The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-06 00:00:00

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TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 6, 1847

IF there are ever occurring occasions, in which
the Journalist may claim to be allowed to step out
of his ordinary sphere and to change his ordinary
features, perhaps the events which are taking place
whilst these remarks are penned, may be fairly
urged, as furnishing an excuse for such a change.
-The dedication of a vast estuary of this noble river
to greater public usefulness ; the opening of new
facilities for its growing commerce; the completion,
in fact, of a portion of a great enterprize, by which
the•pre-eminence of the Mersey as the resort of the
-shipping of Great Britain, and of the world is to be
stimulated, are more than ordinary matters—are
matters momentous enough to allow us for once to
concentrate our attention to our own locality, and
to withdraw our notice from some of those general
questions which would otherwise have met with
due consideration at our hands. All labourers,
whether their services are devoted to the public, or
to the advancement of their own interests, have
their occasional. holidays ; the members of the two
Houses of Parliament are at this moment relaxing
themselves from their severe labours of political
life. And if we take the liberty to do the same;
if we forget for awhile the conflicts of party and
indulge ourselves at home, we have a plea whicir
they cannot offer. We can point to the produc-
tions of our busy reporters who, if we have been
idle, cannot certainly plead guilty to any such
failure in the performance of their duty to the
public

An ample report of the interesting proceedings
yesterday,—or at least what will, we trust, he con-
sidered such by our readers—will be found in our
columns. We give it plain and unvarnished, faith-
ful we believe, and certainly without any spirit of
local jealousy inducing us to prevent or suppress
one fact connected with the occasion. We disdain
alike adulation of Birkenhead, of the promoters
of its enterprising projects, and unworthy fear of
the effect of success of those projects upon the
'prosperity of Liverpool. We regard the growing
Mild as likely to be a useful stay to the parent, in
whose steps she is following, and with whose
'growth she must grow. Some of the proceedings
of the Birkenhead authorities we have not hesitated
to object to ; and we believe our objections have
been received in a proper spirit, as dictated by sin-
cere, although possibly mistaken convictions. The

prosperity of Birkenhead, however, is as much an
object which we devoutly desire as it is that of the
most active and energetic of those gentlemen; and,
in any, and all of the objections which we have been
compelled to urge, we sincerely trust that time and
facts will prove us to have been in the wrong.

THE recurrence of Easter Tuesday, the day on
which our Annual Vestry is held, reminds us-of
some matters to which we must entreat the atten-
tion of our readers, and of the rate-payers of the I
town generally. For the last two years, it is well
known to most people—and by some the result
-has been felt in that quarter most sensitive to an
Englishman, viz., the pocket—that a fussy move-
ment has been got up at our Vestry meetings,
having for its battle cry, the imposing words " Fair
play." The chief player in this imposingly named
farce we need not mention. The object sought by
the gentleman in question, and his supporters, was,
ostensibly, an equalization of the political strength
in the Vestry. The real object was, to enable
Whiggery to get its footing into the Parish-office,
for electioneering and registration purposes. Small
Radicals were to be foisted upon the rate-payers,
in the place of influential and respectable men who
laboured under the misfortune of differing from
the Sir Oracle of the movement.
It was successful—thanks to the apathy of our ,
leading Conservatives. We have had some fine
specimens imposed upon us, of pretension and
helpless impotence. Men who went up—or, rather,
Same in—like rockets, have come down like their
sticks ; and, when the public properly recovers its
good sense, will, no doubt, go out with the usual
Odour attending the departure of such people.
Our object in referring to the subject is, to impress
upon the rate-payers of Liverpool the importance
of putting a stop to all this kind of absurdity.
What earthly connection is there between politics
and the appointment of a Select Vestry-man ?
There is none. There can be none, unless an
opportunity is sought to make our own Parish
office: something like the office of the Extra-paro-
ehial place of Toxteth-park, in which members of
the Committee disport themselves so strangely.
The main consideration of the rate-payers of
Liverpool ought to be to save their pockets, and to
protect the poor of the town, at the same time.
*The eloquence of Mr. Wm. Earle, the sharp prac-
tice of Mr. Avison, the ponderosity of Mr. Bright,.
are nothing to them, compared with the impor-
tance of husbanding their own resources. We
want in the Select Vestry, in the present crisis of
our affairs, not petty pretenders to Liberalism, not
abortive imitators of Brougham, on a small scale,
or shopkeepers of the Bright class, and with less
of the luminous quality which the name implies.
We want common sense, common consideration
and prudence, a little sparkle of information upon
the ordinary affairs of the world, and a trifle of
honesty in the composition of members of a body
who have it in their power so seriously to influence
the fortunes of this community.
. .

%/ay,'
It is already a recognized fact, that our present
high rate of taxation, for the support of our own,'
and of extraneous poor, is as much as we can con-
veniently bear. It is not the less a fact, that our
taxation for the year to come is likely to be largely
increased—doubled, no doubt—trebled, very pro-
bably. Now, what ought to be the class of parties
who have to do with the imposition upon us, and
the management of the funds derived from this

taxation ?- Manifestly they ought to be large rate-
payers, instead of noisy and empty spouters. We
committed a sad mistake when we set out upon our

nt men of no weight to
nen sufficiently inte-

" fair play" cruise, an
spend our money, instead of

in saving

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(BY EXPRE

LONDON CORN MARKET.—YESTERDAY.
At this day's market there was a very short supply of English
Wheat, which was taken off at the currency of this day week.
There was a better sale for Fareign to country buyers at fully
late rates. Indian Corn is held as. to 48. per quarter over the
depressed sales of last week. Barley, Malt, Beaus, and Peas
dull, and in limited request, although offered at a reduction of
Is. to 2s. per quarter We are again liberally supplied with
Foreign Oats, and being more than the present demand, we
must note a further decline of Is. to Is. Gd. since Monday last.
SMITHFIELD CATTLE MARKET.—YESTERDAY.
A decided increase has taken place in the arrivals of foreign
stock into London during the past week; and we have to report
a very great improvement hi its general quality. We have to
report an inactive Beef trade, at in some instances a decline
in the currencies obtained on Monday last of 2d per 81b, the
highest figure for the best Scots being 48 4d per 81b, yet a good
ranee was effected. With Sheep we were scantily supplied,
he quality of this description of stock was very good.
e Old Downs commanded a ready sale, at a further =-
meat in value of quite 24 per 0), they producing without
lty 5s 6d per Blb ; but in the value of all other breeds,
it was wed supported, we have no alteration to notice.

from New Yc

tip Baltimore, at Havre, has
+o the 10th ultimo inclusive.
.sis at the seat of war.
upon
.Saltillo. 'Vera Cruz, it

to a eri

Santa Anna_ had , mare'

—The C'erk Comtitution gives
stations committed by fever ;
), filling the graveyards to

nal account of the uF
ictims to the cent

rflowing

TABLEAUX VIVA NTS

BenZOIIPS corps of artistes are
'hey are extremely clever, and

Lring in Liverp,
a visit.

nthy of
Ncr. Hamilton, whose advertisement appears in our first
f " The Star"
n shall
---nklv an-

-Kalilanal talent is V

OPENING of the BIRKENHEAD DOCKS, &e

(Co ntinued from Page 7.)

shore, but on the Seacombe side of Wallasey Pool. There
will be what is called Crown Lands, in two areas, on each
side of the Great Low Water Basin (which itself is 37
acres in extent), and this land will altogether comprise an
area of about 120 acres. The basin to be completed near
Woodside Ferry, and immediately north of the Pier, will
cover about 16 acres, with beaching ground for coasters.
From Woodside Ferry landing station, a wide road,
Macadamised, and bounded by a handsome parapet wall
on the east, has already been constructed, leading to the
gates of the new docks, and forming what will hereafter
be portion of the marine parade of Birkenhead. Two
slips, on the sea wall, are already in use at this point,
forming gentle inclined planes, meeting below. Several
vessels of considerable tonnage were on Friday anchored
close to the quays, and were in perfect security. The
foot-walk along the side of the parapet is already flagged,
giving accommodation for the procession fete yesterday.
The outward works, to complete the wharf (of 300 feet
wide), and enclose the Crown Land at the estuary of the
Pool, are in rapid progress, and, what with stone and
temporary wood-work, present an interesting appearance;
but we have not space to enter into details.

APPEARANCE OF THE RIVER ON THI

LIVERPOOL SIDE

At an early hour in the forenoon parties, in holyday
attire, began to pour down to the pierhead, to be con-
veyed to the scene of the approaching festivities. Ar-
rangements had been previously made to secure a suffi-
cient attendance of policemen at the various slips and
steps, to keep order and prevent accidents ; and we feel
bound to say that every possible effort was made. To
suppress confusion, however, on this as on every similar
occasion, was found to be impo=sible, John Bull, whe-
ther belonging to old or young England, is an impatient
animal. He hates to be left behind ; and whether going
to storm a battery or assault a good dinner, prefers tread-
ing on the heels of any one who attempts to take prece-
dence of him to going a head in the manner of ordinary
mortals. As the forenoon advanced the crush became
fast and furious ; and although the proprietors of the
Ferries had put on an unusual quantity of steam, and
despatched their boats without regard to regular hours
(thereby making them very irregular characters,) there
was the utmost difficulty in transporting all the candi-
dates for the sports who put in their claims to the Che-
shire side. As the hour drew near when the distin-
guished nobleman who was to honour the occasion with
his presence, getting on board any of the boats became
positively dangerous ; and the appearanee of the boats
themselves, with their living freights, packed from stem
to stern, and from cabins to the paddle wheels, was
strongly suggestive of the possibility of calamity, which
happily did not occur. By two or three o'clock our good
old town began to wear the appearance of a deserted
place, the hulk of its population having emptied itself
into the pool of Wallasey, the park of Claughton, and the
streets, squares, and lands of the modern Carthage, loca-
ted on the site of the old hamlet on the opposite side of
the river.

APPEARANCE_OF BIRKENHEAD,

For some days previoOSly to the celebration, efforts
must have been making by the spirited inhabitants of
Birkenhead to give every possible ecliit to the day. Early
in the morning, the town was dressed to profusion ; and
the neighbourhod of the new docks, the various ferries,
and a great number of the residences of the leading parties
connected with the town, displayed flags in abundance.
The streets, as every steamboat discharged its supply 01
population, became more and more crowded with people,
the bulk of whom, we fear, neither knew for what they
came at all, nor got anything in the shape of information
or spectacle by their coming. The fineness of the day
had, doubtless, attracted many who would otherwise have
contented themselves with what could be seen from our
own piers. At the Dock Works, and the Woodside and
Monks' Ferries throughout the day, the firing of cannon
was almost incessant, by which a startling effect was given
to the whole of the proceedings. The exhaustion of gun-
powder thus caused, must have been considerable. During
the d6eune'r, when for a brief period the lions of the

occasion were withdrawn from the public eye, and indeed
throughout the day, the beautiful park, whose formal
opening was part of its business, was thronged with
admiring and curious crowds ; and thousands, no doubt
for the first time, learnt from ocular demonstration the
extent of the entrprize by which Birkenhead has been
raised to its present position. Numerous straggling
parties might else have been seen exploring the out-
skirts, climbing the Bidston hill, or meandering through
the detightful
.village of Tranmere, Oxton, and other
places the neighbourhood, to put off time until those
portions of the day's proceedings, in which they were parti-
cularly interested—the fireworks, rural sports, &c., should
be brought upon the scene.
During the whole of the day, the streets were enlivened
by bands of music and processions of various orders.

Tents and marquees were erected in various places ; but
to the doings in these, we must refer in another part of