The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-12 00:00:00

THE HEALTH COMMITTEE.

The usual weekly meeting of this committee was held
at the Town Hall, yesterday. Mr. Alderman Dover pre-
sided. The other members of the committee present
were Messrs. Shiel, M‘Guffie, Godfrey, Gladstone, Beek -
with, A. C. Stewart, Hodson, Johnson, Haydock, and
Holden.
HEALTH OP THE TOWN.

The medical officer of health reported that the extreme
cold, for seven days continuance, *Filch set in towards
the close of the week before last, caused a considerable
increase in the mortality of the borough during the last
week. The total deaths ivere 244, being 35 more than
in the previous week, and more than in any week of the
preceding, three months. The average mortality of the
same week of the previous eight years, when corrected
for increase of population, is pearly the sanie as the
mortality of last week. in the parish, the deaths were
154; In the out townships, 90. Diseases of the lungs,
including consumption, caused 92 deaths, or, without
consumption, 70 ; a greater number than in any week
since the intense frost in the spring of 1855. From
diseases of the iymotic class there were 63 deaths, of
which scarletina caused 18, croup 10, typhus 8, hooping
cough 8, small pox 5 (two after vaccination), measles
4, and syphilis 2. The deaths from croup were more
numerous than ever previously recorded in one week in
Liverpo )1. Of the 244 who died from all causes, 144
were children and 100 adults.
Several other reports were also read, including that of
the borough engineer, building surveyor, and inspector
of nuisances, *hd reported various particulars of the
operations in their several departments during the week.
from which it appeared that 162 dilapidated privies and
ashpits *ere altered and repaired, 910 cesspools had been
discharged, 68 nuisances complained of by inhabitants
had been inspected, and means taken to remedy them,
484 houses in the unhealthiest district, containing 1,507
apartments and 185 cellars, had been put under exami-
nation, with the view of improving their sanitary condi-
tion, and 95 lodging houses had also been examined and
reported upon.
THE M&NTTRE QUESTION.
One of the contractors (Rose) had made a complaint
to the committee, that he had received information that
the other contractor (Ellison) had been taking a large
quantity of night soil from the St. G;m:ge's Hall cesspool,
which belonged to him. Mr. Rose said that the stuff taken
was pure execrement, and was of very great value to
him ; artificial manure makers had offered £5 a load for
it, but it was of much greater value than that,
and he should value the twelve or fourteen loads taken
by Ellison at £3O. Mr. Ellison was called, and he
stated that he had been requested by Mr. M'Kenzie to
remove the manure, and that he had been a loser by it, and
should call upon the committee to indemnify him for it.
Mr. M.Kenzie denied that he had ordered Mr. Ellison to
empty the bin in question until he had been asked to do
so ; what he was asked to do was, to take away some
rubbish. E ich party was called into the room, and the
subject underwent a strict and searching investigation,
in the course of which the facts were elicited as stated
by Mr. Rose. The parties having retired,
Mr. Gladstone stated that the subject had assumed a
more serious aspect than was at first contemplated—it
was, that one of their contractors bad been guilty of a
felony, by taking away the property of another. If it
had been a poor man he would have been punished, then
why should they not punish their own servant.
Mr. M`Guffie concurred in the same view.
Mr. Hodson strongly censured such conduct, and
thought that the committee should punish him.
The Law Clerk said that, so far as regards punish-
ment, the committee was powerless. It would be for
Mr. Rose to take steps against Ellison for removing his
property.
Some further remarks were made by several of the
committee, condemnatory of Ellison's conduct, when a
resolution was unanimously agreed to, to the effect—that
the committee considered that Mr. Ellison had been
guilty of the grossest misconduct, in removing night
soil, which he admitted belonged to another person, and
in disregarding a notice sent by the deputy law clerk,
requesting him to desist from removing it.
The parties were called in, and the resolution was read
to them, the Chairman observing, that the committee
considered the conduct of Mr. Ellison very disreputable.
Mr. Rose thanked the committee, and the parties

retired. NRW CLERKS.
It was decided that the vacancies amongst the clerks,
occasioned by the recent appointments, should be filled
up from the extra clerks in the office, as they had not
advertised for the higher clerks.
Some routine business was then disposed of.
Mr. Gladstone called the attention of the borough
engineer to a subject he had mentioned some time
since—the safety of street signs. On Saturday there
was a fatal accident occurring from one falling upon a
female, who was killed He expressed a hope that the
borough engineer would look to the subject, for the
safety of the public.
The committee then adjourned.

DOCK COMMITTEE.

The usual weekly meeting of the members of this
committee was held yesterday, at the Dock Offices; Mr.
Turner presided. The other members present, were—
Messrs. Rankin, Palmer, Robinson, Brocklebank, Hal-
head, Chaloner, Ruunthwaite. Gladstone, Hubbaek,
Barber, Monsel, Clint, Anderson, Ra.thbone, Bold,
Chilton, Smith, J. Holme, and E. Evans.

The resolutions alopted by the Birkenhead Dock
Committee, for increasing the salaries of the clerk, and
the amount paid for Income Tax, was confirmed. The
chairman stated that the whole subject was under the
consideration of a sub-committee.
The sub-committee of works, recommended that the
tender of Messrs. Jones and Jump. for making some re-
pairs to the quays on the east side of the King's Dock,
should be accepted, which was confirmed, and they were
instructed to select and recommend men to fill up the
several vacancies occasioned by deaths, &c•, on the
staff.
Permission was also granted to the sub-committee to
run the Sandon Dock dry, for the of purpose clearing
away a sediment at the gates, and for overhauling the
same.
On the suggestion of the chairman, the name of Mr.
Clinton was added to the finance committee.
Letters were read from Mr. M'Gowan, the clerk to the
Health Committee, relative to the cellars in Queen Anne
street, being flooded at certain tides ; and also relative
to the parapet in Great Howard street ; each of which
were referred to the sub-committe for consideration.
A letter was read.'from Mr. - William Gibson, com-
plaining of the inaccuracy with which goods were-
weighed at the Queen's Dock weighing machine, which
was referred to the harbourmaster's committee.
A letter from Dr. White; of Newcastle, on the subject
of ballasting ships with water, was read ; and ordered
to be acknowledged.
A letter from Messrs. Bibby and Co,, complaining of
.tbe want of transit sheds, and of the expense of the
Stanley Dock, was, after a brief conversation, referred to
the sub-committee of works and the harbour master's
committee.
This concluded the general business of the committee.

THE BISHOP AND THE CORONER.

The Bishop cf Chichester has addressed a long; letter to
Sir George Grey, relating the circumstances of a case of
suicide by a young woman, named Harriet F'rogley. The
deceased was a •servant with a farmer, named Knight, at
Lodswortb. On, the 27th tilt, she went off secretly to Mid-
burst, purchased two pennyworth or arsenic, saying that Mr.
Knight wanted' to destroy rats, and returned to Lodsworth.
There she saw a carter, in her master's employ, working in a
field. She showed him, whom she accused of being the father
of the child then in her womb, what she had got, and, as'
he gave her no satisfaction (to use her own words), went to
a rick and took the poison. The curate of the parish, Mr.
Clarke, saw her before her death, and she died on the 29th
in her master's house. An inuest was held, but no wits
nesses who had seen her were called, nor even the party by
whom she had been served with the poison. The coroner
addressed the jury, expressing, his hope that no verdict of
fele de se would be returned. That, says the bishop, was
the evident tendency of his remarks, and he laid it down that
evidence as to the suicide's state of mind, after committing
the act, would be no evidence of the state of mind at the
moment of committing it. The verdict of the coroner bore
that the deceased committed suicide, and that, c‘ as to the
state of her mind at the time of taking such poison, no
evidence appeared to the jury to enable them to determine
therein according to law." Under this verdict, Mr. Clarke,
the curate was requested by the churchwardens to inter the
deceased with the burial service. He believed himself
forbidden by the rubrics from Gins so, and refused. The
body was decently interred in presence of the churchwar lens,
without any burial service. The bishop complains that by
_ the proceedings of the coroner ho and the curate are placed
in an awkward position, because if Mr. Clarke wrongfully
refused to read the service, he is liable to be proceeded
against at his (the bishop's) instance. The bishop thinks
this lobse administration of coroner's inquest law a very
serious evil, tending to diminish public ressard for the
sanctity of an oath, and to loosen the restraints on self-
murder.