The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-08-21 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE

The first meeting of the dock committee, since the elec-
tion of new members on Monday and Tuesday last, was heild
yesterday. The following members were present :—Messrs.
Leathom, Benn, Barclay, Ripley, Martin, Chapman, Hors-
fall, George Holt, Thomas Holt, Bulley, Moon, Evans,
Middleton, Segar, Tobin, and Gladstone. •
The weekly accounts were passed, and the proceedings of
the previous meetings confirmed.
The north harbour-master reported that about 3 a. m. on
the 15th instant a fire occurred on board the American ship
St. Lewis, originating from a man in liquor, smoking, who
was found asleep. A bed was partly burned, but no other
damaze was done. A report was ordered to be sent to the
watch committee, for them to take the usual proceedings.
The north harbour-master reported that William Birkett,
Prince's-pier master, and Richard Downing, one of the
Clarence-dock gatemen, bad both died of fever, after an ill-
ness of four days. The appointment to the situation of
Prince's-pier master, was ordered to be filled up at the next
meeting of the committee, and that of gateman by the sub-
committee, in whose province it lies.
The SECRETARY read a letter from Mr. Ward, owner of
the ship Tweed; stating that as it might not delay the clear-
ing of the ship. he had xequested Messrs. Bold and Starkey
to pay the dock dues, but that he did not admit his liability
to do so. He, therefore, requested the committee to order
either that the whole, or a considerable portion of them might
be remitted. Atter a short conversation relative to the con-
ditions upon which compensation had been paid to the owner
of the Tweed, the letter, as we understood, was ordered to
lie upon the table.
The SECRETARY next reported the expenses of the dock
police for the quarter ending the 24th July last, from which
it appeared that a balance of £1553 12s. 4d. was due to the
watch committee.

A letter was read from the Chairman of the Underwriters'
Association, stating that the Britannia, steam-ship, which
arrived in this port from Halifax, on Friday last, signalized
to the Holyhead telegraph station the following communica-
tions—That she sailed from Boston on the Ist August, and
from Halifax on the 4th, and had 76 passengers, togetber with
the prices of cotton. -This intelligence not having been com-
municated to the Underwriters' Rooms, the chairman begged
to call the attention of the committee to it, the public having
been thereby deprived of the information they had a right to
expect through the Telegraph Station. The letter further
stated that the association felt the omission the more as the
signals necessary for conveying the intelligence had been
drawn up in their rooms, and one copy of them had been
given to the commander of the vessel, and another sent to
the Telegraph Office.
The CHAIRMAN said it appeared that Mr. Court, having
arranged the signals for the Britannia, sent a copy of them
to the Telegraph Office, in Chapel-street, instead of com-
municating with Mr. Lord, the supe-intending officer of the
establishment, as to whether it was practicable to carry them
into effect. Whether the signals were seen at Holyhead
remained to be ascertained; at all events they were not com-
municated to Liverpool. He understood, however, it would
have taken a great part of the day to have communicated
all the signals to the respective stations.
The SECRETARY entered into a similar explanation.
Mr. HORSFALL said it was certainly irregular upon the
part of Mr. Court to send communications of this sort to the
Telegraph Office. If they had a right to send signals for the
Britannia, signals might be sent there for other vessels. It
was, therefore, most necessary that every thing of the sort
should go to Mr. Lord, in order to see whether they were
practicable without inconvenience. . .

Mr. EvANS observed, that if two vessels arrived in one
day, with the same number of signals as the Britannia, the
telegraph would be occupied with them alone the whole day.
Mr. RIPLEY said a sub-committee had recently reported
that the telegraphs might be made more effective than they
were at present. Last Friday he himself saw an instance of
a signal from Puffin Island being unobserved for half an
hour, although the day was quite tine and clear. Arrange-
ments, however, were in progress to make the telegraphs
more effective, and then the signals, which now took so much
time, would pass more speedily.
The MARINE SURVEYOR was then called in. He stated
that Mr. Court sent a list of signals just when the Britannia
was about to sail, to the town station, for 25 different sub-
jects. These would have taken a long time to accomplish,
and therefore he did not feel himself justified, without the
sanction of the committee, in sending them to the stations.
Amongst them were signals of the prices of cotton, the num-
ber of bales sold during the day, &c., &c. _

Mr. BENN remarked that that was a use to which it was
never intended the telegraph should be applied.
Mr. MOON said Mr. Court was wrong, in the first instance,
in not communicating with Mr. Lord; but news of the kind
he contemplated might be easily communicated, or the tele-
graph was inefficient.
Mr. GLADSTONE thought it was desirable that such in-
formation as this should be communicated when the telegraph
was not otherwise employed.
Mr. MIDDLETON understood that Mr. Court proposed that
information of this kind should be constantly telegraphed,
and not with special reference to the Britannia.
Mr. EVANS said if that were so, he should claim the same
privilege for the tobacco trade.
It was then decided that the chairman of the Underwriters'
Association be informed, that all communications relative to
signals for the telegraph stations be made to Mr. Lord, the
marine surveyor. _ .

A letter was next read from Messrs. Strong and Read,
complaining that their schooner Strangford had been waiting
in the Canning Dock since the 13th instant, without having
obtained a loading berth. _ The dock master, however, re-
ported that no application had been made to him till yester-
day, (Wednesday,) and;that the vessel had a.berth allotted to
her at 1 p.m. the same day.—A copy of this report was or-
dered to be sent to Messrs. Strong and Read.
A conversation followed upon an application from Mr.
Gage, the publisher of a plan of the town of Liverpool, to be
allowed to appear before the committee, in order to explain
his plan of constructing docks by which he stated he could
effect a great saving of money and room.—Mr. Gage was re-
-quested to be in attendance on Thursday next.
The committee then adjourned.

The Lord Chancellor Of England, and family, will embark
on board the Queen of the Isle, steamer, Captain Gill, for
Douglas, Isle of Man, this morning, on a visit to the Lord
Bishop of Sodor and Man. _ _ .

We beg to call attention to an advertisement in this day's
paper, stating that the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, of Lon-
don, will advocate the cause of the Church Pastoral Aid
Society, in St. Michael's Church, Pitt-street, on Sunday
evening next.
THEATRE ROYAL.—The attractions announced for this
evening, on the occasion of Mr. Anderson's benefit, will not
fail to secure for that sterling performer a crowded house.
The Hypocrite will be repeated on Monday, and both Mr.
Farren and Mrs. Sterling will appear in it.—See Adet.
BATIIING.—Those who are fond of this healthful and
delightful recreation will now find the water at Mr. Penn's
baths of . a very pleasant temperature. Thousands have
lately visited these baths ; but there are many thousands more
in Liverpool who have no idea of the comforts and conve-
niences with which they abound. For the benefit of these
individuals we shall hereafter give a description of these
splendid and luxurious baths.—See Advt.
SAILING OF THE ORlENTAL.—Yesterday afternoon, a few
minutes before two o'clock, the splendid Steam-ship Oriental,
" set steam" from her mooring ground in the Sloyne, and
proceeded on her voyage direct to Southampton,—having on
board Mr. Shaw, the marine manager of the company to
which she belongs, and a number of gentlemen, including
Captain George Smith, and another (whose name we did not
learn) of the Royal Navy. She passed down the river in good
style, though not at full speed ; was saluted from different
steam and other vessels at anchor, and from the ferries as
she pissed them, and returned the compliment with interest
from her own large guns, of which she carries six. Her ap-
pearance was very fine and commanding, and, we doubt not,
while we feel a regret that she has left us for what may be
called a foreign station,—but she will do honour to her
" native" town, wherever she may hereafter be employed.
We understand she took with her about two-thirds of the
crantity of coals required for her voyage up the Mediterra-
nean. She will proceed from Southampton on her first voy-
age this day week. The Oriental, on her way to Alexandria,
will touch at Gibraltar, Malta, Corfu, Zante, and Patras,—
a delightful, and we may add " classical," route. Prepara-
tions are in progress by the company to place swift and com-
modious Steamers on the Nile, and a powerful steam-ship is
about to commence between Suez, Calcutta, Madras, and
Ceylon. The line of rapid and pleasant communication, with
the most important parts of our possessions in India, will
thus be completed, and the eastern world, with its great in-
terests, thus be approximated to within a comparatively short
distance of our own shores.

THE SWELL MOB AT THE RECENT LIVERPOOL RE-
GATTA.—Our readers may remember that a fashionably
attired young man, Alfred Easthope, alias Henry Edwards,
&c. &c., was committed from Birkenhead on the day after
the regatta, for stealing a watch at Willoughby's Hotel, from
the person of Mr: George Foster, of Toxteth-park. He
evidently belonged to a gang of fashionable thieves, who in-
sinuated themselves into respectable company, on public and
other occasions, seeking whom they might devour. On •
Tuesday last, Easthope was placed at the bar in Chester
Castle. His guilt was conclusively proved. Although lie
was defended by the most able counsel, his defence was lame
and impotent. The jury, without a moment's hesitation,
pronounced him guilty, and the learned judge, after severely
animadverting on the wickedness of such parties, reared, as
it were, in crime, travelling from fair to fair, from race to
regatta, sentenced the unhappy and dejected youth to ten
years' transportation. It is a curious fact, that his young
and dashing brother in iniquity, who represented himself at
Birkenhead as his " cousin,', and who attempted to buy his
escape, by tend-ring a round sum to one of the police•officers,
his apprehension, is now under a similar sentence at
after his
for, we learn, robbing the lieges on the railway.
It is understood that several of the same genteel gang still
remain at large. We hope they will not long go undetected.
QUICK TRAVELLING.—Major Buxton and lady, who
were, passengers in the Britannia, from Liverpool, having
arrived at Halifax on the morning of the lith ult., reached
St. Johns, Nova Scotia, by way of Windsor, on the
following day, and proceeded immediately in the New
Brunswick, for Fredericton, where they must have arrived on
the afternoon of the 18th, and 14 days only from Liverpool !

.•••• --- -
BRUSSELS LACE.-It may be interesting to our fair
townswomen to know, that the collars which they are so
generally wearing, of which the shop windows are full, and
which are called by the dealers " real Brussels," are imita-
tions of imitations, that is, English imitation of imitation.
Real Brussels lace is scarcely to be met with, even in Brus-
sels, the price being so high that it is only made to order.
The plain net, or reseru, is worth twelve florins, or twenty
shillings, the Flemish ell, three quarters of a yard ; it is,
consequently, worth twenty-six shillings and eight-penCe a
yard. The pattern is produced separately upon the cushion,
and sewed upon the ground ; every sprig is charged: thus
the price of real Brussels lace becomes enormous. The
English imitations are made by stitching a pattern of muslin
upon Nottingham net. But this is, nevertheless, " Real
Brussels, pledge you my honour," and worthy to rank with
Canton crape, Naples soap, Eau de Cologne, Yarmouth her-
rings, Durham mustard, and Stilton cheese.—Correspondent
of Courier.