The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

THE LTVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY,

THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS' BALL.—On Wednesday
the annual ball in aid of the charitable objects of the Li-
censed Victuallers' Association was held in the splendid
raoms of the Town-hall. A brilliant array of company
thronged the ball-room, upwards of 650 being present, a
larger number than was ever drawn together on any simi-
lar occasion. The mayor, Samuel Holme, Esq., was pre-
sent, and several of the members of the Town Council.
Gribbins' quadrille band occupied the orchestra in the
large ball-room, while the pensioners' band, stationed in
the vestibule, performed at intervals a variety of popular
music. Dancing was continued with little interruption
until nearly three o'clock in the morning, when the party
broke up, all being highly gratified with the proceedings.
The proceeds of the ball are to be appropriated in aid of
the fund for erecting the new institution in West Derby.
road.

CUSTOMS' DUTIES AT MADEIRA.—III consequence of
the distress existing in the island of Madeira, through the
disease which has attacked the vines, a decree has been
published, dated 12th Nov., making the following alter-
ations in duties :—Art. 1. All merchant vessels, whether
propelltd by sails or steam, calling at Funchal merely for
supplies, or to land passengers, shall be exempted from
payment of custom-house clearances, as well as from the
charges for the health office and government visits. Art.
2. Potatoes and pearl barley shall be admitted free of
duty through the custom-house at Funchal. Art. 3. The
import duty on salt fish at the custom-house of Funchal
is reduced to 15 per cent. ad valorem. Art 4. The favours
mentioned in the second and third articles are granted for
the term of one year, to be reckoned from the day on
which this decree shall begin to be carried into effect.
Art. 5. All legislation to the contrary is revoked.

WEST DERBY GUARDIANS.—The weekly meeting was
held on Wednesday, the Rev. W. Badnall in the chair.—
Mr. Stein, relieving officer, was exonerated from a charge
brought against him.—Mr. James Wood, who was
appointed at the last meeting to the office of superin-
tendent of out-door labour, was suspended on a charge
of drunkenness.—A letter was read from the Poor-law
Baard, sanctioning the appointment of Mr. and Mrs.
Gough as master and matron of the Workhouse—the
master at a salary of £lOO, and the matron at a salary of
£6O per annum, and rations.—An inquiry took place
relative to the manner in which Mr. Tomkins, one of the
relieving officers for Toxteth-park, performed his duties,
the result of which was that the board expressed their
dissatisfaction with his conduct. He was suspended from
office.—Mr. Alfred Stephens, one of the medical officers
of Toxteth-park, appeared to answer to a charge of having
canvassed for a midwifery case (for which the medical
officers are paid by fee). Mr. Stephens was acquitted of
all blame, and the board then adjourned.
LANDING-STAGE FOR LARGE STEAMERS. —At the
Town Council meeting, on Wednesday, one of the
" Mayor's communications" was a letter from Mr.
Rounthwaite, manager of the City of Dublin Steam-
packet Company, calling attention to an application pre-
sented some months since, soliciting further accommoda-
tion for the landing and embarkation of passengers to and
from these steamers. He trusted that the Council would
take the earliest opportunity of providing for the in-
creasing wants of the port in this respect. Only a few
days ago no less than seven large steamers were waiting
to get alongside the small stage. Mr. Fernihough moved
that the memorial be referred to the Finance Committee,
a special committee from which had been appointed to
take into consideration this subject. The only reason for
delay had been that they had no surplus income to enable
them to prosecute the work. They had now, however,
command of funds, and this would he one of the first
subjects which they would take up. The Mayor informed
the Council that both Mr. Weightman and Mr. Hartley
had been instructed to furnish plans for the consideration
of the Council, and that these plans were now being pro-
ceeded with.

LIVERPOOL COUNTY COURT.—In the Court of Queen's
Bench, on Thursday, in the case of " The Queen v. Walsh
in re Walsh v. lonides," an application fora prohibition to
be directed to the plaintiff to prohibit him from further
proceedings in the Liverpool County Court in an action
against the defendant for non-delivery of a bill of lading,
a policy on cargo, and other papers relating to a cargo;
and also for non-delivery of the cargo itself. It was con-
tended for the defendant, that, as the cargo might be de-
livered at at any port in the United Kingdom, and had
actually been ordered to a port in Ireland, the breach of
agreement which constituted the cause of action had not
arisen in Liverpool. Lord Campbell delivered the judg-
ment of the court. The prohibition must issue, but with
some modification. As to that part of the breach of the
agreement the cause of action was complete in Liverpool,
and the action was properly brought. But the cargo
might be•delivered anywhere within the United King-
dom. and, in fact, it was ordered to be delivered at
a different port. So far, therefore, there was no breach
of the agreement at Liverpool with respect to the cargo.
The plaintiff must be prohibited from proceeding with
that part of the action which related to the non-delivery
of the cargo, but he might proceed as to the rest. The
plaintiff might apply to the judge of the County Court to
amend his particulars of action in that respect, and might
proceed on the amended particulars.

ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCH,EOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—
The fortnightly meeting of this society was held on 'Wed-
nesday at the Royal Institution, Mr. H. P. Horner in
the chain—Various presentations of books, plans, &c.,
having been rnade,—Mr. Picton urged the desirability of
at once depositing their library and portfolio at the rooms
of the Free Public Library in Duke-street, where he pro-
mised that special accommodation would be provided for
them.—Mr. N'ewlands called attention to a gross attack
upon his professional character in the report of the Lon-
don committee of baths and wash-bouses, in which he
was charged with plagiarising the plans of Mr. Bailey,
their engineer. He stated that, till long after his design
was published, he had never seen Mr. Bailey's plan, and
produced the first rough sketches to show that he had hit
upon the principle in Edinburgh, when designing a type-
foundry, so far back as 1842 and 1843. He asked for a
committee of inquiry to be appointed, that he might be
set right in the matter.—The Chairman and other mem-
bers expressed themselves already satisfied ; but the se-
cretary was instructed to write to the London association
to know on what ground such charges had been made.—
Mr. J. A. Forrest called attention to the double windows
which were being put into Dr. M'Neile's church ; the
plan effectually excluded all draughts and noise, and,
owing to the cheapness of glass, the cost was of trifling
amount. Mr. Forrest also exhibited a beautiful specimen
of the stereoscope, representing a druggist's shop in mini-
ature.—Mr. Barry read a paper containing a few facts of
architectural and archaeological interest, gleaned from a
cursory visit to the three neighbouring churches—Orms-
kirk, Aughton, and Sefton. He produced rubbings of
several of the monumental brasses, and also of a brass
let into the wall of Ormskirk church, containing the fol-
lowing quaint inscription :
" My ancestors have been interred here, above 380 years
This to be very ancient appears,
Which that all men may know, and offer no wrong
It is ten perch one foot broad, and 4 yards long.,'
This was signed by one W. Bostock, as the sculptor. and
referred, he supposed, to the size of the tomb. There
was a similar one in Aughton church.—The society soon
afterwards adjourned.

DOCK COMMITTEE.—The weekly meeting was held on
Thursday, Mr. C. Turner, M.P., in the chair. The
following tenders were accepted :—William and J. Norris,
and Chapman and Callis, for chains ; R. Houlgrane, for
tar ; Thomas Hart, torch wick ; Mather and Co., sheet
iron.—Mr Bold asked whether orders had been given to
Mr. Hartley to proceed with the dock works at Wapping.
It was stated that Mr. Hartley was going on with the
works. Mr. Hartley said they were proceeding so far as
making preparations. Mr. Bold wished to understand
clearly whether they were going on just as though the
proceedings of the committee had not been vetoed. Mr.
Hartley repeated that they were going on with the pre-
parations ; the works were, in point of fact, going on.
The solicitor said that what was passed by the committee
was good until it had been annulled. Mr. Bigham thought
it was adding insult to injury to go on with the works in
the present position of the council and the dock commit-
tee.—Mr. Malcomson thought great injustice was being
done to the town and the docks by the stoppage of the
works ; and if the council in their wisdom did not choose
to meet and decide the matter, it ought to be brought
prominently before the public, in order that it might be
got from under the direction of that body. After some
further conversation, it was agreed that the chairman and
dock solicitor should confer, with the town-clerk in refer-
ence to calling a special meeting of the council ; in the
meantime, the works were not to be proceeded with. A
recommendation to re-advertise for tenders for 3000 gal-
lons of oil for the lighthouses (in consequence of a party
tendering refusing the contract) was agreed to. A re-
commendation to accept the offer of Mr. Alexander
Miller, for lithographing a survey of the river, was agreed
to. A tender of Messrs. Weber and Co., to supply buoy
sinkers, was accepted. The practice of dock-gatemen and
others soliciting Christmas-boxes was brought under the
notice of the committee, but after a lengthened conversa-
tion the subject dropped. The harbour-masters' sub-
committee reported that they could not recommend the
appropriation of berths at the Sandon Dock for Messrs.
M'lver's steamers ; but if these gentlemen would give the
harbour-master a few days' notice, arrangements would
be made to give them the utmost accommodation. The
other business was unimportant.

SELECT VESTRY.—The Rev. Rector Campbell presided
at the fortnightly meeting on Tuesday. There were re-
ported to be 2,062 inmates in the Workhouse, inclusive
of 572 sick cases, 58 of these being of fever and 50 of
itch. The Industrial Schools Committee reported that a
girl named Kelly, a pupil teacher, had been appointed
assistant-schoolmistress, at a salary of £2O a-year, and
rations. Mr. Weightman reported that £l.BOO was due
to Messrs. Holme on their contract for the new Work-
house buildings, making a total of £71,200. Mr. Brad-
ley complained of a recommendation by the committee to
separate the dispensary connected with the workhouse
buildings, and make two distinct establishments, one for
the in-door patients, and one for the out-door patients.
After a short discussion, it was agreed that the subject
should be left to the Medical Relief Committee and the
Building Committee to consult together on the plan,
when they thought they could come to a proper arrange..
ment. A long discussion took place relative to the ap-
pointment of a surveyor. Mr. Bradley said the resolu-
tion which the committee came to on the 31st ult. was,
" That from the candidates who offered themselves for
the situation of surveyor for the parish, this committee
have not been able to make such a selection as they can
in every respect recommend to the general board for ap-
pointment.' After the committee had broken up, the
vestry-clerk drew up a report briefly embodying the reso-
lution, for presentation to the board. To that report,
which was submitted on the 7th instant, there was an
amendment moved in the absence of the rector, of Mr.
Whitby and Mr. Moss, that the report should not be
adopted. Mr. Sumners was present and voted, but it
appeared afterwards that he was not a member of the
committee, so that the amendment was carried by four to
three votes. This was a straightforward explanation of
the proceedings of the board up to a certain point, and
lie was now placed in the disagreeable position of having
personally to report that there were not those parties
before them whom they could recommend as surveyor for
this important town. He thought himself, after mature
consideration, the best course they could adopt would be
to transfer the whole matter to the finance committee,
and let them take such a course as, under the circum-
stances, they considered advisable. After some remarks
from different members, principally condemnatory of the
report of the committee, it was agreed to refer the matter
to the finance committee.

THE SHIP ALBATROSS. Letters were received on
Tuesday from passengers in the above vessel, under date
Dec. 9th. The Albatross sailed from Liverpool on the
15th November, and experienced a violent storm when
crossing the channel, which kept her beating about for
nearly a week, and so strained her that at one time it was
feared her masts would have to be cut away. Fortunately,
however, the gales ceased, and she proceeded on her
voyage until, on the 9th of December, she was near the
coast of Africa, on the point of crossing the line. It was
then hoped that she would complete her voyage about a
fortnight sooner than was originally expected. The pas-
sengers express themselves perfectly satisfied with the
captain and the officers, who treated them with much
consideration and kindness. Much inconvenience had
arisen from the misconduct of some of the first-class pas-
sengers. No wines or spirits were served to either second
class or steerage passengers, but unfortunately several of
the first class got intoxicated and conducted themselves
in a most disgraceful manner, so much so that the cap-
tain had to put two of them in irons. With these excep-
tions everything on board was satisfactory.—Cork Con-
stitution.

SHAMEFUL HOAX.—An uncommon occurrence has
caused a great sensation in the neighbourhood. About
two months ago, Elizabeth Howells, a respectable farmer's
daughter, left Llanerfyl to go into service at Liverpool
where she remained till Thursday last. On that day her
uncle, a farmer, in Llanggadfan, received a letter, an.
nouncing the sudden death of his niece, and that she had
requested to be buried with her deceased family in the
churchyard of Llanerfyl. He immediately gave orders to
make ready a grave for her ; and proceeded to Liverpool,
in company with an innkeeper from the said village. On
the following day, another uncle, a farmer in Llanfair,
hired a horse to Oswestry, to meet the train, the distance
being about thirty miles, and was there in readiness wait-
ing the funeral of his niece expected from Liverpool that
morning ; but, to his surprise, she came to him alive and
well, in company with her uncle and the innkeeper, who
had gone to Liverpool for her body. She was no doubt
delighted to find herself alive, and returning home to see
friends who had made great preparations for her funeral,
intending to give tea to the large multitude of people who
purposed being present at her interment on Saturday,
when she herself hurried to the churchyard, to prevent
any more tolling of the bell, and to see her intended
grave, which had been opened in readiness for her.—
North Wales Chronicle.
BLASTING WITH GUNPOWDER.—At the sixth ordinary
meeting of the Literary and Philosophical Society held
last week at the Royal Institution, Mr. J. J. Moss read an
account of an explosion in a granite quarry, at the village
of Furnace, on the western shore of Loch Fine, on the 29th
of September last, and exhibited a ground plan of the
quarry. A shaft was driven into the solid rock, to the
depth of sixty feet, twz horizontal arms proceeded from
it, each seventeen feet long. The shaft and arms were
three feet six wide and high. At the ends were lodged
3,0001h5. of gunpowder, in two parcels of 1,3001b5. and
1,700110. each. The whole was secured by masonry, set
in Roman cement, and the shaft, besides two inverted
arches turned in it, was loaded to the mouth with stones,
gravel, and sand, to prevent the escape of the powder that
way. The trains were fired by a galvanic battery, heating
platinum wires to redness in the centre of the powder.
The explosion was grand in effect, but not very loud, con-
sidering the quant ty of powder. It threw down from the
quarried front of the cliff (which was eighty feet high)
between 30.000 and 40,000 tons of fine blocks of
stone, so that it was most successful. The expense
was small. The sinking the shaft and galleries cost
£94, at £1 per linear foot ' • and the 3,0001b5. of powder,
or sixty barrels, cost £6O. So well was everything cal-
culated, that, though some of the houses of the little vil-
lage of Furnace are within a few yards of the quarry, not
a pane of glass was broken, nor a slate of their roofs
injured.—ln the course of the discussion, Mr. Towson re-
marked that the effects were most terrific where powder
exploded in slightly confined places, such as buildings or
ships ; but in those cases where powder was used for
blasting purposes, its whole force appeared to be expended
in removing the great obstacle in its way, and its effects
were scarcely felt beyond its immediate neighbourhood.
HEALTH COMMITTEE.—At the weekly meeting on
Thursday, a letter was read from Mr. James Rose, of
Birkenhead, calling attention to a new plan of deodorising
by means of peat charcoal. Mr. Rose offers to deodorise
all the middens in Liverpool for a period of fifteen years,
for £BO.OOO, on condition that the committee will spend
£50,000 in erecting tanks, and also construct 1,500 ad-
ditional water closets. A short conversation followed,
but no resolution was come to. Mr. Moss said he had
been intrusted with a memorial which contained some
valuable suggestions in connexion with allowing the rail-
way company to cross certain streets at the north end of
the town The memorialists did not object to the company
crossing the streets at a low level, but they proposed the
thought
tholt,stardseeetfit,se
monattlearndwabsenloonwging to the company,
one of which would form a communication between Athol-
feseetrrirveeeed:taondThiteiliiseeo Nelson Dock, and remove many obstacles
which had been suggested, besides improving the value of
qi property in the neighbourhood. The chairman
in abeyance, it would
be better to
officera rreeppoerrtrewas t
that
was agreed to, and the memorial re-
ending the Bth
the deaths in the
instant, were 147, and in the extra-parochial wards, 67 ;
engineer.breor
rot borough,
ge
hT, memorial
he
forthe medical untilweek
total, 214: being 12 more than in the previous week, and
11 less than in the corresponding week of the five prece-
ding years. Although still below the average of the season,
the mortality of the week was higher than in any previous
week since the end of September. Of 44 deaths from
zvmotic diseases, 14 were from typhus ; hooping cough,
12; measles, 5 ; croup, 5 ; scarlatina, 3 ; erysipelas, 1. The
deaths from hooping. cough were more numerous than in
any week of the two and a half years preceding. Two men
died from delirium tremens, and a woman from rheumatic
fever. The mortality for the last quarter was below the
average, being 851 less than in the previous quarter, and
702 less than the average of the same quarter of the pre-
ceding five years.

ENORMOUS SWINDLING.—On Tuesday much surprise
was excited by the announcement of the failureof Messrs.
Collmann and Stolterfoht, of London and Liverpool, with
liabilities amounting to about £300.000 ; a most respect-
able house connected with the grain trade, and a branch
of whose business has been conducted here. The event
has been occasioned solely by a series of frauds and for-
geries committed upon them, in connexion with which
Mr. Robert F. Fries, a merchant of Crosby-hall Cham-
bers, engaged in large corn transactions, has been already
examined by the London magistrates. The various sums
obtained by him from Messrs. Coltman and Stolterfoht
are stated to have reached a total of £BO,OOO ; and, with
the exception of these advances, which were made upon
forged bills of lading and other documents, the firm was
in a prosperous state, with a free capital of about £40,000.
It is hoped, therefore, that the loss to the creditors will
not be serious. The entire extent of the delinquencies
with which Pries will be charged is not yet known, but it
appeared, from the police examination, that two other
houses have suffered to the extent respectively of £3,000
and £lB,OOO. It is supposed that they will reach the
enormous sum of £35,000. The £lB,OOO was advanced
upon forged corn-warrants by James Holford and Co.,
New Broad-street. The prisoner was apprehended at the
station of the Northwestern Railway, on Saturday, just as
the train was about to start. He was in one of the first-
class carriages, and had a ticket for Newcastle. The offi-
cer asked him to give up whatever property he had, and
he handed a canvas bag containing £lOl Ils. 9d. The
police are still busily investigating the case. It is consi-
sidered that, in the investigation of the above affair, a
solution will arise of the origin of certain large purchases
of grain at foreign ports, on English account, at various
intervals during the past year, and which, inasmuch as
they were made at prices which involved a loss in our
markets, have given rise to conjectures that they could
only have been carried on for political objects. In con.
nection with this failure, we have to announce the stop-
page of M. E. N. Werthemann, of Amsterdam, Mr. Pries'
correspondent in that city. The amount involved is sup-
posed to be large, probably exceeding £40,000. The paper
of a very respectable, though small, foreign house, con-
nected with Messrs. Coltman and Co.'s misfortunes, has
been taken up by other parties, and thus there will be no
loss to the general creditors.
WORKING MEN'S CHURCH ASSOCIATION.—The An-
nual meeting was held at the Collegiate Institution, on
Tuesday, and was numerously attended. The Rev. Rec-
tor Campbell was in the chair, and on the platform were
the Rev. Dr. M`Neile, Rev. Dr. Baylee. Rev.W. Pollock,
Rev. H. Hampton, &c.—The Rev. Rector Campbell ad-
dressed the meeting at great length. The great object of
the Working Men's Church Association, he said, " is to
bring the Gospel home to the doors of the people. This
is the great work we have to do, and to do this thoroughly
the number of clergy ought, perhaps, to be doubled. The
Gospel, as has been well observed, must be preached in
courts and alleys, or the church-bell will sound in vain."
The Rev. Dr. M'Neile next addressed the meeting. Re-
ferring to the pew system in the churches connected with
the establishment, he said, " Well, whose fault was it,
then,—whose fault was it that the State had degenerated
from the old practice, and had not supplied accommoda-
tion for the people such as the people should have, and
had thrown us upon inventions and contrivances to eke
out the miserable incomes of ministers of God, by charg-
ing people for seats in the church ? And then it came to
this, the man who could give the most money got the
best seat. That was free-trade. To be sure, sell in the
dearest market, and buy in the cheapest ; and here came
a man to the parson and said he would give 30s. for a
seat, and with the gold ring on his finger he gets a seat.
Another poor man could only give 45., and his seat was
under the gallery. That was the way it. was. And whose
fault was it ? Oh, those Radicals ! Those Radicals, he
said, who bad hindered the State, the British State, from
holding its original, all-Christian tone, and keeping its
Church as wide as the State. They grudged the Church's
means, they did not believe the Church's doctrines ; they
had power in the State, and they exercised it to divide, to
separate ; and, under the name of religious liberty, the
poor of England had been deprived of the liberty of going
to the Church of England." The Rev. Dr. Baylee gave
some interesting details in connexion with the progress of
the association. The first effort made was in August,
1851, in an address to the working classes. Thirty-one
thousand of these addresses were delivered. Subsequently
a second address was drawn up, and circulated among the
middle classes, as well as a handbill ; 62,000 papers being
thus circulated amongst the public. They had had seve-
ral small meetings, both within doors and in the open air.
To the Mayor the society were under obligations for the
use of his large premises, in which to hold their meetings.
They had been able to hold twenty-eight meetings in the
first half of last year. They had received pecuniary as-
sistance in this way even from the very poor. They next
formed a district association, of which the clergyman pf
each district was the patron. All subscriptions of two-
pence, and under, went to the employment of clerical
assistance, and this had amounted to £221 I3s. 93. during
the year. The minister of the district always had the
choice of that assistant, which ensured his co-operation.
And in addition to this current fund, which was applied
to the employment of ministers, without any deduction,
the subscriptions above twopence formed a sinking fund,
by which they had realised during the year the sum of
£73 12s. 3d.--A collection having been made, and the
benediction pronounced, the meeting broke up at nine
o'clock. The collection amounted to £ll 15s. Ord. ;
£3 lls. 6d. was received in the room from "Anonymous,"
and £5 next morning from Mr. Cunard, making a total
of £2O 6s. 6d.; and it is hoped that further contribu-
tions will yet be received.