Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-07 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.

Sir,—lt is very distressing to hear of the num-
ber of serious accidents at the Birkenhead Dock
orks An inquiry at the hospital there Will
satisfy any one that they are beyond an average,
and I cannot help thinking that blame attaches
to some one beside the unfortunate sufferers.
There are two cases (boys); the -victims certainly'
are not over twelve years old, doing the work of
men, and I think some inquiry is due from the
authorities to ?lave us these shocks to humanity in
future. On asking one of the boys—a very intelli-
gent youth of eleven—who worked at _the docks,
if he wera the youngest, he said, " Oh, no, there
are some only eight !" Surely in such dangerous
occupations boys ought not to be employed.,
anitold there are about a dozen cases -in the hos-
pital at Birkenhead, taken there one after the
other, showing clearlY to. my mind there is an
absence of proper overlookers.—l am, sir, your
obedient servant,
July 6, 1857,

SIMPITRY.

AN ORACULAR ANNOUNCEMENT.—On .a prior occasion
we alluded to the probability of another matrimonial
alliance taking place in the Royal Family, and stated that
the presence of a certain foreign Prince at oar Court was
connecte I with• this subject. We have now reason to
believe that his Serene Highness did not attain the object
for which he chiefly visited this country, and even failed
in achieving that moderate degree of success which would
justify perseverance: Under these circumstances, we have
no hesitation in at once asserting that all attempts at
negociatiou haveceased, and that the decision is considered
by all parties as Meals-- Court Journal. ,
Duren EMIGRATION.—According to the Annales
Commerce Exterieur, the.emigration &trine the year 1856,
from Holland, consisted .of 623 heads of families, 283
women, 997 children, aid 21 servants, making a total of
1,924. The .provinces which have furnished the greatest
number are the -Guildree Southene Holland, and Z'aland.
Among the 623-heads of .families there are 81 who are in
easy circumstances;'l74 'who are inscribed on the lists of
tax-payers, 401 rather poorer, and 138 in necessitous cir-
cumstances. The great majority of the emigrants were in
the prime of lite. Among them were 175,day labourers,
136 cercenters, 10 shoemakers, and 16 tailors. The reason
generally given by these emigrants for leaving their country,
was the hope of bettering their condition, and a desire. to
rejoin their relations who had befire emigrated. The
Netherlands th is loses every year by emigraticin about two
thousand individuals.
Baiewev TRAFFIC.—The balf-year being now closed,
a close approximate estimate may be formed of the results
which have attended the working of the various railways
during the past six months. Oa the London and North
Western, with four more miles working, the increase of
traffic has been upwards of £61,000 ; on the Eastern
Counties, with a considerable increase of mileage, upwards
of £53,000 ; on the Caledonian, with seven miles more
working, upwards of £27,000 ; on the Great Northern,
with no additional mileage, upwards of £23,000; on the
Great Western, with sixty-nine miles more, upwards of
£14,000; on the South Eastern, with no additional mileage,
upwards of £2,000 ; on the Lancashire and Yorkshire,
with no increase of mileage,. upwards of £41,000 ; on the
Manchester, Sheffield,-and Lincolnshire, with no increase
of mileage. upwards of £25,000 ; on the Midland, with
69 more miles working, upwards of £43,000 ; and on the
North Eastern, with 17 miles more working, upwards of
£55,000. There is a decrease on the London and South
Western and on the Great Southern and Western (Ireland.)
The smaller lines exhibit favourable returns.
Tax Ca.rs Its NouroLx —The effect of the late
drought upon wheats grown upon light lands has been to
make them all look stunted and blue, while those crops
grown upon good lands are looking well. The blossoming
season has been splendid, but the straw everywhere must
be short, and, in all cases in which the soil was poor or
the plants thin, the yield cannot be large. A few early
barleys look splendidly. Late sown either on light or
heavy grown land are very moderate, having suffered much
(rem the late scorching sun, and there are many fields
which look as if they would, never shoot into ear. Although
the acreage of barley in Norfolk is much larger this season
than last, it is expected that the quantity produced will be
much less. Had the wheat been in blossom at the time
of the severe frost which for several nights in the early
part of the month of June-were most intense, the effects
upon the crop would have been most disastrous. The
country is much refreshed by the rain which fell on
Monday and Tuesday ; but it has been very partial, some
parishes having been soaked, while in others the dust has
scarcely been laid. • • •
BRITPH GUIANA.—The' interests of this important
colony were brought under the consideration of the House
of Commons on Friday evening, by Mr. Baring, •the mem-
ber for Huntingdon. Its condition,- as described in the
petition presented from the colenists, is, indeed, deserving
of attention. Comprising 70,000 square miles, and in this
area there are fifty million acres of the most- fertile soil in
the world ; yet of all this valuable area, no more than
60,000. acres are now in actual cultivation. That is to
say, for every acre cultivated there are about 799 unculti-
vated. The populatioa is only 90,000, which explains at
once the cause of the colony's backward agricultural c us-
dition. The colonists, as a matter of course, pray earnestly
for a system of immigration of labourers suited to the
climate, and qualified by previous occupation for tilling
the soil, and gathering in and preparing for export the
vast crops of sugar, cotton, and other products of a
tropical kind which could be raised. Mr. Bering, in
urging the- petition upon the attention of government,
stated that he would support no scheme 'of immigration
likely to bring about anything like a revival of the slave
trade. But a proper system of immigration is seriously
hindered by the present regulations. For instance, by
these regulations not more than 350 coolies were to be
taken on board any vessel, no matter what her size might
be ; so that if the Great Eastern, now building, which was
capable of conveying from 9,000 to 10,000 passengers,
were at Calcutta, she would not be allowed to take more
than 350 coolies. The answer of Mr. Lihouchcre is a
promise that, while the existing regulations must be main-
tained to prevent an' thing like a revival of the slave trade,
attention will be called to the means of supplying labour
to D.euerara from both India and China. One difficulty
seems to be the guarantee by the planters of the expense
of the coolie's return to his native country at the end of
his five or ten years' engagement. As only a small pro-
p:rtion so return, the cost of the guarantee might be
minimised by a system of mutual insurance among the
antere.—Manchester Examiner,
.'

The numbers are published of bonds to the
amount of 86,6001. of the Brazilian Five per Cent.
Loan of 1843 (Empire Fund), which are to be paid
off at par on the Ist of January next.
• The second call of 21. 10s, making 51. paid, is to
be paid on the shares of the Epsom and Leather-
head Railway Company as : 1/. 5s by
the .18th instant; 1.1. 5s by the 18th August. •
The next ordinary half-yearly, meeting of the
London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Com-
pany is called for the 24th inst , and that of the
North Staffordshire Railway. Company for the 28th
inst., at Stoke-upon-Trent.
The third ordinary general meeting of sharehold-
ers in the City Bank is called for the 14th inst., and
the annual meeting of proprietors of the Union
Bank of Australia for the 20th inst.
The half-yearly meeting of the Australian Agri-
cultural- Company is called . for the 7th instant,
when a dividend of 10s. per share will be recom•
mended.
The half-yearly meeting of the Scottish Austra-
lian InVestment Company is called for the 24th
inst., when a dividend is to be declared.
A. special meeting of the Midland Railway Com -
pany is called for the 14th inst., at Derby, to con"
sicler 'bills affecting this company, one of which
authorises the (Little) North Western Railway
C)mpany to abandon a portioa of their railway,
and to sell or lease . their undertaking to the
Midland Company.
• The half-vearly meeting of the United Mexican
Mining Association is called for the 29th inst.
A special meeting of the London and Virginia
Gold and Cooper Mining Company is called for
the Ist August," for the purpose of deereasing,,the
btlyfinr:adeutieni; reducing
tithe'
lei
capitalalno i t of each share, and oanandpalfoyr
other business with reference to the alteration of
the capital of the company as shall by such meet-
ing be deemed expedient" - ' ..
A special xneeting_of the_ Garnett_ and MoSeley
Gold Mining Company is called for the 11th inst.,
to consider the " advisability of winding up or
diSsoliting, the same ; or of raising further capital
- for liquidating the debts of the company, and of
•
TNPOILMATION RESPECTING CANADA.—The Canadian Government carrying on the works or re-modelling the corn-
has published an interesting pamphlet on the resources of Canadat y 9
end the erospects in store for the industrious of all classes who desire pan ~ •
to emigrate there. It has been gratuitously circulated throughout At a meeting of the Wheal Clifforl adventurers,
the United Kingdom. together with the two lectures upon Canada. held on the let inst., the accounts for April and
dteivered by Mr. Rollo Campbell of Montreal, in January last. Every etre , .
clergyman in Scotland has been supplied with a cony of both, together I'La3 snowed a profit of 1,075/.5s 2d. A. dividend of
with the particulms of the Grand Trunk system of Through Booking, 41 per share was declared, leaving a balatice in hand
and a Map of Canada, upon which all the Railways ana their connec- of 3681 5s 9d.
tien with' the United States are shown. These, and other documents,
By the Canada, arrived here this evening, we
continuo to be issued gratuitously to all persons who apply for them,
either personally or by letter, at the offices of the Grand Trunk Rail- have New York dates to The 24th ult. The Street
way Company, ei, Old Broad-street, LondonE.C."
' E • i demand for money showed little variation but
THE CALIFORNIAN Pstg.—The everlasting question rf " isth s .
good pen', has be, answered by Mr. E. T. Hall, of South John with the Discount Brokers the rates were firmer.
stre-t, who has succeeded in rrodacing a metallic pen, which lie and there was a partially increased offering of•iner•
designates, not inaptly' as Orrice ' There is hardly anything More
annoying, than a bad pen—every one knows the misery. The pen eantilo paper in anticipation of the, wants of
madeihyielr. Dail. Is fit for any haud to use (light or heavy), and business in July. First-class names, 8 to S per
w hat , of the ereeteet value, it does not Corrode, hitt will work. with _
say that this one. which is
equal facility in any ink. Fromexperience of metallic pens, we can cent.; fair or second- choice, 10 to 12 per cent,
polished as gold, and will last nearly as sterling. Bills of Exchange were difficult of sale,
long, is the best one we have ever used,—Northern Times, One even on the very best signatures, over 1.09, per cent,
hoz., containing sec dozen pens, sent free on receipt of es 6d in
postare stamps. Agents wanted for the country.—Adtr. 'Still' the nominal rates are set down as 109; to 1601
Tax t., NE THING WANTING.—A, correspondent writes tee" Now
• , The Cotton Market remained very firm, and prices
that we have. hadebe Ilivington water for some weeks, and es there
seems eo chance. Of getting rid of it, it behoves us to search for the were about le higher than when the Atlantic left, the
remedy to Improve, this water. rearing illness, and bearing le mind daily sales averaeing 1,000 bales, In Breadstuffs
the well-known, axiom that ' prevention is better than ewe,' it is
there ass a fair business doing, RYA in consequence
gratifying to learq that, in this age' Of'sclenee and bettor: than
we
have in this townehe oat thing necessary eer tie preservation of our of light rodeipts prices of who(; °. and flour had ad-
bealths. To Messrs, Saunders and CO:, only, we are trelebted for the
be made, reme•eii*vented--the former 2e to ao
all raeuritie'S. and, by their latter 10e to 20e per barre).. Indian Corn was not
recently improved deodoriaera. actually removing a' l the elerr, and
WA* a eerriarkably brilliaat and clear, per bushel, and the
best liners that can
neerPsestly relonamend our readers •to an inquired after, and had do Mined 2e to 3c per bushel,
agetehsseifts",ivaiwanuter3 and Ce., 8 Altar warehouse. Parker- -
Proviaions were du; wad rather lower. ' Freights
producinginspectionsparkling from
boefvesri
street, IsiVcrneeig. • cleolining.