The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-06-13 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The lines headed " England's Chiirch" possess some merit, but
they are not sufficiently finished for publication.
The overseers of the poor have, of course, the power of pc-
emoting parties from the payment of rates on their showing
an inability to pay them.

Ebt Eibtrpool &tanbarli.

TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 13, 1848.

Several of the London papers of Saturday an-
nounced, on the authority of their correspondents
at Marseilles, the rumoured revolt of the Sikhs at
Lahore, and the massacre of the British troops.
We are glad, however, to allay the painful excite-
ment created by those reports. Important events
have occurred, but neither so important nor so
disastrous as those which were announced. There
has been a revolt in Moultan, and two British
officers have been cut down by the insurgents.
But the Khalsa troops were, it appears, on our
side, and there seems to be nothing more than a
vague surmise that the Lahore Durbar was secretly
concerned in the movement. We give, in another
column, all the details which had reached Bombay
when the steamer Semiramis, with Mr. George
Clerk on board, left that port.

THE majority of 117 in a House of 471 mem-
bers for going into committee upon the Govern-
ment Bill for the repeal of the Navigation Laws
will probably not surprise our readers. That the
Peel section of the house, with their chief at their
head, would give in their adhesion to this further
onslaught upon the industry and greatness of the
country was a foregone conclusion in most men's
minds. But there were hopes entertained, upon
what were imagined to be fair grounds, that a few
exceptions would be found ; and that amongst
these exceptions—amongst those parties not yet
prepared to sacrifice so large an amount of the
property of the nation as that which is invested in
shipping, of the industry employed in our building
yards and which mans our mercantile marine—
would be found the name of one at least of the
representatives of Liverpool. We refer to Mr.
Cardwell ; and our ground for the anticipation
that he would be found by the side of the large
and influential portion of his constituents, who
are interested in this question, was the remem-
brance of certain passages of his various addresses
delivered during his canvas here and when stand-
ing at the hustings. Certainly no direct pledge
was given by Mr. Cardwell as to his conduct with
respect to these laws. But the impression which
was left nevertheless upon the minds of his friends
was that he was not prepared to deal with this
question as one to which the principles of Free
Trade were applicable.

We may Ca-11 the attention of the electors of
Liverpool to one or two of the occasions upon
which Mr. Cardwell afforded them something very
like an assurance that he regarded these laws
with favor. At a meeting of his friends, held in
the Cotton Sales Room on the- 26th of July, we
find him speaking of them in the following terms :
" He had been asked whether he would consent to
any change in that system of laws known as the
Navigation Laws. He had already stated that he
knew what these laws were established for—they
were established for the maintenance of their com-
mercial marine, and for the security of their national
marine, through both of which the country had ar-
rived at her present high, proud, and noble position.
He had paid to the subject the utmost of his
attention ; and, as he told them before, he agreed
with Adam Smith as to their usefulness in promoting
the national greatness and prosperity. He had
never said one word in opposition to these laws.
He should feel it incompetent in him to rashly
interfere with the present system of laws which had
been for more than two centuries interwoven with the
interests of the Empire." These assurances were
received with hearty applause, which left no doubt as
to the impressions they had made that Mr. Card-
well was opposed to any sweeping or to any change
at all in the Navigation Laws : and we really think
that an explanation of the particular reasons which
have led to a total reversal of his then opinion is
due to his constituency.
At another meeting, at which Mr. Cardwell
attended on the same day at the Shipwrights' Hall,
in Bond-street, similar sentiments were uttered by
him, and received as satisfactory by his audience,
and by the Chairman of his Committee, Mr. J.
Bramley-Moore ; and we may remark that even so
lately as at the meeting held to petition against the
proposed measure, that gentleman expressed him-
self satisfied as to what would he Mr. Cardwell's
conduct with respect to it when it should come on
for discussion in the House of Commons.
It maybe urged, of course, that thus far Mr.
Cardwell's vote does not pledge him to any definite
future course ; that he is only willing to go into
committee with a view to enquiry into the subject,
and that •in his speech in the house he expressly
objected against the injustice of submitting the
shipbuilder and shipowner to a competition so long
as the raw material, timber, continues to be taxed.
There is still the possibility that he is favourable
only to some slight modification ; but we must
confess that, after the speech of Sir Robert Peel on
Friday night, we have little hopes of such an event
as Mr. Cardwell's opposition to any material part
of the scheme—of anything, in fact, beyond a skir-
mish or a sham fight. Should this be the case, the
constituency which returned him have a simple
duty to perform, to which, at present however, we
shall not further allude.

As the Council to-morrow may in a great degree
decide the question as to the source of our future
supply of water—important to the ratepayers of the
town in many respects—we may be excused if we
put a few facts before the public, for the guidance
of our municipal representatives when giving their
votes on that occasion.

Ist.—Although it has been frequently asserted
that. the. main object in obtaining the Rivington
Pik. e was to enable the Corporation to give a
daily supply of water to the people, it is an impor-
tant fact, perhaps not generally known, that since
the Water Committee gave instructions that the
water of the present works was to be applied to the
best advantage possible to the public, the officers of
the late Harrington Company have commenced
giving a daily supply to the tenantry of that com-
pany, from their own works, irrespective of Green-
lane or any other sources; and they are confident
that an ample daily supply can be continued, and
an abundance given for all public purposes.besides.
2nd.—Mr. Hawksley stated some three years
ago—and the statement was published in our paper
of that date—that it was his conviction that the
resources of the two water companies were amply,
sufficient for every purpose, both public and pri-
vate, which the inhabitants of Liverpool required.
3rd.—The effort which has been made to make
the actual yield of the present springs square with
Mr. Hawksley's estimates, by deducting the water
used for the condensation of steam from the gross
yield, is by no means creditable to the parties who
made that effort. The fact is that until the com-
pletion of the late experiments no exception what-
ever was taken to the quality of the water on
that account, and none whatever ought to be
taken. The water so used is rather improved
than otherwise, and being,. as in reality it is, dis-
tilled water, its mixture with the gross quantity
should by sequence tend in some degree to improve
the whole. It is by no means true that it is
polluted by grease or other matter by being in con-
tact with the condensers, as has been industriously
circulated. The water so mixed is the same which
the inhabitants of Liverpool have been using for
the last half century, and they are the best judges
of its alleged impurity.
On this subject the following.extract from the
preface to a very able pamphlet, just published by
Mr. Grantham, is valuable and accurate :
" A short notice has appeared in the newspapers giving,
as is supposed, the correct yield of the wells lately belong-
ing to the Harrington Company, and as measured by the
gentlemen appointed for this purpose—who have, no
doubt, given a most accurate return—l regret, however,
that this short statement leaves out an inirfortant item
which is likely to mislead the public—while it would lead
to the conclusion that Mr. M'Donald, myself, and others,
who have ventured to state, in figure's the probable yield
of the wells, have been greatly mistaken—now this is not
the case I will attempt to show. The total yield of the
five wells is thus given ;-1,865.000 gallons when pumped
at the usual level and 2,374,000 gallons when pumped
within eight
inches of the wind bore, not including the
condensing water, leaving about four feet water in the
bottom of each well. Now this condensing water has
been set down at various amounts, at from 500,000 to
1,000,000 gallons—l think it should be about 500,000
gallons for the first experiment, and perhaps 650,000 gal-
lons for the second, as the times of working the engines
was much greater in the second than in the third experi-
ment—thus we see that the real yield would be (if I am
near the mark in the amount of condensing water) about
2,364,000 gallons in the first case, and 3,024,000 gallons

in the second—very nearly the figures given in my state-
ment.

" It would have been much better to have given us the
exact amounts in the published statements to have saved
us from guessing.
"Now the public will ask what does all this mean about
the condensing water. The explanation is a simple one.
" For perhaps forty years the Harrington Company have
generally returned the water used for condensing the
steam of their engines back into the wells, and this has
been afterwards pumped up again (a great waste of power
by the bye) with the other water and thrown into the
mains.

"We have, however, discovered since the Rivington
Pike scheme was commenced that such water is very bad
for the public use, and therefore must be thrown to waste.
" During the late experiments the condensing water
was thrown into the sewers, but it is now again turned
into the wells. I have carefully examined the water
under both conditions and cannot perceive the slightest
difference.

"There is a great stress laid upon this condensing
water by the opponents to the local supply, but let us
learn on the other side bow many engines are to return
their condensing water into the reservoirs at Rivington
Pike, besides the various other deteriorating circumstances
to which that water will be subject.
4thly.—Having touched on the asserted impurity
of the supply from the Liverpool sand stone, let us
contrast it with what we are to get from Rivington
Pike, if that scheme is to be thrust upon us. The
testimony which we are about to offer is that of a
highly respectable professional gentleman—Mr. J.
B. West, C.E.,—and is taken from a pamphlet of
his, just published, on the subject. He says,—
" Now then for the quality of the water. In flood
time, or heavy rains, it comes down charged with bog
matter, sulphate of barytes, and iron. There is a stream
called Middle Brook, or Boundary Stream, which separates
the township of Rivington from Atherton •, and a man
who lives just at this boundary, near the Black Boy, told
me, in answer to my inquiries, that they never used the
water from the stream for any purpose, but fetched it
from a well at some distance, and would rather go miles
than use it. He also stated that, at most times, if you
were to wash a white shirt in it, after three or four times
washing, it would be as yellow as a sovereign. And now,
to cap all, and give the inhabitants of Liverpool a decided
relish for this water, they must understand that it re-
ceives the drainage of two graveyards, viz., Rivington
Church-yard, and the Chapel-yard. I do not pretend to
say but that it might tend to soften the water, but the
idea of drinking it is not very pleasant ; and, unfortu-
nately for the projectors, the yards are so situated that
they cannot be drained, excepting into the proposed re-
servoir."

sthly,—Now here is a fact which bears upon the
proposed supply which we are to have from Riving-
ton, and one which the Council should ponder on
before they sanction this scheme.
Mr. West says :—" The last day I was at Rivington
was on Tuesday, the 30th of May, and I should estimate
that, if it were possible to collect all the water that flowed
to the proposed reservoir, a 12-inch pipe would be more
than sufficient to carry it; but I have no doubt parties
who have an interest in carrying out this monster scheme
will state it differently. I found at the river Douglas a
person keeping an account of the quantity of water per
diem in that rivulet, and he told me, when he returned
from guaging it, that the stream was 4 feet wide and 3
inches deep. This I could not credit, having just looked
at it, therefore I borrowed his guage-rod and he followed
me. There could not have been more than five minutes
difference of time of guaging, and I found the depth of
water, instead of three inches, to be just a full inch ;
therefore, for that stream, and for that day, he has booked
three times as much water as there really was."
With these facts before the Council, we would
earnestly call upon them to pause before they adopt
this plan. Let the report of the Water Committee be
received to-morrow, but at the same time allow the
members and their constituents some reasonable
time to digest its contents. Let them have time to
form an accurate opinion upon its justness, and, if
need be, embody that opinion in a memorial to his
worship on the subject. If this be done we fear
not for the consequences ; hut if not, then we must
say that the mind of the ratepayers of Liverpool
has not been consulted on this very important
question.

Amongst the suffering people of England,
there is no body of men who have so fair a
case for commiseration as the planters and owners
of property in the West Indies. From first to last
our legislation towards them of late years has been
full of dishonest and hypocritical juggling. For
years they were made the object of insulting re-
proach and misrepresentation, from every conven-
ticle, and in every liberal journal ; held up to the
gaze of the world as monsters of inhumanity,
branded in every company as solely guilty of the
existence of an institution which the legislature it-
self set up and forced upon them. And when
malignity appeared to have done its utmost and
sham humanity achieved its triumph ; when the
slave was declared to he entitled to freedom, was
the solemn compact which had been made fulfilled?
It was violated most unblushingly. Even this,
however, was not sufficient. That slavery had
ceased to exist in the British colonies did not
change the course of the relentless persecutors of
the planters. They were subjected in their changed
circumstances to every species of harassing restric-
tion, to insulting interference with their affairs,
denied all chance of procuring a supply of labour;
and when at length struggling with ruin, without
hands to work their estates, borne down by heavy
imposts for the support of the very government
which had oppressed them, they were forced into
competition with the foreigner, with his ample
supply of slave labour. Our humanity had eva-
porated; and the saintly people, who had canted
for years of their abomination of slavery, discovered
that slave raised sugar was cheap and would stay
upon their stomachs.

The result of this competition is now established
to the satisfaction of the whole world. We have
ruined our Sugar Colonies, sacrificed property to
the amount of millions, destroyed a valuable trade,
extensive markets for our manufactures, and shall
have shortly to buy the slave grown sugar of the
foreigner at his own advanced price. We have
given him, in fact, a monopoly; an incentive to
increased exertions in the unholy slave trade, and
an interest in goading his wretched bondsmen to
more toil and more suffering. We have perpetuated,
in fact, the institution of slavery.
The result of our policy towards this body, and
its effect upon the general interest of the country,
have at length been deemed sufficiently important
to attract the attention of the Legislature, and a
committee of the House of Commons has just con-
eluded an enquiry and in its report, on the motion
of one of the honourable members for Liverpool,
Sir Thomas Birch, made a recommendation as to
the mode of relief to be adopted. To deliberate
and to give expression to the opinion of the mer-
cantile public of Liverpool upon the recommenda-
tion in question, his Worship the Mayor, has con-
vened a meeting, which is to be held to-day, at the
Sessions House, at which it is most important that
every lover of right and justice, and every real
friend of humanity should give his countenance
and influence. This is the more necessary as we
observe that a very disingenuous attempt is making
by the free-trade party, to get up an opposition to
the views of the promoters of the movement. We
refer to a placard, which has been extensively
posted throughout the town, stating that the ob-
ject of the movement is to sacrifice the principle of
free-trade—to make sugar dear—for the exclusive
benefit of the East and West India proprietors.
This is a most unfair statement of the case. It is
proposed by Sir Thomas Birch's recommendation
to do justice to these parties certainly ; to extend
to them a moderate measure of protection until
they shall have had an opportunity of providing
themselves with a supply, of labour. But it is far
from stopping here. ' The ground upon which such
a course will be advocated, will be the necessity
which exists, that there should be rendered certain
the prospect of permanent cheapness of such im-
portant articles as Tropical produce, which can
only be done by ensuring competition ; that a fair
trial must he given to the experiment of raising
that produce by free labour; and that the sacri-
fices made by Great Britain to put down the slave
trade, and slavery itself should not have been made
in vain ; that we should not stultify ourselves in
the eyes of the world, or be branded for all time to
come, as a people so steeped in selfishness, that we
voluntarily threw away the professions of years, and
the result of the labour of years, for a paltry pocket
consideration of a farthing saving in a pound of
treacle.

JUDE'S Ncnoot.—The annual sermons in behalf
of these schools will, we perceive, be preached in St.
Jude's Church next Sunday, by the Rev. Drs. Car-
penter and lWNeile.
We are gratified to hear that the designs of our towns-
man,
Mr. Hay, the architect, have been so generally ad-
mired that he has been called upon to prepare drawings of
a new church to be erected at Greenwich. This is no or-
dinary compliment to the provinces, seeing that three or
four metropolitan architects are engaged on different
works here.

PUBLIC MEETING ON THE SLAVE TRADE.—A meeting
of the merchants and others interested in the trade with
Africa, has been convened by his worship the mayor, for
Tuesday (to-day), to discuss this subject, and to consider
the propriety of supporting the measures relative thereto,
propounded by Sir Thomas Birch to the Houseof Commas.
The Rev,. Dr. IWNeile will be one of the speakers.

BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMMISSIONERS.

An adjourned meeting of this board was held yesterday
morning, in the Board-room, Argyle-street, present—
John Laird Esq., (in the chair,) and Messrs. Bryans, Cole,
Prichard, Walker, Watson, Williamson, Pike, Hughes,
Greene, Adamson, Nicholls, Bentham, Stevenson, and
Hicklin.

The CHAIRMAN announced that the object of the
meeting was to name four of the Commissioners to be
inserted in the new bill as Dock Trustees.

Mr. HICKLIN wished to be allowed, before that business
was proceeded with, to state that he feared the committee
appoihted to arrange with'regard to the disputed accounts
between that board and the Dock Warehouse Company
would be placed in a very awkward position, in conse-
quence of the decision come to by the board last Friday,
relative to Mr. Bendel and Mr. Brown, whose evidence
was required to enable the committee to make out their
case. As those gentlemen had been dismissed, it was
not, likely they would attend unless they were paid for
their service.

This led to a lengthy discussion, in the midst of which
the CHAIRMAN said Mr. brown had expressed his willing-
ness to assist the Committee of Works as far as he was
able, and to make all his books and accounts quite straight
before he left their service.

The conversation ended by the CHAIRMAN stating that,
if the committee found any difficulty about the matter, of
course they would report to the board, and steps would
be taken accordingly.
Mr. BENTHAM, and subsequently Mr. GREENE, in-
formed the meeting that they could not attend the meeting
of the committee.

Mr. HICKLIN then moved that Mr. J. H. Greene's
name be inserted in the bill as one of the Dock Trustees,
and in doing so paid a high compliment to his commercial
talent, business habits, and straightforwardness of pur-
pose.

Mr. NionoLLs seconded the motion.
Mr. BRYANS moved as an amendment that the voting
should be for the entire list.
Mr. J. WALKER seconded the amendment.

Mr. WILLIAMSON said he came prepared to vote for the
entire list of those proposed on Friday, and called on the
mover to show the superior qualifications of Mr. Greene.
Mr. BENTHAM spoke in favour of the motion, and
eulogised the character of Mr. Greene as well qualified
from his long experience as a commissioner and his
business habits.

The CHAIRMAN was about to put the amendment,
when Mr. Nicholls handed in a protest against the newly-
elected Commissioners being allowed to vote, on the
ground that they had not qualified as Improvement Com-
missioners.

The CHAIRMAN, however, put the amendment, when
there appeared against it Messrs. Hughes, Greene, Adam-
son, Nicholls, Bentham, Fox, and Hicklin ; for it, the
Chairman, Messrs. Bryans, Cole, Prichard, Walker,
Watson, Williamson, and Pike.
Mr. BRYANS then moved that the namesof Messrs. J.
Laird, W. Cole, R. W. Prichard, and W. Pike be in-
serted in the bill as Dock Trustees.
Mr. GOLBORNE seconded the motion.
Mr. HICRLIN moved, as an amendment, that the names
of Mr. Mallaby and Mr. Greene be inserted as two of
them.

Mr. Fox seconded it.
The amendment being put, was lost by a majority of
two,—the parties voting as above.
Mr. NICHOLLS handed in a written protest against the
proceedings as illegal for want of proper notice.
Mr. IIicKLIN gave notice that he should lay before the
board, at their next meeting, some Parliamentary papers
relative to the estimates of Mr. Rendel.
The Board then adjourned.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
(BY EXPRESS.)

LATEST FROM PARIS.

ARREST OF NEARLY TWO THOUSAND
PERSONS. _ _ _

PARIS, SUNDAY, 6 30 P.M.
The circumstances which I described in my letter of
this morning as having been arranged for surrounding
the attroupement last night at the Porte St. Denis led to.
the capture of 1,925 persons, who were immediately
marched to the prefecture of police, in the courts of which
they have been retained under guard.
It is expected that this stringent measure will put an
end to the attroupements, at least for the moment.
Complaints of 250 persons having been robbed in the
attroupements have been !aid before the Commissary of
Police of the quarter St. Denis.