The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

THE DERBY MUSEUM.—This interesting exhibition has
been visited by a large number of the Whitsuntide excur-
sionists during the week, the attendance being 3,070 on
Monday, and 2100 on Tuesday. On Wednesdays the ex-
hibition is closed except to artists. On Thursday the
number of persons was 1440.
SHIPS FOR AUSTRALIA.—The total number of vessels
now preparing for the various ports of Australia is 41,
and the total number of registered tonnage is 26,839.
The sailings from this port from the 12th to the 18th
instant, have been four vessels for Melbourne, of an
aggregate tonnage of 2,329 tons.
DEATH FROM DRINKING.—Sarah Hamlet, a prosti-
tute, residing in Jervis-street, was put to bed drunk by
one of her neighbours, on Monday night last week, and
as she did not make her appearance as usual on Tuesday
morning, the house was opened, and she was found dead
in bed. In appearance she was a remarkably fine young
woman, and is said to be respectably connected. She was
only twenty-four years old. Dr. Kemp made an exami-
nation of the body, and found the cause of death to have
been apoplexy, caused by excessive drinking.

FORGERY ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH WALES BANK.
Matthew Mudd, who was remanded from last week, on a
charge of conspiracy to defraud the North and South
Wales Bank of the sum of £3OO, and John Brown, who
was examined before the Lord Mayor at the Man,ion-
house, London, on the charge of committing the forgery,
were brought up on Friday for examination at the Police-
court. \lr. Hull, solicitor to the bank, recapitulated the
statement made by Mr. Clough last week, and in the
absence of any further evidence the prisoners were re-
manded for seven days. When before the Lord Mayor,
in London, Brown stated that the £3OO was his own.
A MEETING OF CORN 'WEIGHERS was held on Friday
at the Tradesman's Club-room, Circus-street, for the
purpose of making final arrangements for a uniformity of
their wages. There was a large attendance. Mr. James
Walsh presided, and introduced the business. He read
the following list of the employers who had consented to
pay 4s. per day :—Wm. Healing and Co. ; Pickering
Brothers ; Cunliffe, Paton, and Co. ; A. and G. Martin ;
Gradwell and Pyke ; John Doherty ; James Wilson; John
Lynch and Sons ; Hugh Eaton and Co. ; D. J. Fynney ;
Richardson Brothers ; Ross T. Smyth ; Patterson Bro-
thers ; Charles Campbell ; 11. R. Plaw ; John Bald ;
S. R. Graves, George Borthwick ; George and S. Pimm ;
Nicholson and M`Gill ; Maxwell Brothers; William
M`Kinstry ; W. and T. Tomlinson ; William Lowe and
Sons ; John Tomlinson ; John and T. Scott ; G. Eggers
and Tetley ; J. and S. Scott ; T. Mather ; R. Christie ;
Verdon and Cullen.—Many energetic speeches were deli-
vered. and ultimately the following resolves were passed :
1. 'Will you promise to refuse to work for less than four
shillings per day as a corn weigher. 2. Will you promise
' not to allow yourself to be kilt to a warehouseman while
weighers are on the street seeking employment. 3. Will
you promise not to take the place of any weigher who
may refuse to be lent as above. 4. Will you promise not
to take the place of any weigher or weighers who may
turn out for four shillings per day, and will you refuse to
work in the firm until the men turning out be re-
employed. 5. Will you promise not to give weights from
your book to any person who will require them if he does
not have a weigher to take weights as the goods are
weighed. If the demand made, namely, four shillings per
day, be not conceded, it was resolved that no weigher
should resume work on Monday.
BURNING OF A COTTON FACTORY.—The cotton factory
on the North Shore was burnt down on Tuesday night
last. This building stood alone, with the exception of a
few low cottages, and a shed in its vicinity, and could,
therefore, he seen from every point around as a solitary
object in the landscape. Being, at the same time, exten-
sive and lofty, and pierced by a hundred windows, it
facilitated in every way the extension and the intensity
of the flames- The fire broke out a few minutes after
nine o'clock, in the waste room in the upper story,
and the flames ran rapidly along that floor from one
extremity to the other. The presence of cotton, oil,
twist and other combustible substances served to conduct
the fire from floor to floor, and in less than half-an-hour
the Eames raged from the basement story to the roof.
Every window and doorway seemed a furnace, and the
whole -sky was so brilliantly illuminated, that parties at
George's-hill, Everton, and New Brighton, Cheshire,
could see to read by the light. Nothing could be more
grandly beautiful than the appearance of Everton. Every
house seemed painted in golden light, and the face of the
crowds collected along the rising ground were quite visible
to those standing on the canal banks. The sight was
equally picturesque in Cheshire; and in the immediate
vicinity of the fire there could not be less than 100,000
people collected on the elevations, in the open spaces, and
on the roads around. Their up turned faces had an
extraordinary appearance, of regret, anxiety, and curiosity.
The police, under Chief-superintendent Ride, and his
inspectors, kept admirable order. No accident occurred.
'On the first alarm, the engines of the fire police and the
West of England were on the spot : and Mr. Duncan was
one of the first in attendance. There was only one small
main at this distance from the town, and there was no
-water in the canal ; only a few engines, therefore, could
be worked, and it was quite unnecessary that there should
be any more, for their limited service was confined to the
preservation of the cotton shed to the north of the mill
and the adjoining cottages, neither of which was ever
'really in danger. The firemen, however, acted as if there
was danger ; and Mr. Hewitt placed himself in a position
to preserve this property under the most adverse circum-
-stances. The fire in the mill defied opposition ; and the
walls by ten o'clock had partially fallen. Ever and anon
-disturbed flame shot up momentarily ; but the destruction
by that hour was complete, and all further danger removed.
The poor people in the cottages belonging to the mill,
were told in vain that there was no danger; but they
-refused to credit assurances of -safety, and hurried their
little property out of their homes. The factory, which
was called the North Shore Mrll, was originally built in
1836, by Messrs. Turner, Garstangs and Newton, and has
teen working for fifteen or sixteen years. It consisted of
two parts or wings, each seven -stories high. In 1851 it
was sold by the then proprietors—Mr. James Aspinall
Turner of Manchester, Mr. Garstang, of the same place,
and Mr. North, of Everton—to Messrs. John and Alexan-
der Brogden, members of the firm of railway contractors
of that name, who have worked the mill with spirit ever
since. The fire originated in the waste room; and was
caused, it is believed, by spontaneous combustion among
the refuse cotton, used, probably, in cleansing the ma-
chinery, and, therefore, saturated with oil. The hands
had been enjoying the Whitsuntide 'holidays : the canal,
from which the steam-engine derived water, being let run
dry., to enable the Earl of Derby to carry a sewer under
it at -Bootle. During the cessation of the machinery,
some -repairs and alterations were being done by Mr.
Mackerell ; but his men used ne lights, and had left at
the usual hour on Tuesday evening. The cotton-shed
contained about £20,000 worth of cotton, and, although
the fire-police braved the flames resolutely in protect-
ing it, there was no danger, for the -wind, being easterly,
turned away the flames; a circumstance which, in
addition to the fineness of the night, enabled the people
' of Everton to have an admirable view of the devastating
element. The amount of loss has been grossly exagge-
rated. The-insurances effected on thebuildings, machinery,
&c., were for £32,000 ; and, no doubt, this was the value
estimated on the first cost; but, as such property has
increased in value within these two years, the loss may be
set down at £40,000. The property is insured in the
following offices:—Phoenix, £8,000; Atlas, £4,000; North
British, 3,600.; Alliance, £3,000; Royal Exchange, £2,500;
Royal, £1,500.; Sun, £1,500 ; County, £1,500 ; London
Union, £1,500.; Imperial, £1,100; London Assurance,
£l,OOO. The mill hands, however, are the great sufferers,
for 1000 of them have to seek employment elsewhere.

DOCK COIZMITTEE.—Mr. Shand presided at the weekly
meeting on Thursday.—The committee of warehouse
management recommended the appointment of Mr. Kidd,
to the office of ledger clerk. Contirmed.—An application
for permission to use a small engine on board a steamer in
in one of the docks, for discharging and landing cargo,
was complied with. Mr. Bold said the engine would save
the labour of five men, besides giving greater dispatch,
and it was likely to come into general use.—lt was re-
commended that the salary of Mr. Joseph Garnias, super-
intendent of the timber quays, be increased from £9O to
£l4O per annum.—The secretary read a resolution of the
Health Committee, stating that a complaint had been
made by the medical officer of a nuisance from bones
lying on the quay of the Clarence Dock. The matter was
referred to the Harbour Masters' Committee.—Mr. Bar-
ber called attention to the discussion at the last meeting.
On that occasion the solicitor, in answer to a question,
led them to suppose there was no power in the rate-
payers to inspect the books and accounts of the dock
eetate. The solicitor had since discovered that he was in
error on that point, and that the ratepayers had such
power. The solicitor wished to disabuse Mr. Barber's
mind upon the subject. He did state that ho had found,
in an old act, a clause giving power to the ratepayers to
inspect books, accounts, and other proceedings. It was
passed in 1762. The clause had, however, no bearing upon
the question which had been raised, and, if used at all, it
had reference to an inspection made, through the chair-
man, at the time when the accounts generally of the trust
were to be inspected there. The solicitor read the clause,
which is the 33rd of the 2nd George 111., " That the said
trustees shall keep, or cause to be kept and entered in
proper books, minutes of their proceedings, and fair, just,
and true accounts of the re:leipts and disbursements which'
shall be received or expended by them in consequence of
this act, which books of account and other proceedings
shall be epened at all convenient hours of business to the
inspection of all persons chargeable with and liable to the
payment of the said duties." In reply to a question, the
solicitor said that only one instance had occurred of such
inspection during twenty years. After a long discussion,
Mr. Gladstone gave notice that he would, at the next
meeting, bring forward the motion he had previously
submitted, as to members being furnished with infor-
mation in connexion with the trust, merely leaving out the
word " verbally."—Mr. Bigham said he had that day men-
tioned in the Finance Committee that he wished to bring
forward an important matter, in hopes that it would reach
the general committee, and through that committee the
public, but he was unable to get any attention paid to it ;
he alluded to the dock frauds. The committee must not,
therefore, blame him if he menticned the names of certain
firms when the proceedings came before the Council. He
had repeatedly mentioned it within the last week or two
in the Finance Committee, hut the reply was " Pooh,
pooh," and no action had been taken. There was a list
now of persons who had been guilty of these frauds; one
of them paid £5O to get out of the difficulty a short time
ago, but since that time his name had been four times in
the list. It seemed as though some parties were deter-
mined not to pay the legal rates. Mr. Robinson suggested
the desirability of posting the names of the defaulters
outside the Custom-house. Mr. Tobin thought that, if
there were such gross cases as had been stated,some strong
reason should be given why proceedings were not taken.
Mr. Evans asked whether, supposing a member knew of
information,
in things, would he be allowed to ask for
in order to institute an inquiry ? There were abuses ex-
isting, and it might be members were neglecting their
duties, but no other member must go and make an in-
quiry. Mr. Bigham was asked to name the party alluded
to who had paid the £5O, when he replied that he was not
quite certain about the exact amount ; it was, he believed,
£2O or £5O, and the firm was Giannacopulo and Co.,
Greek merchants. Mr. Malcolmson thought they should
act with caution, and was understood to refer to irregu-
larities by Custom-house clerks. Mr. Molyneux said
there was a disinclination on the part of the Finance
Committee to look into the matters referred to, but they
had not yet had sufficient time, The matter then dropped,