The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-02-09 00:00:00

CHESTER AND BIRKENHEAD RAILWAY.

On Thursday the adjourned half-yearly meeting of the
shareholders was held at the Clarendon-rooms. J. BURT,
jun., Esq.' the chairman, presided. The report, which
was read by Mr. TOWNSEND, stated that the Directors
had let the *contract for the extension line under the
engineer's estimate, to be completed in nine months, and
as the Birkenhead Dock Commissioners had publicly no-
tified that the first portion of their docks would be open
for trade on or before the sth of April next, arrangements
had been made with the contractors to have such a com-
munication between Grange-lane and the docks completed
by March as would enable them to work the locomotive
power direct from and to the dock quays, thus enabling
this Company to participate at once in the traffic which
those great works would ensure to them. Arrangements
had been completed with the London and North Western,
Chester and Holyhead, Shrewsbury, Chester and Birken-
head, and Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Companies,
for the erection of a joint station at Chester. It was
stated that the Directors had, in conjunction with the
. Chester and Holyhead, and Birkenhead, Lancashire, and
Cheshire-Junction Companies, taken an interest in the
Mold Railway, feeling assured that the opening of that
district would not fail to add largely to the passenger and
mineral traffic ; that the bill for amalgamating the 'com-
pany with the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junc-
tion Company, had passed the standing orders committee,
and been read a second time in the House of Commons ;
and that prior to its introduction to the House of Lords
it would be necessary to submit the measure to a special
general meeting. The revenue account showed a nett
profit of £12,616 I ls, 5d., out of which the Directors re-
commended that a dividend be declared of 14s. per £5O
share, 7s. per £25 share, and 2s. '3d. per £2O share ; the
income tax to be paid by the Company.
The CHAIRMAN proposed that the report be adopted,
and that the dividend be paid on and after the 11th of
February. He said that the dividend of 145., though very
much the same as that the proprietors had been accustomed
to receive, would, he rejoiced to say, on all filture occa-
sions be much greater. The Directors had been engaged
in most important negociations with the commissioners of
Birkenhead, to secure the utmost facility for the transit
of passengers and goods across the Mersey. The Com-
missioners had met the Directors in a spirit of liberality
and fairness, and the Directors had reciprocated that feel-
ing, so far as they could do it with regard to the interests
of the Company, It might be a matter of surprise that
there had been no accession from the opening of the
Shrewsbury and Chester line. He rather thought the Di-
rectors did not anticipate much from the opening of that
line in this their first winter, more particularly as several
branches to coal districts, from which a large portion of
traffic is expected, have not yet been opened. In the
month of April these branches will be opened, and before
that time sheds for the receipt of goods at Birkenhead
would be ready. April would also form an important era
in the history of Birkenhead, for in that month they
should witness the partial opening of the docks—those
great works which appeared to form a prestige of the
future greatness of Birkenhead. The Warehouse Com-
pany also expected to be able to open eighteen warehouses
at the same time, and in order to accommodate this traffic
a tempOrary railway would be made, so that goods taken
from the vessels might be carried along the line without
further impediment. Although, of course, they should
derive some advantage from this, he (the Chairman)
should not be expressing his own views if he said he
looked for very large results from this partial opening, for
until these great works were completed, they should not
have a very large increase from that source. It would be j
a work of time before they could attract commerce from
the streams in which it had been accustomed to flow, but
when they looked at the convenience and the cheapness of
the Birkenhead docks, there was no doubt the merchants ,
of Liverpool would send their vessels there. 1
Mr. COCHRANE seconded the motion, and it was car-
ried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN then intimated that the Chester and
Holyhead Company had agreed to take an interest, in the
Mold Railway to the extent of £60,004, the Birkenhead,
Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction £20,000, and the Di-
rectors of the Chester and Birkenhead Company asked
the proprietors to sanction their proceedings in also taking
an interest to the extent of £20,000. He concluded by
moving a resolution to the effect that the meeting approved
of the steps taken by the Directors, and that the shares
subscribed for be adopted as part of the stock of this
company, and that the Directors be authorised to take
such steps as they may deem necessary for the opening of
the line.

Mr. HARRISON seconded the motion, and it was carried
unanimously.

Eistritt graw.

The fine delta formed by the Irwell between Broughton
Castle and Kersal Moor, has been taken for the Man-
chester race-course.

The Lying-in Hospital at Manchester was totally de-
stroyed by fire on Wednesday. The inmates were all
saved with difficulty. The gallant matron refused to
make her escape till her entire charge of mothers and
babes were conveyed away with safety.
NEW SHERIFFS.—WiIIiam Gale, Esq., of Lightburn-
house, Ulverston, has been appointed sheriff for the en-
suing year for the county of Lancaster; Ralph Gerard
Leycester, Esq., of Toft-hall; for Cheshire ; Joseph Dent,
Esq., for Yorkshire ; Lord Newborough, for Anglesey ;
and Llewellyn Falkner Lloyd, of Nannerch, Esq., for
Flintshire.

A NICE POINT.—At Rochdale petty sessions, last week,
the magistrates were applied to for an order of removal
of a pauper woman. and her family. This was resisted on
the ground that when the woman's husband lay in bed his
head was in one parish and his feet in another. The ma-
gistrates refused the order, and the case will be tried in a
higher court.

AitILS. BUTLER. (LATE MISS FANNY KEMBLE. )
Amongst the characters to be sustained by this celebrated
actress, on her return to the stage, during her engagement
at the Theatre Royal, Manchester, (which commences on
the 16th inst,) are Julia, in The Hunchback; Juliana, in
The Honey Moon : Lady Macbeth, Juliet ; Lady Teazle,
in The School for Scandal; and Queen Katherine, in
Henry the Eighth. She is to receive, it is said, £75 a
night.
PARISH CHURCH OF BEBINGTON.—This ancient struc-
ture was re-opened on Sunday week, having undergone
extensive repair. On this occasion the reverend rector
received a gratifying testimonial of regard from his lady
parishioners, in the presentation to him of a set of cano-
nicals • and the liberality of the parish generally has not
only been shown, in handsome subscriptions for the re-
storation of a beautiful building, but two painted windows
of great taste have been put up at the cost of the ladies
and bachelors of the congregation.
INCORPORATION OP THE BOROUGH OF WARRING-
TON.—A communication was received on Monday, by
Messrs. Wagstaff, Marsh, and Barrett, the solicitors em-
ployed in obtaining a charter of incorporation for the bo-
rough, stating the privy council had advised her Majesty
to use her prerogative in that respect, and that the neces-
sary details will be forwarded in a few days. The muni-
cipal boundary will not comprise the whole of the paiiiia-
mentary. borough, but will include the greatest portion of
the town of Latchford, situated in the county of Chester.
The borough is divided into five wards, and the number
of councillors allotted to each ward six. The corporation
will consist of the mayor, five aldermen, and thirty coun-
cillors.

CAUSES OF DEATH AT INQUESTS IN MANCHESTER.—
By the quarterly accounts of the borough coroner for the
quarter, frem the 19th October, 1846, to the 2d January,
1847, inclusive (presented to the council at its quarterly
meeting on Wednesday), it appears that the following
were the causes of death in the 80 inquests held in that
period :—Burns and scalds; 27 ; drowning 3 ; Falls, &c.,
7 ;. carts, horses, &c., 1 ; Machinery, 3 ; railway, 2 ;
poisoning, 0 ; suicide, 0 ; drinking, 0 ; found dead, 1 ;
murder and manslaughter, 2 ; still born, 0 ; natural
deaths 29 ; othar casualties, 5. The Manchester Guardian
remarks upon this statement, that " twenty-nine natural
deaths seem a large number for so short a period; but it
includes seven ' fell down dead,' and sixteen found dead,'
altogether twenty-three, and the mortality during the
above months has been very great." We should rather
be disposed, upon the large number 27, whose deaths
factor tto h
reys e labour,have
have occurred from burns and scalds, to ask how many
etueni d t ltlhe
uchildren v
edo f womeno
peemr plsouypeedrini n_
tendence.
CHARGE op MURDER AT RUNCORN.-On Saturday,
a
considerable sensation was caused in Runcorn by the fact
of a man named Richard Edwards, a carpenter by trade,
having killed his wife. It appeared that Edwards, who is
a man given to drink, had been fuddling all that day,
instead of being at his work ; and his wife, Betty Edwards,
who is described as having been a quiet, peaceable woman,
had sent one of her children to receive what wages were
due to 'him. About four o'clock hi the afternoon,
Edwards came home, and wanted to get some money ;
but his wife declined to give him any, as all that she had
received was due to the provision shop. Edwards imme-
diately began to abuse and beat her, in the presence of
her children ; he took her by the hair of her head, and
attempted to throw her out of doors ; and then he struck
her several times about the head and neck, and knocked
her down, and kicked her most severely. His eldest son,
who is an apprentice, interfered on behalf of his mother,
but was obliged to desist in consequence of the'threats of
his father; but lie ran out to fetch the neighbours in,
who found her on the floor, quite dead, so that she had
literally been beaten to death. Edwards took the matter
quite coolly, and when his son was desired to send for a
doctor, he, threatened that, if he went, he would kill him !
Again, when he was told that his wife was dead, he made
use of the brutal language, " Let her die, and to h— with
her." Edwards was immediately taken into custody.
On Tuesday last, an inquest was held on the body, when
the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against
Richard Edwards," who was accordingly committed to
Chester Castle.—Chester Chronicle.
ALLEGED DEATH FROM STARVATION.—IRISH FRAUD.
On Saturday, the neighbourhood of Ordsal-lane and
Regent-road, Salford, was in a state of considerable ex-
citement, in consequence of a rumour that an Irishman,
lodging in Union-street, there, had died from hunger and
starvation. Deceased's name was Thomas Roach, a tailor,
aged 35 years, and a native of Roscommon, Ireland. An
inquest was held on the body on Monday last, before Mr.
Rutter, when Dr. Creighton declared that the deceased
died from inflammation of the lungs, and not from a want
of food. But the most curious circumstance of the case
was the conduct and testimony of his wife at the inquest.
She stated that her husband and herself came to lodge in
Union-street, on Thursday last, bringing herself and five
children, and that they had all landed in Liverpool on
that day fortnight, having been sent over from Ireland.
At this stage of her evidence she appeared to recollect
herself, and began to prevaricate a little, stating that they
had not been sent over, but had come of their own accord.
After giving an account of the manner in which her hus-
band and herself came from Ireland, in reply to a question
put by one of the jury, she declared that the deceased had

never been a soldier, and was not in the receipt of a pen-
sion, and when requested to tell the truth, pertinaciously
maintained the assertion. Though foreign to the inquiry
before the coroner, some of the jury requested that a wit-
ness, named Nicholas Hannan, :might be examined.
Hannan said he knew the family well, the deceased hav-
ing lived with him three months, when an this country
before Christmas, and during the whole of that time he did
no work, except make witness a waistcoat. At that time
he told witness he had twelve or thirteen barrels of corn
at home, in addition to three acres of land ; and he said
he thought he should sell up and come over here to live.
He had been a soldieri n the 87th Regiment of Foot, in
which he was a tailor, and he had left his discharge and
some other papers with witness; which he (witness) had
since given up to Captain Bond, the officer in command of
the enrolled pensioners here. He had a pension of one
shilling a-day, which he received during the three months
he was here, and the amount since due to him lie had 're-
ceived the day before he died I—The deceased's wife was
then sent for, and the evidence of the last witness was
read over to her, when, on hearing' it, she fell on her
knees, and most hypocritically begged pardon for the lies
of which she had been guilty. She pleaded, " that she
thought their honours would not buy her husband a coffin,
if she said she had a pension." She was strongly cen-
sured for her perjury, and professed to feel great sorrow,
but the jury who had intended to originate a subscription
for her, exhibited little sympathy towards her, after such
baseness. Verdict accordingly.—Manchester Times.

CORRESPONDENCE.

CHURCH AND STATE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

was tauntingly said by the gentleman who
lectured in this town, the other evening, on the church
and state question, that " if the Church of England were
dissevered from the state, it would be as a cedar in Leba-
non, and not, as it is now, the poor hyssop on the wall—
that low and creeping thing." If, sir, we were to speak
with candour and with truth, our language would be—
" The Church of England is a firmly-rooted and aged
cedar, of massive roots, trunk, and branches, fixed on'
the Lebanon of God, the goodly mountain of his favour ;
and those churches which have dissented from her are
only the underwood, squatted around her stock, in danger
of being trodden down by the feet of the passer by, or
rooted up by the bulls of Rome."
The church, sir, of which it is our privilege to be mem-
bers, is to be venerated for her antiquity, much; and
loved;/specially by her sons, for her evangelical' purity,
more. She is almost as old as the Christian era, having
been planted, as there is good reason to believe, by the
Apostle Paul himself. And though the tempestuous
storms of false doctrine and heresy have beat upon her ;
and the blighting blast of many an inhospitable winter of
spiritual darkness, and worldliness, has • threatened to
deaden, her vitality, and cripple for ever her energies ;
yet she stands the beauteous witness for the truth of God
in this land, against the soul-blighting heresies of Rome,
and the childlike innovations of dissenters.

She has shone most brightly since the time of the
never-to-be-forgotten Reformation ; and not covered her
light with the bushel of selfishness, but has spread it into
every corner of our land. Yea, from her has " sounded
out the word of God " into fir distant countries ; so that
the people who once sat in the shades of death have,• by
her instrumentality, been brought to sit at the foot of the
cross—the people who once were sunken in every kind of
vice, have been led to live " as becometh the Gospeleof
Christ."

And, sir, our scriptural church, moreover, is both cha-
riot and horsemen to England—her defence against the
attacks of foreign foes, and her barrier against the ag-
gressions of aggrandising Rome. Through being con-
nected with so pure a church, England has been success-
ful in war, blessed in her commerce, and happy in herself.
Through England's church we breathe the pure air of
liberty, which was denied our forefathers when the " man
of sin " set his iron heel upon our shores, and contami-
nated the ambient air with his noiF- .-0 breath. Effect
the dissolution between the church and the state, and
England will sink into disrepute, and be reckoned least
among the nations : her glory will be for ever eclipsed,
and her sons the slaves of some unprincipled despot.
Our church, too, in the plenitude of her mercy, sir,
casts her arms around the dissenter, and her shield over
the seceder. She, in the amplitude of her liberality,
stretches her branches over the otherwise defenceless
underwood, and protects it from the sweeping storm.
We cannot deny, sir, but that the dissenters have done
much good, and we glory in that good ; but yet it has
been effected under the fostering care of our established
church, considered as a second cause. Of this care and
motherly tenderness, dissenters are most ungratefully
forgetful, which is manifested in their railing against her,
as though she were " the mother of harlots, and abomi-
nations of the earth." Let the church be separated from
the state, according to the warmest desire of her enemies,
and presently steps in the great corruption of 1200 years'
accumulation, and fixes its firm grasp upon the state ;
which thing it can easily accomplish, for there is in the
minds of our legislators a manifest leaning towards Rome.
And if this come to pass, sir, where will the toleration be
which is now shewn to dissenters ? Not a vestige of it
will be seen remaining. The preaching of the pure word
of God will be forbidden, and its preachers anathematised
as in former days when Romanism flourished in this
country.
But suppose, sir, we were to grant that the connection
between the church and the state is an evil, which we are
far from allowing, still it would be infinitely better to
advocate its continuance in such position, to act as it has
hitherto done, like a great shield, large and strong, to
defend the truth of God amongst us.
And now to bring this communication to a close.
When we consider the antiquity, purity, and extensive
usefulness of our much-beloved church ; when we consi-
der the protection she affords to the preaching of the
cross of Christ in this country from the despotism of
Rome ; when we consider that her formularies and arti-
cles are quite in harmony with the oracles of God ; and
that by hundreds of her preachers, both at home and
abroad, the banner of the cross is unfolded, day by day,
and Sabbath after Sabbath, to the view of,perishing sin-
ners ; and lastly, when we consider that the children of
God within her pale are well fed from the storehouse of
eternal truth,—we are constrained to admire her much,
and to regard the taunts and petty spleen of her enemies,
in no other light than as the offspring of a dissatisfied
mind and an unsound judgment.
I am, sir, yours truly,
Toxteth-park. A LAYMAN.

NEW ZEALAND GUM.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

Stn,--The article of gum kauri, or cowrie, is largely
produced at New Zealand. Should you feel. an interest in
that colony, you will perhaps give insertion to the follow-
ing results, exhibited by one of the first chemists in
Van Dieman's Land, and which has accompanied'a ship-
ment of that gum just arrived in London. These results
shew that it is capable of being made into a capital var-
nish, and a very desirable quality of sealing wax.
I am, sir, &c. B.

The external appearance indicates a hardness between
copal and resin, burning entirely away with a clear white
flame. Having pounded a quantity of the gum in a mar-
ble mortar, I took half an ounce, and then added two
ounces of " anhydrous" alcohol, previously procured by
distilling over dry carbonate of potash the spirit of wine
of commerce, and digested for several hours in a gentle
heat. This readily dissolved, and whilst hot I filtered
into a glass vessel, and added to it a weaker solution
(ready prepared) of the powdered gum in oil of turpentine,
in proportion of three parts of the solution in• alcohol to
one part of the solution in the oil of turpentine. In con-
formity with this rule, I obtained a fine colourless varnish,
harder and more transparent than mastich, and drying
quicker.
I have subsequently tried a less expensive method, viz.
by first cautiously fusing the powdered gum, then adding
oil of turpentine and boiled linseed oil, each previously
made nearly boiling hot, then allowing them to boil alto-
gether for a short time, but as yet I have not been able to
pay it that attention which it requires from its difficulty of
solution, but from present appearances I have great hope
of a satisfactory result.
It readily dissolves in ether and naphtha, and when
combined with shellac and turpentine, it forms a most ex-
cellent sealing wax, which from its hardness will, I doubt
not, resist the temperature of the tropics, consequently
more valuable than the common wax.
J. WESTON:
New Norfolk, Sept. Eth, 1846.

THE ST. GEORGE'S ORGAN.

TO THE EDITOR OF. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

Sin,—From the proceedings at the last meeting of the
Town Council I find the recommendation of the Law
Courts Committee to defer the erection of the organ has
been referred back for further consideration, I therefore
hope you will allow me to offer a few remarks.
I do not see there is any occasion for the postponement
of the subject altogether, though even that would be pre-
ferable to expending £7,000, as proposed by Dr. Wesley.
I fear if the corporation do not devise some other mode
of procedure than the adoption of the plan already before
them, they will have to bear the reproach of having spent
a larger sum than was ever devoted to the building of an
organ, without obtaining an instrument of any extraorgi-
narrpretensions or merits.
There seem to be scarcely two opinions that Dr. Wes-
ley's plan and proceedings have not given the satisfaction
that was anticipated ; and I therefore respectfully suggest,
under these circumstances, it would be far better to amend
what has already been done.
The. writer of a recent letter in the Mercury, after la-
bouring hard to show that Dr. Wesley and Messrs. Gray
and Davison are the only persons fit to be entrusted with
the organ, has instituted comparisons between an organ
repaired and enlarged by Gray and Co. (not built) and
an incompleted organ by Hill. If comparisons need be
made, our own neighbourhood will furnish ample means
of testing the merits of the builders. •
At Manchester there have been several organs recently
erected by both Hill and Gray and Co.' and the organ put
up by the latter, a short time ago, in Chester Cathedral,
will supply abundant evidence whereon to form a just es-
timation of the two builders.

Having said this much, it may be asked what better
plan can be adopted to ensure a first-rate instrument ?
I therefore do not hesitate to express my conviction
that if the committee would allow the principal builders
to send in specifications for an organ, they would take
care to have such assistance and advice as would enable
them to furnish plans in every way worthy of considera-
tion. By so doing, the highest talent, not only in this
but other countries, would be called into action, and many
new ideas might be suggested which otherwise may be
lost to the musical world. A great saving will by this

means be effected, even if premiums are awarded to the
unsuccessful plans. The consideration of the various spe-
cifications, previous to adoption, would, I also contend,
be better if left to a committee of three than to one indi-
vidual.

It is not sufficient to say that Dr. Wesley is a clever
musician, therefore all shall be left to his judgment, for it ,
does not necessarily follow that a teacher of music is bet-
tor qualified than any one gise ; much, indeed, depends On •
the opportunities an individual may
i have had for inspect-
ing the various organs which exist n this and other coun-
tries, and the ability he may have to form a just estima-
tion of their merits or defects. In the preliminary pro-
ceedings, previous to the erection of the hall itself; no
one, I dare say, dreamt of leaving it to one individual to
draw up a plan and engage a builder lo complete the
erection. Had such been the case, I much question whe-
ther we should have had to look upon a hall with the same
feelings of pleasure as we now do in viewing the magnifi-
cent,structure which has been reared. I therefore argue
thara similar method to that which has produced such
satisfactory results, should be adopted with respect to the •
organ. _

In conclusion, permit me to add, that there is yet am-
ple time to complete an organ Wore the hall is finished;
and as it appears to be a general wish that the Queen
should visit us on the occasion of its being opened, I.
would earnestly recommend the corporation to amend
their proceedings forthwith, as in a couple of months all
might be ready for commencing the organ. If this is de-
termined upon, I beg to suggest that Dr. Felix Men- •
delssohn be engaged to compose an oratorio to perform on
the occasion ; and fuither, that he superintend its per- ,
formance, and open the organ. He is confessedly the
greatest organist living ; and as her Majesty has the high-
est admiration of his works, nothing would be more likely
to insure her attendance.

This would, indeed, be a triumph, and future ages
would regard the opening of the " St. George's organ" as
an era in musical science.

Sincerely trusting the further deliberations of the Law
Courts Committee may be successful in -adorning our
splendid hall with an organ of even greater fame than
those at Seville, Weingarten, or Haarlem, and be a last-
ing testimony of the magnificence which suggested its
erection, permit me to remain
Sir, your very obedient servant,
• A RESIDENT ORGANIST.