The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-16 00:00:00

MR. OASTLER AND THE MERCURY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
SIR,—
I have this moment received your kind favour of yes-
terday, with a slip from the Liverpool Mercury of the
same day.
As you are kind enough to offer me space in the Stan-
dard, I will give my angry opponent such a reply, as under
my present circumstances, I am able.
I was not aware that, in my last letter to you, I
had averred " my utter and perfect ignorance of the con-
ditions of the transfer of the Lease." I thought I bad
stated them.
Neither, was I aware, that the " strain," in which I
spoke of Mr. Thornhill in that letter, " differs from that
of the Fleet Papers", or, that I had ever subscribed my-
self to Mr. Thornhill as " your victim."
My hasty opponent, has, evidently, not read the Fleet
Papers.
It is perfectly true that I did " take it for granted" that
the " insinuation" of the editor of the Liverpool Mercu-
ry " had reference to the report" which I had heard
from three different parties, and which I mentioned in my
first letter to you. It was quite natural that I should do
so, because, that " report" was the only circumstance I
had heard of in reference to myself and Messrs. Rawson
and Co., since I left Fixby.
It seems that I was mistaken—and that " the transaction
to which he alluded was an application to Messrs. Rawson
and Co., for their half-years' arrears of rent after Mr.
Oastler had been put out of his stewardship, when no ar-
rears were due." He now also asks me, to explain " how
it was that Mr. Sutcliffe, the tenant of a mill belonging to
Mr. Thornhill, at Brighouse, was applied to for the sum
of £3OO, half a-year's rent, which, from the Books, as
they came into the possession of the new steward, ap-
peared to be due, although the money had been paid long
before."

Not having heard of these circumstances before this
morning, and having no books to which I can refer, it is
impossible that I can gratify my unreasonable opponent
with the explanation demanded. If there be such, or any
other errors on the books, I have no doubt, were it pos-
sible that I could refer to them, I should be able to give
him what he asks for, " a plain and straightforward ex-
planation :" in their absence it is impossible.
My opponent insinuates that the account I have given
you of the transfer of the lease is incorrect. As far as
my memory serves me, I have faithfully detailed the
facts.

With respect to " the indigo speculations," one of
which was a gain and the other a loss, I must wait till he
publishes " an account."
On the subject of my relieving myself from prison by
passing through the Insolvent Debtors' Court, it is
enough to say, it was agreed between Mr. Thornhill's
legal representative and my own, before I was arrested,
that I should not avail myself of that mode of release.
To that agreement I have adhered. I have other objec-
tions, which have been fully stated in the Fleet Papers,
to that mode of release, but that one is sufficient for the
editor of the Mercury, if he be the friend of Mr. Thorn-
hill.

As " to retaining what property I possess," I put that
out of my power by, unsolicited, before I came to prison,
giving all my creditors " judgments," thus depriving
myself entirely of any benefit from it or control over it.
Since I came to prison I have been supported solely by
the gifts of my friends.
I will not reply to the abuse which follows. I have
learned, that abuse is not argument; that slander is not
reason.

Before I conclude this letter, common justice to myself
and my friends demands that I should state a few facts,
in order to prove that 1 have not, in any way, evaded the
strictest investigation into my accounts.
I left Fixby Ball in September, 1838, taking with me
the duplicates of the rental books, of which Mr. Thorn-
hill had copies. On the 10th July, 1840, Mr. Thornhill's
action against me was tried. I did not dispute the debt,
but having heard that certain insinuations or charges were
to be made against me in court, I went into the Common
Pleas with the rental books and other documents, in order
that, if such were the case, I might give to the jury " a
plain and straightforward explanation."
No insinuation, no charge was made. lat once assented
to the verdict, and agreed to give up all the books. That
was on the 11th July, 1840. On the 9th of December, in
the same year, I was committed to the Fleet : I have re-
mained in prison ever since then ; and now, on the 13th
January, 1844, for the first time, I am required, by an
editor of a newspaper, not by Mr. Thornhill, to give ex-
planations on certain alleged errors in those books.
During all this long interval I have not heard from any
party that there was any error : I have been asked no
questions about them by tenant, steward, or landlord. If
there are errors in these 36 volumes of accounts. I shall
be happy to correct them, whether they be pro or con, but
it is impossible I can do so in the absence of the books.
Of one thing I am sure, no person could take more pains
to make them correct than I did.

I will not attempt to give an opinion on this mode of
attack upon a prisoner, I leave that to others. I cannot
believe that Mr. Thornhill is privy to it ; I pity those who
are. If this be, indeed, an approved method of obtaining
justice, the world is grown worse since I left it.
I remain, Sir,
Your most obliged and grateful servant,
RICHARD OASTLER.
The Queen's Prison, January 13, 1841

THE LEAGUER'S DICTIONARY, OR, LYING
MADE EASY.

Published by Messrs. Factory, Milloumers, and Co., at
the Free-Press-Gang Establishment, Grind• em-down-
lane, Manchester. Price lliree Farthings.

" God love you, we are all for ourselves in this
world."—League Brooks.

This is likely to be a very popular work, with a certain
party, and will no doubt be widely circulated. The type
has all been set we understand by machinery, and several
eminent members of the Society of Friends have been en-
gaged to assist in the compilation. The reason for its
being brought out at so cheap a rate is, because it has
been got up by the hands at over-hours, (that is before
six in the morning and after eight at night.)
It is to be dedicated to the subscribers to the League
Fund. .

Leaguer . —One with a lying tongue.
League. —A body of men associated together for purely
patriotic purposes, i. e., individually and collectively, to
make as much money as they can for themselves, which
they consider the very essence of that charity which
begins at home.
League P aper . —An organ, generally with a cracked
barrel and short of a few notes, which exists by doctor-
ing spoken nonsense into readable absurdity, and has an
eleuaosynary circulation, according to the amount and
usefulness of its lying.
Anti-Monopoly Associations.—Sucklings of the great
league grunter.
Monopoly .—A protective duty upon goods sold by any-
body but yourself.
Free Trade.—Removal of restrictions upon all articles

but those you deal in.
Patriots.—Those who make the most money—any how.
Philanthropists.—Those who grind most out of the sinews
and muscles of the child and its mother, to enrich them-
selves. "We are all for ourselves in this world."—

Brooks.
Millowners.—True philanthropists.

" Within thine eyes, sat twenty thousand deaths,
In thy hands clutched as many millions, in
Thy lying tongue both numbers."
Charity.—Subscribing to the League Fund.
Bribery.—The legitimate use of large sums of money
wrung from the people.
Lying.—Fair argument to carry your purpose.
Truth.—A word not understood and never used by the
League.
Corn Laws.—A very useful bugbear to bamboozle the
operatives with.
Labourers.—" Hands ;" things that make money for us.
" Not balmy sleep to lab'rers faint with pain,
Not sbow'rs to larks, nor sun-shine to the bee,
Are half so charming, as thy sight to me."
Wages.—An article to be kept down as low as possible ;
(but always to be spoken of in a whisper.)
Cobden-and-Bright.--Two pieces of self-acting machinery,
running about the country, which work all day, and lie
all night.
We may possibly give further quotations.

AN ACROSTIC TO MISS TREBLE,
OF THE THEATRE•ROYAL. CHURCH-STREET, LIVERPOOL.

DY AN OLD FRIEND OF THE DRAMA.

H ow modest, graceful, fair, art thou, sweet maid !
E ach part you pourtray, Nature lends her aid ;
L ove from thine eyes beams forth with heavenly tight,
E ndless good humour, all that 's kind and bright;
N of oue corroding care seems thine to be—
T tuth in thy face, thy every action free.
R ound thee may fame and virtue ever shine;
E arth's joys in plenty pour on thee and thine ;
B liss be thy lot, where'er thy footsteps wend ;
L ife's ills forsake thee ; and, when time shall end,
E ternal happiness be thine, sweet friend !
London-road. J. B. S.

The Pharsalia, of Boston, U.S., has arrived in the Tyne,
and is about to discharge from 300 to 400 tons of ballast,
when she will take a cargo of coals home. A proof that
the high American Tariff does not prevent the consump-
tion of English coals in America.—Newcastle Advertiser.
The loyal interest attached to our Queen, whether
reigning in her court, or meeting her parliament, or travel.
ling among her people, or seeking the solace of such do-
mestic privacy as royalty may taste, will be increased if
we hint that it is more than probable these domestic ties
will be multiplied. If we are not misinformed, and we
are pretty certain we are not, the family circle next year
at Claremont will be more numerous.—Court Jouynal.

ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION. The mammoth
steam-ship, Great Britain, is at length definitively ap-
pointed to proceed on her first voyage, from England to
New York, on the 25th of May next.' Some conception
of the vastness of her size may be formed from the fact
that her burden is 3500 tons, and her engines 1000 horse
power, whilst those of her sister ship, the Great Western,
are respectively 1600 and 450. Captain Hosken, the late
able commander of the Great Western, will take the com-
mand of the Great Britain, his place being supplied in the
Great Western by Mr. B. R. Mathews, the experienced
first officer of that vessel. It is a source of much disap-
pointment to the Bristol people, that, although their city
has all the honour of projecting and constructing the Great
Britain, Liverpool wiil have the credit of first sending her
to sea. We understand the Great Britain will visit the
Thames in the course of a few weeks, in order to display
her gigantic portions and superb internal fittings to the
inhabitants of the metropolis.