The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-13 00:00:00

complained of by them ; but he wished to remark, that at the time in question (1839) the weather had been so bad, and he had in consequence so much to do, that lie could not devote sufficient time to every vessel.—Mr. H. C. Chapman, agent to Lloyds', said that he had taken a cursory view of the Maia after her return, and thought that the repairs then being made were unnecessary—an almost complete waste of money. In his opinion the builders of London were twenty years behind Liverpool.—M r. Roydon, ship-builder, said that he thought it was sufficient to have a bolt through every alternate floor. Since the building of Noah's ark, th's good old rule of our forefathers had been followed, hut Lloyds had lately introduced a rule that every, floor should he bolted. He had looked through the bill for extra works, and was o opinion that it was very moderate. Mr. DUNDAS, for the defence, said that his case was that the ve sse l h a d b een v ery badly built, as was found out soon after she went to sea, and that she was deficient in several respects, wherein she ought to have been in accordance with the contract, so as to ensure her a place in class A 1, at Lloyds'. At this moment she was liable to be reduced to another class, because the contract in respect of the bolts through the kelson had not been complied with. He con tended, too, that much of the extra w o rk belon g ed to the contract, and even if it did not, that it was overcharged. Lloyd's Survey Book, for 1837-1839, was put in, and it was found to order that, for an A 1 ship the kelson bolts should go through each floor. Mr. George Graham, Secretary of Lloyd's, stated that he ordered a survey of the Maia after her arrival in London. She continued 12 A 1 at Lloyd's; but very considerable re pairs had been made. If the bilge bolts and kelson bolts had not been put in according to the rules, she would have been liable to be displaced from that class at any time. Mr. Clarke, a shipbuilder, of London, and Surveyor to Lloyd's, examined the Maia, and found kelson bolts through every alternate floor. He considered that there were no bilge bolts. There were 9 butt bolts on the starboard side, and 7 on the larboard side. Ou the straik immediately above the bilge planks there were 7 on the starboard and 6 on the lar board side. There were no holes bored on the inside for bilge bolts. There ought to have been one bilge bolt in each buttock-31 on each side. There was no shelf to the beams of the hold—only a clamp. A ship having clamps ought to have iron knees. The staple lodging knees appeared to have been badly fitted to the beams, and particularly to the beam arms, and there were not enough of bolts on the part of the knee running along the side. The staple standards were also imperfectly fastened. The breast hooks ought each to have had a bolt. There were 3 in each arm, but that was net sufficient. The hold beams had worked, from want of fas tenings. The iron work was throughout deficient. The upper deck beams were not sufficient in number. Two beams on the upper deck were short. They had no shelves, but a very good clamp. There was a general weakness in the fore-round beams. The vessel had made a good deal of water, fore and aft. This might arise from defective corking, but he attributed it to want of fastenings. The vessel had not been so constructed as to entitle her to be placed 12 Al. In his opinion, it would have taken £202 to put the vessel in such a state, when she was launched, as to entitle her to the class 12 Al. His estimate had allusion to the work and materials necessary at the time she was being built. The expellees incurred in Loudon would show what was necessary after she was launched. [This witness's evi dence as to the requirements in building a ship differed on almost every point from that of the evidence of the Liverpool witnesses for the defence.] Cross-examined—lt often happened that vessels are much shaken after a long voyage. A vessel was seldom shaken in her upper timbers after a first voyage. Sometimes she was on a second. Mr. Peter Courtney, another surveyor of Lloyd's, also examined the Maia, and concurred with the previous witness. At the time of the survey it would, he said, have taken about £5OO to make her a first-class vessel. A notice to the plaintiff to attend a survey of the Maia, in order to ascertain what repairs were necessary to make her sea-worthy, was then put in. It was signed by Captain B. Sproule. Other Loudon ship-builders were called, and they gene rally concurred with the two first witnesses. Captain Benjamin Sproule, part owner of the 'Maia, and liable jointly for the expenses of building, if it turned out to be a 12 years ship, was next called, but Mr. Cresswell ob jected, and Mr. Baron Rolfe ruled, that the evidence of Mr. Sproule was inadmissable. Mr. John M`Killock, shipsmith, of Liverpool, deposed that many of the items in a bill for extra work were over charged. He taxed oft £l9 2s. Cid. from £lO7 6s. 3d. Cross-examined—We did a part of the iron work of the vessel. _ _ . . . Mr. Pindar, master mariner, proved that the long boat of the Maia (which had been returned by the defendant) was so defective as to be unfit for service. Some of her planks had been split by the driving and riveting of the nails. It. S. Agnew stated that be was an apprentice on board the Maia. In their outward passage to Sydney and Valpa raiso, they had some bad weather, and the vessel leaked so much that the hands were almost continually at the pumps. Cross-examined.—Did not strike the ground off Sydney. Had a general cargo outwards. In the home cargo there was no copper ore. Mr. Cresswell replied, and his Lordship summed up, after which the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £l2O. The court rose at seven o'clock. There remain for trial only ten causes, two or three of which arc expected to go off. MONDAY CROWN COURI V. XEV I4ALSAL This action was brought to recover damages for breach of contract, the defendant having, as alleged, broken an agreement to which he was aiparty in an indenture of ap. prenticeship. Mr. Martin and Mr. .I:nines appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr. Alexander and Mr. Murphy for the defendant. It appeared that in the year 1835, Miss Halsall, daughter cf Mrs. Halsall, of Ahcar, was bound apprentice to Mr. Kevan to learn the business of a pawnbroker. She was tc receive a certain salary per year, with board and lodging. On the 9th Nov. 1b39, Miss Halsall accompanied Mis 6. Kevan to the theatre. On their return home, Mr. Kevar, was standing at the door : he ordered Miss Kevan to bed. and told - Miss Halsall to quit his house. She did so, am . went to the house of Mrs. Campbell, a neighbour; she wen . back to Mr. Kevan's next morning, and was preparing t( take her boxes away, when Miss Kevan induced her to sigi a memorandum to the effect that the indentures were can , celled. The case was subsequently brought before Mr Rushton, who having in vain endeavoured to induce MI Bevan to fulfil the conditions of the indenture, dismissed i with. a suggesti on t h at a reme d y m i g ht b e f oun d by a action at 1. .IW. After a portion of the evidence had been heard, and a little wrangling had taken place amongst the counsel, it was agre e d t h at a verdict should be taken for the plaintiff, with .40, damageq, the indentures to be cancelled a nd no fur ther proceedings' to arise. COOK V. BKOWNRIGO. tiff. David Cook a ship chandler of this town, was the plail The acti on was brought to recover from Mr. Henry r ownrig g the sum of £l9. ss. 4d. Mr. Crompton appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Mur phy for the defendant. The plaintiff's claim was clearly proved. of the trial which occupied but a short tim e, Mr. CR OMPTON called Mr. Smith, the defendant's a • In the course torney. Mr Smith said he had not been subpcened, and he wool not stand up. Mr. CROMPTON appealed to his lordship , and asserte his right t o ca ll whom he pleased without any subpmm The conduct of the attorney in refusing to answer was tno: extraordinary. He (Mr. Crompton) had a right to ca any person in court. Mr. MURPHY thought Mr. Smith might refuse to be sworn if he chose. if the plaintiff had required his evidence, he ought of course to have subp(eued him. It was not for his learned friend now to call upon him to prove his case. Mr. CROMPTON.—I apprehend his lordship will not sanc tion such a proceeding. Mr. Smith may refuse to answer, but I shall call on his lordship to notice the contempt of court. Mr. MURPHY said Mr. Smith Was not surely to be called upon in that sudden manner without any previous notice. Mr. CROMPTON.—I shall call Mr. Smith, and if he do not answer, I apprehend my lord will commit him, and that wil be a lesson for attorneys in future. Justice MAULE.—Mr. Smith must be sworn certainly to be called upon suddenly in the course of a trial. Nothing is more common than for the attorneys in cause Mr. Smith.—lf your lordship think I ought to answer, have no objection ; I shal l have great pleasure in giving evidence. —lt is a circumstance which is continuall: -.- Justice MAULS occurring. Mr. Smith was sworn accordingly the plaintiff, damages £l9 ss. 4d. DAVIDSON V. COLL. The plaintiff in this case is the public officer of the Con mercial Bank of England ; the defendant is Mr. Willia Cole, an architect, residing at Birkenhead. The action w brought for the recovery of a sum of £550, the amount two y bills of exchange, drawn and accepte b Mr. Dobl of the firm of Golborn and Dobbs, and indorsed by the defe dant. Mr. Crompton conducted the case for the plaintiff, an i Mr. Alexander and Mr. Henders on appeared in behalf o the defendant. The bills were produced, and notice of their being disho noured was proved to have been served by the bank upon the defendant. The defence got up was, that one of the bills which was for the sum of £450, was only an accommodation bill, of which 'notice was given to the bank, who in discounting it only gave: £5O in cash to the defendants, reserving the rest for two other bills which were becoming due. The arrange ment, it was averred, had been made between the bank and Mr. Dobbs, without the knowledge of the defendants. The banking company had proved the bills under the bankruptcy of Mr. Dobbs, which took place some time afterwards ; and it appeared that they had received two shillings and sixpence in the pound as a dividend thereon. The action was brought to recover the balance. 'With regard to one bill for £lOO no objection was urged. The jury _returned a verdict for the plaintiff; damages lle. Sid. the amount claimed after the deduction of the dividend The jury found for WHARTON V. 'WRIGHT. This was an undefended action for the recovery of £7O, the amount of two bills of e x change, accept e d b y th e defend ant. Verdict for the plaintiff for the amount claimed. THE QUEEN tl.. THE INHABITANTS OF WEST DERBY. This was an indictment against the inhabit an t s o f t h e town ship of West Derby, in the parish of W a lt on - on - t h e -Hill, to compel them to re p air apad in Edge-hill, called Lord street, running between avertree road and Sraithdown- lane. Mr. Starkie and Mr. James appeared in support of the indictment, and Mr. Crompton for the defendants. The objection urged on behalf of the defendants was that it was no road at present, repairable by anybody. In the course of the trial, Mr. CROMPTON said they had no objection whatever to adopt the road, and keep it in re pair for the future, providing it were first paved and made a good road. The jury found the defendants not guilty. The above decision was given on the ground that the place in question, both in .his lordship's opinion and •that of the jury, was not a highway. A long discussion ensued on an application from Mr. STAnKrE, for his lordship to throw the costs of the indict ment on the defendants, under section 95, sth and 6th Wil liam IV., cap. 60. Mr. CROMPTON said it was something n ew for the winning party to be made to pay the costs of his adversary. Mr. STAR= contended that the stat ute had a peculiarity in this respect, as where the indictment was directed by the • justices. the expenses of trying the question were to fall upon the public. • His LORDSHIP having examined the various provisions of the statute, had doubts on the subject, as the case had been first brought at quarter sessions ; and it was a t length agreed that he (the learned judge) should suspend his decision on the point till a future day. QUEEN V. INHABITANTS OF WAVERTREB This was an indictment against the inhabitants of Waver tree, for not repairing a certain highway in that township► leading between the township of Garstang (past Mosley-hill), and Toxteth-park, in length 722 yards. Mr. Starkie and Mr. Henderson appeared iu support of the indictment, and Mr. Crompton for the township. It was admitted that the township were bound to repair all highways within its boundary, and that as to one hundred yards of the road in question, it was the duty of the town- ship to repair, but the liability as to the remainder from a certain point or boundary was denied. It was proved and admitted that the road had all been in use fora hundred years, and that it had been many times repaired, but that it was now in a bad state. Mr. CROMPTON said it was somewhat strange, his learned friends having known that this was an old road, but the township had never before been called upon to repair it. With the exception of the hundred yards admitted, the road had always been repaired by the inhabitants residing on the river side thereof. Witnesses were called for the defence, who proved the custom alleged, namely . , that certain parties resident at Mosley-hill and Curnberbatch had always repaired all the road with the exception of the hundred yards before men tioned. The jury found the defendants not guilty. DOWNWARDS V. SMITH This was an undefended action, brought by Thomas Down ward, tailor and draper, upon an indenture of apprentice ship, dated Bth July, 1834, for seven years, against Mr. James Smith. The latter had left the service of his master before the expiration of his period of apprenticeship. The apprentice was to receive 3s. per week for the second year, 4s. for the third, and Bs. for the seventh. He had now set up in business for himself, and had deprived his master of his services. It was proved that Mr. Downward would have to pay 245. per week for a man sufficient to supply the place of the defendant. The plaintiff sought to recover from the defendant compensation at the rate of 16s. per week. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff. HALL AND SON V. HIGSON In this case Messrs. Hail and Harrison, solicitors, of Man chester, were the plaintiffs, and Mr. Higson, formerly over seer of the township of Gorton, the defendant. The action was brought to recover a sum of for fees paid and law charges,' in defending in certain cases of appeal made against a rate for the above township. Mr. Wharton appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Murphy for the defence. It was proved that the sum of £6 13s. 6d. had been paid by Messrs. Hall and Harrison as fees to the clerk of Mr. Brandt, and of X 4 9s. to the clerk of Mr. Wilkins. The re tainer had been given by Mr. Hibbert, a fellow overseer of Mr. Higson, but application had been made to the former during a long period without effect. A witness. was called to speak to an admission of Mr. Higson, that he had received the money from the township. For the defence, Mr. MURPHY contended that the testi mony last adverted to was unworthy of credit, as the inter view at which it was stated Mr. Higson made the admission, was alleged to have taken place on the 17th of March last, after the present action was commenced. It was proved that' Mr. Higson was one of the persons who signed the notices of appeal against the rate, and that he had paid the costs on be half of himself and. the other appellants to the attorney em ployed to resist the rate. Mr. Higson had, on an action been entered against him for the recovery of the amount, glected, in consequence of some misapprehension, to put in s appearance. and suffered judgment to go by default; )on which execution followed, and the debt and costs were Lid to the sheriff under protest. The jury returned a verdict for the defendant. WAILING V. TRUSWELL. Mr. John Waring is a hide merchant of this town, and the defendant, Mr. Richard Truswell, a tanner, of Sheffield. The action was undefended, and was brought to recover a sum of £l4 10s. 7d. for goods sold and delivered. Verdict for the plaintiff for the sum claimed, and 7s. interest. The Court adjourned at six o'clock. ASSAULTING 'A POLICE OFFlCElt.—Yesterday, a man named John Sutton, who had been to Bootle with a shandry, was found by a police-officer, violently abusing his wife, and on being remonstrated with, he struck the officer on the mouth, causing much swelling. The case being proved he was tined 69s and costs, or in default to be committed to gaol for one month. A meeting of the Protestant Operative Association was 'cid yesterday (Monday) evening, in St. Luke's School oom , Cropper-street, for the purpose of forming a branch ssociation for St. Peter's Ward. The meeting was addressed ly Mr. Barrow, Mr. Leatherbarrow, Mr. Adshead, Mr. F4avanson, Mr. Huyton, and Mr. M'Clay. We are happy o find that these branch meetings are now held weekly n some parts of our town. WRITING--One of the first questions nut to a candidate for employment is, what sort of a hand do you write ? If the applicant cannot pass muster, though otherwise estimable' he is often rejected. As it is no longer fashionable to write badly, we•cannot do better than recommend Mr. Thomp son to notice, whose address will be found elsewhere. SQUINTING.—We have formerly called attention to this subject, and our readers will perceive, by Mr. IL Atkinson's advertisement in another part of the paper, that his present visit to Liverpool will terminate on the 24th instant. There are ❑umbers he has cured who will no doubt remember him hereafter with pleasure and gratitude. There are, however, many who might avail themselves of his professional services with advantage to themselves, which, if they neglect, the loss will be their own. DEAFNESS.—The following interesting case cannot fail o attract general notice :—A boy named Morgan, four years Id, " deaf and dumb," was placed by his father (a ware ,ouseman at the Apothecaries Hall, Colquitt-street) under dr. Cronin's treatment, for deafness. The improvement in his boy's hearing has astonished numerous persons who have een him within the last week, particularly as it is known this little fellow has had the advice of many eminent men, who " all" pronounced his case a hopeless one. Captain Macgee's son (whose case we have already noticed) is rapidly improving.—See advertisement.—From a correspondent. ALBION HOTEL, CHESTER.—A very pleasant excursion iv the railway to Chester, and a superb dinner afterwards, may be enjoyed by these who avail themselves of the op portunity of attend►ng Mr. Whaley's opening dinner at the Albion Hotel., This hotel has been newly fitted up, papered nd • painted from roof to cellar, and may be considered a ,erfect model, for comfort and convenience. Some of the first gentry in the county are expected to be present at the inner. The railway train leaving at four o'clock from 3irkenhead will take those who intend to be Mr. Whaley's uests from Liverpool just in time. The ride will se are an excellent appetite. The omnibuses belonging to ie Albion Hotel will convey parties from the railway to le place of destination without trouble or inconvenience. NEWS FROM ..tiMERICA. — The royal mail steamer Cale min, which left Boston on the Istinstant, may be expected :o reach Liverpool to-morrow. The Rocius packet-ship of he 25th ult., from New York is now due, and may come ip the river to-day. The intelligence by these vessels is ooked for with more than ordinary interest on account of he uncertainty which still hangs over the President. —The British Queen would leave Ne'w York on Saturday, and is therefore due off Southampton on the 25th instant. THE REV. W. DALTON.—An advertisement in another part of our paper, announces that the annual sermons in be half of the national schools attached to St. Bride's church, will be preached on Sunday next by the Rev. W. Dalton. The name of this gentleman has long been intimately asso ciated with sound scriptural education, and our readers will not need any further inducement than what they already know of this eminent divine, to induce them to listen once more to his silvery eloquence, and respond liberally to his awakening appeals. . THE PRESIDENT STEAMER. — The anxiety respecting this vessel was yesterday for a short period considerably allayed by a report which seemed to have some foundation, that a letter had been received by the lady of the commander of the President, which stated that the steamer had called at Madeira for a supply of coals. The rumour originated in a message which Mrs. Roberts directed her servant to take to the captain of the Britannia steamer, Mrs. Roberts wish ing to ascertain whether the latter gentleman considered it probable that the President would touch at Madeira, such a suggestion having been made to her ; and the maid under standing that the fact was really so, and that a letter, which Mrs. R. at the time was reading, conveyed the in telligence from her husband. So informed Capt. Clelland, of course, lost no time in giving publicity to the report. 'The error was soon discovered ; and we are still unfortu nately without the slightest information of this unlucky ship, though, we confidently anticipate, that in a few days the uncertainty and alarm which now prevail respecting her will be cleared up and removed. IRON WAR STEAMERS.—Towards the close of last year we gave a circumstantial account of the two iron war steam ers, the Nemesis and the Phlegethon, built by Mr. John Laird, of Birkenhead, which were intended to, and did, in fact, join the expedition against the Chinese empire. The following paragraph, which we extract from the Times, will show that the Nemesis hcs been found of considerable utility, and has more than answered the expectations which were formed of her. " The steam-vessels then attacked the fleet of junks lying in Anson's Bay, but, owing to the shal lowness of the water, only the Nemesis could approach them, towing 12 armed boats from her Majesty's ships. Her first rocket set fire to the powder magazine of one junk; lb others were blown up by their own crews, and the rest es caped into the inner waters." The buoyancy of the Ne mesis is owing to her being constructed entirely of iron, and her consequent light draught of water enabled her to enter a harbour inaccessible, not merely to the ordinary vessels of war, but even to the other steamer. The result was the total destruction of the Chinese junks. In the ati tack on the forts, the Nemesis also did good service, having, in conjunction with the Qneen, thrown shells into the uppe tower which commanded the lower fort. DEATH ON BOARD SHIP.—An inquisition was yester day held before P. F. Curry, Esq., touching the death of Richard Prouse, a soldier of the 10th regiment of foot. The deceased had embarked on sick furlough at Cork, on board the steamer Ocean, to proceed to Liverpool, in charge of a corporal of the same corps, and a private. The vessel sailed on Friday morning. The deceased was brought down in a cab. He was in so exhausted a state that three men had to carry him from the house he was in, on board the ves sel. He was placed in one of the sailors' berths. Every possible attention was paid to him on board. The vessel arrived at Liverpool on Saturday, and he died about ten min utes before he could be got on shore. The private soldier stated that the decased appeared to be so sickly and weak when he was brought on board, that he was not likely to iive over the passage. Mr. P. Smith, staff surgeon resid ent in Liverpool, said the deceased was brought to the hos pital od Sunday morning, quite dead. The furlough bore the signature of Major Charles Hay, commanding officer of the depot, 10th regiment of foot, and he had no doubt was a genuine document. He added that he had made an exami nation of the body, and was of opinion that death was caused by inflammation in the abdomen, which was general throughout, and caused by the effusion of serum, and the result of dropsy, which had evidently been of long stand ing. Verdiict accordingly—died by the visitation of God. STEALING A COAT.—TWO young men, Thomas Wa terson and John Kelly (both well-known thieves), were brought before the stipendiary magistrate, on a charge of stealing a coat rrom a cab. Waterson and another youth were, on Saturday night, seen by police-officer 390, who was then in plain clothes, loitering about a car which was standing in Dickenson-street, a few doors from Pitt-street. They went away, one of them (supposed to be Kelly) carrying a coat over his arm, which he after wards handed to Waterson. The officer seized them both ; but they broke away from him. He pursued them, and succeeded in apprehending Waterson, who had drop ped the coat. They were seen by other parties ; but neither the officer nor they could identify Kelly, who, strange to say, had come into the court, no donbt to lis ten how the case went, and was, from his appearance and the description given of him, inspected to be one of the delinquents, and was instantly placed in the dock with the other. The owner of the coat, William Fletcher, had had a fare to the house in Dickenson-street opposite to which the car stood, and had gone in to get his money when the robbery was accomplished. He identifi ed the coa t as his property, which h e h a d left on the box. A s Kelly could not be sworn to, he was discharged. Wa terson was committed for trial at the sessions. Kelly had been before eight times committed, and three times discharged ; Waterson had been three times committed, and twice discharged. CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD RAILWAY COMPANY The half-yearly general meeting of the company of proprie tors of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway was held on Sa- tarday last in the Clarendon-rooms, Soutli John• street, for the purpose of receiving the reports of the directors and the engineer, and a statement of the _accounts for the last six months. The meeting was very fully attended. WILLIAM DIXON, Esq., chairman of the board of directors, took the chair exactly at twelve o'clock, and opened the pro- . . . ceedings by statin. that the directors had prepared a report, which was in the hands of the solicitor who would read it. Mr. MALLABY, the solicitor, then read "The report of the directors of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway to the half-yearly general meeting of the proprietors on the 10th of April, 1841." This document was to the following effect : " When the last yearly meeting of proprietors was held, the line, then incomplete, had been but imperfectly opened, . • and experience did not justify the directors in expressing a decided opinion as to the traffic which might be anticipated. It was not until near Christmas, last year, that both lines of rails were opened the entire length for traffic. The charge for passengers which the directors thought it right to make upon opening the line, though reasonable, was found to ex pose the company. to the continued opposition of lower fares. So soon as the railway was in an effective state to answer the public demands for accommodation, the charges were there fore reduced, and the traffic has since steadily and progres- sively increased A comparison between the traffic of the last week of the former prices, and the last week of the pre sent prices [that is, last Saturday] will, it is hoped, afford abundant reason for congratulation, and be the best augury of the benefits to be obtained from a more genial season . for traffic. For the week ending 12th December, 1840, there were 1,360 passengers, and the receipts amounted to £180; but for the week ending April 3, 1811, there were 5,879 pas sengers, and the receipts were £459 12s. 2d. This traffic, it must be observed, is .a native one, deriving no aid from any other line. When the public become better acquainted with the convenience of travelling by it, and the traffic becomes settled, the directors confidently expect to render the line much more productive. Any detail of profits beyond what appears in the accounts may he dispensed with, as the direc tors do not contemplate that a dividend from the past brief and imperfect working of the line will be expected. The pro prietors may have heard that some arrangements are in pro gress with the post-office authorities for conveying the Irish and other mails along this railway • but, while the directors think it may be satisfactory generally to confirm such a re port, they purposely abstain from entering into the details until the whole be matured. The works, in connection with the stations, and which will economise the expenditure of the carrying departments, are now complete. Other works will appear, from the engineer's report, to be carrying on, the costs of which, and of whatever else may be necessary to make a complete and effective railway are anticipated to be provided for. The report of the engineer and the accounts referred to being produced, it is only necessary now to add, that the retiring directors by ballot are Mr. William Jackson, Mr. Joseph Uuiacke, and Mr. William Ravenscroft, all of whom are eligible for re-election." Mr. MALLABY then read the report of Mr. John Dixon, the engineer, which was to the following effect :—At the last meeting of the proprietors, which was held on the 2d Oct., .1840, he had, in conjunction with Mr. Stephenson, to report that the railway was opened throughout, but that a portion of it was ready only for a single line of rails. The other line could not be laid,—and inasmuch as the embankments were not formed of the full width, it was not till Christ!Oslast that both lines were opened. He had now, howeym;ii4tate ) that the whole of the cuttings and embankments were4rvee, and nearly all of them soiled and sown. The station at Birken head had been so far completed as to be sufficient for presant purposes : workshops were constructed, at which they were doing the chief repairs to the engines and carriages, and they were now erecting a small stationary engine for driving lathes, pumping water, &c., the latter having been done by manual labour up to this period. A new office was in a forward state—at Birkenhead. - For five months after the opening there was only a very temporary wooden hut for a booking office, &c., at Chester; latterly, however, the houses purchrised from Cromford and Kay had been rendered com fortable and convenient for passengers, by the erection of a large shed and landing stage. The engine -house was also completed ; and, instead of pumping water for the locomo tives by hand, they had erected a cistern and connected it with the mains of the Chester Water Works Co. The cot tages for the intermediate stations at Sutton and Bcbbington had been completed and were in regular use; but only tem porary accommodation had been provided at Mollington and Hooton, where suitable cottages would be required previous to the next winter. A considerable traffic had sprung up be tween Mold and Sutton, and it would be found necessary to provide stables there. A stable capable of accommodating twenty-four horses was now completed. The maintenance of the way and works had been a heavy task upon the con tractors. As to the state of the ground there had been no particular subsidence through the winter season. He was happy to be enabled to state, that there had not been any hn portant failure in any part of the masonry upon the line, nor any slips of magnitude in the cuttings and embankments ; and as the spring advanced the contractors were not only dressing the slopes, completing the fences, and repairing those which were injured, but they were going afresh through a great portion of the permanent way in order to put it in effi cient repair. With regard to the travelling department he would only remark that he trusted the trains had performed their journies with as great regularity as on most of the new lines, where the arrangements must be incomplete for a time — and what would be still more satisfactory, without any acci dent to passengers, servants of the company, or to any indi vidual, as well as freedom from casual breakage either of engines or carriages. - Mr. MALL/uric - next read a statement of the accounts, which were made up in two branches, the general account and the traffic account. By the general account it appeared that the act of parliament cost £60,000, law charges £523 13s 10d, the expenses of opening the line £126 7s 10d, works £13,643 12s, Monk's Ferry £14731 lOs 10d. On the traffic accountlit appeared that the amount received from passengers and merchandise from the 23d September to the 3d April was £7907 8s 2d ; that there was a balance In the bankers amounting to £2785 4s. and the liabilities on this account were £924 6s Bd. Mr. MOSLEY, before any discussion took place upon the report, suggested that in future the report and accounts be printed and distributed to the proprietors in the room. The practisehad been adopted with success in other companies. It was quite impossible for the proprietors, upon merely hear ing the report, to form an opinion of it. The CHAIRMAN promised that the suggestion should re ceive attention. Sir JOSHUA WALMSLEY enquired whether the directors could furnish an account of the total amount expended in the undertaking? Mr. MALLABY said that would appear by the accounts. He then referred to them, and said that X 388,044 Ss 10d had been expended on the line, and X 68,587 is 3d on the stock, total £456,631 lOs ld. A PROPRIETOR asked whether the sums borrowed on mortgage were included in that amount ? Mr., MALLABY said everything had been included which had been received. Sir J. WALMSLEY wished to know whether there were not some mortgages included in that amount ? _ Mr. MALLABY.—Everything is included up to the 28th _ February. Mr. HUDSON said the question was—had there been any money borrowed since the 28th February ? (Hear, hear.) Mr. JAMES, the treasurer, repliedin the negative. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—Then can you say what property that £156,000 includes, exclusive of the railway ? The CHAIRMAN.—You have in the first place I should state a piece of land at Tranmere Pool, which has not been employed for any purpose for the use of the railway, the cost of which was £12,500. We have had that land valued within the last week, and the valuation is £19,000. There is also a piece of land at the station in Chester, which was purchased from the Dean and Chapter. The road has taken sufficient land for its present use, and there is a quantity left, which at a moderat4 valuation would produce the sum of £7,000. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—You do not state what the first cost was. The CHAIRMAN.—The first cost was £7,000. We made use of what was necessary for the road, and the remainder will realize £7,000. lam glad to say that upon every pur chase made by the railway of land not yet used, there is a considerable increase in value. Then you have the Monk's Ferry property. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—IS there no more land? The CHAIRMAN.—There is some near the station, and near Monk's Ferry. Sir J. WALMSL - EY.—But that you have sold ? The CHAIRMAN.—No ; that is for consideration. There is land near the Grange station, but that I do not think it advisable to sell. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—What is it valued at ? In asking these questions I only wish the proprietors to see what pro perty theylhave, as this railway is not a very ; beneficial con cern. They would, therefore, like to know what beneficial interest they have. The CHAIRMAN.—Perhaps I may state in round numbers ; the amount is £37,191 of valuable property. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—What, in Grange Lane? The CHAIRMAN.—That is included in it; the total is .£37,000. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—Then be good enough to state what it consists of. The CHAIRMAN. —Then, there is the land in James's street, the purchase of which was made with the intention of erecting an office and an inn. The amount is £7,114 and it is not wanted. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—What would that sell at? The CHAIRMAN.—For more than we gave for it. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—It would ? The CHAIRMAN.—There is no doubt of it. Then there are some houses at Bebbington, for which we gave £1,700, and which we expect will realize that sum. There is also the Dean and Chapter land, which is worth £7,500. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—Which you can re-sell ? The CHAIRMAN.—We can, but I do not think it desirable to offer it for sale at present. A PROPRIETOR inquired whether the land adjoining Tran mere Pool was likely to be wanted for the purposes of the railway ? The CHAIRMAN.—Not at all, I think, at least according to our present views. The PROPRIETOR.—Nor the James'-street property ? The CuAlßMAN.—Certainly not ; and it is our intention to sell it. You have also the land at the station at Birkenhead. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—What was paid for that at last? The CHAIRMAN.—A variety of prices. The last price was 9s. a yard. We have now 15s. a yard offered for some, but the value would be nearer 20s. We have, however, offered 15s. There is also land in the neighbourhood of Monk's Ferry, which might be sold without interfering with the house or ferry, and which would realize £6299. I believe that to be a very low valuation. I believe it is valued at 20s. a yard, but it is worth 245. or 255. We take it, however, at 20s. _ Sir J. WALMSLEY.—Then the total amount of land avail able, if the proprietors were disposed to sell, would be £37,000. In your previous report you stated that there were some peculiar advantages in the purchase of Monk's Ferry ; but first let me ask what was the cost of Woodside Ferry. The CHAIRMAN.-1:25,000. Sir J. WALMSLEY. And what are the term's of that purchase? The CHAIRMAN.—We purchased the ferry upon a lease for 18 years. Mr. LAWRENCE said before the Chairman proceeded, he would read a clause from the report this time last year, relative to this purchasy. Mr. Lawrence then read this clause, which was to the effect that the directors had pur chased Monk's Ferry, but that to develope the whole plan would,`at that time. be most prejudicial to the interests of the company. They, therefore, threw themselves upon the proprietors, requesting that confidence which was necessary to enable them to carry out their views. Mr. Lawrence added that, as it would have been injurious to the company for the directors to develope their plans in this purchase then, perhaps they could do so now without such risk ? ;The CHAIRMAN—At that time we had the hope of making a tram-road from the permanent station to Monk's Ferry ; that design was not accomplished, and we have been obliged to use omnibuses. A PROPRIETOR—I presume that ferry was purchased for £14,000. The CHAIRMAN said £l-1,000 had been paid. Mr. LAWRENCE.—Have you received notice that that ferry must be discontinued ? Mr. MALLAHY—I do not think it right or prudent that that question should be answered. It would be inconvenient to answer it. Mr. LAWRENCE—It came to my ears by a friend, and I could scarcely believe it to be the case. The CHAIRMAN—I thi n k that is a question which you should leave to the directors. Mr. MALLABY—Any individual proprietor can get the in formation ; but I do not think it would be prudent or ad- visable to pursue the subject further in this meeting. Sir J. WALMSLEY—I want to know whether we did not in the first instance, buy Woodside ferry ? The CHAIRMAN—It is satisfactory to say, with regard to that ferry, that it is now doing exceedingly well. If it is the wish of the proprietors, under the sanction of the directors, to sell that property, you may do it; and I believe you may get :£25,000 for it, and still retain the rights you have. Sir J. WALMSLEY—What rights, Mr. Chairman ? The CHAIRMAN — The rights which we hold under the lease. Mr. MOSLEY (we believe) thought the meeting ought to in quire into the circumstances of Monks' ferry, because if they did not, they were doing an injury by trespassing upon some points which they did not yet understand. He wanted to ascertain whether since the period that purchase was made, any circumstances-had occurred which tended to taint its value ? The CHAlRMAN—Certainly not. Mr. MOSLEY continued—lf not, then the ferry was in the same state now. If, however, the directors said at the last meeting they were not, under the circumstances, justified in communicating information respecting this ferry, but that they hoped to be able to give it at this meeting, and they still deferred it, in dependence on the judgment of the pro prietors, it must be for them to take the responsibility, with this full understanding, that the proprietors did not, at the present moment, see the ground of the purchase, the reason why all the circumstances were not now developed, and that they would, upon a future occasion, if the undertaking did not turn out beneficial, enquire how fsr they had been met in a fair spirit, and why they were not consulted upon a point of such vital importance. He contended that the in vestment of a large portion of the funds of the company in undertakings which might lead them into legal difficulties and controversies, was a very important item for considera tion ; but feeling that directors were sometimes placed in situations of difficulty, that the answering of one question might lead to future difficulties, and involve matters of deep importance, he thought if the meeting were able to say that they had confidence in the discretion of the directors, the proprietors had no right to trespass upon them further at the present moment. Sir J. WALMSLEY said if the directors at the last meeting had sheaved the company that they had particular reasons for not laying the whole affair before them, and again, without the slightest reference to any such wish now, kept back infor mation upon points so important to the company as the ex penditure of £50,000, the keeping up of two establish ments. and of two sets of directors, and still the proprietors were to rely entirely upon their discretion, without saying one word, as they did not wish to be asked any questions —and if gentlemen suggested they should not be asked—he (Sir J. W.) was at a loss to understand how their own affairs were to be brought at all before the proprietors. (Hear, hear.) They might go on blindly from year to year, and every year they came, hear the same persons say, " it is not convenient for you, the proprietors, to ask the direc tors any questions—you must rely upon them—upon their discretion." (Hear, hear.) He did not wish to impugn the integrity, the good intentions, or the zeal and efficiency of any one member of the board; he had not the slightest rea son to do so ; but he did think it was necessary to put some questions to them when, at the last meeting, the proprietors had such important information kept back from them. (Hear, hear.) Surely it was now time for them to have some expla nation. (Hear, hear.) He had several other questions to ask. The proprietors must bear in mind that it was very necessary to know for what reason it was that they had been buying land here and there. They were told that the land in Cheshire was all profitable. It was very well that it was so; but why, he wanted to know, were they to undertake, without knowing it, and without being asked a single ques tion upon the subject, on this [Liverpool] side of the water, to build air inn, and carry on transactions here ? The CHAIRMAN rose, but gave way to Mr.MosLEY, who said Sir J. Walmsley woillgivehim credit for not being in the least degree privy to these transactions. He knew nothing of the matters referred to ; but he had heard their law adviser state that it might be dangerous to enter upon a subject the discussion of which would involve legal points. He, therefore, suggested that the discussion should drop, but at the same time putting it in this form, that as the directors took upon themselves the entire responsibility, the question must rest upon them whether they had acted cor rectly. If the directors stated distinctly that it would be in expedient to communicate the points at issue, he (Mr. Mosely) put it to the proprietors whether they would press the inquiry, although, as regarded the information, no one would be more anxious to hear it than himself. Sir J. WALMSLEY said if he understood or had been in-' formed rightly, the company had bought the Woodside Ferry for £25,000. that they were keeping up there an establish ment of several boats, and that they were further paying a rent of £lOOO a year for it. Subsequently to that purchase they purchased Monk's Ferry, which was close to Woodside! Now, he wanted to know what they had purchased that for ? and Mr. Lawrence had asked another question since, viz., whether a notice had not been received that they had no right to use Monk's Ferry at all ? Reports to that effect were as common as possible; and he had been informed that there was such a document in existence. If the com pany had bought that ferry, and there was a right of ferry, they would have the right upon their side, and no law could take it from them : but if they had not, let the directors meet the difficulty, if there was one, like men, and at once say—" we have made a wrong purchase." The shares could not be worse than they were at present. The CHAIRMAN.—There can be no feeling upon the part of the directors. They can have no wish to keep back in formation merely for the sake of keeping it back. If you ask the directors why the -purchase of Monks' Ferry was made, we reply that it was made when it was necessary to have it for the convenience of passengers. You make an al lusion to the purchase of land not wanted : I will first allude in reply to Tranmere Pool. It was at first -thought that a dock might be made there, and that would require a depOt for goods ; and with regard to the purchase of the Dean and Chapter land in Chester, I think it was an exceedingly desi rable purchase. Every one who knows Chester will say it was exceedingly cheap, considering the very little freehold land to be had in Chester. When that purchase was before the directors, it was'a question whether they would take a part or the whole; for myself I said if they would not take it I would, and I should be exceedingly glad if they would let me have it. The result shews that there has been no in jury to the company, but, on the contrary, a large profit upon every purchase made. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—You say you should want Monks' Ferry for passengers ; perhaps you will explain that. Mr. LAWRENCE.—I never saw any use for it. The CHAIRMAN.—If the proprietors are willing to take the responsibility upon themselves from the directors the ex planations shall be made. If you want au explanation we will give it you; but you must understand that the respon sibility goes from our shoulders. (Hear, hear, and cries of " No, no.") Mr. LAWRENCE said he was a considerable proprietor in this railway : this was a very important question, and he should like to have some information upon it. (Hear.) A PROPRIETOR.—There was no want of the ferry at all when it was bought. (Hear, hear.) Mr. MOLYNEUX said he was inclined to move for a com mittee of inquiry into these affairs. (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN.—The directors would not object to any thing of the kind. If the proprietors would rather that we should explain the whole of the circumstances, we will do so, but as a director Ido not recommend it. Appoint any set of gentlemen you please, who are proprietors, and the di rectors will meet and explain to them every particular. (Hear.) Mr. MOSLEY said the question put to the directors was, what were the original grounds upon which Monk's ferry was purchased, and the necessity for it, when the company had the command of another ferry. That was the question. He must confess that he was not very willing to take from the shoulders of the directors the responsibility they were under of having made a bad purchase, but he wanted to know what had led them to buy that which was not wanted, when they had that which was necessary before? Mr. RADCLIFFE approved of the appointment of the com mittee, and suggested that the meeting should adjourn to re ceive its report. It was useless, after what had passed, -to ask the proprietors to agree to the report of the directors, until enquiry had been made. A PROPRIETOR mentioned that he was a proprietor in the Monk's Ferry Company, and he would give the meeting his word that he was ignorant of any proceedings against the railway directors. The CHAIRMAN.—I am satisfied that any sub-committee which may be appointed, will be satisfied that we have done quite right; but I do not think, as I have said before, that it would be for the interest of the company to go into parti culars here. We shall be very glad to meet the committee. Mr. MOLYNEUX.—Then I "beg to name as the committee, Sir J. Walmsley, Mr. Lawrence, Mr Radcliffe, and Mr. Mosley. Mr. IVIALLABY.—What are to be the objects of the com mittee ? Mr. MOLYNEUX.—Why, to inquire generally. We have had a report this morning which I can compare to nothing but a king's speech, for it gives us no information. (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMA.N.—IS it to be a committee of general in quiry.into the acts of the directors ? If it is, its appoint ment is an act of direct disapprobation of the conduct of the directors from the commencement. If that feeling is to be shown to us, let it be stated at once ; let the proprietors say, " 'We are not satisfied with the condu c t o f th e present direc tors, let us elect directors of a better selection." (Hear, hear.) I should be exceedingly glad to retire the first oppor tunity given to me. . Mr. MOLYNEUX begged to disclaim any intention to cast an imputation upon the character of any individual in the direction, but he did not see any other means of arriving at the information, except through the medium of a com mittee. The CHAIRMAN.—Then you should state the object of your committee. Is it to go i n t o thi s quest i on only, or is it to enquire generally ? Mr. MOLYNEUX.—The duties of the committee, I appre hend, will be to enquire into the purchase of the Monk's ferry. Sir J. WALMSLEY.—I should be glad to be relieved from attending to anything of that kind only ; if the object of the committee be only to enquire into the merits of that bargain, I will not be one. (Hear, hear.) 1 would rather go into the whole case. Ido feel some dissatisfaction, I must say, not against any particular director, or even against the di rectors generally ; but I do say the accounts brought before us this day are not such as to give me satisfaction, especially after the previous reports, which stated we should place con fidence in them for a time, after which they would give us a full explanation. (Hear, hear.) We are just in the same situation as we were twelve months ago, and now we are going on another year without enquiry ! I think it would be far better if Mr. Molyneux would make the question a broad one. (Hear, hear.) The directors, I believe, will come out of this enquiry quite clear; and if I were one of them, it would be satisfactory to me that a committee of enquiry was instituted. (Hear, hear.) We had the same threat held out 12 months ago of resignation ; if that threat is held out, for heaven's sake let the resignation take place. (Cheers.) Let us meet the question f ully and fairly. There is no man in this community for whom I have a higher respect than for the Chairman ; I believe him to he incapable of doing any one single thing that is incorrect ; I speak of him with great respect, and it would be to me a matter of deep regret were he, or any of the directors, to resign. I beg they will not consider there is airy thing offensive in this, but take it in the opposite sense. The shareholders wish for an enquiry from some other body than the directors, and that is this committee. The directors have themselves suggested it; they have suggested themselves one part of the enquiry, but why are we to be restricted to one part ? (Cheers) I think there are no reasons why we sbouldhave two directions ; why we should have a ferry committee and a railway committee. And what is the reason there are to be 17 directors upon a line of only 16 or 17 miles ? I cannot see the reason o f t h at . I have many other questions to ask besides that. The CHAIRMAN.—If you will allow me, before you pro ceed further— - that I should put my Would it not be well, M r . Ch a i rm Mr. MOLYNEUX.`motion into a regul ar s h ape ? an, The CHAIRMAN. -- The pointed remarks made by Sir Joshua Walmsley are such, that I do riot feel I ought to remain quiet without m aking a re p l y . H e has alluded to a wish to retire which I expressed at our l ast mee ti ng; b ut he must be aware that the subject of discussion at that meet ing was not really upon the merits of the Birkenhead and Chester line, but the as kin g for inform ation which I did not feel myself justified in giving, and the re su lt prove d t h at I was correct. It concerned an a rrangensent which was made was a question that oug h t not to have been for the sale of the Che ster and Crewe li ne . I felt then, and I still feel, that it a . was tbe, Sir J. WALMSLEY.—" V question. put to me. (Hear.) h t was for the p ar ti culars of the The CHAIRMAN. -- I t ar rangement made with the Grand Junction Company for the purchase of the Chester and Crewe line. It had nothing to do with the question before the meeting, an d I aw only sur- prised you should bring it forward now. With regard to our own proceedings, we court inquiry in every way—(hear, hear) ;—and for that reason I say appoint your sub-commit tee ; but I would leave it to you, and to any gentleman pre sent, if you were appointed as directors, whether you would wish them to be instructed to look into every item? Say whether or not you approve of the conduct of the directors ; come forward at once if you disapprove of them, and let us retire. lam certainly ready to retire. (Hear, hear.) A PROPRIETOR, whose name we could not learn, said he thought that Monks' Ferry might become a very desirable property. For instance, the directors might think it neces sary at a future time to make a tunnel (loud laughter.) Mr. MosLEY put it to the chairman, whether it would not be better for the directors to consent to the committee hav ing the objects proposed, from the fact that the suggestion had come from himself without mentioning any terms. It was the general wish of the proprietors to appoint a com mittee, without the slightest intention of casting a slur upon the directors ; and if the directors did not agree to it, the result would be that persons would presume that which he (Mr. Mosley) was sure was not the case, namely, that things had been done which ought not to have been done. He did not see, after what had occurred, how they could avoid the alternative—either to appoint a committee of inquiry, or to enter upon a full discussion of things which they themselves had stated not to be advisable or prudent. (Hear.) At the same time, he thought if the ►notion could be so framed as to reach the objects of those gentlemen who wished for in formation, yet without auy disparagement of the directors, it would be exceedingly desirable. Mr. MoissEux.—Then I move that a committee be ap poi'ited, to inquire and report, to an adjourned meeting, upo❑ the general affairs of the Chester and Birkenhead Railway Company. (Hear.) A DIRECTOR.—Let the information be given. The CHAIRMAN.—WeII, as the question is pressed Sir J. \VALMSLEY.—The question is not pressed. The CH AIRMAN. — But there is a wish expressed to have the information. It does appear to me that the body of pro prietors think they ought to be acquainted with the particu lars of the arrangements. I should say, as one of the direc tors, that we are willing to enter upon the explanation at once ; but of course the proprietors are to take the respon sibility of it upon themselves : we do not come forward to recommend it. Mr. HUDSON.—Has the difficulty which lies in the way of giving the information anything to do with pounds, and pence, or are the difficulties of a legal nature ? The answer to that would decide, I think, whether the proprietors would have the information now or not. Mr. MALLABY.—They are both. The legal difficulties would involve the pounds, shillings, and pence— Mr. HUDSON. — That I can understand; but I want to know whether there are any independent legal difficulties ? Mr. MALLABY.—There would be legal difficulties attend ing it. It is a matter of prudence— Mr. HUDSON.—Then before you proceed— Mr. MALLABY.—It is a matter of prudence or not which it is for you to decide. Mr. fiuDsoN made some remark, the exact purport of which we did not hear. Mr. MALLABY.—Then I will proceed. With regard to the two questions— (Cries of "No, no.") Mr. MOLYNEUX.- r .I beg pardon, Mr. Chairman. I have proposed that a committee should be formed, and the motion has been seconded. (Hear, hear.) Mr. RADCLIFFE observed that their law adviser had stated it would be prejudicial to the interests of the company to make the explanation, and if that was so the proprietors were satisfied. But now the directors seemed to say, "if you dare us into the thing we will give the information, although to mention it publicly would be prejudicial." (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN said the proprietors had expressed a wish that the proceedings should be entered into, and the direc tors had given their opinion that it was not desirable. Since that certain remarks had been made impugning the conduct of the directors, not only upon this particular question, but their general management. As the matter had gone so far, perhaps the proprietors would think it desirable that the ex planation should be given, and he as one of the directors re quested that it might be done Sir J. WALMSLEY.—What, although it would injure the affairs of the company? (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN.—They take that upon themselves. (N0,n0.) Mr. HUDSON.—Mr. Chairman, there is no resolution be fore the meeting calling upon you to explain. (Hear, hear.) Had the proprietors undertaken to pass a resolution calling upon you to explain any transaction which you thought prejudicial to the company to be explained, then I conceive you would be relieved from responsibility ; but till that resolution is passed the responsibility rests with you, and by any unwise declaration of them you involve your self in the difficulty of injuring the interests of the company. A committee of inquiry is proposed : I do think that to you and the directors it must be satisfactory to have that com mittee ; for I ain satisfied, as has been said by Sir Joshua Walmsley, though you may possibly have erred, though your intentions have been honest. You have property to the amount of £37,000 to sell, which is an anomalous position for a small company. That is a circumstance which of itself calls for inquiry, and I am sure you will consult, not only the best interests of this company, but also that high honour and integrity which has ever characterised this direction by allow ing this investigation to take place. (Cheers.) lam satisfied that the shareholders will place the duty of inquiring in honourable hands, and that you will come out of it in a man ner that will reflect credit upon the direction. The CHAIRMAN.—I am sure it is the wish of every direc tor of this company to give every possible explanation. The only question is the mode in which that is to be done. It had been stated that the proprietors thought it was better to enter into particulars ; we objected ; the matter was rather )ressed ; but as it seems to be the wish of some of them yet. say, in the position we are placed, let us do it — (Loud cries " No, no.") Mr. MOLYNnux.—lt would be quite as well if my motion were put into a shape — Mr. BOOTII.—Is your committee to make a general en quiry into the affairs of the company ? Mr. MOLYNE - liX.—Yes. (Hear, hear). Mr. BOOTH.—Then, that certainly appears to my mind to be a general reflection upon the conduct of the directory. If that were passed, I for one should retire (hear). A PROPRIETO R.—Then we must appoint some one else. Mr. Boorll—Very well. The CHAIRMAN—If the proprietors have come here with the wish of having this matter fully explained, we, the direc tors, are ready to do it. (No, no.) We merely give our opinion that we do not think it would be desirable ; but it the proprietors think differently, they shall know the wholt of our proceedings. Let us go on. (No, no.) Mr. LAWRENCE - 1 did come here expecting thi matter would have been exlpained, but you and the solicito have said it would be injurious. I told you I would meet yon at once, as a large proprietor. When you stated it would be disadvantageous to explain, it was the general wish that you must not; and as such a course seems to be most agreeable to the proprietors, I am sati.,fied with it. Mr. JONES said he should be very sorry if the directors conceived the resolution proposed to be a censure upon them. Were he a director he should not so consider it, but, at the same time, he should wish the committee to be limited in its objects. The great object of the inquiry which appeared to him at present was the mystery (for he could not call it anything else) respecting the two ferries. (Applause.) If the committee was limited to an inquiry respecting these two affairs, then the shareholders and the directors would unite, and it could not in any way be a censure upon the directors. The CH AIRMAN. — That quite meets my views. It is quite clear if the committee is appointed to inquire into this ques tion, of course they will see the general working of the com pany ; but I must say I do not like a resolution of this kind passed which goes to make a general inquiry into the affairs and proceedings of the company. It does appear to me to be a direct censure upon the directors. Mr. RADCLIFFE could not see how an inquiry into their own affairs could be a slur or censure upon the directors, for they themselves had courted inquiry. They threw suspicion upon themselves ; and it was not the proprietors who sus pected them. They appeared to him like petted children, " Oh," said they, " if you do not do as we consider right, we will resign." He submitted that that was not the sort of conduct for them to adopt. (Cheers.) The CHAIRMAN. — There is no such feeling on the part of the directors ; and we are willing to explain every item.— What is your motion, Mr. Molyneux ? Mr. MOLYNEUX.—My object is general inquiry. I was inclined to limit it at first, but I now think the duties of the committee should embrace a general inquiry. ( Hear.) Mr. HUDSON suggested that the duties of the committee should be limited, us the chairman had such. strong objections to a general inquiry. He for one would much rather have had a general inquiry, but— A lengthened and somewhat warm discussion succeeded on a resolution which had been drawn up on the part of Mr. Mollyneux by Mr. Mosley. This resolution under went a great number of modifications, in the attempt to make it embrace a general enquiry by the committee, with- out conveying an implied censure upon the committee. We regret that we have not room, even with the aid o the supplement which we present to our readers this day to give the discussion on this resolution, as it was pungen and interesting. Eventually it was carried in this shape "That a committee be appointed to enquire into the pun chase of Woodside and Monk ferries, the propriety of better arrangement of the direction, and such other matter as can be inquired into without injury to the company;" the chairman promising that every thing should be open to the committee. The following gentlemen were appointed the committee : Ratake, Mr. James Lawrence, Sir J. Walmsh Mr. Nicholas Martindale, Mr. Robertson Gladstone, 1V Abbot, and Mr. John Jones. The meeting was then adjourned till Wednesday, the V, _ _ May, for the purpose of receiving the report of the director THE NEW POOR-LAW IN LIVERPOOL TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. SlR,—There are now living, not above hundred miles from Shaw's-brow, an old woman and her grandson. The grand sbn is in the fifth year of his apprenticeship, and receives, of course, very low wages, 3s. per week, I believe, and the old woman has hitherto received ls. 6d. per week out-door parish relief. The old grandmother is singularly attached to her grandson, and the lad (whose parents are both dead) is as strongly attached to his grandmother. Their pittance will not indeed allow of the idea of high living, but the boy is kind and affectionate, and performs whatever of domestic work lies within his power, is a cheerful companion for his aged grandmother, and hopes, doubtless, to be able in future, to do much better for her than at present. She may be con sidered in the place of father and mother to him. They regularly attend church together, are desirous of being good neighbours and good christians, and are as comfortable as 4s. 6d. per week can be expected to make them. But, sir, the notoriously-infamous new poor-law has al ready commenced its desolating work in Liverpool, and this poor old woman has received notice that she is no longer to have her meagre Is. 6d. per week ; and that if she now wishes to have any help from the parish, she must leave her grand son, and retire to the workhouse. The poor lad must, there fore, be left to shift for himself—starve or not ! Without a protector!—without an instructor !—and without restraint!! Under such circumstances can it be any wonder if the boy should become a drunkard, a debauchee, or even a thief ? So much for the new poor-law in its infancy ! A law which seems to have been invented for the purpose of tor turing those who may become dependent in any measure upon parish relief ; and whose motto is " blood ! blood! blood !" - This step is equivalent to saying to the old person in que tion, " You have too much comfort and satisfaction for poor old woman like you! You shall be incarcerated, at cut off from society ! The parish, madam, would rather ke ! you altogether, though it should cost them three times t sum it now costs, than see you in such tolerable circurn stances ! Leave your grandson • let him fend for himself and restrain himself, and guar d himself ; he needs no care o: guardianship of yours; and if he do, he cannot, he shall no have it !" Now, sir, this being the first time that I have heard that the cloven foot of the new poor•law has been seen in this town, I have thought it right to send you this letter for pub lication in your independent paper ; by inserting it, there. fore, you will oblige a number of lovers of justice, and o haters of whig economy.—l am, sir, yours, &C . AN ENGLI , SHMAN. April 8, 1841. THEATRE.-ROYAL.—This theatre was fashionably and n merously attended last evening. Miss Delcy's debut w brilliantly successful. ASSAULT.-At the Police-court, yesterday, George Shakeshaft was fined £5, or to be imprisoned two months, for a violent assault on Amelia Jones, who, see ing him in a fight, merely remonstrated with him. The complainant's nose was injured and her eyes blackened by his blows. ANTI CORN LAW MEETING The corn-law repealers held an open air meeting yesterday in Clayton-square, for the purpose of petitioning for a total and immediate repealof those enactments. As a demonstra tion of numbers the affair was perfectly miserable. All the people present occupied scarcely more than one fourth of the square .Sir J. WALMSLEY took the chair. He said this public meeting of the inhabitants of Liverpool had been convened for the purpose of consideringthe propriety of petitioning the legislature for a total repeal of the corn laws. The various speakers who would address the meeting would point out the injurious effects of the corn laws, not only as regarded the means and the comforts of the people, but also as re garded our commerce and manufactures. To many of them those evils were so well known, they had been so frequently dwelt upon both in public 'and in private, that it would seem almost a work of supererogation to enter into anything like detail, yet such was the force of habit and prejudice that even with the most thorough conviction of the injurious tendeucj of those laws, no corresponding, efforts had been made to amend them. He trusted, however, that the time was not far distant when we might reasonably look for a more just and equal mode of taxation. The evidence which had been recently adduced before a committee of the House of Com mons would he thought tend greatly to facilitate that desirablf object. That evidence was of a most important character and if not altogether conclusive on the necessity reform in our tariff, it had at least made out a strong cu._ deep and serious inquiry. Fur his own part he had beenloni, satisfied that unless the restrictions and prohibitions which bore so hard on the middle and productive classes of the coun try were removed, they would not only endanger the commerce and manufactures of the country, but the very safety of the empire. We must ever remember that monopoly and exclu sion were mere apologies for robbing one portion of the com munity for the supposed benefit of the other ; and that no article was worth protecting at home which, from climate or other circumstances, could be imported cheaper from abroad. England possessed great and overwhelming advantages over most other countries ; but neither the superiority of her coal, and her mineral productions, nor the skill, capital, and en terprise of her people could long avail against the present ruinous system of restrictions, and consequently retaliation. How was it possible that we could look for foreign nations to take our manufactured goods upon the same terms as those of other countries, if we refused almost the only article which their soil could produce? Many of them had already reta liated ; others threatened to do so • and the state of our ma nufacturing districts, with our rapidly increasing population, was not such as to enable us to trifle with our best customers. We should never lose sight of this fact, that it was to our commerce and manufactures we owed our present position in the scale of nations, and that if we ceased to be an exporting country of manufactures, we should sink as rapidly as we have risen. Bear in mind that our present exports amount to between forty and fifty millions per annum ; that three fourths of the cotton imported into this country was ex ported again in the shape of twist and cotton goods.— For what were we hazarding this great branch of national wealth ; for what were we refusing to take the grain of the United States, the coffee and sugar of the Brazils, and the timber of the north of Europe ; for what were we restricting the labour, and enhancing the price of the food of the people ? The question was answered thus, to the satisfaction of all who heard him :—it was in order that the rent-roll of a comparatively small number of landlords, and the revenue of a few colonial monopolists, might be in creased. It was urged that we should support our colonies ; but we might support them at too great a cost, and at the sacrifice of the mother country. Give them free trade, and they would support themselves. Some were afraid that, by an alteration in our tariff, and in the corn laws, we might en danger the revenues of the country. Perhaps there was no set of men in the world more tenacious of national faith and honour than Englishmen, and especially the British mer chant. Now they were perfectly satisfied upon this subject, and had openly expressed their sentiments again and again, that by the removal of restrictions and prohibitions, commerce would be increased, and with it the revenue of the country. But whatever those subjects might be, that meeting had higher and more sacred objects. They thought that the peo ple should enjoy some portion of those luxuries and of those comforts which they so richly produced. This was their ob ject in the repeal of the corn laws ; and they could fairly call upon all classes of the community—upon the rich and the poor, who were the most particularly interested—upon the working man, and upon those whom they had a right to re gard as the best men in the community—to assist them in this labour of love, in this great wotk of justice to themselves and their fellow men. He trusted they should have every man's helping hand, that no man might be said to be sup porting the corn laws, lest haply he might be sinning and fighting against Him to whom he lifted up his prayer—" Give us this day our daily bread." Col. WILLIAMS moved the first resolution, in an address of considerable length. Mr. WILLIAM RATIIBONE rose to second the resolution, and commenced by addressing the meeting as having assem bled upon one of the most important subjects on which they could meet. He hoped they would show by their determina tion, that they were determined to be heard. On every ground he was an advocate for the prompt and total repeal of the corn laws, believing that those laws were at once in contradiction to the decrees of the Almighty, and to the benefit of the people of every class. In making that decla ration he would take different means to accomplish the proof of it. Let all be considered as the friends of repeal, who were opposed to restrictions of every kind whatever. He was opposed to those laws because they generated in the people a feeling of dissatisfaction a feeling of injustice, which was at once subversive of religion, at once subversive of morality, at once subversive of anything like loyalty, and subversive of principle of every kind. 11 e must, however, re member that it was not one abuse only -under which we laboured, but that they were like the bundle of sticks of the old man in the fable. He attempted to break them when they were all bound together, and he could not; but if they broke them up one by one, the bundleiwould become smaller, and at last it would be broken altogether. Now, why was it that the children of light did hot so for their own interests as well as the children of darkness? Why was it that they did not follow the right course when they had a right end in view ? Yet they did not do it he was sorry to say—they did not often look after their own ' interests, and they often threw their friends from them, f who were really their friends. Look at twenty years ago, when the timber duties were proposed to he al. tered. which was one of our great abuses. The whole of a thorough itry was in arms, and one administ: a,lon was very ly put out, because the people rose in arms to pre y, the timber duties being altered and improved. If, 20 yew, ',go, the people had petitioned for the repeal of the timber duties, he believed we should at this moment have been very much nearer the repeal of the corn laws—nay, in his conscience he believed that those corn laws would not have existed at this moment if that administration had been supported in the repeal of those timber duties. Next to the corn laws the timber duties were the most important. Was it to be believed that a few owners of rotten New Bruns wickers should throw dust into the eyes of the ship-carpen ters, and blind the people at large as they did ? But be cause it was not corn, the people would not listen to them, therefore, the people threw away to a distance the repeal of the corn laws. There was a very important meeting in the Sessions-house the other day, and it was thought very de sirable, if they could, to commit the tories to principles, which if they were honest in their belief, would at once de stroy the corn laws. They were committed to those princi ples ; and it they did not, like Lord Castlereagh, turn their backs upon themselves, they must support the people in the abolition of the corn laws. He had now some hope. The revenue was beginning to fall off ; these terrible restric tions upon commerce had lost any profit to capital, and they were grinding the poor man down to the dust, so that as an Irishman had once said from that place, " You will begin to have a nation of ventriloquists—that speak from their bellies." But it was wonderful, that curtailed as she had been by laws laid down for what was called protection, but which were in effect restrictive of every thing that was good, England should have maintained her place in the way she had ; but she would not maintain it much longer if she went on as she was doing. We should have manufacturers in Germany and in Switzerland to contend with, and when itwas too late we might repent, and at last lay down in a ditch in the mud, which we ourselves had created. Now, we should object to every thing that is bad. Let the people petition for free corn to our colonies ; let them support the present government in the plan they were taking now to let our colonies have cheap bread ; then let the people turn round upon them and say, " What are you worse than the heathen ? Will you neglect your own? Will you give to the West Indies cheap bread and deny it to our suffering manufacturers at home ?" Did not the meeting feel—and if they did feel they would be ready to petition against everything that was an abuse—did they not know, that the bundle of sticks, that was the bundle of abuses, at every twig whichwas broken became less ? If they felt this, they would come forward in a different way than they hitherto had ;• they would feel that if they wished for success in any pursuit they must give time and exertion to it themselves ; that they must not be like the poor unfortunate carter, who, when his cart was fast in the rut, lay down in the ditch and began to pray to Jupiter. Jupiter said to him, " You lazy lout, put your shoulder to the wheel, and then 1 will listen to your prayers." In like manner they must put their shoulder so the wheel if they wished the corn laws to be repealed.—The resolution was then put and carried. Mr. CHAULES HOLLAND, in moving the next resolution, said, they were again met to protest against the iniquitous corn laws, against the most inhuman and unrighteous laws ever enacted by any sect or class of men, to attempt for their own selfish purposes, and to impose a badge of slav ery, misery, and degradation, upon their fellow men. Was that meeting prepared to submit to that ? If they were, how long were they going to submit? Was it not an undis puted fact that the misery and destitution of the lower and industrious classes, the losses which our manufacturers were sustaining, the diminution of our manufacturing profits, and the small returns which the capitalist was now receiving, were attributable mainly to these laws The fact was un disputed. After a few more similar remarks, i%lr. Holland concluded by moving the resolution. Mr. DUFFEY seconded it, and said, that if anything was pleasing to him in the character of that meeting, it was the fact that there were united in it the middle and working classes, the two greatest and most influential classes of the community. They had, he was glad to say, combined their strength together for the expres*-- purpose of removing the odious corn-laws from our statute book. They had been told it was for the interest of the working classes to support the corn-laws because dear bread made high wages, but every working man knew as well as he did, from sad expe rience, that this was not true. Mr. Duffey then proceeded to argue on this position, and to shew the absurdity of pro tective duties. The decrees of Milan and Berlin, lie ob served, rendered it necessary for us to destroy Napoleon in order to open continental Europe to our commerce, but when that had been accomplished, the landed aristocracy re enacted those decrees by the infamous corn-laws. He called on the meeting, with reference to the corn-laws, to assert the great principle, that whatever was morally wrong could not be politically right, and to hold that man disgraced who re fused to support the leaders who were contending for this object. Mr. T. THORNELY, M.P., then stepped forward. Before he read the resolution which the committee had placed in his hands, he begged to say how great a gratification it was to him to meet so large an assemblage of his fellow-towns men, met to assert, in the face of the public, their determi nation •to procure, by fair, just, and constitutional means, the repeal of those corn-laws which had entailed so much misery upon the labouring classes, and which from year to year were fettering so much of the industry and the com merce of the country. They were probably not all aware of the operation of the present corn-laws. The duty upon corn was a fluctuating duty, which was fixed every week : it might be a shilling a quarter, or it might be much higher. Now the operation of the corn-laws was this, that in proportion as the price of corn falls the duty rises ; and it was only when corn was of so high a price as to threaten famine, that it was admitted at a nominal duty. This arrangement of the duties might appear a very insidious one, but he thought it a very barefaced one, because it had this effect—always to prevent the people from having corn as cheap as they could buy it from foreign countries if the law did not prevent them. Did they know what the duty upon the importation of wheat was this very day? It was 235. Bd. a quarter, or nearly 3s. a bushel. That was a prohibitory duty : it brought in no revenue, and prevented the people from having corn at that price, if there were not these restrictions. He was happy that the attention of the house of Commons, and lie believed of the ministry too, was now being directed to the state of the tariff of this country : by the tariff he meant the duties upon the importation of goods. It was singular enough that we, who were so great a commercial and manufacturing peo- Years • a pl, had re Whenever the good: good, our tariff prey they were dear and sume them experience as the present CI upon imports, protection— that th manufact every forei; should be f cheapest they wer of those commodities any article, of foreign than in a foreign col and of dut ther it wet they shoul elsewhere. to which they wer speakers had allud of all the places fiber of ototheli e there than they were would not they had 1 bettt which took• out emigra back hour from Canad t would bring a those very voyages acr which labourers were ter wages than they bringing back cheap flc the representations al down wages of free trade mere cheapness of the people, the indepet :sire to educate their - childr free trade Commons of trifle and ai £30,000 upon the poor when he had s; they adopted tt parish ieli, too without fact it was lamentable be taken up in reconcili, They were adopting mea poor law ; they were ( they did was to tie the themselves! Iloweve contrary, he never felt was right on the principle of to corn or anything else ' • at pie of this country would dc he thought in the present se:: some great step taken restrictive code. It v associated ‘v was prepared to i cure the repeal of t great con ce that if t themselves by petitil was absolutely unan speedily. he was 1 witness that g pie exerted th mise them t Commons, v restrictiv stern. He of Comm in the Hou useful to some e: The hou retired. Mr. JONES prove that nc could - prevent thi:icou perity which no natio" at. He then cor concluded by decL empire, and make her-c the envy of surrounding r world. MOLYNETIN to raise his them the upon a country The resoluti R. V. YATES t moved its adoptic A vote of filar for his condt about half p: ROBBERY AT V sive robbery of many underwent a second ex chester Tower, the inspector of palace After a searching in ANOTHER CASE OF USING THY lice-court, yesterday, a man nan placed at the bar on a charge o threatening her life with a knif soner appeared without col and presented no very complainant is a ratht She stated that she had to get the knife from hi danger of her life, and wz be kept from the house. had been fully heard, strongly rep conduct of the prisoner, and fined 1 two months imprisonment, and rei also find sureties for his peaceabl in £2O, and two sureties in ±:10 soned another month. SERIOUS CASE OF ourt, Roht. Fraze Lar on a eh boarding- Several seamen who lodge servant, appeared to the prisoner, but ti minent ding in attendanc convey the particulars 4 powerful looking man sl American ship Ohio, r boarded at Mr. John !.-1 act of stabbing took I there, and was a sailor, Witness was in the front ki Sunday evening, and saw t back kitchen, following Ca to fetch some water. The would take her life before I Before he could overtitke tl female a blow, but did not and as she was about to fal supported her " John, I am st lower part of her n it out, and threw it into t had done so, the blood fio afterwards ran for a const called by another servant knife produced was the so knife.] As the prisoner I back kitchen, he said to I him on one side, he havi officer Hollis (I' M'Quirk, a servo street, and took the bloody, as if it ha to beiober to him by one of tl also sa and they were bloods he was called to the I male. He found he peck, on the left side. I inch and a half in circumf He co iereci t ger. The knif Mr. Rushton here the wounded female s prisoner was in the me the deposition was p: servant in this (Mr. St with him. He is ase were fighting in the 1 men away one of ti I was go ,nd the pris and called trim an i for I had nothin away for him, a struck me, and I stri house with the two, a them. I was going u prisoner came up to me, at to-night. I said, I'm n , hold of my dress and wa: I let the dishes fall. The] and I shrieked. The mis pushed him down stairs. minutes after, and went tc was in the front kitchen say before all the Inc you. He was then Sp too soon to the gallows kitchen, and struck mt part. I did , t see th hear anything more ing through the bac prisoner was c We underst female are much iniur mation higher, death, in CORONER'S INQUEST. day morning an inquest N for the borough of \Vim( upori the body of a child and a-half old, the son o evening of Monday last, i playing in the drawing-r was amusing himself, pc eye. Mr. Henry Brow called in to attend the c dent, whom he found with of the right eye, which had orbital bone into the head. great diffic the c tended by Sir B consequence of t servant to the m who was phi drums zk.mAcksP' his screams), stwaing perfectly sensible, said to In 'ling across the room Rod th., Witness found lihn lying 01 drag out the stick, but cool the surgeon.. The jury retu Death."—Trmes.