The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-06 00:00:00

of the Hon. A

's are t

emplary el,
of Emly ;

SUNDAY TRADING.—For some time past the inhabitants
of the populous parish of St. Pancras, London, having com-
traffic allowed to be carried on, not only on
but throughout the entire day. During
_ s the various paving boards have, however,
subject into their consideration, and having issued
,o the effect that any person opening shop on

plained of t
the Sunday mornir
the last few c
taken t
printed notic

Sunday for th

with the utr

_ . .
articles, will be proceeded against
.he. law. The itinerants who sell
cewise cautioned not to offend, as
zainst them.

streets are li

SHIPPING OF KINGSTON, THE CAPITAL OF CANADA.—
We have been at some little pains to ascertain the amount

ort (Kingston) during
it our distant readers

_ . .
and those who may be interested in our trade with some idea
of the business transacted here in the shipping department.
The result of our labour is the ascertaining of the fact, that
from the Ist of April to the Ist of November inclusive,

shipping employed in the carrying trade has entered this port
to the extent of 708,196 tons. There are yet five weeks,
perhaps six, of active business before navigation closes, which
will increase the amount about one-sixth. When to this is
added the fact, that the present season has been one of un-
usual depression, and that one-fifth of our tonnage has been
for some time unemployed, the carrying trade which calls
into action such a commercial marine will not be deemed un-

important. On h
that to the 28th n 1

ver th

a Quebec Gazette, we find
of vessels arriving at that

port from sea and from the low-er parts amounted to 308,792
tons. The contrast will speak most favourably for the com-
merce of our inland seas.—Kingston News.
A paragraph, which we believe originated in the imagi-
nation of the London correspondent of a Scotch paper, has
been so generally circulated, and so generally reproduced in
various forms, that it may be as well to give it the flat con-

tradiction it deserves. The report stated that the increasing
infirmities of the Duke of Wellington, in addition to the
cares of his new office as commander-in-chief, had induced
that venerable statesman to declare his intention of not re-
suming the leadership of the house of lords, and that it was
proposed to supply the place of the noble duke t

imme-

iiately calling Lord Stan ley to the upper house_
nsinuated that this course was objected to by some nr

It was

ers of the cab
ould dispute

Lord Aberdeen, especially

enabled to state
approachintr oar;

rernment
the Duk
t, as in th

We are

Wellington will, in the

der of

'ten tion exist

or has ever

nley's elev

3n to the

peerage by the ordinary pr
THE BAN

MA NCFIES'

—Times

J. F. Foster, I

to the s

]., 011 t

of the
as held

ntended that the (

er ultituatelv

decided that the creditors were entitled to a balance-sheet
made up from the commencement of the joint partnership of
Raleigh, Holland, and Good, in 1836, in order to show how
i 6 6s. 9d, which appeared on the

ie clef

books at the date of the partnership of Raleigh and Holland,
was explained. After Mr. Foster had stated that he had up-
wards of 200 objections to the balance-sheet an adjournment

took plat

VALUABLE SUGGESTION.—A. correspondent of the Times,
Mr. Wm. Bevan, alluding to the death of the young woman
Holland, and the serious injury of her sister in jumping out

of a window duri

last we(

the ffre iii Little Prescott

twenty feet scpiare be deposited at all thipolice-stations, ;Inc
with the different fire-brigades and Fire-engines, to be callec
the Fire-net.' Such nets being lig'ht would be very portabh
and could, on any alarm of fire, be instantly conveyed to tht
scene of the conflagration, and of course made use of if ne.

cessary ; not
bystanders to

the person in danger ju

t hand in the cas

:tout -on all

sides, and then k

. Had such a netting beer
I have no doubt that botF

the young women would ha,/
Generally, in cases of fire, I
moment is to be lost ; and th

vantage, that it

scene of the calm

HAYDN

d with a few bru

peril be

the folic

eminent

organ, and of music in ge

applied on arriOr

which the artisans

Frankfort-on-the-.

r of this great man err,
and exex

ait-fr the habits of

concerts came

'afore his parer

Of which

I as a v

Augrian

loaded with year

be difficult tofinc

of this sort,

musical education as genes
is in Gerdiany.—G. frogart,

:e tenor voic

al. On one of those journe

b of .1

1 the c

Out of

dignitate

the reflecting there are

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We cannot insert the letter of " A Subscriber," u
statements are authenticated by his signature.

application
further. I

Oar Etherpool tintbao

unerring

A" piece of ma

FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 6, 1843

piece of machinery

rhe impression grows in strength, in well-informed

quarters, that, amongst the measures of the forth-
coming session of Parliament, will be one to place on
a satisfactory basis the currency of the country. As a

portion of such a measure, we trust.to see an attempt

to correct the -hitherto mischievous working of the

system of joint-stock banking. To the enormous
facilities imprudently afforded to favoured individuals
—and principally to the scheming and the reckless—
by these ill-managed concerns, is to be attributed a
vast portion of the suffering and disaster which have
recently pervaded the commercial community through-

out Great Britain. In our own town we are proud to
say that hitherto the operation of the system, in the
cue of our local joint-stock banks, has produced no
such disgraceful crises as we have had to notice in
some other towns. We have had, in Liverpool, no
" Northern and Central Swindle ;" no " Imperial
Swindle;" no " Bank of Manchester Swindle." But
it is sheer folly to imagine that the merchants and
brokers of Liverpoolthe importers and factors of the
great staple of manufacture of the neighbouring dis-
tricts, can have passed uninjured through the dis-
arrangements and disasters produced by these dis-
graceful affairs. We have suffered—as the whole com-
munity has suffered—from the revulsion of credit and
the stagger which confidence has sustained by these
failures; and we can never count upon a year's un-
checked prosperity of our commercial affairs until the
entire system be revised and placed upon a totally
different foundation.

As a system, we conceive that joint-stock banking is
alike unsound and unsafe in Principle. We have
watched the rise and progress of many of these insti-

tutions ; and we know their organisation to have been
dishonest, and their subsequent operation baneful.
It is unsound in principle and unsafe in practice, that
such an undertaking as a bank should be conducted

with a view to immediate divisible profits, by officers
tempted, in order to curry favour and exact praise
from proprietors, to make those apparent profits large,
by running unjustifiable risks. It is unsound in prin-
ciple and unsafe in practice, that the arbiters of credit

to be given to the customers of a bank—the arbiters
of the mode and extent to which its funds should be
advanced to this or that tradesman—should be rival

tradesmen, themselves, in too many instances absort

ing its favours. Experience, we think, has fully prove
these positions. The principle, too, that shares i
these undertakings should be transferable, ' is, w
think, not calculated to lead to steady and safe busi

rho temptation to declare large dividend

which circumstances do not justify, is thus kept up;
and whilst we may imagine that some particular con-
cern is rapidly progressing in prosperity, it may occur
—and such has occurred—that its proprietors are only
draining the store-room and emptying the strong box,
before deserting the sinking ship.
It is said, indeed, that joint-stock banks are safe for
the public. The private hanker, if he fails, may pro-
bably not pay more than a dividend of ss. in the
pound, whilst the joint-stock bank, consisting of a
large number of proprietors, satisfies every claim. Be
it so, as far at least as the public creditor of the bank
is concerned. But, we ask, is the amount of suffering
and ruin incurred less from the failure of the joint-
stock banker than from the failure of the private
banker ? We say, unhesitatingly, NO ! The number
of poor shareholders —of industrious tradesmen,
widows, and orphans—robbed of their little depen-
dencies by the failure of such undertakings as the
Bank of Manchester and similar bubbles, is greater
than by the failure of any private bank; and there is
this additional injustice connected with the former,
that whilst the private banker gives up every shilling
of his property to satisfy, so far as it will go, his entire
defalcations, the rich shareholder of the joint-stock
bank—who has been, in fact, the banker—who has be-
come rich from the facilities which he has been enabled
to appropriate to himself, and from dabbling in the
shares of the concern—can, if no further loss than that
of the entire banking capital has been sustained, snap
his fingers at the sufferers, and, in the " otium cum
of his suburban villa, laugh, over his pOrt
nd claret, at the gullible qualities of the world, in
which he has raised himself from the position, say of a
cow-jobber, to that of a prince, or a pawnbroker,
amongst merchants.

I am, Sir,

We shall not of course presume to speculate upon
the particular course to which the government of Sir
Robert Peel may have recourse, to meet the difficulties
of this question. We may suggest, however, as one
step by whiclr safety to the public from the malversa-
tions of bank directors may, in some measure, be
secured. Let transfers of bank shares be gazetted as
dissolutions of partnership; and we shall have, we feel
assured, sounder and more honest proprietaries. We
shall, moreover, know them.

At a meeting of the Anti-Corn-law Leaguers, held
in Birmingham on Tuesday last, Mr. Richard Cpbden
is reported to have delivered himself after the following
fashion :—" There was not a class of men in Birming-
ham who, if compelled by necessity, could not, abroad,
either in America or on the continent of Europe,
maintain themselves respectably. He could not say
the same thing, however, of the aristocracy, whether
members of the House of Commons or House of
Lords. (Cheers.) The members of the British aris-
tocracy of the present day were not like the old French
noblesse; if driven abroad by adverse circumstances,
they could not emigrate and turn dancing and drawing
masters. (Laughter.) They were only fit for grooms,
jockeys, or coachmen; the business of the stably-yard
or the chase was their principal occupation; the aristo-
cracy of this kingdom POSSESSED NO HIGHER AC-
COMPLISHMENT, that he (Mr. Cobden) knew of.
(Loud cheers.)"

It has been well said that " there is nothing in the

Creation which, by a wise man, ought to be regarded
as contemptible." The most loathsome reptile, the
most noxious insect, exist for some beneficent purpose,
known to the mighty hand which formed them ; and,
if we would examine it rightly, scarcely a sentence or
a sentiment falls from the lips even of a fool which is
not susceptible of being made to convey a moral. • To

" Sermons in stones, books in the running brooks,
And good in every thing ;"

and though, on a first perusal, the reader of the above
balderdash of Mr. Cobden may see in it only an in-
stance of the pert puppyism of the utterer, and the
coarseness and stupidity of the male and female bibbera
of tea and guzzlers of bun-loaf,' by whom it was re-
ceived with " cheers" and " laughter," it will be
found, on examination, to present a tolerable index to
the mind and the philosophy, as well, of the League
body.

We pass over, for the present, the puppyism, the
falsehood, and the insolence, which characterise the
passage ; and proceed to examine the argument which
it is intended to convey. The British peer, if com-
pelled to emigrate, could not make a Brummagem tea-
tray, a plated candlestick, a gun, or a pair of snuffers;
the Brummagem artist could, and thereby " make a re-
spectable living :" ergo, the British peer is a less va-
luable member of society, and his well-being less to be
regarded than that of the artisan. The members of
the British aristocracy cannot expeditiously convert
themselves into " dancing masters and drawing mas-
ters ;" the French noblesse have proved their aptitude
in both these distinguished professions; ergo, the
former is to be regarded as inferior to the latter. The
concluding portion of the sentence would only entitle
its utterer to have his nose pulled, if there could he
found amongst the slandered any one who did not
consider the office beneath even his groom or the
lowest help in his stable-yard ; and we therefore leave
its consideration.

In Mr. Cobden's estimation, then, and that of his
fellow-agitators, a man or a class is only valuable in

roportion to his, or its, ability to produce, or to per-

form some office by which, if cast upon any society or

nto Any country, a respectable maintenance can be
All classes above such are, in the new state

)t society ivnic
luperfluous and valueless. The intellects, the tastes,
he ill-requited occupations and pursuits, by which

ig about,

existing society is humanised and elevated, a

less weeds when compared with the craft which can

fashion a shoe or weave a piece of calico. Carry thi
ve•-y /itt/

this philosophy a littl

inery can weave with more

skill than a human being : it does not eat

it does not tire ; it " does not get drunk :" ergo, a

of -the League is a more valuable member of society
than the human weaver, the most gifted sage, the
learned historian; the poet, or the statesman !
This is not an exaggerated conclusion. 'lt is the
heart, the marrow, the soul, of the utilitarian philoso-
phy which is gaining ground amongst us. That
philosophy regards man as a machine, or the raw
material of a table, a chair, a pair of stockings, or a
printed calico, rather than as a being with an immortal
soul to be saved,—with an intellect capable of grasping
the universe,—with passions to be subdued,—with
feelings, tastes, and appetites to be elevated above the
grossness of a mere earthly nature. In such a spirit
it would legislate ; and we ask our readers what a world
that would be into which the ascendancy of such a
philosophy would convert this mingled and varied
scene in which we live, and in which, if there is much
deformity and suffering and grief, there are also alter-
nations of beauty and quiet and joy, to enable poor
human nature to support its lot ! Such a world
would be one arid desolation ; a landscape without a
flower; a smoke-enveloped scene of toil and strife,
without a glimpse of blue sky or sun to cheer its dark-
ness !

But let us briefly glance at the concluding sentence
of Mr. Cobden's insolent slander. The aristocracy of
England, he says, •` are only fit for grooms, jockeys,
or coachmen. The business of the stable yard or the
chase is their principal occupation ; they pc

sess no

higher accomplishments, that he knows of " ! Pray,
does this pert smatterer wish to bring his order—the
Cottonocracy of the manufacturing districts—into a
comparison with the aristocracy of England, in intel-

lect, in virtue, in learning, in manners, in tastes—in any
qualification, moral, physical, or intellectual ? Surely
even his insufferable impudence would not go thus far;
for we do not hesitate to say that a class more inferior

in all these qualifications does not exist, as a class,
throughout the United Kingdom, than is to be found
in the agitating body to which Mr. Cobden belongs.
The house stewards and butlers of many of the gentry
only of England are infinitely the super,iors of the
bulk of them ; and the assistants in many a draper's
shop are, in all but the possession of money, the equals
of many that we know—aldermen, mayors, or coun-
cillors of new corporations, though they may he. The
cottonocracy of Manchester and Bolton 'and Stock-
port and Rochdale and Wigan and Chowbent and
Oldham—men grovolling still in the sordid quest of
money, whose possession alone dignifies them above
the wretched slaves who toil for them—men who wor-
ship it as a god—dream of it, waking and sleeping,
daily and hourly ;—compare such men with the chival-
rous aristocracy of England ! As a sane man, Mr.
Cobden, you could Hot intend any such suicidal
folly !

The Manchester Guardian of Wednesday contains
an announcement, which we copy, verbatim et literatim.

" PRINTED VELVETEENS.--A beautiful specimen of
printed velveteens has been produced at the Ancoats Vale
Works, by Mr. W. Barlow. The cloth is entirely cotton;
bnt so beautifully dressed as to appear like silk. Th 3 design
represents a stalk and ear of wheat, grouped, or rather thrown
together, very tastefuly, with a small scroll peeping from be-
neath, bearing the word FREE. Mr. Barlow presented two
pieces of it to Sir Robert Peel, who, in acknowledging the
New Year's Gift, returned Mr. Barlow the following hand-
some letter."

Possibly the small scroll peeping from beneath the
"ear of wheat, grouped, or rather thrown, together very
tastefully," and the occurrence, has furnished a fund
of amusement to Mr. W. Barlow's acquaintance. Sir
Robert, however, has apparently no suspicion of the
jocose intent of the velveteen presentation; as, indeed,
will be apparent from the following reply which he has
written to the before mentioned Barlow

' Drayton Manor, 3181 Dec., 1842

Sir,-1 am much obliged by your kind attention, in send-
ing a specimen of the beautiful manufacture which accom-
panied your letter.

Lady Peel admired it so tnu^h that she will convert one
of Me pieces into a cloak for her own wearing : the other 1.
will apply to my own use.

i-our obedient servant,
Robert Peel."

The instruction intended to be conveyed to the Pre-
_
mier by this, must, we think, be tolerably apparent. We
have a strong persuasion that the gentleman in question
is a member of the league; and, no doubt, the recital of
"bearing the word
FREE," is so very small a scroll,
that it has escaped the eye of Lady Peel or of the
Premier. Otherwise, we really cannot see with what
ts,ho
however
her ladyship can appear, cloaked in the livery
of the League, or Sir Robert present a jacket of this
h"beautifuling
haPPen occasionally in this world
udfaocture" to the stable boy. Strange
of ours ; and if the Conservative public should be
invearn,
startled, some of these days, by the vision of Sir
Robert's tiger, passing down Parliament-street, clad in
cotton velvet, with a "small scroll hearing the word
FREE" beneath his waistcoat or his jacket pocket, we
trust that none of her Majesty's lieges will take liberties
with the pocket in question, but rather attribute the
invitation to the temporary blindness of his illustrious
master. William Barlow, of Ancoats Vale Works,
take care that you be not indicted as aiding and
abetting !

As much anxiety is felt to know the interior arrange-
ments at the opening of the Collegiate Institution to-
day, we subjoin a programme of the proceedings to
take place within the building

Previous to the arrival of the procession, the gentle-
men composing the
Philharmonic Society, who have
kindly offered their services to conduct the musical
performances, will play the Jubilee Overture (by Weber),
and a variety of other music.

Before the entrance of the individuals forming the
procession, a voluntary will be performed as a duct on

the organ.
The following Anthe►n, by Mozart, will then he

'Judge me, 0 Lord, according to thy righteousness; and

let them not triumph over me.
" I will give thanks wit° thee, 0 ! Lord, among the peo-
ple, and I will sing unto thee among the nations ; for the
greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens, and tl y
truth unto the clouds."

Prayer will then be offered up by the Rev. Rector
Campbell

The Rev. Rector Brooks will make a few intro-
ductory remarks.

The Inaugural address will follow. The Principal will
then make a few observations descriptive of the princi-
ples in which it is intended to conduct the educational
department of the Institution.
The National Anthem.

" Lord of Heaven, and Earth,-and Ocean," will thun

be sung.
The Bishop will pronounce his benediction, which
will close the proceedings,
As the company are going out, the Hallelujah Chorus,
" Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reign-
eth !" will be performed.

We had prepared a few remarks upon the proceed-
ings of the Paid Officers' Committee, as laid before
the last two meetings of the Council, and the debates
thereon. The pressing demands upon our space in
the present number compel us, though reluctantly, to
withdraw our observations
until Tuesday. In the
meantime we may say that the Committee deserve un-
qualified praise for the searching investigations they
have instituted—investigations which cannot fail to be
of great practical benefit to the welfare and manage-
ment of the corporate estate.

EW PATENT.—Ainongst the new patentljor Deeembe,
last, is one granted to John Grantham, Esq..
civil engineer, " for certain improvements in the construc-
tions and arrangements of the engines and their appendages,
for propelling vessels on water."
We understand that the March Assizes are likely to be
extremely heavy. There are now in Kirkdale gaol upwards
of 130 prisoners for trial ; there are also between 60 or 70
prisoners in the same gaol, who will take their trials at the
sessions on the 19th instant.
—a power-loom—in the estimation THEFT BY A SERVANT.—A woman named Jane Johnson,

)f this town,.

was yesterday charged at the Police-court with having com-
mitted several acts of theft in her master's house. She had
been about three months house-servant with Mr. and Mrs.
Dickenson, Upper Dexter-street. About a week ago Mr.
Dickenson missed a child's silk scarf from the kitchen, and
the prisoner being questioned denied all knowledge of it.
Soon afterwards, however, several small articles belonging to
a lodger in the house were found in the prisoner's box, and a
brooch being also missed, she was given into custody, when
the brooch was found amongst her clothes, and in her pocket
a gold ring belonging to the lodger. She was committed for
trial at the sessions.

A CHILD BURNT TO DEATH.—An inquest was held on
Wednesday, before Mr. Curry, on view of the body of Han-
nah Parks, a child of threeand a half years old. The parents
of the deceased occupy a room in a house in Cheapside.
On Tuesday week the mother had occasion to go down stairs
for a jug of water, and left the deceased and her brother (a
child of only two years old) in the room. The fire bad been
lighted only about five minutes. Before she got down stairs
she heard a scream, and on running up found the deceased
all in flames. She called for assistance ; the fire was extin-
guished, and the child was carried to the dispensary and
dressed. Deceased was much burnt on the right side and
face, and though afterwards regularly attended at home by a
surgeon, she declined, and died on Monday.

TESTIMONIAL OF RESPECT FOR A CLERGYMAN.—Last
evening the congregation and Sunday school teachers attached
to St. Simon's Church, in Gloucester-street, assembled in
the School-room, for the purpose of presenting to their elo-
quent and esteemed minister, the Rev. J. R. Connor, a
testimonial of their gratitude for his pastoral labours amongst
them, in the shape of a magnificently bound folio edition of
Bagster's Polyglott Bible. The proceedings opened with
prayer, after which an address was read from the congrega-
tion to the rev. gentleman, and the Bible presented to him.
Mr. Connor acknowledged the gift in a brief but excellent
speech, in which he observed that he had preached to his
flock no other doctrine but Christ, and Him crucified. The
rev. gentleman was evidently much affected at this token of
the esteem in which he is held by his congregation. A
hymn was then sung, and the proceedings terminated by
Mr. Connor pronouncing a benediction.
THE FUNDS, EDNESDAY EVENING.—The funds con-
tinue to exhibit an upward tendency. There were some few
purchases of 3 and 3 per Cent. Reduced Stock, which gave
an impulse to prices, and they were well supported to the
close of the day. The final quotation_of Consols for the
r. .1 • .•

account was 94k to t; 3 per:Cents. Reduced. 954 ; a
Ex-
chequer-hills, 595. to 61s. premium ; Bank Stock, 172 to
173 ; India Bonds, 54 to 55 premium ; 34 per. Cents. Re-
duced, 102; and Long Annuities, 12 11-16 to i; Canadian
Debentures were quoted 2 premium. Mexican Stock was
a shade firmer, but little or no alteration took place in the
other foreign securities. The last price of Spanish Actives
was In to 19; ditto, New, 231 to ; Portuguese Converted.
351 t 0,61 ; Dutch 24 per Cents., 52 to 4-; ditto 5 per Cents.,
1014 to 4 ; Danish, 844 to 85i ; Colombian, 231 to 4 ; Bra-
zilian, 72 to 73 ; and Belgian, 1014 to 1024.
DREADFUL DEATH OF A BOT.—An inquest was held on
Wednesday, before Mr. Curry, on view of the body of Julius
Borrowscale. A married female named Daulby, said that
on Sunday morning last, as she was passing along Waterloo-
road, she saw the deceased falling from the top of a house
there. He fell on his side into the street, chise to the chan-
nel. The deceased never moved, and was found on being
taken up to be quite dead. She first saw him in the act of
falling—and he was then about half-way from the top of the
house. The right side of his bead was terribly smashed. A
brother of the deceased, a stone-mason, said he lived in St.
George's-place, Williams-street. The deceased, according
to the evidence of one of the witnesses, kept pigeons, and had
a place for them on the roof of the house. The deceased
might have gone up there, as he was frequently in the habit
of doing. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental
death."

TRUST FOR THE SUPPORT OF SICK AND DISABLED
MERCHANTS' SEAMEN, Sc.c.-011 Tuesday, at twelve o'clock,
a meeting was held in the Committee-room of the Under-
writers-room, for the purpose of choosing fifteen persons to
be Trustees for the ensuing year for putting into execution,
for the port of Liverpool, the provisions of an Act of Parlia .
ment, 4th and sth Wm. IV. amending an act of the 20th
Geo. 11. for relief and support of sick, maimed, and disabled
seamen; and the widows and children of such as shall be
killed, slain, or drowned in the merchant service; and for
other purposes. On the motion of George Grant, Esq., se-
conded by Alexander, Esq., the following -gentlemen
were appointed the trustees :—Messrs. Charles Horsfall,
Samuel Sandbach, William Dixon, William Potter, Edward
Sephton, William Phillips, Henry Holmes, John Nelson
Wood, N. D. Bold, Edmund Brock Lyon, William Dixon,
R. Rankin, W. Rotheram, William Nicol, and Richard
Willis.

FlRE.—lntelligence arrived in Wigan, on Wednesday
noon, that Whitley Hall, the residence of Alexander Fowden
Halliburton, Esq., was on fire. The report caused a great
sensation, as the ball is one of the finest mansions which add
interest to the scenery in the neighbourhood of Wigan. Fire-
engines were despatched as speedily as the required arrange-
ments could be completed. Fortunately, their aid was not
required, owing to the prompt measures which had been
taken on discovery of the fire by the inmates of the hall.
The fire was occasioned by some lighted coals falling from
the fire-grate in the study down a back flue, constructed for
the purpose of increasing the draught in the chimney, from the
cellar. Some straw, which was in the cellar underneath the
study, caught fire; and had a tired:: discovery not been
made, it is more than probable that the noble mansion would
have been soon enveloped in flames, from its elevated situa•
tion and the strong breeze which was blowing at the time.
The damage done is trifling.

INQUEST ON A NEW-BORN CHILD.—On Wednesday an
inquest was held, at the borough coroners office, on view of
the body of a new-born male infant. It appeared that the
mother of the child, Eliza Cummings (who is in the work-
house) had on Thursday the 29th ult. gone to her Aunts in
Frederick-street, and asked for lodgings there for a few days,
as she expected a place. This was complied with, and her
aunt did not then suspect that she was pregnant. On Sa.
turday afternoon the prisoner complained of being ill and
went to bed. Soon after she got up and went into the yard.
On her return, being no better, she wished to lie down again.
Her aunt then observed an alteration in her and asked her
if she was in the family way ; when she began to cry and
and acknowledged that she was. A surgeon was sent for
but it did not appear that any one came in time, and witness
afterwards saw a full-grown male child on the floor. Mr.
Taylor. surgeon, said he had made a postmortem ezamina-
tion, and found that the child had been still born.—Verdict
accordingly.

A
FORTUNE-TELLER.—A. fair sister of the Norwood tribe
called at the house of a woman named Barton, in Lamber-
head Green, Wigan, on Tuesday last, and wanted the occu-
pant to allow her to tell her her fortune, which she would do
for a " siller bit." The silly woman
was induced to apply
at the shrine of the fickle goddess to know her future des-
tiny, and, after undergoing certain mystic ceremonies, as
directed by the gipsy queen, was told that the charm could
not be completed without ie aid of half-a-sovereign. Bar-
ton, anxious to hear the remainder of the decree, soon pro-
cured the required coin, which was tied in a handkerchief.
She was then told by the gipsy to turn her back whilst she
tied it more securely, and the handkerchief was put in a
drawer and locked, the stranger taking away the key, which
she promised to return in the evening. Soon after her de-
parture the poor woman thought to have a look at her mo-
ney, to see that it was safe ; but, to her consternation, she
found that the half-sovereign, by some strange metamor-
phosis, had been changed to afarthing
DESPERATE ASSAULT IN LACE-STREET.—Three Irish-
men, Michael Burns, Martin 13urns, and a man named
Kelly, were yesterday brought before Mr, Rushton, on a
charge of having committed a dreadful riot and assault in
Lace-street on Christmas-eve. The prisoners were brought
up on the 26th December, but in consequence of a female
who had been so severely injured that her life was considered
in danger, they were remanded until she was able to appear,
which was not until yesterday, and even then she appeared
to he very ill and feeble. A considerable number of wit-
nesses (all Irish) spoke to the,facts, and it appeared the pri-
soners had, amongst several others, been most active in an
unprovoked attack in the first instance upon a countryman
named Hanly, whom they finally drove from the street to
seek shelter in the house. They afterwards made an attack
upon the house, and pulling down a small building in a yard,
and also, arming themselves with pokers, &c., broke in the
door, shashed in the windows, and threw in bricks at the in-
mates--one of which struck the female Mrs. Lahey on the
side so violently, as to produce the consequences stated.—
The case being proved, the prisoners were fined £3 each—or,
in default, to be imprisoned two months.
INQUEST ON A Niiw BORN CHILD. --- AO inquest was
held, before Mr. Curry, borough coroner, on Wednesday,
on view of the body of a new born female child, A young
woman, named Sarah Webster, the mother, is at the work-
house. It appeared, from the evidence, that the mother
was one of two female servants in the service of a gentleman
in Prince Edwin-street, where she bad been for about twelve
months. About three months ago, her mistress suspected
she was pregnant, and charged her accordingly on two occa-
sions, but she solemnly denied it. On Monday morning
last, however, when the prisoner and her fellow-servant were
called up, the appearances with regard to the former were
such as to indicate the recent delivery of an infant. The
testimony of the other servant as to the conduct of the
prisoner, who had got up in the night and complained of
toothach, tended to confirm the fact. A policeofficer was
called, and the prisoner was given into custody. Mr. Yates,
surgeon, was also called in, and confirmed the fact. In his
presence search was made, and the body of a female child
was found in the privy, His opinion was, that the child had
breathed, and had died from want of proper attention after
the birth. The jury returned a verdict to that effect, and
the prisoner, when sufficiently recovered, will be pent before
Mr. Rushton and committed for trial.

We are indebted to Mr. Court, of the Underwriter's-rooms
for the following extract of a letter, dated
Lima, 15th October.
" The news from the south is, that two vessels that deserted
General Terrico's cause, had arrived at Islay on the 2d inst.,
and taken his vessel which was blockading that port, so that
the port is now open again. The populace in Inaquegua rose,
and attacked General Castilla, and the troops from Tacna,
who had marched there after the defeat of La Fuento, had
totally routed Castilla's forces, and killed mqst of the officers,
Castilla making his escape to Arica, when' he embarked in
the steamer for Callao. Gen. Vidal was Yea on the 12th
instant, and it seems there will not be any peace, as it ap•.
pears Crovel D'Estua, of Vidal's advanced guard, discovered
in the luggage of the Secretary of the Envoy a quantity of
blank commissions, signed by general Terrico, to be given
to the officers that might be gained over to his party, in con-
sequence of which he was secured, and will no doubt be shot
—the Envoy was dismissed. Vivanca was to embark at Islay
with 400 to 600 troops, and come down the coast either to
Callao or Pisco, and it is generally considered that Terrico's
position is very desperate—one way or other the war will
soon be settled unless Terrico gets into the interior, and then
he will lose the cipital and the coast."

MEETING OF THE DOCK COXIMITTEK.---The Dock Com-
mittee held their weekly meeting yesterday, when the following
members were present :—Messrs. Sands (chairman), Hors-
fall, Middleton, Molyneux, Bulley, Bold, Barclay. Holmes,
Holt, and Nicol. The Sub-committee of Works recom-
mended that the agreement with Mr. Bray, for excavating
Albert Dock and Half-tide Basin, be abandoned; and that
until fresh tenders be obtained the surveyor be instructed
to proceed with the work, in order to prevent delay. The
recommendation was agreed to, with the understanding that
Mr. Bray would not be permitted again to make a tender.
The mode of arranging the maps and plans in the committee-
room was referred to the Finance Committee. The solicitor
submitted a letter from Mr. Mallaby, solicitor to the Birken-
head Commissioners, giving the dock trustees notice that the
commissioners intended to take power, in their bill about to
be submitted to parliament, to purchase some land on the
Cheshire side, belonging to the trustees, for the purpose of a
cemetery. The solicitor also submitted an application from
the Paving Board, requiring the trustees to pave the street
on the east side of Salthouse Dock. Both these matters
were referred. An application from Messrs. William and
James Brown, for the return of £l5 which had been charged
for damages done to one of the piers by the ship Isabella of
Baltimore, was referred to the Harbour Master's Subcom-
mittee. The committee then transacted some financial busi-
ness, after which they separated.

SittagalNG Toitieeo.—At the Police Court, yesterday,
a miserable looking old woman, named Ellen Roberts, was
brought before Mr. Rushton on a charge of smuggling a con-
siderable quantity of leaf tobacco. So far back as the 10th
of August last the prisoner was observed, by a police officer,
coming from one of the docks with a large bundle, which, on
seeing him, she dropped and made off. A little boy, who
had, no doubt, been employed by her to keep a look out and
take advantage of chance, immediately went and picked up
the bundle, saying " It was a little child she had dropped, and
that she'd certainly kill it some day." The prisoner was
soon afterwards taken into custody, and the case, the weight
of the tobacco being I 5 lb.,was referred to the Excise Board,
in London,who, as the prisoner had been an old and inveterate
offender, as agent for others, in this way, left the case to take
its course before the magistrates here. The facts being
proved, the prisoner was convicted in a penalty of £lOO, or
to be imprisoned six months. An application was made in
the prisoner's behalf to Mr. Rushton to sanction such a
memorial to the board as might conduce to a mitigation of
the imprisonment. He, however, said, that the revenue was
so often defrauded in this way, by unprincipled parties acting
for others of a higher grade in life, that he would leave the
question of mitigation of punishment to the Excise Com-
missioners themselves, without offering them any recom-
mendation.

A. JUVENILE THIEF.—At the Police-court, on Wednes-
day, a little boy, apparently of eleven or twelve years of age,
was placed at the bar, charged with having stolen a purse
containing a considerable sum of money. The complainant,
Ann M4Kenna, an elderly widow, said she kept a coal-yard
in Shaw-street. On Monday afternoon last, she was in the
but ; and, having given change to a person wlio called, bad
her purse in her hand, when a customer called. The purse
contained £5, and she put it down on her seat while she
went to serve the party. The prisoner, who was occasionally
employed to wheel coals from her yard, was standing pretty
near, and must have heard her say that the money was for
her rent. On returning to the hut, after serving the cus-
tomer. she missed the prisoner, and also the purse and its
contents. She gave infor nation to her son, and did not see
the prisoner again until Tuesday night. The son, it appeared,
found the prisoner, on Tuesday, in a cellar in Trueman-
street!' On his being searched, only sixpence was found upon
him, but with a new suit of clothes. Being questioned, he
first denied he took the money, but afterwards acknowledged
that he bought a suit of clothes in Trueman-street, and that
"he had taken only £4." He also admitted that he had lent
a man named Brady, who keeps a table-beer cellar in True-
man-street, 255. He was given into custody ; and the con-
stable discovered that in addition to the new clothes, he had
that morning bought a donkey. which was found in Margaret-
street ! He was committed for trial. The donkey (which
cost 35.) was ordered to be giver, to the poor widow, and
would be all she would receive in lieu of her money.

DANGEROUS ;MANNER OF THRUSTING OUT SHOP SHUT-
TERS FROM CELLARS UNDER THE PIiEMISES.--OD Wed-
nesday last, Mrs. Elizabeth Coker, residing in Bold-street,
appeared in the police-court, at the instance of a Mr. Rears-
ley, who had suffered serious personal injury, from a practice
wnich cannot be too highly reprehended. It appears that a
fortnight ago. Mr. Kearsley was passing along the footway in
Bold-street, while one of Mrs. Coker's servants was em-
ployed in putting up the shop shutters. The latter was in
the act of drawing out the shutters from beneath the window,
as is usually done by all parties in that and many other
streets, in a very careless and hasty manner. Mr. Kearsley,
was knocked down by one of the projected shutters, and was
so severely injured, that being still• confined, he was unable
to attend the court; and as the case could not bolegally sub-
stantiated without his evidence, the complaint was necessarily
dismissed—though not without an expression of regret from
the bench, that it could not be duly dealt with. We may here
remark that a frequent, and one of the most dangerous,
forms of the practice complained of, is for some one or more
persons in the cellars of shops, (who are naturally in a hurry
to get home,) thrusting the shutters, in an inclined position,
up through a small opening, and over a friction roller into
the street—without having a person above sufficiently active
to receive them, and to warn and protect passengers,—who,
taken unawares, are often exposed to severe blows from these
projectiles. It is somewhat remarkable, that while we have
numerous clauses in our local acts for personal protection,
or annoyance, there is none that goes expressly to put down
this nightly and (from the increase of shops) growing nuisance.
The only responsibility incurred by shopkeepers is in the
event of inflicting personal injury, and even then, it appears,
and in serious cases, too, they may sometimes escape without
incurring penalty or damages. Surely this is an omission
which ought, as early as possible, to be remedied.
WAGES CLAIMED BY A MATE.—The chief-mate of the
ship Rosebury (Captain Mawbray), yesterday claimed, be-
fore Mr. Rushton, an amount of about £l2 of wages, stated
to be due to him. He said he had gone as chief-mate of the
vessel on a voyage thence to Cronstadt and back, but that
while there the captain had ordered him to go on shore on
pain of being kicked out of the ship, with other abusive
language. The complainant felt himself compelled to obey;
and on afterwards applying to the consul, and stating his
case, was provided with a passage home. He claimed, de-
ductions being made for advances, &c., the sum stated, at
the rate of £4 a month, as per contract. He was corrobo-
rated as to the main facts by two of the seamen. A long de-
fence was attempted on behalf of the captain, who sought to
prove that the mate had deserted the ship at Cronstadt when
she was on the eve of sailing • and he produced an entry on
the log-book signed by all the crew, and also a certificate
from the deputy-consul, which seemed at first to bear out the
allegation of desertion ; but on the case being thoroughly in-
vestigated by Mr. Rushton, it turned out the mate had been
ordered out of the ship, and threatened as stated ; that the
entry in the log-book was signed by the crew by the captain's
order, while they were in fear of similar treatment them-
selves ; and that the consul had signed the certificate merely
from seeing the entry in the log-book, which he no doubt
considered to be genuine. It was then set up as proof of de-
sertion, that the captain, when the ship was ready for sea,
had gone on shore to search for the mate, but could not find
him. It appeared, however, from several of the men them-
selves, that the applicant was standing on the quay, at a short
distance from the ship, just before she got under weigh, in
Cronstadt Roads, and that the captain might easily have got
him on board if he bad chosen—he being, moreover, quite
willing to return home in the ship. Mr. Rushton, after com-
menting on the gentlemanly and respectful conduct due by
captains to their officers, said the complainant had very pro-
perly left the ship after the treatment and order he had re-
ceived, and that the full amount of wages claimed must be
paid.
THE NEW BRIDGE ACROSS WALLASEY POOL.—The
bridge (the opening of which we noticed in our last publica-
tion) is a neat structure, crossing the pool at right angles,
and principally- constructed of wood. It consists of ten arches
of 25 feet span each; namely, a centre arch or span in the
middle of the pool, supported on two stone piers, and live
arches of wooden frame-work on the east, and four on the
west. Although plain, it presents a very neat, and even
handsome appearance, and is a great improvement to the sur-
rounding scenery. In the stone piers there are 15,000 feet
of good red freestone, Between these piers there is a clear
waterway of 25 feet wide, with a life bridge on a new con-
struction, particularly as regards the working- iron-work,
which does away with the compensating part in the usual lift
bridges. This is the contrivance of Mr. Alfred Yarrow, of
Birkenhead, the engineer for the whole ',cork. The bridge is
340 feet in length, by about 25 in width. In the wood-work
there are 6,000 feet of timber ; and, in the whole bridge, about
50 tons of iron have been used. There is a footpath on each
side, somewhat similar to those on our dock-gate bridges,
and the whole is protected by a neat wooden railing. The
new road leading from the bridge towards the south-west or
the direction thence to Oxton, is about three-quarter of a
mile in length ; the distance to Bidstone being, from the
bridge, a mile and a quarter. The new road terminates at a
small public-house on the high road from Birkenhead to
Bidstone, but is to be carried through to Oxton and other
neighbouring localities. This is a capital macadamized road,
with a footpath on each side. There is a handsome lodge and
gate at the Poulton end of the bridge. The structure was
commenced so recently as the 28th of June last, and is now
completed, to the entire satisfaction of the committee of
management. The contractors for the whole work `were
Messrs, Walker and Craven, of Birkenhead. The machinery
for the lift bridge was furnished by Messrs. Murray and
Brown, of this town. About ten years ago an attempt was
made to construct a bridge at the same point, but before it
was finished it was washed away by the tide. In the present
instance, the engineer has taken care not only to preserve the
old waterway, clear across, but even to give it greater width
of run, so that no such accidents may be anticipated. The
main or stone piers are 45 feet in height from their founda-
tion to their top. The tide here rises occasionally so as to
give a depth of water of 21 feet; and the height, from the
lowest part of the bottom to the superstructure or roadway,
is about 30 feet.

AFFRAY BETWEEN SOME OF THE POLICE ANDSr
SOME
OF THE MILITARY.—On Wednesday, three men belonging
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Inspector Savage saw the three prisoners in Canning-place,
in company with some prostitutes, and behaving in a noisy
and disorderly manner. He requested them to go away, and
succeeded in dispersing the women. The prisoners, how-
ever, refused to go quietly, and he threatened to take them
to the barracks if they continued to be disorderly. He saw
them afterwards at a later hour, and as they still persisted,
and used bad language—particularly Dodd—he found it ne-
cessary to call the assistance of several officers to see them
to their barracks. When they got to the entrance and
knocked, Dodd said, " Sentry do your duty ;" upon which
several soldiers rushed out, with their side arms, (which,
however, did not appear to he drawn,) and struck at and de-
' fied the police. Police-officer Fox, who endeavoured to ap-
prehend Dodd, was struck by him ; and a soldier who came
out (not, we believe, yet known) struck police-officer
Smith, with what appeared to he a bright instrument, several
times on the head. Dodd cried, " The police have exceeded
their authority, do your duty," and he also struck the in-
spector. Another constable also received some blows ;_ but
constable Smith was the most severely hurt in the
affray. An endeavour was made to take the soldier
whose name is not known, but he was got inside by
his companions, and the gate was closed. A corporal named
Neville, who was on duty at the gate, afterwards refused to
deliver up to the inspector the man alluded to, or tell his
name, though he admitted that he knew who he was, and he
also refused to give his own name. He (Neville) appeared
in court, but not (while the case was being heard) in custody.
Several gentlemen, who happened to be passing near the bar-
racks at the time of the affray, (about twelve o'clock) corro-
borated the principal facts stated. The risoners, peared, had been drinking in a house, in Paprk-lane, shortly
before, and the language used by some of them while the
assault on the police was going on was of a most threatening
and improper description. Mr. John B. Hiams, surgeon,
Duke-street, stated, that constable Smith was brought to
him soon after the hour stated. He had one large wound on
his head, which reached the bone : the edges of it were of a
jagged appearance, as if inflicted with a heavy instrument.
He had also two other wounds on the head of minor import-
ance. Mr. Rushton said that Sergeant Dodd was the prin-
cipal cause of the whole disturbance, and he should send him
to be dealt with by another tribunal,who would probably de-
grade him from his rank. He then asked Corporal Neville
if he had anything to say in his defence. Neville said he had
told the inspector he could not let him in, as he had orders to
admit no one but those belonging to the barracks, who had
been out on duty ; and that he had only been asked who he
was, not his name, and had replied that he was coporal of
the guard ; so that, as he was on duty at the time, he
might be found if wanted. Mr. Rushton ordered him
to be placed in custody with the other prisoners, and
then said that Dodd must be handed over to theecu,
custody
of the officers of the detachment to which he belonged
at the barracks ;to whom a copy of the o should,
at the same time, be transmitted, so that dep
ositionsgh take
such steps against him as they deemed proper. The prisoner
was accordingly put down, and the magistrate addressing the
corporal, said that his conduct had been most improper; for
he had told the inspector that he bad the soldier who was yet
wanted in his custody in the barracks, which was not true;
and had also refused to give that man's name or his own.
The two privates had also been active in the assault and
rescue. They must all be taught that it was their duty to
assist, not to thwart the civil force. If they considered that
force acting beyond their authority, it was their duty to go
for their officers, not to resort to violence on their own re-
sponsibility. It was only when under military orders that
they could so act; at all other times they were but citizens,
and must respect, the civil power the same as other subjects.
They must each pay a fine of £5, or be imprisoned for one
month. The case, from .its -novelty, excited much interest
in the court.

Paid Office

Mr.. G. B. LAWREN(
resulted.

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDING

lourned meeting of the Town-council, for the con'

sideration of the fifth and remaining resolutions proposed

Committee, in pursuance of their re-
port on the department of the Town-clerk and Deputy
Town-clerk and the Clerk of Committees, was held 00

Wednesday, in the Town-hall. The MAYOR presided

Mr. LLOYD, Chairman of the Paid Officers' Committee,
proceeded to move the fifth of the resolutions submitted by
that committee, as follows :

" Resolved,—That the provision of the Municipal Act
with reference to the charge and custody of the charters,
deeds, and muniments, be carried out ; and that the protec-
tions advised by the Town-clerk, in his statement, ought to
be observed."

It might be considered that this resolution was an inter-
ference with the municipal act ; but it only went to declare
that the municipal act should not be interfered with by the
council, and that the proper officer (the Town-clerk) should
take upon himself the whole charge of the deeds, muniments,
and records of the corporation, which the 65th section impe-
ratively placed upon him. There would have been no ne-
cessity for this resolution if the Paid Officers' Committee
had not found that the first time when the council had acted
upon the provisions of the act, and stated where their deeds
should be kept, was in 1839. The council then passed the
following resolution—" The Municipal Corporations Act hav-
ing provided that all charters, deeds, and muniments, shall
be kept in such place as the council shall direct, and the
Town-clerk be responsible for the safe custody of the same;
it is directed that the strong room in the Town -hall called
the repository shall be the place for keeping the deeds, mu-
niments, and records, and that the Town-clerk be authorized
to make such arrangements for access thereto as may con-
sistently with their safe custody be necessary for the facility
of business, approved by the Finance Committee, and con-
firmed by the council.' The committee found that to the
present time this resolution had not been acted upon; and
they thought it was now high time for the council to relieve
itself from any responsibility ; and they were of opinion that
some resolution should be framed which would so far super-
sede the resolution of 1839, that not the slightest responsi-
bility should be placed on the shoulders of the council, which
responsibility the Municipel Corporations Act, placed on
others. The proposed resolution, therefore, only stated that
the law should be carried out ; and it must be observed that
if the resolution of 1839 had nut been upon the books al-
ready, there would have been no occasion for the one now
proposed. It was clear that hitherto the Town-clerk had
never taken upon himself the custody--
Sir THOMAS BRAN CICER.—Then it is high time he should.
Mr. LLOYD added, then let the Council declare that what
the act stated, and gave the Town-clerk power to carry out,
he should carry out without interference.
Mr. BIRKETT.—W ho has interfered with him?
Mr. LLOYD replied, that it was in evidence that, from a
feeling of delicacy towards others, the Town-clerk had not
carried out the act.

Mr. BiaxErr.—You are stating that from the evidence?
Mr. LLOYD.—Yes. I have stated nothing in this room
but what is founded upon the evidence.
Mr. HORNBY said it ought to be stated what interference
there had been with the Town-clerk.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE contended, that, if the Town-clerk
would state to the Council what he proposed to do with
regard to the custody of the deeds and muniments, that state-
ment would be sufficient without the resolution proposed.
The Council, indeed, could not lay down any rules of the
sort. If the law had not been carried out, it Was not the
fault of the Council ; and, if it was not carried out for the
future, the responsibility would fall upon the Town-clerk,
and upon him atone. All the Council could now require
was that the Town-clerk should satisfy them as to what he
was prepared to do
Mr.

DACE said he should oppose the resolution because it
seemed to convey a reflection upon the Town-clerk ; but be
would ask the committee whether the Town-clerk had made
any proposals in pursuance of that resolution ?
Mr. LLOYD admitted that the resolution would have been
unnecessary if the previous resolution of 1839 bad not ap-
peared upon the books.
Mr. LACE rejoined, that it was a vote of censure upon the
Town-clerk.

Mr. LLOYD said it was a mere declaration that the law
should be carried out. The committee had asked the Town-
clerk why it had not been carried out, and his reply was,
through the influence and interference of others. It was on
these grounds that such a resolution was necessary.
Mr. KitsitAw suggested that the Town-clerk should now
be heard.

The TOWN-CLERK commenced by saying there could be
no doubt that in deference to feelings, which, perhaps, in
law, ought not to have been paid, the Municipal Corporations
Act had not been carried out according to the spirit or letter
of its provisions. His determination was—and as to which
he was bound to state he ought entirely to relieve the coun-
cil, because he had the legal power—to take upon himself
and his immediate assistant the actual charge and custody
of the deeds, muniments, and records of the corporation ;
and, in doing so, most steadfastly, without delegating to any
one but his immediate assistant, to give the most extensive
access, that by law he could give, in favour of the clerk of
committees, and any other proper officer of the corporation.
He could not delegate beyond his own immediate assistant;
but to the extent of any access that the law would, upon the
most liberal construction, enable him to grant, he should be
ready to grant it, and with every anxious respect towards
the feelings of the officers of the corporation with whom he
might have to deal upon this part of the subject. In doing
so, he was only doing his duty to the council, which required
that every facility and harmony should exist between their
officers. After he had taken upon himself the actual charge
and custody, and when be had made such arrangements for
granting this access, (as to which be should be glad of the
suggestions of any member of the council) he proposed to
submit them to the Paid Officers Committee; and through
the Paid Office's' Committee he should hope they would
come to the council. He did so, not to relieve himself from
responsibility, because that attempt would be vain, for the
council had not the power to relieve him. The law, indeed
was so stringent, that to none other but a succeeding Town-
clerk could the custody pass. The law was, that the council
should appoint the place, but that the custody should be in
the Town-clerk. He should hope that this explanation
would, perhaps, render it unnecessary to proceed further
with the resolution.

Mr. ASPINALL said the Town-clerk had told the council
what he meant to do in 1843, but not why the resolution of
1839 had not been carried out. The council wanted to know
that. •

Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE.--He has told you._
Mr. ASPINALL.—NO, indeed he has not.
The TOWN.CLERK.---I said, in too much deference to the
feelings of others, and which, by law, ought not to have
beerl

—And from which no harm has

The TwN-CLERK.—And" from which no harm has re-
sulted, o scan result, if the precedent be corrected. He had
the most unbounded confidence in the honour of the gentle-
man who had charge of the repository, and he should pay the
greatest respect to his arrangement of the deeds. He wished,
however, to make the system, as far as arrangement was
concerned, more perfect. It was requisite, and he intended
to extend the arrangement which Mr. Okill had made, by
adding a great many important things in the repository which
were not now included in any list.
Mr. BinaErr thought that the council having heard the
statement of the Town-clerk ought certainly to pass the
resolution, because it was merely verbal, and the recollection
of it might die away in five or six years.
The MAYOR said the substance of it would appear upon
the face of the Paid Officers' Committee's report.
Mr. BIRKETT explained that be meant the statement just
now verbally made by the Town-clerk rendered such a reso-
lution necessary.
The MAYOR repeated that the same thing was said in the
report upon the arrangement of the Town-clerk's office.
Mr. BIRKETT still thought the council would be perfectly
justified in placing upon their books a solemn declaration
that the recommendations which the Town -clerk himself
had made should be carried out.
Sir THOS. BRANCKER said the adoption of the Town-
clerk's scheme by the council would suffice to answer Mr.
Birkett's purpose.

--- was of oinion that y to
press this resolution, becapuse althoughit thewas law had not unnecessar
been
carried out from 1839 to the present time, it was imperative
upon the Town-clerk to take such measures as would ensure
its being carried out. It now devolved upon the conserva-
tive majority to shew that they would not wink at the law
being set aside from deference to the feelings of others. The
Town-clerk had frankly declared why he had not carried it
out, and he had not shrunk from passing censure upon him-
self for not allowing the law to take effect ; but the council
were now called upon to see the law carried out; and he sub-
mitted to the chairman of the Paid Officers' Committee whe-
ther the object would not be answered by the report on the
Town-clerk's department.
Mr. NORTH had two objections to the resolution. In the
first place he was unwilling that any thing should be done to
interfere with the present excellent and judicious manage-
ment. of the repository by Mr. Okill. He wanted to retain
hun in that office because he thought it was possible consists
ently with the legal custody of the deeds, muniments, and
charters being, as by law it must, in the Town-clerk. Such
a management of the repository was quite consistent with the
acknowledged legal custody. He was also unwilling, without
meaning any reflection upon the Town-clerk, to commit the
management of these documents to him. It was almost in-
consistent with his other business. Attornies were, at the
best, but ill-calculated and ill-disposed for such employment;
they were, he might say, a disorderly set. (Laughter.)
They had not, perhaps, the same respect for their own handi-
work as other men ; and he believed, in spite of the order
and system that the Town-clerk would introduce, they must
fail unless there was a separate officer to attend to this pad
of the corporation business. For these reasons, he should
submit, as an amendment, " That the Town-clerk is the
legal custodian of the records and muniments of the ccrpora-
tion ; but that, consistently with and without prejudice to
such legal custody on his part, the management of the repo-
sitory may be specially deputed to Mr. Okill as heretofore,
and is hereby, with the consent of the Town-clerk so deputed
accordingly, subject to the following regulations :—namely,
that no deed or muniment shall be removed from the reposi-
tory (even for use in any other part of the building), nor ins
pected there, nor produced to any person whatever, except
in the presence, or with the written authority of the Town•
clerk (and in his absence), the Deputy Town-clerk, and Mr.
Okill, shall alone have access to the muniments in the repo'
sitory for any purpose whatever." With these regulations,
he thought the objects of the council would be fully carried
out. If this amendment was passed, Mr. Okill would be
retained, and thepresent excellent system preserved.
Mr. G. H. LAWRENCE said, he once thought the plan
suggested by Mr. North the best suited for the council; but
it was not for them to say whether it was good or not, s°,
long as the Town-clerk felt that the deeds, muniments, and
records were not in his custody. By adopting this amend-
ment he really thought they would be flying in the face of the
act of parliament.
The TOWN-CLERK rose and said, his duty there was, upon
every occasion, to pay the most implicit obedience to the
resolutions of the council, except when those resolutions_
should. which they never yet had done, apply to matters o
principle, as to which, in honour and conscience, and without
f
forfeiting his reputation as a legal man, he could not subnr;
He did declare, on this occasion, that if that resolution
[amendment] were passed, and he were to submit to the
.
controul of it, he should disgrace himself as a professional
man for ever. He could not consider, for a single moment,
that he could do otherwise on this occasion than declare that
he would take the actual charge and custody of the deeds,t
muniments, and records, as some small compensation. for o.e
error he had allowed hitherto to prevail. There were
occasions, he trusted the council would allow. him. to 07_
when the individual who should pay implicit obedience In
general to the commands of those by whom he was appointed,
when a question of principle might arise, as to which, if. n°,
were to submit, he must forfeit his own esteem,. He had
declared, on the one hand, that he would satisfy the require-
mentso,
of the Municipal Corporations Act, the charter
the present Corporation of Liverpool.; and, on the other
hand, he would satisfy it by having himself the a
ac-
tual charge and custody of " the deeds, muniments,
avail
In doing so, he had a right, he trusted, to av
himself of the assistance of the gentleman provided for him by
i
the liberality of the council, at a salary of £4OO, who wa
to be a man of business, who was to be a methodical trou_fi,
ld
and surely an officer of that kind, under his direction, c
assist him in the charge and custody of the deeds. W
the
s he
ystem saw that the system of an attorney was contrasted with
systemsy s t e m
oo
ff
attorneysaootii er party,
was
referred h e must, t
07hoiol e
theon theoth
other
one
ahnadld4ibbee:
to the system adopted with regard to. the Repository.
Town-clerk then proceeded to show in what respect he uh'