The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-02-06 00:00:00

ExTRAC_RDINARY PROCEEDINGS.
DESTRUCTION OF SEVEN HOUSES.

Since Thursday last, the neighbourhood of Greenwocd-
street, Boundary-lane, West Derby-road, has been the
scene of uproar and riot, owing to a brigade of labourers
being engaged in pulling down a number of newly-erected
houses for the purpose of removing the materials. This
proceeding, of which we are about to give the details, is
the more extraordinary as it was conducted by the party
who built and laid claim to the houses.
Conflicting rumours of the strange affair having reached
our office, we despatched a reporter yesterday morning to
the spot, with instructions to glean particulars of the oc-
currence from the best available sources. When he
arrived at the end of Greenwood-Street, where it joins up
to Boundary-lane, he perceived evidences of the truth of
the report. A plot of ground on which four houses stood
but a few days previously, was quite clear. and the mate-
, rials of which these houses were composed, with the ex-
ception of a few bricks, removed. Of two houses facing
Greenwood-street one only remained; this one was oc-
cupied by a party of men armed with sticas. A little
further, and in a line with Boundary-lane, appeared the
remains of two large houses, that is to say, a few of the
walls of the first floor, and part of the floor itself: these
were surrounded by a heap of bricks, and here a few
Irish labourers were engaged in razing the last relics of
the fated dwellings. It was a scene worthy of Tipperary;
—from a hundred to a hundred and fifty Irish labourers
and " lumpers " were assembled around, all carrying
sticks. Before going further into the narrative, it may
be stated that these were the men who had been en-
gaged in pulling down the houses, in which work they
had been occupied from Thursday until yesterday morn-
ing, when, as is stated to us, their stipulated pay not being
forthcoming, they " struck," and refused to proceed in
the work. The party for whom they had acted, however,
prevailed, by promises of pay, on a few of them to con-
tinue their operations. These were the men as before
stated. Their labours, however, were brief, for a few of
the fellows stepped from the mob, and seizing one of
them, knocked him down, and by their treatment of him
gave his companions an idea of what was in s ore for
them in case they persisted in working contrary to the
will of the majority. The men at once ceased and joined
the others.

To be brief in our explanation of the cause (as repre-
sented to us) which led to this, we may state that the
land had been purchased by a builder from a party who
had in like manner purchased it from the original pro-
prietor. The title was to be conveyed on the 6th Feb.
(this day), the original proprietor assisted the builder with
funds from time to time, but, disagreements happening,
withheld this aid. This step gave the finishing stroke to
the builder's operations, as his men immediately ceased
work, and demanded their arrears of wages. The day of
reckoning approached, and the builder foresaw that he
was in the power of the proprietor of the land, for if he
failed on the 6th to take up his title, that individual could
seize the houses. It is said he applied to the magistrates
at this juncture for aid, and that they informed him that
he had the power to remove the materials he had used in
building, up to the day that he had appointed for taking
up the title, on which, and after, he would have no right
to remove anything whatever. On this advice he began
to act on Thursday, pulling down the whole of the build-
ings he had erected. In this proceeding the most dis-
graceful violence has been resorted to, perhaps a conse-
quence on the fact of the parties engaged being for the
most part men unused to such operations. However that
may be, there is little more than the mere bricks which
will ever be available for any purpose : the timber, espe-
cially, has been so mutilated as to be valuable only as
refuse.

It appears that the proprietor of the land, hearing how
matters were likely to go, on Thursday night removed
some of the doors and window shutters of the houses to a
place where the other party had no legal access : this,
however, did not prevent him regaining possession of the
articles so removed. Thus foiled, the unlucky proprietor
came on to the ground on Friday morning, accompanied
by more than a hundred men, his object being to prevent
the further destruction of the houses, and the removal of
the materials. This, however, he could not do without
occasioning a breach of the peace, which it appears he
was anxious to avoid, and which, indeed, would have
been prevented by the police, who were in attendance in
considerable force. Thus, during the whole of Friday,
the neighbourhood was in a state of indescribable uproar,
there being no less than eight spring carts employed to
zemove the materials as the work of demolition proceeded,
nor would this have been stopped on Monday had the
funds been forthcoming to meet the demands of the hands
engaged. Should this or other causes operate to stay
further proceedings until to. day, little will have been pre-
served. As we write, all that remains of eight houses is
one, entire, and, as before stated, the lower walls of two
others. The whole of these houses were finished, or in
the last stage of completion, when the unlucky misunder-
standing took so malicious an aspect. Such is one of the
consequences of the system of jerry building.
In publishing the foregoing particulars we make no
comment on the course taken by the respective parties
concerned, whose names we suppress ; and we may add,
that we do not vouch for the accuracy of all the state-
ments. They are published as they came to us—un-
coloured or dilated upon.

LIVERPOOL FEBRUARY SESSIONS

The periodical court of sessions, for the trial of persons
confined in the Liverpool Borough House of Correction—
now held every six weeks—was re-opened yesterday, befnre
Gilbert Henderson, Esq., the Recorder. The calendar is,
we regret to say, unusually heavy. It contains the names
of no fewer than 199 persons for felony, and 34 for mis-
demeanour. Of this number 35 can neither read nor
write ; 34 can read imperfectly ; 107 can read and write
imperfectly ; and 6 can read and write well. The follow-
ing gentlemen were sworn in to constitute

THE GRAND JURY.
William Rathbone, merchant, South Castle-st., foreman
Thomas Bolton, jun., tanner, St. Anne street.
Robinson Duckworth, merchant, Cook-street.
John Audley Jee, broker, Exchange-alley North.
Samuel Job, merchant, Edge-hill.
Edward Jones, merchant, Castle-street.
John Owens Johnson, merchant, Cook-street.
John Lister, gentleman, Netherfield-road North.
George Warden, broker, Oldhail-street.
William Wilson, commission agent, Pembroke-place.
George Bates Richardson, ship chandler, Wapping.
Alexander Shand, merchant, Old Churchyard.
Arther Thompsom, broker, Rumford-street.
Richard Fisher, merchant, Harrington-street.
John Gerard Geller, merchant, Slater-court, Castle-st.
Edward.prey, broker, Cook-street.

Robert Wynne, shipliroker, Tower-buildings.
Vincent Wanostrocht, broker, Dale-street.
Charles Robert Taylor, merchant, Fenwick-street.
G. B. Thompson, merchant, Brunswick-street.
The usual proclamation against crime and immorality
having been read,
The RECORDER thus addressed the grand jury :
Gentlemen,—The duties that will upon this occasion de-
volve upon you are rather heavy. Within the space of
about two months, which has elapsed since the last ses-
sions, no fewer than 233 persons have been committed for
trial at this court. Of that number 30 have been previ-
ously tried here ; but more than 200 have not before been
committed—presenting a rather alarming prospect. It is
not, however, my intention at the present time to make any
remarks on the causes of this increase. Indeed, I regret
that I have, at some times, to say anything at all in allu-
sion to the cases at these sessions, as I am of opinion that
that would be better accomplished after the respective
trials, when the circumstances are disclosed. I shall,
therefore, gentlemen, dismiss you to the performance of
your duties.

Counsel then entered nor court, and, soveral true bills
being found, the trials commenced, but no case of peculiar
interest took place during the day.

The following was the—result of the cases tried yester-
day :

William Quinn—five weeks, hard labour, one week

solitary

James Ashcroft

—two calendar months, hard labour,
solitary, and once whipped ; and John Turner
—three calendar months, hard labour, one week solitary.
and once whipped.

John Anderson—acquitted.
Samuel Hezvson—two calendar months, hard labour;
Elizabeth Rowlands—acquitted; and James Wignall—
three calendar months, hard labour, one week solitary,
and once whipped. _

Marna, et Lyons—four calendar months, hard labour
Mary Murphy—six calendar months, hard labour.

Yesterday morning the body of a man unknown, was
found floating in the Brunswick Dock.

THEATRE-ROYAL, WILLIAMSON7SQUARE.—Yesterday
evening this theatre was opened, under the management
of Mr. Simpson, the lessee, Mr. Buckstone (with Mrs.
Fitzwilliam) being engaged to appear in the characters
which he sustained by command of her Majesty. The
first piece was Douglas Jerrold's drama of " The House-
keeper," of the merits of which we cannot speak on
better authority than in the words of the London Times :
" In the whole range of dramas written within the last
twenty years there is not, probably, a more agreeable
work than Mr. Jerrold's " Housekeeper." The story is
simple and interesting ; the dialogue is written with that
point in which the author is unequalled, and the building
up of the play shows a constructive skill which is not to be
found in all his productions. With the present audience
" The Housekeeper " remains fresh as ever. The repar-
tees command laughter and applause, the situations create
surprise, and the sentiment and tone diffuse a general good
humour." The other pieces were the farce of " Box and
Cox," and " A Rough Diamond," in both of which
Buckstone and Mrs: Fitzwilliam are unapproachable.
SMUGGLING TOBACCO.—Yesterday, at the Police-
court, William H. Perry was charged with this offence,
at the instance of Mr. Brooke. The prisoner is second
mate of the ship Charles Carroll, which arrived at this
port from Savannah, on 4th instant, when she was
boarded in the river. The searcher heard the captain
threaten to give the prisoner into custody if he did not
deliver up more tobacco than he had given ; upon which
the prisoner ran up the rigging into first the main top,
and afterwards the fore top, from each of which he: pro-
duced (taken from its concealment at the lower mast-
head), a quantity of foreign manufactured tobacco. The
prisoner was remanded until Thursday, when orders will
be received from the board in London, how he is to be
dealt with.—Two other men, Johnson, the carpenter, and
Seveur, the cook of the ship George Evans, which arrived
off Egremont on the 31st ultimo, from New Orleans, were
charged with a similar offence, they having concealed in a
chamber or hollow space in the carpenter's berth, con-
structed on deck, 42th of foreign tobacco. The prisoners
were also remanded until Thursday.—Another seaman
was fined 30s. for attempting to smuggle a quantity of
tobacco under the weight of 6th, which leaves the magis-
trates power to proceed summaxilys without application
to the authorities ill London.