The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-17 00:00:00

MI?. CRAGG AND THE CORPORATION.

The following letter appeared in a Liverpool paper in
the year 1825, and we are requested to republish it in
answer to Mr. Cragg's letter which appeared in the
STANDARD of Tuesday last. This we do on the principle
of " Fair Play."

GENTLEMEN,—FOr some time the public attention has been
too frequently drawn to the individual whose name you see at
the head of this letter; yet I trust you will excuse my request-
ing. you to insert this communication. The most unreasonable
or improbable statements by frequent repetition acquire a cer-
tain, credit, if not contradicted, and I wish to hold up the other
side of the picture to the public, as respects that gentleman ; hi-
therto they have only had one side shown to them.

To listen entirely to Mr. Cragg, he • might be an "angel of
light;" a person of the. mist• accommodating disposition, ever
ready, nay anxious, to forward any measure-havingin.Yiew the
public advantage, even at the expense of his own interest. You
would suppose him,to be a much-injured individual, the victim
of the arbitrary measures of the Corporation, and engaged in
an unequal contest against their powerful purse. You would
_tliinkjoo,_ that this, bodrhad itdopteettiline of•conditet the most
monstrous ithat they had depaitaiii his case from their usual
course; selected him for the object of their hostility ; " para-
lyxed"his foundry (of this presently';) and kept him and his
concerns for years in the most unjustifiable state of suspense
and uncertainty.
What has really been the course adopted by the Corpoiation
towards Mr. Cragg? I assert confidently that it•bas been simi-
lar to that which they have followed towarils all the other parties
with whom they have had to deal under the Improvement Act.
Let me try to make out this assertion.
A part, and a part only, 'of Mr. Cragg'S property is required
in order to widen Tithebarn-street. This was notorious; the
public know, Mr. Cragg himself must have known all along,
all the world may see with half an eye (to use a familiar phrase)
that the foundry itself could never be wanted to widen Tithebarn-
street. Very well; in the first instance, Mr. Cragg offers to
sell the part required: but names a price most exorbitant in the
opinion of the Improvement Committee. They decline his
offer, but ask him whether he has any objection to leave to re-
ference the value of the whole of the douses and buildings extend-
ing back along the line of improvement up to the foundry wall and
gates. In making this application, they keep in mind that, un-
der the act, Mr. Cragg could claim the right of buying back be-
fore any other person, if he chose,_ the surplus land remaining after
the street was widened, so that there was no prospect of injuring
him by cutting off the foundry from the improved front of the
street. Mr. Cragg's long study of the act and its clauses ren-
ders it impossible that he should not have known this. Ile an-
swers, however, that he has an insuperable objection to a re-
ference, as his front to the improved street may. be cut off. The
Committee then apprised him of their intention to go to a jury
to fix the value of the premises above-named, always keeping in
view, as I have said, that he had a right to re-purchase the sur-
Clus land, and begged him to name his jury. To this Mr.
ragg rejoins,—No T. I beg to signify, as lam empowered by
the act to do, my inclination to sell the whole of my premises, in-
cluding my extensive foundry itself He would• thus have the
committee, under his construction of the act, and owing;to a
" blunder," as he says, in the schedule, buy. from him six or
seven times the quantity wanted for the street. The value of
this whole he has no objection to leave to arbritration. In other
words, he will either have his owu price for the part wanted, or
he will make the Committee buy the whole, which is not wanted.
They never had the most remote intention of buying the whole,
however; they had never given Mr. Cragg the least idea that
such was their intention, and they could not, therefore, think
of taking Mr. Cragg's foundry of hands, as it were, and there
the matter dropped. When the Committee, after some years,
had completed the other improvements entrusted to their 'direc-
tion unwilling to leave the work unfinished, they resolved to see
whether time had made any change in Mr. Cragg's disposition.
They now made hiM another ineffectual offer for the part wanted
to widen the street, but met with the same unaccommodating
spirit; and, at length, after some fruitless negotiation, and
when every other mode had failed, they bad recourse to a jury
in August last, to assess the value of the beforementioned pre-
mises, with the exception of the foundry, gateway, 4-c. as here-
after named. The verdict of the jury awarded the price to be
paid by the Corporation to Mr. Cragg. This gentleman, how-
ever, immediately signified his intention of applying for an in-
junction in Chancery, to prevent further proceedings, and there
the business rests at this time.

I believe the above is a faithful statement (I have meant it to
be strictly so) of the case between the Corporation and Mr.
Cragg, and the public will judge between them.
Throughout the whole proceedings, I am told that the
im-
provement Committee have been unanimous, with the excep-
tion of Mr. George Rowe, who is Mr. Cragg's profe4.onal ad-
viser on the occasion, and maz fairly be allowed to feel a bias
in favour of his client. The Council, too, have invariably con-
firmed every proceeding of the Improvement Committee, with
only two or three dissentient voices.
Mr. Cragg has often appealed to the public against the Com-
mittee, as having, by keeping him so long in suspense, "para-
lyzed the business ot the foundry:' There are two opinions as
to when the first symp`oms of paralysis showed themselves. I
shall not say what I think as to that, but his assertion I consi-
der absolutely ridiculous. The public know (or ought to know,
and therefore I will tell them) that, locally, this was impossible;
for the part wanted for the street does ,wt touch the foundry pro-
perly so called, and does not even reach to the gates ; leaving
that extensive plot of ground, which is occupied by the foundry,
one perfect whole, as before, for the carrying on of business.
A reference to Mr. Cragg's own plan, circulated by him, shows
this at once. The only part of the foundry premises that would
be touched is the ~srateway into an open space in front of the
gates, a very small part of au office on one side, and part of a
small house on the other, occupied by the foreman. Both these
buildings are, for all the purposes of wideningTithebarn-street,
totally unconnected with the foundry itself let on this point,
viz., that the abovenamed office, house, gateway, and open
space are the foundry itself, Mr. Cragg defends his conduct.
Let the public judge again.
To sum up.—Although the Improvement Act empowers, it
does not compel the Corporation to purchase property. They
would gladly have completed the widening of Tithebarn-street,
but they did not feel themselves, as-stewards of the public purse,
justified in submitting.to pay an extravagant-price for doing so ;
much less could they think of saddling themselves with a large
property, for which they had no use. The idea of a market on
31r. Cragg's premises, fiy the bye, was never entertained for an
instant by the Council, nor ever named there but once by an
individual member, whose idea was on the spot rejected. It the
"ugly projection" of the gateway, &c, theretbrc remains, it is
not their fault, as they contend; and, on principle, they feel
that it is better that a small part of Tithebaru-street should re-
main as it is, even at some but not great inconvenience to the
Public, than that the public should give way to an unreasonable
demand. An improvement may be bought too dear, and so
they think as respects Mr. Cragg.
I will not comment on Mr. Cragg's attempt to set the whole
town against the Corporation, nor on the indecorum of his pub
lication of last week, at the very moment when he is applying
to the Lord Chancellor. It is this last circumstance, however,
which has induced me to address you in vindication of the Cor-
poratiou; but I shall not again trespass on your 'columnS.—
Where public bodies and an individual have beer. opposed, it
has often, perhaps too often, happened, that the latter has been
the victim; but, believe me, on the present occasion, Mr. Cragg
is no such individual.

By iuserting,this letter you will oblige the writer, who, like
yourselves, is a lover of . • • PA I PLAY.
Liverpool, Norcnthrr 22, 1825.

STATE 01-' TRADE.
Ouni.tm.—Trade here is not so brisk as it has been of late.
Cotton spinning is the most_ active of any branch at present,
and has been so for some time back, but the power-loom weavers
are working only two-thirds of their time; and some mills have
not been running at all for the-last week. • • • •
BaAnFonn.—" I am' happy to inf Orin you that, from all ac-
counts, we had. a very lively market on Thursday... Every de-
scription of stuff goods was in great demand, and fully main-
tained last week's prices._ Wool has given way a little, Owing
to the heavy stocks in the market."—(Curre.pundent.)
HALIFAX MARKET.---:There was rather more business done
in stuff goods, at this market, last Saturday, than there was on
Saturday preceding. For blanket wool there was a very brisk
demand, and tamer prices were fully maintained.
HUDDERSFIELD M A RKET.—On Tuesday last the demand for
low priced broad and narrow cloths was pretty good; and former
prices were maintained, but in superfine.clotha very little busi-
ness was done.

ROCHDALE FLANNEL MARKET.--On Monday last the market
for fine goods was dull, though sonic very superior qualities sold
readily. Middle and low qualities sold briskly at the prices of
last week.

•
The trade of Frome is on the increase. The manufactories
are lay employed, and the looms generally in active operation.
Fewer names are'ou the eitra lists of the poor's books than
have been known for a considerable time, and it. i 3, confidently
reported that the poor's rates will he less in amount this year bit
one-half than last.' The manufacturers anticipate a better
spring
trade than has been experienced for inativ wars ; as, ow-
ing to the modifications of the American tariff, the Americans
are induced to become large purchasers of woollen goods in the
British market.—Bath Chronicle.

The orchards between Hereford and Leominster are looking
extremely prosperous ; it is calculated that one acre will, on an
average, produce 20 hogsheads of cider ; such a heavy crop has
not been known for along time. The late winds haire, in some
situations where no Atelier intervened, materially injured both
trees audfruit.—Hereford Journal.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

(Written e.rpressly for the Liverpool Standard.)

THE GREAT ST. LEGER.—The coutestfor these stakes, which
excites so much interest in the sporting circles, comes off this
day, Tuesday. In our Friday's Standard we shall give a lull
account of the race, with other interesting particulars. The
following horses have arrived at Doncaster, and will be ridden as
named; the odds to each are attached :-3 to 1 agst*Muley Mo-
loch (ridden by S. Chifnev) ; 6 to 1 agst Rockingham (rider
unknown) ; 10 to 1 agst Belshazzar (rider unknown) ; 7 to 1
agst ussulma:n (W. Scott) ;12to 1 agst The Mule (G. Nelson) ;
15 to 1 agst Tutor (Robinson);: 15 to 1 agst Revenge (J. Day);
17 to 1 agst Jack Faueett (Sering)"; 25 to 1 agst Deceiver (un-
known). Despot, Siiider, Titus, Alecto, Forrester, Eve, and
LOt, have also arrived, and are ex_peeted to go.
FITZWILLIABI STAXES.-2 to 1 agst Ph}-sician, 5 to 1 agst
Julius.

. .
—.—.
CHAMPAGNE STAKES.-3 to 1 against Codllibn, 4to 1 against
Emigrant.
DONCASTER CI:P.-4 to 1 agst Consol, 5 to 1 agst Physician,
5 to 1 agst any other.