Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-06 00:00:00

WHO STOPPED THE WAY ?

It was no act of mile, qu)th Lord Derby; but I fancy
Birket was in the right. My agent has not thought fit
to mention the matter, but I cenj-cture he was justified
in stopping the traffic of the town. I presume that my
prerogatives were vhallenged, and that my servant re-
sponded to the call. It sizes just a m fitter of form. Such
is, the gist of the earl's letter, which appeared in the
Daily News.
We were certainly not disposed to a,tribats the silly
act of Mr. Charles Birket to the Lord of Knowsley. We
cannotitnagine that so estate a person as the noble Earl
would select a ridiculous rad indefensible position with-
out provocation. Hii loraship is well aware that he
cannot afford to loose any portion of his popularity, and
nothing was to be gained but by the blockade of
a leading thorcughfeire in Preston. We are willing to take
the Earl's word for more thaa the simple declaration that
lit agent did not inform him of the petty quarrel which
has caused so much excitement in Preston and in West-
min ter. But while the Earl and the Countess, with the
Lady Emma, were making the tour of Scotland, his repre-
seatative was acting like the chief retainer of some feudal
boron of the fourteenth and fifteenth ceatnry. We learned,
however, by the fashionable intelligence in Thursday's
papers that the Conservative lealer and h's family had
returned home, and sie indulged the hope that he would
repudiate the rash act of Mr. Birket. To our surprise,
however, we find in the letter referred to, the noble lord
not only asserts his ienorance of the speci transaction,
hut also repeats the absurd claims, put forth on h's behalf.
The Earl thus makes himself a party to a gratuitously
Auld els transaction, end must be held responsible for
the conduct of his deputy.
Let us Fee on what foundation the earl's pretensio
reit. We shall not refer to the primary cause of this
squabb e. Suffice it to say he considers that the southern
elle of the Lancaster-road stdl belongs to his private
domain ; the corporation assert that the road is a public
highway. We regret to say, however, that the noble lord
does not correctly state his own case. He says that he
bas been engaged for some ye,r3 in t po-ang, at great
exnerve to himself, but greatly to the benefit of the town
of Preston, and intended thoroughfare through his private
property ; and he has the temerity to add that the road
"is not conaple ed," and has " never b en dedicated to
the public." We are constraieed, in the first place, to
question the motive of the writer. We imagine the
principal object he ha,l in view in opening a cone:nun:ca-
tion with Church street was the improvement of hid own
properta immediately adjacent; but whether such was his
motive or not, everybody except Lord Derby is aware that
the value of his property has been grea If enhanced since
the road was extended. We are ready to admit that the
public coev.enience has been served by his lordship's im-
paatements ; but not in a greater degree than his own
estate. With reference to she second al,eaation, that the
portion of the road in question has never been dedicated
to the public, we also have a word or two to say. We
d,ny the accuracy of this statement, If the matter were
at all doubtful, we should not care to argue it in this
place ; bet no question can be seriously raised on this
heed. For several years the rood has been finished,
houses ant sh ,ps have been built on either side, the Post-
office stands ou the debated ground, a vast traffi has
payed over it every day fet a long period, without let or
hindrance. This surely constitutes it a highway. But it
Lord Derby wants addaionol evidence or authority, it can
be furnished. We will jest refer him to a case in point,
that his lawyer will tell him destroys his pretensions at
once. In the memorable cause of Woodyer v. Hadden,
Mr: Justice Chambre soled that "no iime is necessary for
evidence of a dedication. If the act of dedication be
unequivocal, it may take place immediately. For instance
if a man built a double row of houses opening into an
ancient street at each end, making a street, and sell or let
the houses, that is instantly a highway." The hypothetical
case of the judge precisely resemales the case in dispute.
The meter now begins to assume a real importance,
and the monstrous pretensiens of the Earl must be
reisted. Toe L ancast-r-rood is properly described as one
of the arteries of our town. The end over which Lent
D oby chirps a right is the most important part of the
thoroughfare. An enormous treffic would have to travel
a circuitous Loate if this outlet were closed ; and the in-
couvaiience to every person in the town would be at
times great if atcess to tb.-: post office could not be had
from Church-street. If the Liucaster-road were a second
or third-rate glee, we might be hss anxious about, its
freedom; but it cannot be tol, rated that the agent of a
great landholder shall, to grat,fiy an idle whim, check the
traffic of a town, and within a hundred and fay yards of
the Town-hall bid defiance to the mayor and corporation.
The assertion of such a prerogative in Cause times is enough
to stir up hostile feelings in the breasts of Engishmen ;
anti it the noble cal cares to sand well with soce?y, he
w4l order Mr. Birket to remove the remaining vestiges of
the blockade without delay.—Preston Guardian.

COMMITTAL OF TWO DRAGOON OFFICERS
HOE ASSAULTING THE POLICE.

At Marlborough-street Police-court, on Saturday, Lieu-
tenant Barton and Cornet Echalaz, both of the 7th
Dragoon Guards, were brought before Mr. Bingham,
charged with violently assaulting the police while in the
execution of thair duty. Police-constable 34 C stated
that about one o'clock that morning he was on duty in the
Haymarket, when his attention was attracted to the two
defendants, who appeared to be having an altercation with
a man. A crowd etas assembled, and he desired them to
disperse. The defendants refused, and commenced pushing
the people about. Several complained to witness about is,
and he again requested them to go. The defendant
Barton asked him what the - he had to do with it,
and they then. pushed a man against the shutters, and
Barton struck him. He took him into custody, when he
said he'd be - if he'd go, and struck witness a violent
blow on his mouth, which bled very much He then took
witness by the cellar, and nearly strangled him. The
other defendant came up and tried to rescue him from his
custody. A mob of at least five hundred persons had
assembled, and the defendant was eventually rescued from
hie grasp. He then sprang his rattle for assistance, and
another constable having come up, both of the defendants
were eventually taken into custody. Richard, 57 0, said,
about one o'clock this morning he was is Piccadilly, when
he heard a rattle sprung from the direction of the Hay-
market. lie ran to the spot, and saw the defendant
Barton holding lag's witness tight by the collar, so that
he was nearly strangled. Witness, after a struggle,
released him from his grasp, and the constable was so
severely hurt that he could scarcely speak. At this time
the defendant Echalaz had hold of Barton, trying to pull
him away. The mob was so great, and the defendants'
conduct such, that the last witness was obliged to release
them. Witness subsequently took • Barton into custody,
and conveyed them to the station, followed by the mob,
who threw stones at him, one of which hit him on the
breast with grsat force and hurt him very much. Both
of the defendants, who bad given the assumed names of
Brown and Simpson, denied the charge being so bad as
stated. Tney were in the Haymarket in the morning, when
some man came up and grossly insulted them, and while
they were remoastrating with him, the officer came up
and took them inte custody. They also deniied there
being a mob of 500 people ; the fact Weil, there were not
50 present. Mr. Birghem said the defendants, who,
from their manner and dress, he should take to be gentle-
men, did not seem to feel the lamentable position in which
they were placed. Instead of showing off their valour by
as,aulting the police, it would be (nude better for them
to be off to India, and display their coarAge there. The
police must be protected, and as he made no distinction
between rich.and poor, he should commit each of them for
ten days to the House of Correc.ion. O.a hearing this
sentence, the defendants expressed a desire to speak to the
magistrate in private, wince Mr. Bingham refused to do.
'The defendants then gave their real names and professions,
and said they ws:re under orders for India with their
regiments, and were to leave on Monday nexe They,
therefore, begged the magistra'e rot to seed them to
prison, as it would be their ruin. They were exceedingly
sorry for what they had done, and lamented the position in
which they were placed. Mr. Biugham said under these
circumstances he should be sorry that the country should
be deprived of the servic s of two such stout gentlemen ;
bat before ho could alter his decision in the lettet, ha must
cause inquiries to be made about them at thJ War-office.

At Lc' WI &CO PANT'S, Ranelsgh-strret.
BOYS are CLOTHED from the Ages of Six to Twenty Years

refcreree to lhe subject of colonial elptriglat, we
(Publishers' Circulqr) may rerna•k that the axr,:tvioa
the book post to the colonies may be in vie available to the
injnry of publabers tin he trantinissi,n to this
country of American reprints via the color des. An instance
f this havirg recurred is given by a c ,rrespondent of the
Athenceuni, who cit, s a else in which reprints of Borrow's
"Lalengto" and "Romany Rye" were printed in Toronto,
and reached this country in due cour,•e, and it wou'd
seam without any examinati,n. This 5h,:4:1.1 stimulote
cs
to imaieThte and mote strenaous exertions to obtain an
international copyriAht with the Ull'ed States ; and we
h at that some steps have been already taken to organ-
ise a fre=h movement on the subject, to emanate from
onr popular authors, who are more than any one else
interested in the question.

Exclus:rely for CLOTHING BOYS from Six to Twenty Yea,
& COMPANY, Itanelagh-scree