The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-03-21 00:00:00

no longer filled its saloons, its hotels, and its shops ;
its theatres were empty, its workshops deserted.
Money had ceased to circulate. Confidence between
man and man had departed. The fountain which
had supplied vitality to the roots of the tree was
driei up at its springs.

But that confidence would be speedily re-esta-
blished, it was said. There was still wealth suffi-
cient amongst the patriotic portion of the commu-
nity, ready to be devoted to the support of industry,
ready to fill up the vacuum created by the absence
of those votaries of fashion and of pleasure who had
contributed so largely to the employment of indus-
try. The events of the past week have dissipated
this last anti's' ;on. One after another capitalists
-olis have been compelled to
of the crisis ; and, at

rINII
of the French me
Tield be

ath the

the Bank of France itself has been compelled
to cease meeting its engagements, and the Provi-
sional Government to decree in its behalf that its
notes—its paper promises—shall henceforth be
French money ! Sunk over head and ears in debt ;
unable to contract loans on the sorry security they
have to offer; without a franc in their treasury to
pay the employ6s upon their public works, the
philosophers who are at the head of affairs find
themselves suddenly embarrassed for want of the
means to fulfil one tithe of the -flattering promises
which they have made, and have only the last des-
perate resource left them to call in, to take pos-
pession of their places and duties, a still more
desperate set of men—a class who will not hesitate

to endeavour, at least, to fill the national treasury
by the sack of Europe. The departments are urged,
almost compulsorily, to return, at the coming elec-
tions, a national assembly corndosed of such per-
sons as may most :readily be depended upon for
violent and ultra councils; and it is scarcely sought
to be concealed that the sole hope of the Republic
now based upon the result of a collision with
st offend against its ma-

whatever power shall fi

estic pretensions

We are not Am.

t to speculate upon the possible

issue of this state of things, so far as either the
world at large or our own country is concerned.
We must candidly confess ourselves incapable of
determining a question which is susceptible of being
influenced by such a variety of circumstances,
whose solution, in fact, is about as great a difficulty
as it would be to tell from what quarter the snow
of next Christmas will come. Our object here is
of the honest English artizan, and of the
sh labourer and peasant; who allow themselves
led blindfold by frothy and deceitful dema-
mogues, to view with us the present and prospective
condition of theSe recent heroes of the French revo-
* Trace that pale-faced artizan, who has just
musket and the bayonet, and,
iportunities of enriching
ealaces, to his ill-furnished
ualid wife and children in some
the faubourgs. He is
His mind is full of all
abundantly dissemi-
has secured the elec-

tuouslyr

apartments, and I

attic or third

hich h

nated
five fi
made

s, moreover, the assurance,
'•at henceforth the toil of
-ure him an adequate
nse dependent upon
" \rive la Repub-
'—are still
.sore moving cry has
nis children for bread.
my length of time, by
red ribbon which he has
honour which he has
...trance and honesty upon
en complimented ? No ; by
-morrow, he flatters himself,
c!. The provisional philo-
riles. Yet " to-morrow,
ow" see him and his

ten hours pc

on for "the support of tt
" A bas les Bourbons '
o• in hi

erte, I

Fraternite !"

But a

the display of tl

worn on his breast—
gained—by the for

which he Ills just I

s are to achieve rr
-morrow, and to-

victims of hunger
a to utter despera-
he has been acting

B con

LI class is worthy'
ted upon'hy the
; although, hap-
Is to be held up;

le good sense

ni'condition

10 recently

I have ensured

& now

imper
tradir

n of the French

in every country,
he effects of popular
al change—
y no means to be
t, however much
be urged as the
But to the few of
who may be

We do not r

y and

of following such an
their French brethren,