The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-15 00:00:00

THEATRE-ROYAL, LIVERPOOL.

For the BENEFIT of Mrs. HONEY and the Last Night
of her Engagement.
The early arrangements of the Season include the engage-
ment of the following Performers of the Metro-

polita;l Theatres : -
Mr. BUCKSTONE, the celebrated Dramatist and Peformer,
of the Theatre-Royal, Haymarket.
Mr. T. P. COOKE, of the Theatres-Royal Covent-garden
and Drury-lane.
Mr. YATES, the Proprietor and Manager of the Theatre-
Royal, Adelphi.
Mr. and Mrs. KEELEY, of the Theatres-Royal, Covent-
garden and Adelphi.
Mr. PAUL BEDFORD, of the Theatres-Royal, Covent-
garden and Adelphi.
Mr. POWER, of the Theatres-Royal, Covent-garden,
Drury-lane, and Haymarket. And
Mr. G. VANDENHOFF, of the Theatre-Royal, Covent-
_ garden.

Tlie celebrated Dancers, Mr. GILBERT and Miss BALLIN,
of Her Majesty's Theatre, and the Theatres-Royal, Co-
vent-garden and Drury-lane, are also engaged, being their
first appearance here these four years, and who will, in the
various Ballets and Dances which will be produced during
their engagement, be assisted by their Pupils, Master and
Miss MARSHALL, and Miss TAYLOR.
An engagement has also been entered into with Madame
VESTRIS and Mr. CHARLES MATHEWS, during
their London recess, for Ten Nights, and they will make
their appearance soon after the close of Covent-garden, of
which due announcement will be made.
Arrangements are also in progress with other eminent Per-
formers, and a variety of Novelties will be produced in
rapid succession.
THIS present FRIDAY, May 15, 1840, the Entertain-
ments will commence with the petit Comedy of

A DAY AFTER THE WEDDING.

Colonel Freelove
Lord Rivers,
_ _

Lady Elizabeth Freelove.

Mr. W. Howard.
Mr. W. H. Bland.

Mrs. W. H. Bland.

After which, the Musical Drama called
THE SPIRIT OF THE RHINE.
Ignatius Shtuffiekrantz Mr. Baker

.rma.

Arthur 1-funtTey7. Mr. P. Crowe.
(her original character,) Mrs. Honey.
To which will be added the Musical Farce of a
LOAN 'OF A LOVER.

Captain Amersfort
Peter Spyk
Ernestine ....

(first time here)....
To conclude with the Farce of
CATCHING AN HEIRESS.
Captain P00d1e.... Mr. W. Howard.
Captain Killingly Mr. W. H. Bland

Mr. W. Howard.

.. Mr. Baker.
.. Miss Cleaver.

Gertrude.

Mrs. Honey

-Torn Twigg Mr. Baker. .- --
Sally Giggle Mrs. Tellet.
Caroline Gayton.... Mrs. Honey.

On MONDAY next, May 18th, Mr. BUCKSTONE and
Mr. T. P. COOKE will commence an engagement of Ten
Nights at this Theatre, when will be produced the last new
Drama, in three acts, written by Mr. Buckstone, called
POOR JACK, as performed last season at the Theatre-royal,
Adelphi, with the greatest success, in which Mr. T. P. Cooke
and Mr. Buckstone will sustain their original characters of
Jack Somerton and Tim Twopenny. The entertainments
will commence with the Drama of the LADY AND THE
DEVIL. Wildlove, Mr. W. Howard ; Claudian, Mr. W.
11. Bland; Jeremy, Mr. Baker; Zephyrina, Mrs. W. H.
Bland. After which, a new Domestic and Nautical Drama,
in three acts, called POOR JACK. Jack Somerton, Mr.
T. P. Cooke, his first appearance at this Theatre these nine
years ; Tim Twopenny, Mr. Buckstone, his first appearance
this season. After which, a Farce called MAKE YOUR
WILLS. Joseph Brag, Mr. Buckstone. To conclude with
the Farce of FORTUNE'S FROLIC. Robin Roughhead,
Mr. Slaiter ; Dolly, Mrs. Tenet.

Efir Ziinrpoot 'tanbarb.

FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 15, 1840.

We have received our files of the Jamaica Royal
Gazette to the 28th of March, and of the Jamaica
Standard to the 25th of March. The contents of these
papers, we are sorry to find, are of a very unfavourable
character. They are fraught with evidence of the de-
plOrable condition to which that once rich and flourish-
ing island is now reduced. The spirit of improvement
in the 'conduct of the negroes has not proved so ge-
neral or so continuous as was expected a few months
ago. The usual period of crop time had far advanced,
and yet there were few estates on which labour could
be depended upon for even two weeks consecutively.
The Standard remarks that it was no uncommon thing
to find the whole operations in the manufacture of su-
gar one day stopped by a strike amoug the cane-cut-
ters, a few days afterwards by the cartmen or mule-
men, and again by the trash-carriers, and so on from
one body to another. The consequence was, that large
quantities of canes never reached the mill-yards at all,
but were allowed to wither and rot upon the ground;
while the produce of the rest, from stoppages in the
manufacture, and various other causes, was necessarily
as deficient in quality as the whole crop was in quantity.
The result will be that the present year's crop will fall
off nearly as much from that of last year, as that crop
was deficient in comparison with the preceding year.
If things do not change for the better, our contem-
porary adds, the half of the estates in the island must
be thrown up, from the sheer difficulty of cultivating
them. In Westmoreland, Hanover, and St. Elizabeth's
the planters have the most gloomy prospects. This is
attributed to the agitation of the Baptist Missionaries.
The only remedy that can be suggested for the existing
evils is, immigration on an extensive scale. The
Standard, however, very properly adds that " immi-
gration even will not avail unless the labourers are
made more dependent than they are at present." This,
it is alleged, can only be done by abandoning the per-
nicious system of " provision grounds," and establish-
ing a land society, for the purpose of buying up all
those mountain settlements, and other unoccupied
lands, which may, from time to time, be offered for
sale by retiring proprietors. So long as the labourers,
through the enormous profits of their provision grounds,
can afford to lay by their whole earnings----so long is
Jamaica in the imminent danger of being lost as a
sugar exporting colony.

The Standard, upon data which may be confidently
relied upon, states that the parish of St. James will not
ship this year 4,500 hogsheads, although 12,000 used
to be a very moderate estimate. Trelawney will not
exceed 5,000, although 15,000 was, in former times,
no uncommon occurrence.

The subject of immigration, we are glad to find, is
exciting a considerable degree of attention in the island
of Jamaica. On this topic a correspondent of the
Weekly Despatch writes thus from the parish of St.
Elizabeth. " Some work occasionally for a few
hours, four days in the week, and others not at all.
There are estates in the county of Cornwall, that used
to make 180, 160, 140, and 130 hogsheads of sugar,
on an average ; whilst the present crops will not pro-
duce 24, 20, 15 and 12 hogsheads each. It is in vain
to expect better times and more labour from the eman-
cipated and disorganised negroes, without causes to
force them to labour. Emigration by thousands can
only produce this effect. 'Tlie present negroes disregard
all advice. The young care not for the good
counsel of their former owners." Immigration is
pointed out as the only effectual remedy for this state
of things. English and Scotch labourers are more
particularly in request for the, highland destricts, for
which they are fully adapted. There is no portion of
the work on estates in the elevated parts of the island
which they are not capable of performing.
During Sir Charles Metcalfe's tour through the
island the planters and managers of estates in the
parish of Manchester presented an address to his
Excellency which throws considerable light upon the
actual condition of the labouring population. The
parties whose signatures are appended to this address
deprecate the exaggerated statements submitted to him
by the Baptist missionaries and others, from which it
would appear that there was no indisposition whatever
for labour manifested by the negroes. They discribe
the agricultural state of the parish as " truly deplorable."
They state that the " coffee fields generally present a
neglected and ruined appearance." In field labour
four days a week was the utmost that they would com-
mand, and that only for a period of from five to seven
hours.

We have received a file of the Guiana Chronicle to
the 18th of March, inclusive. It appears that a great
number of emigrants had arrived in the colony from
the United States and Barbadoes. The most sanguine
expectations were entertained as to the prosperity of
British Guiana from these accessions to its labouring
population. We rejoice to find that the planters are
generally alive to the importance of a large supply of
free immigrants.

Since our last we have received New York papers
to the 20th ultimo, inclusive. They do not contain
any news of importance that has not already been
anticipated.

The measure of Sir Robert Inglis to provide for an
increase of church accommodation is fixed for the 21st
instant, and will no doubt meet with the determined
opposition of the anti-church party both within and
without the walls of Parliament. When the bill has
been before us we may have a few words to offer on its
principle and provisions ; and, in the mean time, we
must express the pain and regret with which we regard
the acrimonious feeling manifested towards its authors

and supporters by men who profess, on ordinary occa-
sions, a sincere regard for the true interests of religion
and of mankind.

The question at issue between the dissenters and
non-descript religionists who constitute the anti-church
party, and Sir Robert Inglis, is simply whether it is
the duty of the state, under any circumstances, to pro-
vide for the religious culture of the people. It has
been proved, by the evidence given before the Ecclesi-
astical Commission, that owing to the increase and
centralization of the population in particular districts,
a great deficiency of the means of spiritual instruction
exists throughout England. In the metropolis alone
it is computed that 700,000 persons are unprovided
with a place of worship, 400,000 of these being located
in one district—viz., the Tower Hamlets. In Liver-
pool, Manchester, Birmingham, and the whole of the
manufacturing districts of England, the want of places
of worship for the increasing population is seriously
felt; and the proposition of Sir Robert Inglis is, that
the aid of government should be afforded to provide
the means of alleviating this spiritual destitution of
the people.

The outcry 'which is raised against the proposition
of the right honourable baronet is professedly based
upon a religious scruple. The anti-church party re-
fuse to sanction a grant from Government, because its
application will he directed by the Church of England,
from whose doctrines and mode of government they
dissent. The amount of the grant for such a purpose,
diffused as its pressure will be over a large commu-
nity, is not the objection. These men would readily
vote, for any other purpose, double the amount. But
the administration of the funds to be provided will go
into the hands of the Church of England ; and, rather
than that church should reap any additional love and
respect in the eyes of the people of England, the friends
of the voluntary system are ready to deny to the crying
necessities of thousands of their fellow-creatures a sup-
ply of that saving truth which alone can render them
good subjects and good Christians.
It is this bitterness of feeling towards the Church of
England which we regret to see evinced on all occa-
sions by a great portion of the dissenting body. It
cannot surely be gratifying to any man to witness the
gross and scandalous ignorance in spiritual matters
which pervades great masses of the population of our
large towns. Why then resist a proposition to abate
the evil ? Religious scruples may in some cases he
conscientious and praiseworthy ; but in this case,
when we have only two alternatives offered for our ac-
ceptance—viz., religious instruction conveyed to the
people by the Established Church, or withheld altoge-

ther, we think that scruples upon points of form,-
or
differences upon particular doctrines, should be laid
aside. It is manifest that the state alone can afford
means sufficient to supply the destitution complained of.
Private munificence has already done much; the Church-
building Society has done much ; but the evil has far
outgrown their means, and, unless the national funds
he applied, and applied freely, it must go on increas-
ing. Why then, we repeat, restrain a national effort
directed to wards so noble a purpose, because the
Church of England offers herself as the only instru-
ment by which it can be accomplished ?
Alas, we fear that motives, not so pure and disinte-
rested as they should be, are at the bottom of this op-
position ; that in some breasts " envy, hatred, malice,
and all uncharitableneSs" are stronger towards that
church, its members and its ministers, than Christian
love towards their fellow-men. 'We acquit the oppo-
nents of church extension of any wish to intrude the
voluntary system amongst a great portion of the po-
pulation whose destitution in religious matters is com-
plained of. That system seldom rears itself amongst
the abodes of poverty. It seldom sows where it can-
not reap. It will not go forth into the byeways of the
world to gather within its fold the lame, the halt, and
the weary; to sit by the bedside of shivering wretches;
to wipe the throbbing brow of the victims of crime
and inebriety; and to feed with the bread of life the
ghastly lips of the despairing and famine-stricken be-
ings who have lived without God in the world and are
dying without hope. Into such scenes, where crime
and poverty herd together and feed each other, vo-
luntaryism loves not to enter, and would rather that
religion should remain an unknown and unloved name
amongst thousands of our perishing fellow-men, than
that the ministry of a church which is willing and anxi-
ous to offer its consolations should be allowed to per-
form a work to which their duty as Christiana impera-
tively calls thein. Religious differences and political
enmities overbalance Christian feeling.
It is lamentable to witness the consequences which
this opposition to the cause of true religion and mo-
rality is bringing upon society. The spread of char-
tism in our manufacturing districts, and the open and
disgusting avowal of the tenets of the socialists amongst
so large a portion of our industrious mechanics, may
with too great reason be attributed to the want of the
means of religious instruction at their own doors, and
the consequent unfrequency of their attendance upon
the sacred rites of divine worship. To these causes
we may also attribute the gigantic progress which Po-
pery has made within the last few years throughout the
length and breadth of England; and so long as Protes-
tant dissent is banded with Popery in the political arena,
the religion of Antichrist will be allowed to pursue its
proselyting course ; so long as socialism and atheism
furnish strength and numbers to the liberal cause, the

efforts of the Church of England in behalf of the mo-
ral and religious culture of the people will be retarded
by the most strenuous endeavours of the combined
faction.

We had purposed this day noticing some of the ex-
traordinary misrepresentations, put forth by our con-
temporaries, respecting the object and details of Lord
Stanley's bill. We say extraordinary misrepresenta-
tions, because in our experience of party warfare we
have never seen the weapon of " enormous lying" so
extensively used, even by the present Whig faction, as
it has been in the disgraceful opposition offered to this
measure. The labour has, however, been spared us ;
and our contemporaries will scarcely bless the chance
which transferred the lash from our hands into those
of one who has wielded it with such tremendous and
punishing effect.

The bill of Lord Stanley is now placed fully and
fairly, with all its provisions, before the people of Li-
verpool—we may say of Great Britain ; for to what
remote corner of the empire will the proceedings of
the triumphant meeting of -Wednesday last fail to
penetrate ? They have seen the web of sophistry,
calumny, and falsehood, which its enemies have been
labouring for weeks to throw over it, demolished
thread by thread, and those enemies themselves held
up by a giant grasp before the assembled thousands
of Liverpool's Conservatives, and their nakedness,
their weakness, and their wickedness exhibited to the
mockery of the world. A flood of light has been
poured upon a subject which was previously but dimly
seen, and little understood, in England at least ; and
we venture to predict, that by the meeting of Wed-
nesday, and by the splendid effort of that lion-hearted
churchman Mr. M`Neile, a spirit has been raised which
neither the threats, the calumnies, nor the sophistries
of the Ministerial and Popish faction will succeed in
putting down., until the Augean stable of Irish corrup-
tion is thoroughly cleansed, and the abettors of that
corruption, the slaves who have fattened upon its filth,
are driven from about the Court and the Government
of Protestant England.

The Conservative people of Enaland, we repeat,
have never hitherto understood Lordtb Stanley's mea-
sure fully, or appreciated arigt(h)t
call
lsl vastth importance.l
The Liberals, as they delight
cant whose robberies it is intended to check. But taken their view of it from the lips of the eh have
clear, lucid, and eloquent exposition of Mr. 11Biln‘uNtnet ee-
will correct the misunderstanding of the former, and
shame--if anything can shame—the mendacious re-
presentations of the latter. We shall hear no more
now, we trust, of this bill being a 66
scorpion bill," a
" persecuting bill," or a " disfranchising bill." We
shall hear no more, we trust, of its being harassing in
its details, or inquisitorial in its principle. Mr. M'Neile
has shown that it is a scorpion to the wrongdoer only;
that it disfranchises the disqualified only ; that it is
harassing to perjurers only; and that it is unpleasantly
inquisitorial to those only whose fraudulent claims win
not bear the light of day or the test of examination !
We have given elsewhere as full a report as possible
of the proceedings at the meeting of Wednesday, and
shall not attempt to magnify its importance by a de-
scription of its numbers, or of its respectability. We
urge upon those of our readers who had not the good

fortune to be preseUt, an attentive perusal of the reso-
lutions passed, and of the speeches by which they were
introduced and supported ; and we ask them—we ask
the world—to compare the proceedings generally with

those of the Whig-Radical gathering in Clayton-
square. The meeting of Wednesday last left those
who attended it masters of every principle and every
detail of the measure, elicited by a calm, dignified, and
searching examination of the bill itself, and of the
arguments of its opponents. The gathering of the
Square returned to their various occupations as wise
as they came. At the Amphitheatre documentary
evidence was brought forward in proof of every fact
asserted ; but at the " gathering" not a single proof
was vouchsafed of all the heinous charges brought
against the measure of Lord Stanley. On the con-
trary, vulgar personal abuse of that nobleman was
substituted for argument, and mere assertion, mis-
representation, and rabid scurrility substituted for
facts and principles. The " gathering" of hodmen
and nondescripts was forgotten when its purpose was
accomplished—•when a petition to prop up a declining
and base Administration had been got up and passed ;
but the meeting of Wednesday last will not be of
merely temporary interest. The searching eloquence
of Mr. M`Neile, his noble denunciation of the perju-
ries of Ireland, his trenchant exposure of the frauds
by which the supremacy of Popish Liberalism is main-
tained in that country, will circulate throughout the
length and breadth of this Protestant land, and rouse
from their lethargy thousands who have hitherto been
blind or refused to see.

But although this is the case, the Conservatives of
Liverpool must not neglect their duty, which is to sign
immediately the petition adopted at the meeting. The
bill will again come before the House on Monday
next, and in all probability the decisive struggle will
take place on that day. Let Liverpool, then, place the
moral strength of her Protestantism, her wealth, her
intelligence, and her numbers, in the hands of her
excellent Members. Let it be shewn, by the petition
sent up for presentation on that day, that she is in
earnest, and can not only talk but act.
We must impress upon the minds of our Conserva-

tine brethren, that the question involved in the measure
of Lord Stanley is not one of mere party interest; on
the contrary, it involves the morals of an entire people.
If the bill of Lord Stanley should be rejected by the
House of Commons, the perjury, the gross frauds and
imposition which the Present system encourages, will
go on, sanctioned, openly sanctioned, by a vote of that
Yes, the people of this great empire will then

ouse.

have declared, through their representatives, that they
are willing to place their religion, their liberties, their
"glorious constitution in Church and State," in the

lower and under the feet of the Roman Catholic priest-

hood of Ireland ! Are the Protestant Conservatives of
Liverpool willing to join in such a declaration ? Are
they ready, by abandoning their posts, to submit to
such an imputation ? We trust they are not; that, on
the contrary, they are prepared, with their champion
Mr. M'Neile, to regard the measure of Lord Stanley
as the last experiment which ought to be tried "TO
GUARD THE OUTPOSTS OF THE CONSTITUTION

AGAINST MEN WHO WILL NOT BE RESTRAINED
BY THE SANCTITY OF AN OATH ;" and should that
effort be in vain, to look forward to the only alter-
native which remains to them—" TO REFORM ITS

BUTTRESSES, TO MATURE AND PROTECT AND

STRENGTHEN THEM, BY PUTTING THEM ON THE
ROCK OF THE HOLY WORD OF GOD."

We say, therefore, to the Protestant Conservatives
of Liverpool, be in time ! PETITION ! PETITION !
PETITION !

THEATRE ROYAL.—The engagement of Mrs. Honey ter-
minates this evening, and next week the public will have
the gratification of being amused by the well-known talents
of Mr. Buckstone and Mr. T. P. Cooke. A variety of in-
teresting pieces are announced for production during their
stay, which have obtained great and deserved popularity in
the metropolis. _

THE STEAM-SHIP UNICORN.—This fine vessel, which
has hitherto been employed on the station between this
port and Glasgow, is -now lying in the Clarence half-tide
Dock, taking in her stores for her voyage to Halifax. She
is the first of a series of vessels about to run regularly with
letters and government despatches to and from our North
American colonies, and amongst which will be the new steam-
ships Caledonia, Britannia, Arcadia, (we believe,) and pro-
bably the Achilles,—all the property of the British and
North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. She
is commanded by Captain Douglas, a gentleman of great
experience, and has engines of three hundred horse power.
The accommodations of Unicorn are of the same splendid
description as those that characterise the Glasgow steam-
ships generally. lier saloon is spacious, and finished in the
style of the clays of " Good Queen Bess," in solid rosewood,
with panels, or centre pieces, in each compartment, formed
by richly guilded antique foliated frame work, within each of
which is a Chinese view, on a bright green ground; in the
finest japan. The furniture corresponds, and the smaller
cabins and sleeping-rooms are finished in corresdonding
style, and fitted with every possible convenience. The stock
of provisions and liquors, consisting of live stock, fresh and
preserved meats, choice wines and other liquors, fruit, pre-
serves, &c., exceeds what we should have conceived neces-
sary for an East India voyage, so that those on board who
are fond of the good things of this life, will have rare doings
of it. We understand the Unicorn will take out a conside-
rable number of passengers. They will, we learn, embark
at the Clarence pier-head at nine o'clock to-morrow morn-
ing, and the vessel will sail as soon after as the London
mail bag is received on board.
THE " LIVERPOOL" STEAM-SHIP.—The alterations in
this vessel, commanded by Captain Engledue, and now in
No. 2 Queen's Graving-dock, are going on with much ala-
crity, and in a few weeks she will be entirely " closed in."
She has been remodelled, and rebuilt outside of her original
sides, rendering her a double vessel, of uncommon strength.
She has all the appearance of a new ship on the stocks, and
her new model is much admired by nautical men, who pre-
dict that she will gain a character for fastness and safety
not surpassed by any of the Transatlantic steam-ships. No-
thing wilt be stowed in the cavities between the double sides,
but they will give her great additional buoyancy and bearing,
and enable her to carry, when occasion requires, a consider-
able press of sail. Eacli side is divided into three water-
tight apartments by bulk-heads, and each of these has its
respective pump in case of accidental leakage. She is thus,
in fact, on the principle of a life-boat. The upper works
will be raised above their former height, so that the paddle-
boxes will not appear disagreeably prominent.. The new
timbers are below of oak, and above of English larch, or
British heernatac, a strong, durable timber, at once tough
and comparatively light. The new planking is of elm and
the best pine. The enlargement of the vessel will admit of
much additional accommodation for both passengers and
crew. She will be rigged in a rakish manner, with taunter
masts than before ; and, as she presents a beautiful sheer,
we doubt not she will, when afloat, be one of the handsomest
vessels belonging to the port.
A BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN OF A MERCHANT VESSEL.—
There is now lying in No. 1 Queen's Graving Dock, fitting
up, a new barque, of about 300 tons burden, called the
Mysore, built by and for Messrs. Chapman and Willis,
ship-builders, which presents, in model and in workmanship,
a fine specimen of a vessel combining capacity for stowage,
with admirable sailing qualities. She is finished in every
point with the greatest care, nothing having been spared
which skill or taste could devise. We never saw a finer bow.
She is, we learn, intended for the East India trade. Her
cabin is on deck, and is very neat. Her caboose, and some
small apartments under the same roof, is ingeniously placed
on the railway, so that as it stands over the fore-hatch when
the vessel is at sea, it may with facility be moved fore and
aft, without being hoisted up, or strained by removal in the
usual way. The long-boat is also fixed on a central revolv-
ing chock, so that when the chocks at the bow and stern are
knocked out it can easily be turned athward ships, ready for
being launched. This is a new and useful contrivance of
Messrs. Chapman and Co.

TILE PRESIDENT STEAM-SHIP.—ThiS fine vessel (the
largest yet built to be propelled by steam) is rapidly approach-
ing towards completion, for her first voyage across the At-
lantic ; and from her extraordinary size and the magnitude
of the operations on board, continues to be an object of in-
creasing public interest. Nearly two hundred workmen are
employed on board, in fitting up her engines, cabins, &c.
Her machinery is now nearly all on board; the heavy castings
and boilers are all secured in their positions, and the lighter
work alone is passing auder the hands of the finishers, Not-
withstanding the great weight of the stupendous engines,
&c., the vessel, such is her capacity, though of a fine model,
is very little set down in the water ; and it is probable,that,
after her coals, water, stores, &c., are on board,_ she will
stow from eight hundred to a thousand tons of goods. The
cabins are in course of completion, by Mr. n
are on
Simpson,
painter and decorator, of the Strand, London.house
They
two decks. The saloon is entered fromthe
on each side the entrance there is a stewards pantry of a
large size. In one of these no fewer than a man deck, and
i thousand wine
glasses may be appended from the
arionfy, Here the glass-
ware will be kept.
wing, will be appropriated
poritahteerdtPiear, forming an op-
positeold Enzlish Gothic
for the china and plate.
The cabins will be finishedn inicbastly gilded The saloon
occupies the full breadth
style, handsomely painted
aof the ship, and is, a very large
and nearly square apartmet, eight feet three inches in
design,
dt.he saloon towards the stern A wide corridore or lobby leads
height. The cornice is of embattled Gothic d • and the
furniture will correspon_
from the after part of .
amid-
ships, and forms a spacious and well lighted promenade. On
each of this lobby, smaller passages, with Gothic pointed
side
arches, lead to exceedingly commodious and detached sleeping
rooms, which are two deep on each side. There is also a
ladies' retiring room, and two other rooms, lighted by large
windows in the stern. A circular staircase communicates
with the lower cabins or dormitories, which are fitted up in
the same manner. Here, too, there is a long central
corridore, communicating by minor passages with a double
row of sleeping rooms on each side. This is lighted by a
central longitudinal opening in the corridore above which
is railed round, so that both decks may be seen, and a
thorough ventilation is secured. The whole resembles more an
upper story of a large inn, than the cabins of a ship. •We,
however, advise our readers not to visit the President until
a few weeks hence, when the painters and decorators will
1 have completed their operations, and there will be room
to inspect the whole, without hindrance to the workmen.
She will leave the Trafalgar Dock, where she is now lying,
by the end of the present month, and will go into the
Cobourgh, where she will receive her paddle-wheels. .It is
expected that she will take her departure, on her first voyage
to New York, on the 20th July.
If the Largest Stock of the most Fashionable Goods, at
prices considerably under the usual charges, form an induce-
ment to purchasers, the subscribers with confidence solicit
an early inspection of their present Stock of BROCADED and
CHINE SILK SHAWLS, confident their superiority cannot
fail to insure a rapid sale, combining as they do the necessary
essentials of elegance, fashion, and extreme cheapness.
J. and J. EDGLEY,
Foreign and British *awl Warehousemen,
44, 80ld-street.

PAROCHIAL AFFAIRS OF WEST DERBY.

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT SCHEME.

Several meetings of the rate-payers of the township of
West Derby have recently been held, which have excited
considerable interest, the principal subject of discussion being
a proposed parochial improvement scheme, prepared by the
committee, on the merits of which there are strong conflict-
ing opinions. The proposed plan is one " for improving the
executive establishment of the township," and is in effect—
lst,—That everf officer should receive a fixed salary, with-
out perquisites.
2d,—That the payment of such salaries shall be from each
deScription of rate or tax collected, and that a fund to be
called a " fee fund" be formed, to the credit of which all
commissions on collections and allowances for specific duties
shall, instead of being paid to individual officers, be placed,
and all payments en account of salaries, rent, &c. be made
from such fund, and placed to its debit.

3d,—(We omit the specific duties assigned to each officer.)
That the executive establishment shall consist of

Salary.
A head rate-book clerk, with £5OO security .. £l3O
An assistant clerk.
One collector, with £5OO security
Two auditors, at each
One surveyor of highways..

The first meeting at-which this scheme was discussed at
any length was held on the 30th April ; Joshua Walrusley,
Esq., in the chair. It was then moved by Mr. John Taylor,
and seconded by Mr. Forshaw, " that the scheme for paro-
chial improvement, as far as practicable, should be carried
into effect."

On this motion an amendment was made by Mr. Thomas
Smith, and seconded by Mr. Vincent Higgins, to the effect
that the poor-rate assessment and other books be kept in a
public office, in security, and accessible to the ratepayers at
proper times, and not in the assistant-overseer's office, where
they were not accessible without much expense of time and
exertion of nerve. Also that a suitable office or room be for
that purpose taken.
On a division, there appeared—for the amendment. 42 ;
for the motion, 19. The amendment then became the ori-
ginal motion, and an amendment was moved that the
report be referred back to the committee, with an addition
of four other gentlemen, to report to another meeting. This
was negatived, and a poll on the original motion being de-
manded, the poll took place on the Ist and 2d of May, when
it closed, Mr. Smith and Mr. Forshaw not requiring its con-
tinuance.

The result at the close was—
For Mr. Taylor's motion..
Mr. Smith's amendment..

PERSONS.
51
13

VOTES.

Majority for the motion .. 38 52
It was then moved by Mr. GRUNDY', and seconded by Mr.
BRASSY,—" That a committee be now formed, to carry into
effect the Parochial Improvement Scheme, with power to
make such alterations in the details as they may deem bene-
ficial to the township, and, that the following gentlemen do
form the committee, viz.—The Honorary Overseers for the
time being—Mr. John Taylor, Mr. James Anderton For-
shaw, Mr. Edward Deane Falkner, Mr. Thomas Rowlandson
Robinson, Mr. William Eaton Hall, Mr. William Blain,
Mr. Robert Wilson, Mr. Joshua Walmsley, and Mr. Vin-
cent Higgins."
An amendment was moved by Mr. T. SMITH, and seconded
by Mr. V. HIGGINS, to the effect "That this vestry proceed
no further with the consideration of the said scheme, or with
the amendment thereon ; and that it be further resolved, that
the whole question be adjourned, until this day seven years,
that is to say, until the 7th day of May, 1847."
On a show of hands the numbers were—
For the amendment
For the motion

Majority
A poll being thereupon demanded by the mover and
seconder of the motion, the poll was appointed to take place
yesterday, and commenced, at the Commissioners' Rooms,
in Harper-street, Low-hill, at nine in the morning.
At the close for the day (four o'clock) the following was
the result :

For the motion ....
For the amendment

Majority against the scheme
The poll will be re-opened this day at nine in the morning.
The result appears to be doubtful.

SHARP PRACTICE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—A bank of Liverpool having received a bill TO OB-
TAIN ACCEPTANCE, sent to the office of the party on whom
the same was drawn; the office being locked, a notice to the
following effect was deposited in the box for bills and letters :
" Bill for £—, on y drawn by , lies for
acceptance at the Bank
" Please take it up before three o'clock.
".13th May, 1840." _ _ _

This morning, the 14th May, the bill above alluded to was
presented to the apprentice at the said office, noted, for non-
acceptance. A question between bankers and merchants
may arise on such sharp practice. It is acknowledged the
bill was drawn in Ireland, and after sight ; and the banker's
clerk states, he called more than once at the office ; the no-
tice, however, was not left in the bill box until after three-
quarters past two o'clock.
The usual custom or courtesy between merchants has ex-
isted more than thirty years—to leave the bill for acceptance,
and called for the next day.
No advantage could be derived by noting yesterday, as no
post would have been lost by holding the bill until this day.
The bill is now refused acceptance, and the amount has
been sent to the drawers.

This is only reported as an occurrence between a bank who
has previously had similar bills in every respect, none of
which ever met either delay or dishonour.
QUERY.—Is the conduct of the hank justifiable, or does
the momentary absence of the drawer (being for some time
confined) and of his apprentice,. warrant such a breach of
custom ?—Yours, &c., A MERCHANT.
Liverpool, 14th May, 1840.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.-WEDNESDAY

(Sittings in Banco.) •
THE QUEEN V. THOROGOOD.

Lord Denman delivered the judgment of the court in this
case. It was a writ "de contumace capiendo," which had
issued against the defendant for the non-payment of church
rates. A great many objections were taken to the validity of
the writ, on the ground of several defects which appeared on
the face of it, and the court was called on to quash it. The
first objection was that the " significarit" did not appear to
have issued within 10 days of the commission of the con-
tempt, as was required by the statute the 53d Geo. 111. But
there was no doubt that the practice complained of had pre-
vailed for a long time, and so was no good ground of objec-
tion to the significarit. The second objection was that words
were introduced into the significarit which were not found
in the statute. The court, however, thought that they wera
merely superfluous, and as they did not alter the sense, they
could not affect the sionificavit. The third objection was,
that this matter was not matter of spiritual cognizance, be-
cause the sum due was not more than £lO. The answer to that
objection was that all church rates were matters of spiritual
cognizance before the passing of the stat. the 53d Geo. 111,
and the court was of opinion that it lay on the defendant to
show the exception, and not on the court to negative its ex-
istence. The court must presume, so far as the citation
went, that the spiritual court had acted in a case where it
had jurisdiction. The fourth objection was, that the writ
was bad for want of the addition to the name of the de-
fendant. The answer to that was, that it it was not rendered
unnecessary by the form given in the schedule of the stet.
53d Geo. HI. still looking to the act the sth Elia.
which required the citation, it would he found that the writ
was not vitiated, but only the pains and forfeitures stated by
the statute, which were subordinate to the writ, were made
void. Now imprisonment could not be considered in the
light of pain or penalty, but as done for the purpose of
enforcing the sentence of the court. The objection, there-
fore, was not tenable. The fifth,objection was, that the
spiritual judge by whom this sentence was pronounced had
no jurisdiction—that the mutter ought to have been taken
before the commissary, who held his office for life, of the
county where the contempt was committed, and not before
the official principal. Dr. Lushington, who held both offices,
appeared to have acted in the latter character. The two
offices, it was argued, were distinct, and might be held by
two parties ; and that if they were so divided, the official
principal could not act within the county of the commissary.
The court, however, found, that at the time this sentence
was pronounced, an inhibition prevented the commissary
from acting. It was contended that the inhibition extended
to voluntary jurisdiction. But the court found that that dis-
tinction was expressly denied in those books to which recourse
must be had to find out the practice of the spiritual court. The
inhibition, it appeared by them, followed on the bishop's per-
sonal presence, and all the powers and authorities of a particu-
lar officer were suspended by it, the bishop bringing with him
not only the means of visiting churches and acting in spiritual
affairs, but also the power of his officers, among whom the
official principal was the superior. The court was therefore
relieved from inquiring whether the official principal had con-
current jurisdiction with the commissary, and it gave no
opinion upon that point. But even if it were not so, the
powers of the commissary were destroyed by the inhibition.
Another objection arose on the statute of Henry VII 1., that
the appointment of the commissary constituted the district
a " peculiar" to the diocesan. It appeared, therefore, then
to the court, that all the objections to the writ were effec-
tually answered, and on grounds that did not call in question
the judgment of Lord Tenterden in " The Queen v Tucker,"
and the doctrine of Lord Talbot, to which his lordship there
referred.—Rule discharged.

THE UNITED STATES STEAM-SHIP.--This beautiful ship,
which is lying near the President, in the Trafalgar-dock, is
in a state of great forwardness, all the heavier portions
of her machinery being already on board. A number of work-
men are on board fixing the engines, &c.,
and fittin up the
cabins. The accommodations will be of the first class, neither
g
pains nor expense being spared to render the whole, in ac-
cordance with past experience, a combination of the commo-
dious and beautiful. This ship (which we shall notice more
fully hereafter) is greatly admired, both for her model and
workmanship, and the taste displayed in the carving of her
head and stern.

PRIZE ESSAY ON MISSIONS.-It will be in the recollec-
tion of many of our readers that two prizes, of two hundred
guineas and fifty guineas respectively, were some time ago
offered, by a committee of christians, for the best essays in
support of foreign missions, showing the " duty, privilege,
and encouragement" that may be urged to stimulate to in-
creased liberality, prayer, and devotedness in the cause. The
prospectus was issued under the auspices of the professors of
theology in the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, (Drs.
Chalmers and Mac Gill,) and of Dr. Duff, the eminent
Indian missionary. We are happy to learn that about sixty
essays were lodged ; these are now under examination, and
the award is expected to be intimated before the close of the
year. When we mention that the arduous task of adjudica-
tion is being discharged by Mr. Melvill, of Camberwell, Dr.
Walsh, Professor of Church History in the University of
Edinburgh, Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow, Dr. Bunting, of Lon-
don, and Mr. Crisp, of Bristol, it will be evident that amide
pains have been taken to secure an intelligent and impartial
award.

THE ISLINGTON MURDER.—Richard Gould was brought
up for re-examination on Wednesday, on a charge of burgla-
riously entering the dwelling-house of tha late Mr. Temple-
man, at Pocock's-fields, Islington, and stealing from thence
a quantity of silver money. The street and the avenues lead-
ing to the court were thronged at an early hour of the morn-
ing, and the utmost anxiety prevailed to catch a glimpse of
the prisoner, who arrived at Bow-street early in the morning,
.
and was locked up one of the cells until the commence-
ment of the proceedings. Jarvis was also present, having
re-
ceived directions to attend with the other witnesses, most of
whom gave evidence at the trial of the prisoner,
at the Cen-
tral
Criminal
Court, last session. At the close of tile exami-
nation, the magistrates ordered him to be remanded until
Tuesday next, at twelve o'clock.
TxE QUESTION.-" Pray madam, do you like buttered
toast ?"" Yes, sir." " Buttered on both sides ?" " Yes,
sir." " Will you marry me?" The mode adopted by a
certain eccentric physician is almost as condensed. A lady
came to consult him. Be prescribed and took his. guinea.
" Madam," said he,
" I wish to see you again this time to-
morrow. In the interval take the medicine here prescribed,
and ere we meet again, make up your mind to give a plain
` yes' or ' no' to the question I now put to you. I am in-
clined to wed, but have no time to woo. Will you allow me
to lay out my fee in the purchase of your wedding ring ?
Frazer's Magazine,

'-444141


"lIEPORT. •
" The memorial of Messrs. Cunningham and Holme on
the rejection of their plans for the proposed law courts hav-
ing been referred to the surveyor for his report as to the
different admeasurements therein mentioned, that officer has
now to lay before the Finance Committee and Improvement
Committee the following report :
" The committee have probably seen the lithographic
sketch attached to the instructions describing the land and
its vicinity, with the site for the Assize Courts, which site
extends 220 feet in length by 100 in breadth ; one of these he
herewith submits.
" The first prize measures in length 220 feet, and in breadth
100 feet; projection of portico 7 feet.
" Second prize, length outside face of walls, 221 feet ;
portico, one at each end, 141 feet-29 feet ; breadth 101 feet,-
front portico 144 feet.
"The first prize plan is strictly, as to limits, in conformity
with the instructions, the portico being admissible.
" The second prize exceeds the limits one foot in length,
and a few inches, or say one foot in breadth.
" MESSRS. CUNNINGHAM AND lIOLME'S PLANS.
" No. 72 A—Length outside of walls 3271 feet; portico at
each end 15 feet-30 feet ; breadth 132 feet, portico 30 feet.
Excess in length 1071 feet ; and in breadth 32 feet.
" No. 72 B—Length outside of walls 281 feet ; portico at
each end 17 feet-34 feet; breadth 130 feet ; portico 25 feet.
Fxcess in length 91 feet, and in breadth 30 feet.
" With regard to the internal arrangement, the courts in
the plan chosen for the first prize are something less than re-
quired in the instructions ; viz :—the • crown court by 351
square yards, and the civil court by 131 square yards, which
could scarcely, however, be made a matter of serious consi-
deration, as the plan evidently allows ample space for exten-
sion of the courts, without passing the exterior limits pre-
scribed.

" The surveyor refers the committee to the before-men-
tioned sketch for the guidance of the architects. In it the
lines verged with blue and red describe the extension of
Messrs. Cunningham and Hohne's plans beyond the pre-
scibed site, and show, had the committee made choice of
either, the impractihility of placing the building in the situa-
tion intended for it, without forcing St. George's Hall off the
ground.
" Resolved.unanimcnisly—That the departure on the part
of Messrs. Cunningham and Holme from the printed instruc-
tions appears to be completely established, and that the com-
mittees feel called upon to state their opinion that the sub-
committee, to whom the selection of the prizes was referred,
were, in'consequence of the extent of that departure, fully
justified in the course which they deemed it their duty to
adopt.
" Resolved—That these proceedings be laid before the ad-
journed council at their meeting to-morrow."
Mr. Alderman HORNBY moved the adoption of the report.
Mr. BLACKBURN seconded the motion, which was then
agreed to without opposition or observation.

POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE ERECTION OF THE

ASSIZE. COURTS.

The TOWN-CLERK stated that this committee having been
requested to submit a preliminary report on the powers re-
quired by them, had done so. The report was as follows :
" The committee for the erection of the courts of law ap-
pointed by thr council of the Gth instant, having been re-
quested to submit a preliminary report on the powers required
by them, and any other matters relating to their appointment,
to the adjourned council on'Wednesday next, begged to sug-
gest to the council that the powers of this committee should
be such as the improvement Comm itteenow have and exercise
with the approval of the council—such powers being limited
to the particular erection of the law courts, and to the take-
ing up, for the purposes thereof, fifty thousand pounds of the
money authorised to be raised on bond by the improvement act
of one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, to the extent
of which amount this committee will, as they are advised
by the town-clerk, required to make orders from time to
time on the borough treasurer, and to the like extent the
financial power will be transferred from the Improvement
Committee.
Mr. Joim HoLliEs moved that the report should be
adopted.
Mr. BOLTON seconded the motion, and suggested that the
sum to be at the disposal of the council should not exceed
£50,000.

The motion was adopted.
GAOL BUSINESS.

The TOWN-CLERIC laid before the council a report of the
clerk of the peace, containing—l. Resolutions adopted by
the Gaol Finance Committee, which have been approved by
the Gaol Committee, and are recommended by them to the
council for confirmation, relative to-Ist, the appointment of
an acting turnkey at the weekly wages of £1 Is. ; 2d, an in-
creased diet for prisoners confined for periods of from three
to fourteen days; 3d, the taskmaster's fixed salary, which
was recommendpd to be £9O a-year, he no longer taking an
allowance of the profits; and 4th, an increase of the matron's
salary from £5O to £75 a-year. 11. The resolution of the
Gaol Committee, recommending that the salary of the
chaplain, Dr. }Rick, should be increased from £l5O to £2OO
per annum, besides the allowance of £5O per annum for
house rent, as heretofore. 111. The report of the Gaol
Committee, recommending that a fund should be set apart
for providing boys, on their discharge from prison, with
berths in ships, and necessary outfit.
PRICE OF TILE LAND SOLD BY THE CORPORATION TO THE

DOCK COMMITTEE.

Mr. Alderman EARLS, having been called upon by the
mayor, brought forward the following motion, of which he
had given notice :—" That the Finance Committee be re-
quested to make a full report to the council of the nature of
the calculations upon which they arrived at the conclusion of
recommending, that the land, belonging to the corporation,
should be conveyed to the dock trustees, under the contem-
plated act of parliament, at the price of £2 13s. Gd. per square
yard." He said that he had a twofold object in placing that
notice on the books, one of which was that the Finance Com-
mittee might have an opportunity of explaining the nature of
the calculations v; hich had induced them to recommend the
council to cede so valuable a part of their estate to the dock
trust at the price of £2 13s. Gd. a yard, and thus to show the
public how far they (the council) were faithful guardians of
the estate which they regulated and governed. He had some
elaborate statements in his possession which rather induced
him to believe that the land had been ceded at too low a price ;
but it was quite impossible to say with certainty, whether
this was the case or not, unless they had the report which he
should move for, and which, in his humble judgment, should
have been placed on the table before the council had been
called upon to vote on the subject. The question as to which
was the most advantageous way of laying out the land at the
Salthouse Dock had been agitated before. It was well known
that there was an urgent want of accommodation of that na-
ture. In his opinion, the land in question was peculiarly
adapted to that, and would yield a much larger sum, if con-
verted to that use, than if devoted to the purpose now con-
templated. The Dock Committee had had conferences with
the Duke of Bridgewater on the subject of extending his pier,
and he would like to know what was the estimated amount of
the land that would be gained by the extension, and whether
the committee had not put upon it a greater price than that
charged to themselves by the corporation. He thought if a
higher value than £2 13s. Gd. had been placed by them upon
land in front of the Duke's Dock, the council ought to place
a higher value upon that at the Salthouse Dock. The prin-
ciple of ascertaining the value by reference to a jury was a
very good one, and (night not to have been dispensed with on
the present occasion. The Finance Committee seemed
to him to have sold the land at this price, in order to
make the estimates of the Dock Committee tit ; but they
ought to have been particularly cautious in this case,
placed as they were between two bodies, before they did so.
Some gentlemen had expressed surprise that the recommen-
dation of the Finance Committee, as to the price of land,
should have been allowed to pass in council without observa-
tion. The proceedings had been partially read when he en-
tered ; he caught the words " £2. 13s. 6d.," but before he
had time to collect his senses, or to say a word on the sub-
ject, the proceedings were confirmed. Besides, there had
been no intimation in the council summons that anything of
this kind would come before them on the council day, though
there was a standing order which set forth that the heads of
all matters of more than ordinary importance, comprised in
the proceedings of committees, should be inserted in the
summons. This was extraordinary conduct on the part of
the Finance Committee, and he could not but feel exceedingly
happy to see the strict attention which had that day been
paid to the standing orders. They could not Po ssi blY—oh ,
no ! not for the world !—grant a single shilling to the chap-
lain of the gaol, without a strict attention to the standing
orders ; but on an occasion of very great importance indeed,
such as this was, the standing orders had been altogether
forgotten; for he supposed that no gentleman would pretend
to say that the alienation of a portion of the corporate estate,
to the value of £220,000. was not an extraordinary occasion,
calling for a strict observance of the standing orders. The
committee now said that there was not time to give the notice
in the summons that was required by the standing order.
If that were the case, could not they have called a special
council? But that would not have answered the purpose ;
it would have called too direct an attention to the subject.
The town-clerk might certainly have sent short notes round,
as he sometimes did. He did not know a more flagrant in-
stance than this of neglect of the standing orders; and he
could not conceive that there would be any opposition to his
motion. His excellent friend, Mr. Rathbone, had expressed
a wish that he would not bring the motion forward, because
he (Mr. R,) was afraid that he should have to vote against
it. He (the alderman) cared not who voted against it ; but he
hoped that Mr. Rathbone would keep up his well-earned re-
putation, and not spoil it by voting against the motion. He
had voted for the admission of reporters into the dock-trust
Now, he (Mr. Earle) said, that if ever there was an occasion
when the presence of reporters would have been valuable, it
was when this subject was being discussed in the Finance
Committee, because it was one the nature of which made it
immaterial whether the public were made acquainted with the
proceedings upon it or not ; and if Mr. Rathbone voted
against the motion, he (Mr. Earle) hoped that Mr. Rath-
bone would vote for the introduction of reporters iiito the
Finance Committee, for he would bring the subject forward
himself. Having read his motion, Mr. Earle said lie anti-
cipated an opposition ; he hoped that every member would
vote for it for his credit's sake.
Mr. PRESTON. seconded the motion.
Mr. CURIE said Mr. Earle had stated that he had only
entered the council chamber when the proposed price of the
land was being read ; but he (Mr. C.) thought he saw him
in the room before.
Mr. EARLE.—Not many words. But, however, that does
not matter.
Mr. Cunaip..—No ; for you had the opportunity of hear-
ing the whole, if you had came in. Mr. C. then requested
the Town-clerk to read the report of the Finance Committee
of the 31st of March.

The TOWN-CLERK having done so,
Mr. BusnEm. asked what was the former valuation alluded
to in the report ? .
The Towzr-eLerti,: replied—S-3, with a reduction for pub-
lic improvements.
Mr. Conga; then said that there had been no wish on the
part of the Finance Committee to conceal anything from
the council.• They made a straightforward statement of the
reason of their coming forward and deviating from the for-
mer course. Their report was confirmed by the council
without opposition; it had since been acted on, so far as
to have the sum of £2 13s. Gd. inserted in the blank ;
and he certainly thought that it was somewhat late, at this
hour of the day, when the bill had had to encounter amongst
all its opponents, none fiercer, though at the same time
more straightforward and honest, than his lriend Mr. Earle.
who had never concealed his determination to do all he could
to defeat the bill—it seemed rather singular, he said, that
he (Mr. Earle) should think the council would fall into his
trap, and give him information which might be used to the
disadvantage of the bill now before parliament. But he (Mr.
Carrie) wished to say that the price was not a precipitate
price, or to favour the Dock Committee. Mature caleula-

tions had been separately made by the surveyor and other
competent persons, yet their estimates came as near to one
another as well could be, taking into consideration the land,
and strand, and graving-docks. if any confidence were to
be placed in the skill and honesty of the officers who made
those calculations ; if the council were disposed to abide by
their own mature confirmation of the proceedings of the
Finance Committee, it was rather too late to do anything
that would have a tendency to annul a solemn agreement
between two bodies. The corporation had no eye to the
warehouse owners at all in the price they fixed upon the
land. And although it was at first recommended by the
Finance Committee that the price should be fixed by a jury,
and although he would not depart from the propriety of that
principle, yet, when they saw that the safety of the bill was
at stake, they certainly did, in the exercise of their discre-
tion, recommend a deviation from the original plan, and that
£2 13s. Gd. should be taken for the whole land, which was
three shillings more than was recommended, and what the
council would have approved eighteen months ago. The
time would come when nothing in those statements, or cal-
culations, or steps taken for ascertaining the value of the
land, need be withheld ; for regular calculations were made,
with great care, to ascertain what was likely to be the value
of the land if laid out partly for docks, partly for warehouses,
and partly for what Mr. Earle had recommended, and it
came out as nearly as possible the price that was fixed upon.
The Finance Committee were prepared to justify their recom-
mendation at the proper time ; for, though they did not
shrink from showing the documents and papers, they thought
' it improper to bring them before the council now, when they
might, be sent up to have the bill defeated. Though Mr.
Earle might as he professed, have been struck all of a heap,
and could not get up to say " I beg to have that subject
postponed," there had been other opportunities since, and
he had been silent. He should conclude by saying that the
Finance Committee had been influenced by no desire for
concealment, hurry, cr smuggling, and that at the proper
moment they were prepared to lay before the council the
two calculations on which they came to their conclusion.
Mr. BOLTON, concurred in this view taken by the chair-
man of the Finance Cothmittee. He thought that the
council had proceeded too far to bring into question their
former judgment ; and as it was stated by the promoters of
the bill that it was essential that the price should be fixed,
there was no course, but to fix some. Mr. Earle said that
it should have been inserted in the ordinary notice ; but
that was impossible. Those were written on Saturday the
29th of March ; the deputation returned on that day ; and
it was not till the 31st that the Finance Committee became
aware of the necessity of fixing the price. Did Mr. Earle
say that he was ignorant of the fact, that 42 13s. Gd. had
been recommended ?

Mr. EARLE—I do deny it most distincly.
Mr. BOLTON.—At all events he heard the reasons for fix-
ing it ; and he (Mr. Bolton) thought that the circumstances
fully justified the course pursued. There had been an en-
deavOur to cast au imputation on the Finance Committee and
the council, but he should show, by a short statement, that
this was undeserved. The two graving docks, which were
in an exceedingly dilapidated state, comprised 25,963 square
yards, and they had paid, on the average of the last six
years, £1641 14s. lid. The sum that the dock trust was
to pay to the corporation of those docks, was £69,451, which
at four per cent., would produce an income of £2,778, while
the recent income, laying aside the necessity of rebuilding,
was only two-and-a-half. The land at the west side of the
Salthouse Dock was 37,323 yards, of which 7,040 yards
were composed of the land between the west side of the
Salthouse Dock and Trentham-street. The remaining
30,000 yards consisted of ship-building yards, which were let
at Is. 6d. a square yard. To that were to be added (and fur
which the Dock Committee were to pay ; but they were to
be at the expence of erecting the walls to make the land)
18,496 yards on • the west side of the Salthouse Dock, includ-
ing the strand, for which the dock trust was to pay £149,315.
That at four per cent., would produce £5,972. The average
of the last six years, on what was called the Salthouse
Dock estate, was £1,977, or one and one-third per cent.
The graving clocks would produce twenty per cent. more
than they did at the present time, and the other three
times more ; and so, therefore, it was a most advantageous
bargain to the corporate estate to have it sold. And not only
that, but the purpose for which it was sold was one the most
calculated to promote the prosperity of the port. The town
was inconveniently situated by having docks so far removed
to the north and south. The docks would there bring back
the trade to the heart of Liverpool, and then it would be con-
venient to the merchants to go and see their business done,
instead of neglecting it, as they now too often did, from the
distance. In former times, the coporation gave land for erect-
ing docks ; and he maintained that that was the most prudent
thing that ever was done, and nothing brought back a greater
return than that to the town. Instead of £221,823, they
should not have charged anything for the strand. If Mr.
Earle's motion was acceded to, it was his opinion that some
apparent discrepancy or other would be seized upon, some-
thing on which counsel might hang an argument, for the pur-
pose of bamboosling parliament and defeating the bill. Mr.
Earle might disclaim anything of the kind ; but he was con-
vinced that those with whom he (Mr. Earle) acted would not
hesitate to do so, to throw out the bill. Mr. Earle had stated
that the land might be used for carrier's offices, which were,
he believed, much wanted, and no doubt it might beneficially
done; but if it were done, at whose expense ? It must be
done by the corporation; for he ventured to say that a return
of 4 per cent. would greatly exceed any other purpose to
which it could be devoted. He was at a loss to understand
Mr. Earle's motion. In his opinion, no more advantageous
an use of the land could haVe been made than to build docks ;
for docks were most beneficial things. It was the docks of
Liverpool which had laid the golden eggs. He thought that
the circumstances of the case fully aquitted the Finance
Committee from the charge of hurrying the matter forward.
Mr. Earle had expressed a hope that Mr. Rathbone would
support his motion ; but he (Mr. Bolton) regretted that Mr.
Earle should be associated with those who habitually opposed
himself and Mr. Rathboune. They (Mr. B. and friends)
were seeking that of which the town would approve, and an
' enlarged view of which would, be hoped, induce parliament
to approve. After some other observations, the speaker con-
cluded by saying that warehouses had perhaps nothing to do
with the subject ; but he must say that he should no more
think of building docks without warehouses, than a mill with-
' out machinery, or a house without modern conveniences.
Mr. Alderman SHEIL referred to the fact of M r. Alderman
Earle having individually alluded to him, and said that it
would not therefore be proper in him to give a silent vote.
He could not exactly comprehend what Mr. Earle said ; but
he recollected that he (Mr. Earle) dwelt much on the neces-
sity of the council watching what be called another body.
This had struck him at once. Now, he should like to know
from Mr. Earle how the Dock Trust could 3e a committee
one week, and a distinct body another week. Last week,
when the question of the admission of reporters was under
' disc•assion, it was a committee emanating from that council,
and over which the council had such entire control that it
could do nothing without them • but this week it had become
a distinct and separate body. which they were called upon to
watch with attention, and in the matter of bargains, to look
after them as strictly as though convinced they would take
every opportunity of cheating the council. The next opinion
that attracted his attention was one of Mr. Currie's. He
(Mr. Currie) told the council that Mr. Earle was a fair,
straightforward, candid, and upright opponent, and then
cautioned them not to fall into his trap. Think of a straight-
forward, honest man setting traps ! (Laughter.) Mr. Bolton
had given utterance to an opinion of a very serious charac-
ter ; the others were little more than amusing. lie told them
that, after the usual notices had been sent out, intelligence
arrived from London which rendered it necessary for the Fi-
nanca Committee to come to an immediate conclusion on
this very important affair ; and that they assembled, and did
come to a conclusion, so as to bring the matter before the
council ; and he would ask, if they had time to do so, when
there was not time to get notices printed and sent round ?
Through that not having been done, they had given Mr. Earle
a good ground in favour of his motion ; and he (Mr. Sheil)
would vote for it, and he would tell the council for what rea-
son—because the proper notice was not given.; and, again,
because the council should have all the information on an
important subject that they thought proper to call for. He
would also vote for it, because he thought it-impossible to
produce calculations which would bring the council to the
same conclusion that the Finance Committee had come to.
How was it possible for any man to say what the land would
bring? He had no doubt that the Finance Committee had
laid a fair and just valuation on it, under all the circumstances.
It was not fit for anything but docks, and if it were put up
to sale the Dock Committee could be the only comnetitors.
A friend had reminded him that it was fit for shipbuilding
purposes •, and if that was the case, it was the dock trust
which had a right to complain of having been overcharged.
The two estates were both for the benefit of the public, and
what matter whether two or three shillings more or less was
charged for the land ? However, he Should vote for the mo-
tion on the grounds stated.
Mr. RATHBONE would vote against the motion, because
he was a straightforward man, and liked to stick to a con-
tract. Besides, he should not like to condemn himself.
There had been a good deal of clap-trap bidding for popula-
rity ; but he would not bid for it, and make a splash about
this and that, when he knew, and every one of common sense
knew, that there are things which ought not to come before
the public till the proper time. Some of their body had
been sent up to London with powers that were not disputed,
and then, at the eleventh hour, those powers were to be dis-
puted. He thought that that was not fair to the party which
had been sent up by a large majority. (" No, no.") He
cared not for the contradiction, because he liked to give a
reason for the faith that was in him. He asserted that the
council had committed themselves by carrying that dock bill,
and that persons had been sent up to carry it, and they (the
council) ought to support them with the whole of their
power. Mr. Sheil had put the matter in a very proper light
when he observed that the price was a thing of little or no
consequence. If they had given the lanrk7 there would have
been, in his opinion, nothing to complain of. They were
now doing what they ought to have done long ago—bringing
the trade into the centre of the town. He was one of those
who were now sorry that the Custom-house had been built
where it is. He did not admire the practice of continually
referring
a gt
hadeo the Itetoi
oeuehfxtelo,
extended
eulteodnrfamadscorporation,tdemehedLee;
rtocommerce
aleunedSefton,
oeitLefetkl
estate
Liverpool,
naaebst:rouetpoitoli
was terrific.
mustabeytnyed osoi
greatlyerfir
nnsdo Derby,
thatrecobbar
ayrewia, takshaoyi ennut i
odager
msidismanagement
theyan
goodng
d
on
the tehxed otherl
s
the sound principle of centralization that they should be
able to retrieve themselves. If they had given the land,
they would only have done their duty. They had made a
very bad bargain with the dock committee. Mr. Earle had
been lidding for popularity.
Mr. Alderman EARLE.—Nothing of the kind ; I don't
care a straw about it.
Mr. RATHI3ONE.—IIe regretted that his friend, the alder-
man, had been put into a somewhat doubtful situation. He
would not allude to motives; he did not like it himself.
Mr. EARLE.-oh, out with it. (Laughter.)
Mr. RATHBONE.—He hoped that the council would not
accede to the motion. The report of the Finance Committee
(of the 31st March) was quite sufficient notice, or no notice,
rttyrierodouflgilha.
measure
to prevent any one being taken by surprise. The
bargain was
without
aa
want
tinogf one, and they could not withdraw from
Sheil,Mr saidCu IttlitiaitE,' eiin rrehfeerceinucaelifiteod wMhra.t.Ehaardlef"salloepnpforsoimtioMn ars.
withd ownr
declarationsstraightforward,
made
op e ofierce even,m r. heE dida inrle, th. a
that
accordancehrs
op-
position was on private, and not on public grounds.
Mr. AldermanE a
Earle, on
theßo osTuub
subject
thought theit
wouldviews
bwehimproperwhich
iad
received callto into
tle question
unanimous'tthhesepa warehouses,rcri 000
of the council a
month ago, and on the faith of which the deputation in Lon-
don was now acting. He thought the price a very fair one.
Mr. Alderman BARCLAY, thought that however candid
Mr. Earle might generally be, he had hardly been candid on
that occasion. He had not stated the ground of the motion,
which in his (Mr. Barclays's) opinion, was to throw some
impediment in the way of the bill.
Mr. H. LAWRENCE advocated the propriety of such
matters being invariably left to the consideration of a jury.
Mr. ROBERTSON GLADSTONE considered the motion of
Mr. Earle a perfectly justifiable one. It appeared to him,
that if there was to be " a Purchase" by the dock estate
from the corporation, of the land in question, that it should
be at a rate equivalent to its value, and that he presumed,
could only be ascertained, by trying what it would bring by
public competition. But if, on the contrary, it was to be
a yift, as some members of the council had said it should be,
then let it be a gift in reality; but do not pretend to make a
sale, and accept of a price far below the value of the property.
He could not on this occasion approve of the conduct of the
Finance Committee, who had concluded this sale ; and their
inconsistency had been proved, by the fact, that in the early
discussion of the proposal for building warehouses on the
clock quays, they had, in the first instance, recommended
the building of sheds to the council, though they had since
changed their minds, and now advocated the erection of
warehouses. Probably, therefore, if the subject were

Mr. COOPER would support the motion, on the ground
that the standing had not been complied with. The most
fair way would have been to have had the land assessed by a
jury, as at first suggested.
Mr. RATIIRONE would ask the town-clerk whether the
standing orders bad not been complied with?
The TOWN-CLERK gave it as his opinion that they had
not ; but the objection ought, he said, to have been taken at
the time.

Mr. BOLTON wished to mention one point which he had
forgotten. Mr. Earle had asked what was the value of the
duke's land? His answer was, that there was an obligation
on the part of the council or dock estate, if the duke's out-
ward wall were extended to a certain height, not only to
build a wall, but to give the duke the benefit of the land so
enclosed, without charge.
Mr. BLACKBURN said that the time had gone by when the
motion could properly be made.

Mr. Busithiobserved that the discussion had had one
good effect, in changing Mr. Earle's notions about the ad-
mission of reporters into the Dock Committee. He should
vote for the alderman's motion, as he thought that the coun-
cil were bound to pass a vote of censure on themselves for
the slovenly manner in which the matter had been managed.
Mr. EARLE then replied. He denied that he had any in-
tention, in introducing the motion, of doing anything to
cause the withdrawal of the bill. Mr. Currie had made a
broad assertion, which ought not, and should not, go out
to the public, that he was the opponent of the warehouses
for private views. He made no hesitation to say that he
was ; but he was never opposed to warehouse-building on
.certain principles: he was opposed to its being done by the
public purse against private individuals. He had never
associated with the strange bed-fellows he had been said to
associate with ; he never attended but one meeting. and that
was to raise funds. HiS sole motive in bringing forward the
motion was, that he did not think £2 13s. Gd. the real value
of the land. Mr. Bolton had talked about the bamboozling
parliament ; but he (Mr. Earle) thought Mr. Bolton had
done so with his own figures. The value of the land was not
what it had been lately producing ; for every one knew that
it had been lying by with the expectation that it would do
better at a future period. Mr. Rathbone had said that he
(the speaker) was seeking for popularity. Why, no man had
been more abused. He had been called a good fat or a lean
alderman ; and it mattered not what he did ; he was not like
many of them, coming before the public every third year.
(Laughter.) Mr. Gladstone had hit the right nail on the
head ; but Cornhill ought not to have been mentioned ; for
his kind friend William (Mr. Rathbone, perhaps) had a little
bit of land in that corner. He was happy in having brought
the subject before the public, who, in general, judged ex-
tremely well of these matters ; and whether he was in a ma-
jority or a minority he did not care one straw.
The council then went to the vote. The motion was lost.
For the motion.—W. Preston, H. R. Sandbach, I'. Sands,
J. Cooper, J. Lawrence, •H. Lawrence, R. Gladstone, C.
Bushell, J. Smith, D. Mather, R. Sheil, W., Earle, W. P.
Freme.

Against the motion.—J. Holmes, G. Quayle, W. Thornhill,
R. Houghton, E. Pilcher, T. Bolton, J. Priestley, J. Wooll-
- R. Bright, W. Rathbone, R. V. Yates, W. Lassell,
T. Blackburn, T. Morecroft, E. Segar, T. Coglan, W.
M`Kee, W. M. Duncan, W. W. Currie, T. Booth, J.
Hornby, J. Moon, T. B. Barclay, T. Bulley, T. Holt, E.
Harvey, and the Mayor.
As two-thirds of the council were not present; the other
business was postponed.
The council broke np about a quarter-past one.