The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-21 00:00:00

Zirtijis, fliarrine* ant( OG4O.

BIRTHS.
On the 14th instant, at Spring-bank, Laurel-road, Fairfield, the
wife of Mr. John Travis, of a son.
On the 15th instant, at Highfield, Northop, Flintshire, the wife o
J. K. Huntley, Esq., of a daughter.
On the 18th instant, at 56, South Castle-street, the wife of Mr. J.
R. Canat,ron, of a daughter.
MARRIAGES.
On the I7th instant, at St. Augustine's Church, by the Rev. J. H.
Stafford, M.A., Mr. Richard W. Barnes to Margaret, only daughter of
the late Mr. Samuel Amos.

On the 18th instant, at St. Philip's Church, Mr. Joseph Sutton to
Miss Betsy Robinson.

DEATHS.
On the 14th instant, James, the infant son of Mr. Wm. Sutcliffe
Royal Arms, Regent-road.
On the 20th instant, at Rock Ferry, Cheshire, Richard Ferrick Jones
only son of the late Ferrick Jones, Esq., of Fogg's Cottage, near
Bolton, aged 36 years.

Cortedpottlletter.

THE -PRESIDENTS MESSAGE:

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES,

Slll,—Permit me to congratulate you for the
energy displayed by your establishment in furnish-
ing (exclusively) the public; in your paper, of yes-
terday, . with four columns and a half of—that
always important and interesting document—the
American President's message. That fact, in my
mind, settles the problem of the practicability of
establishing a daily newspaper to meet the wants,
social, commercial, and political, of this great
community.
- The Canada arrives at midnight, Sunday; the
NORTHERN DAILY TIMES of Monday, is placed on
my breakfast table at seven o'clock, containing this
so-much-looked-for document, together with a very
creditable summary of general intelligence. Now,
. your respectable and intelligent contemporary, the
Albion, had but half a column or so of condensed
news, under the head "Second Edition." I have no
doubt that everything which a first-class .weekly
paper was capable of accomplishing was done on
this occasion by the Albion; and it is, therefore,
plain to me that a daily Viper, spiritedly-conducted
like yours, is of great local advantage to this town,
especially to the mercantile clasSes, seeing that on
this occasion you furnished them with intelligence
in detail of high interest and great iinportance,
with highly commendable, rapidity. The under
taking of establishing successfully a provincial
daily. paper, of course, rests with the. public's pro-
per appreciation of the spirit in which the under-
taking is carried out. •
As an individual subscriber, I deem it a duty I
owe, to you as well as to the public, to express my
obligations to you for the bold, liberal, intelligent,
and,energetic spirit which has characteiisea, your
journal from its commencement. •

J. H.

INCONSISTENCY OF TEA BROKERS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

SIR,—I desire to show, through the medium of
your columns, if you will allow me a place in them,
to the importer, dealer, consumer, and public at
large, the inconsistency of the tea-brokers of
Liverpool.
What is termed the selling broker, prior to a
sale, publishes a catalogue, of the marks, numbers,
and quantity of each description of tea he pur-
poses on a certain date, to .offer to public competi=
tion. The tea being up to that day for examination,
"on show," in, the various warehouses in which
it is bonded. The conditions of sale are set forth
on the first page. of the catalogue. They state
the deposit on purchases ; period of payment ;
that the biddings of defitulters at previous sales
will not be .received,_ and that the•, broker shall
name his principal in a specified time, or ho shall
be considered the principal himself. What is the
conclusion that an ordinary person would come to
from this aPparently, open and public mode of
sale ? Why, that the merchant would obtain the
best pride for his tea ; the dealer and the public
have the fUll benefit.of full, unrestiicted competi-
tion in.. their purchases. It is also fair to. infer,
the importer pays the selling-broker for his ser-
vices, or why does he work ? . , .
That„ the public would be admitted indiscrimi-
nately ; that he who would give the .most money
for any lot of tea, complying with the conditions
of sale, would become the buyer. Not so fast, in
this free trade town of Liverpool.
A dealer may receive a catalogue ; examine the,
tea for sale ; attend the sale ; bid in, public ; have
thd tea. knocked . down to him. In fact, comply
with every condition made by- the seller, .yet,
custom or prescription demands that he name.a
broker, though he: may never have spoken to one
on the subject of his intended purchases, and if
not, then the selling-broker, seeing the common
sense buyer without his broker by his Side, con-
stitutes himself his
.broker, and charges,• in the
account of goods purchased, per cent.
Ambidexter—Janns-like,
,he takes a commission
from . him who sells and him who buys.. One ,he
really serves, the other he 'does no service .for, ;
yet both are, for the benefit of
.a few -brokers,,to
pay him.,
... This might have done very well during the
time of the East India Company—the days of
monopoly. But I ask the importers of tea, if now,
in a town -that has rendered essential service to
the whole kingthim, by being the first to agitate
for a reduction of .the enormous duty for the
avowed purpose .of extending commerce, and
giving a cheap beverage to the poor; if, after haVing
seen one of its '.merchant princes almost carry
their propositions. literally, if they will allow'this
Übuse—this one percent. in lieu of 10s.—to exist
to their
,and the public's prejudice .any longer ?
If so, discontinue calling a sale public, where, if
brokers don't bid, they receive equally their com-
mission ; and let the selling-broker sell to the
buying-broker, being occasionally both seller and
buyer : the monopoly would then be complete,
as the East India Company's was. What is 4

tea-broker? A man who sits beside another, and
bids for that other, charging him 10s. for every
2000 s. for opening his mouth and saying to his
brother broker how much his client is willing lie
shall offer for what the other has to sell.
This would not be so bad ; for if a man won't
do his own business, he ought to pay others for
doing it, and not complain.
I complain they charge, prescriptive charges
they may call them; as great to him who does his
own business, as to him who really employs them.
Is this right—is that fair?
In their' conditions of sale, they ask the broker
who buys to name his principal. They don't ask
the principal to name his broker, yet if he do not,
the selling broker constitutes himself such, and
adds Is per cent. to the principal's purchases.. Is
this a fair principle ? Thus they get not the two-
hundredth part, but one hundredth part of the tea
sold, for brokerage alone.
Suppose there is imported into Liverpool,
18,000,000 pounds of tea, out of the 5000,000
annually imported into England, it would constitute
about 200,000 chests, of 84 lb. to each. The one-
hundredth part of. 200,000 chests is 2,000, or in
other words, 2,000 chests are annually given in lieu
of. 1,000 chests. .to the Liverpool tea brokers for
their services. •
. Why? Because they think they have a prescrip-
tive right to a half, per cent. on all tea, whether
sold by public or private contract.
Messrs. Merchants, importers of tea, will you
stand this anylonger—submit to have your imports
.pats itman,a on.' broth sides ? If you 'do, you will
fa4Pify. the. conditions of your talc., <<that the
highest bidder shall, be the purchaser," and ought
to., change this into the highest,. &c., through -a
broker. I can't _see wherein the sale of tea. differs
from the sale of an old tea-table. - There are
brokers in. this- line, who buy for themselves or
their customers ; but whoever heard of a broker
charging a person who bids for himself, half per
cent ? Continue the brokers' usage, and refuse to
the public the right. to purchase on their own
account, becoming their own brokers and bidders,
and you pay for such restriction 2,000 chests
a-year, in lieu of 1,000 chests, and probably get
less,
.rather than more price for your Bohea.
I have written this letter, because I have been
told by a broker, unless, though. I bid for myself,
I pay 'brokerage, he will not receive my biddings
It• is fair that those who employ brokers should
pay ; but is it reasonable that those who do not
require their services should pay ?
- I am, respectfully,
THOMAS OTTLEY.

20th December, 1853.
14, Temple-street, Liverpool

ENGLISH GOLD MINE BUBBLES.

TO THE.EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.
SIR,—It was with infinite satisfaction that I pe-
rused in your valuable paper of 22nd November,
the elaborate exposure 'of the Great Onslow,.Thisearn
and Perean Consols Mines, and also, Penquean Slate
.Quarry-schemes:
My object in now addressing yOu is to caution
the, public, through your spirited paper, against a
variety of Gold Bubble Schemes, which are now in
the market. The promotereof these affairs procure
8- small lump of •" auriferous ore,” perhaps from
California or Australia, -but represented to have
been raised from "Ptiddlebrook Mine, • county of
Diddlesex." This specimen is at once for-warded
to assay, with a promise,
"ProfeSiot Pocketfee," for
that if the "diddle tones.," he, the ;said profess:or,
will reiseive a grand bonus, as his share of the spoiii
(say 1000 free shares.) : As a matter of course, the
worthy professor grinds his specimen to the finest

powder, in order to extract every particle, and in
duo-seas_ flourishing-return of four ounces
of pure'giila to the ton of ore, when, in' reality, he
liad but operated only 'on 100 grains. This fine
certificate is freely published in a variety of news-
papers, with reports of large sales of shares, at 55.,
10s., and 20s premium, and expected to reach 1001:
premium. Alderman Goodsale is stated to have
purchased 2000 shares, and his esteemed friend,
CoUncilfor Barebones, takes 1500 shares, provided,
they can sell them in the market. This, however,
is easily, effected, with the assistance of the puffing
reports, and the aid of a feW Iningry brokers, who
jump at any dirty job for a commission. Full of
buqmess, they enter the stock exchange, card in
hind, the first trade for a month, shout "Gold
bubbles,! gold bubbles ! who'll buy my fine gold
bubbles? Gold bubbles that will pay 50 per cent..
dividends in twelve months—who will buy at 30s.
each?" The green ones bite; the ball is set going,
and every day brings fresh victims to the slaughter,
With an addition to the premium; and such is the
gullibility of poor "John Bull," in his anxiety to
obtainiriches, that he buys hiS hundred shares, and
prizes his worthless scrip, until he dis Covers that
they are only.fit for the 'cook to light fires with.
In the Opinions of the Most talented mining men
hi this kingdom, the universal opinion is, " that
though gold is known to exist in minute particles
in many districts of England, Scotland, and Ire-
land, but not in sufficient quantity to pay for ex-
traction." It may also be remarked that small
portions, say 100 to 150 grains of quartz are fie-.
quently found, containing probably 20 grains of
pure gold; that amount multiplied' to' the propor-
tion of' a ton of quartz, would give an enormous
per centage, but the question is what time would
it require, and what would be the expenSe, to col-
lect such a ton of ore .? Most probably a thousand
years, and at a cost of £lO to £2O per ounce of gold
extracted.

There are many parties in this town who pur-
chased Californian and Australian gold. bubble
shares, et a premium of 300-to 500 per cent, when
in reality the shares never ought to have been ata
premium until the concerns were fully deVeloped.
Not one farthing has yet been paid, neither is'
there the most remote prospect of a dividend, and
those :who are interested will be fortunate if they
ever obtain one shilling in the pound. from their
investment; the capitals which have been paid up
will be frittered away by greedy directors and- offi-
cials, and such will be the result of the English
Gold Mining, alias Bubble Companies. Not all the
ingenuity of man combined can extract gold from
where it does not exist. It appears from published
reports that there have been numerous experiments
made recently, with new machinery, on specimens
represented to be from about twenty Worthless
mines in different parts of England, Scotland, 'Sze.
The promoters of these experiments have. only in
view the object. of raising a sale for their shares,
otherwise worthless. The results of these experi-
ments show very flattering returns, varying. from
one half ounce to four and five ounces of pure. gold
to the ton of ore, which it, must be borne in mind
is only on a very small fraction of a ton, which may
be stated thus,—if.so grains quartz return 6 grains
of gold, what will 2240 lbs. return ? But no reli-
ance can be placed on the statements of the parties
or the source from whence, the quartz is . obtained.
In a short time, with the assistance•of inachinery,
we may anticipate assays being made, and large
returns of gold being discovered, from almost every
rubbish heap in the mining districts, .from,corn-
well to Shetland. It therefore behoves the public
to be on their guard.—l am, Mr. Editor, your obe-
dient servant, •
Liverpool, Dec. 19. 1853. JUSTIN.

TOWN IMPROVEMENTS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

SlR—Much has been said of late about town im-
provements ; but, of all the plans produced, there
is one whieh appears to me to have been overlooked,
and which is worthy of consideration. . .
The main
,object is to relieve Dale-street of some
of,the Increasing traffic from the railway station in
Lime-street and St. George's , Hall to the landing
stage. Now, as a project is on: foot to divide the
George's. Dock, and run a street over to the pier-
head, and. as Brunswick-street and Gook-street,
pretty good streets, would form a continuation as
far as North John-street, it would be a trifling mat-
ter (comparative with other costly plans) to make
a new street from here, direct to the south end of
the St. George's Hall, or to join the proposed street
from the latter place to Whitechapel. This would
shorten the distance, and open, so to speak, An
extra wing to the district of Whitechapel. Another
reason I would mention in favour of this suggestion
is, that as the high level railway scheme is so much
approved of, and, doubtless, before long will be con-
structed, it is more than probable the Garston rail-
way company will avail themselves of the opportu-
nity of extending their line to Liverpool, and the
present warehouses in the Goree, extending from
James's-street to Brunswick-street, could be made
into a commodious and central station, exceedingly
convenient for traffic, and especially for merchants
and others desirous of residing on the line.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant, D.

ASSAULT.—Yesterday, at the, Manchester city police-
court, Edward Mulligan was fined 5115., or, in default, to be
imprisoned for two months, for a savage assault, at ten
minutes past one on ,Sunday morning, on a person named
Henry Smith, a spinner, and a stranger in the city.
A DISHONEST LODGER.—Jane Green, a married woman,
was charged by Mrs. Jackson, of Queen's Place, Lower
Tranmere, with robbing her. The prosecutrix is a widow,
and supports herself by following the business of a laundress.
In May last, the prisoner, with a husband and child, came to
lodge with her, and remained till the 2th of August, when
she suddenly disappeared ; but the husband and child re-
mained with Mrs. Jackson. At various times property
entrusted to the latter to wash, had been mysteriously
stolen, and her character shortly became damaged with her
customers. Subsequently she heard that the prisoner was
living in Manchester ; and last week that she had returned
to Tranmere. She therefore gave information to the pile;
and had her apprehended. The prisoner acknowledged steal-
ing a sheet and blanket, and pawn-tickets for most of the
other property were found in possession of herself and her
husband. She was committed for trial.
We are happy to announce that the hardship to which we
have so repeatedly called attention regarding the serious
deductions made *from the pay of naval officers serving on
foreign stations, in discounting their bills, is about to be
removed. Arrangements will shortly be completed, by
which officers will have the optiOn of receiving their pay in
cash at par, or of having a bill, as heretofore, upon the
pa aster-general.— United errice Gazette.
PERSONATION AND FORGtERY IN CONNECTION WITH A
MONEY Cur-B.—Yesterday; at the Manchester city police-
court, a person named William Sicetintin, was charged with
having represented, himself as another person, with the view
of imposing upon the Managers of a money club, held at
the house of. Mr. Lomas, beer-seller. It appeared that a
person named Anderson being in want of some money,.
applied to _gr. mnnev lub. for the loan of £B.
Sureties were tendered and visited by the -agent or tlw ow.,
Mr. William l3rodie. Amongst the other sureties was the
prisoner, who gave his name as James Taylor, mechanic,
and that he worked in a shop in a street leading out of
Oldham-road. After the prisoner had signed the promissory
note, the agent of the club suspected that he was not the
party he represented himself to be, and such was found out
to be the case, upon inquiry being made at the shop where
be said he was a Mechanic. And the real James Taylor,
mechanic, stated that he had never authorised him to use
his name, or sign it to the note. He stated that he had, up
to within a recent period, lodged with the prisoner, and
that he had been asked to give the use of his name, but this
he always objected to. The prisoner was committed to take
his trial at the next assizes.

DISTRESSING SUICIDE Ey HANGING.—At the Railway
Inn, Deansgate, Manchester, an inquest was held by Edward
Herford, Esq., coroner for the city of Manchester, touching
the death of Charles Wilbraham, late of 21, Lombard-street,
cab driver, aged 50 years, leaving a widow and one child.
Robert Thompson, of 21, Lombard-street, broker, stated
that the deceased had lived with him nearly five years.
Deceased's wife did not live with him, but he lived with a
young woman named Jane Wilbraham, who was under-
stood to be some relation to him. On Friday afternoon, about
half-past three o'clock, witness sent his little girls upstairs
to see whether the deceased was within, or whether he had
gone out to seek work. They soon came down and gave an
alarm that Charles hid hung himself. Witness ran up and
found him hanging by a small cord used for drying clothes,
and fastened to a small nail by the door of his own room,
He cut him down instantly with his pocket knife and placed
him on the floor. He was warm. Witness sent for Dr.
Mann, who would not come, and then Dr. Stott's man
arrived and said he was dead. He had been out of work three
weeks. Jane Wilbraham could earn about Is. a-week by wash-
ing. They were very badly off, and there was no food in the
house. Believes they both wanted food very much. Is
satisfied it was want which caused him to commit suicide,
otherwise he thought the deceased had no disturbance of his
mind. 'Besides the young woman with whom he lived he has
to support his wife and child. lie thought that if the doctor
first sent for had come he would have had a chance of saving
his life. Jane' Wilbraham stated 'that they had been In
great want of the necessaries of life. The deceased was a
high-spirited man, and she believed it was want that had
forced him to commit suicide. Verdict, " Hanged himself
whilst insane from the effects of distress and want of food."

ItOIITALTIT o MARI,

(From the New York Courier and Enquirer.)
The ship Constellation left Liverpool on the 21st of
October with nine hundred and sixteen passengers in the
steerage and arrived here on Friday last with only eight
hundred and sixteen. One hundred had died in thirty-five
days and twenty of the survivors reached our shores only in
a condition to be carried to the hospital, there to take their
slender chance of life. • The fact is startling. There is no
wonder that the news created a deep sensation in the com-
munity, and particularly among those interested in any way
in the transportation of emigrants. The interest which it
awakened manifested itself in two ways. Some persons and
presses took the easiest, and perhaps the most popular and
profitable mode of airing their sympathies,which was to de-
nounce all and singular the owners and captains of vessels
which bring emigrants, and especially the system under
which they are brought over ;-- for it seems that they are
brought under " a system," though we were not aware of
the fact that there was a system. Others were aroused to
investigate the circumstances, with the hope of being able
to form an opinion upon all the facts of the case, instead of a
single one. The latter course commended itself both to our
feelings and judgment.
We found in the first place that with regard to this par-
ticular vessel, the Constellation, there was an unusual cause,
in the condition of the ship, for the dreadful mortality which
took place on board her. She was • prttty clean. Ships
Which bring emigrants are never very clean, for a reason
Which we shall presently consider. The deaths on board
the Constellation were chiefly of cholera, though no cases of
that disease were landed. The captain says that he never
saw it'so malignant ; that it killed in a few hours nearly
every one attacked by it. Such is the account of the matter
, given by the health officer.
But this particular occurrence is made the occasion of
attacks upon the emigrant system, by. which, we suppose, is
mea' t the somewhat similar provisions for the comfort of
emigrants which are made partly in conformity to our law,
partly in conformity with the English passenger act, and
partly in conformity with the interests of the emigrants, the
shipowner, and last, not least, the willingness of the former
to conform to any regulations for their comfort. at all. Were
the provisions of our present law fully complied with, and
were our shipowners and masters permitted to make, with-
out further interference, such provision for the health and
comfort of their steerage passengers as they are inclined to
make, there can be no doubt that emigration to this country
would be accomplished with the maximum amount of
security to the life and health which "would be secured
by the means of the emigrants. But this is not the case.
Our captains and owners find on the other side of the water,
but chiefly in the emigrants themselves, and their own re-
cently restricted power on the decks of their vessels, serious
obstacles to the perfect working of their plans for the safety
and comfort of those for whose lives they are, in a measure,
responsible. By the British passenger act, which is ver
stringent in its terms, the provisions to be used by the&
emigrants must be examined and approved by certain go-
vernment inspectors. This would seem to be a. very reason-
able requirement. But it is found to work in this way :
provisions taken to England for the purpose of being used
by these emigrants on the' return voyage, are almost invari-
ably condemned by the inspectors, no matter how good their
quality ; and it is more than suspected that these inspectors
have a direct interest in the sale of the comparatively worth-
less stuff with which the owners are perforce obliged to
supply-themselves in England at English prices.
It is in the emigrants themselves, however, that the.
greatest obstacle to a proper and healthy condition of the
ships which bring them is found. The subject is an un-
pleasant one to Aalk about; but unpleasant topics must
sometimes be treated ; and the fact is that the personal habits
of these emigrants are filthy to a degree which few readers
of these columns, who have not had an opportunity to
study the natural history of the emigrant, can by the most
active exertion of their imaginations possibly conceive.
They are content to live and move and have their being in
such a concatenation of foul and pestilential substances,
which are anything but vapors, that the only wonder is that
they are not rotten to the bone before they reach our shores.
No domestic animal of decent antecedents would consent to
live half a day in the atmosphere, and with the surround-
ings to which a large portion of these emigrants appear ut-
terly indifferent. As to water, the females seem to conceive
its only use to be to make " My," and the males to regard
it as only fit to spoil whiskey. They turn into their quar-
ters when they go on board, and lie stewing and fretting 'in
their filth throughout the voyage, and leave their dens in
such a condition that Hercules would have had but little
choice between them and the Augean stables. 'They resent
as an interference with their . comfort and their liberty any
effort to enforce personal cleanliness upon them; and under
the restrictions at present laid upon captains as to coercive
enforcement of discipline, they are able to set police regula-
tions at defiance. It is worthy of remark that the sickness
and mortality in emigrant ships has been on the increase
since the passage of the recent laws with regard to discipline
at sea. The lack of power to enforce instant obedience
from their crews, or to punish disobedience, is also a
serious obstacle to the working of such police
regulations as would almost entirely prevent one
class of disease which infect emigrants arriving here.
Women, with children at the breast, who entered the ship
in health leave it infected with a loathsome disease—mother
and child—and if the mother choose to expose herself to it,
the captain has no power to prevent it. lie can recommend,
and suggest, and advise • but he can no longer compel. He
is able to take in sail only by politely reminding his crew of
the propriety of such a course. He is no longer "a one man
power ':; front which there is no appeal, and against which
there is no resistance, except by a mutiny, which gives him
the power of life and death over the mutineers.
To these causes are to be attributed that portion of the
recent excess of mortality among the steerage passengers,
which is not due to epidemic causes existing on the other
side of the water. The limited accommodations for these
passengers is not responsible in any great measure for their
decimation. With the same space at their, disposal, they
might make the voyage in safety and comparative comfort,
would they themselves take but moderate care of their own
persons, or could they be compelled to do so. The recent
cases in which they have been deprived of rations have been
those in which captians have tried that method of enforcing
some slight semblance of decency and cleanliness among
them, but in vain. The only consequences were abuse on
board, and too readily echoed complaint here. This condition
of things is serious, and under present circumstances, seem-
ingly hopeless. What can he done ?