The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-25 00:00:00

tiberpoot tanbarb,

TUESDAY MORNING, OCT 25,1853.

THE wisdom of the Whigs—by which we may
include the various species of Political charlatans—
broke down the great Maritime Charter under
which British commerce had swelled into unpa-
ralleled magnitude, and promised that the repeal
of the Navigation Laws, as the capital of the great
pillar of Free-trade, should be the crowning point
of our national greatness. Unfortunately, how-
ever, for our faith in the prophetic spirit of
Liberalism, their promises are not always realised,
or they experience such unforeseen contingencies
as destroy all the charm which was so pleasant in
prospect. Competition, it was said, would pro-
duce such a reduction of profits as to put us in
easy possession of the produce of the world ; but
British shipowners and British seamen, and the
number of trades dependent upon them, formed a
numerous body, which could not be supposed to
benefit by the change. But when did the Whigs
ever care who suffered, so long as they had a pet
scheme which suited their notions of popularity-
hunting, and no matter how false, if it were only
plausible, and the sufferers had no parliamentary
influence ? There was no lack of specious argu-
ment to support the theory ; the rage was all for
Free-trade, at any cost ; the House of Commons,
as a mutter of course, voted with the Minister, as
they would have done to pull down the Throne, if
it had been urged with the same reasons ; the
House of Lords, who have lately lost all the
courage with which they once 'manfully battled for
the maintenance of our ancient institutions, sur-
rendered at discretion; and the mighty Shipping
interest, like the other great interests of Great
Britain, was thrown open to competition with the
whole world. Now for the fruits,—the promised
advantages of this great sacrifice. At first there
were loud complaints, which were in no way
amended by the new restrictions placed upon Bri-
tish seamen by Mr. LABOECHERE'S Mercantile
Marine Act ; but, shortly afterwards, the gold dis-
coveries in California and Australia, vihich were
made just in time 'to save Liberalism from an igno-
minious defeat, saved also the Shipping interest,
and suspended, for a time, the predidions of their
ruin. A sudden and unexpected demand sprung
up for merchant vessels, freights consequently rose,
and, therefore, while the victims of egislation were
temporarily -spared, the country g-ot none of the
premised ,advantages from the 'reduced cost of
transit

There 'is, however, a feature in the question
WhiCh will go far, if not altogether, to neutralise
the expected benefits under :any circumstances,
and to which the attention ,Of British merchants
should be seriously directed. By the English law,
freight 'is payable only on tthe completion of ale
voyage, and unless this be verformed, none what-
ever:is due:; while in case •Of any non-performance
of the contract through insufficiency of the ship,
or •the roguery of those lin board, the merchant
has a: remedy against ther,owner, who is amenable
to the:law. The case is,'however, widely different
when the merchant employs a foreign ship. .By
the foreign law, which ,is common to almost all
continental nations, a proportion of freight is due
for the; proportion of a,voyage performed, and the
merelia»Chas no remedyqr.his goods are left at an
intermediate port far Short of their destination.
Several instances have recently occurred in •whieh
British goods, in a foreigmviessel, have been landed
at an intermediate port, the captain taking .his
own proportion of the friioht, and then-accepting
a new engagement on • more favourable terms fbr
some other port. What !remedy has the ,Britigh
merchant, even where' the injustice is palpable'
He has 'literally none, for it would be far better
for hirer to put up with: the loss, great as: it may
be, than' hope to Obtain:redress in a foreigneourt
of law agiinst a foreign- shipowner, who may, be
hopelessly insolvent. The 'only efficient, remedy
against each contingencies, is to abstain ::from
shipping. goods in foreign.wessels, notwithstanding
the apparent temptation •ss to freight ;: and' we
have elLiiptl; attention tcr the subject in orderthat
British merchants may be:aware of the risk;.they
undergo in-so doing.

IMO THE BURGESSESi OF ABERCROZBY
WARD.

GameLaarm,—A highly respectable Deputation bas:kindly
waited upon me with a Requisition. signed by a large number
of Electoraiwyour Ward. requestingure to come forward for
the third timeAs a CANDIDATE at the ensuing Municipal
Election.

Comprising, ..as that Requisition does,. the names of so
many influential gentlemen of all parties, thus affording the
best proof that•my past endeavours to promote your interests
have given stitiatEction, I have great pleasure in at onoe ac-
ceding to such aitlattering mark of respect.
If, therefore,. you do me the honour: again to elect me, I
shall return to ivy duties with an increased determination to
persevere.in that course which has hitherto met with wur
approbationoand,x.hich has appeared to • me moat conducive
to your welfare and the prosperity of the-town.
I am, Gentlemen,
"Your obedient and faithful Servant,
R. C. GARDN ER.

WHEN tlie. last daring act.of Romanist aggres-
sion aroused-the Protestant fieling of the country,
although the excitement was too ephemeral to
offer any reffeetive resistance, the advocates of
Rome claimed credit to themselves for loyalty
to the Throne, and accused ;their opponents of
bigotry because they doubted it. A slight in-
stance was :afforded the other day in this town of
the kind of .IpyaL-y which animates these much-
injured men, whom to doubt implies bigotry. A
society, with:the:imposing title of the "Holy. Cross
Christian Doetrine:Confiuternityl.anet in a school-
room in Great .Crosshall-street.to celebrate their
third anniversary by a little humble -jollity, end
were presided over .on the occasion by a ".Rev.
Father," at least so says our Friday.vontemporary
. who seems to have: taken the Liverpool Romanists
under his especial patronage. It is *rue that their
libations were limited, if we may beliekethe report, •
rto weak tea, but it did not prevent the proposing :
.of toasts and the making of sundry complimentary,;
-speeches. Whenever, decently conducted English- ,
.men have indulged in drinking toasts, whether the
.meeting were composed of peers or peasants., it has :
been usual to commence with the name ,of -the
'QuzEN, as the Sovereign of Great Britain, to
whom we all owe allegiance; nor, in doing eo,
they claim any great credit for special loyalty.
There is an old proverb, ;that when we are in
Rome we should do as the Romans do ; but the
Romans in this country haw .diferent notions, and
prove their claim to loyalty -by.actually ignoring
the QUEEN, as a name not worthy to be men-
tioned, even before that of the immaculate Dr.
CAHILL, who has become notorious for his practical
adoption of -the dangerous principle, that the end
justifies the means. On the occasion to which we
refer, the first toast proposed was, " THE POPE,"
the Chairman remarking, that the spiritual head
was greater than the temporal one. After several
songs, of the nature of which we will not stop to
inquire, the Chairman proposed, " Success to Car-
dinal WISEMAN and the English Hierarchy," a
subsequent speaker alluding to him as " the Car-
dinal Archbishop of Westminster." The next
toast was " Dr. CULLEN, the Archbishop of Dub-
lin," and then came the health of " Dr. CAHILL."
It is, perhaps, hardly worth while to comment
on the good taste which prompted the virtual de-
fiance of the Ecclesiastical Titles Prevention Act,
because that has been repeatedly violated in Eng-
land and Ireland. It is well known that the
Ministers were never sincere in their intention
when the Bill was before Parliament ; and we may
be sure that so long as Lord Joni RUSSELL and
the Radical party, or the Duke of NEWCASTLE and
the semi-Popish party are allowed to have any
influence in the Government, its provisions will
never be enforced, whatever insolence the Roman-
ists may be guilty of. Professing Protestants •
expend much idle breath in unmeaning denun-

Newsham-house, 112th October, 1853.

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, AND GENETIAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER

ciations against the encroachments of Rome, and
then go to the hustings, and vote for Radical
Representatives who would sell their country to the
POPE of RoME, if they did but know how to effect
the conveyance. If Protestants would but unite as
closely as their opponents do, and support the
Church and Conservatism, as the surest bulwarks
against encroachments from any quarter, they
might set Rome at defiance, and not one of its
priests would dare to raise his voice above the
bated breath and whispering humbleness, which is
the most fitting tone for a delusion which cannot
stand the light of public discussion. Ignorance is,
however, caught by gaudy trappings, and this
accounts for the zeal with which scarlet robes and
red stockings are paraded before the public gaze.

THE labours of the Commissioners for inquiring
into the charges on shipping and goods in Liver-
pool, were considerably lightened at their sitting
on Wednesday, owing to the comprehensive replies
returned to their questions by the Town-clerk, Mr.
SHITTTLEWORTH. The charges upon shipping, pay-
able to the Corporation of Liverpool, are anchorage,
or keel-tolls, on all vessels entering the port, of
one shilling for every coasting vessel, one shilling
and threepence for every British ship, and one
shilling and sixpence for every foreign ship ; and
town dues, of which a table was furnished to the
Commissioners. The dues form part of the Borough
Fund of the town, and belong to the Corporation..
In the discussion which took place, it was stated
by Mr. BRAMAH, the law-clerk of the Birkenhead
Dock Trustees, that on all vessels going from
Birkenhead to any of the Liverpool Docks for
repairs, or any other purpose, the full rate of dues
was charged as if the vessel had arrived from a
distant foreign port. An instance was also stated
in which the full charges were levied on a vessel
of which part of the cargo was taken out in lighters
in the river, in order to enable her to enter the
Birkenhead Docks. The right to levy Dock dues
under such circumstances was justified, by the re-
Imsentatives of the Dock Trustees, on the ground
that they were authorised by Act of Parliament ;
and that, though it was a hardship on the Birken-
head Dock Estate, the promoters had full know-
ledge of the difficulties before the scheme was
undertaken. This is no doubt true, yet the
same line of argument would have prevented
any reduction of the Dock dues which were
made for the especial object of improving the trade
of the port—an object net likely to be gained by
imposing double dock dues on vessels taking the
opposite side 'of the Mersey, because they may,
from some reason, be compelled to resort to this
side. The only 'remedy will be the establishment
of Graving Docks, and other facilities for Shipping
on the Birkenhead side ; but re-consideration may
induce the Liverpool Dock Trust to 'compromise
the matter by -a more equitable acljnstment of rates,
under such circumstances as those alluded to. The
attention of the Commissioners was also drawn to
the fad:filet the Town dues were not levied on
goods sent to or from Liverpool by railway,—an
equality wilich, it was contended, operated unfairly
•towards'ene coasting vessels. It was stated by the
TOWNICILERK, that the only 'exemptions from the
payment of town dues were ,enjoyed by the freemen
of Liverpool, London, Brigtol, Wexibrd, and Wa-
terford-; but as the exempon applied only to those
who were freemen before the passing of the Muni-
cipal Reform Act, the number is rapidly dimi-
nishing.

THE PORT OF LIVERPOOL.

-ANOTHER week has gone by, and we know no
more—if us much—asto what is going ontetween
Torkey and Russia, than we did before. The receipt
dadvices by ElectricVaegraph is: almost of daily
occurrence, but the cry :of " wolf" has been raised
-go often, and so 'often -proved to be a false alarm,
*that now no one believes it, and the :intelligence of
:•ti sanguinary engagement 'between any-of the par-
ties engaged would excite very little surprise. We
may, however, believe 'Cat Turkey has made a
formal demand upon 'the Russian General for the
evacuation of-the:provinces of Moldavia and Wal-
lachia, with a threat- of instilities if the demand be
not complied with-; that such a refusal has been
given, but that, owing tothe lateness ()tithe season,
it is very prObable thatanything more than a mere
show of military force •liill be -reserved until the
Spring ; so tliat ample time will. be afforded in the
interval for diplomatic .arrangements, by which
there is verylittle iloubto, settlement of some kind
will be finally. arrivediat. Much as has been said
about national honour, 4thich in the present case
means verfiittle, it -is, manifest-. that:England is
greatly interested in the maintenance of peace, in-
asmuch as-, e would be by far the greatest sufferer
in commercial affairs. 11 e ministers, therefore,
have been -sally justified in the temporising
which they' have Puraued,and the more so as, after
oni
the Vienna conference,. no legal or moral
the rejectily Turkeyto by
course
of the note.:agreed
obligation
existed to afkmd her any .11,-tive assistance. The
point in dispute, as is well known, is the pessession
of the provinces on the Danube, to which
has no title; but it may be aquestion, if the subject
Russia
was debated on the princirles of strict :justice,
whether Turku- has a better title. The strongest
claim that either party could set up would be con-
quest or possession. The latter Turkey certainly
has not, and we: may doubt theairopriety of admit-
ting the validity, of the former, ender the =cum-
stances of -the • population being nominally Chris-
tians, and the power which assnmes to have !the
mastery being•:avowedly InfideL ,But then comes
the difficulty, that it is a surrender to the Empire
of Russia, which modern European
,policy chooses
to think is already-sufficiently spacious and power-
ful. The alternative:is, therefore, to ,submit to an
act of aggreson on: the part of the.ZTorthern po-
tentate, or forcibly restore a Christian population
to the rule of a I'llehammedan power. Perhaps the
better solution of :the ;difficulty would Le for the
Gireat Powers of Europe :t0
pursue a similar course
to .that which they loakiin the case of Greece, and
declare the independence of Moldavia and Wal-
lachia as a separate state, sunder a Christian prince,
whose rule should be guarant(eed in a similar Run-
ner to the instance referred-to. Such a state would
present -as efficient a barrier :to the territorial ag-
gressions .of Russia in a soixtliorly direction as the
effete government of Turkey, and might, by its
position as an intermediate state, prevent much of
the quarrelling which usually accompanies the ne-
gotiations
.:between Russia and Turkey. The ar-
rangement might also have the effect of removing
the conscientious objection which many entertain
to any assistance being afforded by Christian Eng-
land
.to the perpetuation of an Infidel power in
Europe.

THE industrial classes, for whose especial be-
hoof almost every other interest has been en-
dangered, have seized upon the notion that their
labour is indispensable, and have acted upon
it by refusing to work, except at such exorbi-
tant wages as would give them the lion's share
of the profits, and leave little or nothing for the
capital, skill, and enterprise,
without which all the
labour of our artisans would be literally worthless.
There are now thousands of operatives—who a
short time since were in better circumstances than
ever they were before—iu a state of idleness, and
dependent for a bare subsistence upon what can be
raised from the wages
of the few who have not
yet turned out. The question has been argued
upon the abstract right of each party being free
agents in the matter; that the masters have a full
right to pay only such wages as they please, or
can get workmen to accept; and that the latter

No. 111.

have an equal right to refuse to work, if they do not
choose to accept the wages offered. This may be
the strictly legal view of the question, but it by no
means implies the moral right which ought to be
binding on both parties, if honour and honesty are
still to have any influence in English transactions.
The manufacturer embarks large capital in the
erection of mills and machinery, and—upon the faith
of well-understood arrangements with those whom
he employs, as to the•rate of wages, which are
usually upon an equality in .a district he ac-
cepts orders for his manufactures at propor-
tionate prices. It is, therefore, but equity that
those whom he employs should continue their
labour so long as the rate of wages is equal to that
which they agreed to accept as a fair remunera-
tion, or until, by mutual arrangement, both parties
agree to a change. The master, on the other hand,
is morally bound to continue the employment, nor
is it unusual for them to do so at times when they
have no demand for the products of labour, owing
to an unwillingness that the operatives should be
the chief sufferers. In the present instance, how-
ever, the operatives appear to have relied upon a
presumed activity in trade, and, by turning out
for additional pay, attempted to practise a species
of intimidation, which it is the manifest right of
the masters to resist as far as practicable. This
they have done to a great extent, as in most
instances where the strike has commenced at one
mill, the other masters in the district have closed
their mills, so that the turn-outs should not be
maintained out of the wages of the others, and
encouraged in their contumacy. It is this union,
on the part of the masters, which has caused so
many hands to be out at one time, and it is to be
hoped that it will have the effect of sooner bringing
back the men to reason, as it is evident that, if one
manufacturer be allowed to suffer, the others will
I soon share the same fate.

The men have, however, grossly deluded them-
selves, or are the victims of their leaders, who, in all
such cases, are the least worthy characters. So
far from the masters being just now open to inti-
midation for the briskness of demand for their
goods, the case is just the reverse. The unsettled
state of political affairs, the difficulties in the
money market, and the lull in the demand from
abroad, have rendered the manufacturers almost
indifferent about closing their mills; so that, instead
of being at the mercy of the men, the latter will
find, to their cost, that they are at the mercy of
the masters, which their recent conduct has done
little to deserve. Let us suppose, however, that
the men should be successful in obtaining their
demands, and a little reflection will serve to show
that they have gained a loss. If they are only out
of work for three or four weeks, it will take many
months, at an advanced rate of wages,to put them in
the same position that they would have been in
had they continued work on the former scale.
They will have not the slightest guarantee for the
continuance of the higher rate ; and should cir-
cumstances occur, which none can tell how soon,
to abate the present fancied prosperity of trade,
they will have no claim for merciful consideration
at the hands of those to whom they have now
shown so little. It is to be hoped that the men,
who have been really the dupes of agitators, will
allow their good sense to operate, and give up their
senseless quarrel before they have made the breach
irremediable.

NOTWITHSTINTANG the great natural advantages pos-
sessed by Wallasey Pool for the extension of the Shipping
trade of the Mersey, it was only as recently as 1843 that
any attempt was made to render them available by the
construction of the requisite works. Itis true that about
the year 185 several of the Liverpool shipwrights opened
establishments in Birkenhead, and a slip was constructed
at Wallasey Pool, for hauling up vessels wanting repairs,

and Mr. Lsnw established his iron and shipbuilding
yards. In 1827, a proposal was made by a joint-stock
company for the construction of a dock and floating har-
bour, in connection with a ship-canal to the Dee ; but in
1828 the Corporation of Liverpool; purchased the land on
the shore of •the Tool, and the scheme was abandoned.
Nothing further was done in this matter untillB43, when
the Liverpool Town Council re-sold the land to Messrs.
Limn, JACKSON,: and POTTSR, by whom a scheme was
proposed for the construction of a tidal harbour and sea-
wall, whereby an inclosure would be made at Wallasey
Pool, affording an amount of accommodation greater than
the entire of the Docks at Liverpool.

_The requisite plans were prepared, commissioners or
trustees were -appointed, application was made to Parlia-
ment ; and, notwithstanding the vigorous opposition to
the bill before the Committees of both Houses, it received
the Royal Assent in July, 1844. This gave rise to several
other schemes, among which was the formation of a com-
pany for the erection of iron:warehouses on the margin of
the river, and an extension of the railway to the ware-
houses and docks. In 1845 the works were vigorously
proceeded with ; and, at the same time, the Herculaneum
Docks at Liverpool were purchased by the Birkenhead
Dock Estate. Duringhe Session of that -year, the sanc-
tion of Parliament was obtained for the extension of the
railway to the docks ;. for the construction of warehouses
on the .dock-quays ; and, also, to compel the Corporation
of.Live.pool to sell the fee-simple of the laud, which had
only been obtained from them under lease. A small dock
was also made/ on the south side of Birkenhead, and a
considerable enclosure of Tranmere Pool.

The ostensible object 'for which the enclosure of Wal-
lasey Pool was commenced was the insufficiency of the
docks en the Liverpool side of the river, in order to
remedy which the Dock Trustees made large purchases of
land at tho.extreme north and south of the town. These
have since been converted ;into docks ; but trade has
increased still faster than the weans for efficiently carrying
it on, while the limit of availakle accommodation has been
reached, if.pet exceeded. The works at Wallasey Pool
were commenced• by the elected Commissioners of Birken-
head, with funea raised en, the credit of the undertaking ;
and, whatever ,rates were received beyond the amount
necessaryto pixy the 'interest ,of the loans, or whatever
funds should arise, from property acquired and disposed of,
were to be applied in reducing the principal of the debt
until the works were relieved from All incumbrances, and
rthe rate afterwards, should any be necessary, would be
;required merely for :maintaining the works. It was also
aroviso, that if more property should be acquired than
was necessary to diselmge the debt, the surplus should be
applied to the annul .charge of maintenance, and the
,works then become freefef all rates.

Such were the conditions under which the docks at
Birkenhead were commenced ; but,the attempt gave rise
to muq angry discussion .between the two sides of the
Mersey, which might have been spared had the parties
considere6 that they had meommon interest in the trade
of the port, as it was impossible that one side could be
benefited Ixithout the other enjoying a‘large share of the
prosperity. An the one part, it ,was said that the land at
Wallasey Pool, which the Corporation of Liverpool had
'bought expressly for mercantile purposes, appeared to
have been retained by them solely for the purpose of pre-
venting any usefsl adaptation of it ; while by the other
comptlut was made of the conduct of the Birkenhead
parties in appropriating their purchase to dock purposes
as a breath of faith, from the opinion that such accommo-
dation should be confined to the eastern side of the
Mersey, notwithstanding the sale by Mr. Pates, the
original Lord of the Manor, was made upon the express
agreement that the Pool was to be appropriated to the
' " purposes of trade connected with the interest of
Liverpool."
The object to be accomplished by the enclosure of :Wal-
lasey Pool was to be effected by two distinct operations ;
one, the enclosure of the upper, And the other, the em-
banking of the lower part. The first was to be accom-
plished by a masonry dam, having in it a pair of flood-
gates of 70 feet in width ; and two locks, one of 60 feet,
and one of 30 feet, extending across the Pool from near
the shipbni ding yards on the Birkenhead side, to the
smalt-works at Seacombe. By this means the water
within the larger inner harbour, called the Great Float, of
160 acres, would be retained ; and though enormously
large as this " dock may be deemed for commercial pur-
poses, it is not too large as a reservoir to contain water
for scouring the basin." The water in the Float was
proposed to be kept at the depth of nineteen feet, or six
feet below the Liverpool datum. The low-water basin
was to be formed by the construction of a massive sea-
wall along the low-water margin of the Mersey, from

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