Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-09-07 00:00:00

MAGISRATES' MEETING. Gladstone, Hoir,e, J. Turner, Jeffery, Eyre, Evans Castdlain, and Shiel. THE LICENSING SYSTEM. RIVER POLICE. , A meeting of magistrates was held yesterday in the Mr..AION said it had been brought forward very Sessions-house, Chapel-street ; Mr. John Stewart in the frequently that a great number of boats were pulled chair. The other members present were--Messrs. Robert- about in the river by tailors and boarding-house son Gladstone, Theodore Rathbone, George Holt, keepers, for the purpose of boarding vessels, to the Charles Turner, Castellain, Rankin, Hamilton, Peel, annoyance 'of many people, and it was thought ad- Dixon, Jag. Aikin, S. Holme, J. R. Jeffery, R. Shiel, visable by.many that they hallsld have a river police. ... A FY% Jeffery,, R. , • T. Bolton, Hutchinson, J. A. Turner, urosthwaite, In Shand, Parker, Eyre Evang, and S. Rathbone. ! th( The first business before the meeting was the present system of granting spirit licenses, and the propriety of i on no. tbe frillfOrnmant nn thn srnhiAm• a mau was he coil get any if ,a clozeapolice- men to attend the ri Mr. Ancim said, magistrates, they had always considered that the prcsiat I fin system of - licensing required improvement. They had I and most important to L come to resolutions that licenses should be granted to property s hould be look such a police-foreo WOUltl. greatly increase the safety respectable persons only. They had appointed a sub committee on the subject, and he believed a bill bad ••\ Ile did not know that it was the ;' been frarttd 6a' memoralise the government to take such t o see who was to pay 0- steps as wore necessary in the matter. That had Passed. very He wot of maintainin It was verpoel, that the protection of .ed after ; and he considered e expense, but it IN ,oulcl not Faye a strang away ; but he hoped that, when brought before ment, it would be seen that the matter was about time • mano*, hen that slay was . swinging. —that it was absolutely necessary that no i m perative imos. should any be lost in the matter. He moved that a committee be tide, to say whether she was nearer • the La.._ appointed to memoralise the government on the present Cheshire shore at the time the a c t was , comm itt e d.. H e licensing _system, and to take such oth er ste p s as might wished it to be made known, however, that Liverpool be thought necessary for remedying its defects. . officers would always take cognizance of any act corn- - Mr. SHIEL said, as other resolutions had been adopted , mitted on the five r, a send a force sufficient to the might adopt them again-. exigency of the case. It could' not, be questioned that by former committees, they He recollected perfectly well that such resolutions were it was desirable to have a police-force on the river: adopted. , They should not go into the question of the expense ; At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Garnett read the but the question for them to decide was, whether, proceedings and resolutions of the late sub-committee at the police-force was necessary. The cabs "and porters length. The effect of these proceedings was that the were all licensed for the protection of the public, but it committee held the opinion that any respectable man was not so with boatmen, though he believed the boats ought, it he choose, to have a license, on the condition should be licensed. The mind, could . riot imagine the that he Paid £lOO as a license fee, and £ 5 annually for amount of frauds p ractised on poor emigrants who were renewal. • unacquainted with the rules. , A poor,man about to emi- At the' conclusion of the reading of the proceedings of grate, when the ship was lyin g . in the river, employed a this committee, boat to take him off to her , aud it not unfreqnently Mr. AntiN said he thought that was the time for, pened, when he, got alongside, .that the boatman refused them to take the Matter up, as he was sure the present to let him leave his boat without paying a much larger Chancellor of the Exchequer would be quite glad to get sum than he had any, :right to do. That was 'one the additional revenue. Taking the qnestion as a whoe, class of grievance. ,which, he wished to have remedied. he thought it would be wise to appoint a sub-committee He merely mentioned theSe matters to, show the amount to memorialise the government on the subject. of good that would arise from having a river police- Mr. GLADSTONE said he rejoiced exceedingly that Mr. force. • He conclUded by moving that, in the opinion of Aikin had brought that very important subject 'once that meeting, the appointment of a river police-fOrce was' more before the attention of 'the magistrates. It desirable. _ . was one in which, for a great number of years Mr, RATHBONE SC past, he. felt a very warm interest. He thought carried without opposition. it necessary that they . should bear in mind the full TILE LIMITS OF THE RESIDENCE OF MAGISTRATES. importance of the matter which they were about to Mr. S. HoLmn said, as he had observed before, he was enter upon. - He was free to confess that what was in the chair at the lidensing sessions, when an objection termed the old bench of magistrates had been too was made by Mf.' Bremner that two ge'ntlemen had tardy in asking for a remedy. When they came' to voted against one of his clients ebtainine. 'a license, who reflect on the various ramifications in which the poison were not malified to vote accordinse to the 98th section of of drink ate its way into every class of society, perhaps the Municipal Act (5 and 6 Wm. IV., c. 76), which defines excepting what the world called the highest class; when the limits of the residence of borough magistrates.' The they considered the evil that existed to the greate`st degree ; magistrates thought it was not desirable to take such a and when they _remembered family after family was question up at that time, as it was not for them then to brought - to beggary by indulging in it—he considered it decide. It had been' thought desirable, hoivever, that their duty to do away with that evil to as great an ex- it'should be discussed at - that meeting. The persons tent as "possible. The gentle Men who stood around him whO voted were Mk. Crosthwaite and Mr. Dixon, and must haVe been perfectly well aware of all the cone- whO lived more than . seven miles beyond the 'hero*, quences of drink. He considered that there was nothing' and the matter was brought before that meeting to know more repugnant to the feelings of a man than to see a what they should say on it: • drunken parent present himself in that condition to a Mr. GLADSTONE thought it was a matter for' col:- family. He would ask, how often did that occur ? how sideration that, there were railways now, by which men often did the poorer classes indulge—more in ignorance, residing over seven miles from Liverpool were no fur hehoped, than otherwiSe—in drinking ? If grief or sor- they away in point of time.' Ile conceived that if that ' were laid before parliament the act would be . repealed, J ; iylllg 111 he river, he c its hire or seconded the 'motion, which was ;o fly to the lie-house. What he presumed was the great o!ject of the magistrates was, to endeavour, if possible, to raise an idea of something better than the brutal recreations._ of these peiple. It was under the in- and a new, one enacted Mr. HOLME observed that Mr. Crosthwaite lived twenty miles off, and the law only allowed seven. fluence of that feeling That he had ventured to offer the few remarks which he had done. He hoped the matter would not be allowed to fall to the (*round. He was aware that there were a great many difficulties in the way. First of all, they would be asked, if a bill was brought in, if it were to be a national or a local measure. That would be one of the difficulties ; and, bearing in mind the present condition of parliament, that there, was scarcely a single member in the House who was not more or less mixed up, in some shape or form, with the licensed publicans • there would be a difficulty in getting any change effected in th,, present. system. Under these c:ircumst-_; wes , he hoped the committee would enfi.:ire into every part of the question Mr; S...flotsin said that he was in hopes that Mr. Gladstone would have gone a little farther, and let them discuss what the, committee was to. do. It had been his lot to take the chair at the licensing sessions : he hoped for the last time ; for he declared that the duty was the most irksome that ever-had fallen.to his lot. On the one hand, they were told by gentlemen that the licenses they had already granted were too narnqr . ons. and if the number of public-houses were less, drunkenness wouldpo 911. 1 .1 e. other hand, they were told that if tney ceased giving . licenses they ware establishing the monopoly of the existing public-houses. They were told on all hands, if the house was a suitable: o - e, and there was nothing objectionable in the character of the applicant, it was their duty to grant a license. They had memorials by the dozen, and signed by hundreds, asking to grant licenses. Of the number of applicants, 150' of them produced memorials, signed most respectably, and, he was sorry to say, many of these' memorials were signed by town coun cillors, requesting that they should give licenses'' to the parties. That was a difficulty, among others, that they had to contend with. He, for one, believed that there were far more licensed public-houses than could support . their owners well. Another matter which came before them was, that so much as £BOO had been for the_goodwill of a .11011$e with a license attached; and when people were willing to give such stuns as that, the magistrates considered that they were putting so much money into those men's pockets to whom they granted a license. There was another rule, that no man should have more than one license; but they found that it was impossible to ascertain whether some of them had net a dozen. Brewers and distillers had not unfre quently put in men of straw, who represented them .rdvpg as the owners of hOuses, and by such sot er, " _ means these gentlemen became possessors of a large number of licenses, with the power of attorney hanging over their heads, by which they could be turned out at any, time. After these licenses were granted, they could not take them away without the greatest dif ficulty. What they wanted was greater power, so that they might be enabled to take the licenses away Another thing they had to deplore was, the payment of wages in pubic-houses. And, again, a great number of clubs held their meetings in these places. It was a fact, that working men. assembled by thousands, night after night, in public-houses, to attend these clubs ; and that was one very fruitful source of intemperance and drunkenness. Many of his own men, toe, had told him that they had been compelled to assemble at these clubs, where they were induced to take a little, and the result was that they became drunkards.. He did not believe that they could cure drunkenness by acts of parliament; but, at the same time, he would say that the present licensing system was fraught with the greatest difficulty. He was no advocate for 'making it a national question ; and until they had got the publi . .! opinion with them for the cause of morality, they should never be able to carry their measure. They were to look to the power of the licensed publicans ' and the power of th e li cense d v i c t ua ll ers. They had only t o take into consideration their wealth and their political influence, and they would find that even in the metropolis a great influence would be. brought to bear on the government. For his own part, he would give his support to any government that would put an end to such a system as that which at present existed. lie concluded by seconding Mr. Aikin's motion. Mr. BOLTON thought they should have a system from the government that would be applicable to every parish in England, Scotland, and Ireland. H e did not think that it would be fair to a sk people in small places to pay L 5 each year. He considered that people who had conducted themselves without reproach, and who had honestly maintained their families respectably, had no right to be charged £lOO for their license. In his opinion what was done ought to remain done. The CHAIRMAN observed that the committee would consider the various difficulties. Mr. ATKIN was sure that if Mr. Wm. Brown was on the committee, and took the matter up, he would obtain their object. Mr. OLADsToNF. thought that, if Liverpool came for- Z azd_a , nd spoke for itself, it wou ld b e an a dditional rea son why government should t a k e some s t e p s i n the matter ; bat he would leave the whole matter in the hands of the committee. He believed th e p u bli can w h o had been licensedalready should hold th a t li cense w hil e he lived. He hoped nothing unjust would be done to any one The CHAIRMAN put the motion as moved by lir &ikin, which was carried auauimouslv. The following gentlemen Were then appointed as a sub-committee :—Afessrs. Wm. Brown, Stewart, Aikin, Mr.. / CROSTIM:AITE said he was'at the court op the day prtsen in question, -but he was called away to. his office. - He had no notice that any objection of the kind was tcr be made by Mr. Bremner, or he should have been present. He had to say that, during the twenty years he had held the offiee of magistrate, he had done more business than any other -magistrate on the bench. When Mr. - Mans , field was aosent, lie was usually called upon to preside is his place, as 'there were none of the others in town so early as ten o'clock. As regarded. his residence, if he had chosen to bung- his bed to his, office, and sleep there one or two nights, that was all that was necessary. The questior, however, had been mooted, and he would tell them that he, who had sat on the bench for twenty, years, would never submit to men who had only held their positions for a few years. He would tell th.eni. that he would not submit to the mayor, . the corporation, the town-clerk, nor the,magistrates of Liverpool; and, until it could be shown that some cause justified her Majesty, in the discharge of his duty,. to put . him off the bench, he would hold his seat. was a question for:her to deal with, and the magistrates had_noyoWer. He had to tell them distinctly that theY Were assuming an 'authority which did not belong to them. - He was told that Mr. Mansfield had been asked, and he was Of,.opinion that Mcoisfield was right when he stated that his qualifi-• cation could riot be -questOned.. Mr. GLADSTONE said he did not know anything about the matter, further than that he thought it was the inten tion of the magistrate to bringit before the meeting. He did not believe that it had any reference to. Mr. CroS thwaite in particular, who was to be found at all hours. But there was • such a thing as an. act .of parlia ment. They had no desire to interfere with Mr. 'Crosthwaite at - all ;: but they wanted to protect themselves as a body, and.he considered , that it was within their province, as a body. of magistrates, to see that they conformed to what the act of parliament directed. He was sure no ..entleman had the slightest feelinm of disrepect towards Crosthwaite, but they did feel that it was not a desirable state of things , • to exist. • _ _ . Mr. CROSTHWAITE said that he had an office in, Liverpool, where he might be seen at all hours of the day, and where any necessary explanation on this matter might have been made, All communications in relation to his office as a magistrate were made to him at. his office in Liverpool. They never made any communica tions at all to him at Southport, but uniformly at his office in town. , Mr. Bovrom said that, as the oldestmagistrate present, I and perhaps the oldest magistrate on the bench, he could bear his testimony to the great weight of duty which had been performed by Mr. Crosthwaite and Mr. Dixon. Indeed, it was far more than their share, and no one would be more sorry than himself—and he might add the magistrates generally—if it should turn out that the act of parliament was so worded as to exclude thosngentlemen from the office of magistrates. Mr. DIXON would not enter into the discussion of this question at all, but he thought it was very desirable that it should be settled. . Two or three. months ago an objection was raised to Mr. Cro3thwaite sitting. Mr. CROSTHWAITE.---I never beard it. Mr. Dixos.—Well, if it applied to Mr. Crosthwaite, it also applied ; to him (Mr. Dixon.) On that occasion he went to Mr. Mansfield ; and he stated to him that, ' under the clause of the act of parliament, they had both a right to sit. But he now had a strong wish that the question should be set at rest. If he was not to sit upon the bench in consequence of this objection, all he desired was, that he should be officially informed of it. He had ever been ready to perform the duties of his office, but he must confess that, in many . instances, it had been at great personal inconvenience to himself. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Aixix said there were the names of gentlemen on the list of, magistrates • and from amongst 'that list, the names of certain gentlemen were from time to time put down. as acting magistrates ; and it now became a question whether, according to the wording of the act, of parliament, some of those gentlemen had any right to act at all. Now, as an objection had been urged against two gentlemen so situated, it certainly •was highly desirable that the matter should be finallrsettled. He would like to ask Mr. Garnett whether, in event of Mr. Crosthwaite and Mr. Dixon acting, the penalty would be incurred so long as this clause existed; because it became a question amongst the magistrates themselves • whether, in marking off the list, from the entire body of magistrates, the names of acting magistrates, they were dealing in accordance with the act of parliament in in serting the names of these two gentlemen; and whether or not the penalty might be enforced am ' ainst them. Mr. S. Hoizin was sorry that Mr. Crosthwaite had spoken so warmly on the subject, for all the magistrates admitted that he had taken upon himself more than his . share of magisterial duties, for which both the rest of the bench and the public were indebted to him ; but as the chairman of the licensing magistrates on the late occasion, lie (Mr. Holme) might say that the magis trates had considered that it became a very serious ques tion when a solicitor rose in court, and took an objec tion to the voting of two of the magistratds on the grounds which he stated. For himself he should be glad if a case could be stated for .the 'opinion of counsel on the subject, or for the opinion of some other autho rities, because a gentleman walked u p to his house :he otherday, , and served a notice upon him, stating that there would be an appeal at Kirkdale against the decision •of the bench in the case on question. He confessed he had not closely read the notice; but he thought the grounds of appeal were stated to be that two gentlemen having voted who were not qualified as magistrates under the clause of the act of parliament, the decision of the bench would be impugned.. Under these circumstances, he would sug gest that a case should be submitted. Mr. CitonnwArrE said it was not in the province of the bench to deal with the case at all: He denied the let ofany party but her Majesty to say whether he t all as a magistrate. There were 00l in th( several.' otner magistrates in position as himself as regarded residence The CIIA IRMAN said it appeared to him that the whether Mr. Crostliwaite's office clause in the act of was told, although he wa,s .not he time, :that Mr. Bremner had stated that voted against the gTantilig of the license in question. riIO:CHAIRMAN.—How did he know? But so far as the settlement Vie disputed point was .concerned, it *as of no consequence whether the vote was for or Mr. CASTELLAIN.—It was no matter how he voted. Mr.. J. H. Tun= could not imagine in what man- Breniner. had been informed how Mr. Crosth- Dixon voted, • unless it was by some r means: He presumed that no one knew. how he ler) voted. Ind Jll \fr. Ducoll thought it was-desirable that the impres doors; by what had been stated, it out of ought to be remoi•ed. It was not necessary for him to state how 14e voted.; but so far, he night say, as regarded himself, that the statement made by Mr. Bremner was quite incorrect--quite incorrect. . TURNER observed that it was worthy of notice Mr. Bremner only: urged..his objection in this particular. case, Mr. R.ITHBONE said there .were gentlemen on the bench residing at a greater distance from town than Mr:.Crostliwaite and Mr. Dixon. 'Mr. AI IN said that, as to taking,counsel's opinion, another question arose. ,It was out - of their power, as magistrates, to spend a penny in doing . so. It was necessary,for them to go to the Town Gouucil ; and, for himself, he would not go with hat in hand to ask the :I'owu Council for the money On a former occasion, when incurring a certain expense on magisterial.business, which legitimately ought .to, have been paid by the Town Council, he paid it himself rather than ask the council for it. Mr. GLADSTONE suggested that as the council would be making an application in the next session of parlia ment, they should be asked to have included in their act a clause providing for this difficulty. Mr. lioLatE understood that Mr. Mansfield had given an opinion as to the qualification of Mr. Crosthwaite and Mr. Dixon. _ _ - Mr. DIXON Said that *hen Mr. Mansfield gave his opinion, he wits aware that notes on magisterial business had been sent to his office, and not to his residence. Mv. limmE would like to know the opinion of Mr. Qrarnett on tho subject. Mr. GAnNErr replied that he did not think the word= ing of the act of parliament applied to the residence of the magistrates, and he agreed with Mr. Mansfield that Mr. Crosthwaitc and Mr. Dixon were both qualified to vote. . . Ur. JEFFERA: was anxious that the magistrate's in all their proceedings should, conform to . the' law, and he d that the Town Council shOUld be asked to steps for obtaining the legal opinion as to the reading of thiS clause of the act of parliament. Mr.DIXON said he very much regretted' that Mr. Mansfield was not present, because he 'believed that the expression of hiS opinion 'on the 'matter would have satisfied the bench. suggest tak • Mr. HOLME - thought 'it was only fair and right to those gentlemen themselves, as well as to the bench, , that this question should be settled: It was putting, the two gentlemen into a most unuleasant position for the matter' to remain as it was. He would, therefore, move that the matter be sub mitted to the Town Council for their consideration, and that they be requested to take the necessary steps for veer tiintng the meaning of the clause in the act of parli' Mr. J EFFERY said it might be referred to the Home office ; but the question was, would the Home-office give an opinion on r 11 act of parliament ? Mr. HoLmE said he had known answers to similar questions sent to the Home-office. Mr. GLADSTONE having ieconded. Mr. Holme's matior, The CHAIRMAN put it to the meeting, when it was carried unanimously - . INTER - NATIONAL LAWS ON OFFENCES COMMITTED ON THE HIGH SEAS, Mr. AIKIN next brouoht forward the subject of the , existing international" laws, as to offences committed on the high seas; and after referring to the several cases of cruelty on board ships, he moved a resolntion to the effect that a representation be made to the Home-office that, in the opinion Of this bench, instead of asking for a general international law, it,would be better to em power the consuls iu the different countries to institute proceedings in cases of cruelty.. ' • The motion having been secOnded, Mr. THEODORE RITIIBONE expressed his opinion that, in all cases where a crime Was committed on board'a vessel, it was advisable to give power to the gOveniment at the port at which such vessel might arrive, to deal at once with the case --„„ Mr. HOLME asked Mr. Rathbone if, hi case of a vessel arriving at Naples,with a person on board against whom there was a charge of murder, he would give the power of dealing with the case to the Neapolitan. government. • .ti,A.THEONE.—Yes. Mr. IIOL3IE.—I shoald hesitate to give such a power to' the Kill of ,Naples. 'Ths.motion was adopted, and the meeting terminated. LIVERPOOL SELECT VESTRY At the fortnightly meeting of this body, held yester day, .the Rev. Rector . Campbell presided._ The other members present werc—A.lessrs. Owen, Scott,WilliaMs - Critchley, Whitt}, Bairstow, Syred, Edward Byford, Hand, A. Byford, and Archer. WOUKTIOLIS COMMITTEE Mr. OWEN said, in reference to the proceedings.of this committee, that_ the.cost of the alterations in the reception-wards-had fallen below, instead of exceeding, the estimate of the surveyor, which was £1,500, and the actual cost was something under £1,200.. The proceedings were confirmed. The proceedings of the Industrial Schools' Committee were read and co-armed The proceedings of the Finance Committee were also read. They contained recommendations to appoint Mr. Williams as assistant overseer, and Mr. Nairn as - 0 On the motion of Mr. Owen, the proceedings were confirrac d. Mr. WurrTY reported that the Contract Committee hadheld two or three sittin g for the purpose of revising samples, and making - any alteration necessary in the form of the contract'. •It would be seen,• he said, that this was a very important matter, inasmuch as it involved the supply of provisions to such a large insti tution as that. Tue committee recommended that the large contracts should be taken for three'inonths, • as • betore,.instead of six months. Some members of the committee, and some members of the board, would pro bably be of opinion that this would entail trouble to the contractors, without an equivalent service to the parish. But, after very careful consideration, the .committee were of opinion that these large contracts, aCcessible only by large capital, ought to be thrown ope n t o th e yoefit one article a public, and that they should be for three mo nths instead olfosniex the i for mirit parish appeared i t n h ed a t .. il 3 othoeosruzp4po.e thought l this was the best and most pa l p able reaso n for having a oatmeal, beef, groceii es . these articles supplied in th ree months' contracts, as be mforuet.ton,Twheooicillet'anaartliicilleesn drapery, were n 4 wheat, This concluded the business. NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. ---.--- Old cruet frames, tea and coffee services, forks, sp oons, a nd jewelle►y, re-plectroplatc•d and gilt, all in ..the best manner, at J. 13ilsborrow's, 66, Islington, Liverpool. T 810 GALLANT CONDUCT OF A YOUNG FEMALE AT RILYI --I.(;onng ladies,' a few evenings ago, left their lodg ings at this fashionable Welsh watering place, for the purpose of enjoying a bathe, but on arriving at the water only one would venture in, the rest consentin g to sit on the beach. After 'having been in the water for some time, she was suddenly seized with the cramp, and all her Companions were too timid to render assistance. Just at this tim, a young woman named Turner, Maid to Mrs - . Benniou, of Wrexham, happened to be passing, and on seeing the lady in the • water in a dying state, at once rushed to her assidanee, 'and in a short time suc ceeded in bringing her safely. to land, This was done at the risk of Miss Turner's own life, for she had been strictly forbidden to bathe by her medical adviaer, haying just recovered from a severe:illness. LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT.-YESTERDAY. BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS. "BENDENO v. Woops.---Mr. Cobb, ad- Before Mr. PRESTON.] Tna CASE OF The monthly meeting of the Birk.,nhead Commis dressing the magistrates, said, in the case of Bendeno sinners was held last night, Mr. Laird in the chair. against Woods, which your worship will remember was There were also present MeSsrs. Gough, Harrison, before you last week, I have to state that Mr. Woods, Keightley, Walker, Aspinall, Hind, M'Whirter, Bar who entered into his own recognizance in £ 5OO to ap - nett, Bradley, Peck, Will o ughby, Baylis, Bell, and. pear this day, is here now to • surrender; but I am "Rae. • happy to say that mutual explanations have taken place ' • • • between the parties, and my friend Mr. Black will tell LIGHTING AND WATCH COMMITTEE. ' you that no further prosecution . is necessary, and that all From the proceedings of this committee it appeared has been amicably arranged:. Mr. Black said he was that twelve policemen had been added to the body, the instructed by Mr. Bendene respectfully to ask permission men to be stationed at the docks, 'and their wages to be paid by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. Two to withdraw the prosecution against Mr:Woods. Mr. BEndeno was at the time very much annoyed at various . olic , peinen had been found drunk whilst on duty, and matters which had transpired, and on the spur of the mo- ment he laid the information against Mr•• Woods. From, were fined five shillings each. •i . . 'mutual explanations Mr. •BendonO*as perfectly satisfied • , Mr. A.l'WninTnn, in moving the confirmation of the that, at the time of the removal of the furniture to Bir- proceedings, said that the committee had determined ' kenhead, Mr. Woods was in London, and he now wished' that every case of drunkenness on the Part 'of the police • to withdraw the prosecution. ' 'His' worship • stated.that, ' should be visited with the utmost .severity of the law. when the case came before him at first, he thought it' . The CHAIRMAN asked if . a fine of five shillin gs was was very difficult to" trace either the adultery or the renoval of the furniture. As' there might be some fur- was the utmost severity of the law. ther evidence forthcoming, •however,' he remanded the Mr. McWninimi. said it was. case. Now, he was happy to see that the matter was The proceedings Were confirmed. • mutually eiplained, and granted the application. Mr. The proceedings of the Markets' Committee were Woods was immediately discharged. ' ,_ • ' read and confirmed --- BREAKING THE • PEACE.GCraid Johnston, a Loqua cious Irish shoemaker, was charged by Mrs. Mary McKenna, who 'keeps ;a shoe shop in Whitecha.pel.• Mrs. McKenna ,complained that. the prisoner had been in the habit, for upwards of twelve months, of , coining to her shop and abusing her in the most shameful manner, calling her the foulest names which he could devise, or which could pass Christian lips. A police officer stated that Johnston was drunk and disorderly. For the latter offence he was fined in Ss. and costs, and he was bound in his own recognizance to keep the peace towards Mrs. McKenna HEALTH COMMITTEE.-CONSOLIDATION OF THE IMPROVE- ?CENT ACTS The proceedings of this committee contained a re- commendation that a special committee be appointed, for the purpose of considering the propriety of applying to parliament for the consolidation of the Commis sioners' Acts. Mr. BRADLEY having moved the' confirmation of the proeeedings, Mr. RAE opposed the appointment of a special com mittee, on the ground that the expenses of the township . were already too heavy to bear the expense of a further application to parliament. Mr. BRADLEY said' it 'was not the intention of the Health Committee at once to go to parliament, but merely to appoint a committee to consider the question. Still, he thought the board would agree with,him, that it 'was very desirable to have a, ;consolidation of their existing acts. The CHAIRMAN said the proposal.of the committee only amounted to a recommendation. 'Mr.! RAE admitted it - was only a recommendation ; but it was a recommendation which sought for a con solidation. of their acts, and which could only be effected by going to parliament. The CHAIRMAN said he did not agree with some remarks which had been made with reference to a con solidation of their acts. On Mr. Rae's own showing it appeared that it was desirable to appoint u committee. The acts in existence were now in a state ,of great con fusion. Some time ago the Mersey Dock Acts were in a similar state- of confusion, and• parliament said to them, ‘ Before we -will grant you any further act you shall consolidate yoUr present acts." The 'consequence was, that a consolidation of, their acts had been obtained, and now the act. was simple and clear. ,He therefore must say, without committing the committee •to any specific arrangement for -the immediate consolida;- ,tion of. their acts, , he should, certainly support the appointment of a committee to take the subject into con- OLTTRAGEOUS CoNnucr.—Philip Hannigan, an Irish labourer, - was charged with committing a violent assault upon Mr: Duff, an ex-vestryman: It would appear that the prisoner, his hrother, his father, and two or three women, were standing at the bar of 3.1 r Duff's public house, and that when there the prisoner picked up a laro ' v tumbler, and endeavoured to fling it at his father's hend. Mr. Duff interfered, and all but the prisoner . left the house. lie then .commenced to smash glasses, after which he ran out. Mr. Duff followed him, when the prisoner struck him a violent blow on the eye, and cut it severely. The prisoner was fined in 40s. and. costs ; or, in default, to suffer three months' imprison ment. STEALING FROM COOK AND TOWNSIIEND.—Arthur Stringer, a tall and very respectable-looking young man, was brought up under the following • circumstances , Dectective-otlicer Redman stated that some time 'ago he was told ,by Mr. Perry, pawnbroker, Brownlow-bill, that'there was,a person in the habit. of pawning large numbers of biindles of lace :and other drapery ; that he'. brought small parcels at,the.first,.,but increased : the size : of'them. Redman. set enquiries ou foot ; and from the description of. the man, he found that.he was employed in Messrs. Cook and Townshend's drapery establish, ment, in Byrom-street. The officer went there and had an interview with Mr. Townshend, and they both paid a,visit to the pawnbroker's shop, where Mr. Townshend identi fied some of the property. The prisoner's house was also searehed, and it was discovered that there was a quantity of lace there. The value of the property was About £2o'. The prisoner stated that during the last two years he had been out of employment, and was ,ill.. lie, obtained a situation in Cook and Townshend's about four months ago, and was so badgered by people for money he was owing, that he endeavoured to meet. such pressing wants by taking the property. ,produced, and pledging it ; but it was with the intention of releasing it, sand bringing it back to the shop. He threw himself upon the mercy of the court. • It appeared that lie had been tried at the sessions in December, 185 G, and 'sent to prison for six months for robbing his employers, who were also drapers. Under these cir cumstances, his worship committed the prisoner for . trial , at the ensuing sessions. • sicieration. .• Mr. Gouokt said their acts of parliament as they now stood were inefficient, and we must go to some expense before th 4 could be understood. He had always advO cated their coxsolidation. lle would support the appointment of a committee to take the subject into eonsideration ; but in doing so he mig ht remark that in the next session of parliament he had no doubt that there would, be a reform bill 'passed, when this township would, no doubt, have a representative in parliament, and. when we should be compelled to apply for the incorporation of Birkenhead ; and, in that case, they would certainly find it necessary to consolidate their acts. Mr. RAE repeated that, as they could not consolidate their acts without going to parliament, he should move an amendment to, the recommendation of the committee. As the recommendation .now stood, we were committed to the principle of going to parliament. Mr. HIND should move for, the appointment of a committee, because it was clear that they would have to consolidate their acts before long. It was only a matter of time. Mr. RAE. moved, as an amendment, that, in the pre sent financial condition of the township, it was inexpe-- - dient to involve. the township in the expense of obtain- , ing a consolidation of the commissioners' acts. KEIGUTLEY seconded the amendment. Dr. BAYLIS' wished to introduce a motion bearing on the subject, and of which he had given notice, but. The CHAIRMAN said it would be' otit of order: Mr. GOUGH said he did not think it desirable - that what Mr. Rae had said about the financial condition of the township should go forth to the public without some explanation. • Mr. RAE said they were preparing .to reduce their , and if they welt to - the expense of going • to parliament for a consolidation of their acts, they would not be able so to reduce their debt or pay the interest upon it. He therefore said that any step which would in the slightest deoTee imperil the payment:of the interest upon. their debt, was most un advisable. debt ; The CHAIRMAN did not wish to imperil the payment of interest upon their debt, but he believed there was a necessity for the consolidation of their acts. still the recommendation now before the board did not commit theM to anything. The amendment was then put by the Chairman, when four voted for it, and the rest of the members present against it. It was therefore lost, and the recommenda tion of the committee and the general proceedings were confirmed. The proceedings of the Road and Improvement Com mittee, the Finance Committee, the Ferry Committee, the Gas and Water Committee, and the Library Committee, were severally read and confirmed. Dr. BAYLIS next brought forward the motion of which he had given notice, that a committee be appointed for the purpose of considering' the propriety of the consoli dation of the commissioners' acts, and reporting to a faun meeting of the board. He said that, after the decision at which the boara had already arrived on the subject, he would not occupy much of their time. He then proceeded to show that by: a consolidation of their acts they would be enabled to obtain greater powers for improving the sanitary condition of the township than they at present possessed, without falling back upon the I •C -4. Act. ,ocai.Government. Mr. WILLOUGHBY seconded the motion. The Chairman and other members of the board sup ported ; and it was carried, there being only four dis sentients. A letter was read from Mr. Golborne, resigning his seat at the board on the ground of deafness. The Chairman and other members warmly eulogised Mr. Golborne for the services which he had rendered to the board. • Mr. AsrrNA.m. gave notice that, at the next meeting of the board, he should move a resolution to the effect that the board meet at an earlier hour. The board then adjourned. J. Gorsuch, Hair-Cutter and Perfumer, No. 7, Parker-street, begbegs ' most respectfully to thank his friends and the public for the liberal patronage be stowed upon him during the fourteen years he has been in business in ^ Liverpopl, and, furthermore solicits a continuance of . their favour, which it shall ever be his study to deserve. He takes the present opportunity to announce that the late partnership ex isting between himself and James Wynes is dissolved and for the future the business will be carried on, at No. 7, Parker-street, under I. Gorsuch's sole superintendence. Boarding Schools attended by the month. Private families waited on as usual at their residences. An experienced assistant will be sent round , once a month to the following places :—Bootle, Seaforth, Waterloo, Crosby Huy ton Bainhill, Runcorn, St. Helen's, Seacombe, Egre mont, New Brighton, Birkenhead Park, Claugh ton, Oxton, and Rock Ferry. J. G. may be consulted personally in all cases of disease in the nair. He calls especial attention to the stimulative properties of his " Circassian Balm," (where the, hair is falling off,) of which, and the Milk of Almonds, he is the sole in ventor; and no other is genuine unless made by J Gorsuch. s 2 CIRCULAR. —Exchange Hair-cutting and Sham pooing-rooms, (over the sho p of Mr. Turmeau, ,cigar merchant,) No. 11, Castle-street, Liverpool, August 5, 1859.—Sir, —In handing you the inclosed card, permit me to inform you that the partnership hitherto sub sisting between myself and Mr. Gorsuch has terminated by mutual consent. I shall for the future carry on the rooms situate as above, where I trust I may be favoured with your patronage. N thing shall be wanting on my part to deserve your e )Lfidence.—l have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, James Wynes. THE HOUSE OF LONGMAN AND CO The retirement of Mr. Brown, and the death of a former partner, Mr. Orme, have naturally directed attention to this, with one exception, the oldest house in the trade in London. Like some of our other well known institutions, its origin is lost in obscurity, although, unlike many of them, we are able to trace the first of the dynasty. When the house commenced business we know not; the first time we find the name is, on the title-page of ". An Inquiry into our. Ideas of Beauty and Virtue," published in 1725' by J. Osborn' and T. Longman. At this time the sign of their house was the " Ship," - which in 1730 became the " Ship and Black Swan." What became of J. Osborn we cannot tell ; but in 1736' we find Thomas Longman alone in business, which he appears to have carried 'on very successfully until his death, in 1755. On the death of the first Thomas Longman, a nephew, of the same name,' succeeded to the businesss. He is said . to have been a• man of most exemplary character, and universally esteemed .for his uprightness in bUsiness and for his benevolened in private life . , He died at Hampstead, February 5, 1797, leaving two sons.' The buSiness previous to this tune' had much increased by the purchase of some of the best copyrights of the day, and by opening accounts with a' large number of the, best houses in the prpvinees. It had . also been largely engaged in the American trade, and, to the honour of the booksellers of that country be it' said, that after the Declaration of Indepen dence they did not repudiate the , debts incurred aS colonists. 14r. Owen Rees enteredin 1794, and soomafter-, wards became partner, - and' the-business was carried on as Longman and Rees till 1804. In 1804, 'Mr. Cosmo Orme, a valued assistant, had entered into partnership with Mr. Thomas Hurst, who had got together a large country business ' • but it was thought advisable to retain ,rY; ;, and the firm became that of Longman, Hurst ilees, and Orme. From this time may br dated the meat rise in the fattunes and business of the house. 1 hey published large and expensive works, and assumed the first position in the trade, a position they have kept ever since.. About this time they also engaged largely in the old book trade. We have before us - at - this moment one of their eataloomes for the year 1813, containing enotih articles to cause even. Dr. Bandinel to commit a breach of the tenth commandment, altlinumb he has the whole Bodleian library to himself_ thiSscarce and curious quarto volume we find the celebrated " Roxburgh Ballads," now in the British " fi s c Dictionary o ; n a a ry L Y of Museum:; a Pennant's . "rondon," marked £300; a s G o r n tg , e , i l la ond " o ß n, i , o , gra s6 p s h o ic ; al p D ia. ic in ti gt on o 7 B ," Painters," £420; two volumes of "Oroznwelliaua," £250 ; an extraordinary assemblage of Caxton's, Wynkyn de Worde's l and other early printeerbooks, one supposed to date from 1446 ; a unique assemblage of " Garrick- . iane," and many other articles . of a matchless character. The present Mr. Thomas Brown; a member of the house, received his education at Christ's Hospital, where he was the contemporary of Charles Lamb, Lloyd, Cole ridge, and Le Grice, entered as a lad in October, 1792, and was apprenticed' in December, in the same year, and in 181,1 became partner. Perhaps nothing has tended more to raise the house to its present 'position than the plan adopted by the principals of introducing fresh blood from time to time--a 'plan which was carried out by .the introduction of Mr. Rees, Mr. Orme, Mr. Brown, and in 1824, when Mr. Bevis E. Green, who had been apprenticed to Mr. Hurst in 1807, became a partner. This gentleman, who had charge of the coun try department for many years, is the only remaining partner of the old firm, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and. Green. Mr. T. N. Longman pai d the debt of nature at his house at Hampstead, August 28; 1842, iu his 72nd year. The firm now trade under the name of Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts.---Bookseller. A fire broke out at the village, of Willingham, Cam bridgeshire, on Thursday afternoon, which resulted in a fearful amount of damage. Sixteen dwellinF-houses have suffered from the effects of the confla b crration, and a considerable quantity of corn, hay , and other agricul tural produce was destroyed. Ile damage is computed at the large amount of £lO,OOO. Only a portion of the property was insured EXCITEMENT EXTRAORDINARY. ---IM consequence of the great excitement which prevails amongst all classes as regards the case of Dr. Smethurst, and also the very numerous applications made by parties to Mr. William Allsop to have a representa tion of Dr. Smethurst i n his Exhibition of Waxwork Figures, Sculpture Galleries, &c., at. the. Teutonic-hall, Lime-street, Liverpool, Mr. A., in accordance t o the requests, has, at a very . great expense and a vast amount of trouble, succeeded in obtaining a correct and truly faithful likeness, modelled in wax, from sketches wad a careful drawing taken during his trial, expressly for Mr. Allsop. The model has been executed by that truly renowned and talented artist, Mr. D. Erucciani, of London. Notice.—The figure of Dr. Smethurst will not be placed in the chambsr of criminals. The figure is now ready for inspection. Oren from ten o'clock -a.m. to ton p.m. Admission lid SEPTEMBER 7, 1859 TOXTETH-PARK BOARD OF HEALTH. The monthly meeting of the Toxteth- Health was held yesterday, ut the publ teth-park ; Mr. It S. Alpass, in the chair. The other' members of the board present were—Messrs. Jevons, G, Walker, F. Woodhead, J. lioult, Edwin Hughes, Je Rogers, and W. D,,Smitit. The minutes of the last monthly meeting were read and confirmed ark Board of offices, Tox-, IRREGULARITIES AT SPECIAL MEI Mr. BOULT said that, -at the_ last SPE the board, he dreliv -. attention to, 0 cussing subjects not connectectaithil4 the meeting ; and he gave notice that, at the n meeting of the board, he. should move ."T ness betaken into consideration of. the board unless due notice be 11 meeting." lecial o 1 ni d onthlf no bug- nr draincd into. The - Cumn.mAN brought under the notice of- the board the case of Mr. Clcworth, who 1 a sewer belonging to the board, 'contrary to their regu lations, and. without giving the required: notice,„ Se wished to know from Mr. kvison what he - should be done with him. • Mi. AVl§cai, said, he . had written to him on the jcct, but hacl heard nothing in reply. The CIIAIRMAN was of opinion that Mr. - Clevrortlz should at once ( be proceeded against, for the_ bow}, might rely upon it they would hear nothinF. 1- This was the - first ease of- the kind that had e. ram Lira. and they must not allow it to pass over unnoticed WOODHEAD believed that Mr. Cleworth'. - s reasons were, , that he did not Understand the plans of the board. ~ The CHAIRMAN said he understood them as well aS any member of the board ; and that he - had even One so far as to say to the surveyor that he was not going to be such a fool as to drain in accordance with the plans of the board. The SURVEYOR explained that Mr. , Clew to drain when other people did, but he drained into their sewer, and then stated to a gentlema that he had entered their sewer and ;drained as he liked It , was resolved that gr. Cleworth be proceede against th refnsed! - The proceedings of the Executive Committee were'. nest read. They contained a report, eeonimendinic that notice.be.given to several parties within the limits of the township to drain their Keinisc:s.• The proceedings were confirmed. CONTRACT WITH THE GAS COMPANY The CHAIRMAN said that. the. next business of the meeting was to sign a contract with . the Gas Compani, for lighting thelamps within the township: The com pany had supplied the board with the form of the con tract: The terms were the same as those of la t year, making a Charge of £2 for. every 2,000 hours (hiring which each lamp was lighted. The only change from the contract of last year was that the company now propoged , to.keep all the pipes and taps" in order, whilst the' board was to do the same.as regarded the, l am p-posts . and alsoie 'light the lamps. It was a similar contract' to that which .the company had.with all'the surround ing out-townships. Mr. WOODHEAD said that, beford' the contract wag signed, he wished to call attention to the'state; of Smith doWn-lane, in consequence of being, imperfectly lighted. The. state =of Smithdown-lane an winter nights was disgraceful, in consequenc e o f no t b e i ng b e tt er 'lighted, and at present, with the alteration_ forward, it was highly dangerous. the road which would unavoidably upset a cOnveyance The CHAIRMAN did, not , think there -could the ani such danger with a 'Careful driver. Mr. Woonun<u) said that to talk about careful driving in the dark was put of the, question.. The' CIIAIRMIN said they lighted iheir lamps upon the same principle as all the other, out-lying districts ; and if any such. alteration as that suggested by A [ r . Woodhead were carried out, it would increase the ex" pense. , Mr. BOULT said the Executive Committee, having 1 13(1 the matter under their consideration, did not think it advisable during the present. year, at least, to incur further expense. In answer to Mr. Woodhead, the chairman said there had. been. a communication with the Gas CompT , Yo respecting lighting. the lamps on different terms, which , perhaps, the surveyor would explain. The SURVEYOR said that do interview with the manager of the Gas Company, who . desired him to put into writing what the hoard required. Be then wrote. to the company, asking them what they would - charge; for lighting each lamp during the whole year round, and alsO how much they would charge for lighting during.' seven months of the Near. The answer to that letter was, that it would be . very inconvenient to alter the terms of the agreement which was then carried out ill.. all the other outlyine , districts. The contract with the Gas Company was then signe d and confirmed. The revised bye-laws of the board wer witted, and ordered to be signed and. sealed This was all the public business next sib° HARVEST REPORTS FROM THE STA:._ TIONS OF THE . BUFFALO AND LAI"' HURON RAILWAY. • 0 , The following information respecting :the growl_ ll o and harvested crops from the Niagara River to the sh°' 4 of the Huron, appears in the Brantford (Canada) Cowiert which says :—We feel ourselves indebted to R. S. CO; ter, Esq., general manager of the Buffalo and 1- 4 , k , Huron ailway, for having permitted us to copy t" original statements sent in by the several station' masters along the line of railway. The reports a t.° Very encouraging to all classes of the commuoitY; and may be relied upon as being co r rect,, no pa i ' i having been spared to procure them from the most r e ; liable sources. After all, the hue and cry raised, ab° 6 ,, the injury done by the frost in June appears to baby been unfounded, and instead of doing harm, no do'', e has been the means of preventing the ravages of t'!., midge. As we have said above ' the informatio n 1 ,;, most valuable, and will be perused with greater intere7 than anything that has appeared in print for sonic ti gi i: and we thcrefo:e make no apology for devoting so muc of our space to it. We cannot close our remarks without a warjinsg . :, tribute of praise to Mr.' Carter, for having devote" much pains and time to the getting' up of these rePel.. ito and we feel assured that the public will fully a pprec o f his exertions in affording them Cornet intelligen ce what so deeply concerns them. The idea was.no see to broached to him, than he set about it in good earl:l o ' o .p put it into execution. Not a day passes by but th _ f are proofs afforded of the abilities and adaptation:o Mr. Carter to the. responsible position he ocellP i lilo general manager of the railway, and of his desire , 1 ° oe . strictly watching the interests of the company, tato, comodate the public in every respect. He is, tin i co tionably, a practical man, of much experience, 3 '! iwa y indulge the hope that under hi s m a n a ge ment toe ra l . co it will come, unscathed, through the many diffical t , i s io has experienced in consequence of the past delo c : ti vo that has existed in all business during the Pa st e l ' years. With a large amount of surplus grain, st; b oo we have now every reason to be assured we shalt,_ o t to carry out. of the country, there is no doubti_tn t he large freight business will be done, this fall, "4 for Buffalo and Lake Huron line. As an induceine. floor wheat buyers and millers to carry their grail' and to of over this line, Mr. Carter has adopted a low charges, as will be seen by the following sef oo fer which, for the information of our readers, w e to our columns with pleasure : TO BUFFALO TO I TO, :„ 4! ox): 21 10 5 4 12! , 7 , • 4 15 8 4 15 8 4 15 8 5 16 9 5 18 10 6 20 11 6 20 11 6 20 11 6 20 11 6 20 12} Fort Erie Ridgeway Port Colborne Wainfleet W. C. Feeder Canfield 16 16 18 Cook's Station Caledonia Mid gleport Onondaga Cainsville Brantford Paris Ricb wood, Drumbo 7 I 25 I 14 8 25 14 Tavistocl Stratford Mitchell . 25 25 4 d 97 4 27 4 ? 30 4 5 ..• 30 5 2 0 4 35 0 4 35 6 2 4 :17 7 4 8 27 15 8 27 5 9 30 17 10 30 18 11 35 0 11 36 21 1 11 [ 40 12'1 40 _~ ---d HOUSEKEEPERL—The Col 11Tothers. 5, Elliott-street, at Pay'is. Bd. for at any other esi fee sold by Thcors; is. 4d., is better tho.it Y° l 4 ablishment.