The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-11-09 00:00:00

NIGHT,

Last evening a public meeting was held in the Craven
Rooms, Chester-street, to take into consideration the
propriety of applying for a charter of incorporation for
the township. The meeting was called by the overseers,
on a requisition presented to them by the inhabitants of
Birkenhead and Claughton ; the requisition was headed
by the signature of William Jackson, Esq., M.P. The
meeting was very numerously attended. On the motion

of one of the Overseers, -W

.—Yesterday the two men, who I meeting by taking a graphic survey of the past and pre-
were last week remanded, as having been in possession of sent position of Birkenhead. He alluded to the posi-
the gold watch of the late Mr. Bibby, iron merchant, who tion in 1844, then the admiration of the kingdom—
was found drowned in a pit near Aintree so:ne five years then not a house uninhabited—now there were hundreds
ago, under suspicion of foul play, were again brought —then they had good credit, now that credit was de-
before Mr. Rushton, who said to Mr. Davenport, the stroyed. After speaking at great length upon the causes
attorney employed for one of the prisoners, and to them- of their position, and stating that he did not wish to
selves, that the inquiry into- the case was still in progress, blame any individual in particular for bad management,
and that it was necessary, for the ends of justice, that the he stated that thousands and thousands of pounds had
case should stand over. The prisoners were accordingly been lent to them in good faith, and now, when the inte-
remanded. rest was most valuable, it was not forthcoming. By this
FATAL OCCURRENCE.—On Friday night last, a fine they had lost caste. At one time. the whole kingdom was
young man, named Thomas Henry Tillet, who resided at ready to trust them, but no one would do so now, and the
77, Grove-street, went with a young companion into a reason was obvious : they had drawn from strangers
field near the new road leading from Parliament-street, money to embellish the town, and had not taxed the
Windsor, to the Prince's Park, to a bonfire lighted in ce- owners of property in the town for it. Mr. Jackson then
lebration of the sth of November. Some foolish, or, it went on at very great length, complaining of the present
may be, wicked lad, threw into the fire a small can- mode of managing the township affairs, observing that it
non loaded with gunpowder and charged with a piece was as easy to put into office, under the present system,
of rod iron, about an inch in length, and about one- sweeps or rogues as honest men. It had been said that
third of an inch in diameter. Some of those present their difficulties had been brought about by their being
(chiefly lads) called out that the cannon was in the fire, too sanguine, but their greatest crime was in having
and warned parties to stand back. Deceased and his got hold of £400,000 of strangers' money for their improve-
friend stepped back ten or twelve yards from the fire ; but ments, parks, and other matters, and not now being able
the piece went off, and the bit of iron entered the head to meet the interest of it. No one could say that his
of the young man named, perforating and lodging in the property had not been doubled .by the accommodation
brain. He was taken in a state of insensibility to the they had received, and it was only right that a tax should
Southern Hospital, and died in about three hours after- be laid upon the prcperty of the township to pay that
wards. The shot had entered at the left side of the face. honest debt. After speaking some time longer upon the
An inquiry was held yesterday before Mr. Curry ; and subject, Mr. Jackson said it was wrong that persons who
as the evidence was not quite complete, the case was came into the town at nine o'clock, and paid their rates
adjourned to'this day. at eleven should have an immediate privilege.of voting
TRIAL TRIP OF THEMAIDENCITY.—This fine steamer, for the commissioners to govern the township. He then
belonging to the North-west of Ireland Steam-packet proposed a resolution to the effect that steps be taken to-
Company, went round the light-ship, yesterday, on a wards obtaining a charter of
thein propertycorporati toonfworartdhs egeptaoywin-
trial trip, under the orders of her experienced commander, ship, for levying a tax
for
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the boilers have received a complete set of new tubes and any right for the commissioners to call a public
tube plates, and have been otherwise thoroughly repaired. meeting of the inhabitants for that purpose and to
In consequence of the improvements made the engines suppose themselves in the position to which Mr.
work with much greater efficiency than they did, even Jackson had alluded ; and as they had not been asked for
when new, and a saving of fuel has been effected since the a tax by the commissioners, he did not see that they
engines were first placed under the superintendence of should tax themselves. It was not proved that they were
Douglas Hobson, Esq., the company's engineer, of not in debt. Mr. Bentham said every one knew they were
less than 20 to 25 tons per trip. On this occasion the en- in debt, and no one better than Mr. Craven himself.
gines made 20 to 21 revolutions per minute, and the time Mr. Collins thought an act of Parliament to tax property
occupied in running from the Crosby light-ship to the should be properly defined. He confessed as a landlord,
Rock, against a whole gale of wind, was seventeen min- that if fifteen or twenty per cent. was to be superadded
utes, a result which must prove highly satisfactory to all to his present taxation, he could not remain in Birken-
concerned. On her return into dock, a party of friends, head. The chairman said they were only now met to
including Wm. Moore, Esq., the company's agent, &c., affirm the principle. Mr. Matthews, amidst the laughter
were entertained by Captain Crompton with his usual of the company, made some singular observations. It was
hospitality. useless, he said, building, without having manufactories.
NEW CHURCH IN HILL-STREET.—We are glad to A multitude of money had been spent to make a " garden
learn that the new church in Hill-street, Toxteth-park, of Eden," and it was after all a " Paradise lost." Mr.
is to be immediately proceeded with. The estimates were Matthews continued to go on in a somewhat . incohe-
opened on Thursday last, and those of Messrs. Miller, rent manner, and being met by expressions of disappro-
Bateman and Holt were accepted. The church is to be bation from several persons present, he answered it by the
built entirely of free-stone, and we have no hesitation in exceedingly classical remark of "go look." The resolu-
saying, that it will not only be a purely ecclesiastical edition was ultimately carried by a large majority, and
five, and a superior specimen added to our church architec- Messrs. W. Jackson, M.P., Craven, Bailiff, Appleton,
ture, but it will be one of the cheapest churches in Hughes, Collins, Mortimer, Eastwood, and E. G. Wil-
England. The architect, in addition to no ordinary loughby, were appointed a committee with full powers to
artistic powers, has brought to bear, in his design, a pro- confer with and assist the commissioners in carrying the
found practical experience in the various departments of foregoing resolution into effect.
the operations that has enabled him to exercise a most
judicious economy. We cannot too highly recommend
this in these cheap church building days : there are other
churches wanted, and we do hope that the different com-
mittees, exercising a most rigid economy, will be most
scrupulously careful over the funds that have been en-
trusted to them, and that have been collected with so
much labour and anxiety for this purpose. The founda-
tion is proposed to be laid on the Ist of January, 1848.
The church is to accommodate twelve hundred worshippers;
and spacious schools, are to be connected with it. The
spire will be 150 feet above the level of Gore-street, and
will form a striking obiect in the neighbourhood.
THE WEATHER.—We do not remember witnessing so
mild and gentle an opening of the " gloomy month' as
the present. From the beginning, in fact, to the present
time, the weather has been extremely fine and open, with
occasional strongish breezes, chiefly from the south-east.
There has been very little downfal of rain during the past
week, and the fields were in prime order for ploughing or
sowing wheat, or gathering field turnips, &c., the potato
crop being now all secured. .Such has been the tempera-
ture, that vegetation was never observed to be more rapid.
We have noticed a field of wheat belonging to H. Little-
dale, Esq., at Wallasey, which, though very recently sown,
presents a most beautifully-advanced and verdant appear-
ance. It is drill-sown, and with a mathematical linear
accuracy, shewing the advantage of modern implements
and improved husbandry. Should the weather remain
equally dry for two or three weeks, all the fields intended
for wheat will be sown ; and, upon an average, the work
be completed earlier than usual in the season. The month
so far, in fact, resembles March or April; and the coun-
try, though the trees are nearly denuded of their leafy
honours, still' presents a pleasing, green appearance. The
grass fields are luxuriant; and where turnips have not yet
been raised from the ground, they continue to bulb out
and increase in weight.

ADULTERATED FLOUR.—On Friday, two cases in which
whole families had been taken ill, in consequence of eating
bread made with adulterated flour, were brought under
the notice of the Leeds borough magistrates, by Mr.
Chorley, surgeon, of this town. He stated that the flour
had been adulterated with plaster of Paris, and the suf-
ferers alleged that they had purchased it from a man
named Samuel Vickers, who has two shops, one in
George's-street, and the other in High-street, and the
other in High-street. Mr. Chorley added, that the indi-
vidual in question had sold his flour 2d. per stone below
the regular price.—Leeds Intelligencer.
RAILWAY WORKS.—It is said that replies have been
received from various railway boards to the memorial of
the Manchester Chamber of Commerce with regard to
the suspension of works. From the Lancashire and
Yorkshire ; Leeds and Thirsk ; Ambergate, Nottingham,
and Boston; London, Brighton, and South Coast; North
Staffordshire, and Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and
Midlands, answers of an indefinite character have been
received ; the Shrewsbury and Hereford Company express
concurrence in the prayer of the memorial ; the Norfolk
Company add to a like statement that they have confined
their works to the smallest compass. Lord Yarborough,
chairman of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire,
states that he is anxious, and he believes that the board
generally is, to avoid the active prosecution of any works
the completion of which is not of the most urgent im-
portance. The Edinburgh and Glasgow, without con-
curring in all the views set forth in the memorial, think
it most desirable that powers should be obtained from
Parliament for facilitating the dissolution of companies,
and for extending the periods for the completion of works.
The Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle Junction
fully concur in the prayer of the memorial, and state that
they had already anticipated its object.