The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-03 00:00:00

NORTHERN TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, WEDNF SDAY

--~®

thin
be eg' Meer, hear.) But, gentlemen, these things to
surplus ayri ed out would require money, and unless the
sbai of the corporate estate would give us the means,
least not be a party to the imposition of a rate, at
rest, until Mr. Gladstone's resolution has been
ootil_nded to, and until we, the members of the Town
coesiseilt are in possession of what the corporate estate
can eels of, how it has been managed, and what it is
told. "te of being made. (Cheers ) Gentlemen, I have
itle3t'ou that I could occupy your attention for at least a
tot' er of an hour upon each of these topics, but I shall
which to do so. There is a question, however,
Ithas-kil conceive, takes a prior position to either of
0E questions—that is the presPrvation of the commerce
foie Port, and ,he concentration and good management
I ir docks. (Hear, hear ) This question, gentlemen,
cornerstone,view to be as the foundation, the chief cornerstone,
a
in Part of the superstructure of this great com-
-nnit
Pre Y, for unless the estuary of the Mersey be
nier'eee"ed what is to become of our corn-
is t what is to become of our property, what
pry
° become of the various occupations in which we
Pasaseree more or less engaged. Sir, in 1842, a bill was
o, "tor what, sir ? Entrusting to the hands_ of the?
Neeraiion the conservancy of the river Mersey .
l, "ni; of the kind. Then what did it do, sir It
e the First lof the Treasury, to the Commis-
toner. ear(
Nei ° of Woods and Forests, and the Chancellor of the
C
IY of Lncaster the powers of the conservancy of
tt river Ma rsev. In 1843 they had a repo ,t from
teri?etain Fitzroy,, calling their attention to an exceedingly
shie-sus and east impediment to the progress of our
probable
dee ice up the estuary, to the possible and pro a 1
fare reV'ent of the future prosperity and commerce of our
thevl°". You would naturally, therefore, suppose that
central 1d take action upon this report. You mistake
the i';a:isation of government if you think anything of
the r'nil. was centralisation—to take away from
els °eality the responsibility and to•transfer it to parties
e,,vvhere, who knew nothing of us, and cared probably
little—and therefore we heard nothing about it until
je
ed the envy of some of our neighbours not very
11*Zutasnt, and then, forsooth, by their grapings they
into d • something which they thought might be converted
an instrument whereby they
.could,
damage.
not
ay
r us, at least do us serious
th:.4 hear, and cheers.) The consequence was,
Y;` a commissioner was sent down here last
(Leir to investigate into the state of the river Mersey:
withal.) hear) The period from 1843 to 1555 passed
th,""'nut their doing anything of the sort, and what was
aite.,°nsequence, gentlemen ? I find by the evidence
bee" was brought before the commission which sat
ke, in Liverpool last year, and made its report in
wayiber—a commissiou made by a civil engineer, 111r.re
be}nktr
er—that no less than 70,000 tons of clay soil
berg swept annually into the Mersey—not sand, mu-Tsa-
i,. to be carried off by solution, but regular soil, which,
Ccnediately it finds its way into the bed of the river,
lir' re it settles and there remains. (Hear, hear.) Now,
41,e 1141 any man here tell me that if the responsibility
hameePing the estuary free and open were vested in the
h efi,,f parties here they would have remained tin-
bee -,-eu ) 1 Crow not, sir. (Hear, hear). I say this must
(I°llee dealt with, or the consequences may be fatal
the sir, hear.) It might appear, at the first blush, that
are
Proprietors at the other side of the Mersey
itsva"e parties who should guard against the washing
t
eo a 31,, °f their own property, and that they should be
.inoituhricu"os to the
prevent the wasting of that property proving
d
the navigation of our noble river. But what
40elise Y say in reply ? They say—" The creation of the
Suit; °° Your side has produced this result." Et may be
their true that the landed proprietors should protect
'the 01.,,"n property from being washed away, but, on
be `uer hand, the immense sum of money which would
est•tenr,ed, compels us to say, we think it better to
thaa "i our land and let any one do it who will,
(Re ;or, us to be compelled to do it and hold the land "
e"ear.) They then say, " let the dock eenninit.tee
that -:utite a fair proportion of the cost." Now, I. think
• very fair proposition. (Hear, hear.) I chink, on
'oj 'Weration that if the docks on one side have proved
11„lemio to property' on the other, the dock estate here
ee°e-nu contribute fair and equal proportion by the
struetion ocasaea wall on the other side. But then
It4re also deeply interested in the question, whether
ties, `,t view to preserving the estuary, or whether with a
%she `o an outlet for the poorer classes of our population,
thee-heross the river chiefly to inhale the fresh air and
he; breezes from the sea, we are deeply interested in this
done and done speedily. (Hear, hear.) Therefore,
81),14., am prepared to suggest, that .it would be a wise
lemueoirable thing for the corpora'ion to purchase the
reVn the other side at an equitable price, bearing in
Ns', what are the consequences at ending upon the
.to esßion of that land, and call upon the dock committee
onsn"nttibute its quota. (Hear, hear.) Sir, if the
.large were to take such a step, I can imagine
.tere.'' gentlemen here fancying it would absorb a very
as °me Stun of money. Not so large, my friends,
%traFelaY appear to you upon the first blush. T. o
alll,-?.'llsien the line nom thward from Seacombe would, in
ll'o-r°"abilitv, be the means of getting redeemed from
emu iver what would enhance the value of your river or
latieal.Y.e• s'lnething like, I believe, two hundred acres of
°l'll e hen, where could you have a more desirable
"es•
'lrn (Hear, hear.) Where could you have a more
Wiele:4'e marine promenade for the poor with their
Ce act and children, crossing for a penny ? (1-lear, hear.)
Pased'ss to such a promenade, and you would see a
41.inte 141iiell could not be equalled in this or any
.other
„ l; ▪ (Hear, hear.) Sir, I only throw out these
`"at'es- "7? as a surestion for consideration, but I feel
3houipilething should' be done, and that something
ceete ji be done by ourselves, that we should not permit
',that awsed goverent to nterfere with us here, but
near 'e should do duty to our own, locality, (Hear,
the i'e,ancl cheers.) ourhe erect of this Would not only be
Pes,-,,Provetnent: to which I have referred, but it would
„
`ctitir• `l-1"Y improve the entrance, and create an
at I,lng benefit, and the whole could be done
,„Rlatie.,,crY much less cost than at the first
he 4".„ Y°ll or I probably could anticipate. (Cheers.)
coee, s'lt question I come to is, the good management and
$, ntration of those docks. Gentlemen, you have heard,
ap'eeobt,
, you have read—some of you—a letter which
1/i'ltare" Tii the papers, written by Mr. John Laird, of
Perehrrib,d, in reference to the Birkenhead Decks. Since we
het Ed those docks, Mr. John Laird has expressed a desire
llielt"lilaseY and Birkenhead should have seats at the
.n)oeleeonnaittee Board. If Mr. Laird had reflected for a
Pez-htittbe would have known that the Birkenhead Decks,
they were purchased, were not purchased by the
ietle e`inarnittee. They were purchased by yourselves.
"'ear-) They were purchased by the ratepayers of
kiliir,ool through the Town Council, ani more than a
111 41 of Mone has been undertaken to be paid for thern
before , 3
e,st they are completed, I have no doubt, they will
Or-
tet,i,another million of money; and, I will take this OPP _
reia,l of telling management that, I think they should iale
l
,41s0sented in theg of those docks ; and, I wi
Oe tell him two modes in which that representation may
the
cora' e,c;ure, d• If the commissioners of Birkenhead and
of te-L'oloners of Wallasey will contribute their proportion
I h." cost of those docks—(hear, hear, and applause)
of 41," no doubt whatever that if they make that a condition
tho,:aring seats at the board of management of the docks,
hoe will have seats at it. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, it
ay „
koi sot be known to you that we, the burgesses of Liver-
atif,' Who purchased those docks, are placedin a very
lee;•“al ous position in reference to them. We have
Rolßnt them, we have given bonds to pay for them, we are
fetegg to improve t em, and
them the dock committee
bt°soth has the management of . (Elver, hear. ) If
heylieir bad management they are made to be the sinking
fall of all their losses, on whose shoulders will those losses
th,` On the shoulders of the ratepayers of Liverpool—on
katshoulders of my constituents, and of those who have
tli-ts Tii the council chamber, (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen,
sot cannot continue very long. (Hear, hear.) We are
tli,tkenabled to compel the dock committee to take those
dens at what they cost us, but if the dock committee
A 11,,1d them at our cost price, we are com-
then to hand them over to that body.
the eLoowever, they say, and as I understand
it, frlairtnan of the dock committee has more than once said
douialthough for the truth of this statement I
tie hold myself responsible) ; but it they say
they`,e will not give you the price you paid for
tts,Y°ll must take off £lOO,OOO, and then we may
es
whe.lo4sed to take them from you," see the position in
be placed. Remember that the dock coal-
ehairman was sent to the dock committee by the I
ek yo' and he is one of the representatives of the people. I .
the
'lto watch his proceedings at that committee. (Hear,
‘ae ,Let me not be misunderstood. Ido not ask from
men ,c,;ll.trrnan of the dock committee, or any of the gentle-
,s`hat have been sent from the council to occupy seats at
reie board the slightest rivileze. 1 ask not the slightest
17,!rPrlearlee, but Igdo demand from them equity, justice, and
'Whi, (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I have told you one mode
satat,, e". h. Laird ma obtain representation at the dock
key'. I will tell you pother mode which probably
et/etitioZ more desirablea than the one I. have_.
and it is this—that the municipality
tirliLeeivheer,Penol should be extended so as to embrace
anta slu, and part of Wallasey, and part of
ohe , ere • I '• •that both sides of the Mersey
j„, b , formaintain
e treated precisely as one. (Hear, hear.) It
(h. charl
ti‘et that t4e interests of the burgesses of Liverpool
bit no,.Ls"oll be done. We have gone flitting off to
ear) shore—di
%''hi --where shore—directly into a foreign land—( ear,
th eh see we have not one square yard of lan,d. in
la ,direct interest In Liverpool, taking
Prth ()11 which the old borough gaol stood on the
arliament street on the south, and the old par-
ukstre
uoundary and the estates which we have

Ibi-tT,4We N

THE

purchased, and to which we have referred, that circuit
embraces all the land that the corporation of Liverpool
possesses in Liverpool, and that estate produces—what ?
over £30.000 a year; it produces £30,000 a year within
that ring fence. Is it not our duty, consequently, having
at the same time regard to the accommodation to be
afforded to commerce, that we should keep a sharp eye
on that property, and increase its value, rather than that
we should go to the north shore or south shore, and increase
the value of property belonging to other parties. (Hear,
hear.) I submit, and I think you will agree with me,
that that is the wiser policy. (Hear, hear.) If I take
you across the water to Birkenhead, I have no doubt that
I shall astonish some of you with the statement of the
fact, that we there possess 1,700,000 square yards of land
in fee, and we shall do well if, while we improve that
estate and also the estate on this side of the water, we
concentrate the management and increase the facilities
for commerce. (Hear, hear.) Every captain who comes
here says, " if your docks were not scattered—if they
were not so wide asunder, I should be able to get through
my business in less than one half the time it now takes
me." Our Mersey is bridged by a class of steamers
affording accommodation second only to that secured by
a fixed bridge across the river. We have, as I told you,
in addition to our property on this side of the
river, 1,700,000 square yards of land in ad-
dition to the docks in Birkenhead, and I have
no doubt that in course of time, by proper
and judicious management, that property may be
doubled, trebled, aye quadrupled in value. (Hear, hear )
Gentlemen, is that nothing td direct our attention to ? I
submit that it is of the first importance to see what may
increase the value of that property, that it should
form the principal subject of our attention in the
council chamber, and that we should especially seek the
good management and concentration of our docks,
because they are the elements of our prosperity. Who has
the greatest interest in their good management, or rather
who is more likely to take a greater interest in it than we
ourselves ? Is it likely that either the government, with
its seat in the great metropolis, or the manufacturers
residing in the surrounding districts—is it likely that
they would know what is going on here ? Is it likely
that if they were interested in the management of our
docks, they would be better managed than when in the
hands of those who have an interest in their good man-
agement and the property surrounding them, and whose
welfare is either augmented or diminished according
to the management exercised in the conduct of
those docks ? Those who live by the prosperity of
Liverpool, and suffer with her adversity, are the parties
who should have the management—(hear, hear)—for
interference will prove an injurious meddling, and
centralising government control a blighting curse.
(Cheers.) I say, again, to you, watch your representa-
tives; see that they do that which they were sent to
perform. If they do not fulfil that duty, call them at
once to account; and if they will not, or cannot, render
an account to you but that which is unsatisfactory, give
them notice to quit when their period arrives.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) When their period arrives
select better men to put in their places, and if you
pursue such a course as that, prosperity is before you,
though the world may view you with envy. (Mr.
Jeffery resumed his seat amid enthusiastic applause.)

The Chairman : Appropriate to the excelljut remarks
which have been made on the speech of our worthy
representative, we have a toast to be drunk, " The
commercial prosperity of Liverpool." (Hear, hear.) I
think that it cannot be in better place than to follow
the speech of our worthy representative, Mr. Jeffery, with
that toast. (Hear, hear.) I will, therefore, now propose
for your reception " The commercial prosperity of
Liverpool," and call upon our worthy and excellent
friend and honourable merchant of Liverpool, George
Maxwell, Essq., to respond to it. (Cheers).
The toast was drunk with three times three. Song :
" May G Al defend the right."
Mr. George Maxwell, in rising to respond, was loudly
cheered. He said : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, for
the very cordial manner in which you have received
my name in connection with the toast which has just
been given from the chair, permit me to return
you my most sincere thanks. To be associated,
at any time, with the commerce of this great
town, is an honour that any one may well be proud of.
(Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, having spent my whole life
in commercial pursuits, be assured that every thing
relating to that commerce is interesting to me. To have
watched the progress, the almost fabulous progress of
the commerce of Liverpool, is indeed a history in itself.
(Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, distinctly I have marked that
progress for thirty years, and its position n iw is more
than six or seven fold what it was then. (Hear, hear.)
You have ably had stated to you by the honourable
gentleman who has been chosen by this great company
as a member of the Town Council—(cheers)-what are
the duties commerce requires of that body ; but yet I
would more than reiterate, if I could in stronger
language than he has used, the necessity of the authorities
to keep pace with the wants and the calls of that com-
merce. (Cheers ) Gentlemen, the circumstances under
which we are met augur well, t think, for bitter govern.
ment in this town. Let the other wards of L'verpool
take example by what has been done here. (Cheers )
Let them select men, practical men, for their represen-
tatives in the Town Council, and let them instil into the
minds of those representatives the necessity of sending
practical men into the dock committee. ( Rear, hear.)
Gentlemen, much remains to be done. I think we have
gone on rapidly for the last thirty years, but we
have yet much to do for ourselves. All the great mea-
sures that have extended the trade of this town have
originated in the indomitable energy of the merchants
themselves. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Great ex .ensions
of commmerce have never come, forward fram the House
of Commons or from the legislatureof this country. (Rear,
hear.) The monopoly —the trading monopoly—of the East
India Company was wrenched from them by deputation
after deputation of the Liverpool merchants. (Hear,
hear.) Gentlemen, it is not so many years ago that, with
our own eyes, we saw American ships loading in England
English commerce on American account, when the
monopoly of the East India Company would not allow a
British merchant to go there. That scandal was noto-
rious to all of us, and has long become matter of history;
but it is to be regretted that the valuable lives of so many
or us should have been spent in clamouring for what
we should have long before obtained. (Hear, hear.)
But, apart from that, we have had other things more
recently to take into our consideration—the great reduc-
tion in our fiscal arrangements. (Hear, hear.) We all
know what great alterations have taken place in this our
great commercial port within the last few years. I will
only mention to you the alterations, and the saving of
expense and time that have taken place in our Custom_
house. (Cheers.) When I first came into this town quite
a youth, I would almost have seen the old one him,elf—
(immense laughter and cheers)—as have gone to our
Custom house in those days to have passed a bill of entry,
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, we have received that improve-
ment. But who got it? Why, it was obtained through
the indomitable energy and indefatigable exertions of them-
selves: (Cheers.) It was the merchants themselves who
pressed it upon the Government, that an alteration was
necessary in the customs regulations of the port. (Cheers.)
A great change has taken place, and we are rejoiced to
find that it is so. But, now, gentlemen, we will come a
little more to our own time. Some short time since we
were impelled, for the purpose of obtaining a repeal of
the:Corn Law, we were compelled to form the Anti-Corn
Law League—(hear, hear, and cheers)—and, gentlemen,
you may rely on it, that free trade would never have come
to us if it had not been for that league—(cheers)—but that
league had the support of nearly all the wealth, the intel-
ligence, and the commerce of this great mercantile com-
munity. (Cheers) Gentlemen, the great Sir It. Peel, of
whom all ought to speak with the greatest respect, availed
himself of the potatoe rot—(laughter)—to carry that great
measure. Gentlemen, during that great agitation, we, the
free traders, were called revolutionists ; but what did we
do when we obtained our object ? Why. we disbanded.
(Cheers) Gentlemen, that great measure, as indeed all
other great measures, was carried by the energies of the
community at large. Indeed, the great railway system
was brought about by the energy of the community at
large. It was only through the energy and intelligence of
eight or ten persons, that brought about our railway
system. (Applause.) It was Mr. Sandon who first pro-
pounded the Liverpool and Manchester railway, which
was the great pioneer of all the other railways, which in
the present day were spreading civilisation and intelli-
gence throughout the length and breadth of the world.
(Applause.) But, gentlemen, if Liverpool was not the
first to originate, it had never been slow to follow and
carry out any of the great improvements of the present
age. In what were they engaged in at the present time?
Why, as soon as the great scheme for laying telegraph
wires down for uniting the old world with the new, why
the people of Liverpool immediately came forward and
put their shoulders to the wheel, avid gave it their sup.
port; and I have no doubt but, that ere long, we shall
see the result of the aid we have given to the measure.
(Applause.) But, gentlemen, I feel that I have already
said enough—(cries of " no, no," and " go on,")—but,
gentlemen, before I resume my seat, I will say that I have,
for thirty years, watched the improvements which
i
have taken place n Liverpool. I have watched the
details of those improvements, and I do hope that one
will be found in the establishment of that ship in the
river, which deserves the support of all the philanthropic,
as, through that, it was hoped that the streets would be
cleared of our juvenile criminal population, which was
looked upon with so much regret by the magistracy of the
town. I believe that I have nothing further to add,
except that I do think that you have achieved a great
victory in the Lime-street Ward, and, as 1 said before, I
hope your example will be followed by other wards, which
I have no doubt will be achieved, particularly with a free
press, which will work wonders.' (Applause.) Gentle.
men, I beg, in conclusion, to thank you for the honour you
have done me, !n proposing my health, and I beg to say,
in conclusion, that I wish you all the greatest happiness

and prosperity, and beg to thank you all. [The gentle-
man resumed his seat amidst great applause.]
After an appropriate air by the glee singers,
The Chairman intimated that the next toast would be
proposed by Mr. George Melly. (Applause.)
Mr. George Melly then came forward, and was received
with demonstrations of applause. He said the chairman
had made a great omission when he called upon him to
propose the next toast—because he did not say that he,
being a Liberal, or Radical, or whatever they might call
him—when he did not tell them that he had a political
toast to propose. (Hear. hear.) With all due deference
to the chairman, be should call that a political meeting,
and when he (the chairman) called upon him, he should
have told them that it was a political meeting, and that
they would hear a political speech. (Laughter.) However,
they all knew that he was not a go-between, and as that
was a political meeting, he should make a strong—a very
strong political speech. The toast that he was called
upon to propose was—" The Liberal and Independent
Members of the Town Council and Administrative
Reform." (Cheers.) First, then, as an elector of another
ward, and not of Lime-street ward, they must permit
him to express his gratification at the victory the electors
had achieved; indeed it was a glorious victory, for they
had by their exertions succeeded in placing the right man
in the right place. (Cheers.) They had put an end to
the compromises that used to take place. (Cheers.)
After that victory they would hear no more of compro-
mises, avid they had done themselves an honour by having
elected a man not because he had askel for their support,
but because they had seen that he had managed his own
business well, and would therefore manage their public
business for them; and because, therefore they could
trust him. (Applause.) He (Mr. Melly) did earnestly
hope that the late election would put a stop to any
compromises in future- It was the compromises, he
said, that had placed the Liberal party in the position
they had already been placed, and the doing away with
it had placed their guest in the position he then stood.
(Cheers.) He would say that there must be no more
compromises, because it was impossible that anything
but enmity could exist between two parties, the
one of whom was for liberality and freedom,
and who were anxious to do good to the poorer
and assist their weaker brethren, and the other was
opposed to freedom and liberality of every description—
in action and thought—and who had opposed every single
measure for the good of the poor and for the good of the
public, for the last 500 years. (Cheers and laughter.)
That was not the bombast of a young man (laughter), it
was a solemn truth. He would tell them that from the
time of Charles 11. up to the present time, there had not
been a single measure proposed 'or the good of the poor,
for the good of the rate payers, or for the good of the
community, which had not been opposed by the Tory
party (applause); and therefore it was that he could not
compromise with them. (Applause.) But that was not
the subject he had to speak to them upon. The question
on which he was called upon to address them was " the
liberal and independent members of the Town Council."
Who were they ? How many of them were there? Were
they all the liberal and independent men they were sup-
posed to be ? And are they really men fit to take their
places by the side of such a man as their old and tried
friend Mr. Earle, or with Mr. Robertson Gladstone
—(cheers)—or with their friend Mr. J. R. Jeffery.
(Applause.) Were the liberal electors in the Town
Council such men as would back the men he had
named. He (Mr. Melly) said, " I trow not."
It had been said that there was no political parties
in the Town Council, and that there should not be
any, but that all political feelings should be merged for the
public good. But he would prove that it was false—that
there was political parties in the council. How was it, he
would ask, if there was no politics in the Town Council,
that they had elected 15 tory mayors ? If there was na
politics, how very strange that was 1 (Cheers.) How
very odd. (Laughter.) How was it, that if there was no
politics, that they should have elected 15 tory mayors, and
some of them very young men too ; and allowed a man
like Mr. George Holt to have retired without being hon.
oured by filling the office ? (Cheers.) Why, the reason
was, that Mr. Holt was a dissenter, and not one of the
tory party, but one who always went in the right way.
How very remarkable, indeed, that there were no politics
in the Town Council—he "be blo wed " if he believed that.
(Loud cheers, and laughter.) They all were aware that
there were politics in the Town Council. They all knew
that when any purpose was to be served, the Tory
members of the council always voted against the Liberal
party. All the officers of the corporation, either at
municipal or parliamentary elections—the officers of the
dock, as well as the other officers of the corporation—all
came up and voted to a man for the man or the party who
would trample them to death if they could—(hear, hear,
and cheers)—and, therefore, he would say, oh, there were
no politics whatever in the Town Council. (Hear, hear.)
He thought it right, therefore, to say that there were
politics everywhere, and the question was, did they wish
to be governed by one side or the other. No, there should
be no shuffling—they should bring the men face to face,
and let, the electors chose between the men—the Tory or
the Liberal. (Hear, hear.) The people who possessed
the franchise, either parliamentary or municipal, should
hold it from one election to another in their pockets. It
should not be shut up in the pocket, from
the time of Ewart's election, until the next time
it was wanted. It should be kept alive. The speech they
had heard that night from their represen.ative, was one
full of meaning and significance, that he would ask them
if he could be a Tory after it ? (Cheers.) Or, if he spoke
as he did, if he were a Tory did they think his speech
would have gone down with them ? (No, and cheers.)
He had takes note of the observations of Mr. Jeffery, in
reference to p irks, to public libraries, and though last,
not least of his observations—his very proper observa-
tions in regard to the signing of checks—(hear, hear,)_
ant this was a point of very great importance, not only to
the corporation, but to the public generally. He was
right, and for the benefit of the ratepayers who pay their
money, that they should have the choice of seeing that it
was properly dealt with in a proper mariner. (Hear,
hear.) He had watched municipal elections for three
ye trs—(a laugh)—gentlemen might laugh, but he had
watched the elections for three years, and he could, with
confidence, say that municipal elections were the stepping
stones to parliamentary representation, for the more
liberals sent into the council in the one way, the
more they added to the strength of the others in
parliament—the more liberals in the Town Council, the
sine
no
tr ea
it
oh
ne o
tehl
ed y
hadstrengthen
all t e t hTeo
wparliamentary r
freesps
ne
liberal opinions, would they not have Liberals to
represent them in the House of Commons ? He would
caution the Liberals to enter into no further compacts—
to pledge themselves to none but Liberal candidates, and
to abide stronglt by the pledges they made (Hear.)
He would now come to the subject of the toast, which
was one of great importance —Admistcative Reform.
What was Administrative Reform ? Why, it simply
consis'ed of the we'l known passage of placing the right
man in the right place. (Hear, bear) It was to send
the right man to parliament to represent them there,
and if this was done, they would not want reform,
because they would have it by the act of returning all true
Reformers, and so then administrative reform would, in
fact, be at an end—it would not then be necessary.
(Hear, hear.) First, then who were they to send
to parliament ? The responsibility of this question
rested solely on themselves—if they sent men
to parliament who represented them truly, why their
great object was gained—(hear, hear)—but so long as so
many persons in Liverpool, who had votes, and did not
vote at all, for he understood that there were at least
8,000 persons, who possessed the franchise in Liverpool,
who did not vote at all, but who had their own way, so
long would they want administrative reform. (Hear,
hear.) He then referred to the last parliamentary
election for the borough, and then to the recent election
of Lime street ward, on which he observed, in regard to
the appointment of Mr. Jeffery, that the honest electors
had at last taken him into their account, and pronounced
him to be the proper man in the proper place. (Loud
cheers.) He then called on the electors in future to
come to the hustings, and denounce by their conduct all
who told them that they did not want reformers. He
sat down amid loud cheers.

The Chairman : The toast, gentlemen, which has been
so ably proposed by our friend ?Ir. Melly, will now be
responded to by our friend and town councillor, Mr. A.

C. Stewart. (Cheers.)
Mr. A. C. Stewart, on rising, was received with loud
cheers. Be said : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, when
I was asked to respond to the toast placed in the pro-
gramme, I threw together a few hasty notes from which
to speak. But when the hononary secretary asked me to
respond to the toast, he did not tell me that my friend
Mr. Melly was to propose it. Neither did he suppose,
any more than I did, that the speech which I was
preparing would be delivered without any trouble on my
part, and that I should be, in sporting phrase, nowhere.
(Laughter.) I have the whole list of notes here, and,
on looking over them, I find that Mr. Melly has spoken
to every one of them. (Rear, hear, and laughter.) I am
therefore not only in the position of a man without a
speech, but I am also in the position of a preacher with-
out a text. (Laughter.) He has taken both from me.
(Laughter.) cannot, sir, however, say a word on this
sudject which has been given to me without, although
for the fourth or fifth time this evening, congratulating
all present upon this banquet. It is decidedly the
celebration of a triumph of principle. (Hear, hear.)
It has decidedly sounded the death-knell of compromise.
Compromise is dishonest—compromise always has
been di,lionest. It is the very nature of compromise to
be dishonest, and whenever any honest men lend them-
selves to a compromise, they are the only parties who
suffer by it. (Hear, hear.) This may, perhaps, appear
paradoxical, but a few words will explain it. The
Liberal party---much to their shame—in Liverpool have
been, on several occasions, parties to compromise. As
honourable men, taking a dishonourable step, they stuck
to the compromise. But I ask you, gentlemen, if you,
or any one else can, either in Liverpool or out of it,
point out to me one single instance in
which opponents
have stuck to a compromise. (Hear, bear, and cheers.)
When have they lost a single chance
of givtng a party
vote when the chance presented itself to them. You

see, therefore, when honourable men come to a dishon-
ourable compromise, the honourable men suffer by it.
The dishonourable men do not mind it, but carry out
their party motives as if no compromise had been come
to. /dr. Melly has shown you the several instances in
which the mayoralty of Liverpool has been handed over
to a Tory by the votes of our Tory friends in the council,
and he has also told you that the Tories never, upon any
occasion whatever, abstain from hoisting their party
colours when called on to do so for the support of
their party. (Hear, hear.) On behalf of the Liberal
and independent members of the Town Council I return
There ish,wilnddheeydp,
rai
oscmi
pallel band
and
—in fact, I am sure of it ;
b
allow me to tell you
oeby
continue
nut w' ntpimenr my sincere
eileseniitoin:t
lehheheeeoryocel
odohltuyohbnl.aydcnii thanks.
principle
olcoir ippe r,el, gentlemen, that they may
principle,e
that it is a very disheartening thing to be always in a
minority. (Hear, hear.) It is very depressing to the
spirits, and especially depressing to the spirits when we
know that Liverpool is a liberal town—that Liverpool
has a liberal, an influential, and an independent press—
that th Town Council of Liverpool ought to be
and that we are in a minority in the council room
because the Lib- rat electors of Liverpool do not do their
dtry, (Cheers.) If we were aristocratically kept down,
if we were church-ridden, if there were any power
underneath with which we were struggling for our very
intheir
existence,
powerand to
f send L
the electorsiherol
of Liverpool
meninto h
the
ed
councilevery o
thingt
were unable, then we would manfully fight as a
minority. (Hear, hear, and cheers) Then we should
know the work we had to do. (Hear, hear.) But when
we know we are perfectly aware, as the present ex-
ample shows, that if the Liberal electors but choose and
determine they can make the council Liberal, why
should we be suffered to be always in the minority in
that room (Hear, hear.) It is you who are to do the
work, and to strengthen our hands. If you will do so,
and put us in a position to carry out measures
for the good of the town. then it will be on us the blame
must rest if we do not attend to our duty. (Hear, hear )
Until then, however, we are determined to wait. We
are determiued to exercise patience. We are determined
to fight under proper standards. We are determined to
fight upon principle, and to hope that seeing your power
you will now exercise it universally, and that the time
of probation and waiting will not be much extended
beyond the present period. (Hear, hear.) Administra-
tive Reform—what is it ? The illustrious buffoon of the
House of Commons said lie did not understand the
phrase—l mean Mr. Henry Drummond. (Laughter.)
I think if he had been here this evening he would have
been the only man who did not understand it. (Cheers.)
Administrative Reform implies several things. First,
that there is an administration—then, that that adminis-
tration is very badly conducted, and requires to be
changed. Administrative Reform means, as Mr. Melly
has told you, " the right man in the right place."
(Cheers.) That phrase has now become a household
word. It is very easy to say, and a great many persons
think it is very easy to do. But it is a very difficult
thing to do—and why ? Because the whole governmental
system is rotten from the core. (Hear and cheers.) The
great drawback to Administrative Reform is govern-
ment patronage. (Hear and cheers.) Government
patronage has filled all the offices of the government,
government patronage will continue to Ell all the offices
of the government so long as you allow it to do so, and
until you are able to say that no office shall be fi led
except by competent men, and that merit shall he the
only ground of promotion—until then you will never
have Administrative Reform. (Hear, hear, and cheers,)
Then the question occurs —How is this to be accom-
plished ? Gentlemen, the whole governmental pyramid
rests upon the foundation of the voters. The voters have
the matter entirely in their own hands, and you will
never have purity in office until you have purity in
voting. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) You will never have
principle in office until you have principle in vo ing.
Is it likely, let me ask you, if, whenever an election
happens, only about one-half, or one third of the
electors vote, and these only vote—or at least a great
portion of them, because they have been repeatedly
called upon, repeatedly canvassed, because men have ran
after them day and night for weeks before—only because
cars are brought to their doors, and they are driven up to
the poll—on'y that they are bribed with beer and other
means—because corruption and coercion are exercised
upon them—is it likely, I say, that when gentlemen
for I will call them gentlemen—as that is the par-
liamentary phrase—that when gentlemen get their
elections by such means, do you think it is likely
when you have sold the votes to these men they will
not think they have a right to make a profit out of
them. (Hear, hear, and cheers ) Do you think that
any man, however high his standing may be, would come
before a ward as a candidate, spend perhaps several
thousands upon an election, would go cap in hand, and
on beaded knees, to the lowest and meanest elector in
the community for his vote, and perhaps pay him for it,
would go through all the turmoil, labour, and expense
of a contested election—do you think, when he has got
in, and after he has gone through all that slough, all
that degradation, after coaxing, entreating, and bribing
you to to give your vote, that that man will feel bound to
act an independent and a manly part when he has
gained his object ? We say lie should do so if he were
a man of principle ; but if you expect your representa-
tives to be men of principle, should not you who sent
them there be men of principle also ? (Hear, hear, and
cheers.) Do you suppose that election committees are
to be formed, that money is to be found by somebody, to
earry on all the paraphernalia of election work, and
labour to induce you to do what men want for
they own interests, without, after having succeeded
in getting you to work for dieir interests, these men,
making use of the power they have acquired for their
our aggrandizement? Certainly not. (Hear, hear.)
Gentlemen, there is a good deal of false doctrine afloat,
There is a good deal of ignorance afloat about the elective
franchise. The elective franchise is both a privilege and
a duty. (Cheers ) It is a privilege to have it—it is a
duty you are bound to exercise on principle on each and
every occasion that yon have an opportunity, as a duty
held in trust for your fellow-men. (Hear, and cheers.)
It is not a thing you can possess, like goods and chattels
of your own, to do as you like with. (Hear.) It is a
trust imposed upon you—given to you, as trustees,
to exercise for the public good ; and, until the
electors stand by principle, and scout any man
who comes to canvass them for a vote, they cannot
expect their representatives to do their duty when sent
either into the Council Chamber or the H )use of Com-
mons. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Does anybody ever
go to canvass Mr. Rathbone for a vote ? (Cheers )
Does anybody go to canvass Mr. Gladstone for a vote ?
(Hear, hear, and cheers). Does anybody ever go to Mr.
Jeffery, or to myself ? No ; never. And why ? Because
they know how we will act. They know that we will
not vote against our consciences, or what we believe
to be right. (Rear, hear, and cheers.) Now, gentle-
men, why should not every elector of Liverpool be
on the same footing with us Why should not every
man who calls himself a freeman, and would feel
degraded if you said he was a slave, not stand upon his
own dignity and independence, and say—" I conceive
so and so is the man who will d) the best for the
country, and, therefore, I will vote for him, and the man
who comes to induce me to do otherwise, I consider the
worst enemy of my native land." (Cheers.) Now this
is the duty of the electors, and it has not been per-
formed. What is the consequence ? Fully one-
third of the House of Commons is composed of mem-
bers who are the sons or nephews, or other relations
of peers, a great many more who are placewen,
and a great many more who are officers in the army and
navy. So, taking all the parties from the total number,
the people have a uiserable minority in their own house;
and, gentlemen, I say that we will never have admintea-
Live reform until we have a House of Commons which is
really a Commons House of Parliament— and that can
only be done by the electors standing upon their privi-
leges, and voting in a free and independent manner.
(Hear, hear, and cheers) But now we come to consider
the cure for those evils. There are two cures for them—
One is the progress of education. I will not pause to say
anything on that question. Education must be extended,
(Cheers.) Party quarrels, sectarian differences, and all
the hindrances to a sound and liberal education must be
thrown on one side, and that system which is the best
must be inaugurated. (Hear, hear,) The people must
know how to vote; they must be taught their duties, and
after being taught their duties, we have reason to expect
that they will exercise their privileges. If we cannot
have a House of Commons by this means we must extend
the franchise. (Hear, hear. ) Bribery is an evil against
which cart loads of acts of parliament have been passed,
and yet it still exists. The only cure, then, is to make
the constituencies so large, and also so equal, not having
very small boroughs to swamp the large ones, but having
all as nearly equal as possible that it would be impossible
to bribe them ' • and, if after all that, we cannot get a corn •
mons House of Commons, we must have the ballot. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) By the ballot, I mean some means to
protect the voter in the free and independent exercise of
his franchise. (Hear, hear.) A great deal has been said
against the aristocracy. It has been said that half a
dozen leading families in this country have the government
of the country all in their own hands. I am not standing
here as the advocate of the aristocracy—far from it—but
ham afraid that too much attention has been paid to this
subject. It is a very fine thing for any demagogue to
make rounded periods, or to call the working men slaves
and oppressed, and to say that the aristocracy have
everything in their hands, and that they will hold it. So
would democracy, as well as the aristocracy, hold it if
vthileeyeould get hold of power. (Hear, hear.) Tho
aristocracy hold the reins of government because you
allow them to hold them; but if you exercise your pri
ges
, and make the House of Commons a commons

House of Parliament. you will upset the family compact--
you will widen the entrances to official situations, and, by
so doing, you will, in a great measure, accomplish the end
which you so much desire—administrative reform.
(Cheers.) But, if such be the case in the House of Com-
mons, it is quite as much the case in the Town Council of
Liverpool. (Hear, bear.) If the veil of futurity could be
lifted; if we could look forward twenty years, and see
what Liverpool would become in that time, that its pro-
gress would be such that its present size to its then
dimensions would be as the centre to the circumference,
how would we now act ? We have no idea of the strides
of commerce in this neighbourhood, and, if as this exten-
sion proceeds, we shall see for miles round the present
centre, a teeming population, and hives of industry
on both sides of the river, how necessary is it that
we, who have the guardianship of those interests,
should be up and do our duty, in order thatjthe right men
may be put in the right place, and in order that the Cor-
poration and the Dock Committee may do their duty.
(Hear, hear.) However bad the aristocracy may be, and
they are bad enough every body knows—however bad
they may be, do not be led away with that part of the
argument ; but get your minds firmly fixed on the other
side, that is your duty. If you but exercise your privi-
leges manfully and independently, rest assuredEthat the
lower and middle classes of this country will attain to
that station which i; their right—they will have that
tt this
Tic country ttrhye w
righteh i s
place—
you r
(pi
uo
ew—e
ei in theshallmanagement
have
sh dl have promotion by merit instead of patronage or
exercised in a more liberal, and, at the same time, in a
therioghf
purchase, and you shall have the affairs of this country
more e,-onomieal way. (Loud cheers, amid which Mr.
Stewart sat down.)
The Chairman : We have heard of Parliamentary
reform—l have now to propose to you " Parochial
Reform," and couple with the toast our friend Mr. John
Woodruff, churchwarden and town councillor.
Drunk with all the honours. Song—" The Widow
Malone."

Mr. Woodruff, on rising, was londly cheered. lie said :
Mr. Chairman, Vice-chairman, and Gentlemen, at this
late hour of the evening I should best consult your feelings
by making a very few and brief remarks indeed ; but I
cannot permit the opportunity to pass by without express-
ing. in common with the friends who have preceded
me, how pleased I am at the success of
our friend Mr. Jeffery. (Cheers) Sir, my name
has been coupled with parochial reform. It is quite
true that with your permission I have now held the office
of churchwarden for nearly two years, and I hope that
during that time some new and better arrangement has
been endeavoured to be carried out. (Hear, hear.) The
principle which my colleague and myself have attempted
to enforce is, insisting, as far as possible, on the church
doing its own duty and paying for its own work (cheers),
and permitting those who keep without the church to do
their own work while they are content to pay for it.
(Hear, hear.) I say it is a disgrace to the church, either
locally or nationally, with the large funds at its disposal
and the supposed position that it holds, to ask
or demand from any other source but from its own
members who acccept its devotions, suppOrt for
its practices and teaching. (Hear, bear.) I have no
hesitation as a member of the Church of England, in saying
that the church should first put its own house in order by
the clergymen doing their work as they ought to do,
promulgating with diligence, industry, and attention to the
proper principles of the established religion of this country
and if that will not secure attention and support from the
pe )ple that accept their ministrations, nothing else will do
it. (Hear, hear.) Ido hope above all things that church-
men will have such respect for the principles they hold
themselves, that whilst maintaining their own institutions,
they will do so without injustice to others. (Cheers )
We have attempted a pnlicy in this town for the last two
years, different to any, I believe, that was tried before, and
I trust that we will maintain the efficiency of our establish-
ment without doing injustice to the mass of people who
dissent from, and will not accept of, the Church of
England's teachings. (Hear, hear) We have attempted
to carry out the new arrangement so far as our control
would admit, and, while we admit the right of all to follow
their own inclinations in matters of religion —while we see
that the great body of people outside the Church of
England contribute largely to the support of their own
churches and schools, and to every institution that can be
benefici,ll to their fellow man—seeing that, we cannot
in justice ask them to contribute towards the support
of our church. (Loud cheering.) I hope, however,
that we will act harmoniously together, even though we
should differ on many paints, and that the political and
religious discussions which have for so many years agitated
the town, will be now buried in oblivion. (Applause )

The Chairman then proposed " The 431 *electors who
voted for Mr. Jeftm.v"—(cheers) —and couple] with the
name of Mr. S. B. J. ickson.

Mr. J. R. Jeffery : I am perfectly in order to propose
three times three for the Liberal electors of Lime street
Ward.

The proposition was immediately answered by enthusi-
astic cheers.

Mr. S. 13 Jackson said—Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,
in obedience to your call I rise to respond to the toast
which has been proposed and so warmly received; but I
must say, before I go any further, that according
to my notions of order, and with all due defe-
rence, we ought to have had the Chairman's health
drunk before our nwn. (Laughter) I will take it, how-
ever, that we are not toasting ourselves to-night—(hear,
hear)—but I will assume that the gentlemen whom I see
around us, and who are not connected with this ward. are
doing us this honour—(hear, hear)—that they are here
to night as-sympathising friends, and as such, in the name
of the 431 electors. I return you our hesrty thanks.
(Hear, hear.) B it with that we do not repay you the debt
of gratitude we owe you. This is not the first mutual
meeting we have had as friends and electors in Lime street
Ward. No ; when the most powerful and personal
influence of the Tory party was imported into this ward, in
the recent contest, we were very much encouraged and
stimulated when gentlemen like Mr. Robertson Gladstone
—(cheers)—and other gentlemen with kindred hearts
and spirits, such as we see before us to-night,
came forwrd and rallied round the man of our choice, and
they deepened and extended the conviction we had, that by
sending Mr. Jeffery to the Town Council as the represents.
tive for Lime street ward, we would be sending the right
man to the right place. (Applause.) I thank you,
gantlemen, for not only trusting us, and for this expression
of your sympathy and approval, but I thank you also for the
assistance you gave us in that arduous but successful
struggle in which we were engaged. Gentlemen, we have
not mtrely been contending for the best man, thongh that
was a great matter, we were contending for a great principle.
(Hear, hear.) As the illustrious Kassath has said, our
mneicinal institutions are the greatest blessings we enj uy
in this free country, and for them we were struggling. (Cheers.)
I believe that all this had been attended with good, because
we have gained some instructions, and let us not be afraid
to carry it out. The reformers of Lime-street Ward were
aware of the position in which they stood ; they had to
fight a very severe contest, but it has been a successful
one (Cheers.) How could it be otherwise with such a
candidate (Great cheering,) I am no flatterer, I mean
what I say. It was a great point to have a good candi-
date, and I fear that if the elections are carried on as the
last one was, we shall have a great difficulty in getting
good candidates at all, particularly when we most
want them. For my part, when I fouud that we had
such a candidate I was sure we should be successful ; but
when I saw the meetings of the friends in the Freemasons
hill, and when I saw the state of the canvass there, there
could be no doubt as to the result. We had a majority of
supporters, and we knew what sort of men we had to deal
with. We knew that we could depend upon them, because
we had before had some experience in the men—and we
were not disappointed, for the 431 electors of Lime street
stood to their words, and they fully deserved all confi-
dence. (Cheers.) I am sorry that the whole of the 431
electors of that ward are not present to night to enjoy this
banquet—(cheers)-,-,because I think that much good might
be derived from such social gatherings as these. (Hear,
hear.) I think that if we were frequently to have such
gatherings as these, that great advantages would result,
and that the reformers would gain more unity and
strength. I hope that we shall see the time when the
reformers will all assemble together on certain days to
discuss and interchange ideas. (A voice, " Very right.")
Although our friend Mr. Speiser has given us a
very grand entertainment to-night, I must confess that I
do not think that it would be the means of getting 431
electors together, because there are so many who cannot
afford it. I should like to see them assemble together in
a social manner at stated times, in the same way as
religious and other societies did. We could have our
social meeting once a year the same as other societies
had. (Cheers.) And why not have our tea parties—
(hear, hear,)—at a shilling each, and then all the electors
could come. (Hear, hear.) And then again, if we could
not get on without the ladies, why not have them amongst
us, particularly as it had been said by Mr. Lloyd, that
they were such good electioneerers. (Laughter.) But I
should strongly urge on the electors the necessity of
having periodical social meetings, for useful and practical
purposes. (Applause.)
Mr. Jeffery then came forward, and was again most
cordially greeted. He said—l have to ask you to fill
bumpers, to drink the toast I am about to propose. The
toast I have the pleasure to propose to you, is the health
of our noble Chairman. (Applause.) The general who
leads his army into battle—wins victory—withdraws them
again, and only places 51 in the hospital—(cheers and
laughter)—without losing in reality one of his soldier
He is a general to be envied, and I hope sincerely that vs.
at a may live long for us to have him again anti e
again.
(Cheers.) During the late conflict he
gave our opponents
some very nasty nuts to crank—(laughter
day of election he gave them such a pill )—and on the
t
hope have operated so upon their di o swallow, as I
for the future, constituents, and thus iseases, as to purify,
muni-
cipal institutions, which heretofore nvigorate our Gentlemen, I wish we had suchhave been so polluted.
in the town—so fine, so a general in every ward
handsome (laughter) and noble a
chairman, commanding such •
could withstand him?
must have an influential body- Whoto
appear before him (Cheers.) Whoever dare
been annihilated. (Cheers.)
Then, gentlemen, did you see with what modesty he pro-
posed the toast. He should
have proposed the 431 electors

of the Lime street Ward, who voted for me. But did yo
notice the way in which he did it. I dare say you di I
flat, and so I will tell you. Why, he proposed the health
of 430 electors, leaving out himself. (Applause.) Now
I am sure you will do your duty in responding to the toast.
Mr Jeffery concluded by proposing the toast.
G'ec—By the singers.

The Chairman, in returning thanks for the compliment,
said, I thank you very sincerely for the kindness with
which you have responded to the toast proposed, but I
think I have some reason to complain of the conduct of
our worthy representative. (Cheers.) He had a duty to
perform, and that duty was on the record, and also how
he was to do it; but he has s'sewn, even in this instance,
that he is one who would not be a delegate, because he had
departed from the record, and has done it in his own way.
He was deputed to propose the health of the chairman,
the vice-chairman, and the members of the committee,
which was th 3 toast laid down according to the rules of
the committee, but he had omitted the names of all but
myself, whom he had singled out from the rest. It is
unfair towards me that I should be thus singled out from
all the other members of the committee, when it really
was those who had done the work. I only sat at the
committee room, night after night, while the others went
out and canvassed from door to door. Ido think that the
electors have done themselves a great honour by returning
such a man as Mr. J. R. Jeff ry, and I hope before long to
see many more such reformers in the Town Council.
(Cheers.) I shall now call upon you to drink the health
of the vice-chairman, and the members of the committee.
(Cheers.)

Mr. Jeffery : Permit me to propose that the toast
should be drunk with three thee: s. Mr. Liversedge,
Mr. Cope, Mr. Graham, Mr. Jackson, and the other
members of the committee, I have much pleasure in
drinking your very good healths; and I hope a
future efforts may prove as successful as your last

The toast was responded to with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Liyersidge upon being called on, said he had but a
few words to say, because he could say of the chairman, as
the gentleman had said of Mr. Melly—that he had taken
his speech from him—but he could also say that what the
chairman had said—had been said—much better than he
possibly ceuld have said it. But he was exceedingly glad
to find that they had then got a reform committee, after it
it had been in oblivion for six or seven years. After
lying dormant for that period, it had come to life again
with fresh vigour. By the great victory that they had so
recently achieved, the reformers had fully compensated for
that loss of time. They had done away with amalgamation,
and had then got a most excellent chairman, and such an
experienced secretary, that none could " Cope" with
him. (Laughter.) Besides these, they had an excellent
treasurer, and a bunch of energetic men. He concluded
by expressing a hope that some parties would undertake
the duty of impressing upon the electors and the non-
electors their duties, as they had duties to perform as
well as the representatives.

Mr. Cope being loudly called on, rose and said he felt
very much obliged to the chairman and the company for
the honour they had conferred on him. He had no notion
that he would be called on to say one word that evening,
yet he would not detain them by any lengthened observa-
tions on the present occasion. At the last election for
Lime.street Ward he had heard the sophistry of John
Buck Lloyd, and therefore it would be impossible for him
to express his feelings on the present occasion. (Loud
laughter and cheers.) But he really was quite in earnest,
for he could not tell them the feelings of his mind. How-
ever, as that was a repository, not for eloquence but for
horses—(loud laughter)—he would not say much ; but he
would picture to himself the figure of John Buck Lloyd
riding on some devil of an Asinodeus, and gaging down
into that room on them; and he (Mr. C.) was sure he
would look with Brea" surprise on the room as it then
stood—he meant that John B. Lloyd would, and not the
devil. (Loud cheers and laughter.) With what regret
he would look back on his past career, and on the oppor-
tunities he had lost, and curse the day he was not a
reformer. (Cheers.) Reform was a simple maxim, and
consisted in this—leaving the worid better than we find
it. (Cheers.) That principle had been carried out in
Lime-street Ward • and if all the wards followed the
example, they would leave the world better than they
found it. He sat drwn amid loud applause.
The Chairman then rose and said, the n'xt toast which
lie had the honour of proposing was an important one; it
was—" The Press "—a mighty engine for good or evil.
(Hear, hear.) There were two sides of the Press at work,
in the late election, but it was gratifying for him to t. II
them, that the side which represented the good prevailed.
(Loud cheers.) He then gave "The Press," which was
drunk with great enthusiasm. The chairman then called
on Mr. Whitty, but that gentleman having left the room,
there were loud calls for Mr. Charles Willmer. The
chairman said, it was in the ordinary course that he called
on the senior member of the Press, but as that gentleman
hail gone away, he felt gre tt pleasure in calling on Mr.
Charles Willtner, who, although a junior, was nevertheless
equally respec.ed and admired by the public, as an let_
pendent and honest member of the Press. (C!2,-,ers.)

Mr. Wilimier rose, and was received with loud applause.
He said he felt it an honour to be connected with the
Press, and he felt it a peculiar honour to be con-
nected with the free, honest, and independent Press.
(Loud cheers.) He felt proud to belong to a
press that advocated the great progress of the majority
of the peopie instead of the narrow-mindedness of the few
(Great applause.) He then stated that he would not detain
them by saying on that occasion what he thought of the
whole impor• ant proeeedinga, as he would have an oppor-
tunity of ding so in another place, and on an early occa-
sion. Having duly thanked the meeting, he sat down
amid repeated applause.

The Chairman then gave " the two sides of the water,"
coupling the name of Mr. John Finch. The toast was
drunk with all the honours.
Mr. Finch returned thanks. He said there was a great
deal of interest taken at Birkenhead in reference to the
recent elections in Liverpool. He repudiated the notion
of a joint committee, and said the electors were cheated
by such a course, as the committee met in some small room
and selected whom they pleased to represent them, thereby
cheating the electors, who ought to chose for themselves.
—the burgesses should know which was which, and who
was who, and s€lect their man themselves. He trusted
that the result of the late election would have a beneficial
effect on all Liverpool, and that in future the other wards
would imitate Lime street. He returned thanks, and sat
down amid considerable cheering.

The company then began to separate, after spending a
pleasant evening.

(It would be almost an injustice not to state that the
waiters who attended on the banquet performed their
duties admirably, being attentive and efficient, and we
were glad to find that they were furnished to, the caterer
by the Waiters' Associationl

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT TO THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE'S
COACIIMAN.—On Friday last the Duke of Cambridge's
coachman met with a serious accident. It appears that
whilst he was exercising one of his Royal Highness's hones,
the animal reared and fell backwards, so severely injuring
the rider that be now lies in a dangerous state.
THE INgurstrrox REVIVED. —The Inqaisitor General
the Roman Catholic Church has i sued a document, dated
from Ancona, for a revival of the inquisition. It begins
—" Being desirous, as imp-sed by our holy office, that the
Catholic faith (without which, as the Apostle Paul write
to the Jews, it is impossible to please God) should be in,
our jurisdiction maintained pure and immaculate from elk
heretical contagion ; and exoerienee having proven unto ns,
that many persons from malice, others from disot.clintee,
and, finally, others from ignoratce, do not fulfil tl:e strict
obligation they are under of denouncing to the 'uoly office
the misdeeds which come under its attribitlions, and that
serious inconveniences and errors result t'aerefrom, not only,
against good morals, but especially against the Catholic,
faith; nevertheless, we who have especially at heart the
glory of God, the full conservation and increase of the holy
faith, and the salvation of souls, to obviate all disorder, with, the apostolic authority intrusted to our command, in virtue of holy obedience, and under pain of excommunioation,
without prejudice to other penalties prescribed by the sacred
canons, decrees, constitutiuns, and bulls of the Sovereign
Pontiffs, by this present edict, all and every person, what-
ever his station, rank, or employment, whether lay or.
clerical, and within the delay of one month, ten days o(. which are assigned for the first, ten for the second, and ten
for the third peremptory tertTohienflorilmusatrgaatiendstNanedw\..ogti.ivfeys to us judicially, or to our vicars and resident curates, all,
and each of such persroenssideansee may
of
pcorminecenin;sdre_edr.erhiicsk orvitihheaini.
acquaintance," Tinhtsonii,fioeldlorwosvaal lobnrzideli,satnif offences
ltiico
ALLIANCE
Frederick William to England to
oaar f
sketch
sepi
ofa
R autnhsdse reported.i
hA futureis
The iourn of Prince
CelebrateeY th English
anniversaries
nertnnni
Princess
°veneer
swslir
assaratnii
ensysoahffmi fromeeroreibsnti
and pleases theirall_ among
uok
rr stphoani'..
Y the maims
national taste, which is to observe s
:cineneoi mostlittle interesting
French
her fete-day !lAA.
---- out moyre sharplyri
for the souvenirs than
than does the German fraulein for her intended's congratu-
°la°
that day. Everything connected
English alliance interests deeply, and is most
portraits and busts are
[`heir Royal Highnews'
and English ladies become
de in the shops,
they can give any description of the
messes
ice,ss or answer the multiplicity of questions about her in,
at all a satisfactory manner. To speak English is the
fashion ; and the number of articles which are named as
British in the shops is quite alarming, particularly as they
are th• rubbish and things that have hung sale hitherto
which are thus made to go off rapidly. The Kronprimn
Resident —a pretty, quaint edifice, half cottage, half palace—
is being enlarged and beautified for the future habitation of
the young couple ; and by the size of the scaffolding and
briskness of the workmen, it seems as if great things would
be accomplished in a short time. It is situated in the best
part of Berlin, just opposite the Armoury, and close to the
classical acd statued bridge across the Spree ; while imme-
diately beyond rises the dome which crowns the magnificent
residence of the Rings of Prussia,"
gra t
st
tt
IBdroriaenceyr -ha e s

with tb
popular
aidn 1,..

positiv

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL. general use in every parish, could be adopted for the BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS. carry goods and passengers at certain rates, but, in 1
. drying of grain without detriment to its quality. The order to do so, they had taken up a road which,
LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY EVENING. importance of the subject must be our excuse for revert- The monthly meeting of the commissioners was held last under an agreement, they gave up to the township.
We have not any change to report in the tone of in to it. To the perpetual recurring complaint of bad night, Mr. John Laird in the chair. The other members (Hear, hear.) He thought it right to name this matter to
our Cotton Market. The demand is moderate, and condition, we simply propose the question—ls there no present were—Messrs. Willoughby, Cook, Bailiff, Baylis, the board, not that they ought not to endeavour to make an
possible remedy, in this age of invention ?If the old afpWberter, Bell, Macdonald, Golborne, Meakin, Perk, arrangement with the railway company—he should like to
prices are well sustained. To-day the transactions
solution of difficulties— '• Nil desperandum"—used to do Hind, Aspinall, Keightley, Harrison, and Verelst. see that much—but they must not quietly 'give up their
were estimated at 5,000 bales, of which speculators in former times, why should it do in the days of sub- The proceedings of the lightning and watch committee, rights without showing who was to blame, and, therefore,
and exporters took about 500. The market closed marine telegraphs ?" which were first read, referred to a charge preferred against they have given Mr. Waln instructions to take the necessary
quietly, but with steadiness. Surats sold at 5d to Our Produce Markets do not manifest any new two of the policemen by Mr. James McDonald, late steps in the case. It surely could not be right for one man
57-,cl; Egyptian, 61d to 81d ; 111aranham, 71 ; feature to-day. The sales of sugar were rather inspector of smoke nuisances at Liverpool, which, on mvee- to build a wall on another man's property. (Hear, hear.)
Pernams, 7-1,1 to rs; and Bahia, 7i to 61d per lb. extensive, and prices had an advancing tendency. tigation, were dismissed. THE PROPOSED NEW BIRKENHEAD DOCK BILL.
The Liverpool Share Maiket was steady to-day, Nothing was done in molasses, but some Rum The proceedings were confirmed, as also the proceedings The Chairman said there was another subject which he
and in the leading stocks and shares a good business changed hands at full rates. A considerable busi- was desirous of bringing before the board. He alluded to
of the markets, health, and road and improvement coin-
was transacted, but prices were barely as good as ness was transacted in rice, and both Saltpetre and mittees, which were confirmed without observation.. the plans for the Birkenhead docks, which were now pro-
On yesterday. We report sales of Caledonian, 291 Jute were enquired after. On the proceedings of the finance committee being read, posed by the Liverpool Town Council. He had, that day,
Great Western, 691. Chester and Birkenhead, 191 The usual statistical return of the trade of the and their confirmation. moved. by
.M.r. Keightley, . . procured a copy of the plans. from Chester, and would. give
Lancashire and Yorkshire, 961, 1, fa 7. Lan- Mr. Bell gave it as his opinion, that the securities them a few extracts which he had made in refer-
port of Liverpool, as given in the Customs Bill of
h. the committee held from some' of their officers ence to what was proposed. In the first place it was
caster and Preston, 111 61p. London and North Entry, by which we have a statement of the num- on the part of the guarantee societies were not sufficiently proposed to build a sea wall in front of the
Western, 1031 -7,-, 6,105 k. Manchester, Sheffield, her and tonnage of the ships that have entered good as to render them safe in the event of any defalcations river, opposity the Morpeth dock, and opposite to that was
and Lincoln, 358 1. Midland Stock, 82, li, 2, k 2, inwards from and cleared outwards for foreign being male by their servants. He instanced a society from to be built a landing stage 800 feet long and 300 feet in
1,1, ,a, 1 North Eastern and Berwick, 211 i. ports, in the week ending the 29th of November, which he and others formerly held a guarantee for the depth, the superficial surface of which would be 80,000 feet ;
Dovers, 221, 2,1, 2,1, 1. Dutch Rhenish, 1.3 16prn. 1856, as well as the corresponding week of 1855. fidelity of a servant in their employ, on which they sustained and with a view of spewing the size of the projeeed landing
Bank of Liverpool, 221. Borough Bank, 101. The It appears that during the last week, 111 ships, of a loss of £7OO, the society refusing to make good the stage, he might state that the present Liverpool landing
market closed with a quiet feeling, but prices an aggregate tonnage of 71,657 tons, entered in defalcation. stage, contained 30,000 feet, as against 80,000 which the
were pretty firm. We note the last quotations wards', against 21 ships, 9,079 tons, in 1855, being In answer to Mr. Cook, proposed one would contain. The alteepeth dock was to be
of the day :—Aberdeen, 131 131. Blackburn, an increase of 90 in the number of ships, and an Mr. Waln, the law clerk, said he was satisfied with the improved, and a new entrance made, of 400 feet long
7Z 71. Chester and Birkenhead, 16 1 17. Caledo- guarantee which the committee at present held for the and 85 feet wide, the sill to he twelve feet below the
increase of 62,578 tons in the tonnage; the number
hones' of
were then confirmed. vessels drawing 22 feet of water every day in the year. The
of their servants. level of the old dock sill at Liverpool, so as to admit
nian, 29-/- 29 9-16. Chester and Holyhead, 19t- of clearances outwards during the week, 91 ships, The p
19a. Eastern Counties, 9 92. East Lancashire, 211- of a tonnage of 49,986 tons, against 94 ships and
xn 211. Great Northern, 221 231. Ditto A Shares, 56,300 tons in 1855, being a decrease of 3 ships From the THE FERRY CThIMITTEE. Morpeth Dock would thus be much enlarged, and would
proceedings of the ferry committee, it appeared have as much quay space as the Prince's Dock in Liverpool.
91 tlei. Great Western, 69f 70. Lancashire and and 6,314 tons. The total number of ships re- that the receipts for November, 1856, were £1,976 16s 10d. The Egerton Dock would remain as it was. Beyond that,
Yorkshire Stock, 97 971 Liverpool, Crosby, and ported inwards from foreign ports during the pre- as compared with the corresponding period in 1855, on the north, there would be a basin, to which vessels could
Southport, 181 18. London and North Western sent year, up to the 29th of November, was 4,128, £1,679 Is. The receipts from the 24th'of April to the 30th have access at any time of tide, with an entrance 400 feet
Stock, 1051 106. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin- with a tonnage of 2,283,195 tons. against 3 781 and of Nov. were, 1856, £17,968 19s 8d; 1855, £17,562 6s 3d. long, and 100 wide into the great float. The proposed
coin, 351 357,. Midland Stock, 821 82-1. North 1,878,191 tons in the year 1855, showing an increase The expenditure from the 24th of April to the 30th of works would be mach more expensive than those proposed
British, 91 91,-. North Staffordshire, 51, 51d. of 347 ships and 405,004 tons. November were, 1856, £11,526 5s 5:1; 1855, £13,274 7s 2.1. in the bill of last year. He might say, that the powers
South Eastern and Dover, 221 22 3-16. York, The followino is a return of the traffic, on The proceedings included a recommendation that the sum sought for in the proposed bill, involved the taking away
'Newcastle, and Berwick, 211 21g. York and the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, for the of £2,100 per annum be set aside as a reserve fund for of the public parade around the reserve, and the parade
North Midland, 301 301. Leeds Capital Stock, week ending, Nov. 1, and corresponding week maintaining the stock, and also a further sum of £5OO a at the float. (Hear, hear, and great applause.) The
181 19. Buffalo and Lake Huron, : ip. Dutch 1855.: 1856: Passengers, &e., 2,345/ is 21 ; met year towards paying off the expenses of a collision. The public parades were formerly the property of the people of
Rhenish, 4 lip. Great Western of Canada, 241 chandise, 3,4271 3s 31d ; total sterling, 5,7721 45 proceedings also contained a letter from the Birkenhead, Birkenhead. It was quite true that they could not use
Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction Railway Company in them, but without their consent no committee of parliament
24:4. Do. New Shares, 2 9.16 2 11-16 p. Great 6d. 1855: Passengers, &c., 1,3871 7s Iliel ; mer- reference to the boats plying between Monk's Ferry and the would allow them to be taken away from them. There
Luxembourg, HI 10d. chandise, &c., 3,558/ 5s 6d ; total sterling, 4,945/ Landing Stage. were thus 50,000 square yards, which would be available
There is not any change of importance to notice 13s 51d. Increase, passengers, 9571 13s 31c1; de- On the confirmation of the prcceeding being moved, for the purpose of railway accommodation, and if they gave
in the Money Market, with the exception of the crease, merchandise, &c., 131/ 2s 2,1c1; total Mr. Cook desired to have an explanation of the letter of up they enhancel the value of the Corporation of Liver_
demand, which is still active and general, in con - increase, 826111 s Sid. the Birkenhead and Cheshire Junction Railway Company pool, and, therefore, he considered that they were fully
sequence of the liabilitit-s having to be discharged referred to in the proceedings. entitled, as an equivalent, to the proposed landing stage.
next Thursday. Still there is no pressure and at -
HIGH RATE OF INTEREST COMPATIBLE Mr. Harrison (the chairman of the committee) replied, The corporation said that they had already expended the
current quotations the supply is abundant for all WITH PROSPEROUS TRADE. that the letter from the company was to the effect that sum of £1,100,000 in the Birkenhead Docks, and that, from
purposes. The best descriptions of paper are nego- commencing with the month of December, one boat would L 1,200,000 to £1,300,000 more would be required. Now, if
mated at 61 per cent., but for good commercial be all that the company would require. by placing that large landing-stage in front of the Morpeth
bills the bank minimum is generally exacted by Mr. Bailiff drew the attention of the board to that part Dock, the traffic could be so increased as to bring their pro-
of the proceedings of the committee which recommended perty at Birkenhead more into connection with Liverpool;
the bill brokers. While the Bank Directors the sum of £2,100 per annum to be set aside as a reserve he contended that, whatever they might spend at Birken-
continue to support their quotations at seven per fund. He wished for an explanation. head, they would not reap a more than corresponding bene-
cent., it is not to be supposed that capitalists will Mr. Harrison replied that, the committee had recom-
fit in the increased value given to the property at Liver-
consent to lower rates, except for long- (Hear, hear, and applause.) The plans would
mended that sum to be set aside for the purpose solely of Pool.
dated paper, which, owing to the probability maintaining the stock, by the building of new boats when- lay before the board for some time, and he hoped that they
of a sensible decline in the value of ever they might be required. After considerable delibera- might be able to give as cordial a support to the proposed
accommodation before it arrives at maturity, tion, the committee had arrived at the conclusion that it bill as they did to the bill which the corporation brought
is comparatively easy of negotiation. As the cir- was desirable to keep up the reserve fund to that amount. before parliament last year. A committee had been
cumstances which have induced the Bank authori- Any member of the board who might think that that sum appointed to consider the question of improving the
ties to continue their restrictions, when it is ima- was too little or too much, was at liberty to bring the
a roaches to the river. He hoped that committee would
determinedly go forward, and go to parliament, if necessry,
gined a reduction might with safety have been question before the board ; but, it was the wish of the
made, are not known to the public, it is impossible committee, the board should confirm their recommends to carry their views out. He was glad that a committee
to form any accurate opinion with regard to the firm ; and they put it out of their p mer to spend any had been appointed on this subject, both by the
portion of the reserve fund in repairs,—it being the distinct town coancil and the clock committee, and ha felt
precise period when a decline in the minimum can intention of the committee that that sum should be expended confident that, with the known activity of the chairmen
of the two committees—Me. Earle and Mr. Bold—they
be expected. It is not generally supposed that it
solely in the building of new boats. He next explained
will take place next Thursday, although a good that the £5OO a year, proposed to be set aside, was paying would spare no exertions to effect the improv,ements
deal of anxiety will, no doubt, be felt to ascertain off the expenses of the collision, as referred to in the report. rreequlreed.
the He was quite sure that they would absolutely
the result of the usual parlour meeting. The Chairman : The £2,100 per annum was solely to increasedi dockim'provements before lone, because the
and cpay space on both sides of the water
• The Consol Market has been rather tame to- keep up the present value of the stock. would do much to develope the immense resources of the
day, and a decline of Ito Z- per cent., Ras esta- Mr. Harrison : Exactly. We include in our working port. (Hear, hear.)
blished. This change is mainly attributable to expenses the keeping in repair of our present boats, and After a short conversation, and an examination of the
what we propose the reserve fund for is in order to build plans, which were laid on the table, the meeting broke up
the, settlement of the monthly account, which still
absorbs chief attention. The market on these new boats.
occasions is always rather variable. At the corn- The Chairman remarked that every four or five years they
must calculate upon having to build new boats, and he did
mencement of business the quotations were about not think that the sum proposed was at all too much. Ile
the same as at the close yesterday (after hours) but perfectly agreed in the recommendation of the committee.
they subsequently became lower. Afterwards there Mr. Bailiff had not asked the question in any opposing
was more firmness, and the market became strong. spirit, but the Act of Parliament defined how their funds
Consols have been 04fr t. 94 to I, and 941 for money were to be appropriated, and also defined that a certain
and Thursday, The January prices have been amount should be kept for the construction of new boats.
about 94ire 95. Exchequer Bills were maintained A sum had always been set aside for the maintenance 4
at 4s to 7s premium, and India Bonds were 2s stock, and he was rot quite sure whether the ferry
committee or that board were at liberty to set as
premium. The New Three per Cents. are 93:4, other sum beyond that prescribed by the Act of Parliament,
and the Reduced 921 931 Bank Stock is 2161.
The London Share Market was steady this What he wished was that that board should not do
anything that was illegal, or go be} tend the Act of
morning, and a moderate amount of business was Parliament.
transacted, but prices have ruled not quite so The Chairman : Even in that case, we should have the
buoyant. Great Northern, Great Western, Lanca- money in our hands, and that is some comfort. (Pear,
shire and Yorkshire, North Western, South hear, and laughter.)
Western, North Eastern, Berwick, and South Mr. Bailiff : True ; but we should not do that which we
Wales were slightly depressed ; the French lines, have not the power legally to do.
The Chairman : The sum that has been hitherto laid
however, exhibited a marked improvement, and
aside is a
Great Central of France, Northern of France, and merely nominal sum, ans
d what the committee
want, as
Paris and Lyons have advanced about 10e, to 15s. Mr. Harrison has stated, i to have the amount
required for the new boats in cosh.
The Canadian, East Indian, and Belgian lines After some further conversation, in which Mr. Bailiff
ruled steady. Among the sales were—London persisted in stating that there was no necessity for the pro
Stock, at 106 51. Lancashire and Yorkshire, 96/
pawl
-71. Midland Stock, 821. Great Western 69a 'l. of the committee.
The Chairman referred to the attempt which was now
Dovers, 734. North British, 39. being made to keep the river clear from the dangers of
Trade in Manchester was said to be rather colli ions with the ferry boats crossing between Woodside
better to-day, as the prices demanded by producers and Liverpool. Mr. Wain, by the direction of the board,
last week, are now willingly paid. We take, from had called upon the town clerk of Liverpool, and he (the
one of the monthly circulars, issued in that city chairman), was happy to say, that a committee had been
appointea, which had taken up the subject ; and a resolution
yesterday, the following : had been come to by the committee which would be read at
The general tone of our market has been dull and the meeting of the Town Council to-morrow, td the effect,
inanimate throughout the past month, and the business
that no acs el be alloWed to anchor in the river, between
done has been on a very limited scale. Stocks of goods,
Mr. Clayton's yard, on that side of the river, and
however, have been light, and there has, therefore been no
dispositnn on the part of producers to force sales. Conte.
quently prices have not given way nearly so much as might theand AnlfbetrhteDßeicrkkeonnhethade optheeekr
wall
; and northe between.wanda
Woodside
ee
Basin,south
have been expected under the increased pressure of the
Money Market ; indeed, the prices asked to-day, owing tothe
and
right
theght Prince's
direction. Pies e
As
o n
be th
hade ot h ea rlr aide.eady
Thatand Gweaesrgae'sst ell; isni Basin
a
the better accounts just received from the East, are barely
ta per cent, lower than our quotations a month ago. The add he thought the committee
said, ft would come beforethe
wThoowhnadC,bnienencilthteo-mmeoarnrsowof,
exports of cotton piece goods and yarns for the month are,
95,872 packages; against 106,292 for the same time last bprriantigtiundgeaboofuatlslueohn at
hr eacto m
sidem e nedfatthi oenr,i
rweerr. e entitled i
et led t o the
95,872 he
atr.)e
He would call upon the clerk to read the letter which
year. This is rather under the average for the previous
three months, which is 97,800 packages. The following bad been received from the Town Clerk of Liverpool on
classification shows, at a glance, the proportion to the the subject.
'various markets : atiNliorn :lia.llln, the clerk, then read the following communi-

East Indies
China ...
kistralia..

Pkgs. cotton Lbs. cotton
piece goods. yarns.
26.2 13.6
. 5 7 3.8
. 18 00

Central and South America ... 21.6

North America ..
West Indies ... 3.9 0.0
Coast of Africa
Turkey, Egypt, and Levant.. 11.7 6.7
Germany and Holland
Other European States
The Liverpool cotton market has been somewhat irre-
gular during the month, the common qualities of American
being Id per lb lower, while middling qualities are quoted
the same. Any improvement in the Manchester market
will probably lead to higher prices in the raw material.
Mule twist No. 30's to 50's are about ad per lb lower, other
numbers remaining the same as before. Water twist : A
large business would be done at a reduction of itiff per lb on
our quotations, but spinners generally decline to accept
lower rates. n piece goods there has been very little fresh
business during the month. The market has, however,
been supported by unexpired contracts for home trade
qualities, and the lightness of stocks generally in the
hands of prod'icers, Ills printing clothe, of low qualities,
laFe been taken freely, while the better sorts have been
in `less demand. The production of 34 and 36-inch makes,
of low qualities, has been greatly increased, and they are
rather lower in price. India shirtings are selling at unre-
munerative rates to the manufacturers, and as stocks are
light and the quantity produced much under the average,
some advance of price may be looked for with a revival of
demand. Domestics, long cloths, and T cloths are without
much alteration, the tendency being in favour of the buyer.
The arrivals of Grain and Grain Produce during
the past week have been to a fair extent, while the
exports not only coastwise and to Ireland, but
:;oreiga ports in the same period are pretty
:extansive. The trade at our Corn Exchange, to-
day, was not extensive, but there was rather more
firmness than last :yea. The Mark Lane Express,
of last night, in its weekly review of the Grain
trade, contains the following remarks :
" So variable is the weather in the Baltic, that no fur-
ther dependence can be placed on supplies thence ;
indeed, at Petersburg, after cutting through the ice for
the passage of sessels, very few have been able to avail
themselves of the opportunity for the want of steam
tugs. The demand for hard wheat for Spain has been
revived, and 69s per quarter has been refused for
Cubanka intended for shipment there, prices here being
the only impediment to the execution of large orders.
France has varied little in her markets since our last ;
and America, in receipt of large orders, notwithstanding
the extent of her recent exports, has somewhat increased
the rates for breadstuffs. The depressed condition of the
first London market has not been fully responded to in
the country; and this, coupled with a foreign enquiry,
gave a b.-ater tone to Friday's report, with some indica.
tion of a partial reaction in the rates of fine quality ; but
the low price of Norfolk flour (45s per sack) is a suffi-
cient warning for millers to protect themselves, in the
purchase of all damp parcels. For the mutual benefit of
growers and consumers, we heartily wish some simple
And inexpensive plan, available on every farm, or for

We have often attempted to impress upon our readers
the great force of a truth which has come to light of late
years, and which is of the highest importance to bear in
mind in all matters touching either finance or commerce,
and their relation to the material interests and condition
of a people—we allude to the fact of which we have
now so many illustrations, that a high price may be
caused as well by a great demand in the face of the largest
and freest supplies, as by the smallest supply created by the
most restrictive fiscal system ;—but that in the former
case high prices, so far from being an evil, are the best
evidence of the prosperity of a nation, and that they may
therefore continue and be permanent in perfect consis-
tency with the best interests of the people ; while in the
latter case it must be a source of the greatest suffering,
and must inevitably lead to an early reaction, caused by
tLe diminishing resources of the country and the means
of consumption. In short, it is not " price" which is
abstractedly a good or an evil :—it is the quantity of
anything :—it is scarcity or plenty in which the country
is really interested : -" price" is a relative thing, which
is either a burden or not, according to the means of the
great bulk of consumers. 7he tra le returns which we
publish from month to month, baar ample proof that
takingcommodities generally there is no deficiency of sup
ply ;—year by year, month by month, the increase of the
importation of all the great articles of consumption, as a
rule, steadily and rapidly progresses. Butprices of all arti-
cles, as a rule, remain high; indeed at rates which in former
years would have led to the most serious evils of diminished
consumption, of lessened demand, of a reaction in trade,
and of reduced employment, lower wages, and increased
pauperism. Instead of those calamities, high prices now
produce neither inconvenience nor discontent. If,
however, we look to another portion of the monthly trade
accounts, we may discover the true cause of this conse-
quence. Our imports have increased enormously, but
our exports fully keep pice with them. In the present
year they will exceed by no less than twenty millions
those of 1855; thus pointing to an increased activity in
trade, to a corresponding demand for labour, higher
wages, and greater consuming ability, which fully
account for a continuance of high prices, and the
absence of murmurs and complaints. But this principle
is no more applicable to ordinary articles of commerce
than it is to capital, the value of which is regulated by
supply and demand, and by the laws which govern other
commodities. It has been a matter of daily astonish-
ment for a long time past, that however high the rate of
interest, whether five, six, or seven per cent, trade is not
affected thereby, but that confidence and credit continue
unabated in the presence of the same circumstances, as
would a few years back have produced dismay and panic.
And it is very natural that it should do FA when the
true causes are considered. As in the case of the working
man, it matters less what the price of bread is, provided
it is the natural price and is not caused by scarcity, so
long as he has full employment and good wages corres-
ponlling therewith—so long, in fact, as it is his large
consumption that causes the high price and not a
restricted supply created by partial laws—so with the
trade, so long as the high price of money is caused by a
profitable demand, it may be regarded as the best proof
of prosperity, rather than as the cause of anxiety or alarm.
It is not necessary that we should remind our readers
that the interest paid by traders for the use of the
capital they employ, is really only a portion of the profit
obtained by its employment, and that it is very much
as profits are large or small that the rate of interest
will increase or decrease, over an average of time. This
result would necessarily follow from the simple facts,
that with good trade and large profits the natural ten
dency of all traders is to increase their operations, and
thus create greater demand for capital, while with bad
trade and diminished profits the natural tendency is to
contract operations and release money from employment.
We do not speak now of periods of sudden pressure and
panic, such as 1847, when for a short time the value of
money is very high, caused by a scramble to discharge
the obligations of a past period of speculation, and which
are always followed by serious reactions, but of periods
when for a long time the ordinary rate of interest con-
tinues high or low. That it is the greater or lesser
demand, at one time or another, that causes a high or
low rate of interest, we have only to refer to the Bank
accounts for a series of years to be convinced of—that a
great demand for borrowed capital will only endure for
a long time because it is profitable, and a small demand
because it is unprofitable, is obvious enough. The best
proof which we can have, of an official and public kind,
of the degree of demand at any one period for borrowed
capital is the amount of private securities carried to the
Bank of England for discount. If we refer to the ac-
counts of the Bank for a series of years, we shall
find that generally, if not always, when the rate of
interest is low, the demand upon the Bank, as indicated
by the amount of private securities, is very small ;
and we shall also find that when the rate of interest
is high, the demand upon the Bank, as indicated by
the amount of private securities, is very great. The year
in recent times when the rate of interest was at the
lowest point was 1852. During the whole of 1851 and
the first half of 1852, the Bank rate was 2i per cent ;
during the second half of 1852, it was 2 per cent.
During the whole of that period, the demand upon the
bank for accommodation was so small, that the amount
of private securities varied from only £10,000,000 to
£13,000,000. The period of late years when the rate of
intetest has been at the highest point, has been during
the last eighteen months, when the bank rate has varied
from 5 to 7 per cent, and during the greater part of that
period the demand upon the bank has been indicated by
an amount of private securities reaching as high as
£19,000,000 to £21,000,000. That the larger amount of
accommodation required, and the consequent higher rate
of interest during the latter than the former period, has
been caused chiefly by the legitimate increase of trade,
may be inferred from the fact that even in 1852 the
whole value of our exports very little exceeded, seventy
millions, while in the current year it wilt exceed one
hundred and seventeen millions. While, therefore, it is
freely admitted that there are many other causes which,
in some degree, affect the prices of commodities and the
value of capital, besides the great demand caused by
prosperous trade, yet both experience and reasoning
equally point to that as the main one ; and, therefore, as
t long as high prices are the result only of a great and
profitable demand, they are to be regarded much more as
a proof of prosperity than as a ground of apprehension
or discontent That the present high price of money
will very long continue is not to be expected ; but that
we shall von see a return to a very lot rate is not to be
desired. Iu the meantime, the best proof of the highly
prosperous condition of the country is, that the ex,remely
, high rates of discount in the present year have neither
prevented a great expansion of our trade, nor a most
satisfactory condition of the public revenue.—Ee ono-
mist.

d any

" Town-hall, Liverpool, Nov. 29.
" Dear Sir,—A bye-law will be proposed for the sanction
of the council, at the meeting to be held on Wednesday
next, for so regulating the mooring of vessels in the river,
as there shall be at 111 times a clear space of 500 yards in
width or thereabouts, between the Landing-stage and the
Woodside-ferry.
" The provisions of the public acts relating
hich
to
bye-laws, require compliance with formalities, w
will occupy some time, but every exertion will be
made to bring the bye-law, if passed by the council, into
operation with the least possible delay.—Yours, very truly,
" Wit. SHIITTLEWORTH.
" To Ambrose Waln, Esq., Clerk to the Birkenhead

Commissioners."
The proceedings of the committee were then confirmed.
LIBRARY COMMITTER.
The proceedings of this committee contained a recommen-
dation to the board to take premises from Mr. Craven, in
Conway street, at a rent of £BO a year, for seven years,
for the purposes of the library. In connection with the
proceedings, a memorial was read, signe I by 43 ratepayers,
opposing the removal of the library from Priceo
Conway street, on the ground that the premises in Pr street to
street were ample, and would be for some time, for the
purposes of the library.
The proceedings of the committee were confi
lONrmed.
THE BIRKENHEAD AND CHESHIRE JUNCT RAILWAY

GARSTON LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH,

The monthly meeting of the members of the Garston
Local Board of Health was held yesterday afternoon, J.
A. Tinne, Esq., in the chair. The other members of the
Board present were Messrs. Chidson, Cooper, Beavan,
and Goodwin.

The Law Clerk having read the minutes of the last
monthly meeting,
The proceedings of the works and health committee
were read, and included a recommen(,aton of the com-
mittee to repair Lark Hill road at an expense of x'2oo;
also a recommendation not at present to widen the
Garston old road. The proceedings further embraced a
joint report from Messrs. Duncan and Arthur Holme ;
and also a report from the surveyor, with respect to a
plan proposed by Mr. Gibbs to the board (and
whose letters on the subject have already appeared in the
NORTHERN TIMES) for sewering and draining the district
by tanks from the dwelling house of each proprietor. The
reports, which were rather lengthy, were read by the
clerk. They strongly condemned the construction of
tanks from each house, as proposed by Mr. Gibbs, giving
it as their opinion that, in a sanitary point of view, they
were most objectionable, and, if adopted, their effect
would be to pollute the atmosphere, and injuriously affect
the health of the inhabitants of the district The outlay
would be £9,000, and no advantage would arise either to
the proprietors or other parties. The number of men
whom it would be necessary to employ to attend to them
was also another objection to the adoption of Mr. Gibbs's
plan. The reports recommended that the sewerage of the
district be effected by the ordinary system of deep drain-
ing now in use.
Mr. Cooper objected to that part of the report of the
c )mmittee which recommended the postponement of the
widening of the Garston old road. He understood that
the owners of the land required were willing to give it to
the board for the purpose of widening the road, and on
that account he thought that the improvement ought not
to be postponed. He moved that that part of the proceed-
ings be referred back to the committee, with the view of
the road being widened at once.
The motion, having been seconded, was carried, and the
rest of the proceedings of the committee, including the
reports of Messrs. Duncan and Holme, and the Surveyor,
were adopled.
The iproceedings of the finance committee were next
read and confirmed ; and after some other general busi-
ness the board adjourned.
[The crowded state of our columns prevents us from
giving the reports of Messrs. Duncan and Holme, and the
Surveyor, to-day. In all probability we shall publish them
in extenso to-morrow.]

COMPANY AND THE COMMISSIONERS.
The Clerk, at the request of the Chairman, next read the
following letter :
" Birkenhead and Cheshire Junction Railway Company,
Secretary's Office, Cathcirt-st., Birkenhead, Nev. 29.
Dear Sir,--In consequence of a conversation between the
Chairman of the Commissioners and tha Chairman of this
company to-day, I am instructed, with reference to the wall
lately built to enclose our goods station, to say, that it has
been built at the urgent recommendation of the B)ard of
Trade, for the protection of the public; and withozAt
prejudice to any claim which the Commissioners of Birken-
head may have against this railway company.—l am, dear
sir, your most obedient servant, "IVILLIAM JOHNSTON.
" Ambrose Waln, Esq., .
commissioners era an
" Clerk to the Commissioners of Birkenhead "
which
The Chairman then entered into the. circumstances under
which the railway company had built the wall, which the
commissioners had now a right to complain of, showing
that, in 1849, the railway company declined to build the
the railway
C Inning street bridge, for which they bad then parliamen.
tart' powers,
companyan d a n arrangement
agreed
to
o wasgivethtchne cc.oommemt
access and road to the docks, of 86 feet wide. About that
there could be no mistake, it gave an access of
86 feet wide to the Egerton Doc.k. Tan acre was
taken in charge by the township, and had bees
repaired by the township ever since, but now the
railway company had built their wall 60 feet beyond
their own prescribed boundai. Ile considered that the
township, under the circumstances, would be at liberty to
claim a very large sum to compensate for the course
which the railway company had adoptee,them because by it the
township lost 36 feet in width. But he did not see that
any amount of money could compensate them for losing that
right of road to the docks. Ile must say that it had been
a very great breach of faith on the
.part of the railway
company. On their part they said that they must

The " very chiefest authority"
.to whom Sir R. Peel
alluded in a recent speech in connexion with his attack upon
Sir Charles Napier, is said by the friends of the latter to be
Sir Charles Wood.