The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-06 00:00:00

THE TOWN DUES OP LIVERPOOL.

LivuurooL, Tuesday.—The bill introduced into the
House of Commons by Mr. Lowe, last night, for the re-
lief cf the mercantile shipping from local tolls and dues,
has been much commented on by :the merchants to-day,
and is by no means popular,
the prevailing belief being
that the Corporation of Liverpool have a right and title
to those dues beyond dispute. It may be generally
not
known that the right to receive those dues was sold
by Charles I. to the citizens of London, along with
many similar rights, for a sum of upwards of 400,0001. ;
that the rights which the citizens
floraofLonpduonrchhaadsepwuasr-
chased the King was subsequently purchased by the
Ma
to 1
eyrnwe
aurxde: oc
of
nCfirromx teedt hb and nadn Sefton
act
of (which
Parliament), and b 3
them it was sold to the corporation of Liverpool, who have
now heldit for mttny generations. Therefore, unless a title
derived by purchase from the Crown, and confirmed by a
vote of Parliament, is an insufficient title to the p >sses-
pion of these dues, the corporation of Liverpool have a
right to retain the dues, or to demand a full compensa-
tion for their extraction. The right of the corporation
was tried before Lord Chief Justice Denman, in 1833,
on which occasion the decision was then in favour, and
they now hold the dues by every title by which pro-
perty can be secured in this country.
The gross revenue of the corporation of Liverpool
for the year ending the 31st of August, 1855, was
176,8071., of which 110,6711. were received from town
dues ; and to maintain the present expenditure of
the corporation (should the town dues be abolished),
a borough rate of 78,000/. will be required.
The remarks of Mr.-Lovie,. regarding the sanitary
condition of Liverpool, shown that official to be grossly
misinformed, and no town in the :United Singdoni is
better situated in that respect. It may be added
that there is a sanitary rate for tke borough, levied off
the inhabitants—a fact of which Mr. Lowe does not
arum to be aware.

In my last I mentioned the then approaching
election for the city in the room of Mr. Murphy,
who had resigned. I stated that the election would
turn on the "squatting " question, and I antici-
' pated that the squatting candidate would be beaten,
and by a very :inferior man. The events turned
out as I anticipated, and by a far larger minority
than any one expected. Mr. Cruikshank polled
only 459 votes, though his committee, composed of
most respectable and wealthy merchants, used
great exertions and did not spare their money.
Mr. Rae polled 1,588, his majority being thus
1,129. This result is the more remarkable, as
Mr. Rae's opinions aro so crude and impracti-
cable that he had- really but little to recom-
mend him to an intelligent constituency, and I am
quite correct in saying that the majority. voted
to keep Cruikshank out, and not to put Rae in.
The squatters, as you are await", have had unin-
terrupted possession of the lands of the colony
for years, at very low licence fees. In 1846 the
Home Government framed certain regulations by
which the squatters were to have 8 and 14 years'
leases. These leases have never been given ; hut
they have had possession nevertheless. From time
to time very insignificant portions of the pastu,
lands have been sold for agricultural purposes, is
all scarcely exceeding 1,500,000 acres in all parts
of the' colony. As poliulatici4. increases more will
be required, and the squatters'sluOdestly demand
compensation to the extend of 2,50000/. Their
votes in the Council, whether for the Government
or against it, have almost invariably been governed
by their own interest. They have often thrown
their tveight (about a dozen votes) into the Govern-
" Mont *scale, when they fancied the Executive WM
disposed to favour their views; and they have
hitherto been not without hope that the Govern-
ment would support the principle of compensation.
In that case their majority would have been two
to one. But the Government has used them, and
has no further occasion for them. It has now no-
thing to gain and all to lose by encouraging the
views of the squatters, and this election effectually
defeats their grand objects—earnely, to get their
claims recognised by this Council, a council of 14
officials and 9 nominees. But this would be too
indecent a matter for the members of the Govern-
ment, and their claims will be a legacy for the new
Parliament.

The Legislature now stands summoned for the
23d of November for the despatch of business, on
which day the new Constitution will's() proclaimed.
The chief business of the last session will be to pass
an electoral act for the registration of voters, and
so forth. I believe there is a pretty general under-
standing among members not to enter into new
measures, and especially not to attempt to fetter
the new Assembly—a wise resolve, seeing that the
new Assembly would not be fettered by a mongrel
house so composed. It is rumoured that the house
will grant only six months' supplies, as the Go-
vernment may easily providct for the assembling of
the new Assembly and Council within that period.
There is a quiet under current of agitation set-
ting in, in favour of the voluntary principle, and
against the reserve of 50,0001. for ministers of reli-
gion, which I think likely to lead to very important
results. It is not the work of demagogues, or of
ambitious gentlemen who wish to make out of it
a little political capital, but is conducted by
grave, sober men, well placed in the world, both
by character and means—a very important con-
sideration here, where wealth is an object of su-
perstitious devotion—and who, when they take
up a question with energy, are not likely to put
it aside until carried. The Independents, a most
respectable body in all these colonies, have in-
variably refused State aid ; the Presbyterians
and Wesleyans are disposed to dispense with it.
The Episcopalians are divided upon it. The Ro-
man Catholics, strange to say, having tasted iis
sweets, have become attached to it. It would not
surprise me if it were to become the question of
questions at the new elections. It may take a few
years to train the public mind on the subject, but
I am convinced that " State aid to religion," as it
is here called, is doomed. , It may be doubtful, in
the first instance, whether the semi-savage portion
of our population will be disposed to contribute
towards the support of their own ministers, but
the public opinion of the circle around them will
soon make them do so. The 50,0001. is only 3s. 4d.
a-head for the whole population—an average easily
raised, were it not that every one now considers he
is • ssx'szpr4od .from- paienta -contribution by the
State 1411p/sort. , The Independent*, *ho do not ao-
cept aid, have no difficulty in raising funds by vo-
luntary contributions. The Church of England,
which takesat least. 25,04 P/. out of the reserved fund,
are by no means successful in their private collec-
tions. Even at the very source of wealth, Ballarat,
the English church—in spite of a grant of land and
of a contribution for the building—could not raise
money on the spot, and the committee came beg-
!,fing here ; while the Independent chapel close by
was built entirely by subscriptions on the spot,
and is finished before " the clinrch" is half up. I
doubt whether self-reliaiice on the part of the
churches will ever he generated so long as the mi-
nisters are paid quarterly ; and, if s", the first
step towards the proper working of the voluntary
principle is to adopt it.
The Ballarat riots seem to have impressed many
people at home with a notion that this colony is '
ripe for revolution ; but, depend upon it, there is
no such danger, unless "Mrs. Mother Country"
drive the members of the Legislature to move in
the matter, and then the Ballarat rowdies would
be an emement in the question. The election of
mayor takes place to-day, and the choice will fall
on John Thomas Smith, the present mayor, who
has thrice filled the office • hence he is sometimes
designated as the Australian Whittington. Ido
not know that the choice could fall on a better
wan. It is true, he made his money by keeping a
public-house, and ono not of the highest class ; but
many of our "potent, grave, and reverend sife.,ni-
ors" did that, and the town-councillors and alder-
men are necessarily, as in England, taken from
the trading class. Mr. Smith is, I believe, very
wealthy, and lie is no niggard in his expenditure,
and, I am well assured, most liberal in his chari-
ties. He devotes the whole of his time to the
public service, and is really a most excellent ma-
gistrate.
There has been a very large sale of stations and.
stocks of cattle and sheep, held by the Royal Bank
of Australia. The stations were about 20 in num-
ber, on the Sydney frontier, and the total sum
realised was 192,0001. The cattle averaged Si. ss.
a-head. The prices of sheep varied from 18s. to
345. Even the commission for selling was a little
fortune to the auctioneer.
The price of gold continues at 31. 158. 3d., and
the following is last week's statement from Kuldl's
Gold 0,2 cular :
" The escorts have brought from—
Ounces..
Mount Alexander and Indigo 18,177
Ballarat (including Geelong) 15,836
Avoca. 5,868
• Maryborough
Daisy-hill

Amount this week

43,712 and year 1,767,000

Geld shippo.d in MIS ........................... ~. ...... 2°,114717,72.8
Per Champion of the Seas (additional). ............
Per Rienzi, to Guam 694
Per Telegraph. to Sydney
Per won& WOnga, to Sydney
Per Marion, to Calcutta
Per Lion, to Hong lion ...

5,711
2,615
3,226
1,462

2,154,840

Or 89 tens 15 cwt. 2 qrs. 201 b. at 805...28,619,360
" Exchange en Leaden.—•Draughts against geld pur•
chased at 1 per cent. discount.
" Freight of gold, 4%d. per ounce, delivered at the bul-
lion-eface, Bank of England, London. Inearpnce 2 per
cent."

NEW STREET FROM THE STRAND TO COVENT-GARDEN.
—Yesterday morning workmen commenced taking down
the Boar's Head Inn, Exeter-street, at the top of Bur-
leigh-street, for the purpose of constructing the new
street from the Strand to Covent-garden. It will be a
continuation of Burleigh-street., and will cross Tavistock-
street, and run into Covent-garden by way of Tevistock-
row, one side of which will be take down. The new
street will be a great convenience to then neighbourhood.
DEATH OF Y. YARBURGH, ESQ.—We regret to record
the death of Y. Yarburgh, Esq., of Heslington-hall and
Sewerby-house, in this county, which melancholy event
occurred on Saturday last, at Stockton-hall, the residence
dsillaiti°reeddQJ'aaEzneisufgeLyaul.2", eMecirs.
of his brother-in-law, G. Lloyd, Bag- We believe that
hismsias.teßr,RMA
grssx.
y.L10yd...... By (wife a
engineer, has been appointed a
to the Heslington estate.deoclif:G:i
believe it was M.
Honour.
1 b
BKrnaisgshe yt ,
ofjt h eminentetheL egi
Since 1839 Mr.
Brassey has been connected with the construction of the
merits ; the Rouen,
Charles Laffitte who called the attention of the Minister
Havre, Dieppe, and Boulogne lines have all been sae-
principal French raiolnwaoyfs,
of Public Works to Mr. Brassey's
cuted under the auspices of the firm to which Mr.
Bransey,belonge ; which, moreover, it will be remem-
bered, constructed the Balaklava Railway in the Crimea,
and at the present moment they are employing an army
of use workmen in the Caof
their undertakings in progress and civilisation in
undertakings England, Holland, Gan"
Switzerland, Sayoy, Italy, and catiada.