The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-19 00:00:00

CAPTAIN DENHAM'S PUBLICATION.

We feel pleasure in submitting to our maritime readers the
following extracts from Captain Denham's "Work on the
" Mersey and Dee Navigation." They contain much useful
information, and the suggestions are truly valuable.
"TIDAL STREAM.—The following abstract of a series of
tests should be considered on approaching Liverpool Bay :
At a 9-mile offing N. of the high land over ' Point of Air,'
Flintshire, in 10 fathoms water, (sand and shells,) both Flood
and Ebb set direct to and from the New Channel E. by S.
and W. by N. at 21 knots on Springs and I knot upon Neaps;
the flood-stream ceasing 20 minutes earlier, and the ebb
draining 30 minutes later than the time of rising or falling
upon the contiguous shore. This Mersey-influence upon the
stream predominates whilst your off-shore distance is not
less than five miles, nor your soundings less than six fathoms.
When, however, you have advanced Eastward, so as to bring
Formby Point S. E. at 5 miles distance and 6 or 7 fathoms
(muddy bottom,) act so as to avert the _Ribble indraught,
which here sets East, at the rate of 21 knots on springs, and
upon neaps ; the stream slacking 1 hour before it is high
water at Liverpool docks. The masking Crosby Light at
night indicates your being in the Ribble influence. It is most
important in thick weather, that if bound to Liverpool, you
do not shoal your water below four fathoms, whilst running
or turning up between Ormshead and the Eastern high shoul-
der of Flintshire forming the Dee entrance, or you will risk
being entangled with the Chester Flats and West Hoyle Split,
under the influence of the Dee indraught, particularly from
low-water to half-flood drawing S.E."
" SIIIPPING PILOTS.—It would much facilitate this opera-
tion, and not only save immediate valuable time to both par-
ties, but, in case of boisterous weather secure the pilot board-
ing before nightfall separates boat and ship (to the cutting
off, perhaps, of even leading-in,) if the following hints were
attended to. You observe a Liverpool Pilot-boat (described
page 4 ;) if her Blue Peter is flying, she has disposable pilots
—your pilot jack is up and clear to view ;—take notice on
which side the pilot-boat's fenders are; that tells you which
she intends to board you upon—brace your afteryards by, so
as to reduce way, but not to stop it ;—if, as she nears you,
her flag is lowered, the Master-pilot considers you have too
much way—brace up your head yards ; understanding he
is satisfied when his flag is close up again. It may happen,
however, that he perceives you drawing into shoal water, or
there may be some advantage in your being on the other
tack.; this will be indicated by his shifting fenders over to
the other side ; when you shall act accordingly, by wearing
or tacking."
"REMARKS AND PROPOSITIONS RESPECTING STEAMERS'
LIGHTS, AND PASSING EACH OTHER; OR IN REFERENCE
TO SAILING VESSELS.—NO general system of lights exists
at Liverpool; some carry three lights, one at foremast head,
and one at the fore part of each paddle-box ; some carry the
tipper light at the fore part of the vessel ; some carry a red
light on starboard paddle-box, and a plain light at the oppo-
site paddle-box and mast-head ; some carry lights on their
quarters ; some a middle light at the bowsprit end : all, how-
ever, attend to one rule, and that is, in passing each other on
their starboard sides; but 1 understand the reverse is ob-
served at other ports, which has naturally been attended with
collision when a Liverpool vessel gets amongst them. Now
it is to be wished that a compulsory general rule were intro-
duced • and I submit that three plain lights, one on the fore-
mast head, and one at the fore part of each paddle-box, (not
to throw any light abaft the beam,) cannotfail to indicate the
position of the vessel. And as it is most important to know
when the rule should be departed from (as in the case of two
steamers suddenly discovering each other in rounding a point
of land, or closing in a fog,) I propose thatthe starboard pad-
dle-box light should be masked, so as to cross the line of
keel direction, at an angle of 17 degrees, towards the larboard
bow. It would then be simply thus; if you ever perceive the
three lights of a steamer, (which must be in a vertical triangle,
if ever seen at all,) on your larboard bow, then you must star-
board your helms and cross to the right side, until respec-
tively on the starboard bow of each other. If, however, you
do not see the three lights, it is certain you have so advanced
on each other's forward track, as to have shut in the star-
board
ernssinlg,ight ; and if you attempt to recover the right side by
iske tehpe e
rt
rot en thevo
will, in all probability, run into each other. It
rule
course.shouldl ba en abandoned,annex
a
to eachexpl a
in vessel
m y
plan,l and haveill
apply
assnmed the starboard side as the rule side.
The piah il
conversely.—ln-the case of other craft
amnudat steamers,inali
cases I egainveon
wayl) suggest, that
,) thifa whilsta shoal) thenaslt)e a.
yetmer
it should be imperative that the sailing risking
vessel show a light
over her quarter towards the approaching steamer • of course,
the showing the lantern in time depends on the look-out on
board sailing vessels ; a fixed light on each quarter of sailing
vessels would be well when in pilot waters. This is a point
not at all settled, as regards Liverpool ; vessels at anchor,
however, are expected to ..keep a light np at the fore-stay."
_ _

OYSTERS.—The oysters of the British coasts have long
been admitted to be the best procurable in Europe.
Romans paid great prices for them, although it iseThelikely
that they would then be taken to Italy in a- fresh gt
the British coasts the districts most famous for their
oysters°
are the shores of Kent and Essex. Those found near Milton,
in Kent, and usually called the " native" oysters, are perhaps
the very best • they are small, round, plump, and white, with
thin shells, which are easily opened. The oysters found in
the river Coln, on which stands the city of Colchester, in
Essex, are also of excellent quality, and are renowned over
the whole island. Massinger has made them classical, by
causing Justice Greedy in A New Way to Pay Old Debts,
to say that he had nothing to speak of this morning before
breakfast, except a barrel of Colchester oysters. The Coln,
near that town, forms a great many arms and creeks exceed-
ingly well suited for the formation of oyster banks. The
Dorsetshire oysters rank next in estimation to those of Essex.
Those of Poole, especially hold a high reputation, as do those
also of Faversham, in Kent, of the Isle of Wight, and of
Tenby, on the coast of South Wales. Vast quantities are
elanriwedeo the Continent from Kent. Several hundred ves-
selsat one time employed annually in this trade alone.
London, during the proper season, the trade in oysters i 3
very.eonsiderabl,botTh
hfordexplo.r.tabtion into the country.. and
native consumption.
serving and feeding the oysters in ieniStubesSt°o3Wiagtarienaitupgaainnsiniliuspluen
wateroyster-banks are common soiflosraelst, and oatmeal.mmlloensidoen;tthheotsleorothnetrhne
coasts
slisolif
1 Ireland. The Scottisha capital has been, till a recent period;'
good oysters from the Frith of Forth,
plentifully supplied with
in its immediate vicinit Nearly opposite to Leith, there
was a large depot of them, formed around or near the Islet of
Inchkeith. Local poets withspeak rapture of the delicious
caller (that is, fresh) oysters which were to be had in Edin-
burgh onlsters
have
o r
some
e other
eveningcau cause.,
t the st i vi ti
Edinburghes.
f lost one
de-
generated in quality ; and the town hasy consequently
from
, Arklow,
beds
of its objects of attraction. Dublin is sup
a little to the east, and oysters are conveyed to artificial
near the capital, on the northern side. At Sutton,a additional
and Dalkey, places but a short way from Dublin,
supplies are procured for the tables of the Irish motrotpOnlial.
uun.-4,einclort 00ZirieP,

RAILWAY COMMUNICATION WITH THE SOUTH.
The North Midland line of railway from Derby to Rother •
ham, which, with the Branch Railway from thence to
Sheffield, brings down a line unbroken from London to the
latter town, was opened to the public on Monday last. The
distance from London to Sheffield by this route is one hundred
and sixty-five miles, which will now be performed in about
nine hours and a half, instead of twenty as formerly. The
York and North Midland Railway was further opened on
the same day, from York to Burton Salmond, near Ferry-
bridge, a distance of twenty-five miles ; from whence to
Rotherham (twenty-five miles) coaches are started so as to
make good the communication between York and Rotherham
in four hours, and between York and London in little more
than twelve hours, inclnding time for refreshment, &c. The
trains leave York at half-past seven in the morning, and
half-past one at mid-day ; and from Sheffield or Rotherhatn
there are trains five times a-day, direct to London and
Birmingham, viz. at half-past five, and a quarter past nine
in the morning, twelve at neon, and at two and at six in
the afternoon. The railway not being, as yet available to
serve the town of Leeds, coaches are appointed in connexion
with it four times a day, viz. at five in the morning, suiting
the nine o'clock train ; at a quarter to eight, suiting the twelve
o'clock train ; at eight and at ten, suiting the two o'clock
train. Passengers from this part of the country have there-
fore two points to run to, viz. York and Leeds ; and the
advantage of the York line seems to he, that there is but
twenty-five miles of road conveyance. The conveyances from
this town wich seem to suit best for direct communication,
are the mail to York at half-past nine, p. m., and the Hero to
Leeds at eight, p. m. which establish the route from Newcastle
to London per the mail in twenty-four hours, and per Hero
in twenty-five hours. Parties, however, who do not choose
to run direct, cam have the advantage of a night's rest, taking
the day coaches from this town either to York or to Leeds.
The trains from London to York reach the latter city at
twelve o'clock at noon, and at eight at night ; and coaches
leave York for Newcastle at two in the afternoon, and eight
o'clock in the morning. The above communication is merely
temporary, until the whole line is opened out to York as well
as Leeds, which will be in the early part of July, when the
time from either point to London will not exceed ten hours
and a half. The opening of the Great North of England
Railway from York to the Tees, in the latter part of the
present year, will reduce the communication between Lon-
don and Darlington to little more than a twelve hours' jour-
ney. There is one thing in connexion with the opening out
of these railways, changing as they will most completely the
mode of travelling to which the public have been accustomed
for years, to which it is necessary that some attention should
be paid. The fares are, in our opinion, much too high, and,
as compared with those charged upon the railways in this
district, exorbitantly so. The expense of travelling by rail-
way to London is even greater than by coach. The charges
upon the Newcastle and Carlisle line are extremely moderate,
and the same may be said of the Brandling Junction and
North Shields lines ; whilst the directors of these several
companies, in their conduct towards the public generally,
have in every instance acted with extreme liberality. The
same cannot be affirmed of the directors of lines communi-
cating with the South, and more especially those of the Mid-
land Counties. The charges are not only high, but the
accommodation is very inadequate; and the public, we fear,
will be compelled at no distant day to appeal to the legisla-
ture for a law to defend them from the extortions of mono-
polising speculators, and secure to them that accommoda-
tion which, in abandoning the old mode of conveyance, they
are so fully entitled to expect.—Newcastle Journal.

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY—OPENING
THROUGHOUT.—The line of communication between London
and Southampton is completed. and was opened to the public
yesterday. This affords another, and beyond all doubt, a
finer and more delightful outlet from the metropolis than
any that modern ingenuity and enterprise have yet afforded.
Journeying by railway we measure distance not by miles,
but minutes; and adopting this scale it may be safely said
that Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the charming
neighbourhood of the New Forest, are now little more distant
than Gravesend, and considerably more within our reach
than Ramsgate and Margate. The traveller, urged by busi-
ness, or the tourist seeking change, taking his seat at Nine
Elms at eight o'clock in the morning, is gladdened by the
smiling beauties of " the island," or plunged in the depths
of the New Forest, before the chimes of the town or village
steeples in this far off and delicious regions, ring out the hour
of noon. Three hours of easy travelling bring him half way
down the channel, place him in the midst of the most charm-
ing scenery in England, or set him well on his route to Paris.
Henceforth the relations between Southampton and London
are changed, nor can the time be distant when the magnitude
and national importance of the change will be as fully appre-
ciated as they are manifestly apparent.-3/Orning Chronicle
of Tuesday.

LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY—OPENING OF THE
SHOREHAM BRANCH.—On Monday the Shoreham Branch
of the London and Brighton Railway was opened by the
Directors, and on Tuesday morning the line was regularly
opened to the public, the first train starting from Shoreham
at 8 o'clock, and returning from Brighton at nine. The
trains continued running the whole day ; and no less than
1750 persons paid the fare. A. great number of these pas-
sengers were visitors at the Swiss Gardens where a fete had
been got up by Mr. Bailey, the spirited proprietor, to cele-
brate the opening of the railway. The trains continue to
start alternately from Shoreham and Brighton several times
every day. The prices are—for third class carriages, 6d. ;
second class, 9d. ; first class, Is. ; coupe of the first class,
Is. 4d.—Brighton Gazette of Thursday.

CHESTER AND CREWE AND GRAND JUNCTION RAIL-
WAYS CONSOLIDATION.—We are now enabled to inform our
railway readers, that this important and desirable arrange-
ment has received the sanction of both Houses of Parlia-
ment, the bill having been read a third time and passed, in
the Lords, last Friday. As the two lines are now, for all
purposes, one undertaking, the difference in the comparative
prices of the shares in the two will, of course, at once disap-
pear, as all doubt of the success of the application to Parlia-
ment is now removed.

(From the Railway Times.)
Among the railways now on the eve of completion is that
portion of the Birmingham and Gloucester line between
Tewksbury and Spetchley. It is understood that the open-
ing will take place early in the ensuing month.

The Essex Mercury, which may be looked upon as the
semi-official organ of the Eastern Counties' Railway Direc-
tors, states that the opening of the line to the Brentwood
station will take place on the Ist of July, the day previous to
Fairlop fair. The same authority says the works at Shore-
ditch terminus are proceeding with great rapidity.

It is expected that a portion of the Bristol and Exeter
Railway, as far as Bridgewater, will be opened in the course
of the present year. We understand that the works are pro-
ceeding with great activity.

A correspondent informs us that the opening of the first
portion of the Northern and Eastern Railway will take place
at least two months sooner than was anticipated—namely,
in August next. We learn from other quarters, that the
greatest energy is displayed in the prosecution of the works.

The directors of the G reat Western Railway have issued
an official notice, intimating that the line will be opened to
Steventon (within ten miles of Oxford) on the Ist of next
month. We understand that since the opening to Reading
the traffic has greatly increased.

WEEKLY RETURN OF '
(From the Rai
Passen-
gers.

NAME.

Birmingham
Grand Junction
Liverp. and Manch.
Great Western ..
South Western..

CRAM
rway A
Cash.

OT
ragazini
IP.mile
pr.wk.

Newcast. & Carlisle'
Greenwich

Birwg. & Derby...
Manchester &Leeds'
Croydon..
York & N. Midland
Midland Counties..
Glasgow & Ayr....
Eastern Counties..

2616fi

1391
904
157
114 i

241+
261
60
645
251
15. -

12652
11888
2073
47011
3120
6488

3738

1807
1698
296
672
520
927

THE " ROYAL GEORGE."—Colonel Pasley began his pro-
ceedings for the removal of the wreck of the Royal George
on the Ist of this month, but up to this day (Monday) no-
thing very remarkable was effected, Two guns, the rudder,
and a considerable quantity of timber were recovered ; but
as these were merely those fragments of last year's work
which the inclemency of the season prevented the engineers
from picking up, uo serious measures were deemed necessary
till yesterday. At eight o'clock in the morning, the red flags
to odn ea
at Spithead announced that a great explosion was to be at-
tempted ; and at eleven o'clock one of those huge cylinders,
which have already been described, and filled with 2,116 th of
gunpowder, was lowered to the bottom. One of Colonel
Pasley'sonreceltihso.eefrtslhoe(,),G.ceyreorge Hall), who has acquired great
ex-
pertnessmnoaunvtedi,natthidesteheopveelrisanstions, descended his rope ladder a little
gudgeonsedlesr
being, and
oswiri.cbicredaecdeeadoinn
ttibxei fixing irudder-post,tseeurely
within six or eight feet of the keel. The diver having re-
the enormous charge was ignitedibt;
ap-
paratus. Within less than two secondsmaewa 111:s:too:rat
hhsaeefevsohdloitscatkiacnwcaes
to'erltn,otthgensietae rose over os‘n'erhithic spot to the height of about 15 feet,
explosions last year ; gal isit did on occasion of the great
the cylinder on the present occasion
. d differencei ascribable,
having
been probably, r
placedo bsb ly , to
un-
derwatetrh,eihloullevinerst,esvatal
sofsoalgorn:asti. ea t .
rate.
to
o uean Thecause
s ,xe ,asthe
presently l
u commotionm p i a n
andth e
tallow can Cl'lf
lighters to pitch and roll at a greats The wthheolceysluinrdfaecre.
of the sea for several hundred yards round
les,
eaanddfiashro, mass
of Amongst co-
vered with
these
edseea
were
ef innumerable, and snial l fragments
edA, saisir tub' e boats had returned
butter a foot and a half in length,
aesvtihdeenvtlaypsitdecreivsinaunpd
ftrioonm
in
tlii etnpeurwseart'esrsthoarde room.suaid
from the universal scramble for thetehecenarneddrwleivasesatti dtod
diver proceeded again to the bottom, and soon reported that
saisicipertbarin,b now a free and
that, so
shoolte.arstaesrnhoofc'otuhled
wide channel directly fore and uft the ship, from stem to
stern, through which both the flood and ebb tides will rush;
and thus the mud with which the hull of the Royal George
has been silted for half a century will be washed out, and the
way cleared for Colonel Pasley's further operations. From
the auspicious manner, indeed, in which he has commenced,
we may safely predict his final success ; and we confidently
trust that,. before the season closes, Spithead will be cleared
of this grievous and long-standing. drawback to its efficiency
ex a roadstead for line.of•battle etups.—kondon Tunet.

EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE.—II will be recollected
that, a few months ago, particulars were given of the death,
by starvation, of James Forte, an eccentric character, and
who was found in a dying condition in a cave near Farnham,
formerly the reputed residence of " Mother Ludlam, a noted
witch." This unfortunate man was of good family ; but from
the loss of a beloved wife, his reason became impaired, and,
impressed with an idea that he should live the rest of his life
in a cave, he left all his connections and travelled about the
country until he arrived at Farnham. During the interval
that elapsed between his death and the holding of the inquest,
a gentleman (a stranger) came to the Union-House, and
requested to see the body ; he recognised it as that of a rela-
tion, and said he had left London, his place of residence,
several months before, and none of his friends hal the least
idea where. be had gone to. When the inquest took place
this person did not appear, nor did any one come forward to
give the least information respecting the deceased. The
jury returned a verdict that deceased died from starvation,
and as none of the deceased's relations came forward, he was
interred in Farnham churchyard. The remembrance of the
occurrence gradually died away, but within the last few days
a rumour was generally spread about that the grave had been
disturbed, and the body removed. These rumours caused so
much excitement, that it was considered prudent steps should
be taken to ascertain whether they had any foundation, and
application was made to the minister of Farnham for his per-
mission that the grave should be opened. On his consenting,
the grave was dug up, and it was found that both the body
and the coffin bad disappeared. The object of this violation
of the sanctity of the grave will, for ever, probably, remain
a mystery, but the general belief is, that it was adopted by
the deceased's relatives to obtain possession of the body, not
wishing to claim it publicly when the deceased was first
found.—Salisbury Herald.

The Me'morial de Bordeaux gives the following curious
account of a female swindler who has just been arrested at
La Reole :—" A few months ago there was living at St.
Emilion a female without education, but who pretended to
be the daughter of the Baron de Bastard, and that, having
quarrelled with her family, she was in retirement, adding,
however, that the quarrel was made up, and that she was on
the point of being received hack by them. Some officious
old women having proposed to• an innkeeper of St. Emilion
to marry her, a negotiation was opened, to which Marie de
Bastard, as she styled herself, listened, but in order to con-
vince the innkeeper that she was worthy of him, as to for-
tune, she took him to Lihourne, and there presented him to
a female, who stated that she had 30,000 f. belonging to Marie
in her hands, which she would pay on the wedding-day. She
next took her intended husband to Bordeaux, and presented
him to a man whom she called her cousin, and stated to be of
noble family. This person said he was under obligations to her
family, and-would cheerfully contribute towards her dowry,
but that, as he was at that moment rather short of cash, he
could only promise 7,000 f. for the wedding-day. Whilst at
Lisbourne she also presented the innkeeper to an old woman,
whom she called her aunt, and whose miserable appearance
ought to have opened the eyes of the credulous innkeeper,
but Marie removed all suspicions, if he entertained them, by
attributing the apparent misery of her aunt to parsimony. The
pretended aunt promised a considerable sum. The innkeeper,
in the contemplation of his future wealth, abandoned at once
his business to the care of his brother ; but he was to have
another agreeable surprise, for Marie was resolved, she said,
to set him above the richest men of the country. She told
him one morning that she had a secret to reveal, which, if
violated, would place their heads in peril, and then added,
that the chief object of her visit to Bordeaux was to enrol
partisans for Henry • V., whose mother, the Duchess de
Berri, was then concealed in the department. The innkeeper
began to be incredulous, but Marie offered to present him to
the Duchess ; and, a short time after, a meeting took place
on the bridge at Bordeaux, where a female, covered with a
veil, played the part of the Duchess. On the innkeeper taking
off his hat, this person said, Do not keep yourhead uncovered,
it might compromise my safety,' adding, in an under tone, I
thank you for marrying my- formerfemme de chambre. I
have sacrificed her honour, but am resolved to repair the in-
jury. She has a child, and has pushed her heroism so far as
to call it her own ; but it is mine. I will give you 100,000 f.
in cash, and property to the amount of 4,000,000 f., which
M. Marcellus is purchasing for me in the department. You
shall then enjoy the revenue of this property until the
child shall be of age. Do not hesitate to accept this, for
Henry V. is rich enough to spare it.' Perceiving a man
who was looking at them, she said, Is not that your bro-
ther?' and on a reply in the affirmative, she added, I give
him 10,000f.' The joy of the innkeeper was now at its
height, but some weeks afterwards, whilst Marie and her
intended husband were at R4ole, after having visited two or
three departments in search of the Duchess who had desired
them to follow her, a man accosted Marie in the street, with
Te voila done coquine ! Marie, in apparent astonishment,
said the man was mistaken, and persuaded the innkeeper to
say that they had been man and wife for 25 years. The
trick succeeded for a moment, but shortly afterwards, during
the absence of Marie, who was gone to Marmande to an-
nounce to a cousin that he had succeeded to a brilliant inhe-
ritance, of which she was entitled to a third ; the innkeeper,
who began to have doubts, found out the man who had
accosted her in the street, and learned that she was a swindler,
who had cheated the elder branch of the Bourbons out of
6000 f. on pretence of serving- their cause. On her return
the innkeeper denounced her to the police, and she was
arrested. It turns out that she is a long-practised swindler;
that the Bordeaux cousin is a journeyman tailor, the aunt a
mendicant, the pretended Duchess de Berri an accomplice,
for whose apprehension the police are exerting themselves."
RIBBONISM.—The Carlow Sentinel speaks of the ribbon
system as follows :—" An executive directory exists in this
country, which, through the agency of its affiliated branches,
can commit a murder at any given tom or place, without the
slightest fear that the names of those who direct the ma-
chinery can transpire, while those who are nominated to
execute the decree of the directory, are -compelled to perform
the duty on pain of death. In order to enable our readers
to judge the systematic manner in which such men as Lord
Norbury. or Mr. West can be assassinated, it is necessary to
premise that the " directory," or head committee, obtains
as nearly as possible, likenesses of the intended victims, no
matter whether they reside in Cork, Limerick, or Fermanagh.
The likeness so obtained, is then placed in the hands of the
parties appointed to commit the deed, and who are selected
from ribbon lodges, perhaps one hundred miles distant from
the locality of the murder ; and those assassins generally
travel as dealers, pedlars, or labourers, certain of protection
from the ribbon lodges throughout their route. When they
arrive in the neighbourhood of their victim, they watch his
movements, and await in perfect security the moment to
strike the deadly blow ; after which they disappear, and the
nearest coach conveys them, before twenty-four hours, per-
haps to Leitrim, Sligo, or the county whence they came.
being simply supplied with travelling expenses. Such is a
brief outline of the ribbon plan of assassination, and affiards
a clue to unravel the mystery which still hangs over the
murder of Lord Norbury and Mr. West • and these facts,
we pledge ourselves, will shortly be revealed to the world by
the developement of the whole plot."