The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-04 00:00:00

STEAM versus WIND.—The Royal William, steamer,

will be recollected, sailed from Liverpool for New York on
the evening of the sth July, and reached the city on the 2ith,
after a passage of nearly nineteen days. We showed, by a
table which we inserted after her return to Liverpool, that
she had beat a number of vessels that had sailed some time
before her, and that several crack ship 9 had had very long
passages, a proof of the boisterous and unfavourable weather
that prevailed during the Royal William's passage to the
westward. We have since received accounts from New York,
which place the performance of this steamer in a striking
point of view. Thus, for example, the packet-ship Europe,
which sailed hence two days before the Royal William, viz.
on the 2d of July, did not reach New York before the 12th
of August, having been forty days on the passage ! The
packet-ship Sheffield, which sailed seven days after the
steamer, had a passage of thirty-four days; whilst some tran
sient vessels were between six and seven weeks on the pas
sage. The following table will, however, show the exac
length of the passages of the vessels named:—

Length of
Sailed. Arrived. passage.
June 24.... Hannibal, Liverpool August 6....43 days
June 21.... Konahasset, do.

June 27.... Mississippi, do. ...
June 15....'1'renton, do.
July 2 Montreal, London
July 2....oemulgee, Liverpool
June 25.... Utica. Havre
June 16.... Manchester, do..

7....41
8....37

9-.54

July 1.... H. 'Thompson, Liverpool .. —....39
June 27. ..Robert Morris, do. • .. 12—.46
July 2.... Europe, do .41
July 3....Charletnagne, Havre .. ..40 .
July 2.... Sarah Glover, Liverpool .. —....41 .
July 6.... Louisville. do 13....38 .
July 3.... William C. Nye, do
June 20....Areatus, do
July B.... Sheffield, do .. 14....36 .
July 10.... Gladiator, London

MEETING OF THE RATEPAYERS OF WEST

DERBY.

A public meeting of the ratepayers of West Derby was
held yesterday morning, at the Lowhill Workhouse, to take
into consideration, and determine upon, the salaries of cer-
tain assistant constables, (appointed at the last annual ves-
try meeting,) out of the highway rates of the township,
there being no other fund legally available for that purpose.
Mr. Overseer MOULD in the chair.

It was moved by Mr. JOHN WEBB, and seconded by Mr.
THOMAS SMITH, that the amonnt claimed by the four assis-
tant constables be paid out of the highway rate.
As an amendment, it was moved by Mr. WM. HARDY,
that the Survevor of the highways be not authorized to pay
the constables' salaries out of the highway fund.
Mr. Overseer SMITH spoke at some length of the equity
of paying the assistant constables, who had been appointed
by the annual vestry, out of the highway rate, and as the
poor's late could not now be applied to that purpose, he was
sure that the magistrates, who, in a great measure, possessed
a discretionary power in such matters, would, on being re-
quested to pass the highway accounts, sanction the item as
just and reasonable. He (Mr. S. ) anticipated Mr. Hardy's
opposition to the motion, in consequence of the zeal displayed
by him in opposing the accounts of the surveyors for the past
year, in which he (Mr. S.) had assisted, from a conviction
that the investigation proceded from, right, disinterested
and honorable motives. (!) On that occasion, after a long
and tedious scrutiny, the investigation had resulted in the
accounts being found accurate ; and in the objectionable
items, such as assessor's salaries, rent for tool-house, &c.,
which Mr. Hardy could not think of allowing, being unhesi-
tatingly approved by the justices at their special sessions.
Taking this precedent into consideration it ►night be fairly
presumed, when the magistrates were acquainted with the
grounds upon which the constables' claims were liquidated,
that no objectio❑ whatever would be made to the payment.
A few of the "group select," of radical dinner party no-
toriety, were in attendance, watching with intenseness, the
signal of their erudite fugleman.
After a little crossfiring, the original motion was with-
drawn, it being generally understood, that the claims in
question could not legally be paid by the Surveyor of high-
ways; and thanks having been voted to the Chairman, the
meeting separated.

OPENING OF THE LONDON AND BIRMING-
HAM RAILWAY.

We are glad to learn, that, id consequence of the unex-
pectedly rapid progress recently made with the works of the
London and Birmingham Railway, as announced by the
engineer to the directors on Thursday, the opening of the line
will in all probability take place a week earlier than had
been previously arranged. The 17th of September, instead
of the 24th, is the day now fixed upon ; aud, from what we
have heard on the subject, we have uo doubt the line will, on
that day, be opened fpr passengers from end to end. We
understand that the following are likely to be the times of
departure from London, and of arrival in Birmingham, Man-
chester, and Liverpool:

Eight in the morning:—First-class train; to arrive at Bir-
mingham at two; start from Birmingham at half-past two,
and arrive in Liverpool and Manchester at seven.*
Nine in the Morning:—Second-class train ; to arrive at
Birmingham at four; to start from Birmingham at half-past
four, and arrive in Manchester and Liverpool at ten.
Pleven in the Morning :—Day mail train; to arrive at Bir-
mingham at five; at Manchester and Liverpool about a quar-
ter past ten.
Half-past Eight in the Evening :—Principal mail train; to
arrive at Manchester and Liverpool at seven in the morning.
In addition to the above trains, which will bring passengers
for Manchester and Liverpool, there will probably be two
trains from London to Birmingham, which will not meet any
corresponding trains in the latter town, namely, a second-
class train at two, and a first-class train at four in the after-
noon.