The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-04-18 00:00:00

TNE NO TIIIEL=LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY, APRIL 18,1866:

" to arrive at any conclusion, by comparing the
" Coroner's Table with No. 1 Table of the Police
" Statistics, the former showing the number of
" inquests holden and the result, whilst the latter
" gives, as it professes, the number of persons taken
" into custody, and the offences with which they
" were charged at the time of their apprehension."
This explanation we willingly accept, so far as the
Head• Constable is concerned ; but what are we to
think of a system which, according to Major

GREIG'S own showing, is useless for comparison,
by which means alone the public can test the
tccuracy of either statistic ? No man can be
committed for murder or manslaughter, let those
crimes be " classified" as they may, without an
inquisition being held on the body of the person
killed. And in the " Return of all Inquests
' held before the BOROUGH CORONER for the year
hich we published simultaneously
with the article alluded to by Major GREG, the
cases of wilful murder are nine, and those of
manslaughter eight; whereas, Major GREIG states,
in the second paragraph of his report, that " not
" fewer than twelve persons were committed to the
" assizes for murder, by verdicts of the Coroner's
" Juries."

" 1855,'

Turning to Table No. 1, we find the number
" taken into custody," and " committed for trial for
" murder," twelve, and " manslaughter" six, of whom
two were discharged. Now, if Major GREIG had
not himself taken the Coroner's " verdicts," and
mixed them up in his Report with the figures given
in the Police Return, entitled " Table No. 1," no
one would ever have dreamt of comparing the
Coroner's books with those of the Police authorities.
It may be possible that " infanticide" comes under
the head of murder in the Constabulary Reports,
but as the Coroner's Returns show these crimes to
have been eight, by adding them to the twelve
mentioned by the HEAD-CONSTABLE, the total
would be twenty! instead of twelve, and
not seventeen, as stated in " Table 19.''

The discrepancies to which we have
alluded, are, therefore, not only " apparent," but
real. But as we must not compare these returns,
suppose we take either one of them, the other must
be wrong. The CORONER did not hold seventeen
juries on cases of wilful murder, or ten juries on
charges of manslaughter, in 1855, as distinctly
stated in `• Table 19 ;" nor, did he commit twelve
persons to the Assizes for murder, as alleged in the
second paragraph of Major GREIG'S report. Again,
in this " Table 19," we find in the " causes of

" death" that persons " found dead" are returned
nil, while the CORONER, out of the total of 705
eases brought before him, returns 257 as " found

" dead," and 91 " died suddenly"—" the surgeon
"called being unable to give a certificate of the
"cause of death." This " Table 19" gives us, it is
true, the same number of deaths under different
heads, but how comes it, that the police give us
specific causes of death in ninety-one cases in which
the CORONER states the surgeon called in was
unable to discover the cause of death ? This Table,
it is said, " gives the number of deaths during the
" year 1855, upon which Coroner's inquests have
"been holden," and " the cause of death;" but if
it does give us the total number of deaths, the
causes of death, and their " classification," are
wholly at variance with the verdicts of the Coroner's
Juries, and the inferences to be drawn from them.
With the apprehensions and charges which were
made in the year in question, we have nothing to
do. We have to deal with the figures set down
under specific heads, and these are all at variance,
and must appear to the public; for whose inform-
ation they are compiled, wholly unintelligible.
Our object in pointing out the " apparent discrep-
ancies " is, that they may be corrected. If we
are to have a Table embodying the criminal
charges brought before the Coroner's Court,
let that Return be copied from the Coroner's
books. Believing that the Watch Committee will
see these errors rectified henceforth, we cheerfully
advert to a brighter phase of the criminal records.
" For example," says Major Greig, "in offences
"by violence against the person, education is
" almost entirely wanting, there not being one
" person charged with shooting, violent assaults,
who can read and write well ; whilst of
" 1,131, the number charged with common assaults

" only one out of every 250 can read and write
"well." Here are facts for the working classes to

ponder over, and the friends of education to turn
to good account. We have here only the debase-
ment of the uneducated, not the terrible amount
of punishment ignorance provokes. Yet, with all
that can be said, crime is not increasing in this

852 against

Borough.
This encouraging assurance is given in " Table
"5" of Major GREIO'S report. Comparing the
number of prisoners committed for trial in 1846
with the total of 1855, the decrease appears to be
A fraction over 49 per cent., the numbers being
448, while in the former year the
number convicted and sentenced was 700, and in
the latter 352 only. The last two years show pretty
nearly the same ratio of decrease, and now that
the low neap tide of crime has arrived, redoubled
efforts ought to be made to arrest the increase of
those less heinous vices which date directly from
ignorance and drunkenness, and which appear
under the head of offences " summarily punished."
In this column of the Police Returns considerable
improvement may be traced, except in intem-
perance. The number summarily punished in
1816 was 12,198, and in the twelve months ending
December last 15,053, being an increase of 2,855 .
but this augmentation, in the muster-roll of
depravity, must not be added to what is strictly
speaking " crime ;" for Major GREIG states that
the total number of persons " taken into custody
" for the degrading vice of intemperance, was
" 4,820," and if we dedact these figures from the
total of apprehensions for 1853, of which 39.6 per
cent were discharged, it will be found that the com-
mittals for all other petty crimes were numerically
less than last year, and the year before, than they
were in 1846 ! We have good cause to exult at the
truth as disclosed in these Returns, for it shows us
most irrefragably that the sole remaining pleague
~pots we have to remove from our social system are
drunkenness and ignorance. With the disappear-
ance of one, apprehensions by the police will be dimi-
nished fully 50 per cent, and summary punishment
40 per cent, and with the latter we may infer that
when every Englishman can read and write well,
that the police reports would convey to us the
joyful tidings, that since education was no longer
wanting, there was not one person charged with
"shooting, violent assaults, &c.," as all could
read and write well."

OUR Chester readers and supporters are loud in
the expression of their just wrath at the manner in
which the Council and the gas monopolists of
their city have juggled them on the gas question.
They must, however, do us the justice to say, that
we have given them all the information they could
require to enable them to see through and oppose
the whole job. Had the consumers, as a body,
made a determined stand against the amalgama-
tion, the Corporation would scarcely have

attempted to sanction it on any terms. But as
this was not done in good time, the question is,

what course ought now to be taken? Our corres-
pondent, whose letter will be found in an-
other column, gives a concise, and, no doubt, a
perfectly correct outline of the Council's proceed-
ings ; and certainly they do not redound much
to the credit of a public body. Yet the good people
of Chester must remember, that it takes great
men to carry out great wrongs, and that those on
whom the public have conferred power, are to blame
in this, as in almost every other instance. There
are, in leed, few ZENOS in these days, at whose
house the keys of a city ought to be leSt, or who
place the summum bonum in virtue, such as that
required to resist the rich pickings which are to be
found in gas lighting at Is. 6d. a thousand.

Philosophy, or the close fist of logic, may, in a
few more centuries, work the same change in cor-
porate jobbers, that the former did in SOCRATES'
temper, and win mayors, aldermen, councilmen,
and town clerks, from all the natural weaknesses
of their nature ; but so long as corporations are
suffered to give away, out of the pockets of rate-
payers, 10,0001 to 20,0001 to gas monopolists, the
much to be desired change will never take place.
Wherever such things can be done with impunity,
there the public will always be found in a minority
of 8 against 23. Give Mr. SALISBURY, or any other gas

manufacturer, 10,0001 or 20,0001 out of the corpora-
tion purse, and he will ride rough-shod over a
town containing half a million of people. Our
correspondent states that at the council meeting

fore the last, the amalgamation question wa

ostponed until the opinion of the citizens could

be obtained ; and he appears surprised that the
Mayor did not call a public meeting, to see what
the ratepayers and corporate constituency thought
of the proposal. Five ward meetings were held,
but the knowing amalgamators did not pay one
farthing towards the expenses, and the Chester
newspapers—save us from the like—played the
prudent part assigned to GoG and MAGOG, who,
when brought out and positively made a show of,
beside civic trumpers and men in brass, remain as
silent as the grave.

But we would simply ask the Legislature if this
is the way the Corporate affairs of this nation
should be conducted, or that indispensable
necessary—cheap light—dealt with by men
wholly ignorant of its quality, mode of distribu-
tion, and cost of production? Is the light which

ought to be supplied to the people, the poor more
especially, at a price which would render it as
accessible and useful to the million as the light
from the sun, moon, and stars, to be longer left in
the hands of venders of false measures, reckless

manufacturers of gas, incompetent engineers who
cannot lay down pipes with less than 121 per cent
leakage, jobbing secretaries, exhorbitantly paid
directors, and the long phalanx of tricksters who

stand around almost every gas holder in the king•

dom ? Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, Stockton,
Hereford, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Norwich,
Dublin, Cork, and Glasgow, are not the only towns
where the gas consumers complain, and can show
their cuts and scars. The whole of the large towns
in the three kingdoms are crying aloud for cheap
and good light, and complaining of the extor-
tionate price of gas, and we repeat our assertion,
that Parliament must interfere on their behalf
sooner or later. They have granted those powers
which gas companies know so well how to put in
force, and to them the public must appeal for
relief.

With regard to a shareholder in gas companies
sitting as chairman of a corporate gas committee,
and persons equally interested in such
partnerships taking part in a municipal
division on a gas question, nothing can be
more manifestly illegal. And if that is the
way in which the Chester amalgamation has hepn
carried, the Burgesses should at once convene a

public meeting, and enter a solemn protest again
the vote of the council. If Mr. SALISBURY Ni

have the two companies amalgamated, let him go
to Parliament for a bill, and let the gas consumers
tell a committee of the House of Commons, that he
is a shareholder in his " rival " company, and
watch the result. Why ! his bill would not be
" thrown out" according to ordinary parliamentary
usage. It would, in all probability, be thrown
behind the fire, or out of the window. But what do
the amalgamators say about the Chester " meters?"
Are they as honest as those of Liverpool, or are
they no more accurate than those of Manchester,
and some other large towns we could name ? Let
the Council and Mr. SALISBURY give the public
some information on this head. If no one
indivi-
dual will pledge himself as to the simple honesty
or accuracy of the Gas measures now in use in
Chester, what does the amalgamation scheme
mean ? It is quite enough for the Gas Consumers
to have to pay 33 per cent. for engineering
" waste and leakage," without having to pay for
measures which .may have been spoiled while
undergoing repairs, and which are as fast and
otherwise defective as some new meters we have
seen in use in other places.

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL.

LITERPOOL, THURSDAY EVENING.
The Liverpool Cotton Market has assumed a
much quieter tone, and the amount of business
done to-day does not exceed 8,000 bales, including
2,500 taken for speculation and export. The
offerings to-day have been but moderate, and prices
remain without change.
The amount of business done in the Liverpool
Share market has not been large, but it opened
with a firm tone which was maintained throughout
the day, and closed steady at the fol-
lowing quotations :-- Aberdeen, 131 13a.
Chester and Birkenhead, 1.51 16. Caledonian,
31 301. Chester and Holyhead, 1G 161. Eastern
Counties, 10 1-16 10 3-16. East Lancashire, 10a
191. Great Northern, 238 231. Ditto A, 9-'4l 104.
Great Western, 6-1-1- 65. Lancashire and Yorkshire
Stock, 894- 89,1. Liverpool. Crosby, and Southport,
17 17/. London and North Western Stock, 1011
1011. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 298 29k,
Ditto Pref., 111 12. Ditto New 6 per cent. Pref.,
7-16 9-16 p. Midland Stock, 754' 751. North British,
8 13-16 Bi. North Staffordshire, 6 51d. South
Eastern and Dover, 22 22 1-16. York, Newcastle,
and Berwick, 191 198. York and North Midland,
287, 281. Leeds Capital Stock, 151 16. Buffalo and
Lake Huron, 1 15-16 2p. Dutch Rhenish, 11 qp.
Great Western of Canada,26 5-16 267,: Ditto New

Stmres.

Ditto 2nd issue,

31 3-Ip. Great

Luxembourg, 71 7d.
We have advises from Akyab to the 26th of
February, and quote the following market report,
from the circular of Messrs. Wienholt, Mohr, and
Co. _ _

Since departure of last mail, supnlies have been on a
large scale, particularly on 10th 11th, 12th, and 13th inst.,
which had an immediate effect upon prices, and large pur-

chases have been effected on these dates, at prices gradually
decreasing from 69r. to 64r. ; the news of this fall, however,
immediately spread over the country, and supplies almost as
suddenly stopped. Buyers, notwithstanding, appeared
determined to follow up their advantage, and, although
several were hard pressed for ships in port, yet the efforts to
keep prices down were so far successful that prices, during
the 14th, 15th and 16th, with decreasing supplies, were kept
at from 62r. to 573 r,, or 7s. to 6s 7d. per cwt., free on board.
We do not estimate the purchases effected at these rates
beyond 100,000 baskets. It is to be regretted, that with
the large amount of tonnage in port waiting for cargo,
shippers could not afford to restrict their purchases any
longer ; on the 17th, 18th, and 19th, the competition of
buyers raised prices again from 58r. to 66r., or 7s. 7d.
per cwt. free on board, and in some instances 67r. and 68r.,
or 7s 8d to 7s 9d per cwt. free on board was paid, which
immediately drew larger supplies again from the interior.
Yesterday morning the news from Europe, from beginning
of January, via Bombay, per telegraph, to Calcutta, and
thence per land mail here, announcing the acceptance by the
Russian government of the entire propositions carried to St.
Petersburg by Count Esterhazy, became known, and as by
the letters which we expect in a few days, more restricted
orders and lower limits may be expected, we doubt not that
this will have the required effect on our market, and that we
shall be able to report lower rates by next mail. The
Nakreusee crop will be in excess to the same extent,
as the Laroong crop has fallen short.—P.S. The news
of peace have already had a deteriorating effect on
prices, and purchases could be made yesterday afternoon and
to-day at from 58s. to 625., or 63. Bd. to 7s. per cwt., f. o. b.
It is to be hoped that this decline may continue, and that
supplies may not be stopped by it. How much prices will
give way, and of what duration it will be, too much depends
upon the circumstance, how far and how long our shippers
will be able to restrict their purchases, without getting their
ships on demurrage.
Accounts from India by the Overland Mail state
that at Calcutta no variation had occurred in the
market for British piece goods. If the money
market, however, became easier there was likely to
he considerable activity, as the stocks of several
articles were reduced. The Money Market exhi-
bited no signs of immediate improvement, and
discounts on the other hand have slightly advanced
According to the last Bank return there was an
increase in the loans and discounts of 1,220,875
rupees, and the Bank was 17 lacs in a worse posi-
tion than in the previous week. Heavy remittances,
however, had been sent to Burmah for purchases
of rice, but these would soon cease, and it was
3xpected that towards the termination of the season
the directors would make some material alteration
in the charges for discount.
The Batavian papers state that owing to the
failure of the rice crops in Jambi (Sumatra) the
Governor-general of N. India had decreed that all
Paddy and rice imported into Muraa Kowpeh, in
Jambi, during 1856. should be free from duty.
The Blackwall, from Melbourne, with 87,281
ounce of gold on freight, has been telegraphed off
Penzance, where she landed some prssengers.
The railway traffic returns for the nast wpoir ne
mpared with those of the same period last year,
,ow the following results .

1856. Corresponding
week last year.

ENGLISH LINES
Bristol and Exeter
Blyth and Tyne
Chester and Holyhead
Deeside
East Lancashire
Great Western
Great Northern
Lancashire and Yorkshire 21,194 ~ .. 18,994
London and North Western..
London and South Western
London and Brighton ...... ,
Manchester, Sheffield, &c
Manchester and S. Junction 699 .... 696
Midland 29,229 ..... 28,109
North London
North British.
North Stafford
North Devon
Oxford, Worcester, &c 3,202 .... 2,967
Kendal and Windermere
Shrewsbury and Birmingham
Shrewsbury and Hereford 1,121 .... 1,024
Shrewsbury and Chester
South Eastern • 15,200 .... 18,140
South Devon
South Yorkshire
Shropshire Union .. ....... .... 877
Taff Vale
)
West Cornwall
West Hartlepool ..
IRISH LINES
Belfast and Ballymena
Cork and Bandon
.. 250
Cork and Blackrock
Dublin and 'Wicklow 370
Londonderry and Enniskillen .... 672
Londonderry and Coleraine
Waterford and Limerick
Waterford and Kilkenny
SCOTCH LINES

£5,955
741

Aberdeen
Caledonian
Dundee and Arbroath ....
Edinburgh and Glasgow__
Glasgow and South Western
Great North of Scotland ..
Peebles ...

3,379
11,798

5,450
5,970
1,146
132

3,162
11,292

LkTEST INTELLIGENCE,

SEPARATION OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING

As a proof that the Congress has concluded its
labours, and that the representatives of the Great
Powers have separated, it may be mentioned that
Count Cavour, the Sardinian plenipotentiary, left
this city to•day for London.

•

TUEKISH REFORMS

Despatches from Constantinople, received yes_
terday at Marseilles, announce that the proclama
tion of the Hatti Kamayoum had been received with
demonstrations of joy throughout Syria, especially
at Lanarca, at Rhode, and throughout the Archi-
pelago. On the other hand, it had met with an
unfavourable reception at Anasea, which was in full
revolt, and great excitement also prevailed in
Armenia.

-.4o...______-

THE CRIMEA

By the Indus, arrived at Marseilles, we have
intelligence from the Crimea to the date of the
sth inst,
News of the signature of the Treaty of Peace was
known, and the Presse (I,' Orient states that the
evacuation of the Russian territory by the Allies
would commence at Kinburn, and be followed by
the evacuation of Eupatoria.