The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-28 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.-LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.

A. steamer had arrived from Cadiz bringing official
approbation of all the measures adopted by
General Concha for the speedy reparation
due to the flsg of Spain by the Comonfort
Government. It was a pretty well ascertained
fact tat the sugar crop this year on the
island of Cuba would he shorter at least by one
11Ali than last year's. Interested parties were doing
their best to conceal the truth, but the time was
fast approaching when the official statements must
be published. A large number of the estates had
already finished grinding, particularly in the
vicinity of Mantanzas. Throughout the whole
island, the cane has been more or less injured by
the strong winds and excessively heavy
rains. In addition to these calamities,
the hard frosts bit the young growth. The
Commissioner appointed by the Captain General
to inspect the guano keys, had returned from his
cruise. The result had been highly satisfactory
so far as the oljoct is concerned, that immense
quantities of this valuable manure exist on the
thousands of keys that line the Cuban
coast. Whetha r it will bring the prices that
sonic parties anticipate, is quite a different
thing, In the caves of several keys large quan-
tities of very superior quality were found. It is
as highly impregnated with ammonia as the best
Peruv7an.

The home news to-day is very meagre. There
have been some doubts thrown upon the announce-
ment that the Australian mail steamer European
had arrived at Suez on the 18th instant. It appears
now that the steamer had not actually arrived at
that place, but that a large steamer was in sight
of Suez CM the 19th instant—such is the
tenor of a telegraphic message received by the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Ship Company.
The European was not due at Suez until the 22nd
instant, and to have arrived on the 19th must have
made the run from Sydney in nearly five days less
time than the Simla, which last vessel was due on
the 21th and arrived on the 26th. It would also
appear almost impossible that the vessel in sight
at Suez should have been the Oneida, since no
mention is made of her in the telegraphic despatch,
via Trieste, as having reached Guile, or Aden.
From a paragraph in a London paper of yester-
day we are led to surmise that the European and
Australian Company must have received some
tidings of the safety of the Oneida, since they
have again commenced paying advances to the
seamen's wives on half-pay notes, which bad been
for a time suspended.
The usual monthly board of Trade returns have
just been issued. They continue to exhibit an
increase in the declared value of British exporta-
tions, The declared value of articles of British
produce exported in the month of March was
10.456,0001, as contrasted with 9,448,000/. in the
same month last year, and with 7,311,000/ in that
of 1855. The increase is, therefore, about one
million over last year, and more than three
millions over the previous one. For the first
quarter of 1857 the value of our manufactures
exported was 28,827,0001. as compared with
25,119,0001. in the first quarter of 1856, and with
18,808,0001. in that of 1855.

The semi-official organ of the ministry, the Globe,
of last night, has a short article on the recent
meeting at the Underwriters' Rooms in this town,
respecting the arbitrary power of the Board of
Trade. The Globe says that it is a good sign
when owners of ships and the commanders and
mates of the merchant service at . Liverpool
are working together for the amendment of the
Merchant Shipping Act," and winds up with the
following paragraph :—" We are satisfied the
Board of Trade will be ready to carry out any
practical reforms and amendments of the law,
wherever it is found by experience to work eon-
trary to the original object. It was the ship-
owners who called for the abolition of compulSory
apprenticeship, and to that abolition is now
ascribed in many quarters the scarcity and reported
inferiority of the crews even in BritiAt ships:
America has no seamen of home,-growth, accord-:
ing to the revelations that have lately tianspired.
Hance perhaps one reason of the United States'
Government declining to co-operate in the China
war."

Parliament meets at four o'clock on Thursday
next, when the election of the Speaker will be
immediately proceeded with.
On Saturday, Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and
!qr. Wilcox, M.P. were entertained at a grand ban-
quet held in their honour by the inhabitants of
Southampton. The proceedings were almost ex-
elusively of a complimentary character. The
learned judge's speech contained no other political
allusion than the expression of his approval of our
proceedings at Canton.
In our coluMns of to-day will be found the par-
ticulars of a most diabolical attempt to blow up a
house and murder the inmates, at Sheffield, on
Saturday. So far as the partial destruction of the
house went, the miscreant guilty of the act was
successful, but we are happy to say that no lives
were lost. A man has been arrested on suspicion
of being concerned in the affair.

A special meeting of the West Derby Guardians
takes place this morning, when the poor law
inspector will be in attendance. The guardians
will, doubtlessly, act in a more courteous and
gentlemanly manner than their brethren in office
of the parish of Marylebone (London), who turned
the poor law inspector out of the board-room at
their last meeting.

A meeting of the Birkenhead ratepayers takes
place this evening, to consider what steps should
be taken regarding the Birkenhead and Claughton
Gas and Water Bill now before Parliament. The
proceedings will no doubt be of a boisterous
character,
The health of the Duchess of Gloucester has
not improved, indeed she is fast sinking.
The Continental news this morning contains an
announcement that the Neufchatel authorities are
willing to accept the proposition of the mediating
Powers, and it is, therefore, improbable that
the Swiss Federal Government wilt raise dif-
ficulties. A correspondent says that the
Neufchatel question may be considered
settled. The conditions imposed by the Con-
ference are not of a nature to please all Switzer-
land, hut the country is* weary of the question,
and will consent to some sacrifices in order to
escape from the hands of diplomacy.
The French Government are improving in the
art of despotism: The provincial journals have
been ordered not to allude in any way to the
forthcoming elections until the electoral colleges
shall be convoked. It is also rumoured that the
Government intends to prohibit the newspapers
from publishing their usual money articles, con-
fining them to a simple reproduction of the official
quotations of business done at the Bourse.

Austria arid Prussia have given another period
of grace to Denmark in the dispute about the
Duchies.

A private telegraphic despatch from Vienna
announces, on the faith of a despatch from
Bucharest, that the actual governor of Wallachii
has the intention of adjourning the elections to
the 10th June.

Three thousand Turkish troops have been sent
to Egypt, for what purpose does not appear.
The India mail arrived at Marseilles on Sunday
morning.

THE true theory of the British Constitution is
that all persons subject to its control shall stand
as equals, and that its laws shall not favour one
class of the community to the annoyance or
detriment of the other. Our everyday experience
belies this laudable profession. AS "justice" is
magisterial bench, it pro-
now dealt out from the
yokes the trite but truthful saying, " There is one
law for the rich, and another for the poor." The
feudal rights of the aristocracy—barbarous relics
of ancient serfdom in the British isles —are still
of the hedged
round
preserved, and the lords
with powers and
ls'ingr
ici,l;?fgo-r purposes of sustenance,
es to forbid God's crea-
tures taking and u
those very animated beings lie has specially
created for that design—fish, flesh, and fowl. The

game laws of England arenot only a blot on, but
a disgrace to our character. The principle which
first dictated them arose from selfishness, and a
desire to exact from the lower orders of society a
confession of petty vassalage. As they are now
administered, they enable the rich to luxuriate
upon "game" at the expense of the poor and
hard-working classes. One of the great argu-
ments in favour of free trade was that no article or
commodity which contributed to the sustenance
of man should be taxed, either for purposes of
" Protection or Revenue." When the Corn Laws
were repealed, the Game Laws should have
shared a similar fate. Upon principle they are
equally obnoxious. In practice they are more
injurious, and sal) the very foundation of the
people's morals.
The Game Laws are designed to protect and
preserve salmon, hares, pheasants, partridges, et
hoc genus onine, from the destroying aim
of the unlicensed sportsman. They give to
the lord of the soil a right to fish, hunt,
and shoot over the broad acres of the land
—to destroy the crops of his o‘s n tenants,
and to carry off the lands all game which he can
" bring down and bag"—whilst the agriculturist,
on whose grounds the said game is reared and
sustained, dare not destroy, touch, nor use, either
one or the other, under pain of being taken before
the magistrates, and compelled to defend himself
against the charge of being a poacher—one whom
JOHNSON terms a "stealer" of game. The law of
man may inconsistently invest the country
squire with the right to claim as his the feathered
tribe. It may classify certain quadrupeds as
game, and tell the said landlord all these are

thine ; yea, even a section of the piscatorial
kingdom may be annexed to his care and keep..
ing, and he will thus be in reality what SELKIRK
was on the Island of Juan Fernandez, "lord of
the fowl and the brute." Such arc the end and
aim of our Game Laws.

They authorise the exercise of a power and
authority antagonistic to the dictates of humanity
and reason. They elevate one portion of the
community above the other to an extent which
every other civilised community but ourselves
indignantly repudiates. All may not be legitimate
or legal possessors of the soil, but all have
surely a right to take and enjoy that which a
wise and benificent Creator has called into
existence for our benefit and enjoyment. By
what authority, human or divine, can any man
claim the partridge, the pheasant, or the grouse,
the hare, or the salmon, as solely intended for
the use and benefit of the wealthy or aristocratic
classes ? It does not exist, and the sooner the
idea is abolished the better will it be for the
game monopolists of the kingdom; for they
might as well assert that we were "poachers" of
flowers if we plucked up and planted in our
breast the wild daisy that blooms upon the
mountain side, as to proclaim that the man
who shot on his own farm, or in his garden,
when browsing upon his parsley or nip-
ping his early cabbage-leaves, that mis-
chievous species of game commonly called
a hare. It is not very long since com-
munities in many parts of the kingdom, in a
kind of a municipal capacity, offered and paid
rewards for the head of every animal which
exercised a destructive influence upon farms.
The fox, the rat, and the badger, with many
other creatures, whether of biped or quadruped
construction, were among the doomed objects
which these rewards were intended to capture
and destroy. flares and pheasants, partridges,
&c. &c., have been and are equally as destructive
on fields of grain and other agricultural produce,
as any of the races enumerated in the above black
list. How often does the ravages of a covey of
partridges, or the robberies of a set of pheasants,
and the moonlight visits of a troop of hares,
extract much of the value from farmer's, grain,
and other kinds of agricultural produce.. They
must, however, be permitted to roam on their
robbing and destructive expeditions, in order
that the preserves of my Lord This and Squire
That may be well stocked at the hunting and
shooting season. No matter who is worsted—no
matter who is inconvenienced and annoyed, i e.,
of the middle and lower classes--the epicurean
tastes and desires of those above them must be
satisfied on pain of fine and imprisonment.
Grievously unjust and one-sided as the Game-
laws are, and calculated as they are to bring the
higher circles, who not only enforce with strin-
gency their requirements, but vehemently protest
against their repeal or even modification, they
are immoral in their tendency, and criminal in
their results. No one can deny that the Game-
laws have roused, since their first institution, a
feeling of jealous hatred between the debarred
and privileged classes. The honest labourer,
as lie returns from his day's t ill, can see
no harm, no desecration of God's law, in captur-
ing a well fed puss as she crosses his path on his
way home, and carrying it to his family, that
they may partake of the sustenance which she
contains. He feels he does no man any harm,
that he is not belying his character as a citizen,
a patriot, or a Christian, if he can " bring down
a brace of partridges, so that those, whom it is
his duty to maintain, can taste a little of the
luxuries of a game pie. The British laws say it
is THEFT, and, therefore, they set class against
class, saturate the minds of the excluded with
feelings of dissatisfaction and discontent, who
in their turn never fail to devise ways and means
of evading the law, and taking revenge upon all
who thus deprive them of what they justly
regard, an indisputable right, and a universal
privilege. The records of our criminal courts of
judicature prove the truth of our assertions.
The penalties of the law, and the keenness of the
magistracy to mete out its punishments, do not
stop the crime of poaching, nor the fatal affrays
between gamekeepers a!" d those who disregard
the provisions of the Game Lows. Like the
ancient smuggler, when that offence was capital
the poacher, armed with murderous weapon, will
notsuccumb to the Game Law mandates of keeper
this or keeper that, They meet each other with

murderous intent. All law, and humanity are
set aside. The deadly encounter ensues, and
most frequently a mangled corpse is the result of
enforcing the requirements of a statute, not only
unjust in principle, but bloody and brutal in
practice. It was only the other day that a
terrible example of this kind took place. The
Beeston tragedy which occurred on Thursday
se'night, is fresh int he recollection of our readers.
The life of an industrious and honest man has
been sacrificed, Mrs. Bebbington and her three
children have been bereft of a husband and a
parent, and a cold blooded and treacherous fiend
now awaits the vindication and satisfaction of our
offended laws. We need go no further, for an
illustration of the direful consequences of enforc-
ing game and sumptuary enactments. The new
Parliament must not omit to take them into their
consideration. The time has come for their
repeal, and the abrogation of all laws, which,
either directly or indirectly induces outrages, far
less heinous and serious in their character, than
the sad andtruly melancholy tragedy at Beeston.

THE Chinese atrocities are not at an end.
The Eastern barbarians are neither conquered
nor cowed. So far from suing for peace with
England, news has arrived which must convince
the most sceptical that affairs in that quarter
are more critical than ever. The Overland Mail,
which arrived at Trieste on Friday, brought
intelligence of the total destruction of the
Government contractors' warehouses at Hong-
Kong, and the burning of 700 barrels of flour.
In addition to this act of incendiarism, the
Chinese in Sarawak have risen in insurrection,
and massacred several Europeans. Sir JAMES
BROOKE at first had a narrow escape, but after-
wards inflicted a severe slaughter upon the
"barbarians." We are also told that another
British steamer, with a valuable cargo, has been
carried off by the Chinese passengers, and all
the Europeans on board killed. What makes
this latter case the more deplorable is the fact
that at the time of the attack the steamer was
sailing under the Portuguese flag—an indirect
evidence that our naval force in the Canton
waters is inadequate to the protection of our
mercantile marine--and that the British mer-
chants in China are obliged to resort to " false
pretences" in order to carry on the ordinary
traffic in which they are engaged.
As we read these statements, we cannot help
calling to mind the gentle and pacific intimation
which proceeded from the Admirali.y during
the heat of the late general election. It was
to the effect that the Emperm of CHINA had
caused instructions to be sent to the Governor
of Canton, YEH, to cultivate friendly relations,
and seek for peace with England. The intel-
ligence just to hand falsifies the `• cooked''
despatch which the Admirality published, and
shows most clearly ' that instead of suing for
peace, the Chinese authorities in the region of
the quarrel are pressing the English forces hard,
and that on every side. It was heretofore
asserted by those who advocated Lord PALMER-
STON'S Chinese policy, that the war was one
instigated and carried on solely by the wish and
desire of YEH and his subordinates, and that the
people of China were totally opposed to his
conduct with respect to the lorCha Arrow. This
cannot be, for we find that the Chinese who
reside without the jurisdiction of the Mandarins
are resorting to deeds of violence and bloodshed
in order to avenge themselves fbr what the
'British forces did at Canton.

The unexpected and unprovoked attackon
the English settlement at Sarawak, can only
have been mitigated by a spontaneous ebullition
of natural feeling. What has taken place in
Borneo, may happen at Singapore, Penang, and
Malacca, at all of which, there are numerous
Chinese populations, and who knows, but the
same tragedy may be attempted in Australia, as
came off at Sarawak. Taking all these . circum-
stances into consideration, as well as the Admir-
alty announcement referred to, we cannot help
thinking that the Government desired the
country
_to believe that the Chinese were com-
pletely awed by the bold front of the British
forces before Canton. It was also desirous of
causing the country 'to believe, during the
election, that the sanction which the Govern_
went gave to the proceedings of its representa-
tives in China, would have the desirable effect of
compelling the Government of China to ackno-
ledge past offences, and to promise better be-
haviour for the future.
It is quite evident that British sway and
authority is just now in a most perilous position.
The pretensions of the followers of Lord PA LM ER -
STON have been proved futile, and what was but
a small beginning, must now have a great end-
ing. We are not going to enquire into the
origin of this serious dispute. We have on a
mere trifling pretext, whether legitimate or not,
is . beside the question, bombarded a leading
Chinese city, destroyed its buildings, and
slaughtered thousands of its inhabitants. The
Chinese have retaliated, and, as it were, are rising
en. masse in. every quarter where they have
power and numbers, inflicting terrible revenge.
[heir duplicity and cunning, and their practice
in deeds of cruelty and torture, make them des-
perate in any encounter where their position and
numbers give them the least chance of success.
The first and the most pressing enquiry now is,
What can be done to rescue our fellow country-
men, and protect their property from the count-
less hordes of these human bloodhounds, who

have banded together in all quarters to exter-
minate everything British ? There is now no-
thing for it, but we must conquer a peace ; our
arms must triumph in all parts of China, and the
British flag float over the citadels of Canton,
Shanghai, Singapore, &c., &c., ere the treaty of
peace which Lord Elgin is prepared to offer, be
duly " signed, sealed and delivered."
What has been done at Sebastopol must be
repeated at Canton, and, if need be, the Imperial
city of Pekin itself. Just now, the myriads of
Chinese are in a state of frantic excitement, and

pressing hard upon the few handfuls of English
at Hong Kong and Canton. In such a case, our
fellow countrymen, so hardly pressed, and hemmed
round on every side, cast their eyes to home and
plead for help. According to present appearance,
that succour will be long in reaching them. The
Persian Expedition was to have gone to China,
but the latest advices from Bushire tell us that
military operations are still in progress there:
At home we seem to be equally dilatory, as well
as unfortunate in despatching relief._ Already one
transport under weigh to China has put back,
as she was not deemed seaworthy. A second, in
consequence of some ridiculous mismanagement,
happened to anchor in well-known ground, a few
miles from Portsmouth, in such a slovenly manner,
that the turn of the tide shipwrecked her on her
own anchor ! Truly this is an encouraging com-
mencement of war with a nation of people amount-
ing to some 300,000,000. If we can attach_ cre-
dit to the statement put forth by some of our
Metropolitan cotemporaries, there must be ex-
treme confusion among the War Office authori-
ties. 'We are told that the clerks of the Ordnance
Department are perfectly bewildered, are con-
founded by ",eounter m•ders,treading on the heels
of orders," and that there " is a state of confusion
unsurpassed even in the earlier months of the
Crimean campaign." Certainly our foreign rela-
tions look ominous just now. The struggle we
are engaged in requires us to put forth -our
Whole strength, for, as the leading journal truly
remarks—li We are fighting -with three hundred
millions of people, distributed over, the half of
Asi I, and abetted by multitudes in-some of the
most important dependencies of the Empire.''
Deeply as all must deplore this Chinese quarrel, it
is no time to find
.fault with any party. The
British forces, land and -sea., 'must go forth; and
when truth and justice, and an abhorrence of
that which is cruel and savage, are the mottoes
of our armies, the proof battles will crown our
efforts with success.

IN little more than a week, the Council will
Iv
have to pronounce: what their ultimate
deter-
mination
is to be in respect of the all-important
question, as to the manner in which the inhabit-
ants of this town are for the future to be supplied
with that necessary of existence, water. ,Are we
to have a continuance of the present anomalous
system of supplying a portion of the town with
a mixture of the Pike with the well water, while
other portions, are supplied with the well water
in its pure state.?. Or are we, to have either of
these waters unmixed, supplied to, all alike; or
shall we have both supplied through different
lines of mains ? These are the points which the
Council are called upon to determine at their
next meeting, and we do hope that, in that de-
termination, they will be! guided by a single
,desire—that to further the ardent wishes, and
promote the best interests of their fellow towns-
men—by resolving promptly to put an end to the
continued introduction of the Rivington waters,
until such time as some process shall have been
devised, which will be found effectual in practice,
to render these waters of equal,purity and whole-
someness to the well water. When that has
been accomplished, none will rejoice more
heartily than we shall ; but, until that is really
done, let there be no further tampering with the
public health, or jeopardising the lives of the
inhabitants by persevering doggedly and obsti-
nately in forcing water down the throats of the
people, which is not only hateful and disgusting
to the eye and the palate, but, as has been
clearly shown, is positively. poisonous under the
peculiar circumstances in which the great
majority of the people of this town are now
compelled to use it,
It is notorious to every one conversant
with the subject, that in all the better
class of houses, there are invariably leaden
cisterns for the purpose of storing water, and i
very many courts, there are similar conveniencies.
Until a recent period, the water supply was
intermitted, and consequently, these cisterns
were usually made very capacious, sufficiently
so in many cases to contain a week's supply for
a large family. And, as a general rule, these
arrangements still exist ; hence, it follows, that a
large portion of the inhabitants are now neces.
sarily drinking and using the mixed waters,
which, in many cases, where the consumption is
small, may have- been in contact with the lead
for several, nay, for many days together,
Now, we have the concurrent testimony of the
most eminent chemists in the country, men who
have no private interest to serge, "and' Who- have
never been the hired advocates of any scheme,
that the action of Rivington water on lead is
most decided, and its use, after twenty-four hours
contact with it in a cistern; is pronounced to be,
dangerous in' the extreme, even when diluted
with equal quantities of well water. This latter
has no solvent action on lead whatever, although
it exercises a corrosive one. On the c ontrary,
when the Rivington water is mixed with twice or
thrice its volume of well water, its affinity for
lead is greatly neutralized,_ although, even then,
its use would .be unsafe, if for a length of time in
contact with it. On this point the testimony of
Drs. NEVINS and EDWARDS is conclusive. They
state in their Report—" That the Rivington
water, or any mixture containing it in equal. pro-
portions, or thereabouts, will, when stored for
twenty-four hours in a leaden cistern, attack and
.• •
dissolve the lead." And, moreover, they add—
" Water thus impregnated is dangerous to the
public health." We put it to the Town Council
whether, with these facts before them, they will
persist in forcing this mixed ,water on the unfor-
tunate inhabitants, thousands of whom are com—
pelled to use it after it has been, much longer in
contact with lead than even twenty-four hours.
We cannot believe that the majority of the Coun-
cil will consent to the perpetrating of such
wickedness fora single day longer.
Ilow many of our fellow townsmen are now
imbibing this slow but certain poison, and thus
laying the foundation of future disease, and pre-
mature death—and for what ? To satisfy the

crotchets of a faCtion. But, assuredly, this state
of things cannot be tolerated much longer. The
sooner this poison water,which was surreptitiously
smuggled into the town, is publicly ejected, the
better will it be for all parties.
The remedy proposed, that of painting or
cementing cisterns, is but doubtful; nor would it
be generally adopted. But, at all events, let the
water! be withdrawn until we have found some
remeoy. We have all along predicted that the
colour of the Rivington water would prove one of
its most objectionable characteristics, nor have
we been deceived. All persons compelled to use
it, even in its diluted state, are loud in their con-
, demnation of its dirty appearance. We were
told by the pro-Pikeists that this colour was the
result of oxidation in the pipes. " Wait but a
single month," said the Chairman of the Watet
Committee, "until our pipes are scoured out, god
you will find the Pike water as pure as that from
the red sandstone.

This was only a reasonable proposition, and
we have waited four months, and yet there is no
improvement in this respect, nor will there be,
for the colour is the natural mossy tint of the
water, which no known 'process of filtration will
remove, except by means of animal charcoal.
This ras declared to be the case by Dr. TAYLOR,
the so much lauded chemist of the Corporation,
and' in this view-he is confirmed by our own
townsmen, Drs. EDWARDS and NEVINS. All three
agree in pronouncing the colour of the Pike
water to be most objectionable, and unless
filtered by the means above named, unfit for the
supply of the inhabitants. But' all conversantwith ithe process of filtering through .a medium
composed of animal charcoal, are aware that it i 0
a most costly process. At the' outset, the origi-
nal cost of a series of filter beds of sufficient
capacity to filter sixteen millions of gallons, of
water daily, would involve an outlay little short of
100,0001.; and it must be borne in mind that
charcoal only retains its purifying virtues for a
limited period, and becroraes useleSs until
reburnt. This would involve the construction or
numeroiti' ex! ensive kilns, and entail a very large
annual outlay, probably more than 20,000/. Per
annum—certainly not less. Are the Council
prepared to sanction such an outlay, for what at
most is but an experiment ? We do not think
They will. It only remains, therefore, for thew
to determine whether they experiment we
have formerly submitted, of 'supplying/ the town.
with Pike and well water on alternate days,
through the same line of pipes, shall be fairly
tried, or a fresh set of mains laid exclusively for
the iRIVINGTON,water.
One of the two plans must be, adopted,
without regard to' cost, for certainly the inhabi-
tants will not submit Much longer to the corn"
pulsery use of water which they detest, and
which the majority of them believe to be
pJisonous. And we do hope that there will be
no more of those, exhibitions of levity and
buffoonery which certain of the Pike advocates
delight to indulge in, much to their own discre'
dit. When the, subject again comes to be
discussed in the Council, a question involving
the comfort, health, and the very lives of 40000
of peOple, is not one suited for the display of
ignorant tomfoolery or vulgar 'mountebankisra,
It ought to be approached and dealt with in
all'the seriousness which its importance merits,

THE WlCATHER.—Yesterday was excessively cold 3, and
at intervals there were some bleet showers of short &Ira'
tion. It was the coldest day since January last. Fine
sunny weather is anxiously looked for by agricuituralisol
so desirable at this season.

, VERY 611:q'ICIOUS.—At altpast eleven o'ciock on Sun-
' day night, a boy, named Edward Hodgson, who resides
in .Windsor, informed a police offices that he saw 3
woman deposit something in a suspicious in vines at 311
entrance in Vine-street„ran,d on g ,ing there the eonstsh' e
e
h ; tmind the body of a male child, which he conveyed to
t
derid-house.=A child, named Evans, seven clays °A &e"'A•
yesterday in Clayton-street, in conssquenee of the mother
saving given.it some laudanum to 'jet its restlessness.
MARINE STOKERS.—Last evening a special generbs
en
meeting of the marine stokers belonging. to this port $l6:
cvened at the vaults kept by Mr. Marsh, opposite
Nelson reek; :for the purpese of :taking certain ste,_Ps
towards redressing some al!egel wrongs under whiclytheS
were labouring. There was a very small attendance ; B°4
our reporter, who was in attendance, was informed 1113 t t"
meeting was private,- it being quite of a pretiraii""
' character.
Thiele
- AUSTRALIAN ESIIGRATION.—The splendid clipper
Speed,: belonging, to Mr. Edmund Thompson's geoel
Line, sailed yesterdieefor
.Melbourne, with'3so passenzeTo
andupwards of 1,300 tons of very valuable cargo. Sile
to be followed on the 28th May. by the beaatifal neo
clipper ship Dragoon, built by the same builder alla°ll
the same lines as the celebrated clipper Blue, Jacket, viltice,
made the extraordinary passage of sixty-nine days
Melbourne. 'The. Dragoon's cabins are fitted up in the
most re, hereke, manner. The state rooms are very large
and airy, and found iu bedding, &c., while the after eat p°
is an unique specimen of taste and splendour combine :0
An inspection of this beautiful craft, as she now lies in t?
Prince's dock, will repay any connoisseur of fine ships.
Die. MUSPRATT'S DICTIONARY OF GfIRMISTRY.---;;We,
an: American cotemporary, are informed that the Ellie °lc
this splendidly °lab:irate(' and beautifully illustrated oe°,l,e
is unprecedented, the 'Dentists, issue exceeding 40,tr-'"
copies. The largest Lumber, ever sold. of,Ure's D:ctiousr?:
in one year is .stated to have been 3,700. The Arneric'
edition, we see, has been entrusted to our leading chemist~
Professor floreford, of Cambridge, who will no douhti4s
ire ample justice; he, however, remarks in a prefaCe 1:10
Dr. Muspratt has left him nothing to add," which is t
highest compliment he could payeohis eeroPe%
We have from time-to time noticed Dr. Mespratt's yorco
in, these columns, and: always with sort asure, a 4 theY $,
replete with excellent recipes, and much interesting on
domestic matter: for the fairer portion of our reacieree
is.assetted that the copyright of the book under nn
tice
was Ficato the-Scotch publisher for the small Sum of 4,"-;:,
dollars. Should this be the case, and the book extend;
sixty or seventy numbers, as expected, by our .Atneritils,
professors, 500,000 dollars will be hiS portion. 1:133„.„.?
Muspratt represented his position fairly to the publis';',o
If so, we think he should not hesitate in augmenting
remuneration.—Mining. Journal;
ere
;LAUNCHES AT PIi.ESTON.-"-TW9 new iron VeSeets
leenched from the yard of Messrs. Andrew Ogle an'l
of Preston, on Saturday. These were Ihe iT31.181111C115 t:e
iron vessels at Preston. Oee vessel was a full rigged f
in seed sailing ship, of 400 tons -register, and capable
carrying between 600 and 700 tens. Hsr owners 3'd
geisrse Blythe and Teonght ‘n, Liverpool. She is ioteede
s.
for the Sooth American trade, and is called the 1332°,1„t
She measures 150 feet over all, 24 feat beam', and 17 cio
depth ; andis classed A 1 at Lloyd's for twelve:years. "
he
Was Was designed by Mr. James Grindrod, of Liverpool, ans
is the owner of a screw pleasnre sailing yacht, which felt
launched on Saturday.' She is 75 tens register, 95 it'lt
over all, 12 feet beam, and 8 feet• in depth. She is belt
upon the model of the famous America; anl it is intie!,ses,
to fit her with a pair of high pressure horizontal enati3`o,
'together of 20-horse -power. The owners of the B"gi r
have contracted for the building of another vessel like!i's
the kerl of which was ready for laying down. The build:oo
have also on the stocks two steam tugs ter Liverpool ; rye,
of 300 hsrse power, attended for the United Steam
Company, and the other, u Lich is smaller, for the Bride
vg
water Tres ees. There is also on the stocks a small eoastiair
vsssel, of 300 tons, for the Celebr .okdale CumeanY• of
these are being built of iron. A large wooden trese"old
probably 1,000 tons, is on the Cocks in the adjoining I
of Messrs, Smith and Rutherford.