The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-06 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

ADJOURNED
MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL, UPON

THE DOCK QUESTION.

/From the Fourth Edition of last Tuesday's STANDARD.)
The Council met again, pursuant to adjournment, this
day, and the mover of the adjournment, Mr. ASPINALL,
was called upon to open the debate. After begging the
indulgence of the council on the score of indisposition,
and stating that nothing but his extreme anxiety for the
issue of one of the most momentous questions which had
been agitated since the passing of the reform bill
would have induced him to attend, said he should
support the resolution proposed by the chairman
of the Dock Committee ; but whilst thus indicating his
opinion upon the subject, he could not help expressing
his astonishment at the mode of proceeding adopted yes-
terday. The object was well known to be to postpone the
decision of this question for an indefinite period. He was
surprised to hear Mr. Evans assert, contrary to all evi-
dence, that there was no necessity for dock extension.
He had the opinion of quite as competent an authority as
Mr. Evans—viz. Mr. Wm. Brown—that ever since the
year 1810 the trade of this port had been in advance of the
facilities afforded for it ; and he was convinced, from many
considerations which he brought before the Council, that
they would be wantonly injuring the Estate under their
management, if they let slip the present opportunity of
purchasing the Harrington Estate.
Mr. HoDasoN, at some length, maintained that, in
deciding the question now before the council, it was not
requisite that parties connected with the Harrington pro-
perty should abstain from voting. They were bound to
their constituents to express their honest opinions upon
a great public question, or to retire from the council, and
let the opinions of the constituency itself be represented
by others. Mr. Hodgson concluded by expressing his
intention to support the resolution of the Chairman of
the Dock Committee.
Mr. PARKER spoke against the purchase of the Har-
rington property, which, he contended, was about to be
thrust upon the Dock Committee, because it had proved
an unprofitable speculation for its original proprietors.
Mr. BIRKETT spoke briefly in favour of the resolution,
and in reply to Mr. Evans's speech of the day before.
Mr. ISAAC HOLMES expressed his gratification that at
length the north end of the town was about to be rendered
available for dock purposes, and was particularly pleased
to see the connexion proposed to be formed with the
Leeds Canal. A dock to the north was much wanted for
our large steamers. But above all things, it was abso.
lutely necessary that the Harrington property on the
south should be purchased. It was free from rates to
the dock estate. By purchasing it they got rid of its
act of parliament, which, if the council had done its duty,
ought never to have been granted. Rather than not buy
this, he would go the length of buying both the Harring-
ton and the Herculaneum properties.
Mr.BUSHELL at great length, and to the evident surprise
of many of his friends in the council, contended that a
large increase of dock space was not wanted. He main-
tained that by increasing the length of the Custom-house
dcoa
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andr
illustrated his argument by the fact, that in a celebrated
house in London, called Joey's Chop-house, a large busi-
ness was done in a small space, by the proprietor not ad-
mitting newspapers into his premises, on the ground that
his benches were made for dining upon, and not for his
customers to sit reading. Liverpool, he contended, was
now differently circumstanced to her former position.
She was menaced with opposition by docks in Wallasey,
Pool, which could be executed for £50,000, (which state-
ment was dissented from by Mr. Lace,) and it was the duty
of the council to husband the resources of the dock
estate, so as to prepare themselves for competition.
No member appearing disposed to go on with the de.
bate, and the Chairman not rising to reply, the Mayor
was proceeding to take the votes, when, after some hesi-
tation,

Mr. Aiturr rose, and addressed the meeting at great
length, urging most of the objections to the dock eaten-
sithn proposed on the part of the Dock Trustees, which he
hag so frequently put forth previously. There was no
just ground for such haste in the purchase of the land,
and in incurring so great an outlay. If they went to such
cost they must increase their rates, and the consequence
would be, a decrease of our trade, through a preference
that would be given to other and cheaper ports. If they
kept their rates low, this port would always command a
preference, whatever the charges might elsewhere be. He
moved an amendment, "That it is 'inadvisable to proceed
further with the dock bills, until the plans of the proposed
new docks be prepared and approved of."
Mr. BARCLAY concurred with Mr. Bushell, that they
ought to make the best use of the laud they already had,
and price was a main question.

. -
Mr. ROYDEN said that it would be wrong to enclose
the Queen's Dock Basin, from which there were so many
entrances, the gridiron, shelter for boats, &c.
Mr. Nicol., in a long and very able address, replied to
the arguments adduced against the proposed measure,
furnizhing in proof of the increase of the port a variety of
authentic statistics. There was last year a surplus of re-
venue from the docks of £66,000, and the whole cost of
the proposed dock extension was £1,120,000.
Mr. h. LAWRENCE said the general voice of the public
was for dock extension, and they must either concur or
rcduce their present dock rates.
Mr. BRAMLEY MOORE said, that after all he had
yet heard, he still saw the neeessity of going to parlia-
ment for docks, both north and south. Trade was in-
creasing, and would, he trusted, continue to increase.
The amendment was then put, and lost by 33 to 14,
namely,— _ _

• Against.—Messrs. Hodgson, Shaw, Houghton, Isaac
Holmes, Blundell, Edwards, H. ilolmes, J. Holmes,
Tirane, Rae, Fawcett, Aspinali, Boyden, G. G. Hornhy,
Birkett, Boutflower, Rigby, G. H. Lawrence, Plumpton,
Glazebrook, Trotman, Hatbord, Sheppard, Aldermen,
R. Houghton, Griffith, J. Lawrence, Freme, Crook,
Nicol, Bramley-Moore, Molyneux, Chilton, and the
Mayon-33.

Mr. TURNER moved another amendments to the effect
that it was expedient to have, at the north extremity, en-
larged accommodation for steamers ; and that negociations
be entered into for such portion of the Harrington Dock
Estate, to the south, to the extent of 40,000 yards, as
might be required.
Mr. GLADSTONE seconded the amendment.
This being put, the voting thus resulted :
For—Messrs. Thornhill, Atkin, Fawcett, Gladstone,
Parker, Barclay, Bulley, Griffith, Turner, Freme. Holt,
Moon, and Evans-13.
Against—Messrs, Hodgson, Shaw, Houghton, Isaac
Holmes, J. Holmes, Tinne, Rae, Aspinall, Royden, G.
G. Hornby, Birkett, Boutflower, Bushell, Rigby, G. H.
Lawrence, Plumpton, Glazebrook, Trotman, Harbord,
Sheppard, Blackburn, Preston, Blundell, Thompson,
Edwards. H. Holmes, Aldermen, R. Houghton, J. Law-
rence, Crook, Nicol, Bramley-Moore, Molyneux, Chil-
ton, and the Mayor-34.
The original motion was then carried by a large majo-
rity, without the names being taken.

THE TOWN DUES.

At the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the
council afterwards came to the following resolutions :
That trusses and bales, and boxes and cases or chests,
properly pay customs to t'le Corporation according to
their known and understood denomination in Liverpool ;
but that as instances may occasionally arise of shipments
outwards in which the proper class to which the packages
belong may not admit of immediate determination, the
following rules be adopted in such cases: If the package
be not bound with iron or rope, or if it do not exceed eight
cubic feet measurement, or two cwt. in weight, it shall be
deemed and taken to be a truss; if the package be bound
by rope or iron, and be above eight cubic feet measure-
ment, also above two cwt., it shall be deemed and taken
to be a bale ; and in like manner with respect to boxes,
chests, or cases. They also agreed to appoint an out-door
general superintendent, at a salary of £250 per annum.

ANOTHER SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST
A CAPTAIN.

(From our Second Edition of Tuesday last.)

At the Police-court this day, Capt. Charles M'Donald,
of the ship Cleofrid, was brought to the bar, charged,
under the following ci rcu m stances. which were briefly stated
by Mr. Dowling :—ln the month of August the Cleofrid,
the Susan, and the William Rathbone were lying in the
Cameroons River, in Africa ; that on the 30th August the
captain came on board the Cleofrid, and addressing him-
self to the chief officer, said he could not stand the mate
of the William Rath bone, Green, taking oil from the kegs
belonging to his employers, and ordered him to put the trade
pistols in the boat, with which he complied. The captain
took with him a person of the name of Boyle, who was
a kind of captain's clerk, and the rest were all Kroo men.
Shortly after this a boat, with the mate of the William
Rathbone, Mr. Green, who was wounded, came alongside
the Cleofrid, and he was put on board. It would be shown,
in evidence, that previous to his death, the wounded man
stated that he was shot by Boyle. Boyle had, however,
died a short time after, from natural causes. Mr. Dow-
ling then called
Andrew Potter, who stated that he was chief mate of
the Cleofrid, that about half-past seven on the morning
of the 30th of August the captain came on board from the
beach, and stated to him that Green was taking the oil be-
longing to the owners of the Cleofrid, and that he would
not stand to see the oil taken away in his own casks. He
then ordered witness to put 2 or 3 of the trade pistols in the
boat ; the pistols were loaded with ball cartridge, which he
(witness) had cast himself ; he obeyed the captain's orders,
persons on board. About a quarter of an hour
and the boat shoved off, the captain and Boyle being the
afteron only
this
whitethe mate, with a crew of seven, followed the
captain to the shore, and on the passage the witness heard
the reports of two or three pistols, and saw the flash of
another that had missed fire. The captain had two of his
own pistols, but the bore of them was smaller than those of
the trade pistois, and the captain was in the habit othaving
the balls cut down to fit them. When the mate reached the
shore, the captain was in the boat alongside the beach.
He (the captain) ordered the mate to take the oil on
board a vessel called the Susan, that the dispute might
be settled there, and accompanied the mate to the Susan,
on the deck of which he (witness) beard the captain say
" he would rather have lost a thousand pounds than that
Green should have been shot." This was the first he had
heard of it, and at this time the captain had a silk hand-
kerchief round his waist, in which were his own pistols
and one of the trade pistols. From the Susan witness
Proceeded to the Cleofrid, and there, near the round-
house, saw the wounded man ; the ball had entered on
the left side of the stomach, and was afterwards extracted
near the ribs on the. right side by Mr. Thompson,
a surgeon. The ball was not one that would have
loaded the trade pistols, but one similar to those which
were cut down for the captain's pistols. In reply to a
question from Mr. Rushton, witness said the ball extracted
from Green had been cut down and reduced to fit the
captain's pistol. Green lived three weeks after the wound
and did not, in the witnesses opinion, think himself in dan-

ger. Two days before he died he was taken on hoard his
ship, he could then walk, after which he had never seen
him. Witness took the pistols from the captain, one was
loaded the other was discharged. Boyle never seemed
the same man after this affair occurred, and walk-d up
and down like a man deranged ; he died on the 2nd of
October.
This witness was cross-examined by Mr. Owen, when
he stated that while lying on the deck he heard Green say
to Boyle " You are a scoundrel; my blood is on your
head."
At this stage of the proceeding the case was remanded
till to-morrow (Wednesday). Mr. Rushton allowed the
prisoner to be admitted to bail, himself in £5OO, and two
sureties in £2OO.

A further examination took place on Wednesday, Thurs-
day, and Friday, the captain being from day to day ad-
mittted to bail in the amounts stated. Several other wit-
nesses, including the steward, were examined. Several of
them deposed to hearing the captain say, " I have shot
Green, and I would not for a thousand pounds" (or as some
of them said ' £lOO, or £500,') that it had happened. On
Thursd y Mr. Rushton said there were many difficulties
in the is there was no evidence of any one who had
seen the.— shore, and he should have been glad to have
discharged the captain were it not for the concurrent tes-
timony of several witnesses who heard him use the ex-
pression which he had made use of on board the Susan,
and that immediately after the transaction. On Friday,
Mr. Thompson, the surgeon, was examined more at length,
and stated that, in his opinion, the immediate cause of
Green's death was not the wound, but, as he thought, a
chronic disease, which was probably aggravated by the
wound, and also by his removal to the other vessel at a
time when he (the surgeon) advised that he should not be
removed. The steward, in the course of his examination,
said that it was the custom for captains on the coast on
going on shore with Kroomen in boats or canoes to take
loaded pistols with them. He also spoke to the captain
when he first saw him after the deceased was shot, being
in a very distressed state of mind, upon which, as some of
the crew were upon deck, he (witness) asked him to come
into the cabin and compose himself. On Friday the sur-
geon produced a diary which he had kept, and from which
he read the particulars of the treatment, medicines, &c.
he had given to Green, day by day. Although written in
pencil it was very precise and satisfactory, and Mr. Rush-
ton highly complimented him upon it, adding that he
wished every doctor on board ship would adopt a similar
plan. At the close of the case Mr. Rushton said, there
was evidence to prove that a man, named Green, had been
shot through the abdomen, and sufficient testimony to
make it appear that the captain had been guilty of the act,
he having acknowledged it by frequent declarations to that
effect. His (Mr. Rushton's) opinion was, that two per-
sons had fired at Green, but from the absence of the offi-
cers and crew of the William Rathbone, who would have
t ablews tono throw
b be
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which doubt
cbaipgtbaienha (ofr.
hung over the matter. The ball by which the man met his
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heardhe a
caused his death was stated to be a jagged one, and caused
barbea bulleta iit
is b
whichjusticeaiusttohave
acter,) was then committed for trial at the Central Crimi-
nal Court, but was informed that he would be admitted to
bail for his appearance, in the amounts before stated. The
depositions were forwarded to London on Saturday, and
the trial will probably come on towards the end of the pre-
sent week.

LIVERPOOL NEW GAS AND COKE COMPANY.

On Wednesday last the general annual meeting of this
company was held in the Clarendon Rooms, and was very
numerously attended. John Holmes, Esq. was called to
the chair, and called on Mr. H. Banner to read