The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-11 00:00:00

iced principles ad to pursue. • and seconder >rsonally illus coalition. He :he least, Ivocate of the that " liberal e minds and bort of what 1 as anything tendency Whig, but a that duty for Tuesday; has )-Chartist fac- , rmers merely, mply from his tions also, as tens on seve r true, to take 3 occasion, we T's "five," of ' Whether or of Parliamen- Mr. Cardwell us, is to con e of course do ald not pledge ballot, highly that most de y satisfied his ate to declare is the Govern asure of Par- f by his com at one of two even a Liberal a playing false all the indis i that prevails, hat cannot for , s to preserve, eks to root up. heir principles ary advantage, is promoting in the end. It Las it, " honest cannot be far on," of which assuredly ex ents may not t who formed ANT SHIP, IVES. ) our readers of the emi tor New York nird 127 pas ! voyage was ber, when in In. longitude, on fire. The opened, and was so thick ged to leave. between the om ponied by s were suffo sible to check assembled all and the hori itely, a vessel as of distress. and she ap- safe to do. ts in a violent his two boats passengers as )fence of the .ed to pieces remained to ore than four ;0 pro- too, became . s had of en- Id let them- es passing to passen- •emairiing 51, e suffocated used to leave ty from sea and 'ortunate ccrew of Id provide land on her s, there was rtunately the voyage she r provisions, And she had ready begun e afterwards y would be INGS, as held oit .e comprised magistrate' signed, at. Dunci I , pur- nd measures borough of ) charged for nice exceed- in schedule 6th William ading half-a -t adjustment lan continue )able income e year cora 31st August each of the ) amount of ctively ; and sual gratui- ,te's-clerk's- ad measures, ) corporation and ending rief report of e Corporate Lted at more expenditure, he branches tic charities, provements in the pre- oned, £757; , w-hill, and a total of would leave f this coin posal of the fit to use it, inhabitants, 1,773, in the vote which. e parish and is being the at £11,442, be remitted proportion. it under the lispensarie9, kern Ditto, :ion, £lOO ; arity, £3O; ?,nt Society, Ince of the Mr. Ferni ) the Row ftrrnation ot Ivied by Mr. the watch, iittee, com ary of Mr. )m £llO to ie proceed- looting two , nduct, but isure of the Llleged out •andu, pro ning of the instance of aan named r. Durandu lot so with t of his son ed to strike :hid a reso =mending ras lost by pon certain r and Son. injustice of ws for the afterwards C. FERNI.• tee in this , fended the ,i•n3s of the nion of the lanctioned• he conduct y the final Chairman rok in this by 14 to 5!, solution of rity of five imitteeou inesday)• LOCAL NEWS. A FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY was opened at Bolton on New Year's Day Mn. W. BROWN, M.P., has presented £2O in aid of the Sunday-school Institute. THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL, P R ESCOT, has been licens e d for the solemnization of marriages therein. —St. Anne's Church, at At ughton, Lanca- duly iegiitered for ti e solemnisation of marriages THE RIGHT HON. staving with his relative, 117. E. GLADSTONE has been Sir Stephen Glyn, at Hawarden Castle, Flintshira THE NEW WOODSIDE STEAMER, now in course of construction by Messrs. Jordan, Getty, and Co., will be ready forlaunching next month. MASONIC BALL. —A grand masonic ballis to be held in the Town-hall on the Ist of February next. The ar rangements are on a very extensive settle. THE VENERABLE CHARLES J. SMITH, M.A., of Christ Church, Liverpool, late . Archdeacon of Jamaica, has been instituted to the living of Erith, Kent. THE PRICES OF COAL in this district are at present very high. The colliers insist upon being paid ss. per day, which the masters are obliged to submit to. THE NEW MARKET AT BOLTON.—Mr. Wm. Tom kinson of this town is the contractor for e. new market now erecting at Bolton, at a cost of upwards of £20,000. CHRISTMAS TREAT.—On Tuesday evening, Messrs. Haylock and Co., biscuit manufacturers, of Lydia Anne. street, entertained their workmen (100 in number) at a tea-party. CHRISTMAS TREAT TO WORKMEN.—On Thursday evening last, Mr. M'Corquodale, of Castle-street, enter tained his workpeople, to the number of 60, at Whiteman's Brunswick Hotel. THE SCREW STEAMER ALPS, the second vessel of the new screw fleet of the Cunard Company for the North American trade, has arrived here from the Clyde, and is lying in the Cobourg Dock. THE LYCEUM NEWS-ROOM windows have been re fitted with large plate glass, which has greatly increased the comfort of the readers, besides adding to the hand some appearance of the building. DEATH IN A BRIDEIVELL—On Monday night, a man, wbose name was unknown, but who was said to be a native of this town, and has two brothers residing here, died in the bridewell at Blackburn. LIvERPOOLPAWN BROXERS'BALL.—The second annual ball of the Liverpool pawnbrokers took place on Tuesday evening, in the Assembly-rooms, Great George-street. The company amounted to about 200. THE BARQUE LEONORA, belonging to Messrs. Sand bach, Tinne, and Co., of this port, has made the passage from Liverpool to Demerara and back (staying at Deme rara 20 days) in 82 days, the shortest on record. TRANSATLANTIC STEAM-SHIPS.—The Royal Mail steam-ship Europa, Shannon. commander, sailed from the Mersey about noon on Saturday for Halifax and Boston, with the usual mails and 40 passengers. TESTIMONIAL TO THE LATR MR. BAINES.--The sum of £BOO has been already subscribed towards the erection of a statue in honour of the late Mr. Edward Baines, of Leeds, father of Mr. Thomas Baines of this town. MR. JOHN SCOBLE, for many years connected with the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, is retiring from active labours, and nearly £1,200 has already been sub scribed, in order to present him with a testimonial. A CHRISTMAS WONDER.—A young duck, nineteen weeks old, belonging to. John Scott, of Cherry Hall, Grindleton, laid an egg on the morning of Christmas day ; an occurrence without a parallel in that locality. COLLISION ON THE RIVER.—On Thursday morning, a Birkenhead Ferry steamer was run into by the steam-tug Hercules, just as she was coming to the landing -stage, and disab!ed her by injuring the starboard paddle-wheel. THE LIVERPOOL ACADEMY EXHIBITION will Close Very shortly. Those who have not yet seen the noble collection should do so at once, as; in a few days, these beautiful works of art will be scattered over the kingdom. A SHARP TRICE.—On Thursday, a woman, named Abina O'Brien, stole a bundle of clothes from Mr. Mar tin's pawn-shop, in Great Howard-street, and in a few moments afterwards pledged them at the next pawn-shop. THE FREE LIBRARY.—The statistics up to Wednesday last, show that since the opening of the library (62 days ago) 32,993 books have been issued and returned, which gives an average of 532 volumes per day, exclusive of the readers of periodicals. REMOVAL AND TRANSFER OF LICHNEBEI.-011 ThIIFS. day, John Holme, Esq., and J. H. Turner, Esq., held a sessions to hear applications for the transfer and removal of licenses. There were a great number of applications, 27 of which were granted. INFORMATIONS AGAINST PUBLICANS.—There were very few cases brought before the magistrates on Friday last, of Sunday-trading. There was only one publican fined, and that was a nominal fine—one shilling. A few beersellora were fined in various amounts. EMIGRATION FROM LIVERPOOL IN 1852.—During the past year 621 ships, conveying 217,459 passengers, left this port for America and Australia. In the year 1851, the number was 607 ships and 196,890 passengers, being an increase of 14 ships and 20,569 passengers. ST: STEPHEN'S CHURCH SCHOOLS. —The schools in connection with the church of St. Stephen the Martyr, were opened by a tea-party on Tuesday evening, in the school-room, Mason -street, Edge-hill. The Rev. D. Anderson presided, and ther e were 250 present. A NEW IMPLEMENT OF DESTRUCTION. —Mr. Nas myth, the well-known engineer of Patricroft, near Man chester, announces a short range—far more destructive than Warner's " long range," for at one blow it is to .1 destroy the largest ship of an invading enemy." GREAT FALLING OFF IN OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION.— The imports of olive oil last year into Liverpool were only 6,443 casks, against 10,280 in 1851, and 21,121 casks in 1850; and the supply not being equal to the consump tion, the price now stands at £57 to £6O per ton. AN UNFORTUNATE CASE.—On Friday, at the police court, Emily Bell, a wretched-looking young woman, was charged by her sister, Martha Bell, of Mill-street, Tox teth-park. with illegally pledging a dress, and some other articles of female attire. The case was fully proved. REPRESENTATION OF I LACKBURN.—It is not impro bable that Mr. Eccles, one of the Radical members for Blackburn, will be unseated for bribery and intimidation. In anticipation of this the Con s ervatives are getting up a requisition to W. H. Hornby, Esq., the late mayor. A PARISH CHURCH WITHOUT CHURCHWARDENS.— After May next, there will be no churchwardens to the parish church of Blackburn, for twelve months, the present wardens having declined to serve another year, and the vicar having neglected to nominate other gentlemen in their stead. REPEAL OF THE PAPER AND NEWSPAPER STAMP DUTIES.—On Wednesday afternoon, a meeting of parties favourable to the repeal of these •duties was held at the Financial Reform Association. A sub. iatneneed in aid of the funds of the Lon- scription was MARINE SOCIETY.-At th annual meeting of the nesday Mr. W. Po in , sum of £12,973 12s. ld. , was stated to tter be dance to the credit of the fund. Mr. T. Littledale, --" was appointed trustee, vice Mr. J. B. Liverpoc rine Society. on the ex-r Yates, r FIRE IN ISLIN —On Saturday night, soon after painter, Isling to ,.. in the shop o f M r. L loyd, by two oun men who were p ass i ng , and, assistance having been y proc g ured, the flames were speedily extinguished, but not until con siderable damage had been done to the stock. CURIOUS C OINCIDENCE.-it is rather a singular fact, and one perhaps not generally known, that at the time, or as nearly as it is possible to be ascertained, when Messrs. Shand's ship Denison was lost in Lancaster Bay, last week but one, their private signal poll at Bidston Light house was blown down. eleven n' ,l, -uet. a nri_ PRESENTATION.—On Monday, last week, the congre gation of Hoghton Church presented to their late incum bent, the Rev. T. R. Baldwin, M.A., who has been pro moted to the vicarage of Leyland, a very handsome claret jug, value £lB, as a token of the high respect in which his services were regarded by his late flock. SUBTERRANEAN TELEGRAPH BETWEEN LONDON AND Irish Mavnetio LlVEßPOOL.—Under the auspices of the E ng li s h and ractors iaiduns zor layi down the und;r: round telegraph along the o ld coach road, from London this town, and Manchester and Birmingham. THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM.—The • pro Egyptian mu seum h as made prietor of te arrangements for the deliver h of a s er i es of lectures on ancient history, illustrated by specimens from the museum. The profit accruing from the admission fee will be liberally applied to the purchase of b oo k, on Orie n t a l hi story, for the Free Public Library. APPOINTMENTS TO THE EXCISE. —According to the new regulations made, relative to appointments in the excise, the candiyd.afitveemust not be less than nineteen, nor more than tweet family, and any bodily infirmity, unmarried aliCiarwsqtaatgefa' and free from debt ; and he cannot marry before he attains the station of ride officer. THE REV. HUGH STOWELL BROWN, t. Oliver t C h i r s o Cromwell delivered a lecture on the protectorat of tili a t week. In lasgtavei in the Theatre Royal, Chester, cidental to the lecture, Mr. Brown Poses. f ' time dhois opinion that the milli in of the present day was cor n servers, tapsters, and serving men out of pl ace.! , unwhrolet' The remark was received with hisses. UNWHOLESOME MEAT.—On Tuesday. John Brund it London -road, for exposing for sale 290 lbs. of some pork, was fined 203. and 4s. 6d. costs.—John Chad. wick, Trowbridge-street, for exposing for sale 30 lbs. of unwholesome mutton, 10s. and 4s. 6d. costs.—;K a ry Hewitt, St. J o h n ' s M ar k et, for expos i ng for sale 170 lbs. of unwholesome beef, Is. and Is. costs. THE CouNTY Comm —The business of the January court commenced yesterday, before his Honour, Joseph Pollock, Esq. The principal business was the hearing of fraud summonses, insolvent petitions, and interpleaders ; but the cases were mostly of a trifling nature. We un derstand that the Court will sit on Thursday next in the Court in Lime-st ree t, t h e alterations being completed for that purpose. ME88118• GIBBS, B RIGHT, AND Co., the owners of the Eagle, are about to present Captain Boyce, the com mander, with a handsome silver salver, appropriately inscribed, i 'n co mmemoration of his bringing the vessel from Melbourne to London in the shortest time the voy age has yet been accomplished, namely-76 days. The plate may now be seen •in the shop window of Mr. Jones, silversmith, Castle-street. LIVERPOOL WORKING MEN'S CHURCH ASSOCIATION. We have much pleasure in drawing the attention of our readers to the first annual meeting of Working Men's Church Association, wh the Liverp oo l ich will b e h e ld in the Collegiate Institution this ,evening. The Rev. Dr. M'Neile, and the Rev. Dr. Bavlee , of Bi r k enhead, will address the meetin g , amongst others, when,' doubtless, Some very inteseging statements will be !mid?. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1853. OURRENDER OF A MIIRDERER.—At Staleybridge, near Manchester, a man named Robert Thorneley, a muffin and crumpet dealer, has delivered himself up to the police as having been implicated in the alleged murder, in 1847, of James Brooks, of Godley, near Hyde, by putting arse nic in his food. MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.—The Boston (U.S.) Traveller learns, from good authority. that Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, is about to visit Great Britain, with her husband. She has lately re ceived a letter from Dr. Wardlaw, tendering her, in behalf of a number of ladies and gentlemen of Glasgow, an invi tation to visit England at their expense. This invitation she has accepted, and she will soon leave for Liverpool. THE STEAM-TUG INDEPENDENCE rendered herself con spicuous during the recent gales, both as to the alertness with which she put to sea, and the good services she ren dered to vessels is distress. She was mainly instrumental in saving no less than seven vessels ' • amongst them the Margaret and Eli za b e th, w hi c h , but for the assistance of the steamer, would have gone to pieces, with the loss of a cargo worth £40,000. GAROTTE ROBBERY IN SP ITALFIELDS.—On Saturday a man named Andrew Hill, and a woman named Jane Russell, were committed for three months fora garrotterobbery on a seaman named Clarke. On quitting a public house in the neighbourhood Clarke was attacked by the prisoners. Hill held Clarke tightly by the neck, and the woman rifled his pockets. Upwards of £2 altogether was taken from 12shim . , and when the thieves were subsequentl appehended, nd. was found upon the man, and Bs y r . 2d. upon the woman. SUNDAY TRADING BY CONFECTIONERS.—OG Friday last, a person named John Murray, who keeps a confec tioner's shop in St. James's -street, was summoned to answer a complaint of Sunday -trading. After the hear ing of the case, in the course of which the defendant said that, although it was the rule of the trade for confectioners to open their shops on Sundays, he disliked the practice, and had applied to the late Mr. Rushton to do away with it. Mr. Mansfield dismissed the charge, remarking : " I am not aware that the law would justify confectioners more than any other tradesmen keeping open their shops on Sunday. However, I shall not begin the practice of fining in such cases." NEW DEPUTY-LIEUTENANTS AND MAGISTRATES.— The following gentlemen were sworn in to serve as deputy lieutenants of the county of Lancaster, at the Lancaster sessions on Monday last :—R. Bryant Smith, Esq., Lydiate, Maghull ; John Butler Bowden, Esq., Pleasing ton-hall, Blackburn ; J. T. W. Aspinall, Esq., Standen.. hall, Clitheroo ; and T. Hordern Whittaker, Esq. The following gentlemen also took the oaths as magistrates : Joseph Fenton, Esq., Bamford-hill, Rochdale ; J. Ains worth Cooke, Esq., Townhead-house, Rochdale ; Albert Hudson Royds, Esq., Brown-hall, Rochdale ; and John Job Rawliason, Esq., Duddon-hall, Broughton-in-Fur ness. PERJURY AT THE COUNTY COURT.—On Thursday last, when giving the verdict in a case tried in the County Court, in which James Morris, flag merchant, was the Plaintiff, and David Parry, stone mason, the defendant, his Honour expressed himself in severe terms upon the evidence of the defendant, remarking—" I believe you to have committed the grossest perjury ever committed in this court. I greatly regret not being able to prove it by two witnesses. If I could do so, I would have sent you for trial at the assizes. Unfortunately, you escape in the present instance. Leave the court. If Iga ve way to my feeling of the infamy of the proceeding, I would order you to be committed for contempt of court ; but I will not seek a punishment for perjury in a committal for another offence." THE NEW STEAM FLEET FROM LIVERPOOL TO THE BRAZILS, now building by the Liverpool South American and General Steam Navigation Company, will, for the present, consist of three screw vessels, together with a smaller but very fast paddle steamer, for the intermediate traffic between Monte Video and Buenos Ayres. Thefirat vessel will take her departure in May next. WEST DERBY BOARD.—The usual weekly meeting of the guardians was held on Wednesday, the Rev. W. Badnall in the chair. A committee of five members was appointed to investigate a complaint against Mr. Slain, the relieving officer of Kirby, for refusing to supply the medical officer. The salary of the assistant matron was increased to £25 a-year. Mr. Woods was appointed de puty-master of the Workhouse, at 255. a week, NONCONFORMITY.—The first of the winter course of lectures in connexion with the Sunday-School Institute was delivered on Tuesday evening, in the Concert-hall, Lord Nelson -street, by the Rev. Geo. Smith, of London. Subject : " Rise of Nonconformity." During the lecture, Mr. Smith hazarded the assertion that " the proximity of the Church of England to that of Rome was the reason of the separation of a number of good men from the Church " ! ! THE SUFFERERS BY THE EXPLOSION OF THE LILY.— We are glad to find that an energetic effort is being made in Liverpool to render some assistance to the sufferers by this awful calamity. A committee has been formed, and contributions amounting to nearly £3OO have already been made. On New Year's Day the Rev. Dr. Carpenter, late of St. Barnabas Church, Douglas, and of St. Jude's, in this town, made an appeal to his congregation, at Man chester, in behalf of the sufferers, and received £6l ss. ROYAL MERSEY YACEIT CLUB.—The first meeting of the new year was held on Tuesday evening last, at the Club-house, Duke-street. In the absence of the commo dore, Thomas Littledale, Esq., the chair was taken by the treasurer. H. F.Rigge,Esq.,ofNewby-bridge,Milnthorpe, was elected a member, on the proposition of F. D. P. Astley. Esq., of the same place. After business matters had terminated, a discussion on the merits and defects of the ' :h were tested lately by the Admiralty various anchors whic at Sheernes ELECTION OF COUNTY CORONER.—The election for a coroner to act in the Preston district, in the room of the late coroner, deceased, took place last week. The candi dates were Mr. James Hayes, deputy to the late coroner, and Mr. Miles Myers, solicitor, of Preston. The nomi nation took place on Tuesday, at the Court-house. The polling commenced at noon that day, and continued until two o'clock on Thursday, when Mr. Hayes retired.— State of the poll at the close :—Myers, 2,030; Hayes, 1,439 ; majority for Mr. Myers, 591. Great excitement prevailed in Preston during the three days. DANGEROUS AND FOOLISH FROLIC WITH AN ELE PHANT.—On 'Wednesday a female visitor to Wombvvell's menagerie, now exhibiting in the Old Haymarket, whilst offering one of the elephants some cakes she held in one hand, struck him sharply with the other. The animal became infuriated, and plunged forward against the bar rier between him and his tormentor, but the massive solidity of the den saved the woman from the revenge no doubt contemplated. His efforts to release himself from confinement were prodigious, though unavailing. The woman was immediately expelled ; but, although the ob ject of his wrath was gone, it was many hours before his keepers (who acted with great firmness) could subdue the anger into which he had lashed himself. BELFAST AND WEST OF IRELAND RAILWAY.—A. company has been established under very influential pa tronage, for the extension of railway communication to the west of Ireland, by making a line from the city of Armagh to the town of Clones, county Monaghan. By this means Belfast will be bronght into communication with most of the towns in the west of Ireland. Particulars will be found in our advertising columns. TESTIMONIAL TO DR. GUSTAVUS M. BURTON.—The annual congregational tea party was held in the All Saints' School-room, Manchester, on Monday evening, when upwards of 300 persons were assembled. Among the clergymen present were the Revs. Dr. Burton, Dr. Car penter, Doyle, Pocklington, Baldwin, Ripley, C. H. Burton, of Liverpool, and Marchington, of Bury. There were also present Messrs. Crampton, Armistead. Sparks, Gatenby, and Helsham, the latter being the medical gen tleman who succeeds Dr. G. M. Burton in his practice here. The Rev. Dr. Burton having opened the meeting, Mr. James Atkinson, the senior conductor, rose to ex press the regret which the friends of Dr. G. M. Burton experienced in losing one with whom they had been so long intimately associated. After expressing the most kind sentiments and best wishes for his success in the ministry of Christ's church, he concluded by reading the address, which expressed their bestwishesfor Dr. Burton's happiness, on his exchanging the medical for the clerical profession, and Mr. Atkinson then presented 12 volumes of valuable works, in the name of the subscribers. Dr. G. M. Burton responded in a most earnest and affectionate manner to the address of his friends; and after appro priate addresses from the Rev. Dr. Carpenter, Rev. C. H. Burton, Mr. Kirk, and the Rev. W. Doyle, the meeting terminated, amid the general satisfaction and congratula tions of the assemblage.—Manchester Guardian.—[Dr. Burton is brother of the Rev. C. H. Burton, of St. Phi lip's, in this fown, and son of the Rev. Dr. Burton, of Manchester.] HYDROPHOBIA. — The Plymouth Herald Admiral Tremlett has in his possession a powder, a cer. tain cure for hydrophobia, and quotes a lett er f rom an Irish clergyman, one of who parishioners has j us t b een cured by it ; and is authorised by Admiral Tremlett to state that he has still a supply of the powder, and that he:will send it to any one who may require it. HORRIBLE DEATH.—Mrs. Ann May,"aged 30, residing at 84, Union -street, Kennington-road, London, who was far advanced in pregnancy, was on Tuesday last alone in a room of her house, when the neighbours were alarmed by hearing loud shrieks proceeding from where she was. On hastening to the spot she was found to be enveloped in flames. She was removed to St. Thomas's Hospital, where she gradually sank, and expired in the most excru ciating agony the same evening. It is supposed that de ceased was passing the fire, when her clothes became ignited, but there was no witness of the fact. DR. CUMMING.—The London correspondent of the Oxford Herald says—" It is rumoured that Dr. Cum ming, of the Scotch Kirk, is likely to receive some signal mark of favour from the new government. Lord Aber deen being a Scotch Presbyterian, and Lord John Russell an ardent admirer of the doctor, such an occurrence could not certainly excite much surprise. The idea of giving him an English bishopric, absurd though it may at first thought appear, is not deemed very improbable, coalition being the order of the day ; and more especially as it is known that Dr. Cumming has shown an inclination ever and anon to coalesce with the English Church, provided it could be arranged in a spirit of conciliation and mutual forbearance. He would of course have first to be ad mitted to Holy Orders in the Church—for Presbyterian ordination unfortunately goes for nothing in the Catholic Church. The idea is said to be favourably entertained in the highest quarter ; and there are dignitaries in the estab lishment, it is thought, who would be but too glad to give their aid in carrying it into effect." rtes a WHIG PORTRAIT OF THE EARL OF ABERDEEN.— Among his colleagues, the Earl of Aberdeen stands dis tinguished (bold as the assertion may seem to appear) for that union of feebleness with presumption—of in. capacity in every other man's eyes, with all-sufficiency in his own—which constitutes the ridiculous in his character. It is from such originals that the pencil of Cervantes drew the Baratarian government of Sancho Panza, that of Sheridan his Lord Burleigh, and of Swift his Gulliver drawing upon the King of Brobignag. Mankind have yet to learn one single ground upon which this lord should affect to bold any other given lord cheap ; and yet he never opens his mouth but to try some clumsy sneer. He is supposed to have studied under Mr. Pitt, who had sonic right to indulge in such supercilious demeanour. The Hindoos have an apologue of a dwarf who used to keep company with a giant, and seeing him always look down upon the crowd, got the habit of looking down when he saw men whose middles he could just reach standing upon tiptoe.—Edinburgh Review. I THE DOCK COMMIT 1%1_1) THE CONTRACT SYSTEM A special meeting of the committee was held on Satur day, to take into consideration the veto passed by the Council, on the previous Wednesday, upon the resolution of the Dock Committee, with respect to Messrs. Baker and Son's (of London) contract for the Wapping Docks; which, it will be remembered, was declined, and the ex ecution of the work entrusted to the Messrs. Hartley. . ssion was opened by N x cox., who contended that no statements or argu ,ents had been adduced at the meeting of the Council o justify the strong measures which had been adopted, `he committee must be aware that, from the c; +l , e works had been executed by the eng. Within the last few years, however, the amen sent from the Council had recommended the p. ting the works up to public competition, for the purpos, of affording other tradesmen an opportunity of competing with the surveyor. lie had acceded to this wish ; but, so far as his own opinion was concerned, it was not a question merely between other contractors and their own surveyor, but it was a case in which they were bound to do what was best for the Dock Trust and the accommo dation of the trade of the port. There was a ner•- for having absolute security for the dock the Trust from the experience they had had Ofthe - Joanne Mr. Hartley had always executed his work, tl mmence r of ks In which ly supposed it suppose it could be done better ; they o► might be done cheaper. Mr. Nicol denied that Mr. Hartley had handed in his statement after the committee of works had gone over the other tenders ; it the table simultaneously with the others, veyor had no means of ascertaining what prices offered other than his own. The offensive express., which had been used in the Council Mr. Nicol thought beneath notice. He concluded by moving :—" That the committee do not see any reason for altering, and, there fore, hereby re-affirm their resolution of the 16th of De cember last, being of opinion not only that it was fully warranted by the circumstances of the case, but that, under the circumstances, no other resolution would have consisted with their obvious duty to provide that all dock works should be executed in the most efficient manner, and at the least cost." and the had been Mr. EYRE EVANS seconded the resolution Mr. ROBINSON and Mr. SFIAND .de' mittee, the latter stating, in reply to a question, that the difference between Mr. Hartley's estimate of £223,000 and £212,000, was the contractor's ten per cent. profit. Mr. BIGFIAM, with some warmth, rebutted, what he considered to be imputations cast by Mr. Nicol upon certain members of the council, who were quite equal, in business aptitude, to any gentleman sitting at that board. He (Mr. Bighorn) maintained that the prosperity of the docks was even more a subject of interest to the trades men of the town than to the shipowners. The fended the com two strong motives for the course which they had pur sued,—first, because an injustice had been done to the Messrs. Baker; and, in the next place, because they were convinced that it was better for the works to be done by contract. He had no doubt that the committee had made use of the brains of the contractors who had sent in their tenders; and the Messrs. Baker must consider that the committee had acted disgracefully and dishonestly as a public body. He would suggest, therefore, that an acknowledgment be made, on the part of the committee, of their having inadvertently led the Messrs. Baker to believe that the lowest tender would be accepted, and in advertently led them to suppose that they intended to do the work by public contract, when they meant to do it by their own surveyor. Mr. STEELE referred to a resolution of the committee previous to the 16th December, to the effect that all the works should be let by contract, the tendercrs being in vited either by circular or by advertisement, as the com mittee thought fit ; and it was on this account that he had thought proper to oppose the work being given to Mr. Hartley. UNSEEMLY DISTURBANCES ABOUT A CHAPEL.—The trustees and congregation of an Independent Chapel at Tockholes, near Blackburn, are divided in opinion as to who shall be their future minister, their late minister having recently died. A minister from Yorkshire having been installed into the chapel by one part of the congre gation against the wishes of another portion, the " oppo sition" go t th e k eys o f the chapel by stratagem, and, after locking the door and gates, impounded the keys. This enraged the other party ; and last Sunday morning they proceeded to the chapel in a body, armed with hammers and chisels, and broke open the gates and doors. After having effected an entrance, they fetched the minister, and a late service was gone through. A. large crowd had gathered around the building, and some policemen were present. SHOCKING DEATH.--A woman named Mary Bocock, aged 47 years, met with a shocking death at Salford, Man chester, on Saturday night week. About eleven o'clock she was discovered by a fellow-lodger in the house where she and her husband lived, in Back Cook-street, burnt almost to a cinder in her bed. Her husband was in bed by her side, and when awoke escaped without injury. He states that he went to bed during the day in a state of in toxication, and his wife awoke him about ten o'clock at night to eat his supper, which having done, he fell asleep. At that time his wife was sitting by the fireside smoking a pipe, and he supposes that she had fallen asleep with the pipe in her hand and had set fire to her clothes, and that, awaking when her clothes were on fire, she had thrown herself on the bed, and thus communicated the flames to the bedclothes. ANNUAL COUNTY SESSIONS.—These sessions were held by adjournment at Preston on Wednesday, —T. B. Addi son, Esq., in the chair.—All the assessments were granted, except one of £2;350 for the Rainhill Lunatic Asylum. In the case of a dispute between the guardians and the county authorities, as to who should pay for the inter ment of a body found on the shore at North Meols, the county treasurer was ordered to defend.—Six additional constables were appointed for Warrington.—A motion that the county treasurer be directed to apply to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for the payment of the sum of £53 75. 6d., part of the expenses incurred during the sitting of the court of the duchy on the Ram shay inquiry, was carried by 24 to 23. It had been paid under an order of two justices, but disallowed at the last sessions. —Additional police accommodation was ordered to be erected at Kirkdale. COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH MOROCCO.—A me morial has been transmitted by the Manchester Commer cial Association to Lord John Russell, as foreign secretary, praying his lordship to take steps to restore the trade between Great Britain and Morocco to a footing more consistent with the interests of both countries. The memorialists complain that " the trade between Great Britain and Morocco, although formerly considerable, and still capable of being largely extended, has of late been subjected to repeated discouragements by the injudicious and (as the memorialists are led to believe) unwarrant able course pursued by His Majesty the Emperor of that country. That the sudden, frequent, and arbitrary changes made by His Majesty in the nature and amounts of import duties, and the continued extension of a system of monopoly, affecting almost every article of large con sumption, threaten the annihilation of our commerce with Morocco at no distant period." DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT TO UPSET A RAILWAY TRAIN. —On Thursday last, one of those diabolical acts, which, to the honour of human nature, we have only seldom to record, took place on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin. colnshire Railway. It appears that about noon on that day, four wooden sleepers were placed upon the down 'urve a little on the Manchester side of the Most providentially a luggage train from the direction of Sheffield, and :ceding very rapidly when it came in contact apers no serious injury was sustained by the her, and but little damage done to the engine Had the miscreant placed the sleepers toe line after the passage of the goods train, a terrific smash, and probably a great loss of life would have resulted, for the next train was the express from Sheffield to Manchester, due at Woodhead at five minutes after one, and as the line for some miles about that point has a considerable fall, the train would no doubt have been pro ceeding at a rapid rate. It is said that a man was seen to come from the railway by the flat girder bridge near the spot where the sleepers were placed, a few minutes before the arrival of the goods train. The company has offered a reward of £5O upon conviction. DOCK COMMITTEE.—At the weekly meeting on Thurs. day, C. Turner, Esq., M.P., in the chair, it was agreed, after some discussion, to hold a special meeting of the committee, in consequence of the resolution of the coun cil of Wednesday vetoing a decision of the committee, by which the works at the Wapping dock are to be executed by the dock surveyor.—Th e tender of Messrs. Jones and Jump, to supply sidings to the sheds at the Nelson dock, was accepted.—Mr. Evans complained of the chairman o f the sub-committee preventing members from properly inform. ing themselves upon subjects that were brought forward.-- A letter from the British Refining Company, withdrawin g a tender (in consequence of a rise in the price of oil) to supply 3000 gallons of olive oil for the light-houses, was referred to the marine committee for consideration, the general committee not being fully satisfied that it could be legally withdrawn.—A gratuity of 10s. each was order. ed to be paid to the crew, and 15s. to the master of the Point of Ayr life-boat, for the assistance rendered to the ship Alexander Johnson, during the late gales.—A letter from Messrs. M'lver, applying for berths in one of the north graving docks for their vessels, was referred to the harbour masters committee.—The committee declined to comply with an application made by Thomas Chapman, lessee of the landing -stage refreshment rooms, to be allowed to supply brandy.—A letter from Brown, Shipley and Co., calling attention to the inconvenience they suffer from the want of proper shed accommodation for their vessels at the Huskisson dock, was referred to the com mittee of works. Mr. R. Gladstone was appointed on the sub-committees to which Mr. Dover, the retiring member, belonged. HEALTH COMMITTEE.—The weekly meeting was held on Thursday, Mr. Alderman Lanesdale in the chair. In addition to his usual reports, Mr. Fresh, the inspector of nuisances, reported the particulars of a sanatory exami. nation of 947 court-houses, 187 lodging-houses, and 2,936 cellars, formerly cleared of inmates, in the lower part of the town. The medical officer reported that, in conse quence probably of the frequent and rapid changes of temperature during the last week, there bad been a con siderable increase in the mortality of the borough, which was greater than in any week of the three months pre ceding. The deaths were 2©2; being 36 more than in the previous week, but 33 less than in the corresponding week, on an average, of the five preceding ears. The p ri ncipal increase b a d b een in disease of the lu y ngs, which caused 87 deaths, against 67 in the previous week. The numbe r was greater than in any week since March. The mortality from zymotic diseases continued lower than the average, the number of deaths being the same as in the previous week, 36.—Ei g h t new water-carts for the season, upon an improved principle, were ordered to be provided by the engineer. —Mr. W. P. Freeme had an interview with the halms relatin g t o certa i n rates alleged to be owing by him ; he c onsidered that he h a d b een harshly treated. The chairman assured Mr. Freeme that the matter should be inquired into. —A report of the engineer, on the application of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Rail way Company to cross Regent-road, Boundary-street, and other thoroughfares at the north end, by means of a low level, was submitted. It was to the effect that crossing the street in the way proposed would b e d angerous, in. convenient to the public, and a serious impediment to business. He was decidedly opposed to the crossing of the streets on low levels. Some discussion followed, after which a deputation from the railway company had an interview with the committee,. The deputation was formed that the committee had not yet come to a decision on the engineer's report, and were not prepared to answer .the ,application of the company,. e, upon WoOdliead-iunnel driver BRUTAL ATTACK BY IRISHMEN AT STOCKPORT.—On Saturday night, as a smith named William Sleigh, residing in Stockport, was on his way home, three Irishmen rushed upon him. on passing an opening leading to the Dog Tavern, and, without the least provocation, or the exchange of any expression whatever, they seized his bundle, knocked him down, and commenced kicking him on the head, while he attempted to recover his hat. Leaving him insensible, and probably believing him to be dead, they ran away, a female having come up and cried out that one of the men had killed him, calling that individual by his name. The man, bleeding and injured, was picked up by two Englishmen, and in three quarters of an hour his consciousness returned, and he was con veyed home. Information of the cowardly attack upon an unoffending working man was speedily communicated to the police-oflice, and there is good reason for believing that the police will be enabled to bring the outrage home to the guilty parties. Sr. THOMAS'S ScnooLs.--The annual meeting of the subscribers and friends of these schools was held on Thurs day evening, in the school room, Park-lane. The chair was occupied by the Rev. T. L. Pain. The report, which gave a favourable account of the progress of the schools since their :establishment four years ago. Thanks were voted :to the officers for their services during the past year, and a resolution was adopted, re commending that a subscription be entered into for erect ing permanent schools in connection with St. Thomas's Church and district. The secretary, Mr. J. R. Thomp son, made a powerful appeal in support of the erection of new schools, and read a statement showing that in 1850 the population of St. Thomas's district, was 5,325, and there were 874 child ren who attended schools, but 933 who received no education at all. He recommended that subscriptions be obtained by means of collecting cards, and in any other way that might be deemed advisable. The secretary announced the receipt of the following sub scriptions for the erection of permanent schools :--Mr. Alderman Robinson, £100; Mr. Thomas Toulmin, £5O; Mr. Thomas Wilson, £2O; Rev. T. L. Pain, £2O; Mr. C. Groves, £2O ; Mr. Joseph Gardner, £lO ; Mrs. Gardner, £5. The amount already received is about £250. It is estimated that the new schools will cost about £1,500. DEFRAUDING EMIGRANTS.—A HARD CASE.—A young man of gentlemanly appearance, named Lionel George Thompson, who had for some time acted as agent in London, to Messrs. Baines and Co., of this town, agents of the Black Ball Line of Australian packets, was tried at the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday last, on a charge of obtaining large sums of money from emigrants in London, as passage money, and applying them to his own purposes. It appeared that he had had considerable dealings with Messrs. Baines and Co., but in August last several instances occurred of persons presenting themselves to the agents at Liverpool, having engaged berths from the pri soner, and being in possession of his certificates of pay ment, but on whose account no remittance had been made by the prisoner. Under these circumstances, the passages were refused, and the unfortunate emigrants found them selves deceived in their expectations. The prisoner ultimately absconded, but was at length apprehended, and committed for trial. The charge w as f u ll y established against the prisoner at the trial on Tu es d ay, b ut in the course of the proceedings, it appeared that there had been extensive communications between him and Baines and Co., on the subject of shipping passengers ; that he had paid them some thousands of pounds ; and that, though repudiated as an agent, he might conceive he was acting with some authority from them. He was therefore ac quitted. THE AUSTRALIAN SHIP AFRICA--TiliS splendid ship was compelled to put into Lisbon, in consequence of a gale which she encountered on the 16th and 17th ultimo. At eight p.m., a sea broke over the main deck, which washed away her coops, and drowned thirty pigs and fifteen sheep. It appears from a letter f rom one of the passengers, which has been received by a highly -respect able lady in this town, that a dreadful gale, accompanied by thunder and lightning, overtook the vessel in the Bay of Biscay. The letter says :—" Two waves met on the poop, broke over the state cabin, smashed nearly the whole of the painted glass, put out the lamps, and left the few who were in the cabin in darkness. All the ladies were in their berths. The moon was obscured by black clouds, such as I never saw before. The flashes of light ning never ceased one minute. It was only at intervals that we could hear the thunder. At half-past four, the wind seemed to lull for a moment, but it was only to return with redoubled fury. The gale, with incessant lightning and occasional thunder, continued till three o'clock in the afternoon of the 17th. Both our captains on board said they had never been out in such a storm before, or one that lasted so long. We must have gone down to a cer tainty, had not the vessel been built strong as she is. We are still on board ; but the British Consul at Lisbon has provided houses for all the passengers, and we go on shore to-morrow. We are all well, and have great plenty to eat. We in the second cabin are to have a monastery, furniture, &c. ; the monks to attend upon us." RE -SEIZURE BY THE ADMIRALTY OF THE ELIZA CORNISH, ALIAS THE SEGREDO.—A good deal of inte rest has been created in commercial rooms and among mercantile circles in Bristol, in consequence of the seizure there, under warrant from the Admiralty, of a Portuguese vessel called the Segredo, which had brought a cargo of fruit, and was about to sail for Lisbon with bricks, Sac., and connected with whose history is an extraordinary degree of romance, she having been seized - some time ago as a pirate ship. It will be remembered that after the seizure of the Eliza Cornish in the Pacific, by the steam sloop Virago, Commander Stewart, she was sent home to this country in the charge of a British officer, but, instead of being brought home, she was taken into Fayal, where, it is alleged, she was improperly condemned, as not being seaworthy, and was sold to a Portuguese for £2OO. After this she was chartered to Bristol with a cargo of fruit, consigned to a Bristol firm, which she had delivered, and was preparing to return to Lisbon, when the seizure was made, and she was carried up the Bristol Floating Har bour. It is stated that, upon inquiries being made by the representatives of her former owner at Liverpool, it was found that when she was condemned as unseaworthy there was but little the matter with her, and that nothing was required beyond the insertion of a couple of planks to fit her for the voyage from Portugal to this port. She will remain in the hands of the sheriff, under the Admi ralty warrant, till the pending suit has been determined in the Court of Admiralty. THE LATE GALE.—MESSRS. REECHING AND SONS' NEW LIFE -BOAT.—It will be recollected that, latterly, many statements have appeared in the public papers pre judicial to these newly-invented life-boats, and the catas trophe which happened at Lytham, in October last, has been cited as a proof of their not being safe. The follow ing is a copy of a letter received by Messrs. Beeching and Sons, of Great Yarmouth, from the honorary secretary of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Bene volent Society at Lytham :—"Lytham, Lancashire, Dec. 28, 1852. Gentlemen,---I beg to inform you that, on Saturday morning last, during a very heavy gale, and in a terrific sea of broken water, this life-boat's qualities were tested in a very remarkable manner, under the following circumstances, viz., on the morning aforesaid, a large ship was seen in the height of the storm in the offing of the Horse-bank, with a signal of distress flying, a distance from here of not less than ten miles. The life-boat was at length, and with great difficulty, manned (owing to the accident in October), and proceeded at a rapid rate against a gale right a-head. A considerable portion of the course to the ship lay through breakers of a most formidable character —the crew say, to use their own words, " that she was quite buried in three instances, but th a t s h e im mediately e m pti e d h erself. " The ship, a l arge one, was pitching jibb oom under, though in the best trim, being outward-bound ; they were able to board her notwith standing, and supplied them with a man, which enabled the ship finally to leave this dangerous coast. lam quite sure that the life-boat at Southport could not have gone under the circumstances. This successful experiment has, I hope, so far removed any prejudice (unfounded as I always considered it to be) against the qualities of this, your boat, as a sea-going one in any and all weathers, and I do not hesitate to say that, in consequence, we shall at all times find me n w illi ng, nay, anxious to board her.— With kind regards, I remain, gentlemen, yours obediently, JOHN EDMONDSON, To nessrs. Beeching and Sons." VISIT OF THE AMERICAN MINISTER TO LIVERPOOL.— During last week the new American minister to this coun try, the Hon. J. R. Ingersoll, was on a visit to Liverpool, and during his stay he was the guest of W. Brown, Esq., M.P.. at Richmond-hill. In company with the Mayor and Mr. Brown, his excellency inspected several of our public buildings and other places, including the Sailors' Home. Custom House, Albert Dock Warehouses, St. James's Cemetery, and the statue of Huskisson, the Free Public Library and Museum, St. George's-hall, the Ex change News-room. the Underwriters'-room, Nelson's Monument, the Town-hall, the Northern Hospital, and docks, &c., &c. On Tuesday evening he dined with the members of the American Chamber of Commerce, at the Adelphi-hotel (a report of which appears in another column). On Wednesday evening, Mr. Brown. M.P., gave a large party at Richmond-hill, at which his excel lency, the mayor, and other gentlemen were present. On Thursday evening, he was entertained by the Mayor at a grand banquet, at the Town-hall. The following gentle men accepted invitations to meet the ambassador from the United States :—Lord Sefton, the Hon. Sir Edward Cust, Sir William De Bathe, Mr. Cheetham, M.P., Mr. W. Brown, M.P., Mr. Heywood, M.P., Mr. C. Turner, M.P., Mr. Thornely, M.P., Mr. T. B. Horsfall, M.P., Mr. Barnes, Mayor of Manchester; Mr. Bazley, and Mr. Aspinall Turner, chairmen of the two chambers of com merce at Manchester ; Mr.Moss,Otterspool ; Col.Derinzy, Mr. Arnaud, the collector of customs ; Mr. Banning, the postmaster; Mr. Joseph C. Ewart, Mr. Baring, Mr. Crit tenden, the United States consul ; Mr. Wm. Earle, Mr. Grant, Mr. Wellwood Maxwell, Mr. Thomas Littledale, the late mayor ; and nearly 30 members of the leading mercantile firms connected with the American trade. The party numbered about 50. His excellency was accom panied by his niece, Miss Wilcox, and by Miss Laurie, niece of Sir Peter Laurie. On Friday, Mr. Ingersoll proceeded to Manchester, where, in the evening, he dined with the mayor of that town, at the Town-hall, Amongst others present on the occasion were the mayors of Liverpool and several other towns in Lancashire; W. Brown, Esq., M.P., J. Cheetham, Esq., M.P., Joseph Brotherton, Esq., M.P., the Right Rev. the Lord Rishop of Manchester, &c. During his stay in Manchester he was the guest of the mayor. His excellency returned to London yesterday. GENERAL NEWS. THE HON. MISS STAPLETON, sister of Lord Beau mont, has renounced the Church of Rome, and received the sacrament at Carlton Church on Christmas-day. CAUTION.—At Durham, on Tuesday, a person named Thomas Blackburn, a carrier, was fined £1.5, for having exposed a slandered horse in a public fair, knowing it to be infected. LONDON Docx COMPANY.—At the half-yearly meeting held on Tuesday last, the dividend declared was at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum, and the report was unani mously adopted. THE TAGUS. Peninsula and Oriental Company's steam ship, with the Peninsula mails, a large number of passen- RerS. and specie to the amount of about £lO,OOO, left Southampton on Friday. A. CompAt:lsm—Four hundred years have elapsed since the invention of printing, yet books are not in cir culation all over the globe ; while the use of tobacco be came universal within fifty years after its discovery. NEW GRENADA.—Mr. William Bennett, and Captain F. A. Ellis, R.N., left Southampton on Tuesday, in the Medway, for New Granada, in the service of the Magda lena Steam Company, to take measures for carrying out the objects of that undertaking. A KILLING TRAIN.—The mail train of the Great Western Company, on Monday night, dashed through a flock of sheep which had taken up their quarters in a deep cutting between Ebley and Stonehouse. Ten of them were at once converted into mutton. • MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS. — Afther all, Thady, how like a game o' " five-and-forty" the movements o' leadin' pollyticians is—there's a deal o' shufflin', and thryin' to see into each other's hands, and the "knave" turns up only too often.—Terry O'Driscoll. EXTRAORDINARY MUTILATION.—A foreign sailor, now in Plymouth, on Friday dreadfully mutilated himself with a razor, by cutting his throat, hi s s id es , hi s thumbs, up stomach, n &c. ; but notwithstandin g a ll th ese i n j uries he got next morning, walked about, and smoked a pipe ! CAPTAIN JOHN CLEMENTS, of the Lower-road, Dept ford, being subject to the gout, was in the habit of taking colchicum in doses of 20, 30, 40, and even 60 drops. Last week, having his bottle with him, he took a wine glass, as he said, to warm him, or 960 drops. The con sequence was, he died in a few hours. THE QUEEN V. DR. NEWMAN.—The rule for a new trial in this celebrated cause will be argued in the ensuing term. It stands the last but one in the list of new trials, No. 20 in the cause paper. It is understood that the ex penses attendant on the proceedings of this affair will amount to about £lO,OOO. The present Attorney General isjfor Dr. Newman. JUVENILE TNTEMPERAICCE.—An extraordinary instance of juvenile intemperance occurred at Redding Muir on Saturday. Three children, all under eight years of age, had contrived to obtain a bottle of whisky, and drank the contents amongst them. All the three were, as a matter of course, taken seriously ill, and on Monday the eldest girl died. The other two are recovering. MURDER.—A man named Witham has committed a brutal murder in a public-house in the Lower Wands worth-road, near London. He was sitting drinking with a man named Pollard, and threw something at him ; the latter retaliated ; Witham the n k noc k e d hi m down on the hearth, and beat his head on the stone until he died. The ruffian then resumed his pipe, till the police came to arrest him for the homicide. THE COMMISSIONERS IN LUNACY.—The report made to the lord chancellor by the commissioners in lunacy of visits to insane persons during the six months ending the 4th of August last has just been printed. Dr. Turner made 123 visits, saw 6237 patients, and travelled 3973 miles. Dr. Hume made 152 visits, saw 5511 patients, and travelled 5694 miles. Mr. Gaskell made 137 visits, saw 7708 patients, and travelled 4676 miles. Mr. Proctor made 100 visits, saw 5515 patients, and travelled 3809 miles. Mr. Mylne made 158 visits, saw 7808 patients, and travelled 5819 miles. Mr. Campbell made 131 visits, saw 7673 patients and travelled 4329 miles. Loss OF LIFE BY FIRE.—On Tuesday an inquest was held at the London Hospital on the bodies of two young women, aged respectively 19 and 16 years. The younger was set on fire whilst standing over the fireplace, but the elder, who was in service, had been left in care of the house during the.absence of the mistress on the night of the 24th ult., and after the family returned home fell asleep in an easy chair, before the parlour fire. About three o'clock on Christmas morning the family were aroused by loud screams, and the deceased was found en.. veloped in flame. Three large mats were wrapped round her, but before the fire could be extinguished, she was shockingly blackened and charred over various parts of the body. THE ROYAL NAVY.—The present naval force of Great Britain consists of 545 ships-of-war (either in commission or in ordinary), carrying from 2 to 120 guns each. Of this number 180 are armed steamers, from 100 to 800- horse power engines, for active sea-service (besides reve nue cutters and smaller vessels). This immense fleet, the largest of any maritime power, employs in time of peace 140,000 able-bodied seamen, 2,000 boys, and 15,000 Royal Marines, divided into four divisions (102 compa nies), viz. :—First division, head-quarters, Chatham, 25 companies ; second division, Portsmouth, 27 companies ; third division, Plymouth, 25 companies : and fourth divi sion, Woolwich, 25 companies ; and 10 companies of Royal Marine Artillery, head-quarters, Portsmonth. Besides, there are 7 brigades of Dockyard Volunteers, well trained to gunnery, viz. :—Deptford, Woolwich, Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth, Devonport. and Pem broke, and 3 other battalions, Coast Guard, &c. A SINGULAR CHARACTER.-At the late election of coroner for Somerset, an aged farmer, named Edward Churchis, residing at Biddisbam, about five miles from Axbridge, and who has kept his bed for nearly or quite 20 years, from rheumatic gout, by which his hands and legs are much distorted, was conveyed to the polling place in a Cobourg cart, to record his vote. He is quite a cha racter in his way, and has lived in the house at Biddisham about 40 years. It is remarked of him that he lies in bed and gets more money than his neighbours who work all the day. He keeps a regular diary of every day's tran sactions, and puts down in writing the names of all per sons who come to his house each day, and their business. When he has apy stock for sale, the cattle are driven opposite the win low of the room where he lies in bed, that he may view them and fix the prices previous to their being sold; and it is said that on some occasions he will have the sheep brought to his bedside that he may value them. Although confined to his bed continually, he manages the farm himself, and notwithstanding his fin gers are contracted and drawn backward by the disease, he writes a legible hand, and assists occasionally in keep ing the parish accounts. HOLLOWAY'S PILLS WONDERFULLY EFFICACIOUS IN THE CURE OF A DISORDERED LIVER.-Mr. R. W. Kirkus, chemist, of Prescot-steeet,,,Ltierpool, lately in formed Professor Holloway that a customer of his (a lady to whom he is at liberty to refer) has been cured by the use of these invaluable pills, of a liver complaint with which she has been troubled for several years ; and so virulent was the last attack, That even her life was despaired of. In this alarming state she tried Holloway's Pills, the first dose of which relieved her, and by continuing their use for a short period she has been restored to the enjoyment of perfect-health. Loss AND SINGULAR DISCOVERY OF BANK NOTES. — Amongst the many strange incidents connected with the late storm is the following :—On Monday week, Mr. Hetherington, of the Black Lion Inn, Penrith, having occasion in the course of the evening to go to the Ship Inn, was obliged on returning to get through the window, in consequence of the flood, which at that time was upwards of a yard in depth. in doing so his pocket book, which contained £B5 in £5 notes, fell from his pocket into the water, and it being then dark it at once disappeared. The contents were of considerable value, besides the notes named. A number of lanterns were soon obtained, and a vigorous search made for the missing treasure. • Luckily its owner at last found it floating on the top of the water. By some mischance or other, how ever, the book had become opened, and the whole £B5 was missing. It being utterly hopeless to think of obtain ing the lost notes at that time of night (about nine o'clock,) it was determined to go on a voyage of dis covery early the following morning. The water in Penrith is conveyed through a tunnel a mile in length. The terminus of the tunnel was duly explored, and in the course of the day the fortunate note gatherers picked up no fewer than eight of the £5 notes on Carleton Holme, near Eamont-bridge. In one place a friendly thorn had stretched out its arms and preserved one of them from destruction by holding it in its embrace until it was restored to its former possessor.—Blackburn Standard. DARING BURGLARY.—On Frieay, at an early hour, Ravensworth Castle, the seat of Lord Ravensworth, situate about four miles from Newcastle, was burglari ously entered, and jewellery of the value of £3OO, and £lOO in £5 Bank of England notes and sovereigns, were carried away. The rooms into which the burglars en tered were a bedroom occupied by the Hon. and Mrs. Thomas Liddell, a dressing-room adjoining, the library, and a small drawing-room. Those rooms all lie at the west end of the castle. Between eleven and twelve o'clock on the previous night, the family, including Lord Ravensworth, and the Hon. T. Liddell and his lady, Mr. Robert Liddell, and the servants, retired to rest. At three o'clock in the morning the Hon. T. Liddell, who was rather unwell, had occasion to get up, and seeing the door of his room open, be looked round and discovered that the room had been robbed. An alarm was immedi ately raised, and on a search being made it was ascer tained that a quantity of jewellery, consisting of gold watches, seals, rings, lockets, pencil-cases, &c., belong ing to Mrs. Liddell, h a d b een remove d f rom the dressing table in the bedroom during the night. Mr. Liddell's dressing-room had also been entered, and a large quantity of valuable jewellery stolen from a large box, which was broken open. A poker lay in this room, and as it had been removed from the library by the thieves, there can be no doubt that it was the instrument with which the box was forced open. From this large box a smaller one was taken, which contained £lOO in sovereigns and £5 Bank of England notes. Upon an examination of the premises, it was found that the burglars had entered by the window of a water-closet at the west end of the castle, and escaped by the window of a small drawing room. No one in the castle appears to have been dis turbed by the entrance of the thieves, or to have heard any noise whatever in the house, which is rather remark able, as Lord Ravensworth's bell rang, and was an swered, at half-past one o'clock in the morning. FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—One of the most fearful railway accidents we have ever had to record, took place yesterday evening week, near to the Oxford station of the London and North-Western Railway. In conse quence of the giving way of the tunnel at Wolvercot, about two miles from Oxford, from the action of the floods, only one line of rails has been kept open while the repairs are going on. Tarry, the .driver of a passenger train, leaving Oxford at 5 30 p.m., was ordered by Mr. Blott, the station-master, to await the arrival of a coal train, telegraphed as having passed Is lip, the next station. Tarry is represented as having been in a very excited state at the prospect of meeting his wife, with whom he had had a serious quarrel on the previous Saturday. Mr. Blott went to his office, and in the meantime a ballast train engine, without any train behind it, came on the down line to the ticket-platform, showing a white light on its buffer beam, and not a blue light, as would have been the case with the coal train. As soon as the ballast engine arrived, without waiting to notice whether it was the coal train or not, and totally disregarding the signals, the dri ver of the passenger train started it, and we are told that he set off with unusual speed, contrary to the regulations of the company, which enjoin that be shall start witl great care, observing that he has the whole of his trai• before he goes beyond the limits of the station. As . passed the ballast-engine, Kinch, the guard, observing that it was not the coal train which was expected, and anticipating what would happen, pot on the breaks hard, and displayed the usual flag signal to stop, but no notice was taken of it, though it was the duty of the stoker to look back when leaving a station to see that all was right. Thus the train proceeded, attaining fresh speed as it went along, the passengers being all second or third class in front, while the empty first class carriage was behind. About a mile out of Oxford the expected coal train came in sight from the opposite direction, drawn by two en gines, but even then the infatuated driver is said never to have shut off the steam, and the consequence was a fright ful collision. When he set off, Hayes, the ticket collector, in vain called to Tarry to stop, and Mr. Blott, the station master, and the servants of the company, ran along with the same object, but of course to no purpose. The po liceman at the bridge a little way cut of Oxford, probably from habit, appears to have changed the red for the green, or "go on" signal, and thus, no doubt, induced the driver to accelerate his speed, while the weight of the two engines and the heavy coal train coming in the opposite direction rendered the crash more terrible. Of all the railway acci dents that have happened for some time, this has left the greatest wreck and ruin behind it. The passenger and leading coal engine, with their tenders, still remain on the spot, and indicate what a smash it must have been. No one, without seeing them, could ever imagine that ma chines of such enormous weight and strength could be reduced at one blow to such a state. But the appearance of the whole scene now is nothing to what it must have been immediately after the collision took place, for it is stated that the second coal engine mounted the first, its tender getting over it, and a lu ggage van next i t h av i ng partially climbed that, so that the top of the pile was higher than the telegraph wires. It will be observed, that some of the injuries received have been by burns—a sure indication of the frightful violence with which the accident was attended. The whole neighbourhood of the line is flooded at present, and it is wonderful the casualties did not include any from drowning among them, for a stream of water runs close along the up-line, on which the acci dent happened, and separates it from the Greet Western Railway, which runs parallel to it, though on a different level. The two engine drivers, three stokers, and two passengers, have been killed. Of the latter, one is a la bourer, name unknown, and the other Caroline Davis, a second-class passenger. This list of fatalities is likely to be added to, for several are seriously injured ; in fact, with the exception of two boys, all the passengers were more or less hurt. We subjoin a list :—William Knibbs, head badly cut ; Sarah Smith, her chest hurt, and it is supposed that her breast bone is broken • John Walters, k nee an d thighs fractured ; Richard F au lkner, senior, a sawyer, has had a serious concussion, while his two sons, Richard and Job, have had, the former his head cut, and the latter one of his thighs burnt. It has been found necessary to am putate the arm of John Williams, a hawker. Jcseph Townshend, his hip dislocated, if not broken ; Thomas Monnay, his head cut, and his thigh and jaw much in jured ; James Sayers has had four ribs broken, and Geo. Slade has received a spinal injury, A horse dealer, named Jordan, has had his s kull f rac t ure d, an d a cattle dealer, of named Kirsch Northampton, named D a ni e l L o tt, is also among the in jured. A passen ge r, name d Eliza Davis, has received a concussion of the brain, andtwo s se n gueaer:,ho and Watts, have been slightly hurt. A passenger, named Edward Jones, has had his skull fractured and hi s spine re movedin jured t , and o hs there ownhouse, is another inWalton-place, a n d who is said g to be much bruised. The above enumeration must b e taken in connection with the f acts that there w ere on l y 21 passengers, and that of the six men in ch arge of the en- P a has b n n l gines five have been killed. The survivor escaped by jumping into a ditch full of water. There were three or four hundred persons on the spot shortly after the acci dent. and no lack of willingness to assist, but a controlling head was wanted,—and it was found in Mr. Cardwell, who, having expected his wife by the down train, when he heard of the accident, hastened at once to the spot. He rendered almost superhuman exertions, working as only a gentleman can work. The gallantry of his exem plary conduct may be gathered from one simple fact. A poor fellow, shockingly injured, calling out for a drop of water to cool his scorching thirst, Mr. Cardwell, having nothing better at hand, dashed his hat into the stream, and thus relieved the sufferer. .As they The CHAIRMAN afterwards denied that the resolution had such a meaning ; and said that it was still at the dis. cretion of the committee to contract, or otherwise. Mr. EVANS, in an energetic speech, maintained that the veto by the Council was an illegal and unwarrantable infringement upon the management of the Dock Estate by the committee. The power of veto was given to the Council merely to prevent an undue expenditure of the dock funds. He further characterised the Council pro ceedings as a wanton insult to the honour and character of the board. Nothing could be more explicit than the language of that advertisement ; and who, he asked, had a right to ignore the words " or any," which were put in advisedly ? The spirit of all contracts was this : we go to others to know whether they will do things at a cheaper rate than we can ourselves ; and, after hearing what they have to say and to offer, we fall back upon our own cal culations. He contended that, even if there were a difference of £lOO,OOO between their surveyor's estimate and the offer of a contractor, they had a right, if they chose, to do the work themselves. He denied distinctly that the " brains" of the contractors had been sucked; and, in allusion to the subject of the expense incurred by the Messrs. Baker, he observed that the nine contractors must have known that only one would get the work, and yet all were willing to incur the expense for the chance of obtaining that work. The expense was quite an insignifi cant matter; and as to the cost of making inquiries respecting prices of material, &c., a letter here and there would obtain all the requisite information. It was said that, if it had been known that Messrs. Hartley were to execute the work, no offer would hove been made ; but the contractors were well enough aware of the character of the man with whom they had to compete. In his (Mr. Evans'; opinion, the part the committee had taken in the matter would not deter contractors from making estimates in future. He went on to characterise as contemptible the expressions used in the Council as to the " lamentable want of judgment of the committee ;" described the act of the Council itself as an attempt to compel the Dock Committee to prostrate their character as honourable men at the feet of contractors ; and, repeating Mr. Bigham's words of " dishonourable conduct," he threw them back with the contempt which, he said, they deserved. Class feeling, he concluded, had a great deal to do with the recent misunderstandings. Mr. JAMES iletmE defended the course he had taken in the matter, arguing further, that the idea could never have entered the minds of the contractors that the com mittee reserved to themselves the right of executing the works by their own surveyor; else they would not have sent tenders. In the course of the succeeding discussion the CHAIR MAN expressed his great regret at the course the Council had taken. It was not a question whether new works were to be entered upon, but it was a matter of detail which belonged more properly to the committee than to the Council. Mr. GLADSTONE Was also of opinion that, under ti rcumetances, the Council were hardly justified in vetoin ie proceedings of the committee. After several other gentlemen had spoken, the opinion of the solicitor was asked. The SOLICITOR : Priefly, my opinion is, that the veto of the Council is within the letter of the law, but not within its spirit and intention. The votes were then taken on Mr. Nicol's motion which was carried by a majority of fifteen to eight. For Messrs. Royden, Gregson, Robinson, Molync Littledale, Brocklebank, Rankin, Bold, Evans, Chaloner, Nicol, Lockett, and Shand. Messrs. Langsdale, Gladstone, Holme, Steele, Holden, Barber, and th e chairman Tob Alftleolmcr Mr. Bigharn's resolution, which was seconded by Mr, Littledale, was then, after a long discussion as to the wording of it, put in this form :—" That this committee, in issuing the advertisement of the 2nd September, 1552, were careful to insert the words or any,' believing that by such words they not only reserved to themselves the right to execute the works by their own engineer, but that the public and the contractors would so understand it. However, as it appears the advertisements have been so misunderstood, and that Messrs. Baker consider them selves injured, this committee regret the misunderstand.. ing, and refer it to the Sub-Committee of Works. to inquire what expenses Messra. Baker and Son have in curred in consequence thereof, and to report." For the motion :—Messrs. Royden, Gregson, Robin son, Molyneux, Gladstone, Bigham, Holden, Tobin, Littledale, Bold, Malcomson, Evans, Steele, Barber, Shand, Chaloner, and the chairman. Against it :—Messrs. Langsdale, Holrne, Brocklebank, Rankin, and Lockett. The committee then rose. THE REVENUE An Abstract of the Net Produce of the Revenue of Great Britain, in the Years and Quarters ending sth of January, 1852, and 1853, showing the Increase or Decrease thereof. YEARS ENDED JANUARY 1853. Incr Customs...... £ £ 18,761,069 18,695,382 Exci5e........ 13,093,170 13,356,981 263,811 Stamps. .... .. 5,933,549 6,287,261 353,712 Taxes ....... . 3,563,962 3.377,843 Property Tax.. 5,304,923 5,509,637 Post Office.... 1,064,000 1,022,000 .. Crown Lands.. 150,000 260,000 110, 000 Miscellaneous. 172,041 293,729 121,488 , Imprest, &c... 643,410 634,063 •• • • Repayments ofi Advances. .. I 802,943 1, 031,297 - £ I ~, I 65,687 I 186,199 204,714 . . i;ooct 228,354 3 ------- Total Income .149,489,267150, 468 ,193 1,28 2,079 30 ,153 Deduct decrease... • Increase on the Year 978,92G1 QUARTERS ENDED JANUARY 5 1 1852. 1853 Customs Excise.. `,tarrip s PropWl Post Offi ce.... Crown Lands.. Miscellaneous . Imprest, &c... Repayments of Advances. .. 1852 18,128 13,324 31,452 Incr. I Decr 4,559,512 4,541,384 3,552,970 3,539,646 .... 1,427,485 1,615,029 187,544 1,185,922 1,419,873 233,951 367,956 468,238 100,282 246,000 272,000 26,000 40,000 80,000 40,000 30,574 32,008 1,434 117,545 142,938 25,393 372,371 I 491,995 119,624 Total 1nc0me.111,900,335 12,603,111, 734,228 Deduct Decrease ... ....I 31,452 Increase on the Quarter 702,776 THE lIERMANN, U.S. Mail Steam-ship, wirilt Southampton on Wed nes d ay , f or N ew Y ork, re AA Friday afternoon, having sustained considerable her forecastle deck in a storm. THE Low or DIVORCE.—A very import ith enliu --1- %*' ' will be intr o d uce d i n t o t h e H ouse o f Lolls,' by .4 4 -so n t Brougham, by which the present system of cliVorce'l64 be abolished, and a new statute framed, doing awa y enejav with the enorm o us f ees that a re now paid. By.. thii)feipr law, the proceedings in the Ecclesiastical Couit,..fat, the action at law, which are now necessarywVll44o abolished.