious coward to pinch his neigh-
bour's child, when he dare not lift even a finger at its
father.

Well, this paltry effort has been successful ; and
great is the gratulation—great the cock-crowing—in

the Whig-Radical camp. But over what victory of
principle is this gratulation ? Mr. Birkett, a Conser-
vative—a tried and known friend to the poor—has
been replaced by—not a Radical, but—a Conservative.
Over what, then, we repeat, have the Whig-Radical
faction to triumph ? They have not replaced Mr.
Birkett by one of their own kidney! They have gained
no Whig-Radical victory, in the only proper accepta-
tion of the term ! They have gained, therefore, no
triumph of principle—no triumph other than one of
party spite over one individual ! And how have they
gained even this pitiful thing ? Why thus—and we
ask Conservatives to reflect upon the reply;-=they
have gained their little all, by dividing Conservatism

against itse f !

- Individually it is nothing to us, and we are sure that
it must be nothing to Mr. Birkett, that such has been
the result of the recent attack upon him. The election
of Mr. Henshaw is not a Conservative demonstration,
and therefore does not implicate us in any implied ap-
probation of that system which he is understood to
favour ; and it cannot be claimed as a victory of
Whiggery. But we must confess that we do grieve
over the apathy, on the part of the Conservative
rate-payers, which has permitted this slight to be in-
flicted upon one of the most energetic of their party—
one whose exertions for the good cause, unobtrusive
though they may have been exercised,—h4ve,..contri-
buted as much to the attainment of• its present-proud
position as those of any other gentleman to whom we
could point; and we can imagine nothing mere likely
to prove the ruin of that cause than the neglect of
Conservatives to rally, upon every occasion, in its de-
fence, whenever it is attacked, even in the person of
the very humblest of its members. We are at present,
thank Heaven, the ascendant body. We were not
thus proudly situated, however, a few years ago ; and
a very, very brief period of inertion and neglect of our
best friends may change our position more irretrievably
than we at present imagine, when we may find our-
selves not the first people in the world who have cried
" wolf" too late

We are informed that it was Mr. Birkett's strong
desire to he relieved from the duties which he has for
some time so efficiently discharged in connexion with
the parish, and that nothing but the threatened retire.
went of several others of our parochial authorities
along with him induced him to forego that desire.

We are reluctantly compelled to postpone some
remarks on the council proceedings which appear
reported in our columns to-day in consequence of the
length to which the speeches at the Amphitheatre yes-
terday have extended. And with reference to the
latter, we can only urge our readers to study atten-
tively the statements of the Rev: Rector Campbell,
and the Rev. Hugh M`Neile, if they desire to appre-
ciate the merits of the Factory Education Bill now
before Parliament.

LOCAL NEWS

The next overland mail to India, via Marseilles, will be
made up in London on Thursday next.

—The Corporation Warm Baths, we perceive,
are announced to be in complete repair, and quite ready for
the reception of visitors.

BATHING.-

ROYAL ASSEMBLY Roonts.—lt will be seen that Mrs.
Raymond, Mrs. Waylett, and Mr. A. Lee have announced
an entertainment at the above rooms, of a novel character.
Mr. Raymond's " Scrap Book" will, no doubt, prove amus-
ing and attractive.
We understand that on Wednesday seve:al hundred boys
from the Mechanics' Institute visited the Iron Palace, being
charged only Id. each. On Friday, at two o'clock, the Blue
Coat boys will pay a similar visit, and arrangements are
making to admit the Collegiate students, who will visit the
house in their gowns, &c.

EXTRAORDINARY QUICK PASSAGES.—The New York
packet-ship Independence, Captain Nye, which, arrived here
on Tuesday last, has again made the passage in eighteen
days from port to port. Her outward passage she made in
fifteen days, which,- considering the general prevalence of
westerly winds on the Atlantic, is an occurrence, we may
say, unparalleled in the records of swift sailing.
CHINESE EXHIBITION.—NOW that [the affairs of China
are here creating so much interest in the public mind, we
ought to hail with pleasure any means of throwing a light
upon the habits and customs of its inhabitants. We are led
to make this remark from observing that a Chinese Exhibi-
tion is about to be opened at the Portico. It will no doubt
prove highly interesting and instructive.
VISIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN SHIPPING.—II is only a short
time since our docks had an unusual number of vessels at
whose mast-heads a broom was fixed, denoting them on sale;
but within the last week this sign of depressed times has so
rapidly decreased, that there are now scarcely a dozen vessels
advertised for sale ; the others having been either advan-
tageously chartered or sold. From this we may contemplate
s speedy increase in the demand for export

TAYLOR V. ASHTON AND OTHERS:—In the Court of Ex-
chequer, on Tuesday, Mr. Knowles moved for a new trial in
this case on the ground of misdirection on the part of Mr.
Justice Coltman, before whom the cause was tried at the
late assizes in this town. The action was one in which the
plaintiff sought to recover compensation from the defendants,
who were four of the directors of the celebrated " Commer-
cial Bank of England," for certain alleged fraudulent and
false representations contained in the annual reports of the
s -^ress, and prospects," by reason of
,ecl to invest little less
Mr. Knowles argued at

policy, prop
die plaintiff, had been ind
than £3OOO in shares of that bank

..stn in support of the rule, and the court said as the
iestion was so important they would take time to consider.
ARTISTS' CONVERSAZIONE.—The second meeting of the
Artists' Conversazione for this season took place on Wednes-
day evening last, at the Adelphi. Independent of the beautiful
presentation sketches, from the professional members, there
were some works of art in progress, and portfolios of sketches
laid upon the table ; but the principal attraction was the
original sketch, by Sir David Wilkie, of "Knox administering
the Sacrament at Calder House." Although in an unfinished
state, it is a work of great talent, and full of intense feeling.
There was also a coloured copy of the work just published of
his sketches taken during his tour in the Holy Land, and the
last number of Roberts sketches in the Holy Land. Those
members of the society who were absent lost a great treat.