The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-24 00:00:00

TOWNSHIP OF TRANMERE.

AH much ruitAniception cAlata relative to the recent
proceedings for lighting and watching this township,
which has been perhaps occasioned in some measure by
the partial reports which have appeared in the public
prints, we have been induced, as far as possible, to obtain
the real facts of the case, more especially in consequence
of the following editorial remark, appended by the Chro-
nicle of Saturday week to a report of a township meeting
held the Thursday previously :
" Since the above was in type, we have been informed
that, after the public meeting was dispersed, a hole-and-
corner meeting' of the Clifton-park people was held in a
private room up stairs, at which, by the advice of an
attorney, they magnanimously passed resolutions for
lighting Clifton-park at the expense of the township! If
this were not intended for a joke, it is as good an imita-
tion of one as we have met with for some time, even in
Punch. We know that any rate, attempted to be levied
upon such an authority, will be resisted to the death.
We shall probably have a word or two more to say on
this subject another time."
There can be no doubt as to who is the attorney al-
luded to, upon whom our contemporary has im-
posed the responsibility of the meeting's proceedings, as
it is sufficiently notorious who was the legal adviser of the
meeting. His professional reputation and personal inte-
grity, however, stand too high to be damaged by such an
insinuation. We deem it, however, but justice to give
the following plain narrative of facts, which will set the
whole affair in its proper light.
In March, 1845, the then overseers of the township,
having previously received a requisition from certain
ratepayers, called a public meeting to determine whether
the Lighting and Watching Act, 3 and 4 'William IV.,
should be adopted in the whole township. At that public
meeting, a majority of the ratepayers present determined
that the act should not be adopted in the township. On
looking over the list of persons who, in March 1845,
voted against the adoption of the act, we find that the
whole of such persons so voting were (with, we believe,
only one exception) persons residing in Upper and Lower
Tranmere; and we further find that the majority of the
persons who have this year signed the requisition to the
overseers to call the late township meeting did last year
vote against the adoption of the act in the township.
Now Upper and Lower Tranmere are not either of them
within the limits of the district proposed to be lighted and
watched by the Clifton-park " people," as aesignated in
the Chronicle's report. And on looking over the list of
persons who, in March 1845, voted for the adoption of
the act, we find that all the ratepayers residing in Clifton-
park,
believe,
ly one present
exception)at thatfor
meeting,rthe
adoption
d ofwi
thet ,
acte
in the wholeowerternasrehpi owhothaersee
nowsame
endeavouring
to have the whole township lighted, are to justify them-
selves against the charge of inconsistency, we know not.
With the result of last year's attempt to light and watch
the whole township fresh upon their memories, what were
the Clifton-park and Holt-hill ratepayers to do? Remain
in the dark, or light themselves.
The act authorises the ratepayers of any part of a town-
ship to light and watch such part, the ratepayers residing
there being alone responsible for all the charges.
Some of the inhabitants of Clifton-park and Holt-hill,
therefore, having in October last come to the determina-
tion of endeavouring to effect the measure within their
own immediate neighbourhood, the attorney referred to
was retained to prepare an application to the overseers to
call a meeting of the inhabitants of that part of the town-
ship in which it was intended to be brought into opera-
tion. The requisition was prepared accordingly, and was
delivered to the overseers on the 24th day of October last.
Notice in pursuance of this requisition was given by the
overseers upon the church-doors and other usual places,
dated the 26th of October last, for a meeting of the inha-
bitants of Clifton-park and Holt-hill, to be held on the
12th instant, at twelve o'clock at noon; and at that hour
the ratepayers of Clifton-park and Holt-hill, in pursuance
of such notice, assembled in a room, provided, it is pre-
sumed, by the overseers ; a chairman was duly appointed
and the business proceeded with, as directed by the act.
So much for the meeting being a" bole-and-corner
meeting," and held " after the public meeting was dis-
persed."
And as regards the impression attempted to be con-
veyed, that the money to be raised for the lighting and
watching of Clifton Park and Holt Hill, is intended to be
levied upon the whole township—suffice it to say, that no
such advice was ever given, and that the act gives no au-
thority to the overseers for that purpose. Those only who
claim the protection which the act affords, must pay for it.

DAY OF HUMILIATION.—Friday, the 20th November,
having been appointed by the church as a day of humilia-
tion and prayer all over Ireland, divine service was per-
formed in the churches, in accordance with the instruc-
tions prescribed in the circular of the Lord Primate.
Business at the Banks, Exchanges, Corn-markets, and
all public offices, was suspended, and the shops of the
Protestant citizens were almost generally closed.
A MANIFESTO FROM CA.IIIRMOYLE.—Mr. Smith
O'Brien has now fairly entered upon his functions as a (if
not the) leader of the Irish people, and, " treading in the
footsteps " of the " father of Repeal," has begun to indite
manifestoes from his retirement at Cabirmoyle. The
first of these, addressed to the " Landed Proprietors of
Ireland," appears in his chosen organ, the Nation. It
commences in right regal style, and, being headed" Let-
ter 1.," indicates the commencement of a brisk epistolary
campaign.