The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-04-05 00:00:00

That the approaches and entrances to the port of Liverpool
are eKtrennety difficult and intricate, and subject to continual
and considerable changes, and that the requisite knowledge of
such changes, for the purposes of navigation, can only be kept
up by uninterrupted and almost daily observation.
That in the last report of the conservator of the river Mersey,
deliverer! on the last day of January in the present year, Ctpt.
Evans observes that the changes continually occurring in the
quick sands and channels of the river Mersey have rendered
it necessary for Lieutenant Lord, R.N., marine surveyor to
the dock trustees, to resurvey the entire bay and port of Liver-
pool during the past year, 1852, and also to shift many of the
buoys in order to indicate the present directions of the channels.
That the strictest superintendence is exercised over the pilots
by the committee and officers of the establishment, and their
efficiency is abundantly manifested by portions of the same
report of the conservator, in which he says :—" The returns
state that about 38,873 vessels passed in and out of Liverpool
during the year 1859. In the confusion which, of necessity,
must occur from such a prodigious number of vessels, averag-
ing more than 100 per diem, passing through the Channels, it
is most gratifying to observe that only three vessels, namely,
two brigs and one flat, were lost in Liverpool. Bay during the
year 1852."
That the present earnings of the Liverpool pilots, for ordi-
nary service, is very moderate, and are much below the average
remuneration of skilled labour to many classes of artisans on
land, without the attendant risks.
That it is proposed by the bill to enact that if, at any time, it
appear to the Board of Trade,or to any pilotage authority, that
any master or mate to whom a certificate has been granted by
such board or authority has been guilty of misconduct, or has
shown himself incompetent to pilot his vessel,•.such board or
such authority may thereupon withdraw his certificate.
Your petitioners submit that, under such clause, the Liver-
pool Pilots Committee would have no power over masters and
mates certificated by the Board of Trade; and, even if the clause
were altered so as to confer such power in unquestionable
terms, your petitioners, from experience of the habits and pur-
suits of masters and mates of merchant vessels, are very con-
fident that they would not keep up the chain of communication
with the Pilots Committee by reporting every casualty which is
now observed with the pilots themselves, and which is essential
to the maintenance of proper superintendence and control.
Your petitioners, therefore, pray that the pilot establishment
of the port of Liverpool may be exempted from the operation
of the proposed bill.
That there are peculiar local circumstances connected with
the pilots establishment of the port of Liverpool, which distin-
guish it from any other pilot service in the United Kingdom,
and which entitle it, therefore, to be legislated for on grounds
peculiar to itself.
And your petitioners pray that they may be heard by their
counsel, agents, and witnesses before a committee of your
honourable house to show the nature, hardships, and dangers
attending the pilot service of Liverpool, the education required
and now received by the pilots, the efficiency of the pilot service
of Liverpool, and the imminent danger of impairing its effi-
ciency by giving the certificates of pilots to any persons not
regularly apprenticed and bred up to the service.
And your petitioners pray that they may be heard by them-
selves, their counsel, agents, and witnesses, before the com-
mittee to whom the same may be referred against the preamble
and such of the clauses of the said bill as affect their interests,
And your petitioners will ever pray, &c.
A vote of thanks to the Mayor, for his conduct in the
chair, concluded the proceedings.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A SPANISH
CAPTAIN IN LIVERPOOL-APPREHEN-
SION OF THE SUPPOSED MURDERER.

Our readers may remember that the captain of the
ship Providentia was found dead in his cabin, on Sun-
day morning fortnight, the morning after he had received
some money from his owners. The circumstance gave
rise to- considerable suspicion, from the fact that none
of his money was found upon him or in his desk.
On Saturday Espiro Lazzorowich, one of the crew, was
apprehended at a cook-shop in the neighbourhood of Wil-
liamson-square, with a large quantity of doubloons and
other coin in his possession. On being questioned, he ad-
mitted that he had taken them from the captain's bed after
he was dead. He was brought before the magistrates at
the Police-court yesterday morning. He is a young
man, apparently under, or about, thirty years of age, and
by no means bad looking. He was steward on board
the Brazilian brig Provi 'entia, of which the unfortunate
Vicento Antonio was captain.—Detective Sullivan, who
had the management of the case, said that, in consequence
of certain information received by Mr. Clough, he and
police-officer Marsh went to apprehend the prisoner.
On apprehending him, there was found upon his person
47 sovereigns, upwards of 60 gold doubloons, and other
coins, including 18s. in English silver ; also, a paper ad-
dressed to the late captain by the consignees of the Pro-
videntia.—Mr. Superintendent Clough said the deceased
had been found dead in his cabin, in the Queen's Dock,
on the moruing of Sunday, the 20th of March. Et ap-
peared that he had. been ill with a bad cold, and that he
had directed Lazzorowich, the prisoner, who was steward,
to kindle a charcoal fire in his cabin ; and the sulphur
arising therefrom caused his death. The coroner's jury re-
turned an open verdict. It now appeared that the pri-
soner went into the captain's cabin on Sunday morning,
and finding him dead, robbed the place of the money,
which the captain had obtained only the previous day.
There was no cause whatever for the suspicion that the
deceased came by his death in consequence of unfair treat-
ment. One of the consignees stated that Vincent Antonio
had the day before his death received from them the sum
of £5O in sovereigns. The following day the cabin was
examined, and none of the money was found. The pri-
soner, a few days afterwards, applied to them for money,
and also stated that he wished to be discharged. With
this request they refused to comply, and told him to go
back to the brig and resume his duties. Two days after-
wards it was discovered that he had paid a certain person
two sovereigns ; and from that individual it was likewise
ascertained that Lazzorowich intended to desert the
vessel.. Immediately on the consignees being made
acquainted with this fact, they gave information to the
police. The moment witness saw the prisoner, he asked
him who possessed the money which had been found upon
him, and to this direct query Lazzorowich at once
responded that it had been the captain's money.—The
prisoner was here examined through an interpreter. He
admitted that ha took the money, and did so with the
greatest apparent sang. Jena. He said rurther that he
took it from the bed on which the dead body lay.—De-
tective Sullivan produced various articles which had been
found upon the prisoner, and among which the chief mate
of the Providentia recognised a pair of drawers belonging
to the deceased captain. In the same bundle was a
variety of new vests, trowsers, ties, &c., which appeared
to have been freshly purchased, and which Lazzorowich
had no doubt bought with the fruits of his robbery.
Admiral Grenfell, who attended as Brazilian consul at
this port, said he certainly would not prosecute unless he
were bound to do so.

The magistrates ultimately sentenced the prisoner, to
two months' imprisonment, at the same time acquainting
him with the fact, that had the ship not been proceeding
immediately to- sea, with the witnesses on board, he
should certainly have been put upon his trial for. a more
serious offence, which would, in all probability, have
entailed upon him a much heavier penalty.
After he had been sentenced, the prisoner, who mani-
fested very little feeling either one way or another, ex-
pressed his anxiety about his boxes, which were on hoard
the brig, and which he desired might be left behind, a
request which will be complied with.

THE REFORMATION.—At St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's-
square the Rev. G. Read, one of the ministers, received
into the Church two males and two females, who publicly
and formally renounced the errors of the Church of Rome.
This solemn and impressive ceremony took place last
Sunday during the evening service. One of the converts
had been baptized a few months before by the same
minister. The text was from 1 Tim.. iv. 1-3. The
attendance was very numerous ; and this is one proof that
the services at this church are not quite so useless as one
of the speakers at the vestry meeting, last week, wished
to make it appear.
TIIE MUSICAL ASSOCIATION, on Wednesday evening,
gave their first public performance, in the lecture-hall of
the Mechanics' Institution. The music chosen for: the
occasion was Haydn's oratorio of " The Creation." The
solo singers were Miss Jessie Hammond, Mr. Wray, and
Mr. Pierce. Mr. W. B. Rogers conducted, and Mr. G.
Hirst presided at the organ.
THEATRE ROYAL—Sparkling French vaudevilles, most
of them familiar to English playgoers, have been wit-
nessed by numerous and fashionable audiences during the
past week. The French artistes from St. James's Theatre,
London' gave the moat unmingled satisfaction ; and we
trust that a growing appreciation of these delightful en.
tertainments will make the two enterprising managers pro-
long the stay of their company. beyond a week when they
next visit Liverpool.
FRIGHTFUL COLLISION.—On Saturday night, about
nine o'clock, as the Prince Arthur steamer, with the mail
and a great number of passengers, was on her course
towards llolyhead, she was, when about la miles from
Kingstown, run into by a brig, about 200 tons burthen, in
full sail. The bowsprit of the brig ran into the starboard
paddlebox of the steamer, but the vessels got clear, or
both might have gone down together. The steamer, after
lying for about an hour in a crippled condition, burning
red lights, was taken in tow by her Majesty's steamer
Paisley, and brought to Holyhead. The brig, which was
not much injured, proceeded on her course.