The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-05-21 00:00:00

which we allude have been in every way a misfortune.
It is useless to conceal what everybody knows,
namely, that the Cheshire members are aided by the
members of the manufacturing districts in depriving
this town of all the advantages which she has so
long possessed ; that there exists in Manchester and
other places an unworthy jealousy of Liverpool, and
that parliamentary applicants find willing listeners
when they develop any plan which can invade the
interests of this town. The chairman of our finance
committee has a vast responsibility on his shoulders
at this moment; and we wish that his ability to
grapple with the various important subjects now
affecting the welfare of the corporate estate, may be
equal to his desire to do what is right. Let docks
and warehouses be fairly in operation on the Cheshire
shore, on land, too, taken out of the estuary of the
Pool, and without cost, and a material difference in
the amount of fines for the renewal of leases will
soon be perceptible. Can the members of our
Councii for one moment be so infatuated as to sup-
pose that the town dues can be permanently levied
in another county without continual contests ? They
may get up in their places and assert that Liverpool
possesses as good a claim to town dues from Hoy-
lake to Warrington Bridge as any nobleman does to
his entailed estate. But such assertions are now
secretly laughed at by men on the opposite shore,
aye, and by many on this side too, and as soon as
there is a sufficiency of capital expended at Birken-
head to justify the cost of a struggle, let the Corpo-
ration of Liverpool be aware that they will need to
buckle on their armour and throw away the scabbard-
But another question presents itself, and of
perhaps greater importance than any which we have
glanced at. Mr. Rendell has stated that abstract-
ing the water of Wallasey Pool, which now forms
part of the scouring power of the river, will not do
the slightest harm to the navigation of the harbour;
and that building a sea-wall from Woodside to Sea-
combe will not be detrimental to the Liverpool
Docks. Now it appears from the evidence, that a
great number of the most eminent engineers are of
a contrary opinion ; and they declare that by the
abstraction of the water, and the projection of this
sea-wall, the current will be diverted, and thus
will cause a silting up of the entrances of the Liver-
pool docks. On this point we do not presume to
offer an opinion ; but we do say, that when men of
high reputation and great experience pledge their
reputation that such will be the practical effect of
the contemplated schemes, it is high time for every
man in Liverpool to bestir himself, as any increase
of banks at our dock entrances would be most
fatal to the town.

That the Birkenhead bill will pass the Commons
there can be no doubt, because the Committee are
decidedly favourable to its promoters. It has, how-
ever, to go through another ordeal, where a com-
mittee sits in a legislative capacity, and where the
members have no political battery brought to bear
upon them ; and it may there be successfully op-
posed, or, at least, the interests of Liverpool may be
protected. Why does not the Corporation insist
upon the insertion of a clause in the bill making the
payment of town-dues for ever one of its admitted
enactments ? The question could never then be
agitated, and so the prosperity of Birkenhead would
be made to contribute to the prosperity of Liverpool.
Every pound of cotton -docked and warehoused at
Birkenhead will be sold, not at Birkenhead, but on
our Exchange ; and the very resistance of town
dues has an unfavourable effect, and in principle
would be unjust. But we again tell the Corporation
that in less time than they expect, that resistance
will be attempted. And as there is such difference
of opinion on the probable effect of building a sea
wall across Wallasey Pool, let the Corporation insist
upon a clause in the bill making it imperative upon
the Birkenhead Comthissioners to remove and carry
away all additional silt that may be deposited on the
Liverpool shore through the projection of their works
in the tideway. _ _

These two clauses will only be fair, and if the
parties now seeking their bill are influenced by the
desire to advantage themselves without injuring their
neighbours, they will cheerfully consent to their in-
troduction, and it will test the sincerity of their for-
mer professions.
The whole of this subject is fraught with the
deepest interest to all classes of the community, and
we commend it to the careful and prompt conside-
ration not only of our great public bodies, hut of every
owner of property in the town. In another month
vigilance will be unnecessary, FOR IT WILL BE
TOO LATE!

Really the House of Commons appears just now
to be taking extraordinary pains to lower its stand-
ing in the eyes of the world, as a grave and delibe-
rative assembly. Two months ago it decided, by a
majority, after a long debate, that ten working
hours per day was a sufficient amount of labour to
be exacted from the women and young persons in
our factories; and on Monday, after another long
debate, it decided the reverse by an overwhelming
majority. And when the public had just got over
the shock, and men who had been accustomed to
revere the character of the British House of Com-
mons were beginning to be able to look one another
in the face without blushing or laughing, our very
grave senators, during the discussion of a subject so
important as the Customs' Duties' Bill, break out
into an exhibition of the comic line of performance
which is perfectly irresistible, the prime minister
himself taking the leading buffo part, in a style that
would enrapture pit, boxes, or gallery, in any house
in or out of London.

The new duty to be levied upon confectionary was
the subject under discussion ; and Mr. Alderman
Humphery asked "What was the reason that the
duty on plums was to be altered ?" whilst Mr. War-
burton maintained that it was to protect the plum-
growing constituency of the honourable baronet, the
member for East Kent. Sir Robert Peel, in reply,
expressed himself not much surprised at the obser-
vations of the worthy baronet and ex Lord Mayor,
" for he" (the said ex-dignitary) " was no doubt so
encouraged by his extraordinary success in discus-
sing, last year, the duties upon turbots and lobster
sauce, that it was no matter of astonishment to find
him now standing forward as the advocate and de-
fender of the great plum-pudding interest." Of
course the house was in convulsions of laughter at
the refined and classical drollery of the reply, and
perfectly reconciled with the proposed new duty upon
plums.
But the amusing performance was not to conclude
here. Sir Robert Peel and the ex-Mayor were not
to bear away between them the comic wreath. Mr.
John Bright, M.P. for the cathedral city of Dur-
ham, discovered that there might be a more ridicu-
lous character than even that of " advocate and de-
fender of the great plum-pudding interest ;" and in-
continently presented himself in that of " advocate
and defender" of the small canary interest ! This
bright specimen of a legislator contended that—
"There was another question affecting the county of
Kent besides the apple and plum question—he meant the
dutyi upon canary seeds. (Shouts of laughter.) It was a
Qtinuuetseqoune,stion certainly—(more laughter, and cries of
)—he was speaking to the question. Canary
seeds were confectionary. (Renewed laughter and cries
of ' Question.') Well, he would only say that peculiar
care seemed to be taken of Kentish interests.

Amazing discovery, or rather, discoveries, for
which the eleetors of Durham have infinite reason