The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-02-25 00:00:00

THE CORN-LAWS.

MEMORIAL TO THE QUEEN FROM THE " WOMEN tF
ENGLAND."

At the present moment, in almost every town in the king.
dom, there is a knot of " women" who are neglecting their
household duties, and the interests of their families and
hawking about a petition from house to house, for the 'total
and immediate repeal of the corn-laws," to be signed by the
female inhabitants of the respective dwellings. In thistown
this unfeminine agitation is carried on with much pertipcity
and activity ; and, though there is a great wish on the pert of
these female politicians to conceal the steps they are sedu-
lously carrying out, yet we can assure them that their pro-
ceedings are looked upon with no little suspicion by,their
immediste'friends, and with the greatest disgust by the ilight-
judging public. As a specimen of the contamination to yhich
these ladies subject themselves by their misplaced interftrenee
we may mention that two or three of the party in the ours*
of their perambulations have ventured within the precin:ts of
houses, over the doors of which God has written, " T is is
the way to hell." Especially has this been the case with the
parties to whom Juvenal-street has been allotted. No won-
der that much astonishment is expressed at the large nktnber
of " lady" inhabitants, in dwellings of this description, who
were greedy to attach their signatures to the paper presented
to them ; but we put it to the husbands and fathers of the
females who thus expose themselves, whether they ate not
called upon to interpose their authority to prevent their
wives and daughters thus placing themselves within thereach
of every species of insult and indecency. We have elsewhere
alluded to the unblushing falsehood put forth by "hand-
some" George Thompson, and perhaps it may have thteffect
of checking, in some degree, the enthusiastic devotioi with
which this plausible advocate is regarded by these ladies.
We need say no more than simply give an outline of the
memorial to which we have alluded ; and we only noice the
subject because there is such a manifest wish to klep the
whole affair as secret as possible, its concocters eldently
being heartily ashamed of it.
The memorialists first express their loyal and affectionate
devotion to her Majesty's person, and then allude to:he un-
exampled misery at present prevailing amongst the louring
classes of this country, which they assert is " frighttilly in-
creasing." They draw from these premises the extramdinary
conclusion, that " the total repeal of the restriction, on the
importation of food would restore to the nation at urge the
blessings which flow from commercial prosperity ;" Ind they
therefore supplicate her Majesty to "interpose her oyal aid
IN FAVOUR OF THE TOTAL REPEAL OF THE CORN-TAWS."
Such is the nonsense to which the " Women of Eigland"
are asked to subscribe their names, and which her !lost gra-
cious Majesty is asked to listen to.

PRESBYTERIAN MARRIAGZS.--The Lord Chaniellor of
England has referred to the Irish judges for the grounds of
their decision against the legality of Presbyterian marriages,
in order to form a bill for the amending the law thiesession.
WAGES OF THE ANTI-CORN-LAW INCENDIARIIS.—The
stipend paid to Mr. George Thompson, for agitating the
women of England on the subject of the corn-laws, s £4 per
week, awl all travelling and other expenses ; arid to Mr.,
James Acland, late editor of the North Cheshire Rfortner,
for agitating the working classes, agricultural and commer-
cial, .43 per week, and all travelling iand other expaises!—
SlockfrorrAdvirtiiei-:

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

A speCial meeting of the Town-council was held on Tues-
day, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, in the Council-
chamber, within the Town-hall.
The first subject brought under consideration was the bill
" For the improvement, good government, and police regu-
lation of the borough."
The TOWN-CLERIC said many of the provisions had been
embodied in former acts, and it had been thought expedient
to consolidate all the matter of such local acts with such
new matter as might be required in one act. The preamble
to the bill recited the various existing local acts, and then
the reasons for the consolidation. After sundry minor pro-
visions, without any new matter of importance, it went on to
provisions for extending the extraordinary powers of the
Council to take land for public purposes, both particularly
and as specified in a schedule, and generally as the rapidly
increasing population and trade of the borough may render
necessary. This was to compel refractory parties to sell in
the line of an improvement, and to enable incompetent per-
sons to convey such property.

Mr. BOLTON
chases.

Lsked what fund was to pay for such pur-

The TOWN-CLERK said there was no fund whatever pro-
vided by this bill. There was nothing in the fluid which
rendered any purchase obligatory on the Council.
The MAYOR.—It is only an enabling bill.
Mr:G. H. LAWRENCE said the borough fund act gave
power to improve the town. Now this bill went for power to
compel parties to sell property in the line of improvement.
The TOWN-CLERK.—To compel them to sell and capaci-
tate incompetent persons to make sales. Agreed to.