Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-25 00:00:00

IMPE RIAL PARLIAMENT• (By British and Irish Magnetic Telegraph.) HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY. The House met at five o'clock. The European and Indian Junction Telegraph Com- Pan,' s Bill, the West of F ife Mineral Railway Bill, the lyde Navigation Bill, and the Stockport, Disley, and Whaley Bridge Railway Bill, were severally read a third time and passed. THE STANDING ORDERS. 'The Earl of Derby drew attention to the orders passe d in former sessions, restricting the period for receiving bills from the C .morons, and inquired of Lord Redesdale whether it was his intention to propose a similar resolu tion in the present session. Lord Redesdale admitted the !importance, generally speaking, of such a resolution, but thought it inexpedient this session to fix any particular time after which bills would not be received. The Earl of Malmesbury asked the opinion of the Government on the subject? Earl Granville bad communicated with Lord Redesdale . and concurred with him, that it would not be expedient in the present session to fix any limit. .The Earl of Derby hoped that further consideration would induce the Governmant to fix a day, according t o the principle adopted with much advantage in former sessions. The subject then dropped. MONUMENT TO LORD RAGLAN, Earl Fortescue inquired of her Majesty's Government whether it was intended to propose the erection of a monument to the memory of the late Lord Raglan. He referred in eulogestic terms to the services of the gallant general in the war in the East, and during the hardships and horrors of the Crimean winter, - and declared that if his advice had been followed, Sebastopol would have fallen at a much earlier period. Lord Panmure concurred entirely in the tribute of praise to Lord Raglan, and observed that though no vot e had been proposed iu the other House for the erection of a monument, the Government did not undervalue his services. A. sum, however, of £20,000 toad been voted for a monument in the vicinity of Constantinople, to the soldiers and sailors who fell in the war, and the first name inscribed was that of the gallant Commander-in-Chief Lord Raglan, yet he did not mean to say that a proposi tion to erect a monument to him might not be entertained at some future time. Lord Brougham and the Earl of Darby warmly eulogised the late Lord Raglan, and contended that a monument to his memory would give great satisfaction in the country. Earl Granville repeated the objections stated by LDrd Panmure. The subject then dropped. FREE LABOUR IN GUIANA. The Marquis of Clanricarde drew a•tention to tha expediency of offering facilities for the importation of labourers into the colony of Guiana. Earl Granville acknowledged the importance of the question, but urged the necessity of providing against such proceedings taking place in connection with the importation of labourers as might lead to a revival of the - slave trade. He announced that instructions had been given to, Lord E!gin to ascertain whether it would be desirable to offer facilities for the emigration of Chinese to the West India colonies. Lord Brougham thought it necessary that, the restric - tions upon the slave trade should not be in any degree revived. The subject then dropped. Some bills were advanced a stage and the house adjourned at teu minutes past seven. HOUSE OF COMDIONS —FEUDAY. Tha Speaker took the chair at twelve o'clock. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS, Mr. Cardwell took the oaths and his seat for Oxford. The members appointed to serve on the Huntingdon Election Committee, were called to the table and sworn. The Lords' Amendments to the Atlantic Telegraph Company Bill, and the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway Bill, were considered and agreed to. Petitions were presented against the Divorce and t he Scotch Lunacy Bills. LUNATICS (SCOTLAND) BILL. On the report of amendments to this bill being brough t up, Mr. C. Bruce suggested that:Sir John APNeill, head of the Poor-law Board, should be placed at the head of the Lunacy Board, because the effect would be to give great satisfaction and remove much of the objections enter tained to the measure. The Lord Ad vocate said he had commun i cated with Sir Jahn M'Neill as to the expediency of amalgamating th:,Poor Law a n d Lunacy B oar d s, an d th a t gen tl eman while expressing his readiness to discharge any dutie s that might be imposed upon him, did not think it desirable that such a combination should take place. In reply to remarks from several hon. members, The learned lord stated, that though the bill fixed the maximum amount of the salaries of the said commission ers at £1,200 a year, it was not intended that more than £l,OOO should be given in any case. Mr. Stirling moved the omission of clause 113, which exempts from assessment under the bill the counties of Orkney and Shetland. He wished to know whether the operation of the clause would be to exempt these counties from inspection as well as assessment. The Lord Advocate justified the exemption of the islands from assesment, but explained that the clause would not exempt them from inspection. Mr, Blackburn suggested that the exemption should not extend to Orkney,lbut should apply only to the island of Shetland. Mr. E. Bruce thought that all:such examples were ex tremely invidious After a short conversation Mr. Blackburn's suggestion was adopted, and the words " Orkney, &c." were ac— cordingly omitted, and the clause as amended was then agreed to. The amendments made in Committee were afterwards agreed to, and the Bill was ordered for the third reading. POLICE (SCOTLAND) BILL. On the motion for going into Committee on this Bill, Sir John Ogilvy objected to the 'system of centralise_ t.l3n established by the measure, as:opposed to the system of local management. He believed the clauses (the princi- P l e of which he objected to) were inserted in the English Police Act, but he submitted that that was no reason for extending them to the north of the Tweed, the circum stances in the two cases being totally different. The house then went into committee. Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to. On clause 3 , Sir John Ogilvy moved an amendment to th e effect th atthe c ontrol of the Secretary of State shou ld not extend t o the p ay o f c l o thi ng , accoutrements, and necessaries of the police. The Lord Advocate observed that the present system in Scotland, under which a man committing a crime in Mid-Lothian had only to cross into Lanark to escape Justice, was a disgrace to the cuuntry, and stated that it was to r emedy this evil, and to secure an efficient police force that the clauses to which the hon. member objected Were proposed. 11 " r ' t• Bruce did not object to the Secretary of stat e having th e d ec i s i on as to the number of police, b u t thought that the control in matters of local det ail, should not be removed from local arrangement. Af ter some discussion, in which Sir Thomas Colebrooke ... Blackburn,!Ar. Black, Sykes, 111r,,,wart, Y THE NORTHERN TIMF,S.---LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY, JUL 25, 1857. CONGRESS OF THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE AT CHESTER, (FROM OUR OWN REPORTER The various sections resumed their sittings yesterday morning at ten o'clock. lIISTORICIL SECTION. The Lord Bishop of Che3ter presided over this section. Mr. RossoN, of Warrington, read a paper on " the Hallelujah Victory," the scene of which was near Mold. The paper had reference to what took place in the sth century in Britain, during the visit of St. Germanus, and the general condition of England at that particular period. It was called "the Hallelujah Battle" in consequence of the enemy being defeated by a panic, and the leaders of the victors calling upon their followers to shout out, " Hallelujah." The Rev. T Grosvenor read an interesting paper on the history of St. John's Church, Chester, and the Rev. James Raine gave some illustrations of magic in the middle ages. A paper on the catalogue of books in Winchester College Library, from Richard 11. to Henry VI., by the Rev. H. Gunner, was also read. has received considerable elucidation. To enter fully into it here would be foreign to my present purpose. Suffice it to say, that on the natural clearings in the forest, in valleys bounded by gentle acclivities which poured down fer tilising streams, or on plains which here and there rose clothed with verdure above the surrounding marshes► settlements were planted, and step by step the warlike colonists adopted the habits and developed the character of peaceful agriculturists. We may not be able step by step to trace the course of these settlers, and to mark the progress of the Saxon dominion, but in the absence of direct testimony much information may be derived from the nomenclature of the locality. In examining the district under consideration we find the names of the most of the rivers, such as the Dee, the Towey, the Douglas, and a few of the names of places, such as Ince and Landicsn, of Gallic origin. Others, such as Ringwall, Ness, Whitby, and Raby, are without doubt Danish. The great majority of the names of townships, parishes, and hundreds are decidedly Saxon. Proceeding farther in our investigation we find two classes of Saxon terminations, the one class indicative of habitation,. cultiva tion, an I settlement, as wick, a habitation or village ; ham. a homestead, the original of the word home ; ton or town, a collection of houses ; stele, a settled place, from which steady is derived, and others of kindred significance. The other class of terminations is indicative of the wildness of uncultivated nature, such as wood, dell, den, a wooded vaUey ; holt, a wood ; burst, a thicket ;. fold, an enclosure in the woods; draw, another term far wood, Bze Now, it is a remarkable fact, that these two classes of appellations are not mixed up indiscriminately, but bear to each other a certain definitive relation, the hams, tons, wicks, &a., being within, and the holes, hurst., and dens being in a sur rounding border. These circumstances evidently indicate that at the period when the nomenclature was given, the population was divided into a series of isolated settlements, surrounded by the original woods and forests, These were the seperate jurisdiction or marks. This subject is not entirely one of inference. Down to the reign of Charles IC, Mark courts still existed in some parts of the country, to determine the rights of common and boundary. Instances of these are given by Mr. Kemble, in his work on the Saxon Institutions. In South Lancashire, Billinge appears to have been the centre of a mark, the original nomenclature immediately around it being sienifi cativo of cultivation and settlement, surrounded by mosses, woods, and dells, of which the names alone survive. The intersection of Danish names of places gives evidence of incursions of the Northmen, and of their permanent settlement in a portion of this district. These are found on the north east side of the Dee, and on the east side of the Mersey, ex tending inland in an irregular carve. In Cheshire, we have Frankby, Greasby, Irby, Raby, Heswall, Thingwall, and Ness. In Lancashire, some of these names are re peated. For Greasby, we have Crosby ; Kirkby is repeated ; for Raby, we have Roby ; besides Childwall Widness, Formby, and West Derby, which gives its name to the hundred. The name Thing wall also re-appears. It is interesting to find in the track of the Northmen, piratical and sanguinary as they were, traces of the love of law and order so characteristic of Scandinavian and Teutonic blood. Thing -weld —the Hill of Doom—the place of judgment—perpetuates the memory of the rude justice of the Danish settlers—whether in the Thingwall of Cheshire, the Thingwell of Lancashire, the Tynwald of the Isle of Man, or the Dingwall of the north of E.. 4 catland —the name is uniformly attached to a low coni cal hill overlooking a plain, similar to the Areopagua of Athens, where councils were held and judgment was ad ministered. The appropriation of this district after the Norman Conquest, and its subsequent development and progress, are matters of history familiar to all. I have now to say a few words on the physical changes which the surface has undergone since the earliest times to which our inquiries have carried us back. Gradual cultivation has done much to change the physical aspect of the district. The mosses and marshes have been drained, the thick woods have been cat down to such an extent that in the Hundred of Wirral, where it was once a popular rhyme— " From Birkenhead to Hilbury, A squirrel might hop from tree to tree"— it is now difficult to obtain shelter from the westerly blasts that sweep over the bare surface from the sea. There have been changes in progres., however, of a more e xtensive character to which I will now allude. It is a singular fact that the Roman geographers entirely ignore the country lying between the Dee and the Ribble, west of Manchester. Neither in the Itinerary of Autonine, nor in that of Richard of Cirencester, is the Mersey ever alluded to. Ptolemy's description of the coast makes no allusion to any river between the Seteia Portus, doubtless the Dee, and the Belitama, generally identified will the Ribble. This circumstance has given rise to much con troversy. However this may be decided, there can be little doubt that so accurate a writer as Ptolemy would not have omitted all mention of so important an estuary as the Mersey, if it had then existed in its present form. The question then arises—are there any indications giving evidence of changes which would account for this omission, and what is the nature of them ? If we examine the wide extent of flat open country which extends from Formby north eastward to Southport, North Moots, and the banks of the Ribble, and inwards towards Halsall and Ormskirk, we find, near Scarisbrick, the commencement of the peat moue!, which are here on the surface of the ground, and are cut and used for fuel. Proceeding onwards in the direction of the sea, we find the peat has a gradual dp towards the northwest, the drift sand taking its place on the surface, until near the shore about Southport the peat i I found to lie at a considersvde depth below the level of the sea. Peat mosses, as is well knows, owe their origin to ob structed drainage and stagnant moisture. Mr. Lyell says, " It is a curious and welt-ascertained fact, that many of the mosses of the north of Europe occupy the place of forests of pine and oak, which have many of them dis appeared within the historical era. Thus, in Mar Forest, Aberdeenshire, large trunks of Scotch fir, which had fallen from ego and decsy, were soon immured in peat, formed partly of their perishing leaves and branches, and in part from the growth of other plants. We also learn that the overthrow of a forest by a storm about the middle of the seventeenth century gave rise to a peat moss near Loch-broom, in Ross-shire, where, in less than half a century after the fall of the trees, the inhabitants dug peat." In Hatfield Moss, and many others, Roman roads have been found at the depth of eight feet below the surface, and in most of our mosses, coins, axes, arms, and utensils of Roman or British origin, have been discovered, proving that for the most part our mosses are not of earlier origin than the time of Julius Caesar. In the present case, we know that at the time of its formation the peat moss must have been above the level of the sea; and since the part so depressed forms a continu ous line with the peat now in course of formation on the surface, we have here decisive evidence of an importan t change of level within a period comparatively recent. Proceeding southwards along the coast, we -next arrive successively at Birkdale and Ainsdale, ancient names of townships decisively indicative cf the existence in former times of wooded dells and valleys. Nothing bearing the remotest resemblance to such an appearance is now to be traced, nor do we find any such undulations of surface as could suggest the idea of such phenomena ; on the con trary, a dull uniformity of heathy surface prevails, bounded towards the shore by the irregular hills of drift sand con tinually accumulating. Further on, Formby is reached, and here a very remarkable vestige of antiquity still remains, proving demonstratively that changes of a var. im portant character have occurred within a period of time not vary remote. I allude to the ancient gravoyarit or church yard situated among the sandhills, on the edge of the sea, far removed from any human habitation position which is about the last which wo uld be selecf 4 d for the silent sanctuary of the dead, exposed as it is to bt!, buried at any moment by the sand-drift front J..." 8 hills surrounding it. Reasoning from the o p erAti° ' . .. of ordinary human motives, it is impossible to, res4:st the impression that at the time when this S l al °i `.. * ly was first set apart, the sea was much --......— e distant, and dm . neighbourhood free from the accu ' mor nitaation.4 of sand whith I, 'weaten to bury this last resting place of the de d, and off. to its memory. Hard by, to the sea. If this little the sluggish Alt winds its' *Ay Nrn its own watercourse stream, like all other rivers, 'Welt. vela must have taken to the sea, a great change in. the As. excluded at high place, since, at present, the sea hars.folSs. up and tides by flood-gates, to prevent the strehn . sacking Advancing overflowing the meadows higher up the &m t,. I shore at along the coast towards Liverpool, we. find% of thk Crosby the first traces in this neighbourheo&cf 11/4 ' e sub marine forests, which present themselves at inttthtleu. lon g " the western shores of Britain, from north of the GOlkv.l7 . far south as the banks of the Towey, and on soma ix , rtgi a the eastern and southern shores also. The first rc-PO.-d0 notice of this submarine forest at Crosby is contained in. a letter to the Gentleman's Magaziite of July, 1790, bated' by the late Mr. George Holt, of Walton. He de'. - scribes it as " emending upwards of a mile towards Formby. What might have been its original extent, either in that or any other direction, seems at present impossible to ascertain ; but Tegtiges of it are visible dipping west- wardly into the sea, which donbless covers a great part of the land on which a considerable portion of it grew. There are numberless trunks of trees standing. upright some feet above the surface, in the very places where they must have grown, with• their prodigious roots extending into the ground in all' directions, in their natural positions. The higher land to the east is formed almost entirely of sea sand, and is sown with ling or bent, to prevent the further enc;oachments of the sea, which, notwithstanding, seems still to encroach, and by washing the foundations of the sand-hills, to occasion the almost perpendicular. front they exhibit to the west." Still nearer Liverpool; and, indeed, within the limits of the borough, a similar forest existed on the shore within the last fifty years, which was familiarly known by the name of Wycherly Wood. Indi- viduals were lately living who could have testified, from their own knowledge, that about the latter end of the last Century it was customary for cabinet makers who were in went of a little dark-coloured wood for handles and other purposes for which ebony is now used, to go down to _ . the shore at low water, and cut away the timber from the numerous stumps of oak trees still remaining there, the wood of which, though perfectly sound, was as black as ebony. It is remarkable that all the remains of trees in these situations exhibit unequivocal tokens of wilful destruction, both from the visible marks of the axe and the quantity of logs left to perish where they had been cut down. Now, we read that Seutonius Paulinus, when he overran the Isle of A.nglesea, ordered all the forests to be cut down ; and it is extremely probable, from the Roman and British remains found in bogs along with the relics of the primeval forests, that the some course was pursued in other parts of the kingdom by the Roman conquerors. Could we be sure of this, it would fix a limit ba kward within which the changes in question must have taken place. That this supposition is not beyond the truth, other circumstances to which we shall shortly allude tend to confirm. In front of the town of Liverpool itself evidences of similar changes still present themselves. In those interesting relics of past times, the " Moore Papers," Sir Edward Moore, writing in 1667, and referring to the land extending northwards from the bottom of Chapel-street, thus speaks—" Remember to build a wall all along the bsnk side till you come to the town field; otherwise in time lam afraid the sea will wear away the whole bai k. For my great grandfather [this must have been about 1550], William Moore, made a lease of the bank to one Grgney for £lO fine and ss. per annum mot ; my grandfather, Edward Moore, let it to one Pemberton for 30s. a-year, and nlw it is so much worn away with the sea that I cannot make 53. a•year of it." Again, speaking of land situated at the angle between the mouth of the pool and the sea, he says, " Remember that your tenant cause a wall to be built to save the ground from wasting away by ihe sea ; for this I'll aver, on the south side next the pool, for a great way together, the tide hath taken away of my land at least eight or ten yards." We now arrive at the site of ihe famous pool, the cradle cf Liver- pool. That this had been for ages the outfall of the surface drainage of the high lands to the eastward, there can be no doubt; and yet there are plain and decisive evidences to show that the banks which formerly bounded it., and the vegetation by which it was bozdered, are now sunk many feet below the level of the sea. In the year 18n, in sinking the foundation far the Custom-house, erected on the site of the pool, it was necessary to penetrate to the solid rock. Li so doing several interesting discoveries were made, the account of which I take from the Liverpool , Courier of that date. it The top of the silt, a deposit from the water of the dock, lay at nineteen feet below the level of the quay. This was about three feet in thickness, and near the bottom was a vein of fine sea sand. Below this lay a firm blueish marl, in which were intermixed lichen, fibres of plants and decomposed leaves. Lower down branches of trees of different kinds were dis covered ; and deeper still, larger trunks of trees and roots of considerable magnitude. Below the clay there lay a stratum of black peat, about a foot in thickness, intermixed with nutshells, leaves, and fragments of branches. This rested on the rock, about 40 feet below the h'ghwater mark of a2l feet tide. The stump of one very large oak tree was found in its native bed, about 27 feet below highwater level and about 6 feet below the bed of the dock. The ramifications of the roots extended horizontally near the surface of the rock, not less than 30 feet in diameter, clearly proving that this must have been the original site of the tree. Near this spot several stags' antlers were found, and some fragments of bones." The opinion given by the writer of the account is, that the substrata of the old pool occupied the site of a wooded ravine or glen, and that the trunks of trees, &c., may have been detached from the sides of the glen and filled up the deep part of the hollow. It is perfectly clear that at the time of these deposits the relative levels of the land and water must have been very different from their present condition. On the south side of the town evidences of the en croachment of the sea are everywhere visible, but time will not permit any particular description of them. Passing over to the Cheshire side of the Mersey, the same phenomena are exhibited. We may first notice the appearances connected with Wallasey Pool, now obliterated by the works connected with the Birkenhead I docks. The water course and embouchure of the pool have evidently been formed by the action of the running water of the little stream the Birkett, which, taking its rise in some marshy ground• within a few hundred yards of the sea coast, drains the valley lying between the high lands of Bidston and Wallasey. But at present, and for a long period, this operation has been reversed, and the singular appearance is presented of a stream the head waters of which are scarcely raised above the sea level, and along the whole course of which the tide rises and falls, unles prevented by flood-gates, whilst the deposits of silt and mud from, the sea water is gradually filling up the channel. From excavationsmade at the head of the pool within the last few years, it appears that the whole of the Leasowe was formerly a marsh, into which the water shed from the hills of Bidston and Wallasey, discharged its waters and carried down silt and mud. The soil consists of layers of marshy vegetation, in which are found imbedded trunks of trees, prir.cipally hazle and alder. Pursuing our course westward, we arrive next at the opening of the Leasowe or flat valley, extending between the high lands of Wallasey and Bidston. Here is situated the Leasowe LththouKe, close on the edge of the seashore, and about this point commence the visible remains of the submarine forest in this part of the country. That the sea has here gained enormously on the land is not a matter of supposition and hypothesis, but can be proved by the testimony of many now living, and the recorded statements of others no longer i n ex i s t en ce. Toe present lighthouse was erected in the year 1761, and was at that time a considerable distance inland, at least half a mile. Another lighthouse then existed more to seaward, ranging with the present one, which, by the, encroachments of the sea, became uninhabitable, and, wasp taken down. Mr. Robert Stevenson, it a parer li' d,d ' before the Wernerian society in th 18, „ o yeav .-- E . 8, enters at large into the particulars, and proves from the testimony of aged persons examined by himself, that within the previous thirty years the shore of the Leasowe had lost by admeasurement 88 yards in breadth, and within the memory of persons then living at least half a mile. To prevent the further ravages of the sea, an emben'tment was constructed which has since been several times in dangerof bsing swept away by the high tides and storm. The inferences from the whole of these facts appears to be that anciently the estuary of the Mersey was confined within very narrow limits ; that the peninsula of Wirral stretched much further to seaward ; and that it is tar from improbable that the slender stream of the Mersey dia. charged its waters into a flat marshy district encircling tisse ;nigh land of Wallesey (Wallas' Eye, or island), and was thug in the time of Ptolemy undistinguished as a neeigable river. Whilst the Mersey has thus almost with the historical period started into existence as a iss evigable estuary, far different has been the fate of her se s s e , r stream the Dee. At the time of the'foundation of che e or by the Romens, the estuary of the river almost was h e d the very walls, and for a period long succeeding, Ch es t er , As a port, ranked high in the commerce of the county. Under the Plantagenet . monarchs, the first i ndications of sating up began to manifest them selves. A quay was constructed down the river, near Shotwicit e protected by the Cestle, for embarketion to I re l an d , met h abteut the period when the Castle of Liver pool was founded 'with the same view. In the reign of Elizabeth, Parkgate was established, and continued for a century and a half the port of passage to Ireland, and a sort of outpert to —Chester. When the Dee Com pany was established, about 1720, the channel of the river was diverted to the opposite coast, and commerce well nigh forsook the ancient estuary of the Dee. We can thus trace in the same district the operations of nature closing one avenue of commerce, and at the same time creating a new and neighbouring one to take its place. There are few other physical changee-in the district but such as have been originated or, aided by the hand of man, constructing canals, deepening rivers, forming roads covering the surface with a network of iron rails, draining, planting, quarrying, and mining, and changing the Lee of nature from a wild foreet,:interspered with cold marches, to a hive of human industry, prosperity, and progress. It is well to call to wind the circumstances melee which these changes hare been effected, and to feel that whilst human effort has been an instrument in the operation, it has still been only an instrument, the- great powers of nature, to which human skill and force •must ever be subordinate, being wielded by a higher and a wieer Power, which rules the destinies of men, and directs them according to His gracious will and pleasure, to subserve to the highest and noblest ends. • After some discussion, a vote - of thsr.ks to Mr. Picton was carried by acclamation. Professor INLIRSDEN (Professor of Classical Antiquities at Cambridge) next made some observations on the Greek altar fJuo d near the Town hall, at Chester, in 1837. SECTION OF ARCRITZOTURF. Sir Stephen Glynne presided over this section, when an interesting paper on the architecture of Chester cathedral was read by Mr. S. H. Parker, F.S.A., of C embridge. In the afternoon, the members of the Institute, accom panied by Mr. Parker, visited the cathedral, when a very minute inspection of the edifice and its contents was male. The twenty-s 7 xth anniversa-y of the irraugurttion of the King of the Belgian 3 was celebrated et Brussels on Teesday with the usual ceremonial. M. K9ssuTu.—lt is hoped that this eminent patriot will b able to visit Plymouth towards the close of bepteraber, to deliver lectures i❑ Piymouth and Devonport. The Crystal Palace Committee of Investigation have published a request to the shareholders to withhold their proxies until the views of the committee are placed before them. We do not believe that there is any foundation for the statem,a made by some of the fereig i ti j'urnalP, to the e ffect that her Majesty is about to visit France this autumn. The Elberfiern Gazette states that a postal convention has just been concluded between Austria and France, and that the rate of postage between the two countries will receive a Tensible diminution. REPRESENTATION OF BfItMENGIIMI.—An announcement was made by the Mayor of Bnlninghatn on Wednesday, at a public meeting. that Mr. Mentz will, in a day or two, be I , lcely to accept the Chiltern llundrals.—Birminjham. Dai y Press. In some of the earlier districts in this county reaping will probably commence at the beginning of next week ; indeed, in the neighbourhood cf Dawnton, it has already commence d ; hat, generally, harvest work will not be begun till the first week in August. Wheat is said to be an excellent crop, above an average ; but barley is not se well spokm of, Beaus and peas are a fair crop.— Wiltshire Independent. THE HEALTH or SIR JOHN .POTTER,—We regret to find that alarming rumours, of a m-st ex.v , gerated kind, have been circulated in reference to the alleged.serious illness of Sir John Potter. We can confidently assure all the hon. gentleman's friends that there is no cause whatever for anxiety. It is true that Sir John WPS unwell at the begin ning cf this week, brit he is now almost, if not quite, restored to his usual health, and he merely requires rest and quiet to complete his recoyery--11fernehater Guardian. THE DUBLIN ELECTION PETITION.—A. public meeting of the liberal party in Dublin was held on Wednesday in the 111,chanics' Institute, sor the purpose of taking measures to prosecute vigorously the petition which has been presented to th 3 House of Commons, praying that the present members for the city should be unseated, inasmuch as their election was procured by bribery and treating. There was a numerous attendance, and a strong interest was shown in the proceedii:gs. Alderman :ynolds and Mr. F. W. Brady addressed the meeting. A s ubscription was opened, and a committee appointed A NEST or SNAle7s.—A. most extraordinary sight was witnessed same few days since in a garden at VAla Wood, not far distant from Midhurst. The gardener had occasion to take the glass off the eucamber bed, and in doing so was greeted with the hissing of a good-sized snake. He immediately called to his wife to bring a prong to kill it with, but before she could do so the reptile had disappeared_ In searching for it, however, on one side of the bed, be observed a large hole, in opening which he discovered. between thirty and forty full-grown snakes, each one averaging n2arly four feet in length. They were every one of them killed, and laid oat in state on the footpath for inspection. EXTEN3IVE FißES,—Yesterhy morning►, a fire of a serious character broke out in the extensive pile of buildings known as the Poplar Saw Mills, situate in High-street, Poplar, London. The premises in „iuestion covered some hundred feet of ground, and were most extensively fitted with steam machinery, independently of which many thousand planks of deals. and other valuable wold were stored in the place. Before an engine had time to arrive, the flames shot forth with the g'eatest fury from every opening in the premises, and illuminated the whole of the eastern portion of the metropolis. The engines of the London Brigade and West of Euglaud, together- with those of the parish, were as soon as possible in attendance, and a bountiful supply of water having been procured, the firemen went to work in a most praiseworthy manner; but they were unable to get the flames subdued until the premises and all they contained were destroyed. Unfortunately, the sufferer was uninsured. The origin of the fire could not be ascertained Another fire took place in the premi ses belonging to Mr. Whinney, a cabinet-maker, situate in Sackville-3rreet, Kingsland ; the workshops and their con tents were consumed. The loss will fall on the Globe and London and Liverpool fire ofliceF. . THZ FIRST VOYAGE or THE SHANNON.—The Shannon, 51, screw frigate, Captain Pee), made her passage to the Cape in fifty-two days under sail, having experienced fine weather all the way. She made 302 miles the last twenty four hours ; fo rce of wind 8, and north ; and sailed fifteen kno's without pressing her, wind abeam. Two fatal acci dents occurred on board during the passage—Mr. Coalier,„ 1 masters' assistant, fell from aloft, struck the fore , - :h[;Aela... and fell dead into the water; and the ottQ.:,, 4 - I Brown, a boy of the first clan, who fell froe-,OW 4 ' i and was killed. Bat for the adinira'llo .. by Cliffora's plan of lowering h 0 4 .... - was fitted, the bo3y of the. ua.lo-. 2 1105 have been recovc;',,, ra p ' fell overboard, h.ye • 1 vessel was goiA9 sail, notAit'i• lowers 4 lei,.: inboard, racility afforded eitth which the frigate ..anate young officer could ,r the life of another boy, who neen saved. On both occasions the at from eleven to twelve knots under all ..tending which the boat was manned and in little more than a minute. The boats were ty feet cutters, t h e l argest hung from ma c-of-wa r 's davits, and carrying from snrenteea to twenty men each, and weighing with gear complete, from two to three tons. and Sir G. Grey took parythe House divided. The numbers were—. .31 , 4* For the amendment Against Majority The clause was then agreed to, as were also clauses up to 24, with some amendments• The Chairman then left the chair, and reported pro gress. 3 Tee other business on the morning paper was post poned, and the sitting was suspended. AT THE EVENING SITTING, A. great number of petitions were presented from clergymen of different parts of the country against the Divorce Bill. GALWAY ELECTION. Colonel French gave notice that he should move the issue of a new writ for Gliway, on Taesdly next, at six o'clock. AFFAIRS IN INDIA Lord Palmerston rose, and said he wished to invert the order of things, and put a question to the right hon. gentleman, the member for Backinghamshire. The mail from In lia was not expected to arrive till some time on Monday, and he wished to ask whether the right honourable gentleman would prefer bring ing on his motion on the subject, of the state of India, under the circumstances, on that day, as arranged, or whether he would take any other early day, which the Government would of course be equally willing to give up for the discussion. Mr. Disraeli did not consider that it was necessary to wait the arrival of further inforMaCion ; and, believing that it would be expedient that the discussion should take place at the earliest possible period, he hoped the noble Lord would not be offended with him if he persisted in his original intention to bring forward the motion on Monday. LOSS OF THE RALEIGH On the motion that the house at its rising do adjourn till Monday, . . Lord Clarence Paget drewrattention to the loss of the Raleigh, upon a rock in the China Seas, and asked whe ther it was intended to recall Commodore Keppel ? He paid a tribute of praise to the ability and gallantry of that officer, and observed that the loss of the ship was no fault of his, the rock upon which it struck not being mentioned in the Admiralty charts. Sir G. Grey concurred in the praise of Commodore Keppel, but deprecated the course taken by the noble Lord in anticipating the decision of the court martial. After a few words from Sir William Codrington, and Admiral Walcot, the motion was agreed to. M ISCELLSNEOUS BUSINESS, Sir John _Ramsdell laid upon the table the Ordnance Survey estimates. The Speaker read a communication announcing the abandonment of the petition complaining of an undue return for Westmeath. DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES BILL On the order for the second reading of this bill, Mr. Henley, pursuant to notice, moved the post_ ponement of the stage for a month. He referred at some length to the proceedings in reference to the divorce laws at different times, showing the diversity of opinions as to the tribunal which divorce cases should be referred to, and the doubts in the attempted legislation upon the qu€stion, what should justify the application for divorce, whether the parties should be allowed to marry again ? These circumstances, he thought, justified him in asking that a further time should be' given for consideration of a measure upon which there was a strong feeling in the country, and in regard to which a false step might lead to the shaking of the foundation of marriage vows. Sir George Grey contended that they were now in pos session of sufficient information to legislate on the subject, and that the approaching termination of the session was no argumant against removing a scandal in the law. Mr.. Gladstone thought that sufficient ground had been made for postponing the question, the import ance and difficulty of which could not be exaggerated, and urged that if they procebled with it then, when the Indian debate and the Probate Bills should have been disposed of, the late stases would have to be taken with but few members left to discuss it. Mr. BOWYER, also supported the motion, and said that this bill proposed to alter the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the country, and, in fact, had matter for three or four acts of parliament jumbled into one. It, therefore, re quired further time for consideration and discussion. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL hoped the house would permit him to bring this bill forward. It had been discussed for two months in the other house of Parliament, and considering the unsatisfactory state of the law, and that this bill was supported by the bighes authorities both in the law and the church, he trusted the House would not impede its progress. Lord JOHN MANNERS supported the motion, and drew attention to the fact, that there had been many petitions against the bill and none in its favour. Lord STANLEY hoped the government would persevere with the measure as it was of broad principle. The petitions upon which much stress had been laid, had their origin with clergymen who only opposed certain parts of the bill without touching the bad principles of the bill. The country could not afford to lose any more time, and he therefore hoped the measure would be pressed forward. Mr. NAPIER supported the motion, and wanted time to consult his constituents and the learned doctors of the University of Dublin. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that hon. members had all called for more time to consider this bill, as they were entirely unprepared to go on with it; yet their speeches had shown indisputable evidence that they were perfectly qualified at the present time to discuss the measure, and the delay asked was only for the purpose of defeating it. Mr. MALIN3 urged the House not to force on a measure of such paramount importance as this was at so late a period of the session. Lord PALMERSTON said the course adopted by the right hon. gentlemen was the most extraordinary he had ev,r witnessed. They had not attempted to meet the bill boldly with a negative, but bad errieavoureil to conceal their opposition by a miserable motion to postpohe the second reading for a month. (Hear, hear.) Tt arguments that hon. members had used to show that the country knew nothing of the bill, proved that they were well aware of its provisions, for hon. members had stated that petitions had been sent in against it from all parts of the country, which they could not have done if they had not been aware of its contents. With regard to the time that the house would sit, he could only say that as long as there were important bills to be discussed that house most sit to discuss them. (Hear, hear.) He had known the session prolonged to the middle of September, and it was, therefore, useless for hon. members to be frightened at its going beyond the middle of August. The House then divided. The n . lmbers were : For the motion Aga'net it Majority The second reading of the bill was then fixed for Thursday next. The Canada and New Brunswick Boundaries Bill was read a third time and passed. The House adjourned at twenty minutes to two o'clock. EARL FITZ HARDING F. —W6 have this morning (Tuesday) beard from the castle, with the deepost regret, that hopes are no longer entertained of his lordship's recovery, and that he is gradually sinking.—Cheltenham Chronicle. From a Parliamentary paper, it appears that the amount of money realised by the seizure of Russian ships during the war was £72,000, of which upwards of £41,000 was distributed in the financial year 1856-7, leaving £30,330 balance on the Ist of April last. RAILWAYS.—It is stated that amicable arrangement have been resumed between the Eastern CJunties and Blackwall Railways, by which the public and prop iefor:, will be benefited A now railway called the Devon V;;Iley Railway is proposed for the county of Kinross. Arrange. ments are being made for the construction ci the long projected railway extension from Hungertord vzcstwar.t. The first turf of the Vale of Clwyd R --a..w:ty is to be turned on the 7th of August. The fotin,'ition stone of the docks at Silloth Bay is ie be laid el) 'the 4th of August ; gor.npleted. the jetty of 1,000 feet is already SECtION OF ANTIQUITIES. Dr. GUEST, of C.Aius College. Cambridge, presided. An interesting paper "on the changes in the physical features of North Cheshire and South Lancashire, with reference to the early occupation of the country," was read by M. J. A. Picton, of Liverpool. The paper was as follows : In tracing back the history of any locality, it will be invariably foand, that the physical conformation of the country has exercised a most important influence on its destiny and progress. The configuration of the mountains, the direct'on of the valleys, the course of the rivers, the easiness or difficulty of access and intercourse, the nature of the sail and climate, must have influenced the original settlers in every district, and have given the first impulse to a long chain of circumstances continued to the present day. Some of these physical influences are of a permanen t character, the operation of which is uniform from age to age. The geological forces which have elevated the .., mountain ranges, and laid bare the wide alluvial plains, embrace within their scope, periods far too vast far the history of man. The limits which these grand features impose on the powers of the human race, confer the yams special character on the inhabitants of particular districts in every period of history. The population of the moun tain tracts in North Wales, and the Highlands of Scotland, must hive subsisted before the time of the Romans, much in the same manner as they do at present. The discovery of particular minerals, coal, copper .or iron, introducing new branches of industry also, impart a permanent character to particular I)calities. There is, however, much in the physical confirmation of every country which is slowly and silently, bat continually undergoing changa, and imperceptibly affecting the condition and destinies of the people inhabit- ing it. Some of these changes are independent of human influence. The Valley of the Nile, one of the earliest seats of civilisation, and the abode of one of the mightiest nations of antiquity, is year by year stealthily encroached upon by the sandy desert : contracted in its dimensions, diminished in its fertility, and is threatencld by ultimate absorption and abandonment. The country of Palestine, once flowing with.milk and honey, the glory of all lands, the seat of the commerce of Tyre and Sion, and of the Phoenician manufacturbs- and enterprise, has by sinister influences independent of human means, been reduced to comparative sterility awl unproductiveness. Others of the physical changes are owing in whole or in part to hnman effort or neglect. The Oampagaa of Rime, once a smiling landscape teeming with an industrious and happy population, is now, owing to sheer indolence and the neglect of common precaution, little better than a pes tilential marsh, tainting the air, and destroying human life by' its poisonous exhalations. On the other hand, the vast plains of Holland and Flanders, torn from the sea by human industry, are main t&ned in fertility and richness by the constant appli cation of labour and skill. Our present inquiry relates to the physical conformation of North Cheshire and South Lancashire—the district extending for some distance on both sides of the Mersey—the changes which have taken place therein, and the influence thereby exercised on the early settlement and progress of the district. Geologically speaking, the whole of the tract under consideration belongs to the new red sandstone series—the coal fields of St. Helen's and Whiston on the north, and of Neston on the south, rising to within a workable depth from the surface. The surface is more or leis undulating—the eminences in no case rising more than 300 feet above the sea level. In the upland parts the sandstone rock comes to the surface; in the depressed and level portions the surface is almost uniformly composed of a stiff tenacious clay, containing limestone boulders. In the neighbourhood of the sea this is overlaid by drift sand, and more inland, in the flat country, it is covered by a considerable depth of peat, the production of ancient mosses. Of the aspect and condition of the surface, before and during the occupation of the Romans, we know little by direct testimony. The descriptions of the Roman geographers are meagre in the extreme. From what we know of the country at a subsequent period, it is not diffi cult to arrive at a tolerably correct idea of its primeval condition. There is little doubt that at this period the landscape presented an alternation of dense forest and dreary marsh, with the highest summits such as those at Roswell, Helsby, and Everton, raising their naked brows above the wooded slopes. When the Romans penetrated into this district, in the reign of Claudius, the west midland portion, including the county of Chester, was occupied by the Cornavii, a comparatively quiet and peaceable race. Roads were constructed through the country ; many settle - ments established, of which Chester was the chief; and we read of little arising during the Roman dominion to disturb this district. The north side of the Mersey was in the possession of the Brig lutes, a - fierce and warlike tribe, who were contiugly in a state of rebellion, and were not finally subdued until the reign of Severus. The country between the Mersey and the Ribble appears to have been left to the exclusive occupation of the native tribes. There is no Roman station in the district west of Manchester and Colne, except an outlying post at Warrington, to protect the passage of the Mersey. Not a single Roman road crosses the country, and no Roman remains have been found in it, so far as lam aware. In fact, the aspect of the landscape was so forbidding that it cannot be a matter of surprise that it was altogether neglected by the Romans, who had always an eye in their conquests to the useful and productive. In this part of the country very few ancient British remains exist One of the most interesting is the circle called the Calderstones, standing at the inter section of the townships of Allerton, Woolton, and Waver tree, about three miles from Liverpool. When the Saxons invaded Britain, the country south of the Mersey fell under the dominion of the Myrcna-ric, or kingdom of Monis, whilst the north side of the Mersey which preserved its independence to a later period became part of the Kingdom of Northumbria. The Mersey seems in all periods of our history to have presented a more formidable barrier to union than the mountain chain between Lancashire and Yorkshire. At no time do the two sides of the Mersey ever appear to have been united under one government. Evert to this day there is much more resem blance in the t tysique—the speech, and manners, between the people of Lancashire and Yorkshire, than between the former and their Cheshire neighbours. The Lancashire corfirormation of body, mind, and dialect, is more thoroughly Saxon than those of Cheshire, in which there is a considerable admixture of the old Celtic blood. The Saxon settlement swept away almost every vestige of the ancient polity of the country, and established entirely new landmarks and boundaries. The mode in which this was effected is a study of singular interest, which has only o f late years been at all understood, but by the recent inves_ tigations of Lappenberg, Palgrave, and Kemble, the subject