Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-03 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE.

[lVe do not hold ourselves responsible' for as opiaions of

our correspondents.]

TILE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT.

",UNITY IS STRENGTH."

TO THE EDITOR OR THE NORTHERN DkTLY TIMES.
SlR,—Permit me through the medium-of your widely
circulated and deservedly popular journal to draw public
attention to the " dead lock" at which the amount of
the subscriptions appears to have come tto. I see no
additions made to it for some days past, although the
amount is little more than one-half of *bat will be re-
quired to equip those volunteers that have beet) enrolled
at head-quarters, and is totally inadequate to admit of
the Executive ommittee giving any help whatever to
largo bodies who have. enrolled themselves as artillery-
men, trusting for their outfit to the ftuidvsto be placed at
the disposal of thecommittee. .
While it seems to be admitted on alishands that the
volunteer movement so nobly begun in ,-Liverpool, and
since so promptlylbllowed in other parts of the kingdom,
has had the effeetorchecking any designs ghat mightonce
have been meditated against our nationality and prestige,
' restoringconficlenceat home, and, no dontt, will carry its
proper influence in.the approaching European Congress,
it will not be of anylastino't'importance•iinless the requisite
funds are now collected to enable the eommittee to com-
plete their great work of affixing the stamp of per-
manency to this institation—decidedly the eTeatest and
most significant of modern times, whether itbe regarded
as a voluntary expression of devotion and loyalty to the
throne, or an antidote to political and war panics, and a
preventive, therefore, of commercial crises.
When such reflections as those are suggested by
this movement, by which the interests of all classes
in a conununity, and particularly a great. commer-
cial empbrium like that of Liverpool, we affected,
I cannot but express surprise at the ,eomparatively
small number of names in the subscription list, and
the all but entire abSence of the names of the general
tradesmen of the town, whose interests are so mixed up
with the maintenance of our national weight in the
0111161 s of Europe. I have heard it stated indeed that
the tradesmen of the town intend to get, up .a company
or companies of their own, -but we have not seen any
movement as yet, unless it 'he an announcement I lately
noticed in some of the local papers, " that the public
meeting advertised to organise measures for•the purpose
of getting up tradeiMeii's veinal& ciiiii-paiiie&arliffeihad
been postponed s*die." I hope the gentlemen who have
I been moving so very cautiously, willpermit me to advise
them to spare themselves the trouble they intended of
organising themselves, and lose so much time era going
over ground that has been so suoeessfully traversed for
them already, because the organisation at head quarters
of the Liverpool. Brigade is so complete, that all that is
wanted is the pecuniary means of homing their intentions
realised. If they object to be clothed and equipped at
• the expense of the brigade fund; I would suggest that
in addition to the entrance fee, each of the volunteers
for this distinctive corps, either by himself or
his employer, . subscribe and pay on enrolment, an
amount equal to the contract price for the uniform,
as arranged by the executive at head-quarters, that all
may be clothed alike, and no invidious distinction
observed; and this consideration is more important,
When it is borne in mind that the Lord-Lieutenant has
expressed an opinion, it is understood, that when
Government sends down a field-officer to marshal and
embody all the separate companies of rifles in Liverpool
into divisions, the question of uniformity in dress and
equipment will be a very important one indeed.
And, independent of these considerations altogether,
I would urge the importance of central and united action
with head-quarters, on the grounds of economy, greater
efficiency, and more likelihood of permanency in the
force as a local institution, than by individual action of
trades or companies. Then, as the Horse Guards or
War-office are found to be absolutely necessary for
unity and effective action in the regular army, the local
head-quarters will latfor the Liverpool brigade.
I would, therefore, again urge upon all who have not
yet subscribed to the general fund of the brigade, to do
so at oncefor, after all, money is the most important,
if.not the real sinew in warfare—that the original object
of the meeting of the 7th of November, may be carried
eut, the hands of the committee. strengthened, and we
shall then have a force representing the various interests
of our port, of which .we may well be proud ; and as she
was the first to see her helpless condition, and volunteered
in self-defence, let it 'never be said that from petty
jealousies 'and individual rivalry, a movement so nobly
began, did not triumphantly end.—Yours,
,
Liverpool, Deck 30, 1359.

Lord Clyde, we (Dovcr Chronicle) are informed from
an authentic source, will, in all probability, arrive in
Dont from India by the overland route, ,via Marseille;
on or about the 15th January next.
ANECDOTES 01; TILE LATE LORD HASTINGS.—SeveraI
amusing anecdotes are related of adventures in which
the late lord involved himself. On one eccasion he was
hotly engaged in the pursuit of a "varmint," when
the progress of himself and his friends 'was barred by a
gate, guarded by a sturdy farmer. " Open the gate !"
was the lordly command. " I shant," replied the
farmer. " Open, the gate, I tell you!" repeated his
lordship. " Shant," retorted Agricola, as doggedly as
ever. "If you don't," exclaimed the noble lord, "I'll
lay this whip about you." ." So will I my stick," re-
sponded his undaunted opponent. Without further par-
ley at it they went, no quarter being given on either side.
If one had the pen of a Washington Irving the combat
might be narrated, no doubt, in terms as laughter-mov-
ing as those in which thatlainented author has chronicled
the immortal and fearless exploits Of Peter Stuyvesant ;
but in the present case it must suffice to say that, after
sundry bard whacks had been given and taken, the
opposing parties drew off with a tolerably good
opinion of each other's prowess. Next day the peer
sent for the farmer, who boldly entered the presence.
"Well," said my lord, "I didn't much like what you
gave me yesterday." "Didn't intend you should," was
the reply. More talk followed—but the reader will
hardly anticipate the result—viz., the appointment of
the man of the land to a post of trust on his lordship's
estate—an act which certainly stowed considerable mag-
nanimity. On another occasion, about three years since,
Lord Hastings committed some men for taking rabbits
on a' piece of land near Holt, on which, it mas con-
tended, that the patties had certain rights. SonTe of the
papers, and more especially the Norfolk News, took
the matter up, and an article appearing Which his lord-
ship considered personally offensive, he proceeded to the
office of the local journal with the view of inflicting
condign ,puaishinent on the editor, who 'is at present
Mayor of Norwich. High words ensued, and at last
Lord Hastings exclaimed, " Why don't you fight,
man ?" at the same time holding up a redoubtable whip
in a threatening manner. " Fight," returned the
editor, producing some silver; "why, I could get a
man easily enough to thrash you for these two half-
crowns." An indictment was for this affair preferred
against the noble lord at the Norfolk Assizes, but the
hearing of the case was postponed, and eventually the
matter was hushed up in a Pickwickian kind of fashion.
FIRE AT SIJOREDITCH.—An extensive fire broke out
on Sunday morning in the premises of Messrs. R. and
J. Hill, tobacconists, 176 and 177, High-street, Shore-
ditch. The discovery was made by a police-officer, who
at once set about to awake the inmates, consisting of
three persons; but they were unable, owing to the
great quantity of tobacco then on fire, to descend the
stairs—in fact, they lay in their rooms partially suffo-
cated, when Conductor Eilbeck, of the Royal Society's
escape, and Conductor Lloyd came up. The former at once
pitched his escape sideways against the burning property,
and having entered the rooms brought out in safety
three persons. Mr. Barton arrived with the parish
engines, and set to work, but the fire continued to spread
most furiously, and floor after floor of the immense
factory became ignited, when engines from Jeffrey-
square, Whitecross-street, Wellclose-square, Watling-
street, Southwark-bridge-road, Holborn, Farringdon-
street, and even as far as Crown-street and Chandos-
street stations, arrived at the scene of conflagration.
The water was discharged from the engines for hours, but
in spite of this the fire continued its ravages, and at one
time threatened to destroy the premises of Mr. J. Rose,
grocer, forming Nos. 178 and 179 in the same street.
The firemen, under the direction of their superior
officers, although exposed to imminent danger, kept to
their work in an admirable manner, and whilst so doing
a portion of a wall fell down, knocked the helmet off
the head of fireman Clarup, but, fortunately, he received
no personal injury. Mr. Braidwood seeing the danger
his men were exposed to called all hands out of the
building, and the water was then discharged through
the windows and the 'roof, which by that time was
destroyed,