The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-25 00:00:00

simply this, that it is very desirable and necessary to keep
all the creeks and havens of the whole estuary into which
the sea water runs sacred, that is, that they should not he
encroached upon. With reference to the creek in ques-
tion, that formed part of our report : I made a report on
the subject in 1822, and subseq rently in 1834 and 1836,
and there we enjoined, and I individually enjoined, the
necessity of keeping that open for the uses of the river, on
the ground that it would be depriving the harbour of so
much space over which the tidal water flows, and pro
tanto do injury to the navigation of the river, that is with
regard to the sea channels. The real difficulty at present
is at the Victoria Bar, which is the neck of the bottle."
When Mr. Rennie is asked whether he thinks the exclu-
sion of the water at Wallasey Pool would be inexpedient,
he says, " I would not answer that by the word iuexpe-
dient ; it would be at war with the doctrines we have
maintained."
Mr. Page says—" I cannot imagine that any abstrac-
tion of tidal water from Wallasey Pool, or any other part
of the Mersey, so far as the tide flows, but r.articularly
p lofrtyi oo
un stiank
et hti
the
el occaaslei ttyh,awt ialillntohtei nwjautreer twh
he i sceha
pcash asne
s-
nscour the sea channels, you will take away almost all the
theseouelt is not available to
s.
of the Mersey over the sand banks
tidal water of the Mersey ; and again, it is urged as proof
that the waters from the Wallasey Pool are not beneficial
to the sea channels, because they run out at an early part
of the tide, but (continues Mr. Page) they do not run out
so early as is supposed."
Mr. Vignoles considers that the abstraction of any of
the water, and especially that taken away from the wide
part of the pool, where there is a large quantity at a later
period of the tide, is " exceedingly injurious."
Mr. Giles gives similar evidence. "The abstraction of
any quantity must, pro tanto, diminish the scour of the
tide at Victoria Bar."
Mr. Walker says " it is not a question how much the
risk is, but a question of certainty ; and that, so far as the
quantity of tidal water is reduced, the sea channels are
injuriously interfered with."
With respect to the scouring power of the water let
off through the sluices at half ebb, Mr. Rends!, for the
1 promoters, says—" The most efficient water for scouring
1 is that which passes off at half tide, according to the pre-
sent' state of things"; and, in reply to another question,
I he states that the quantity of water which comes from
Wallasey Pool in its present state, after half tide, is
1,399,000 yards, whereas 1,600,000 yards will be the
amount available after the construction of the new works.
It must be borne in mind, however, that 7,000,000 tons
is the quantity now available for scour every tide, and
not 1,390,000. With respect, however, to the scouring
effect of this 1,600,000 yards, Mr. Page says, that if dis-
charged after half tide, it " would not reach the bar" ;
and, if discharged before, it would reach it. But, then,
what becomes of the proposed scour of the tidal basin,
the best time for cleansing which would be low water or
a little before, that the ebb tide may carry down the silt.
Mr. Page and Mr. Rendel are thus at issue as to the best
time of discharging the waters held in suspension in the
upper pool ; and it appears plain that the scour of the bar
cannot be made to assimilate with the scour of the tidal
basin.
Mr. Vignoles and Mr. Giles both confirm the views of
Mr. Page on this point. The former says, that the water
discharged "before half-ebb contributes to the scour;"
and the latter says, that " if the range between half ebb
and low water is to be taken as the choice time of scour-
ing, the mean would reduce it to the last quarter of the
ebb ; and at that last quarter the discharge of water would
be too late to reach the Victoria Bar at the distance of
13 miles." The latter gentleman also most satisfactorily
demolishes the argument founded on the alleged silting
up of Wallasey Pool, in its present state, for he finds that
the sections recently taken by Mr. Page and Mr. Draine,
without any previous concert, show the same, or nearly
the same, quantities with those taken by himself between
the years 1819 to 1823.
It is contended further by the promoters that the turn-
ing out of the water from Wallasey Pool would instantly
affect the bar of the Victoria Channel.
Mr. Bendel says, " I cannot at an hour before low
water discharge this large mass of water, 1,600.000 cubic
yards, into the basin, without producing a r,•,qentum. It
is that momentum which produces the effect." "It is
not the mere precise particles of water that go to the Vic-
toria Bar; but I will be bound that they shove some par-
ticles a-head of them that would not otherwise go there."
Mr. Cubitt also observes :—" If you let out suddenly a
quantity of water into the end of any trough, it will begin
instantly to run over the other end. The particles of
water will not get there; it lifts water, and produces the
effect of a wave."
In opposition, however, to this fallacy, we have the
opinions of Mr. Page, that such an operation as pouring
water into the end of a trough would produce a wave
which would pass over the other end in a time propor-
tioned to:the quantity ; and of Professor Lewis, (professor
of mathematics and natural philosophy in the college of
civil engineers,) who says that " water turned into the
Mersey will not affect Victoria Bar, in the way of scour-
ing it, until the water actually arrives at the bar."
The argument is insisted upon that the erection of the
proposed sea-wall would improve the navigation of the
river; and that by increasing the velocity of the current
opposite to Wallasey Pool, a greater quantity of water
would flow up the river. Mr. Page denies this, and says
that " the water in Wallasey Pool will itself form a dam
at the flood tide, which will pass up the same tvater as if
there were a solid embankment." It must be borne in
mind, too, that the narrows of the river are below these
proposed works; and the effect consequently of the em-
bankment will be to diminish the estuary in which the
water to scour is held, rather than to increase the force of
the scour or of the current. This fact was pressed upon
the attention of Mr. Rendel, and although fenced with,
sufficient was admitted to show that in his opinion any
embankment " abridging the receptacle for the tidal
water," or formed " in a part of the estuary above these
narrows at Liverpool will be inexpedient."
Here we must pause, omitting for the present any in-
quiry as to whether the proposed tidal basin at WoodsiJe
Ferry would compensate for the beaching grounds of
Wallasey banks, or the advantages or disadvantages of the
entire scheme as compared with the docks about to be
erected by the Dock Committee in Liverpool. Our
readers, especially those most deeply interested in the
important questions involved, will doubtless refer to the
pamphlet itself, which we can recommend as ably argued,
and full of just views and much information upon the
entire subject.
. Comparison of the evidence taken before the Committee on the
Birkenhead Docks Bill in the Douse of Commons. London:
Printed by James and Luke J. Hansard, near Lincoln's-Inn- fields.
1844.

STANZAS, BY A LADY,
FVritten on board the Steamship Beitannia,Junel3,lB44.

Roll on, roll on, ye giant waves,
In grandeur fierce and Wild!
Old Ocean, though he madly raves,
Must own me as his child.
Roll on across our liquid path,
With hoarse and sullen roar;
And all your gathered wealth of wrath
In whitened vengeance pour.

I am as fearless as the bird
Who makes the wave her home,
And weaves her nest, with song unheard,
Amid the breakers' foam ;
Who boldly dips her snowy wing
In surge as purely white,
Then soars aloft in airy ring,
With scream of wild delight.

Away! and round yon distant rock
In stormy fury rave :
Ye may the timid landsman shock,
But not the sailor brave!
t►ur bold and gallant bark disdains
The might of raging tides :
Swift o'er old Neptune's vast domains
A queen Britannia rides!

She scatters from her whirling wheels
The foam that marks her pace,
As hurls the war-horse from his heels
The dust of battle chase;
Her canvass to the breeze she flings,
As to the strong, free air
The eagle gives his noble wings,
And leaves his mountain lair.

God shield the bark from every ill,
And bless her faithful crew,
Her officers of worth and skill,
Her HEivirr brave and true!
And bless the veteran known to fame,
Whom once the waters bore
To battle fur his country's claim—
The valiant " COMMODORE"!
God bless the men and mighty lands
Old Ocean rolls between—
The President who ours commands,
And England's Royal Queen!
May virtue each with glory crown;
May dark oppression cease ;
And cry of battle never drown
The silver song of peace.

Bastoa, Mass,

A. M. C. EDMOND.

e r s arctics te d zone,
in
goingin as
•
cmreuwchwaesreit
anpenaerlayrssttahrev efndowli hshile'f
Punch says, " It is no. wonder Captain Parry and his
eliillowthsep
in their bear (bare) skins!"
Now that Orangemen are excluded from the police-
force, Punch thinks it would be but fair that the magis-
trates should also put down that portion of the fair sex
called " orangewornen," whose supporters strew the
footwalks so plentifully with orange peel, that the limbs
of the lieges are in constant danger.
RUINED GAMESTERS DESPISED._ ma may be thought
that a gentleman who has lost above a thousand pounds
in a gambling-house may have the right of entree by pres-
cription. Nothing is more unlike the fact. From the
height of its prosperity to its declension, every oscillation
in. his course is noted with the nicest observation ; for
instance, playing for lower stakes, a more frebile excite-
ment when losing, occasionally borrowing of a friend, a
cheque not punctually paid, and finally, a small sum bor-
rowed of the bank, to enable him to take up a bill under
a very pressing emergency : these are the little circum-
stances which lead to his ultimate exclusion. On some
fine evening during the ensuing season he calls, thinking
to be admitted as heretofore, but be is stopped at the first
door, with the ready excuse that " there is nothing doing."
On the next 'call be is told that " there is no play going
on." "No play ; So you said the last time I called,
and I have since unierstocod from a friend that there was
play. Let me" ; I want toell ; s
shall takee the manageer.some" "
:other
He is
not in, Sir." Oh, very w
opportun • of seeing him."
i 4 When • lie does see the
chef, the latter expresses moat sincere regret-at the oc-
currence, and makes a'inost specious promise to have the
interdict removed. Thus assured,Wlio now is to . oppose
his entrance? Not the porter, surely Yes, the very
Same porter'still insists that the:great man is -not within
—that.ba knows nothing about the explanation given, and
therefore cannot admit him. Thus reptilsefi, the appli-
cant murmurs a: threat about not paying, and thus the
matter ends. What is here stated must be understood as
applying to commoners; for a peer, however poor, can
always be turned to some account—Bentley's Mitcellany.