Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-11-14 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE. [W do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of orw correspondents.] THE EARLY CLOSING MOVEMENT. Will our assistants, tradesmen, and apprentices make good use of leisure hours I adopted the early closing plan myself, and hare a large number of persons in my employ. Not only do I suffer no loss from closing earlier, but I find that my assistants are snore steady and more attentive to their business.---Jlr. Bchoolbred, of Tottenham-court Road. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. .SIR, — We concluded our last communication on the above subject, by giving our opinion why the desire for intellectual improvement was not more visibly evinced by our assistant tradesmen at the present time ; and in the further consideration of the subject, we would give more reasons for answering the heading of this letter in the affirMative. Firstly, we live in an age of real progressive improve ment ; the natural tendency of everything human is to keep pace with the age; knowledge of every kind — whether rudimentary, theoretical, or practical—is found to be the keystone to individual, as well as national, progress. Secondly, the nation is, in a word, divided into classes, and, consequently, each community into divisions of the social scale, each division having its rights, privileges, and status, 'and holding the sate by virtue of their keep ing a-head of those Wriii - iociAly are a' step behind, and by improvement and progression so advancing as to cyder the one a step before them. Tho very fact, then, of they, the assistant tradesmen, being enabled to hold their status only by virtue of their capacities, attainments, and knowledge is of itself suffi cient to emdlate them to make good and profitable use of the.leisure hours they have or may obtain. And again,, the knowledge they have by observation of some one or two brother assistants (more fortunate than themselves in' obtaining leisure hours) taking a high positiOn in their employers' good books, and being more useful in the establishment, by virtue of the cul tivation of their intellectual faculties, tends to prove to them that "knowledge is power," that it adds to the value of their services, and, as the Right Hon. Benjamin BiSraeli said recently at Manchester, "is the secret of success in getting on in the world." These very circumstances alone, however slight our knowledge of human nature may be, are sufficient to prove to us, that by far the largest proportion of our assistant tradesmen would make good use of the leisure hours permitted them. And mark, we do not say all, will thus appreciate the boon; but this, mark you, is no argument against allowing it, for we may 'ask what does all the assistant tradesmen,, who now leave off work at nine and ten o'clock at night, do from. that time till they are obliged to be indoori ? for, mind you, and we would strongly urge this, and have it impressed . on all minds, that then all places of an intellectual kind are over, are closed, and that none other but those of an immoral and dangerous character are opened. Do they visit these places now, or do they not ? If they do, then it is the fault of the employers or of the public, one Or both" of them, and the sin rests on their. heads. Give the assistants opportunities, by early shopping and closing, then' the great educational appliances of the age, with their inviting prospectuses,' will be eagerly availed of; and many a young brother, fresh from a country home, unisphisticated in town - life and city snares, will be saved from what we fear is now too fre quently the case, being shipwrecked on the shores of immorality, with the freight of immortality aboard ; and, more, many a spark of latent genius and talent will be kindled to a flame, and our country the better and wiser for it, if such is not the case. But why do we thus write? Our faith in them is firm, and we hope fcr the be;t; then the fault is not ours but their own, and the responsibility rests on their shoulders. But why do sonic tradesmen urge that they will not make good use of time given them ? It is allowed that the leading movers in the early closing movement are the most efficient assistants in the establishments they are engaged. And further, they ask for leisure hours, solely for their social, mental, and spiritual improve ment. We have before us a circular to their employers, issued by one of the district committees; and one clause reads - thus :—"Your assistants feel assured that you will perceive, from the late hour of closing in this district, that we are totally precluded by the present system from every means of physical recreation, and mental and religious improvement." And they further ask their employers, by adopting the principle of early closing, to enable them to enjoy "the joys of friendship, the happiness of the domestic hearth, an opportunity for the culture of their mind, and the improvement of their intel lect." Another district " counts on the assistance of all who have at heart the moral, social, and religious advancement of those in their employ," and again another district writes in their circular, " especially do we recognise the im- portance of the employed, making such rational use of that increased leisure, as to show themselves worthy of its possession." All the above extracts emanate from the assistant tradesmen themselves, and proves beyond a doubt that they want time for the purpose, and the great purpose of improving themselves socially, morally and mentally, therefore those who doubt their sincerity, must allow that they are the most consummate and accomplished hypocrites going. But we do not fear that this will be proved of them : in the metropolis, we have the authority of many em ployers testifying to the good use their assistants make of spare time. Also in the neighbourhood of large establishments in the metropolis evening classes have been established, and are almost wholly attended by the assistant trades men, who can leave work at seven o'clock from the es tablishments at hand. And, further, we may point with satisfaction to the fact, that the principal workers in the late Liverpool Early Closing Association are now amongst our leading men, and most respected tradesmen. What, then, does all this prove—if not that the assist ant tradesmen will make good use of leisure hours ? and if they will, then, in the name of all that is wise— in the name of all that is philanthropic—in the name of all that is even profitable—in the name of all that is moral ; but, above all, in the name of all that is holy— let our public never keep up the present bad system of late shopping, but break it down, discard, decry it, by f ater six o'clock ; never shoppingand, ye employers, do we pray you, for your own interests, an d as your bro ther's keeper, adopt the principle of early Closing.— B. H. G. Yours, obediently, THE MAYOR'S INAUGURATION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. SIR, -It was truly pleasing and delightful to witness the procession that attended T. D. Anderson, Esq., the newly-elected Mayor of this great commercial town, to St. Peter's Church to-day. Amiable in disposition, liberal in dispensing help to the needy, and of a highly religious temperament, Mr. Anderson's elevat ion the c i v ic chair of the town of Liverpool has met the full approbation of all classes in the community, political and religious ; and the demonstration to-day fully veri fies this fact. It was gratifying not only to witness the demonstra tion in question, but peculiarly so, owing to the manner in which it was carried out, and the object it had in view, namely, of raising a collection in St. Peter's on behalf of that excellent institution, the Blue Coat School, which has now been upwards of a century and a-half in existence. I could not but admire the praise worthy part the ex-Mayor, William Preston, Esq., took in the procession. He walked on the left of his wor ship going to, and coming from, church, whilst the venerable and esteemed Alderman Cooper took the right, followed by the other aldermen and town coun cillors. In his private capacity, Mr. Anderson, as a magis trate for both the borough and county, has won the esteem and regard of all ; and now that he has been elevated to the dignified and exalted position of chief magistrate of Liverpool, the utmost and most implicit confidence is placed in him with respect to the various onerous duties he will he called upon to dis charge. Impartial in his conduct, inflexible in opinion, and charitable in regard to the leading institutions of the town, he will assume the duties of his office under the most favourable auspices. In everything that has the tendency to benefit the community I am convinced our present worthy Mayor will not be a whit behind his late excellent predecessor. The day was delightful, nature seeming to lend a helping hand to the demonstration all through. The church was crammed to suffocation; and previous to and after divine service the bells of St. Peter's sent forth their plaintive and thrilling tones, in enunciating a hearty welcome to our present chief magistrate. The greatest order and' decorum were observed throughout ; whilst the cleanliness and regularity of the Blue Coat scholars were the admiration of the thousands of spec tators. The Mayor, lam convinced, felt deeply the great honour that was conferred—an honour, I am satisfied, which will not be abused, nor soon forgotten. —I am, sir, your obedient servant, Liverpool, Nov. 13. A SPECTATOR. LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT.-SATURDAY. [Before Mr. MANSFIELD.] THE RIGHT MAN IN THE RIGHT PLACE.—A gentle man who has figured conspicuously in the Police-court, both as a prisoner and the defender of prisoners, who is commonly known as Mr. Lightfoot, and equally well known as " Nimble Heels," was brought up, and pre sented a very tawdry appearance. The bridewell-keeper stated that the prisonpr was brought to bridewell drunk, and booked for safety. Mr. Mansfield asked what he had to say for himself. Mr. Lightfoot, after taking a heavy pinch of snuff and giving a few sneezes, replied, after the echo, had died away, that he lll.d taken a drop too much. Mr. Mansfield thought the drop was rather a large one, and requested him to pay a fine of five shillings, and then get on with his business. ROBBERY IN A. DISREPUTABLE HOUSE.—Mary Eliza Hendry, and Ann Doyle, three prostitutes, were charged by Detective-officer Scott with having robbed a cattle dealer, named George Brown, of £7o.—Mr Bluck defended the prisoners.—lt appeared that the prosecutor was drunk the other night, and met one of the prisoners, with whom he went to a house of ill-fame in Back Portland-street, where he met the other pri soners. He had £7O in his possession when he went into the house, and when he awoke in the morning, on searching his pockets, he found it was gone.—The pri soners were remanded for a few days, in order to give the police time to make inquiries for the money. EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF HARNESS.—WiIIiam Tip per, a well-known thief, was charged on suspicion of having stolen £2O worth of harness from different stables in the neighbourhood of Park-road. Detective officer Rigby produced several pieces of harness which he had obtained at different pawn-shops. A man from Mr. Redfern's, miller, Park-road, stated that his master's stable had been broken into on Monday night, and a collar stolen. The witnees identified the collar, which the detective-officer had fgancl at Mr. Brumby's, car proprietor, Great Nelson-street, as being the one missed on Monday night. The case was remanded for a few days. [Before Messrs. HOWIE and HOUGHTON.] WARNING TO FLATMEN.—Henry Bell, master of the flat Henry, was summoned on an information by Mr. Ilenrichson, dock master, on the charge of contravening the 5,2nd section of the "Mersey Dock Acts Consolida tion Act," by entering dock with sails set, without being forced to do so by stress of weather, or in conse quence of any casualty. The defendant did not appear, and Mr. Holrae, after remarking on the danger of such procedure on the part of masters of vessels, and the necessity of putting a stop to it, said he would impose a fine of 40s. and costs. A BAILIFF V. A LANDLORD.—This case, which was adjourned from Friday to allow the defendant to bring forward witnesses, was again heard to-day. These wit nesses deposed that the work was done according to agreement. The complainant, on the other hand, pro duced - evidence to show that it was not. The magis trates considered the case so much involved in doubt, that no decision could be come to, but felt themselves bound to give defendant the benefit of the doubt. The case was accordingly dismissed. STATISTICS OF CANADA, &c.-We may aptly follow the United States of America with a reference to Canada. In 1857, (the last year of tie series) the net revenue of that colony was £963,238, and the expendi ture £1,073,093. Customs yielded £981,802 of the gross revenue, the territorial branch £104,386, and public works £102,307. The interest on the debt was £281,036 ; civil government cost £58,512 ; the admini stration of justice, £126,552; legislation (the Council and Assembly,) £126,434 ; and education, £110,009. The total tonnage of ships entered at Canadian ports was 5,283,969, and the tonnage of ships cleared out 5,144,756. 110 sailing vessels, of 44,380 tons, and sixteen steamers, of 2,556 tons, were built in Canada in the year 1857, while 159 sailing vessels and twenty-eight steamers were registered. The value of the imports for consumption was £8,871,885, and that of the exports of domestic produce £6,076,491. The exports to the United Kingdom were £2,429,650, and to the States £3,301,609. The articles exported from Canada included 2,562 tons of copper ore, 95,762 cwt. of dried fish, 21,880 barrels of potashes, 37,984 tons of elm timber, 48,539 tons of oak, 500,781 tons of white pine, 61,323 tons of red pine, 51,250 hundreds of stan dard deals, and 222,611 m. feet of planks and boards, 5,482 horses, 10,871 oxen and bulls, 12,143 cows and calves, 10,276 swine, 14,626 cwt. of butter, 1,275,041 lbs. of wool, 831,412 bushels of barley and rye, 866,860 of oats, 220,736 of peas, 2,762,454 of wheat, and 743,949 barrels of flour. The gross revenue received from the several canals in 1857 was £85,320. 1,595 vessels, of 2-23,206 tons, passed through the Canadian canals in 1857. 3,155,556 gallons of spirits were dis tilled, yielding a duty of £20,762. We turn to New Brunswick. The revenue of New Brunswick was £135,094, and the expenditure £134,598. 3,170 ves sels, of 587,595 tons, entered, and 3,181, of 659,277 tons, t cleared in the year 1857. The imports were valued eai £1,418,943, and the exports at £917,775. The prin frpesal.x)7llo2l3o3w9eroef Xdrlyl,7Bsalltedworfit fish, , of an fi d sh x c i p s 7B 49 er o v o ed f w an e d t £1,910 of smoked fish, d £77,343 of boards salted fish, 4 T a h s e 9 re were 643,954 e 0t. acres of cleared o ar pin s e can ti t m li b ng er e . , of oat and £116,615 land in 1857, the produ ce wheat andheat 1,411,164. t.,ibelng 206,635 bushels, and that Wheat averaged Bs. 9d. per bushel, in 1857. There were 22,044 horses, 106,263)ahorn3esd beasts, 168,038 sheep, and 47,932 swine. The rate of wages for domestic labour was £2 10s: to £3 per month (with board) ; predial labour, £2 10s. to £4 per month ; and trades, ss. 6d. to 10s. per day. Of Nova Scotia, i n 1857, the revenue was £299,129, and the expenditure £350,542. 5,451 vessels, of 605,301 tons, entered in wards ; and 5,613, of 564,005 tons, cleared outwards. The value of the imports was .L 1,936,176 ; and that of the exports £1,393,56 6 . The total acreage of land in the colony grantedin oo; 1857405 g wrasantss;6o3f3,6o3,2Bo,Ba3nadertehse, were ung ed 5,7 made in 1857. THE MAYOR'S PROCESSION TO CHURCH. The ancient practice of the Mayor attending Divine service in state, on the first Sunday after his election, is one of the most interesting and commendable of our civic pageants, and yesterday it was more than usually attractive. The Mayor's state coach was ordered to be at his Worship's residence, West Dingle, at ten o'clock a.m., the coachman and servants being in full livery, and the horses in their gayest state harness. Shortly after the appointed time the Mayor, accompanied by his estimable lady and three of their children, entered the coach and drove to the Town-hall, and, after setting down his Worship there, the family were driven to St. Peter's Church. A feature entirely new was introduced into the ceremonial of yesterday, by a number of gentlemen in pro cession from South Toxteth, to join that of the Mayor and Council at the Town-hall. It was generally understood that there would be a similar procession from. Everton, but, unfortunately, some misunderstanding took place, relative to the point of departure. It appears that circulars had been sent to a number of gen tlemen intimating that it was intended only to march from the Town-hall to church, whilst it had been verbally communicated to others that they would form in procession at Evertpn-brow, at half-past nine o'clock, and fall in with the main body at the Town= hall, immediately before it moved. A number of gen tlemen accordingly did assemble at that hour and place, but no organisation or arrangement having been previously agreed upon, and after waiting some time in the vain hope that such a number might arrive as would authorise them . to draw up rank and file, they took their de partute for the general rendezvous, whither de tached parties continued to arrive up to a quarter to eleven o'clock. The mistake which so inop portunely rendered the procession impossible, is very deeply regretted in Everton, as the constituency were desirous of giving public expression to the estima tion in which they held their -representative, by adding somewhat to the pomp and ceremony of the first Sunday of his Mayoralty. The spirit, however, must be taken for the deed ; and the goodly numbers in which they mustered before the Town-hall is intrinsically as good a mark of respect, although not placed so prominently before the public. Among the gentlemen from Everton we observed Messrs. Chilton, Whitley, Wise, Howard, R. Blundell, Jones, Dunbar, Shaw, Goulbourn, Watt, Brierley, Little, E. Blundell, Brown, &c., &c. SOUTH TOXTETH WARD. Such of the electors of this ward (adjacent to which the new Mayor resides), as had resolved to manifest their respect for the newly appointed chief magistrate, as;embled at the Royal Oak, Mr. John Winder's, at half-past nine, at the request of a committee of electors, of which Mr. M. A. Johns, acted as honorary secre tary, who issued circular invitations to the following gentlemen to meet then and there for that pur pose. Some of the gentlemen sent apologies for their unavoidable absence—and a good many of them either joined the procession on its way through the Park or proceeded direct to the Town-hall, viz. :—G. H. Horsfall, Hilton Hothead, C. S. Campbell, Wm. Clay, Alex. M'Neile, Huntingdon, S. Siddeley, John Kidd, Joseph Harrison, James Laidlaw, Wm. Leyland, A. Pickup, G. W. Hunter, James Brundrit, Geo. Brundrit, Wm. Davies, Thomas Johnston, J. B. Hughes, Thomas Harrison, Bowdler, John Winder, Wm. Smith, A. Grindrod, T. S. Healing, Bolton, Falcon, Dickens, Robert Thomas, Thomas Wor rail, Henry Peake, A. Ashworth, R. Spencer, John Bradley, Goode, Edmondson, Willan, Shearson, G. Turner, Wm. Black, Peter Eastwood, John Marwood, James Tasker, Win. Hughes, Charles Batten, Jones Stanhope, J. D. Casson, John Audley, Richard James, T. Capper, Edward Wilkinson, J. M. Woodward, Llewellin Wiliams, Silas 'Washington, Smallthwaite, M. Gregson, Brining, John Longworth, John Watson, John Toilet, Captain Caine, Captain William Thomas ; Charles Turner, Pine Apple ; Robert Allen, Queen's Dock; T. W. Gladstone, Thornton-place ; Joel Moore, Thornton-place ; Wright, Wellington-read; Samuel Thompson, Wellington-place ; Peter Brownrigg, Wellington-place; and George Powell, Mill-view. These gentlemen left the Royal Oak in procession, walking three abreast, at ten o'clock, and moved, unostentatiously along Park-road, St. James's-place, Great George-street, Berry-street, Bold-street, Church street, Lord-street, and Castle-street, to the Town hall. As they passed St. Luke's Church, and again when opposite St. Peter's Church, they received a campanilogical salute—the whole of each set of bells at once ringing out a peal for the occasion. PROCESSION FROM THE TOWN-HALL TO ST. PETER'S CHURCH. At about a quarter to eleven the following procession having been marshalled at the Town-hall proceeded thence to church, along Castle-street, Lord-street, and Church-street to St. Peter's : AVANT GARDE: Four Police-officers. Trustees of Bluecoat Hospital. Bluecoat Hospital Boys. Twenty-six of the Fire Brigade, in full uniform, under Mr. Hewitt. Six of the West of England Fire Brigade and Mr. Barrett. Two Baton-men, in uniform, bearing silver batons. Mace Bearers, in robes, with maces. Water Bailiff, in robes, bearing the silver oar. Sword Bearer, in robes, with the sword of state. His WORSHIP the MAYOR, in Chaplain. Town Clerk. state robes, and carrying a white wand of office. The Ex-Mayor. The Alderman and Council. The Municipal Electors. ESCORT : Seventy Police-officers. Six Inspectors. Div.-Superintendent Quick. The most interesting facts connected with the pro cession were that very nearly the whole of the Council attended ; and there were besides several hundreds of the most respectable and influential electors voluntarily present to grace the new Mayor's first public appearance—an unusual mark of the highest estimation which, no doubt, was not less well deserved than it was judicious and well-timed. The streets along the route from the Town-hall to Si. Peter's were crowded by spectators, and the windows commanding a view of the civic precessioi were almost all occupied. At the churchyard a path was kept open by the police forming a double line to keep back the crowd, the Bluecoat boys also forming two lines, between which the Mayor approached the church porch, on reach which he bowed to the Trustees of the Hospital, heartily shaking hands with Mr. Brancker and Mr. Deane, and then, uncovering, passed into church. We cannot help adding here, that the very becoming appearance of the Mayor in his official costume, along with his dignified and courtly, yet manly, bearing, were very generally admired. THE SERVICE AT U.LIURCH. The old parish church of St. Peter's, the first Pro testant church erected in Lancashire after the Reforma tion, we believe, was crowded to excess in every part. The aisles and passages were filled with people who were compelled to stand throughout the service, an4l hundreds went away in consequence of the want of adequate accommodation. In the Mayor's pew were his worship, T. D. Anderson, Esq. ; the ex-Mayor, Wm. Preston, Esq. ; Aldermen Cooper, Parker, S. Heinle, Bennett, John Stewart, and Woodruff ; and Councillors Charles Turner, Littledalc, Beloe, Robertson, Cropper, Barton, S. R. Graves, Tobin, W. P. Jeffreys, Nickson, Kitchen, Steains, Shimmin, Crellin, Rodgers, Crosth waite, Johnson, Ridley, &c. There were also present, the Town Clerk, Mr. Shattleworth, the Head Constable, Major Greig, several of the officers"" and servants of the NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. Corporation, and many of the merchants and gentlemen of the town, amongst whom were, Messrs. Joseph Hubback, C. F. Carne, Langton, Alexander Shand, Hilton Halhead, Bernard, Hall, &c., &c. The prayers and lessons were read by the Rev. •Mr. Duncan and the Rev. Rector Campbell, and the Rev. Benjamin Maddock officiated in the Communion Service. The Rev. BENJAMIN MADDOCK preached the sermon, which was in aid of the funds of the Blue Coat Hospital. The rev. gentleman took his text from the 9th verse of the 16th chapter of St. • Luke's Gospel—" And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness : that when ye fail, they may receive yon into everlasting habitations." Having excited the congregation to faithfulness and zeal in the discharge of their several Christian duties, and especially to an observance of charity, the preacher said he thought an allusion to the oldest charitable institution in Liverpool would not . be an inappropriate conclusion of his sermon. The Blue Coat Hospital, he said, was founded in 1708, for the clothing and educating 40 boys and 10 girls. The institution was after wards very much improved, so as to provide the scholars with meat, clothes, and lodging in one house, where, to quote the eld record of the s chool, " They could be kept with such discipline as under the blessing of God might produce the desired effect." Subse quently the scholars were increased to 100, and in 1763 to 200, at which date, owing to the growing prosperity of the institution, they advanced to 327 in 1798 ; but the number was not again so great until 1827, when it was increased to 350; since when 250 boys and 150 girls were last year fed, educated, and clothed, at an expense of £4,700. To meet this expense the institution is only provided with a permanent income of about £1,530 per annum, leaving the trustees dependent on the liberality of the benevolent public for the sum of about £3,200. And here, he could not help expressing regret that several years ago, when the expenses of the charity were far less than at present, the annual sub scriptions very much exceeded in amount the sub scriptions of last year. From the report it appeared that, although the population of the town increased from 286,000 in 1841, to 376,000 in 1851, and had further increased since then, the annual subscriptions to the charity had gradually fallen from £2,650 in 1841, to £2,000 in 1858. Of the 250 boys and 102 girls at present in the institution 96 are orphans, 253 fatherless, and three have parents who are in helpless or indigent circumstances. For their sakes, as well as for the sake of the congregation, he would ask them to make friends of these children by the mate rial of the mammon of unrighteousness. They were the children of respectable parents in Liverpool, who, as the master informed him, had seen better days, and were reduced by those changes which were incidental to a place like Liverpool. More than 90 per cent. of them were the children of master mariners, master tradesmen, book-keepers, mechanics, 'and skilled artisans. The object with regard to them, as exhibited by the trustees, was not to relieve distress, not only to protect, feed, and clothe the orphan and fatherless, but to supply the community with industrious and well-behaved servants, seamen, and artisans—to send out into the world:young persons qualified to be useful in their several callings, and grounded in those sound principles of religion which alone can impart to them true peace of mind here, and the hope of happiness hereafter. To this end, the boys were prepared for the sea, for mercantile pur suits, and for mechanical business ; and, before they leave the hospital, situations are secured for them in such of these capacities as they may desire. The girls are perfectly prepared for the various branches of . domestic service by undergoing previous training. In the case of the boys and girls who leave the institution, their connection with the hospital is still kept up by a careful superintendence for several /ears, and for this purpose. the -Rine Coat Brotherly' Society, consisting mainly of people educated in the school, was formed in 1838, to watch over - the early career of boys apprenticed from the school. Nine hundred and thirty. boys have thus been visited with the most encouraging success ; and a somewhat similar movement in 1857, with respect to the girls, promised to be attended with results equally satisfactory. In conclusion, he would merely remind the congregation of the fact, that if men made friends of, the children for whom he pleaded might one • day plead for them with great effect ; and they had further the assurance of Scripture, that no act of charity could fail to benefit the doer of it. The sermon was listened to with marked attention, and at the close of it a collection was made on behalf of the institution referred to. The sum collected was £llB 10s., a sum much larger than has ever before been received under these circumstances. After the benediction, the congregation dispersed, the Mayor and Corporation, however, marching to the Town-hall, followed by some thousands of spectators. At the Town-hall the procession was broken up, and this most interesting ceremony concluded. -w- LIFE-BOATS ON THE COAST OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. The following communication, addressed to the Royal National Life-boat Institution, relative to the establish ment of several life-boat stations on the coast of Victoria, will be read with interest. Last year that society transmitted to Australia large working drawings on a large scale of its plan of life-boat and transporting carriages, and every information respecting the efficient management of life-boats. " Victoria Department of Ports and Harbours, " Williamstown, 16th Sept., 1859. " Sin,—lt will be interesting to you, no doubt, to know that there exists in this remote place a desire to establish on our coast similar institutions to those extant on the shores of Great Britain, for the preservation of life from shipwreck. To this eLd, the head of the Port Department, Captain Ferguson, has laboured under many difficulties, but with success, I am glad to say. We have established on our sea-board five stations, and supplied each with a life-boat built upon the principle adopted by the Royal National Life-boat Institution, which, in every respect, have been found worthy the noble service they are intended for. "In addition to which, the Government have, upon Captain Ferguson's recommendation, obtained from England three complete sets of the rocket and mortar apparatus, and have issued an order by this mail for three more, which will make the stations already estab lished very complete in every respect. " I beg to forward you an extract from the Govern ment Gazette, from which you will perceive that one of the boats in question has been the means of saving nineteen lives, which otherwise would have perished. I also forward you a copy of our rules, which (as far as our local position admits) have been compiled from those issued by the National Life-boat Institution. " Captain Ferguson wouli feel obliged if you would be so good as to furnish this department from time to time with such information as may be valuable for our life-boat service.—l am, &c., " (Signed) " W. COLLINS REES. " To the Secretary of the Royal National Life boat Institution, London." M. LEDRu-RoLLIN.—The Bulletin de Paris says : —"According to a letter from London, M. Ledru- Rollin, having been released by a special and sovereign decision from the penalties pronounced against him, may now avail himself of the amnesty, and return to France. The ex-member of the provisional government will only make a short visit to France on family affairs, and will then proceed to Switzerland, where, on the advice of her physicians, Madame Ledru-Rollin is about to take up -her residence." • o rd ; 0 6 2 Name. E gnx 43 Xi E . 1.1 Cis E 44 ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. Royal George Royal Albert . . Duke of Wellin gton l3l 700 240 6 60 1 24 8 3771 Royal Sovereign l3l 800 240 6 60 0 24 8 3759 Marlborough Victoria l2l 1000 260 0 60 0 26 10 4112 It will be observed that the Victoria, though larger than the Marlborough, does not carry so many guns. The armament of the Victoria is, however, the heavier of the two, as she carries on the middle and lower decks nothing but 68 pounders, as will be seen by the follow ing table Ins. Cwt. Feet. No. 8 ... 8 . ... 32 prs. ...32 prs. ... 68 pr pivot 95 .. . .10 0 ..... 1 Lower deck . . Middle dock • Main deck . . Upper deck Ditto T0ta1........ 121 The engines of the Victoria are by Messrs. Maudsley, Sons, and Field, and are of the nominal power of 1,000 horses. The Duncan, 91; Prince of Wales, 131; and Royal Frederick, 91, all screw ships, and building under roofs contiguous to that of the Victoria, are to be launched by the end of the present financial year. The Royal Alfred, a ninety-one-gun screw ship, is to be laid down immediately on the slip vacated by the Victoria. The Victoria's keel was laid in the early part of Fe bruary, 1856. She has been, therefore, but three years and ten months building. "We recently had the satis faction of inspecting her, and in justice to Mr. Abethell, the master shipwright of Portsmouth Dockyard, under whose superintendence she has been built, we must state that as a specimen of sound and careful shipbuilding the Victoria cannot be surpassed. A few minutes before twelve o'clock the sound of the guns firing a royal salute from the batteries announced the approach of the royal visitors. Her Majesty and the royal children were dressed neatly, and with the usual good taste. The Prince Consort wore a field marshal's uniform, with the Order of the Garter, and the Prince Frederick William that of a Prussian general officer, and he also wore the Order of the Garter. Her Majesty was received upon alighting from the royal carriages by Admiral Bowles, C. 8., the Com mander in Chief, Major-General Sir J. Y. Scarlett, Rear- Admiral the Hon. G. Grey, Major-General Foster, and the Lords of the Admiralty. Conspicuous among the spectators in the gallery near the royal party was the new Persian Ambassador, with numerous attendants in oriental costume. Upon the royal party reaching the platform Rear-Admiral Grey presented to her Majesty Mr. Abethell, the master shipwright, who was standing near the bows of the ship to cut the dog shores when all was ready to let the ship go. Admiral Bowles then took the bottle of wine, decorated with ribbons and flowers and handed it to the Princess Frederick William, explaining to her, at the same time, the mode in which she was to throw it against the ship's bows. The princess advanced towards the front of the staging, and taking the cords to which the bottle was suspended, in both hands, and raising them above her head, flung the bottle with excellent aim, and with right good will at the ship, and as the christening wine streamed down the bows, her Royal Highness named the ship The Victoria. This was followed by loud and reiterated cheers, which had not subsided at the moment that the "dog shores" were cut by the master shipwright ; the giant ship uttered a slight creaking cry as she made her first step from the place of her birth. The air rung with cheers and plaudits from every part of the dockyard, as the ship was seen gliding away from the land ; and as she dashed into the water, and swung to her anchorage, the crews of the vessels in the harbour gave a welcome, such a British tars know so well how to give, to this latest addition to the floating bulwarks of our land. Her Majesty and the Princess Royal and her sisters still stood waving their handkerchiefs. Prince Albert and Prince Frederick - William waved their hats until the Victoria passed out of view, and the interest felt by those august personages caused a fresh outburst of cheer ing from the assembled crowds, which was continued for several minutes, her Majesty and the Royal party grace fully acknowledging the manifestation of affectionate loyalty. A GOLDEN WEDDlNG.—Chevalier Tottle, Consul- General to the King of Sweden and Norway, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his wedding on Wednesday last, after a residence of 56 years in this country. Mr. Tottle is the father of the consulate body in London, having been appointed to the office which he so worthily fills in the year 1812. IRON SCREW STEAM-SHIPS. Iron ships, like brick mansions, says Mitchell's Steam Shopping Journal, can be built to last but a few years, or to last together for a century. All depends upon the weight and strength of material employed, and the architectural design. It has been asserted by the owner of an iron yacht, that he paid at the rate of £4O per tou, builder's mea surement ; but there are persons who advertise to complete ships in hull, rigging, and machinery, at from £9 to £l3. Iron ships, therefore, may be purchased to suit the capitalist. He MAY have solidly-built vessels of good metal, or h e niay have common-plated ships, cons t ruc ted ex" pressly to sell. The weakly-built ships; 'hen smartly rigged and painted, will look es r id ' to the uninitiated as the one more substantial l y put together. The Tyne and the Clyde have a , reputation for turning out cheap iron ships , bu t we suspect that good strong vessels of the yeti first class can be had from off the banks of those rivers if a remunerative price is paid. where honest and independent surveyors are engaged to overlook the work, it is their fault if material the right substance is not employed, though th e y cannot be present at all times to see the me tal fused. There is great variation in the cohesion of different irons. Old metal, transmuted , Pe.' haps, some thousands of times, till its propertie s deteriorate, is slightly mixed with bars of Nirgu l , iron, and plates are turned out, by c eutraol d of a given thickness, which may by chance staP,,,, the atmospheric pressure applied to test u: strength. Well-coated, these plates may last °` years ; •but if, from some particular cause, ~. $ll l equal strain is brought to bea r on one , or sev e of them, they fall to pieces lik e , as was once A; - scribed by the shipwrecked mate of a stean l +l ,l "the tearing of a sheet of paper;" 0r,.t0 app l l_„fr - i c simile of another seaman saved from the e of a screw collier, " like a pack of cards." boatswain's mate of the Royal Charter 07 that the ship "broke up like a bandbox." , some instances this strange destruction ie e e owing to the fault of the iron than to tb peculiar build of the ship. It is almost iraK u ng ; sable to award to each their proper share of ,r, 4 blame ; but it has always been observed that W h e n iron ships do begin to break up there are no 01 71 measures : the rivets start, a few plates go, the rest follow. Where they do hold, ; el . tenacity is great if a ship is faithfully bn c i i But the durability of a ship depends not so 0111 ._i on the quantity as on the quality of the me t a l ' A ship built of the best Low Moor iron, vo,A cold-hammered plates, and well strengtheT o horizontally, will stand an enormous strain • l ' o f between, Scotch, Welsh, and English iron _ io various descriptions, there is a difference in 1 1 7 0 of about £5 per ton more or less, according place of delivery. The tenacity of metals depends very lo li t he ell upon their purity. Professor Wallace gives r to specific cohesion and strength of different s° of iron as fellows : Specific cohesja Iron (Bar) from 8'964 to 5 . a" „ Best quality from 7.006 • German, BR from 9.880 to 6 . 51 4 )7 Swedish .. from 9'445 to 7• 2 v u , „ Liege f r om 8 , 794 to 6•6 2 ,, , „ German L from 9 . 119 to 7 .3 a ° 1) Spanish „ Oosement from 8.142 to 7' 2 . 96 „ Fine grained „ Medium fineness - 3.618 ~ Coarse grained Iron(cast)French....... from 7 2: 4 7 0 1 7 2 to 4.000 • • 7 2 German ' English . ..... ....from 5.520 to 4 .3 rti• Here we have the tenacious union of the 1 1 ,01 cles of the multifarious descriptions of iron P r : k of to demonstration. When, therefore, we sP e , i er' an iron-built ship, if we would rightly - ; : g . of stand her build, we must know sometli tho vompooition of th e me t a l use d h b;"-Co retica struction. But to illustrate the utter inate ft ,i tiv e bility of thoroughly und ers t an di ng the ' the strength of samples of iron, we will also P. — t he experiments made by Rennie to as cert o direct cohesion of bars one inch square, in Z s . 8 .32 • • 5•69 Iron bar, cast horizontally, .. . ..... . . Iron bar, cast vertically, To this we may , ./•2 0 Wrought iron, mean of 26 experiments by Brune l, 31 .:5 Wroughtliron, mean of 9 experiments by Telford, 270 WI ought iron, mean of 8 experiments by Brown , 2 :'„ s e No two experiments, therefore, yield the a re products ; but the average qualities of iron ~, so well known that no purchaser need be at a 70 to designate in plain terms what sort of iron 3 wishes to be used, though, at the same time% 1., rests with the honour of a builder, or fou nd ) to properly mix the metals. There are tric_.,. and adulterations in every trade, and we f,S, the m anipulators of iron are not free from o f universal vice. Hence , a s screw vessels builtos, iron are becoming so common in several tr 6 t isl supplanting clipper th o s u a g il h in t g he v:s a se n l s s l , ve i r t s. is 'The 1 01 0: of the en g in eßoyals, has depreciated Charter, epre eiat which e te C ho a eu r m f d ot astoitaosi. :l ll ;ilei i in . ' that more attention should be paid by int e s t° owners of such ships to the metal used , ',;01" the principle of construction. Screw ste w ; is do not appear to be favourites with the " - Tabl ' l oss for the conveyance of heal tempest even with her 300 horse-p oo— r,l 3 rthe' ary But her case is an exceptional one. were brought up by her anchors the m ss thong cut away, and they fouled the screW ; be fore it must be admitted she was draggi n g sere / she was clismasted. This fouling a t" e , 0 4 appears difficult to overcome. Vire the chain sheets, and haulyards, are now B° ,, l ttlit used that it is difficult to attach all A : chi': w or he b n e s d e r iz a e w d n b u y nd a e n r a b rm y t o h f e tb s e hip se ' instrument that will prove efficacious . ' 1 ;01 hanging to a spar will sink under the shiP:s t ow itself round and round, till it either break' s p r of e i ' s re s vir u , ct in l° oo ll ' ffu s t tt o fans or stops the engine. The steam-sh i r . s lOW when caught in the gale off Sebastopol, it I_ It o; was working n e t' the shore, when the ordeliatele given to cut away the mizenmast. Im ille folll A the mast went by the board the riggint er loa the screw, the ship was disabled, and „ s tif followed. Many a sailing ship has bee serer by cutting away the masts ; but In p i gtf steamers, unless. care is taken to see the r t a t til , clear astern, the remedy is worse th ° ' ..ler disease. w" 0 The screw for first-class passenger shiPo 2.0.11 as a mere auxiliary power for long veritrist or,';; possibly doomed. It was prophesied _ steamers would be propelled by screws befor st e , and the adaptation of several of the Pet,, 0 10,7 and Oriental Company's ships from side NiTolo stern screws seemed at one time to give_ s i o f 5 to the prophecy; but the last new vest_ 01 0 company, built to order, was the Da"'4 3 l''', f paddle-wheels ; and their vessel now u o re_ stocks will also have side wheels. In fte,',_ vessels there is so much noise in O n e s isal: . section of the ship, by the rotation of ti e l on that it is unpleasant to be quarter!, 0105 The sleepingaccommodation isconsequen4`o oe t more amidships, and here you have, 1 , 1 0 , lielo of the oils from the engine-room an", fee s , t a tvhhaiseti tremulous secp nrleeascrew nseli plainly sea-sickness. o eyw t k i noo theirear sks t : o t Iht heavy from the boilers. Besides which, scre",,w 1/ , roll badly, and the vibration from t h e on- agfi l: unless canvas is spread—and the malt" IV" :1 0 the screw stops, and the ship is driv en t on, lill 'd only, her motion is free from all vibraiosocroi re st -r-i ow she progresses smoothly. On the 0 . 0 der „a success or failure, we apprehend, sv. e l_ up it whether the double power will be talc brought into use for passenger steamed' e e t avi h s !G p a ' r ti e t o a o n t t ß h i e s a s , : te : re a r ao ir up g 'ef i ii t, li quivering pad 4 LAUNCH OF THE VICTORIA, 121 GUNS, AT PORTSMOUTH. A further addition was on Saturday made to the num ber of our great screw three-deckers afloat, and the presence of Royulty gave great éclat to the launch of the noble vessel. The Victoria, 121 guns, is one of that class of ships of which the Marlborough, the Welling ton, and the Royal Albert are such admirable specimens. It will be followed very shortly by the Prince of Wales, the Royal Alfred, now in course of construction, and by as many others, we trust, as will exhaust the names of their brothers and sisters, and form a royal family afloat worthy to represent the honour and able to guard the interests of the country. The Royal Albert, which was launched a short time since at Woolwich, had the honour of re ceiving its name at the hands of her Majesty, in the presence of the Princess Royal ; the Victoria had for its sponsor her Royal Highness the Princess Frederick, and the witnesses of the interesting ceremony were her Majesty and the Prince Consort, the Prince Frederick William, Princess Alice, Prince Arthur, Princess Helena, Princess Louisa, a host of lords and ladies-in-waiting, Lords of the Admiralty, and a vast crowd of spectators variously estimated at from ten to fifteen thousand persons. This magnificent ship deserves particular notice, as being larger than any line-of-battle ship now, afloat, and also as being the first three-decker that has been designed expressly as a screw -steamer. Her actual displacement when at her load line will amount to very nearly 7,000 tons, which is greater than that of every other ship of war by nearly 1,000 tons. We have at present afloat five screw three-deckers— the Marlborough, Royal Sovereign, Duke of Wellington, Royal Albert, and Royal George. These were originally designed for sailing ships ; the first three by the late Surveyor of the Navy, Sir William Symonds ; the Royal Albert by the late Mr. Oliver Lang. The Royal George was built on the lines of the old Caledonia, and was launched at Chatham in 1827. To adapt these vessels for the reception of the screw lengthened in midships and at each end, and was also they were altered as follows :—The Marlborough was increased slightly in breadth ; the Duke of Wellington and Royal Sovereign were lengthened in midships and by the stern ; the Royal Albert was lengthened by the stern ; and the Royal George only had the screw aper ture cut in her deadwood, and was not lengthened at all. The following table, showing the comparative princi pal dimensions of these ships and of the Victoria, will be found interesting to those of our readers who regard with satisfaction and pride any addition to the naval resources of the country : NOVEMBER 14, 18 9. -~~~~ 44, k t , 41( k 1 4.1 (10 u * , ;pp] A A 44,, k'' 'iN t Ati t tr‘Ota A 4,4