The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-11-13 00:00:00

Mr. Picinn said the great object of building acts was to
compass two points—gest, the protection of life and limb ;
and, second, the prevention of fire. He contended that the
same quantity of timber put into a building in the same
area, the joints would be equally strong although put more
apart. He did see in Manchester, and other towns that had
no building acts, that they done very well, and he did not
see the use of building acts at all ; bnt, as they had an act
that interfered with them so little, they onght not to look
for a new one, which would be much worse. (Applause.)
Mr. Jump thought the act might be relieved of the evils
that it contained, as it certainly did contain several.
The'Secretary offered a few observations' and wished to
see the building act improved, or, as it had been remarked,
perhaps they could do without any act—he thought it was
well to let well enough alone, and, therefore, they should
not ask for a new one, except for a general act, that
would apply equally to John O'Groat's as to Liverpool.
(Hear, hear )
Mr. Barry gave some instances that happened in London,
showing the ab3urdity of the building act there.
Mr. B)lt addressed the meeting in' support of the pam-
phlet published by him, advocating a memorial ; and, the
question being put, there voted for it 7, and against it 9.
it being so late at this hour (nearly ten o'clock) the other
BURNING OF THE FRENCH STEAMER LA business on the paper was postponed.

dissentients

A vote of thanks to the chairman brought the proceedings

of the meeting to a termination about half•past two o'clock
There was a large attendance of shareholders.

FRANCE, IN BAHIA HARBOUR.

REMARKABLE ESCAPE OF FRENCH POLITICAL

PRISONERS,

In yesterday's NORTHERN TIMES we alluded to the
above disaster. The following are the particulars of the
In a recent article on the penal colony of Guyana, the
unfortunate occurrence. Between ten and eleven o'clock
Moniteur stated that several political prisoners had found
on the night of Saturday, the 27th of September, the
means to escape, but it gave no details. A private letter
inhabitants of Bahia were alarmed by the firing of cannon brings some particulars on the subject of considerable
and clanging of bells, which were found to announce the interest. At the beginning of this year several political
fact that the French screw steam ship La France (which transports, confined in the Devil's I3land, conceived the
had arrived from Marseilles on the 25th) was on fire in idea of escaping. They cut down some trees and built aschooner, but owing to an accident in launching,
the harbour. Every assistance was given by persons the schooner struck and went to pieces. Nothing
from on shore connected with the arsenals and police, and daunted, they set to work again, and, with such planks of
the schooner as they were able to pick out of the water, and
the stump of a large tree which floated down the Amazon
river, they constructed a raft, on which, on the 7th of
August last, seven men embarked in search of liberty. For
four whole days they floated nearly at random on the sea,
and at the end of that time, when their slender stock of pro-
visions was entirely exhausted, their raft went ashore on a
mud bank. Two of the party—one an Italian named Pla-
nauri- and another a Polo named Bogenski—left the boat,
and waded along in the mud hoping to find a habitation.
They were so weak that they soon found themselves unable
to draw their legs out of the heavy soil, and their companions
learned some days later, that their dead bodies, half de-
voured by crabs, had been seen by a naive. The five who
had remained on the raft, finding that their comrades did
and being convinced of the hopelessness of
)lved to put to sea again. But to do

from the ships in the harbour, and strenuous exertions

were made to put out the fire, with small success, in eon-

sequence of the inflammable nature of the ether whic

on board for working the engi

The commander of

the ship, Captain St. Brue, was on shore when the
fire began, but he was speedily on board, and ener-
getically arranged for the removal of the passengers and
their baggage to the shore, where they arrived without
injury. About three o'clock on Sunday morning the cap-
tain believed that the fire was completely subdued, and ho
dismissed the assistance he had received from the shore
and from vessels in port. Notwithstanding this confidence
that no further danger was to be apprehended, the confla-

not return,

;ration bur

t out some few hours later with renewed

time there

power Or.

'd to keep down the fla

es. The knowledgi

jle to

ci one
grid dny

an entire
min sneh

large q

ch from the

operated in making the lightermen of little use in remov-

ink cargo

he same tear

- -
intensity of the fire, prevented the steam tug-boat which

quite evident that any attemp

s to say

she remained afloat, would be