Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-30 00:00:00

VOTE OP THAW/CS TO THE CHAIRMAN,

Mr. RAratix said :it was only right he should move,
on belialf of the board, a cordial vote of thanks to their
chairman, Mr. Maths Turner, for the zeal and .ability
with which he had conducted the arduOus duties devolv-
ing upon him as chairman of the board. lie had not
the least doubt that the board would have the pleasure
of meeting Mr. Turner and other members who retired,
after the election next week. Mr. Maclver was the
only retiring member who would not consent to take
office again, but he hoped that that gentleman would
no', leave the board lifter having served so short a period
as he hid done. Mr. Rankin concluded by moving a
vote of thanks to,the chairman for the zeal and ability
with which he had-on all occasions conducted the busi-
ness of the board. .{Applause.)
Mr. MACIVER said: he had great pleasure ,in seconding
the motion; and said that, as to his re-election, he had
already refused boththe ratepayers and the steamship-
owners his permission to put him in nomination again.;
and, for the simple-reason that he could not honestly
under take the extensive duties of the office and attend
to his own business as well.

The motion was carried amidst loud applause.
THE DOCK BOARD AND 'THE RATEPAYERS OF LIVERPOOL,

Mr. BOULT gave notice of motion for the next meet-
ing, that the discussion upon the bill, which the board
had at present before Parliament, should be taken in
public and not in private as was usually the case. The
bill was one that interested the town of Liverpool more
than the dock bills usually did, and it was quite fitting
that the rat payers should know the details of the act
which the board were going to bring forward, and
which, he thought,•exceedingly objectionable.
Mr. INMAN asked when the discussion on the bill
would be taken ?

The CHAIRMAN said every member of the board had
been furnished with .a copy of the bill, and the public
could have copies if they liked.
Mr. TOBIN said the Parliamentary Committee were
quite prepared to take the discussion that day; but it
had been suggested that an the absence of the chairman
of the board and several of the members a postponement
should take place.
Mr. MACIVER looked upon this bill, in one of its
clauses at least, as a bill of pains and penalties, and
that as far as concerned every man, woman, and hild,
the board should not be allowed to have the power of
exacting a scale of tolls, or in planting on their bridges
anything like toll-bars ortoll-gates.
The CHAIRMAN thought Mr. Maclver out of order.
Mr. MACIVER said that was the only opportunity he
should have of telling the public, as plainly as he could,
that this bill concerned the people of Liverpool, and
that they must look out for themselves. The bill was
an infraction of their rights and privileges, and the
people ought to be prepared for it.
This was the whole of the general business before the
hoard, and the reporters retired.

AMERICAN SQUATTERS ON SAY JTJAN.—The Times
correspondent at Victoria (Vancouver's Island), thus
speaks of the absurd assertion of General Harney that
there were American squatters on the island who required
protection :—Now, the fact is that there never were
any Americans settled on the island before the General
took it under his protection. I rode over it from end
to end, and explored it pretty thoroughly. I made
partieular inquiries of the Hudson's Bay Company's
resident superintendent as to the number of American
squatters, for the reason that I knew of attempts
being in contemplation at that time to squat
upon it; and this gentleman informed me that
there never had been any permanent Ameri-
can settlers upon it. There were on it at the
time of my visit four Americans, who might be
called squatters, because they 'claimed' land. Three of
this population' of squatters I saw and conversed with.
Ono of them was a black man, horn, as I understood, in
the Antilles, on British soil, and whose chief induce-
ment for staying on the island was, that he had an
engagement from the superintendent. I doubted his
being an American citizen, but was told that, as he
had resided for a considerable time in Washington
Territory, 'he could pass for one.' He claimed a
valley in the centre of the island, his claim to be
realised on the island being declared American terri-
tory ; and I must do him the justice to say that he
had evinced some degree of judgment in his selection of
a location,' and had ' east his lines in pleasant places.'
He had no terror of Indians, for he lived alone, at
several miles distance from other habitations. The next
squatter was a veritable American, who had been off
and on' the island for some time, and who had a small
patch of potatoes. He had no fear of Indians, for his 'loca-
tion' was close to the company's establishment—every-
where a protection in such cases. The third squatter was
also an Anrierican. He admitted that he came to the
island under encourages ent from the authorities of Wash-
ington territory, who promised him that the United
States Government would protect him. He had about
two rods grubbed up and planted with potatoes, which
'possession' I saw afterwards dignified in some of the
American papers as a farm !' This jolly citizen I
should have supposed had little dread of Indians either,
for he had a squaw living with him in his tent. Next
day, after learning the facts just narrated, I observed the
shell of a house half finished of rough boards, on the
eastern slope of the island, and was told that it had
been partly erected by squatter No. 4 ; but, as he had
not been seen for some time, it was supposed that he
had abandoned his intention of settling,' and had left
the i-3:and,”