The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-07 00:00:00

SHIP BURNED ON THE RIVER CLYDE

We have to record the total destruction by fire of the
American barque Victoria, (688 tons burden,) Captain J:
Waltington which took place on the river within thtee
miles off Glasgow,' on Friday afternoon, about an hour after
leaving the Broomielaw, on her outward voyage to New
York. The following are the particulars in so far as we
have learned them from Mr. Collins, the second mate :
About two o'clock, the Victoria quitted the harbour and
proceeded down the .river. being towed by A tr,steamer. Ju
less than an hour thereafter, sne reached \' intemca
passing another vessel, some ladies on board were observed
to direct the attention of those on board of the Victoria
to something aft. The captain was not yet in command.
as he intended overtaking the ship by rail at Greenock. Mr.
Collins was at dinner, when his attention was called to the
part of the ship pointed at by the ladies, and looking aft
he saw a dense volume of smoke rising up over the vessel's
quarter. He ran aft and looked over the taffrail,
when he was compelled to retire from the effects of a
body of flame that issued from the stern ports, The cabin
was a poop on deck, and the flames appearing to issue
from the aft part of the 'tween decks, he instantly
made his way below by the after hatch, but from the
density of the smoke he had only time to distinguish
that a pile of old wood and other materials which were
lying at the after extremity of the 'tween decks immediately
below the cabin appeared to have been moved from the
position in which he had seen them all safe a short time
before. He hurried back to the deck, narrowly escaping
suffocation, and there found the cook, a negro, named.
Samuel Graham, running about in a state of apparent ex-
citement, and declaring that he knew the ship would be
burned, and would never reach her destination, This ex-
cited suspicion, and Graham was instantly put in irons,
and in an hour afterwards was handed over to the authori-
ties. On being handcuffed, he gave expression to some in-
sinuations against another negro, who, up till within the
last few days, was steward of the ship, and who left on
account of a dispute with some of the officers. Gra-
ham also alleged that he had seen the late steward on
board shortly before the vessel sailed. When the fire wag
discovered it was found that it had got too serious a hold to
be easily overcome, and as any wind that was blowing at the
time was from an easterly direction, and from the position of
the ship favouring the progress of the flames, the vessel was
hove round, and grounded on the southern bank, So ra-
pidly did the flames spread that the tug had to make off
from alongside. A number of carpenters from a shipbuild-
ing yard on the opposite bank hurried to the scene of devas-
tation, in the hope of scuttling the vessel, but she being
already on the ground, this was impossible.
By four o'clock the flames began to bu rst through the
the deck, when it was deemed proper to make an attempt
to save some of the rigging. The foremast was cut by the
board, and then the mainmast ; and while this was being
done, the mizenmast had been burned through. All three
masts were laid alongside between the vessel and the bank,
and it was with some difficulty that the fire from the mizen-
mast was prevented from communicating with the other
two. An informant, who left the scene about eight o'clock
in the evening, states that at that period the vessel was
going of gradually consuming to the water's edge. The
cargo of the Victoria consisted of pig iron and box and bale
goods. Between the hull and cargo the loss may be esti-
mated at about £50,000. We learn that a number of steve-
dores were working on board up till the vessel left the
harbour, and that they had beeen using a light below, In
addition to the cook, it has been deemed proper to take
several others of the crew into custody, and a thorough in-
vestigation will of course be made into the whole affair.
The few passengers on board reached the bank of the river
unscathed.

According to the Customs' House Bill of Entry, the
cargo was composed as follows :

70,000 yards coloured cotton ....
Cotton thread
Magnesia
58 tons 10 cwt. iron castings ~..

value £l5OO
" 616.

525 tons pig iron

Total

£4,185

EXTENSIVE ROBBERY IN MANCHESTERr—YESTER•
DAY.—We have to announce the commission of a robbery
yesterday, at the silk mill in Albert-street, Manchester,
occupre • d by Mr. Miles Simpson, and at a dye house in the
same street, occupied by Mr. Morris. The robbery must
have been effected between 3 p.m. on Saturday, when the
premises were closed for the week, and 9 a.m. yesterday
morning, but it is supposed it was committed after mid-
night. It appears that the entrance to the premises must
have been effected by crossing the river Irwell and at a
small embankment ion the river side. The thieves must
then have crossed a wall and got up a plank which rests
against the yard wall, by which an entrance was effected
into the outer yard of the mill. A portion of the window
frame of the dye-house adjoining was then destroyed, from,
which the thieves got through a door into the inner yard.
A portion of the store room was then destroyed, after which
the robbers obtained access to the interior of the mill. The
property they succeeded in taking away was, from 50 to 60
lbs. weight of dull flock warp silk, about 30 lbs. of bright
flock warp silk, 14 lbs. of dark blue warp
silk, of two shades ;
and 4 lbs of a light shade of warp silk. The above property
was taken from the silk mill, and from the dye-house ad-
joining there was removed, 10 lbs. cf China boiled-off silk,
in a wet state. The value of the property stolen from the
mill is estimated at £lOO, and that from the dye-house at
£l3. It is supposed the robbers, who must have been two
or three in number, returned the same way by which they
entered. As yet there is no clue to' their ditcovery,

- SATURDAY EVENING'S CONCERT. I
On Saturday evening Mr. HENRY PHILLIPS, the well-known
ballad singer, gave one of his popular musical entertain-
ments at the Concert-hall, Lord Nelson-street. The hall
was densely crowded, and the Mayor (S. Howm, Esq.). pre-
sided. Mr. Phillips opened the concert with a brief address
to the audience, in which he pointed out the elevating ten-
dencies of music, and laid down a few rules for the guidance
of those anxious to cultivate the art. A 3 to the merits
of the address, and a passing dissertation on poetry
in general, into which he was tempted, we shall merely re-
mark that we consider they had much better been omitted,
and that Mr. Phillips had confined himself to that in which
he really is excellent, and not have approached too near the
confines of the ludicrous, in his attempt to popularize, or
make plain a very noble and a very subtle theme. The mo-
tive, no doubt, was good, but the result cannot be elevating.
The programme contained a number of Dibdin's celebrated
sea songs, and a variety of other ballads equally- well known,
and in each and every [one of them Mr. Phillips was de-
servedly applauded. In theinterval between the two parts of
the entertainments,
Mr. Caine came forward and addressed the assemb . After
remarking on the excellence of the entertainment provided
for them, he observed that the success of the hall was owing
to two causes. The first of these was, that in Liverpool
there were some thousands of working men who preferred
rational recreation. and the exercise of the faculties which
God had
.given to them, to the trash that was offered
to them in what were nick-named " Free Concerts."
(Hear, hear.) He confessed he burned with indignation
when he saw posted on the walls of the town various
placards, proclaiming "A treat for working men," "Amuse-
ment for the million," " Classical entertainment for
the people." Classical, indeed ! A man making
a monkey of himself (laughter), but he can not wonder that
these places were availed of,:when Parliament legalised and
a bench of Magistrates licensed:theist. (Applause). They were
told forsooth, that these places were requisite to such a po-
pulation as that of -Liverpool. He replied that they were
not requirek(hear, hear), and that it was a stigma upon the
people of Liverpool to assert the contrary. (Applause). The
institution success of that was evidence that such places were
not required in Liverpool, and he had even before him then
two thousand witnesses to the fact. The other cause of their
success was that gentlemen of wealth and station had from
time to time come forward, and taken part in their proceed-
ings. He did not say that they condescended to do this, for
he did nos know in such a case what condescension was. A
gentleman was but a man, and every man might be a gentle-
man if he liked. (Applause). He knew no better gentlemen
than those who were in the habit of meeting within the
walls of the hall. He had stood on the stairs and watched
the crowd passing into the room, and amongst them he had
noticed hundreds of young girls—veritable • unprotected fe-
males ". (laughter). Now if they were going to the circus orthe
theatre, they would take withthem a stout fellow with astick to
protect them, but when they came to that hall, they knew
they had the protection of manly hearts, of men who would
act as gentlemen and treat them as ladies, and they never
yet had been disappointed. (Applause.) In conclusion, he
would call on them to express their grateful acknowledg-
ments to the Mayor, who had come forward in the most
dignified manner, and lent the influence of his station as a
sanction and approval of their proceedings. They had a
right to acknowledge it, and, in addition, his liberality,
which he, (Mr. Caine) as the treasurer, well knew. He
had found him (the Mayor) liberal minded, and liberal
handed, and when a man possessed these qualities, he was
truly liberal, let him go by what name he would. (Loud
applause.)
The MAYOR then came forward, and was enthusiastically
greeted. Having expressed his thanks for the warmth of
his reception, he said, that it was in that hall he had first
the pleasure of meeting his assembled townsmen, when their
representatives in the council had done him the honor of
placing him in the civic chair ; and as Mayors, during
the period of their office, were compelled, like
Shakspeare's characters, to play many parts, he
again appeared before them for the last time ere
he transferred the office which he filled, to he hoped
a more worthy successor. He almost regretted that the
custom of such assemblies somewhat interfered with the
harmony, -because after the excellent music to which
they had been listening with such pleasure, and after the
poetry which they had heard, he was afraid they would
consider him rather prosy (no, no,) if he ventured to address
them at any great length. That he would not do. They
would permit him, however, to say, that he did not think
when a man accepted the office of chief magistrate, that
he ought to have a pitch-plaster put over his mouth,
(applause,) and he contended that whether he was in
Liverpool, or wherever else he might be, if he filled the
office a-right, he ought to bring all its influence to bear
upon those things which-were for the benefit of mankind,
and particularly for the benefit of all classes of the town;
over which he was called on to preside. (Applastse..) He'
had pleasure, therefore, in meeting them there in his
public, as well as in his private capacity, and as
he had pleasure on a former occasion in meeting them
there, to witness the recreation they deserved, and
which they ought to have after their labour, so
again he met them that night at the end of his
stewardship with renewed feelings of respect and attach-
ment, (Applause). They had met there in cordiality to
enjoy rational recreation, and they enjoyed more, for they
had provided for them a musical treat of a very superior
ausesrperon. -araiiktne. required recreation. The body became
excited, the mind became untuned by labour, and rest and
recreation were the restoratives which nature pointed out.
Tint recreation to be useful should be innocent, and such as
could bear the reflection of a subsequent period: and he
had seen' nothing in the. (msssstaneuts which were provided
for them there, but such as every one might cordially join
in, and such as he thought were deserving of the support of
the whole of the community. (Hear, hear). A man might
have, indeed, the excitement of the spirit shop, which might
elevate him for a moment, only subsequently the more
seriously to depress him. They should have variety of occu-
pation both physically and mentally, for nature taught
them that variety was beneficial. He knew what it was in
early days to work six days in the week from six in the
morning until six at night as well as others (applause)
he knew, that after his labour, the working man required
bow to be unstrung, and the arrow to be placed in the
quiver, and thst his mind, as well as his body, should have
that variety which was so necessary for the preservation of
his health and comfort. (Applause). And amongst the
amusements which were rational, he looked upon music as
being one of the richest treats, not only. the music which
; icy derived from the instrument,. but just as Shakspeare
eke of their finding " sermons m stones, and good in
everything," (renewed applause), so likewise, music was not
merely confined to instruments, but they could find it in
everything they saw, and in all they' heard around them.
He could hear music in the sad sighing of the wind when
he was alone. He could hear it in the various intonations
of the human voice ; and how remarkable it was in the cis

ative power of God, that there were not in the world two
human voices nor two human faces exactly alike. They
might discern music if they seriously thought, in the boom-
ing of the gun which announced the arrival of the trans-
atlantic steamer. They might find it while walking on the
edge of the town, in the accumulated sound of ten thousand
voices, which were borne on the breeze, when the world
seemed waking and going to labour. He could discern mu-
sic in the clanging of the ten thousand hammers which
were wielded by the brawny arms of the working men in
this town. He could find music in the human voice when
it was uttering the tender accents of affection, of pity, or of
love; and he could hear music celestial strains—when he
heard it uttered by the voice of an affectionate wife when she
gave her husband a hearty welcome, and when he came
home and found his fireside clean, and when he received the
smiles of those whom he loved, and who loved him : and if there
was any music in the spheres, it was such music as that.
(Loud applause.) He spoke to the young men, apprentices,
who were present, and he besought them, instead of spend-
ing their time in the club-room or the tavern, or in those
filthy and abominable places—free concerts, which dis-
graced and disfigured the town, to cultivate music.
Let them attend to the cultivation of their own minds
in other respects. What wonders there are, for instance, in
the very rudiments of chemistry ; or in astronomy, and in
its study become acquainted with the myriads of worlds
rolling through the eternity of countless space. They had
now a public library which was placed at their disposal, and
they were asked to go there, instead of to the low haunts of
dissipation, which he was sorry to say so many visited, and
endJavour to rise in the intellectual scale. Let them be ree
solved to rise in making use of the talents which a bountiful
God had given them, and they might depend on it that if
they said so, they would obtain that happiness and pros-
perity which no other course they might pursue could attain
for them. • Many blamed the laws, the social system, and
the institutions under, which they lived, but they forgot that
they had a right more frequently to blame themselves ; for
it was they themselves Who .....e generally the cause of their
want of success. (Applause.) No thoughtful man could
sit on the magisterial bench, and -ivitne'ss the misery brought
before him, the result of drunkenness, and not shudder.
More than half the crimes which had been brought before
him in his magisterial capacity had b, Dv drill',
enness, and when he was chairman of th
last assizes, he found that two-thirds of th, total crime
sprung from drunkenness. Look at the domestic b
look at the reckless husband and the broken hearted wife
look at the ragged children, and the misery and vice whi,
in every shape filled their courts of law, and when he kne\
that all this took its rise in:drunkenness, he would be guilty o,
-violence to his own feelings if he did not caution every man to
avoid the places which he had described, as they would be the
destruction of their body and soul. (Applause). The
mayor then narrated how when travelling some time ago for
health, he met an old gentleman in Nice, whose sole object
seemed to be the doing of good. Having become acquainted
with him, he learned from his own lips the history of his
life. He was born in one of the eastern counties, and reared
in a workhouse. He was then bound apprentice to a sweep
in London, and when out of his time he became 0 -'

grand jury at the

chimni