The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-20 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE.

FLEETWOOD DOCK DUES

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Six,—ln addition to the error pointed out by you in the
Standard of this day in the comparative charges on a ship
of 500 tons, from America, at Fleetwood and this port, I
beg to notice another inaccuracy
is . under the head of Light-
house Dues. 121 d. per ton said to be the rate at Liver-
pool, and a less sum is put down for Fleetwood, whilst the
fact is, that the charge made here amounts tc, 124 d. per ton
for an American voyage, and 12i-d. is the claim for the port
of Fleetwood.—l am, &c., PHAROS.
Liverpool, May 17th, 1842.

THE LIVERPOOL TIMES AND THE CORN LAW'

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

Sta.,—ln the Liverpool Times of Tuesday last I noticed
au article on the corn laws, in which it is stated that since
the new law came into operation there has not been enough
of corn released to supply Liverpool alone with a single
breakfast. Now, sir, upon reference to the Customs Bill of
Entry for this town, you will find that the following was
released the first week that the new law came into operation,

viz. :-

7,289 sacks of flour, weighing .... . 17,719 cwt
31,843 barrels ~
100 „ oatmeal, „ 200 „
A quantity of flour direct from the ship, the
number and description of packages not 4,731 „
given, weighing
11,398 quarters of wheat
20 „ oats }weighing about .... 48,000 „
25 „ peas

Total weight

133,665 cwt

Now, sir, taking the population at 295,000, your contem-
porary being one, he must have a very capacious stomach to
swallow half a hundredweight of flour at a breakfast, which
would be his share ; but I hope, sir, that if he has so rave-
nous an appetite, you will at least vindicate the remainder
from so gross a calumny. Only fancy the people of Liver-
pool eating one hundred and thirty-three thousand six hun-
dred and sixty-five hundredweight of flour to breakfast
What a gluttonous idea!—l am, sir, yours, &c.,
Liverpool, 18th May, 1842. MODESTY.

LORD ASHBURTON'S DINNER AT WASHINGTON,

(Front the New York Herald.)
Lord Ashburton's first official dinner came off April 25,
at six p.m. This functionary is a very plain, gentlemanly-
man, with a face somewhat careworn, and a complexion
which belongs to those who have lived long and well. His
suite are fine young men, generally bald, but with intellectual
heads, though not very remarkable countenances. The pri-
vate secretary of his lordship is said to be the cleverest of the
legation. In manners they are all self-possessed, somewhat
stiff in the movements of their bodies, and few or no gestures
escape them while speaking. How different from the others
of the fore;grn ministers here ! Why, a lively Frenchman
will gesticulate more in one minute with the phalanges of his
dexter hand than Mr. Mildmay could in the whole course of
his natural life.

The dinner was served up soon after the hour of dining ar-
rived. Late hours are, of course, in fashion everywhere
among the diplomatic givers and eaters of dinners, and this
one was to take place at six. The table was one of the lon-
gitudinal character, and there were present about 16 guests.
Among them were the foreign ministers generally, the heads
of departments, and some of our leading men in Congress.
There was no ceremony in entering the dining-room. The
guests " stood not upon the order of their going, but went
at once." Lord Ashburton took the centre of the table. On
his right was John Quincy Adams ; on his left, John C.
Calhoun ; opposite him sat General Scott. '
Mr. Fox was not present! It has been rumoured that Mr.
F. feels a little sore at this mission extraordinary. He per-
haps supposes the business might have been better entrusted
to him. But while we think very well of Mr. Fox's abilities,
we imagine that the length of time he has been in public life
has somewhat case-hardened him—thqt he takes no interest
in public affairs beyond what his instructions require of him ;
in short that he has more hand than heart, and that a nego-
tiation, controlling the destinies of two great nations, affect-
ing every cottage in remote England, and every log hut be-
yond our mountains, is no more to Mr. Fox than any other
negotiation, and that he would conduct it on the same cold,
skilful, and gentlemanly manner which he would a game of
ecarte, and in no other way.
Lord Ashburton is rather a man of the people---is identi-
fied with the prosperity of the commercial classes—would
be unhappy, truly unhappy, to see mother and daughter at
variance, and he would rather sacrifice the 25 townships he
owns in the state of Maine, but to which he has scarcely
given a thought for many years, and that of which now, for
the first time, he learns the real value, than involve us in a
war—the scourge of nations and the desolation of mankind.
The table was beautifully laid out; but as all his lordship's
plate has not arrived, there was no plateau in the centre, and
no vases, elaborate in art, and perfuming the saloon with
the choicest callings of the conservatory. But it was still
very elegant, and displayed. the skill of an accomplished
major domo. There are 21 servants in the house, and the
reader may well imagine what a god-send a score of beef-
eaters must be to the cattle-graziers in this city. Indeed,
the out-go of his lordship's establishment will be so large,
and the profits so immense to the retailers here, that we
should not be surprised if they proposed, in the course of a
few months, to purchase the claim of England to the dis-
puted territory, and present it, as a mark of their gratitude,
to the people of Maine, for being so much the cause of the
present mission.

As his lordship has three cooks of the utmost talent, artists
whom Ude himself would not have blushed to take by the
hand, the dinner was not only superb but magnificent. The
meats were all nicely carved, and handed round, as is now
the fashion ; and the game, of which there was a great va-
riety, was all cut up and divided by the cooks before it was
served up ; then reinstated in form and figure, ready to drop
apart at the touch of the first fork. Course after course

succeeded, delicious to the palate and agreeable to the eve ;
the wines were rich and soft and high flavoured,'having the
body and strength which belong to the English cellar.
Champagne was passed freely round, but no other wines
of France, and none from the Rhineland met our eyes. If
diplomacy expresses its feelings at the dinner table by its
preferences for meats and drinks, when we say to Germany
and France, England likes not the Zoll Vercin, nor the back-
ing out from the quintuple treaty for the right of search.
No ! no ! hard cider and Monongahela which stoutly repre-
sent the apples and the cornstalks of Brother Jonathan,
shall find favour on the festive board of John Bull, when
Chateau Margeaux and Vin de Grave shall be forgotten.
The conversation it would be improper to divulge. We do
not believe it right, though it may be fashionable, to retail
conversations and steal correspondences. We will only say,
that the remarks were all of a friendly spirit, now and then
approaching the confines of rigid propriety, when they related
to the quality of our steam-ships and the differences of our
discipline.
The dessert, among other things, exhibited a large number
of the choicest fruits of England, beautifully preserved, fair
to the eye and delightful to the taste. They were much ad-
mired by the guests, and produced a round of encomiums
on the garden from which they were brought.
In due time coffee succeeded, and then the guests departed,
much pleased with this first of a series of entertainments with
which the new envoy commences his mission. For some
years the " meteor flag" of England has not floated very
gaily in Washington. Mr, Fox is a man of retired habits,
somewhat peculiar, and does not care for popularity "with
the natives." The boundary line is to be adjusted on the
dinner table in streams of sherry, the right of visitation is to
be exercised in diplomatic hospitalities, and the loss of the
Creole is to be made up in black and white.
In taking our leave, we did not forget that the 14 servants
in livery—blue coats, black velvet shorts, and striped waist-
coats—had done their best to fill our plates with the dainties
of his lordship's table.