The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-07 00:00:00

THE CORN TRADE UNDER THE NEW LAW.

The operation of the new corn-law has, thus far, not
produced any material effect upon prices, although, in an-
ticipation of a rise in the duty, a large quantity—indeed
the bulk—of the stock of foreign grain in bend has been
released during the cast week. The millers generally
have been out of stock, which has contributed to create a
pressure of demand, and to su,tain prices. When this
pressure is over, and the demand becomes less urgent, it
is probable that we shall see a further decline from present
prices, unless we should have weather unpropitious to the
growing crops. _ _

Consiiders;blP difficulty has been created at the Custom-
houses by a difference amongst the authorities as to the
construction of a portion of the act. The wording of this
portion is, that on rye, peas. and beans, for every quarter
a duty equal in amount to the duty payable on a quarter
barley shall be charged. It was interpreted at our
own Custom-house amongst others, that 'he intent
of the Legislature was, that to rye, peas, and beans, the
scale of duties applicable to barley should be used, but
duty should he regulated by the average price of each ar-
ticle separately. By this interpretation of the met ning
of the Legislature, the duty upon beans would have been
2s. per quarter, and that sum was received at the Liver-
pool Custom-house, with a security, however, for the
payment of any greater amount which might be charged.
The duty on barley is 6d. ; and the diff,:rence there-
fore, was Is. 6d. The Customs' authorities, contrary to
the general expectation of the trade, have interpreted the
wording of the act literally, and ordered the 3s. 6J. duty
to be enforced.

IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING VESSELS

A patent has lately been taken out in this country
by Captaii W. C. Thompson, late of the packet-ship
Stephen Whitney, for a new submerged propeller, that is
said to possess advantages in certain cases over both the
paddle-wheel and the screw. We have been invited to
see a model of drawings of it at the office of Mr. Gran-
tham, who is employed to bring it into operation. It has
been for some time the subject of a patent in America,
and was applied by Mr. Aldright, the inventor, to a vessel
of 400 tons, called the Virginia, in a manner that gave un-
deniable proofs of efficiency. Steam vessels have been
constructed in England with a contrivance something
similar, but owing to an impDttant omission they were
unsuccessful.

The present invention consists of paddle-wheels en-
closed in air-tight cas,.es, and projecting about 18 inches
through the bilges or bottom of a vessel. These wheels
are made of a hollow drum, having small paddles attached
to 111,1 periphery, and being set in motion by steam-en-
gin in the usual manner. It is found that at or above a
certaio velocity, the water, by the centrifugal force of the
p irldles, is entirely expelled from the cases, and a partial
vacuum formed. This is seen by the fact, that when a
hole is made in the cases, on the inside of the vessel and
below the water-line, no water goes into the vessel, but
air is drawn into the wheel-cases.

It will then follow that nearly the whole power of the
engine is exoPodcd on the lower part of the wheels in
operation—the most favourable for propelling the vessel—
and wholly removed from any influence arising from the
pitehi,,g, rolling, or unequal immersion of tl-e ship.
It is found that much smaller paddle-wheels are re-
quired, compared with the power of the engine, than at
present; so small, indeed, as to enable them to be ap-
plied to ships of war, and to be kept entirely under the
water line.

It is to be hoped that the principle will soon be tried on
a poi scale in this country.

The noble steam-ship Great Britain will not sail for
New York until this evening, in consequence of a quan-
tity of freight having been sent eloneside late on Satur-
day evening, and it bring found impossible to get the ship
stowed in time for her to sail at the period announced in
the advertisement.
NEW CHURCH FOR ST. SIMON'S DISTRICT.—On
Sunday forenoon last, the Lord Bishop of Chester
preached a sermon at St. Michael's, in aid of the fund
for erecting a new and commodious church for the dis-
trict of St. Simon's, of which Gloucester-street is the
centre. The congregation was large and respectable.
The Rev. Cyrus Morral read prayers, and the Bishop and
the Rev. Mr. Carpenter aficiated at the communion-
table. His Lordship preached from the Ist chapter of
Haggai,' the 3rd and following verses :—" Then came the
word of the Lord, saying, Is it time for you to lie in your
ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now, therefore,
thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways." He
showed that " the house lying waste" denoted the tem-
ple which the Jewish people ought to have built on their
return from captivity ; but he should be ungrateful if lie
applied the words of the prophet, in their full sense, to
this town and neighbourhood. He besought them to go
on with the work of building churches now in progress,
for all has not yet been accomplished that ought to be
done. The cause of God called for increased liberality
and self-denial. The district to which their attention aad
bounty was that day called, had suffered much from neg-
lect. So much had vice prevailed in it, and so little was
ntoe.coienri lee;te tlfieercohneteameepolmatmededdaetsieignne,
the Lord known, that a sum of £2OOO was still required
t
ecHoe-
f wl
2h Oi ()hp ewr saos nasn.
noticed with gratification, that five new churches had re-
cently been built in the town—the meens supplied by those
who derived their wealth from the people's industry,
and who felt that God and the people had a claim upon
them. He co,,cluded by a strong appeal to their feelings
as Christians ; for those who enjoyed the " unsearchable
riches of Christ" should strive that all should partake of
those treasures—without which the wealthiest were poor,
and with which the poorest were rich. A liberal collec-
tion was then made. In the evening, his lord-hip preched
in behalf of the same object, at St. George's Church,
Everton. The text was from the fifth chanter of St.
Matthew and 16th verse :—" Let your light so shine be-
fore men,, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven." This discourse was
also most appropriate and eloquent, and was listened to
with the most masked attention—the most solemn respect.
The amount of the collections at both churches (including
two donations) was £B9.