The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-06 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL.

COTTON : The Cotton market exhibits great firmness, the
demand continues very good, and with a fair quantity offering,
prices have a hardened tendency. The sales—including
300 Pernambuco, at 6,0 to 7,1 ; 100 Bahia, at qd to
64d ; 150 Maranham, at 64-d to 67,1; 700 Egyptian, at 61
to 7d, and 1000 Surat, 4?3-1 to 41d—are reported 10,000
bales, of which 3,000 are on speculation and for export.

SCOTCH PIG hos : Our market for warrants closes at
68s sellers cash, at which 500 tons have been done.
SUGAR : The market continues very steady, with but
little offering; 140 hbds Barbadoes are reported at 35s 6d
to 41s, with 110 brls at 38s 6d to 44s 6d, 80 hhds Antigua
at 37s 6], and a small parcel of Madras at 34s per cwt.
Rum : We have had more thing, 220 puns Demerara
having changed hands at previous rates.
COFFEE : 80 bags Rio have been sold at 43s to 46s per
cwt.

TEA : Ths market continues without alteration; very
little good common CJogou is offering under 91d, at the
same time buyers will not exceed 9.1 to 91d per lb.

RICE : We have only to notice 600 bags Bengal at lOs to
lOs 6d, and 30 casks Carolina at 23s per cwt.

SALTPETRE : Nearly 400 bags have realised 31s to 348
per cwt for 6 to 5 per cent refraction.
ORCEIELLA WEED : At the auctions this morning, 70
bales sold at 34s to 365.

GUM GEDDA : 100 serons, part all faults, at 17s 6d
to 183.

SAGO FLOUR : 70 bags, all faults, at 18s 6d to 18s 93.
BEES' WAX: A few cases East India at £6 2s 6J.
ARGOLS : 15 casks red Oporto at 37a.
CREAM TARTAR : 5 casks at 107 s 61 to 108 s.
GUM ARABIC : 10 chests, all faults, at 15s to 17s per
cwt.

FtisTic : 160 tons Savanilla at £5 2s 6d per ton.
LINSEED : 500 pockets Bengal, all faults, at 64s to 56s
per quarter.
MUSTARD SEED : We have to report 300 tons yellow,
to arrive, at 65s per quarter, c f and i.

LONDON.

CORN: The receipts of foreign wheat and flour since
Monday have been good. The trade in Mark lane this
morning ruled dull, at the same time no further decline
took place upon the rates of Monday last. Barley was firm
at that day's currency, Oats sold slowly at former prices,
and beans and peas underwent no alteration.
SUGAR: The market has a very firm appearance, and the
advance of 6d paid yesterday is confirmed.
CoFFEE: The market is dull, native Ceylon quoted 49s
to 5Us 6d.

TEA remains without alteration
Rice has declined about 6d.

Rum : Proof Leewards sold at 2s Id to 2s 21, which are
a shade lower prices.

SALTPETRE Continues in good demand. Refraction 3to
5 sold at 345, at which there now but few sellers.

COTTON : 300 bales sold at full prices.

In other artie!es no material alteration

TALLOW The -market is quiet to-day, with little doing.
Town tallow is quoted sls nett cash buyers. Petersburg
Y. C., on the spot, 58s 6d ; March, 58s to 58s 3d ; March
to April, 53s 6d; April to June, 525; October to December,
5 Is 9d.
Boitouou Hop : Messrs. Pattenden and Smith report
that for fine hops there is a good demand, but in the brown
and inferior samples there is scarcely anything doing.
COAL : Walls End Braddyll's Hetton, 16s ; Walls E
Haswell, 17s 6d ; Walls End Hetton, 17s 6d ; Walls End
Horton, 14s 9d. Forty-two fresh ships at market.

YESTERDAY'S MARKETS.
CORK BUTTER: lath, 1225; 2uds 120 s; 3rda, 108 s;
4ths, 98s; 6ths, 85s; 6ths, 735.
CORN. CORN: Red wheat, 30s to 35s ; barley, 17s to 18s ;
oa s, lisBd to 13s. Pork 44s to 435.
GLASGOW CORN : Weather fine, but cold; a thin attend-
ance at this day's market, and hardly any business passed.
Wheat dull, the few retail sales which took place were at
very irregular rates, and from is to 2s lower than on this
day week ; flour millers have lowered their prices 2s to 35
per sack ; barley firm and the turn dearer ; oats and oat-
meal quite neglected, although offered 6d to h per boll and
load respectively cheaper.
SALFORD CATTLE : There being a larger show of beef,
prices were in favour of the buyer ; sheep maintained former
rates, but a great number were left unsold. Best beef, 6d
to Gad, middling, 54d to 6d; cows, 4d to sid ; best
wedders, 6d to 7d ; heavy weights, 64 to 63/4d ; ewes, id to
6d ; calves, 5d to 64d. Boasts, 1,796; sheep, 1,9111 I
calves, 210.

LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY

COMPANY,

(From our own Reporter.)
The half yearly meeting of the shareholders in this rail-
way was held yesterday, at the Palatine Hotel, Manchester
--II- W. Wickham, Esq., M.P., in the chair. There was
a numerous attendance of shareholders. Amongst the
Liverpool directors present were Mr. W. Stuart, the deputy
chairman, and Mr. James Holtne.
The report and accounts were taken as read.
The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, said
that, in rising, to make a few remarks on the report which
had been in the bands of the shareholders during the last
we eir, he should confine hires& to the proceedinces which
had characterised the working of the company's line during
the last six month,. The directors had nothing to bring
before the proprietors in the form of new projects, and
therefore he could not do better than state to the Meeting
what had been the course of proceeding during the
-half year just ended, together with the statement
es regarded the expenditure Of capital on the old line that
had bee❑ rendered necessary in consequence of the additional
traffic requiring increased warehouse and station accommo-
dation. The most material item was £139,814, which had
been repaid to the E tat Lane ishire c mipany on account of
the dock branch at Liverpool. By the original arrangement
between the two compani s, the East Lancashire had the
option of becoming partners with them in the dock branch
or not. The East Lancashire company had declined to do
so, and now the dock branch was entirely in the hands of
the Lancashire and Yorkshire company. He had every
confidence in that important branch proving beneficial to
the proprietors. He would give them the traffic over it
during the months of January and February i❑ the present
year. In January the amount was 9,687 tons, whilst in
February it had risen to 12,400 tons. The directors had
every reason to believe that their ideas as to its
bringing much additional traffic bad not at all
b?en too sanguine, and he had no doubt that
there would be a constantly increasing revenue
from this source. The hon. gentleman then proceeded to
go into the various items of the accounts, as to expenditure
on capital account, and the details of the revenue account in
receipts and expenditure. The passenger traffic, he observed,
had for the last two or three years remained stationary, but
during the latter part of 1855, and up to the present period
of the current half-year, it had begun to show signs of
increasing vitality ; and if we should have peace, and con-
sequently good trade, he believed that that part of their
traffic would be materially est .nded. In the goods traffic
during the past half year there had been. a very satisfactory
increase; especially taking into account that during the
whole of that period the coun-ry had been at war, and that
the industry of the district had suffered from the high price
of provisions. The attention of the directors had been
employed during the past half year in looking a'ter the
working expenses of the company, so as to bring it to the
lowest point, consistent with the efficient working of the
line. During the past half-year the working expenses
were 404 per cent, whereas, in the corresponding period of
the former half-year they were 41 per cent, and in the
previous year 42 per cent. In continuation, he pointed out
the reductions which had been made in the locomotive
expenses, and reverting to the goods traffic he said, that
since 1850 it had increased nearly 73 per cent. Their
tonnage rates for goods had also increased, for instead of
earning six shillings per ton per mile, they now earned
eight shillings and twopence. (Hear, hear.) He now came
to a question to which he wished to draw the attention of
the shareholders. Railway directors had often been charged
with debiting to capital that which did not fairly belong
to the expenditure of the half-year. Now he believed
that that could not be brought to their charge,
for the sum of £50,142 had, during the pact
half year, been charged to revenue, which might
fairly have been charged to capital. [Here the chairman
read to the meeting a statement showing that the sum of
£50,142 had been expended in locomotive ergines and
carriages, and paid for out of revenue.] He trusted that
the statement would convince the shareholders that on the
part of the directors of that company there was no attempt
to make that profit which was not legitimately so. As
regarded the safety of the line he observed that the directors
had been most anxious on that point. New and improved
signals had been adopted, and he trusted that in future the

company would not Have somuch to pay in c unpensation as
formerly. He hoped that those fearful calamities which
had happened on the line would be of less frequent
occurrence. They would occur sometimes, however

cautious authorities might be, but as far as
the directors of that company could avoid them,
every thing should be done to prevent their occurrerce.
In reference to the 1 iverpool, Crosby. and South-
port line, which this comiany took possession of in
July last, there had been a deficiency over the expenditure,
up to the end of the half year, of £561. This deficiency,
considering the fierce competition which had been going
forward between this company and the East Lancazhire
Company, the directors could not but look upon as s ttisfac.
tory ; and they maintained the opinion that the Liverpool
and Southport line would be a great source of income to the

company when properly developed. He was happy to
inform the shareholders that the differences with the
East Lancashire Company, as regarded the Liver-
pool and Southport traffic, had all been ar-
ranged, and the directors had now only to do their
btst for the traffic over their various lines, and work it
advantageously for the benefit of the shareholders. After
justifying the increase of the dividends from four per cent.
t the rate of four and a quarter per cent. per annum, he
said the directors hoped to be able to increase the value of
the lino year by year. (Hear, hear.) He concluded by
moving the adoption of the report and accounts.
Mr. Wm. Stuart, of Liverpool, deputy chairman of the
board, briefly seconded the motion. He perfectly agreed
with all the chairman had stated.

Mr. Vance drew the attention of the board to the unfair
interference of the post-office with railways,sregarded
the carriage of small parcels. He showed at
shoes were
he
now cirricd through the post-office. A short time ago
went t) London, and had occasion to order h
a
pair of shoes to b.) sent into the country by railway.
The tradesman replied that he had better send them to the
post-office, and on his (Mr. Vance) expressing his astonish-
ment, the tradesman replied : " Oh, sir, we send as many as
forty and fifty pairs of shoes per day through the post-
office." He had found that even gooseberry bushes were
sent through the post-office. (Laughter.) - It showed how
the government was interfering with the small parcels busi-
ness of railway companies. The speaker also complained of
government and parliamentary interference with railway
companies with reference to rating and other matters. He
condemned the ruinous competition with the East Lanca-
shire company for the Liverpool and Southport traffic, and
asked what was the nature of the arrangement named by the
chairman ?
The t'ecretary, in answer, stated that the Lancashire and
Yorkshire company's propositions of the Liverpool and
Southport traffic, was to be three-fifths, and the East Lan-
cashire companys' two-fifths, the whole of the traffic from
both companies, Liverpool and Southport lines going
into a common fund. On the Manchester and South-
port traffic, the Lancashire and Yorkshire would have ninety
per cent , and the East Lancashire ten per cent.
The report and accounts were then adopted, and a
dividend, at the rate of four and a quarter per cent. per
annum, declared.

The retiring directors were re-appointed, and a resolution
to oppose all bills in Parliament, prjudicial to the interests
of the company, was adopted.
A rather angry discussion followed, on a charge brought
against Mr. Anderton, of Bradford, one of the directors
and chairman of the traffic committee, regarding the car-
riage of goods between Bradford and Liverpool. Mr.
Stuart, the deputy-chairman, warmly defended Mr.
Anderton.

The meeting separated about half past two o'clock,

TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF COVENT-GARDEN

THEATRE

The most magnificent lyric temple in Europe was
yesterday morning reduced to a mass of shapeless ruins
by a fire which broke out, from some hitherto unexplained
cause, in the roof of the theatre, immediately over the
stage. The theatre had been the scene of a loaf masque
the previous evening, under the direction of Mr. Ander-
son, the Wizard of the North, and the revels of the night
had not concluded when the dreadful conflagration broke
out. At twenty minutes to five o'clock the company had
dwindled to about two hundred persons on the
stage or ball room, ani the orchestra were in the
act of playing the concluding bars of the National Anthem
when a large portion of one of the fly scenes fell suddenly
on the stage, a few paces in front of the position of the
orchestra. Several persons narrowly escaped injury
from the falling mass ; but the alarm created by this
circumstance had not subsided, when sparks descending
from the roof above the stage spread the utmost terror
throughout the assembly. Those who only an instant
before had been indulging in the dance were now shriek-
ing for help, and flying to the doors in the hope of saving
their lives. There was no time for thought or considera-
tion. In a few seconds the interior of the building was
full of dense black smoke, and the greatest possible
alarm for individual safety was felt on every side. With
admirable presence of mind the police took possession of
the various entrances, and kept them clear for the exit or
the wretched masquers, some of whom were actually
carried out in a fainting state. About half-past five
o'clock the roof of the house fell in with a tremendous
crash. Of the theatre not a vestige is saved—nothing but
the walls were left standing of that superb temple which,
under the management of Mr. Gye, had become world-
famous as the seat of music and of song.
It is hoped and believed that no lives were lost.
It is said that Mr. Anderson has lost the whole of his
conjuring apparatus, which is supposed to be worth
several thousand pounds, he not being insured for a single
farthing.

The loss of property by this calamity cannot be less
than 250,000/.

The theatre which preceded the one burnt down, was
opened by.R.tch about 1732, but after undergoing several
alterations, was destroyed by fire Sept. 20, 1808.
It is a remarkable fact that Mr. Anderson has once
before closed his theatrical season with the total destruc-
tion of a theatre—that of the city of Glasgow, in 1845. A
theatre in New York, of which he was the lessee,
was also
destroyed by fire.