The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE EDUCATION SCHEME.—The Manche4ter Town,
Council on Friday discussed a motion in favour of the
Government scheme of education, which was ultimately
carried by a majority of 26 to 8. Petitions to both houses
of Parliament were then adopted, praying that the mea-
sures now proposed by Her Majesty's Ministers " may be
liberally supported."
At the Education meeting in Manchester, the Rev.
Hugh Stowell boldly claimed for the Established Church
the merit of a larger practical voluntaryism than for dis-
sent. The number of churches, he said, built by the free-
will offering of the Church's own children during the last
fourteen or fifteen years, was quite equal to all the chapels
built within the same period by Roman Catholics and
Dissenters together.
FESTIVITIES AT RUNCORN.—On Tuesday, Runcorn
was the scene of unusual festivities, in consequence of the
eldest son of Philip Whiteway, Esq., attaining his majo-
rity. At an early hour in the morning, flags were dis-
played in different parts of the town, and the numerous
vessels on the river were gaily decked. Upwards of fifty
of the workmen employed by Mr. Whiteway were regaled
• at the Royal_ Hotel, with a good substantial dinner of roast
beef and plumb pudding. The health and happiness of
Mr. Whiteway, Jun., was proposed and responded to in
an appropriate and eloquent speech; numerous other
toasts were given, and the company separated:highly pleased.
In the evening a ball was given.
FLEETWOOD A RABBIT WARREN.—A curious discovery
has been made at Fleetwood, of which place it is very
fairly boasted, that what was once a desert rabbit warren
is now the site of some of the most stately buildings in
England. It happens that during the winter months, one
of the large rooms at the splendid Euston Hotel, Fleet-
wood, has been closed. Sometime this week, or the last
it was re-opened, and was found to be occupied by eight
and twenty rabbits which, born and bred in the soil, had,
in the interim, burrowed their way up through the floor,
into the dainty apartment and took possession of what
they had a natuarl right to look upon as their own. It is
clear that Fleetwood is a rabbit warren still.—Lancaster
Gazette.

THE PORT OF RUNCORN.—The Gazette of Tuesday
contains an announcement appointing Runcorn to be a
port, and declaring that the limits of the said port shall
commence at Warrington Bridge, following the course of
the river Mersey, and including both shores, until a line
can be drawn from Chapel Farm-house, on the Lancashire
shore, to Eastham Church, on the Cheshire shore, includ-
ing the shores and waters of the river weaver, to Frodsham-
bridge. The following places are to be the legal quays
for the lading and u b .nladinc, of goods : the New Dock, ex-
tending north-east and south-west, on each side 180 feet,
the-Old Dock, similarly bounded and situated, extending
on each side 400 feet ; the Lower Basin, similarly bounded
and situated, extending on each side 490 feet ; the Old
Basin, similarly bounded and situated, extending on each
side 970 feet; Francis Dock, similarly bounded and situ-
ated, extending on each side 320 feet ; and also all that
open place called Old Quay Docks, similarly bounded and
situated, extending on each side 1,611 feet.
CHESHIRE GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS.—These ses-
sions commenced on Monday last, at Chester Castle,
before Trafford Trafford, Esq., chairman, and a tolerably
full bench. The report of the chaplain ated, that after
a sermon on the subject of the recent fast, upwards of
thirty of the prisoners voluntarily observed the day, by
abstinence and humiliation. There was a long discussion
on the bill for the appointment of a stipendiary chairman,
which, it seems, will be opposed by the government.
Ultimately, the chairman having intimated his willing-
ness to preside at the next sessions, it was resolved to
postpone the question as to proceeding with or withdraw-
ing the bill, for further consideration. A sum of £350
was voted to provide a lock-up at Lymm, as was also a
grant for rebuilding the lock-up at Congleton, the amount
of which was not named, Mr. Wilbraham observing that
it was not desirable that it should go forth to the public,
wherefore, be did not explain. The sum of £9O was
voted for a lock-up at Hyde, and £lOOO for the repair of
one of the county bridges bordering on Lancashire. A
proposition of Sir Edward Cust, to grant a pension to
Benjamin Richardson, late turnkey of Chester Castle,
fell to the ground for want of a seconder.—The treasurer
then produced the estimates upon which the next county
rate is to be levied. The estimates of the first quarter
I were set down thus :—Expenditure : County bridges,
£1,645 ; county gaol, £350 ; house of correction, £l,OOO ;
general payments, £5,368 14s. Gd. ; prosecutions at
sessions, £1,680 2s. Bd. ; advance to gaoler, £270 ;
balance in hand, £377 7s. Ord. ; total, £10,091 4s. 24d.
To meet which there would be :—County rate, £1.073 8s 7d;
I river Weaver £5OOO ; from lords of the treasury £5,313 5s 6d;
' fines, £217 16s. Od. ; repayment by gaoler, £270 ; balance
£l6 14s. 12d. ; total, £10,091 14s. 2d. The expenses
of the following quarter, which regulate the county rate,
were stated at :—Bridges, £1,155 ; house of correction,
£lOOO ; general payments, £4,730 17s. 9d. ; prosecu-
tions at sessions, £1,259 9s. Sd. ; at assizes, £1,527 6s 2d ;
advance to gaoler, £270; total £10,342 13s. 7d. The
income :—Balance in hand, £377 7s. ; River Weaver,
£5000; constabulary rate, £1,513 15s. 6d. ; fines, £237
Bs.; repayment by gaoler, £273; total, £7,398 14s. Gd.
A county rate of three farthings would produce about
£3,200, which would thus leave a balance in favour of
the treasurer of about £270. A county rate of three
farthings was then ordered.
SIR ROBERT PEEL IN BLACKBURN.—On Monday even-
ing, Sir Robert Peel arrived in Blackburn from Drayton.
The right hon. baronet travelled by railway to Preston,
and came thence in his own private carriage. His arrival,
having reference only to his own private estates at Os-
waldtwisle, in this neighbourhood, was intended to be
strictly private, the letter received at Miss Garth's hotel,
Blackburn, simply stating that dinner would be required
for " two gentlemen " shortly after seven, and that beds
would also be wanted. The second gentleman was Mr.
Spark, we believe, a practical agriculturist from London,
who had attended Sir Robert with a view to conducting
some extensive improvements on his estates, such as tho-
rough draining, &c. He stayed but a night at the hotel,
and left at about eight on Tuesday morning for Oswaldt-
wisle, three miles from Blackburn ' • where, attended by
Mr. Westall, local steward of his estates, and Mr. Spark,
he walked about some five or six hours, suggesting and de-
termining upon various important improvements ; and left
shortly before four o'clock for Manchester, where it was
supposed he would pass the night. Sir Robert Peel's
estates in the neighbourhood of Oswaldtwisle produce him
about £4,000 per year ; and he has not visited them since
1834. A circumstance occurred during Sir Robert Peel's
stay at the hotel, which has afforded as much amusement
to the inhabitants as it must at the time have caused asto-
nishment to the right hon. baronet himself. It appears
that a person in the bar, who had by continued oblations
to the " Jolly God," raised internally an extraordinary no-
tion of his own importance, ventured into the august pre-
sence of the late premier, with a modest request that he
would be so good as to walk down stairs, and allow a num-
ber of his (the applicant's) friends to take a general in-
spection of his illustrious person ! Vain would be the en-
deavour of pen or pencil to paint the vast and overwhelm-
ing surprise of the party appealed to. He looked almost
through his unceremonious visitor, who looked back again
with complacent self-satisfaction, as if indeed he were
about to achieve a triumph'worth recording. But the fun
lay all the other way, for with a brevity befitting his own
dignity, and the peculiar circumstances of the case, Sir
Robert rang the bell, and issued directions that "that
man " might be " taken away !" And so he was, with
considerable expedition.—Blackburn Standard. [The
right honourable baronet proceeded via Manchester to
Drayton. At each of the stations where he was recog-
nized he was loudly cheered.]
EXTRAORDINARY CONFESSION OF A LIVERPOOL
PICKPOCKET.—At the Knutsford petty sessions, held on
Wednesday last, Ann Carruthers and Catherine Wallace
were indicted for picking a lady's pocket on board of one
of the Woodside ferry steamers. No evidence was pre-
ferred against the girl Wallace, who made a very extraor-
dinary confession. She said she was twelve years of age,
and had known Carruthers for about four years. She
(witness) lived with her mother in Toxteth-park,
and prisoner lived opposite to them. Prisoner af-
terwards removed to another house in the same street, and
otlaMoi
use'
kiort
herself.
Witness,re
Ipefr..wentaaL:setpoietsrtoeioisd.
ifoal
heeserreh
afterwards
tt,epl.
kihaTgieri:rida andtg,esmht
sold beer by retail, up to the time of her apprehension.
thef
t
e
drinking
par_
scit)hu eiprdekteo
p r i
ws
moneyoans
:r.
man-
ner being so gentle that the party despoiled could not feel
practice in this way for about a fortnight, so as to become
expert. The prisoner afterwards said that she. woultlse
her into the street to pick ladies' pockets of their purses
&c., and that she would be close by, so that anything
might be passed into her hand. They first went out
about Christmas to St. John's market, and prisoner
picked a lady's pocket of three shillings. They afterwards
went to several shops, where prisoner succeeded in pick-
ing the pockets of several customers. They had some
success after this. On the 23rd of February, witness and
prisoner crossed the Mersey twice by the Woodside boat.
On the first occasion witness took a purse out of a lady's
pocket, and. handed it to prisoner, who took the money
out, and threw the purse into the water. Prisoner on
landing at Woodside took some silver that had beetiin the
purse, and gave the remainder, which was foreign coin, to
witness, to get changed in Liverpool. On the passage
back, prisoner picked another lady's pocket of a purse,
containing coin and a gold seal. On crossing a second
time, witness picked a lady's pocket, and the two parted
at the pay-gate, but both were apprehended, and witness
dropped the purse on board, on being taken back to the
cabin. The lady to whom it belonged first noticed it.
The prisoner had taken witness several times to the thea-
tre to pick pockets, and she (witness) had on one occasion
got lls. 6d. from a lady's pocket. The value of the pro-
perty stolen on board the Woodside ferry steamers has
been reported at the Birkenhead police-court to amount,
since Christmas, to near £lOO. The prisoner Carruthers
was convicted, and sentenced to 7 years' transportation.
oaekor took
witness( serveder natloe,

well ; but on black free land, the roots have been so thin
and unpromising, that some few farmers have ploughed
up and sown with oats. Potatoes have not been so gene-
rally ventured upon as in former years, so that the
breadth of this crop will not amount to an average. Ne-
• vertheless, a large quantity of " earlies" have been planted
in the localities around this town, both in Lancashire and
Cheshire, and good hopes are entertained of a profitable
return. In Cheshire, and especially at Wallasey,•More-
ton, Upton, &c., the market gardeners have long since
planted, and are still planting, this crop ; those put ear-
liest in the ground being now some of them three inches
above the ground, and in large leaf—being carefully pro-
tected in sheltered sides of fields or gardens by layers of
dry grass, cut from the sand-hills on the neighbouring
coast, and removed when a little warmth or sunshine pre-
sents itself—great labour, and worthy of its reward.
Large quantities of peas, beans, onions, turnips, carrots, ,
&c. have been sown, and cabbages planted, as a set-off to
any possible failure in the potatoes. The weather was
fine for getting in the Lent grain, and it is to be hoped
that the oats and barley will be highly productive. With
respect to fruit, it is yet rather early to prognosticate; but
as the blossom is but in few instances developed, no par-
ticular injury can have yet accrued, and we hope to be
enabled next week to furnish a favourable report. The
grass, in consequence of the cold, is rather backward.
We had a relaxation in the temperature on Saturday, with
slight and genial rain.—Since writing the above, we have
learned that the wheat crops in some parts of the neigh-
bouring districts have suffered considerably by the long
continuance of hasky easterly winds. Yesterday, how-
ever, the air was much milder ; the sun shone out re-
splendently ; and it is to be hoped that all will yet be
well, notwithstanding what may be termed the encroach-
ment of March into the middle of April. In the neigh-
bourhood of Qrmskirk, which furnishes large quantities
to the Liverpool market, and thence to Southport, a good
breadth of land will again be planted with potatoes.
There is also a much larger breadth of wheat sown than
heretofore in this portion of Lancashire, which, though
short, is of good colour, and looks well even on the moss
land near the sea. There is some excellent farming to be
seen here, the farmers having cultivated the land until it
resembles garden land rather than open fields.
We learn that in Lincolnshire, notwithstanding the
severe weather, the wheats, though here and there some-
what starved, are still, upon the whole, rather promising.