The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-14 00:00:00

A DEFAULTER.--Joseph Grave, who has occupied a
respectable position in-the general trade (though not in a
large way of business),.absconded on Thursday or Friday
last, after collecting all the money he could that was due
to him. We hear of some considerable amounts which
he owes to manufacturers- and others, as well as to his
bankers. He has left a wife and•family.—Manchester
Guardian.

Two or A TRADE.—A case was heard on Tuesday, on
a summons granted at the instance of Jane Young, against
Mr. James Allan, laceman and hosier, in Byrom-street, for
an assault on her. Prosecutrix is a shop assistant to Mr.
R. Eisdale, also a laceman and hosier, in the same street,
and the complaint was that the defendant had, on the 31st
of January last, seized the prosecutrix by the neck and
shaken her severely as she was passing his shop. From
the evidence it appeared the two lacemen were rather
active competitors for the public favour in their respective
shops, which had led to some brawling between the mas-
ters, requiring the aid of the police magistrate to adjudi-
cate between them ; while now, it seemed, the war was
likely to be waged between the less interested portions of
the establishments. After hearing the case, Allan was
ordered to pay a fine of 20s. and costs, or to suffer 14 days'
imprisonment.

DECIMAL COINAGE.—The public will learn from the
following letter the desire that the government has to
prepare for a decimal system, and to stipulate the pub-
lishers of school-books to- give familiar expositions of its
advantages : (corr.)
" Committee of Council on Education, Council-office,
"Whitehall, 31st January, 1854.
" Reverend Sir,—l am directed by the lord president
(Lord Granville) to bring under your notice the fact that
there is a very strong feeling in the country that we
should adopt a system of decimals in our coinage, and in
our weights and measures.
"The strongest objection urged against this change is,
that it would create misapprehension and distrust in the
minds of the people.
" The lord president thinks that you might, with ad-
vantage, call the attention of the principals of training
schools to the importance of thoroughly imbuing the stu-
dents under their charge with such a practical knowledge
of decimals as will enable them to disseminate the informa-
tion needed to accompany auch a change.
" The lord president thinks that this may be done by a
special notice in your report for the year 1853-4 ; by yer-
sonal communication in the course of your next circuit of
inspection; and by introducing a few questions that bear
upon the subject in the examination papers to be proposed
in December, 1834.-1 have the honour to be, reverend
sir, your obedient servant,
(Signed) "It. R. W. LINGEN.
"Her Majesty's Inspector of Training Schools."
TIIE LIVERPOOL GUARDIAN SOCIETY.—An extraordi-
nary general meeting of this society was held on Thursday
evening, at the office, in Commerce-court, Lord-street, for
the purpose of electing a president, vice-president, and
treasurer, to fill up vacancies occasioned by the resignation
of Mr. H. H. Gibson, Mr. Lillyman, and Mr. J. H. Smith.
The circumstances which led to the resignations were, we
understand, as follow :—lt appears that at the annual
meeting of the society, held on Thursday week, it was
agreed not to confirm a resolution passed by the com-
mittee to do away with'the debt-collecting department on
the 31st of December. All the minutes were confirmed
with this exception, and it was resolved by the general
meeting that the debts' department be carried on by the
new committee for another year. The consequence was
that two members of the committee and two officers
elected at the general meeting, the president and the
treasurer, declined to serve. The vice-president, Mr.
Lillyman, also resigned, but -on the ground that lie had
been elected against his declared wish, and he had subse-
quently become a member of the committee. The chair
was occupied by Mr. Daniel Baugh. There was a full
attendance. Letters of resignation were also read from
the following gentlemen :—Mr. E. Roberts, Mr. A. Lilly-
man, Mr. J. H. Smith, Mr. A. Bathgate, and Mr. H. H.
Gibson. The chairman intimated that the next business
would be the election of the three officers. Mr. W.
M`Millen was elected president, Mr. John Wrenn, .vice-
president, and Mr. Richard Crossley, treasurer—all unani-
mously. Mr. Reay, the secretary, then referred to a scur-
rilous placard which had appeared on the walls reflecting
on his character. He entered into a lengthened explana-
tion, which being considered satisfactory, a vote of con-
fidence was passed in his favour. Several other votes of
thanks were passed to the committee, the solicitor, &c.

TICE MASONIC BALL.—The fifth grand masonic ball for
the western division of this county was held on Tuesday,
in the Town-hall. The ball was open to the public gene-
rally, and was more numerously attended than any which
has yet taken place during the present season. The
patronesses were—The Countess of Zetland, the Countess
of Yarborough, the Countess of Ellesmere, the Viscountess
Combermere, the Hon. Mrs. Wellington Cotton, and the
Lady William Wynne. Amongst the patrons were some
of the most distinguished members of the order,
namely, the Right Hon. the Earl of Zetland, grand master
of England; the Right Hon. the Earl of Yarborough,
deputy grand master of England ; the Right Hon. Lord
Viscount Combermere, provincial grand master, Che-
shire; the Right Hon. the Earl of Ellesmere, provincial
grand master, East Lancashire, &c. The proceeds of the
ball are to be applied in aid of the funds of the West
Lancashire Masonic Institution, for the education and ad-
vancement in life of children of distressed freemasons.
The company numbered between eight and nine hundred
persons, the greater portion being masons of different de-
grees of rank. Many of them wore ornaments and other
insignia, some of which were remarkably beautiful, and
contrasted in a striking manner with the ordinary uni-
formity of an English ball costume. At the bottom of
the staircase stood two tylers with drawn swords, be-
tween whom the visitors passed on to the ball-room.
Phillips's quadrille band was stationed in the ball-room,
and the band of the 7th Royal Fusileers, conducted by
Mr. H. Winterbottom, occupied the vestibule of the Town-
hall. The regiment is now stationed at Salford, and the
band was allowed to attend by permission of Lieut.-Col.
Yea and his officers. The supper and other refreshments
were provided by Mr. Lawton, of the Bee Hotel; and his
efforts on this, as on the last occasion, gave the highest
satisfaction. The amount realised by the ball is about
£2OO. From the returns of the various lodges it is anti-
cipated that in the spring the funds of the institution will
be raised to about £1,500. There are at present two
orphans under the care of the institution, and several ap-
plications for adnAssion are under consideration.

TILE -WELsu CIIATLITY BALL is announced to take
place at the Town-hall, on the 27th instant. It is under
the patronage of the Mayor and Lady Watkin Williams
Wynn, and is expected to be a very brilliant assemblage..
The proceeds will be given to the Welsh Charity Schools.

THE ANNEAL BANQUET of the Electric Telegraph
Company's Staff- was held on Saturday, at the Brunswick
Hotel, where upwards of forty sat down. The proceed-
ings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chair and viee-
chair, and- the meeting broke up shortly before twelve
o'clock.
- -

FATAL ACCIDENT happened on Tuesday, at Park.
Iron-ore Mines, near Ulverston, occasioned by the
breaking, in of a pond, formed by the sinking ofthe ground
above some old workings, the water in which had been
greatly increased by the late rains. There were 12 men
in the drifts, one of whom came to the surface, the others=
only to the foet of one of the shafts, alarmed by premoni-
torysy mptoms of danger. The latter, under the impression
that it was alalse alarm, returned to their work, and
shortly after the water rushed in, bringing with it a large
quantity of sand. With great difficulty, six out of the 11
managed to,escape, leaving five of their companions in the
drift. After several hours' had labour, two were extricated ;
the other three perishd soon after the water broke in, for
one of the -two men saved states that he crossed over their
bodies several times. The three men have left large
families, nineteen children in all.
Aeriose Fon FALSE IMPRISONMENT. —ln the Court of
Passage, on Friday, an action for damages for false im-
prisonment was brought by a Miss Buckley against Mr.
Scott, the son of a Liverpool merchant. Mr. M'Aubrey
was for the plaintiff, and Mr. T. Atkinson for the de-
fendant. The plaintiff, Mr. M'Aubrey said, was an un-
married woman, residing in her " private residence,"
Crown-street, Liverpool. For some time before the com-
mission of the offence charged, the plaintiff and the de-
fendant had been on terms of intimacy. This intimacy ap-
peared to have been diminished ; and on the 14th December
last the defendant, in company with a foreign gentleman,
went into the house and conducted themselves very dis-
orderly, the defendant making several passes at the com-
,plainant with a sword stick and presenting pistols at her.
The defendant afterwards committed the plaintiff on a
charge of assault and stealing a ring from the defendant,
which had been presented to Miss Buckley by the de-
fendant. Mr. Atkinson described his client as an exces-
sively simple young man, and maintained that the greatest
injury in the case had been done to the defendant and the
feelings of his family. The assessor having addressed the
jury, they returned a verdict for the plaintiff,—damages
ls. The assessor gave also, costs on the lowest scale.
Tun LATE Mn. Joule HOLMES.—By order of the exe-
cutors of the above well-known gentleman, Mr. Branch
has sold by auction the valuable household effects, at the
house, Everton-brow. The attendance was highly respec-
table and numerous, and the bidding throughout spirited.
The following are the prices obtained for some of the
principal items :—A bin of port wine sold for £8 15s. per
dozen ; another, £7 los. to £2 per dozen ; and the others
from £3 to £5. There were but few books. Roscoe's
Monandrian Plants brought ten guineas •, Gregson's
Fragments, £5 17s. 6d ; a black letter Bible, from the
late Mr. Roscoe's collection, £6 10s. A portion of the
plate was elegant, and good prices were obtained for it,
the massive salvers producing from 7s. 10d. to Bs. 7d.
per ounce ; entree dishes and covers, 7s. 9d. ; embossed
tea and coffee services, 10s.; sauce-boats, 9s. ld. ; the forks
and spoons, from 6s. to Bs. 3d. ; pair of plated ice pails, 12
guineas ; and the set of 17 peated dish-covers, 55 guineas.
Amongst the paintings sold was a splendid picture by T.
Webster, R.A., which was purchased by Mr. Grundy for
310 guineas. It was originally bought for £4O. A beau-
tiful pair of statuettes, " Innocence," and "The Play-
mates," by Gott, fetched seventy-eight guineas,—the sale,
in the aggregate, producing a far larger amount than had
been anticipated.
EMBEZZLEMENT AT THE LONDON AND NORTH- i
WESTERN RAILWAY OFFICE.—As stated in last week's
Standard, William Caitchen, who stands charged with
extensive frauds on the London and North-western Rail-
way Company, at their offices in Lime-street, was brought
before the police magistrates. On Friday last he was
again brought up on remand, and the case was gone into -
with much minuteness. He was, in the first instance,
charged with conspiring along with Mr. Goalen, auditor
of the company, now in custody in London, to defraud
the London and North-western Railway Company by
altering balances in the books of the Liverpool stations,
in order to cover alleged deficiencies. The only additional
evidence brought forward was Mr. Henry C. S. Chancey,
the travelling inspector of the station accounts, who de-
posed to finding, when examining the prisoner's books, a
charge of £596 10s., stated to have been paid to the East
Lancashire Railway. He asked the prisoner by what
authority he had paid the money, when he stated he had
received instructions from the audit-office, and that Mr.
Goalen would explain. When Mr. Chancey returned to
London circumstances rendered it necessary to pay another
visit to Liverpool, and again examine the prisoner's
accounts. When interrogated respecting the alleged pay-
ment to the East Lancashire Railway, he stated he had
remitted £250 to Mr. Goalen, and the remaining £346 10s.
he had lent to a friend, who would repay it in a week.
The prisoner was fully committed on the charge of
larceny.—Mr. Humphreys, who conducted the case for
the railway company, applied to have the examination into
the charge of conspiracy remanded till Friday next, at
which time he said he should be able to bring forward
ten cases, amounting in the aggregate to a fraud of £500,-
and two amounting to £145, in which the prisoner was
implicated. The remand was accordingly grouted.
DOCK COMMITTEE.—At the weekly meeting, on Thurs-
day, there were present Messrs. C. Turner (in the chair),
Barber, Brocklebank, Chaloner, Evans, Gladstone, Gregson,
Holden, Holme, Langsdale, Littledale, Lockett, Malcom-
son, Rankin, Robinson, Rounthwaite, Smith, Steele, and
Tobin. The Sub-committee of Works reported that the
subject of the rate of rent to be charged for storing timber,
for permanent occupation, on the Harrington estate had
been again considered, as referred -to them on the 19th of
January. They had an interview with Mr. Stewart as to
what would be a fair rate of rent to be charged, and they
recommended the rate of rent for storing timber, for per-
manent occupation, by 10d. per square yard per annum;'
the parties occupying to pay all rates and taxes, and to be
subject to six months' notice of removal ; and that the rate
of rent for temporary occupation be id. per square yard
per week. In answer to a remark by Mr. Tobin, it was
explained by the chairman that the -d. would be sub-
ject to the payment of the rates and taxes by the com-
mittee. Mr. Smith said his impression was, that from
30,000 to 40,000 square yards of land would be taken, not
leaving more than 10,000 yards in the hands of the com-
mittee. The recommendation was confirmed.—The Chair-
man said the question of bricking up the Prince's Dock
sheds was brought before the committee last week, and
the plan was confirmed by the committee, and referred
to the surveyor to carry out. The subject had since
come before the Sub-committee of Works, and they had
sent a recommendation that the extension of the sheds
on the east quay of the Prince's Dock should be re-
considered, and referred to the surveyor to carry out.
After a conversation, in which several gentlemen took
part, it was decided that the subject should not be re-
considered. Mr. Holme was of opinion that whatever the
committee did now, it would be only a temporary outlay.
It was quite certain, he said, that a further outlay would
have to be gone to before long. A report was read from
the sub-committee appointed last week, consisting of the
deputy-chairman, the solicitor, and the surveyor, to wait
upon the London and North-Western Board of Directors,
on the subject of the continued neglect of the latter body
to give the Dock Committee possession of property at
Wapping long since purchased by the committee as land
for the docks. The report stated that the sub-committee,
accompanied by Mr. Stewart, attended a meeting of the
London and North-Western Directors on the 3rd instant,
and it was finally arranged that the railway company
should wholly give up possession before the Ist of March
next ; and, in the event of their not doing so, the Dock
Trustees, in the words of one of the railway directors,
were to be at liberty to take possession vi et armis.—The
sub-committee produced aplan of alterations recommended
at the Office of the Albert Dock Warehouses, for the pur-
pose of obtaining better light. The estimated cost of the
proposed alterations was £640, using plate glass. The
plan was approved, and estimates were ordered to be
obtained for the work.—A memorial from the crews of
the North-west, the Formby, and the Crosby Light-ships,
asking for an advance of wages, on account of the high
price of provisions, was referred, after a short conver-
sation, to the Marine Sub-committee.—The Harbour
Master's Committee submitted a report of alterations
which they recommended for adoption in the time to be
occupied by vessels in berth, after having been re-entered
for loading outwards. To avoid the inconvenience arising
from vessels re-entering constantly for the same number
of days they originally had for loading, it was proposed to
reduce the time for such vessels according to a certain
scale. The committee decided that the plan should be
tried in order to see how it worked.—A communication
from the Shipowners' Association was read, containing a
resolution of the association declaring it to be highly
important that the Dock' Committee should provide stages
for loading and discharging ships, the shipowners paying
a charge for the use of the same. Refhrred to the Har-
bour Master's ' Sub-committee. A resolution passed by
the Shipowners' Association. with reference to a high
level railway along the docks, and greater facilities for
shipping fine goods, was referred to the Special Com-
mittee on Dock Arrangements.
SIGNS OF Tun TIMES.—On Friday, the Rev. Fielding
Ould gave a lecture in St. John's School Room, Oliver-
street,.Birkenhead, in aid of the S,chool Fund. In the
course of his lecture, the reverend gentleman expreseed
his conviction in the fidelity of the calculations of thOse
expounders of prophecy who aFreed that the world would
come to a close in twelve or thirteen years from this date ;
and pointed out twelve signs as tending to elucidate this
subject. The first was, signs in the sun, moon, and stars;
the second, disturbances by sea and land ; the third,
" wars and rumours of wars." On this point tile lecturer
expatiated very fully on the relative position of each
nation engaged in the present Eastern dispute, and
quoted the prophecy in Revelations relative to the pouring
out of the seven phials. He stated that he was certain
that the fifth was poured out during the time of Napo-
leon. Bonaparte's attempts on the East of Europe ; and
that the sixth, which related to the pouring out upon the '
River Euphrates and drying it up, was about to come to
pass, The Euphrates was the chief river in Asiatic Tur-
key. So he came to the conclusion that Russia, although
it would never obtain the mastery over Turkey by arms,
would be the means of drying up the resources of that
country, and thus it would fall, in course of time, through
internal decay. The fourth sign was the peculiar position
of .the Romish hierarchy, which, according to Scripture
prophecy, was to raise itself up to a certain pitch for a
time, mid would then fall, never to rise again. At that
pitch, the lecturer conceived, that hierarchy had arrived.
The fifth sign was the diffusion of infidelity ; the sixth
sign, the increase of immorality ; the seventh sign, reli-
gious fanaticism ; the eighth, the disorganization of the
social compact as shown in the tendency to strikes and
combinations; the ninth, the increase of religious de-
ceivers, as instanced by the embarkation annually of
about 30,000 people to join the Mormons at the Great Salt
Lake Valley ; the increase of Romanists, Swedenborgians,
and such sects ; the tenth sign was the present restless
state of the world, everybody seeming to have an impres-
sion that something was at hand, and looking anxiously
for it ; the eleventh was the increase of missions to the
heathen ; and the twelfth and last was the wonderful dif-
fusion of knowledge, as shown in the discoveries• of
science and the -application of art. The proceedings
created. an apparent thoughtfulness in the audience.