The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-10-29 00:00:00

tHg LIVERPOOL STAIVDARP:.

in that corner of the counts=ln that corner where no
docks, but tail chimneys ark the order of the day—let me
tell you that we feel no slip :'t interest in the progress and
success of this undertaking. We have been told, on high
authority, that " the are all for ourselves in this world" (a
cry of " AltleiNca'a Brooks," and shouts of "hear") but,
gentlemen, the individuals who projected th,s great na-
tional work look upon it as one of the greatest advantages
to the rapidly increasing commerce of this country, and
on motives of self-interest alone we look with anxiety to
the success and rapid execution of these measnres. Be-
lieve me, gentlemen, it is a matter of no slight interest to
our master manufacturers, and to the great Masses we see
in our corner of Cheshire—many of whose representatives
I am happy to see around me to-day—it is to them a mat-
ter of no slight importance to see the delay of their vessels
in the Mersey .for a period of from Ito 14 days. We are
told .that punctuality is the soul of business, and our ma-•
nufacturers know that it will not answer for them, when
they receive orders—ay, and when they have executed
them—not to be able to forward them to their correspond-
ents. I say, then, that upon national grounds, and upon
every other ground, we look with great interest on the un-
dertaking. As one more particularly connected with this
district, I bid you God speed. I sincerely trust that, tae
Work which we have to-day commenced so auspiciously
will be auspiciously finished. I •see scarcely any limit,
looking into futurity, to the growing greatness and pros-
perity of this town. You have seen what your neighbours
have done on the other side of the water. I can only say,
as one who has had long dealings with the authorities of
Liverpool, that I 'sincerely trust—that I wish—they would
hold out to you the right hand of fellow.ship—that all dis-
cords will be forgotten-that you will try to rival them,
and only in that, in your punctuality, in the extentof your
commerce, and the accommodation of your decks ; and I
can assure you, as one of the reprerentatives of this
county, as one who has tried to be the representative of
the country, and not of the county, it shall always be my
endeavour to cooperate in any measure that will promote
the prosperity of this town. (Lung and protracted cheer-
ing.)
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose another toast. He
proposed the " Health of the Earl of Lord Lilford,
Lord Bateinan, and of ,the other distinguished guests who
had that day honoured Birkenhead with their presence."
The Earl of Es.',st,x.—l have been roost deeply gratified
by the interesting ceremony which we have witnessed. It
has given me a most exalted idea—but that, indeed, I did
not want—of the energy and the power of those connected
with the commerce of this country ; r,nd when I consider
the talent and foresight that were necessary to conceive

this great enterprise, the wealth and energy necessary to
carry it into execution, and the extraordinary results to
follow from its success, I cannot but think that the men
of Birkenhead are richly deserving of that noble title
which was borne by the first merchants of the world
those of Tyre—which then descended to the equally cele-
brated merchant of Venice, and now se worthily devolves
on your shoulders,—"the merchant princes" of Great
Britain. (Much cheering.) lam sure 1 most heartily
hope and pray that success may attend your noble under-
taking—that it may conduce in every respect to the hap-
piness and welfare of yourselves and your fellow-towns-
men—that it may spread still further and wider your al-
ready great name and the great commerce of this couatry,
and that, though last, not least, she may, with this assist-
ance and God's blessing, .carry into the very remotest
part of the world the b'essings of civilization and of Chris-
tianity. (Loud anl long-continued applause.)
Tae Hon. E. J. STANLEY said, they had laid the foun-
dation of the great civilization of the town by preparing a
system of draining—by preparing that system which. he
bteieved, would do more to bailie!) vice and misery from
the walls of a town than almost anything they could have
undertaken. (Hear, hear.) He wou!cl speak also of that
which redounded to their honour—Le meant the noWe at-
tempt they had made in setting apart a great space for the
recreation of their poorer and humbler brethren (hear,
hear), and that, not in some- obscure corner of their vi-
cinity, but in the very heart and centre of that great town
—land worth in value, by the inch and yard, they had
given by the acre tor the recreation of all the poorer in-
habitants. (Loud cheers.) Anti while he mentioned this
as a great means, he believed, for the civilization and im-
provement of the community, he mentioned it also as one
which would materially tend to lighten the labours of the
magivtacy. (Hear, hear.) While he praised them for
this, he would add, that in this, as in other casee,• the
best, the most honest, and the most merciful and humane
policy was also to be witnessed; and he believed that the
ichanitants of the township would experience an adven-
tage from what had been effected, not only in the superior
moral character of the people, but in the real additional
value they would find conferred on all the property in the
neighbourhood. (" Hear, hear," nod Lind cheers.)
• Mr. POTTER said, the Liverpool merchants could not
he the opponents of the Birkenhead dock measure, for
hey had felt too severely all the risks attending the former
state of affairs, and the losses attending the delay to which
their trade was subjected, partly from physical circum-
stances, .and partly trona the trade of the cuuntry having
increased to a degree beyond what any ordinary foresight
could be e, peered to provide for. Therefore, while asso-
ciated in the Birkenhead measnre, lie was'not only doing
that which would advance the trade of Liverpool and the
trade of the world, bat he was also doing that which would
meet with the encouragement and approbation of some of
the most eminent merchants in Liverpool—so many, that
to mane them would be -quite inviting's. (Hear, hear.)
They-had felt that the measure was due to the trade and
commerce which was rapidly exceeding all the provisions
made for its conyenit-nce, and ti at.it was al-o due to that
great hive of manufacturing industry on the other side,
knowing that the extension of commerce was the true
ha.is of the prosperity of the estu”ry of the Mersey.
(liar, hear.) lie b.-aged to propose, " The town and
trade of Liverpool." (The toast was very warmly
received.)
Mr. DUNCAN GIBB responded to it.
The Hon. Sir E. Cusp in pre:posing the health of the
Commissioners of Bit kenhead she 1 very shortly
indeed repeat those two or three &rcunistances which have
been mentioned already—those,. for instance, named by
the Hon. Mr. Stanley,—and which certainly display a
floesst.grci.at loafr ka
these
example e
whotokof the
the
1, a wisdom,d this town,sag sagacity, tis e
in lacy_
far:.d
.
ing out the suburbs of the town for the benefit of the
poorer population. I believe that this is ail instance of
feeling towards the poorer population wholly unexampled
in any to.vn in this or the other hemisphere; for enor-
mous streets have been projected and duly secreted, pre-
pared for water, and all the luxuries that modern refine-
ment could conceive, being all prepared before a single
house had been erected on the land. This is an insmrce
of sagacity very unusual indeed in any public undertaking,
and it is also an instance of activity which is very rare in
any public functionaries—qualities which must, to a re-
markable extent, exalt the character of the commissioners
of Birkenhead. The noble market now in course of erec-
tion, the various and numberless works every day pro-
jected, and, last, though not least, that mighty work
which we have seen to-day commenced, are nil works in
themselves so unusually great, that they would very justly
entitle any set of men to a high pl,ce in public estimation
for their individual acts ; but, when
.united, they really
form a, very considerable claim on the public gratitude.
The ti7ast was received with rapturous acclamations,
and Mr. J. D. CASE responded to it.

Mr. W. POTTER said, they ought not to forget him from
whom the plan of the docks proceeded. (Hear, hear.)
Th. y were in•lehted to the genius of that gentleman, as
well for his readmess,to answer all obj ctions, to undergo
the rigorous cross-examination of numerous counsel, and
to corroborate all his assertions, as to the capabilities of
the pool for all comaterciA purposes. He would not be
considered to hate trespassed unfairly when he begged to
propose the " Heal:h of Mr. Rendel, theengineer." (The
toast was rapturously received.)
Mr. lIENDEL was perrectlr satisfied of this, that tee
dross of which they had been lay n:-.; the foundation-.none
that day were not designed, neither would they be, in a
spirit of rivalry to those very magnificent works which
they saw so gloriously across the river on the very fine
day t. ith which they were blessed for their ceremony.
He was quite certain that they- wero altogether of a dif-
ferent description from a rival esta';lishment. (Hear,
hear.) They a e intended to props additional accom-
modation in the port of the Mersey, which, favoured as
Liverpool was, it did not afford facilities for the construe-
(ion of. (Hear, hear.) If the late Mr. Llird had lived
till 1814, and seen the numerous steamers which traversed
the Atlantic with the regularity almost 'of a locomotive,
he would have said " Let me have a Ltw-water basin for
those vessels ;" and this was really the only difference
between Mr. Laird's conception and the shadowing of
that conception which he (Mr. Retitle!) had been fortu-
nate enough to be called upon to carry out. (ll,ar, bear.)
Mr. J. HARDEN then proposed "The Press."
Mr. J. SMITH returned thanks.
The last toast on the list was " The Cheshire Witches,”
which was enthusiastically dunk.