Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-07-26 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS

AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY CO-1%-iP-AN-Y-

_
adjourned meeting of the shareholders of_ this company was
held on S'ltiday, agreobly to the resolution_ of the special
. .

chi 'Att..e:,lSpi.. thcco;aA

iti.

The meeting was quite lotmal, and only occupied
of an hour. The solieifor,.;llr. Lewis, read the

preamble -and-the catchwords of a bill to enable the company
to construct a branch line from Oldham, to Rochdale and
Royton. The bill was read a thirditithe In the House of
Commons on Priday. The earliest' .day" on Which' it could
come before•a4conunittee of the.. Lords-was the., 4th Aug-ust.
On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr. Marshall,
the bill we

pproved unanimously. The proceedings con-
cluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman. ' •'•
•NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE • RAILWAY.—The following are
among the, most .important portions of the .report of the
directors to be submitted to the half-yearly, meeting of the
compaiy on Fri.6,y, next :—" The arrangement with the
Midland' CoMpany, by which a portion of the -London
traffic of the .NOrth Staffordshire Company was conveyed at

e trasdaligrasee-tenntil
Cross, terminated in March- last, and since that time;
wth conductedthe Londonulder t the termsd
~
tohf_itvh
eelerre;
..but And, comp Any has not been ableto.furnish
,ae necessary accounts, -of , their traffic, passed, .over the
North Staffordshire line, the effect of which will be, to
increase the revenue of the , ensuing half-year. :In order
to give sufficient time for this object in future, the direc-
tors propose to submit to the coming general meeting, a
resolution ,to change the time for holding the future '
half-yearly 'Meetings from the months of January and
July le those Of February -and August' The directors
have 'therefore, on this .occasion, only to deal with their
ordinary traffic ; and they are enabled from that source
alone to propose a dividend of 12 per cent. for the last. half
year... 'They. are also glad to state that the working, arrange-
ments contemplatect.by the preliminary agreement have
proceeded in a very. satisfactory manner, and there is no
reason to doubt that the result will he highly beneficial to
both companfes,

Company ;

well as to. the public. .Aliiiongl;tlTe
only inc,as-ure the North Staffordshire Company had.to pro-
pose, to Parliament was for the construction of a short
branch to the town of Hanley, the peculiar position. of the
neighbouring companies, the bills prothoted by theni kas
made this the heaviest session in the history of this under-
taking; and it will be necessary for the information of the
shareholders to state. the proceedings in detail. The share-
holderS will remember mention being made at the last half-
yearly meeting of a schenie for a railway from Madeley, on the
Lond.on and North:Western line,' to Silverdale' near New-
castle. This was avowed by the promoters to be calculated
to compete for the pottery traffic; and;originating whilst this
company and the'London and North-Western 'were in a
state of hostility, was alleged by'the promoters to have the
continued support of that company. Bills were introduced
to authorise the making of this' line, and to legalize Mr.
Sneyd's lines in extension of it. As the whole project was
aimed at 'the interests. of this company, the most strenuous
Opposition was made to it in the committee ; and after a
Severe contest the Madeley Bill was thrown out, and that
brought in by Mr._Sneyd passed. . The London and-North-

Western and Midland Uompantes had rival schemes for
lines into and around Burton. In the end the London and
North-)Vestern Company withdrew their bill, having secured
the advantages of those lines by an agreement with the

Midland Coinpany. As the North Staffordshire traffic
with Barton is very large, and appeared likely to be com-
promised by this arrangement, the directors petitioned
against the Midland Bill, and were heard. This contest
terminated by the committee directing that the North
St"' 1y cl-

atordshire Jompany shout, oe secures., ~causes, the
Same advantages as those to which the London and North-
Western were entitled under the agreement. The contract
with Messrs.'Wright and Son for working the traffic of the
North Staffordshire lines expired on the 30th June last, and
the working is now in the hands of the company. The
winding-up of the recent contract is in course of adjustment,
and any contingency that may arise thereon is nrnvidod fnr

by the existing reserve fund. The traffic for the last half-
year has shown a satisfactory inerease on that of the corres-
ponding period of 1858 ; and there is every reason to expect
a continued and steady improvement, as the staple trades of
the district can hardly yet be said to .have recovered from
the shock of 1847-8.

ACCIDENT ON TILE NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.—AII
accident happened at the Malton Railway Station, on Satur-
day, by which a porter named Rawling had one foot cut off,
the other partly so, and his skull cracked. Rawling was un-
coupling some horse boxes, and stepped out between the lines
of rail, and was caught in the back by the buffer of an engine
approaching on the other line, knocked down, and inured
as described. The medical men did not think him sufficiently
strong to bear a journey to the York infirmary, but it is
hoped he may recover. -
THE C

411,BENOCR. KAILWAY ACCIDENT.-Mr Ilamil
Jacobson' so severely hurt on Saturday week in the catav•
trophe that occurred on the Greenock Railway, is dead. It
will be remembered that he sustained concussion of the
spine, and subsequently became paralysed . from the neck
downwards. He remained in much the same condition till
his •death, being, with a slight exception, sensihle all the
time. He spoke, freely of . his approaching dissolution,
and directed that the railway company be prosecuted with
the utmost, rigour of the law, disposing in various ways of
the damages which might be so realised, as well as his
personal property. All the other sufferers by this sad
accident are progressing favourably.

MARINI

AFFAIRS

DREADFUL SUFFERINGS AT SEA.—The melancholy loss
of the ship Fleetwood, off Cape liorn, by striking on an
iceberg, was made known on Saturday. The ship, which
was commanded by Captain Dale, was on a voyage to the
Friendly Islands. On• the 2nd of May, when in 1at.,60 S.
long. 71 W., late,in the evening, she came in contact with
an iceberg, which carried away her stern, jib-boom, bow-
sprit, and did other damage. On soundinc, the pumps, it
was discovered that she was fast sinking. For twenty hours
the crew worked steadily at the pumps, but the water in-
creased, and it was deemed advisable to abandon the ship—
a desperate alternative. It was a beautiful night, and the
sea rolled terrifically ; only a portion of the crew, however,
could be induced to leave in the boats. The remainder of
the men continued on board the ship ; and at daybreak the
boats,. which had previously pulled off, resolved to return to
the ship, and on approaching her saw that the whole who
had, remained by her had been swept off, and no doubt had
perished. The ship went down soon afterwards. For five
days the boats. struggled against heavy seas. An intense
cold prevailed, and the men, not having the least nourish-
ment, suffered dreadfully. At length they were picked up
by the British barque Imogene, from Liverpool. They
had to be hauled Up out of the, boats, such was their ex-
hausted condition. They were afterwards safely landed at

Valparaiso.
WRECK OF THE " ALMA," AND Loss OF TWENTY LIVES.
—Advices which have reached Liverpool from Calcutta
give an account of the total wreck of the Liverpool ship
Alma, bound from Calcutta to London, and the loss of twenty
lives. The letter which contains the announcement is
dated Calcutta, June 14, and merel3 states that the Alma
was a total wreck, that the pilot, (one of the oldest on the
river, and just about to retire into private life after this
trip,) Captain Munce' wife and child, lady passenger, leads-
man, and fourteen of the crew, perished. The Alma was a
splendid ship, and was owned by Mr. Sinclair, of Liverpool.
Since writing the above; we have received the following
from Messrs. Sinclair and Co. :—" Since furnishing some of
our local papers with the names of fifteen of the crew saved,
we have received letters 'from Calcutta that the total num-
ber of those saved will be about twenty-seven, but we have
no further names. The leadsman (Mr. Cole, who has been
captain of different sailing and steam-vessels sailing out of
Liverpool), who was at first stated to have been drowned,
now appears to have been saved ; but Captain Munce, his
wife and child, a lady passenger (wife of Lieutenant Ruck),
the pilot, and five or six sailors, are still believed to have
perished. Names of fifteen knolvn to 'be saved :—John.
Miller, mate ; Joseph Munce, carpenter ; John Cargill, se-
cond mate ; William Jones, carpenter's mate; Henry Hal-
mer, steward ; Lachlan WKinnon, George Redman,, George
Waters, William Brummit, Vincent Vevid, John Simpson,
Samuel Anderson, William Thompson, • seamen ; Henry
Walker and Robert 1 `Clinchy, apprentices."

LIVERPOOL POLICE COURT-YESTERDAY

(BEFORE S. MANSFIELD, E5Q,,:,41.)

AN UNFORTUNATE EXCURSIONIST.—JOII tilchirri, who
said he -was on an excursion-from-Bradford, -was brought-up
of being. drunk and fliqorderly, in Tithebarn-

,02,1 a char

row, and he asked him to keep quiet or go away.' On his
interfering, the prisoner became very violent, and committed
a violent:assault on hill'. The prisoner was asked the usual
question, "What have you to -say ?" He said he had a
very. great, deal to say. He then gave a narrative of his
having come from Bradford,On an excursion, and the various
inisfortmies that had befallen him since his arrival in Liver-
, pool. The cause of his being arrested was a dispute with
a tobacconist about snuff. He pledged his word that, if he
was once back at Bradford, he would never appear in Liver-
pool again. He was discharged.
A DISORDERLY MILITIAMAN.-7-111Chael Lowery, a dis-
charged xnilitiaman, was brought up on a charge of assault-
ing police officer 391. Tho complainant , said the prisoner
was fighting with a lot of other militiamen who had been
discharged. He went to disperse them, when the prisoner
struck, him and kicked his shins. He then ran away, pur-
sued by the complainant, and, after sundry cuts and turns,
he succeeded in. getting into a house, and ran up stairs, and
then out of a window on, to the roof of a house,,which he
fell through. The officer took him into custody while in,
that position. He was fined ss. and costs, or seven days' im-
prisonment.

ASSAULT.—Stephen Riley, a careless-looking fellow, was
charged with assaulting a woman, named Ann Hannigan,
who was in a delicate state of health. Mr. Bluck was for
the defence. The cotnplainant appeared in the witness-box
with her head bound up. She' gave her evidence in a very
low voice, the effect of which was that several persons had
been beating her, and amongst them was the prisoner, who
gave her a kick on the side. The surgeon who dressed the
woman's wounds said she was in great danger. The prisoner
was remanded for seven days.

NEGLECTING A CHlLD.—Margaret Shuffieton was brought
up charged by officer Patrick with neglecting her child.
From the evidence adduced, it appeared that the prisoner
resided at 55, Pitt-street, and that the child had been so
neglected that it had died. She was remanded until
, Wednesday.

Tint-T.—Thomas Barnes, in the employ of Maxw.ell,
Brothers, was charged with stealing about 301bs. of flour
from- his emjoyers. Mr. Bluck was for 'the defence.
Thomas Delemere, warehouseman, was examined, and stated
that the prisoner was plaeed over a number of men as fore-
man. From information he received, he went to a house
where he found 'the flour pawned
,for a shilling. The
prisoner was paid by his employers at the rate of 21s. a
week. Anna Crowther said the, man brought the flour to
her shop, and left it, saying, hp would call for it on Monday,
and borrowed a shilling, from her. The prisoner was sent
to gaol for seven days.

BEFORE MESSRS. TURNER AND HAMILTON

SEAMAN'S WAGES CAsE.--James Smith summoned John
James Johnston, captain of the ship Lord Dufferin, for £2l
Os. 4d., alleged to be due to him as wages for services ren-

uuicu via uouru ine aetenuant's ship, as carpenter. Mr.
Black was for the complainant, and Mr. Tyndall for the
defence. The complainant stated that he was shipped as
carpenter, on board the Lord Dufferin, at £4 155., on the
10th of February last, bound for
.New
.Orleans. lie per-
formed the voyage in the ship ; but the captain disrated him,
and told him he would only pay him
,at the rate of, £3.165.,
as he was not fit for his duty. He had never beeri at sea before,
but had served his time as a carpenter, and that was the
reason that he had taken less wages 'than a first-class man.

Lte captain. wanted to deduct £3 I7s. off his wages, at
£3 15s. per month, for the loss of a head-board. For the
defence it was urged that the 'complainant had not sufficient
tools to do his work, and that, through his negligence, the
ship had lost the head-board. The magistrates decided that
the complainant should be paid at 'the rate of £3 155.,
without making any allowance for the loss of the head-
board. The total amount awarded him was £l5 6s. 7d.,
with 4s. costs.

NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

HONOUR TO THE. PRESS

-Ff4Ti4loNioi4To-rvn, MV,KI,IN AT CHESTER

A 'well-deserveo. mark of respect has bcen,Aild to
Mr. John Hickliii;for'ifittn years editi!)iiif the Ches-
ter Courant, but to whom Lord Derby lately gave
the appointment, ofbistribiltot'bf Stamps for Derby-'
shire. The testimonial'donSistS of an epergne, which
stands 22 inches in height, and-is made of solid silver,
after an admirably artistic Gothic design. Four
beautifully-chased branches sustain as many richly-
cut glasses, three of which upon this -occasion con-
tained fruit, and the fourth a purse of 120 sovereigns.
The centre dish, also richly cut, was filled with choice
flowers. On the foot is the following inScriptiori:—
" Presented; with a purse of 120 sovereignS, to John
Hicklin, Esq., by a numerous body of his friends .and
well-wishers in the city
,and neighboinhood of Ches.-.
ter, in testimony of their high esteem and reSpect for
his private character, and to manifeit their sense of
his valuable exertions in the cause of social and in-
tellectual improvement, as editor for sixteen years of
the Chester Courant." .
The presentation took place 'in, the Lecture-room
.of the Cheshire ArchceoloFical Society, and. was
attended by a very distinguished 'company. In the.
unavoidable absence of the Mayor, the chair was
taken by Mr. Alderman Smith ; a
and. Mr. Thomas
'Hughes, the honorary secretary, read letter which
had been addressed to him by; the Lord Bishop' of
the Piocese, expressing great regre,i that circum-
stances had prevented his accepting the invitation of
the. committee to undertake the presentation of 'the
testimonial on.behalf of the subscribers. This being
the case, the presentation was undertaken by the Rev.
C. Bowen, Rector of St. Mary's Chester, who, in a
long and able Speech, paid. a well-melited tribUte to
Mr. Hicklin's public services and private character;
and especially eulogised the ability, honesty, and
fidelity with whiCh his duties as a public journalist
had been discharged. Mr. Bowen was followed by
Mr.. John Trevor, treasurer of the Cheshire County
Courts, by Major Egerton Leigh, and. by Mr. Randle
• Wilbraham,. by all of whom Mr. Hicklin's public
conduct was spoken 'of in terms of warm 'but well
merited praise.
Mr. Hicklin then rose amidSt approving cheers, and
said :—Mr. Alderman; Reverend' Sir, Ladies, and Gentle 7
am sure you will believe that I speak the words 'of
sincerity, when I assure, you that I never felt' so inade-

A.I.N EXPERIMENT IN REFORM

(From the Saturday Review)
reatest difficulty in the settlement of the reform

knowledge. which: Mr.
- - J. LAG 1.11.U11111/Mil y
Chadwick, with a sublimuindiffereace
to the conctinns of a great. political ,problem, proposed to
gain by the agency of a Reform Commission, would really
be Very serviceable if tlier 0„,,, i+

- ••,...c any 111,141 IJI it, It.
The numbers and character of the voters who would be
added to the electoral body by any ,of the .proposed fran-
chises are matters of the'first' itnportance, on wind' one is
•

o seize upon any authentic information which may— be
Political Reform cannot well, be- tested ex-
The leap must be • taken in' such light or
as .we enjoy at present ; and if it lands us in a
quagmire; we must make the best of a position from which

perimentals
darlules

The little revolution which the Small Tenements Act
effected in,municipal elections is almost.the
,only eperiment
which can be matic, COrrn _

or yarliamentary

uunsinutency is not exactly.
the vile body on which .a philosophical inquirer would desire
totest his theories, it seems, from the evidence reported by the
Lords CoMmittee on the subject, to satisfy the condition more
nearly than even the worst of retteuloroughs. The'histOry of
the .experimentis curious. The frdnchise eStablished,by the
Municipal Corporation Act of 1835 was limited to occupiers
of three years' standing who had paid up their arrears of
poor-rates, with the exception of such as might heave accrued
within six months before the settlement of the lists.
happened that the poorer occupiers were not mud
habit of payin,g their rates, and the consequence
1, 7 7

tne municipal burgess roll comprised a vety small proportion
of persons who were rated below £6.. The good government
of corporate towns does not appear to have suffered from the
exclusion, of the lowest class of voters ; Jut it Was thought
important to , give the parishes the,; means'- of collecting
o+C.a •nril;nb any. +llrs 1 ' .

more to . enfo]

than they brought into the parochial treasury. This ;a;
the only, or the only
~avowed, object of the small. Tene-
Ments Act 'of 1850. By that statute, such parishes as
chose to adopt it were empowered to assess. the landlords,
instead of the occupiers, of all tenements rated
_below £6:
During the progress of the bill. a nla'aQ. • •

all occupiers, ,`.-hose rates were
paid by their landlords, and the result has been, in many
cases, to double the numbers of the bur,resses by the ad-
dition of those who pay no direct contribution to the pa-
rochial rates. As, the act was plainly beneficial in a
pecuniary point of view, it was

adopted by the vestries, without much consideration of ita
effect on municipal, elections. The fuU extent -of ;the-mis-
chief has not even yet shown itself. From the nature of
• the qualification, it took three VPA. A r ffn, _ r

OI
the act before its influence could be much felt in .b6rough
elections ; and it is only since 1865 that the exrrinient of
an unconditional retina franchise .has ,r_

JULY 26, 1859.

was a severe contest between a very respectable man
and a tinker, who did a little business as a receiver of
The tinker was beaten by one vote ; but

stolen goods

or the ttecideAt'W.

beitz 'eolitinkted to

hour before the election ended