The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-23 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

HEALTH or TOWNITtIii:I-imeeting of the inhabi-
tants of Manchester has been held to consider the proposed
measure of Lord Morpeth's. The meeting was convened
by the surveyors of highways, who professed to have no
object in view but that of shielding themselves from any
future reproach, that they had allowed &bill to be passed affect-
ing property without giving the ratepsyen an opportunity
of expressing an opinion upon it. Mr. 1.. Williams, one of
the surveyors, presided, and read a series of resolutions
drawn up by anticipation of the wish of the meeting, express-
ing an opinion that Manchester should be exempted from
the provisions of the bill. To these a petition in favour of
the bill was opposed, as an amendment. Ultimately the
original resolutions were adopted,with an alteration, making
the objection not special (as 'applicable to Manchester) but
general, and this was carried by a majority of about twenty
to nine votes. Though the meeting was held in the Town-
hall, and a public one, not more than fifty persons attended ;
those persons being principally the owners of small cottage
Property.
SINGULAR CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY.—At Manchester,
yesterday, three parties were brought up oa bench warrants
before the magistrates for bail, having been indicted at the
sessions recently terminated, for conspiring to defraud Mr.
Samuel Mills, a cotton manufacturer, of goods to a large
amount, under the following singular circumstances. The
names of the prisoners are Ely Howard, Wm. Sutcliffe, and
Wm. Wilkinson. Sutcliffe is in business as a cotton com-
mission
agent, Wilkinson being his salesman, or foreman.
The charge is that Howard, being a well-known swindler,
obtained goads to a large amount, at the fall of last year,
from Sutcliffe, and being unable to pay, Sutcliffe and hill
salesman finding the unfortunate position in which they
had been placed by him, joined in a conspiracy whereby they
enabled him to obtain goods from Mr. Mills to cover their
own account. Howard, it was stated, went to the ware-
house of Mr. Mills and bargained for goods; but Mr. Mills
would not part with the goods without a reference, and this
reference Sutcliffe and Wilkinson furnished, well-knowing
that Howard at the time was unable to pay, and was of bad
character. Mr. Keswick, the chief superintendent of police,
stated that Howard had been imprisoned two years for rob
bing a man in his own house, and up surds of thirty war-
rants had been out against him at different times for mal-
practices. The prisoners were admitted to bail, in two
sureties of 1501. each; but Howard, though he expressed
confidence that he should raise the amount, was locked up.
THE MERSEY OUTSTRIPPING THE THAMES.—We ( Li-
verpool Standard) noticed last week the gratifying fact, that
the tonnage inwards and outwards of the port of Liverpool
had at length attained to a greater amount than that fre-
quenting even the Thames itself; sad we have now the
pleasure to inform our readers, that the customs revenue of
the port continues steadily to increase. The following is the
account for the quarter ending sth April, as compared with
the corresponding period of last year:—Jan. Feb. March,
1846, 793.4241. Jan. Feb. March, 1847, 840,0621. Showing
an increase upon the quarter of 46,638!. The receipts for
the last month would no doubt have been greater but for
the prevalence of adverse winds, and the difficulty in pro-
curing vessels in foreign porta to bring home our inward-
bound produce. The following Is a comparative statement
of the receipts for the year ended sth April 1847, as eons
pared with the previous year .-1845-6, 3,297,5631. ; 1846-7,
3,659,7471. Showing an increase on the year of 362,1841.
We ought to explain that our January return was only made
up to the Ist of the month. The increase we may, on this
ground, fairly set down at 380,0001. This, however, does
not at all present the real increase of business done in the
port.
A PHYSIOGNOMIST ox THE BENCH.—It has long been an
axiom of English law, that the judge is the prisoner's coun-
sel. No such notion, however, would prevail among those
I who may ever chance to be witnesses of the mode in which
the business of "summing un " toe jury is conducted by
the gentleman who presides in the "second court" at the
sessions in this town. On Thursday last, Mr. Marshall
wound up bis summary with the remark, "You cannot
have any doubt as to the prisoner's guilt ; his very counte-
nance would hang Aim!"—Preston Chronicle. "Itis to
be hoped," says the Liverpool Mercury, in quoting this para-
graph, ' that this very. remark will be sufficient with the
Home Secretary to justify Mr. Marshall's removal from the
bench.

!runlet( Meese g.—fit; erection of the new museum
has been commenced upon the site selected on the south side
of the street proposed to be formed from St. Mathews's to
St. Mary Elms. The walls are already ten feet from the
ground. There will be a spacious lobby, with library and
apartments for specimens, and other rooms adapted to Bach
an institution ; the fine oaken staircase in the late reddence
of W. Itodwell, esq. will, we are informed, be put in requi-
sition, it having been selected for that purpose by the com-
mittee. In addition to the 7001. before announced, other
donations and subscriptions have been received.

NORFOLK.
TRK NoawicH ARCHAIOLOCIac tL Soci STY held its quar-
terly meeting laat week. The bishop was in the chair, and
introduced the proceedings by expressing his great satisfac-
tion at the continued program of the society, which now
numbered upwards of 300 members—t far greater number
than they had at first expected, and be had no doubt that in
• short time they would increase still further. Wero he
called upon to mention any of the advantages of such •
society, be would point to the large number of carious ob.