The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-03-10 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.

The usual monthly meeting of the Council was held on
Wednesday, at the Town-hall.
The Finance Committee recommended that Newsham
House, and about seven acres of land surrounding it, be
advertised to be let by tender. They also recommended
that Mr. F. Venn be allowed £lOO per annum for the
office of sergeant-at-mace; and that the salaries of the
clerks in the Town Dues office be increased as follows :
Mr. Ellis, from £l5O to £2OO per annum ; Mr. M`Nangh-
ten, from £135 to £lB5 ; Mr. Kaye, from £lOO to £125 ;
and that the reversionary interest of the corporation pro-
perty in Gloucester-street and Sidney-street be sold to the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE, in moving the confirmation of
the proceedings, informed the Council that the arbitrators
appointed to assess the value of the reversionary interest
of the property at Wallasey had awarded the Council
£113,000 as compensation for the loss of their property.
Ile was disappointed at the amount of the award, but he
would not impugn the decision of the arbitrators. He
mentioned that the Birkenhead Commissioners were ap-
plying, in an act of parliament, for a clause which would
deprive the Council of the power to send three gentlemen
to represent Liverpool at their Board, on the ground that
the Council no longer retained the large interest in Che-
shire, which they once enjoyed. He bad hoped that their
animosities towards the Council would have given way to
a better state of things; but at the same time he admitted
that there was much force in their argument on this occa-
sion ; and he did not think the Council would feel it wise
to take any great trouble in defence of the privilege which
they now possessed. The expenses of the arbitration would
have t' be borne by the Birkenhead gentlemen. In reply
to some observations from Mr. Higgins, Mr. Lawrence
said that their principal reason for letting Newsham
House was, that if no tenant were in it, it would rapidly
deteriorate, but they only coupled with the house seven
acres of land out of 280, and they did not propose to make
any further appropriation of the property until they came
before the Council with a defined plan showing how the
property could be laid out for the general benefit of the
town.

The proceedings were confirmed.
Prior to the confirmation of the Dock Committee pro-
ceedings, Mr. T. LLOYD gave notice that he should move
at the next council that slips and landing-places should be
erected at the south end of the town for the convenience
of the inhabitants of Toxteth-park.
After some little opposition, a motion was carried with-
out a division, for closing the markets at ten o'clock every
Saturday night; at seven o'clock every other night during
the winter, and at eight o'clock every other night in sum-
mer.

Plans were submitted for decorating the grand and other
staircases of the Town-hall, with Scagliola paintings, at
an expense of £800; and the Town-hall Committee were
authorised to carry the best plans into effect.
In answer to a question from Mr, Thomas Lloyd, Mr.
LACE said that nothing could be done at present towards
providing salt water baths.
The proceedings of the Observatory Committee con-
tained the following report from Mr. Hartnun, the ob-
serv?r

" I need not remind the Observatory Committee that the main
object of this establishment was to facilitate navigation, and I
need scarcely add that good timekeepers, with steady rates, are
of the first importance to this object. lhe principal difficulty in
trying a chronometer is that of being able to test its perform-
ance in definite and steacy degrees of temperature. The appa-
ratus which has been constructed for this purpose, under the
direction of your surveyor, answer admirably, and I have the
honour of laving before you to-day some of the results of my
trials.

My practice in rating chronometers Is to subject them to
temperatures, varying from 45 to 80 degrees, and to register the
mien temperature of each day opposite to the daily rate. When
the chronometer is returned to the maker he can then see whe-
ther it gains or loses by au increase of temperature, and so alter
the compensation as to get the performance most favourable,
either to the specific circumstances of the intended voyage or
the general exposure of the timekeeper. Chronometers, for in-
stance, for Greenland or for a tropical voyage should be differ.
ently compensated.
" No blame can be fairly imputed to the makers for considera-
Me error in the compensation. Few possess the means for accu-
rate experiments on the effects of temperatures, or can it be ex-
pected, at the moderate price at which the chronometers are
sold, to give that attention to setting and keeping true time,
which is absolutely necessary in these researches. The excel-
lence of the workmanship in general I can strongly vouch for,
as this is shown by the regularity of the changes due to tempe-
rature, and the returning to the same rate under the same cir-
cumstances.
" The records of the observatory will show that about one-
fourth of the timekeepers sent there, though otherwise good,
change their rates so much from 45 to So degrees that the re-
sulting error in longitude would, in a month's voyage, be from
So to 60 m les.
"To show the nature and extent of this alteration of rate, I
give the daily rates of six chronometers, with their correspond.
ing temperature. The smallest change is 3i seconds, the largest
6i seconds daly, and these are evidently in other respects very
good chronometers.
"I propose in time, with your encouragement, to make fur-
ther experiments, but in the mean time will content myself with
saying, that several chronometers, being found imperfect in
their compensation at the observatory, have been sei.t to their
makers for alteration, and returned either cured or very much
improved."
Mr. AncrN said that some of the best makers in the
kingdom were sending their chronometers to the Liver-
pool Observatory, and that the more the advantages of
that institution were made known, the more highly would
they be appreciated.
The Ferries Committee reported that it was not desira-
ble to grant the use of the landing stages after midnight to
the Birkenhead Commissioners.

Mr. EARLE moved, " That it be referred to the Finance
Committee to settle with Mr. Gladstone, by arbitration,
the price to be paid to him for the land required for the
improvement at the corner of Hope-street and Mount-
pleasant."
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said it was for the Council to
decide as to whether this was one of those improvements
which they ought to make. For his own part he thought
it was not.

Mr. TURNER coincided in opinion with Mr. G. H.
Lawrence.

Mr. EARLE complained that he had been very badly
treated by Mr. Lawrence, for he had gone to him and
said—" George—(laughter)—draw out my resolution for
me," and George had drawn it out, though he now op-
posed it. If it had been left to him (Mr. Earle) he would
have drawn it out in a much more spicey manner. (Loud
laughter.) As for Mr. Turner, if he would only put on a
double pair of spectacles be would see that the rounding of
the corner would be a great improvement to Mount-plea-
sant. Loud laughter.)
The motion was carried unanimously.
On the motion of Mr.EARLE ; Sir T. Brancker, Messrs.
Nicoll, Horsfall, G. H. Lawrence, Stewart, Tinne, Lace,
Earle, Aikin, and Turner, were appointed a committee to
consider " a general and comprehensive plan for the im-
provement of the municipal borough." All the speakers
on this subject seemed to think that the only plan to carry
out a comprehensive plan of improvement was to lay an
improvement rate.
The MAYOR then said he was authorised to ascertain
the views of the Council as to whether it would be desi-
rable to purchase the Botanic Gardens. He thought the
best plan would be to appoint the Finance Committee to
confer with the Committee of the Botanic Gardens, and
to report.
Mr. HUGH HORNBY strongly advocated the propriety
of making the purchase, and said the gardens could be had
for £3,600. Ile moved that the subject be referred to the
Finance Committee.

The motion was carried unanimously, and after the
Mayor had announced the untimely death of Mr. Pem-
berton, and stated that the necessary steps would be taken
immediately to fill U.) the vacancy occasioned by that gen-
tleman's demise in Rodney-street Ward, the Council ad-
journed.