The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-09-14 00:00:00

THE BIRKENHEAD DOCKS.

The CHAIRMAN said an important resolution had been
sent to him by the Birkenhead Dock Commissioners, a
copy of which, together with a copy of the letter enclosing
resolutionit, he had sentwa to every
was to
thaaffmeecmt btheratofitthwe committee.
.aaldpram
ateThethe
public advantage. if vessels discharging at Birkenhead
would be admitted into Liverpool upon the principle of
the nearest English port, and vessels discharging at Liver-
pool would be admitted into Birkenhead upon the same
principle, and the dock trustees, if they.had notthis power
already, were requested to obtain it by act of parliament.
The letter from Mr. Mallaby requested the favour of an
answer at the convenience of the Dock Committee. In
reply to Mr. Henderson, he stated that they were on the
footing of the nearest English port already, and explained
what the Birkenhead Commissioners wanted namely,
"That you will admit vessels that enter the Birkenhead
Docks first; that such vessels shall be free to come into
the Liverpool Docks; that a vessel shall unload at Birken-
head, and come here to load afterwards without paying
any rates: and they wish to reciprocate that practice—that
vessels unloading here shall load there without payment,"
He asked whether, supposing the Committee had the
power, they were disposed to accede to such an arrange-
linens as that proposed ; and if they had not the power,
whether they would entertain the question of having a
clause put into their next act of parliament ?
Mr. SHAND said no advantages were set forth by the
resolution to induce them to alter the present plan.
Mr. HENDERSON said there would be a positive disad-
advantage to the estate were they to comply with the pro-
position. The Commissioners at Birkenhead were going
to take vessels at 6d. per ton ; and if a vessel discharged
there and afterwards came here without paying anything,
she would save 9d. per ton, which would be that amount
of a bonus to Birkenhead. " They were," he said,
" making a desperate wild effort to allure trade to the
other side, because, after having expended money on a
three acre dock, they find no vessels will go there; and,
as a last effort, they are offering to take them in for
nothing. Our docks have been built at a great expense,
and we must protect our bondholders. It is quite absurd,
therefore, to enter into the proposition." Besides, the
Birkenhead scheme was a dangerous one for the port of
Liverpool, and as such they had resisted it from the first.
The proposition was altogether one-sided.
A conversation here arose as to what the Birkenhead
Commissioners really wanted—whether the gratuitous
admission to the Liverpool Docks in ballast, or with cargo
on board.

Mr. HENDERSON.—They are on the footing now of
the nearest English port. They ought to explain what
they mean, for, at present, they are mystifying the mat-
ter. . . _

The CBAIRMAN.-If they put in these three additional
words "it would promote the public advantage, 'and the
Birkenhead Dock Company particularly, if so and so
were done it would express their meaning better." You
will have to send an answer to this resolution, and
1 would suggest that you tell them this—that, in the
first place, as trustees, and the executive committee of
the estate, who have not any personal interest, we
could not, without a breach of trust, make any change
which would be subservient to the private interests of any
parties. The next point would be that you have no power
to make it. He would certainly give a decided negative
to an application to parliament for such a clause as that
proposed—for no parliament would make a public trust
subservient to private interests, (Hear.)
Upon the motion of Mr. MOLYNEVX, seconded by Mr.
WOOD, the following resolutionwas unanimously adopted:
—"That this committee decline entertaining the propo-
sitions contained in the resolution of the Birkenhead
Dock Company."
Mr. HORSFALL said it was satisfactory to know that,
notwithstanding the reduction recently made in the dock
rates, the income of the estate continued to iocrease.
The board then disposed of their financial business, and
shortly after dispersed.

DAY OF THANKSGIVING.-CLAIMS OF THE
COLONIAL CHURCH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—One of the most manifest results of our late na-
tional calamity, has been the reluctant emigration to our
remote colonies of thousands of the poorer members of
" the household of faith." The wants of our Colonial
Church are, therefore, at this moment more pressing, and
her claims upon us more imperative than at any preceding
period of her history.
The venerable " Thu SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION
OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS" may justly claim,
under God, the parentage of all that is really blessed in
those distant regions ' • and should the resources of this
truly excellent institution not keep pace with the daily
increasing applications for missionaries to minister to the
vast multitude sent from amongst us, the result must
prove as reproachful to ourselves, as it will be fatal to the
souls of our suffering fellow-churchmen. With great
humility, but with equal earnestness, T take the liberty of
suggesting to my reverend brethren that collections should
be made in their churches, on the expected day of Na-
tional Thanksgiving, in aid of the funds of this valuable
society. lam persuaded that the laity would second our
efforts, and certainly our appeal to them may be rendered
both affecting and efficient.
The society is the oldest of our church missionary insti-
tutions. It possesses the unshaken confidence of the
whole bench of bishops,—and the missionaries employed
are, as a body, amongst the most pains-taking, self-deny-
ing, and evangelical, both in doctrine and order, of all la-
bourers in the field of missions. The Canadas are now
pouring into our ports unprecedentedly large supplies of
human food ; and it has pleased God, •in mercy towards
us, and for the sake of His dear Son, to answer " the de-
vout prayers" of His Church by turning '• our dearth and
scarcity into cheapness and plenty," so that there is a
prospect of a future saving in our household expenses of
from fifteen to twenty per cent. in many of the most ne-
cessary articles of food. What more pleasing to the Lord,
than a willing people bringing at least a portion of that
which God has thus mercifully given to them, and pre-
senting it as a thank-offering to the cause for which their
Lord and Master was contented to bleed and die ?
I, for one, am resolved that the members of my con-
gregation shall have the opportunity of proving their
gratitude to God—and their readiness to send back to the
shores of Canada some fragments of the "bread of heaven,"
upon which the souls of our afflicted countrymen may
feed with safety and with comfort.
Earnestly praying that the Lord may put it into the
hearts of his faithful servants to make the society more
excellent by their personal identity with its management,
and more efficient by their zealous co-operation with its
supporters,—l am, sir, your obedient servant.
Sept, 11th, 1847. AN INCUMBENT.

THE AMATEUR PERFORMANCE FOR THE
SHAKSPEARIAN FUND.

The experience of the last few years, which have wit-
nessed so many unsuccessful attempts to revive amongst
the people a taste for the national drama and for sterling
pieces, would certainly not have warranted us in antici-
pating such a house as that which was assembled on
Thursday evening to pay a tribute to the genius of
Shakspeare, and to promote an effort to wrest from the
hands of speculators, and to fasten upon the soil of his
country, the home in which he was born. In Liverpool
especially we thought that the drama was dead ; that the
sock and buskin were no longer to tread the stage, which
was in future to be resigned to the fiddler or the singer,
or to the four-footed portion of the creation ; for certainly
every appeal recently made to the playgoing public by
successive managers has failed to draw, unless accompa-
nied by the engagement of some star, upon terms utterly
inconsistent with the possibility of profit. The fine plays
of our great dramatist have been gone through before
empty benches, and ranting melodrame has usurped their
place. Hamlet and Macbeth, "the Moor" and Shylock,
have withdrawn before the superior attractions of Jack
Sheppard or Dick Turpin. We can fill a house to hear
any foreign artiste at extravagant prices—the more ex-
travagant the more fashionable ; but the legitimate drama
is voted vulgar, and is neglected. We must confess,
therefore, that Thursday night's house most agreeably
surprised us, not only by the numbers present, but by
their respectability.
The prologue, written by Mr. James Morgan, of the
Imperial Hotel, and a very appropriate one for the occa-
sion, was spoken by Mr. Henry Armstrong, and loudly
applauded ; after which, Shakspeare's play of " Twelfth
Night " was performed, not only in a merely creditable
style for amateurs, but in really clever style. The Sir
Toby Belch of Mr. Hughes, sen., and the Sir Andrew
Aguecheek of Mr. Brough, were very excellent imperso-
nations, worthy of regular actors of a high class of talent.
If any fault could be found, Mr. Brough was rather too
funny, especially in his by-play. The Clown was per-
formed with immense raciness by Mr. Wintle, who un-
derstood Shakspeare too well to make a low comedy
buffoon of the part. Sebastian was also well played
by Mr. Lewtas ; and Mr. Lind—a local " Night-
ingale," who is no relation to Jenny—went through his
part effectively, especially in the screen scene with Mal-
volio. This character, by-the-by, was in first-rate hands.
rThegeuifaermacloempparantsy were tawkeerne byof ladies,
course
well
supported,
po h r
ttede,
especially Mrs. Norman's Viola. Contrary to very ge-
neral expectation, there was no break-down ; and those,
therefore, who went to laugh at such a casualty were dis-
appointed. The epilogue written by the editor of the
" Lion" was a little comedy of itself, and elicited alter-
nately hearty laughter and applause.
Win gterPiecq the "Twining of N §tuvv," Qr.
- -

more properly, as cut down for the stage into three acts,
"'Katharine and Petruchio." Mr. Brough undertook
the part of Petruchio, with Mrs. Brougham as Katharine;
and we cannot say that we ever saw either character better
performed. The obstinate spirit of contradiction assumed
by Petruchio seemed natural in the performer; and Mrs.
Brougham was as " curst" as any Kate need to be. The
other characters were well supported, and the piece went
off amidst hearty applause. Mr. Brough and Mrs.
Brougham were called before the curtain. The receipts,
we understand, amounted to £.160.

We have omitted to state, that after the recitation of
the epilogue, Mr. Brough announced to the audience that
the manager, whose benefit was fired for Friday (the fol-
lowing) evening, had been most earnest in promoting the
object of their performances, and had mad.e.a present to
the fund of £2O.