The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-19 00:00:00

THY, APPROACHING FANCY BALL. GRATIS SUPPLEMENT ! In order to be enabled to present to their readers the fullest possible description of Vie splendid FANCY BALL, to be given at the Town-hall, on Monday, the 25th inst., the Proprietors of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD have arranged to give, with their publication of Tuesday next, a STAMPED SUPPLE MENT, which shall contain an Alphabetical List of the Characters, Costumes, (5-c., and a full de scription of the amusements up to the close. In order to aid in ensuring accuracy, it will greatly oblige if parties intending to be present will leave their names at the Office, on or before Monday next, the 25th, with a description of the characters and the dresses in which they intend to appear. TO CORRESPONDENTS. A n Enemy to Humbug" is unreasonable in requesting us to ask the questions contained in his letter on anonymous au tLoity. The letter of " Veritas" was received too late for publication to-day, chief) because it was written en both sides of the paper. We are compelled to omit a notice of a pamphlet by William Forsyth, Esq., which we had in type, and several other articles. They shall ap ear in our next. We have received another letter from Ebenezer Jones, Esq., in _reply to Mr. Zephaniah Smith, which we reluctantly postpone until our next publication, when we doubt not we shalt have space to insert it, as we purpose giving a Supplement on that day. The Albion yesterday founds some witty remarks on a speech of Mr. Nolan, at the Protestant Operative Association, on Mon. day last, as given in our publication of the following day. Our contemporary censures Mr. Nolan for lauding Mr. M'Neile in his presence, whereas the latter ;gentleman had retired prior to the commencement of Mr. Nolan's address, and the point of the All ion's other remarks is altogether occasioned by the necessarily abbreviated report of the speech in our columns. Had the reverend gentleman's re. marks been given entire, our contemporary's witticisms would never have appeared. CIRCULATION OF THE STANDARD. The issuing of the Government Newspaper Stamp Returns for the six months ending December 1843, affords us an opportunity of saying a few words with respect to our own position. We commenced our present plan of weekly publication at the com mencement of July last, up to which period our circulation had averaged little more than 1,000 per publication. In the first three months after such change, our circulation, according to these returns, rose to 1,500 per week. In the next three months, ending December 1843, we had reached, as the same returns testify, 2,000 per week, which makes up the number set down to us for the six months in the return. Our circulation for the first three months of 1844 will show a considerable fur ther increase. As it is, according to this return, we stand in circu lation above our Tuesday's contemporary, the Li verpool Times, upwards of a thousand copies each publication ; and above Gore's Advertiser 350, above the Mercantile Gazette 650, above the Journal 500, and the Chronicle 700 copies, each publication. 'This result, which is a change of our position from the occupation of nearly the lowest place amongst our contemporaries, is one highly flattering to us, and for which we feel most grateful to our friends and the public, and will encourage us in our exer tions for the attainment of a still greater measure of their approval. Eiberpool k*,tanban, TUESDAY MORNING, MARCH 19, 1844. The Anti-monopoly Association have done our selves and a contemporary the exceeding honour of addressing to us another "Circular," in reply to our remarks upon their last; and a more Jesuitical and tricky production we certainly never met with. Our rejoinder will be very brief. And, first, with respect to the statements put forth by the association as to the average rate of freight upon foreign wheat. In our publication of the 27th of February we had commented upon the dishonest character of a calcu lation. of the rates of freight which appeared in the Liverpool Mercury, evidently furnished by some great authorities upon the subject,—indeed these authorities were:known to us. In that calculation, by what we justly called "a juggle of figures," the average was made to appear as ranging from 4s. 10d. to ss. 11d. per quarter. This very calculation was reiterated in the circular, and conclusions drawn from it in favour of the arguments of the Anti-mo nopoly Association, that the cost of importation of foreign wheat was a large protection to the British farmer. The same circular contained an estimate, forwarded to government by the Consuls of the various European corn-markets, of the probable quantities of wheat which could be forwarded to Great Britain in the event of a free trade. Of this latter document we availed ourselves, in an endeavour to arrive at a just average of freight, which we had maintained could only be done by taking into consideration the quantities forwarded at the various rates. Thus, if half-a-million quarters were shipped from one port at 2s. per quarter, and a hundred thousand from another at 10s., it would be grossly erroneous and dishonest to give the aver age of the whole six hundred thousand c . uarters as 6s. per quarter; and yet the calculation given by the Mercury and the Anti-monopoly Association was made upon this erroneous and dishonest principle. The true mode, we stated, was "to carry out the calculations at the various foreign ports, and, for the average, to divide the gross amount by the total number of quarters ;" and by the application of this principle to the case put above, our readers will see the vast difference made—the average being by the mode of calculation adopted by the association 6s. per quarter, and by the correct mode 3s. 4d. only. The reply of the association to this portion of our remarks is this : " We agree with the STANDARD that this is the correct mode of obtaining the average, and rnorrover assert that it is the way in which it is obtained. Our charge against him is that professing to adopt the table as the means of ascertaining " an average something like a true one," he substitutes his own figures to work out his desired re sult. We repeat that the average freight of 4s. 9.1 d., stated in the Parliamentary Table, is calculated according to the principle laid down in the STANDARD, and in cor recting it to 3s. lid. he has made an error, as any honest " boy in the Blue Coat School or Mechanics' Institu tion," will prove to him. In the mean time he will do well to apologise for pestering his readers with ques tions of arithmetic,' until he is better versed in its rules." One word of explanation will suffice to show the cool independence and dishonesty of this paragraph. We attacked—and the association knew the fact— their calculation which made the average rates of freight from 4s. 10d. to ss. lid. Our remarks could apply to no other calculation. We had, the week before noticing their circular No. 2, quoted the very statement of whose correctness we com plained, and which we found repeated in that circu lar ; and we only took the quantities given by the consular returns to show the incorrectness of that calculation by contrasting it with the result of a proper merchant-like calculation, made upon com plete data, and with as high and even. higher rates, which gave 3s. 11d. as the average, instead of 4s. 10. to ss. lid. .The fact, therefore, that the average freight given by the circular returns is prop er l y calculated, does no t affect our position. We never noticed the average there given of 4s. 0.-d. at a ll . We gave only the quantities in that document, with the association's own rates, not " our own"—except in two instances, when we took higher rates. This portion, therefore, of the association's reply to us we cannot characterise as any other than a mean attempt to quibble their way out of a conviction of trickery and imposition. With respect to the quantity of home grown Wheat moved coastwise to the various markets for consumption, which we had stated was very large, the Anti-Monopoly gentlemen, in their cir cular, assert that they "have it from the best au thority that only about five per cent. of the home growth of wheat, or about one million quarters, is moved coastwise." Now we do not know exactly what the " young men, as the Mercury calls them, who penned this very hardy asser tion, call "the best authority ;" but we should ima gine that the world at large would admit the experi ence of past years to be a very good authority. From the weekly returns of the past year we find that 306,798 quarters of home grown wheat, exclusive of Irish Wheat, were imported into London alone; in addition to 325,801 sacks of flour which may be put down (taking a sack to be equal to 3-sths of a quar ter of wheat) at 195,480 quarters. In all therefore we had somewhat more than half a million quar ters of wheat (exclusive of Irish) imported last year into the port of London alone, besides 234,498 qrs. of Barley, 267,993 qrs of Oats, 47,301 qrs of Beans, and 61,695 qrs. of Pease, or above a million quarters of grain altogether. We should like to know from the young gentlemen in question, who appear disposed to constitute them selves a Liverpool League Board of Trade, to what amount this will be swelled when we have taken in the imports from Ireland (say of two or three million quarters of grain, meal, and flour, together with the coastwise imports of the ports of Hull, Goole, Newcastle, Leith, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bris tol, Gloster, Plymouth, &c. Surely for the whole of these ports, even the assurance of "the council of the Liverpool Anti-Monopoly Association" will scarcely be sufficient to enable them to reiterate their stupendous outrage upon the credulity of the public ! We shall perhaps have a few more remarks to make upon one or two portions of this circular in our next publication, after we have made some ne cessary enquiries. In the meantime we leave the public to examine the " sample," as the corn mer chants say, with which we have already furnished them, of the truthfulness and accurate knowledge of these "young men." We understand that the Birkenhead Dock Bill has been postponed for further consideration. If such be the case, the delay will give time for cool deliberation, which we fear it has not yet received ; and the many serious questions connected with it will now receive at the hands of the Parliamentary Committce that grave consideration which it really demands. Every thinking mind, acquainted with the locali ties of the River Mersey, must be aware that such vast schemes as those contemplated at Birkenhead are dependent for their success on a great variety of circumstances; and it cannot be concealed that the design of enclosing Wallasey Pool, and of forming docks at Birkenhead, has originated, not with the merchants of Liverpool, but with a few gentlemen who, as is notorious, are the owners of property to a large amount in the neighbourhood. Two questions naturally present themselves in connection with the subject : 1. The relative merits of Liverpool and Bir kenhead as places suitable for commerce ; and 2. The comparative price of land on each side of the river, involving those pecuniary considerations arising out of actual value. On the first head, we may observe that Liverpool possesses within herself the means of unlimited in crease. The docks of Liverpool are connected with the offices of our merchants, the aggregate of these offices forming one of the best markets in the world. Above a thousand warehouses are erected along the line of the docks, and all the apparatus of commerce is in full operation. The Leeds and Liverpool Ca nal forms a great outlet to the internal trade with the north of Lancashire and with Yorkshire. The railroad brings the factories of Manchester within an hour-and-a-half's distance from the quays of the docks; and the vast carrying establishments of the Bridgewater Trust—located, as that wonderful con cern is, not only in the very centre of the dock estate to secure the transit of general goods, but also at the south end to secure the carriage of the important and bulky article of timber—are all so many corollaries and feeders, not only to Liverpool, but to themselves ; and to oppose them is sheer folly, so long as they are able on reasonable terms to transact the business of the port. Looking for ward to an increase of our trade, even beyond the rapid strides of late years, there are available sites on the Liverpool side of the river to accommodate the contemplated increase for years to come. The immense extent of the land possessed by the Cor poration at the North Shore, including the recent purchase of so many acres from the Earl of Derby at a merely nominal price; the prodigious quantity of land at the south end, not only including the Harrington and Herculaneum estates, but also the whole shore to the further extremity of the Dingle ; all these make up an aggregate of more than four hundred acres, every yard of which is available for dock extension. The Dingle estate in the posses sion of Mr. Yates, and opposite which is the deepest water on the river, is almost formed by nature into a dock ; and the advantages of that sheltered and extensive property seem to have been lost sight of by all but a few thinking and practical men, who have often pointed out its advantages. And although it seems strange that such a lovely spot should be filled with towering masts, yet the day is not distant when the worthy proprietor may find it his interest to sell to a company, or to the public trusts, such an advantageous site for dock purposes. Until the land on the eastern bank of the river is fully occu pied, docks on the Cheshire shore must at least be speculative. It is a difficult matter to remove a rookery without destroying it : and while vessels discharging cargoes at Birkenhead must be com pelled to come across to Liverpool to reload, in nine cases out of ten, and so be liable to double dock dues,—and as it would cause a merchant to have two establishments, viz. one on each side of the river,—we cannot help coming to the conclusion that, unless for a place to lay up ships for sale, or timber-ships for the winter months, so as to leave their room in the Liverpool docks available for commercial purposes, docks at Birkenhead must prove a failure; and the comparative merits of each side of the river is so much in favour of Liverpool, that it seems almost absurd to reason on the sub ject. In the next place, the comparative price of the land in Liverpool and Wallasey Pool is absolutely in favour of the former. Take, for instance, the timber trade. Some timber-merchants, it is said, have been to examine the opposite shore, and they have been assured that they may be accommodated with land at 30s. per square yard! The price to be paid for the Harrington estate, about which such an outcry has been made, was only 3is. Gd., inclu ding two docks already built, the land almost all formed, and the river-wall built under Mr. Hartley's superintendence. Now 30s. per yard is Is. Gd. per yard per annum at Birkenhead, while it is notorious that is. per square yard is an extreme rent for land for timber at the South Shore, that much is let at THE LIVERPOOL STANI3AIII3. gd. per yard, and some as low as 7d.! And when we find tenders made to the Corporation of 16s. per yard up Wallasey Pool, we naturally ask what is the value of land at each extremity of Liverpool ; and we are assured by competent judges that, on an average, land both at the north and south ends of this town can be purchased at far less prices than has been given for mere swamp at Wallasey. it is true that the Birkenhead Commissioners are desi rous of taking in the expanse of Wallasey Pool ; but here arises a serious question to the public. Will the Commissioners of Woods and Forests be justified in permitting the property of the Crown to be taken possession of, to benefit the owners of land along its margin, when no public necessity can be shown for such a sacrifice ? This estuary has been valued by Mr. Hartley, no incompetent judge, at £400,000; and it is perfectly clear, that if the trustees of our docks are obliged to pay to the Corporation for every inch of land on this side which they require for dock purposes, and that too the full value of the land, it is only just that the I Commissioners of Birkenhead should pay to the I Crown the full value of Wallasey Pool, because both the Crown and the Corporation stand in the position of trustees for the public welfare, and nei ther of them can make gifts unless justified by ne cessities, which, in this case, have neither founda tion nor existence. There is one point here which must not be overlooked. It may be said that if the estuary of the Pool is conceded by the Crown, an outer basin may be formed, and no rate be charged for vessels entering it. But this is fallacious. It is the water space alone that can render the land available ; and the landowners will lay the value of the water space on the land itself, inasmuch as it will be rendered the more valuable by the accom modation ; and as the public will have to pay the increased value, it is clear that the public cannot and will not be benefitted by the concession. If this be not the case, would any sane man give 16s. and in some cases 255. to 355. per yard for land which does not produce one farthing of revenue ? If, then, the Woods and Forests give up the estuary of Wallasey Pool without receiving from those who want it its full value, they will be guilty of a neglect of their public duty, and will be acting most un justly, not only to the public but to the bondholders of both the Corporation and the Dock Estate, who have lent two millions and a half of money on the credit of these two great trusts. Let it be remem bered, too, that a gift from the Crown in such a case is a dangerous precedent; and if the Woods and Forests are so elated at the prosperous state of the public exchequer that they can afford to give away £400,000 at one fell swoop, their liberality ' will soon be tested from other quarters which they do not now anticipate. If any man of common sense will go and examine the Tranmere Pool, he will find at a glance that it is a much more suitable place for a Cheshire dock ' (if one be needed) than Wallasey Pool is. At Tran mere there needs no river wall of a mile long. There a dock is half formed by nature : it would be well sheltered, possess a good entrance, and the whole of the ground is solid. Wallasey Pool, on the con trary, is open and unsheltered. And if a dock was constructed at Tranmere, to remove to which the unemployed ships of Liverpool, where they might lie in security, it is all that is needed ; and the valuable anchorage ground for small craft between Seacombe and Woodside would remain undisturbed. Much as we admire a bold and spirited undertaking, we like to see united with it judgment and discrimi nation ; and when it is recollected that the trustees of the Liverpool docks are about to increase their dock space by an outlay of £1,100,000. and that all the carrying trade is immediately and conveniently connected with them, and that all these establish ments are in full operation; and when, in addition, the price of land at Birkenhead is absolutely greater than it is on the Liverpool side, we fear that our neighbours, with all their dexterity, are blowing bubbles which must burst with the first whiff of wind that assails them. They are opposing the bill of the dock trustees, it seems ! Surely Parliament will laugh at such opposition. When they can show that there is an absolute necessity for Cheshire docks —that they have the money paid up to construct them—that they are able and willing to pay to the Crown the value of Wallasey Pool—and that they can dock ships at a less cost than in Liverpool— then let them oppose the Dock Bill with some hope of success. We admit that the Birkenhead Commissioners have displayed much dexterity throughout, and they have a right to get the best price they can for their land ; and if they can only succeed in persuading the Woods and Forests to act with becoming gene rosity, and plethoric capitalists who do not like the trouble of deep thinking to lend some hundreds .of thousands on the security of Birkenhead Commis sioners' bonds, why—the docks may be made; but whether they will be filled or not, is another ques tion. The Woods and Forests have shrewd and clever men to deal with, and a short time will show us whether they are alive to the real and valuable interest which the Crown possesses at Birkenhead. We referred briefly in our last to the case of Mr. Nightingall, the house-surgeon to the workhouse ; and we now propose, according to our promise, to enter more fully into the details and the evidence offered at the enquiry before the Assistant Poor law Commissioner, along with a review of some cir cumstances which have since come to our own knowledge. In performing this duty—and the fur therance of truth and justice is a sacred duty—we shall endeavour to be strictly impartial, and to re strain as much as we can the utterance of the feel ings of reprobation with whiCh we cannot avoid re garding the conduct of some of the parties con cerned in this affair. The charges brought against Mr. Nightingall, into which the Assistant Commissioner summoned the vestry to enquire, were instituted by the Gover nor, Mr. Evans, and were the following. The first referred to three children whom the G overnor h a d sent down from Low-hill Workhouse, a s affected with itch, to be treated by Mr. Nightingall in the itch ward at Brownlow-hill. The latter gentleman, on learning this fact, immediately remonstrated with the Governor for what he deemed an uncalled-for interference with his duties. Mr. Evans, upon this, submitted the children to the inspection of Dr. Macrorie and Mr. Ratcliffe, the former of whom gave a certificate that he considered them " bad cases of itch, and that they ought immediately to be se parated from the healthy inmates, and put under treatment for the contagious affection." Such is the case as stated by the Governor at the investigation. It is carried, however, a little fur ther by the evidence. We find it admitted that the children in question were seen by Mr. Nightingall, on the morning of the day on which the Governor sent them from Low-hill to the itch ward. Mr. Nightingall had not thought them decided cases of itch ; and we learn, although that fact is not in evi dence, that his attention was particularly called to their case. The Governor, however, it appears, imagined that he knew what was and what was not itch, better than a surgeon who has had above twenty years' Gf extensive itch practice; and, in the first instance, without consulting the proper medical authority, or sheaving a disposition to see hirn—for he says that he not only " did not then see Mr. Nightingall, but he did not even enquire for him" — he decided the question, and laid the foundation for a charge against that gentleman of neglect of, or in capacity for the discharge of, his duties. The gravamen, however, of the charge is, we sup pose, that Mr. Nightingall, on finding these children in the itch ward, subjected to the contagion of that ward, and not satisfied that they were affected with the disease, sent them back again to Low-hill. We may here remark upon the fact that there is no in termediate ward at either Low-hill or Brownlow hill for doubtful cases. Mr. Nightingall considered these to be very doubtful cases. Dr. Macrorie ad mitted that the appearances of eruption in one of the cases might be less marked in the morning, when Mr. Nightingall saw them, than in six or eight hours after, when he himself saw them ; and that that case might even have escaped notice. Yet, in defiance of the opinion of the House-Surgeon (and he had not then had the opinion of Dr. Macrorie) the Governor again sent for the children to Brownlow-hill, and they were again, on the cer tificate of Dr. Macrorie, placed in the itch ward. Had the case stopped here, we submit that the conduct of the Governor must have been considered throughout as marked with extreme impropriety. In the first instance, he assumed the possession of a greater knowledge of a disorder, which medical men do not always find easy of detection in its inci pient stages, titan a surgeon of twenty years' exten sive practice in such cases; and acted, insultingly to Mr. Nightingall, upon that assumption. In the second place, he set the opinion of a young practi tioner, Mr. Ratcliffe, against that of his senior, Mr. Nightingail, and acted upon it by' sending again for the children, returned by the former as not decidedly affected. The opinion of the nurse of the ward, a woman of six or seven years' experience, might have been ascertained, had he chosen to ask such opinion—and we are not aware that he had it not— that the children were not itch patients. Clearly, therefore, the Governor was acting in contempt of medical authority up to the time of his procuring the certificate of Dr. Macrorie. And even subse quently to the receipt of that certificate, there was no ground for imputation against Mr. Nightingall, be yond the fact that he appeared disposed to doubt the infallibility of the Governor in medical cases, and to resent his dictatorial interference with the medical office. Doctors differed. They have differed before now, and will differ again ; and the opinion of a man of Mr. Nightingall's long experience was cer tainly worthy of being treated with deference. And what has been the solution of this difference of doctors ? Why, that after all, the opinion of Mr. Nightingall has every appearance of having been correct, as was shown by the fact of the children having been discharged from the itch ward on Mon day last. Yes, although the Honorary Medical Board in the first instance censured Mr. Nightingall for his treatment of these cases —although an assistant poor law commissioner has rebuked him, or at all events given evidence of an opinion that he was liable to censure, the subjects of the charge have all been since dismissed from the itch ward, as not, in Mr. Nightingall's opinion, being affected, either then or at any time, with that disease ! The second charge is one of ill treatment of a boy named Freeman, who was alleged to have been dis charged by Mr. Nightingall from a ward which is called the Boys' Sick Nursery, whilst labouring under "a severe apthous affection of the mouth and throat." This ward, we may explain, is set apart for children affected with slight disorders which are considered more as subjects for the nurse than the doctor, and is therefore only visited by the surgeon at intervals, or when his presence is required by the nurse. On returning to his school duties he complained of sore mouth, and was reported by the schoolmaster as unfit for school attendance, and he was ordered by Mr. Nightingall to attend him every second day at the surgery. He had previously been treated by Mr. Woods. Here, again, there is a differ ence of doctors. The Honorary Medical Board, before whom the boy was brought ten days after he was discharged by Mr. Nightingall, reported their opinion that such a case " ought not to be exposed to the open air, but ought to be treated in a warm room," and censured 111 r. Nightingall for the course which he pursued; but, with a strange regardlessness of consistency, accompany this censure with a declara tion, from the mouth of their witness, Dr. Macrorie, that "he could not say but that the boy was cured . when discharged !" And with respect to the proper treatment of such a case, which the board say should not be exposed to the open air, Dr. Gill, an eminent authority, has declared that "he would adopt the same treatment employed by Mr. Nightingall in his own private practice." But with respect to the real facts of this case— what are they ? The medical board (at least such appears the plain inference from the evidence) assume that Freeman was in a dangerous state when dis charged—ten days before they saw him—and upon that assumption censure Mr. Nightingall. The nurse of the ward declared before the Poor Law Commissioner that "he seemed well ; he ate his meat heartily, and played about the yard with the other boys. His mouth seemed much the same when he was discharged as when admitted, and he did not c)mplain about it." Trumpery charges surely these are to call for the presence of a Poor-law Commissioner, and a special meeting of the vestry;—paltry matters on account of which to subject a gentleman, who has laboured for twenty years in the service of his parish, to the too probable fate of being dismissed from his office, and thrown upon the world with the blight of that dismissal upon his name ! Would, however, that this was the worst feature of the case Would that we could believe that the treatment of Mr. Nightingall was just or kindly ! Mr. Nightingall was known to have a sentence of dismissal hanging over his head, ready to be visited upon him on the first proof of neglect proved against him. Mr. Galloway and others were directed by the Go vernor, under a threat, to " report to him the cases of boys who were sick, which Mr. Nightingall knew of and did not attend to ;" and the case of the boy Freeman was thus reported. And then a case having been got up, the Medical Board, his professional brethren,—what was their conduct towards this persecuted gentle man ? Did they afford him the opportunity of con fronting his accusers ? Did they say to him, as one would imagine they would in common charity—not to talk of courtesy—towards a professional friend, " Mr. Nightingall, can you explain these matters ?" They did not. As Mr. Nightingall says in his de fence, " the board tried, judged, and condemned me unheard ; whereas, if they had heard my ex planation, they might have entirely acquitted me of all blame." Surely this was harsh. Surely Mr. Nightingall ought to have had the poor consolation of being heard in his defence—a privilege granted to the most guilty criminal that ever answered for his guilt at the bar of his country. For the present we have done. We leave the facts to a just and impartial public. On a future occasion, however, we may have some remarks to offer upon the administration of the affairs of the work house, with respect both to medical and general matters. In the meantime, our readers will per haps favour us with giving what we have already said their discriminating attention. THE APPROACHING FANCY DRESS BALL. The interest attached to this fete, which increases as the day appointed for it draws near, needs little from our pen to stimulate it. Our townsmen and our fair townswomen have never been deaf to the calls of charity. They have borne in mind that for the noble object of benefitting a number of valuable institutions, which dispense the bless ings of health and consolation in affliction and poverty to the poor of our town, this ball has been originated ; and we are happy to find, that they are bestirring themselves in earnest to advance that object. The gorgeous and va ried costumes which have been provided by the various purveyors in Liver i _ool, for which the metropolis of Eng land and that of France havebeen ransacked, and which have employed the talent and taste of so many of our townsmen and townswomen, have already met with an almost unex ampled demand, which is not yet exhausted, and is daily demanding fresh supplies and additional novelties ; and we may venture to express our hope, that we shall be able to witness on Monday next one of the most attractive and interesting spectacles which this or any other town has ever produced. _ _ One remark, however, we may address upon the subject to our readers and the public of Liverpool. We are in formed that it is the puprose of the committee, if the prospects of attendance warrants such a step, to form a communication from the Town-hall across the Exchange Area, and to throw open the Newsroom as a place for re freshments. l his will, however, be attended with a great expense, which they do not feel justified in incurring, and thereby risking a decrease of the surplus to accrue to the charities, unless assured, in time to make the necessary arrangements, of a large assemblage. We are, therefore, induced to suggest, to parties purposing to attend, the pro priety, and, indeed, the advantage to the charities, of taking their tickets early. By so doing, they will enable the committee to carry out their project, and thus to in crease the comfort of their guests, and add very materially to the splendour of the spectacle. We may here correct an error into which parties are liable to be led by a statement made by the Mercury of Friday last. Our Contemporary complains that many Pro testants and Roman Catholics will be deterred from at tending, on account of the Ball taking place in Passion Week. We need scarcely say that it does not take place in Passion Week, but the week before, as our contempo rary may find if he chooses to take the trouble to en quire. LIVERPOOL MARCH SESSIONS. Yesterday, the quarter sessions for this borough were opened before Gilbert Henderson, Esq„ the recorder. The calendar contained the names of 57 prisoners charged with felony—of which there were 45 district cases—and 10 persons charged with misdemeanours and assaults. The offences were for the most part of the usual description, and none of them presented any peculiar feature of interest. The following gentlemen were sworn to constitute the grand jury : Harrison, Henry, George's Dock gates, merchant, Fore man. Bold, Thomas, Water-street, ship broker. Copeland, Henry, Crescent, brewer. Cunningham, James, Exchange-alley, merchant. Fairclough, Charles, Exchange-alley North, merchant. Groves, Charles, Exchange-buildings, merchant. Heywood, Robert, India-buildings, merchant. Hope, Thomas Arthur, Everton-road, gentleman. Jones, William, Exchange-buildings, merchant. Jee, John Audley, Chorley-street, broker. Jones, Christopher H erd, Everton-lane, goldsmith. Joynson, Thomas, Mill-street, cotton broker. Jones, Richard, Everton-crescent, merchant. King, Joseph, Exchange-buildingS, share broker. Lorimer, Charles, Exchange-buildings, broker. Lightfoot, Thomas, Roscommon-street, broker. Leece, James, Rumford-place, cotton broker. Nickson ' William Vernon-street, rectifier. Procter, James , Water-street, wine merchant. Robinson, Joseph, Chapel-street, cotton broker. Symonds, Samuel Fleming, Lower Castle-street, wine merchant. Sleddon, Thomas, Tithebarn-street, cotton broker. Serjeantson, Peter, Oldhall-street, broker. The proclamation against vice and immorality having been read, The RECORDER briefly addressed the Grand Jury. He remarked (with reference to the fact that so many gentle men summoned as grand jurors had attended that several wereexcused until nex t sessions), thatit was seldom there had been so overflowing an attendance—all having appeared but one. There were between fifty and sixty cases to be brought before them—about the average number for the time that had expired since the last sitting of the court. Amongst the cases was one against a female for the de sertion of her child, and another of a person charged with an assault on a female by which her jaw was broken, which would require their careful consideration. 'With these exceptions the cases involved the usual violations of the laws protecting property, and were not of a very serious character. Still it was necessary that they should be duly weighed, and so dealt with that crime should be restrained within thenarrowest possible limits. After the usualinstruc tions to learn the nature of each offence from the indict ment ; to hear all the witnesses, and to decide whether it should be returned for trial, or, if not sufficiently apparent by the evidence, to arrest further proceedings upon it by finding no bill, he stated that he conceived it unnecessary to delay them longer from their duties, with which they might then proceed. In a short time several true bills were brought into court, and the usual routine of trial commenced. None of the cases throughout the day were of peculiar public interest. The following are the names of the prisoners, the charges against them, and the results up to the rising of the court : Ten years' transportation.—Joseph Hudson, aged 18, for stealing sundry articles of wearing apparel from Hugh Jones and John Jones. Seven years' transportation.—Robert Haynes, aged 16, for stealing a watch from John Grimsby. Margaret Ferry, 40, for stealing a coat, the property of Michael Bowes. Imprisonment.—William Morton, five months, for stealing three cart loads of timber from Charles Chal loner. John Walmsley, six months, for stealing tools from a joiner's shop. George Wilson, three months, for receiving stolen money, a silver snuff box, and two rings. Sophia Thomason, same time, for stealing six books. Michael Williams, four months. for stealing six books from his master, John Pye. Harriet Wilson, eight months, for stealing a sovereign and a shilling from John Rennie. John Lyon, five months, for stealing a watch, coats, &c., from Samuel Slater. The others tried were sentenced to minor terms of im prisonment, from two months down to two weeks. ATTEMPTED HOUSEBREAKING.—A young man named William Potter was yesterday charged with this offence. A Mr. Holt, who resides in Heath-street, said he and his family had all gone to church on Sunday, and on his return he found the back door (of the yard) had been opened, and saw the prisoner about. The latter, on being apprehended, was found to have a large bunch of keys in his possession, evidently for the purpose of making entre into dwellings or warehouses. He would no doubt have entered the house by the back door leading to the yard, but the key happened to be left in it, when the family went out by the front. He was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. SALE or GUANO.—On Friday last 850 tons of this fertilizing material was offered for public sale, the cargo of the Commerce, from Ichaboe,-400 tons by Messrs. Shand, Hughes, and Higson, and 450 tons by Mr. I. H. Rayner. The attendance was so great that the sale was adjourned to the Cotton Sale-room, over the Exchange News-room. Of the quantity offered 100 tons were sold at from £7 to £7 ss. per ton—nearly all on Glasgow ac count. The remainder of the cargo was taken in at £7 10s., under which price, it is understood, it will not be sold. From an analysis of this cargo by Dr. tire (and a statement of the result of which was handed round the room) it is stated that this cargo was of a fine quality; that it contained a large quantity of amonia, and that it was the first " clear sample" he had seen from Africa. THE FUNDS, SATURDAY NIGHT.—At the Stock-Ex change to-day business has presented no particular feature. The broker for the Commissioners of Savings'-banks has rather extended his purchases, and hence the firmer tone of Consols which leave off 98k for money and the ac count. New Three-and-a-Half per Cents. closed 1024 to R.. Exchequer-bills were quoted at the lower premium of 68 to 70. Spanish securities were heavy at a fall of about one half per cent., the news from Madrid causing the spe culators to make sales. The Actives closed at 24i to /, and the Three per Cents., 35k to In other respects there was no material change to notice. Belgian was finally marked 104 to 105; Brazilian, 82 to 83; Buenos Ayers, 37 to 38 ; Chilian 103 to 105 ; Columbian 141 to 15 ; Danish, 88 to 89 : Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents., 57/ to 2 ; the Five per Cents., 1011 to 102 ; Mexican, 351 to 36 ; the Deferred, 144- to / ; Peruvian, 291 to 30 ; and Portuguese, 461 to 471. TESTIMONIALS TO " TIMES' " REFORTERS.—The Welshman newspaper, of last week, contains a long ac count of the intended (and deserved) presentation of a splendid silver goblet and waiter to Mr. T. C. Foster, the talented writer of the numerous and invaluable communi cations from South Wales which have appeared from time to time in the columns of The Times during the late dis turbances. The inscription on the waiter is as follows : " After the cessation of Rebeccaism , ' this piece of law of w a t s he pr m ese i n dd te le d T to eff l: p . le C :Fe F b o n st i e a r r) , , 11384a4r,rishtyer thea in at Farmers and others resident the districts which had been before disturbed, as a very slight testimonial of their sense of the important services rendered by him to the Poor, and the good done to the country generally by his able, truthful exposition of the actual state of South Wales, continued from day to day with untiri ng energy i n the columns of The Times, as a mark of th e i r sense o f hi s uncom promising spirit, unostentatious patriotism, and devotion to the interests of the Welch community by re presenting their grievances, and induci ng th e governrnant of Great Britain to send down a Commission to inquire into them." The above is the second instance within our knowledge of testimonials having been given to " Times' reporters" for extraordinary public services rendered,— the present, and the one to Mr. L. T. G as kill , (now mes sager of our bankruptcy court.) Both gentlemen were reporters upon the Liverpool Standard prior to their be ing connected with The Times. Mr. T. C. Foster suc ceeded Mr. L. T. Gaskill as reporter upon this paper, and the latter in 1839 was presented with a go ld snu ff b ox f or his enterprising efforts and success in discovering the means of delivery of The Times in Liverpool and Man chester, (a distance of 210 mil es f rom L on d on, ) b y f our o'clock in the afternoon of the day of publication. March 19, 1841. STATE OF THE AMERICAN COTTON-MARKET► AND PROSPECTS OF THE CROP• By the arrival of the Hibernia, mail steam-ship, we are favoured with the circular of Messrs. Stewart & Wrig ht ' of New York, dated the 28th ult., together with a private letter dated on the 29th ult., at the latest hour whi ch would save the packet. The substance of the informat ion conveyed by this document, and fro m o th e r sources with in our reach, we here give. The writers adhere t o th e o pi n i on ex p ress ed in theft circular of last month, a s t o th e ex t en t o f th e crop. wh ic ,, they set down at 1,800,000 b a l es , a lth oug h they realer; that the majority of the letters from New Orleans an Mobile—and these not from parties solely interested la the staple—speak with more confidence of 1,600,000 to 1,700,000 bales. The ground of this confidence is in Par t the falling-off of the quantity received in these and other ports as compared with the quantity at the correspond ing period last year. At New Orleans the receipts up to the:, 17th of February show a decre as e of 227,937 bales. Mobile, where the total receipts have been calculated upon as equal to those of last year, the receipts up to the 17th February exhibit a decrease of 12,435 bales. 111 Florida and the Atlantic States the crop is represented al being already nearly all received; and the total discre pancy, as compared with last year, amounts to 314,485, the quantity received last year up to present dates behl 1,496,179 bales, and this year only 1,181,694. There therefore be over 600,000 bales still to be received tome° up the estimated crop of 1,800,000; and this, notwith standing planters must have hurried forward their croPa to meet rising markets, and of late have done so from a fear of the rivers, which are rapidly falling, becoming unnavigable. The fact, mentioned in Messrs. Stewart and Co.'s cir cular, is worthy of consideration, in estimating the pr o. bable amount of the crop, that whilst in the Atlantic ports the quality of cotton has been better than usual as to co; lour, cleanliness, and staple ; the arrivals at Mobile an New Orleans, since the first week in February, have con" tained a great quantity of very inferior—in fact of cote' plete trash—which has become known as storm cottolf, and is represented as scarcely merchantable. Some ° f this description has been sold as low as ten dollars Pa r bale. Various estimates are made of the probable clua rl .: tity of trash of the ki n d t o arr i ve ; an d i t i s thought (10'w likely that it may be large enough to have an influence 011 the good and sound portion of the crop, and do m uch to' wards making even the smallest estimate a liberal allow' ante of merchantable cotton for the year ending Ist Sep' tember, 1844. _ The stocks on hand in all the ports are 620,994 bales against 422,137 at the corresponding period of last year' This excess of stock is principally held at New York , which contains 152,000 bales against 30,000 last year, and New Orleans, which contains 225,930 against 187,365 last year. Nor does there appear any probability of this stock being forwarded fir awhile, partly owing to the increased price asked for freights and the unfavourable rate of ex' change. In New Orleans, on the 10th ult., there was an attempt made to ship and so m e v e sse l s t a ken up ca r Liverpool ; and these will take in all 20,000 bales. i ll Mobile, for the week ending 17th February, there WIS not a single bale exported to Great Britain ; and from letter from Savannah, of the 20th February, we learn tbs t "although tonnage is abundant, stock, ample, and star ling exchange in demand, there has not been a single 1 3 5; chase on English account in this market since the stabil' of the last steamer." In New York some vessels bait . been taken up, and more cotton is in course of shipiliel l t than at any previous period this season ; but this is Il e on account of recent purchases but for pur c h a ses toa within the last three months, w hi c h are t o b e h e ld in DI: rope until the issue of the crop is decided, and are lot l l now in anticipation of a fall i n E xc h ange an d advance d rates of freight. It is evident, from all that we have said, that we ar e not likely to have any great pressure of stock upon oa r own market, to arise from large arrivals for awhile, pro vided the speculators in the United States can afford to hold for firm prices. In the meantime money continua abundant; an d a lth oug h t h e l ates t a d v i ces b efore us FL" some reports of an increased estimate of the crop, it ! h a ; generally believed th a t thi s was on l y an attempt , 0 0 part of buyer s t o i nvest on more reasonable terms, '" creating a temporary panic ; and holders, therefor e ' shewed no disposition to force sales. THE CHASE. The Cheshire Hounds will meet on Wednesday, March 20, at Bridgemere Lodge, Docldingto o Thursday 21, at Saturday 23, at At half-past ten o'clock. Sir W. W. Wynn's Hounds meet on Tuesday 19, at Thursday 21, at Saturday 23, at . . . Tuesday 26, at . At half-past ten o'clock The Shropshire Hounds meet on Tuesday 19, at .. .... Friday Friday 22, at At a quarter before eleven. / deft The Rev. Robert Townley, 8.A., so n o f Mr. To r ,,r St. of Lancaster, has been inducted to the incumbency Matthew's, in this town. no of Lord SAND O N p resente d a petition to the the Commons, on Wed nes d ay, from Limi e r. repeal of the union of St. Asaph and Bangor node. -- bishop. Persons about to invest their capital in landed pr o p erty would do well to perus e th e advertisement of Mr. Wil liams in this day's paper. Several of the lots he adver tises are most eligible. On Thursday, Lord Sandon, M.P., Sir Howard Doug' las, M.P., Mr. Pakington, M.P.,Mr. Hawes, M•P•r a deputation of the soap manufactu r e rs o f England, ha i• an interview with Sir Robert Peel at his residence I rl Downing-street. THE ASSIZES.—The commission for the southern , ( . 1i " vision of this county will b e o p ene d i n t hi s town on 08" M t u r r d . a Justice next, Coltmantll the 23rd and Baron Rolfe, instant, and on Ife judges, the despatch gtes; despatch of business,---the former in the Crown Coat' and the latter on the civil side. Lord Sandon. M.P., and Mr. Lockhart, M.P. accall . : panied by Mr. Tennent, fro m Gl asgow, an d some o f the master coopers of Londo n , h a d an i nterv i ew w ith Dv' Gladstone on Friday, at the office of the Board of Trade , on the grievances affecting the coopers' trade. Mr. F. BOND HUGHES.—We perceive by an advertise: ment that this gentleman, whose name has figured s;° l conspicuously in the Irish State T r i a l s , an d w h o earne d for himself the encomiu ms o f a ll c l asses f rom th e s traight" forward manner in which he gave his evidence for alv crown on that occasion, attends our assizes as usual. COMMITMENTS.—Yesterday at the police court, a 13 , °59 ; named John Shaughnassey, was committed for trial the present sessions, on a charge of having been cooc er- o i ed in stealing three silk handkerchiefs from the sb ° Piiis Mr. Jones, in Dale -street, on the second instant. t 10r accomplice had previously been apprehended and sen trial. FANCY LACES.—We beg to direct the attention of suell of our readers as intend preparing their own dresses for the ensuing fancy ball, to the advertisement of Mr. At' kinson. His stock, real and imitation gold and silver laces, some of which are extremely low in price, is mokt extensive; every other article in the theatrical decorative line will be found here in abundance. TH E DISP ENS AILIES.—The second list of subscription s for the purpose of relieving these most valuable charities from the pressure of their very serious debt appears in our advertising columns. We beg respectfully to call the fit' tention of the clergy to the extremely depressed condi"' on of these instituti ons , an d urgent l y do solicit them t.° request at the hands o f th e i r congregations, collections , release the com m i t t ee f rom t h e i r present burden. tir e 3 the alternativ e ment i one d o f g i ving up one of the disPell, saries will not be submitted to. STOCK EXCHANGE, MARCH 18. Edinburgh and Glasgow 63i. Eastern Counties, perpetual 1 1 I 10. Birmingham and Gloucester 85-4. Greenock. preference 24 ex. Greenock l4i ex. Rouen and Havre 15. Dover Scrip 36—i. Grand Junction 234. Ditto Half Liverpool Bank.... .. .. _ . . . 2 15 6--i--15 6. Paris and Lyons Lancaster and Carlisle. ' Holyhead 6i. Dublin and Cashel 5----3, Royal Bank 7o3a. Eastern Counties, registered .13i---7 16. Paris and Orleans 34i. Faris and Rouen 35 London Stock 236. Brighton . .44 ' South Western 821 .--4 Old Dover 35i. LIVERPOOL HAY AND POTATOE MARK i. ' MARCH 18. _ . 01 Potatoes, lg. , 951 b S. d. S. d. Illay, old 2t/13 0 7 (f-' 0 0 Pink.eyes 10 Cups .... U 6 44 4 3 Short-tops 2 1— 2 3 St raw, Wh ea t. 0 34 -- 0 A 4 Cattle - Si Turnips, v. ton ....24 0 —27 0 Barley - o 0 Carrots 32 0 —33 0 ,Manglewurzle23 0 —9, LIVERPOOL: TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1844• PRINTED AND PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY MORNING' BY JOSHUA FLETCHER LACE, of 53 Grove-street, ar ia LEONARD ADDISON, of 14, Great Orford-street , At N 0.4, ST. GEORGE'S CRESCENT,LIVERPOOfr o ci Orders and Adertisements are received by Messrs. NesW i reeti Co , Warwick-square ; Barker and White, Fleet-saruer• Deacon, Walbrook ; Reyn ell. 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