The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-03-30 00:00:00

30, 1847. ial crfficer3 of the. isiznia, of otn9e_,• the grand sta ff eceived the depu fral Highness wore city of Cambridge,. in Waiting (Co l. our). The Fria Lord in Waiting , Private SecretarY Waiting). the Rev. Dr. Phu', 'ook the Oaths of :erect by the Vice- Highness to the )f the Statutes of v. Thomas Crick! o his Royal High' his Royal Higb dress-: • Gentlemen,— hancellor by ti P me now to assure feel at the honour le for me to find rersity like yours, miming as for ire, the country ; an d pinion must be to in it a fresh proof Son and throne Of listinguished you• ipon me by your sider the proof of reby shown to be been educated ciations, and that x to the place t° , must be want ncy may be cOOl nost strongly - feel he institutions to :t of training tbs ) serve and adorn, co perform is 0 . 4 mir the loss you excellent noble before me ; but s will engage my you will always ith you in your of religion, lite >e rights and pri to the perform- dress, the Vice bers of the Uni le whole of the the Palace, the )f the Universitj arnptuous dijeth- vas given to the .m Palace. al, the following ner :—The Duke the ,Marquis of the Rev. Lord e Speaker of the lenrY Goulburn, ::olonel the Hon. . H. Seymour. ring dinner. • ally observed is 'oughout the day h one exeaption► )seeded with the counsel, attor -3d their officials , Tient of wor:dif end a day of na nformed that hi nance was not a ictly as designed throughout the ; and those be' crowded both ,s than the usurpl ar ferries and in this town pre of Sunday. A 4 ,0 and the foros c chapels, man/ ewe synagoojer printed Hebiel r e ion by the c ilia • The Excl. ane ry) from ten r • sally susper de l " •reation and ea iliation ; for .ursions wdon, and o And that the de a sadclia-baroo &ifs -previous l y. , thronged by spoees and exec' however, every sere was none o f experienced on iere were at the Lamination, and aily average, al ly, and there was tYs and nights to •bserved in most Lvay Bill has ti a dividend of proportion for -The opening i 5 e reported to be ulidation. are recently oh ugh the city, aild country, so that ue placed in ia- Railway offer ) for the secona ecessary for the 'rye engines and tehanna, at Har long, aud coa 1, and two arched mg. The entire MTH W 061. %, :. irited m ann er lnd Chatblifi l 3rc - , - •ails for a shop es are now busily e for the purpose .kburn Standard. ON RAILWAY , now upwards of ie of railway, and y doubled, as the ilton, if possible, in June next:- iturday afternoorr earth in the d6er, Barracks, one of of the material* ited. and on being He was a stranget ork that morning; The formation O ie present stellar, 5 proceeding-wi th ' quarter of a mil e rnpletion, and ar e _ t e course of.2bo ur. abankments, near wing actively pt o tion at Greenaco On Tuesday 13 6 !" erection for th t4 seen persevered resume, must list° ion of this wort ; should happen vas progressin g , .t the engineer .. . arch, and from sPj slightly damage"' serious charactl leans so considei t " will be only abe • ounediate arrSng e i is well-known sa o ng contractor, z ie ntage of favourau a psrmanent stat e ; LN AND AfIDOP 4 3 ays the town 0 1 rown into a stat e ce of the discav el o k cottons, &C., 1 , 5 lamed lines • ba? tp h, after wino', 4 , ttercd about. r., 11 :1, .roploy of the r 7 ) thirty in numb ind not allowed e; sir houses bad If_ ti y, covered to impli7o), overed on f rue: l la, Inge velvets, 5 ' i cit beffighl. The L e k' as standing at.' , about a m ile alio ig stripped th e 'Oa e bushes in a ore y attempted t° ed,to cons` the March 30, 1847. Cowl Runs. A bill, providing for the ms ruction of five steamers, of 2000 tons burden each, to sail between New York and Liverpool, has passed the American Cangress. A fire broke out in the Berlin Repository, Bold-street, 0 0 riday evening, by which considerable damage was ,done The surveying officers appointed by government have 'reported against the purchase of the gas works at Birken head by the Commissioners of the township. There is to be in this town a Sunday School conferenc: . °a Good Friday, similar to that held last year in Man •chester. It is stated thst the London and Northwestern Railway Lo don and back, in Whitsun week. The sum of X 35 Os. 6d. was collected, in aid of the finds of the Liverpool Dispensaries, at St. John the Bap uses Church, Toxteth-park, on Wednesday, after a ser mon by the Rev. James Hassan. ills Worship th e M a y or has, by placing plate g l ass i n the door leading to the staircase at the TOwn-hall, ad flittedto the view of all entering the vestibule the statue. of Canning, the paintings, &c. The screw s t eam - s hi p A n t e l ope sa il e d f rom thi s por t on ?.onday for Rio Janeiro. Among the passengers was rl• O'Brien, Consul-General of Monte Video, who it is I,r enc 4 has gone on a special mission from the English and h governments. MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.--A widow, named ?Sim Penn, left Glasgow on the 25th ult. by the Viceroy, Or Liverpool, intending to proceed to Lyndon by rail- Way, and has not since been heard of, though every in quiry has been made. EaSTHAM.—Sir William Massey Stanley, Bart., has allotted to the cottagers upon his estate at Eastham, cer tain portions of garden ground, and has given to each of them a supply of vegetable seeds, as well as early potato sets and cabbage plants. There will be an eclipse of the moon on Wednesday night next. The time for Liverpool will be as follows : The ecli pse be gins Bh. 11m. 365. ; the middle 9h. 14m. 425.; th e eclipse ends, 81h. 17m. 48s. Digits eclipsed 3 d eg . 27 min. on the north-east limb of the moon. Shortly before nine o'clock on Saturday morning a fire broke out at the shop of Mr. Thomas Foulds, carver, situated in Canning-place, opposite the Custom-house. The engines were speedily on the spot, and the flames were subdued without loss of time. A bed and some other articles of trifling value only were consumed. The first Small Debts Court for the Birkenhead Dis t was opened by the ne w j u d ge , J. W. H ar d en , E sq ., at the Town-hall, on Tuesday. The opening was merely P r ° forma, for the purpose of appoi n ti ng a high bailiff, a nd Willia m Knott, Esq. was appointed. The court will sit for the first time at Birkenhead on the 16th of April. t Air. John Bishop, a very clever and rising artist of this t rn, has been appointed by the committee of the late '''gliway Board to paint the portrait of Mr. John Holmes, 84 many years the respected chairman of that body. We s et e n ,„ hear personal testimony to Mr. Bishop's skill and -- "utY, and we are confident that he will produce, not ° 4 lv a faithful likeness, but an excellent picture. WEST DERBY.—On Friday, the annual vestry meeting of the ratepayers in this township was held in the Board t3ss°o3, Low-hill, W. P. Freme, Esq. in the chair. Messrs. reers, Youd, Bremner, and Garner were appointed over seers of the poor, and a board, consisting of above twenty gentlemen, was elected for the rural districts, to carry out t he, provisions of the general Highway Act. • the INTERPOSITION.—O n T ues d ay n i g ht ` 4 e wind, which had been for several days adverse to o e B tels entering Liverpool, veered round, and on the fol i4Wing day (the fast day), when the nation was making acknowledgement of the righteous judgments of Al ;i'sglaty God, no less than forty vessels, laden with pro .,l‘..°lls, from various ports, entered the river. 1 10 Pmpany is in course of formation in this neighbour h4,e among whom will be several highly respectable r. Lcnen, for the purpose of carrying out a project of lo ss "thwell, of Southport, who proposes to run ste am Ss4Vives along the level shore or sands (without rails) ges s , ;!is Place to Southport, drawing trains with passen stsuct;:;•, and his belief is that with engines properly con poo "i a very high rate of speed may he obtained. inss 1) . - --Last week was an important one as regards the the articles of foreign provisions into Liverpool. Among articles are, Flour, 86,183 barrels; Indian corn, 45 1 bushels, 81,300 bags, 23,571 sacks, 3,581 quart ers , . 1 ; ( L50 barrels; Wheat, 36,757 bushels, 6,159 sacks, quarters, 3,303 bags, and 33 barrels; Indian corn m eal, 15,994 barrels, and 1,504 bags. Besides these there Ac e" large quantities of rice, bacon, beans, cheese, hams, t jkCeIDENT TO THE KENSINTON RESERVOIR.—About I L° o'clock on Friday afternoon, word was passed by the ' c ree to Mr. Dowling, at the head office, that the cape -1,,,,°,4s new reservoir, at Kensington, lately opened in con -IV, T 1 with the Green-lane Water-works, had burst. head constable instantly proceeded thither, but found the damage was not so bad as had been reported. liZmunense quantity of water was in the reservoir, but h o " w not reached so high as the water pipe. The pressure, b r i L e ver, forced it through the puddling on which the th e e 'L work is now erected, and it was escaping through M r west west embankment in nearly fifty different places. s s ,,,, s l) ,llnean the water company's engineer, soon after filuh arrived at the spot, with the keys of the tank, and l t .7, e ti the water to be turned off into the common sewer, l k - e l'ng to the beacon's gutter. Had the accident not ts ie 4 discovered before ni g ht s et i n , it i s p ro b a bl e th at poem would have been a very ser i ous d es t ruc ti on o f pro - Y. As it is, h owever , very li tt l e d amage has ben of to the reservoir, and the sewer has had the benefit e, Wind cleansing. CLEMENT'S CHURCH, WINDSOR.—We have much ple asure in callin g the attention of our friends and the Otis:ism public to ou r a d vertising columns, where it will on seen that there still remains a debt connected with this church, which was incurred by several necessary hnprovements. Our much esteemed townsman, Air. M. Fisher, well known as the talented principal of Great George-street Academy, has undertaken, at the re quest of the reverend incumbent of St. Clement's, to s e , l iver a popular lecture on astronomy, and to exhibit his itendid dissolving views, in the Royal Assembly Rooms, ob e l proceeds of which are to be applied to the laudable se: e t of liquidating thebt. Mr. Fisher's name as a 010,7 1. 1 an and a scholar a sufficient guarantee that the deli g hintellectual and polished audience will be both tit e i e „Tti and improved. He has a most engag i ng an d tati,,.." t. mode of arresting the attention and communi lnstruction, and it is always evident that h e pos tat;sB Clear, accurate, and comprehensive knowledge of eet s ,2 ll3 .lect that he undertakes to explain. At his last wa l ,'; which was also for a charitable object, he was and',l eulogised by all the ladies and gentlemen present ; the Ge l have no doubt that his benevolent exertions on April will again meet with gratifying success. lou x - ... 4 - , IVERPO OL AUXILIARY CHURCH OF ENGLAND s clei st MEN'S SOCIETY.—An aggregate meeting of this !isitleY, established for the purpose of aiding missions at lasti tu a,,l? , d abroad, was held on Thursday evening, at the tnay er f"-liouse, Slater-street, to organise a plan for gr, rational meetings, and transact other business. to ttatnp t : n r :n was called to the chair. The Rev. H. been. ne of the secretaries to the society, read a re een.eo""ing the operations of the past year, which had %N et :fined principally to the delivery of lectures on Ste connected ei?nnected with missionary efforts, and the pro tisii and importanc e of Christian principles, more eq i'l'PY amongst the young. The plan proposed to4bee ted by the members of the society P was to hold monthly tZ e tings in the various school-rooms throughout the It a subject to be proposed, and an essay written upon called upon to o ff er it , and the members would then b heir, opinions. Mr- Edwin Hon e i to the Parent society of London, gave an secre tary 4tline o ttogress, and present state of the society with whiiictorl):E; Zasconnected. The Rev. Mr. Hampton ga ve out the iect. for the next meeting, which was,—The origin, ZDJress, and position of the Church Missionary Society ; Zlafter a vote of thanks to Mr. Hough for the valuable mation lie had given, the meeting broke up. 463ortE ALARMING STREET ROBBERIES. — On Saturday %t;,„" t : a man, named Robinson, residing in Newsham kit', Was knocked down by two men in Scotland-road, tzt,2 l, bbed of 2s. 6d. On Saturday night, a gentleman, tto' h , ed ,William Fox, noticed three men following him ti; L hristian-street and up London-road. On getting '`,R N e 'elkd of Hart-street, one of them seized him by the : 11 i1, 1 t ati,, other put his hands over his mouth and eyes, A''o k ;,..Lne third attempted to rob him, but fortunately rsons hearing the struggle, came out of their a ,ks ii 'When the villians made off.—On Monday night, th e ' . oamed William Brown, was stopped by five men Meeortier of Athol-street, Vauxhall-road, and robbed inat and handkerchief.—Same night, Mr. Joseph i , !)},4 was stopped in Scotland-road by two men, and 04 and a gentleman was stopped by two men on s h L tesseace, and an attempt made to take his watch, ca sl:ea i ling for assistance, and some persons approach theves ran off.—On Tuesday night, Mr. George , ha le ' s Clarence -street, Everton, whilst cros s i ng from i g th i Zreet to his residence, was knocked down by three e't u s 40 attempted to rob him, but two policemen'corn ?.ll his cries for assistance, the thieves ran away ; 41 s t s ,_telY they secured one of the villains. Mr. Carlyle' i tt Y much injured by the blows. h tlt F. 3 ° lt'r FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON ajIPLEY GAS BILL.—We have this re p or t before ,if a first result may be considered indicative of ss t i lit fiot which the legislature is likely to attach to recom etes Jons of the surveying -officers relative to gas and inquiriesll'e nee to , .we may surmise that such reports are Its exercise but little influence on the decisions of s7roomentary committees during the present session. r il,' ar en, reporting from the Committee on the Shipley vi tlt t e es n .l a T o o t t e t! i ie f practice of referring to such reports g , for the first time during the present .entiomnm of a t t h ee e i lia o s u - e se f t e o lt th it: f o ac b t e , 41 : 441 of Parlia P ment L t ha l t P t 4 h 4 tY to direct the' attention c 9 i' 4l l , ; e Y do not agree with the recommendation of the I. l Yee,' l '4' officers to postpone for the present this mea ;ll, A After referring to the evidence in favour of the l'en,?,. Green reports:—'` With such evidence before is ofopinion 8 that gasworks suld tttel a .ian,nri L d m at an S n h e i r pl Shipley, a i tas early a periodf as ch the committee direct possible."t c° i se of Parliament to the fact of their repudiation of is most significant. 1 etit discussion in our Town Council on the Liver- recommendationl s Wi4lB Rills evinces how little weight such authority tllelkn t Pur eerporate body. And when it is known that Vto oc ' s now current in well-informed quarters, that hip t , Is ts in London a body supplied with ample funds bl ot lor 4rt the high-priced system of the various gas eu u , le s in the kingdom, by opposing the efforts of any !ls'lrel o Y established on the principle of' moderate 14 9ku us lA behoves the opponents of the Liverpool Guar ts,4ll s o „ropany to consider well before persisting further 1 , 4 1 4 4 0 4. , s 'tion, having its only chance of success resting %t•tri,nuation so frail as the report of the commissioners tit t ,;r t n i tly Hit in Liverpool, only one of whom was pre ki_and „ tie inquiry. Mr. Lowe is understood' as having . mitipl e. e rY strong prejudices in favour of the high-priced SUPPLY OF FOOD FROM RUSSIA. Whilst all eyes are turned towards the United States, as the country from which Great Britain is most likely aence.forth to draw the supply of grain, Scz. it may be ?fell to direct attention to the capabilities of another country, Russia, which is well known to possess vast re sources, which have hitherto been very improperly called Into action. This vast empire is well known to possess in immense area of lands suited to the raising of grain ; and from one of its ports Odessa Earope has been accus tomed to draw large supplies, which have only been kept From being more extensively available by the high rates of freight, ,•averaging from Ils. to Iss. per quarter. It vias been proved, however, since the opening of the Bri tish ports, that Russia can affird us ample shipments of bread stuffs from her northern seaboard ; and it is now certain that, instead of any disinclination to open her re sources for our use, she is anxious to extend her cultiva tion and to become an exporting country. The St. Pe tersburgh Gazette affords some statistics with respect to the capabilities of Russia to supply us which may be inte resting to our readers, and which we therefore quote:— " One of the unusual symptoms which have been ex cited by the ppesent crisis in the corn markets of Europe is, amongst others, the exportation of rye-meal from St. Petersburgh to England. Rye-meal was hitherto, gene rally speaking, only exported from the part of Constrath in very small quantities; when, however, it became a matter of urgent moment to provide for the sustenance of the starving populatiln of Ireland, where there is a want of corn milk, as speedy a supply of bread-stuffs as pos sible, the English merchants turned their eyes towards our city, which, as k already known, draws for its own use from the interior of the empire far more rye in the shape of meal than in that of grain. There were brought to Rybinsk in 1846, 2,831,131 sacks of rye-meal alone—a quantity which exceeds the supply brought in 1815 by same 600,000 sacks ; and on the Exchange of St. Peters burgh last January about 239,000 sacks of rye-meal were bought up in a few days on English account. " According to official data there were in St. Peters burgh at the commencement of this present year more than 463.000 sacks of rye-meal in private magazines, ex clusive of the supplies lying in the government store houses. On the different water-courses between Rybinsk and St. Petersburgh there lie (the intervening winter having arrested their further -progress) 450,000 sacks so that, taking t!iis quan tit y t oget h er w i t h t h e above 35'3.'000 sa,ks, we shall infallibly have 818,000 sacks of rye-meal in this city ia the mont'i of May. " In Rybinsk itself there are stew wintering 217,000 sack;; and on the Volga, between Rybinsk and Nishni- N wagorod, 480,000 sacks await the re-opening of the navigation. The gross total quantity of the rye-meal already laid up in St. Petersburgh and on its way hither is, therefore, to be set down at 1,565,000 sacks. Consi dering the continuous rise of prices and the constantly 1 urgent demand, it is not too bold an assumption that ii; the course of the year 1847 at least 1,000,000 sackS more will enter in consequence of new orders, and the aggre gate quantity of rye-meal touching at St. Petersburgh in the course of the year will in that case amount -to about 2,600,000 sacks According to a resume of many years, the capital city annually consumes about 712,000 sacks of rye-meal, which, from the beginning of 1847 until the re. opening of the navigation in the year 1848--that is to say, until the period when new importations are to be expected —makes almost 1,000,000 sacks. If this 1,000,000 sacks be deducted from the above total amount of 2 600,000, there will remain 1,600,000 sacks as the quantity of rye.' meal which may be exported from St. Petersburgh in course of the summer." That such a supply of so nutritious a grain being offered to us from this quarter, must operate seriously upon our agriculturists in cheapening the price of a portion of his crops will be readily acknowledged. At the same time, it is certain that the produce coming from the Russian ports on the Black sea can be almost indefinitelyincreased, and are certain to be so with the encouragement offered to the Russian growers. Our brethren across the Atlantic may find that their anticipations of rendering the United States the granary of Europe, are not quite so well founded as they' imagined. It is not consolatoiy to ourselves to reflect that Russia, to whom we are about to be so largely tributary, takes the minimum amount of our manufactures, her imports of cotton in particular being confined to the article of yarn and our coarsest fabrics. Hence, she must draw exten sively upon our bullion in repayment. Thistrat ,41.t1D5. AURORA BORRALIS.—A brilliant display Of these lights took place about seven o'clock on Friday night last, at Preston, when the northern horizon was comparatively bright as day. STRANGEI—The Independents of Manchester are about to erect in that city a chapel, at a cost of 20,000 guineas, in the Early Transition Style of Church architecture, with a spire 166 feet high. FRUITS OF RENTING COTTAGES UNDER EMPLOYERS. —Last week, a person in the neighbourhood of Hindley received one halfpenny for his wages, being the amount due to him after deducting his rent, due to the master, which he was compelled to pay for his truck cottage, not withstanding the stoppage at the mill. THE Boy DEAN.—Dean, the - younger of the two lads charged with the murder of the blacking boy, has been committed, at Stockport, for trial at. the sessions, for ob taining goods and money under false pretences. It will be remembered that his associate in the murder char g e was lately sentenced t o t wen ty years ' transportat i on on two se veral charges of theft, at the Manchester borough sessions. MILL Bun' , rr DowN.—Early on the morning of Wed nesday week, the mill of Messrs. Samuel smith and Ca., of Bacup, was discovered to be in flames, and no effectual means could be brought into active operation before the fire had completed its destructive effects. The loss sus tained is incalculable. The mill being situated in a some what solitary spot on the New Church-road, assistance could not be collected so speedily as was at that time desirable. Another instance in which the poor unem ployed will have to suffer. NOVEL. RABBIT WARREN.—We have often heard of very remarkable occurrences, but we were certainly quite unprepared for a discovery which we made in the course of the past week, namely, that part of the Lancaster and Preston Railway is actually used as a rabbit warren ! Walking across the line early in the morning, at a distance of about four miles from the town, we were much sur. prised to observe a rabbit make its appearance from under one of the sleepers. Pussey carefully scratched some earth over the hole from which she had emerged, and then scampered off up the line. On making a closer examina tion we found a kind of nest, formed directly under one of the sleepers, and containing three fine young rabbits, which appeared as comfortable as if they had been in the most retired situation. It is a remarkable thing that such a spot should, have been chosen, as the trains passing so close must make their home anything but a quiet retreat. Preston Pilot. MEETING AT PRESTON, FOR THE RELIEF OF THE DISTRESSED IRISII.—On Saturday week, a public meet ing, convened by the Mayor, was held at the Town-hall, to consider the propriety of making a collection from door to door on the day of the general fast, in aid of the des ' titute in Ireland and in the Highlands of Scotland. The Mayor, J. Paley, jun., presided. A number of influential parties attended. It was, however, thought that an ad journment until Monday would promote the object in view. On Monday accordingly such adjourned meeting was held ; and the requisite machinery, collector, &e., were fixed upon. The amount thus collected was £9O. 2s. 4 1 2 d. On Wednesday £7. 7s 8 1 was collected in Trinity Church towards the same object,. and £5. 5s has been contributed since, making a total of £103.15;. ld. This was contributed ri in small sums. Towards a subscription to be 11-:-Laidlecipba principally leading inhabitants of the town, Chas. Swainsmoni3O:sAlL, ,tasgered to give £lOO. ACCIDENT AT Sr. what alarming accident occurred at St. a c h i ael's l Angel-street, Manchester, on S un d ay evening. About six o'clock, a very few minutes after the bell had begun tolling for divine service, the centre piece in the ceiling bulged downwards for a moment, then rose up again, and the next moment, that portion of the ceiling, joists, &c. between the centre principals, fell in, followed in immediate succession by those parts between the two next principals. The reading desk was completely smashed,,the door bro ken, and fourteen of the pews were more or less damaged by the weight of the falling materials. The whole extent of the space from which the ceiling has fallen is about twelve yards by four, and the accident, according to the report of Mr. Bellhouse, arose from a partial decay of some of the timbers which support the plaster ceiling. Had the accident occurred but a few minutes later, as the service would have commenced at half-past six, there is little doubt but that many lives would have been sacri ficed. An aged woman, grandmother-of the organ blower, had already entered the church ; she was knocked down, and completely covered with the materials of which the ceiling was composed ; but, most • fortunately, she was able to creep on her hands and knees from her perilous situation to a place of safety. Two other persons were also in the aisle at the time the accident occurred, an old Irian named Richard Ashworth (a dyer, in the employ of Mr. Johnson, Horrock's-lane, Red-bank,) and his wife. He was much bruised and cut, and on being taken to the Royal Infirmary, it was found that one of his ribs was broken ' • but he is fast recoverin g . His wife escap e d without injury. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN GLOSSOP DALE.—Travellers who have journeyed by railway from Manchester to Shef field, will readily remember, from the striking and roman tic features of the scene, the brid g e near' Broadbottom Station, which spans the tremendous ravine through which the lithrow tumbles with precipitous force. At this spot, somewhat classically denominated the " Lover's Leap," from its supposed resemblance to the rock of ancient lore, is situated a cluster of cotton mills, far below the dizzy height along which the train whirls its way. These mills occupy a most advantageous position on the stream, which, from local circumstances, have lately acquired considera ble celebrity. The uppermost and oldest of these esta blishments, in the occupation of Mr. Howard, and called Bankwood Mill, but better known by his popular cogno men of " Botany Bay," —a name probably derived from its secluded location, or the penal character of its early re gulations, —was on Wednesday morning about three o'clock; discovered to be on fire. At such an hour, and in such a place, little effective aid could be procured, even if the height to which the fire had attained before the alarm was given had not defied all human effort. A part of the building being very old, and wanting in all the mo dern safeguards from this fearful element, burned with irresistible fury, and speedily communicating with the more recently erected portion, and the whole fell in with a tremendous crash, about five o'clock. Only the mere shell of the walls is left, and the, chimney is expected to fall every moment. This sudden calamity will involve many poor families in the neighbourhood in great distress, as they have already been working short time for several months. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. LOCAL MEETINGS. THE GUARDIAN OAS BILL—MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. On Tuesday a special meeting of the Town Council was held in the Town , Hall, for the purpose of taking into consideration the merits of the two gas bills now before parliament for lighting the borough of Liverpool. At 12 o'clock his Worship the MAYOR took the Chair, when he stated that they were met to take into considera tion the Bills for a supply of Gas for the Borough of Li verpool, on which the committee for lighting the town bad prepared a report. But before entering upon this subject he would read a letter which he had re ceived from the Guardian Gas Company. And even before that letter was read he would allude to another topic. It was well-known to the Council that many of its members held shares in one or other of these companies ; and they were also aware, that, according to the Munici pal Act, such members were prohibited from taking any part in any debate, or voting, in the Council, on any mo tion relative to these companies. He was himself in the situation of most of them: he held shares in one of the companies himself; but he felt that, having a due respect for the office which he held, it would be most desirable that this very proper position of the act should not be in fringed. He would now call upon the Town-clerk to read the memorial which had been received from the Guardian Gas Company. Mr. H. RORNBY wished to ask the Town-clerk if there was not a section of the Municipal Act which excepted gas and water bills from this restriction ? The TOWN-CLERK replied, that the 28th section of the act did make many exceptions, but neither gas nor wat er was included. He then read both the sections of the act ; when Mr. COOII'ER said he wished to ask whether any person rho was a consumer of gas was not, directly or indirectly, interested in this matter. (Laughter.) He contended that every gentleman in that room, who consumed gas, was either directly or indirectly interested in this business. (" Oh, oh, and " No.") The MAYOR.—After all, this must be left to gentle men's consciences. Petitions in favour of the Guardian Gas Company were then handed in from the different wards of the town. These petitions contain the names, trades or professions, and residences of the subscribers, being inhabitant house holders, ratepayers, and occupiers of premises within the borough. The following list skews the number of signa tures to. each petition, all of which, it was stated, had been obtained within the last three days : Ward. Signatures. 1. Evertor? and Kirkdale 379 2. Scotland 3. Vauxhall ............... 254 • 4. St. Paul's 5. Exchange ..... ..• 6. Castle-street 250 7. St. Peter's 8. Pitt-street 9 Great George-street 239 10. Rodney -street 11. Abercromby 12. Lime-street 13. St. Anne's 14. West Derby 15. South Toxteth 16. North Toxteth Mr. RATHBONE, in handing in the petition frOm the Vauxhall Ward, asked leave to say a few words previous to his leaving to attend his business' on the Grand Jury. He said that he had been requested to hand in the peti tion which was now before them, and also to support its prayer. This he had great pleasure in doing. He would state, that formerly he held 25 shares in this company, but he had paid them off and disposed of them. From that time to the present he had had nothing more to do with the shares of the company. He believed that the public had been very much benefitted by the Guardian Gas Company. (Hear, hear.) He said on a former occasion, that he was somewhat behind the scenes. He was behind the scenes, and he knew that the bill of that company was thrown out because of the agreement which was made between the two existing companies to amalgamate, and to give the public the benefit of the premiums. The Guardian Gas Company had been taxed with having violated their share of that agreement. That, he (Mr. Rathbone) thought, was an impos sibility ; for the Guardian Gas Company never had been a party to that part of the agreement. It was impossible that there could be any violation of a bargain which never had an existence. Under these circum stances he felt that it was merely a ruse de guerre on the part of the companies to make such a statement ; and one which the Council should not submit to. If they had bamboozled the Committee of the Guardian Com pany, they should not attempt to bamboozle the Council. There were many of the gentlemen present, who, like himself, had the honour of being Magistrates, whose duty it was to enforce the payment of the taxes of the Borough. He said they would not have the hearts of Christian men if they did not feel for the poor of Liverpool, who were already so severely taxed. He felt that they would not have the hearts of men if they did not do all in their power to lessen those taxes. Under these circumstances he w2uld do all in his power to support the Guardian Gas Comimny. The TOWN-CLERK then read the clauses in the Dale street Company's act, which empowered them to raise their capital. _ _ _ Mr. HODGSON wished to know the amount of capital to be raised by the. Company, independent of all contin gencies ? The TOWN-CLERK : £lOO,OOO. That is for the Old Company. Mr. HODGSON.—And how much did the Guardian Gas Company propose to raise ? The TOWN -CLERK.—AIso £lOO,OOO. Mr. NICOL thought there was still a question before the chair, which he did not understand. What they de clared that they produced on the first shares, with all the premiums, has been expended. Mr. AIKIN said, that, if. he understood the question rightly, the proprietors would have the benefit of all the premiums on the new shares. The MAYOR.—No : only the half of it. Mr. Aix - IN.—lndependent of contingencies, they would have an advantage on the second issue. And it is quite clear that they will have the full benefit of the first. Mr. H. HORNBY stated, that raising the first £50,000 would not benefit the present proprietors in the least, as all the benefits arising from it would go to the public. Indeed he might consider the public as part proprietors themselves. At least they were very much interested in the welfare of the company, for when the profits of the company rose above 10 per cent., then they received the benefit in the reduction in price of gas. It appeared to him that the recommendation of the committee was ex tremely sound and proper, and he thought it was the duty of the Council to support them in their decision on the matter. TOWN-CLERK.—But there are some differences between the Company and the Council which may alter the pre sent arrangement. The Committee say that the whole of the shares of the Company should be sold by auction ; to that proposition the Company do not seem inclined to agree. The MAYoR.—But in that part of the proceedings the New Company have no interest. The TOWN-CLERK then read a number of clauses of the form of agreement which had been laid by the com mittee before both the companies, and also the proprietors, put in by both, where they happened to disagree with the terms proposed by the committee. Mr. PARKER contended that, in the event of this agree ment being adopted by the proprietors, it was only a pre liminary step, as the committee had not, in his opinion, the power to come to any final decision on the subject. That could only be done by the Council. The TOWN-CLERK then read the report of the Lighting and Health Committee, which recommended the two existing companies to amalgamate, and, in the event of sutoppt oppoe the their doing so , it recommen d e d t h e Council to support to il cte also ls event en thet o their following doing o them in getti ng a bill t h roug h parl i ament, to enable them supply to wants billo of the f it G t wuitahmeliffiancieGnacs C y ;a o n n d ip a a l n s y o . , in And h recommended from th e Gua Guardian d h i e a nCoGasun s letter Company : Guardian Gas Office, Liverpool, 22d March, 1847. TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF LIVERPOOL. am directed by the Managing Committee of the Guardian Gas Company to make the following communication to you, and, on their behalf, respectfully to rcquest that you will be pleased to make its contents known to the Council of the Borough, at the meeting convened for Tuesday, the 23d instant, which it is understood is called for the purpose of de termining as to the course the Corporation should pursue with respect to the Guardian Gas Company's Bill, now before Par liament. The Guardian Gas Company understand that a Sub-Com mittee of the Council,'consisting of four gentlemen, were ap pointed to examine and report as to the merits of their Bill ; and they arc further informed, that the report of the Sub-Com mittee is in favour of an amalgamation of the Liverpool Gas light Company with the New Gas and Coke Company. Should this amalgamation be arranged, then the Corporation are re commended by the Sub-Committee to support the existing companies in parliament; if otherwise, to support the Guardian Gas Company's Bill. I am directed to state, that in any understanding your Sub- Committee may have had with the existing companies, no con sideration has been shown to the interests or motives of the Guardian Gas Company, who consider themselves as repre senting a large majority of the gas consumers of Liverpool, your Sub-Committee not having requested any interview or communication with them, after the explanation given of the objects of. the said Company and the advantages to be derived by the community therefrom. The Guardian Gas Company conceive that they have now much strongergrounds to protest against such amalgamati on than they had in 1845. Ist,—The greatly increased consumption within the last two years, mainly consequent on the reduction of price to 4s. Gd. per thousand cubic feet, which reduction was forced upon the existing companies by the Committee of the House of Com mons. 2ndly,--The necessity for a further investment of Capital, which is proved by the present application of the Liverpool Gas light Company to Parliament, for power to raise st 200,000 ad ditional capital. 3rdly,----The increase in the population of the borough, and the consequent increase in the consumption of gas, it having been proved by Mr. King, the engineer to the Liverpool Gas light Company, before the Commissioners of Inquiry, that the consumption of gas would be doubled in 4i years, and trebled in 7 years from the presentperiod.. 4thly,—The inexpediency and injustice of placing in the hands of an individuaLcompany, the monopoly and supply of gas in a great and rapidly increasing town like Liverpool. The Guardian Gas Company have read the report of the Commissioners appointed to investigate the merits of the Guardian Gas, and Liverpool Gas-light Companies Bills; it is perhaps unnecessary to state in Liverpool that the evidence with respect to the Guardian Gas Company's Bill, wss given before Mr. Lowe only, Mr. Ellison, the other Co mm i ss i oner being from illness unable to attend. The Report appears to be of a decided party character, not withstanding the concluding recommendation to anialgamate the three companies at a7i per cent. dividend. With respect to the price of Gas, the supply of country districts, and other matters referred to in the Report, the Guardian Gas Company will be prepared to support the position they have taken, before a Committee of the House of Commons. _ With reference to the alleged inconvenience to t ice front the, raising.of the. streets by the Guardian Gas Company, I beg permission to draw attention to a passage in the report of the government commissioners, (2d paragraph, folio 17,) which shows that the streets must be raised to meet the increased de mand for gas, and that the objection on that ground, if of any real weight, (which may be doubted, the inconvenience be►ng but temporary, while the advantage would be permanent,) will apply no more to the Guardian Gas Company than tn , the ex isting companies. "Mr. King expressly states, that a large Portion within the municipal boundaries is not yctlighted, and that more mains are to be laid within the municipaLbounda ries than there have been at present laid, and that the present company has at present altered a portion of its mains by sub stituting large for. small ones ; and that no part of the present capital applied for is required to enable the company to carry that substitution still further, and that, therefore, the applica tion made by . .the Guardian Gas Company to be allowed to com pete with the existing companies is not without some• show of reason." _ _ _ I have furthento remark that the Guardian Gas Company, at the last Parliamentary contest, expended a large sum iwtheir endeavours to obtain an act of incorporation, whichsum was lost to the sharehohlerS, and principally among the Gss Con sumers of Liverpool; they are now engaged in a similer con test, which maßitivolve an equal expenditure, and they there fore feel that they have a strong claim on the Council for.their active supportand.cotiperation to enable them to obtain their Bill. I have the honour to be, Sir, Youi Worship's most obedient servant s , J. M. MACDONALD, - Secretary to the Guardian Gas Company. TURNER rose to propose the adoption of the re port. Since that report was adopted they had had.another interview with the two companies, and, he was happy to state, that they had both agreed to the proposed. amalga mation. He held in his hand the basis of the agreement for that amalgamation. He did not think it necessary- to say more than to ask the Town-clerk to read this docu ment. Mr. BustinY seconded the adoption of the report, and expressed his hearty concurrence in the recommendations which it contained. _ Mr. pARKER wished to know if the borough was to be put to the expense attending this matter. He wished to know if the already heavily-taxed burgesses of Liverpool were to be taxed for the support of the private specula tions of, a private company, which was to reap the benefits of the speculation ? And he wanted to know. if the Counclwas to be bound to.oppose the Guardian Gas bill if they. agreed to this amalgamation, and at whose expense that opposition was to be carried on. TOWN -CLERK:—The Council, in the event of this amalgamation taking place, must oppose the Guardian Gas fill. Mr. PARKER.—And at whose expense ? TOWN ci..butx.—At the expense of the Council. Mr. PAHKER did not think that the adoption of such a course would be at all advisable,—nor would it be wise or just to either the Guardian Gas Company, from whom the public had received such benefits, nor to the public. The Guardian Co. had their bill ready—they were prepared to go to parliament ; but he would ask where was the bill of the Old Company ? They had no bill, they were only seeking for help to get one. And they had lost this ses sion—they had allowed the time to pass over when they might, if they were inclined, have been conferring a benefit on the public. And he would tell gentlemen in that Council that, however the gas interest might predominate ' in it, they should put that in abeyance, and think only of the interest and the welfare of their constituents—the public at large. After some conversation as to whether there were a suf ficient number of members present, independent of those who were prohibited from taking a part in the proceedings, to constitute a Council, Mr. HIGGINS rose to propose the annexed amend ment :—" That the report be not adopted. That the Council approve of the principle of the Guardian Gas Company, and that it be referred to the Lighting and Health Committee to support that bill in parliament, subject to such modifications of the details as may be ,necessary for the protection of the public." He was going to make an observation or two on the subject then under the consideration of the Council ; but if they had not as many members present- as would constitute a Council, it would be useless for him to do so. The MAYOR.—Go on, Mr. Higgins. Mr. HODGSON.—Before you proceed further, it would be *ell to ascertain if we have a Council. Mr. BRAMLEY-MOORE.—And if we have not, what are we to do ? TOWN-cLtaic.—lf not, we cannot go on. Mr. HIGGINS.—How many does it require to form a Council ? Mr. BnAMLEY-MOORB.—Twenty-two. The MAYOR.—Oh ! gentlemen, will you allow Mr. Higgins to go on. Mr. HIGGINS proceeded to state, that before entering upon the subject, he should like any member in the council who was interested in these gas companies to stand up, in order that they might see whether in reality they had a Cduncil. The gentlemen so circumstanced then stood up, when there appeared to be- many more than the requisite num ber for a Council, independent of them. Mr. HrGams would then move his amendment, and he did so on the grounds that to support the present companies, at the expense of the public, was to support and perpetuate, with the public money, a monopoly which was injurious to the public; and which had been allowed to exist too long in this towm He did not mean to say that the gentlemen who were proprietors in these companies would do anything that was not strictly within the terms of their agreement with the public, and, therefore, strictly right ; but still he looked upon the matter as one of human nature; for when men united for their own interest, their own interest they would support above all considerations for any person else. He thought they would. be departinc , from the true performance of the duties which th e y owe d' to the public if they adopted the course recommended in tbp report. They had heard the expression, th a t day, of the public mind on this sub ject, they bad heard that mind through the sixteen memorials from- the sixteen wards of the town ; and those memorials—all` of them—prayed that the public might have the benefit of cheap light, and that the present mo nopoly should be put an end to. If they attended to and granted the prayer of those petitions, they would not only effect a saving to the public, but they would in crease their surplus fund, which stood very much in need of an augmentation. The only objection which had been made to the bill of the Guardian Company was on the ground of its being calculated to break up and injure the streets. That, however, had been answered by the com pany. ' They say that if the present company increase their works to meet the demands of the town, they must lay down new and larger mains than are at present in the streets ; and they contend, that if the Council givesthatpri vilege to one company, they ought not to refuse it to another, as in either case one laying down of mains mpst take place. And if the Council accepted the propo sition of the Guardian Gas Bill, it would have the power and the privilege of selecting the most fitting occasions for disturbing the streets. On these grounds he moved his amendment, and he was prepared to oppose the adoption ' of the report. Some conversation again took place as to whether there was a Council present. It was suggested by Mr. HODGSON that those who were precluded from taking a part in the business should sit at the one side of the Council-chamber. Mr. COOPER thought that he had every right, as a member of that Council, to remain in his place, and listen to a great deal of nonsense, if it pleased him to do so. (Laughter.) Mr. HIGGINS only hoped that he (Mr. Cooper) would utter no more nonsense. (Laughter.) He trusted the Council would consider the Welfare of the town, and the interests of the inhabitants generally, and, seeing that two companies could not supply the town with gas—that they would support the Guardian Gas Company, and thereby demonstrate to their constituants that their in terests were paramount with them. Mr. RoYnEN tilt the utmost gratification in seconding the amendment of his friend Mr. Higgins. After a few words from Alderman BUSHBY, Mr. BENNETT, as a member of the committee, begged leave to make a few observations regarding the circum stances which induced the committee to come to the conclusions which they had arrived at, as contained in the report just read by the Town-clerk. At an interview which they had at first with the Guardian Gas Company, he thought that the committee were rather dissatisfied with the report of their engineer, Mr. Cox ; and it was owing to the unsatiAfactory state of the estimates which he presented, and also because they did not believe it possible for the company to make good gas and sell it at the proposed price, which in a great measure induced them to come to their present determination. (Hear.) They were also influenced a good deal by the report of the local surveyors who had been sent down from the Woods and Forests to report upon the subject. That report was most unfavourable for the Guardian CoMpany ; and in order that the Council might understand the nature of that report, he would request the Town-clerk to read some portion ,of it. The TOWN-.CLERK then read several extracts from this report, which went to shew that it was impossible for the Guardian Gas Company to succeed under any circum stances. Mr. BENNETT, in continuation,,.,.stated that Mr. Cox had lett out in his estimates many items which should have been taken into account, when he proposed giving gas at 3s. Bd. per 1000 cubic feet. Mr. HIGGINs.—What amount per 1000 feet has he left out ? Mr. BENNETL—Fivepence halfpen*. Mr.,HinniNs.—What dividend does he calculate for? Mr. BENNErr.—Seven-and.a-half per cent. Mr. HIGGINS.—And how much do the others receive ? Mr. BENNETT.—TeII per cent. Mr. PARKER rose with regret to oppose his colleague, (Mr. Bennett.) He was glad that he had come out on this oceasionjor he was certain that the town would find him a really practical man, and one who would do much to advance the interests of the people at large. But still he (Mr. Parker) must say that he was hut young in these matters—he had not had sufficient experience in making arrangements of this' kind—(laughter)--and he'believed that his good nature had in a great measure led him to support the committee with which he was connected be cause he was connected with"it. They had heard a great deal about the u n ani m ity, the amiability, and the cor diality of the two companies; but in his opinion they were as different as oil and water, and but one whit more likely to agree. (Hear, hear.) What guarantee had they offered th a t they would amalgamate ? Had they offered any ? They hid no one's word pledged that it would he done if even the Council were to accede to their wishes. (Hear, hear.) They had to be sure the word of the directors ; but would the proprietors agree to it ? He thought not. Mr. King said he would make gas and sell it to them at a lower rate than it could be produced for. That was not the proposition of Mr. Cox. No : his was a more reasonable one, for he only professes to give it at a small figure higher than he ' can make it for. He is not so magnanimous. He (Mr. P.) did not understand the system. He had heard of buying and selling linen at less than it cost;: but these gas com panies beat all such linen merchaits he had ever heard of in the marvellous. (Laughter.) Besides, lie believed that they did. not stand there as the advocates of any company they were there as the advocates of the public. Who compose the great bulk of the gas consumers in Liver pool ? The middle and working-classes, and not the mer chants. They had heard a great, deal about the breaking up of the streets—about the pipes being laid contigious to each other, the water being rendered unwholesome ; but that was all nonsense, and besides, it was a matter that they should not set so high a value upon. They were told that if they got another .f.:50,000, and a f.-50,000 now, and the same again, that they would go on in creasing and increasing till they would be able to serve the public as they ought now to do. (Hear, hear.) But why, he would ask, could not the Guardian. Gas. Company do the same ? He did not see why they should be called upon to vote away the public money,. for the support and protection of any private company whatever. It v. , as not fair or just to the Burgesses at large if. they didsso. The Council had no sight•-to fight. their battles,;. let them fight their own. If the purse-strings of the Council were to be tied, and aIL parties placed on a fair footing, he would be satisfied, but not otherwise. He would conclude by recording his vote in favour of the amendment. Mr. BRAN/LEY-AMORE rose and stated that the town waa under great obligations to the Guardian Company for the benefits they had already conferred upon the public, as he firmly believed if the Guardian Company had not been established the public would not now be receiving gas either so good or so cheap. He. thought, under these circumstances, that they should iu'any case be remuner.; ated for the sacrifices which they had- made for the public; but still he could not help saying . and believing that the committee had adopted the wisest and best course in the report which he had heard read. Mr. PROCTER said that the petitions were most respect ably signed in three days, by housekeepers, merchants, heads of firms, &c., and that it, was preposterous to suppose a large portion of the piipulation could have the opportunity. The Guardian Gas - Company ,undertook to supply gas at 3s. Bd. per 1000 cubic feet : and his impression was that an amalgamation' of the two ex isting companies would only confirm a monopoly. Ile would leave the companies to fight their own battle, and not interfere. The Council was stepping out of its course in meddling with the companies. Mr. HODGSON agreed that the Guardian Gas Company had done good in reducing the price of gas, but he thought the disadvantages of a new company would neutralize or overcome all the expected advantages. They were now supplied with the very best gas at a cheap rate. The sum which the new company were going for (.£100,000) was an absurdity. To carry out their works effectually, three or four times that amount would be required. Besides, they could not supply the outskirts of the town, and the streets would be further broken up. The Guar dian Gas Company had proved nothing; but they deserved thanks for being the means of bringing about a reduction in the price of gas. Let the companies fight their own battle. He thought the new company would be defeated in parliament. Mr. J. HOUSE was in favour of leaving the present companies as they were. The New Gas and Coke Com pany were able to supply twice the present amount of gas. and he thought the town would be benefitted by leaving the companies to themselves.. Mr. AIKIN said that the people of Liverpool at large were in favour of the New Gas Company ; and he thought the time was come for the• Corporation to purchase the gas works, and to supply the town, themselves, with gas as they proposed to do with water. If they did not pur chase now, they would have to do so hereafter, when they would have much more to pay. Mr. STEWART was of opinion that under one company the gas would be better and more cheaply supplied. Ile proposed that the Council, if they did not become the suppliers of gas, by purchasing the present works, should insist upon an amalgamation of the companies, as had been promised. The sole object was to obtain good gas at the cheapest rate. Mr. LAcn was against any remuneratien to the Guard ian Gas Company, as what they had effected was for their own ends. They could not be serious when they said they could produce gas at 3s. Bd. He did not think the Council should pledge themselves to any particular or hasty step on the question. Mr. Higgins's amendment was then put, and was lost by a majority of 14 to 13. Another amendment, by Mr. ROBINSON, resulted in votes for 15, and against 11; but this was also super seded. Several other amendments were submitted,—one of them by Mr. LACE, to the effect that the Council should oppose both the gas bills, and that it was important that both the gas companies should be purchased by the Cor poration, and steps taken to that effect ;—but no definite conclusion was come to. The TOWN.CLERK, on being questioned as to the state of the question, said that the report of the Committee of the Council was negatived, and that the Council, so far, had resolved to take no part for or against the gas com panies._ Mr. HODGSON suggested an adjournment, as he con ceived that any precipitancy of decision on so important a subject would not be satisfactory to themselves or the public. _ _ The general feeling appeared to be in favour of this suggestion, and not (as several gentlemen had proposed) to refer the matter back to the committee for reconside ration ; and, by mutual consent, the MAYOR adjourned the meeting until Friday next, at twelve o'clock. On Mr. Higgins's amendment, the votes were— For.—W. Preston, C. S. Middleton, T. Robinson, T. Aikin, T. Toulmin, T. Royden, J. Procter, T. Kaye, V. Higgins, J. Parker, J. Booker, R. L. Jones, J. Lawrence —l3. Against.—W. Atherton, J. Holme, T. Little&le ' J. Stitt, J. Stewart, W. Bennett, J. Pl ump t on, A. Lace, D. Hodggon, W. Nicol, J. H. Turner, J. B. Moore, J. S. Leigh, W. P. Bushby-14. On Mr. Robinson 'a amendment •the numbers were : For—W. Preston, J. Stitt, C. S. Middl e t on , T. Little dale, .1. Aikin, T. Robinson, T. Toulmin, T. Boyden, J. Procter, T. Kaye, V. Higgins, J. Parker. J. Booker, R. L. Jones, J. Lawrence-15. Apainst.—J. Holme, J. Stewart. W. Bennett, J. Plumpton, A. Lace, D. llodgson, W. Nicol, J. H. Tur ner, J. B. Moore, J. S. Leigh, W. P. Bushby-11. An adjourned meeting of the Town Council was held in the Council Chamber on Friday, to adopt final measures respecting the gas question. The BrAYOII adi , erted to the cause of the meeting, which was to consider whether a resolution, proposed by Mr. Robinson, on Tuesday, and which was an amend ment on the original motion of Mr. Turner, the chairman of the Lighting Committee, should be adopted. The Mayor then read the resolution, _which was as follows : " That the report be not adopted, and that the Council take no part either for or against the principles of the Guardian Gas Bill, or the Liverpool Gas Bill, but that it be referred to the Lighting and Health Committee, to introduce such clauses as may be necessary for the benefit of the public." The MAYOR said that before he asked if any gentleman had an amendment to propose, he would read a letter which had been addressed to him from the proprietors of the Guardian Gas Company, having reference to some remarks that had fallen from Mr. Bennett, at the Council, on Tuesday. Mr. D. HODGSON strenuously opposed the reading of the letter, and thought no parties out of doors should be allowed to reply by such a mode to what might transpire at their meetings. Much discussion ensued on the point, and the letter was ultimately read. It had reference to certain state ments made by Mr. Bennett at the last meeting, touching the price of gas, as proposed by the Guardian Gas Com pany, and went to show that what Mr. B. had stated was incorrect. A memorial addressed to the Mayor by the Liverpool house-owners Guardian Association, was then read. It stated that the memorialists had long been of opinion that the supply of gas to the town ought to be in the hands of the Corporation, and instanced the case of Man chester, where the gas works were under the control of the authorities of the,town. The memorial concluded by recommending, the purchase by the Corporation of the two existing companies. Mr. RATHBONE wished to be allowed to hand in the copy of a letter from Mr. Cox, which he happened to have, and which he thought in justice to Mr. Bennett, should be read. This was opposed, and the reading of the letter was deferred. Mr. Nicol thought it was the duty of the Council to see that the two companies did amalgamate, and regretted this amalgamation did not take effect when first proposed. He thought it would be time enough when the existing companies had done what they proposed in 1t345, for the Council to confider whether it was more advisable to deal With the Guardian Gas Company, or to sanction the rais in. of the additional capit a l by th e ex i s ti ng compan i es. Mr. Nicol, alluding to the sixteen petitions presented t 4 the Council on behalf of the Guardian Gas Company on Tuesday, said they were all copies of one document. Mr. LACE said, either the Corporation must at once take steps to supply the town with gas, or give up the idea altogether. He was convinced the present company could do this better than the Corporation could, but private in terests would prevent such ' a desideratum. As to the companies amalgamating, he doubted if such a procedure would operate beneficially ' • for where there was no longer any competition, the probability was, that the price would be raised. He wasconvinced that the result of amalga mation would be unfavourable to the inhabitants. He was of opinion that the best course to adopt would be, to refer the question to a committee, to decide whether the Corporation should become purchasers of the 'existing companies. Mr. D. HODGSON desired the Town-clerk to read a report furnished by a former committee on the subject. The report was dated March Ist, 1845. It went to show that an enormous outlay of capital was caused b' the mere fact of the gas being supplied from two sources instead of one •, such, for instance, as the laying down of the pipes in the same street by each company, the frequent breaking up of the.streets, the expenses of two establishments for the purposes of management, &c. Mr. Hodgson thought that if these companies were united, the price of gas would be considerably reduced. The Council could interfere to prevent the existing clause, which limited the dividends to 10 per cent., extending to the capital which it would be necessary for them to apply to Parliament for. He considered a private company better calculated for such an undertaking than the Corporation ; and with respect to what had been said about competition, he did not - think much competition existed even under the present cir cumstances. Mr. PARKER expressed himself in favour of the views entertained by Mr. Lace, whose motion he felt convinced would be carried. - Mr. RATRBONE, in. order to show that the price of gas could be reduced, produced a parliamentary document, by which it appeared that a population of forty thousand people was supplied with_ gas at 3s. IN. per 1000 cubic feet. In answer to a question as to the price of coal in the locality where gas was supplied at this rate, Mr. Rath bone said it was ten shillings per ton. Several other members uldressed the Council on the - • subject. Mr. Stewart stated that he thought if the esti mate of M. Cox to supply the town with gas at an outlay of £130,000 were to be depended on, it .would be absurd to purchase the existing companies at an expense of £700,000 ' • and Mr. Aikin a dd e d t h at so long as the tea per cent. dividend of the present companies continued the capital would go on increasing. Ultimately, the fol lowing amendment, proposed by Mr. Lace, and seconded by Mr. Watson, was put : " That it be referred to a com mittee to consider if it is desirable that the Council should purchase the powers and privileges, rights and interests now vested in the Liverpool Gas-light Company and in the Liverpool New Gas and Coke Company, and that they report generally on the question." The motion was lost, the ayes and noes being balanced, and the question. remains as it stood on Tuesday. Mr. Robinson's motion. on that occasion being carried. MEETING OF THE &ELECT VESTRY. The usual fortnightly meeting of the vestry was held on Tuesday last; the Rev. Rector CAMPBELL in the chair. • Before the commencement of the regular business, Mr. EARLE, being obliged to quit the board, rose to request, on behalf of the Council, that a sub-committee. of the vestry might be appointed to confer with a sub committee of the Board of Health respecting the sanatory condition of the town. Dr. Duncan had given it as his opinion, that it would be impossible to carry the Sana tory Act into effect, unless the town were relieved of the Irish paupers. He (Mr. Earle) considered it highly ne cessary that something should be done to procure the: amendment of the Removal Act, so as to authorise them to send vagrants back. The CHAIRMAN thought the best sub-committee would be the existing Irish Relief Committee. Mr. 4ARLE highly approved of the suggestion. The ordinary business of the vestry was then proceeded with. Ninety-five cases of fever were stated to have oc curred last. week, and four cases of smallpox. The Ho norary Medical Board drew attention to the crowded, state of the cleansing house. They had found 40 persons sleeping in four beds in that small ward. Mr. SCHOLFIELD said, that sheds had been taken which it was expected would accommodate three or four hun dred cases, and beds had been ordered for them. A great expense would thert-by be incurred, no doubt ; but it had. been considered imperative to guard against On increase of fever which was to be apprehended as the warm wea ther advanced. The charge for the use of the sheds would be £9OO a-year. The proceedings of the Workhouse Committee embo died a resolution recommending that the honorary medi cal officers should confine themselves to the duty of con.. sultation, and not interfere with the treatment of the . sick or the management of the house. Mr. THORNELY proposed that the confirmation of the. proceedings should be deferred till the next meeting. Agreed to. Mr. HORSLEY called attention to the state of the eel.. Lars under the parish-office, in which paupers waited to be relieved. 'They were extremely dark, filthy, and un wholesome, and he moved that the use of them be dis continued. As many as 1400 persons were kept waiting daily, many , of them for several hours, in those cellars. which were not fit for any human being to be put into. Several members took a different view, and Mr. FERGUSON 'moved, as an amendment, that the subject be referred to the Finance Committee. On a division, the amendment was carried by 15 to 4. The CHAIRMAN said, he had received a letter from the Mayor respecting interments in the parish cemetery, which, he suggested, should be referred to the Rectors, the Churchwardens, and the Workhouse Committee. The present state of.things, he observed, was highly ob jectionable. It was worse even than that at Childwall and Woolton, where the bodies were inclosed in coffins and put over the walls of the churchyards at night. In the report of the Industrial School Committee, the resignation of Mr. an& Mrs. Coates was alluded to. Their •successors are to receive £l5O per annum, with house and rations, and they are to have no concern with the education of the inmates. The CHAIRMAN then stated the proceedings of the Irish Relief Committee. The number of persons relieved during the week had been 9503 ; the total number of ra tions, 55,055 ; the value of bread and soup, £223 109. 41d. ; money given, £342; the expense of offices and. sheds was calculated at £45; makirg the total expense of last week £6lO. Previously, the average expenditure had been £5OO per week. The arrivals from Ireland from the 13th of January to the 13th of March had been 63,942; the average for the last fortnight had been 1444 per day. A great number of these had emigrated, and many had gone up into the country. Mr. Scholfiehl having report ed that five large sheds had been engaged for the recep tion of fever patients, some gentleman would perhaps move a resolution sanctioning that measure. The resolution was proposed accordingly, and carried, as was another, authorising the Irish Relief Committee to communicate with the special sub-committee of the Board of Health. The CHAIRMAN then read a letter which be had re ceived from the Home-office, with reference to the vacci nator for Vauxhall district, who was charged in Dr. Duncan's report to the Health of Towns Board with a total neglect of duty during six weeks. This was followed by other letters, including one from Mr. Whitley in reply to him (the Chairman), in which he positively denied the charge, and asserted that, during the six weeks referred to by Dr. Duncan, he had vaccinated eighty eases. On the receipt of this letter, he had written to Dr. Duncan to know on what evidence the charge against Mr. Whitley was founded. The answer was, on that of the registrar of the district, at whose office the vaccinations should be performed. Some member remarked, that the registrar for Vaux hall district was one of those who did their duty by de puty. Mr. FERGUSON was of opinion that there was too great a wish on the part of Dr. Duncan to curry favour with the higher powers—to stand well with Sir George Grey— rather than to apply to parties on the spot whose business it was to attend to such matters. His report was nothing more than a combination of the daily medical reports made by the parish officers. The business of the day being concluded, it was agreed, on account of the general vestry occurring on the ith of April, that the board should meet this day (Tuesday), at twelve o'clock. LIVERPOOL POLICE INTELLIGENCE. CAUTION TO THE FunmC.—On Tuesday, two females, Catharine Macklin and Margaret Evans were brought np on suspicion. It appeared from the statement of the officer who apprehended them,. that one of them feigned to be deaf and dumb, and went about pretending to tell people their fortunes. The other acted as guide and in troducer. No person appearing to prefer a charge against the prisoners, they were discharged, and the money was ordered to be given to the commissioner of police. WHOLESALE ROBBERY.—On Tuesday, Michael Moi lah, Mary Moilah, and Ellen Moilah,—father, mother, and danghter,—were brought up, charged with stealing two boxes of goods from a vessel lying in Prince's Dock. The boxes contained umbrellas to the value of £5B, anti were forwarded per Messrs. Kenworthy from Manchester to this town, to be shipped on board the William Fisher, for Bahia. The prisoner was a master porter, and was employed to load the vessel with the goods. The pri soners were committed for trial, with the exception of the wife, who was discharged. DARING STREET ROBBERY.—On Tuesday, Peter Mall by, who had been five time 3 committed and five• times discharged, was brought up charged with robbing John Goodwin of his watch. The prisoner, it appeared, in company with another man, met the prosecutor in Hat— ton-gardon, on Monday, between nine and ten o'clock. After passing him, one of them seized him and turned him to the gas-light, while the other took his watch from his waistcoat pocket, and, on snatching it, broke the guard. The prisoner was pursued, and apprehended in Vauxhall-road. lie was sent to trial. COMMITMENTS. —On Thursday, Charles Wolsten holme, for stealing two pairs of trousers from his em ployers, Messrs. Kewley, drapers, Byrom-street.--Mary Young, an old offender, a servant in the employ of Mrs. Mary Maddison, of Plumbe-street, for stealing a quan tity of wearing apparel.—Margaret Hind, for stealing apparel, the property of Mr. Ragg, pen manufacturer, Dale-street, in whose house she lived as servant.—Ed ward Ellis, for stealing a large quantity of tools, the pro perty of Mr. James Crellin, plumber and glazier. - The premises of Mr. Crellin had been broken into, and some of the articles stolen were found in the possession of the prisoner, who was formerly in the employ of Mr. Crellin. INTERESTING TO PILOTS.—A very important case was heard before Mr. Rushton, at the Police-court, on Satur day, respecting the conduct of Peter Dickenson, pilot, of No. 1. boat. The complaint was laid by Mr. John Cor ley, piermaster of the Prince's Dock, against the defendant for refusing to obey his orders. The pilot had charge of the ship Constitution, which he brought to the Waterloo Dock, when he was told that the ship could not get in, and lie had better not attempt it. However, he persisted in having the vessel brought into dock, whereupon the present complaint was laid. It was one of very great im portance, and occupied the attention of the court for up wards of two hours. At the conclusion of the case Mr. Rushton said, it appeared to him that both the pilot and the captain of the ship expected to be allowed to dock, and had a perfect right to do so, the flag being down. Ile would discharge the pilot from all blame, but, owing to his not being sufficiently skilled in seamanship, he ( Mr. R.) would not give an opinion as to the complainant's conduct. DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT OF A CAPTAIN.—On Tues day, Captain P. Brown, of the ship Benares, appeared in answer to a summons charging Lim with ill treating and. placing John Duff, a seamen, in irons. From the com plainant's statement it appeared that during the voyage from Calcutta, for some alleged misconduct, he had been put in irons and placed in the water closet for ten days, where there was neither room to lie down, nor, when the door was closed, scarcely sufficient air to sustain life. During this time he was fed on bread and water only. From this he was removed, and fastened down under one of the hatches, where again he had great difficulty in breathing from insufficiency of air. The defence was, that he had.neglected the captain's orders, was careless and indolent, although at the end of the voyage he had exerted himself, to the utmost. Mr. Rushton said ho ' never heard a case of greater hardship. For a slight of fence the man was placed in irons, and kept in t solit a ar n y confinement for ten days: this in a tropical cli s na c e ientl d y in a place where he could scarcely breathe, produce close to put an end to life in twenty hours e , and r to —Mr. Rushton : " I do not think I sho u ld a fever.—Captain : ‘.‘ We had no other y p o la u e o a t bi o led p u u s,oe t in.u l d i g in ym l o .' ny ' g am o p c i c e ur o r f ed in the army or f d o u r ty tri i a f l ! d i id ia n d ot au m nh ake a a t n bi e n x navy, we should never have heard the last of it. Let the 7 • evidence be taken."—The case was adjourned, and the. • „ captain held to bail. On Wednesday, the captain w4e. again brought up, and fined .£5. • • '1 17 ; . . . 4 4 '44 $-;:j:igeor> <..._, ~_;~_ ~.- ...,~ I II 1 .„; ..