The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-10 00:00:00

LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The ordinary monthly meeting of this society was held
last night, in the Royal Institution, Coiquitt street, Doctor
Inman° in the chair.
Mr. R. A. Macfie and Mr. C. Bell were unanimously
elected members of the society,
A letter was read from Dr. Livingstone, the celebrated
African traveller, acknowledging in grateful terms the
complimentary address forwarded to him by the society, and
stating that his many engagements would prevent him from
lecturing before the society on his way through. Liverpool. g
A letter was read from Mr. James Yates, enclosing a
communication from Dr Karl Scheizer, in reference to the
expedition which is being sent cut by the Austrian
government on a voyage round the world—the first expedi-
tion of the kind undertaken by that government. The expe-
dition, attached to which will be three naturalists, one
painter, one photographer, and three physicians, will sail
from Trieste about the end of this month, in the Navarra
frigate, 1,600 tons, 44 guns. 36:3 men, and after touching
at Gibralttir will preesed in the direction ( f Rio
Janeiro, then cross the Cape of Good Hope and
go to Ceylon, Madras, Nicobar Islands, Sumatra,
Borneo, &c., returning by Australia. The object
of the expedition is to see these countries, and to
study the nature of the tropics in their relation to man ;
and, in this communication, Dr. Karl Schezzer requested
that the society would suggest objects which they might
deem worthy the attention of the expedition.... _ .

The paper for the evening was by Mr. James Baines,
F.B.S , RSA., "on the advantages to be derived from the
metrical ton of 1,000 kilogrammes, in the measurement of
ships." This measurement is in use in several countries,
and it was nrged by the writer of the paper that, if Eng-
land adopted it, all the other outstanding nations would
follow its example. It seemed. however, to be the
opinion of the society that the advantage to be derived
from any new measurement would not compensate for the
inconvenience which would be experienced in changing the
system lately introduced.

LIVERPOOL CIVIL SERVICE-THE ESTIMATES,

An explanatory paper embodied in the estimates for the
Civil Service for the ensuing financial year supplies the
details resnecting the cost of the Custom-house establish-
ment at this port, as compared wi h last year, which are
given in the following table. The numerical increase of
force consists of.two additional clerics in the Long room,
five in the Warehousing department, one landing surveyor,
a housekeeper; fifty weighers, a chief surverr of sh'pping,
an additional inspector of the river, three extra inspectors
of patrol, and twenty seven extra tidewaiters and patrol.
There is a reduction of six in the number of searchers,
landing waiters, and pagers, co that the total number of
employes of all grades will be 935, against 850 last year :-
1856. 1857.
Collector ,

Controller - , 700 ~ _ c-700
Long room clerks
Warehouse clerks
Inspector general
Landing surveyors

. ~
Searchers, landing waiters, and
pagers
Timber measurers .... .. ......

iousekeepers

- .
420 .

Messengirs.
Superintending lockers and re=
dipping officers

Lockers 1,455 .... 11.455
Weighers
Chief surveyor of shipping
Waterguard department .
Tide-surveyors

Inspectors of patrol ......
Tidewaiters and patrol ......

2.640 2,920
17,733 .... 20 255

Boatmen
Runcorn establishment .
Garston .....

3;945
161 .. .
80

T0ta1.... £97,517 .... £105.774
The salaries of clerks and officers employed in the collec-
tion of the Light dues, and in • other services under the
direction of the Board of Trade, amount to £1,540, and, as
this will be reclaimed from that department, the total is
thus reduced to £104,231. To this is to be added extra
pay, rent, rates, insurance, boats and Wares, &c , making
the total amount £121,139, against £115,610 last year.
The amount received last year from merchants for services
of tidewaiters was £1,158, and for tobacco warehoused under
bond £1,009.