The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-02 00:00:00

HULL BOROUGH SESSIONS.

(From the Hull Advertiser.)
0 ChristmastiThe
Thursday
morning,
boroughE sg . o,pQe.nce c.l,
D.C.L., Recorder of Hull.
The usual forms of the court having been gone through,
The Learned Recorder proceeded to charge the Grand
Jury as follows :—Gentlemen of the Grand Jury,—Ever
since I last sat here I have been longing to see in your
weekly organs of intelligence an announcement that a
beginning had been made in good earnest—one worthy of
this important and popular borough—to establish refor-
matory schools for juvenile criminals. But I have looked
in vain. Nevertheless, I believe that there is a noble
Christian feeling here on the subject, a true and high phi-
lanthropy not evaporating in words, but manifesting it by
acts. Does not the necessity continue urgent? I have
here a heavy calendar again before me ; and a letter
which I received from the governor of the gaol, shortly
before I left London, in answer to inquiries of mine, as to
the state of the gaol, ends with this melancholy and afflict-
ing sentence :—" It is a lamentable fact that the juve-
niles under seventeen years of age, have increased to nearly
double the average number, during the last five mouths !
Indeed, there are two only eleven years of ago !" If no
steps have been. takes in the borough towards meeting the
advance of the legislature in the last session, I can but ex-
press deep concern, and earnestly echo the recently uttered
language of Lord Brougham—the most illustrious law re-
former of his age, aid ever foremost in anything calculated
to advance the higher interests of society. "I hope and trust,"
he says, " that the war will not, among its other evils, occa-
sion abstraction in either country—France or England—to
any of those,great plans of benevolence—let me rather say,
beneficence.' He was writing on the subject of Reforma-
tory Schools. My excellent friend the Recorder of Lon-
don, in his last charge to the grand jury, took occasion to
express regrets similar to mine on this occasion, that the
great coruity of Middlesex had not come forward, as I am
now imploring you to come forward, to arrest the foul tor-
rent of juvenile crime; and at the late Winter Assize for
this county, I am assured by those who were present, Mr.
Baron Alderson delivered an eloquent, a most impressive
and awakening charge to the grand jury, on the all-
important topic which I am now urging again upon your
attention. I believe that every gentleman whole I am
now addressing is listening, in an enlightened and conside-
rate spirit, to what I am now but too feebly saying, and
also feels that public duty is knocking loudly at the door
of his heart and conscience. Gentlemen, in the course of
my legal readings, a few days ago, I suddenly stumbled on
on a very affecting and remarkable passage, which I had
never seen before, in one of tbe writings of him whom we
lawyers call our great master, Lord Coke. Wilting two
eenturies ago, he concluded his last great Institute with the
words, " Blessed be the amending hand !"—which he ad-
dressed to "the wise-hearted and expert builders of the laws,
to amend both the method or uniformity of them, and the
structure itself, wherein they shall find either want of win-
dows, or sufficient lights, or other deficiency in the architec-
ture whatsoever." But the passageto which Imore particu-
larly refer occurs in the epilogue to his Third Institute ; and
it does eternal honour to the memory of that mighty law-
yer. "Justice," he says, "is justice severely punishing,
and justice truly preventing. True it is, that we have
found by woeful experience that it is not frequent and
often punishment that doth prevent like offences ! Those
offences aro often committed that are often punished ; for
the frequency of the punishment makes it so familiar, as
it is not feared. For example : what a lamentable case it
is to see so many Christian men and women strangled on
that aumeti tree eif the gallows ! inasmuch as, if in a large
field a man might see together all the Christians that, but
in one year, throughout Zngland, came to that untimely
and ignominious death—if there were any sparks of grace
or charity in him, it would make his heart to .bleed for
pity and compassion ! Bat here I leave to divines to in-
struct the inward man; who, being well instructed, the
outward man will be easier reformed. This preventing
justice consisteth in three things :—First, in the good edu-
cation of youth, and that betliby good instruction of them
in the grounds of the true religion sit st les'oemr• Ci^a • anal
by learning thom 1.....-Istige or trade, in their tender years,
so as there should not be an idle person, or a beggar, but
that every child, male or female, whose parents are poor,
might, at the age of seven years, earn their own living :
and this, for ;the time to some, would undoubtedly,
by preventing justice, avoid idleness in all (one of
the foul and fatal channels that lead into the very
Dead Sea), and, by honest trades, cause them to
become good members in the commonwealth. Secondly,
preventing justice consisteth in the execution of good
laws, True it is there be good laws already to punish
idleness, but none of sufficient force or effect to set youth, or
the idle, on work. Thirdly, that forasmuch as many do
offend in'the hope of pardon, that pardon be very rarely
granted. But the consideration of this preventing justice
were worthy of the wisdom of a Parliament ; and in the
meantime, expert and wise men to make preparation for
the same. Blessed shall he be that layeth the first stone
, of this building ; more blessed that proceeds in it ; most
of all that finisheth it to the glory of God, and the honour
of our king and nation." Gentlemen, these are grains of
gold—the pure ore of philanthropy—dug out of the old
ragged blackletter, and I commend them to your reflec-
tions. The first stone of the building has been laid in Par-
liament ' • let us new, in Lord Coke's language, uttered two
hundred years ago, proceed in it, and finish it, to the glory
of God, and the honour of our Queen and nation. Let it
not. be recorded that the Parliament relied on our voluntary
co-operation in vain, and were at length obliged to have
recourse to compulsory action. And now lot us hear a
commentary on this touching passage of old Lord Coke, by
a pious and humane chaplain of 1854—the chaplain of our
gaol, in his report to the magistrates this day :—" It is
peirifed again to mention the great number of juveniles
that from month to month are committed to prison.
Since the Ist of January last the number has been
133 ! of whom 37 have been committed since my last report.
The greatest part of them youths come to me on the Sunday
morning for an honr before chapel time, to read the scrip-
tures and receive religious instructions. About a mouth ago
ut
mh
Lard'seb i ne
r Prayer, hwa
edr
ennt)
atabuinaedyble l
some
of
timont
hergaoloooasfad t,
iliavb:her i
I bad 23 on Sunday morning for this purpose ; and from in-
quiry I found that only it ofn
fore ; 7 bad been in once, 1 three timer:, 1 four times, and 1
the• ability to read
knowsia teenlittle
times!m lt" thenan°ftthhe6
havecould
beenn e t rteopeat
schoolseven that anto
tc okrereepc t luyp.
end write, and their attendance at a plane of worship ~,_
= on
the Sunday is a thing of rare occurrence. They thus lose
their knowledge of religious phraseology., as well as of reli-
gion itself, and aro easily led to think that the knowledge
of the commands of God, as contained is the Bible, is not
necessary to their present or future welfare; and to this,
is, I think, to be traced, in a great measure, their present
reckless conduct." This, I repeat, is your worthy chap.
lain's mournful but awakeeing cemmentary on Lord Coke.
Gentlemen, I venture to threw out for the consideration of
the authorities of this borough, and of all intrusted in its
welfare, whether they have not admirable facilities and
oportiinities for establishing a Maritime School, for the
hitherto neglectedclasses, such as I believe exists in Bel-
gs_ill„,n, if talso' lls the Continent. There, I
no e.sesseere, en
""eve, such an institution is attended with the very best
fleets. ekt a place 20 or 30 wiles distance from the sea,
theY have an by establishment for teaching poor boys, chiefly means of in the Royal
Naval acbool a great model of a ship, (as , ~
duties of at Greenwich,) the elementary and practical
seamanship, useful know-
ledge; so that p, as well as a little other
~
ficiently train Then 01,1 enough to go to sea, they are sut-
duty, and coca°
pezlO coinPetent to undertake regular ship
and wise system can
cabin-boys. Now, if this humane
what are your faeilitieesr aacceasfully used so far inland ,
a beginning here, and 'd How easy it would be to make
emulation among the bovsn'llY excite an esprit ale corps and
parents and friends ; an,tilovenich would soon reach their
the gentry of Hull, to find tlveve tl.rtfril to the fasting; of
in numbers, as the cells of the prison'•tinse School increasing
ably untenanted ! What facilities existbelanl3 proportion -
7(lniee sailors, in your, very presence for training- hardy
ell4tethe rig,,,,,ing, instead of ick to handle ropes and
the dream, and do radii frePad 11
,oakini and treading
rerornutotylie . 9 - 'mil • Why not make a .
belie've, nth guining here? It oveuld be popaia . i do
humane feeline
;Illianabler classes here have not that lciiiid and credit. It v0...,t, "bleb at present I do heartily give them 1
would appiatu,l7l.i!s* mi. act which the country at largo that Hull had set :°lr they heard of it ; and oy
in Great Britain 1 en-CR`e lozarnp'e to her sister pots i
men, there is another enlif44-
in connection With siiineth lieve that honour. Gentle,
r't' ti>viltioh must the ref " the last session; and —4 w 414.1xa
relating to the s.d.
here, I was deeply coneerned to le y . er
oil re mince
~ ra, 14,nuitra Lion of
two gentle/hen have expressed mix' itectssl, that one or
hero should be'disposecl of'agreat le
' ' `‘‘' • 1
I think is consistent with th
deal pubf4 treatia c:rsos
e due- adminicalls.oldly than
tice. If I am correctly informed, mine 'oneraSaes,°l,l4 ins* adiuiration of having " seen a Man tried, eseesskl,:;with
sentenced to transportation, all in ten minutes liC-".'44 other said tho Recorder • an as
could prevent the sessionii being
lengthened by " keeping counsel to the Point, wad gettingthrough. a case in three minutes." Gentlemen, whetee: my seat first in this chair, I stated, quoting languageni
with which I would- hope we are all familiar, that I would
uniformly strive ". truly and indifferently to minister just
tice, to the punishment of wickedness and vice, and to the
maintenance of true religion and virtue." This cannot be
done but with gravity, circumspection, and deliberation;
and all I shall think fit to say here on this subject, is, that
if you will go to your prison when these sessions are over, 1
do not think you will find a prisoner there who will not
freely own that he or she has been fairly and patiently tried.
Some of those with Whom I havoibeen forced to deal most
severely have said as much to myself often, when after wards
visiting them in gaol, and to others, who can testify it; and I
can conscientiously say that no man, woman, or child—ales
that I should have to say child !—ever stands at that bar,
whom it is not my humble endeavour to try as fairly,
and look into his case as thoroughly as I would desire to
be done in my own case, if unfortunately our positions
What irreparable injustice may be done
were reversed.
h it is imagined aperson may
be the three minutes in whie. 1
be tried, convicted, and consigned toinfamy add agony in
during a long period of his life ? No, gen-
tlemen,a fereign land, dun
sit here,with God's blessing,l •
will
sit here, .
as long as .1
holde the scales of justice calmly and steadily, and watch
the inclination of them towards guilt or innocence, with

unfaltering steadfastness and deliberation. For rough and
ready justice, as it is called, I always entertained, and do
entertain, a horror. And as for any interfering with a
prisoner's counsel, cannot do so. idy heart recoils from
interrnptin,* a gentleman to whom an unhappy prisoner
has intrusted his charater and liberty, and who has a most
anxious duty to perform. The length at which this shall
be done, mu it, however, be left to the discretion and taste
of the counsel themselves. Gentlemen, both the criminal
and civil business of this borough is much increasing ; and
I am, and always have been, delighted to do everything
in my power to despatch both as quickly, but also as
satisfactorily as possible. My distinguished predecessor
here, Mr. Justice Cresswell, was appointed recorder in
1831. The population was then 53,744. In the year
1833, the average number of criminal cases at each sessions
w:l4 29, with three appeals. In the year 1832, the civil
business consisted of 4 cases for trial, and two writs of
inquiry iu the whole year. Now I was appointed in 1851,
and then the repulation was increased by upwards of
30,090 —that is, it was 84,690. The average number of
criminal cases for last year, each session, was 47, with one
appeal ; and in the same year there were 13 civil causes
tried, and one writ of inquiry. Thus you see, gentlemen,
that as the population has greatly increased, so has the
criminal and civil business of the sessions ; and, moreover,
many of each class of cases are of difficulty and importance,
with many witnesses, and require that attention which I
am resolved they shall always have, as far as I am con-
cerned. I have yet, Tgentlemen, one other matter to men-
tion to you :—that in order to obviate as much as possible
the inconvenience and loss of time of which the
Venire juryman have of late so much, and I doubt
net justly, complained, I intend fcr the future to
appoint a certain day, before which they need not
attend, and en and after which they may attend and Cs
-
patch consecutively whatever business there may be for
them. Whether this fixed day shall be for the future im-
mediately before or after the sessions I have not yet de.
terinined. The Christmas sessions are rather exceptional,
as far as regards myself, and some of the gentlemen at this
bar who also attend the Beverley sessions. Desiring to
accommodate them ar I deemed fair and reasonable, I
have named Wednesday, the 3d of January, for the sitting
of the Venire Court; which will admit of the members of
the bar attending on the Tuesday, at Beverley, en which
day the greater portion of the business of their sessions is
transacted, and the bulk of the bar released from attend-
ance. I hope to finish the criminal business here by Sa-
turday next, or at latest on Monday ; and cheerfully sacri-
fice the one or two intervening days, remaining here idle,
to consult the convenience of those members of the bar
who may have business at Beverley. I repeat, gentlemen,
what I said in a letter recently read before the Town-coun-
cil, that I feel a warm interest in the Venire Court, and
am delighted to see the Town-council of the same
mind. The Venire Court is a very ancient court of
civil justice here, absolutely unlimited in jurisdiction,
except in respect of locality. It sits throughout the year ;
the deputy-judge is your able and experienced Town-clerk,
whose decisions I have never once hitherto had occasion to
overrule ; there is as free audience for attorneys and soli-
citors as for the bar; and I have seen gentlemen in both
departments of the profession discharge the duties of ad-
vocates in this court, in the most able and satisfactory
manner, and in cases of no little difficulty and importance,
and I never saw jurymen discharge their duties better.
Having adverted to jurymen, allow me to say that their
duties, alike in criminal . and civil cases, are equally
important and honourable. Nay, they are very elevating,
for they train the mind to grave, patient, dispassionate
inquiry,—teaching the noble lesson of keeping the judg-
meat suspended, uninfluenced by mere assertion, by leo-
',hist/7, by prejudice, by prepossession; and while doing
this, becoming also familar with the system ofj udicial inves'-
tigation, and the great leadingprinciples of our civil and cri-
minal law. No juryman who forms a proper estimate of his
positicn,—one which trains and prepares him admirably to
fill muuicipal office—will feel impatient while called on by lai s
country to exercise such interesting and momentous public
functions. The learned Recorder then proceeded to say
that he regretted to find that, although little more than
two menthe had elapsed since the last sessions, there were
not less than 46 or 47 distinct cases for trial, involving at
least 49 prisoners. And he was sorry to find that among
these cases were some which he had hoped would have
been decreased by the wholesome severity which lie had
felt it his duty to exercise. There were no fewer than 10
cases of servants robbing their masters. That must be put
down. He would venture to remind the grand jury that
they had not to try cases, but simply to ascertain whether
on the blush—on the first aspect of the case—there was
enough of suspicion of guilt to warrant them sending the
case into the court for trial. There was one or two cases
of felonies by youthful offenders, and it might occur to
some of them that. these might have been disposed of sum-
marily by the excellent gentleman (Mr. Travis) who sat
by him. But he (the Recorder) presumed that the magis-
trate acted upon the principle of the Act of Parliament
which enabled justices to deal summarily with juvenile de-
linquents. That Act did not apply to compound felonies,
but in the express terms of the Act to simple larcenies
only. And if a child unfortunately committed a compound
felony as it was called, he (the Recorder) and the jury
alone could deal with it—as in the case where a child stole
from the person—that took the matter oat of the hands of
the stipendiary magistrate, and compelled him to send it
there. There were one or two cases involving only a small
amount of property. But the amount had nothing to do
with the matter. If the grand jury, in their sworn judg-
ment, believed that there had been a felony, the value of
the goods had nothing to do with it. Property was neces-
sarily exposed on wharfs, railroads, &c., and if only a sin-
gle apple, or orange, or piece of rope was stolen, the value
of it was not for consideration. Alluding to a case of rope
stealing, where the rope had not been removed wholly from
the premises, the Recorder pointed out the law that, if
with a felonious intent property was oily removed a hair's
breadth, that constituted a stealing. The Recorder then
dismissed the jury to their duties.

i`lt,•

We are greatly gratified at finding that our lam
distinguished recorder, Mr. Warren, has devoted s_ ..uch
time and inquiry to ascertaining the extent to which tke
razistaifee, „re„ea "awl are moral
ound to provide a good Reformatory School for the recep-
tion of juvenile criminals with a view to their ultimate
restoration to the paths of social intercourse, rectitude,
and virtue. it is a new thing in Hull for our magistracy
to be invited from the judicial bench to take as early a• part
in the discussion of great reformatory questions as their
brethren in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liver-
pool. The active intelligence of our excellent recorder is
not content to leave us to grope our way by the thin tra-
ditional light of precedents drawn from courts not superior
in jurisdiction to his own ; he nobly dares to ask us to ad-
vance boldly, and under his safe guidance, to claim for our-
selves the distinction of setting an example to towns less
populous and less influential than the borough of Hull. We
feel Confident that there is not e.person of any reflection in the
East Ridingof Yorkshire, who willrcad the recorder's charge
but who will thank him very heartily for the pains which
he has bestowed upon the consideration of this important
subject, and for his eloquent and forcible recommendation
of it to the adoption of the Hull grand jury. Most of our
readers will be aware that the question was strongly urged
upon public attention in some letters which recently ap-
peared in this joxrnal, purporting to be part of a series in
preparation on Reformatory Schools. These letters were
from the pen of a magistrate of much experience in cri-
minal matters; and very great will be the delight of the
writer to find his views 'supported by the lucid intellect
and blackletter lore of the author of a "Diary of a Late
Physician." After the charge of the learned recorder, we
consider that there is really an eud of the theoretical part
of this question. What we chiefly want now is some ma-
gistrate to take the lead in convoking a meeting of the ma-
gistrates, preparatory to a meeting of the whole borough, to
consider the desirableness of commencing forthwith the esta-
blishment ofa Reformatory School. Perhaps the most proper
person to take the initiative would be the stipendiary, Mr
Travis; who is exceedingly wall acquainted with the whole
bearings of the proposed system, and who has himself de-
voted much thought to the applicability of such a system
to th© wants of the youthful criminals in our Borough
to
The practical question, as regards the public, can
be best dealt with by a lawyer conversant with all the
details of prison discipline, and capable of showingin what
way the system would work in a pecuniary point of view.
We have ourselves a very strong conviction that, properly
managed, all Reformatory Schools might be made sell-
supperting, if not actually sources of national income.
Labour was the first,, and it should ever be the chief
punishment of sin. God set us the example, in the per-
sons of our first parents, how all future transgressors ought
to be punished ; and had mature wisdom guided the judi-
cial deliberations of our fathers, they would have substi-
tuted for dark, damp, fostering dungeons, with heavy
chains, compelling the idleness of the limbs, ample moans
for the duplication and tiiplicatiou of that earth subduing
toil, which won from the red furrow of the field the
golden grain which still forms the groat staple of human
sustenance.

As regards the suggested Maritime School we foal
very sure that it would appear to the Recorder less neces-
sary if he were practically acquainted with the educational
establishment conducted hero, under the auspices, and at
the expense of, the Hull Corporation of the Trinity House.
What is really wanted is an industrial school under the
inspection of the Poor-law Board, for the receptien and
training of all the destitute children of both 20:C02 in any
given number of poor-law unions. The law already pro-
vides for the establishment of such schools, and enables
boards of guardians to lay rates for them at a sum not ex-
ceeding one penny in the
pound ; but when the opportu-
nity of establishing one in this neighbourhood was pre-
, seated, and receremended, a number of very zealous, but
not very sagacious, individuals succeeded in charging
m theselves for ever with the burden of a ragged school,
which no efforts over can render half so valuable as an
industrial Government school, to a large community like
that of Hull. An industrial school might be made to train
up five thousand boys either as seamen or husbandman
without more expense to its patrons than if it only con-
tained fifty children ; whereas a ragged school must always
.fortmuoniee,nvaenro.,l
sun
depend for support upon the variable offerings of
industrial school would offer undoubted guarantees
tpheersovunarilaitaibonles tont.
Indtihveiducaarprif
oepeismout
to parents anxious about the religious training of their
children ; whereas, Ragged Schools must necessarily com-
pel the hiving a general preference to teaching of certain
creeds. It may be that the Hull Ragged School will form
an exception to such institutions elsewhere, and that its
utility will be as ex ensire as the benevolence of its foun-
ders. In that case no other schools of the kind will be
required. lint if it fail there is still in reserve the legal
provision for the establishment of a Quatt's Farm School
adequate to the industrial training of all the poor chil-
dren in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The other points touched upon in the Recorder's charge
ti) ghl
assurei m ?hoer ta n
learnedt ,
lob
there
he
eahandledrree i
is
c nothero.-
e the
are snore of an administrative character, and though
least
eWs toew°vecse venture
to
fee any defence of the t
"14 tvial of the i body •
hi_ e grea of prisoners now brought before ,i;'_.__Talt Recordcrship of Hull is a very onerous office
or :v7,oll,l,et.red to what it was when Mi-. Cresawell sat here,
minal iwiguealie. Baines so worthily presided as chief cri-
Hull involve this borough. Many of the cases tried in
and affectindat4rtei°s't" of law and of fact as complicated,
tal trials bronght bef4ora4
is the ability rmenifesteedt.:•6
that in uo place is
terily. tomentous, as any short of capi-
the law 13"
judges at York, and yet, much
are
Quarter Sessions court
administered mono satisfac-
BAILWAY TRAFFIC .
RETURNS.
"..............111..........-

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.
Tia.flie return for the week ending Dec. 30,
1854
Colre3ponding week last year ....................£10,659 5 9 10,531 0 7
Total
of the half-year to this date, 1851 ...... 380584 2 5
To of tho half-year to this date, 1353 358,,09.: 13 1
LONDON AND SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.—Traffic
ro-
turn for the week,lending, Dec. 30, 1851 £16,197 9 2
Corresponding week last year 15,591 10 10

Increase in 1351
.., ROO2 18 4

THE LIVERPOOL SHIP TRADE.

(From Messrs. Curry and Co.'s eireqtyr.)
We beg to hand you, as customary at this time, our
annual statement of the past year's business in the sale of
ships at this port, and though we may consider it as
almost terminating with September, there being but
few transactions in the last quarter to report, we are
enabled to lay before you just such a result as we pre-
dicted-----the returns for the year ended, showing an in-
crease of 91,570 tons in excess of the previous year. In
last January's annual letter we stated nothing was likely
to interfere with this result butthe interruption of our na-
tional peace, and which is here clearly proved. When in the
month of May war was proclaimed, though producing a
depressing effect upon most other trades, it was found,
from the anticipated large requirements of Government
for the transport service, rather to give an increased
stimulus to shipping property than otherwise, which
continued until the beginning of October, when the un-
fortunate stoppage of Mr. Oliver, with a fleet of ninety-
eight ships on hand, and which it is obvious must be
thrown upon the market, brought about a reaction and
consequent paralysis that has seriously affected us to
the present hour. The difficulty of speedily arranging
for the liquidation of an estate of such magnitude in a
manner that is satisfactory to all parties interested,
has hitherto retarded the payment of a dividend,
but it is understood that all difficulties have at length
been removed. The sale by auction of 22 of Mr.
Oliver's ships, amounting to 15,706 tons and realising
96,185'X, being an average of 61. 2s. 6d. per ton has
been already effected, while many others are likely to
be speedily sold, so that there is every prospect of an
early dividend.

Frem January to October our high quotations of 1
last year were fully maintained, and in some instances
exceeded, and for that period we may quote first qua-
lity colonial ships to class seven years at 101. to 121.,
those classing six years at 8/. to 111.—and spruce ships
Sl. to 101.—small vessels suitable for the coasting frade
at 71. to 81. 10s. From October to the present there
has been a fall in prices equal to 50s. per ton on large
ships and from 20s. to 30s. per ton upon Use smaller
craft. We have noticed with pleasure a decidedly im-
proved feeling among ship buyers within the last fort-
night, when. more sales have been made than for the
previous two months. A considerable number of Rus-
sian prizes have lately come upon the market and been
sold in some instances at very low prices.
As regards our prospects for the year before us, we
may state there are very few ships to come forward
from the Colonies. The reaction that has taken place
in our market and the high rate of wages 110
paid to shipwrights, together with considerable monetary
depression experieaced in Ca,nala, New Brunswick, &c.,
ice., will prevent much building and as our stocks are
not excessive and the losses of the past year greatly
above the average, we have reason to think the supply
wi!l come short of the usual demand, and prices must
considerably improve before spring. In confirmation of
this opinion we request your attention to the following
fect the December of 1853 there was on the stocks
at Quebec 29 ships, equal t 0135,000 tons—in the De-
cember of 1854 there were but 4, from 5,000 to 6,000
tons collectively, in any state of forwardness or likely to
be ready for launching during the spring. In New
Brunswick comparatively nothing is doing, and the same
may be stated of most of the other colonial building
stations.

Notwithstanding the very decided assurance given by
the Government that a strict blockade of the ports of the
Black &a an Sea of Azof was to be enforced, we may
name that we have lately sold several vessels for this
trade, and as the cargoes continue to arrive freely from
these waters we are led to believe, however unjust it may
be to the merchant and importer, this outlet for small
vessels is not likely to be closed.
The number of ships that have changed hands in Liver-
pool in the year is 730 —equal to 330,030 tons—of which
83 are British, egos; to 31,33 G tons—against 653; equal
to 288,430 in 1853.

The number of new colonial vessels that have come
into Liverpool and been registered i 3 123—equal to
123,994 tons—against 112 83,375 toes in 1853—show-
ing an increase in tonnage of 45,018 tons over the pre-
vious year, and nuking the average measurement of
each vessel 1,04 S tons.

The number of foreign vesseh; that have changed hands
in toe year and been regh,tered in Liverpool is 55—equal
to 35,665 tons—against 2611,300 tons in 1853—show.
in an increase ot 25;365 tons.

The number of steamers registered in Liverpool is 40
—equal to 14,830 tans—of which 18 are pa.ddle=l,s92
—and 22 acrsw=l3,23B tons—against 419,237—
showing a decrease of 4 vessels and an increase of
5,593 toms upon the return of 1353.

Iron ships are somewhat less in favour owing to the
present difficulty of adjusting the compasses, and the
recent were disasters arising therefrom.

The excitement occasioned by Mr. Oliver's failure has
been maintained for nearly three months, and does not
seem likely to subside for a long time to come. This is,
of course, attributable chiefly to the unusual magnitude
of his engagements. The debts are reported to exceed
800,0001. ; and the assets, if judiciously realized, to
amount to half-a million. But there are other circum-
stances which have contributed largely to keep the
commercial world of Liverpool in a ferment about
this matter. To throw a fleet .of merchantmen, of
the largest size, and of more than 50,000 tone, sud-
denly into the market menaced our skipping. trade
wart'utter stagnation. ro prevent this it was ab-
solutely necessary that Mr. Oliver should be enabled
to avoid bankruptcy, and sell his ships gradually.
The principal creditors thereupon exerted themselves
to obtain a general assent to a trust-deed. It was pre-
pared and executed on the 7th of October, many coming
into the arrangement, upon the understanding, earnestly
pressed upon them, than it was the only way to pre-
vent the American creditors from appropriating to
themselves exclusively all that part of the shipping
that happened to be in American ports. The trustees
under this deed forthwith proceeded to act upon it and
a few weeks since instructed their brokers to sell 22 of
the ships by auction. To give a stimulus to the sales
a novel expedient was resorted to ; it was arranged that
purchasers should pay half the purchase-money in Mr.
Oliver's bills, to be estnnated at 50 per cent. of their
nominal amount. This plan might have answered but
for one obvious objection ; it placed several of the
creditors, and tkose among the largest of them, in a
more favourable position than the smaller fry ; for
it operated to give them a long priority of pay-
ment of a dividend of 10s, in the pound, every pur-
chaser of a ship on such terms receiving that divi-
dend on completing his purchase ; and many, there-
fore, refused to come in under the deed ; and a
creditor of the name of Evans, whose debt amounted
to nearly 7,0001., petitioned the Court for an adjudica-
Sion in bankruptcy, on the opinion of Sir G. Stepbon
that the extention of the deed of the 7th of October was
itself an act of bankruptcy. This proceeding- added fuel
to the flames, and a scene then followed of the most ex-
traordinary character. Where was the deed ? Who
hod lost 0? What had be done with it Guided, we
presume, by the sane learned counsel, Mr. Cross, the
solicitor, summoned the trustees appointed by the deed,
and also their solicitors, and "the solicitor of Mr. Oliver,
requiring each and all of them to produce the deed to
the court, but produced it could not be ; for, as report
goes, one and all of them disclaimed all knowledge of its
tate; except that some lad of 15, whom nobody knew, had
obtsissed it, ensome pretence or other, from the counting
house of one of the trustees the very day that the petition
was filed. At was ratte- prematurely concluded that Sir
G. Stephen had been felled in his five days' examination,
and that the bankruptcy could now be averted till the
7th of January when the deed would have become valid by
the effluxion of time ; hut, having thus proved the deed
to be irretrievably lost, Sir George, as we hoar, tendered
secondary evidence of its purport, and this evHence was
received. By some unaccountable omision the solicitor
hal not brought the petitioning creditor, Mr. Evans, to
prove his debt till the net of bankruptcy was thus
proved, or, if he was in attendance, he had omitted to
examine him. On the last day, however, he appeared,
when he demurred to the form if the affidavit, and
requested tune to consider it. It was granted, but
when it expired Mr. Evans, for some reason best known
to himself. declined to appear ! Thereupon Mr. Her-
ring, of Newcastle, a new petitioner, came forward,
proved his debt, and, all other preliminary matters, being
thus established, Mr. Oliver was adjudicated a bank-
rupt on Friday. Whether the adjudication will be dis-
puted we have not heard ; but, in the meanwhile, the
messengers of the court have proceeded to take posses-
sion, and all the past arramoinent3 are for the present
set aside, and in all probability will not be revived.—
Liveepeol Albion.