The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-12 00:00:00

IfS• e Lord cere ad- Cow per 'ederick Henri ;ueen nnose ; t Wool- Pete :bridge; 8.A., • : John Thomas Trinity, La En Pe - Pallet Tests Oxford ; a rnett, [agdalett °oaths') Thong' at hens° 8.A., 'Peck I e- Greene , Clar• nbrole ; 71Dillon in Tur" R o bert dolPhas Beliblt Douglas Tinerian Ts were Ithurst, 95. ,i s day► Grand Gower► ; Rev. William 1 , New vas this st held, f Arts. owland ~ueen ' Jobns ; John Clarke Trinity D.D.I o REC terday, College ,etweeu Bute. serdeen f a s tO ian in 2,hapelt March 12 , 1814. -, GENERAL. MISCELLANY. The venerable Earl Grey will complete his 80th year tosnaorrow, (Wednesday.) A meetin g o f a ll the County Bankers in England is summoned to meet in London to-morrow. Mrs. Fawcett has been deprived of her widow's pension, thesebec her h us b an d (t h e l ate Li eut.- C o l . F awceett ) fell in duel with Lieut. Munro. POISONING By MISTAKE. Mr. Collingwood, of Market Itasen, was poisoned on Sunday week, by taking a dose of muriate of morphine, in mistake for magnesia. elOn Wed nes d ay night last the Earl of Zetland was ected ?ear, grand master of the freemasons for the ensuing ° a Sund ay wee k , a boy of the name of Matthew Hod son had his collar-bone broken by a snowball, whilst oc cupied in a snow-balling engagement in hendal. e R RA. TRICALS AT BRIGHTON.—On Monday evening no use opened t o fif teen persons i n th e p it, twoin the axes , and t wo i n the gallery ! There was no perform ance, and the money was returned to the audience! tsBB Samuel Lov er , th e " p a i n t er , p oe t. an d mus i c i an ," " been for some time engaged in preparing an entertain naetntisimilar to those which Mr. Wilson has rendered so tti.oi?Pular- It i s t o b e d evote d to t h e e l uc id at i on an d ill us . of Irish melody. c oY AL AILMENTS.—King Otho has been very ill, in soßnaequence of hav in ' r , ea ten freely of stewed hare, cooked ymdirty copper,inwhich virdigris had formed. The P ehau3ros Were mild. The Duke of Cambridge is afflict. c w ith the gout i n his knee, which confines him to h i s mber. There are 587 poor-law onions in England and Wales, 1 9414 of which there are chaplains ; and if London, Man cchester, Liverpool, and one or two other places, are ex elated, it appears that the average salary enjoyed by those ex chaplains does not exceed £37 per annum. In Liverpool, &ir t l r toent to the chaplain is £250; in Manchester, chapia ;fl an ,d, in London, where they have more than one r ;""ne gross payment to them all is £4OO. ' III EAT PAUPER.—Preston Quarter Union Work lactuse' in this town (Whitehaven), has, until within the . g t - S e t at f est da Y, been the residence of p . ro:bably one of the Paupers in her Majesty's dominions. This huge Misaate of the poor-house, whose name was James Tag gart, died on Sunday last, in the 43d year of his age ; h e stood six feet nine i nc h es i n h e i g ht, an d we i g h e d upwar d s of 20 stone Cumberland Pacquet. SIiNaOI:EL BOOKBINDING.—LittI e did t h e i mmorta l D r. lason imag ine, that a neat pocket edition of his " Has would ever be bound in a rat's skin, and yet such the fact. A youth of the name of Todd, grandson of Jennett, stationer , of Stockton, killed one ot these -or ac i o . lie us animals a few week's since, the skin of which cured, and, since its metamorphosis into an ornament sor a library, 1 has excited the admiration of all who have seen it. c, C4 31 . GE OF MURDER.—On Friday, at the Central .rn inal Court, Sarah Dickenson was tried for the murder i n . fher tw o children, at Deptford, on the 10th January as t• She cut their throats, and afterwards her own, but recovered. It was proved that the family was in a very tdeerd from setiturtere a state, and that Mrs. Dickenson had sustained sev ere fall some years back, after which she h a d o f ten suf pain the head and wandering of mind. The iarY acquitted her on the ground of insanity. WE,XT.RAORDINARY ACCUSATION.—On Friday, Mr. na e — ,„\ s t ` e ad, an extensive shipbuilder, of Ipswich, and a fete...tos..,dierr of the town council for that place, was taken be t Charles o cast PwetienriaLmaurie, at the Mansion-house, Lond n, in °f a n officer 'charged with havin combined with Mari Simpson, the master oft he Colina brig, ne a A wa ir ia t n h e a e t vessl, with the view of defrauding the prope rty f or Assurance Company of the amount of Mande w hich she was insured. The case was re d for a w eek 134 11 I MMENSE OTTER.—One of these destructive ani %:eigah tin B day g upwards of 201b5., was captured a few hay eauchamp.ech-hill, neThear Rea remains ding, the residence of °• C. Be of a large jack river, been found near a ditch c o mmun ic a tin g with the fa . rto r tif., le to the suppos i t i on t h at an otter was locate d not mint.' ' a nd a trap was consequently set to catch the " var in the nex e 1 tt found drowned morning t o er was river secured by the trap, which it bad dragged some distance into the water. ,!„ PRCLINE OF SOCIALISM.—The Rotunda, in Black by the rtarsroad, London which was for some years occupied " Rev." Robert Taylor, Carlile, and their infidel clique, and more recently by the socialists, has at last bee deserted, and is now shut up. A very ard struggle tonretain it was made,—balls, concerts, blasphemous lec tures, r efreshment -rooms, theatricals, &c., being provided. All failed, and the socialists, having packed up their traps, M oved off, j ust i n t i me to avo id quarter -d ay , w hi c h is close at hand. ANOTHER SINGING MOUSE!—Mr. John Woodward, baker, o f S t. P eter ' s , i n th e I s le of Thanet, has in his pos session one of those extraordinary animals, ge w , h t t ie c i hwas caught on the premises of Dane Court resi dence of Mrs. Milner, who had heard the little animal several times previous to ofi ts th b e ein io g ha c b a i u ta g n h t t s . of lt th h is as ple, b a e c en visited by a greater part . who expressed their astonishment wentraitnedr of fdtmhs notice iirat admiration hasthe notes of the little animal. witnessed it several times : the sounds it emits are a low but shrill whistle, something similar to the notes of the nightingale.—Canterbury Journal. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, left Witley Court, Worcestershire, the residence of her Majesty the Queen Dawager, at ten o'clock on Thursday morning, for Droitwich, from which station her royal highness travelled by the Gloucester and Birmingham Railway to Birmingh am and from thence proceeded to town b the Lond on and, Birmingham Railway. On arriving at the r u ston-square t erm i nus , th e ro y a l d uc h ess i mme di a t e ly e!_t for her resid ence , Cl arence H o use, St. Ja m es' s , l a n t e re her royal highness arrived at half-past six o'clock FanAYe~Her royal highness was attended by Lady TlV. t . l ° , var‘l and Colonel Sir George Cowper. the ',,,c4t-resznic CLAIMS.—Among the many instances int erest pre se „, sf ", government's attention to the commercial o l ' r e duo,— Claimsry, we are enabled to announce that ttie p - ,.,", upon France, arisinc , out of the blockade coirucic naendic, are about to be adjusted by a mixed t O be 13'81°110f liquidation, to sit at Berlin, with an umpire tion keepof tinatd by che King of Prussia \ . l, This investiga e°rnulise lace immediately. Mr. ard, tine British Pointed' l° ner, and M. Englehardt, who has been ap- Thent, now on behalf of the French govern -itforni ar e now on their way to the Prussian capital.- 49 Herald. SUrvic" EX PEDITION.—Mr. John Duncan, one of the whi ch °,rs of the late' fatal expedition to the Niger, in to i y' e ne held the post of draughtsman, is about to returns R" stern Af r i ca . e nts wilds m , and foll9w out . the p . ath of discovery • _r. Duncan is a native ot Galloway, and, believ e , °l4 distinguished well qualified for labours which so many of accorn countrymen have sh )red. He will be and Nl P_anied by Mr. Moffat, from Ayrshire, a botanist, th e N• r • Wright, a liberated African, from tine banks of this su l b e . r, We may have an opportunity of returning to to J e et, which, for want of space, we are constrained Tadvert to thus brietly.—Dun!fries Courier. Ibeen.„E TH AMES TUNNEL.—On Wednesday, the annual th e t f . l ., "g°f the proprietors in this undertaking was held at t un "don Tavern. From the report it appeared that the ivarnel was opened as a public thoroughfare on the 25th of a l , eh, 1 843, and that it been visited by ber Majesty o n f ",_ l _ l .t_4l. Prince Albert g in July last. From the 25th " I st March up to the date of the report, 2,038,477 per scnis had passed through the tunnel, from whom, at a P e ntlY each, an income of £8,378 2s. Pd. had been ob tained. In addition to that sum, £460 had been paid by stall-keepers for permission to erect stalls for the sale of fancy goods between the arches. THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO FRANCE.—The Commerce announces, that subsequently to the visit of the Queen of England to the Chateau d'En, the King commissioned several artists to decorate a gallery, to which his Majesty bad given the name of " Victoria and Prince Albert Gal lery." The arrival of the British fleet in the road of Tre port, the landing, entry into Eu, the dinner, concerts, vi sits to the church and forest, and the re-embarkation, form the subject s of as many pictures, which are to figure of i t n ue t s heEn tg li s h gall ery, with the busts, portraits, and sta young Qu een principal personages who accompanied the MURDER OF AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS. —W e read in the Siecie:—" A horrible crime was committed on Thursday evening, at six o'clock, in tile Rue de Londres. An Englishman residing in that street, No. 40, was assas sinated in his apartment by blows from logs of firewood (a coup du buches.) The porter of the house had been arrested. It is supposed that the assassins expected to find a l a r g e sum of money which was said to have been received during tine day." On inquiry at the house as to the truth of the above, we were informed that the main fact is true, but that the porter had not been arrested. As to other details, nothing positive has vet been suffered to transpire by the police authorities, whose agents are on the spot. The name of the victim was Ward. He occu- Bied an apartment on the first floor.—Galignani. E XTRAORDINARY LONGEVITY.—We some time ago mentioned the fact of a female, an idiot, residing in Strath glass, havi ng reac h e d t h e extraordinary age of upwards of 8 ce ntury. Thi s h uman li n k b etween the past and pre cieriteat has, within the l as t f ew d ays, y i e ld e d to the stroke of h . , One old neighbo ur , age d 96, an d severa l who have reached 90 years, remember " Fionagal gorach," or childiah Flora," as a grown-up woman when they were en, and estimate her age at 120 years at least. She retained appro la a e c r hi c n o g nsciousness to the last, and was aware of tier dissolution. For many years she mi d :vgrisaitteed.through the country, obtaining a pittance by card the wool belonging to the country people whom sine During the last ten years she had been supported a ll the assistance and sympathy of her neighbours • and v i ler her case became known to Lord and Lady Lovat,' /.., ° .ish Flora wanted none of the necessaries of life.— ,meress Herald. C ttir for .ar FOOT-RACE FOR £2oo.—Th e great f oot-race j o ' l 4 - 1 00 a sid e , b etween J en ki nson, t h e London Stag, and d ay Smith, the R egen t- s t ree t P e t, came o ff on Wednes naile, at Sutton. The distance chosen was a quarter of a ru tft : a nd as both men h ave acqu i re d great ce l e b rity as ther.:", wa and very he a vy s ums depended u p on th e resu l t, vvit„' s a lar ge assem bl age o f spor ti ng men present to haC a ss the ra ce . the b ett i ng opene d at 6 t04 on Smith, ' to 2 ,s o th e t i me of starting approached the odds increased ran ged 1 , and no takers. Preliminaries having been ar . - lieu , •at half-past three o'clock the men were in , reach took t , n n on the signal being given went off.. The Stag f or theee lead at a great pace, his opponent lying close up abs ess , first 300 yards, at tine end of which the men were rat e. of each other. The struggle for the lead was first dashelOien, amidst the cheers of his friends, the Stag Wo rkby a way fro m hi s opponent, r maintained the lead, and f ou yards. A few days since, Mr. L. Moses, of the firm of Moses and Levy, in Aldgate, presented to the treasury of the Jewish Orphan School, Leman-street, Goodman's-fields, a check for £2OOO, which he ordered to be appropriated to the purchasing of a plot of ground for the purpose of building thereon an asylum for the above institution (it being now confined to the limits of a private house) ; at the same time expressing" his desire that the building should be erected at his sole expense, and he would give a further suns for its completion, should it be required. This benevolent gentleman a short time since erected, at his own expense, a number of almshouses in the Globe road, Mile-end, for aged and decayed tradesmen of the Jewish persuasion, to whom he allows a certain sum of money weekly. THE NEW BANK CHARTER.— We understand that the private bankers in England and Wales have opened a cor respondence with the deputies of the joint-stock banks re presenting Ireland also, in order that they may act in concert respecting the measures which may be brought forward by ministers for the future regulation of the cur rency. We believe that the more immediate inducement of the former to open his communication with thejoint stock banks is an idea that ministers will make some change respecting the issues, although Sir Robert Peel I has hitherto kept his lips hermetically sealed respecting his intentions to all parties alike. A deputation from the Bank of Ireland have had an interview with the Premier to represent the interest of that institution in the event of any change. They were most graciously received and pa. tiently listened to; but, like all the others, left in igno rance of the fate that awaits them, whether for weal or woe.—Morning Herald. ANTI-LEAGUE MEETING IN CHESIIIRE.—A meeting of tenant farmers and labourers, of the northern division of Cheshire, was held at Northwich on Tuesday, when all the leading gentry of the neighbourhood were in attend ance. We noticed the following :—The right Hon. Lord Delamere, the Right Hon. Lord De Tabley, Wilbraham Egerton, Egerton, Esq., Sir Richard Brooke, Bart., John Tollemache, Esq., M.P., Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, Bart., M.P., George Cornwall Legh, Esq., M.P., Rowland Egerton Warburton Esq., W. T. Eger ton, Esq., J. Tomkinson, Esq., J. Baskerville Glegg, Esq., Egerton Legit, Esq., Thomas Langford Brooke, Esq., Randle Wilbraham, Esq., John Hoskyns harper, Esq., James Hugh Smith Barry, Esq., James Heath Leigh, Esq., Geoffrey Joseph Shakerley, Esq., Sir Arthur Brooke, Bart., R. G. Leycester, Esq., J. H. Hammond, Esq., Harry Brooke, Esq., Rev. Thomas France, Hon. Sir Edward Cust, Bart., W. Eccles, Esq.—A number of excellent speeches were delivered, especially by tenant farmers, in which some home thrusts were given to the League. The subscription in the room amounted to £3OO. EXPORTS TO BRAZIL.—The following return of the de clared value of British and Irish produce and manufac tures, exported from the United Kingdom to Brazil in the years 1841, 1842, and 1843, has just been printed, on the motion of Mr. Labouchere. The gross total declared value of our exports to the empire of Brazil was, in 1841, £2,556,554 ; in 1842, £1,756,805; and in 1843, £2,140,127, showing a decisive revival of our trade with Brazil during the past year. In the latter period (1843) cotton manu factures figured for £1,096,662 (or one-half of the total exports) ; hardwares and cutlery, for £80,070 ; linen ma nufactures, for £154,323 ; iron and steel, for £54,996 ; butter, for £64,294 ; brass and copper manufactures, for .£36,815 ; arms and ammunition, for £18,155 ; apparel, slops, and haberdashery, for £20,282 ; coals, &c., for £9,396; earthenware, for £46,461; glass, for £27,437: leather, wrought and unwrought, for £23,309; machine ry and millwork, for £17,352 ; soap and candles, for £57,812 ; silk manufactures, for £30,404; tin and pew ter wares, &c., for £11,108; and woollen manufactures, for £278,171. The exports of cotton manufactures in creased last year by £277,139. LEGACY DUTY, &c.—Mr. Hume has moved for a re turn of the capital on which legacy duty has been paid, and the amount of revenue received, in the United King dom, for stamp duty on legacies, in the year ending the sth day of January, 1841, &c. It appears from this re turn that the total amount of capital on which the several rates of legacy duty have been paid in Great Britain du ring the year 1843 was £43,393,142—viz., £23,137,110 at the rate of 1 per cent. legacy duty ; £119,962 at 21 per cent. ; £13,482,882 at 3 per cent. ; £93,400 at 4 per cent. ; £8,595,855 at 5 per cent. ; £210,552 at 6 per cent.; £13'546 at S per cent. ; and £4,732,832 at 10 per cent. An abstract of the total amount on which duty has been paid since 1797 gives a sum total of £1,249,425,910. The total amount of legacy duty received in Ireland in the year 1843 was £39,034, and the amount of duty on pro bates and administrations £66,184, the amount of capital upon which legacy duty was paid making a sum total of £1,484,997. The gross total amount of legacy duty re ceived in the United Kingdom during the past year was £1,240,803, and the gross total amount of duty received on probates, administrations, and testamentary invento ries, £998,964. The gross total amount of legacy duty received in the United Kingdom since the 1797 makes a sum total of £37,144,752, whilst the duties on probates, &c., during the same period, amount altogether to £29,691,206. Of the first mentioned amount (X 37,144,752) the sum of £34,392,977 was paid by England, £2,037,521 by Scotland, and £714,250 by Ireland. SERIOUS ACCIDENT.—The following accident occurred to Mr. Frizelle's coach, at the bridge, at the Union Mills, Douglas, when the coach was proceeding to Peel, laden within and without with passengers, on Wednesday even ing last. On descending the declivity the driver had neg lected to use the drag, the consequence was a too rapid descent to manage the vehicle properly upon such a nar row and winding road. The pole gave way, and on reach ing the bridge the catastrophe attained its climax, by the coach upsetting, and pitching some three or four of the outside passengers over the parapet of the bridge into the water, and seriously maiming two or three by the wheels . passing over them. Miss Crane, of Pulrosc, Mrs. M`Carty, wife of the gardener, at Northop, and Mrs. Kelly, James-street, were assisted out of the river. Upon the road was found the mangled body of Mr. Farger, tailor, of Peel, whose features could scarcely be recognised, the skin being completely excoriated off his face, the lower jaw broken, and head much injured. The driver was also taken up helpless, one of the wheels having passed over his body. Miss Craine's shoulder was dislocated, and Mrs. Kelly was much bruised, as well as several other passengers, but the most serious cases were Fargher and Mrs. Nl`Carty, the latter of whom died yesterday of the injuries she received, and Far gher was still lying in a dan gerous state, unfit to be removed home. Soon as the in telligence reached town by express Mr. Braid sent a coach and conyeyed the passengers, able to proceed, to their de stination.—Since writing the above we are pained to state that poor Fargher died in the course of yesterday after noon. In the evening the coroner repaired to the Union Mills. After hearing the evidence adduced, the jury re turned a verdict of " Accidental death," in both cases. — Isle of Man paper of Saturday. LADY SHOPLIFTERS.—On Friday week several of the valuable articles found upon the persons and at the resi dence of these expert lady thieves were, through the acti vity of Wardle, the police-constable, identified by the se veral tradesmen from whom they had been purloined. The gold watch, valued at 30 guineas, was identified by Mr. T. Hawley, of the firm of Hawley and Co., goldsmiths and watchmakers, No. 75, Strand. Mr. Hawley stated that he remembered the prisoner coming into his shop about a fortnight since, at which time, he supposed, the watch, which was the most valuable one on the tray. was abstracted whilst he was engaged (at the request of his visitors) in reaching another tray of watches of less value. He did not, however, know that the watch had been stolen until it was shown to him by the police constable. Two valuable gold pencil-cases have also been identified by their owner, a gentleman residing at No. 228, Regent street, who appears to have no idea as to the manner in which they had been stolen. Four only out of a number of gold rings, some of which have diamonds of the first water, and one only out of six valuable gold brooches, have as yet been identified as the property of tradesmen, stolen from their shops. Amongst other property found, and supposed to have been stolen, and not yet owned, is a handsome embossed gold watch and chain. The watch is a double bottomed lever, with gold dial ; number on the case, 404 ; ditto on the movement, 7,585. The chain, which is an exceedingly massive one, is partly link and partly curb ; it has for the clasp a lady's hand, with eme rald gold ring on the fore finger, and a garnett on the clasp of the bracelet. There are also several silver pencil cases not yet owned. A mong the mercery goods not ve t identified is a large handsome' richly-worked foreign black lace scarf, and said to be worth £2O; as also a quantity of silks, satins, gloves, silk dresser, &c., so that the ladies were not only exceedingly industrious, but extremely for tunate in levying their contributions upon the various metropolitan tradesmen. The eldest of the prisoners, Ann Elizabeth Earnshaw, is stated to he a married wo man of property, but separated from her husband, who is residing in the country. SHIPWRECK AND SHOCKING INHUMANITY.—The Iris, of Hull, the vessel which was lost on the coast of Lincolnshire, was at the time making for and within two hours of port, when the wind chopped round to the north ward, and such a heavy sea came on, that she was obliged to turn and make for " the deeps" to the south. Hardly had she got before the wind, when a sea " poop ed" her, split her mainsail, and rendered her unmanage able. She drove at Huttoft, and kept drifting down from that place until she became fast on a sandbank at Mumby Chapel, two miles below Huttoft. This was at 7 o'clock. The crew consisted of the captain, his wife and child, 17 months old, and two men. At this hour they were near enough the shore to be heard, and were heard ; num bers of people were on the shore, but none offered to lend a saving hand—they were helping themselves to the planks and spirits as they came ashore. A farmer being' there from Huttoft on horseback, several persons, more humane than their fellows, begged him to ride home, only two miles, for the life-boat there—he refused ; they then begged him to lend his horse that one of them might go—he would not ! The tide was coming in, the poor fellows shrieking, until the woman and the two men were washed off and drowned ; the captain clasped his child in his arms until it died of cold, and was at last washed out of his arms a corpse. He then lashed himself to the capstain, and remained there (would humanity believe it ?) until two o'clock—seven hours—within a stone's throw of the shore, seen and heard by these people. At that hour a young farmer got down there, and seeing the apathy of the people ashore, he waded almost up to the vessel, and spoke to the captain, who said, " If you can come to me, I can come ash ore ." A n d so h e did ; he alone survived. Here was means of saving them by a life-boat, with a ready crew, within two miles to the north ; and two miles to the south was Manby's apparatus, all ready to start; and the farmer, of Huttoft, against whose very house was the life-boat stationed, would neither save them nor let e ty sa o v f ed a . le T tt h er e f a a 4 c o ts te o s f ae t d his b c y as a e c a i r e e r given n u p o on f t th he e the egh Bishopourh 0 0 0 f d Lincolnto a t h u e t h m o ari ti cr o e t s Is ; e r w g h e o n t lfeumrtehae7;ostthateecs,outohtayt lately provided the coast with a life-boat ' at a cost of £2OO, but that it has nev er b een out, except to show off in fine i weather. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. VARIETIES. A SOLDIER'S LOVE.-It has often been remarked the singular regard old soldiers have for the companions of their toils—old boots. I have seen many instances, but the most remarkable man I knew in that way was the late Colonel Vaumarell, of the 30th Regiment. He was indeed a man of " infinite " boots, and the amount of his treasure in that article was beyond guessing at ; the boys of the regiment said that there were at least a hun dred pair, secured in a chest fastened with a huge padlock, which they called " Locke on the Understanding."— United Service Magazine. FLAVOUR or BUTTER.—At this season of the year, at least one-half of the butter made in the agricultural coun ties is rendered disgusting to many, and more or less of fensive to all palates, by the flavour of turnips. The fol lowing is a n old-fashioned but complete "antidote to the flavour imparted by turnips to milk, cream, and butter." Make a strong infusion of nitre (saltpetre), by pounding it in a mortar, and pouring boiling water upon it. Let a dessert spoonful of this solution for every two gallons of milk be stirred up in the warm milk as soon as it is brought in, and all the flavour of turnips will be removed.—Agri cultural Gazette. THEATRE -ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.—The council of the Anti-Corn-Law League having taken this splendid national establishment, it will henceforth be devoted to the production of a rapid succession of novelties, which will he supported by all the usual talent of the League, in addition to the celebrated Irish actor, Mr. Daniel O'Con nell, who has been engaged at an enormous sacrifice, and who will go through his astonishing round of characters. Among the earliest productions will be a new version of the " Tales of my Landlord ;" and it is probable that a new farce by Sir Robert Peel, under the very peculiar title of " Total Repeal," will be among the accepted novelties. In answer to numerous inquiries, it is respectfully an nounced that Lord John Russell's favourite interlude, called " Fixed Duty," will not at present be brought for ward. The whole of the arrangements not being yet completed, the council can only furnish the following partial list of the company :—Heavy Old Man, Mr. Hume; Eccentric Comedy, Sir Charles Napier; Juvenile Tragedian, Mr. Cobden Walking Gentleman, Mr. James Wilson.. In order to render the buffo department as complete as possible, an engagement will be offered to Lord Brougham.—Puuch. PRECEDENCE IN RUSSIA.—In point of precedence in society in Russia, as the reader may suppose, all is ar ranged by the " code militaire," and a prince, or noble, of the highest class, not in the Imperial, whatever may be his title, birth or wealth, in " pride of place" ranks below the junior cornet or ensign in the community ; while a tinge of absurdity attaches itself to the precedure, and causes a smile on the traveller, when he hears the position of the venerable the judges, the senators, the heads of the different civil departments, government factories, &c., &c., determined by their military rank, and themselves not unfrequently addressed by its style and dignity. Ima gine, for example, the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench being saluted as His Excellency the Right Honourable Lord Denman, Lord Chief Justice, and— General-in-Chief ! ! In Russia, with the exception of the sturdy noblesse of Moscow. and the resident nobility and gentry of the German provinces, a person of independent fortune, who is not in the immediate employment of, or has not served under the government, is rarely met with, and a native merchant, though wealthy in the extreme, and possessed of the highest degree of commercial talent and information, is disregarded and despised ; even medi cal practitioners, not in the military service, however they may be remarkable for worth, ability, and skill, are not viewed in a much better light. ROOKS.—If any one will carefully study the habits of the rook, he will cease to persecute him. Just watch him in a field of autumn-sown wheat, and he will ne found digging at the root of the sickly plant, not for the seed, but the grub or the larvae of some earth caterpillar. See him again examining the grass and clover fields for in sects. " The farmer's busy time," says an accomplished author, " is their (the rooks" busy time ; they feel that be (the farmer) is as necessary to their present profit as they are to his future : or they act as if they felt so' which, in effect, comes to the same thing. If he will not bring out his team, turn the soil. and expose the worms and grubs, they caw over his fields, and make the same lamentation that a hungry man does when he knows there is meat in the house, but the careless servant has lost the key of the larder. But if the teams are afield by times slicing the sward or the stubble, and turning up the fresh fragrant earth to be mellowed by the action of the sun, there is not a complaining note among all the fieldward rooks. Gallantly they strut, and incessantly they peck up the lavrre and the worms, so that the returning plough cannot bury, and so preserve in the soil, a destructive thing." We have repeatedly seen rooks shot, and on examination, found their crops full of worms. During the period when the parents are feeding the young brood, the number of worms that a crow will carry to a nest at a time is almost incredinie. LENT.—Lent is derived from the old Saxon word tenet, signifying the spring of the year. The ancient Christians abstained wholly from food until the evening of each day throughout this long fast, and the value of what they saved by this privation was given to the poor. About 1212 upwards of one hundred p ersons were b urnt, for venturing ' to assert their opinion that it was lawful for Christians to eat flesh during Lent. Claude Guillon was beheaded in 1629 for taking away part of the flesh of a horse and eating the same. Lewis, in his Patriot King, affords us a striking instance of the tyranny of ecclesiastical juris diction even in this kingdom, so late as the Reformation. "Thomas Freburn's wife, of Paternoster-row, London," says that author, " longed for pig. Fisher, a butter woman, brought him a pig ready for the spit, but carried a foot of it to Dr. Cocks, Dean of Canterbury, whilst at dinner. One of the dean's guests was Garter King at Arms, Freburn's landlord, who sent to know if any of his family were ill, that he ate flesh in Lent. ' All well,' quoth Freburn, `only my wife longs for a pig.' His landlord sends for the Bishop of London's apparitor, and orders him to take Freburn and his pig before Stoksley, the bishop. Stoksley sends him and his pig to Judge Chalmly, who not being at home, he and the pig were brought back to the bishop, who committed them both to the Compter again. Next day, being Saturday, he was carried before the lord mayor, who said on Monday next he should stand in the pillory with one half of the pig on one shoulder, the other half on the other. The wife de sired she might suffer, as the pig was on her account. A ,c s , t ...h r o i i n cni g :w w he a lei s ,st p hi u tu.i t tse t rhceraeorsursgii carried d i n t t t , oh a e nd it the poo( w ro a mn i s pa i g nt ) e u ar n ta about nt . gained his n neck, herdoui This is lib ertmy,isbcyhlet mischief -making foro b u y n o d r s der o of the Rightappearance.Rev. the Father in God the Bishop of London, buried in Fins bury Field, by the hands of his lordship's apparitor. And Freburn was by his landlord turned out of his house, and could not get another in four years." A LITERARY DISCOVERY.— Punch has bee n aga i n i n a " merry mood." It has now become a worn out joke that George Robins has the slightest aid in composing his advertisements. Although the celebrated Charles Mathews, after dinner one day, 20 years ago, set the table in a roar, when in one of his merry antics he invented a story to the effect that a talented clergymen devoted himself entirely to this art, and in return received £lOOO a year for his exertions. This is all fudge. We have the best authority for knowing that, be they good, bad, or indifferent, they are the genuine offspring of George li Robin's mind. But Lord Brougham will be deligh ed at the supposition of his having a linger in the pie. Punch states that—" For some time people have ceased to ask who wrote Junius, stirred by the more momentous ques tion of—Who writes George Robin's advertisements? Many names have been adduced, and plausibly supported. Mr. Robert Montgomery was for some time believed by many to be the man, and we confess we thought we re cognised the style of Luther dignifying invitations to pur chase house and land. Next, Mr. Grant, the author of the " Great Metropolis," was named ; and we are pretty sure that we once detected him in a sale at Horslvdown. However, there can be now no doubt that Lord Brougham at present holds the auctioneer's quill ; a pleasing fact (as further illustrative of his wondrous versatility), mani fested in the subjoined. Mr. Robins wishes to sell a lump of agricultural property, and thus the ex-Chancellor writes of that `settled question' the corn laws :—" The adjustment of the great point at issue has arrived at a great triumphant result. It is at length discovered that, in the exceedingly intricate task, which required all the mind, the perspicacity, and depth of intellect possessed by our first minister in organising his salutary alteration in the corn laws, he has dealt out a measure of strict and impartial justice, no less to the manufacturing than the agricultural interest. The style alone betray Lord Brougham ; but when his present praise of Sir Robert Peel is taken in connection with his many years' abuse, no doubt whatever can exist of the authorship." PASTURAGE OF BEES.—In many parts of Scotland, and I dare say of England too, begs are transported from one pasturage to another. This cannot be too highly recommended, and I think I cannot do better than mention how, when, and whither, the bees of Carluke are removed. Carluke is situated three miles north of the Clyde, which runs through the centre, and drains the greater part of Lanarkshire. About three miles to the north-east of the village, there is a large track of land, densely covered with ling, or heather, as it is there called. About the Ist of March, the stock-hives are re moved on very light hand-barrows to the banks of the Clyde, which abound with sallows, gooseberries, plums, &c. At the swarming season, ma n y are ta k en b ac k to Carluke, and from the Ist to the 12th of August all are removed to the heather. In removing bees, it is neces• nary to ventilate the hives, by raising them off the boards with thin wedges, or penny pieces, and by placing hair combs or pieces of perforated tin on their mouths. Those bee-keepers who say that ventilation is necessary at any other time do not know much about the habits of the ho n ey-bee.;;Wm. Pettigrew's best top swarms gathered, as we have heard, 501 b. each in the month of August last year ; that is to say, while they were on the heather. In answer to a question, be says—" I do not believe that they would have gathered 201 b. if they had not been taken to the heather." And in a letter of September 12th, 1843, he says—" A friend has a hive that gathered 151 b. on the sth, 6th, and 7th of this month ; and, during the last seven days, one belonging to another person gathered about 281 b. or 301 b." None of mine have gathered so much—only one has gathered 221 b. during the same time. The honey is now mostly collected from the blueheads (devil's-bit), which are not very plentiful where my hives are ; but I will remove a few of them on the first oppor tunity. Ile month of August this year was unfavourable here ; but I never saw bees collecting honey in quantity so far in September before this year." In unpropitious or rainy seasons, hilly and exposed pastures are best for bees—there they will collect honey ; whereas, if placed in a valley or sheltered situation, they eat what they have collected, or what is given to thPrn. It may be interesting to gardeners to know, that flowers give or contain the greatest quantity of honey when the wind blows from any point between south and west inclusive..—A. Pettigrew In the Agricultural Gazette. TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS. On Wednesday, the usual monthly meeting of the Council was held in the Town-hall, for the dispatch of business. The Mayor took the chair at eleven o'clock, at which time there were twenty-four members in their respective places. The Deputy Town-clerk opened the business of the day by reading the proceedings of the Finance Committee, comprising a recommendation for the appointment of Mr. Daniel Brade to the office of Out-door Inspector of Town-dues, the consideration of which was postponed at the last monthly Council, pursuant to the standing orders. Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE, in moving their confirmation, said it had been his original intention to have entered at some length into the nature of the negociations which had been going on between the Finance Committee and the Dock Estate, with reference to the sale of the land and strand at the North shore for dock purposes. But, although he believed he was in the position to vindicate the conduct of the Finance Committee, with reference to the matter, yet as the discussion could hardly be con ducted in a satisfactory manner in that room, he had been induced not to enter upon the subject at any length. A notice of motion had been placed on the paper by the chairman of the Dock Committee, calling upon the Coun cil to accept of a lower sum for the land and strand than the Finance Committee had offered it for; but as Mr. Bramley-Moore had consented to withdraw his motion, upon the understanding that the matter should still be considered open, there was the less necessity for going into detail. The last resolution of the Finance Commit tee closed the door, as it were, against any further nego ciation, as it said their ultimatum was £300,000, and that unless the Dock Committee accepted that offer, they must abide the issue of a jury ; but as the Finance Com mittee ought to be as conciliatory as possible towards the merchants of the town, representatives of whom the Dock Trustees were, and as an opportunity of dealing favourably with them had now occurred, he thought the matter should be considered as still open. He believed the proposals the Finance Committee had made were very favourable, but he was not going to defend them under present circumstances. It would be sufficient for him to say that he was willing to enter into a further negacia tion, and that if the Dock Committee could adduce grounds for a still further reduction, he would use his influence to induce the Finance Committee to accede to their wishes. Sir Thomas BRANCKER seconded the motion of con firmation. Mr. Isaac HOLMES expressed his astonishment at the recommendation which had been made by the committee for the appointment of Mr. Daniel Brade to the office of Out-door Inspector of Town Dues. He regretted that Mr. Isaac Hutchinson had not been recommended for the situation. Mr. BRAMLEY-MOORE thought it might be as well, perhaps, if he obtained the approbation of the Council at that stage to the withdrawal of his motion, of which the following was a copy :—" That the Council do accept the offer made on behalf of the Dock Committee of the sum of £226,000 for the purchase of the Land and Strand of the Corporation to the North of the Dock Estate, to gether with the interests of the Corporation, subject to all charges and expenses in the Strand, contracted for with Lord Derby and the Duchy ; and that it be referred to the Finance Committee to adjust with the Dock Com mittee, all terms and conditions relating to such purchase at the prices offered, such adjustment being subject to the approval of the Council." Be begged briefly to state that it was in consequence of the resolution to which the Finance Committee had come that the Dock Committee considered the door closed against all further negotiation, and that it was deemed advisable to place the motion in question on the books ; but circumstances had since arisen which had induced him to withdraw it. At the same time the proposing of such a motion appeared, in the first instance, to be the only way to avoid what both parties were desirous of avoiding—that of going to a jury. - 'the motion was accordingly withdrawn ; and after a few remarks from Mr. Nicol and Sir Thomas Brancker as to the future course to be pursued with reference to the negotiations, the proceedings were confirmed. The proceedings of the Watch, Lighting, Cleansing, and Fire-police Committees were next read. It appeared that the Committee had ordered Mr. Hughes to replace the old clock at St. Nicholas's Church, and not to in terfere with the other church clocks in the town. The habits of the Police force of the borough were reported as considerably improved ; and the number of burglaries for the past year, us contrasted with those of preceding years, was reported upon the decline. Mr. James LAWRENCE moved the confirmation of the proceedings, and that copies of the Police report be printed and sent to each member of the Council, the magis trates of the borough and county, and the secretary of State for the Home Department. The motion was then adopted, and the report was un animously confirmed. The proceedings of the Improvement Committee, com prising a recommendation as to an extention of the im provement from Lime-street to Mitchell-place, fronting Ranelagh-street, having been read, Mr. PARKER deprecated a lavish expenditure of the public money in widening streets for the sake of orna ment, and said the money would be far better laid out in improving such places as Limekiln-lane, where it was dangerous for carts to pass, or the back streets and alleys, which were a disgrace to the town. Mr. STEWART explained the nature of the contem plated improvement from Litne-street to Mitchell-place, and said it could be ca; Tied out for a sum of about £3,000. The proceedings were then confirmed, with the excep tion of the proposed improvement, which was referred to the Finance Committee on financial considerations and for a report. The proceedings of the Education Committee contained the following return as to the average attendance at the Corporation Schools, from the 31st of January to the 28th of February— North. Boys 248.. Girls 196.. Infants 144.. South. 193 ...... 143 171 The number on the books was stated to be, at the North, 773 ; at the south, 629. The MAY YOR said there was a motion on the books from Mr. Blackburn in reference to the schools, and that if that gentleman were present, he would in all probability propose it at the present stage of the Council proceedings. A letter, however, had just been received from Mr. Blackburn, stating that, owing to professional duties, it would be impossible for him to attend the Council that day. _ [Mr. Blackburn will, therefore, have to renew his no tice if he intend to bring it forward at some future period.] The proceedings of the Observatory Committee having been read, Mr. AIKIN said they had now the best transit instru ment and the best observer in the kingdom, that the time was accurately ascertained, and that all they were waiting for at present was the formation of a machine to drop the ball at a particular hour. They might receive chronome ters and rate them now ; but they thought it right to wait until they got the ball. They had obtained plans and projects from a great number of scientific men ; but the model produced by Mr. Franklin could not be excelled. Mr. PARKER. asked what was the charge for rating the chronometers at the Observatory ? Mr. AIKIN replied, that the charge had not been fixed upon as yet. He intended to consult the Messrs. Ros kell as to the best manner in which to conduct the Ob servatory, without making it compete with tradesmen. Mr. BIRKETT objected to business being done there in a retail way, because the competition, in such a case, would be very unfair. After a few remarks from Mr. Aikin in reply, the pro ceedings were confirmed. The proceedings of the Health of the Town, Wash houses, and Baths' Committee were next read. It ap peared that 1806 baths had been used in Frederick-street in the last quarter of 18.12, and 2312 in the correspondine quarter of 18-13. The total receipts of this establishment in 1812 were £3l 10s. 5d., and in 1843, £49 Os. 3d. The proceedings were confirmed. Mr. PARKER asked whether there was any intention to do away with the twopenny rate or not, levied by the Fire Committee. Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE expressed a hope that there was. The TOWN-CLERK said the question would have to come before the general committee, before it could be brought before the Council. Sir T. BRANCKER said he was happy to inform the Council that the medals were in very good demand. The TOWN-CLERK corroborated this assertion, and said that 6,000 medals had peen fairly issued and fairly re ceived. The TOWN-CLERK stated that the Liverpool Dock Bill had been read a first time, and that it was intended to have it lodged on Wednesday next, in order to go into a committee on the following day. A Special meeting of the Council would, therefore, have to be convened for Monday, for the purpose of taking its clauses into consideration. It was accordingly agreed to convene a special meeting for Monday, and to have every member of the Council furnished with a copy of the biil in the interim. The proceedings of the Dock, Courts of Law, Markets, Church expenditure, and Town-hall Establishment Com mittees were read and confirmed. The TOWN-CLERK said that a copy of the bye-laws, as to blowing and stuffing meat within the Borough, had been forwarded to Sir James Graham, and that a letter had been received from the Home Secretary, in reply. stating that those laws ought to be altered, and that in. stead of fixed penalties all being under £5, the words, "a sum not exceeding £5," should be inserted. In conse quence of the receipt of this letter, Messrs. Cowling and Crompton, barristers, were consulted, and they had given as their opinion that the amount of the fine must be spe cified, and that the suggestion of Sir James. if adopted, would be bad. He (the Town-clerk), under those cir cumstances, recommended the Council to adhere to tie bye-laws as they stood. Mr. BIRKET.—Do I understand you to say that your law is better than the Secretary of State's ? (A laugh.) The TOWN-CLERK.—No ; but that the law of the Council was better than that of the Secretary of State. Mr. BIRKETT.—i t's all the same; for we take the law from you. I can assure you that the Secretary of State is in no great favour with me. (Great laughter.) The Mayor said he had received a communication from Mr. John Gladstone, dated Carleton-gardens, the 12th of February, stating that he had a copy of the late Mr- Canning's portrait, painted by Bradley, an eminent London artist,—that it was of full length, and an admira ble likeness, and that he hoped the Council would do him the honour to accept it, and place it within the Town-hall. (Hear, hear.) Mr. G, H. LAWRENCE said there could be but one feeling on the subject, and that it required no thought or premeditation to enable them to declare how gladly they accepted the handsome offer. (Hear, Lear.) It was then unanimously agreed to accept the portrait, and respectfully to thank Mr. Gladstone for the present. A memorial from Jane Robinson, the widow of a per son of that name, who had been in the service of the Cor poration for a period of 28 years, praying for some pecuni ary assistance for herself and her five children, was order ed to lie on the table, there not being a compassionate fund at the disposal of the Finance Committee. The Mayor read a memorial, signed by 31 of the inha bitants of South Toxteth Ward, setting forth that at the last election for that ward they had voted for Mr. Platt, the reform candidate; that Mr Platt had a majority of votes at the close : that a scrutiny was entered into before the Town-clerk, Alderman (Evans) and assessors; that it then appeared that three electors for North Toxteth Ward had voted in South Toxteth, (Alderson and Thom) for Mr. Platt, and the third (Farnworth) for Mr. Glaze brook ; that Mr. Glazebrook was then declared elected : and that upon the rejection of Mr. Platt, the Memorial ists laid a case before the Attorney General, and obtained his opinion that the rejection of the two votes of Alder son and Thom was wrong. They then prayed the Coun cil to request of Mr. Glazebrook to resign, with the view of enabling such steps to be taken as would secure the return of Mr. Platt; and, in case Mr. Glazebrook refused to resign, they entreated the Council to institute legal proceedings, with a view to his removal. The prayer of the memorial was receiyed with ironical laughter. The DEPUTY TOWN-CLERK then read the case which the memorialists had submitted to, and the opinion which had been given by, the Attorney-General. Those documents were voluminous. When they had been read throughout, Mr. EVANS, as the erring alderman on the occasion, said he felt great regret, after having heard the lucid opinion of the Attorney-General, at the decision which he had given at the time of Mr. Glazebrook's elec tion. As his excuse, however, he had only to say that he had then deferred to the cpinion of the Town-Clerk and Deputy Town-Clerk, corroborated by the opinion most honourably given by Mr. Lace. The object of the peti tioner was to get the council to take the matter up; and the ground upon which, perhaps, the question might be entertained, was the analogy the case bore to that of Mr. Harvey, where the council took the whole management and expense on themselves. . The TOWN-CLERK stated that he was in this position ; —he could not say any thing at all against the law as it appeared to be laid down by the Attorney-General, and yet i e was also in a position which he could maintain that the advice he had given the alderman and assessors in Mr. Glazebrook's case was perfectly correct ; and if he were called upon to advise under similar circumstances again, he would repeat the advice he had given on that occasion. (Hear, hear.) He then proceeded at some length to state his views with regard to the burgess roll, the revision court, and the division of the borough into wards ; aver which, he said the alderman and assessors had acted per fectly right in considering the voters, Alderson and Thom, as bad voters for South Toxteth Ward, but good voters for North Toxteth Ward, because it was in that ward (Upper Hill-street and Wesley-street) the property out of which they qualified appeared to be situate. They had, each of them, only one qualification. The case was other wise with regard to Farnworth : he had two qualifications, both in Sefton-street, but one of them in the north and the other in the south ward. Mr. LACE contended that the case submitted to the Attorney• General had erroneously and partially stated the facts. Mr. GLAZEBROOK scarcely knew whether he ought to speak a word. He would, however, just say, that he had no personal feeling in the matter at all. He had taken his seat in the council under the direction of legal authority, properly constituted, and always considered to have weight ; and he should be ready to vacate the seat the mo ment the council thought he could not hold it properly. (Hear, hear.) Mr. H. HORNBY thought it exceedingly desirable that the question should be satisfactorily determined, and that the Town-Clerk should state all the circumstances, and draw the attention of the Attorney-General to the several clauses. Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE characterised the conduct of the parties who voted in the south ward on the occasion in question as a moral fraud, because they knew the ward in which they lived was the north. They had notice on the subject from the Town-Clerk, and yet they persisted and voted in the south. (Hear, hear.) He thought there should not be the slightest encouragement held out to such parties at all, and he should be very sorry if the council were to countenance it. He contended that there was a great distinction between the case of Mr. Harvey and that of Mr. Glazebrook ; and concluded by express ing a hope that the council would leave the present par ties to their proper remedy—the Court of Queen's Bench. (Hear, Lear.) Mr. PARKER said the cream of the prayer of the me morialists was not to unseat Mr. Glazebrook, but to get the expenses of their application paid for by the council. They found that they had incurred an expense, and that there was nobody to pay the lawyer's bill. (" Hear," and a laugh.) He moved that the memorial do lie on the table. Mr. THomPsoN seconded the motion; and in doing so, said the case appeared to have been ingeniously drawn up with the view of obtaining a result. (Hear.) Mr. EVANS defended the voters from the attack made upon them by Mr. Lawrence. Mr. AIKIN and Mr. GLADSTONE spoke in favour of obtaining legal advice on the disputed points. Mr. H. HORNBY moved, as an amendment, that the lown-clerk be requested to draw up a case, ecabodying the whole of the facts, and drawing the Attorney -General's attention to the clauses in the municipal act which he conceived to bear upon the subject. Mr. GLADSTONE seconded the amendment. The council divided, when there appeared — For the amendment Against it.. The amendment was consequently lost, and the original motion, that the petition do lie on the table, was declared to have been carried. The TowN-CL ERK said that, in consequence of certain determinations from the Court of Queen's Bench, were a case like that of Harvey and Quayle to occur again, the disposition of himself and the Deputy Town-clerk would be to tell the council not to incur any expense. (Hear, hear.) A memorial from the owners and occupiers of premises in Hill-street, Toxteth-park, complaining of a slaughter house in the neighbourhood, was referred to the Finance Committee ; so also was the coroner's account, amounting to £BB. The next subject on paper was a recommendation of the increase to the salary of the surgeon of the prison from £lOO to £2OO per annum, the consideration of which was postponed at the last monthly council, pursuant to the standing orders. Mr. LACE moved that the increase be granted. Mr. R. H OUGHTON seconded the motion. Mr. TURNER moved, as an amendment, that the sur geon's salary be £l5O, instead of £lOO. Mr. R. H ARBORD seconded the amendment. An animated discussion ensued, at the close of which the council divided, when there appeared— For the amendment 24 Against it The amendment was consequently carried. The motions of which Mr. North and Mr. Isaac Holmes had given notice were not proceeded with ; they were treated as dropped motions ; so that, if they are to be brought forward at any future council, renewed notices of them will have to be given. The council adjourned to Monday. DOCK COMMITTEE.—.THuRsDAy. Present, Messrs. Moore, Nicol, Barclay, Holt, Holmes, Chilton, Smith, Trotman, Boyden, Bold, Kendall, and Sandbach. The CHAIRMAN announced that the committee of works had lied an interview with the Paving Board respecting the sewerage, and that the two boards perfectly understood each other as to what was to be done when the new docks were to he made ; in fact, although neither board knew of it, there was a clause in the new act which met the case that the hoard came to the committee about. An application from Mr. George Badenach for the return of £1 14s. 10d., the amount of one day's rent for the use of a transit shed, was declined, it being clearly proved that the rent had been incurred. The CHAIRNIAN said he took that opportunity of re commending to the committee that they should put them selves in possession of a report drawn up by Capt. Evans, and laid before the conservators of the river. It was one of very great importance, and was diametrically opposed to the statements made by Captain Denman to that com mittee. Mr. EVANS (to the chairman) : Do you know that Mr. Hartley was employed by the Woods and Forests to survey over the river, and give a valuation of the land there ? The CH : Not that I know of. Mr. EVANS: I have heard that he has, and given in a report of the valuation of the land enormously differing from that which was given in by Mr. Cubitt. lam quite at a loss to know on what ground Mr. Hartley could have gone into that statement, because he is specially inhibited to do any work but that of the docks. The CHAIRMAN : Do you know that he did so ? Mr. EVANS : I heard it from Mr. Mallaby. I was on the Leasowes Embankment Commission, when I had a conversation with him on the part of the Bi r k en h ea d property, and there I heard it from him. I heard it after that this morning, from Mr. Jackson. The CHAIRMAN thought it desirable, when they could so easily ascertain the facts, to do so, and not to rest on rumour, for last week a question was put to him as to whether the solicitor had oppose d the Wall asey Bill , an d He it better t o commun i ca t e he had not done so. thought 'with Mr. Hartley at once. Mr. BOLD said it was on the authority of Mr. Jackson and Mr. Mallaby it was stated that the Wallasey Bill had been opposed in committee. Mr. EVANS was understood to say it was rumoured that the solicitor bad gone a certain length and then o a n l all the dock s o c•k tr stopped. Mr. Nicor. said the solicitor had authority from that through parliament, watchr Ti g passi ng iist. Mr. Worthington nthoantimhiatdteaentyobea would, no doubt, watch that bill on the standing orders as in the other parts of its progrPs st but he distinctly wrote to say that he had not entered into any opposition on the standing orders. Mr. AIKIN asked if there would b e an y h arm if M r . Hartley, happening to be in town, had been asked by the Woods and Forests — Mr. EVANS.—Mr. Hartley made a regular official re port of the value of the land. The CHAIRMAN.—Was employed by the Woods and Forests to survey and report. Here the matter dropped for the present, and the com mittee proceeded to financial matters. LIVERPOOL POLICE. The following is a copy of the report of the Watch Committee for the year 18 i 3 : The Watch Committee for the borough of Liverpool in making their annual report to the Council, relative to the police establishment, and the state of crime, it unnecessary to do more than direct their attention to the comparative results of the last three years. They are gratified in being able to state that the conduct of the police force exhibits considerable improvement in the growth of better habits, superinduced by constant and careful attention, as appears from the following returns, viz.:— Number of constables brought before the committee v 2080 2520 2812 Number of constables brought before the committee for drunkenness .. 143 154 226 The effect of discipline is exemplified in the following table, for while the number of extra constables is less thaw one-twelfth of the whole force, there have been dismissed almost as many of the extra as of the full constables :_ 1843 1842 1841 Number of extra constables dismissed.. 53 44 58 Number of full constables dismissed 7O 60 68 The number of burglaries and house breakings have been considerably less during the past year, viz., in 1843, 68 ; in 1842, 84 ; and in 1811, 183. The convictions relative to the number of persons ap prehended were, in 1843, 51 per cent. ; 1842,52 per cent. ; and in 1841, 47 per cent. The two succeeding tables have reference to the general operations of. the police force : 1843 1842 1841 Number of thieves known to police 931 950 855 Number of thieves transported.. ll9 203 175 Number of thieves imprisoned .. 2427 3704 2646 Number of prisoners in custody on charge of felony .. 4961 6202 6267 Number of men brought before the ma gistrates on charges of drunkenness 4298 4307 4767 Number of women ditto.... Number of public-houses fined 275 206 135 Number of beer-houses ditto .. 249 166 Number of offences against the by laws, town division Ditto, dock division . 3137 3302 3600 Number of beggars apprehended . 621 334 284 Number of individuals in custody for felony as suspicious characters, viz., Number of times.. goce 3280 4123 3976 Twice Three times l3B 166 189 Four Five Six Seven Eight.. ... • 2 1 3 Nine Ten 1 0 0 Brothels and Prostitutes. Table No. 6 shows that the number of brothels was, in 1843, 553 ; in :842, 561 ; and in 1841, 496. The number of houses where prostitutes lodge was, in 1843, 184 ; in 1842, 209 ; arid in 1841, 189. The number of prostitutes inhabiting both description of houses wa, in 1843, 2941 ; in 1842, 2899 ; and in 1841, 2683.• Fre Police. The fire police department has been rendered much more effective by the addition of four powerful new engines, 1200 yards of new hose, and the articles of use necessary in connection therewith. Last year the fires were fewer in number, and far less disastrous in their results than the preceding year. The following is a cotnparative return. for three years : Number Amount of Pro. Amount of Pro- Year. of fires. perty destroyed. pertv saved. 1843 111 £119,584. 8 0 £127,836 0 0 1842 140 517,927 12 6 210,506 10 0 1841 109 7,271 4 0 154,219 10 0 JAMES LAWRENCE, Chairman. Watch Committee Room, ltarch 2, 1844. THE COMMISSIONERS OF BIRKENHEAD. On Tuesday evening, the usual monthly meeting of the Commissioners of Birkenhead took place at the Town ball, John Deane Case, Esq., in the chair. The follow ing members were present :—Messrs. W. Jackson, J. S. Jackson, A. Kerr, Cole, Pim, Fry, Watson, Horner, Hind, Wood, Dale, Greene, and Gilbertson. The Lighting and Watching Committee recommended that four of the police be ordered to do duty on board the ferry-boats, and that four others, in their stead, be appointed to the police. Agreed to. From the proceedings 'of the Road Committee it ap peared that Mr. Appleton had offered to sewer a part of Church-street, on condition that the usual township com mission be not charged ; and it was understood that Mr. Appleton would, if his offer were accepted, pay the con tractor for the execution of the work. Mr. W. JACKSON moved that the offer be rejected. In doing so.he said he was militating in some degree against his own interest, inasmuch as if the commission were not charged in the case of Mr. Appleton, he might claim an exemption from it in other cases; but he thought that the townships had a right to receive it, as the inhabitants had borne all the expense consequent upon the contrac tor's appointment. The tno'ion was carried, and it was agreed that an ap prentice, to assist the Road Surveyor, should be inden tured to the Commissioners. From the proceedings of the Improvement Committee, it appeared that an offer had been received for 38,000 yards of land in Conway-street, at 9s. per yard. Mr. W. JACKSON, in moving the confirmation of those proceedings, said it was desirable to accept the offer in question, and that it was now proposed to offer the land round the park for sale by tender—the lowest tender to be 40s. 6d., and the highest bidder, upon giving security, to be declared the purchaser. He had very little doubt that when they met next month, the whole of the property around the park would be sold, and that the sale of the park land, together with that in Conway-street, would produce a sum of £125,000. They would then have 70 acres left ; and, valuing those seventy acres moderately, an aggregate sum would be realised, sufficiently large to pay off the entire of their bonded debt. They would then have their Park, their Cemetery, their Town-hall, and he hoped, their Slaughter-houses, free from all incum branccs. At the risk of being considered out of course, he wished, seeing the position of the townships, to call the attention of the commissioners to the propriety of affording increased accommodation to the public by run ning boats all night across the Mersey, and by running them as fast as boats could run, keeping three on the sta tion, and as fast as one came sending another off. (Hear, hear.) He called for this accommodation to be afforded the public, and he hoped the time was not far distant when parties would be allowed to cross the ferry for one penny instead of twopence a head. He then called upon the Commissioners to reduce contracts ; and expressed his opinion that if those suggestions were adopted, the re ceipts of the township would be considerably increased. He concluded by asking the Law-Clerk whether, as seve ral gentlemen were desirous of placing their residences on the boundaries of the Park, the Commissioners could ten der and purchase part of the township's property ? Mr. MALLABY replied that the commissioners could not vote upon or accept contracts which they themselves had sent in. They were bound to leave the adjudicature of such contracts to the other commissioners who had not offered, or absent themselves on such occasions, and not, either directly or indirectly, to influence the result. Mr. W. JACKSON.—That does not prohibit them from tendering ? Mr. M A LLABY.—No. Mr. GREEN said the committee would be in a position to carry out Mr. Jackson's suggestions with respect to the ferry in July next. (Hear, hear.) After a few further remarks, the proceedings were con firmed. The Ferry Committee reported that matters were going on satisfactorily, that improvements continued to be made, and that the new beat would commence plying in another fortnight. Mr. W. JACKSON asked when the second boat would be ready ? Mr. J. JACKSON replied that she would be launched in April. The board then adjourned to Tuesday, the 19th instant. FATAL ACCIDENT.—A frightful accident occurred one day last week, on board her Majesty's steam-vessel Styx, lying off Woolwich dockyard. Ralph Thompson, an en gineer attached to the factory of the dock-yard, was en gaged with two others repairing the floats of the above vessel, when, through some inadvertence, the paddle wheels were set in motion by the men in the engine-room, and poor Thompson, becoming entangled in the wheel, was instantly crushed to death. SOLDIERS' WIVES.—A. case of great hardship has been brought under our notice which, whilst it cannot fail to excite the sympathy of the public, will, we hope, have serious attention and redress on the part of the proper authorities. It is well known that when the regiments of our most gallant army are on their march through the country, the children of the soldiers and their wives, in instances of illness and fatigue, are taken on the baggage carts, and thus accompany the corps to its destination. Since it has become the practice to forward troops by the railroad, the case is wofully altered for the unfortunate women and children. Railroad companies have refused to convey them with the regiment ; the poor s o ldi ers cannot afford to pay for their passage, and thus the help less creatures are thrown upon the world, mostly with out even the means of procuring the most common ne cessaries. The parishes will not pass them on ; and thns the wives and children of the soldiers of a regiment which has marched from a remote part of England to London, thence to proceed by railway to Liverpool, for embarka tion to Ireland, will be abandoned at the Euston-square terminus, to find their way to Ireland as best they may. We ask is this treatment befitting for a soldier's wife — is it consistent with humanity—is it calculated to pro mote the interests of public morality ? It may not be out of place to mention what we hear has occurred with respect to two regiments thus transported by railway. The gallant officer commanding the 70th, feeling com passion for the poor soldiers and their families, ordered that they should travel together ; and will it be be lieved that the authorities refused to sanction the addi• tional expense so incurred, and that each soldier was placed under stoppage of pay until his proportion of that expense should be discharged ? Then with regard to the 67th Regiment, it is well known in military circles that its officers, rather than suffe r th e w ives and children of the soldiers to be abandoned, subscribed among themselves a sum sufficient to defray the expense of tbeir . transport. Is it fair we ask, th a t officers, whose pay is so inadequate to that position which they must maintain in society, should be thus heavily taxed? And finally, we ask, is this a state of things that should be suffered to continue? —Observer. ) 843 1842 1841 ;4 I,