The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-14 00:00:00

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

The Chronicle is inclined to add Lord Palmerston to
the list of deserters from Lord John, in consequence of his
letter on Papal aggression.
The Town Council of Birmingham have petitioned Go-
vernment against the paper and advertisement duties and
the newspaper stamp.

. .
Sir Thomas N. ftedington has resigned the lucrative
situation of Under-Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant.
He thinks that no Romanist should hold office under a
No-popery Government.
At a late meeting of some of his constituents, Mr.
Wakley, M.P. for Finsbury, promised to resign if his
health did not improve. On the same occasion he gave
an unfavourable account of the health and spirits of his
colleague, Mr. T. Duncombe.
A crowded meeting of delegates of the metropolitan
parishes was held at Marylebone on Wednesday, to pro-
mote the repeal of the window-tax. Several members of
parliament were present, and Mr. Williams, M.P., and
Lord D. Stuart, M.P., advocated, amidst loud cheering,
the stopping of the supplies, if their requests were not
complied with.

A FACT FOR THE FREE TRADERS.—There are lying
just now, in Falmouth harbour, forty vessels laden with
wheat from Palestine, a sample of the ordinary produce of
that country, to be followed by further arrivals of the
same character, many more vessels similarly freighted
being actually on their way to England at this moment.
The wheat, though small, is of excellent quality, weighing
631bs. to the bushel. It had to be conveyed to the coast
on the backs of camels; but notwithstanding this diffi-
culty it was put on board at Alexandria, free of all ex-
pense, at 17s. per quarter. It is off red in the English
market at 255. Now, what we wish to know is, how the
English farmer can possibly compete with this ? By what
contrivance is he to produce wheat which he can deliver
in the market at 255. a quarter ? What wages will this
price enable him to pay to his labourers ?—John Bull.
CALIFORNIA AND THE NATIONAL DEBT.—Mr. Muntz
has resorted again to his feeble la quoque on the subject
of California ; but when he says that we are ready to con-
vert paper into gold at £25 per ounce, or 3s. 6d. in the
pound, if the California accident should enable us to do
so, he has made a little slip. California will not help us
unless we stick to the £3 17s. 100. per ounce. There is
not a shadow of dishonesty in wishing the terms of a bur-
densome engagement to become lighter. If we had
undertaken to supply 1000 tons of iron at £5 a ton for the
next five years, we should think it no sin to hope that the
price of iron might fall to £2 before the term was out. A
due regard to the national honour need not prevent us
from wishing the gradual extinction of the National Debt
by this natural process, though prudence and humanity
alike forbid us to wish for any sudden change, distribut-
ing, as it certainly would, much more injury to some
classes than benefit to others.— Times.

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

-.

The traffic of the London and North Western Com-
pany keeps uncommonly well. For this week it is
£4,750 above that of last year, yet this is a week when the
traffics of most other lines are down.

Captain Moorsom, who succeeded Mr. Collett as Chair-
man of the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company, is
about to retire, if he has !not already retired, from that
post, and it is said that Mr. Peto will be his successor.

The meeting of the Cheshire Junction Railway Com-
pany on Saturday was again postponed to next Saturday
week, in consequence of no report being ready as to the
arrangements with the London and North Western Rail-
way.

On Friday, two enginemen, :guard, and station porter
on the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway, were acquitted
of a charge of culpable homicide on the occasion of the
late accident at the Cowlair's Station of the Edinburgh
and Glasgow railway.
It is rumoured in a well-informed quarter, that at a
meeting of the Birmingham and Shrewsbury hoard, held
on Tuesday, it was determined to conclude an agreement
with the Great Western Railway Company for the pos-
session by the latter of the Birmingham and Shrewsbury

A serious collision occurred on the North-Western
line, on Saturday week, at Boxmoor, a goods train having
put in at that station in consequence of the defective state
of its engine, when it was run into by the Liverpool ex-
press. Signals had been heisted, which were seen by the
engineer and guard, who shut off the steam, and put on
the breaks, but in consequence of the frosty grease on the
rails, after a shower of rain, there was not sufficient bite.
and a collision took place. The driver was not hurt, but
the stoker was seriously injured, and for some time sup-
posed to be dead. Some twelve or fourteen passengers
were more or less hurt. One gentleman had his right eye
injured ; a lady had some of her teeth knocked out ; ano-
ther was severely cut about the face ; and others received
contusions about the head and limbs ; but no bones were
fractured.