The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-11 00:00:00

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE

INDIA

The intelligence received at Bombay just as the steamer
containing the Overland Mail was about to sail is, if true—
when taken in connection with the other undoubted occur-
rences—of the most momentous importance. Firstly, then,
it is certain that all the tribes of Affghanistan are more or
less in arms against -s ; to use the prophetic

the British fort
Willock. " i

language of Sir Henr;

s at enmity with us ; t

hers, and communication with distant parts is only practi-
cable for large detachments," and even for large detachments
with difficulty and through slaughter. General Sir It. Sale,
on bis return to india with his brigade 3.000 strong, has
literally had to cut his way through the Koord pass ; and
after fifteen days' hard fighting over sixty miles of ground,
and losing 240 men and ten officers, he escaped total destruc-
tion, not by victory, but from the want of skill of the enemy.
And even at the latest dates the safety of his brigade was
very doubtful. Secondly, it is scarcely to be doubted that
near Candabar, Captain Woodburn and 100 men had been
attacked, and, after a desperate resistance. slaughtered to a
man by the Affghans.
Thirdly, it is almost certain that 5,000 additional troops
were under orders for instant march to Affghanistan, which
will make no trifling addition to the five millions sterling
which the possession of that country, it is estimated, will,
during 1842, without any extraordinary occurrences, cost
India.

This intelligence is sufficiently disastrous, but worse re-
mains behind, if it can be relied on. Caboa itself is re-
ported to be in insurrection, and amongst the first victims of
the revolt is said to have been Sir Alexander Burnes, than
whom British India does not possess an abler servant or a
more gallant man. The .Agra Ukhbar in making this state-
ment doubts its accuracy. and these doubts are repeated by
the Bombay Times: still, whatever may be its truth or fal-
lacy, our envoy at that capital, with 10,000 men at his com-
mand, appears to be literally in a state of blockade.

REVIEW OF THE STATE OF TRADE

(From Yesterday's Times)

The mercantile circular of Messrs. True Man and Cook, of
London, and the mercantile circular of Messrs. Buchanan
and Co., of Liverpool, in reviewing the state of trade during
the past year, agree in most points as to the causes which
have made it one of so little profit to those engaged in busi-
ness. Both firms appear to carry their observations back to
the date of the establishment of joint-stock banks, and the
redundancy iu circulation created by their reckless advances
of monies, as one of the chief causes which have produced
the late extreme depression of trade. These advances, they
say, called into existence mills and machinery to an extent
which carried production far beyond reasonable bounds. A

succession of bad harvests is also quoted as having had a
powerful influence in bringing about so much derangement ;
for the quantities of foreign wheat and flour on which duty
has been paid for consumption in the United Kingdom
were, in 1838, equal to 1,834.453 quarters ; in 1839,
2,681,390 quarters; in 1840, 2,436,665 quarters; in 1841,
2,413,216 quarters ; making together 9,365,724 quarters in
four years, for which little short of £20,000,000 were paid to
exporting countries, whereas in the four preceding years the
amount in value was not more than X 500,000. Reference is
also strongly and pointedly made to the suspension by the
American States, and the failure of houses in that trade,
which, having a large amount of capital looked up on the
other side of the Atlantic, have been reduced to the neces-
sity of winding up till the derangement in trade has passed ;
while also the state of our foreign relations is indicated as
having pressed heavily on business in all departments. With
respect to the future, Messrs. Trueman and Cook write—
" it is highly satisfactory to observe, in regard to the position
of our monetary affairs, upon which a return to prosperity
much depends, that the year commences with a change for
the better, so decided as to form quite a contrast to what has
been long experienced. The Bank of England was never
more at ease, for bullion is flowing in from all quarters ; arid
their stock in about two or three months has increased
X 2.000,000, being now X 6,000,000, and even allowing for
some check from further imports of corn, it is not unrea-
sonable to expect that by the month of April, the accumula-
tion will have reached at least X 7,000,000.
Messrs. Buchanan and Co. take much the same view of
the effect of the late large influx of specie upon the stock of
bullion in the bank, although they hardly gave so high an
estimate of the amount by nearly £1,000,000, and form a
similar opinion as to a favourable return in business, if it is
followed with prudence and caution. On the subject of
foreign investments they state—" Previous to this period
(alluding to about eleven years ago, which was the period
when the disposition sprang up to seek a new system for the
employment of capital) surplus money had been very generally
lodged in the hands of experienced private bankers at a
moderate interest, and was employed by them with prudence
and judgment, the more so because it was loaned on their
individual responsibility. So soon, however, as the various
foreign and domestic joint stock projections began to come
in favour with the British public, more particularly those of
the United States of America, then these deposits were
gradually withdrawn, and invested from time to time, toge-
ther with constant and enormous annual accumulations,
in undertakings rendered tempting, not, as it should have
been, by the reasonable prospect of ultimate success, be-
cause _based on solid foundations, but by the temptation
afforded in the shape of high interest or a quick premium.
This species of gambling in time produced reflection on the
part of some, and more correct information of the real state
of affairs on the part of others ; induced the initiated from
one or the other of these motives to pocket the early bonuses,
and leave the unwary in the lurch. Ruinous as many of our
cal schemes have been, in the United States of America,
ge amount of British money was invested,

re a very lar

the results are disastrous in the extreme. the aosolute ex-
tinction of capital by many of thesJ projections is enormous,
and the buoyancy of trade and commerce necessarily crippled
thereby. These remarks, though applying to the monied
interest generally, do particularly so to business men baying
moderate surplus means, and a class of people not concerned
with trade."

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL INTELLIGENCE

(From the Oaford Herald.)

On Monday last, Mr. llenry Master White, and on
Tuesday, Mr. John Ward Goodenough, were admitted Actual
Fellows of New College, the former afier two years of proba.
tion, the latter as of kin to the Founder.
The Rev. G. Webster, 8.A., of Exeter College, has been
presented to the Curacy of St. Peter's Mancroft, Norwich.
The Rev. Hugh Pearson, M.A., of Balliol College, has
been presented to the Vicarage of Sonning, Berke, voidl by
the resignation of the Bev. G. E. Howman.
The Rev. W. Renaud, 8.A., of Exeter College, has been
presented to the Curacy of Norton-by-Daventry.

PILOMOTI ON S

Rev. George Lloyd, 8.A., to the Perpetual Curacy of
'Winesley, in the county of Derby ; patron, Sir Charles A.
Hastings, Bart.
Rev. W. Foster, Rector of Collor, to the Living of
Loughilley, and the Rev. A. Adams, Rector of Ballytnakinny,
to the Rectory cf Collon.

Owing to the demise of the Rev. Charles Smith, the late
Vicar. General of Elphin, the following promotions have now
taken place in that diocese :—The Rev. Henry Hunt, M.A.,
the Rector of Ahaskeragh, to be Vicar-General; the Rev.
Joseph Morton, to be Surrogate of Flphin ; the Rev. A. T.
Gillmor, Surrogate of Sligo; and the ley, Hugh Murray,
Surrogate of Athlone.
Rev. James Stoughton Money, B.A. of Emmanuel Col-
lege, Cambridge, to the Curacy of Alderley, Olouccstershire,
Rev. William Godfrey, to the Rectory of Bredicot, Wor-
cesterahire; patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Worcester.
Rev. J. Edwards, to the Perpetual Curacy of Trinity
Church, Southport, Lancashire.
Rev. Thomas Hughes, M.A., of Wickham Market, to the
Head Mastership of the Woodbridge Grammar School, void
by the resignation of the Rev. Woodthorp Collett.
Rev. C. W. Richards, to the Perpetual Curacy of St.
Chad, Lichffeld.

Rev. E. B. Field, LL.B., of Sidney Sussex College, Cam-
bridge, to the incumbency of the Episcopal Church, Dun-

Lrmhne.
Rev. James Sharpe, 8.A., has been appointed Chaplain on
the Ben al station.
J Rev. J. Bartlett, to the Curacy of Leominster.

THE NIGER EXPEDITION,

Extract of a letter from an officer of her Majesty's steam-
vessel Albert, dated
" Wilberforce, off Ascension, Nov. 22.

" The Albert left the confluence for liabbah the same day
we did for Fernando Po. As Mr. Fishbourne took the Sou-
dan down the river with 46 foyer patients, Captain Bird
Allen remained in the Albert. As soon as we arrived at
Fernando Po, Captain William Allen despatched thc Soudan
and the Ethiop (Mr. Becroft) up the river to assist the Al-
bert, in case of need. We arrived at Fernando Po on the
let of October, and left the island on the 9th, accompanied
by the Pluto. Mr. Strange took the command of the Sou-
dan, because Mr. Fishbourne got the fever and came on
board the Wilberforce to go to Ascension, but recovered so
rapidly that he returned in the Pluto to join the Albert on
the 21st of October, with Mr. Bowden, who also had been
taken ill up the river. On the 14th of September it was ar-
ranged that the Albert and the Soudan should proceed toge-
ther up the Niger, and the Wilberforce up the Chaddah ; ' but
my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor my ways your ways,
saith the Lotd.' Sickness and disease caine upon us like a
thunderbolt. This was as enexpected a defeat of our plans
as it was sudden. The Lord's will be done! If prudence,
sound judgment, and indefatigable diligence and perseverance
could have overcome the diitculties of the expedition, our
excellent commander-in-chief would soon have accomplished
more than the most sanguine hope could ever have ventured
to expect ; but to overcome the laws of nature is beyond the
power of human wisdom and strength. In two letters which
were written by Captain Trotter, on the 20th and 21st of
September, at the confluence of the Niger and Chadda,
there are the following passages, which show, that notwith-
standing the numerous obstacles arising from the climate,
he bad still strong hopes of eventual good resulting from the
expedition, and was by no means disposed to omit one single
chance of success :

" The new cases that occur every minute are very per-
plexing, but I do not ace that it is yet time for the Albert to
give up the river this year, though half-an-hour more may
alter the case.' I shall certainly, I think, he at Fernando
Po by the 15th of December, The model farm is going on
well, and is beautifully situated." '
It is probable, as no news of the Albert had reached Ascen-
sion when the letters from which we have given extracts
were written, that Captain Trotter has been able to persevere
in his design of visiting Rabbah before leaving the river. It
appears, from other letters, that the Wilberforce came down
the river in charge of Lieutenant Strange, Captain William
Allen and 26 of her hands being ill of the fever. She also
brought down three invalids from the Albert, leaving her
with eight or ten on the sick list, inclusive of two of her en-
gineers. Captain William Allen had quite recovered at the
date of these letters. We publish these extracts because it
is desirable that authentic intelligence should be before the
public. At the best the news is bad and distressing enough;
but it is always better that facts, rather than uncertain and
often exaggerated reports, should reach the ears of the friends
of those engaged in this perilous enterprise.

CHRISTMAS AMUSEMENT.—THE HOUR TOLD BY A SUS-
PENDED SHILLING.—However improbable the following
experiment may appear, it has been proved by the repeated
trial :—Sling a shilling or a sixpence at the end of a piece of
thread by means of a loop. Then, resting your elbow on the
table, hold the other end of the thread betwixt your fore-
finger and thumb, observing to let it pass across the ball of
your thumb, and thus suspend the shilling into an empty
goblet. Observe, your hand must be perfectly steady ; and
if you find it difficult to keep it in an immovable posture, it
is useless to attempt the experiment. Premising, however,
that the shilling is properly suspended, you will observe, that
when it has recovered its equilibrium, it will for a moment
be stationary; it will then, of its own accord, and without
the least agency from the person holding it, assume the action
of a pendulum, vibrating from side to side of the glass; and
after a few seconds, will strike the hour nearest to the time
of day ; for instance, if the time be twenty-five minutes past
six, it will strike six ; if thirty-five minutes past six, it will
strike seven ; and so on of any other hour. It is necessary
to observe that the thread should lie over the pulse of
the thumb, and this may in some measure account for
the vibration of the shilling ; hut to what cause striking.
the precise hour is to be traced, remains unexplained ; for it
is no less astonishing than true, that when it has 'struck the
proper number, its vibration ceases, it acquires a kind of
rotatory motion, and at last becomes stationary as before.—
Nokia! iveriisor.