The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-20 00:00:00

I Feb. 20, 1844. JITA RREVG TO N. MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GUARDIANS. the weekly meeting was held on Wednesday last, Wro. Gill, Esq., chairman of the board, presided. It appeared the returns that the number of cases relieved by Warrington were 561, with £3l. 195. 10d. in money, and in kind £24. 95.--together £56. Bs. 10d.: and for the rural districts there were 559 cases relieved, with £3B. is. 7d, in money, and in kind £9, 17s. 6d.—together ff )6 • s s. ld. ; total num b er o f cas es r elie v ed 1123, with the gu m Or £122. 13s. 11d. In the corresponding week e l f ,, last year the amount of out relief amounted to £147. •ws. 10d. The number of in-door paupers were 151, and for the same period of last year 182. Balance due to the union in the hands of the treasurer 17s. 7d., and " 525 . 9s. Bd. from four townships who had not paid up the calls made upon them. There vas an unusual attendance of guardians present "log to their having been called together by the clerk, in conformity with the instructions he had received from the . 1 !°/ 1 . Charles Clements, Assistant Poor Law Commis sioner, who had announced his intention of attending the lieu meeting of guardians, to disclose a communication to f -ucin upon the part of the poor law commissioners, With reference to the out-door labour test order. At twelve o ' c l oc k, th e ti me appo i n t e d f or a ll spec i a l business, the CLERK then proceeded to read over the minutes of the preceding weekly board, which were con firmed. Mr. KERFOOI. and Mr. BOARDMAN also reported that they had seen Mr. Mercer, agent to Thomas Legh, Esq., newton the subject o f t a ki ng some was t e l an d a dj o i n i ng th e Workhouse, for the purpose of setting to work S able-bodied in-door paupers. The following is Mr. Mercer's answer to their application : Mr. Boardman, "Feb. 13, 1844. " Sir,—ln reference to the subject of allowing the Paupers in Newton Workhouse to make good the piece of Waste land in Crow-lane, which we some time ago bad inaue conversation upon, I beg to say that Mr. Legh is wil ling to let you have it rent free for seven years. Mr. Legh will fi n d p os t s an d ra il s t o inclose it, and quick sets. CTiantity, I fancy, is about one and a half acres, eshire measure.--I am, yours, &C. , ' A t the request of the Commissioner, the CLERK read the order of the poor law commissioners, directing the guardians to find employment for the out-door able-bodied Paupers receiving relief, and the other minutes of the board relative to that order. This being done, Mr. CLEMENTS stated, that in consequence of the re „solution which the board h a d come t o a f ew wee k s ago, for deferring the out-door labour test order until after the 25th March next, he was instructed by the poor law com missioners to attend before them, and to explain the nature of the position in which they had thereby placed themselves, and also to urge upon them the necessity of complying with the law; that it was the wish of the com missioners to use the greatest possible forbearance, and to give all the assistance in their power to those engaged in the administration of the parochial funds ; but he must say, that if the board still persisted in the course they had adopted, it only remained for the commissioners to give !feet to the exercise of the powers vested in them ; and he therefore wished it to be distinctly understood, that unless that was done they should now do so, and that the course they would pursue would doubtless not only be attended with pecuniary loss, but with some inconvenience to those concerned. He said, the commissioners have a choice of two courses to adopt ; the one is by mandamus for a wilful disobedience of their orders, and the other is to file a bill in Chancery for a misapplication of the funds of the union. Mr. CLAYTON.—It is a very strange thing why the e a o n m o m rd i e s r sioner s appear so fully resolved upon forcing such uP whilst there are several into a iro rr m in e g d to ia n re Uno vicinity in, not at present formed union, and no other union in the district has hitherto t shiPs ir the ‘‘' been called upon to comply with such an order. He said, it is very clear that when the guardians consider things are working well, the poor law commissioners will not let them remain so. He knew that now it was as much as could be done to collect money necessary to relieve the poor, and that if they were compelled to cease giving re lief to all able-bodied paupers out of the house except 'hat they received in return as wages for labour provided come the u n i on, h e cou ld not te ll where the money must t ele fro m w hi c h wou ld b e requ i re d b are l y to keep them. e was convinced that the business was better done before there were any poor law commissioners than ever had been since; and that if the commissioners were no better paid t han the guardians they would not continue nor attempt to enforce a system upon them which it must appear manifest cannot be carried out in this part of the country. A ir. KERFOO T .—I am convinced from pa s t e x p er i ence t hat. it wou ld b e i mposs ibl e w i th any degree of benefit 7!aateve r to carry into practical operation the out-door 410 0er test order • but, on the contrary, that it w ill i ncur c onsiderable additional expense - upon the ley-payers. At the present time (when the we a th er i s suc h t h at li tt l e or no out-door labour can be done) there are only 91 cases, resident and non-resident, in the whole 14 townships in the rural district of the union; and these 91 families, con- Listing of 536 individuals, only receive £lO 15 s . 4d . per know or about 41d. per head per week. He w i s h e d to ' , now if all these 91 able-bodied cases were required to be set to work, what would be the weekly amount necessary to be paid for the support of their families? He was aware that it may be said that they all will not go to work ; some will d o f or themselves. 'COMMissioNER.—Yes; that•will be the case. Mr. KERFOOT.—WeII, compel them to work for the union, and stop the small weekly allowance which is now made, and depend upon it the result will be that those who have hitherto been able to earn a little by partial employment will soon have their places taken up by others !rem Cheshire, Bolton, Leigh, and the surrounding neigh- Pocrhood, and the cost upon their several parishes will be greatly increased. Out of the 14 townships in the r ural district o f thi s union there are three of th em w hi c h havebe no able-b o di e d paupers i n t h em, and surely it would n act of injustice upon those townships to require ";era to contribute towards procuring the necessary im timroents to be used in the cultivation of land, as well as ()wards the payment of an overlooker 's wages, when they I t t e d nothing of the sort. He would venture to assert at,if left to themselves, the rural townships would be Pau - 'etemployment Provide ample for all the able-bodied 'et year. them throughout the could WOOLr concurred with Mr. Kerfoot that labour be A • rural bodied n. the_ district for all out-door able- AkPaupers during the short period it was required. a CLAYTON, addressing 'the Commissioner.—H ow nook e t)) ,th e cost of the expense in cultivating land and of r ) Ying the paupirs be charged? t tt t , u lturssioNcn.—The cost of the working tools, rent ip t l, l e land, and wages of the overlooker would be entered Iv il „" establishment charges to the union fund ; and the t o ws of the paupers would be charged to their respective leuiPs to which they belong. tile r „ r • REEvEs said he was resolved to stand by his for rimecision, let the commissioners do what they may. to h. "..,Rev. PETER LEHR, ex-officio guardian, of New ,44BZ-rrorn. what has been advanced, I cannot see any why we should alter our former det erm i nation . r fo `"ce moved, " That the guardians do abid e by t h e i r u raer resolution on the subject, which was seconded by 14 41, 111,00 T. sh f,',`RO AD HU RST, of Sankey, rather indignantly said— move a counter resolution, And then proceeded to to.lte One , whi c h was , "That the guardians do proceed c an's' the out-d oo r labour order into operation, ' which apt second ed by Mr. Smith, o f Peuketh. oogeeCHAIRMAN then put t h e amen d men t t o th e vote , gee there appeared only two hands raised in its favour. lifted e original motion being put, -there were ten hands tIP in favour of it. k nc CUA IRAI AN declared the original motion ca rr i e d. ag a • r • lIROADHURST.--I shall now enter my protest t o 'net the decision of the board, and he then proceeded k e rite one out,•which he and Mr. Smith signed, and im etatelY handed it over to the Clerk. 1 , 4 Ver ook7MtenioN E ddressing Mr. Legh.—lt will pot ViY well for' andamus to issue a gainst you ( gbein s trate) for dish eying the law. 'Nen e L EGH.—I am quite willing to take th e conse and es, Ps Ido no t cons id er myself bwnd by all the whims law ecrotchets which may fall into OE heads of the poor in ; ne ith er am I w illi ng to b ecome a party u to such , o n , act of cruelty and starvation as that atte m pt e d Comm t is e s e d• Cruelty? ° NZa.—How do you make it out an act of Mr. L EGR so by requiring the poor creatures to awtablk,o ten miles daily to the work you propose to find them n M oss, which is ten miles from some parts of several of t to he town s h ips i n t h e un i on (except you intend provide omnibuses for them,—and starvation in re- Itt iring them to work at Moss la ) nds, half naked and half fed, New calls were then made on the overseers of the S everal townships in the union fo r th e i r contribution to be paid in on the 20th instant. The board having disposed of the special business, pro ceeded with the cases of the fresh applicants for relief. The first person called was Thomas Oxley, a plasterer and slater, out of work, who is a widower with six small ehildrin—the eldest only twelve years old. O Mt. SANKEY, evidently a littl e exc i te d , addressed the titnission er. What would y ou d o i n t h e case now un 7,eonsideration ? -,,%alsratssroNEß.—Relieve at your o wn di scre ti on . t`" ( Ir• SANKEY.—That i s no answer t o my quest i on. I I l n to know what you would allow him weekly under n_ au t door labour test order ? l oxistisszoNna.-1 do not see that any further answer ile; e .cessary, as the subject of the out door labour test or nowld disposed of. to -4 , 1 % SANKEy.—It appears then that you are come here hecach us our duty, and when a question is asked you ike uSe to a nswer it, w hi c h i s not exact l y t h e t hi ng; b ut it i tt toa to me that you are come here to lead the guardians W e l l an error, and then to leave them to get out of it as C es they can. AteultissioNEß.—l came here on a former occasion h i ,lave the guar di ans a ll the i n f ormat i on an d ass i stance el)j.,.'uj could, but was met with clamour and untenable cpt' 4 2_,lons; the question then could not be s a id t o b e dis tar,;q, and the resolution you have passed t o d ay i s tan -1.,4.?u0t to a wilful disobedience of the orders of the Poor Ita C ommissioners • I therefore see no reason for giving i i etber answer to the question. (1 4 0 11' 1 0ERFOOT.—No. It cannot be said to be a wilful Lion e thence to the commissioners' order, as the considers- Ce* t ° f the subject may be t a k en u p a ft er the 25th March , : 10 t „i i rlAunisorr.—lt is a great pity that Warringto n i s ""owed to conduct its own affairs, independently of 111415.ther townships now in the union, for I am of opinion, 'e ve r t Would be much better for Warrington if it could be 't i led fro m th e out towns hi ps a l toget h er . th:, CHAIRMAN.—It is very desirable it should be so $ could be accomplished. w,EIGH.—I am quite sure the guardians of the out 4-„44iPs are willing that it should be so . nati e rel. of the guardians then left the room, and the Proceeded with the applications for relief. CHESTER DIOCESAN CHURCH BUILDING socIETy. Yesterday, the annual meeting of the Chester Diocesan Church Building Society was held at the Blue Coat Hos pital, and was attended by a large number of the clergy of the Church of England. Amongst those present we no ticed the Rev. Chancellor Raikes, the Rev. Rector Brookes, the Rev. Rector Campbell, the Rev. Dr. Tat tershall, the Rev. Dr. Byrth, the Hon. and Rev. Horace Powys, the Rev. Messrs. Nolan, Parry, Ewbank, May, Gunning, Bold, North, Higgins, Stewart, Jones, lle4keth, Marshall, &c. &c. About half-past ten o'clock. the chair was taken by the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chester. His LORDSHIP, in opening the proceedings, said there was an observation often used in another place re specting public speaking. It was called " s p ea ki n g against time." (Hear, and a laugh.) Now, the meeting must,—at least he must, rather,—follow the converse, and be silent against time, inasmuch as there was a good deal of business to be transacted. (Hear, hear.) He was glad to think that speeches on the present occasion would be unnecessary, either to point out the necessity there was for building churches, or to stir up those whom he had the pleasure to see around him to the propriety. of giving their exertions to so excellent a cause. Of these they had shown their conviction by the vast assistance the clergy and laity had given him in the efforts he had thought it desirable to make to supply the spiritual wants which ten years ago were so great, and which still existed to a great extent, though happily not to such an extent as heretofore. His lordship concluded, amid applause, by calling on the se cretary to read the report for the past year. The Rev. C. LAWRENCE, one of the secretaries, read the report accordingly. It appeared from this document, that although the funds at the disposal of the committee had not been large, and the spiritual interests of the com munity extensive, the sum of £1650 had been granted to two localities during the year. The incumbent of Old ham had, a second time, brought the necessities of his cure under consideration, by stating that there existed a population of 60;000 souls, with church accommodation only for 7,500. The account of education in his parish was equally disastrous. Many were without education at all, the schools of the church as well as of dissent being too few in number to accommodate them, while associa tions had been formed for the purpose of diffusing a vicious species of literature among the people. In this ease the committee had had no hesitation in granting aid, because it was for the purpose of rendering assistance to such destitute localities that the society was specially origi nated ; and accordingly grants of £5OO had been made to each of the three prospective churches that were to be erected in Oldham. An application was then made by the incumbent of Bleakley, to enlarge and refit an old church, and to render it capable of affording a large number of free sittings, but upon so extensive a principle that the old building, when re-modelled, might with pro priety be denominated almost a new structure. As the object of the society had from the commencement been the erection of new churches, the committee were at first at a loss to know in what manner to meet the appli cation; but finding it just, and the necessities of the case urgent, they at length resolved upon making a grant, trusting, under the circumstances, that they would stand acquitted in the eves of the general meeting. Such bad been the grants of the year. The committee, after press ing upon all the friends of the church the duty of co operating in a duty so obvious and excellent, stated that , they intended to hold their quarterly meetings in Liver pool in future, and that at those meetings applications for aid would be received. The appeal which the Bishop had made to the clergy during the past year, had resulted in the collection of a sum of £2,000 and upwards, which would recruit the resources of the society; and though the venerated Diocesan had submitted a plan, whereby it was hoped a larger amount would have been realised, still, remembering the distress which existed in the commer cial districts, the committee thanked God, and appealed for a continuance of the affectionate liberality of their Christian friends. The report concluded by stating, that a benevolent individual had tendered a sum of £5OO to the society, provided a further sum of £5,000 should be raised from the public, but that as only £l,OOO of the £5,000 had been collected, the offer could not, as yet, be accepted. The THEASURIIR then read a statement of the accounts, from which it appeared that the receipts for the year. in cluding a balance from the precious one, had been £8949 that there was a balance in the hands of the banks of £7741 —that the outstanding accounts were £5lOO, and that there was an available surplus of £2659 for the liabilities of the society. The Rev. Mr. GUMMING inquired whether the £lOOO was received as part of the £5OOO, had been included in the receipts of the year? The TREASURER replied in the affirmative : he had taken into account the gross receipts. The Rev. Rector BROOKES said he had great pleasure in proposing a resolution which had just been placed in his hands ; and as he entirely agreed with his lordship's observations that they ought not to speak against time, he would content himself with simply congratulating his friends around him on the continued prosperity of the So ciety. He then moved that the report be received and circulated under the direction of the committee. ADAM HODGSON, Esq. seconded the motion, which was unanimously adopted. The Rev. J. HORTON, of Ormskirk, proposed the offi cers for the ensuing year, and, in doing so, expressed his wish that there were a great many more of his brother clergymen from the country present to have their hearts cheered and their zeal excited by the excellent report which had been read by the Secretary. The Rev. Rector CAMPBELL seconded the motion, which was also carried unanimously. The Rev. Chancellor RAtices proposed the third reso lution, to the effect that the meeting being desirous to extend the beneficial effects of the society as widely as possible, and being aware that the restoration of churches could not be effected without such aid as the society could offer, considered that it would be a reasonable enlarge ment of its sphere of usefulness if it were permitted to make grants for the restoration of old churches, where the additional accommodation gained should be equivalent to the building of a new church., but that the sum granted should never exceed the one-fourth of the total expense. He said the manifest object of the resolution was to ob tain a bill of indemnity in favor of the committee; and speaking as he was under a sense of the value of time, and convinced that the committee would fall into gentle hands in submitting their case for approval, he thought the most satisfactory mode he could adopt, with a view to attain the consent of the meeting to the motion, would be to read a letter which was addressed to him by the incumbent of Eleakley, near Manchester, soliciting aid to restore the old church. The chancellor here read the letter, which stated that the restoration of the church had been com menced—that it would contain•SG4 sittings, of which 453 would be free, and that the alterations would cost £2,500, of which he had succeeded in raising £2,000; and be concluded by expressing an humble hope that God, who had opened the way, would smooth the difficulties by which he was surrounded. How the incumbent of Bleak ley had succeeded in raising the munificent sum of £2,000, he (the Chancellor) knew not; for when he made his first application for assistance, he z'Aid he bad only collected 4 '35,.and that the entire of that sum had been derived from the hard earnings of the hand-loom weavers of the parish. (Hear, hear.) The statement of-such a case as this would prove, that it was not without reason the committee prayed for a little enlargement of their rules; while their judicious conduct for the time past would be a sufficient guarantee that the liberty now sought for would not he abused in time to come. He concluded by expressing a sanguine hope that the grant, in reply to the Bleakley application, would meet, under the strong circumstances of the case, with the cordial concurrence of the meeting. (Hear, hear.) _ The Rev. Dr. TATTERSHALL seconded the resolution, which was passed nem con. The Rev. Chancellor RAIKES said that as there was no other resolution, and as he saw that they had yet a quar ter of an hour to speak before they entered on committee business, he thought as they were assembled for the pur pose of taking the spiritual wants of the diocese into con sideration, and the means they possessed for meeting those wants with promptitude, it would not be out of order if he were to read to the meeting a letter which had just been laid on the table, signed by the Rev. Mr. Low, the incumbent of Oldham. The letter, which ran into considerable detail, stated that there was 46,900 in his parish without spiritual provision ; that there were 39,000 professing members of the church, 11,000 who made no profession of Christianity, and 13,000 dissenters, from Roman Catholics to socialists. As an instance of the la mentable state of ignorance among the people, the writer stated that one of them had lately been asked whether he had ever heard of Christ. " Yes," was the reply, " I heard of Him, that He was a very good fellow!" His LORDSHIP stated his belief that if the incumbent of Oldham were permitted to occupy his sphere of useful ness for four or five years longer, a very different state of things would be observable in that part of the country, inasmuch as the erection of schools and churches was now going on pari passv The Venerable Archdeacon Rusn TON proposed a vote of thanks to the Bishop, and in doing so took occasion to confirm the statements contained in Mr. Low's letter. He believed that with returning prosperity and peace, the operatives in the manufacturing districts were anxiously looking forward to some point on which to rest. They were quite unsatisfied with the late agitation into which the bad been brought. and were looking for a clergyman of a church on which to rest. (Hear, hear.) lie thought that with renewed exertions the society would be fully able to supply the neglected wants 4f the people, were it only in that portion of the diocese to which Mr. Low's letter more particularly referred. The Rev. J. H. GUNNING, of Wigan, seconded the vote of thanks. The Rev. Mr. PARRY wished to state, before his lordship rose to reply, that on the preceding day (Sun day), at Preston, a collection was made in th e diff erent Sunday schools for the building of churches, and that the result of that collection in pennies from the children amounted to about £lB. (Hear.) This was only a small sum, but it was something ; and if the same plan were adopted in all other Sunday schools, a considerable sum would be realised. The preceding day, having been Quinquagesima Sunday, had been selected in. Preston. for the purpose, because the collect and epistle for the day alluded to charity ; and he had no doubt that much more would be done in Preston in the same way. altar, hear.) 11111 is LORDSHIP replied, and the meeting formed itself into committee for educational purposes, and soon after separated. TRIBUTE OF RESPECT.—On Thursday last, was pre sented by the Grand Order of Modern Druids to Mr. William Gelderd, as treasurer to the funeral fund of that society, a handsome silver snuff-box, bearing the following inscription :—" Presented by the Brethren G.0.M.D., L.D., to William Gelderd, for his valuable services as Treasurer to the Funeral Fund. xv. February, MACCCXLIV." IMPORTANT MEETING OF I'HE RATE-PAYERS OF BIRKENHEAD. On Saturday evening last, a meeting of the rate-payers of Birkenhead and Clati4liton-cum-Grange, was held, in pursuance of public notice, at the Town-hall, in the for mer place, for the purpose of the Bill for authorising the purchase of the Monk's Ferry, and the Bill for the con struction of the Birkenhead Docks, being submitted for consideration. The attendance was numerous, including most of the influential gentlemen of the township and neighbourhood. On the motion of J. S. Jackson, Esq. JOHN DEANE CASE. Esq., was called to the chair. The CHAIRMAN, in opening the business of the even ing, said that the rate-payers were called together on this occasion by public placard, which he would read. (He here read the notice, to the effect above stated, and which concluded by adding that copies of the respective bills might be seen at the Town-hall.) They would perceive that the meeting embraced two important objects—that of the bill for the purchase of Monk's Ferry by the commis sioners ; and, secondly, th e bill f or th e cons t ruc ti o n of the Birkenhead Docks. Both these subjects were well known to the public at large, and it was therefore need less to take up much of the time of the meeting in enter ing into details. The township had already derived great advantage from the purchase of the Woodside Ferry, and it was fair to infer that a similar advantage would accrue from the present proposed purchase. He considered this, indeed, to amount to an absolute certainty. Both sub jects had occupied the attention of the commissioners for a considerable time. They had, through their commit tees, made every possible inquiry, and the result had sa tisfied them that they could with confidence recommend the purchase of the ferry to the rate-payers. (Cheers.) With reglard to the other bill—that of the Birkenhead Docks. it was well known that an opinion prevailed on the other side of the water that the proposition was a bubble that would some day burst. He thought, how ever, that when it did burst, it would turn out very dif ferent from what those people imagined. He thought it might be better compared to the sun endeavouring to emerge from the mists that often obscure his rays when he is rising, but which he soon overcomes, and bursts forth in his clear and meridian splendour. The employment which the construction of the new docks would give to the population of the township, and the amount of money that would consequently be expended, would also be ad vantages that would be generally admitted ; and be should, therefore, not detain the meeting in dwelling further on the subject, but conclude by recommending to their notice the two measures as well deserving of their approval and adoption. (Loud cheers.) Mr. W. JACKSON, on rising, said that he had just re ceived a communication from Mr. Mallaby, the Town clerk, amply accounting for his absence from the meeting. That gentleman was in London, engaged in the parlia mentary business, and attending to the interests, of the rate-payers, and as his presence was required there early on Monday morning, he trusted they would not blame him, as, in order to be present with them that night, he would have to travel two nights. (Hear.) With refer ence to the purchase of Monk's Ferry, from what he had heard out of doors, he thought the proposition would meet the approval of most of those present. Some had been opposed to the purchase of the Woodside Ferry, as, as they thought, interfering with the interests of a few ; but if these parties would reflect, they would come to the con clusion that so far from this being the result it bad been of advantage ; for the increase in the number of persons crossing at Woodside had been accompanied by a corres ponding increase at the other ferries, particularly those in the immediate neighbourhood. He congratulated the meeting on the disposal, to the Chester and Holyhead Railway Company, of the Chester and Birkenhead Rail way, in consequence of certain circumstances that would not apply to a large company having a longer line. It was necessary to complete the purchase of Monk's Ferry be fore the sale of the railway, and if the present opportunity was lost, an equally favourable one might not again arise. (Cheers.) He concluded by moving the following reso lution : " That this meeting fully concurs in the view taken re specting the purchase of the Monk's Ferry property, and approve of the commissioners purchasing the same, and sanction their application to parliament for the necessary power, and to raise the money to pay for it ; and that the act now presented be approved of." Mr. CHRISTOPHER . 14ENTHANI said he had great plea sure in seconding the motion, as he believed no one pre sent would doubt the propriety of making the purchase. Some doubts had been entertained as to the policy of pur chasing the Woodside Ferry ; but events had shewn that it was a wise and judicious measure, as it had gone on in creasing in its revenue ever since. The township was ra pidly increasing in population and extent, and one ferry was not sufficient, even in their immediate locality, for the general accommodation. The more they could facili tate the communication with Liverpool, and identify themselves with it, the more advantageous to themselves. It was impossible to span the Mersey with a bridge, and it therefore became their bounden duty to afford all the facilities in their power to the rate-payers to cross to Li verpool, which, after all, must continue to be the metro polis of this locality. It behoved them, too, at the present time, to look out for contin envies,—to prepare for the increasing wants of the township and those connected with it. Reference had been made to the Chester and Holyhead Railway, and he had no doubt but that when that line was completed, the increase of traffic would be sufficient to pay the whole expenses of the ferry. (Cheers) He concluded by seconding the resolution. The motion was put and unanimously carried. Mr. W. JACKSON in proposing the second resolution, relative to the docks, said that lie had not yet beard any individual speak against the proposed measure. - He had heard of some who doubted their capability to carry out the project, but if those persons would review the past efforts of the originators, he thought they would arrive of a dif ferent conclusion. (Cheers.) He could assure the meet ing that there would be no relaxation,--no holding back, — no giving way,—no stone left unturned on the part of those who had undertaken to carry out the measure. They had but one aim in view—to carry on the work and to give the whole benefit of the profit to the public. Their object was to throw open the docks to the world, and to give every possible facility to commerce generally. (Laud cheers.) Doubts had been expressed as to their capability to carry the measure in Parliament. It had been said that they had not complied with the standing orders (of the House of Commons) ; but he was happy to say they had already in their progress " passed the standing orders," and early next month the bill would he in committee. (Applause.) If any ovosition to the bill should arise it must then be offered ; and if it were, they were prepared to meet it. With had alreadyrespect tobeencarrying subscribed, the bill a i tl this they a s Parliament d a n no needa ample fund to dip their hands into the pockets of the ratepayers for a single farthing. (Cheers.) The projector& of the mea surent) e e r n s e fi n t n than h w s h i a d t e swoofuld Wallasey i large. The measure had a l rea d y Iti o owr tlie various go vernmen t o ffi ces. o in t o:ottlliw,ewiatonhudltdhttenants epublic a havepa in) approval landowners He expected no opposition, excepting in reference to the Liverpool town dues, and as that question had to be de cided elsewhere, he need not dwell upon it. The com missioners had taken the m a tt er up w i t h out risk to the rate-payers in any shape. It was necessary that the mo tion should be carried as it stood, as although the com missioners were not carrying out the plan with the money of the rate-paders the docks wou ld b e manage d b y a com mittee appointed by them, sa that the rate-payers would have complete control of the Dock Trust. (Cheers.) He moved the following resolution : "That this meeting approve of the steps taken by the projectors of the Birkenhead Docks, and approve of the plans as prepared by Mr. Rendall ; and that the commis sioners be authorised to petition Parliament on behalf of the townshiu in favour of the same, and that the bill now presented he approved of." Mr. JOHN LAIRD seconded the motion, and the chair man was about to put it when — iir:lonwoon said that it had been stated in the Li verpool Town Council that they (the Birkenhead propri etary) were about to build, not " castles," but docks, in the air" ; and as he knew it would be interesting to the ratepayers and the public generally that the question should be replied to, he wihed to know whether the plan co;Ild be carried out for the sum that had been stated— £3oo,ooo; and also whether the money was to be raised by loan, and how the interest in such case, nearly £15,000 per annum, was to be raised ? For himself, he had no opposition to offer to the measure. He believed, indeed, that it would be a national advantage ; but he thought a reply might disabuse the public mind elsewhere. Would the £300,000 be sufficient? The contracts were said to be taken at that amount. The CHAIRMAN said an answer would be found on reference to the cop) of the bill which had already been laid before the ratepayers. Mr. Fonwooo said he should be glad to see the docks constructed, and thought that if his questions were replied to the minds of many would be satisfied. Mr. W. JACKSON said, that if the questions of Mr. Forwood were answered in detail, nothing could more thoroughly arm those who were opposed to the measure against them. "We go," he said, " before parliament, and will there prove the merits of our case. What we have asserted we are prepared to prove before a commit tee of the House of ( onarnons, and we shall either stand or fall by the principle on which we have set out." (Cheers.) Mr. FORWOOD disclaimed individual opposition to the measure. His object was merely to seek satisfactory in formation on the subject. Mr. JACKSON said that if the money to carry the bill through parliament were to be derived from the ratepay ers, and if it were at their risk, it would be proper to ask for an explanation of the details ; but as it was, he saw no necessity at that stage of the proceedings to answer the questions. Mr. C. BENTHAM said that those who put such ques tions had a wrong notion on the subject. The ratepayers would run no risk whatever in this undertaking. The projectors borrowed the money to complete them on their own merits. It was to be raised for the docks alone, and the ratepayers would not be liable for either capital or interest. It would neither affect their rates nor their property, but as inhabitants they would gain all the ad vantages that would arise from an increase of trade and population in the township. (Cheers.). . . . Mr. JAC KSON said that the racking was, properly speaking, a public one, but called merely to express their approval of applying for the bill. It required their sanction for this only, and any one might oppose it afterwards if they thought fit. Mr. E. WILLOUGHBY said tha* bad perused a copy of the bill, an d f oun d th a t theresponsibility did not at. tach to the ratepayers, whatever might be the result of the application to parliament to obtain it. Mr. JACKSON repeated that neither the township at large nor the ratepayers would be liable for one farthing, even if the bill were lost. • The resolution was then put from the chair, and carried without a dissentient voice. Thanks were then voted to the chairman. The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, congratulated THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. the meeting on the unanimity that had prevailed. This, in fact, was only a continuation of that union which cha racterised the whole of the proceedings of the commis sioners. Although he had the honour of presiding over the board of Commissioners, he could assure those pres ent that there was no want of zeal and labour on their part, and that they acted throughout with a view to the general interest ; and he felt assured that the ratepayers generally felt satisfied that their confidence in that body was not misplaced. Cheers.) The meeting then separated. THE ANTI-MONOPOLY ASSOCIATION AGAIN DEFEATED Another meeting, called by the Anti-Monopoly Asso ciation, was held on Thursday last, at Lascelle's Rooms, Great Richmond-street. The room, which holds about 600 persons, was half filled. At seven o'clock the chair was taken by some gentleman, who modestly voted him self into it, and a Mr. DANSIE, one of the council of the association, then delivered a lecture, containing about the usual amount of free-trade trash. He eulogized the ob jects of the league, and denounced the land-owners, re hashed the old hackneyed speeches of Messrs. Cobden, Bright, and Co., and promised the meeting that Lord Morpeth was coming out as a corn-law repealer. At the close of the lecture, Mr. SAMUEL ALLEN, a factory operative, late of Manchester, came forward and gave a detailed account of his experience of 18 years' connection with the factory system as overlooker, &c. He spoke of the gradual and systematic reduction of wages by manu facturers, and the substitution of machinery for manual labour, and latterly the employment of women and children in factories, leaving the man to stop at home and nurse. Mr. Allen then moved "That it is the duty of the legislature to protect the agricultural interest of this country, and that the objects of the Anti-Corn-Law League is a reduction of wages, and to grind down the operative classes for their own selfish and mercenary pur poses." Mr. EDWARD PARRY, an operative, seconded 'Mr. Allen's motion, and drew the attention of the meeting to the pauperized condition of the manufacturing districts as compared with the agricultural districts ; also the entrap ping of the agricultural labourers into the manufacturing districts. He also asked the lecturer a very pertinent question, namely, " Why did not some of the tyrant ma nufacturers speculate in land, as he frequently saw an nouncements by Mr. George Robins of such property for sale, and if it was so good a thing, as they represented it, to become'landowners, surely they would try which paid best interest—land or cotton." He also drew the attention of the meeting to the treatment of children in factories, and concluded by calling upon the meeting never to rest satisfied till they had protection to native industry, and saw the accursed New Poor-Law erased from the statute books of our land. Mr. NASH moved as an amendment, "That if the re peal of the corn-laws did not benefit the working classes, it was the duty of the legislature to tax machinery and protect the working classes." Mr. DANSIE, the lecturer, seconded the amendment, and said that he agreed in a great measure with the pre ceding speakers, that machinery was a curse to this coun try, and that the working man should be protected. The CHAIRMAN dissented from Mr. Dansie's views of machinery, and, after repeated calls from the meeting to put the motiun, the amendment was put and lost, when the chairman admitted the motion to be carried by a con siderable majority. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed by accla mation, and the meeting separated, with three cheers for Richard Oastler, the poor man's friend, and the Kentish fire. CONSERVATINE DINNER.-PRESENTATION OF PLATE. On Friday evening last about 150 of the operative Con servatives of the North and Soutk Toxteth Wards, and their friends, sat down to a dinner in the Toxteth-hall, to commemorate the victories they had achieved in the mu nicipal contests of the last and former years. The room was tastefully decorated with flags emblematic of truth and loyalty. The large and splendid flag presented by Lord Sandon and Sir Howard Douglas to the operative shipwrights, with motto, " For our God, our Queen, and our Country," was hung from the roof above the chair man, Mr. Joseph Harrison, and was guyed out to the end of the room, thus placing the chair and its supporters beneath a canopy formed by the banner under which they had long energetically fought. The dinner, though plain, was such as to give the utmost satisfaction. After a dessert of 'excellent fruit, &c., the CHAIRMAN, in a neat address, in which he recounted the glorious con servative victories, the attainment of which was princi pally owing to the instrumentality of the operative con servatives attached to their Queen and their country, proposed the health of " Our sovereign the Queen," which was received in a manner that at once demonstrated the estimation in which the Sovereign is held by those un ceasing supporters of the glories of our constitution in Church and State. the operative Protestants of Liverpool. "God save the Queen" was then sung by the meeting. The next toasts were "The Queen Dowager," "The Duke of Wellington," " Sir Robert Peel and the Con servative Members of the House of Commons," and " Our Glorious Constitution in Church and State." These were all enthusiastically received, and were fol lowed by the Conservative Members of the Borough," to whose conduct Mr. Longworth appropriately alluded. The Chairman then said they had now got a little nearer home, and gave " The Health of the Conservative Mem bers of North and South Toxteth Wards." They had done much for the wards, and he trusted would do much more. Through their influence they had got Scriptural education in their schools, and this alone should be suffi cient to ensure them the esteem of every lover of Christianity; but beyond this he was sure that their re , presentatives in the council would use their most strenuous exertions to promote the interests of the town, and the welfare of their two wards. (Given with three times three, and amidst tremendous applause.) Mr. SHEPPARD rose, and thanked the assembly for the honour they had done him in drinking his health. In no affair since the commencement of his career in council had he experienced so much sincere pleasure. The great mark of respect shown to him was certainly uncalled for ; he had done no more than his duty, and he trusted he had done it with that zeal and fidelity that met their views. The support be received from those around him was, in reality, support to the cause to which they were all mhtu ally attached. Since last he had had the pleasure of ad dressing them several events had occurred, to which he wished to revert—one of them related to dock extension. He had read the evidence for and against the proposed measures, and consulted with men better versed than him self in the affair, and, like a faithful juror, had returned his verdict • one, he trusted, that would facilitate the commerce of the port, and add to the corporate coffers. By a map at Mr. Okell's, he found that the corporation held from ¶lOO to 1100 acres of land at the south end of the town, while at the north they had not more than about 200, yet he voted for docks at the north for the increasing steam navigation, and for docks at the south for the ac commodation of vessels in the timber trade. He then al luded to scriptural education, showing how condusive it was to the happiness of all classes, teaching men to love their God, honour their Sovereign, and respect the law. He humourously noticed the Irish state trials. The next toast was " Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," to whi c h Mr. Jones responded • after which, Mr. Davie s sang a a song descriptive of the late Irish trials, and the " tailed" man's visit to Liverpool. It went off with great eclat. The pleasing duty then devolved on the chairman to present a silver snuff box, a small token of respect, to Mr. Short, whose exertions in the cause are well known—he having been four years secretary of the association. Mr. Short, observed the chairman, had stuck to them through thick and thin, and this small gift was presented as a slight token of the universal esteem in which he was held. There were, he believed, only two donors who were not operatives, and the subscription was limited to half-a crown ; Mr. Short might feel gratified in receiving such a token of respect, but he could not feel more gratified than he (the chairman) did in presenting it. (Loud and con tinued cheers.) Mr. SHORT returned thanks and said, it was not until a few hours before he entered the room that he was aware of such a gift being intended. There were others who bad worked as hard in the cause as he had, for he had done no more than became a true lover of his country and her in stitutions ; when with others they took the vessel in charge, she was " all aback," the radical breakers were on the lee, and she was fast nearing them : a whip ship was in sight, bearing down, but the hunting was nailed. to the mast-head, and bid defiance to the revolutionary blasts ; they got the sailmaker on board, hauled their wind, and by good management she was now securely moored, with her best bower down, in a safe haven, where he was sure the crew were ready when their exertions were wanted. After again thanking them he sat down amidst deafening applause. The snuff box was an exceedingly chaste and valuable one, bearing a suitable inscription. The health of the chairman, vice-chairman, Mr. Inman, Mr. Clay, and others were then given, and each of these gentlemen replied, illustrating the benefits arisinc , from operative protestant associations, and meetings like the , present one. Mr. Inman saying, every attempt to pre- I vent a mutual good feeling between the employers and the employed must militate against both parties. Several excellent songs were sang, and the band played effectively a new march, called the " Orangeman's March," which is now being published. After which the company sepa rated, all highly delighted, and looking forward to the fre quent recurrence of such social meetings. The inquiry before the coroner, on the body of the in fant sent to the vicar of Cheltenham, has terminated, but nothing was elicited tending in the least degree to implicate any person in this mysterious affair. FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT: FORTY LIVES LOST.—Ha verfordwest, Feb. 16.—Late last evening an account reached this place that a fearful accident had occurred at Lanshipping Colliery, five miles from Haverfordwest. Whilst the men were at work in the pit, the drift of which extended about half a mile under a branch of the river, the water broke in, and forty persons were drowned or buried beneath the earth which fell on them; eighteen managed to get to the mouth of the pit, and were saved ; the remaining forty, it is supposed, will never more be seen, and the works are completely destroyed. The es cape of some of the men was almost miraculous, having passed those who were nearer out and told them of the danger; but so instantaneous was the burst of water, that no steps could be taken to ensure safety. About half of those who perished were boys; the remainder were men, many of whom have left large families who were dependent on them for support. This most unfortunate event has spread a gloom over the whole town. Lanshipping Col liery is the property of Colonel Owen, who generally re sides there and personally superintends it. He was on a visit with his family at Sir Charles Morgan's (his father in-law) when the above accident occurred. LOCAL NEWS. CHARGE OF MURDER.—The trial of Capt. M`Donald, who was committed by Mr. Rushton, on the charge of shooting Mr. Green, mate of the William Rathbone, of this port, in Cameroon's River, came on on Tuesday last, in London, and, after the examination of one witness, the captain was acquitted. DEATH INlihE PARK ROAD.—On Sunday morning about half-past six o'clock, as a policeman was going off duty along Park-road he discovered the body of a man lying dead at the bottom of the cellar seeps belonging to the Rev. Mr. Parker's house. Assistance was immedi ately procured, nd the deceased, whose name was Thomp son, and who has left a widow and three children, was removed to his own house. It appears that the body pre sented an appalling aspect when discovered. The face was dreadfully swollen ; the head was down ; and a frothy substance was issuing from the mouth and nos trils. The deceased worked at a brewery in Park-road, and when last seen alive, about twelve o'clock on Sa turday night, was, apparently sober. The precise man ner in which he met his death is, therefore, involved in mystery. HEROIC CONDUCT.—On Tuesday evening last, about seven o'clock, Joseph Sturdy, a young man who is in the service of Mr. R. H. Parkinson, house-agent, Argyle street, was at the Tranmere slip, about to proceed to Liverpool, when he observed a gentleman fall into the river. Sturdy saw the individual struggling in the water, and immediately plunged in, and, with some difficulty, brought him safe to land. The gentleman generously pre sented his preserver with sixpence, which the young man, being very much exhausted, received in a fit of absence. We are sorry to hear that Sturdy was, sometime after his immersion, seized with a fit, in consequence of having remained too long in his wet clothes. Ile now lies dangerously ill. This young man, about five years ago, bad the enviable fortune of saving the life of a child that fell from the arms of its nurse into the Mersey, from Egremont pier. ANNUAL DINNER OF THE LIVERPOOL GUARDIAN SOCIETY.—On Tuesday evening last the twenty-first an niversary of this excellent and useful society was celebrated at the Adelphi Hotel, when about 120 of the members sat down to a sumptuous entertainment, served up with that taste and liberality which characterize all similar efforts of the caterer, Mr. Radley. The president of the society, Mr. Joseph Hickey, occupied the chair, supported by Mr. Thomas Bage as vice-president. After dinner the usual loyal and patriotic toasts were drunk with appro priate honours. The absence of the Mayor and Town clerk was apologised for, both these functionaries being prevented from attending by business. The healths of several officers and members were proposed and responded to. The chairman, in returning thanks for his health being drunk, referred to the opposition given during the past year to the Gas Company's Bill, to the steps taken and then abandoned as to surcharges under the income tax, to the endeavours made to bring about a change in the Court of Requests, and to the support g i ve n t o the Water Bill. He a l so alluded to the want of a new in surance company for householders, to the want of a water company, in order to reduce the present high rates for water, and concluded by referring to the gas company, which, he said, was almost formed, and in a most prospe rous state. Mr. Ferguson expressed a hope that they would do all they could to reform the Court of Requests, that the public might have confidence in that tribunal ; and that the society would do all they could to upset the in come-tax when the period for which it was enacted had expired. The company separated about eleven o'clock. ALLEGED CASE OF SMUGGLING.—The steward of the packet-ship Sheridan, who had only arrived from New York on Friday night, was brought before Mr. Rushton on Saturday, on a charge of having been detected in the act of conveying 111bs. weight of foreign manufactured tobacco from the aforesaid vessel, almost immediately after she had cast anchor in the Mersey. It appeared, from the evidence, that when the Sheridan reached the port, a number of persons belonging to the several news paper offices put out to her in a boat, for the purpose of getting the latest American papers, and that after they got the files on board, the prisoner made his way into the boat, and had a bag thrown down to him, which was trirlrked as " the letter-bag of the packet-ship Sheridan." When the boat returned to the quay, the hag was searched by constable 110, and it was found to contain the 111bs. weight of tobacco. The prisoner was ordered to be re manded. Shortly after, Captain Depeyster, the master of the Sheridan, appeared in court, and said, the con signees and agents would use their utmost exertions to have the prisoner exonerated, as the tobacco was not his property, but that of a person on board, who had had it for sale to the crew, and as he (the prisoner) was most innocently led to be the bearer of it on shore. SUICIDE.—O❑ Saturday an inquest was held before the Borough Coroner, to inquire into the circumstances touching the death of Jane Robinson, a female, 21 years of age, who was found dead in bed with a dark silk hand. kerchief tied tightly round her neck. The deceased lodged in the house of an Irish labourer, named John Whelan, in Back Portland-street, and she had repeatedly informed one of her associates, Mary Wright, that, if anything hefel her, it would be entirely owing to the im proper liberties which had been taken with her by Whelan, during his wife's absence, about Christmas last. Mr. Balfour, the beadle, stated, that the case was calculated to excite suspicion, and that he had found a bottle con taining drops of laudanum, in a trunk belonging to the deceased. Mr. Longbottom, surgeon, deposed, that he had made a post mortem examination of the body, and found that strangulation had been the cause of death, and that the deceased had been three months enciente. The Coroner, in summing up the case, said, that Whelan was very reprehensible for having mis-conducted himself in such a manner as to cause distress of mini, on the part of the female, to an extent which, in all probability, in duced her to make a fatal attempt upon her own life. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that strangula tion had been the cause of death, hut whether death had been caused by herself or by others there was no evi dence to show. The inquest lasted four hours. LIVERPOOL FIRE AND LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. —On Thursday the eighth annual general meeting of the proprietors of this company was held in the Clarendon Rooms. Thomas Booth, Esq., chairman of the board of directors occupied the chair, and in opening the business said that although they commenced the year with some heavy losses, they had closed it wish a larger surplus fund than they commenced. Mr. Swinton Boult read the re-' port of the directors, which was highly satisfactory. It appeared that the premiums received during the year amounted to £48,246 Bs. ld. ; the losses to £44,250 13s. 10d. The reserved fund, which last year was £27,481 3s. 10d., was this year increased to £35,369 9s. 6d. The re port, on the motion of Mr. Watson, seconded by Low, was received and adopted. A dividend of 5 cent. was declared; thanks were voted to the directors for their attention to the interest of the company. Mr. Daniel James and Mr. T. B. Blackburn were appointed auditors; £420 were placed at the disposal of the direc tors for their services, and Messrs. Thomas Booth, Rich ard Edwards, Nathan Cairns, James Mulleneux, John Pennington, and Nicholas RoSkell, the retiring directors, were re-elected, and Mr. Andrew Low added to the list of directors. In reply to a question from Mr. Hender son, it was stated that the five per cent. would be paid exclusive of the income tax. Some conversation arose as to the reduction of the rates, when the chairman stated it was the intention of the directors to reduce the rates of assurance so soon as it was prudent to do•so. After a few remarks as to the reduction of the rates on foreign risks, during which Mr. George Holt said the directors were so much alive to the interest of parties, that they would give every attention to each separate proposal, although it must be expected that foreign risks would be higher than those at home. Thanks were voted to the chairman and the meeting separated. MEETING IN LIVERPOOL ON BEHALF OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SOCIETY FOR IRELAND.-011 Tuesday evening last, a meeting was held in the spacious school-room connected with Christ Church, on behalf of this society. At seven o'clock the Rev. Dr. Tattershall was called to the chair. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. Fielding Ould, when the Chairman made a highly suitable address, testifying to the value of the society, and sustaining his assertion by reference to evidence pub lished by the Commissioners of Education, &c. He pledged himself to give all the support be possibly could to this society. The report was then read by George O'Neille, Esq., the agent of the society, the chief fea tures of which appeared to be that 23,000 teachers (gra tuitous) and 240,000 scholars are connected with the so ciety, which has issued about 700,000 copies of the Holy Scriptures, and more than one million of spelling-books. The adoption of the report was ably moved by the Rev. Mr. Cowan, and seconded by the Rev. Dr. Drew, of Belfast, who attended as a deputation from Ireland. Dr. Drew corroborated the statements of the respected chair man, and produced a copy of the report of the commis sioners, who, in 1825, gave high testimony in favour of the society, one of these commissioners being a Roman Catholic gentleman, the Right Hon. A. Blake. Dr. Drew proceeded to lay before the meeting the claims of the society. He pointed out two objects as worthy of attention, as the very pillars of the society—namely, its circulation and cherishing of the Word of God. and its honouring the Holy Day of God. He shewed what bless ings had naturally flowed from its thus honouring the word and day of God. He shewed also who was the pro per party in responsibility before God ; and the parent being so, all were bound to supply such help as the parent needed in bringing up his child in the nurture and admo nition of the Lord. None would suppose Birkenhead unworthy of the sympathy of Liverpool, because a broad and noble stream, the Mersey, ran between ; and if a broader stream ran between England and Ireland, the latter marked by God as the twin sister of the former, should not be left to wither and perish beneath the oppo sition which was raised against it. Dr. Drew proceeded to enlarge upon the benefits conferred in Ireland by va rious results incidental to Sunday schools, such as the building of schoolhouses and even of churches, the esta blishment of libraries, dispensaries, and clothing socie ties ; he read extracts from letters received by him from several clergymen, testifying to the numbers of young persons supplied for confirmation, and for the Lord's table, by means of Sunday schools. He concluded an address of considerable length, and which was most fa vourably received, by recommending to their notice local examples of Christian benevolence, and by entreating re newed exertions on behalf of the society. The Rev. A. Hume, of the Collegiate Institution, and the Rev. Mr. Wolfenden, also took part in the proceedings, and a most feeling and powerful address was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Ould, who enlisted the warmest sympathies of the meeting on behalf of the society. At the conclusion of the meeting many cards were taken, and the crowded meeting dispersed in excellent order. Many had remained standing to the close of the meeting, unable to procure seats. We hope that, under the interest excited by this meeting, an efficient result will be manifested in behalf of one of the best societies in Ireland, THE LALLES' CHARITY. —On Wednesday the genera l annual meeting of the subscribers and friends of tnis in stitution was held at the Blue Coat Hospital, the Rev. Rector. Brooks in the chair. It appeared from the report, which was the 48th annual one, that owing to the increased population of the town, and the extended boundaries of the charity, the demands upon the funds were constantly and seriously increasing. During the year, 2,532 patients had received the benefit of the charity at their homes, being an increase of 337 over the preceding year; and 1,639 infants had been vaccinated, b e i ng 429 over t h e number vaccinated in 1812. Forty-eight patients had, moreover, been admitted into the wards. The amount expended during the past year, on account of the general charity, had been £1,409. 3s. Bd., and on account of the wards, £142. 18s. 5d., making a total of £1,552. 2s. Id., to meet which the income had been £l,OBB. 15s. sd. The consequence was, that while there had been a balance in favour of the charity of about £6OO at the close of 1842, there remained in hand only about £l5O at the close of the past year. FIRES.—Two fires took place during the past week. The first took place between the hours of one and two o'clock on the morning of Tuesday last, in the shop of Messrs. Marsden and Co., brush manufacturers, at the bottom of Duke-street. The damage was not very mate rial, as the engines arrived speedily and were efficiently worked. The second broke out about half-past four o'clock on Thursday morning last, in the back parlour of a house in Chatham-street, occupiedby Mr. Charles Will pier, news-agent. The flames ascended to the bed-room in which Mr. Wilimer slept before the discovery took place, and loss of life would, in all probability, have oc curred, had not the smoke and noise of the conflagration wakened the occupant in sufficient time to enable him, his wife, and his servant to effect their escape in their night dresses, and to obtain refuge in the nest house. Furni ture of the value of about zeloo was entirely destroyed, but Mr. Wilimer was fully insured. The landlord of the house was uninsured, and a consid era bl e sum will have to b e ex pended for damage done to the floorings. STRANGE STORY.—As a "strange gtory" my s t er i ous l y narrated in the Mercury i s no longer a secret, it is due to all the parties to state the mere facts of the transac tion. In the latter end of last month, Miss Hill, a dis tant relation of Mr. Henry Dodd, paper-manufacturer. of Bold-street, and employed as his shop-woman, took suddenly ill. Owing to alterations in the house, then in progress, there was no bed-room i available, and, of ne cessity, she was placed on a sofa n the parlour. Two or three recent deaths in the house had caused some alarm, and Mr. Dodd wished to have her removed to her mo ther's house in Pitt-street. Before doing so, he sent for three medical gentlemen, who told him that she could not bear removal, but as she had not many hours to live he might remove the body immediately after her decease. They no doubt intended it to be placed in a coffin ; but Mr. Dodd took their instructions literally, and did not provide one, promising, however, to send a coffin like the one in which his mother had been interred. The body was placed in a car too carelessly, and without any at- tendant inside, two persons, however, walking outside, and, on its arrival in Pitt -street, it had fallen against the seat, disfiguring the face. The mother and brothers of the deceased felt greatly hurt; and one of the latter, who holds a public situation in Monmouthshire, came to town and vented his anger on Mr. Dodd in his own shop in the form of a personal assault. The affair attracted a crowd, and both combatants claim the victory. Nest day, Mr. Dodd applied for a summons against Mr. Hill; but, as the summons could not be served, the case did not of course come before the magistrate. In the mean time, some friend of the deceased had represented to the coroner that au inquest ought to be held on the body, and Mr. Currie had all the parties before him, the result of the inquiry being, that there was no occasion for any further proceeding.—Journal. INQUESTS. The following inquests were held yesterday, before P. F. Curry, Esq., coroner : On view of the body of Sarah Naylor, who had re sided in Gerard-street, and who was run over by a shandry, in Byrom-street, on Saturday last, about noon. The driver of the vehicle, John Hurst, was brought into the room in custody, there being a suspicion that the deceased had lost her life througb his culpable neg ligence or carelessness. . It appeared from the evidence that the deceased, who was 74 years of age, was in the act of crossing Byrom-street, near the bottom of Great i Crosshall-street, when the near shaft of the shandry, the borse in which was going at a brisk trot, struck her and knocked her down, and the wheel passed over her breast. She died on Sunday morning. After a length ened inquiry, the jury found a verdict of " Accidental death," with a deodaiad on the shandry of 20s. On view of the body of William Mowton, aged ten years. On Friday last deceased and his aunt had taken dinner to the rope-walk in Lodge-lane, where the de ceased's father was employed. ,Deceased left the place to go home, and on his way tell down at the top of the rope-walk. He was feund soon afterwards, bleeding from a wound in the left temple, and stated that he had fallen. He lingered in a state of insensibility until the following morning, when he died. It was supposed that he fell upon a nail or spike. On view of the body of John Riley, aged 30. The deceased was engaged, on Friday last, with another man, in laying down gas-pipes in Barrack-street, north end of the Clarence Dock. The depth of the cutting was about 6i feet from the surface of the street. While they were so employed, one side of the cutting gave way, and fell upon the deceased and the other man. Deceased was taken o it immediately, but was quite dead. On view of the body of Catherine Leyden, five years of age, who lived in Lace's-street. On Saturday morn ing week, the deceased was left in a room with a no th er child, and her night-clothes having taken fire, she was so severely burned that she died on Saturday last. On view of the body of John Morden, a child under two years of age, and who lived with his parents in Kifchen-street. Deceased was accidentally scalded on. Thursday evening by the upsetting upon him of a jug of hot coffee, and died from the injuries on the following day. On view of the body of Samtiel Lythgoe, a child of about eight years of age. On Saturday morning last, deceased, while at Mr. Win. Lassell's brewery in Mil ton-street, had, it appeared, accidentally fallen into a butt of hot water, and was so severely scalded all over his body that the skin came off with his clothes. He died from the injuries in about . two hours and a half after the accident. MISCELLANEOUS. At a meeting at the Duke of Richmond's on Saturday, at which a great number of noblemen and gentlemen were present, a metropolitan society was formed for the pro tection of British agriculture. Lord and Lady Stanley gave, on Saturday evening, an elegant entertainment, at their residence in St. James's square, London. Amongst the company were the Right Hon. W. E. and Mrs. Gladstone, Lord Sandon, anti Mr. Cardwell. MURDER IN NORWICII.—On Thursday evening last an inquest was held at Norwich, before Mr. W. Wilde, on view of the body of John Seeley, aged 65, who came by his death on that day, as was alleged, from a blow with a poker given by his wife, a woman apparently about 40. The parties kept a low pnblic-house in that city. They had been in the habit of quarrelling, and on the day named more than usual, and deceased stated that his wife had struck him with a poker in the chest. He died the same afternoon. ALISENTEEISNI."4,et us inquire if absenteeism existed when the Irish Parliament was sitting ; if so, there are no grounds for maintaining that the creation of another Irish Legislature would prevent the perpetuation of the alleged evil. Every writer on Ireland, for several centuries, has written forcibly against absenteeism at the very periods when the Irish Parliament was in its greatest plenitude. Sir William Petty, Prior (or Dobbs), Gee, Spenser, Dean Swift—all wrote against absentees. The Dean said "it perpetually drained the country, and drove half the farmers into beggary and banishment." In the reign of Richard 11., there was a heavy tax imposed on absentees ; who were fined two-thirds of their estates. The law was revived in the reign of Henry VIII., for, as the late Mr. Sadler says "like all others of this nature, the former the former had been evaded." Mr. Sadler adds, that " in the time of James L the entire lands of all abseen tees were vested in the Crown." In 1715, the Irish Par liaments taxed the pensions, salaries, &c., °fall absentees four shillings in the pound, which tax was afterwards re pealed. A recent and patriotic writer says—" Absentee• ism existed to a grievous extent even under the resident legislature of Ireland, notwithstanding all their exertions to destroy this plaie potitique la pluss d6vorante. There were legal enactments against absenteeism from 1377 up 1753: they all proved inefcient. In 1773, Mr. Flood made an attempt to revive the old laws, but failed. In 1783, a proposition to the same effect was supported by Mr. Grattan, in vain. In 1797, Mr. Vandeleur, made a motion with the same view, which proved abortive."— Bryan's Practical View of Ireland. THE IRISH STATE TRIALS.—At length this tedious affair has come to a conclusion, and terminated, as we have expected ever since we read some portions of the evidence, in a conviction of all the defendants —whose acts and language had undoubtedly gone for beyond the line of legal and constitutional appeal to public opinion. Many of the liberal newspapers are loud in thei r comp l a i nts against the government for having instituted the prorecu tion against Mr. O'Connell and his co - defendants ; but we must confess that in these complaints we cannot at all concur. From the time of the meeting at Mullaghmast, where the act of the union was declared to be a nullity, and the announcement of " the repeal cavalry," for the purpose of making a demonstration at Clontarf, it appeared to us that the government had no choice, unless they were disposed to allow the discontented portion of the Irish people to place themselves in complete military array, and to prepare for an outbreak which would have deluged the land in blood. Mr. O'Connell's real objects may be, as many people believe, quite laudable; but without troubling ourselves to inquire into that point, we are quite sure that the means to which he has resorted for the attainment of those objects have been in the highest degree illegal, un constitutional, and, considered in a moral point of view, exceedingly wicked and nefarious. Notwithstanding all that has been said in defence of the conduct and motives of Mr. O'Connell in the agitation which has led to this prosecution, we cannot bring ourselves to sympathise with a man who has done his utmost to stir up a feeling . of deeq and malignant hate between Englishmen and Irishmen, and who has not scrupled to point to incendiarism as a mode of punishing Englishmen for supporting the govern ment in its resistance to the demand for repeal.—Man chester Guardian, Radical paper. hers') n )Iliery if not ;same there •over, romi pro- rtain is a y the have earn, open 'rued from the t ap vith- I not i the le in