The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-10-16 00:00:00

PUBLICATION.

OPENING OF THE BIRKENHEAD STREET RAILWAY.
Liverpool ! Lee, Nightingale & Co.
Messrs. tee and Nightingale have just published a
pamphlet, printed and edited by them, containing a full
account of the opening of the first street railway in
Europe at Birkenhead last month. The pamphlet con-
tains a brief resume of the advantages of a street rail-
way, the details of its introduction into Birkenhead, a
description of the railway and the cars, and a verbatim
report of the amusing and interesting speeches delivered
at the inauguration banquet. In addition to these
matters the pamphlet contains the opinions of the
British press in connection with street railways, letters
to Mr. Train from some of the principal personages of
Europe and the United Kingdom on the same subject,
and a list of all the governmental, municipal, literary,
and other personages with whom Mr. Train has corres-
ponded.
onded The letterpress is embellished with an en-
graving of the first ear and its passengers that ran on
the street railway at Birkenhead. The pamphlet, in
fact, is both interesting and amusing, and it affords to
sluggish " Britishers" a capital example of the untiring
vivacity, ingenuity, and business talents of gt young
America," while as a specimen of local enterprise it is
in every way creditable to the firm who figure on the
title-page as editors, printers, and publishers.

We understand the rector and parochial clergy will
join in the precession with the churchwardens and Select
Vestry, but not in their robes.
" Haunted Hotisee is the subjeet of the lecture to be
delivered in the Collegiate Institution to-night, by Rev.
J. B. Owen. In his hands the subject is sure to be
entertaining, profitable, and suggestive.
SALE OF HUMBOLDT'S EFFECTS.—A Berlin letter
states that the sale by auction of Baron Humboldt's
household goods, &c., produced from 9,000 to 10,000
thalers. The writing table at which he usually sat was
knocked down at 150 thalers.
TEE MARKETS COMMITTEE.—At the usual weekly
meeting of this committee, held yesterday, the follow-
ing gentlemen were present—Messrs. J. Woodruff,
W. Barton, J. Shimmin, It. W. Houghton, J. Kitchen,
and Johnson, The superintendent of the markets
reported that the receipts of the several markets for the
past week had been £2,077 ss. Bd. ; and for the corres-
ponding week of last year, £1,891 16s. 4d. The quan-
tity of unwholesome meat destroyed was 6,834 lbs., and
982 lbs. of fish. The only business of importance trans-
acted was in relation to Thursday next,—in making
arrangements for the opening of the Library and
Museum. The application from Mr. Newlands for the
use of the Gill-street Market, on the afternoon of
Thursday, for the purpose of the Engineer Corps taking
refreshments, was immediately complied with, as was
also a suggestion from the tenants of St. John's Market,
most numerously signed, asking to have the markets
closed on that day. All the markets were ordered to be
closed, except the fish market, which had permission to
keep open until ten o'clock in the morning. The com-
mittee also granted their permission to the Arrangements
Committee, for the artillery to have the Islington
Market, and the land adjacent, for their guns, it being
intended to fire a salute,—bnt as the police will have so
many extra duties to perform on the occasion, the
ground is to be kept by the soldiers themselves. This
was all the business transacted.
THE FREE PUBLIC LlBl4RY.—Yesterday the several
committees engaged in making arrangements for the
opening of the building were busy from an early hour
in the morning, until late in the evening. The official
programme for the formation of the procession was not
completed at a late hour last night, but we have every
reason to believe that it will be placed before the public
this day. We understand that the banquet will be sup-
plied by Mr. Morrish, of the Merchants' Dining-rooms,
Tithebarn-street; and that is quite enough to ensure its
excellence in every particular. Mr. J. Atkins, of the
Zoological Gardens, has been engaged to manage the
pyrotechnic displays in the different parts of the town.
Perhaps in this particular branch of art Mr. Atkins has
not a superior, if an equal, in the country; therefore
the public may expect to enjoy a rare treat, as the
designs will be novel and appropriate, and for the excel-
lence, richness, and superbness of colours of the fiery
meteors, unapproachable. Should the weather be pro-
pitious, thousands—indeed tens of thousands—of the
inhabitants of the town will be in attendance.
THE LITERARY AND PRILOSOVIICAL SOCIETY.--
The first ordinary meeting of this society was held last
night, at the Royal Institution. The Rev. H. H. Hig-
gins, the president, occupied the chair. He called
attention to the formation of the Naturalists' Field
Club, and said they had had sonic very pleasant excur-
sions which had resulted in the discovery of some beau-
tiful specimens of rare plants. They were about to hold
meetings throughout the winter, the first of which
would take place on Monday next, when Dr. Coiling-
wood had promised them a lecture on botany. As the
subscription was but 55., perhaps many of the members
of their own society might be disposed to join. Dr.
Ihne then read a brief but interesting paper, the object
of which was to show that William Tell, the alleged
Swiss hero, was but a fabulous character. The historic
evidence was somewhat curious. He showed that the
story of shooting an apple from the child's head was
related as having occurred in Norway ih the tenth cen-
tury. It occurred again in the Icelandic. Dr. Colling-
wood, the secretary, submitted a list of new localities for
somewhat rare plants, discovered by Mr. Webb and Mr.
Fisher in the vicinity of Liverpool. Some curious fish-
bones, &c., exhumed on a guano island were submitted
for examination ; and several donations of books having
been announced, Mr. Brockholes read the second and
concluding portion of his paper on " The birds which
nest in the neighbourhood." The meeting was after-
wards made special or extraordinary, with the view of
confirming the honorary election of Mr. William
Brown, as corresponding member of the society, which
had been agreed to at a former meeting.