The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-02-02 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS,

HORTICULTURAL SHows.—At a meeting of the nur-
serymen of this town and a number of amateur florists, at
the Brunswick Hotel, on Thursday, a committee was ap-
pointed for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to
recommence the Liverpool Horticultural Exhibitions, not
one having been held in the town during the whole of last
year. Mr. R. M. Beckwith and Mr. Thomas Davies
were deputed to wait on the Botanic Gardens Committee,
and ascertain whether permission may be had to use the
gardens for the exhibition.

PRICE OF ALE.—At a meeting of the brewers of this
town on Saturday, it was resolved that the price of the
two lowest qualities of ale should be the same as an-
nounced at the public meeting of the licensed victuallers
of the day previous ; namely, 365. and 445., with no inter-
mediate price ; also, that the system of taking back bot-
toms should be absolutely discontinued. We understand
that these resolutions were signed by forty brewers, and,
that a copy of them will be forwarded to every licensed
victualler in the town and neighbourhood.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN ENGLAND.—This evening a
meeting of the congregation of St. George's Presbyterian
Church, Myrtle-street, will be held N receive a deputation
from the Liverpool synod, with reference to the various
schemes of the church. Since the disruption of the Church
of Scotland, when the body in England declared its independ-
ence, the numbers have rapidly increased, so much so, that
at present it comprises six presbyteries, with eighty congre-
gatiens besides preaching stations ; and, on Tuesday, the
foundation stone of another church was laid at Dudley, by
John Henderson, Esq. of London. The church, which
will be of the early Esq.,
style, is from the de, qignof
John Hay, Esq., of this town wlohas rendered himself'
by his admirable ecclesiasticafd
NEW GAS AND COKE COIVIesIIgAnNs.
meeting of the proprietors of this coYm.—
Esq. , company
ye
it; wasmub.eldNi)rn
The half-yearly
Wednesday ; William Fosberry,
Steele read the report as follows :—The act of parliament'
under which this meeting is held prescribing that the
accounts should be. made up annually to the 30th June,
the yearly statement was laid before the proprietors at
their meeting on the 29th July last. Excluding premiums
paid on shares sold by public auction, which are added to
the capital without dividend, the dividend agreeably to
the company's acts of parliament will be on subscribed i
capital as follows, namely, on 250 2 5 shares issued on
the 31st October last, Bs. 4d. per share ; on the 470 £25
shares issued on the Ist September last, 16s. Bd. ; and on
the £25 shares issued previously, 255. per share ; and on
each £lOO share, £s,—being at the rate of 5 per cent.
for the half-year. It is now for the proprietors to order
the dividend accordingly, payable on the Gth February,
subject to the deduction of the income-tax as heretofore.
The report was adopted and the dividend declared.
WEST DERBY BOARD OF GUARDIANS.—At the usual
weekly meeting on Wednesday, the Law-clerk was re-
quested to write to the Cleansing Committee of the
Council, to draw their attention to the filthy and almost
impassable state of Mill-lane, leading from Everton-road
to the Workhouse. The report of the Fever-house me-
dical officer showed that the number of patients remaining
in the house was 15 ; admitted since last report, 6 dis-
charged cured, 4 ; relieved, 17 ; of those admitted two
were very bad cases, and required great attention. No
deaths had occurred. Mr. Cleaver, the Law-clerk,
called the attention of the Board to a paragraph which
bad appeared in the papers, stating that so crowded was
the state of the Workhouse, in consequence of the preva-
lent distress, that some of the poor were sleeping on the
floor, and the overseers of Toxteth-park had paid £220
in outdoor relief in the course of one week. These state-
ments, he believed, were untrue, and he hoped the error
would be corrected, in order that the ratepayers might he
rightly informed. The Chairman (Mr. Sheppard) said
he had that morning gone over the house, and was much
pleased with the general order and cleanliness of the
building. The beds placed on the boards were clean and
comfortable. The excellent condition of the house re-
flected great credit on the governor, and he was entitled
to the approbation of ihe Board, every member of which
was satisfied with his arrangements. Mr. Lloyd said he
heard Mr. Latham, the relieving officer, say that £220
had been paid for relief. The officer said the amount
stated was £llB. After some further conversation, it
was stated, in contradiction to the paragraph above men-
tioned, that two beds were the most which had been placed
out
the floor, that no one had ever slept on the floor with-
relief bed. and that the greatest amount ever paid for
in Toxteth-park was £llB. Mr. Lloyd moved that
a person be t
Rowland, whoemporarily appointed in the place of Mr.
park. It wa was required by the overseers of Toxteth-
situation till Teed that Mr. Parnell should fill his
of February. Mr. Smith withdrew
his motion for edivitdculing To.xteth-park into two districts,
and taking Bootle-
y dirtn.Letmacru from West Derby, and
adding it to Crosby

TILE LIVERT3

THE BREWERR, AND: THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS.—
The brewers of this town having resolved to raise the
price of their ale about Bs. per barrel, a meeting of publi-
cans was held on Ffiday, to come-to some resolution as to-
propriety or otherwise-of making any rise in the retail
price to the public. It was resolved, that, as the advance.
appeared to be made only with a view of meeting the pre-
sent high price of barley, and as any rise in the retail
price would be likely to interfere with the trade of the li-
censed victuallers, that, fer-the present, no advance to the
public should be made. A committee was then appointed
to have further interviews with the brewers, for the pur-
pose of inducing them• to • modify the advance in some
measure, and to allow some little relaxation in other mat-
ters connected with the trade: On Saturday, the com-
mittee waited on the brewers, but they did not obtain a
meeting, as the brewers said .they were then engaged.
DOCK COMMITTEE, THURSDAY.—The Committee of
the Marine Department reported that they could not re-
commend any increase in the salaries of the keepers of the
Rock Lighthouse, and the keepers of the Telegraph at the
Great Ormshead. Confirmed.—A new chart of Liverpool
Bay, from a survey made by the surveyor in 1846, was
submitted, with a report thereon, containing suggestions
relative to new lights at the entrance of the port; its con-
sideration was deterred for a• week, until a report should
be obtained from the pilots'—A letter was read from the
officers of the Customs, intimating that a general bond
would be taken for goods stored in the Albert Dock ware-
houses.. Several appointments were made of delivery
foremen and dock clerks to the Albert Dock warehouses,
and some names added to the list of master porters.—The
receipts at the port of Runcorn were stated to be as fol-
lows, for the month ending, the 24th instant :-143 vessels,
7936 tons, £42105, 10d., being an increase of £2O ss. 11d.
over the corresponding period of last year.
GOVERNESSES' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. The
first annual meeting of the-friends and subscribers of this
institution was held on Thursday, in the Charitable Insti-
tution-house, Slater-street. Mr. Edward Cropper, the
president, occupied the chair. The secretary, Mr. Reid,
read the report, which stated that the directors had met
monthly since their appointment in June last, and had
awarded relief to the amount of £39 to applicants whose
cases had been fully inquired into, and had been reported
upon by the Ladies' Committee. They had also expended
upwards of £5 in assistance to governesses whose cases
required immediate attention,—assistance which had been
of most material service, as the persons had been thrown
into circumstances of great destitution and distress. At
a meetinge, in August, the directors resolved to establish a
savings' bank and a Government annuity department,
and to open books for the free registration of governesses
in want of situations, as well as for the entering the
names of parties requiring governesses, to the latter of
which those governesses who are registered in the books
of the institution should have access. Accordingly a pros-
pectus was issued, setting forth the objects of the institu-
tion, and the establishment of the savings' bank, annuity
and registration departments. The institution seemed to
be little known, as there had been only one depositor for
the savings' bank, and no application for assistance in ar-
ranging for a Government annuity. The directors drew
attention particularly to the regisiration department, the
value of which, to governesses, was obvious, while it was
of great egpvenience to parties in want of such persons.
Mention was made of the great loss which the institution
had sustained by the death of their vice-president, the la-
mented Dr. Tattershall. The report concluded by calling
the attention of the friends of the institution to the fact,
that it had been enabled to undertake only a few of the
various objects originally contemplated ; and that to ren-
der it useful and permanent much aid and encouragement
would yet be required. The following is the statement
of the accounts :—Donations, £327 3s. ; annual sub-
scriptions, £l4O is. ; other items, £8 16s, 7d. Expended
in relief, printing, and other expenses, £llO ls. -5d.,
leaving a balance to the credit of the institution of £365
19s. 2d. The Rev. F.: Farry, in moving the adoption of
the report, said, of all the institutions in Liverpool, none
were more entitled to support than the Governesses' In-
stitution. Dr. Nottingham, Mr. John Close, Mr. Tory,
Mr. Samuel Martin, and Mr. Colesworth, moved and
seconded resolutions for the appointment of officers.

INFLUX OF IRISH PAUPERS.—MEETING OF THE
MAGISTRATES.
On Wednesday, a special meeting of borough magis-
trates was held in the Sessions'-house, to consider the
propriety of petitioning parliament with respect to the
present very alarming influx of Irish' paupers into Liver-
pool. The mayor presided, and there were present eight-
een other magistrates.
The MAYOR opened the business of the meeting, and
said it was for them to say whether they would adopt a
petition which had been prepared by Mr. Rushton.
Mr. RusitToN said that he had drawn up the petition
at his worship's request, making the best use of the facts
in, his possession, which he believed were authentic. His
attention had been called to the great influx of the Irish
poor a few weeks ago, when many of them were brought
before him as vagrants. He began to see then that that
was the beginning of extensive immigration here; and
very soon after the laws respecting vagrancy became of
little effect in the way of corrective, for the magistrates
might have filied the gaol ten times over. Under the
cloak of a large amount of real suffering, there was now a
great amount of imposition, for the vagrants were availing
themselves of the existing state of things, and were coming
over in considerable numbers. The famine was one evil,
and importure was another. The parochial autho-
rities had acted from the commencement in the most
praiseworthy manner in meeting the evil. Thousands, of
the ratepayers of Liverpool would have to contribute out
of their necessities to meet the evil of the immigration.
He then read the petition, which was similar to that of
the Select Vestry, and after stating the immense number
of Irish poor who had come over and been relieved at
a great cost, Sprays that parliament will devise some
mode of relieving Liverpool from bearing more than a fair
share of this serious infliction ; and that whether this were
acceded to or not, they will not separate without enacting
a law by which in future the people of Ireland, like the
people of England, shall be compelled to make provision
for the wants of their own poor.
Mr. BOLTON said it would require £4OOO to send the
paupers back to Ireland.

- Mr. RUSHTON recommended the inhabitants to relieve
the distress only through the medium of the charitable
societies of the town.

The petition was adopted and signed by all the magis-
trates present.

HIGHLAND DESTITUTION.

On Friday, a public meeting was held in the Music-
hall, Bold-street, for the purpose of devising some plans
by which to alleviate the sufferings at present existing in
the Highlands of Scotland. Mr. GEORGE GRANT occu-
pied the chair.

The CHAIRMAN, after some introductory observations,
referred to two gentlemen who had honoured them with
their presence that day, Mr. M‘Leod and the Rev. Dr,
Mackay. He was sure that the information which they
would be able to give would be of the most interesting
kind ; he was sure they would listen to them with great
interest. With Dr. M'Leod he was well acquainted,
and his untiring zeal and unwearied devotion to the cause
of the Highlands of Scotland were well known to the
world, and they entitled him to the gratitude of his coun-
trymen. He then passed a very high eulogium on the
rev. gentleman, and, in conclusion, hoped that they would
consider the resolution which was about being laid before
them.

Mr. Gum moved the first resolution, which will be
found in our advertising columns ; it was seconded by
Mr. WATSON.

Mr. 111`Luon said that the population of the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland had been estimated at 400,000,
and of that number there were about 100,000 who were
not dependent on the potato crop for support, and who
were not sufferers by 'the blight which had fallen upon
that article of food, from which it appeared that there
were 300,000 of the population of the Highlands who
must he sufferers by that dire calamity. By contributing
a little of their substance at that time, it would enable.
some of the Highlanders to " weather the storm" for
some time to come, and also to preserve themselves from
`starvation. When they beheld the common food of the
majority of the Highlanders thus gone, and no Other re-
source thus left them, they need not wonder at the great
idntioswtlraeesssssutnai dei,
than
want2soa,r
unnecessary
aoitr.‘
iaai
ms stateart
ois
entere arisen
fi in
a land.etithnuetaol
dt
starvation.lT hl
ie
ee
B 1 weredt
thought it his duty to write to a. number efagleanct gentlemen in
the Highlands, who, he was well aware, were
with the real state of the people, and he was mosti acquainted
y
to state that, with the greatest readiness, he receivedi
answers from all of them. Some of the letters he would
lay before the meeting. The fact was undeniable, that
famine prevailed in the Highlands, and he regretted to
say that there was a great deal of distress among the peo=
ple. They would be told of starvation such as this—tbe
child clinging to its mother's breast, and trying to obtain
its natural food, but in vain ; they would hear of cases of
children crying around their parents from morning to night
for food which it was impossible they could give them. I et,
for all this, they had reason to bless God that the state of
Scotland was nothing to be compared with that of Ire-
land ; the people of Scotland bore their forlorn condition
with a fortitude becoming Christians. There was no class
in the Highlands who felt the weight of this calamity
more than the clergymen, gentry, and other gentlemen,
whose kitchens were always crowded with persons seek-
ing relief. From a document which he read, it appeared
that two-thirds of the rents were unpaid. The rev. gen-
tleman stated that there is a very large class of persons
in the Highlands, called the •` cottar population," who
have not a spot of their' own to sit down upon, who are
mere " squatters," The famine was brought about by
circumstances over which the proprietors had no control.
They were well aware that a short time ago, a great busi-
ness was done in the manufacture of kelp. That was
destroyed by a single act of the legislature. Many of
the proprietors derived thousands of pounds from this
manufacture, and who only had about £2OO from the
land ; some who were formerly well to do in the world,
were now, in consequence of this act, serving as stipen-
diary magistrates under the burning sun of the West
Indies. But there was another cause of this calamity,
which he would take that opportunity of stating to the
meeting, and that was.the driving away the poor people
out of their homes, where they and their ancestors had
existed for centuries. It is not merely the failure of the
manufacture of kelp, but in the plan which many of the
landlords are adopting, that of turning their land to the.
purposes of grazing, for which purpose they are driving
the poor creatures out to make room for their cattle. The
rev. gentleman stated that the people generally deserved
the highest praise for their forbearance under the trying
circumstances in which they were placed. He had heard
of no outbreak—no thefts of any kind. The subscrip-
tions amounted in Scotland to about £14,000, but it would
require about £1,000,000 before all their wants could be
relieved. In a few words he eulogised the conduct of
several of the noblemen and gentry, not only of Scotland,
but of England, who, he said, had behaved in a most
handsome manner on the present occasion. By means
of this evil, one great good had been effected, and that