Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-03-29 00:00:00

THE COURT

OSBORNE, March 25th.—Her Majesty and his Royal
Highness the Prince Consort, accompanied by Princess
Alice and Princess Helena, drove out yesterday.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent also drove out
in the,afternoon.

The Duchess of Kent crossed over to Gosport to-day,
attended by Lady F. Howard, and visited the Prince and
Princess of Leiningen.

March 27th.---Rear-Admiral the Hon. George. Grey
arrived on a visit yesterday, and had the honour of dining
with Her Majesty.
Her Majesty, his Royal Highness the Prince Consort,
their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent, Princess
Alice, Princess Helena, and Princess Louisa, attended
Divine service at Whippingham parish church this morning.
The Rev. George Prothero performed the service.

Meetings of the Cambridge University Commissioners
was' held at 6, Adelphi-terrace, on Tuesday, the 22nd, Wed-
nesday, the 23rd, Thursday, the 24th, and Friday, the 25th
instant. The Commissioners present were—the Right
Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chester, the Right Hon. M. T.
Baines, M.P., the Right Hon. Sir Lawrence Peel, the Rev.
Dr. Vaughan, and Mr. Horatio Waddington.

Despatches. were sent from the Colonial-office on Satur-
day to the Governors of Hong Kong, Ceylon, and Labuan.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

PROSPERITY IN LANCASHIRE

—Messrs. Howards' execu-

tors have this week raised the wages of their work-people
at their Cheetham-street mill five to ten per cent.— Rochdale
Observer.

NEW COUNTY MAGISTRATE. —The Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster has been pleased to add the name of
our townsman, Mr. George M'Corquodale, to the commission
of the peace for the county.

THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE BOGOTA. —There were
more rumours yesterday about town, in reference to this
man (Buchanan), than there are stories in tide Arabtan
nights, and of course, not one of those were either true,
or had any foundation. He had not at the rising of the
Court surrendered to his bail.

ARCHIBALD MANN.—After the acquittal of this person
yesterday, he walked- about several parts of the town, and
for some time showed himself in St. George's Hall, in
rather a remarkable dress. He walked about the esplanade,
before the hall, followed by a curious crowd. Subsequently
he got into a cab and drove off.
THE Opium TRAFFIC. -- By an advertisement in another
n.. -411 ,1,-,1:----

lecture this evening, on the above subject, at the Tuckerman
Institute. The Rev. Professor Griffiths is to preside, and it
is intended to submit petitions to both Houses of Parlia-
ment for the adoption of the meeting, praying for the
suppression of the Opium Traffic.
WATERLOO WITH SEAFORTH COMMISSIONERS.—The
annual election to supply the vacancies caused by three who
retire in rotation, and one who has resigned, took place on
Saturday, when the followin; gentlemen were elected. The
numbers shew the official close of the poll :—Henry Jones,
402, elected; Thomas Ridley, 317, elected; Samuel Barrow,
278, elected ; W. Liversedge, 281, elected ; Adams, 175,
and Reid 73.

4 LIVERPOOL DISPENSARIES.—Number of patients during
the past week : New cases received advice and medicine at
the Institution : North, 240 ; South, 166 ; total, 406. New
cases visited at their own houses and supplied with
medicine : North, 77; South, 61 ; total, 138. Grand
total, 544. President : Rev. Rector Campbell, A.M.;
Vice-President of North Dispensary : Captain Bourne ;
Vice-President of South Dispensary : Mr. Charles Booth ;
Treasurer : Mr. Francis Mill ; Secretary : Mr. J. Whitby
Williams. Office : Leith Offices, Moorfields.
A REPOSITORY SALE or WORK will be held on Easter
Monday and Tuesday, for the benefit of the National
Schools of Christ Church, Hunter-street. Further parti-
culars will be duly announced. Contributions are respect-
fully solicited, and will be thankfully received by the
following members of the ladies' committee : —Mrs. Bons-
field, 53, Shaw-street ; Mrs. Blundell, 27, Everton-terrace ;
Mrs. Cauty, 33, Norton-street ; Mrs. Crosthwaite, 124,
Islington ; Mrs. H. Hindley, 3, Grecian-terrace, Ever-
ton ; Mrs. T. L. Hodson, 41, Islington ; Mrs. Martin, 116,
Finch-street ; Mrs. Osborn, 17, Earl-street, St. Paul's-
Mrs. T. K. Twist, 72, Hnskisson-street; Miss
23, Stafford-street.

nowaid.

IMPROVEMENT ON SRAX.SPEARE. -- A young gentleman was
relating to a: friend, yesterday, a part that he performed, a
few evenings ago, at a private theatrical affair' at Birken-
head. "what was the play ?" asked his friend. "The first
part of Henry IV." " I suppose you played Falstaff," said
the other. "Oh ! not at all." " Prince Henry, then ?"
"Not at all; I played a part that's not in the book at all,
hut it was added for the occasion ; a .-,..seat improvement on
Falstaff, I assure you!" "No doubt," said the friend.
"Who was the author of the part that was not written by
Shakspeare, that you played ?" "It was written by a friend
of mine," said thejuvenile, "and is a wonderful improve-
ment on the writing of Shakspeare." The gentleman
fainted!

PROMOTION. OF LIEUT.-COLONEL (LATE MAJOR) HOBBS.
-It has, we feel assured, afforded the numerous relatives

and friends of Lieut.-Colonel Hobbs, Depot Provisional
Battalion quartered in Belfast, to observe in a recent Ga-
zette the announcement of his merited promotion to the
rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the army. Lieut.-Colonel Hobbs
belongs to a family in this county which has contributed
many distinguished officers to the army, most of whom
have seen much service and have obtained deserved distin-
tions, and promotions, an outline of which has already ap-
peared in this paper. No member of this distinguished
military family has more signalised himself than Lieut-
Colonel Hobbs ; he was major in the 21st Regiment when
he joined it in the Crimea, before Sebastopol, and almost
immediately after he was required to lead the regiment to
an attack on the Redan, which he did with indomitable
bravery and self-possession. The special correspondent of
the Times stated that he led his troops with the coolness
and resolution of a veteran, though then under fire for the
first time ; his promotions have been deservedly rapid, since
we believe he is the youngest officer of his rank in the
British service, yet it cannot be said that his position is
beyond either his merits or his services.—Kings County
Herald. [We understand his uncle is a resident of Liver-
p eol, who also has a son in the 40th Regiment.—En. H. T.]
WATER COMMITTEE. —The usual weekly meeting of the
committee was held yesterday, Mr. Hodson in the chair.
The other -members present were—Messrs. Bennett, Stitt,
Ryley, Vernon, Rae, C. Turner, Wagstaff, Crellin, Mellor,
Farnworth, and Woodruff. Mr. Duncan; the engineer,,
reported, that during the week the Roddlesworth reservoir
fell 2 feet ; the Rivington reservoir rose 3 feet during the
same period; and Prescot rose 10:i inches. Mr. Stitt asked
if the 30,000. gallons of Water per day issuing through the
Millstone leak went to waste ? The engineer replied in the
affirmative. In reply to Mr. Stitt, the engineer stated that
the report, which was called for some time ago, in reference
to the utilising of this water, had been submitted. A letter
was read from the Rev. J.W. Sampson, vicar of Prescot, sub-
mitting a guarantee, which a number of gentlemen had
signed at a Public meeting, of which Mr. Sampson was
chairman, to insure to the water committee 10 per cent. on
the outlay on constructing works to Prescot for the
purpose of supplying water to the town. In reply to Mr.
Ryley, the town-clerk
_expressed himself satisfidd with the
guarantee which was for a larger sum than required. Mr.
Duncan suggested that they should give them water into the
centre of the town to be paid by metre, and let them be
responsible for the carrying of it further. It would take
six months to complete the works, The water could not be
supplied to the upper portion of the town, It was under-

stood that the works should be proceeded with. It was '
reported that the quantity of water received from Rivington
during the week, was 57,152,464 gallons. The quantity
pumped from the wells, was 27,619,847 gallons, making a
total supplied to the town of 84,672,311 gallons. The
proportion of Rivington water to well, was as 19 to 9. This
was all the general business.
POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY.---The monthly meeting of this
society was held last night, the attendance being unusually
numerous. Mr. Maxwell Scott presided. The discussion
on the Atlantic Cable was not resumed, in the absence of
Mr. Allen, who wrote a letter to the secretary of the insti-
tution, regretting his absence, and promising to attend the
next meeting. He was to meet the Government on Mon-
day, with respect to the grant to the Atlantic Telegraph.
Mr. Arnott drew attention to a lecture of Sir Charles
Bright, on the subject of the cable. Sir Charles Bright
says that the saltwater preserves the gutta percha,
and that the diognal wire is the most beneficial, and will
answer the best. Mr. Arnott incidently remarked
that he had heard that Messrs. Newall had offered to lay
the Atlantic telegraph cable over again, for a very small
sum, say £lO,OOO, but he did not think the offer would be
accepted. Mr. T. E. Hignett exhibited and explained a
" model of a raft to be used in case of shipwreck, or as a
means of transport in shallow waters," by Capt. Burnett.
The raft is composed of barrels, spars, boards, &c. The
barrels are lashed in lengths to the spars, and launched, and
three or four of these may be spliced together. It will form
one of the safest of rafts, and not draw more than six or eight
inches of water. Capt. Burnett stated that during the Persian
war he had 'constructed one of those rafts which was
used as a floating battery for a nine inch mortar. It was
first thought that the concussion would shake the raft to
pieces, but it did it no harm, and for months afterwards it
was used for conveying provisions, war ammunitions, &c.,
down the Euphrates. lle had also constructed a raft on
the same principle at Calcutta, and succeeded in floating
one of her Majesty's ships of war which was aground, in
one tide. Captain Burnett entered intoa graphic descrip-
L tion of the construction, merits, and simplicity of the raft.
A lengthened conversation ensued, and the meeting
seemed to highly approve of the raft. The thanks of the
meeting were cordially granted to Captain Burnett. Mr.
Arnott drew attention to the present unsatisfactory state of
the patent laws, and suggested that a committee of the
members should be empowered to petition the government
on the subject. Mr. Connor gave a fearful picture of the
hardship, annoyance, and expense to which inventors are
put in order to get a patent in England ; and animadverted
in severe terms on the conduct of the government in
granting patents to two or three parties for precisely the
same invention. Mr. Milner took an opposite view of the
question, and pointed out the various improvements which
had been made in the law of patents within the last four
years. A discussion followed, but no action took place on
the matter.

THE LATEST TELEGRAMS

BAVARIA.

FRANKFORT, Monday.—The Munich Gazette
publishes officially the application of M. Von der
Pfordten for his dismissal from the post of President
of the Bavarian Ministry.

--~-----

ITALY.

TURIN, Monday, March 28.—Letters from Pia-
cenza announce that on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th
instant 1,200 Austrians, with 50 cannons, 150 barrels
of rosin, and a great quantity of congreive rockets
arrived there. The church has been converted into
a flour magazine.