The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-10-05 00:00:00

common cause

THE NIGER EXPEDITION.—We received yesterday a slip
from the office of the African Luminary, dated Monrovia,
July 9th, 1841, by which it appears that the African civiliza-
tion expedition had arrived in Montserado Roads on the sth
instant. The crews of the steamers Albert, Wilberforce, and
Soudau were all well. The transport was on its way to Cape
Coast Castle. The utmost good feeling existed amongst all
parties, and sanguine hopes were entertained of ultimate
success.

DISGRACEFUL EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC
MONEY BY THE MAYOR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Sru,—On Saturday evening I attended a meeting called
by the Mayor, in consequence of a requisition he had re-
ceived; and when I went I expected that, as it was a town's
meeting, all parties would have had a fair opportunity of
expressing their sentiments ; but lo ! behold my surprise
when the Mayor said that no party should propose a resolu-
tion but the anti-corn-law party ; nor would he allow a gen-
tleman who came forward to propose an addition to the
memorial which addition called upon her majesty to extend
the franchise and dismiss her present ministers. Now, sir,
although I may differ with the gentleman who wished to
propose such addition, still, I say, if it was a town's meet-
ing, he had a right to a fair hearing, and also to have his
addition put to the meeting, and if carried, to be appended
to the memorial ; and this the town-clerk told him, within
my hearing, he had a right to ; but our sapient Mayor, in
opposition to the town-clerk's decision, told him that he
could not allow him to propose his addition, because it con-
tained a reference to the elective franchise ,whilst the memo-
rial before the meeting contained a paragraph on the same
subject ; he also stated, that the meeting was got up by and
for the Operative Anti-corn-law Association. Now, sir, I
think it is a duty incumbent upon some of our town council-
lors to bring this subject forward at the next Council meet-
ing, to see whether the funds of the corporate estate are at
the disposal of the Mayor, to call meetings for the Anti-
corn-law Associations. and if he has no such power, then he
should be made to feel the consequences by bearing the
expenses of the meeting himself.
Trusting that you will give this insertion in your next pub-
lication, and that it may be brought before the Town Council,
where, if there is not a Radical honest enough to bring it
forward, and this I very much doubt, it is to be hoped that
some of our Conservative members will show, that, although
they differ with the sentiments contained in the addition to
the memorial, still, they are honest enough to grant fair play
to all parties.—Yours truly, JOSEPH EVANS.
Everlon, October 4, 1841.
[Our correspondent's remarks are well merited, and we are
sorry the subject escaped our attention on Friday. The
Mayor's period of office is about to expire, and we believe he
would have retired from office with a tolerable share of
respect from the majority of the inhabitants had not his most
unjustifiable conduct in calling and presiding over such a
meeting as was held on Saturday evening called down the
just indignation of the whole town. The addresses of the
speakers were a tirade against the corn-laws from beginning
to end ; and what these have to do with the distress at present
in the country is what we are at a loss to conceive, and what
none of the gentlemen at the meeting condescended to ex-
plain to us. The thing is a disgraceful radical trick from
beginning to end.]

WRITING AND BOOKKEEPING.—We beg to draw atten-
tion to Mr. Thompson's address. All those who wish to
perfect themselves in the essential acquirements he professes
to teach, should apply to him without delay.
LAUNCH OF AN IRON VESSEL.-011 Saturday last, about
noon, a very fine iron vessel called the Proto, and intended
for a schooner, was launched from the building-yard of Mr.
John Laird, North Birkenhead. She was built for the Li-
verpool and London Shipping Company, to run between
those ports, is about 150 tons measurement, and from her
light draught of water and her build—having a flat floor but
uncommonly tine ends—will, we doubt not, be found admi-
rably calculated for the trade, by combining the desiderata of
carrying well and sailing fast. Her name, which we do not
remember to have seen adopted for a vessel, is that of one of
the Nereids, or sea-nymphs. She is 84 feet in length, 20
feet 3 inches in beam, and 12 feet 2 inches in depth of hold.
Her hull, beams, floorings, stringers, and fastenings,—all in-
deed but her decks are of iron, of the most substantial di-
mensions, and put together with all the improvements in the
art of iron ship-building, of which the long experience of the
builder has enabled him to avail himself. In model she
strongly resembles a first-class yacht, and her safety is greatly
increased by three water-tight bulkheads, dividing her into
four compartments, so that in the event of injury to any of
them she can readily be kept free, without damage to the
cargo generally, or danger to the crew. She has a neatly cut
and appropriate figure head of a sea-nymph; and in her
upper-works forward, an improvement is introduced which
is altogether novel. She has no cut-water, but her stern in
place of being upright is carried out, so as to form the shape
of a cut-water, the deck being carried forward as• far as the
figure head. In other words, instead of bead rails or boards,
she is made good from bow to what would otherwise be the
top of the head rails. This will give her much additional
buoyancy in a sea-way, and ease her very much, without
adding to her tonnage by measurement. She has handsome
raised mouldings affixed to her top sides, giving her all the
appearance of a wooden vessel, and her bulwarks are finished
in a very tasteful and substantial manner. All being in readi-
ness for the launch, the daggers were knocked down, and she
ks
iustantaneously glided from her resting place into her destined
element, amidst the repeated cheers of hundreds on the shore
and
on lter
oild
,—her name being given in good style as
she movedbow. She by a young lady on the platform erected at her
sat very beautifully on the water, drawing, not-
withstanding h
5 feet 11 inches
sharpness, only 5 feet 4 inches forward, and
Laird's yard a fi'ln:t."--
There is also on the stocks in Mr.
pletion. she is
tu.sairqu of 270 tons, approaching to com-
tight bulkheads. steed into four compartments by water-
-than any iron vessel w
:Pavers to be more strongly fastened
mentg are introduced not beforeeyet seen, and many. improtT-
it forward state, au iron steam-ship a
of
is also, in
and is, it is reported, to be fitted with 68 tons measurement,
' the large st iron vessel yet built, or building,-poun4ers. This Iti
with the excep-
zionl of the Mammoth.