The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-12-20

| bENERAL OASS.-l lie movements OF tnls Qlstln-
guished man continue TO excite srrong sensations
amongst the democratic masses. The I" Plebean'
is out stronger than ever against Gen. Cass This,
OF course, indicates that the friends of Mr.. Van
| Buren, are still in a state OF great alarm They az
fected at first to treat with great contempt the
merits and popularity of the General, but the very
manner in which they have assailed him, lets the
cat out of the bag, and affords the most ineligible
demonstration of their real feelings. They cannot
disguise the fact that they more afraid of Gene
raj Cas- than any rival candidate who has yet APP
| peared in the field
These systematic and persevering assaults on the
high character and distinguished popularity of Gen.
Cas-, must benefit him very considerably, and make
him still more formidable than ever. 1t was in pre-
cisely the same way that Jackson and Harrison
raised to the presidential chair, by the attacks
! and abuse of the friends of the minor candidates
The more the merits of General Cas- are agitated,
the more will they attract popular goodwill All
over this country his name and claims are eciting
| attention
| General Cass was last in Philadelphia on his way
to Washington. He was received with great en-
husasm in the city of brotherly love. His lady
| ard his daughter are at present in Savannah Ca,
and it is probable that the General may journey in
| that direction his homeward route to Michigan
| Mr. BANcRoFrs LECTURE AT THE TABKRNAcLE-
Mr.. Bancroft, the historian, delivered his lecture
the Political Condition of the Continent prior to
the Revolution, to crowded auditory at the Tab
emace las, evening Mr.. Bancroft does not appear
to be praclised public speaker. His delivery is
slow, labored, and monotonous. His style is neat
and polished, often ford, and occasionally some
what obscure. He is, however, much superior to
the ordinary run of popular lecturers. He is at
least instructive, and he does send his hearers away
furnished with some additions to their information,
and with minds awakened to the pursuit of histori-
| cal truth.
He commenced his lecture with rather elo-
quent apostrophe to the memoy of Washington,
and some feeling illusions to the mighty influence
which the cause Of American independence was
| destined to exert on human liberty all over the
world and throughout all time. The war of freedom
on the continent of America, commenced he said
on the banks of the Ohio. He then went on to
speak of the seven years war. That was a battle
| of parties-the reform against the unreform-preg-
nan with results to great degree, that all the ef
forts of politicians could not prevent the alliances,
connexions, and results necessary to make it so. In
Europe there was then striving for reform. The
dark middle with all its superstition, land idleness
and death-its fear of hell and purgatory to the neg
lect of the present life-al needed reform-beggars
iders, monks 1t was the war Of Professionalism
against the despotism of Christian Catholcity. In
this primal struggle Professionalism won the victory
Then came the spirit of doubt and enquiry Human
institutions were subjected TO rigid analysis. gi-
gantic scepticism entered the field, but it was not
left without antagonists MIR Bancroft went on al
some length to describe the character of the Prus
sian Protestant government of that time, and con
tended that it was essentially democratic. Frede-
rick of Prussia he represented the great Colossos
of scepticism, doubling philosophy, doubling reli-
gion distressing the multitude, scofng at nobility,
and questioning the past which he could not reform.
| Mr. Bancroft went on to describe the gradual
growth of the cause of liberty amongst the CONT
mental nations. He referred, with emphasis, as IL
Illustrative of this progress of freedom to the fact that
I in I764 the ancient empire of Germany-the crea-
ture of the middle age destined soon to fall, cleo
1 ted as successor to the imperial crown a young
man, whose mind, revolving from the examples of
his ancestors, derided distinction of birth and as
serted freedom of mind with such integrity that
when afterwards it came to be exercised against
| himself, he refused to impair it,
The lecturer went on to show how the foundations
of ecclesiastical despstism had been shaken through
out all Europe; and with much eloquence depicted
the early progress of that philosophc spirit of free
dom which is now overthrowing all the remnants of
tyranny and oppression in the ather-land and which
has in the virgin soil of this western world obtained
a resistess superiority.
In the course of the lecture we thought that we
occasionally recognized sentences which fell ia
milary on our ear, and which we believe have
"local habitatlon" in some of Macaulay's splendid
articles in the Edinburgh Review. This suspicion
may have been little strengthed by the recollection
the fact that eloquent passage on the character
Of the Puritans, which near the close of one
of Mr. Bancroft's volumes on the History of Ameri-
ca. may be found, almost word for word, in an ar-
Gle on the character and writings of Milton, which
was published in the Edinburgh Review some fifteen
years ago, and came from the pen Of Babingten Ma.
caulay
LATEST FROM RIo-By an arrival at Boston, ad
vices from Rio to the LIST ult. have been received
Nopoitical news of consequence. The Empire ap.
pears to be in hourishing condition Part OF the
American squadron had gone TO Buenos Ayres and
Msnevldeo. The remainder to follow in
few days Our tring difficulties with the latter are
then to be settled.
In addition to the above, we have received a slip
from the New Boston Merchants Exchange News
Room, started by Harnden Il Co., containing the
following commercial intelligence
RIO JASEIRo, Nov. lst.-CoFTEE-Superhne qualities
scarce and kept hack for higher rates. Superfne 800
Firsts, $500 Ordinary, 27oo 1890 Second do, 24oo
$500. Stock Is 600 bags
ExcHANoE-Lttle doing. 272 Spanish Doubloons
90 100; Patriot, %, 600 Patriot Dollars, 1878.
FLOUR Dealers holding back stiay in anticipations Of
heavy supplies Induced b the large crop in the United
States Richmond, $500 a $500; Baltimore, 1900
1880 Stock in all hands, - 600 bbls
DoMEsrcs, very dull Of sale, the African trade being
at an end for the present at least.
YAcHTrNG.-An English yacht, commanded by
Capt Hewster, an English gentleman Of rank and
fortune, arrived at New Orleans on the 9th inst.
Capt H., who is the owner of the yacht, left Eng
land some two months previous, and touched at ia