The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-03 00:00:00

ACCIDENT TO LIEUT. WEBBER SMITH. From a
letter, dated •• Camp, Poona, Nor. 16," it appears that
this gentleman, who was a native of this town, unfortu-
nately lost his life by drowning. He was senior lieutenant

of her Majesty's 22nd regiment, and had gone with an
nsign and some others on a shooting excursion to a large
tank ten miles distant. The lieutenant shot a duck, and
a native jumped into the water to fetch it out; but, get-
ting entangled in the rushes, he was drowning, when the
gallant officer mounted a horse which was near, and
plunged into the water to his rescue. The native imme-
diately clung to him, and the horse becoming entangled
in the rushes, they were all drowned together.
NEW GAS AND COKE COMPANY.—The half-) early
meeting of this company was held, on Wednesday, at the
Clarendon-rooms. The report stated that the Act of
Parliament, passed in the session of 1844, limited the
business now to be transacted, but the committee could
not omit availing themselves of that opportunity to remove
fron the minds of the gas consumers any erroneous im-
pression, formed with respect to the balance of the
accounts of the company filed to the 30th of June last, or
that a further reduction in the price of gas would be made.
From the balance then apparent of £9143 14s. 5d., the
dividend of five per cent. for the half-year, amounting to
.E 6762 10s„ ordered in due course by the proprietors at
their general meeting, was paid, leaving in hand the sum
of £2381 4s. 5d.; but taking into consideration the de-
crease in the price of gas to 4s. 6d. per 1000 cubic feet,
and the consequent diminution of rental, (which was
already showing itself,) though the usual dividend might
be sustained, it must be very doubtful whether any sur-
plus would remain at the end of the year. The committee

recommended a dividend to be orde'red by the meeting of
£5 on each share of £lOO, and £1 53. on each share of
£25, being at the rate of five per cent. for the half-year,
payable on the Gth February next, subject to the deduc-
tion of the property tax. The report was adopted, and
the proposed dividend ordered to be paid. Messrs. Fos-
berry, Barton, Muncaster, and Mather were re-elected
directors without opposition.

DOCK COMMITTEE.-At the meeting on Thursday, the
marine surveyor reported that the south pier of George's
basin was the most eligible site for the telegraph station.
Plans for the proposed new offices at the Albert Dock
warehouses were submitted, and allowed to lie on the table
for a week. The marine surveyor reported that, in 1845,
4,709 gallons of oil and 10,607 wicks had been consumed

at the lighthouses and lightvessels ; in 1814, the number
of wicks was 10,640, and 4,778 gallons of il. Uniforms

for the dock-gatemen, with an anchor and L D. on the
coat collar, were ordered to be advertised for. An alter-
ation, proposed by Mr. Cubitt, in the new landing stage,
was agreed to. The contract between the Steam Tug
Company and the trust 'or towing out the life-boats was
renewed for a year. A memorial from timber merchants
and brokers, requesting that a sub-committee would con-
fer with them as to the regulations for discharging and
removing timber in the Brunswick Dock was read, and
the harbour masters' sub-sommittee, with the addition of
Messrs. Houghton and Rankin, were appointed to confer
with the memorialists. Two letters having been read
complaining that priority had been given to certain vessels
in docking; an order was passed directing the harbour-
masters to dock all vessels in their regular turn. A me-
morial was read from a number of merchants, requesting
that the valuable speech of the Chairman of the Dock
Committee delivered in Council, in proposing the new
dock works, should be printed in the pamphlet form ; and
on the motion of Mr. Nicol, seconded by Mr, Bold, it
was ordered to be done, the chairman, at the request of
the applicants, undertaking to revise and correct it. A
lengthened conversation then took place as to the commit-
tee and the commissioners of Birkenhead. Mr. Aikin
explained ; and the whole affair appeared to have origi-
nated in a misunderstanding, the chairman stating that
he had never refused to meet any one, friend or foe.