The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-10-19 00:00:00

SIR R. PEEL'S VISIT TO LIVERPOOL.

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The ex-premier, Sir R. Peel, visited Liverpool unex-
pectedly by all but his immediate friends, last week.
Considerable curiosity was excited by the announcement
of his advent, and speculation naturally directed itself to
tile surmise that his principal object was to justify to the
commercial community of this great port the principles
of the Bank Restriction Act of 1844, or, as the sanguine
would have it to declare his willingness to admit, under
the present embarrassments arising frmn its draining ope-
ration on the specie of the country. some wise and liberal
modification of its cramping provisions. Those who put
" this" last " flattering unction to their souls," were,
however, doomed to be sorely disappointed, as it will ap-
pear by the sequel, that beyond a mere reference (at the
Mayor's dinner table) to the financial distresses cif the
country, and the expression of a hope that all parties
would unite in alleviating it as far as possible, he staved
off the question, and left it in statu quo, without offering
a guiding suggestion to others, or affording the slightest
glimmering upon his own future views and purposes on
this momentous topic. The visit of the right honourable
gentleman was, in fact, purely private—merely to witness
the commercial and architectural advancement of the
town, in its docks, warehouses, and public buildings, from
the time of his last visit in 1828, nearly twenty years
ago. It may, however, be admitted, that any divulgement
of his future intentions in Parliament, would have been a
forestalling of argument not precisely accordant with the
,usages of that body.
Sir Robert arrived on Thursday evening, at Mosley-
hill, the seat of Charles Lawrence, Esq., (the Mayor,)
whose guest he became during his visit. He was then
joined at dinner by a select party, namely, Lord Sandon,
Mr. Cardwell, M.P., Mr. G, H. Lawrence and his lady,
Mr. J. B. Moore (the chairman of the Dock Committee),
Mr. Hardman Earle, Mr. William Rathbone, the Rev.
Charles Lawrence, Mr. William Brown, and Mr. William
Greg-son. On Friday morning he was driven into town.
He first inspected that immense new structure, the New
Assize Courts, including, under the same roof, St.
George's Hall, where every preparation was made to re-
ceive him with all due honour. The various avenues
were cleared out to permit of easy access round and
through the building, and in the absence of Mr. Ellmes,
the architect, Mr. Tomkinson, the builder, who is en-
trusted with its completion, pointed out its interesting
features, the sight of which elicited from the right ho-
nourable baronet the frequent exclamations of " beautiful"
and
." wonderful." Amongst those in
_the suite were

Biown, Esq., Iq7l3.,—fir. Tai.g, M. R. T. Yates,
Mr. J. Bramley-Moore, Mr. Charles Lawrence, &c., also
a number of ladies. Sir Robert inspected the plans, as
well as the building, and expressed his great delight and
satisfaction.

From the Hall, the party proceeded to the South Docks,
the procession of carriages, coaches, and cars, attracting
crowds of spectators in every direction. The right hon.
gentleman went on board of that leviathan vessel, the
Great Britain, lying in the Coburg Dock. He was re-
ceived by Mr. Bright and Mr. Shute, of the firm of
Gibbs, Bright, and Co. the agents for the vessel here, and
inspected all that was great or curious in the vast iron
structure. A large number of sailors and carpenters con-
gregated on the quay, as Sir Robert left the ship, and
loudly cheered him, a compliment which he heartily and
politely acknowledged. The Brunswick Dock was next
visited, and vast piles of timber on its quays, and in the
neighbouring yards, remarked upon. The mode of un-
loading the timber ships was explained, and the carriage
then turned and moved northward past the several docks
to the Custom-house. There the celebrated Mr. Gibson,
the sculptor, was in attendance to show the statue of Hus-
kisson, which had been elevated to its pedestal opposite
the north front of the Custom-house early in the morn-
ing. This statue (described elsewhere) Sir Robert closely
inspected, and highly complimented Mr. Gibson on the
striking likeness to the lamented deceased which he had
artistically achieved.
The cortege next took a long drive along the dock
quays to the north end of Canning Dock, George's
Dock, Prince's Dock, and the others further north, were
cursorily viewed, and the iron sheds at the Trafalgar
Dock, were next pointed out. The nine new North
Docks, in progress of completion, were subsequently in-
spected, the chairmen of the Dock Committee developing,
when the cortege arrived there, numerous and expensive-
looking plans of the town.
The party then embarked in the Government mail
steamer Medina, which was moored off the cattle slip at
the new docks to receive them. Sir Robert, before going
on board, had some condescending chat with the " nav-
vies" on the ground. The officers of tne Medina, Cap-
tain Smethett and others, were in full uniform, and the
crew all neat and clean. The ship was neat and orderly
in every department. She first steamed down the river
to the rock, and afterwards returned and was steered
alongside the new landing-stage. In this short cruise she
went within hail of several of the river steamers, the pas-
sengers on board of which crowded to the path le-boxes
and cheered the distinguished visitor, who returned the
compliment by uncovering and bowing. The vessels in
the river and docks hoisted all their flags, including many
American ships.
Mr. Bramley-Moore explained to the ex-premier the
excellencies of the landing stage, forgetting, however, so
far as we could learn, the fatality that would possibly be
concomitant to the structure during a severe gale from the
N. or N.W., when the Wirral peninsula would offer an
ineffectual barrier or breakwater. There was a vast as-
semblage at the pierheads, in the expectation that the
observed of all observers wonld land at George's Pier ; but
in this they were disappointed, as he had made an engage-
ment to visit Birkenhead, which he felt in honour bound
to respect. The Medina consequently crossed the river
toward. Woodside, but the vessel, from her size, not hav-
ing sufficient water to reach the slip, the party had to be
landed, at some inconvenience, in a small and crowded boat.
Sir Robert and his friends were received on landing by Mr.
W. Jackson, M.P. and Mr. W. Potter, who stood on the
steps to welcome them, with others of the Birkenhead
Commissioners. We should state that the day was beau-
tifully fine, and our often boisterous river perfectly placid.
The views obtained from it towards either shore were, even
at this late period of the year, very beautiful and interest-
ing. The right honourable gentleman and his friends,
amongst whom were now Mr. Jackson, Mr. W. Potter,
Lord Sandon, and others of note, cursorily inspected Bir-
kenhead and its new dock works. During Sir Robert's
brief stay in that town (says a contemporary) an ill-con-
ditioned athletic fellow attempted to strike the right hon.
baronet ; but Mr. Dowling happening to be near at the
time, happily arrested the blow. This disgraceful conduct
will, we trust, be, if possible, visited with adequate pu-
nishment. Having. seen the docks and the new ware-
houses on the margin of Wallasey Pool, the party, includ-
ing several of the Commissioners, Mr. John Laird, and
others, enjoyed a pleasant drive by Claughton Hall, the
seat of Mr. W. Jackson, and thence, after florid descrip-
tions, by Poulton Bridge, to Mr. Harold Littledale 's
extensive farm and farm buildings, in Liscard, in the
parish of Wallasey.
This farming establishment is one of the first and
largest in the north of England. It is chiefly a dairy
farm, and the buildings, planned by a distinguished agri-
culturist of the south, assisted by the indefatigable pro-
prietor, are not excelled in elegance and adaptation by any
similar range in the kingdom, or in Europe. There are
two shippons or cow-houses containing each thirty-four
fine milch cows, as smooth and slick as well-conditioned
cats, and these apartments (for we may so call them) are
beautifully clean and well-ventilated, and appropriate in
every respect, that a party might squat themselves down
to dinner on any part of the pavement. There are also
other shippons of inferior size, immense and scientifically
constructed plans for the rearing and fattening of innu-
merable communities of pigs ; machinery, worked by
steam-power, for grinding, making flour, preparing pro-
vender, &c. The dairy is itself a curiosity,—like a mag-
nificent little chapel, glazed with stained glass, and pro-
vided with large coolers on handsome pedestals ; fine
glass milk-dishes, &c. Sir Robert, who was accompanied
by the enterprising proprietor; Lord Sandon; the Mayor
of Liverpool ; William Jackson, Esq., M.P. ; and Wm.
Potter, Esq. ; and a number of ther gentlemen, inspected
the buildings and operations in detail, as well as the ex-
tensive farm-yard, (with stacks of hay, &c., some of them
40 yards in length,) and an immense turnip and wurzel
field on the north, containing upwards of 30 acres of
land, and on which were at the time temporary move-
able railways, with waggons, for the easy conveyance
ofthe produce, especially in wet weather, from the field
to the receiving-houses. This farm, is in fine, though
of large extent, (upwards of four hundred acres)
a perfect model. Sir R. Peel, after seeing it, stated
that he was never so much astonished and gratified, and
it is understood, we believe, that the talented gentleman
purposes to make a model farm of his own, in the com-
pletion of which he will probably take a leaf out of Mr.
Harold Littledale's book. It is certainly highly honoura-
ble to the latter gentleman, that though involved in com-
mercial pursuits in Liverpool, he has proved that " a
merchant prince" may devote himself profitably and eco-
nomically during his leisure hours to the cultivation of
the soil, or rather its redemption,—for much of Mr. Lit-
tledale's land was, when he obtained possession, of a poor
and obdurate nature, and, by draining and good tillage,
he has proved that if we cannot extend the acreable sur-
face of our island, we can, by agricultural chemistry and
other appliances, make it equal to an increased area in
production, and that we are not justified in encouraging
the import of foreign produce to an overwhelming extent
against the British farmer, until we have fully brought
our own soils to their maximum of production.
The whole distinguished party, upwards of twenty in
all, after partaking of the hospitalities of Liscard-hall,
the seat of Sir John Tobin and Mr. Littledale, (his son-
in-law,) returned to Liverpool by Seacombe Ferry, and
the honoured guest and his immediate friends repaired to
the Town-hall, whence he was driven to Mosley-hill, to
dress for dinner with the Mayor and his friends at the
former place.