The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-16 00:00:00

KIRKDALE MIDSUMMER SESSIONS.

The Midsummer Sessions for the Hundred of West Derby
commenced at the Court-house, Kirkdale, yesterday, before
the Rev. JONATHAN BROOKS, chairman, and a very full
bench of magistrates.

The Court having been opened with the usual forms, tare
following gentlemen were sworn the grand jury :
THouns COWLEY, of Billinge Chapel End, gentleman,
FOREMAN.
Joseph Forest, of Warrington, miller.
Henry France, of Warrington, druggist.
Thomas Clough, of Ashton-in-l‘fackertied, hinge master.
Robert Arrowsmith, of Astley, cotton manufacturer.
Thomas Cheetham, of Astley, shopkeeper.
Samuel Part, of Astley, farmer.
Alfred Samuel Carr, of Billinge Chapel End, gentleman.
George Petty, of Billinge Chapel End, nail manufacturer.
Thos. Tasker, jun., of Billinge Chapel End, coal merchant.
Henry Arnold, of Great Crosby, yeoman.
Joseph Blanchard, of Great Crosby, yeoman.
Joseph Bradshaw, of Great Crosby, yeoman. •
John Davies,
of GreatG Great
eat e Crosby,Crosby,
byeoman.
John dealer.
John Hunt, of Culcheth, yeoman.
aodf,
John Hall, of Culcheth, miller.
John Jones, of Newton, engine manufacturer.
John Wilson, of Newton, wine and spirit merchant.
William Winstanley, of Newton, plumber.
Richard Allen, of Warrington, cotton manufacturer.
Samuel Stock, of Billinge Chapel End, coal merchant.
The reverend CHAIRMAN, in his address to the grand
jury, said he was happy to inform them that their labours
would be lighter than usual. The number of cases to come
before them did not, he believed, amount to more than 34,
unless some additional ones came in, which were not before
him, and of which be was not aware. In looking over the
particulars of them, he found that there was nothing out of
the common routine of those cases which usually came before
grand juries at quarter sessions. The gentleman who was
their foreman had sat upon grand juries before, therefore
they would have the benefit of his experience to guide them
with regard to their duties, if they should be at a loss; but
should they find any difficulty the court would be glad to
give them any advice in its power.
The grand jury then retired; and the meeting commenced
soon afterwards, but all the cases were destitute of public
interest.

The calendar comprises the names of 49 prisoners in cus-
tody and one on bail, for trial on charges of felony, and six
misdemeanors—total 56. Of this number only two are able
to read and write in a superior manner; 30 that have ability
but very imperfectly, whilst the very large
.proportion of
24 or nearly one-half of the whore, have never been taught
either. The oldest prisoner is a female aged 50, and the
youngest a boy aged 13.
The sessions were expected to close to-morrow (Saturday.)
............„

We have this day seen a letter, written in London }'ester'-
day evening (Friday), stating
...that the Judicial Cominittee
of -the Privy Council have confirmed the decision of Sir- H.
Jenner, in the case of Sir M. Wood v. Goodlake. It fur-
ther states that, in consequence of the above decision, Sir
Matthew resigns the,representation of the city, and that Mr.
Jones Lloyd, in that case, offers himself is a candidate.
—Mon morrthshipe Beacon.

So many works have of late years been, and continue to be,
issued from the press, descriptive of Ireland, many of them
by talented writers, who have acquired a minute knowledge
of its localities, and not a few of them embellished with tine
engravings, that it may appear presurn?tive in a humble in-
dividual, who has obtained little more than a transitory glance
of a part of that interesting country, to submit to the public
his necessarily hasty, and, it may be, somewhat imperfect
impressions. With a view, therefore, to conciliate the kind
consideration of thOse who may peruse these simple sketches,
it behoves me to enumerate the motives that have led to
the perilous adventure, in so critical an age, of plaeing them
before the public. In the first place, several of my friends
and acquaintances, whose opinions are entitled to my re-
spect, and whose inquiries relative to my recent short
sojourn in " The Emerald Isle," drew from me a brief
oral account of what I had seen and felt, have been pleased
to opine that a brief description of the Shannon, as I
found it, would be acceptable, inasmuch as, notwithstanding
all that had been written on the subject, the British public
were generally but little acquainted with that noble river,
and would peruse a few slight sketches of its beauties and
capabilities—" written in my accustomed slap-dash style"—
though they would shrink from a voluminous, elaborate, and
learned detail. There was in this expression of opinion, no
doubt, considerable flattery on their part, and, to be influenced
by it alone, would evince no little vanity on mine. But I
am actuated by inducements of a less questionable nature.
As an Englishman, and, strictly speaking, " A stranger in
Ireland," I visited the Shannon with expectations not a little
elevated by what I had heard and read ; and, so far from
being disappointed, as is generally the result in such cases,
my most sanguine expectations were more than realised.
I beheld that noble stream, and its beautiful and diversified
shores, with feelings of comingled admiration and regret ;
admiration of its extent and capabilities for the amelioration
of the immense population on its borders,—and regret that,

where so much, had been accomplished by nature, so little
(either from a narrow and mistaken policy, or from less

blameless causes), had been achieved by art—so little to render
it available for those purposes of intercourse and profitable
commerce—the grand pioneers of civilization and refine-
ment—for which Providence designed it, and which, if libe-
rally pursued, would render it the means of diffusing wealth,
comfort, and contentment over a vast and abounding terri-
tory, where disaffection now rears its head, and of which,

with some comparative exceptions,
it may mournfully be said—
"The cheerless night of desolation reigns

" few and far between,

ith these impressions, 1 felt that I should be doing
violence to my own feelings, as well as injustice to the gene-
rosity of my countrymen, if I did not endeavour to draw
attention to the Shannon, its unequalled scenery, and its
capability of improvement as the main and vivifying artery
of Ireland ; and in doing so I submit my remarks, not in the
assumptive spirit of one who has studied and mastered the
subject before him, but simply with a view to excite towards
it the attention of others who are more competent to its elu-
cidation, and whose influence and talent, exerted in behalf
of Ireland, ma; enable them to " redeem the time" that for
ages has been lost, by the impolitic, and I apprehend, culpa-
ble neglect of one of the finest rivers in Europe. lam aware
that an ordnance survey of the stream and its banks, under
the auspices of government, is now in progress of comple-
tion, and that considerable improvements are in contempla-
tion ; but these will fall far short of the requirements which
prudence and humanity imperatively dictate, if the feelings
of the British public be not roused to urge on, and assist in,
a work which, independently of local advantages, would ma-
terially augment our national resourses, add to our supplies
of the necessaries and comforts of life from our own soil,
conduce to the consolidation of our power and independence
as a state, and confer the most lasting and important be-
nefits on both countries. Had the Shannon flowed in its
long and available course through an equal extent of the
hills and vallies of England, its banks, instead of exhibiting
a comparatively few isolated maniocs, many of them deserted
by their owners, and hearing an aspect almost as desolate and
sombre as the ruins of the once stately strongholds of
feudal times that bristle around them ; in place of these, and
of the miserable mud-built hovels peopled by the impoverished
and destitute peasantry, scattered promiscuously over the
surface of the prolific coil, we should have beheld gorgeous
cities—palacial edifices, the abodes of ease, elegance, and
hospitality—and comfortable homesteads—in fine, a resident
gentry, and a happy and well-affected population. It is not,
however, too late to correct the errors of the past ; and much
may be accomplished even in comparatively a few years by
Improving the stream of the Shannon, and constructing
suitable quays and approaches oo its shores, whether by go-
vernment, or a combination of public and private enterprise
directed, to effect a consummation so devoutly to be wished,
not only for the welfare of Ireland, but for that of the whole
British empire.
I have yet another motive to assign for acceding to the
flattering solicitations of my friends. I found the people of
Ireland, both rich and poor, so truly hospitable that, as has
been elegantly expressed by a Scottish bard of the High-
landers of his country, it may be said that amongst them,
too, " Stranger is a holy name." The most disinterested
generosity and kindness, amounting to even a constant en-
deavour not only to oblige, but to anticipate one's every
wish, is the characteristic of the better orders of Irish ; and
this feeling is so universal that its exercise is scarcely deemed
a virtue. I have no mode of expressing my gratitude, but
through the little incidents recorded in these sketches, to
those to whom I am indebted for these offices of unexpected
friendship, to whose merits I am inadequate to do justice,
and who would repudiate all direct personal acknowledgment
as approaching to an affront.
Such is my apology, courteous reader, for this adventure.
May it be sufficient to ensure thy forbearance ! The sketch
of the voyage by sea to Limerick is introduced with a view to
give variety to the narrative, to convey some idea of the
dangers, as a lee shore, of the west coast of Ireland, which is
little frequented by vessels from this port, and, with the brief
concluding account of my return to Liverpool by the Upper
Shannon and Dublin, to complete the trip " out and home."
J. S. W.

Liverpool, May 31st, 1841.
No. I

The run to Cape Clear.—The Southern Coast of Ireland.—
The Skellig's Rocks.—A trying Storm.—The Blaskett
Rock:.—Storm increases.— Imminent danger at
_length

overcome.—Forging westward from the land.—Another
gale.—Return eastward.—The Skelligs.—Strange and
picturesque Rocks and Islands.—Magnificent Estuary of
the Shannon.—Arrival at Tarbert.
Having been invited to accompany the new steam-ship
Erin-go-Bragh, from Liverpool to the Shannon, on which
she was intended to ply, I embarked at the Clarence dock,
on the evening of Wednesday, the 21st of April. It was high
water, and after leaving the dock we stood down the river
and anchored for the night off the Magazines, on the Cheshire
side of the Mersey, preparatory to an early start in the
morning. I found the vessel in command (for the voyage)
of a friend and former shipmate, Captain Christie, a young
man who was first officer of the " Liverpool" steam-ship,
on her several trips to and from New York, and still in the
service of the company to which she and the Erin-go-Bragh
belong. This was to me, and to others on board, a great gra-
tification, not from any expectation of meeting with such
weather, at so advanced a season of the year, as would call
into critical action his acknowledged abilities, but from the
pleasure we promised ourselves as the guests of a gentleman
of that amenity of manners which is generally, and in this
instance peculiarly, the characteristic of the generous and
fearless British seamen.

The Erin (for I must briefly describe her), is a finely mo-
delled first-class iron vessel, of 134 feet in length, by 26 in
beam, and admeasuring about 330 tons, on a draft of water
suited for the Shannon, of little more than 5i feet. She
was built by Messrs. Page and Grantham ; and the engines,
of 100 horse-power, by Messrs. Mather, Dixon, and Co.,
of this port ; and the quality of each, severely tested, as they
were on their first " outward" voyage, reflects the greatest
credit upon both. She is schooner rigzed, with a fore topsail,
has a figure-head, representing Erin, with quarter galleries
and curved stern to correspond, and appears very handsome
in the water. Her standing rigging is of iron wire, on Mr.
Smith's patent principle, and first introduced here by Mr.
J. C. Shaw the marine manager of the City of Dublin Steam
Packet Company, under whose able superintendence the
vessel was fitted up from keel to mast-head. The principal
cabin occupies the full breadth of the vessel abaft—no sleep-
ing-rooms for passengers being required—and there is a
spacious ladies' retiring room, captain's room, &c., the
whole lighted by circular dome or deck•lights, and also by
large port windows in the sides and stern, from which the
passengers below may, in cold or wet weather, obtain views
of the scenery without,—an advantage highly appreciated
by the voyagers along the beautiful shores of the Shannon.
The saloon is fitted round with with fixture sofas, of ample
dimensions ; the sides are neatly empanelled and painted in
imitation of choice woods, and the roof is ornamented and
painted in delicate tints to correspond. The Erin has a spa-
cious raised quarter-deck, which gives a commanding eleva-
tion to those upon it, and at the same time renders the cabin
accommodationg more retired and select. There is also a
large cabin forward for deck passengers, with seats for 100
individuals, and the minor arrangements throughout are such
as to insure comfort and convenience.

As the object of the voyage was merely to carry the vessel
to her destination, there were but five cabin passengers, or
rather guests of the commander, namely—Mr. Christee, his
amiable lady, who occupied the lady's cabin, Capt. Kennedy,
who had long run a steam-boat on the Shannon, and for
whom the vessel was built, Mr. Tall, and Mr. Chadwick,
gentlemen in the employ of the company, the former one of
the celebrated divers who had recovered portions of the
wreck and materials of the Royal George, and other vessels,
and the writer,—forming a small but agreeable party, with
abundance of elbow-room in the large and handsome saloon.
The crew (exclusive of the captain) consisted of nineteen,—
mate, steward, carpenter and assistant, two engineers, six
blue jackets, and seven firemen,—making a total of twenty-
six. After some slight refreshment, a short chat and a walk
on the quarter deck—whence the numerous gas-lamps on
both sides of the river showed as brilliantly as an illumination
in the days of the gallant Nelson—we retired to rest, the
broad sofa seats of the saloon, with suitable adjuncts, forming
excellent substitutes for regular berths.
Soon after daylight on the following morning the anchor
was weighed, and at thirty-five minutes past five o'clock we
proceeded seward by the Victoria Channel. The weather
was clear, with a gentle breeze from the N.E., and the bosom
of old Mersey presented an interesting appearance, though
not yet animated by vessels in motion. No fewer than fifteen
schooners and sloops, besides steam-boats, lay at anchor, or
on the beach between the Magazines and New Brighton,—
higher up, as far as the Hock Ferry, the stream was studded
with large ships, barks, brigs, steamers, and craft of minor
degree, and if to these were added numerous coaster in the
Sloyne, and at the bottom of Wallasey Pool, opposite the
town ; the whole would form no inconsiderable beet. Yet
of
these were but the scattered
.outskirts of our vast tows,
ships, of which our docks within the sea wall form the citadel
The early smoke of the steam-boats betokened preparation;
for the operations of the day. The haze that hung over the
town left visible little wore than
~the spires, domes, towers,
loftier buildings, and intervening' forests of masts that skirted
carts,
s basinan ofd
theth e syterte ai
indistinct
itsot ti
the
the river, and shrouded the ample
south. The rolling of distant car
but increasing hum of trade,
maritime metropolis
already fell lightly on the ear,
indicating that ere long the whole of our
of the west would be involved in the turmoil
active trade. On the Cheshire side, turmoil
and bustle of
Birkenhead and Sea.
combe, formed points of land, and the larger vessels in the
Sloyne loomed like men-of-war. The sun shone cheerfully
out, and the shores of Bootle, Crosbie, and Form by,
comparativelylc,
with white houses that have risen within comparatively
a few years, were seen to much advantage, and betokened
the vast increase of the town in wealth and population.
.ski!„4.? proceeded down the channel at a rapid rate,
.passing
ww.Pfif Llghthonse and Battery, and obtaining a tine view

To those who have before been at sea, there is something
peculiarly and almost indescribably delightful in treading the
deck, when the shallows and difficulties of a harbour egress
are overcome, and the stately ship—a floating home for her
gallant crew—impelled by sail or steam, or a combination of
both, first bounds, in the glory of freedom over the blue bil-
lows of the outward sea, and proudly bathes her sides in the
foaming surge disputed from the prow. When—carrying
with her the means and materials of her own propulsion for
thousands of miles—she thus impetuous dashes on her course,
as if scorning the saucy waves that occasionally break in gen-
tle showers of spray over her deck ;—when, snorting like the
joyful colt just let loose upon his favourite sward, she careers
in the pride of her strength over the unfathomed fields of the
boundless ocean, and yields herself to the grateful guidance
of the skilful steersman,—the enthusiast,—who, from the
peep, beholds her huge and reckless bulk—her lofty masts—
her full distended sails, all trim and staunch—her engines
propelled by, a wondrous power—confesses that " she walks
the waters like a thing of life," and enjoys a blameless grati-
fication in the reflection that fitted as she is to visit the re-
motest shores in the habitable globe ; to supply mutual
wealth and mutual wants, and thereby promote the interests
of humanity,—she presents an animated, and though indeed
a perishable, a sublime and'renewable monument of the do-
minion and triumph of the world of mind over the world of
matter !

We passed the Duchess of Kent, and other steamers,
homeward bound, with their decks crowded with pasengers.
The wide estuary of the Dee, Hilbre Island, and the coast of
Wales, from the Point of Ayr, backed by the distant moun-
tains, claimed the attention of the observer in rapid succes-
sion, and before noon we were abreast of the Ormsheads—
tbe ship going eight and nine knots an hour, with twenty-
eight strokes of the engine a minute. We soon afterwards
saw the Skerries, where the sea, during storms from the N. W. ,
rises to a fearful height. The afternoon was fine ; the light
sportive waves gleamed in the sunbeams, and the mountains
of the Snowdonian range rose in sombre grandeur in the thin
mists that slightly obscured their summits. In a dimple near
the apex of one of them we observed a remarkable and beau-
tiful cloud, forming an arch of white vapour resembling
steam,—one of those eccentricities of nature rarely seen,
which the painter is precluded from depicting, lest he should
be accused of drawing upon the credulity of beholders of his
production, by introducing the marvellous or the fictitious.
The bold and rocky shore of the island of Anglesea was
now developed with its promontories and indentions. We
marked the little bay and town of Amlwch ; and the hamlet
of Camus, a long string of houses with a windmill, and church,
and a cemetery, the grave-stones of which were plainly seen.
We soon afterwards steered between the West Mouse rock
and the main. The town of Holyhead, in an interesting but
dangerous bay, next appeared. Here there is a noble pier,
of 1,000 feet in length, with a lighthouse, built of a Welsh
warble, elevated sixty feet above the mean level of the sea,
and so lighted as to be peculiarly useful to the benighted ma-
riner making the port. Our attention was next directed to the
lelegraph station, on a hill on the north side of a steep point
or prornontory, whence passing vessels are punctually signalled
to Liverpool ; and, near it, " the Head" on the South Stack,
an isolated rock, from which to the main-land there is a sus-
pension bridge nearly 100 feet in width, which shows like a
cobweb, spanning the charm between them. Eastward of
this are some remarkable cavernous openings in the precipi-
tous rocks that rampart this extraordinary locality, which,
though well worthy ot' minute inspection, is, from its being
at a remote point of Anglesea, seldom visited by tourists.
One of the caves presents a conspicuously large square open-
ing close to the sea, which dashes into it with a thundering
noise. But I refer my readers to Roscoe's "Wanderings in
Wales," for a pleasing and graphical description of the whole.
I cannot, however, deny myself the pleasure of quoting one
short passage, descriptive of the South Stack and its light-
house :
_

" There are few objects more interesting than the appear-
ance of the South Stack, when approaching it from the water.
Its wild site and deserted air,—the lighthouse towering
seventy feet in height,—the neat, comfortable buildings close
undes its guardian wing,—the sounds of life and industry
mingled with the I%shing of the sea, and the cry of innumer-
ably birds, circling above and around, were altogether of so
unwonted a character, that had I been suddenly transported
to the antipodes I could not have felt more unfeigned sur-
prise; and when, after ascending its steep and rocky stairs,
I gazed from the summit of the lighthouse on the wilderness
of waters far around, and, descending, entered the quiet
pleasant retreat which the master has establislisd here, and
saw the neatness and comfort of every thing, I began to
think I was perhaps only reading too abstractedly some old
fairy tale. But Captain Evans (the master) soon convinced
me to the contrary by introducing me to an excellent dinner,
in which there was nothing dreamy or unsubstantial, though
it appeared, indeed, conjured from the vasty deep! During
the afternoon I amused myself in scrambling down the South
Stack to the water's edge—in observing the myriads of gulls
standing en the ledges of the rock, or flying about in all di-
rections—in examining the suspension bridge—and scaling
the towering acclivity above, from which the island and
lighthouse appear but diminutive objects; while the ever-
varying ocean was enlivened by numerous vessels passing up
or down the channel."

Leaving Holyhead, we steered down channel to the S.W.
The bay of Carnarvon, and the well-defined mountains be-
hind it came in view, also Bardsey Island, to the south. A
distant sail, seen under the high land, appeared, but as a
mere white and unmoving speck. The sea was comparatively
smooth, with light winds, inclining to calm ; and the pas-
sengers amused themselves in various ways—some playing
at backgammon, others " spinning yarns," others in re-
lating what they had heard or experienced " in flood or
field," and others perusing, in occasional snatches, "O'Hal-
loran, or the Insurgent Chief," " Two Years before the
Mast," or " Captain Kyd, or the Wizzard of the Sea," works
which were found in the saloon, and which served to wile
away an occasional hour, and were pored ever by my sea-
man-looking shipmate, Mr. Chadwick, with an avidity
which placed him hors de combat of conversation, and which
reminded ire of my early predilection in devouring the ad-
mirable and moral-inspiring " Adventures of Robinson
Crusoe." The ship meantime had made excellent way,
having passed the South Stack Lighthouse in little more
than eight hours from Liverpool against a strong spring-tide
—a distance of upwards of seventy miles.
At half-past two o'clock, the Merlin, which had held
on westward towards Dublin, became hull down on the
horizon. We were, however, a long way to the southward
of her, shaping our own course : had we followed her,
powerful as she was, the little " Erin would have been
pretty close upon her heels. At four, we saw the Wicklow
mountains, on the right ; and the Island of Bardsey, on the
S.E., diminished in the distance, was visible, in the form of
a gently-sloping and pointed hill. We were now fairly in
the open channel, and the vessel, urged by the engines,
gracefully tossed her head to the slight swell from the west-
ward, like a proudly-caparisoned charger, when his rider
" stirs his courage with the steel." The weather was fine
and sunny, and our commander's wife, a very young and
interesting lady, who occupied the ladies' cabin, and whom
I had not before seen, was persuaded to come on deck, with
a view to dissipate the sea-sickness, which the hitherto
gentle motion of the ship had provoked. But, alas this
often merciless prostrator of the mental and physical energies
even of the most vigorous of the ruder sex, who are
unused to the rocking of vessels, had n.arked her as another
victim, and she was in a few minutes compelled to forego all
idea of partaking in the contemplation of the surrounded
sea view, interesting as it occasionally was by vessels seen in
succession, and the varied appearances of the distant land.
At six we saw Wicklow-head, bearing N.W. by N., the
engines working smoothly and the ship running beautifully,
at a rate of from eight to nine-and-a-half knots. About this
time, Captain Christie discovered an error in the Manx
Almanack, involving great possible danger, which I shall
hereafter notice, with a view to its correction. Shortly be-
fore midnight we saw the Tuscar Light right a-head. This
light is ninety miles from Holyhead, and is the principal
guiding beacon for seamen on the south-east point of Ireland.
In the evening we had observed the new moon, forming a
sharp crescent or segment with the points upwards. In sea-
faring parlance, she was " on her back," and a bright star
(Venus) appeared within a handsbreadth of her. This in-
verted position of the young moon is ,;onsidered, by some
veteran sailors, to he indicative of boiterous weather, and
the :close proximity of the star renders the omen more por-
tentous. Captain Kennedy remarked to "the stranger,"
that " the moon and that star were married." " Then,"
said the latter jocularly, " we may look out for squalls ; for,
depend upon it, such are the analogies of nature, that matri-
monial alliances, even amongst the planets, are as fraught
with storms as those amongst the little bipeds who assume
to lord it over this dirty ball, the earth." Little, however,
did either of us anticipate what was brewing in the elements,
for the night was placid and beautiful ; and the ocean, gently
rolling, appeared as harmless and unconscious as the slum-
bering infant rocked in its cradle.

(To be continue(t.)