The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-02 00:00:00

toast, the "House of Peers." He said that be had been
taught from his earliest days to believe that the institu-
tions of this country were worth preserving, and that he
1a also learned ritd that
constitution
should
of standth the
o countryfall
together.had
its
(Cheers.)
The
moveables in the House of Commons, but its fixtures
were in the monarchy and the House of Lords. 'Wear.)
He remembered, in 'connection with, that idea, the
beautiful expression of Robert Hall, when alluding to
their social system in England, he said that if they tie-
scended from the apex of the crown, through the various
gradations of the aristocracy, they would come at last to
the broad basis of the people—a gradation which gave
to their social system the whole and peaceful stability
of nature. Their political system was the same. It had
its great permanent elements based upon fixed property,
which should be represented ; but who were the men who
attacked its leading body in be House of Peers ? (Hear,
hear.) He would not ask whether they were the men
who cherished the Crown. There was lip-loyalty and
the loyalty of the heart; but were they men who
loved the throne? Were they concerned for the
honour and the efficiency of the army ? No ; they
were men who seemed to think that Heaven was
padded with cotton and lined with calico—(cheers and
laughter)—and that it would be the crowning period of
their labours if they could reduce England front the
proud and exalted position which she now upheld.
(Hear, hear.) But if ever Ciere was a time when the
great Conservative party ought, with all its energy and
all its sympathy, to stand by the House of Peers, that
time was the present. (Cheers.) The House of ',lords
was menaced, and why ? Because when, according to
the ancient constitution of this country, a bill could only
become law with the full consent of the Queen, the
Lords, and the Commons, the House of Lords deemed it
right to reject a bill so sent before them. The venerable
Lyndhurst and the chivalrous Derby approved of that
course, and though he knew there was too much spirit
in the patriotism of England to believe that it would
yield to a democratic section, he yet was also too well
acquainted with its constitution to recognise its voice
amidst a vulgar and senseless clamour. (Loud cheers.)
He could well understand why the House of Commons
should have all general power connected with taxation ;
but yet it was a power which, like all others, might be
abused. (Hear, hear.) The people, he was confident,
would stand by the House of Peers—(cheers)—and,
with that conviction, he begged to propose the toast,
"The Peers of Great Britain and Ireland." (Loud
cheers.)
Lord Braybrooke acknowledged the compliment. The
House of Lords ware not, he said, prepared to be the
mere registers of the decisions of the House of Com-
mons, although they would not resist the deliberate and
unequivocal will of the people of England. (Cheers.)
Mr. Merewether, Q.C., in proposing "The House of
Commons, said he believed that a more than ordinary suc-
cess had attended the efforts of the Conservative party in
that house during the present session. Although they had
not been able to save the country from an importation of the
thinnest of French wines, they had, by the large
minority they had brought to the maintenance of church
rates, saved the Church from the " Cornish hug" con-
templated by Sir John Trelawny, and they had com-
pelled a reputed Whig ministry to come forward in the
white sheet of reform. They had at the same time made
the prime agitator of the day feel the truth of the
words—" All that's bright must fade" —(a laugh),—and
they had enabled people to say of that gentleman,
coupling his fate with that of his newspaper—
" Nene has fallen so far
Since him miscalled the Morning Star."
(Laughter.) These were great triumphs for the Con-
servative party ; and they would no doubt be able to
increase them if they would give not a blind, but a faith-
ful, adherence to that leader who, having twice changed
defeat into success, was entitled to the earnest, con-
tinuous, and not quarterly gratitude of his followers.
(A laugh.) In conclusion he had to state that he wished
to couple with that toast the name of the Right Hon.
James Whiteside. (Cheers.)
Mr. Whiteside responded to the toast. He said it
was high time for those who felt homage for the great
institutions of the country to rise and check the men in
their pernicious career who would destroy those institu-
tions. (Cheers.) The object the institution which
they had assembled to commemorate was, as he under-
stood it, to extend throughout the length and breadth
of England a Conservative spirit and opinion. (Hear,
hear.) The right hon. gentleman then referred to the
state of the Whig and Peelite party in the House of
Commons ; and after declaring that, the Conservative
party was daily gaining strength in the assembly and
in the country, concluded by expressing a hope that it
might ever be said of it, "Esto perpetuo." (Cheers)
Viscount Ingestre proposed the toast of the " Pro-
vincial Conservative Registration Societies," and the
company separated shortly after twelve o'clock.
The band of the Coldstream Guards was present during
the evening, under the direction of Mr. Godfrey. The
duties of toastmaster were most efficiently discharged by
Mr. Harker ; and the dinner, especially having regard to
the numoer of the company, was of an excellent charac-
ter, and well served.

ALLEGED FRAUDS IN THE GUANO

TRADE.-IMPORTANT CASE.

CAPEL-STREET POLICE-OFFICE, DUBLIN.

THE CROWN V. BUTLER CItEAOH, CONSIDINE CREAOH,
AND CHARLES ROBERT CREAOH.
Mr. Charles Barry, Q.C., instructed by Mr. Ander-
son, Crown Solicitor, appeared for the prosecution. •
k Mr. J. A. Curran, instructed by Mr. Ennis, for the
defendants.
The latter were summoned to answer the charge of
conspiracy to defraud the public by the sale of
adulterated guano for pure and genuine guano.
Mr. Barry, Q.C., in stating the case, said it was
brought by direction of the Attorney-General,
and taken up by him after the law officers had
devoted much of their attention to the subject. It
was taken up merely in his name, as a public prosecutor,
from the importance of the charge, and for the purpose
of protecting the community at large. The court was
aware that guano had for many years been used in
this country as a manure, and he believed ho was
right in saying that of late years the consumption of it
had increased progressively with the time. It was
unnecessary for him to point out the importance of this
article to the farmer who was desirous of obtaining
good manure, but the fraud which was committed upon
the community in the sale of this article was .of a
complicated nature, and of a very serious character.
The selling •of the spurious for the genuine article
defrauded the farmer of his money in the first instance ; it
also deprived him of the benefit of hie industry and capital
expended upon the soil ; and in addition it deprived the
community generally of those advantages to which they
were entitled from the fertilising of the soil. Early in
June, 1858, the attention of the public was called to the
adulteration of guano in the neighbourhOod of Dublin,
by a letter in the Express newspaper, which letter led
at the time to certain investigations. This letter met
the eyes of the police, and a communication was
made to Government upon the matter; but the
season was then so late that the necessary in-
quiries were suspended. In 1859, when the season
again name on, the inquiries were- renewed by
the police, who put themselves in communication
with many persons residing in Liverpool, and in various
districts of this country, from whom they were likely to
obtain the fullest and most satisfactory information.
The result of these prolonged inquiries was that the
Attorney-General deemed it proper to institute a prose-
cution against these parties for conspiring to, defraud the
public. There were many overt acts, stated in the sum-
mons; but the principal party, in this prosecution was
Butler Creagh, who, it appears, had been carrying., on
business in this city for some years, as guano and gene-
ral merchant, and his stores were in Greentstreet, where
he held four houses for the purpose. lie was also
the proprietor of stores in South Earl-street, in
Prince's-street, and in Boot-lane. It also appeareff.t he
had a score in IgNicoar's-street, Liverpool, where this
trade was also carried on, and that part of the business
was conducted by Charles Robert Creagh. On
,:the
18th of May, 1859, two loads of guano, or of some
thing resembling it, left Creagh's storea, and Were
delivered at the terminus of the “reat Southern and
Western Railway, where they were put into the waggon,
and carried to Marlborough, one of those places. in the
country where he u,secl to, sell, his guano. AO, he
appeared to, have commission agents, or salaried agents,
in various towns having railway, and canal conimunica-
tion, whose business it was to dispose of this
article for him, and in some of these places it
appeared that he himself superintended the busi-
ness, and the property is the stores. On the
20th of May, 1859, a mule and cart left Cireen-st;.eet
loaded with the stuff, and it was sent on to D,',
On the same day, another lot was seo iqa, a tipi4 belong-
ing to one Hughes, and who, it seems, was intimately
acquainted with the, establishment; that load was also
consigne4 to a party,at,Mountrath. On the 26th, MEsy,
Itughes, with a, mule and cart, went. with Another load
to the railway station, when it we,aput in a, waggon and
directed, to James cannon, AthY• Some two or three
by the
days after, th 9. came bags of guano were seenixi, same
441 A
4f‘
Ve4ree:glie74:l7,,,
wagon Athy, and, deliv,ered into, crs,,aßhia, atore.
On the 30th a purchase was mad,e 4i; roa4 a pardon
of this guano, which wak,
defendants' renrakentat,ixe,
.Vontiox bhp said he was
ager 4 fvr
stone,
ow in, Liverpool.' Re gave a receipt for
thR mousy,, £.3 Wel the price of 5 cwt, and 14 stall
I and sitied it " J. Connor, for B. this
gnaw had been submitted to the most erai4g.,t, chemist,
Professor Apjohn for ightanc% 4n4 the result is,
that it has been pronounced, a most spurious com-
pound—not pure guano, Iles anything like it.
The varioxis taio,plea examined present, of male,
cli4erent degretA of adulteration, some of them
~hl,,aug very little of the real article
in them, and the very best, of these samples
being pronounced tick worth mare than £5 or id a tpa
while the marketpriceof the genuinewas 41A 1
or
Sri They would Aso be able to prove that on, the 20th
April, 1860, thirteen bags were despatched from Green-