The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-29 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

RAILWAY INTELLIUENCE.

Upwards of sixty projected railways, lost last session,
are to be brought forward in the next.
The Ashton and Stalybridge Branch Railway was
opened on Wednesday.
Reports have been circulated that the Great Western
are about to reach Shrewsbury, and proceed thence, vid
Oswestrv, to Chester.
The Whitehaven and Harrington Railway is-in so for-
ward a state as to be likely to be opened for public traffic
in the early part of October.
SOUTHEASTERN RAILWAY.—The £30,000 has been
paid over to the North Kent, who are now returning 3Us.
per share, to begin with, to the shareholders.
The turning of the first sod on the works of the North
Staffordshire railway was celebrated on Wednesday, by
great rejoicings at Stock-on-Trent, the day being kept as
a general holiday.
The gigantic tunnel at the Edinburgh end of the Edin..
buagh, Leith, and Granton railway is nearly completed.
Mr. Cubitt and the directors walked from end to end a
few days since.
SERIOUS FIRE AT THE CROYDON TERMINUS.—At an
early hour on Tuesday, a fire broke out at the Croydon
Railway station, which was not extinguished until about
eight o'clock. Thirteen carriages, most of them of the
first and second classes, have been totally destroyed, and
two greatly injured. The damage is esti rated at £lO,OOO.
From our official returns, it appears that the amount of
traffic for the last week, on nearly 1,800 miles of railway,
was £177,914, thus accounted f0r:—£95,061 for the con-
veyance of passengers only, £37,304 for the carriage of
goods, and a remainder of £45,679 for passengers and
goods together, not respectively apportioned; be ng an
increase over the corresponding week of last year of
£35,362.

The opening of the railway, originally known as the
Manchester, Bury, and Rossendale railway, but, from the
recent additions, assuming the name of the East Lanca-
shire Railway, was opened on Friday with great eclat.
The line, as may be known to some of our readers, is in-
tended to connect the manufacturing districts of East
Lancashire with the town of Manchester, and, with its
extension, has been completed in a space of time (consi-
dering the nature of the country) almost unequalled.
SUMMARY OF RAILWAY LINKS GRANTED.—It ap-
pears that the net total amount of railway capital autho-
rised to be raised during the last session was £90,802,550,
for the purpose of constructing 4,705 miles of railway,
averaging £19,399 per mile. There are 101,814 lineal
yards of tunnelling to be executed (59k miles), being 1.27
per cent. of the whole length. The nuchber of turnpike
roads exceed 209, and of common roads 1,240, to be
crossed by railways on the same level. The total quantity
of land required for occupation is stated to be 53,356
acres, nearly 111 acres per mile.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAIL-
WAY.-0a Tuesday evening, as the 4.45 train from
Paddington neared the Swindon station, the rate of
speed was, as usual, reduced ; whereupon, from some un-
explained cause, a luggage van placed between the first
passenger carriage and the engine got off the line, and
forced its way through the first compartment of the car-
riage, causing the instant death of two passengers, and
injuring several others who were in the same or adjoining
carriages. The head of one of the passengers was lite-
rally dashed to pieces, and his fellow-traveller in the
same compartment received sn severe a concussion of the
brain that almost instant death was the result.

According to the last report of the Railway Department
of the Board of Trade, it appears that the total number of
accidents during the last six mouths of 18-10 was 28, with
22 persons killed, and 131 injured ; in 1841, there were
29 accidents in all, 24 killed and 72 injured ; in 1842, 10
accidents, 5 killed and 49 injured ; in 1543, 5 accidents, 3
killed and 3 injured. While the number of accidents was
than diminishing, the number of miles open, and still
more the number of passengers travelling, were greatly in-
creasing. In 1840 there were 1,330 miles open, in 1813
there were 1,798; in 1840 there were about 12,000,000 of
passengers, in 1843 there were about 25,000,000. In 1844
there were 32 accidents, in which 10 persons were k;lled
and 74 injured. During the first six months of 1815
there were 15 accidents, 2 killed and 30 injured.
FEARFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—As the nine p.m.
train was leaving Rugby station for Leicester on Satur-
day week, an engine belonging to the London and North-
Western ilailwav Company was standing below the points
at which the Alidland line diverges from the former; no

following directors were, on the motion of Mr. Cheetham,
appointed in their place :—Fur Glasgow, Messrs. Peter
Blackburn, of Kilearn ; J. Ord Ewing, of Bromley ;
Henry Dunlop, of Cra,gton ; A. G. Adams, of Denny,
and John Henderson, of Park. Fur Edinburgh, Messrs.
Jkmcs Maitland Hog • Alex. Clappetton. and John
Maitland. For England, Messrs. J. B. Smith, Rosson,
Rawson, Openshaw, Coston, M`Kay, and Cheetham.
The whole business of the meeting, a report of which oc-
cupies nearly nine columns in the Glasgow Constitutional,
was conducted with great gcod temper. The strength of
the respective parties would, on a division, have stood
thus :—deputation, 580 proxies, 7,283 votes; directors,
148 proxies, 1836 votes. Majority against the directors,
432 proxies, 5,447 votes. This does not include the votes
of the deputation, nor those proxies which arrived too
late.

sooner had the engine and tender passed the points, than to see what advantage we can derive from the amount of
the engine-driver of the London and North-Western misfortune; and it will be no small advantage to one part
Company turned on his steam, and the result was that of this empire, and I will venture to say even more—no
the engine ran into the train before it had cleared the small advantage to this part of the country in which lam
line, broke tour of the carriages, throwing them off the now speaking, if the uncertainty, or rather the general
rails, and tearing up the latter for some distance, whilst failure, of the potato crop shall lead the farmers—small
several of the passengers were seriously shaken and farmers especially—to rest their attention and their trust
bruised. Mr. Hudson, the chairman to the Midland less exclusively upon potatoes as a green crop, to the
Company, but better known as the " Railway King," exclusion of many others that might be adopted. (Hear,
was in one of the carriages, but escaped unhurt. After and applause.) I think we have in this country, and I
a detention of about an hour, the passengers were placed know it to my cost as sn Irish landlord, relied too eaten-
in carriages belonging to the latter company, and for- sively upon the cultivation of the potato. That sole stay
warded en their journey. The guard was so seriously in- failing, distress has grievously increased. I recollect the
jured that he was obliged to be left behind. time when it was confidently declared that the turnip
Ems:lmmo"' AND GLASGOW RAILWAY.—The seven- would not grow in this country—that the soil, climate,
teenth half-Nearly general meeting was held at Glasgow, and I know not what, were so adverse to its cultivation,
on the 22d inst. The report was" received." and ordered* that to expect to grow turnips was looked upon as the
to be laid on the table, and the directors resigned. The i height of absurdity. I will now Venture in env tt,at

the district of this society throughout, there is no dis-
trict in England which, with proper cultivation and
proper attention, will yield a more remunerative—perhaps
there is hardly any one which will yield an equally remu-
nerative—return, i❑ crops of turnips, than the district
comprised in the limits of this society. He proceeded to
impress upon farmers the necessity of cultivating the tur-
nip, for which the soil of this county was well adapted,
now that the potato had failed. His lordship next re-
ferred to the attendance of the :how. The money taken
at the door last s ear was £63, this year it reached £lO3.
He alluded to the poverty of the show, more especially to
the wretched display of horses. This was not a sheep
growing county, but it might become so when the culti-
vation of turnips was extended. He impressed upon the
farmers the necessity of draining. He concluded in the
following terms :—Permit me to say that while I see in
the cause of this society much to encourage, and much to
induce us to be thankful for the exertions made, and to
be pleased with the progress that has been made, I see,
also, we have still much brfore us, and my earnest hope
is that, stimulated by the emulation produced by such so-
cieties, both landlords and tenants will exert themselves,
band in hand, to meet the difficulties to which they may
be exposed, whether by visitations of Providence, by the
legislation of man, or by difficulties to which they may be
unused. Let them exert themselves with true English spirit
to meet all these difficulties with corresponding exertions;
and my belief and confidence is, more especially in this
district, where we have the advantage of an abundant
supply of manure, and the still greater advantage of con-
stant and overflowing markets close at our doors, those
exertions, if applied to the soil, will not be invested in a
treasury that will yield no return, but one which will
yield a liberal return to both landlord and tenant. More
than this, these increased exertions, and the increased in-
terest felt by both, will tend to that which is most for the
interest of all classes of the community, namely, to a
cordial and thorough good understanding between land-
lords and tenant farmers. (Cheers.) With these senti-
ments and apology for the length of my observations, I
1)g to propose, as a bumper toast—" Prosperity to the
Liverpool Agricultural Scciety." (Loud cheers.)
Sir RICHARD BROOKE proposed the health of Lord
Stanley.
The noble CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and in doing
so, proposed the health of his father, the Earl of Derby,
the president of the society.

Tile CH AIRMAN then gave the Mayor and Corporation,
which was responded to by Mr. Alderman Lawrence, and
the health of Thomas Weld Blundell, the senior vice-
president_ which was responded to by that gentleman in
a suitable speech. The Chairman, with a flattering eulo-
gium on Mr. Robert Neilson, proposed his health.
Mr. NEILSON responded. He thanked them for the
manner in which the last toast had been received, and as
a member of the committee, he felt it to be his duty and
privilege to give all the information in his power to every
member of the society ; he would accordingly state the
result of some experiments he had made, as to the advan-
tages connected with the sowing of large and small grain,
and when he mentioned the name of Mr. Woodman Earle
as an authority on the subject, they would be well assured
that that was a sufficient recommendation for the sugges-
tions he was about to make. He alluded to a paper he
held in his hand, which had been furnished by that gen-
tleman, and he had given him liberty to make it public if
he thought proper. He would, however, call their atten-
tion to one or two points as to sowing. There was a por-
tion of land, of twenty-four square yards; a number of
grains of large and small seed were taken from a sample
wheat, of the large 296, and of the small 2e9, those were
placed in rows six inches apart, and the return on the
large wheat was three bushels per acre over that of the
small ; the value per acre was as is. 9d. for the large, and
3d. for the small. He instanced a number of other
improvements for the purpose of showing how much
might be gained by paying attention to the quantity of
wheat placed in the ground. It was also necessary that
the seed should on no account be placed in the ground
until it was in proper order to receive it. It should be
well tilled and well cultivated. He next alluded to t
culture of Italian ryegrass and 'red clover, and stated that
in April he tried the experiment of sowing one bushel of
the grass and 12lbs. of red clover. The result was, that
be had a sixth crop on the ground, and before Christmas
expected to get a seventh. That w s a proof what might
be produced by proper attention. It was manured twelve
times, ten of which were with liquid manure, and so con-
vinced was he of the efficacy of the liquid manure, that be
gave it ten doses of the one against one of the other.
Such was the result of using that portion of the produce
of the farm yard which, in nine cases out of ten, tvas
suffered to go to waste. He urged the necessity of erect-
ing proper tanks for preserving the liquid manure, which
was quite as necessary. and ought to be as much the duff
of the landlord as proper drainage. There was another
subject, and he was interested with the ob tiona that
had fallen from their noble chairman as to touching upon
politics ; but he did think that in consequence of the
repeal of the corn laws it became the duty of agriculturists
to take into consideration whatever might be conducive,
under the circumstances, to !heir own interests. He re-
ferred to the restriction on the growth of barley, owing to
the malt tax. (Hear.) He had heard opinions favourable
to it from many of the greatest farmers in the country.
With reference to the disease which was so prevalent
amongst the cattle, and from which he had suffered to a
great extent, he stated that, from experiments which he
had made, the disease might be mitigated, if not entirely
removed by the use of mashed malt, and which, if the
duty were taken off, the malt ,tight be used to a large
extent. Mr. Harold Littledale, who kept about 100 cows,
had told him the effect of grains as a food for coivs,
which increased the milk fifteen per cent., and the dimi-
nution was perceptible to that extent when the food watt
changed. The consumption of malt would be very great
if the duty were removed, and it might be cultivated with
preater advantage than other grain, especially on some
descriptions of land, and would be advantageous to the
labourers, by opening a wider field for their operations.
He recommended the repeal of the malt tax upon certain
conditions, and felt convinced that it would be for the
benefit of the farmers and the country at large. It might
be objected that the repeal duty on an article from which
an intoxicating beverage was manufactured would be pro-
ductive of evil results to the people ; but he trusted to
the movement which was now going on for improving
their tastes and habits, as a check to any of these cala-
mities which might be apprehended on that score. In
conclusion, he thanked them for the patience with which
they had listened to him, and the honor they bad dons
him by drinking his health. (Applause.)
Several other toasts followed, amongst which was the
health of Messrs. Lucas and Co., and thanks to them for
the use of the room for the dinner.

Lord STAN LEY and his son, the Hon. E. Stanley then
left the room amidst most enthusiastic cheers.

So large a number of premiums were awarded in every
department, that the full list would occupy more space
than we can spare, and, moreover, be tedious to peruse-
We shall, therefore, confine ourselves chiefly to the
principal prizes awarded to parties in our own more im-
mediate locality.

BEST CULTIVATED FARMS, &C.—To Richard Watt,
Esq., of Speke, as owner and occupier of 117 acres—the
Medal; to Mr. Birch, of Orrell, £6; Mr. Ashton, of
Speke, £4; Mr. Birch, of Sefton, for hedge planting, £3.
CROPS GROWN IN 1815.—Sir P. Mostyn, Bart., best
Swedish turnips, the Silver Medal; Mrs. Ardern, of
Penketh, ditto, £3.

•
HORNED CATTLE.—Mr. Atherton, Upholland, the
best bul, £l5 ; Sir T. de Trafford, Bart., best, ditto,
under two years old, the Medal ; als other prizes—G.
Greenall, Esq., best cow, the Medal; also other prizes--;
Mr. Birch, Sefton, best cow in milk, £5; Mrs. Howard,
Knowsley, 2d best, ditto, £3.
Hoasss.l—Mr. Thos. H. Hardinge, Liverpool, (best
stallicn for agricultural purposes, £6; Mr. Hew";
Knowsley. best filly for ditto, £1; Mr. J. Ashcroftl3. iN%cri,
vertree, best three-year-old ditto, £5 • Mr. I Haig b
Sefton, best brood mare for ditto, £4; i Thos. ai
Wavertree, best pair of horses for general agrcultur
purposes, the silver medal; Mr. Howard, Knowsley, for
ditto, --Cg.
Pios.—Mr. Gilbert Halsall, of Balwoood. and Mr.
Alfred Bower, of Aigburth, obtained £2 10s. each for
fine sows.

EXTRA.—For the best pair of draught horses employed
in Liverpool Mr. Harbridge received £1; for the second-
Rat, Messrs. Woodall and Jones, £2 ; and for the best
pair of draught-horses at all, the Earl of Sefton.
Rewards were given to James Howard, carter to Air-
Ashcroft, of Bank-hall, near Liverpool, and to James
Harrison, labourer to Colonel Williams. Woolton, far 31
years faithful service each—to the first £4, and to the se'
cond, £2.
IMPLEMENTS.—A silver medal was awarded to each of
the following makers, &c., for general assortments :--

Mr. William Thomas, Liverpool.
Mr. Robert Elliot, Liverpool.
Mrs. Cartmell, Liverpool.
Robert Neilson, Esq., Halewood, for his liquid manure
cart and pump. &c.
The following implements were commended by the
judges :
Mr. William Thomas, Liverpool, for an oil box Or
wheels.
Mr. John Craig. Liverpool, for an improved cacti
weighing machine.

Mr. John Cr

Liverpool, for a household weighing

Mr. R. Elliot, Liverpool, for a turnip cutter.
Mrs. Cartmell, Liverpool, for a four-knife bay Alla
straw cutter.

r;mell Liverpool, foi
'n, Toxteth-park, for an atmospheric

urnip cutter

bert, Liverpool, for a set of true