The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-08 00:00:00

THE TOWN L'UES

TO THS EDITOR Or THE NORM 'ERN TIMES.
Sir,—My propil:qic views are now ab out to be realised,
and the dues of our town must give pia, ce to a rate on
the borough.
The question will now force itself upon the unth?k-
The N, ice-
ing—How have these dues been expended ?
out of a
president of the Board of Trade says, that
has been
revenue of £105,000 per annum, only £4OO
spent upon the sources of their exaction, w Ciiist the
remainder has been expended for the benefit of ti le rate-

payers.
I regret, however, he did not descend to show
where
this benefit was derived.
The poverty of our charitable institutions acqoj.!
the corporation of this charge, and Mr. Alderman Dove'
says, in his speech at the council, that for years betweell
£20,000 and £30,000, have been annually conceded W the
shipping interest, in the shape of exemptions to Lila
poor-rate.

The judicious remarks of Mr. Picton on the introduc-
tion of this stibject, are in strange contrast to those of
Mr. Robertson Gladstone, who invites a discussion of the
principle, and descends to vulgar abuse. The govern-
ment have declared the principle of their interference ;
and I apprehend it will be for the speakers at the forth-
coming meeting, to combat those principles. They draw
a distinction between the property of private individuals,
and public bodies.

They remind us upon the passing of the Municipal
Bill, they suffered this property to pass from the honours
of a self-elected body, to a popular constituency, and
with the fable of the wolf and the lamb as their precedent,
they say, " if you did not muddy the stream, your fore-
fathers did—and this is sufficient for us to pounce upon
our prey."

In Sour leading article of this day, you assume that
2s 6d in the pound will be added to our rates.
Surely we are all bound to avert so great a calamity.
. . _ .

I hope the inhabitants of Liverpool will be enabled to
show to the government and the country at large, they
have not deserved the imputations cast upon them by
Mr. Lowe, and that the expenditure upon their town
and docks has had a national advantage, and whatever
may be the errors of expenditure, should form no argu-
ment for depriving them of their birthright.—l am, &co
February 7, 1856. A TRADESMAN..

M. F. tie Lesseps has put forward an advertisement,
intimating that the " International Commission'' for the
construction of a canal through the Isthmus of Suez are
to meet two months hence in London.
Early in March, Mr. E, Miall, M.P., will move that the
House of Commons resolve itself into a
,committee, to
" consider the temporal provision.S made by the_ law for
religious teaching and worship in Ireland."
We observe that the Provost ant: Board of Trinity
College, Dublin, have conferred the honorary degree
of LL.D. on Sir James Shaw Willes, the ns?wly appointed
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and W. 11. Russell,
Esq., the Times' correspondent at the Crimea.
BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.—Dr. Whitay C.EI
who is well known as a surveyor in the Incum.beret:
Estates' Court, has brought an action for breach °,l
promise of marriage against a Mrs. Warburton, which
will be tried in Dublin in a few days, and is expected to
afford more than the usual entertainment such cases
generally give.
COURT MARTIAL IN THE CRIMEA.—At a general court
martial held at the head-quarters of the Highland Divi
sion, on the 16th, Private Hugh M'Pherson, 93rd, was
tried upon the following charge :—" That he did, at camp'
Kamara, in the Crimea, on or about the 7th day of Jane,.
1856, feloniously, wilfully, and of malice aforethought,
kill !and murder John Chalmers, a private in the 93rd
Regiment of Highlanders." The Court found the prisoner
"guilty of manslaughter," and sentenced him to undergo
a punishment of penal servitude for a period of four
years. The sentence was confirmed.
FIRE Orrtces.—The directors of our fire insurance
companies have taken alarm at a propositioLs offered 131
the managers of a French fire office who have opened a
branch in London, to the effect that they are ready to
issue policies in England without the payment of the duty
of 3s. per cent , to which the English offices are subject'
This innovation has led to a written correspondence with
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which has hitherto been
deemed unsatisfactory; and endeavours are:now making
to obtain a personal interview with the right hon. gentle-
man, in the hope of having the case brought under the
immediate consideration of the government.
At a very considerable sale of autographs, which ternife'
nated on Saturday, in Paris, a letter from Michael Angelo
went up to 281 f. ; one of Henry VIII. of England to Anna
Batten, 262 f. ; Talmo to Ducis, relative to Mdlle. George
on the forthcoming niece of Macbeth, 501. In it Talmo
declares that Mane. George will have much to do to throw
Mrs. Siddons into the shade, but that the French actress
will certainly have the advantage over the great English
tragedian in beauty—a decision in which few persons wb9
have seen Mrs. Siddons will be inclined to acquiese.
NARROW ESCAPE OF GENERAL CODRINGTON.—The'
latest news from the Crimea conveys the account of an
almost miraculous escape of General Sir W. Codrington
and his staff on the 19th ult, when another portion of the
docks at Sebastopol was blown up in the presence of the
general and his staff. The Russians soon discovered, by
the nm.,her of horses present, that some great men were
among the spectators of what was to be done. Thor►
therefore, just as the explosion took place, began to
throw shot and shell in great quantity across the harbour;
and one shell in particular was so well directed that .„
burst in the very centre of the gentlemen of the staff, but
luckily neither they nor the general were hurt.
THE HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN PORTLAND-STREET,'"
After the examination of the unhappy murderer, Wlllien
Bousfield, before the magistrate at Marlborough-street
police-court, he was removed to one of the cells at th:
basement thereof by Welch the gaoler, who, in order
prevent the prisoner from dashing his brains out against
the walls, as he had previously attempted at Bow-streeL+
took the precaution of placing two police-constables 11
the cell with him. The prisoner refused the refreshment
which was offered to him by Welch, and did not utter ':
single word until the cell door was opened by the jailor
,0
I°l
on the arrival of the prison van, when, as he was le(i
the latter, he anxiously inquired whether he should be
brought up again Upon being told he would, he gave $
shudder, and said " he dreaded the crowd more than all;
thing." He was then placed in the van by Serjeany
Bradford. He was in such a weak and desponding state'
that that officer did not think it necessary to keep tl'S
handcuffs on any longer. The prisoner was then conveyed
to the house of detention. Since his incarceration he has re*
fused to hold the slightest communication with any one'
and has not in the least degree alluded to the dread
crime with which he stands charged.
MADAME JENNY LIND-GOLDSCRMIDT•--A rumour which
has got abroad that her Majesty's Theatre is to be opehes
this season by Mr. Lumley, with Madame Goldschmidt 3
the prima donna, is, we have every reason to believe, deg'
titute of foundation. No such arrangement has been made'
nor is there any likelihood that Jenny Lind will change
her deliberate and fixed resolution to abandon the stage'
During the last two weeks Madame Goldschmidt has give°
a number of concerts in the provinces—at Reading,
Exeter,
Plymouth, and other,places. They have been attended blo
great crowds, and the " Nightingale" has been everywhenrt
received with acclamations. At Reading an accidu'ilt
happened, which fortunately did not prove serious, °
showed Jenny Lind's kindly disposition. As her carriage
was leaving the Town-hall after the concert, a boy' "ci
knocked down and fell under the wheels. He was cartie,,
to the hospital, and was found not to have been dangerousvo
hurt. Madame Goldschmidt showed the utmost concu,r,
and anxiety on his account, and immediately sent £5 to u°
used for his benefit.
THE IMPERIAL CRADLE.—The municipal authorities,,
Paris have already given orders for a magnificent crae'r
to be got ready for the expected infant of the EnlPer°,‘,
and Empress. It will surpass, it is said, in taste and
quisite workmanship the famous one presented to to
King of Rome. The following is a brief description of toe
work in question :—" It will be in the form of a boat, the
principal emblem in the arms of the city of Paris. At :be
prow will be a silver eagle with outspread wings, and ',31
curtains at the head will be supported by an ImPet„l
crown, also in silver, held up by two children, one weailv,"o
a helmet, and the other bearing round its head an 011,,,,
branch emblematical of peace. The body of the erscl;t
stands on two columns, one at the head and the other ill
the foot, and united by a rail beneath. The columns eta
be in rosewood, beautifully carved and ornamented vvio
foliage in silver. The upper edge of the cradle will 113
tae
a border of silver filagree work, having on either 5-00
about the middle, small escutcheons in silver bearing '4r,
initials of their Majesties. From these medallions ff-of
lands of flowers in silver will lead to the foot and hea"ce
the cradle. The curtains will be of point d'Aieneon rip
and blue silk embroidered in gold. The composit'd
direction, and superintendence of this beautiful plee,,ebi•
workmanship has been confided to M. Baltard, the at—
tect of the city of Paris."
re LISBON, FEB. I.—(Extract of a Letter.)--,, A great se
il
sation has been caused here by the barbarous assass''„,
tion of the Councillor M. Ildefonso Leopoldo Bayard. :ca
Portuguese Minister at the Court of Rio Janeiro, vl„iiit,
took place on the 25th at about eleven o'clock at 11'Soil
upon his Excellency's returning home from the Lisbeil,
Club. It would appear he reached his door, rang the rid
and was shot in the head by some one who had oPe
bf
the door from inside. The neighbours being alarmed 3,0
the report of the pistol found the unfortunate gentlenlocl
stretched in a senseless and dying state in the street, be
although life did not become extinct for several honre:reci
gave no sign of consciousness. No direct evidence aPPe"B,
hreocledn recently
amardazeo,
raandndupmoandebedinesgpeorradteereedffoo
to indicate the assassin. Suspicion from the first s,eeter,
however, to have rested upon the servants, who were liebd
ested in legacies left to them in a will M. Barr(' thu,
valet, under pretext of going to his room for clothe"
al°
suicide ; and before the officers could take the razoravo,l odd
him inflicted several wounds on them, and cut 1315 bib
i g
throat so frightfully as to leave little hopes of ss!-/Ibeiril,
life. M. Bayard was universally respected, and,d iov"
inoffensive and kind-hearted in the extreme, I Flom the
considered less likely than any one I know to bec°,sl
assassin's victim. Only a few hours before he had
speaking to me in his habitual good spirits rfftstotportscooh„::ooo.

14'
Printed and Published by CHARLES WILLMER, of 21' °ll9'
street, at his General Printing and Stationery Establishni
South John-street, Liverpool.
PIILWAT, FKBRUARY 8, 1850.