The Northern Daily Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-08 00:00:00

~alt~. DAS hapel-street, )ock Warehouses.—Apply to 'chants, or to & PALETHORPE, Brokers ags PIMENT Alper ock, at the TH, SONS NEXT WEEK, MONDAY On account of whom ft may concern o'clock, at th On Mooney next, at Twe, ice, 24, Hackin'. 8 Pales Upland COTTON. damaged t A Quantity of Wet PICKINGS, ex Pleiades, from Charleston—Apply to Messrs. Telo and Prange Merchants, or to SAMUEL BULLEY, Broker. salt water, THURSDAY On THURSDAY D at the Bro Fine Whi hi erchants, or }SUGAR, LITTLEDALE & Co., Brokers 14[11 Instant, s SUaArt, a] ~ Taylor, Potter and Co. )ALE & CO., Brokers. iust landed ex Pri T WEEK Brocklebank, Merc. DNESDAY nhinstant. at Twelve o'clock 2 Bales B gal SAFFLOWER, pal,—A to Illessrs. T rnas and I t H. LITTLEDALE & CO., Brokers en bale BELGIAN REFINED -SUGAR FOR EXPORT, is PE Tuts D ex Eliza Kali( Messrs. Bernal., Apply to A THE ANN DAILY TIMES EVENING EDITION. Evening Edit T 1 Es is now Pm containing the Markets, together Day, up to the hour of going to Press :THERM DAILY ;on of ths ery Afternoon, at Three o'clock, 4, an the News of the Itirt4trn firm FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1856 O-- A TOWN'S Meeting is t‘, ) take place in Liverpool tition Parßamon against the abolition of the Town DUG rporation deems it necessary 1 dispute the propriety such a course Latch to be regretted, how- t IS ever, that the Council, in discussing the subject, should have treated it as a purely lo Them is but one valid argument matter st the 1 that it h can be lout representation aga tamely —a mere prescriptive right which the Legislatur seems to think This is Every session has outlived custom however, the essence of puerilit . _ of Parliament, we see conferred upon rail canal, gas, water, and other companies the right of 'wing tolls or dues upon the commercial traffic of without representation. Those alone are interested in the amount of tolls to be aised from the public are represented in such .gases. The order of prescription on which we rely fol our right to levy Town Dues, though ierived from a grant originally made by the Crown individual, has, therefore, been kept alive o this day, by both branches of the Legis- ountry, to an lature This argument may be at variance with the great fundamental principle of the Constitution, but in law and equity modern precedents ought to be sufficient sustain th 'his being )ur d ,ve can have le only weak poin ustorns conspiracy and spona derate spirit of compromise and even-handed ) take the place of that justice which has, for upwards of two centuries, guided the Parliaments of this country in dealing with the property of the subject. Corporate taxation has assumed such dimensions that we surprised at the Legislature's ome ref .m for the relief of the present bill is a dastardly contemptible evasion of sought Its promoter s for the Burgesses of this are by no means attempting ratepayers. But subterfuge, and a the municipal chang have no sympathy and other Corporate „„ ~LAecontra s , measure they propose is one which will add from 2s to 3s. in the pound to our present high Borough rates. And this treachery in dealing with the Corporate Reformers of the country, they hope to consummate by pandering to petty local jealot and holding out to the shipowner and merch,. what they contend will be a positive boon. Bu trifling with the great maritime and mercantile interests of the realm is most reprehensible. The authors of this Local Taxation Reform Bill are well aware that neither the shipowners nor merchants of the North would gain one sixpence, if our Town Dues, Passing Tolls, and other sources of revenue, which are about to be abolished, were removed to-morrow. The Town Council and the Dock Committee would assuredly devise some means of making ships contribute to the support of the harbour, docks, and other facilities which the vast expenditure of the Burgesses has secured to the commercial fleets of every country shilling per ton, on the tonnage of this port, in 1952, leaving out of si'ht the increase which has since taken place, would yield a revenue of 190,3781; and that merchants and shipowners will be made to pay this shilling a ton, unless the Government intend by stealth to take from our Corporation the right of taxation it now possesses, is certain. The Town Council will not attempt to impose a large additional rate on the Borough, to make good the income derived from the Town Dues. Mr. LOWE says, " the true principle of taxation "Ifollowed in framing his bill is, that it is only 4:,athilowable for a po r ti on o f a class, or a division of e country to tax itself for its own benefit, " but that it has no right to tax its neighbours, or " the community at large." Now, we wo u ld simply reverse thi s proposition, and ask Mr. ationcomm of od navigabl e LOWE if the preservation rivers, and the co ns t ruction of are not as great nati ona l advantage s a io s ursildocks ' and canals, and whether the communi a ty at loaa s re should seek to tax any partic u l ar l ocality for that which is a benefit, not only to the trade of the whole kingdom, but to the world's commerce ? The discreditable haste with (which Mr. Lowe would force his bill upon the country, is a con vincing proof that it will not bear discussion; and it is to be bitterly regretted that we had not a man in the House of Commons, representing this Borough, who could have grappled on the moment with his glaring inconsistencies_ Mr. lIMISFALL could only laud the sanitary condition of Liver. pool, and point nut the rem arkable fact that passing tolls on shipping had nothing to say to such matters ! When the property of his consti tuents was about to be swept vLway, he was com and he Ereminc'l e d t h e House t h at pelled to speak , the Government had. 0744nt outs one of the officers aits, entitl ood v reward immediately ben( lie am ,alculation the he sum would probably reach 50,0001." This then, is the Vice-President Df the Board of Trade's' proposal for the relief of British shipping, by which Liverpool is to lose an income which the author of this precious hoax estimates at 125,0001. a-year ! For this we are to receive in return a consolidation of all the debts chargeable on Town and Shipping Dues, which are estimated at 2 ,578,3781. of which some 784,2721 are to be borne by shipping, and 1,800,0001. by Town Dues ! But of the revenue derived from Town Dues on shipping, set down at 182,0581., only 14,0001. per annum_ will be applied to shipping purposes, the remainder, 168,0581., being left " at the disposal of the bill," which transfers the entire management of these funds to the Board of Trade —who have first the power of abolishing them altogether; then levying them anew, and to any extent they please. Was there ever such a pre and, we may add, low scheme of legis- The shipping interest, Manchester, and the Corporate Reformers throughout England. se Mr. Low efit the shipping .1., as the figures was made, but in the current yea lation as this who seek to be relieved of the excessive pressure )f local taxation, are to be benefitted to the extent )f 50,0001. a year by Mr. LOWE'S early efforts at law making Mr. HERON, the Town Clerk of Manchester, has stated, with peculiar plausibility, that when they look at what is going on, they are at. tending to what concerns themselves ; but we should like him to tell us the exact amount of benefit his city will gain by the proposed change? That enlightened official has also stated that our " large Corporate expenditure has increased the " value of property in Liverpool enormously, for " the inhabitants of the town were not taxed one " shilling to repay principal or interest." Mr. HERON should change his air, and come to Liver pool for a few years, to undeceive himself on this subject; and in the meantime, when he speaks in public, we would recommend him not to copy Mr. LOWE too closely,and not to give utterance to palpable nonsense. We can have no wish to tax Lancashire, Cheshire, or any other county. - We havepurchased a simple prescriptive right to raise an income from a source which cannot be abolished without com pensation, and if Manchester wishes to buy it at a fair valuation, she can have it. But Mr. Lo WE, and those who act with him, will never succeed in inducing the Parliament of Great Britain to trample on the legal rights of the citizen, particu cularly where their proceeds has been employed to create a larger trade than that of all the other ports of the United Kingdom put together ! BIRKENHEAD has discovered that there are such things as bad and good, dear and cheap, gas ; that meters are veritable conjuring boxes ; and that Ight, which ought to rank next in cheapness to ,eater among the necessaries of life, is rendered almost unattainable by irregular measures, high pressure, excessive price, and profits, which mono. polists demand on their capital. The inhabitants on the Cheshire side of the river have suffered long and bitterly in this respect'; and they, like a few mistaken mortals in this town, seek relief by endeavouring guardians supply of light. the 11l they witness in the Corporate management of gas in Manches ter, and o th er large towns, is not enough to con vince them o f what they, make would loose by such a o change. It i s possible to a Company com posed of a few monopolists nt uho , and to make them supply a go o d article throughes a j and at a reasonabl e p r i ce. But who could do this with a Corporation, or local board of commis sioners ? In Manchester it charges the poor man ss. a thousand for his gas, the rich man only 4s. and this rule is universal wherever public bodies are intrusted with the management of light. It is true they make large profits, and carry the surplus of income to the public credit. But, this is only robbing PETER to satisfy the cravings of PAUL. And if anything is required to strengthen the popular suspicion that unbridled jobbery and aggravated abuse would follow such changes as the good people of Birkenhead contemplate, it is the marvellous avidity with which Town Councillors and Commissioners seek to take the management of gas into their own hands. We maintain that all the public require to enable enable them to keep gas companies under proper control, is a little knowledge as to the quality of gas, the means by which it is distributed, and the construction of the meter. Let every con sumer acquire a little i n f orma ti on on th ese sub jects, and gas companies will not be able to con tinue in their present career. Seeing this, our light monopolists are ready to sell ou t l oc k, s t oc k, and and Coto ro i ssionera tobuy, a ll w ill b e we ll for the business in w hi c h the r pletely at th e mercy barrel ; and.r they can get C orporate bodies maker s o f committee, them—b ut not so for consumer. Th ere i s no of a rate would be so corn the eng i neer, and Company has recently measure i ssued he in Gas consumers, telling them what to d mst ructions to o kith t h e now in u se; b ut it does not ea , meter whether the me t er is honestly 3coa word as to whether it has lost its accuracy, whilnestracted, or " repair." It tells the public how touuderg°lng c ount th e figures on the dial s o f t h e indicator; but it not inform the consumer how he is to protect him. NORTHERN TIMES.-LIVERPOOL, PRIDAY, IttißtjAiit A, 1 self against the increased quantity forced throttgli the meter, by high pressure. - Its instructions are, therefore, nothing more than waste paper. When the gas is of good quality, one burner would be equal to three, supplied with inferior light. Hence the quality of - gas is one of the most important points for the consumer to attend to ; and the people of Birkenhead may well declaim loudly against paying 5s ]Od per thousand feet, for gas made from common coal. But, when the Committee who drew up the report, which was presented to the Commissioners on Tuesday, endorses the complaints of consumers, " that the pressure is taken off the gas-Mains too " early," we can scarcely give it credit for pos sessing that knowledge which is essential to the economic working of the business it would take upon itself. That one statement shows us that the Committee knows about as much of gas as our Town Council, and that the consumers would just be as much at the mercy of gas engineers and managers, as they are now ; while, by transferring the monopoly from a company to any public body, it would, as Mr. A. C. STEWART suggests, shut out competition, and that in a particular branch of business, where it is most necessary. We would, therefore, have the ratepayers of Birkenhead reflect very seriously before they sanction the creation of a monopoly which they would find impossible to remove or counteract We have heard the formation of a company for lighting Seacombe mooted recently, and it is just possible that Birkenhead may benefit by that undertaking. All the Committee's Report promises the ratepayers is, as far as we can see, that it will use cannel coal, and leave the consumer gommtrctd A.NNum )f the Live -ard to Superintend the hospitals in the Crimea! But what this had to do with the Town Dues remains for Mr. HORSFALL to explain. It is, however, much to be deplored that the only man we had in Parliament to expose Mr. LOW E'S short comings and absurdities very gentleman who first agitated the abolition of the Town Dues, at a Mayor's banquet in Manchester. Will the electors of Liverpool ever shake off this bitter reproach ? It was cruel of Mr. Alderman DOVER to remind us of the part Mr. HORSFALL took in the debate. If we had had " the right man in the right " place AS ti a measure so unjust might have been ated, even in the hands of. the Premier . sorrow, we had only Mr. HOE SFALL But, to our Mr. LowE's Bill is, nevertheless, a glaring impo ture from first to last At the on et he tells us that the amount of dues on shipping in 1855 for purpo nti every other pur , and of that there were is of harbours 1,095.396/. applied to maritime purposes 820,099/. There thus remained a heavy balance of 275,297/. raised '" • • by taxat 1 on shipping which is not applied to Now, does Mr. LowE purpos )pose to abolish this large amount of dues for for which he expresses much commiseration? Nothing of the even contemplate removing says are not employed 'hipping pziri he proposes is to nscontinue the payment of 23,0001. from the Con 3olidated Fund to Corporate and other public bodies, and 20,215/. which' are due to other indivi luals who, as in the case of pilots, are, as he taking off the pressure too early." Good gas, and high pressure, are not required at one and the same time, and to supply them at ss. 10d. per thousand cubic feet, would either lead to the discontinuance of the use of gas on the part of the public, or the bankruptcy of the Commissioners. The consumers are badly off now, but they would be much worse if they intrusted the manufacture and supply of light to any set of men so manifestly ignorant of that which they seek to embark in. Mr. GOUGH makes his own gas at 2s. per thousand cubic feet, and if his manufacturing plant were large enough, we dare say he would not object to distribute it for is., which would make the cost to consumers 35., instead of ss. led. per thousand cubic feet. Will the Commissioners do this when they become the owners of the Birkenhead Gas Works ? The query is an important one, and the Board ought to have considered it well before it unanimously adopted that portion of its Committee's Report which relates to lighting. Th© fixed determina tion of those who have taken up the Gas Question in this Borough is, that gas shall be carried into the houses of the poorest classes, where it is most required for domestic, sanitary, and industrial purposes. And unless the Birkenhead Commissioners are pre pared to supply this great want, without taxing the rich too heavily for the benefit of the working man, they had far better leave the gas abuses complained of to correct themselves. The instant they take the matter into their hands the occu piers of cottages will have as much claim upon them for cheap light as the shopkeeper or those living in private houses. They should, therefore, see that the present works are capable of supply. ing a twofold demand before they lay out the ratepayers money in purchasing them. At present there is something saved to the public by taking off the pressure before ten o'clock ; and unless the Commissioners see how they can reduce the pressure when shopkeepers and other householders are not using gas, we fear they will do but little to relieve their customers' pockets. It is in the early part of the evening, and not at ten o'clock, that the pressure should be taken off. The Committee ought to have seen this ; but perhaps it is not too late to offer them a little wholesome advice. Our Town Council appear disposed to let the gas question drop altogether. The ratepayers, however, have no notion of doing anything of the kind. They are only waiting to see who will move next; and they promise the gentlemen who will renew the discussion about meter inspectors—that is, men to look at the out. side of the conjuring box,—and saddling the borough, directly or indirectly, with a gas debt of 600,0001, a very warm reception if there be any heat to be infused into a really popular opposition. Birkenhead may be duped, but the gas con sumers of Liverpool now know too much to be bamboozled by compromises and jobbery. Mr. EARLE hopes that in all the onslaughts which are being directed against property, that when the gas question comes before the Council again, the rights of property invested in light will be res pected, no matter whether the Company's mea sures be honest or otherwise, and in this hope we fully concur, as we think it high time the magis trates should interfere in every case where the meters are found to be constructed so as to register against the property of the Company's customers. THE COURT. WINDSOR, FEB. 6.—The Queen and Prince drove out in an open carriage yesterday afternoon. The Duchess of Wellington, the Hon. Beatrice Byng, and the Hon. Mary Bulteel, followed in a second carriage. The Equerries in Waiting attended on horseback. There was no addition to the Royal dinner party. A telegraphic despatch announces the death of the Right Rev. Dr. Hugh Percy, Lord Bishop of Carlisle. - - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY E L - EcTioN.—Yesterday, the election of a Burgess to serve in Parliament for the Uni versity et Cambridge, in the room of the late Right Hon. Henry Goulburn, commenced. The state of the poll at one o'clock stood as follows :—For the Right Hon. Spencer Walpole, 147 ; for the Hon. George Denman, 82. IN consequence of the tempestuous state of the weather in the Channel, the foreign mails of yesterday have not reached, and hence we are without our usual letter of our own Paris correspondent, up to the hour of going to press. Tn a telegraphic despatch from Deal, it is stated that the French mail steamer had landed the mails at that place, not being able to do so at Dover owing to the stormy weather. THE ASSASSINATION OF MR. WM:MR.—At the Central Cri. minal Court yesterday, Charles Westron was tried for the assassination of Mr. Waugh, the solicitor, of Bedford-row. The Jury returned a verdict pronouncing the prisoner " Guilty of Wilful Murder," but recommended him to mercy on account of predisposition to insanity. Sentence of death was recorded. LIVERPOOL BANKRUPTCY COURT — YESTERDAT—(3efore Mr. Commissioner Stevenson) : —ln re John Gresty.—The bankrupt, a toba ccon i s t, o f Li v erpool, applied this day for his certificate. He was supported by Mr. Rymer, and Mr. Evans appeared for the assignees. His Honour granted a certificate of :the first class.—/n re John Nicholson The bankrupt, a surgeon, of Liverpool, also applied for his certificate and and the co ur t gran t e d hi m one o f th e fi rs t c l ass. e Was Supported by Mr. John Yates, jun., and Mr. Wrigley appeared for the assignees. The corn averages published to-day are as follows—Wheat, 75s 10d; Barley, 38s 6d ; Oats, 25s 5d ; Rye, 53s 2d; Beans, 44s 5d ; Peas, 43s ld. The half-yearly meeting of the London and County bank took place this day. The report stated as follows :—" Your directors have the satis faction of presenting to the proprietors their re port for the half-year ending the 31st December, 1855. It will be found, on reference to the balance sheet, signed by your auditors, that the net profits of the bank for the last half year, after making due provision for bad and doubtful debts, amount to 34,0051 8s 10d, which, with 13,6931 Is 2d brought forward from the half-year, ending the 30th June, and 52751 lOs 4d the balance of the reserve fund, in excess of 100,0001, will leave a disposable sum of 52,9741 Os 4d. Your directors recommend, that a dividend of 5 per cent for the half year and a bonus of 5 per cent (equal to a dividend of 15 per cent on the year), both free from income tax—upon the paid-up capital of the bank, he now declared—this, if approved by the proprietors, will leave the sum of 4,8421 18s 2d, of which the directors recommend that the sum of 4,2341 18s 9d should be presented to the officers of the bank, being 10 per cent upon their salaties ; that the sum of 5001 be placed to the credit of the " Sadleir Provident Fund ;" and the balance of 1.07 Z 19s 5d be carried forward to the next account. After giving the subject the most mature consideration, your directors are of opinion that 20 per cent upon the paid-up capital of the bank is sufficient for the reserve fund. On the adoption of this principle, the amount will continue at 100.0001." The balance sheet was as follows : Dr. £ s. d. To capital ... ••• ... 487,805 0 0 Reserved Fund ... 105,275 10 4 Customers Balances, &c. ... 4,443,359 8 9 Net profit for the half-year, after payment of 30,5011. 13s. 3d. for interest to cus tomers . •-• ... 34,005 810 Profit and loss: balance brought forward from last account ... ... ... 13,693 1 2 .£5,084,138 9 .1 Cr. By Cash in hand and at Call, Government and other Securities, Discounted Bills, &c.... ..5,053,392 2 8 Bank Premises, freehold and leasehold, Trade Fixtures, &c. ... 30,746 6 5 £5,084,138 9 1 The report was adopted The funds have not well maintained their ad vance. At one period of the day, a reduction of 3-Bths per cent. was quoted, but the closing prices were only 1-Bth per cent. below those of yesterday, the final quotations being 901 90i. The decline was chiefly attributed to some speculative and bona fide realisations. This was settling day in:consols, circumstance which tended to render the market sensitive. Considerable discussion is beginning to arise as regards the probable amount and form of the next government loan. It is pre slimed that whatever may be the result of the Paris conferences, a loan will be required prior to the payment of the April dividends. Money continues in active demand in Lombard-street. The failure of another jobber to day wag announced in the Stock Exchange in connection with the settlement in consols. The heavy fluctuations caused in the Stock and Share Markets by the recent change in the aspect of politics, have thus resulted in the failure of five members of the house. In no instance, however, is any important amount involved. Considering the suddenness and violence of the fluctuation, it is greatly to the credit of the Stock Exchange that the cases of embarrassment have not been more numerous. At Paris to day the 3 per cent Rentes closed about nth per cent lower than yesterday. The Railway Share Market to day was on the whole well supported. The closing prices were as follows :—Caledonian, 55y 55y. Eastern Counties 10. East Lancashire, 72 74, Great Northern, 911 911 Do. A, MI 771. Great Western, 56 561. Lancashire and Yorkshire, 81 811. London and North Western, 100,4 1001. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 241 25. Midland Stock, 60 69i. North British, 29 30. South Eastern and Dover, 621 62.1 York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 73/ 741 York and North Midland, 49 491. The following are the Railway Traffic Returns for the past week, as compared with those of the same period last year : 1856. Corresponding week last year. . £4,605 . 1 691 . 4,093 ▪ 136 . 4,483 . 21,156 ▪ 17,223 130 16,934 ENGLISH LINES. Bristol and Exeter Cheshire Junction Chester and Holyhead Deeside East Lancashire , Great Western Great Northern Kendal and Windermere Lancashire and Yorkshire 19,349 London and Brighton 10,702 London and South Western London and North Western.. Manchester, Sheffield, &c. Manchester and S. Juncti on .... ... 665 Midland Oxford, Worcester, &c Shrewsbury and Chester - 339 Shrewsbury and Birmingham ... 1,248 Shrewsbury and Hereford 1,066 South Eastern .. . South Yorkshire ....... Shropshire Union .. ....... .... 729 Taff Vale Wes- Cornwall West Hartlepool IRISH LINES. Belfast and Ballymena Cork and Blackrock ... Dublin and Wicklow... Newry and Enniskillen . Waterford and Limerick SCOTCH LINES. :::: 97 8 : 6 6 36 3 ▪ 45,179 7,751 .... 620 ..... 24,721 ▪ 2,523 • . 1,944 • 1,057 .... 936 .... 11.925 .... 1,519 .... 699 . 442 2,016 845 170 319 34 1,179 .... ill .... 137 .... 37 813 Aberdeen Caledonian Dundee and Arbroath Edinburgh and Glasgow Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee Glasgow and South Western..... Great North of Scotland Scottish Central FOREIGN AND COLONIAL. Dutch Rhenish Great Luxembourg „• • ..... Sambre and Meuse 3,133 11,089 • 451 • 4,546 , 2,617 . 5,270 740 2,566 .... 2,695 .... 11,020 • • • • 363 .... 4,430 .... 2,501 • • ••• 4,768 .... 686 2,665 1,693 276 1,142 PERRY ACCOMMODATION.-Of late much has been said and written on the management, or rather the mismanage ment of the Seacombe and Egremont ferries. Last evening, another instance to be added to the many already onlrecord, occurred. The passengers leaving Liverpool by the half past six o'clock boat for Egremont, (and of these there was a goodly number) again suffered much inconvenience from the neglect, or gross carelessness of some parties hav ing the management of that ferry. The boat had arrived nearly opposite the terry, when a voice was heard shouting, "Go back to Seacombe ; ' consequently, the engines were reversed, and the passengers were landed on that slip, having to get to Egremont as best they could. Comment on this, as an accom mo d a ti o n to the public, is unnecessa r y. Wh en the nine o'clock boat left, the ferry slip had given w a y, an d it was with the utmost difficulty that the passengers could reach the boat. We learn from Paris that yesterday the French Government had just forwarded passports to the two Russian Plenipotentiaries. Count Orloff must have already left St. Petersburg. Baron Brunow had left Frankfort for Paris, and M. de Bourqueney left Vienna the same day. It is stated that at Berlin, great anxiety begins to be felt as to the way in which the Frankfort Diet will receive the Austrian propositions. It is feared that the secondary and minor German States will endeavour to avoid a definite resolution, but will seek to obtain the admission of a repre• sentative from the Diet at the Paris Conferences. It is felt that this may throw an impediment in the way of Prussia, on the plea that she will be suffi ciently represented in that manner. Prussia wants to be invited on her own account, and also as the protector of the general interests of Germany. The statements now continually repeated, that the Cabinet of Berlin is indifferent about the Con ferences, may be taken for mere talk. DOUBLE MURDER IN KENT Yesterday morning intelligence reached London that between one and two o'clock that morning a double mur der was committed at a gentleman's mansion at Pens hurst, that a servant in the establishment is in custody, and that of two burglars who entered the house, one was shot dead on the spot, and the other mortally wounded. The tale as it has reached is this :—A family at Pens burst (name not ascertained), left Kent last week, for the purpose of making a tour on the Continent, leaving the house to the care of a confidential person, who had for some years past acted in the capacity of butler. Yesterday morning, between one and two o'clock, the game-keeper having been out for the pur pose of looking after poachers, who had infested the preserves of late, passed his master's house, when his attention was attracted by a light in the dining-room windows, an unusual circumstance at that hour in the morning. On looking through a chink in the shutters he saw two men busily engaged in rifling his master's plate chest, and packing up its contents. He went round to the back part of the premises, and having forced an entrance soon confronted the thieves. A scuffle ensued, and having a double-barrelled gun loaded in his hands, he shot one of the burglars dead, and so wounded the other, that he was unable to move. He then proceeded up stairs, when he met the butler with a 'can dle in one hand, and a knife in the other. The gamekeeper at once collared him, and drew him up stairs, where to his dismay he found the housemaid and cook dead, their throats having been cut. The butler was given into custody, as was also the wounded burglar, who is not likely to survive very long the injuries he received. Mr. Pilgrim, the superintendent of the South Eastern railway at London-bridge, states that intelligence of the murder had reached him, but that he was doubtful about the truth of it. MONEtARY AND COMMERCIAL. tivEßrooL, Tntraenti Tnere has been less activity in the Liverpoo/ Cotton Market to-day, and prices have given way , to the extent of one-sixteenth of a penny pe' pound. The total sales reach 8,000 bales, and include 2000 taken for speculation and export. The Liverpool Share Market opened with a firmer tone this morning, and upon a little specu lative buying a trifling advance took place; subse quently, however, and sympathising with Consols, which declined 2- to .1 per cent. from the morning prices, Shares closed flat at the lowest point. Aberdeen, 121 12 8 . Chester and Birkenhead, I n 11. Caledonian, 271 278. Chester and Holyhead, 13 131. Eastern Counties, 9 1 1 10. East Lancashire, 18 18k. Great Northern, 23 231. Ditto A Shares, 9f 92. Great Western, 551 551. Lancashire and Yorkshire Stock, 808 81k. Liver pool, Crosby, and Southport, 15 154. London and North Western Stock, 100 a 1008. Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln, 241 25. Ditto Preference, 118 111. Ditto New 6 per cent Pref., 1 4p. Midland Stock, 69 69k. North British, 7 71. North Staffordshire, 8 7-11. South Eastern and Dover, 18 9-16 181. York, Newcastle, and Ber wick, 181 181. York and North Midland, 24/ 241. Leeds Capital Stock, 14k 141. Dutch Rhenish, i tp. Ditto New Shares, 2 2 1-16 p. Great Western of Canada, 25k 25/. Ditto New Shares, 2 15-16 3 1-16'p. Great Luxembourg, 981 d. The amount of business done in the Manchester Goods Market to-day has been small, but prices have been pretty well supported for both Goods and Yarns. . 4 % I LATEST INTELLIGENCE. SECOND EDITION. -----~-- THE SULTAN AND THE CIRCASSIANS A despatch received from Constantinople announces that the Sultan had approved of the project of internal reform. The project contains nineteen articles, and among these are provisions which render all the Circassian subjects of the Empire eligible for public appointments THE FRENCH FUNDS PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING. The business transacted on the Bourse to-day closed at the following prices per Cents., 94f 95c.; Three per Cents., 72f. 85c. —Four and a Half PEACE NEGOCIATIONS. THE MANCHESTER STRIKE An important meeting of the minders and piecers now on strike was held at half-past seven o'clock on Wednesday evening, at the People's Institute. The Chairman, on opening the proceedings, referred to e deputation fro.n them that had waited on the Han over Mill Company, and to a vote of thanks passed at a previous meeting which, by mistake, was passed to the deputation instead of to the general body of the men. The secretary said that the vote of thanks was passed to the men of this mill generally, for the very honourable manner in which they had stood forward in this contest. With respect to their position, they had waded over twelve weeks of such a struggle as no other town in this kingdom had ever contended with under such disadvan tageous circumstances. They had been charged with having an organisation, which never had existed, but which he trusted would exist amongst the working men of England. The masters not being satisfied with that misstatement, had stated that they had from time to time obtained advances in wages from them, and that they (the masters), had been compelled to organise in self-defence to take hack from them what they had received. After telling that tale to the world they came out with their second, and what they said should be their final, reply, that they would he glad to open their mills at the Ashton prices. Well, the men, not being an organised body, were not aware of those prices ; but, after inquiry, they found that by the Ashton system they would be at an advantage, by saving labour, and, in the end, suffer no loss of wages, and they prepared to go in at the Ashton prices. After the men had agreed to that, and it had been published in the press of this town, the masters refused. They thought they had beaten the men, and having, as they thought, forced the men into a com pliance with their present demands, they Ns ere not then satisfied, and went a step further. In some mills they wanted them to mind two pair, and in some three pair. This was impossible. Birley's mill, too, was not :satis fied with their own terms, and had reduced the dinner hour to three-quarters of an hour, instead of an hour, and a quarter of an hour instead of half an hour for breakfast; and, at the same time, would not boil the water for them. It merely showed that, if they succumbed to 'their employers, they knew not where it would end. He urged them to maintain the struggle. Spring was coming on, and if they could stand the racket for a short time longer they would have a better chance of success. The masters had united together, as appeared by report of the meeting of the factory occupiers, to resist what they considered an injustice; and let them, the working men, follow that example. Several operatives exhorted the meeting to unity of thought and action. A vote of thanks to the public for the support they had given to the " operative" ballad singers was passed by acclama tion. The meeting then adjourned until next Wednes day evening. COUNTY COURT-YESTERDAY, (BEFORE JOSEPH POLLOCK, ESQ., JUDGE. ABRAHAM v. REYNOLDS.—His Honour gave judgment in ' this case, which came before the court some days since. The circumstances were so , r ewhat singular. The defendant, in looking over some old papers found among them two £1 notes, one dated Nantwich, 1809, and the other Chester, 1813. The plaintiff changed the notes for the defendant, who fully believed that they were worth the value they represented, but when he in turn presented them at Messrs. Barned's Bank, be was told that they were valueless, the banks by which they had been issued having failed. He then brought his action against the defendant. His Honour held that the defendant, having merely warranted the notes as " genuine," which they were, and not having done anything illegal under the statute of 1829, was entitled to the judgment of the court. Verdict acc - mdingly. GREGORY U. SAMUELS.—In this ease, Mr. Wm. Gregory, the agent to the West of England fire office, was the plain tiff, and Mr. Israel Samuel, provision dealer. jeweller, and outfitter, of Great Howard-street, was the defendant. The amount claimed was £2 19s, 6d. This claim arose under the following circumstances. On the 21st of February, 1855, the defendant gave instructions to Mr. Barrett to effect an insurance of his house, stock, and premises, in Great Howard-street, in the West of England fire office, and shortly after he was served with a paper containing the par ticulars of the insurance, officially signed by the plaintiff. The defendant having been served with, and received such paper, the company, should any damage occur to his stock or premises by fire, would, as sworn by the wit ness, have been liable to a claim upon the office, as it was binding on the company. The policy of the insurance had c a l l a so b ime e d e . n m F ad ar e t o h u e t , d t e h fe e n t c o s t iatl was o a s ofwhich st argued aed thatwas t the h e amountdefendant was not liable until the policy had actually been delivered. His Honour overruled the point argued for the defendant, n verdict for the plaintiff, but did not give any a opiniong ave ' as to whether he was entitled to the policy. We beg to recommend that the cargo ports should be entirely closed, and plated up to correspond with the rest of the ship's sides, and that all loose rivets should be cut out and replaced, and butts of plates examined; and caulked where found necessary. We also recommend, in order to remove all doubt as , tio the strength of the vessel, that she should be fitted with as iron stringer, wrought on each side between the main and spar deeks, extending at least three-fourths of the ship's; length. This stringer to be two feet six inches deep and( five feet eight inches thick, with an angle-iron, three by' two and a halt, rivetted to the upper and lower edges, and' fastened to a reverse angle-iron on each of the frames. We recommend that all the pumps should be overhauled and put in good order, and wash plates fitted on each side under the floor plates of the engine -room, to prevent them being washed up; also, that the hold and 'twixt - deck pillars be properly secured at top and bottom to the beams. The step of mainmast should also be more securely fastened and supported on the top of the tunnel. The furnaces of the defective boiler must be repaired and made good, and the cracked blade of the propeller efficiently repaired. Having given a general outline of the principal defects which have been detected, things of minor importance may arise during the progress of the work. We are, Gentlemen, your obedient servants, (Signed) JOUN RONALDS, 1 Shipwright Surveyors to G. P. RIMIE, f the Board of Trade. W. A.:Summzus, Engineer and Iron Ship- Southampton. builder. The Southampton correspondent of the Morning Herald,. in relation to this vessel, and certain statements published'. in the Times, says ; In order to make the public' thoroughly acquainted with the full particulars of the Belgique, and the endeavour that has been made to retard the progress of this new company, and to prejudice it in public opinion, we consider it our duty to insert in this morning's Herald an expoie of the origin of a letter which appeared in the Times of Feb. 2, and which it was. sup posed had originated from some of the passengers of the Belgique. In this morning's Herald we stated that thee° of the six signatures attached to this letter were ActitiouS, This day we are informed that a fourth—Aug. Vanier (an actual passenger) —was not even aware of the existence of ' such a letter until he saw it in the Times, and he then, with the utmost indignation, in the presence of the captain of the Belgique and the directors of the company, protested against bearing testimony to the statements therein con tained ; for, unfortunately for the concocters of this un principled scheme, the ;passenger Aug. Vanier had pre viously written a letter to the directors of the company, expressing sentiments of a purely different character from those which appear in the letter of the Tim's. We were somewhat surprised at the invidious attacks which have been made in the Times against this company, evidently with a view to its injury ; and, although, in common with nearly all the inhabitants of this town, we repotted that want of principle and fair play which ought to characterise the reports of a great, and, what may be styled a leadiflt journal, nevertheless we were quite unprepared for this latter glaring and unprincipled act of using fictitious names, and attaching them to statements which tended to give a colouring to their enormities. 'We fear that we are too well informed on this subject to have made any mistake respect ing it; and we therefore wait with some curiosity to see the next movement that will be played. We may here state, that thirty-three of the passengers by the Belgique, whose passage money amounted in the aggregate to £366, received from the shipping agent the sum of £524 63, being £l5B 6s over and above their passage money. HURRICANE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. DISASTERS TO SHIPS On Wednesday night, about nine o'clock, this town and neighbourhood were visited by a violent hurricane, which% lasted up to an early hour Thursday morning, and for fierceness, it has not been surpassed for some years. The weather for some days previous had been very variable, and on Wednesday morning a heavy fall of rain set in, followed by a light breeze. At an early hour, a nautical friend (Captain Smith) told us that there would be a ter rific storm in the coming night, and his prophecy was more than fulfilled, though at the time we paid but little attention to the prediction. The storm came on, as the saying is, almost as " quick as lightning." and from the onset to its close, it continued to blow with the same vio lence. It stopped as suddenly as it began—instantly, and the transition, both at the commencement and the close, was not the least remarkable feature connected with it- There was another characteristic about it also—it blew,• as it were, in one continued sheet of wind ; there were no heavy gushes, nor puffs with short intervals ; nor wag there the least cessation from the onset to the termination. The point from whence the storm came was S.S. Iv. chiefly', but varying now and then to a point S.W. We fear that when the reports from the out-districts of the coast come to hand, that many and serious disastert; will be recorded. At present, locally, we are glad to sal that we have not heard of any loss of life, but a good deal of damage has been done in the river and at out the shores farther down. The following are amongst the accidents at present known:— The Clangregor, from Calcutta to this port, was driven ashore at Crosby Point, and had her rudder unshipped and stern-post damaged. She was greatly shaken by the violence of the gale and the shock. She is much strained and making water, but is expected to be got off. The Ocean Rover, from Charleston fo Liverpool, wag driven ashore at Little Broughton, Waterloo. She struck heavily, and made water. She is also expected to b e g ot off, but is, however, much shaken. Two ships, or barques, were seen ashore, from Holy' head, near per chart No. 9, at half-past-nine in the morn' ing. A steam-tug was near to them. The Henry Platt, Emery, from Mobile, for this port, came on shore about five o'clock this morning at Forth' neigwl, near Pwllheli, in a heavy gale from W.S.W., and remains, with masts cut away. The Commerce, of and for Conway, from St. Helens , with a cargo of coals, was towed into Mostyn, in a yell leaky state, by the Point of Ayr life-boat. She has lost her mainmast, and sustained considerable damage to her rigging. The Columbia, from New York, which was safe!! moored in the river, dragged her anchors during the severest part of the gale. She was unable to bring LIP , and was ultimately driven on shore near the Huskissoll Dock wall. She has since been got off, and is not stir posed to have sustained much damage. The Ann Baldwin was at Mizen Head with loss of tor masts. Considerable alarm was felt through town about the Australian ship Salem that sailed on Wednesday fe t Melbourne with a val ua bl e general cargo and 13',,; respectable passengers. We understand, however, that every inquiry has been made about her, and nothl unfavourable has been h ear d, so t h e hope is strong that she is all safe ; fo r , h a d anything happened to her, 1 t would have been known before this time. For the s atis' faction of the friends of the passengers we give the fol lowing particulars. At five o'clock on Wednesday evening the ship was left by the tug-boat off Ornle' g Head. All was then safe, and as Captain Flynn saw there was a gale coming on he had the ship made, what is called , snug," so that he would be prepared for it. The Warbler, that sailed on the 4th for Messina, p ut back damaged. These are all the facts we could learn of the result of the great gale of Wednesday evening. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS,-0a Wednesday, a return iv ° issued of the number and nature of the accidents which bal occurred on all the railways open for traffic in England to Wales, Scotland and Ireland, respectively, from the Ist ; July to the 31st of December, 1855. From this return, ,; appears that seven persons were killed, and 204 injure; . " from causes beyond their own control. In the correspon,u, ing half of 1854, the numbers . were 9 killed and 259 g i to jured. Eleven persons were killed and 15 injured owing their own misconduct . or want of caution, as against 1 , killed and 12 injured in 1854. There were passengert making a total of 1 8 killed a n d 219 injured, as against killed and 271 injured in 1854. Ten servants of comPa l3l6 or contractors were killed and 20 injured, from causes b e c i pond . their own co n t ro l , as against '2O killed and 37 injure in 1 854; while 32 were killed and 35 were injured. orvina. ii to their own mi sconduct or want of caution, as apainst d killed and 11 i n j ured in 1854. Twenty per ' sons were killed and four i n j ure d through crossing at level crossings ; !11„ocre e d were three su i c id es, an d two persons killed and one inJTr from miscella neous causes . The grand totals were England and Wales, 115 killed and 224 injured ; Scotlan d ' 8 killed a n d 56 i n j ure d ; f or Ireland, 10 killed and 6 '„5 jured; making to ge th er , 1 3 3 k i lled and 286 injure], of against 123 killed and 334 injured in 18.54. The length railway opened on th e 31 st December, 1855, was 6.21 8 miles in England and Wales, 1,087 in Scotland, and 9 5 °,„ r Ireland, making to ge th er, 8,293 miles, as against 8,054 for he corresponding half of 1854, roisoli __-- THE STEAMER BELGIQUI The following is :_ . he report, i n extedso , o f th e su rveyorst who inspected the steaishiP Belgique : In compliance with your I:ecluest, we this day surveyed the Belgique steamship, in the dry dock at this port, ai2a have to report as follows : We thoroughly examined the hull of the ship, and the only leak of importance we could discover was before thee main stern post, between the garboard strakes and the• keel, in the wake of the angle-iron placed there to increase: the stiffness of that part of the keel. We also foundt several of the buts and rivetts, more particularly in mid ships, slightly disturbed, and the topsides of the ship, near to the large ports, exhibited symptoms of working. The mainmast has settled down, in consequence of a want of strength in that part which supports the step. The port boiler has received damage in the furnaces, caused by the plate hating been overheated- One of the blades of the screw propeller is cracked, and some of the nuts and screws at the end of the steam pipe are torn off or damaged. This may have been caused by the screw having caught a hawser while it was in motion, in consequence of the symptoms of working before men tioned.