The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-30 00:00:00

April 30, 1844. RAILWAY INTELLIGE Cg. DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF RAILWAY PROPERTY An' article appeared, with this heading, in the first number of a new .periodical, " the Railway Chronicle," W hich has just been started und , r able management, and we quote it here, in the first place to enable a youth ful aspirant to public favour to make the acquaintance of those interested in railway matters in this I .cality ; and in the next, beeause it affords a kind of text upcu which we Can found a few remarks of our own upon the same sub ject-- " THE DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF RAILWAY PRO rlivry., - , l e " eevery property brings with it duties as well as rights i retie the general reproace of the holders of some kindo k r -PPerty that they exercise, to the uttermost, all their rights, while their duties, , being forgotten, are neglected and A Pass into disuetude. To the duties of railway pro l - 1 Prietoeg t th e pu b l i c has always b een sensitively a li ve. failures iti speed, regularity, e c onomy, saf e ty, are culled I' 4ll care by the public censor, 'set in a note book, conned ti,y rote, to cast into the teeth' of the great ' railway olio. ; I l tpolists." But then their rights—what are they ? -ai gilW Who ever heard of the rights of railway pro prietors? . Rights! Why these monstrous monopolists— these millionaires—these speculators—what rights have they ?' They have the rig , ht to be abused, to be found f ault with, to be 1-gislated upon to be set upon by boards dtrade and sel ec t committees—to 'carry her Mejesty ,r 's mails for nothing — to carry a peasantry in coaches, f) le ss money than the cos t, an d l ess th an h a lf of what it costs them to walk,—in short, to lo as the public choose ! _ W ell, and th e i r pay — sure l y these public servants s h ou ld oe paid their hire —have they not a right to their wages, to compensate for lo ans an d r i-k s , an d expen d e d mon ey and t i me and toil, an d all th i s serv i ce ?—they may sure l y h ave eir hire and a reasonable profit upon their work ? Well, we must think about that—we will consider of it.' ' If they are to be paid at all, we must see that at least they are not too well paid.' Be it so. its den let th e r i ghts of railway property be ' cons id ere d ! utis bein g already so well understood. And first let Mikra us in being who these great railway proprietors are, and authors of have done fur the public. Are they.not the y .. --- e' of the very greatest boons ever conferred ky enterprise and - commerc e , industry, and so bscial advan c skill , upon y . ement. Have they not carried through,. to a ,PY issue, oneof - inventions of modern times— the greatest and carried it through in the face of difficulty, dia.- e p ura gement, and vast unpopularity ? " Let us see • what has hitherto been the general ex pression of publi c feeling towards railways. The inventor 6f a new art was deified by the Greeks and Romans. Are We to advocate an npotheos s of tire great projectors and constructors of railways? There seems little fear, totte t Present temper of pubic opinion, of our perpetrating tha r folly. Never, perhaps. were such great enterprises achieved with so little aid front public o pi n i on . " While the experiment was doubtful, the a tte m p t was were arid denounced by all derided by all who indifferent,.. fi h Its objects were assailed by set :. who were prejudiced. interests, and its resources devoured by - rapacious claims from those whose aid was required, or whose newrality kid to be purchased. From the first survey to the final completion of the line, 'difficulties of all kinds met the pro. opposition. The public jictors—local hostility, corporate _ ()- looked on; and if it took part, it was with - their ouP afforded no nents;—the legislature, the government , . . effec tual aid. The promoters fought their way, step by step , and were received as if, instead of preparing for the court trY the gr eatest boon it has received i n modern t i mes, g ha : d - been conspiring to deface and impoverish it. , to gener a l , (for . the instances of better judgment wa vtere to exceptio ns ,) was th e temper with which rail y projects were met in the first stage of their national existence. Lam en t a bl e enoug h ! but not unnatural. It is the Price which those must be ready to pay who attempt ittthing at once great and new. But surely it entitles them to enjoY their rewatd, when, in sp - te of these ob trtaeles their have conquered energy and perseverance success. ~ o ~ Their effort s h a d , i ndeed, been successful ; the inven tune was found to surpass belief, and the country saw it self enriched by benefits which the moat sanguine of the Projectors had not dared to promiee. A rapidity of tran sit almost miraculous ; a reduction of expense quite unex ampled , system and uniform tariffs, substituted for irre watrY and vulgar extortion :—and.with all this a safety el l only the silliest panic could dispute) hitherto un known • • t , 1 i n PUblic travelling. These bs on incalculable, culable, notorious:—experienced :—experienced by e every one every day. Under any circumstances, they surely deserved a lzlarge reward : a larger, if the real difficulty of the task had r troubled by needless hindrances. And how was this l_ e earrd bestowed ? By an universal outcry, so loud and ondeat, that one might have thought it had been raised the _ll°,,orice some great flagons' enormity. The directors, "ts,ineers the proprietors, the managers of railways It ere tines ' mortifi ..tloned, and lectured, and worried on every side. ed while It • met), who wanted courage to share in the work, was full of risk—men of habit. averse to eve ways '—men of rank and wealth, accustomed to command er ever th-y t ravelled, and impatient of all reguletions -13 ciperseded rival s who covered their anger with pretences tbePnlic car e — liberaleewhose wisdom lay in repeating . wo e ' -ra "s of ' mono l .Iy." competition,' and similar hubb u b cis without id weakofallclasses whom the eas—ttro alarmed • to have their nostrums tried, or , — inventors, eager late • • , idle m to regn at teast purchased—busy men anxico . is . .t,:, — en , ivantini , to be employed—all joined in the el.y ""e Parliament became suddenly full of zeal, and the government itself, stepping in to meddle where it had not learned how to mend, after standing aloof when it aolght have done ' dto sanc tion the general Ste good, seemed ha ve Of this, however, a part which was but tern easily_porarvsoon yielded to time :—a part, merely absurd, was exploded by obvious proot counter attacks mutu 'now remains, may be referred to two principal heads—the disposition of men in power to interfere with whatever they feel to be important ; and the common jealousy which is provoked by success." , We must suggest that, in these remarks, our new con ;,emporary goes too far, although in many of them we perfectly coincide. We admit fully the' justice of the •claim of railway proprietors to protection of their 'pro ,perty, arid a fair profit to compensate for the ri-ks which -they have incurred ; and we Should be the first to de nounce any tinkering interference, by government or any - other authority, with their regulations, except upon very 'strong grounds. But whilst we• thus recognise " the right s " of railway property, we have also a strong opinion with respect h the nature of its " duties," and greatly suspect that they are not, in general, very satisfactorily perfi.rmed. We have given to powerful companies a InC:"IY' or at all events a Seam monopoly, whi c h en retu thetato levy from the public large revenues ; :and in the . lran Seat for this w' h ave a r i ght to demand for the - public r ness. possible amount of accommodation and cheap it In a ... Le Ybe questionable how far we can now interfere -i i L e ' c °wPanies already formed, to reduce extortionate ‘C tilo a r 'gp• Even as regards these, however, we are not i n ti l Y,, i sq much hound to non-interference as the writer evi - e r e e ' Lai l/volt Chronicle would have us infer. It was 10 [lily in the contemplation of parliament, whilst pass eatstayY of the bills under which existing railway inter tain ii . rr F grown up, to restrict their profits within i tt_ce o r-_ . 0 a .et : e id . ' anei when we see such restrictions got 'ld _ f ghat B—w ind —such as the creation of new shares, half . . es, &c —in order to enaele proprietors to enjo e y Auviden ' for SI ' S rarger than the spirit of their acts presciib d them, we are inclined to say that such railways are not Performitig their " duties" to the public, and ought to be -kriettle to do a,l. With respect to new schemes there can vl.no he s i tat i on in applyiti to them very stringent pro- Alons to insure moderate charges and accommodation. I n bells now, or in future to be brought before perils trt.ent, every care should he taken that, after the payment 0 f a fair interest for capital and risk, any surplus of re tceipts ought t o b e met by a reduction of rates. We can het depend u p on t h e effects of competition to bring down rates of railway companies, for in nine ca , es out of t en a railway once formed becomes a close monopoly, from the very hopelessness of such competition, being suc cessful. _ We understand that'the applicati ons f or s h ares in the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway, now greatly exceed the amount of ea petal to be disposed of. A line o f eteatners ie to be out on herween Brigfol an d Newport, in connexitmth the G reat W estern Railway. A vessel w ill ply daily. ere BRICKLAYER'S ARMS BRANCH. —This line which abuts upon the Old Keet road, near Swan -street, and . which was projected by the South Eastern (London and Dover) and Croyden Railway Companies, to furnish them jointly with a West End Tea inicus, will shortly open. THE JUNCTION RAILWAY.—This railway was opened 'on Saturday last, after which day all the Liverpool trains 'arrive and depart from the commodious station at Hunt's 'B ank t the station in Water-street only being used for ,goo ds. — Manchester Courier. IThe Wexford and Kildare, or South Eastern Railway, 1 4 connexion with the Dublin and Cashel, capitalX6oo,ooo, 1 . 18 been taken up by all the monied interest in the local ;:_te!I through which it will run. Mr: Brunel has planner .mAniProved harbour at Wexford, which, in conjunction a t ' the South Wales railway, will enable the London to he delivered at Wexford in less than 15 hours. Th e , 1 , „,, w 4 1( FROM PARIS TO THE MEDITERRANEAN...." ll:li ste ; rl ,' de Per Beige says, that the proposal by the f,2,1e0.0V0 grant fifty-four millions of francs, about rarie te - 13;. for the establishment of the railway from the , Yon ne 3 " ; that it will take the valleys of the Seine, lOr 1844, an d A.rmencon ; four millions may be granted N ENIT B a u ltd ten for 1845. der/tend th a l ß ug OYER THE MENAI STRAITS.—We un- Men a i . 14 _,_,‘ the landed proprietors in the vicinity of the that i t i..r,`lue oppose the passage of the railway, and /till ' b o _t! erefore probable the passage across the Straits Vol ee e ,, e ,to be made at the Britannia Rock, and will bri be ti;;`b,'east, two arches of 350 feet span. This will llc ee iiree e - ' ° ,!! gigantic railway work ever undertaken.— , rhe - "ronic/e. aio capit a l so ns st erli of British railways now exceeds sixty mil antnun. s r g, and yields a revenue of SIX millions per tatructed _Nearly 2 ,000 miles of railway are already con aa,,,,,Td it' operation, and the proposals of the present ,_a i lf to th all session will have the effect of adding one "al of thesee e xtent of this productive property. The capi _, c railways has now become a great National lion 4 1 '1 8 held, in larger or smaller quantities, by indi go: and - :erY rank of life, and of every variety of poei there% or in caPation, to whom it affords a productive cre a - ,g in gh. c r u me• As a security, this stock is every day lines --Ir ig i 4 " aCt er Y u en investment, it is every day in by n retative v Everextension of the present ej, cr ase s ta te e 'los of brancles over the face of the c 'unto , ' trit e i re see tes " e 'tability and value of this stock. Indeed, p utll alPl y, a.to.be little doubt that railway pronerty will, le f(l._ ttain the same nos e — r,,....., permanence and value as the ''''""lcaY Chronicle. NEWCASTI E AND DARLINGTON JUNCTION RAIL WAY.—Tie DathATl branch of ib's railvtay was opened on iVl , .rnlay to the public. There is therefore now only snout tour titles a coach road b3twten Gaesheati and Lend• Yr, and the entire line, we are assured, will positively be opened on the 18,h June. IMMENSE RAILWAY STATION.—The great railway station of Green's Field, Gatesh,ad, is in course of rapid erection. The length of the Stati..n wia be 318 feet, and the shed w;11 be 88 feet wide. The roof will be construct ed of wrought iron. A large proportion of the roof will he glazed, aud the whole will be of a light aad airy cha racter. The plan includes accommodations of every de scription—booking offices, first and second class wait.ing rooms, ladies' ro rn, post-office, &c. The building for refreshments will comprise bed-roems for travellers. OPENINGS OF RAILWAYS IN MAY.—The next month promises to be remarkably pr•lific in the opening to the public of various itinir . atit railways throughout, that have hitherto been but partially or not at all in operation. On the 4th will be opened the Liverpool and Derby Junction line. Early in the month also, as is underitood, the West London Railway will be brought into full operation, to the great advantage of the Birmingham and Great Western lines, whose passengers will be tuenished with a west-end terminus. Then the Bricklayers' Arms Branch, that affords a like accommodation to the Croydon and Dover Railways; and the Norwich and Yarmouth Railway, will come into play in the ensuing month, the opening of the latter being fixed upon fir the Ist. Lastly, and most im portant of all, the Bristol and Exeter wilt also be opened to the travelling public, completing nearly 200 miles of railway to the western parts of England. ..May, thus, has quite its share in interest►tig railway occurrences. DUBLIN AND CORK RAILWAY.—Mr. Francis B. Bea mish, Secretary to the County and City of Cork Railway Committee, returned from Dublin on Saturday evening after having had several interviews with the provisional directors of the proposed line of railway between Dublin and Cashel. Irl the course of the interviews it appeared evident that the board were satisfied that it would be ad visable, in a pecuniary point of view, to make Dublin and Cork the termini, and further, that by doing so all serious opposition would be removed to the suspension of the standing orders of the House of Commeins, and the bill to Cashel .intent therefore receive the royal assent this ses sion, and in the event of the company not acceding to the proposition, and that if the bill was stoppedm . its progress this year, there was every reason to suppose that another company would he prepared next session of parliament to at ply tor one to make a Hoe the entire way. The result of the interviews was a concurrence on'the part of the di rectors in the viewslaid before them by Mr. Beatnish, and they declared that it was their most anxious wish to see the line continued to the City. of. Cork, leaving its route to be decided on by the shareholders, to be subse-• ouently submitted to government for their approval.— Cork Conetilution. TRENT VALLEY RAILWAY .—A correspondent (writing from Manchester on Tuesday night) informs us " that the Graod Junction and Manchester and Birmingham join the Trent Company in applying for this line of railway from Stafford to Rugby, with a. branch •to Alrewas, and that the official adhesion of the London and Birmingham will no doubt be given at their next meeting: The line (he continues) will be more strongly supported than any railway in the kingdom, and will produce' important re sults. It will he the grand direct route f!oni London to Holyhead, London to Scotland, (West Coast,) Lonthin 0 Liverpool, Alanchest4, Chewer, MI. It will save 334 miles between Stafford and Derby; therefore 354 between Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Ireland, and Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln, Lke. If any line in the kingdom his a prospect of being obtained, and of paying a good and immediate dividend, this is it. If the SlirewsbUry line comes to Stafford, the communication between Shrewsbury and Lincoln, west to east, will be complete through Stafford, Derby, Nottingham,: Newark, &c. This little line will have most important results. The prospec tus was issued on the 11th of April, on the 13th the line was taken up, on the 17th notice was given that no more parties need apply for shares, and in one week applica tions were made for 130,000 shares. The shares are at £5 prem. here (Manchester) to-day.—Midland Counties Herald. RAILWAYS.—Scarce fifteen years have elapsed since railways btcame a fact to the public understanding. Blun dersjrinumerable have been committed, money has been wasted by millions, yet have they spread in all directions over the face of the island. They have set the pattern for half the world, and from English workshops has a large portion of the material of .foreign lines been furnished, even before the permanent form has 13, en attained, while struggling forwards towards the perfect state. And all his has been done, not by a government, but by indivi duals. The first and foremost work of civilization is the making of a road. The making of . roads,which will put a final close to the large mass of cruelty annually inflicted on horses—which substitutes steam for musa•—is a far higher triumph of civilisation. What railways have done for us in labour-saving, we have yet no statistics to verify. but the annual accumulation of capital thereby must be of large amount. What they have done towards the pro gress of national eduCation in breaking down provincial prejudice, is of still greater value. What they will do, when they shall emerge from their infancy and attain their full growth,rfills the heart with hope to think of. The steam-boat has bridged the ocean, but it is the railway that spans the land, and will ultimately make all men brethren. We never behold a Saxon name graven in let ters of brass on a southeastern engine, without thinking of all the marvels which have sprung from the Saxon ad •vent, convertinc , Celtic Britain into the English land, and sowing the seeds ' of the world's ultimate universal peace. Happy was the thought of the man who chose such a nomenclatUre for a part of the modern conquerors of the world—the Dover locornotives—that . will bring more Frenchmen into England as friends, than ever were slaughter,d or made prisoners by all the engines used in the trials of war since the time when the British Celts were driven into Brittany. The " Captains of Industry" have vanquished the captains of war : and the Celtic taunt of •‘ Perfide Albion" is only replied to by the harm less hissing of the safety valve. We doubt not we shall be the record of their constantly increasing triumph.—. Rai lway Record. DUTY ON RAW COTTON. On Tuesday last, at the instance of Mr. Dennistoun, M.P., a deputation from the mantel! of the borough of M anchester — inAuding the mayor, several aldermen, and the town-clerk —and another from the - associated spinners of Lancashire, another from Scotland, &c., accoMpanied by Mr. Mark Phillips, M.P., Lord Francis Eqerton, M.P., Mr Milner Gibson, M.P., Mr. J. Wilson Patten, M.P., Mr. Joseph Broiherton, M.P., Mr. Thos. Houlds worth, M.P., Mr. Richmd Cobden; M.P., Mr. Richard Walker, M.P., Mr. John Ireland Blackburne, M.P., and others, had a long intervii-w with Sir R. Peel, to urge on the government the repeal of the duty on cotton. Mr. Dennistoun, M.P. for Glasgow, drew the attention of.the-premier to an elaborate statement of the bearings of the cotton. duty, which had been drawn up and circula ted by his constituents, shewing, amongst other things. that our export - trade in cotton goods was 86 per cent. of the whole manuracture. Mr. Thomas Ashton stated that the tax bore very hea vily upon the trade ; that it could not be otherwise when a concern like his own paid £4,000 a year upon the cotton he consumed ; and, as a large portion of the cotton was again experted, it was felt to be a serious impediment to our successful competition with foreigners, especially the Americans, who . were meeting us now almost everywhere. Mr. H. Ashworth said the tax was a duty upon indus try, and bore heavily noon the operative class in the cot ton trade, who worked five days every week for the foreign market, and in competition with the labourers of other countries who paid no such tax ; therefore, by the repeal of this tax, some £600,000 or £700,000 a year would at once be added to the fund from which our profits and wages were derived. With regar d t o t h e mariner i n which so large a sum would ultimately be divided, he could ap peal to all.who had studied such subjects, whether every increase of the funds for the payment of profits and wages did not eventually, either directly or indirectly, find its way to the Working class ; and it mattered not whether this was d , ne by extenditig employrnen ts or increasing the wages of those already employed, the working class would ever get the full benefit of it. The remission of the tax would afford a wide arid salutary field for employment. Mr. Peter Dixon, of Carlisle, corroborated these views, and iaid, that if the cotton duty were remitted, he intend ed at once to raise the wages of alt his hand-loom weavers. Mr. M. Phillips, M.P. adverted to the fact, that this tax affected the working class the most seriously, not only because the tax affected his earnings, but because his clothing, being chiefly cotton, paid heavily to the tar, whilst the lady who wore a light dr, ss, paid very little. Sir R. Peel said, be did not know in what way others might be ready to view this question ; possibly some in quire whether the repeal of this duty would aid. rather than otherwise, the advantages of America, and confer only a questionable benefit upon this country. It was well known that we were dependent on the States for a large portion of the supplies of our cotton, and it became a consideration in what way the price there would be affected by the repeal of the duty here. Mr. Phillips and Mr. Ewan entered into a conversation with the premier, on the advantages to this country of re peal of the duty, in making Liverpool a mart for the cot ton of Europe, and thus aiding our shipping and mercan tile interest. Sir R. Peel remarked, that they would not expect from him any definite answer on the subject; that a revenue must be provided, and the income tax was a tax which the country would have to consider, &c., concluding with a promise to submit the subject to the consideration of his colleagues. Mr. H. Ashworth said the question was not the price the American planter got for his cotton, for he could charge all alike, not excepting his own home manufac tures. The deputation complained, that after having manufac tured the cotton, they had charges to pay which no other manufacturers did pay, namely, 5-16ths of a penny per lb. of cotton duty, and 2-16ths of a penny more for the duty upon the waste of cotton in process of manufacture, and these two sums of 7-16ths formed a large item in the cost of production ; and was a great burthen and disadvantage to a body of men whose industry was restricted by time bills, and who had recently been disposs-sstd • by parlia ment of the advantages which they possessed in superior ity of machinery —an advantage which they bad acquired by long experience and persevering industry.—The depu tation's then retired. We may add, that they were received, and treated throughout the interview, with the greatest courtesy and kindness of manner by the premier. The above is condensed from the columns of the Man chester Guardian, which paper adds, that the memorial to Sir 11. Peel on the subject, which was unanimously agreed to at a meeting of merchants, spinners, and manu facturers, on the same day that the interview took place, was transmitted that evening to Sir 11. Peel, and would tend to confirm the statements and opinions expressed by the members of the deputations. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. COItIiESPONDENC'E. MR. COLVILLE AND THE OWNERS OF COT TAGE PROPERTY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, Str,—Conceiving that a few remarks by way of animad version upon the principle and results of the measure proposed by the member for South Derbyshire would not be opposed to the design of your esteemed publication, and also that it might not be unattended with benefit to some, I venture to request as a favour space fur the fol lowing few lines in your next. Trilling, indeed, is the amount of sagacity required to discover that a measure for rating "the owners of certain tenements" would be unjust and unconstitutional. A measure that would inclose the owners of every descrip. tion of house property would beuncoestitutional, inasmuch as the poor rate is not a tax upon property but a rate upon the person according to his ability to pay ; but a proposal to rate only one class of owners, to the exemption of all others, is not only unconstitutional but unjust, because partial. Such a measure would establish an invidious distinction between classes, and thereby furnish legitimate grounds of complaint to many. Singular and far-fetched, indeed, must be the argument by which a measure of this character could be sustained: it is a crotchet which ho nest, plain-dealing men cannot comprehend. They natu rally inquire why it is that the established laws of assess ments should be in part subverted, or, if an alteration be necessary, why it is that so large a portion of houseowners should be exempted from the impost. It has, however, been alleged that cottage landlords obtain a greater rate of interest upon their capital than do the owners of larger property; but whi acquainted with cottage property can give credence to that assertion ? Does the capitalist be lieve it? If cottage property be so pre-eminently lucrative why is it, 1 would ask, that he cannot be induced to em bark in the profitable trade? If the assertion be true, upon what principle can the sanity of the monied man be maintained in this money-making age —an age in which everything that is respectable and virtuous is associated witteash?—but, granting the truth of the allegation, is there between it and the rating of the cottage-owner only the least sequence ? Suppose it were not only alleged but proved that the business of a pawnbroker was more pro fitable than many others I could name, would any one out of bedlam suppose for a moment that the pawnbroker should, therefore, bear a greater burden of taxation—or, in other words, that he should be imposed upon merely because he can afford ? Would such an apology have jus tified Mr. Richard Turpin—" True it is" (he might have said) " I have plundered many, but only those who could afford U.'? It is also stated that the rating of the owners, instead of the occupiers, would reduce the rates generally; but the reasonable deduction from this assertion, even assuming that it is true, is, rate all owners indiscriminately! But, peradventure it will be said that the rates are col lected from the occupiers of large property, while they cannot b e extracted from the tenants of cottages : this reminds me of Paul and Onesimus, if the allusion be not considered profane.. So, then, the owner of cottage pro perty is to be rated because the tenant cannot pay. The landlord is to be converted into an honorary tax collector, and to be responsible, not for the payment by the tenant, but for their due payment by himself. Now, if Mr. Col ville be aconsiderate man, I shall certainly expect to hear of him through the papers ere long, astonishing the Com mons' House with a legislative motion to the following effect :—M r, Speaker, Sir ! It is notorious that the income tax . is at and after the rate of seienpence in the pound ; ;t is also known to thig honourable house that this tax does not affect incomes that are under £150; the conse quence to the public is, that the rate is sevenpence. Sir,' 1 have discovered that if all incomes, from the highest down to that of the metropolitan postboy, were levied upon, the tax would thereby be materially reduced. It may, however, be objected that a tax upon the small in comes would be difficult to collect; but, Sir. that objec tion could easily be obviated. I would propose that the employers be rated instead of the owners." Thisi would certainly be consistent, however ridiculous it might ap pear : it would be the legitimate application of the prin ciple involved in the " certain clauses," for the introduc tion of which into the government poor law bill Mr. Colville has already given notice. Political depravity, like the first departure from moral rectitude, is a sloping declivity along which men glide with ease, but stop or return with difficulty. The first deviation from principle is frequently the prelude to a long and uninterrupted ca reer of delinquencies : it is upon these grounds chiefly that Mr. Colville 's measure should be opposed by all. Legis lators would thereby learn a salutary lesson upon political consistency, alas ! much disregarded these times. Having, I trust laid bare the principle of Mr. Colville's proposed measure, I shall in'tny nest proceed to an en quiry into its effects upon cottage owners arid cottage builders, and upon building societies. ILLANDATUS. Liverpool, 27th April, 1844. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STAN DARD, AND THE ORANGEMEN OF LIVERPOOL. Sni t —Will you have the goodness to insert, in your widely-circulated journal of Tuesday nest, a copy of' the original address from the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the city of London, to the Prince of Orange, in November, 1688, which was presented by a deputation of four aldermen and eight commoners, -after a meeting of the Lords spiritual and temporal at Guild hall, who signed a declaration to assist his Highness to obtain a free parliament to disarm papists, to secure all Jesuits and Rotnish priesis; and to be ready to do all.that should be required of them on that occasion? Here is the beginning of Orangeisin, and an example for our Protestant Mayor; Aldermen, and Common Council of Liverpool ; and may the same sacred fire be kindlA in ' all their Protestant hearts, to maintain with unflinching integrity the religion, laws, and liberties of Protestant Britain! - • KLRKDALE SESSIONS. THE ST. HELRNS COLLIERY RIOTS : EICXRAORDINARY SCENE On Saturdayoifterneon John Knowles, Jahn Penketh, John M‘Donoligh, and Tnnmas Burroivhs were arraign ed before the Rev.. Rect .r Brooks, at Kirkdale Sessions. on a charge of having been concerned in. the late serious colliery riots at St. Helens. The prisoners-pleaded " not guilty." Mr. Hulton and Mr. James appearyd on the part of the prosecution, and Mr. Monck aticl.Mr. Pollock for the defence. • The case, which has appeared in detached portions from time to time, may be briefly summed up.as f .11,ws ; —ln the neighbourhood of St. Helens there , are several collieries, the men employed at which, with the exception of a few, turned out on a strike in January last, for an in crease of wages. The collieries were consequently almost stopped, and had been so about a month wnen the coal masters finding that the workmen were more obstinate than was, at first expected, determined to procure workmen from other places, and accordingly, deputed four of their body, who proceeded to Shropshire and succeeded in engag ing about seventy men, who were to be sent to St. Helens, and; on their arrival there, deposited among the collieries in its vicinity. The Shropshire colliers arrived at Sr. Helens late on the evening of Monday, the 26th of February, and were accommodated with a house in the New Market place, belonging to Mr. David Browntiw, one of the col liery proprietors, until they could be distributed and sent to their work on the following morning. The turn-out colliers had evinced their disapprobation of the proceed ings of their late masters in attempting to engage strangers and fellow-workmen who hid not turned out; and, on Tuesday morning, the 27th of February, they assembled at an early hour, in great numbets, in front of the house where the Shropshire men were lodged. About 10 o'clock, a party consisting of about 20 of the new men. escorted by Mr. Storey, the Superintendent of Police, and six con stables, and also by several of the coal proprieters; started to go to the collieries belonging to Messrs. Bourne and - Robinson.and Messrs. Johnson and Worthington, in Parr; and r in.passing-through the street or place called Smithy-brow, half of which is in Windle and the other half in Parr, both in the parish of Prescot, they were as sailed by a mob, consisting principally of the turn-outs, *boiled followed them, and who succeeded in violently dragging away the strangers from the protection of tne police and colliery proprietors. At the same ti i.e the police were driven back, and several of them received injuries from the stones and other missdi-s hurled at them by the mob. During the remainder of the day great ex citement'prevailed throughout the town. The prisoners Knowles,. Penketh, and M'Donough were apprehended immediately after the riot acid committed to take their trial; and warrants were obtained against several others of the rioters. At a subsequent period of the day. while Mr. Superintendent Storey was endeavouring to appre hend a turbulent fellow named Tuonias Leyland, in the New Market-place. he was again assailed by a mob who bad gathered round the Town-hall, where the magistrates were then sitting, and received a dangerous wound on the head ; and eventually both the officers and himself were obliged to release the prisoner and seek safety in flight. The magistrates then determined to send for a detachment of the military force stationed at Manchester, and de speched an order to that purpose; and about eight o'clock the same evening a company of the infantry entered the town, -where .they remained until within the lest few weeks. Several of the rioters had since been apprehended and summarily committed under the combination act. Mr. MONCIC moved on an affidavit, made by Mr. Ro berts, the attorney in the case, resident at Newcastle-on- Tyne; that it might be postponed until Tuesday morning. In the affidavit, which ran considerably into detail, Mr. Roberts swore that he was the attorney for ten prisoners against whom a habeas corpus had been issued, and that it was necessary for the ends of justice that he should be in London, to give evidence in the Curt of Queen's Bench, on : Monday. The learned counsel apprehended that a more satisfactory affidavit could not have been sub mitted, because it must .be clear that the trial in the pre sent instance could not be conducted with satisfaction to the parties concerned if the gentleman immediately inte rested in preparing the defence was absent from the court, as he must necessarily be on Monday. He assured the bench that there was no wish on the part of the tra versers to seek unnecessary delay, inasmuch as they were ready at that moment to go to trial. The CHAIRMAN said it was impossible to proceed at that late hour, (half-past three o'clock,) as the jury would have to go to their homes for the night. Mr. MILTON also admitted the impossibility of pro eeedint with a case, in which there were a large number of witnesses, at that advanced period of the afternoon, but contended, that it would be inconvenient to postpone it until Tuesday. He stated, that, in the else of habeas corpus, affidavits, and not evidence, were received by the Court of Queen's Bench. Mr. JAMES followed on the same side, and said that, if Mr. Roberts had any material facts to communicate to the Court of Queen's Bench, he could as well do so by affidavit sent from Liverpool as by affidavit sworn in London. , Mr. ROBERTS here rose, and, looking towards Mr. Hutton, said : The man who states anything- against my veracity tells an untruth. He that quest ons the truth of my affidavit imputes a falsehood to me. Mr. H lILTON.—I call on the court to protect me. Mr. MoNcK was about to interfere, when Mr. ROBERTS said, I have sworn that I am to give evidence before the Court• of Queen's Bencb, and you deny it. You have uttered, sir, abat is false. The CHAIRMAN (who had beer, up to this time, in consultation with his brother magistrates,) here observed that he had not heard what was said. Mr. HULTON.-1 call upon the court to protect me from the observations made by my friend's client. He has charged me with uttering a falsehood. Mr. ROI3EB.TS.—I said that, in stating what you have, you have uttered a falsehood. The CHAIRMAN.—You must know enough of courts of justice to be aware that, in opening your mouth here, you have no right to do so at all. Certainly, disrespectful language of any kind is not to be tolerated. If you are a professional roan, I hope you will see that you have done wrong and that you ought to regret it. That's what you ought to do. Mr. HULTON: I stated that the affidavit was an extra ordinary one, and I referred to the practice of the Court of Queen's Bench; and it was upon that that this gentle. man chose to make use of language which I call upon the court to protect me from. Mr. RoBERTs f Will The court allow me to state how I am circumstanced? You, Mr. Hultnn should nave called upon me to explain before you imputed a falsehood to me. The CHAIRMAN : I think those remarks exceedinely improper, and that you ought to make an apology to Mr. Hutton for the language you have used. The conversation here dropped. Mr. Roberts retained his seat, and did not apologize. The case was then fixed to come on at the sitting of the court yesterday (Monday) morning, a report of which will be found in our eighth page. ADDRESS. " We, taking into consideration your Highness's fer vent zeal for the Protestant religion, manifested to the world in your many hazardous entet prises, wherein it bath pleased Almighty God to.bless you with miraculous suc cess, do render our deepest thanks to the Divine Majesty for the same, and beg leave to present our most humble thanks to your Highness, particularly, for your appearing in arms in this kingdom, to carry on and perfect your glorious designs, ,to rescue these kingdoms born slavery and popery, and, in a free parliament, to establish the religion and laws and liberties of these kingdoms upon a sure and lasting foundation. We have hitherto looked for some remedy for those oppressions and imminent dangers which we, together with our Protestant fellow and con currences with your Highn es s 's j ust and p ious subjects, laboured un der, from h:s Majesty's concessions pur pos, , ., expressed .in your gracious declaration. But -nsatfo this make al t herein finding ourselves finally disappointed by his Ma jnd esty's es v's- t o i dr to r w f , in g g himself, e o city, implore your Highness's protection, and most hum bly beseech your Highness to repair to this city, where your Highness will be received with universal y, joy and satisfaction." Sir, having given you the above address, I beg to add the following Orangeman's submission : We've he'd the banner that wav'd so long its sunny folds around us;_ We've still the note of our ancient song, and burst the tie that bdund us. No, no ! that tie, that sacred tie, can ne'er be loosed or broken, And thoughts will flash from eye to eye, altho' no word be spoken. Go, raze old Perry's tell-tale wall ; hid Enniskillen perish ; Choke up the Boyne; abolish all that we so forid;y cherish : 'Twill he but as the prunink knife, used by a skilful master To concentrate the sap of life and fix the strong root faster. We love the throne; oh ! deep ye plann'd the hateful wile to prove us; But firm in stainless faith we stand—our Queen shall know and love us. When William came to free this isle from galling chains that bound her, Our fathers rear'd beneath his smile a living rampart round her. Ye've ta'en the outer crust away, but, secret strength sup plying, A spirit. shriii'd within the clay. dwells quenchless and undying; A sparkle from the hal!ow'd flame of our insulted altars, Puie as the fire from whence it came, our love ne'er fades nor falters. That love to thee, dear injured land, by mocking foes insulted, — That love to thee, Victoria, by artful craft assaulted ; Banner, and badge; and clArislied name, here at thy call we tender, — The loyal truth that guards the throne we'll keep, and " No SUaRENDER." AN ORANGEMAN AND PROTESTANT. RESPITE OF MARY FURI.Ey.-011 Saturday afternoon, about four o'clock, the sheriffs received a communication from the Secretary of State tor the Home Department, stating that her Majesty had been pleased td respite the sentence of death passed at the last assizes of the Central Criminal Court on Mary Furley during her Majesty's Royal pleasure. It will be recollected that the wretched woman was convicted under circuitirances of a peculiarly distressing kind ; she had been long out of employ, and, y p i a n r g t o i f t and her afterwards resoutioo committing having no means o f supporting herself or her offspring, s s o h i e oi r d e e s . olveT he on fo d r e al s e tr ro into effect, but was fortunatelyfrustrated as regarded the latter. The poor c rea t ure, on re• eming the info rma ti on e mm ca i r tt r i i n carried that her life would be spared, burst into a flood of tears, and when she had somewhat, recovered her self-possession expressed her gratitude in the warmest terms to the gen tlemen who had so kindly interested themselves in her behalf. It is not at present known what her commuted a se very shortntence will im e, b ris butonment. it is expected that s h e w i ll undergo p THE GREAT BRITAIN.—Since the abandonment or all hopes of obtaining the enlargement of the dock -gates, pre parations have been made for floating this vessel out on tangs, to be filled with air, preparatory to placing her upon which it was necessary that she should be taken out of dock. Wednesday morning last was the time announced for her displaying her enormous bulk in the harbour; crowds had assembled to witness her egress—but not such crowds as attended upon the occasion of Prince Albert's visit; and another remarkable feature in th e case was the absence of the success which then followed the efforts to float her out of dock. The endeavours made to free her from the dock were continued till Friday afternoon, with out being sufficient to move her more than a distance of about 40 feet—thus far would she go and no farther. The cause of her detention was stated differently by ' m i na , persons, but it appear to be the general opinion that her further progress was prevented by her pressing about mid ships on a portion of the 'flocks on which she bad hitherto rested in the dock, caused by the immense weight of ma chinery which has been put into her since the time of Prince Albert's visit. After resorting to a variety of ex _ periments to release her the caissoon was at length re. placed, an d I we understand that it will be att empted lo day, (Saturday.) by means of men diving, to cut away the obstruction.—Bristol Journal of Saturday. LIVERPOOL DOCK BILL. The Committee met again on Monday last, and declared that the preamble of the bill was proved ; and the Committee then proceeded to deliberate on the respec tive clauses, and, on their separation, had agreed to the three first. Thus the preamble, and several of the principal clauses, having been concurred in, it may be confidently antici pated that there ail be no further hindrance to the bill speedily passing the committee, in its integrity; as any discussion that may now arise will refer merely to the settlement of comparatively unimportant details. We congratulate the merchants and other inhabitants of Liverpool on the satisfactory settlement of this im portant question. _ [ rhe above appeared in an early second edition of our paper of last Tuesday. On Tuesday the committee went through the remainder of the clauses of the bill, when the chairman was directed to report to the house, and the committee broke up.] A rumour has been extensively circulate 1 that Captain Hamilton, member for this borough (Aylesbury), intends to resign in favour of Mr. Thesiger, the new Solicitor- General. We can assure our readers that nothing could be further from the truth than this report.—Bucks Herald. The rumour still prevails, that foreign free-labour. sugar, including that. of Siam and Java, wilt be admitted for home consumption, although the amount of ditty has not tianspired. The whole measure is kep. so profound a secret, that the best informed persons do no , believe that even the inferior officials of Gover nmen t kno,v the preci se i n tentions of Minist era. GLOBE INSURANCE COMPANY.—The general half yearly meeting . of the Globe Insurance Company was held at their office in Cornhill, last week, when the annual re port on the affairs of the company was read, and the meet ing having been made special for the further purpose of receiving a report from the directots, with reference to the bill now before parliament, the same was discussed clause by clause, and it was resolved :—" That the thanks of this meeting of proprietors are justly due, and are hereby given to the chairman, deputy chairman, and directors, for their general attention to the interests of the company, and es pecially with reference to the bill now before parliament, for enabling the company to alter and amend some of the provisions of the deed of settlement, and also for the very satisfactory report on the affairs of the company made this day." MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE.—A very a fa' and dis tressing occurrence took place at Barmoo. hint kiln on Thursday morning last. James Johnst it, a labourer, went on the kiln for the purpose of breakin„ .arge lime stone into pieces ; the stcne on which he stood suddenly sunk under his weight, and he suddenly became embed- ded in the contents of the centre of the kiln. His fellow workmen seeing the accident, gave immediate alarm, and attracted to the spot the quarrymen and others thereabouts. These parties threw a rope towards the sufferer which he tied roundhis body, but they could not succeed in drawing him out ; he continued throwing from him the s t ones which pressed against him until his fingerswere com pletely burned off. In this horrible situation lie existed for about three quarters of an hour, when death released him. Horses were procured from Mr. Philips, but these also failed in drawing out the body; ultimately a pulley was erected over the spot, and by its means, and after great difficulty, the body was raised out of the kiln. The , 1 scene was most painful from seven o' c l oc k , t h e time the acc id en t occurred, until !eleven when the body was got out. He retained his senses up to his death, and in the midst of his tortures made great lament for the fate of his children ; his sisters were on the scene before he died, and witnessed his awful fate. When the b o dy was got out it was found that his legs so far as they had been buried in the limestone were not the least burned, but his thighs and body were dreadfully injured ; and his intestines pro truded, and his limbs were nearly severed from his body. The deceased was a w i dower.—Edinburgh paper. LOCAL NEWS The bill of the Livery) , 1 New Gas and Coke Company has passed both horses of Effl ameat. - - --- Arrangements have been completed for securing a re gatta in Douglas- Bay, Ist?. of Man, in the month of:Jaly next. FAREWELL SERMON. -0,1 Sunday the Rev. Mr Bates, who is about to b.- located at Dover. preached his farewell se•lnrin to a titonereas and respectable coug eg aim) at Christ Church, Wat,-Tho, where he has been in,mmbent for the lost three or four years. He was formerly: con nectei with St. Bride's Cottrell, Licerpcol. EARLY CLOSIN-G, OF SHOPS. —The booksellers and ironmangers, we are glad to perceive, are the first-in ihe field to c wry out 'he resolutions vvhi - .11 were come to at the great Music-hall,Meeting. We hope to see their ex cellent exstnple speedily. followed by the other trades in the town. UNWHOLESOME MEAT.--On Friday, at Police court, a man, named Charles Cumiskv, was fined 40 and costs, making altogether £2 4s. 6d., for having,•exposed unwholesome meat for sale upon one of the stalls in St. John's Market. The offence was proved by inspector Tuornpson, Of the police f tree. PUDIJICANS' AND BEER-SELLERS.—Seventeen cases against puolicans and beer-sellers were heard,, at the Po lice-court, on PriclaY, for offences against the improve ment act.. Of the whole number fifteen were convicted ; four of them in the highest penalty of £5 each, and two were acquitted. DoaAN's CLAIM FOR INMJRANCE.—The application for a new trial in the case Doran v. Ritcher was made last we-k in the Court of Exchequer, before the new Lord Chiet-Baron Sir F. Pollock. and Baro is, Parke, Alderson, and ltol'e,' by Mr. Knowles, hut the court refused to grant the applioaion on the ground that it would be invading the province of the jury to interfere. MONTGOMERY'S NEW WORK.—The Rev. Robert Montgomery, the popular author of " Luther," •` The Messi:th," &c. is again in the field of publication. His new work. '` The Gospel before the Age," is intended, we understand, to bring the deep and divine philosophy of the Gospel to bear with powerful ani impressive . effect , on the leading signs of the, age, and the social developments of the present era. TESTIMONIAL TO MR. WHITTY.—The late head Con stable, Mr. W•litty,, has rec• iced a letter from lir. El ward Rushton and Mr. Francis Haywood, enclosing a check for £4lO, being the .aimiunt of a snbscrioiioa entered ,into by several geal , irien who were c-srOu. of presenting him with s )me substanial mark of their ap probatiou of his conduct whist he held the situation of chi , -f constable .of the borough. The 'Subscription was limited to £5 each. EXCISE INFoamaTioNs.—We last week noticed that tw i parries: had been fined in heavy ,urns each fur mixing certain quantities of saccharine with tobacco. We may now add, rh it on lue:sday last, one of the individuals (Mr. Brown) who was nor, as reported by a cont-mpn miry, put into custody, appeared in court, and handed up some pap.-ra to Mr. Rushton, who said tht magistrates had already recommended th- board to reduce the p nal ties to £125. He added that if tile gentleman who had addressed a le' ter, to hi a (Mr. Rushton) would w r i te a letter ti Mr. Wood, and state the circum,tances as de toiled to him, i3O doubt the board would take them into fa'ionrable considerat 0:1. • FATAL ACCIDENT IN VICTORIA DOCK.—Last Tuesday,, Nicholas Bailey, a seaman, one of the crew of the Ameri can ship Berwick, lynx; in Victoria dock, was etigavd with several ottie..s, in taking up the canvas for the tore topsail yard, -when he and another man, leaning over too far. lost their bahin3e, and were precipitated upon the deck. They were immediately taken up and conveyed to the Northern Hospital, wheie Bailey expired soon after, in consequence of the injuries he sustained in the fall. The other man. is still alive, but his recovery is almost hop-less. An inqu-st was held noon the body of -Bailey on Friday, at which a verdict of accidental death was returned. SPLENDID BALL.—On Wednesday evening last, Mrs• Elliston gave a juvenile bail at (he Royal Assembly-rooms, when about sixty of tier pupils went through a variety of beautiful dances, which, from their chaste execution and the elegance and grace with which they were danced, elicited the unanimous praise and admiration of a very large party of the elite of Liverpool and its vicinity, who were present on this very interesting occasion. As the ball was 11'4 a public one, being only Open to the friends and relatives of the pupils, we are unable to afford parti culars as to the names of the figures and dances ; but we understand that the band witi a most efficient one and the music excellent, a great part having been prepared and ilapted for the dances. The company separated shortly after twelve, after an evening's amusement that will be long remembered by the parties present. A STOLEN CHILD RECOVERED IN LIVERPOOL.—The Scottish Guardian states :—" In oar paper of Tuesday los', we noticed that a female child had been stolen from Camlachie, and that there was strong reason to believe that the girl had been recovered by the Liverpo'.l police. On Tuesday last an officer was despatched frnn the She r ff's establishment here, and returned on the following Friday with the girl, and the wormn, named Greenwood or Wade, who is accused of having stolen her. The latter was lodged in pri-on, and will, no doubt, soon he com mitted for trial. The mother of the lost child aiTa'ted her arrival at the boat, and the meeting was of the most tender kind. The Liverpool anthoriCes (to their credit belt Said) had attired the child in new and comfortable clothing, not forgetting a little mantle, and all that Could add to her comfort on the voyage." THE HAIR.—Of the numerous compounds professing to promote or reproduce the hair, few have survived even in name, whilst ROWLAND'S MACASSAR OIL, with a re putation already usparallelled, is still on the increase in .public estimation ; which fact, together with innumerable testimonials in the possession of the proprietors, is suffi cient to satisfy the most incredulous as to its sovereign virtues so repeatPdly shown in restoring, preserving, and beautifying the human hair. In dressing the hair, no thing can equal the effects of ROWLAND'S MAcAssA R . OIL, on ei , her natural or-artificial hair, rendering it so admiribly soft that it will lie in any direction: it produces beautiful flowing curls, and, by the transcendent lti-tr.! it imparts, readers the head dress truly enchanting ! It preserves the coiffure in the hewed atinosphere of the ball room, and neutralizes the effects of a damp atmosphere, or violent exercise.—See advt. . I TAXES ON COTT tGES —On Friday evening, a very numerous meeting was held in the Toxteth-hall, Mill street, for the purpose of considering the propriety of peti tioning the legislature against the clauses affecting cottage owners, propo,ed by Mr. Colville, M.P. for South Derby shire, to be introdeced into Sir James Graham's Poor Law Amendment Bill. These clauses are to the effect that owners of house and cottage property, of the anunal rent of £2O and under, shall be rated to all the parochial rates instead of the tenants, and that tenants may be dis trained upon 'for those rates to the amount of the rent actually due, and may deduct the amount from the rent. Mr. Ephraim Knapprr was called to the chair, and in a forcible addr:ss he pointed out the absolute and con tingent evils of the proposed clauses, not only upon cot tage landlords but cottage tenants. Several gentlemen afterwards addressed the meeting in support of the resolu tions, and the meeting terminated at ten o'clock. RuNaittx.-On Thursday last, a number of gentlemen, friends of Thomas Hazlehurst, Esq., and upwards of one hundred of the workmen employed in the Camden soap ery, met at Hill s Hotel, Runcorn, to celebrate the mar riage of that gentleman, which took place on the morning of the same thy, with the amiable and accomplished daughter of John Howard, Esq., Park-place, Leeds. From an early hour on Thursday, the Old Church bells announced to the inhabitants by their best sounds, that, soinething more than usual was about to take place; the' British ensign was seen floating from its venerable tower, and from the Trinity Church, whilst from many other places in the town flags were fluttering in the breeze;_ and from the great respect in which every member of the Hazlehurst family is held by the inhabitants of Runcorn, there was more than the usual interest felt on such occa sions. Perhaps there is no establishment in England in which a greater number of hands are employed, where a better feeling or a more kind and generous sympathy ex ist, than between the employers and the employed at the extensive soapery of the Messrs. Hazlehurst. CHESTER RACES.—This important annual meeting will commence on Tuesday next, and from present prospects, both as regards the attendance of co m p an y, an d fi rs — ra t e snort, will surpass in splendour arid interest all former gatherings, (brilliant as they bye been,) of the patrons of the turf of our verdant and most beautifully situated lioo dee. The course is in admirable order; and the alterati ons which have lately been effected by the Committee, who have been engaged in directing the works necessary to adapt it for the exercise of the Cheshire Cavilry, as well as the attention paid to the matter, by the racing au thorities here, have greatly improved its appearance. The city has already begun to put on its holiday face, and seems to be eagerly anticipating the forthcoming week ; when rank and beauty are to throng old Chester's walls and streets, hospitality is to spread its most liberal repasts, and the banks of the Dee are to present an animated pa. norama of the national sports of British horse racing. The crack' event of the meeting, the great Cup Race,' is to take place on Wednesday next ; 3 0 horses it is 9. moored, will start, and intense interest, as to the result is excited. The programme for Tuesday, Thursday, an d Friday, also holds out a promise of abundant sport. W e understand that 100 horses are expected to compete for the various stakes.—Chester Courant. FEMALE PENITENTIARY.--thl Tuesday the annua l meeting of the friends and subscribers of the Liverpool Female Penitentiary, was held at the Charitable Institu tion-house, Slater-street, an d was respectably, though not numerously, attended. In the absence of the Mayor, who had kindly promised to preside, the chair was occu pied by Edward Cropper, Eso• Mr. Michael Ashton, the secretary, read ;he report, from which it appeared that the design of the Committee was to afford an asylum to female., who, having deviated from the paths of virtue, were desirous of being restored by religious instruction, and formation of moral and industrious habits, to a re putable station in society. During the past year alone ward, 31 had been ad m i tted to the fu l l out of 94 applicants for a dmissi on , 48 were received into the probationary privileges of the house, and 13 others bad been restored to their sorrowing friends, or placed out to respectable service, after affording pleasing and satisfactory evidence of their indisputable reformation. The total number since the commencement of the institution was as follows : —Admitted since the first establishment, 1250; expelled, 161 ; eloped , 51 ; left at their own suggestio n , o r dislike s, of rules, 486; restored to their friends, or placed in ser vice, 390; removed to other instituiions, 50; died, 19; remaining in the howe, 55. Upon the motion of Mr. John Howard, the report was adopted, after which a number of exerllent speeches were delivered, and urgent appeals made in favour of the institutions. FATAL ACCIDENT AT TILE ALBERT Does.— fester klay, at inquest was held Mar. the bsr u;-i coroner on view of the body-of Jo!in Griffi h, a ItPourer, ag-d 35. On Sa'urday last, while decerved was eng! gal at a new tub close under the- wall of one of the warehouses new is c w ( ei i a r h se in o g f f e r r o e rn ci 2 io o n -t - o at !2 t k e l A ., lb b e y rt s,, D me )c n k :ea a n p sp i_ete o r o f ba tt.llll/ I) high wind at the time—fell down, and struck him so vio lently on the head as to fracture his skull beyoaa hope of his recovery. He was carried to the Northern Hospital, and expired a f e w-minutes atter being received there. — Verdict, "Accidentally killed." CLOSING SHOPS. AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.—The respecta ble shopkeepers of Liverpool are gradually. adopting the rule of el-sing at seven o'clock. The trades individually are taking the initter un, and influential parties who have agreed to close at the above-named hour will, no doubt, be a stimulus to others. A meeting of the assistants to booksellers and , stationers was held, in the Clarendon rooms, on Thursday evening, when the thanks of the meeting were umnimously voted to those employers who so kindly responded to the memorial soliti!ing an earlier hour of closing, and the necessity of anh , ring to an ar rang-ment that will prove equally beneficial ta the em ployer and the employed was respectfully urged. ASSAULT ON POLICE-OFFICERS.—At the Police -court, vest , rday, a- well-dressed young man, named Thomas R)wlands. and a working man, John, McDermott, were charged With a violent assault on several police-officers, in Adlington-street, Marybone, on Saturday-evening. Ca. therine McDermott, wife of the latter, was -also charged with assault and attempt to rescue her husband.. The two male prisoners had, it appetteed, been very active in a gratuitous attack upon the officers with stones and bricks, by which the face of one of them was much bruised and mutilated. Rowlands was formerly appren tice to a pilot-boat. had often been brought up for dis orderly conduct on bOard and- on shore, and had left his employ. He was fined £5, or one month, and also re quired to find bal himself in £3O and two sureties in £2O eacb. The other man was: fin, din a less amount, or to be imprisoned ; and the female, whose case was but slight, was discharged. THE " IRON DIIKE."—This steamer made her second experimental trip on Thursday, and the result was highly satisfactory to those connected with her, and also to se veral scientific individuals on board. As regards her sped, that i 3 unrivalled. As a proof, she ran firma the Clar-nce Pier to the• anchorage in Douglas harbour in sh. 27ra., end the return trio occupied but sh. 31m. To go more int i detal to show what was done in a remarka bty.short period, she- went from Liverpool to Douglas, remained forty minutes in the harbour, and returned to Liverpool, the entire time occupied being only eleven hours and thirty-eight minutes. To show th it she de rived but little extraneous aid from wind or tide, it is only necessary to o serve that the farmer was on the bow going to lieti g l as , a n d f e lt to-a calm on the return; and ihe tide was almost the lowest in the year, being bat lift. 9in. The most extraordinary property connected with this steamer is the fact that her speed through the water approaches closer to the velocity of her wheels than that i of any other vessel afloat, whether propelled lay paddle wheels, the screw, or any other principle. Thursday's trial proved indisputably, both by the log and by,the dis tance actually passed over, that there was a slip of only 1-14111 e-that is to say, the velocity of the vessel through, the-water was as great as the velocity of the eeetre-of -the paddle-boar-Is within one-fourteenth part. No doubt this fact will cause a sensation in the scientific world, as it will undoubtedly procure Mr..Th imas Wilson addi tional fame. The engines and boilers are everything that their constructors can desire, and as the machinery inva- , riably continues to . work more and more efficiently for inonths after its first operations, it may be asked, what steamer will be able -to compete successfully with the " Iron Duke," when her engines (bnilt by Messrs. Flaw ' eett and Co.) have arrived at the maximum of their-effi ciency ? - - - ADULTERATION OF TOBACCO.—It appears that OUT Own ' town is not the only one in which manufacturers of to bacco have, during the past week, been convicted for de frauding the revenue by adelterating the article with mo lasses, sugar, and other saccharine matter, Chinese flow ers, sand, &c., and also selling such tabaeco to retail deal ers. At Bolton three parties were brought before the 'special session. In the first case a dealer was convicted in a penalty of £2OO for adulterating tobacco, and the to bacco (amounting to 1,08311 b) was condemned. It was , also stated that, in little more than six months, this dealer had gained by this species of fraud not less than £3,000; the adulteration at 20 per cent (and it was stated that'-it really - amounted to 23 per cent.) on the quantity of tot. bacco on which he had paid duty within that period . , amounting to £3.254. On this ground the bench refused to grant any mitigation of the penalty.—ln the second case, against the successor of the defendant, 3131 h. of to= bacco was seized on the defendants premises, and 201 b. at the shop of a retail dealer, which was stated to have come from the defendant; and the latter was convicted in a mitizated penalty of £so.—On Friday there were two cases heard at the Matte-ester police-court, in the first of which the defendant, a tobacco Manufacturer, virtually admitted having committed the offence, by his - itilicitbr stating that the solicitor for the excise and himself had agreed to a conviction on the second count of the infor mation. The case was heard, however, and the defeti: dant Was convicted, on that count, in the-penalty of £l5O for having adniterated tobacco- on his premises, and the tobacco seized (891 b.) was condemned.—Another case was gone into, in which it appeared thatt - the defendant, a re tail dealer, was convicted of a similar offence in the miti gated penalty Of £5O, as it appeared that he bad purchased the tobacco from one of the parties convicted on Wednes day at Bolton ; and the tobacco seized (3621 b.) was con demned. It thus appears that within five days, in three large'towns within a space of forty, miles, no fewer than e;ght convictions, amounting in the aggregate to £1,550, have been made, and more than 2,4001 b. of tobacco seized and condemned by the excise. HER MAJESTY'S BIRTEI DAY.—Thursday last being appointed for the celebration of her Majesty's birth-day, all the public offices were closed. The royal sten lard, a new one, ahnirably painted by Mr. Parr, of Berry-street, was hoisted at the Town. hall ; and at several places, as well as on the ships along the line of the docks, flags floated freely, imparting a lively and pleasing appearance to the town. At noon the bells of St. Pcter's rung a merry peal. It was further enlivened and gratified by the enrolled pen:ione - rs whO a-sem bled at the barracks, in Duke -street, from whence they were marched by Captain Gteiz to the police-station in Seel-street, where they I underwent the necesary formalities. From S.-el -street they Marched in S .ctions, down Bold-street, along Church-street, up ford-street, and threugt, Cestle-stre e t, forming on the Exchange flags. They . vinre a very' be , coming uniform : and althcingh several slicw .d, not only i by their personal appearance, but their pendant medals, 1 honours of Waterloo and the Peninsula, that they had " fought in famous battles," still they wre a fine body of men, quite capable Of 'rendering, if necessary, a great • local service. They. were, preceded by a baud of music, all pensioners. and the fine old fellows had warmed in them again the martial feeling of other days. On the I Exchange area along with the inspecting field-officer, Colonel Falconer, his adjutant, Lieut. Cowell, and a com pany of the 6th 'Regiment. several other officers were also in attendance,—amongst others, Lieut. Sautey, of the 1 engineers, who is at present here on a survey, and Major ! Axford, of the East India company artillery. His wor ship the Mayor was present on the occasion, together with Edward Rushton, Esq., Sir Thomas Braucker, Francis Heywood, Esq., and other gentlemen. At one o'clock a feu de joie was fired in honour of her Maj....sty's birth-day, the band immedia!ely strking up " God save the Queen," which was responded to by three hearty cheers from the troops and gentlemen assembled. The whole of the pensioners then retired in military order to the barracks, where their aims were lodged. It is worthy of remark that in this district every pensioner voluntarily came forward to be enrolled. Each man received 431 bounty, and one day's pay. None above the age of fifty five were required to attend. In the evening hit worship the Mayor entertained, at the Town-hall, the heads of the various public departments, all the consols, and se veral gentlemen of the town. - The pensioner's band at tended, and played several airs during the dinner, and Mr. Holden's glee singers delighted the company the re mainder of the evening. TRAN MERE FERRY AND THE BIRKENHEAD BAIL WAY.—In the Vice-Chancellor's Court. on Wednesday, an application was made on behalf of Mr. Chamberlain to prohibit the Birkenhead Railway Company from giving a preference to the Monk's Ferry, as a terminus (by mean./ of a tunnel), to Birkenhead and Tranmere. It was urged that it was stipulated in the act tie t no railway or train road should he made from the terminus at Grange-lane to the ferry at Woodside, until a similar railway or tramroad had been made to the ferries at Birkenhead and Tranmere, and that no locomotive or stationary engines should be used by the company for propelling carriages from the railway to Woodside, until roads on which the like engines could be used were made for the same purpose between the railway and the two other ferries. In 1840 the railway com pany purchased for £25,000 a piece of land, and the claim to a ferny at a spot called Monk's Ferry, manv hundred yards from the place at which the boats at the Woodside station were accustomed to arrive and depart, but still within the district called Woodside. The Commissioners of Birken head, a short time ago, became the purchasers of the Woodside Ferry, and had agreed with the Railway Com pany to make a tunnel to Monk's Ferry, and there to have a boat always ready to convey passengers to Liverpool. This the proprietor of 'Tranmere Ferry considered an in fringement of the clause of the act which put Tranmere and Birkenhead Ferries on an equality as to communica tion with the railway. It was stated, for the Railway Company, that this was not a case of parliamentary con tract ; they did not intend to make three railways, as they had no power to take land for that purpose, and having procured land to Monk's Ferry which enabled them, by means of a tunnel, to extend the advantages of the rail way in a manner not prohibited by the act, the court could not interfere.—The case was adjourned to Thurs day, when it was further contended for the defendants that they had not infringed any law, they had merely adapted their arrangements to the state of the law, and proceeded to open such a communication with Liverpool as the law allowed. 't Tranmere Ferry was, in fact, a ferry not offering sufficient convenience to induce those who crossed the Mersey to use it; it bad not been worked for nine years. Mr. Temple replied, and insisted that Monk's Ferry was, in fact, the Woodside Ferry under another name, and was a merely colourable evasion of the provision of the act which bad been introduced for the protection of the other ferries. Monk's Ferry was not a leg . ,_ when the railway act passed. His Honour fa s id y atif _ :fej ` I. r were then a legal terry, there would have been ito . itroirt - W- , - _ . ‘, ame for the present application. Without eiosiverog a .„. e ee at opinion on the construction of the clauseehe sintild. : Yr•le;;,;-- _O." ft that it was certainly not so clearly that whiehgleitx - 0 'l' 4IC ie ., 0 31( tiffs contended as to entitle them to the ingOic ion , ' 'Hg 1-, . . would read the evide n ce f o r the p u rpose of seem j•• I, - • ... IC he ought to require the R a ilway Contpaity t.o. any terms fora trial at law, or whaher the it i•-• :- ' . ! - 4. • \ 7. the plaintiffs ought to deprive them of th 4e, ,;A_ 2 eek ars I %V,* II VP e court in that respect. :4 Nr. 0 for f o Lbe e els ve 4 the ..~