The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-17 00:00:00

WEST INDIA MAIL STATION

We resume our notice of the advantages which Liverpool
possesses over Southampton, as the station for the West In-
dian steamers, and shall first point attention to those for
landing and embarking, repairs, &c.
SOUTLIAMPTON.—AII we can learn from the evidence on
this point, amounts merely to the fact, that Southampton is
not yet capable of accommodating the packets ;—that, in-
deed, while Liverpool is a port already made, Southampton
has yet, at an immense outlay, to be formed and adapted for
the purpose. Mr. Wm. Walker " sees no difficulty in
driving piles into the mud, and forming jetties to allow ves-
sels to approach," and, " as engineers have made a basin at
Sheerness, he does not see why the same might not be ac-
complished at Southampton." He admit:, that even at the
jetty at that port passengers cannot always embark, and that
" at low water spring tides he thinks it possible the steam-
ships would ground." Captain Ward (who is employed at
the works at Southampton, connected with the docks and
railway, and where evidence ought therefore to be received
with some caution,) speaks more favourably. He admits,
however, that there are yet no graving docks, but that two
are projected ; that there are three foundries, and that en-
gines (of what kind or size ?) are constructed there ; that the
company have taken ground to erect forges upon ; that a
light is to be put on the Spit outside of Calshot Castle,
which is much wanted, and that the Great Liverpool may
have grounded, but not in the direct channel. The evidence,
indeed, taken en masse, shows that Southampton is compa-
ratively a young port, and the conclusion to be drawn is,
that " with all efforts and pliances to boot," it can never be
rendered equal to our port. Let us on the other hand refer
on this point to
Liverpool.—There is no port in Great Britain where the
facilities for the repairs, either of the ship or machinery,
are so great as at Liverpool.—Lieutenant Lord. I think it
presents more advantages than any other port in the king-
dom. We have docks, made for the purpose, capable of
containing the largest steamers. For all the purposes of a
ship for docking and repairing, and getting supplies for the
station, I think Liverpool decidedly the best port that can
be selected.—Aikin. Passengers may be landed at all times
of the tide on the quay. The government have a small
steamer for landing and embarking the passengers, when the
large steamers do not dock. The mails may be landed or
got on board at all times. The rise of tide at the dock gates
is 32 to 33 feet. The mails may be taken on board even if
the packet sails at dead low water.—Lieut. Lord. The docks
at Liverpool afford perfect facilities for large steamers.—
Capt. Drew. We may add to this evidence, that the largest
vessels do not "ground" on the Mersey, (unless they are
wilfully run ashore) ; that if they enter even at low water,
when they cannot dock for some few hours, they have excel-
lent anchoring ground in the stream, and also in the Sloyne,
on the Cheshire side opposite, about a mile and a quarter from
the principal quays, and where they are protected from
westerly gales by the high land in Wirrall. The large go-
vernment Irish Mail-packets, more constantly on the latter
g ouud , where they lie in perfcct'eofety a little tn the north
of the quarantine hulks. There is no instance ofany accident
befalling them, and they now never enter the docks, in order
to save time, but when in want of repair. The Halifax and
Boston mail-ships, alter leaving dock, generally proceed to
sea from the same spot, where excellent moorings are fixed.
When they come up at high water they can dock immedi-
ately, and all goods (with the exception of luggage arriving
on the eve of their departure) are shipped in the docks. In
place of only three small foundries, we have upwards of 40
on a large scale, one of which employs in the building and
repairing of large engines, boilers, &c., upwards of 700 men.
There are also large and numerous manufactories of chain
cables, cordage, and every article of ship's appurtenances,and
an ample and constant force of shipearpenters, joiners, cabi-
net-makers, upholsterers, &c.
3. COMMUNICATION AND COMMERCE WITH THE WEST

STEAM MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH THE E
OF MERCHANDIZE OF A ROUTE

We give below a Table, showing the time which has been
occupied in the transit of the Mails between the East Indies
and Great Britain during the present year. To those who
are interested in the welfare of those noble possessions, and
to the mercantile and manufacturing commuhity in particular,
—to whom they offer the prospect of an almost unlimited field
for enterprize and industry—the regularity of communica-
tion which, by the aid of steam, we have been enabled to
attain with them, must be productive of unmixed gratifica-
tion. When England is thus drawing round her the whole
OVERLAND MAIL.

Date of leaving
London.

(rid Marseilles'
Jau. 1, 1841
Feb. 4..
March 4
April 5 ...
May 1
June 5
July 5..
August 4 ....
September 6 ..

Arrived at Botnnay, Days to
(rid Suez, Aden, tke.) Bombay.

Feb. 13 .
Mar. 14.
April 10.
May S..
June 6..

!July 7

Aug. 5
Sept. 6
Oct. 11

(per Victoria) I

. (per Berenice)
(per Victoria)
(per Cleopatra)
(per Auckland)
(per Victoria)
(per Cleopatra)
. (per Berenice)
(per Victoria)

Co E ,:31' 0 N.OLLYC,L..2

THE AFRICAN TRADE AND KING PEPPLE

We have been favoured with the following communication
from Capt. Grant. of the ship Hero, belonging to this port.
The letter was received by the Brutus, which reached here

on Sunday

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

do not know if you have either time or inclination
to read all that the prolific pens of your contemporaries pro-
duce from day to day ; but I beg to call your attention, and
that of your numerous readers, to the convention for the total
suppression of the slave trade, entered into by Great Britain
and King Pepple and the Chiefs of Grand Bonny; a copy of
which I annex :
" Convention for the Total Suppression of the Slave Trade,
agreed upon by William Tucker, Esquire, Captain of
H. B. Majesty's ship Iris, and Senior Officer in com-
mand of Her Britannic Majesty's ships and vessels on
the West Coast of Africa, and King Pepple and the
Chiefs of the Bonny Dominions.
" It is agreed, and the. two contracting parties hereby co-
venant and agree—
" Ist. That the slave trade shall be totally and for ever
abolished in the dominions subject to the jurisdiction of
King Pepple and the Chiefs of the Bonny ; and that no
slaves shall he passed through or exported from those domi-
nions, from the date of the ratification of the agreement.
" 2nd. That in consideration of the total abolition of the
slave trade for ever, and that no slaves shall ever be permit-
ted to pass through or be exported from the said dominions,
Great Britain engages to pay King Pepple, on the ratifica-
tion of this agreement, goods to the amount of ten thousand
dollars per annum for five years.
" 3rd. That on each future time of making the annual
payment, the man of war bringing the annual gift shall fur-
nish Great Britain with a document from the merchants fre-
quenting the Bonny, certifying the fact, that no slave trade
has, to their knowledge, existed there, and that no slaves
have been passed through the dominions subject to the juris-
diction of King Pepple and the Chiefs of Bonny during the
preceding year.
" 4th. That if, at any time whatever, either from want of
that document, or from any other circumstance, it shall- ap-
pear that the slave trade has been carried on in, from, or
through the dominions subject to the jurisdiction of King
l'epple and the Chiefs of the Bonny, the gifts mentioned in
the preceding article will be discontinued, the slave trade
put down by force, and King Pepple and the Chiefs of the
Bonny will subject themselves to severe acts of displeasure
on the part of Great Britain.
" sth. That King Pepple shall make a proclamation and a
law, prohibiting all his subjects, or persons depending on
him, from selling any slaves to be transported from the do-
minions subject to his jurisdiction, or to aid, or abet, or
assist in any such sale, under penalty of si.vere punishment.
" tith. That, at the particular request of King Pepple, the
said gill shall be paid to him in dollars, viz., ten thousand
dollars per annum year by year, for five years ; upon the
document required being received as proof of his having ful-
filled the above articles.
" ith. That should Great Britain at any future time per-
mit the slave +rade to be carried on again, the Kings and
Chiefs of the Bonny shall be at liberty to carry on the slave
trade also.
" Done at the Parliament House, Bonny Town, this 20th
day of Aucust, 1841
" (Signed)

" WILLIAM TUCKER.
" KING PEPPLE.

the presence of
' M. Blount, Lieut. commanding H.M.S. Pluto
' W. Webster, 2nd Lieut. H.M.S. Iris.
'Thos. E. Symonds, addl. Lieut. H.M.S. Iris.
' Robert Graham, assistant surgeon, do.
Christopher Jackson, ship Hesperus.
his his
King X George. Grand X Bonny.
mark. mark.
his - --- . his
" Jack X Brown. Jew Jew X Peter.
mark. mark.:
his his • -.
" Old Indian X Quecn. Captain X Hart.
mark. .. mark.
his his
" Jew Jew X Guana. Manilla X Pepple.
mark. mark.
his
King X Holiday.
mark.

his
Parliament X Gentleman

mark.
his
Allison. X
mark.
his
Black X Foobra
mark.
his
Jungo. X
mark.

his
Young. Anna X Pepple
mark.

THE LATE MR. COURTENI Y.

kST INDIES,. ND • },OR 'IRE TRANSIT
ACROSS THE ISTHMLs ut SUEZ.

of her rich possessions in the Eastern and Western worlds
—reducing, what but a few years ago were distances which
required months to communicate between, to voyages of
only weeks or days, can her merchants and manufacturers be
blind to the advantages which the future offers to their view
in these markets—more important and more valuable, we
do not hesitate to say, than all that they can wring, by the
most unlimited and reckless concessions, from the whole
world besides ?

FOR INDIA, ISII

Arrived at Days to
Madras. Madras.

Feb. 20 .
March 21
April IS.
May 15 .
June 15 .
July 13 .
Aug. 12 .
Sept. 13 .
Oct. 18 .

Arrived io Calcutta. I Dilys to
(In divi.iuns.) Calcutta,

February 21, &c
March 23, &c. .
lApril 19, &c...
May 16, &c.
June 16.
iJuly 18, &c
fAug.

Sept. 18, &c

47
46
41

43
43

A Mail will be made up in London, for India, vid Falmouth, on 31st Dec., and vid Marseilles, on the 4th January

OVERLAND MAILS FROM INDIA; 1841

Arrived in Londo .. Arrived in London
Date of leaving., Per Steamer to Days from Days from
viii via Falmouth,
Bombay. Suez. Marseilles. Bombay. •v- Oriental & Great Liverpool Bombay.
January 1,1811 .. Victoria
Februar v 1 Berenice March 11
March 1- Victoria
April 1
May 1.
•
May 23
June 19
July 19 Auckland
September 2.. ... Victoria
October 1
November 1
—________

In addition, however, to the facilities thus afforded for the nishing the necessary military escort to ensure the perfect
transit of our mails to India, we have now to communicate safety of the goods conveyed. We need scarcely comment
the concession by the 'Viceroy of Egypt to the Peninsular upon the importance which this arrangement—even as at
and Oriental Navigation Company of a route for the transit present conceded only to the Oriental Steam Navigation
i
of merchandize from Alexandria to the bed Sea, by which Company—is likely to afford to the interests of our mercan-
the time occupied in the conveyance of goods to the markets tile readers, as opening to the continerce of Europe the pros-
of India will be reduced to within a few weeks of that occu- pect, at no distant day, of the unrestricted communication
pied by the transmission of correspondence. The permission thus afforded with the markets of India and China.
is to commence on the Ist of January, 1842, the Viceroy fur-

Tel rk, Trr F rIvERrooL sTA.vi_34RD.

Slll.—ln answer to the inquiries you have made respect-
ing the late Mr. Courtenav, I can only say that I have very
little more to add to that which has already appeared in the
report of the inquest in the Liverpool Times and other pa-
pers, but to that little you are welcome.
I was called to this unfortunate gentleman about five
o'clock in the afternoon of Friday laat, and found him, as
described by Sarah Harris on the inquest, lying on his right
side, with his face to the wall, and bedewed with perspira-
tion, his breathing was loud; effected with much difficulty,
and with rattling in the throat ; the action of his heart was
much impeded. To relieve the latter symptom, I took three
or four ounces of blood from the arm, which seemed, in a
slight measure, and for a very short period, to do so. The
countenance was cadaverous and of the usual vacant appear-
ance, which is observable in poisoning by opium. or its prepa-
rations, the pupils of the eyes were contracted to the size of
pins'-heads, and no shaking or other similar means were ca-
pable of arousing him ; 1 found that none of the usual secre-
tions had taken place since he retired on the previous even-
ing; all these circumstances led nie to conclude that my
patient was under the influence of a poison of a narco-
tic class, most probably opium, anal desired Sarah Harris
to see if she could find any bottlewhich might have con-
tained laudanum or other poison. She speedily discovered
the bottles described by her in her evidence, and which, by
their labels, 1 found had contained a solution of morphia, the
essential salt of opium. Of course my opinion as to the
cause of Mr. Courtenay's state was now fully made up ; and
I requested Mr. Radley, the proprietor of the Adelphi Hotel,
to let me and my patient have the benefit of another opinion,
and Mr. Bickersteth was immediately sent for. Before his
arrival I had ascertained that the unfortunate gentleman
could not swallow, so that internal means were not available,
except by the use of the stomach-pump. I had ordered
mustard cataplasms to be applied to the feet and stomach,
and also hot water bottles to the inside of the calves of the
legs and thighs. Mr. Bickersteth speedily afforded me his
valuable assistance. In consultation with, him it was deter-
mined to use the stomach-pump, although apparently so
many hours had gone by as to render it useless, as far as the
removing any portion of the poison ; yet still it was just
possible that the poison might have been more re; ently taken
than had been supposed, and some portion still be in the
stomach. The patient was raised for the purpose of passing
the tube, when the respiration became more difficult and the
pulse failed ; so much worse, indeed, did the change of posi-
tion cause the patient to appear, that Mr. Bickersteth and
myself thought his last moments had arrived. Of 'course
no further attempt fur the present could be made totse the
stomach instrument. It was also very apparent, that with-
out some very powerful means were resorted to—although
the system slightly rallied. when the recumbent position was
regained—life in a few minutes would be extinct. It was
therefore determined to make use of the powerful stimulus
of tile electro-galvanic battery, as being the means most
likely to prolong life, and to give nature time to overcome
the obnoxious influence she now laboured wider ; for in
many such cases, if life can be 'maintained for a certain time
by any means, it is preserved. Mr. Lewis, Mr. Bickersteth's
assistant, speedily attended with the electro-galvanic appa•
ratus, and we proceeded to the use of this wonderful power,
and with considerable apparent benefit ; for the pulse, respi-
ration, and appearance of the countenance,--all improved
under its use. Friction and other means were also used
from time to time. After the application of the battery
for nearly four hours we deemed it proper once more to
attempt the unloading of the stomach, with the view—
after having done so—of injecting into that organ certain
medicines, for the purpose of producing more complete re-
action. We succeeded in injecting a considerable portion of
warm water, wlich was again withdrawn, and soother por-
tion thrown in,' and again withdrawn, until the liquid coining
away from the stomach was colourless. The first portion of
liquid was of a very dark colour, resembling porter, but did
not,. so far as we could judge, 'contain morphia, nor was it
likely so to do if the poison was taken the previous night.
During.the use of the stomach apparatus, the galvanic bat-
tery was of necessity 'discontinued fur a short time ; but its
use was speedily resumed, but without any beneficial effect,
and the unfortunate gentleman breathed his last at 25 mi-
nutes to eleven on Friday evening.
All the other particulars, interesting to the public, are
pretty fully detailed in the reports of the inquest.
I cannot conclude this statement without bearing my tes-
timony to the prompt kindness of Mr. Radley, and the great
attention paid by him and his domestics to the deceased gen-
tleman. I am, sir, your.obedient servant,
HY. STOOKES.
27, Lime-street, Liverpool, 16th Dec., IS-11.

his
" Anna X Pepple,
mark.
his •
" Dappo X Pepple
mark.
his
" Ogea X Africa.
mark.
his
" Jem X Bonny.
mark. -
his
" Tom X Tom.
mark.
his
" John X Africa.
mark.
his
" Long X Bristol.
mark."
Now supposing that King Pepple should think proper to
carry on the slave trade (if not in the Bonny) in the adjacent
rivers, with several of which there is daily communication
through the creeks, and it being a notorious fact that half
the slaves exported from the Brass River are purchased from
the Bonny dealers, who, may I ask, would giVe information
of the same ? Is it reasonable to suppose that the merchants
or agents frequenting the Bonny would have the hardihood
to do so, or even to refuse furnishing the necessary docu-
ment, when, by so doing, they would draw down upon them-
selves King Pepple's severest displeasure, and for ever pre-
clude all hopes of trading in his territories.
To shew with what despotic sway he exercises his royal
prerogative, I mention the following facts, and then leave it
to the judgment of a discerning public to decide whether it
is just to call upon us, either individually or as a body, to
furnish such document or information :
" All vessels arriving in the Bonny, before opening trade,
are compelled (however unwillingly) to entrust the King with
any amount of goods he may think proper to demand. If
the merchant or agent refuse to comply with his exorbitant
demand, the trade of the vessel is (though in an indirect
manner) stopped ; hut this is a case of rare occurrence. The
goods are paid, and, after the merchant has purchased suffi-
cient oil to load his vessel, he is compelled to detain her a
month or six weeks (and frequently two or three months),
till it suits his Majesty's convenience to pay his debt. The
loss sustained by the owners of the vessel, in this manner, is
considerable, as, independent of the loss in men's wages and
interest of money, they seldom succeed in getting the whole
of the debt liquidated ; and it is more than they dare do,
even to remonstrate with him upon his unjust proceedings."
For the last two months the trade has been at almost an
entire standstill, owing to the arbitrary proceedings of the
King, in seizing upon all oil he can lay his hands upon, to
liquidate his heavy debts ; and we dare not even send our
boats to guard our own oil, under penalty of having all oil
so brought on board deducted from the amount of his debts

due to us.
And what protection have we against such gross imposi-
tion? Where are her Majesty's cruizers ? some may ask.
if we claim their assistance, though it is not actually DENIED
to us, still the interference is seldom to our advantage. I
myself once, when waiting in this river for payment of trust,
called upon one of them to interfere in my behalf ; and
though I had been detained upwards of a month, the com-
mander decided that a French vessel (the Navigateur, of
Nantes), which had been detained about a week, should be
despatched first. One would imagine that it would be better
Obey on the part of Great Britain to afford her utmost pro-
tedtion to a trade which is yearly increasing, and cannot fail
to add a considerable sum to her revenue ; but possibly she
is not a,:are of its neglected state.
The objects i have in view in thus trespassing upon your
valuable time, are—in the first place, to shew the inefficacy
of the treaty entered into by Great Britain and King Pepple,
inasmuch as the British government can have no means of
ascertaining whether the contract is fulfilled by King Pepple
or not; and, in the second, to shew the unprotected state of
British property in this river. But I suppose it needs not,
in the present day, when men perform their operations by
rules deduced from precedent—when they work out their
business by principles founded on the calculations of experi-
ence, govern communities by systems drawn from the state-
ments of statistics, and will scarcely form an opinion without
due consultation and data—to say one word regarding the
importance of a strict investigation into the real state of
affairs in the Bonny, and of summary proceedings being
taken on the part of Great Britain to check the despotism
of King Pepple, so as to afford protection to the property of
the merchants trading in his dominions.
Your kindly publishing this letter, if you deem it worthy
of a place in your columns, will greatly oblige,
Sir, very faithfully yours,
Ship Hero, Bonny River, Sept. Nth, IS4I

F. GRANT

As a great deal of interest has been excited in reference to
this melancholy case, and as some misrepresentations have
crept into the accounts, which appeared in our own journal
as well as our contemporaries, we have applied to the surgeon
(Mr. Alexander Stookes) who attended the deceased, and
gave evidence at the inquest, for further information. The
following as have received, and believe it will be read %ill)
interest :