The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-21 00:00:00

DARING ATTEMPT AT MURDER,

DunuN, FEB. 18.—The Sligo papers contain the follow-
lug account of an atrocious attempt to assassinate a gentle-
man in that caunty :--We regret having to announce a
Most cool and deliberate attempt at murder, committed
yesterday evening, about eight o'clock, within a short
distance of Dromahaire, on the person of Simon Armstrong,
tsq ,of Spring Villa. It appears that Mr. Armstrong mid
hl5 lady left Sligo on their own car for home, and when
Within half a mile of Dromahaire they met two
men,
who
saluted them, one of whom, however, as soon as the car
Passed, turned round and fired at them, lodging some slugs
In Mr. Armstron's back, and completely riddling his coatat
Dromahaire.
fortunately he was able to drive to the poiaca barrack and give the alarm, when the pollee went at
"ce (bin pursuit, and succeeded in arresting two men
hers), on one of whom some slugs, cap;, and a bullet
DMould were found. Dr. Thompson, of Dromahaire, and
r. Lynn, of Sligo, were in attendance as coon as possible,
tud We are happy to hear they do not consider the wound
dangerous. Mr. Armstrong is a gentleman who ;s
generally respected. The night being bright, we believe
br.Mr. Armstrong will be able to identify the assassins when
aunyought before him.—Saturday, one o'clock,—We learn
:that two has men have been arrested, and that Mr. Armstrong
identified one named M'Garry as being the person who
Fared the shot. M'Clarry was formerly tried at Carrick
assizes for murder.

CASE OF ALLEGED MURDER IN
CHISENHALE-STREET.

ARREST OF TWO PERSONS.

Yesterday morning, at an early hour, the body of a
man was discovered in Chisenhale-street, and from the
circumstances connected with the affair, and the facts
since elicited by the police, there remains little doubt
that foul play has been resorted to, and that the man has
met his death by the hands of assassins. The inhabitants
of the locality of Chisenhale and Clement-streets, Vaux-
hall-road, &c., appeared in a state of great consternation
through yesterday, in consequence of the discovery. The
facts are these :—Abont four o'clock in the morning the
body of a man, apparently a mate or master of a vessel,
whose name is not at present known, was found in a
passage running from Wright's-buildings to Vauxhall..
road, the passage being known as " Bagging" passage.
The body was nearly naked, and there was a small
peculiar muffler twisted round the neck. There were
marks on the neck which left no doubt that death was
caused by strangulation. The body was removed to the
dead house, and the police at once proceeded to make
some inquiry into the mystery, and, as will be seen, they
succeeded in arresting two persons named James Carr
and James Wall, under the circumstances stated
hereafter. Detectives Laycock, Grisenthwaite, and
Wilson, proceeded to the neighbourhood, and
at once commenced an investigation, the result
of which was the arrest of two young men,
who were dressed as sailors, hut are known to
the police as " black bailers," that is, fellows who live by
" duffing" about-the docks and exist in any way they
can, chiefly in a dishonest manner, by swindling and
otherwise plundering sailors, countrymen,and simpletons.
The officers hid some difficulty in tracing the prisoners
as they had only been described by a female named Sarah
Brennan. It would appear that the female saw the
deceased sitting on the steps of a house in Chisenhale-
t twelve o'clock the previous night. He was
then intoxicated, and site tried to get him up, but failed.
Just at this moment, two persons, dressed as sailors.
came up, and after looking a moment at the man, took
him under each arm, saying " hallo! shipmate, come
along." They then took him into the passage, where she
heard great struggling, but she did not follow them, as at
first she imagined they were comrades and
that the deceased was struggling, being in drink.
She at last heard heavy breathing, in the
passage, and when the alarm was given of the
body being found, she mentioned these facts, and this
led to the arrest of the prisoners. The deceased was
dressed when taken into the passage, but when the body
was found, the trowsers and shirt only were on it. The
pockets of the trousers were turned inside out. It is
not at present known whether or not the deceased had
any money. It is said, he had been seen at an earlier
period of the evening, in company with a female, in a
public-house, in Vauxhall-road, but this is uncertain.
The prisoners were brought to the central station, where
the officers placed them between several other persons,
dressed in the same sort of clothes. They then sent for
the female, Brennan, who instantly picked the two
prisoners out as the persons who had taken the deceased
into the passage. They were then searched, but lest, at
this moment, the result of that might prejudice the cause
of the prisoners we refrain from stating the particulars.
We may however, add, that the case is very strong in
suspicion indeed. We believe, also, that one of the
officers will state that one of the prisoners had made a
change in his personal appearance between twelve
o'clock at night and the time of his arrest. The
prisoners were taken, pro forma, before the magistrates
yesterday afternoon, and then remanded to this day,
when the case will be fully investigated before the
Coroner. Although in possession of other facts and
details connected with this serious and mysterious case,
we, for obvious reasons, do not publish any more, until
these matters transpire publicly. Since the above was
written, we understand it has been ascertained that the
name of the deceased was James House, about forty or
forty-five years of age, and that he was a seafaring man,
and a native of Bristol. He boarded at the house of Mr.
John Boles, No. 16, Denison-street, and left that place at
eleven o'clock, on Monday night, well clothed.

Itreet. ab

POLICE COURT.-YESTERDAY

4

(BEFORE MESSRS. HARVEY AND BERN.)

EXC[SE PROSECUTIONS,

Jane Kane, the keeper of an eating-house, at No. 42,
Hotbam-street, was summoned by George Bartle,
supervisor of excise, for selling a pint bottle of porter,
without a license. Mr. Brook appeared for the prosecu-
tion, and Mr. Dodd for the defendant. The complain-
ant said, that on the 4th December he went to defendants
house and called for a plate of meat, and then for a pint
of porter, which was supplied to him, and he paid for
it. The defendant was not licensed to sell porter. In
reply to Mr. Dodd, the witness said his wife was with
him at the time, and that it was about 11 o'clock at
night. The defence set up by Mr. Dodd was, that his
client sent out for the porter, but as there was no evi-
dence to that effect, the magistrates said they had no
alternative but to convict. A fine of £5 was entered, but
but the warrant was not to issue until the defendant had
memoralised the board in London.

Charles Roberts, eating-house keeper, Whitechapel,
was summoned by the same complainant, for a like
offence. A like fine was recorded.

Edward Wickham, the keeper of St. George's supper-
r.loms, was summoned for selling ale without a license.
An excise officer proved, that with a friend, he went to
the defendant's house, and called for two cigars and
two glasses of ale, which were supplied to him. The
defendant had no license to sell ale. Same fine was
recorded.

ASSAULT.—A respectable-looking gentleman, named
Wilson, was summoned for having assaulted a
person named Mansell, who is engaged at Mr. Howell's
dining•rooms. The complainant said the defendant had
a conversation with him respecting some money which
he owed 51r. Wilson, but he told the gentleman that was
not the proper place to speak to him about money, and
then he said Mr. Wilson struck him. Mr. Howell cor-
roborated the fact of the assault. Mr. Wilson said he
was only escaping from a series of assaults committed on
him by the wife and servant of the complainant, one of
whom struck him with a knife, and the other with a
toasting•fork. He was fined lOs and costs.

CHARGE OF EMBEZZLEMENT AGAINST
MESSRS. BROCKLEBANKS' CLERK.

Yesterday morning, Robert Wilson, late cash-keeper
at the house of Messrs. Brocklebank, was brought
before Mr. Harvey, at the Police-court, on a charge of
having stolen £l.OOO, the money of the firm. The pri-
soner was brought up by Inspectors Kehoe and Murphy,
who had arrested him under the circumstances stated in
our paper of yesterday morning. The prisoner looked very
dejected, and was dressed rather shabbily. The court
was crowded to excess by merchants and others. Mr.
William L. Greene, attorney, appeared for the prisoner.
Inspector Murphy stated, that on Thursday last, infor-
mation was received at the Central Police-office, that the
prisoner, who was cash-keeper at the house of Messrs.
Brocklebank, had absconded. taking with him a large sum
of money. He was, in consequence of the information, on
the ;took-out for the prisoner. On Tuesday afternoon,
along with Inspector Kehoe, he went to the house, 22,
Plant-street, off Brunswick-road, and there, in the front
parlour, they arrested the prisoner. He told the prisoner
who they were, and that he was charged with having
robbed Messrs. Brocklebank of a large sum of money,
and he replied, " Yes." Witness then searched him, and
found on his person the following :—One £5OO note, six
£lOO notes, four £5O notes, five £2O notes, seven day bills
for £3O and £l5, twenty £lO notes, forty-one £5 notes,
three bills for £1,171, £209 10s. in gold, £3 Gs. 10d. in
silver, and some other"monies.

Wybergh : What is the whole amount ?

Inspector: The whole amount I found was £4,378 2s. 10d.
I also found a document relating to a quantity of hemp
that was warehoused at Messrs. Green and Taylor's, to
the amount of £905 17s. 23. He gave me an order to go
to Mrs. Wilson for a bond for that hemp ; and this
morning I received the bond from Mr. Greene, the pri-
soner's attorney.

Mr. Greene I appear here for the prisoner, but I have
no questions to ask Mr. Murphy.
Inspector Kehoe said, I was with Inspector Murphy at
the time, and we got the prisoner in the front parlour,
and when I spoke to him
Mr. Wybergli : What did he say ?
Inspector : lie said he had been there since Tuesday
last, and that he had not stirred out since that time, and
that he intended to remain there until the affair blew
over, and then go away. He said also, "I am now quite
happy_happier than I have ever been for the last ten
years, for every day for the last ten years I expected to
be transported as it was hanging over my head all the
time." He then got the money stated by Inspector
Murphy.
Mr. Thomas Brneklebank was examined, and said : The
prisoner was in our service for 27 or 28 years, and was
employed by our people at Whitehaven for some years
before he came here. He was our cash-keeper here for
over 24 years. Our case to-day against him, is more for
a remand, as we have not had time to go through our
books to ascertain what the arnotlnt of defalcations may
be.
Mr. Greene : Have you discovered 'any 'definite slim
that you charge against him at present ?
Mr. Brocklebank : Yes ; we have here a case of £l,OOO,
and there aro several others. So great was our confidence
in the integrity of the prisoner, that even on Tuesday,
when he absented himself, I did not for a moment sup.
pose anything at all wrong.
Mr. Edwards, from the he4se of Messrs. Littledale,
stated that on thp 19th January,
he paid £l,OOO to the
primisopoerr, and now produced the receipt which he got from
st it. (Receipt produced.)
prAodgnecnedtleurlaaencla,fsol
him. hoc lehoe : We have two other cases against
him.
-mbiontohki et
.o tilt
he the ri
s ol‘in ee
sr
s,
rs
but B re
therek entry of the
Inspector Kehoe then asked for a" remand and the
prisoner was remanded for seven days. lwe baasnnko,

THE TOWN DUES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.

Six,—Your advocacy of the right of the Corporation to

the Town Dues is the natural expression of the feelings of

all; who are interested as owners of property in Liver-
pool in preserving a fund for defraying expenses which
otherwise would fall upon that property. This feeling,
doubtless, will animate the speakers at the meeting in St.
George's-hall to-morrow—and the danger is that, instead
of a cool and dispassionate examination of the real merits of
the question, we shall be treated with a repetition of the
strong invectives which have hitherto formed the [staple
of our advocates, while the real merits of the question at
issue will not obtain that careful enquiry which they so
urgently demand. Another danger to be guarded against is
that the discussion may be narrowed to a mere lawyer's view
of the question, confined to the verbal and technical con-
struction of the original parchment grant under which the
dues are claimed. To rely upon this, merely, would be
equivalent to an admission that there were no general
grounds of aniequitable nature founded on the protection of
great public, as well as private, interests connected with the
retention of these local rates. Our authorities here are, I
see, quite alive to the danger of resting their case on the
narrow basis of these parchment rights, which, in modern
times, are viewed with such evident suspicion and disrelish
by the public and the legislature ; but they feel themselves
on the horns of a dilemma if they admit, on the other hand,
that their original parchment rights had any corresponding
duties attached to them, and this places them always in a
false position when they find themselves attacked.
They feel that the more they plead to have expended great
part of these rates on purposes apnertaining to the harbour
and trade of the port, the more they strengthen the hands
of opponents, who insist that there always were duties con-
nected with the preservation of the harbour and the quays,
Sc., attached to any such parchment grant. Whether such be
the case or not, Ido not now pretend to decide. It would appear
indeed, that, as urged by our opponents, both at the trial
before Lord Denman and in the proceedings before the com-
missioners, and at Manchester since, that the fact cf the
corporation having applied great part of these rates to har-
bour purposes, up to the date of the construction of the first
dock (the old dock), including an expenditure towards making
that dock, and prior to the obtaining of a separate " Dock
Trust," has been adduced as showing that the duties
referred to were always understood as attaching to these
dues, and that the application solely for town purposes was
a comparatively modern innovation. At all events, it must
be conceded that, on this view of the question, there is a
wide field for a fair and legitimate difference of opinion, and
that, as interested parties, we shall hardly be considered es
fair interpreters in our own favour. I think that, under
such an aspect of affairs, the legislature will take a much
larger and wider view, and will consider what is most con-
sistent with public as well as private interests. Nor do I
attach much importance to the fact of the municipal act of
1835 having enacted that borough funds should be
strictly applicable to borough purposes—the original
question of whether these were strictly borough funds,
and were not certain taxes with certain duties
attached to them, cannot be altered by such subse-
quent enactment. Assuming therefore that the legislature
should:take this large and general view (and this, I think, is
the spirit of Mr. Lowe's proposed legislation), what should
be our course ? I would venture to suggest that we should
meet the case in a manner that would be at once conducive
both to public interests, and, in my opinion, to the real
interests of Liverpool itself—and not only upon special
pleading within the narrow limits of the case as generally
put forward. It is notorious, for instance, that the present
conservancy bill for the estuary of the Mersey is a dead
letter for any beneficial or effective purpose—that the only
funds applied to it are some 600/.—paid by the corporation
to a gentleman living in London, who might just as well be
in Australia, so far as real conservation of this estuary is
concerned—inasmuch as were he even competent, in an
engineering sense, to deal with it (which, I believe, he would
hardly pretend to be his province), he has no funds at his
disposal for any such purpose ; yet the very existence of
Liverpool, and the welfare of the immensely important
districts behind Liverpool, depend on the conservation and
improvement of the access by the river. Mr. Walker, the
eminent civil engineer, was deputed by the Admiralty, a few
months since, to make a report on the state of the estuary
consequent on the facts which were brought under the
notice of the parliamentary committee on the dock bills of
last session. There is little doubt that his report will con-
firm all that has been alleged out of doors of the unjustifia-
ble encroachments made by the dock trustees on the river,
and the very dangerous state of our river approaches
for want of due supervision and expenditure.
Here, then, is a large question, involving the
interests of all the parties who are seeking
to have these taxes applied to public purposes.
The conservancy of the river can no longer be permitted
to maintain such a state of abeyancy ; all parties have a
vital interest in it ; and it is obviously the first and most
important object to which taxes levied on the trade using
that river should be applied. If the necessity of imme-
diate and large outlay be proved by Mr. Walker's report
—this mode of application is the more demanded—such
an expenditure would be consistent with the principles
laid down by Government in their bill, " that dues should
only be levied for services rendered ;" and, conversely,
that " where dues are levied, services must be performed."
The inland towns could not object to such an application
of the funds, and all that would then remain would be
to agree on the proper kind of board or trust to deal with
these funds and expenditure. At present the trust is
quite nominal (the Chief Lord of the Admiralty, the
Chancellor of the Duchy, and the Commissioner of Woods
and Forests—the present conservancy trust), being quite
a farce, and their officer being chiefly employed in looking
after crown rights. An efficient trust should consist of
parties on the spot ; and I observe, so long ago as 1840,
that, in a report then made by Mr. Wilkin to the Board
of Trade, and quoted in p. 660 of Baines' History of Liver-
pool, lie recommends a Trust composed of the Mayor of
Liverpool, Chairman of Dock Trust, a member to repre-
sent Canal Interests, and a member of Board of Trade.
Perhaps Manchester and inland towns might have a
member added, to obtain a really impartial board.
I think it could be shown that this would be dealing
fairly by all parties interested. and performing a great
public service, as well as benefitting Liverpool herself;
and, supposing, as Mr. Lowe seems to propose, that some
20,0001., per annum, or about one-half of the borough debt
charge, and 10,0001. to 15,0001. ner annum more for the
share of present charge on Birkenhead purchase, were
deducted from the 100,0001. of town dues revenue, we
should have a3surplus of some 60,000/. per annum to
deal with for the purposes I have indicated.
The extreme length of this communication prevents my
enlarging any farther at present on the comparative
advantages of this bold avowal of the justice and expe-
diency of this conrse, as opposed to the apparently narrow
and selfish policy which would persist in retaining a right
of taxing our neighbours for our own particular benefit._
Yours, &c., AN OWNER or PROPERTY IN LIVERPOOL.

TRANSPAU SERVICE AND PRISONERS OF WAR.—Last
week the estimates for the Transport Service and Prisoners'
of War for the year 1856-57, separated from the nava
estimates, but prepared by the naval department, was issued.
For the department of the Directors of Transport Service'
&c., £12,966 is required against £10,433 in the last
financial year. For transport establishments at the porta
£2 849, against £l,BBB in 1855-56. For freight, &c., for
the Army and Ordnance Departments, £6,829,922, against
£6,653,947, the total of the last vote. For prisoners of
war, £125,800, while the last vote was £lOO,OOO. Altoge-
ther, £6,971,537 is required for the service of the year
1856-57, against the last vote for the financial year, 185-56,
of £6,766,263.

TILE NEW BIsHOP Or CARLISLE.—The Hon. and ROT
Henry Montagu Villiers, M.A., who has been appointed to
the Bishopric of Carlisle, was educated at Christ Church,
Oxford, where, in 1834, he took his degree of Bachelor of
Arts. In 1841, being then twenty-nine years of age, he
was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the rectory of St.
George's, Bloomsbury, worth £3OO a year, and in 1847 he
was nominated by Lord John Russell, then Prime Minister,
to a canonry residentiary in St. Paul's Cathedral, worth
£l,OOO. Both these appointments he has held up to the
present time, but they will become vacant on his consecra-
tion to the episcopate. Mr. Villiers has been for many
years past one of the leaders of the Evangelical party in
the Church, but has never interfered in politics. He de-
clined even to vote in the memorable Oxford contests. The
Hon. and Rev, gentleman's " Confirmation" will take place
in the parish church of St. James's, Westminster, as soon
as the letters patent are made oat, and he will be con-
secrated in the Chapel Royal, Whiteball,by the Archbishop of
York, who will be assisted by the Bishops of Ripon, Chester,
Manchester, and Sodor and Mann. The new bishop will
not have a seat in the House of Lords until the avoidance
of, and appointment to some See, other than Canterbury,
London, Durham,__ and Winchester.
COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH BRAZIL.—Lord Palmer-
ston received on Monday, in Piccadilly, a deputation from the
Manchester Commercial Association, on the subject of our
relations with Brazil. The object of the deputation is to
procure the repeal of the Bth and 9th Vic., cap. 122, so
long an offence to the Brazilian government, by whom it
is thought sufficiently vigorous and successful efforts have
been recently made to put an end to the traffic in slaves.
The deputation included Mr. J. H. De Castro, Mr. Swinfen
Jordan, Mr. W. Harding, Mr. R. J. Farbridge, Mr. Wm.
Gibb, and Mr. Ijugh Fleming secretary of the association.
On the same day, the deputation had an interview,
according to appointment, at the Board of Trade,
with Mr. Lowe, on the subject of the shipping
bill, and also on the subject cf the African import
duties. According to a letter which has come to the hands
of the association, the increased ad valorem duties of three
per cent., placed by the legislative council at Cape Coast
Castle on English manufactures, was already driving the
trade into the handa of the Dutch, and the governor of the
small Dutch town of Mauree, three or four miles from Cape
Coast, had given some of the English resident merchants
moving there from Cape Coast permission to occupy the
fort, on condition of keeping it in repair. Vessels were
already passing Cape Coast, in consequence of the annoy-
ance and restrictions on trade by the new regulations.