The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-03-14 00:00:00

Qrbt Eibtrpool 'tanbarb.

'i'SDAY

MORNING, MARCH 14, 1848

rner from New York, which arrived
bere on Saturday, brings us the following letter, in
which there are suggestions that cannot fail to be
of use to the Parliamentary Committee on the
The letter is addressed to the Currency
Correspondent of the New York Express :

`New York, 23d February, 1848,

M E!...g EV

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rigorous inquiry into our general system of tata-
tion, and into the national expenditure. An influ-
ential portion of the community approached the
question in this serious and business-like spirit.
But not so some of the small spouters and jour-
nalists referred to. They viewed it only as a peg
upon which to hang as large a quantity of trashy
declamation as it could be made to sustain. It was
discovered that a portion of the additional even-
diture to be provided for arose out of a small in-
crease of the naval and military estimates,—that
Government were about to do a little towards pro-
viding for the better defence of the country; and
forthwith the opportunity was seized upon to af-
fright the public with a notion of impending *ar.
In our own and other towns we had huge anti-avar
placards every where staring us in the face, in which
the aristocracy and the legislature were accused of
a design to enslave and to rob the people. Welad
anti-war public meetings, at which some ofi our
weak-headed, yet amiable, townsmen, dribbled
forth as usual quakerlike sentimentalism from
the same platform, upon which chartism reassumed
its long dormant vitality, and railed in good set
phrase against every institution and order, which
stood in the way of the establishment of the "five
points." Wehad twaddling mercurial denunciations
of war budgets and other imaginary monstrosities.
And when the steam was just getting-up, and
demagoguism was flying off into a crusade against
some windmill somewhere, but nobody knew where,.
the news of the French revolution and the triumph
of mob power burst upon us like a thunder-clap.
The natural result has followed. The idle and
discontented frequenters of the resorts of frothy
declamations, whom our spouting and leader-in-
diting Solons, had stirred into activity, gave up
forthwith all thought of war budgets and other in-
ventions, and set to work to find for themselves a
few grievances a la Francais. Visions of barri-
cades, street fighting, the pillage of gunsmiths'
shops, and the accompanying pocket-picking floated
before the eyes of lazy prentices, prigs, and idlers
of all sorts • and the realization is to be found in
the gutted shops, the smashed lamps and windows
of Glasgow and other towns, accompanied unfor-
tunately by a loss of several lives and innumerable
broken heads, whose owners, after the slight shake
which a policeman's truncheon is apt to give to a
man's brain, have qUite as clear an idea now of
what they were brawling about as ever they had.
In the meantime quiet and timid people are becom-
ing alarmed for the safety of their limbs and their
property; and magistrates, military, and police
throughout the country are harassed by double
duty and constant anxiety, whilst the vicious and
turbulent people to be found in every community
are on the look out for an opportunity to commit
outrage.
We do not know how far the gentlemen, recently
so fluent in their denunciations against war budgets,
aristocracy, class-legislation, and other similar
topics, by which the vulgar ear is tickled, view
themselves as responsible for the new direction in
which their disciples have chosen to move. We
trust, however, that, as some slight measure of
atonement for their admitted indiscretion in moving
the first straw, and commencing the warming up of
the popular feeling, which has at length caused it
to boil over, we shall see their names amongst the
list of special constables sworn in before his worship
the Mayor. It would be very hard, we admit, for
the eloquent Mr. or the meek and pacific Mr.
to have to break the head of Tom Nokes or
Paddy Doolan, who so lately cheered their platform
displays. "But, alas ! inevitable necessity may com-
pel them ; and at the same time it may convey a
very salutary lesson as to what is a proper selection
of company for men to make, and the danger of
rubbing shoulders to-day with persons whose heads
you may to-morrow be called upon to break in the
Queen's name.

The debate on Friday night in the Commons on the
Government financial project, presents one or two points
worthy of special notice. We cannot help aslcipg, with
Sir W. Molesworth, how is it that the estimates of the
present Government for the army, navy, and ordnance for
the coming year, (exclusive of the item for the Caffre war,)
exceed the average yearly expenditure of the fivet.years of
Sir Robt. Peel's administration by no less than £31268,000;
or, how is it that the actual expenditure for these. services,
in the year ended January, 1848, exceeded that of the
year ended January, 1846, by £2,800,000. -
We have spoken elsewhere of Mr. Cardwell's speech, on
this occasion,—a speech characterised by g"reat• business
talent, although the views of the hon.. member do not
accord with ours. To one portion of the. spe4ch, how-
ever, we have great pleasure in directing the attention of
the hon. member's constituents. Mr. Cardwell. says :
" With regard to the public expenditure, he was ore of those
who confidently hoped that a great deal might be done in. favor
of the depressed energies of the country by way of a reduction
of that expenditure." _ _ _ • _

Perhaps we are not' very far wrong in taking this as an
all but official pledge from that section of the Coiservative
party which, at no distant period, will have to sirect the
affairs of the country ; and the more especially so when

we find it confirmed by the following Cleclartion of a
member of that party so eminent as Mr. W.E. Glad-
stone. We quote the passage :
"Now I, for one, shall not speak slightingly of the subject of
reductions. I feel convinced, upon general principles, that a
great country like this ought, periodically, whether after ten
years or fifteen years, or what other reasonable term, to have a
searching and thorough revision of its public expenditure.
(Hear, hear.) It is now, I think, fifteen
.years, or rather more,
since we have had such a revision ; it is thirteen years since
reduction ceased and the tide of increase of expenditure began
to turn to ' flood,' and I think it high time that we should
revise our expenditure; I say that quite independent of the
faet of the formidable increase in the cost of our army, navy,
and ordnance—the increase of nearly 47,000,040 since 1835, of
44,500,000 since 1844, of 42,830,000 since 1845, 0f,41,638000
since 1846. These facts, I think, lay a very strong prima facie
case for a searching revision ; and,moreover,. they lead to the
inference, that by a careful examination of details, without
diminishing your effective means—which I will not presume to
suppose you dare prudently diminish —you might effect a con-
siderable economy." •

The most telling speech of the evening was that of Mr.
Disraeli : a speech full of the caustic eloquence of that
consummate parliamentary gladiator, yet at the same
time containing stubborn facts and statistics bearing upon
the question at issue which are well worthy to be pondered
over by the political economist and the statesman.
The debate was wound up by perhaps one of the only
members—Mr. W. E. Gladstone—to whom the house
could have been brought to listen and conducted back to
that patient attention which the subject demands, after
the excitement of Mr. Disraeli's splendid effort. That
Mr. Gladstone's speech was a most able one we need not
say. As a vindication of his colleague, Sir Robert Peel's
policy, it was perhaps one of the most successful which
has yet been delivered.

THE PROVIDENT CLERKS' MUTUAL BENEFII

ASSOCIATION

The benefits of Life Assurance are daily becoming more
nerally understood and appreciated, and experience is
giving rise to the formation of societies peculiarly adapted
to the professional pursuits of individuals. Amongst those
recently and more advancing in importance is the Provi-
dent Clerks' Benefit Association and Benevolent Fund—
a society formed on the most comprehensive scale—and
securing for a comparatively trivial contribution, a provi-
sion for age, an annuity for a family; qr an endowment
for children. Indeed, the advantages are well described
by the agent, Mr. Lea, of Derby-buildings :
"Mutual Life Assurance is perfectly devoid of everythingap-
* proaFbing to speculation :—it is based on almost unerring data,

and he who avails himself of it has made a certain and positive
provision whenever death may take place. The tables of rates
of this department, which embrace every contingency to which
life is subject, are approved as safe by some of the first mathe-
maticians of the day; but while they are safe, the assurers are
certain of reaping every advantage which the proper, improve-
ment of their money can afford, as it is impossi Jle that any
portion of it can ever be devoted to the paypent of proprietary,
or any other purpose than the benefit of Members. Such has
been the confidence placed in the association that nearly one
thousand members have been enrolled in this department, and
every day others are coming forward to join. _ _ _ _

-To the Benefit Department there is attached a 'Benevolent
Fund,' for the exclusive use of clerks, which now amounts to
QlO,BOO stock. This fund has been chiefly contributed by
tern a means of making a provision for old
age, infirmity, or Meath of those clerks whose health or circum.
stances prevent their assuring their lives." '.
We cannot do less than urg- "
pendent clerks joining this society

and it off

0 the necessity

MADAME ANNA THILLON

The Theatre Royal, \Villiamson-square,. opens this evening
with an opera company, the object of which is principally the
display of the scenic and vocal powers q that admired ,candi-
date for fame, Madame Anna Thilion, whese voice is said (if se-
.cond to any) to be only surpassed by that of Lind, while her
peculiar tact, form, style, bu, iness, and dialogue, makes ber a
'character complete. Her success in London and Paris has been
extraordinrary, and her debut here created such a sensation as
will ensureher a welcome re-appearance..:. Loder's last new and
most successful operetta, "The Young Guard," which has bad
a run of some hundred nights at the Princess's, London, opens
the evening. The services of some of the most celebrated ballet
dancers of the day are also Secured, and it is anticipated that
during the three nights the theatre is opened it will be' well
reward.
filled. The enterprise is deserving 1