The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-13 00:00:00

upply this market, whilst America, with a large sur plus produce, has not succeeded in disposing of it, is scarcely a fair criterion to go upon. Take the average prices in the United States and in continental markets for the past ten years ; and we shall willingly be guided by it. The question, however, is not material : if Great Britain is to become a large and regular im porter of corn, her markets will guide the prices both in Europe and America, and the supply must be di vided. We shall never in practice, without discrimi- native legislation, procure our corn, of necessity, from countries which take our goods in return; but, upon the acknowledged principle of free trade, buy where we can buy cheapest. We do not think that America is the market in which we can do so. The most important part, however, of the Journal's article is, his remarks upon the nature of the con nexion between the price of food and the price of la bour. We quote them entire, because we consider them about the cleverest we have met with, upon the subject. Whether they are more honest, however, than the somewhat opposite opinions of the Man- chester Guardian, and other anti-corn-law writers, we shall not offer an opinion. The Journal says : " The assertion that the rate of wages follows the price of food, is one which has not even the prestige of antiquity, nor the sanction of a great name. It is a mere modern piece of country-squirism. It only astonishes us how any reflecting man can repeat it. " If we are asked whether we do not think that to main tain, or rather regain, our manufacturing prosperity, we must have cheaper labour and cheaper food, we are much disposed to answer the question in the affirmative, though that is no part of our argument against the corn-laws, from which we should expect moderately lowered prices, and greatly in creased means of consumption. Though some people may, we think very foolishly, it is not from mere cheapening of corn that we expect prosperity. If that will make us pro sperous, we are likely to have it full soon. Under the old law, we had corn down in one year (1835) to 365. In the first year of the present one we have it down to 48s. If we have an abundant harvest next year, we shall to a certainty have it down to 365. again. Without a change, to fight against all the disadvantages of not taking corn and sugar from foreign nations, and of taxing cotton and wool, wages of labour and (as a consequence and not as a cause) prices of food must be reduced to at least as low a rate as on the continent ; for we are sacrificing all the advantages of our position. To maintain those, to avoid such a calamity,—for the ruin of the agricultural interests, we feel as strongly as any one, would be a great one,—we would repeal the present corn-law. We should then calculate on an import never at a lower rate than 405., rarely higher than 505., usually about 455. By this, all classes of workmen would be able to buy themselves plenty of food ; four hundred thousand able bodied paupers would be enabled to buy for themselves and families the two millions of quarters of corn now given to them for doing nothing ; and the three hundred thousand added to our population every year, instead of going into the workhouses, would forge, and spin, and weave, to buy the food which they now beg or steal, or starve for the want of." We were never enamoured of those abstract prin ciples by which political economists would regulate all commercial legislation. We do not even subscribe to the dogma—whether of Sir Robert Peel or of any other man—that we should always " buy at the cheap est market." Carry out this doctrine to its fullest extent, rind all commercial legislation is uncalled for — nay, even prejudicial. We have no right, then, to have colonies. The whole principle, and details as well, of our tariff, are unwise. If we can buy our silks, our cottons, our hosiery, from other countries as cheaply as our own, we ought to be permitted to do so. Reci procal treaties, even, are so many treaties of injustice and folly. But what sane man, we ask, would go this length ? Circumstances must ever guide us in legisla tion, and not mere abstract principles ; and these cir cumstances will be found to operate upon the realisa• tion of the doctrine that low wages and cheap provisions accompany each other•. It is the natural state of things; and wherever it does not occur, depend upon it there is something artificial in the state of society in which such a phenomenon is produced. _ _ We admit that cheap food has not produced cheap labour, as a general rule, in this country ; and especially amongst our manufacturing population. In 1935, the Journal reminds us, the price of wheat was, in one week, as low as 365. the quarter. Now, what, we ask, was the state of wages in that and the following year ? They rose, in the manufacturing districts, as Mr. Ed mund Ashworth, a competent anti-corn-law authqrity, assured the Somerset-hcuse Commissioners, ten per cent. The demand for labour exceeded the supply ; and the same gentleman implored the Commissioners to grant relief to the manufacturing capitalists, from the source within their reach—pauper migration. The prayer was granted ; and the downward progress of wages, which had for years been going on, recom menced. Cheap corn then produced, first, good wages and increased comforts to the labourer ; and, NEXT, migration of the agricultural population to the fountain of those comforts, with ultimate overstocking of the labour market. The cheapness here, however, it must be borne in mind, was produced by abundant harvests. A good home demand had created employment for the manufacturing masses. The China and East India markets had just . been opened. The railway mania was in its height; and we were in the midst of a ficti tious prosperity. Hence, good wages was the tempo rary accompaniment of cheapness. But let that cheap ness be created by foreign importation, and even the temporary refutation of the principle that cheapness of food and cheapness of labour go hand in hand, will not occur. The agricultural labourers, dispossessed of em ployment upon the poorer soils, will flock to the labour market of the manufacturing districts, and will take employment whenever it will bring them the decreased amount of wages which will buy them food. Such a result our contemporary evidently contemplates ; and the more corn we import,—the lower we drive the price of corn, the more rapidly it will be produced. But the Journal says, cheap corn is the consequence of low wages, and not vice versd. Why what a fallacy is here ! Surely wages were low enough last year; hut was corn low ? Or can wages, however high, make the price of corn high, with open ports ? But the ab surdity is too palpable, and we leave it. We cannot let pass the opportunity, which offers to-day, of expressing our thanks for the firmness, in repressing those unseemly exhibitions of ill-temper and ill-breeding in the Council, which has thus far been exhibited by his worship, the present Mayor. That the task is a difficult one we well know, and the more, on that account, we appreciate the effort to per form it. We do not say that it will be entirely suc cessful, for you might as well attempt to harness a grasshopper, or to extract silence from a green parrot, as to restrain within any assignable bounds of decorum one member of that Council, whom we need not name. Men who cannot be looked at, even, without breaking out into unseemly buffooneries, are xot easily con vertible into orderly members of any deliberative assembly : and our only hope, therefore, in this quar ter, is, that the constantly recurring admonitions of his worship may at length produce that disgust in the entire body of the Council, which will make itself felt even by one so impenetrable to ordinary appliances. Of this we are certain, that a respect for their own character ought to urge even the " liberal" party to lend their best aid to the efforts of Mr. Gladstone to elevate the character of the assembly over which he presides. Conduct towards an opponent which would be scouted as impertinent in a tap-room, should not be countenanced by educated gentlemen in the Coun cil. It will be seen by a paragraph in another column, that a system of espionage has recently beex intro duced into our police force for the detection of publicans and beer-sellers, in breaches of the new local act affecting them, the fairness of which, as regards those whom it is sought to punish, and its policy as regards the parties employed to carry it out, appear to us to be highly questionable. We allude to the order ing of police officers to watch and enter inns and taverns, in the disguise of sailors, or workmen of pecu liar garb, without staff. truncheon of office, or other badge or proof of authority. A female, a Mrs. Chis nall, who keeps a public-house in the borough, and who was brought before Mr. Rushton on Friday last, has the merit of being the first to protest, before the magistrate, against such a practice, which she consi dered (and we think ,on good grounds,) as unfair to the trade, and as vesting the constabulary with a power that is liable to the grossest abuse. She stated that her house had been entered by several men, in the guise of sailors, who produced no authority, nor even informed her that they were policemen, but whom she now found were the officers who appeared against her. The men, indeed, said that they did tell her they were constables; but admitting that they had, any sailor, as she remarked, might say the same thing, and thereby get into her house after hours, she being liable to a fine if she refused admittance to the police; and it is obvi ous, we may add, that if they were not officers, and got in by a false personation, it was difficult to get rid of such customers ; and the probability would be, that if they were there found by the real " Simon Pures," and any dregs or ale bottoms were left about, she would be equally amenable to a fine. Besides, no publican can have a personal knowledge of every man in a force of between six and seven hundred men ; and when one or more of them enter a house in unwonted attire, and afterwards appear against the keeper, in police uniform, as witnesses, it may be difficult for the defenaant to re cognize them as the same individuals. The defendant's witnesses, too, may be equally puzzled in this respect, for difference of dress frequently gives a very different contour or appearance to persons. Defendants may thus be put in a doubtful or indefensible position; and in candid minds the evidence becomes liable to suspi cion, which would not arise were the proceedings open and above board. Mr. Rushton appeared to be c f opinion that there was some justice in Mrs. Chisnalfs complaint, and properly remarked that he was not him self aware of such a practice being adopted, but he should make inquiry into it. We know not by whom the system was introduced. We are informed, however, that it was adopted — doubtless with good intentions—for the purpose of detecting certain publicans who employ persons at the entrances of their houses (after or before legal hours) to watch the coming of the officers, and who, on a signal being made, contrive to clear the decks, and get rid of their company; thus evading what we consider to be a really salutary law. If this be the reason, we think it one that is untenable; for it admits that the very sight of a police-officer is a powerful check to the evil in question, and that the disguising of such officer as a sailor, or otherwise, is an aim at detection rather than at prevention. But, be this as it may, the system (which may be very well in some cases for the detection of felonies, or secret conspiracies) is doubly objection able :—first, as regards the trade, on the grounds stated, as well the pre-supposing their guilt—which is rather unconstitutional ; and, secondly, as regards the officers themselves. It casts a stigma upon the former, unmerited by them as a body, many of their houses being conducted in an unexceptionable manner ; and it tends to degrade the latter, by lowering them to the obnoxious character of spies. Amongst the abuses to which, if persisted in, it will open the door, not the least is, that, under its wing, constables in disguise may obtain admission into public-houses at all hours of the night, and getting—if they think fit—a glass here and a glass there, may become intoxicated; for it is quite clear, that though publicans are liable to fine for such supply to men on duty, the promise of suffer ance in such cases held out, by the officers themselves, —who can alone become informers—and the. fear of giving offence to these lynx-eyed guardians of. the night, —must generally result in compliance. It would be unjust to assume that this would be the general conduct of the officers; but that it would give such facilities to the less steady amongst them, at hours when few of the public are abroad, and still fewer to recognise them in their plain clothing, is, we think, unquestionable. Surely, the vigilance of the police as officers, numerous as they are, is quite sufficient to carry out the purposes of the legislature, without re sorting to schemes of mere detection, at once insidious and abhorrent to English feeling. The secret system to detect political offenders had its day. It was some times available for good, but was found to be beset with so many concomitant evils, that it was, by almost common consent, consigned to " the tomb of all the Capulets." We deprecate its revival, even on a small scale, in the social relations of life, and trust the proper authorites will see reason to abandon it. The police force has need of all the popularity which an open, undisguised, impartial, and uncompromising ex ercise of their legitimate functions can supply; and it were unwise to subject them to the unenviable notoriety of occasionally appearing amongst any class of their fellow-citizens as spies. LOCAL NEWS. The Cheshire Foxhounds meet to-morrow ("Wednesday), at Mere Hall ; on Thursday, at Tabley ; and on Saturday, at Taryen ;—each day at half-past ten. MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.-It will be observed in the advertisement of the Mechanics' Institution that Mr. Henry Russell, the popular vocalist, will appear to-morrow evening, and sing many of his excellent compositions. THE LATE CHARLES BIRCH, ESQ.—A handsome mural monument of white marble, in the form of a sarcophagus, surmounted by a sepulchral urn, has just been erected to the memory of this gentleman, in the interior of St. Mary's Church. Edge-hill. Major-General Nott, of the East India Company's service, who has recently so gloriously distinguished himself in India, is a Welshman, and was educated at the Mathematical Aca demy at Cowhridge, under the care of that exemplary man and much honoured preceptor, the late Mr. Thomas Williams. CHARLES WILLMER'S AMERICAN NEW S-LETTER. — We have seen a copy of this new publication, and consider it will be highly advantageous to the mercantile interest on the other side of the water. The latest intelligence is con tained in it almost to the time of the steamer sailing. COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION.-Mr. Wareing Webb is about to publish a line engraving on steel of this beautiful build ing, from a drawing by Mr. Elmes. We have seen a proof impression, and though small, it gives a correct idea of the noble institution. The engraver is Mr. J. H. Le Keux, who has great eminence in the art. THE GREAT FIRE.—COMPTON HOUSE.—It will be seen that our spirited townsmen, Messrs. Jeffery and Morrish, have been the first in the field in purchasiag part of the large stock of Mr. Joseph Norton, the manufacturer at Clayton West, near Huddersfield, whose premises were lately de stroyed by fire. This purchase is to be marked at extraordi narily low prices ; and we recommend ladies, this December weather, to be early in the day in making their visits to the Compton House Establishment. FALSE REGISTRATION.—Mary Hall was placed before Mr. Rushton, on Saturday, charged with having defrauded a registrar of births, marriages, and deaths. It appeared that the prisoner had twice, since the beginning of August list, given false information to Mr. Edward Lovatt of the deaths of two children, on each of which occasions she re ceived a shilling. She attempted the fraud a third time, but, suspicion having been excited, inquiry was made, and the frauds were discovered. The prisoner was committed for trial. RETURNED EMIGRANTS. — AIthough it is usual, during the latter part of the year, for numbers of persons to return in the steerages of the ships from New York, this year the number has been much greater than usual. The majority of them are people who emigrated early in the year, and who, disappointed on their arrival in the United States at not getting employment, have returned, many of them in a state of utter destitution. The Liberty, which arrived in the early part of the week, brought 120 in the steerage, and the Hottinguer, which arrived on Friday, brought 200. From the scarcity of employment in the cities on the seaboard, it is likely that hundreds of disappointed emigrants will yet return. THEATRE-ROYAL.—At a general meeting of the proprie. tors of this establishment, held on Thursday last, at the office of Messrs. Foster and Lloyd, it was unanimously re solved, that legal measures should be immediately resorted to for the protection of this establishment from allinfrac tions of the patent rights exclusively granted to the proprie tors of this theatre. Notices to this effect were, on Friday, served upon the managers and different members of the un licensed theatres now in Liverpool. At the same meeting, the proprietors, in the most liberal manner, agreed to a con siderable reduction of the rent now paid for the theatre. We congratulate the lessee, Mr. Hammond, upon this arrange ment, and trust, after the many difficulties he has had to encounter during the past year, that he will now enter upon a prosperous career as manager of our theatre.—Journal. PUBLICANS AND BEER-SELLERS FINED.-At the Po lice-court, on Friday, ten publicans and four beer-sellers were brought before Mr. Rushton, for various infractions of the regulations affecting them, particularly selling at illegal hours on Sunday morning. A few were acquitted, and the rest fined 60s. and 40s. as their cases appeared. One of them, a Mrs. Chisnall, made a spirited appeal to the magis trates against the novel practice of sending policemen in the disguise of sailors to watch publicans, enter their houses, and fine them. She considered such a practice very unfair, as any sailor might come in and represent himself as a police man. She added that they came in that guise without any stick or badge of authority. Mr. Rushton admitted the com plaint to be proper, and said he would make inquiry about it. THE FUNDS.—SATURDAY EVENING.—The market for public securities has not exhibited much business to-day. Prices in the case of Government stocks were as they closed yesterday—Consols for the Account being quoted 93i to 91; Bank Stock, 1721 to 1731 ; Exchequer Bill, 51s. to 535. pre mium ; Three-and-a-Half per Cents. Reduced, 101 ; India Bonds, 455. to 475. premium; Three per Cents. Reduced, 941 to -a ; and Long Annuities, 12a. In foreign securities there were few buyers. Spanish stock closed flatter on ac count of the unfavouaable intelligence from Barcelona. The Actives closed 17-K to 18 ; the New Three per Cents., 231 to ; Portuguese Five per Cents., 38 to 1 ; ditto Three per Cents., 221 to 3; Mexican, 30i to 31k; Dutch Two-and-a- Half per Cents., 52 to -1; ditto Five per Cents., 101 to 0 ; Brazilian, 69 to 70; Colombian, 211 to ; and Belgian, 102 to 1. TOXTEEH-PARK OPERATIVE PROTESTANT ASSOCIA TION.-At a meeting of the committee of this association, on Friday evening last, we understand that the following motion was passed ;—" Resolved, that this committee views with deep regret the step which has been taken by G. H. Lawrence, Esq., and those who supported him in his motion respecting the new plan of education, in which is seen a com promise of God's truth, and a plain proof that they care more for the bodies of the poor Roman Catholics than they do for their immortal souls. And in the face of their boasted love for the Church of England, which says in her 22d article That the Church of Rome teaches doctrines not grounded upon any warranty of Scripture, but rather re pugnant to the Word of God.' They purpose giving secular instruction to the children upon the condition that their pa rents take care that they are taught these doctrines which the Church of England condemns ; and it believes it is quite evident to every sound churchman that these gentlemen have betrayed the very principle which sent them to the council; therefore, this committee entreats humbly and affectionately the electors of these men to request them to resign, and send others who will not tamper with the enemy of all that Englishmen ought to hold dear as their lives—' the unerring Word of God,' which says, ' Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.' " LIVER THEATRE.—The Liver Theatre is now open. Mrs. Itzwilliam is playing several of her amusing characters. Ir. Hoskins and Mr. I'. Lee are engaged. Toe New CHININEYSWEEPING ACT. — George Ryley, a master sweep, was, on Saturday, charged before Mr. Rush ton, by a young man who had been in his service, with having compelled the said young man to enter a flue in the premises of Messrs. Taylor and Co. The defendant was fined £5 and costs. In default of payment, he was committed for 21 days. THE BOLD-STREET CLUB.—Mr. Shaw, Secretary of the Bold-street Club, appeared before Mr. Rushton, on Satur day, having been summoned by William Dickinson, a sailor. The latter stated, that, during his passage to Quebec, in Au gust last, he fell into the hold of the vessel, and broke his arm. He remained off duty till the 30th September. On the 17th November they were in dock at Liverpool, and on the following day he sent a notice to the club, according to the second rule. Mr. Rushton examined the rules, and found that if members resided at a distance the Secretary should, on receiving a form, pay any allowance, to which they were entitled, over to such person as might be appointed, and in the form it was set forth that no person should receive more than one week's pay for time elapsed. Mr. Rushton said as the accident occurred in the performance of duty, the ship was bound to pay wages, and give medical and other at tendance. The claimant allowed that he had received all this, but said he paid 2s. 2d. per week to the society, and if he could not claim now where was the benefit. Mr. Rush ton said if the claimant had broken his arm on land, the club would have been bound to pay him his allowance, as he could not have received any wages while unable to work, but geo graphical circumstances had here prevented him from com plying with the rules, and;•'as a sailor, the law protected him, and granted him wages and medical attendance during the time he was disabled. The complaint was dismissed. Cor.msioN ON THE RIVER.—On Friday, the master of the steam-boat " Cheshire Witch," which plies between Rock Ferry and Liverpool, appeared before Mr. Rushton to answer a charge preferred against him by the owner of the schooner Devonshire, who claimed damages for alleged in jury done to the latter vessel by the steamer running foul of her. The captain of the Devonshire said that on the Friday night previous he was steering his vessel into George's Dock basin, and when near the entrance he saw a steamer coming across the bows of his schooner, and she soon came in con tact with her. There was, lie'said, plenty of room for her to have passed between his vessel and the pier head if she had kept her course, which she did not, there being a space of from 200 to 300 yards. Witness, on seeing her, had the helm put hard-a-port. Mr. Jenkins, solicitor, who appeared for the owners of the Cheshire Witch, said that that vessel started on her last trip to Rock Ferry at nine o'clock that night, and immediately on leaving George's Pier, endeavoured to get into the strength of the tide, in doing which she had to pass on the lee side of the Duke of Bridgewater steamer, which had several flats in tow. In going out he saw something black, and ordered the helm to be put a-port ; but directly after a small boat came from under the bow of the schooner, and he was obliged to stop the engine, otherwise the boat would have been run down. He admitted that had the steamer kept on her course she would have cleared the schooner, but in that case the boat would have been swamped, and the men in her killed or drowned. He had witnesses to prove that had the schooner kept her helm a-port the colli sion would have been avoided.—Mr. Owen, a passenger on board the steamer, spoke to the facts stated by Mr. Jenkins, and Mr. Rushton said that the case must be dismissed, as the captain of that vessel had acted in a humane and praise worthy manner ; for had he not stopped the engine at the time, the boat would have been swamped, and the men drowned. FORGING A CHERUE.—A charge of forging a cheque, for £5O, was preferred at the police-court, yesterday, against a young man named Alexander Mason. It appeared that the prisoner is the son of the late Mr. Robert Mason, boot and shoemaker,. of 80ld -street, who died about two years ago. Mrs. Mason and Mr. Pattinson (who died two months after wards), were left executors of the deceased's will. Mrs. Mason, heft° . in ill health, entrusted Miss Maso n and the prisoner with the power of drawing cheques upon Messrs. Moss, bankers ; and it, therefore, became requisite that whenever a cheque was drawn, it should be signed by both parties. On Saturday last, the prisoner presented a cheque for £5O at the bank, which purported to be signed in the re gular way by himself and his sister, and the money was paid to him. In the course of the day it was disco vered that the signature of Miss Mason was a forgery ; and information being given to the police, the prisoner was apprehended by Inspector Maddox whilst drinking in the Shakspeare Tavern, Dawson-street. The sum of 1.75. 3d. was found upon him. Having been placed in custody, he said, " I received the money : do you think they will transport me ?" Mr. Peter Cottingham Moss. who cashed the cheque, stated, that, in the first instance, a stran ger came to the bank, with a sheet of paper, on which the form of a cheque was given ; but he went away on being told that the signature purporting to be Miss Mason's was not considered genuine. Shortly afterwards the prisoner came himself, with one of the bank cheque forms filled up, and the money was then paid to him. The money would not have been paid to him on his own signature alone. Miss Mason having proved that the signature was not her's, and that she had given no authority for it to be appended, the prisoner was called upon for his defence. He said, all he had to say was, that he owed several sums of money, and he got the cash out of the bank to pay them. He was committed for trial at the next assizes. SERIOUS ASSAULT UPON A SHIP -CARPENTER.—Yester day a man, named Robert Marsh, who is a ship -carpenter, was brought up at the Police-court, before Mr. Rushton and Mr. Benn, under a warrant, charging him with an assault upon William Williams, also a ship-carpenter. Mr. James, the barrister, and Mr. Leather, solicitor, appeared for the complainant, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Yates, solicitor. Mr. James said this was one of the cases arising out of the disturbances which, for some time past, had existed among the shipwrights. The prisoner had taken an active part in those disturbances, and, on one occasion, he attempted to put a rope round the body of the complainant, who was engaged in repairing a vessel in Queen's Graving Dock No. 2, with the view of his being dragged out of the dock by a body of about 200 of his associates, u - ho were crowded on the quay above. Had that been accomplished, Williams would either have lost his life or have sustained some very serious injury. The learned counsel then called Williams, who said, that, on the 3d of November, he was employed by Messrs. Humble and Milcrest in making stages for a vessel in the graving dock. He was halfway down the mud wall, when from 150 to 200 men made their appearance upon the quay. They made a great noise, and asked him if he was going to " knock off?" He replied that he should not, unless he was ordered to do so either by his employers or by the foreman. The prisoner, on hearing this, came to him halfway down the mud wall ; and, there being a or inch rope, with a noose at one end, hanging from the quay, he attempted to slip the noose over his head and body. He got it as far as the shoulders at first, but complainant lifted it off, and this process took place several times, the men on the quay having hold of the other end of the rope, ready, when it should be fast, to hoist him up. Finding that he could not succeed, the prisoner struck him upon the head, and finally threw him to the bot tom of the dock. This was the assault complained of ; and this account was confirmed by the testimony of Joseph Royle, the foreman. Mr. Yates cross•examined the witnesses, but being unable to affect the credit of their evi dence, he stated so to the court. Mr. Rushton, in giving the decision of the court, said, this was one of those lamenta ble instances of disorder on the part of workmen, which arose out of a total misapprehension of the rights and duties of workmen, and out of an ignorance of the law of the land. The law of England would not permit any man to be inter fered with in the disposal of his labour upon whatever terms he might think it right and equitable to sell it. No man had right or power over him whilst he was doing that which was laudable and right in endeavouring to maintsin his family and himself by his own honest industry. It was a painful thing to find, that men, like the prisoner, who had every opportu nity of acquiring the best information upon their own posi tion and the rights of others, should think it proper to resort to violence. After going through the facts of the case, Mr. Rushton added, that the decision of the court was that the prisoner should be committed for trial at the sessions ; but, in the mean time, he might be admitted to bail on finding sureties, himself in 430, and two others in ;00 each, to ap pear and answer any indictment which might be preferred against him. SERIOUS ROBBERY.—Thomas Spooner, a middle aged man, was placed at the bar of the Police-court, on Friday, charged with having committed a fraud on his employers, the Messrs. Crossfield and Co., wholesale grocers, carrying on business in Temple-court. It appeared that the pri soner had for the last six years been their confidential ware houseman. His duty was to deliver the article sold during the day by the firm, and enter it into the books by the clerks. The article of rice the Messrs. Crossfield did not keep in their own warehouse, but purchased large quantities of it at a time from different rice merchants in the town, and which was delivered as they required it. Spooner being well known to the firms from whom the articles had been purchased, they were delivered to him, when he applied , on account of his employers. He took advantage of this facility, and sold to Mr. M`Levy, of Preston, 25 bags of rice and about one ton of raisins, the latter article being taken direct from his employer's warehouse. He also sold, within the last three months, to Corless and Co., who carry on busi ness as cocoa manufacturers, in Parliament-street, in this town, 274 bags and several tierces of rice, the value of the latter, altogether, amounted to nearly £5OO. The whole of the articles sold by the prisoner were disposed of to the two ' different parties considerably below the price charged by the merchants to the Messrs. Crossfield. Mr. Rushton said that it was a case of great suspicion against Mr. Corless, and told him that he should consider him implicated in the transaction unless he could satisfy him that he had taken that precaution, which, as a respectable tradesman, he ought to have done in the transactions. Mr. Corless stated that he had made inquiry from the Messrs. Hall and Smith, rice merchants, of Edmund-street, and from what they had stated, he believed the transactions to be perfectly correct. A messenger was immediately sent to those gentlemen, re questing their attendance at the court. Shortly after Mr. Medcalf, who manages the business of those gentlemen, ap peared in court, and stated that he knew Mr. Corless only by sight, but never knew him to make any inquiry of the kind. Mr. Rushton then ordered Spooner to be committed to the sessions, and ordered Corless to find bail to the amount of £2OO. About half an hour afterwards, bail was produced to the amount required, and he was liberated. By letters found upon the prisoner, it appeared that M`Levy had questioned him about the mode in which he had become possessed of the articles, and the letter of Spooner, in reply, was produced, which satisfied the mind of Mr. M`Levy as to the correctness of the transactions. Under these circum stances, the magistrates considered that in the transactions of Mr. M`Levy, with the prisoner, there was nothing that would implicate his character.—On Saturday the prisoner Spooner was again placed at the bar. Mr. Corless appeared in court, attended by both his partners, Mr. Isaac Dale Edwards and Mr. John Stephens. Mr. Davenport, solici tor, attended on behalf of Mr. Corless. Mr. William Bol derston and other witnesses were called, who showed that it was very customary for clerks and others in the service of large firms to do business on their own account; and testi mony was given which showed, that the rice purchased by Messrs. Corless and Co. from the prisoner was not under the market price. it further appeared, that the prisoner Spencer had on one occasion purchased some sugar and other articles from Messrs. Crosfield ; that Messrs. Corless had purchased from Mr. Thomas Medcalf, Messrs. Cros- field's clerk, twine and hags, in which he dealt, and had paid the money for them in Messrs. Crosfield and Co.'s office. It was also shown, that Messrs. Carless and Co. had dealt largely with confidential persons, who, being in the service of other individuals, were allowed to traffic on their own ac count. It appeared that Messrs. Corless and Co. were led to believe that the prisoner was a confidential servant, who was struggling to advance himself, as he represented to them, in reply to their inquiries, that he had several shares in building societies, and had drawn out some of them to the amount of £3OO for the purpose of trading with the money ; an assertion which Mr. Stephens the more readily believed, as he knew that Spooner was building several small houses. In his transactions with them he wrote orders at their office for them to go to Messrs. Hill and Smith's for the rice, and the orders were signed in his own name, so that any suspi cions which they might have entertained were completely lulled. The establishment of these points, and particularly that with regard to the fair price of the rice, completely ex onerated Messrs. Carless and Co. from any imputation, and Mr. Rushton expressed his gratification that he was relieved from what would have been a painful duty. He still blamed Messrs. Carless and Co. for their carelessness in having, without more inquiry, dealt so largely with a man holding so subordinate a situation. Mr. Stephens, in reply to a ques tion from Mr. Rushton, said they had paid £3OO to the pri soner on account, and there was still about £lOO due on the transactions. The depositions against the prisoner were read I over, and he was committed for trial. TESTIMONIAL OF RESPECT TO THE REV. HUGH M'NEILE Last evening a very numerous meeting of the members and friends of the Operative Protestant Association was held in the Portico, Newington, for the purpose of forwarding the intended testimonial of respect to the Rev. Hugh M'Neile, which was suggested some time ago by Mr. John Howard. On the motion of Mr. Taylor, JOHN MIDDLETON, Esq. was called to the chair, and the proceedings commenced with a supplication for the divine blessings upon them. The CHAIRMAN said it afforded him unspeakable pleasure to meet his operative friends at their various meetings, but he must say that he met them with increased delight on this occasion. The object they had in view was to at tempt, in some measure, to discharge that debt of gratitude which they all owed to the Rev. Hugh M'Neile. (Loud cheers.) lie really was not aware how to commence, so as to speak sufficiently the praise of the reverend gentle- man. He saw before him; many who were themselves living monuments of the efficacy of his preaching ; and when he told them he was himself a monument of the efficacy of his preaching, he knew he should be speaking to the hearts of many whom he saw before him. About six years ago he came from the Metropolis of this kingdom to reside in this town a confirmed dissenter from tha Church ; he came i recommended to j o i n on e o f th e di ssen ti ng congre gations n the town, particularly that conducted under the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Raffles : but by the kind Providence of God he was invited by an esteemed friend to attend the ministry of the Rev. H. M'Neile. The rev. gentleman at that time happened to be preaching a series of sermons upon the services and liturgy of the establited Church, in which by the Providence of God he was directed to touch upon many of those subjects on which he (the Chairman) objected to the Church of England. He need scarcely tell the meet ing that his objections gave way. He waited upon Mr. M'Neile privately more particularly to consult him upon his objections to infant baptism, the younger branches not having been baptized, as his own inclinations leaned to adult baptism. He should not forget the kind manner in which Mr. M'Neile spoke of his former pastor, the Rev. Dr. Liefchild.—(Hear.) Mr. M'Neile had been represented by some portion of the press of this town, as a narrow-minded bigot. Now, he (the Chairman) well recol lected his conversation with him respecting the Reverend Doctor. " Pray, what minister did you sit under in London ?" Mr. M'Neile enquired. He replied, " The Rev. Dr. Lief child ;" and never should he forget the evident delight with which the rev. gentleman spoke of that eminent man ; he said that Dr. Liefchild was one of the greatest preachers in the kingdom. He was shocked, therefore, when he heard Mr. M'Neile set down as a bigotted narrow-minded man; and it was with peculiar delight he (the Chairman) now came for ward to lend his aid in raising some testimonial of the respect in which they held that esteemed man.—(Loud cheers.) From what he had heard he was happy to say, that this pro posed testimonial would not be confined to Liverpool ; in fact, that there was every prospect of its becoming a national tribute. ( Immense cheering.) The intention had been heard of in the town of Manchester; and he had good reason for believing that the Protestants of that town would join their brethren in Liverpool in this laudable un dertaking. He had also had an intimation from a friend in Birmingham, that the Protestants of that town would rejoice to join them ; so that, although the present might appear but a very small beginning, great things might be properly aimed at. The cause indeed would gather strength as it went on. (Loud cheers.) The chairman concluded by calling upon the mover of the first resolution. Mr. Joarr HOWARD rose amidst much applause and moved the first resolution, which, with the others, will be found in our advertising columns. He said he felt he request made upon him to move this resolution as an unusual honour, and he complied with it with a great deal of pleasure. He little thought, indeed, that the suggestion which he, in the fulness of his heart, threw out at the anniversary of the Operative Protestant Association in the Music-hall, that some public testimonial should be given to that excellent and eminent man, Mr. M'Neile, would have had the influence and power which, by God's blessing, it appeared to have. It was ano ther exemplification of the truth that God chose the weak things of the earth to confound the wise. We might also see in it a verification of that other passage from the word of truth, " how great a matter a little fire kindleth." He hoped the present would be a great matter; and he rejoiced to find there had been, so much notice taken of the few words that had fallen from him on the occasion alluded to — that they had called forth a spirit which ought to have been called forth long ago—that we were now about at length to pay what our enemies called a tardy tribute to one who so well deserved our attention and regard. (Cheers.) Mr. Howard here read the resolution, and it was received with the most enthusiastic and prolonged cheering. He knew, he said, how their hearts would bound as soon as they heard it. It was a resolution fitting for the occasion, suitable to the individual to whom it applied, and fitting to the case for which it was intended to apply. Having, in these words, borne the testimony of friends to the merits of Mr. M'Neile, he would next give them the evidence of an enemy proving the fact. Mr. Howard commented upon an editorial article in the Liverpool Chronicle of Saturday last, headed " The M'Neile Testimonial," written in reply to the letter in the STANDARD, which he showed, contrary to the intention of the writer, furnished the strongest grounds for such a tribute to the reverend gentleman. He concluded by repeating the words of the Chronicle—" that some testimonial is certainly due to Mr. M'Neile from his party." (Loud cheers.) Mr. JOSEPH CRISP said that, in seconding the resolution, he was placed in this awkward and unpleasant predicament : with every desire to say a few words in support of the reso lution, he had nothing left to say ; for his friend Mr. How ard, with all his kindness, had done him a great cruelty, for he had taken the very bread out of his mouth. (Laughter.) He (Mr. Crisp) had also brought the article from the Chro nicle, and was about to move a vote of thanks to the editor for giving him something to read in place of a speech. But, still thrown upon his own resources, he must say a few words. No eulogium was required, from so humble an in dividual as himself, to heighten the estimation in which Mr. M`Neile was held, not only by that meeting and this town, but by the whole country. He quite agreed that the Rev. Hugh M'Neile had done much. through the instrumentality of the Protestant Operative Association, he acting as their bead, both towards returning conservative members for the borough, and in the town council ; aye, and in helping us to turn some liberal conservatives out of the town council, when departing from sound principles. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) They were not proposing to raise an annual rent of £20,000 for Mr. M'Neile : they merely proposed to present him with a testimonial of their regard for his never ending exertions in defence of Protestant truth. (Cheers.) A meeting had been lately held in this town to commence an O'Connell compensation fund, and in the speech of the Rev. Mr. Parker he found Mr. O'Connell eulogized for his friend. ship to the poor and enslaved, whetherin Africa or America, but he saw nothing about the enslaved factory children. Perhaps M r . O'Connell did not receive £1,000—" say one thousand"--to vote against the factory question. (Hear.) By the bye, Irishmen were very fond of boasting that they had no venomous reptiles in Ireland ; he wondered then what they called this reptile with a sting in his tail? (Cheers.) If ever there was a time in which Protestant Associations were required more than another, even in the rough-shod days of whig misrule, now was that time—when Popery was marching with giant strides through the country —when, with daringeffrontery, three cheers were given, at a public meeting in this town, for the Jesuits, an illegal body, and a proposition was made to build a Jesuits' College ; when one of our best buildings was taken for what they call St. Ed ward's School, under a clergyman appointed by Dr. Brown, and which he would take the liberty of calling a Jesuits' College. —(Hear, hear.) If their exertions were wanted, they wanted champions, and where were we to look for them, but in our known and tried ones, in the foremost ranks of which we found the Reverend Hugh M'Neile—(hear, hear),—who had laboured long and fearlessly in the cause. (Cheers.) It was a debt due to such valiant champions to avail our selves of every opportunity to encourage them in the good work. (Loud cheers.) He bad great pleasure in seconding the resolution. Mr. GLEAVE in a very energetic speech, in which he en larged on the extent of Mr. M'Neile's services to the cause of Scriptural education and Protestant truth moved the second resolution. Mr. BARROW seconded the resolution, and the meeting unanimously adopted it. The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution and it was car ried unanimously. The announcement was received with tremendous cheering. The CHAIRMAN then read a list of the subscriptions at present obtained, and announced the several places where they would be received. He mentioned that a Wesleyan Methodist had subscribed half a guinea, as his first instal ment. towards the testimonial, and also promised that, al though be belonged to another congregation, his purse should be again opened in the cause. A vote of thanks was then presented to Mr. Middleton for his able and courteous conduct in the chair. The doxology, " Praise God from whom all blessings flow," was next sung, and the proceedings terminated. LOSS OF THE BRIG LIVERPOOL On the 6th of August last the brig Liverpool, Captain John Ord, belonging to Messrs. Higgin and Lane, of Liverpool, ran upon a bank of sand in the Yang-tse-Kiang river, and became a total wreck. The Liverpool left Amoy on the 21st May last, for Chusan, where she arrived on the 11th June, after a troublesome pas sage along a coast and through channels very little known. She completed loading on the 9th of July, and joined the con voy lying outside the harbour. The navigation among the Chusan Islands is most difficult, the currents and whirlpools being fearfully rapid, sometimes rendering ships totally un manageable. After several dangerous incidents, the brig got safely to Woosung, on the Yang-tse-Kiang river, on the 14th July. Ou the 4th August the senior naval officer at Woosung gave orders to proceed to Nanking with other ves sels under the convoy of H.M.S. Harlequin. By the 6th of August, they had reached a point of the river about 50 miles above Woosung and 100 from Nanking. This is the most dangerous part of the river, having rapid tides and shift ing banks, so that the channel is very uncertain. The Liver pool wus steering after the Harlequin, when the latter was suddenly seen to ground. The anchor of the Liverpool was immediately let go, but, in swinging round, she also groun ded. The other vessels which were astern dropped their an chors and avoided the bank. Assistance was rendered to the Liverpool from the other ships, and by powerful efforts she was got off, but, the capstan giving way at a'sritical juncture she was forced on the bank again, and, as the tide was falling, all efforts to get her off again failed. Meanwhile, the Harle quin had succeeded in getting into deepwater. On the Bth the weather became boisterous, and the vessel straining sprung a leak. Captain Ord requested permission from the captain of the Harlequin to throw overboard the cargo, but this was refused, and on the 10th two junks were taken along side. Part of the cargo was put into these, and part thrown overboard. The crew. with ample assistance from the Har lequin, toiled incessantly both at the pumps and in removing everything of value into the junks on behalf of the under writers. On the 11th it was found that the ship had broken her back. On the 18th, having saved everything possible, and the wreck being nearly buried in the sand, she was aban doned, and the crew divided on board the junks, the mate, Mr. Bell, taking charge of one, and Captain Ord, of the other. It is stated, that the whole of the fleet alluded to, consisting , of seven sail, had been on shore three or four times, so in tricate is the navigation. CHARADE My first's a loaf of sm a llest size, My second i s restrictive found ; 'Tis seen in most menageries, And oft constructed underground. My whole's a man who, small himself, A large loaf asks for little pelf ; And though his spouting's an infliction, Protests against the least restriction. ARTIFICIAL ULTRAMARINE.—This article, which has lately been largely manufactured in France and Germany, possesses such brilliancy and power of colour, that it is found by paper-stainers more economical than cobalt, though the price of the latter is so much less. A new process ter its manufacture has been discovered by M. Tisernon. The pro portions of the various ingredients used are as follows : Finely levigated pipe-clay, 100 parts ; precipitated alumina, (estimated in the dry, but to be used in the gelatinous state,) 7 ; dried carbonate of soda, crystallised, 1075 ; flour of sul phur, 221: sulphuret of ar senic , 5. These are to be care fully mixed, certain proport ions at a time, placed in a covered crucible, and heated cautio usly to a red he a t, w ithout melt ing. If the munipulation is carefully conducted, the colour will be brilliant and perfect; but if allowed to melt, it will be full of browu streaks. LIVERPOOL DECEMBER SESSIONS. The Sessions of the Peace for the Borough•of Liverpool commenced, in the Court-house, yesterday, before JAMES CLARKE, Esq., Recorder. The calendar contains the names of 63 prisoners charged with felony, and 16 with misdemean ours ; total 79. 01 these 5 can read and write well ;13 imperfectly ; 12 can read imperfectly ; and 18 have never been taught either. The court having been opened with the usual formalities, the following gentlemen were sworn the grand jury GEORGE PARSONS, Esq., merchant, Sefton-street, fore- man ; Robert Wainwright Ashley, merchant, Water-street Joseph Brice, corn-merchant, Bedford-street; Samuel Beckwith, hide-broker, Tower-garden; Thomas Birkett, warehouse•owner, Chorley-street ; Henry Booth, gentleman, Bedford-street South; Francis Boult, coal-agent, Chatham-street; John Bent, brewer, Johnson-street ; Robert Crosby, merchant, North John-street; Robinson Duckworth, merchant, Canning-street ; John Goulding jun., corn-merchant, Chorley-street ; Charles Groves, merchant, India-buildings; Abraham Gartside, wool-broker, North John-street ; Peter Hope, grocer, Whitechapel ; Herbert Clayton Langton, share-broker, Exchange- East ; Thomas Mather, corn-merchant, Drury-lane; 'William Oxley, merchant, Rumford-place; Edward Langsdale, timber-merchant, Shaw-street; and Charles Mozley, banker, Mount-pleasant. The CLERK of the PEACE read the Queen's proclamation against vice, profaneness, and immorality ; after which, The RECORDER proceeded to deliver his charge to the Grand Jury. He said he was happy, at the outset, to inform them, that their labours at the present Sessions would not be very heavy. He bad gone over the depositions, and he was happy to say that none of the cases appeared to be involved; they were short and clear ; and, therefore, they would have no difficulty in forming a correct conclusion upon all that were to come before them. In looking over the depositions, he was sorry to observe s e vera l cases o f robbery by confiden tial servants, who had, unfortunately, availed themselves of the confidence reposed iu them to plunder their employers to a considerable extent. He need not say that this was a description of crime over which no police could have control because they were not crimes of violence, but crimes which took place clandestinely and secretly ; they were known to none but the party himself. Now these cases, whenever they were brought before him, he should endeavour to put down by severe, but at the same time, he hoped, by just and correct punishments. He had observed, also, that Sundays seemed to be generally chosen by wicked men for the purpose of breaking into and robbing counting-houses, dwelling houses, and shops. This was a description of property much exposed to plunder on that day. There were a great number of shops in Liverpool detached from the dwelling-houses of the owners, and there was no one upon the premises to pre vent them being entered upon the Sabbath day. The thieves got a knowledge of this fact, and, either late on Saturday night or during Sunday, they contrived to plunder those places. The same observation applied to counting-houses ; and he was sorry to say there were some bad cases to come before them with reference to such offences. Counting-houses were also deserted upon the Sunday ; no one was left there ; therefore, the parties could not possibly have a better oppor tunity than when nobody was there for breaking into them. Wicked men knew this, and they availed themselves of their wicked knowledge as much as they could. They endea voured to plunder, as much as they could, the counting-houses of the merchants of this town when they were thus left. He mentioned this in order_ to suggest that the owners should, as much as possible, so remove their property that the spo liator could not get at it. This, he thought, was an impor tant hint, and he hoped it would be acted upon. He would now refer to the old subject of gaol discipline, but not at much length. They all knew how much anxiety there was to reform and amend the discipline of our gaols; and he might mention that a committee of the magistrates of this county had been appointed to examine into and report upon that subject. He had had the honour of being chosen a member of that committee, but he confessed he felt consi derable difficulty in coming to a conclusion. A noble lord (Lord Western) had written a sensible pamphlet upon the necessity of holding a winter commission, and of having more frequent gaol deliveries. His lordship, however, was speaking of aasizes ; but unquestionably, if the jurisdiction of magistrates were to remain so much curtailed as it was at the present time, for they could not now try many offences at sessions as they formerly could, you must, in the same proportion as their jurisdiction was curtailed, give the coun try the power, in some way or other, to try those crimes which the magistrates could no longer try. A large part of the criminal calendar which the magistrates used to investi gate at sessions, they could not now ; therefore, the country had a right to call for more frequent gaol deli; , eries. Lord Western made one observation, in which he almost agreed with his Lordship, that, however efficacious gaols might be in point of discipline, they were not to be considered as schools for education. That kind of idea, indeed, seemed to be growing among the people, that if you educated the cri minals in gaols you turned them out reformed characters. Now, he could not agree to that. The prisoners certainly got a good education in the gaols ; in Lancaster Castle, which he sometimes visited, their progress was surprising. Read ing and writing were often acquired there by men who went in ignorant of both, so that, at the end of their imprison ment, they had been turned out very fair readers and writers indeed. The education given there was undoubtedly good ; and he did not agree with Lord Western that the school thasters ought to be removed from our gaols because they could not accomplish all that was desired, for he thought they did good. Nevertheless, they could not accomplish that which after all was the great thing : although they might communicate a great deal of knowledge, they could not re generate the character. The character was still a bad one, although the prisoner might have acquired a good deal of knowledge, Education in gaols was good as far as it went; but the education the country wanted was education given without the gaol—to prevent parties being committed to gaol. Unless we could give this kind of education, we were doing very little indeed to reform the morals of the lower classes. It was undoubtedly of the most pressing necessity that the education of the lower classes of the people should be carefully attended to; and on this subject an admirable discourse had been published by the Lord Bishop of Ripon. It was the discourse annexed to the annual report of the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge ; and it contained some of the very best obsgrva tions on this subject which be had ever read. His lordship said the country must look after the education of the people in time, or the consequences would be fearful; and he (the Recorder) hoped the subject would be looked into, to see what could be done. And now that happily the country was in a state of peace, he hoped the legislature and the government would take this im portant subject into their most serious consideration, and do what they possibly could to reform the morals of the people, by extending the blessings of education. He had taken up a newspaper on Saturday, in which it was stated that in Liverpool there were at this moment 20,000 children who knew nothing of the Bible —who knew nothing whatever of the blessings of a religious education. How could we deal with such a mass of people, and how could we correct crime if such a mass of ignorance was allowed to prevail? There fore, he said, if education was to be of any service, it must be education given not in gaols, but out of gaols, to prevent, them being committed there. The learned recorder then dismissed the grand jury to their labours. The traverse jury were then called over, and Mr. William Brabazon Jones, draper, of 47, Dale-street, not answering to his name, was fined 40s. for non-attendance, with an in timation that the fine would be repeated each time he did not answer on being called. The trials commenced shortly afterwards, but none of any interest occurred during the day. 11/IRV/0 NANO.—Hervio Nano was received last night at the Theatre Royal with great applause : his performances excited the utmost astonishment. He is really a surprising and remarkable person. FATAL ACCIDENT.-011 Thursday, as a person named Robert Collinson was standing near a hatchway, in the fifth story of the factory in Vauxhall-road, his foot slipped, and he was precipitated to the ground floor, receiving so much injury in the back that he expired on Friday. INTERESTING MUSICAL EVENT.—In the concerts given by Thalberg last week in Dublin. there appeared the remark able spectacle of a young lady of seventeen taking part with the great maestro in the performance of his magnificent com positions. This young amateur being a resident of Liverpool, we are much pleased to be enabled to quote from the Dublin Evening Packet the following account of her debut in that city :—" We now come to the most agreeable part of our task, the notice of Miss Christiana Weller, who on this occa sion made her appearance, and was, by the universal voice of the entire auditory, pronounced a pianiste of rare excellence and still rarer promise. Young she is—in the very spring of youth and, without flattery we may add, of beauty; en dowed, too, with talent of the highest order—unaffected, graceful, and lovely—it is no wonder that her reputation has already become established. Miss Weller's style is essen tially pure ; her fingering rapid, distinct, and sufficiently powerful to conquer the most difficult passages ; and her execution clear, finished, and brilliant. Performing contem poraneously with the great master Thalberg, and on the same instrument, was a bold attempt, and intimated con sciousness of abilities that would not suffer even by compa rison with ' the Leviathan.' Never was such a formidable difficulty so completely overcome; and the enthusiastic plaudits that rewarded her splendid fantasia, testified how fully she shared the triumphs of the evening. On the pre vious day, at the Rotunda, Miss Weller and Thalberg played his grand duet for two piano -fortes, from Norma, before a crowded room. It was a matchless performance, and cre ated such enthusiasm that the audience rose en masse, and would not be pacified until the duet was repeated. Thalberg has already pronounced Miss Weller one of the best piano forte players he has ever met with ; and when so high a tri bute is paid to a lady only numbering seventeen summers, what may we not expect from her after years ?" A short time ago the Duke of Wellington narrowly escaped choking. He was dining of a partridge, one of the small bones of which stuck in his throat. Ordinary means having failed to remove the bone, it was only by the use of an instru ment that, after much pain and great danger, his medical at tendant succeeded in pushing it into his grace's stomach. The two actions brought by Messrs. Acraman and Co., of Bristol, against the London and County Bank, for a consi derable sum of money in respect of securities deposited with that bank by Messrs. Coils, Thompson and Co., and which were specially appointed to be tried in the Court of Ex chequer on Tuesday next, have been withdrawn by the plaintiffs. BISHOPRIC OP ST. ASAPH AND BANGOR.—The union of the two sees of St. Asaph and Bangor, which will take place unless that portion of the act 6 and 7 William IV. relating to the subject is repealed, meets with strenuous opposition. A highly respectable and numerous meeting was held last Tues day at Carnarvon, when petitions to parliament were agreed to, in which, after pointing out the increased necessity for episcopal superintenden c e, the petitioners say—" The bi shoprics of St. Asaph and Bangor have been, from very an cient times, endowed with funds solemnly dedicated to the maintenance of the church in North Wales, and they cannot feei it consistent with the interests of religion or with the demands of justice, or even with the report of the ecclesias tical commissioners, to unite these sees in order to divert a portion of these funds to the endowment of a bishopric in a district unconnected with Wales, and one of the wealthiest in the empire." THE CHARGES AGAINST ALDERMAN WOOD OF LONDON. —The committee of aldermen met again on Saturday, to pursue the inquiry into the charges against Mr. Alderman Thomas Wood. A letter was read from the alderman de clining to comply with the resolution that he should furnish the charges against himself as well as the answers. He was ready to meet any tangible charae instantly, and to produce all the affidavits, papers, and books relating to the Talacre Mine. One passage implying that the Court of Aldermen had refused to elect him mayor on account of those charges, the chairman warmly denied that any one had made any charge, or that Mr. Alderman Wood had a right to ask the reason of any man's vote. As no alderman would assume the post of accuser, and Mr. Alderman Wood refused to ac cuse himself, the chairman proposed to apply to the Court of Aldermen for fresh instructions. Sir Mei : Laurie proposed to accept the offer in the letter of the affidavits. Mr. Alder man Wood did not see how he could do this if there was no charge. None were so closely looked after as solicitors. Merchants and others could commit nefarious acts and in dulge in fraudulent speculations with impunity. Sir Peter Laurie said, if he was Alderman Wood, he would not stand for forms, but go at once into the matter, and sell the coat off his back to trounce the traducers. He moved that the papers be received. This was, after some warm discussion, agreed to, and the papers were ordered to be printed. THE ARTISTS' FUND. The annual meeting of the subscribers to this fund will take place, as usual, at the Exhibition-rooms, at the close of the season, for the purpose of drawing prizes and selecting pictures to their respective amounts. Although the London Art Unions have taken off many of the valuable pictures this year, there are plenty of capital works of art hanging in the rooms, that may be coveted, and adorn the walls of any dwell ing. We do sincerely and truly hope that a liberal sum will be put down this year. We have always given, as far as our humble influence extended, encouragement to British art rather than to the foreign schools ; not that we looked on our continental neighbours' efforts with anything like jea lousy, but that we considered it our duty to advance as much as possible the interest of those who dwelt around us. We have always praised in the hope that we might stimulate to better things; and if we blamed, it was with a wish that the object of such blame might be aroused in future to excel. When we look upon the enormous amount of foreign pic tures that are yearly imported into this country, we cannot but reflect that there must be a strong love for this branch of the fine arts existing amongst us ; and if we are deceived in the idea that we possess a gem when we have only a vamped . up imitation of a m valuable article, we have, while we ire in ignorance, a happy confidence in showing our " hobby" to our friends, one-half or more of whom will remain in the same state of ignorance as ourselves, and be pleased with what pleases us. Now, let us see how many pictures have come into Great Britain during the last four years—we will end the year in 1839 1840 11,641, ~ 3,299 19 1841 IP 1842 So that no less than 46,289 pictures—for the most part, no doubt, " choice specimens from the works of the old masters"—have been distributed through the breadth and length of the land, adding £13,452 to the revenue. We should like to know how many of these paintings are really worth even the price of the duty before they fall into the hands of those whose talents are laid out upon them to give them an appearance of being either impressed by time's iron finger, or merely swept lightly over by his silvery wings. What can have become of all these forty-six thousand two hundred and eighty-nine pictur We have been r abused by some of the picture dealers of their trade in a late notice respect lione,—and one person who happened Titer's presence, gave vent, in very —g. to his vexation on the sub- shoe pinChed sorely This person, in in the artists' converzation -"are of the vv." -4 vul, to be u loud, coar *t, proving that th the midst of his anathemas, asked, " What was it to the public if a dealer did buy a picture for five shillings and sell it again for fifty pounds?" We say it is of matter; and the public ought to be aroused until they become " wide awake." Of the tricks played in vamping pictures up, Takinvthem . _ • seem what they are not, many very curious stories might be told —one will suffice for the present. A dealer, some time ago, met with a portrait which struck him as being very like Handel, the celebrated composer. but it wanted the imple ments of the maestro's profession to stamp it with originality. How was this originality to be imparted? Easily; and thus was it effected : a scroll, on which a few bars of one of Handel's compositions were scored, was placed in the figure's lett hand, and a pen stuck in the other; the signature of " Hogarth" was cleverly imitated on just such a place as he was likely to have put it, had the portrait really emanated from the easel of the great humourist. The work was sold as a Hogarth, and actually lectured upon as such, eventually passing into the possession of a gentleman of this town ! The dealers say, by such statements as this we awaken sus picion in the minds of the public, and those gentlemen who are in the habit of laying out their money are deterred from purchasing freely. Is it so ?—we are glad of it. Such is our intention ; for it is the duty of those who know of impo sitions to give warning to others. " He who allows oppression shares the crime ;" it is our object to warn the unwary, and to make those who are credulous aware of the tricks of trade. In saying this we do not mean to say that there are not ho nest dealers who will sell yon an honest picture—but to one honest one there are dozens who would have no hesitation in taking your money, and not a little sum either, for a genuine town-made gem. But," says the man who likes to have a picture hanging nd we honour him who entertains such a feel- pis room— " bow am I to escape being cheated ?" We will tell you ; buy a work from the easel of a British artist. If you cannot afford to give Landseer, or M'Clise, or Etty, or your townsman Linton their prices, look around and see if there is nothing that will suit you in the present exhibition; if there is not, you must be a very fastidious person, and so difficult to please that you will fall into some wheedling, cozening dealer's trap, baited with a finely-named, highly varnished, glossy, handsomely-framed " choice specimen." Depend upon it you will do more good —to yourself, mark you—to say nothing about the painter—in laying out £5O with a living British artist than in pur c h as i ng a wor k o f " the old school." " But," says the reader, " I can't afford to lay out fifty pounds, or even fifty shillings, in these bad times." Well, but you surely can a guinea ? " Yes, I can do that ; but what sort of a picture can I get for a guinea, unless one or two of your seven-shilling auction lots? " Why, man alive, you can put down your name for a share In the artist's fund, and you may become the possessor of the highest-priced and best picture exhibited, or if you like to have quantity, a lot of little ones; and if even you don't yet anything, the excitement of the raffle is worth the money, to say nothing of the assistance you have given by your guinea in furthering and encouraging British arts. The 21st December is the day fixed for the drawing, and don't forget it. WIGAN-MONDAY NIG: FIRE IN THE OLD CHURCIL—The congregation assembled in the parish church of Wigan was thrown into a state of considerable excitement and alarm, from a body of smoke arising in the north aisle of the edifice, soon afte - r the com mencement of the morning service yesterday. The smoke gradually increased for two os three minutes, and its appear ance indicated fire, being much different to that which occa sionally escapes from the stoves. But before any person attempted to stop the impending danger, a flame burst forth, rising a little higher than the partitions of the seats, This was sufficient_ to heighten the apprehension and alarm of those assemlad, and a general rush took place. Many parties left the church, but the churchwardens, the mayor, and corporation present, instantly repaired from their own seats to the spot, and a little water being promptly procured, the fire was soon extinguished, and the service afterwards proceeded without interruption. The fire was caused from a sheet of plate iron that was nailed to the pew front getting hot, and the heat being communicated directly to the wood work of the seats a tire was easily kindled. The stove in the aisle was sadly too near the pew, unless a flag or course of bricks were erected to prevent anything of the sort happening. Had the fire taken place between the services, or previous to the morning service commencing, it is more than probable that the whole of the woodwork in the noble edifice would soon have been destroyed ; as it is, however, the darnagelis CORONER'S INQUEST.—THE RIVAL CORONERS. — An inquest was held on Saturday afternoon last, at the house of Mr. William Norris, the Woolpack, in Mill,gate, on view of the body of a little boy named Henry Gaskell, who met with his death by his clothes taking fire, on Thursday last. From the evidence adduced, it appeared that the child ran out, about twelve o'clock on the day in question, surrounded by flame ; a woman, named Ellen Hallam, saw it, and threw a wet towel around it, and extinguished the flames as speedily as possible ; but the poor sufferer lingered in great pain, from the severe burns on its breast and neck, until Friday, when death terminated its sufferings. The child was alone in the house when the accident happened,—the parents being at work in a colliery. The inquest was held by Mr. Grimshaw, the newly elected coroner for the borough, who displayed an ability adequate to the high office the duties of which he is appointed to fulfil. The jury returned a verdict of Acciden tal Death. An inquest was also held on the same body this afternoon, by 'Mr. Rogerson, at the house of Mr. APLachlan. MEETING OF PARLIAMENT. — At the Privy Council held by her Majesty at Windsor Castle on Saturday, a proclama tion was agreed upon for further proroguing of Parliament from Tuesday next to Thursday. the 2d of February, then to meet for the despatch of business. UNTAXED BISCUITS FOR SAILORS.—The first advan tage uuder the act passed last session (and which may fairly be called Mr. Hutt's act), for allowing the grinding of corn in bond for victuailing ships, was made here this week. A quantity of corn was taken out of bond, to be manufactured into biscuits, and will be replaced by an equal quantity of corn.—Hull Advertiser. CHEAP PORK.—When pigs is scarce, there's plenty o'ways of filling the pork barrel for them Britishers. You know there's young porpesses, seals, and slick dogs, as well as bears and posssums, and there's plenty of bones o'them pigs as died in murrain time to put along with um . Them ere pigs wa'rnt a no ase then—but now , we know better—we sha'nt throw away nothing. But, man, it a'nt lawful to put no young children in pickle.—American paper. MURDERS.—Two ferrymen at Great Yarmouth, on Sa turday week, had a quarrel about some fish, and the one gave the other a kick on the abdomen, from which the poor fellow expired in about an hour. The other was appre hended, and has been committed for trial.—ln the same town, on the following morning, a soldier went into a public. house, and the landlord and he had some dispute, when the latter was thrown violently down, and expired on Thursday. The landlord has been taken into custody. WILL OF THE LATE MR. JOHN REEVE.—The will of the late John Reeve, the well-known comedian, has recently been proved in the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The personal property of the deceased has been sworn under the value of £4,000. The property is pretty equally divided between his son and two daughters. Mr. Sams, bookseller, of Pall-mall, who was killed by being thrown from his carriage a short time since, was one of the executors of the will. A correspondent of the Morning Herald says that the leading members of the late Scottish convocation have com menced addressing their congregations from the pulpit on the approaching dissolution of the connection between church and state, intimating their intention of leaving the church if the grievances of which they complain be not speedily re moved by the legislature, and appealing to their several flocks whether they would not follow them wben the crisis arrived. Meetings are also held for devising as to the ways and means to uphold the new secession church of Scotland. YORK MINSTER. —The restoration of this noble pile is proceeding rapidly and satisfactorily. A new roof has been put on the north transept, the old one being in a most dan gerous state. The transept walls had been bulged by the pressure which the decayed roof improperly brought upon them, but have been brought in about three inches. The new roof is to he ventilated and lighted, for the better pre servation of the timbers ; and will be covered first with Ky anised deal boarding, and then with copper sheeting. The damage occasioned by the late fire is quickly disappearing before the hands of the skilful renovators.—Leeds Mercury. TREATMENT OF DISEASE FROM MINERAL POISONS.— i In the Medical Times of last week, there is a very useful article on the treatment recommended in cases of poisoning; the principal object, in all the cases, is to excite vomiting, and, at the same time, to neutralise The poison. The fol lowing simple rules may, in some cases, be found useful : For arsenic—Emetics of sulphate of zinc, large draughts of new milk, gruel, linseed tea. Antimony, tickle th e t h roat with a feather, large draughts of milk fluids. Bismuth, milk and musillagenous fluids. Copper, large draught s o f m ilk and water, iron filings and water , whites of eggs in water. Nitrate of silver, a tablespoonful of common salt in a pint of water—a wine glass full every two minutes. Lead, lime, vinegar, and other vegetable acids. Alercury' whites of eggs mixed in water. Tin, draughts of m ilk copiously and warm water. Zinc, the poisops of zin c seldom produce death by their occasioning vomiting, which should be rendered easy by draughts of warm water, or milk and albumen. WOODEN RAILWAY BRIDGE.—A bridge has been cor structed near Mottram, a • f ew miles from Manchester , wh ich attracts much notice. It is composed entirely of Memel timber, and consists of three arches, th e span of the centre one being 150 feet, an d the two others 135 and 120 feet re spectively. Each arch is composed of three ribs of laminated planking, nineteen planks being placed on each other to the thickness of live feet. The centre arch is the largest e ver built of timber, while that of London Bri d g e is the largest stone, being 152 feet ' • an d the Great Western Railway Bridge, at M a id en h ea d, is the largest in brick, 128 feet. The height of this bridge gives it a most colossal appearance. i From the b e d o f the river to the parapet t is 140 feet ; and a large manufactory on the banks of the stream has the ap pearance, when viewed in contrast withits gigantic neigh bour, of a good-sized doll-house; also a bridge of 60 feet span, just below, which in itself is a respectable piece of ar chitecture, now appears really insignificant. CORRESPONDENCE. TO HENRY LAWRENCE, ESQ " Let your kind and generous influences, upon all occasions, de. scend upon schools, which neither dispose men to division in Church, nor sedition in state, but which train up their sons and scholars to an invincible loyalty to their Prince, and a strict, im. partial conformity to the Church."—Bis nor SOUTH. Sta,—l take the liberty of addressing you, on the part you have taken in the Council on the late discussion of the education question there, feeling well assured, that your ob. ject is only to do that which is right, and that your candour will induce you to retrace your steps when satisfied that you have been in the wrong. . _ _ I will assume, then, that an opulent person was induced to give a sum of money to the corporation of Liverpool, an nexing to his gift a trust, " for the public benefit of the in habitants," the very words in the 92d section of the Muni cipal Corporation Act, with a direction that one-fourth of the income should be applied in the education of the poor children of the borough. In such a case, what mode of education do you conceive that the Court of Chancery would enjoin, if the direction of that court were solicited, for the government of the trustees? I apprehend that that which the court would lay down is precisely what ought to be adopted in the present instance; for the Town Council are not legislators, with power to create and establish of their own will, but merely local executive functionaries, to carry into effect that which the legislature has directed, with re ference to corporate estates. Now we do know what the Court of Chancery has lately decided in the case of Bury St. Edmunds ; and although your kinsman, Mr. G. H. Lawrence, did not consider that it had any bearing upon the case now under consideration, yet, as I think it will be differently entertained by you as a lawyer. I shall be at the pains of transcribing it for your perusal before giving your vote on Wednesday. Nocte interposita, inetior sententia surgit. I am, Sir, your humble servant, RANULPHUS PRICE, L,L.D Hope-street, 12th Dec., 1842. A charity had been instituted for the common benefit of a parish and the parishioners, on an information filed for the regulation of the charity, agreed that education should form part of the scheme. Sir K. Bruce, V.C., although the pa rishioners were of various religious denominations, refused to sanction a system of education in which it was proposed that particular selections from the Scriptures should be read, and the schools should be closed on Sundays, and in which no special provision was made for the religious creed of the schoolmaster. " ' As the term education,' said his honour, `is properly understood by all the parties to comprehend religious in. struction, that religious instruction is an essential point to be considered. In my judgment, this scheme does not provide for religious instruction in the sense in which the expression ought to be understood. Its effect is not that it does not provide for religious instruction according to the doctrines of the Church of England, but that it does not provide for what lam able to consider religious instruction at all. If education (of course including religious instruction) is to be provided for, I apprehend it must be according to the doc trines and principles of the English church. I know no other standard or guide to which the court can resort ; and dissenting, as I do, from the present scheme, as far as it re lates to purposes of education, 1 must send that part of the scheme back to the master for the purpose of review, unless some other course can hereafter be suggested to the court. If education is to be part of the scheme, it is clear, in my judgment, that whatever may be the particular course of instruction pursued, or whatever may be the course as to exemption, if any, from any particular points of instruction, the masters, mistresses, and teachers must be members of the church of England. I do not think it necessary to declare that either the masters or teachers should be clergymen ; but that the masters, mistresses, and teachers should all be members of the church of England, and that no other course of religious instruction should be adopted than such as is in conformity with the church of England. I make these observations upon the hypothesis that it will ultimately be thought right that a provision for education should form a part of this scheme—a matter upon which Ido not bind myself by any opinion, and which, perhaps, may require reconsideration. Therefore, in sending this case back to the master, I mean to refer it to him to consider whether, having regard to the nature of the charities, and the present state and condition of the town of Bury, it is fit and proper that any provision should be made for education ; and, if the master should be of opinion in the affirmative, then to declare that there is to be no master, mistress, or teacher who is not a member of the church of England, and th a t no o th er course o f r eligious instruction shall be adopted than in conformity with that church ! On the 24th of March last, Mr. Cooper informed the court that all parties had agreed to modify the scheme as to education as follows :—` That the masters and mistresses of the schools should be members of the church of England ; that during one hour, at least, of each school day, the masters should give religious instruction to all the scholars—such religious instruction to be confined to the reading and ex planation of the Scriptures ; that on every Lord's day he should give instruction in the liturgy, catechism, and articles of the church of England, to such of the boys whose parents were in communion with that church, and that all the scho lars should be required to repair twice every Lord's day to church ; provided, however, that any two of the trustees, by a note in writing, might excuse from attendance at church any of the scholars who were not in communion with the church of England.' The Vice-Chancellor said, that if the parties bad no objection to this arrangement, he had none; but he wished to have it distinctly understood, that the ground on which he had proceeded on the former occasion was not a preference of one form of religion to another, but the absolute necessity of adopting the course which he had suggested. P.S.—lt is industriously insinuated by the emissaries of Rome that the Romish church is no longer tyrannical and arbitrary, and that protestants have nothing to apprehend in the present day. Protestants, however, should not forget the Bull issued by Pope Pius VII against the establishment of Bible Societies in Poland so lately as the year 1816, of which extraordinary docpment a translation is given in Dodsley's Annual Register of 1817, p. 244. MILLINERS' AND DRESSMAKERS' ASSISTANTS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, Silt,—Under the conviction that the truly philanthropic are to be found in ereatest numbers under the banner of re ligion, pure and undefiled religion, I take the liberty of ad dressing the religious public, through your paper, as one of their most efficient organs, on a grievance which, while it remains unredressed, not only rests as a blot on the fair fame of Englishmen as gentlemen, but cries aloud against us as a Christian community. _ We have emancipated in a short time thousands of human beings in our colonies from the galling yoke of a body and soul-destroying bondage; we have eased the chains of our factory slaves at home ; and no one triumphs more than I in these glories of Britain—brighter than her arms have ever won her ! But Philanthropy, in her never-ending labour of love, finds slavery, working bodily and spiritual death, in a .young and fair, a respectable and well-educated portion of our own community ;—I refer to the milliners' and dress makers' assistants in our towns. Young men have agitated, assisted by the press and the pulpit, and have gained much ; and shall it be said that these dear creatures have silently and uncomplainingly bent and sunk under the yoke, because there was none to speak for them? No ! by God's help, it shall not be so. My complaint is, Mr. Editor, that these poor girls are, in most of our principal dress-making establishments, kept daily close at work from seven or eight o'clock in the morn ing till nine at night, very generally till eleven, and, when busy, often till one or two o'clock in the morning, sometimes a dozen in a small, low-roofed room, at the most tedious work in the world. What is waiting in a shop from eight till eight compared to this ? Is the employment so unvary ing and disagreeable, the air so confined, or the position of the body so injurious to the health? And yet how much more has been spoken and written on the subject ! Shall we, the male part of the community, any longer stand by in silence, and witness the inroads made on health and beauty in this way ? Shall fathers, brothers, lovers, see pallid cheeks, and hollow eyes, and shrunk form, where once was, and where still might have been, perfect health and beauty ? Shall the ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ learn of the total neglect of the immortal part, (which is, I would almost say, the necessary consequence,) and be silent? Where are we to look for the evil? I fear it must be owned chiefly in the thoughtlessness and abominable selfishness of those of their own sex who make use of their labours. Ladies generally send in their dresses at the eleventh hour ; the dress must be ready at a time named, as the fair owner intends to appear in it that night. The manager of the es tablishment, under the dread of losing future custom, pro mises to let her have the apple of her eye at the time ap pointed, and what consequences are involved in her fulfilling that promise? Oh, if the fair one who delights in anticipa ting, the beauty and symmetry of that garment could be transported to that low, narrow room, where long a ft er midnight the unhappy victims of her carelessness are at work—could she learn something of the throbbing fore head, the sick heart and the aching limbs, humanity makes no doubt that she would forego all her pleasure to sooth their pains. Does she rejoice in her youth ?—there are as young as her losing the bloom of youth. Does she rejoice in her beauty ?—there are forms as fair already under the blighting touch of consumption. Does she rejoice in father, brother, friend, or lover ?—oh, then let her think that hearts as fond as her's are there longing for their society. However, I do not mean to exculpate the mistresses of these establishments ; a little firmness on their part in re fusing to sacrifice lives to avarice would never injure them in the eyes of a candid and benevolent customer. Let the ladies who may read this resolve from this day to be in abun dant time with their orders—and let husbands and brothers put their relatives iu remembrance of these things when they see them inclined to err, and the grievance may be remedied without any other interference. I am, Sir, yours, very truly, PH ILANT H ROPO S. Liverpool, Dec. 12th, 1842 THE INCOME Tar,.--The commissioners commenced hearing appeals from the western district of the city of Lon don on Monday, and made such progress as to warrant the conclusion that their labours will terminate in the course of the present week. The number of cases disposed of in the eastern district was very great, but the pressure of new busi ness has as yet prevented the clerks ascertaining the:exact amount. ELOPEMENT.—A few d a ys ago Miss Manners, a young lady, aged 23, o f great beauty, an d poss essing a fortune o f £5,000, eloped from the house of her brother, near Sidcup, Kent, with a pol i ceman of t h e R division. The lady wa s missed at breakfast time by her family (who are of great re spectability in the county). but a few hours afterwards a messenger arrived with a letter in her own handwriting, an nouncing her marriage with the policeman at Woolwich Church. It appears that in July last a fete champetre was in company with her brother and held on the grounds of Sir Thomas Marryon Wilson, at e re rs sent ; and on which occasion the po- Charlton in aid of the funds of the Royal Kent Dispensary, as some m e whichfr friends, n ' M d s is , s liceman formed one of the body on duty. The lady, a ft er several glances, took his number, and on her return home wgeraennp despatched a billet-doux to him at the station-house, Wool wich, in wh ich she offered him her hand an d heart. Asecret correspondence was afterwards carried on until un 1 it ended as above described.—Observer. A NAMELESS PRISONER.—On Thursday, before the mayor and borough magistrates, a man, dressed as a countryman, apparently about forty years old, was placed at the bar, to answer a charge of smuggling tobacco. On being asked his name, he said he believed it was Henry Yeo, or Yole, or something of that sort. The Mayor : What ! don't you know your own name? Defendant replied—Not exactly. He didn't know how to spell it ; but he was called Yeo, or something like it. He thought it began with aY, and that there were three letters in it. Mr. Roe, collector of the customs, said, from the man's statement, that his name was composed of three letters, and that Y was the first ; the officers had written it Yeo, to which the prisoner assented. The bench asked if he was content to answer to that name. He replied in the affirmative,—apparently feeling the full force of the poet's query, " What's in a name ?"—and the charge was proceeded with. It appeared that the " anony mous" arrived in the Lady de Saumarez, from Jersey ; and, on his box being searchedby the officers, 1741 b. of tobacco was found secreted under a false bottom. He was remandedtill Tuesday next, to affor d t i me f or communication With th• Commissioners of Customs, a penalty of £lOO having zoisn incurmd.—SortMainplox paper.