The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-06-12 00:00:00

•17,147,11-7, ,nrY.V7,4,

Mr. Prior were -retorninz h.in:e rl'l:,l•gi.3y events",
alter perforwina .111 r. Cfrei.,r,'s church,
they xvere a:tacke,i by a fierce of ruffians,
who evidently mistook. oite t f them for the rev. ge'ntle-
man hiu The clergy 1nt.41 v,..ore i g-ed to fly for their

lives, pursued by an ii nense and momentarily increasing,
mob, who continued to folloVv them, until their intended
victit;:s-tookslielter in the Conservative house in Daw-
son-street, vrith their clothes covered over with mud,
thrown at them by the 'savage rabble, who were with
difficulty prevented from forcing open the door of the
house, Here was an instructive proof of the way in
which the Papists are taught by their priests. • The
tne,litated vengeance of these ruffians evidently originated
in the humiliating defeat of theii redoubled champion.
Perhaps die Mercui'lj will 'undertake to defend this ami-
able ebullition of popular feeling on the same ground that
it prompted a similar line of conduct at the last election
in Liverpool.

We perceive that it,iS insinuated in a radical contem-
porary that the Conservative papers in Liverpool have
found it politic to-suppress any report of the diScus.sion.
must be an ignoramus who thus fancies that the
STANDARD was afraid of publishing -part of the discus-
sion. The absurdity of imagining that we could do any
thing like justice to a itiport which would extend through
abOut forty of our columns is.su glaring that we shall not
condescend to bestow upon it any further notice. We
hope, however, that the discussion will be published in
as cheap a form as possible, and that proper exertions
will be used for its general dissemination.

l'l-114; LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

nth June, 1338.

(Signed,)

The. Town-clerk,

CORRESPONDENCE.

"To VIE TONVI:DUF.S'ONNITTEF, OI,VIE
COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF LIVERPOOL

Glikrt ultN,:—We presume eiich member of your body, as an.
individual. to be possessed of inflexible integritv,a scrupulous.
sense of honour; and, in your representative capacity we would
hope to bud you earnestly anxious to render justice where jus-
tice-is due. Should any one openly assail your character and
impute to you dishonor or dishonesty we doubt n:d each would
be zealous to relieve himself from so wrongful a suspicion, tot
should a cowardly Malice prompt any one, covertly and under
protection, to seek the injury of your fair fame, we presume to
think it would be difficult to assi.rn bounds fur the feelings of
indignation each would naturally ascertain. We, gentlemen,
occupy the unpleasant position of having ;had ,our characters
assailed, our honesty impeached ; we have been slaUdered co-
vertly and under the protection of your body, we have.tted
everyproper exertion to induce you to deliver up tons the name
of run- tisailant, that exertion has Tailed, and it is with unfeigned
regret we•find oursekes compelled tolay a cie betore the wilt-
lie, with the two-fold object of vindiCating,pi! characters, and
claiming from you that measure ofjustke•which we do feel you
• wit h hold from us.

We preface by stating that we are steam-boat agents, having
vessels plying between this port and Cork and tern SO PLACES.
As such agents we have hitherto paid the town-dues on all goods
-imported and export edin our vessels, and charged the seine to
.the Owners or consignees.
•Et would appear Unit, some two or three imonths since, Mr.
'Corrie,f he receiver of the- toWn-dues at this port, had his atten-
tion to the Cork trade list by an "intßvidnal interested
• at,the agent of ethers in the commerce 'lf the pert;" and by that
-individual 'hi must have been informed, that certain discrepan-
cies existed lietween the amount of .tOwn-dui”; paid by us on
cargoes.in.'our steamers to arid from Cork, and the quantity of
-cargo ri:DpOrt and export) reported in such. Cork list. 'Mr.
Currie, in performance of his duty as a public. officer of the cor-
!titration. very properly reported the matter to tour body. - From
yoti he received instructions to aseertaio the defalcation alleged
against us, and -eport to you thereon. Mr. Corrie proceeds
to
the execution of his-commands, and by what means ? Does he
.'call upon us. and represent that such statements had been made,
.so vitally affecting our characters as men of business and, men
honesty?of Dues he seek to become acquainted with our ma-
nifests and 'our mercantile books anti' papers,- from which he
could have obtained- all the information he sought ? No ! he
- travels from counting-house to counting-house, enquiring from
the respectable merchants with whom we are in the habit of as-
sociating, the quantity of goods they have exported or-imported
in our vessels to and from Cork. (and bete we beg to observe to
,rind from Cons A lON ) in ;order to compare such with the
quantity of goods upon which we had paid the towu—dues; and
'tin no case, we will venture to affirm,tlid Mr. Corrie depart froM
the office of any such merchant after making his enquiries,
• without leaving behind him au impression that we were sus-
pected of defrauding the corporate estate. This delicate iuves-
tig,atioll proceeds during a .space of nearly two mouths, and
when, think pit]; we hear of it for the first time ? • Not until
several days after Mr. Conic had transmitted to you -his report;
and bin do' we hear it ? We are sent for by one of the met-
chants from whore inquiry had been made, he expressed to us
his regret that we should have been placed in so unpleasant a
situation, and, not believing us capable of acting thus disho-
nestly, he deemed it but his duty to-acquaint us with what had
occurred. To that gentleman we felt, we acknowledged, our
obligation, and half an bobr did not elapse ere we waited upon
•M'r. Corrie, to express our 'surprise at the suspicion raised
against us, our deep ittinoVi4 rice that the investigation had been
carried on without our knowledge, and ,or earnest desire to
answer satisfactorily every inquiry he might, in the performance
of duty, haVe been called upon to make. Mr. Corrie as-
sure& us,- he considered we had been suffering under a very
serious imputation, but that he had, pleasure in announcing
that, Au far as .te were cOncerned,dhe result of his inquiries had
proved ,atisfactory- to hiinSelf, and ,without dishonor to its; that
.he. had been enabled (and diligently and vigorously must he
have laboured for the-purpose) to account for every pirekage of
goods imported and exported in our'vessels, except 26 firkins of
butter, and that he hatt so. reported to your committee; and
what think you he added? That the amount of town-dues upon
these 26 firkins was so small, (Bd.) he did not think it WORTHY
N IN [HUTMENT.

Gentlemen,—We will not attempt to describe our feelings
upon this announcement, we leave them to you, to any honour-
able mind to imagine. We felt a confidence, however, that
even with regard to these 26 firkins of butter, some error must
exist, which it would be in otir power to rectify. We returned
to our offiee, we a-certained the tact from the books sod then '
discovered, that 17-1, not 200 firkins as represented to Mr.
Corrie, had been received un board our vessel—and thus the
26 firkins were accounted for. We returned to Mr. Corrie with
our papers, mid satisfactorily explained to him the mistake. he
promised to amend his report in that respect, and we suppose
did so. -!'We demanded from Mr. Corrie the name of his in-
former, we represented to him the injurious effect on our cha-
racter and credit the investigation must necessarily have pro-
duced, he refused to .furnished the. naihe of theindividual, but
volunteered, as the only reparation in his power, to write to, or
personally wait upon ail the parties and acquaint them with the
resultof his inquiries. We declined that offer, we felt such a
mode was not calculated to remedy the evil which had ensued,
and we placed ourselves in the hands of our solicitors, between
whom and other parties the annexed correspoudence has taken
We have been engaged as agents for steam boats to other
places than Cork for upwards of three years. lu October last,
we commenced sailing our steam vessels between this port and
Cork, and in January, in consequence of her success, another
was added ; these two boats were the John M'Adarn. and the
Margaret. It is never pretended that inquiry has been made '
by you respecting our transactions connected with any other
place than Cork. -On the Cork station there is opposition—on
the other station no opposition. No iuquiry was made. by Mr.
Currie respecting 'either the transactions of ourselves or other
parties trading to and from Cork, until his attention was so
called to the Cork. list, and Mr. Come's report was confined,
exclusively, we believe, to our own case.
Mr. Radcliffe, in his letter on behalf of Mr. Corrie, states,
that wr inquiry had been made in Ireland respecting these
charges against us. To ascertain this, we went at much per-
sonal inconvenience to Cork, whence we have just returned,
and there ascertained. that a persou-was blat lolled on the quay
at Cork, Etitet.ovEn!and vain by certain parties soiling steam
vesselo sin apposition to us, for the purpose of taking an account
of the cargoes of our vessels for the town dues iu Liverpool.
Gentlemen, we•.are .not placing either• you or Mr.,Corrie, (Si)
your defence, of the latter geutieman we have seen much, suffi-
cient to claim Irons us, respect for his honour and integrity;
we are merely seeking that you will render justice, where you
have hitherto failed. Men's motives are between themselves
and their maker ; circumstances, however, will, generally,
enable men fairly to estimate the motives, of their. fellow men.
If the " Individual interested. as the agent of. others in the com-
merce rf the port," who drew Mr. Corrie's attentioulia the Cork
lists, be unconnected with our trade as opponent, if he be one
separated widely front even the suspicion of jealtrusy towards
us, we do not ask you -to furnish his name. But should the
Individual thus interested as the agent of others, be one per-
sonally concerned in opposition to us. should he be one who
would have been personally, and pecuniarily benefitted by our
dowmallTer degradation, then we do ask you,to conceive a tea-
s, for withholding his name. This is information which Mr.
ie CAN, and if required by you, mUST furnish.
We conclude with again expressing our regret, you should
have refused to give up the name of this Individual, leaving us
no tillernative, in vindication of ourselves, but to address you
through the public press, and :publish the correspoodec'e which
has taken place.
We remain, Gentlemen,
Your irlo,lient servants,
J..4,.atid 1.. FORSILVW.

. .
coRRESFQNpVscii.
Thomas Corrie,,Esq.
Dna .Ste,—We are. informed that you have been making-
inquiries from various parties hoth here and iu Ireland as to the
manner in which Messrs. J. A. and H. For,liaw carry on one
part.of their shi;ipipg.business, and which inquiries seriuusly
veflec t upon their integrity.
As their professional men, we request to be informed at whose
request, and for what purpose, you bore made these inquiries.
Your early. reply will oblige,
Dear, Sir, vours respectfully.
(Sinned,) kwrirr and HUNTER.
Brunswick-street, 28th April, 'lB3B.

Town Dues Qffice, 2&h, April, 1833.
Messrs. Shackleton, Wright and Bunter.-
GENTLEMEN,—.I have to acknowledge the letter you ad-
!lressed-to me this moruirta by desire of Messrs. J. A. and R.
Forshaw, which, as 'it relates to the business of this office, I
have placed it in the hands of the I:4,tvir-clerk, who will give
such reply, and hold such further communication witl► you on
the subject as may be,proper on Inv part.
I am, very respectfully, (iewHnen, •
Yuur most obedient sPI vant,
THOS. CORRIE.,

, .
consequence,of inquiries havinz been made:
from various person.s.by the receiver of the lowa dues, which
reflected upon the integrity of Messrs. J A. and R. Forshaw,
we wrote to the receiver, desirimr to he informed at whose re-
quest and for what purpose he made the irrq!thies, to which we
have a reoiy that he h,d placet the letter in your hands, and
that you would give such reply, and hold such , further commu-
nication with us nn the subject as might be proper on his: (the
receivers) part. _

, .
We have, therefore, to request that you will inform us by
whose suggestion, at whose request, and for what purpose the
inquiries.were made.
Your early answer will , '

Dear Sir, your% truly,
(Signed,) SHACKLE ON, WRIGHT wad truNTER
13) rinswii4c-street, 30th April, 1838.

. The Town-clerk.
PEAn `Stu,—We should feel obliged by an answer to our
letter of the 30th ultimo, on the subject of the inquiries made
hr the receiver of the town dues relative to Messrs. J. A. and
Forsbaw.

We are, tiPar sir, yours truly.
SHACK.LETON. WRIGHT acid HUNTER.
13, uusu.4.l-stlect, 3d May, 1838.

TN/m.llOl, 4th May, 1838.
Messrs. Shackleton, Wright. and Hunter-
DEA SIRS,-4 have to-day an interview with Mr. Corrie en
the subject of your application to him on behalf of .Messrs. J.
A• and .R. Forshaw, which f considered necessary to haye.be-
fore I answered your application. Mr. Currie, as receiver .or
the town dues, bad his attention called to the Cork Trade
Lists.
On referring to those lists (pu.blic reports intended for the,in-
formation of mercantile men in their commercial dealings) he
found statements of shim-penis _and arrivals of..goods. by the
John M'Adain, and Margaret, regular trailers between Cork
. .
and Liverpool, amounting to sixteen cargoes between the 3001
January and the 7th of March inclusive. iu every, one of which '
cargoes the quantity of goods as reported in the Cork Trade List
exceeded the quantity on .which. the town dues were paid by
Messrs. J. A. and R. Forshaw, as agents for those vessels, the
difference being, on the whole estimate of the sixteen cargoes,
£l5 ss. 10d. upon pavments of £27 ss. 2a..0f town dues. Under
these circumstances it became the bounden duty. of Mr. Corrie
to repott to the committee. of the council on the town dues;.
and on this report the committee, discharging their duty in pro-
tection of public revenue, directed Mr. Come to make. the ne-
cessary inquiries to enable theca to come to an opinion whether
herehad in these cases been any detention of the just amount
of town dues or not. • • .

. . .
Accordingly !11r. Carrie made inqniries in Liverpool; (but
not i❑ lieland,, as you suppose,). and he had the satisfaction of
finding that no detention had taken place, the questionable ap-
pf."'anci'.. which he had in the discharge of his duty reported,
tieing fairly attributable to inaccuracies in the Cork Trade
Lists, .

On 'he 23rd April he transmitted to me a written report, now
remaining with we, waiting for a meeting of the committee,
bY which this result. nppearK and by which every questionable
appearance reported to the committee is satisfactorily cleared
up.