The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-08-18 00:00:00

SELECT VESTRY MEETING.—On Tuesday, the Rev.
Rector Campbell was in the chair. Mr. Riding said that
Rector Brooks had requested him to communicate to the

board that the county magistrates had taken an old ware-
house, near Preston, and that it would be converted, with
all possible expedition, into a Lunatic Asylum, to which
the Liverpool patients could be sent at the same charge as
was paid for them elsewhere. The magistrates had pur-
chased an estate at Rainhill, and three arcWtects were now
engaged in drawing plans for the erection of a large asylum
thereon. The chairman asked whether the board intended
to take any steps with reference to the Poor Removals
Bill which was now passing with railway speed through
the House of Lords. Upon the motion of Mr. Scholfield,
a petition against the bill was agreed to. A letter relative
to the division of fees on coroner's inquests between Mr.
Gilmour and Mr. M'Dougal, at the Workhouse, was re-
ferred to the honorary medical board. It appeared that
one of these gentlemen wanted to keep the whole of the
fees, as he said he did all the work, and that the other
was of opinion that they should divide the fees equally
between them. The chairman expressed a hope that the
board would interfere as little as possible with medical
men. The board shortly after separated.
AN IMPUDENT THIEF CAUGHT.—John Fielding was
placed before Mr. Rushton on Saturday, on a charge of
robbery. Police-constable 273 stated that he was called
on board the Manchester, bound for New York, and lying
in the Victoria Dock, about 12 o'clock on Thursday
night, to apprehend two men who had come on board
without permission ; whilst there be observed a man go
to the head of the vessel ; he sent a ship keeper after him,
who brought him down, and gave him in charge. Upon
instituting inquiries, he discovered that a woman named
Mary M'Cormick had been robbed of three sovereigns,
which had been taken from her while she had been in bed
with her husband and children ; the money was in a purse
which was suspended from her neck ; another woman had

been robbed of seven halfcrowns andtwo sixpences which
bad been cut from her stays whilst she was asleep in her
berth ; the pockets of a boy were turned out, and one
halfpenny out of two, their whole contents, taken away.
The half-penny was marked in a peculiar manner. and
was found on the person of the prisoner, as well as the
three sovereigns, in the original paper in which they had
been wrapped by the woman previous to her putting them
into her purse ; seven halfcrowns and two sixpences were
also taken from the man, who had besides a silver watch
and a purse containing34s.—Committed for three months.
WEST DERBY UNION.—At the meeting on Tuesday,
Mr. Rowland, relieving officer of Toxteth-park, reported
that he had been under the necessity, during the past
week, of dispensing casual or temporary relief to an unu-
sual number of distressed families in that place. He said
that very many of them, inhabiting cellars, had been
flooded out by the late sudden and drenching rains. The
quarter of which he spoke was the source and nursery of
diseases of a dangerous description. A correspondence
had taken place between the committee of the Southern
Dispensary, situate in the Park, and the overseers of that
place. The Dispensary, it appears, has long been dispens-
ing medicine and aid to the poor of the northern division.
The committee allege that they can no longer continue,
that their funds are exhausted, that they are on the last
year's account £4OO in debt, and that they can no longer
continue the service on those terms. But it has been
conditionally arranged betwen them and the parochial au-
thorities of the Park, that for an annual payment of £230,
out of which sum the Dispensary will be enabled to en-
gage an additional medical man, the sick poor of the
whole of the Park shall be attended to. Mr. Gregson,
having spoken in favour of the proposed arrangement,
concluded with moving that the papers be sent up to the
Poor-law Commissioners; and that they be written to in
the name of the board, with an earnest entreaty for their
concurrence in the measure. Several guardians arose si-
multaneously to second the proposition, which was at
once unanimously agreed to. Some affairs of minor im-
portance were afterwards disposed of, and the sitting
closed soon after twelve o'clock.

THE EMERALD, SCREW STEAMER.--This vessel,
which was built by Mr. Cato, with engines by Messrs.
Fawcett, Preston, and Co., for the City of Dublin Co.,
has had several trials previous to taking her station be-
tween Belfast and London. She was modelled by Mr.
Grantham, and the machinery is constructed upon his
patent. Lieutenant Sarsfield, R.N., superintended the
outfit, which is that of a beautiful three-masted schooner.
The Emerald, which is 300 tons measurement, and 50
horse power, will doubtless have been noticed by many of
our readers, during the last few weeks, sailing in the
river. Several other vessels, on the same principle,
nearly ready for sea, have been built under Mr. Gran-
hams directions, the largest of which are the Antelope,
600 tons, and the Sarah Sands, 1000 tons. The Emerald
was first tried with seventy tons of dead weight on board,
and afterwards with one hundred and twenty tons. Her
speed, under steam alone, in smooth water, averaged
seven and a quarter nautical miles per hour; and was
never less, when going head to wind, with a considerable
swell, than five knots. During the trials, few oppor-
tunities occurred of using her canvas, but enough was
seen to show that her speed will be very great with sails.
The greatest feat, however, and one that speaks volumes
for the success of the principle, was exhibited in towing
the Brenda, bark, from the Bell Buoy to the Rock. as
certified by the captain, in the following note :—" 1
hereby certify that the ship Bredna, of which I am com-
mander, was towed by the Emerald, screw steamer, from
the Bell Buoy to the Rock, on the 14th instant, at the
rate of five and five and a half knots per hour, through
the water. The Brenda is a full built ship, barque-
rigged, is 28 feet beam and area, 14 feet water.—Signed,
C. FLANDERS. master." The question as to the success
of the screw, as a propeller, perhaps, would not now be
doubted, but the difficulty of working it has been con-
sidered a great obstacle to its adoption. This experiment,
however, proves that the high velocity at which it has
been usually worked, is unnecessary; and that the ordi-
nary marine condensinc engine may be connected direct
to the screw shaft, without requiring the piston to move
at any unusual velocity. The speed-of the piston, when
the vessel was going nine knots, was considerably less
than that of the common paddle-wheel engine. Captain
W. C. Thompson, of the Sarah Sands, witnessed several
of the trials, and took the speed of the vessel.
THE WHIGS AND THE BRIBERY ACT.-011 Thurs-
day morning last, loungers about the streets were sur-
prised by the exhibition of a printed placard which ran
thus—

"CHESTER REGATTA.
SIR JOHN JERVIS, KNIGHT,
Having at the last assizes given a prize.to be contended for at
the present regatta, to promote the amusements of all his
friends ; and as many of them may not have the means of fully
enjoying themselves on the occasion, a
TICKET,
Value 3F. 6d ,
will be given to such of them as are on the Register as shall
call at the Office of Mr. Faulkner, Newgate•street, between the
hours of eight o'clock in the morning and two o'clock in the
afternoon of Thursday,

THE DAY OF THE REGATTA
Wednesday, sth August, IRO.

The natural consequences Of this unexpected invitation
was a rush of hundreds of thirsty applicants to the office
of our friend Faulkner, the legal agent of the Attorney-
General; and if we may judge from the crowds of jolly
fellows who were drinking the health of Sir John Jervis,
at the regatta and throughout the city, this fit of libe-
rality must have proved rather an expensive " fad."
Now, we have no wish to be hypocritical, and to affect a
virtuous indignation which we do not feel about this pro-
fuse distribution of the learned gentleman's gifts ; but
the matter is worth a passing notice, as an illustration of
the sincerity with which your Whig reformers invariably
denounce all attempts to tamper with the freedom and
purity of election. We remember a terrible outcry
being ruised by the " Liberals" in the house of Commons
against Sir Frederick Thesiger, the Attorney-General
under Sir R. Peel's ministry, for scattering, in confor-
mity with an ancient practice, a few small silver coins
among the crowd during the ceremony of " chairing"
after his election ; and a most indignant stir was also
made against Sir Fitzroy Kelly, another Conservative
law-officer, for "corrupt practices." But thank heaven,
the reign of humbug is over : a Whig Attorney-General
has a thorough contempt for all such prudish affectations
of Roman virtue : and henceforth what is sauce for a
goose will be sauce for a gander." Radicals and Tories
may alike pay their " friends" who are " on the register"
with impunity ; laws against bribery and corruption are
all gammon ; and pretensions to political independence,
fictions of fancy. The late regatta exhibition must at
any rate have had the effect of putting down the popular
notion, that Tories are the only politicians who seek to
win the " sweet voices" of the " masses" with money.
We hope Sir John will be consistant, and laugh at the
minister who may instruct him to institute proceedings
for offences against the Bribery Act..--Chester Courant.

MEETING OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE.
On Thursday, the usual weekly meeting of the Dock
Committee was held at the Revenue-buildings. Mr. Al-
derman Bramley-Moore presided. The following mem-
bers were present .—Messrs. Nicol, Molyneux, Hough-
ton, Woods, Horsfall, Henderson, Roydon, Gladstone,
and Tobin.

A list of the persons entitled to vote at the approaching
election of Dock Committeemen was ordered to be posted
up in the Exchange News-room.

The warehouse committee recommended that iron doors
be placed at the Albert warehouses, and that sliding
hatches, instead of doors, be put up at certain doors in
the said warehouse. The ►atter recommendation was re-
ferred to the committee of works.

Mr. JOHN MARSH, leading clerk at the Albert ware-
houses, tendered his resignation, which was ordered to be
accepted.
...

Mr. Me. BRIDE, the master of the Albert Dock, sug-
gested that vessels entering that dock, when the
flags were up at the Canning and Salthouse Docks, should
be required to go into it, for at present they entered the
basin, and went no further.
The suggestion was adopted.
Mr. HENDERSON remarked, as a somewhat singular
fact, that, according to the Gore's Advertiser, ninety
vessels arrived at tl'e Mersey last week, and that only two
of them went into the Albert Dock. It was very odd, he
said, after all the attractions of the Albert Dock, that
the committee had to force vessels into it, now that it was
opened.•

Mr. ToBIN thought that the reluctance to enter it
might be accounted for in two ways ; first. the list of
rates had not been published; and secondly, a general im-
pression prevailed, that if vessels went in, they must ne-
cessarily discharge their cargoes in the warehouses.
Several new appointments of labourers and others were
made to the Albert warehouses.

A letter was read from Mr. Benjamin Ditrbyshire, the
owner of the William Fisher, the first vessel that entered'
the Albert Dock, expressing his satisfaction at the de-
spatch which had attended the landing of her cargo, and
stating that the expense of discharging her was lower
than if she had been discharged at the transit sheds, or
by one of her own warehousemen.
An application from Davidson and Co., for a perma-
nent berth in George's Dock for their Leith packets, was
refused.

Applications from W. S. Dixon and Co., and. also