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

DOMESTIC.

AFFRAY WITH THE MILITARY AND THE POLICE AT
BRISTOL.—On Saturday week a serious collision took
place between a party of the 41st regiment, who had
marched into the town that day, and some of the police.
It would appear that the disturbance originated with one
of the soldiers and a member of the force, when blows
were exchanged, and in a few minutes the fight became
general between a number of each party. Nine of the
soldiers were locked up, and one taken to the Infirmary,
after receiving injuries of a very severe nature. The affair
took place about twelve o'clock at night, and the corres-
pondent adds, the city was in a state of complete uproar
from a report that the soldiers had determined to rescue
their comrades who were in durance.
WILL OF THE LATE MR. W. CROCKFORD.—Adminis-
tration, with the will annexed (no executor being named
therein), of the late well-known William Crockford, of
gambling notoriety, has been granted to Mrs. A. F.
Crockford, his widow. The will is dated as late as last
man, we be-
month, arid gives the whole of his property to his wife in
whattoiamrytdhetaf,
nearly the following words :—" I give and bequeath the
wifewhole a
and
df mh
eyr propertya relying
nwgh whatever v
The personal property alone is sworn under the large sum
of £200,000, and it is rumoured that his real estate is
herer descriptiondoin doing
lieve, formerly kept the fishmonger's shop adjoining Tern_
ple.bar, and by a series of successful speculations on the
turf was enabled to purchase the house in St. James's_
worth £150,000 more. This extraordinary
afterwards terribly famous as " Crockford' ;" street, s and
it is said that there the deceased amassed the bulk of his
immense property.
TURNING THE PENNY TO SOME TUNE.—In the most
distressed period of the cotton trade-1841 and when
our relations with China were anything but'
Manchester merchant formed the resolution settled, a
of speculat-
ing in 30,000 pieces of low shirtings,
chaser paid (is. Bd. Per piece; the i for which the
j pur-
.Zlo,ooo. The entire of this l whole outlay being ust
num-
bers of pieces if not in a large purchase, as to
mount, were shipped to Manilla,
where the goods arrived
took place, and the most opportune. A quick sale
le returns, after paying all costs and
charges, netted rather
over £2O 000. Bills for such an
amount were then out of the ' •
Trestion, and the proceeds
were invested in silk.
.The silt;, too, proved an equally
good spec, ; the
lucky owner having again doubled his
investment? i. e.: sold the silk for more than £lO,OOO.
Perhaps a more fortunate speculation is not on record;
and all this, too, was accomplished in less, it is said, than
twelve months !

June 25, 1844.

ANOTHER PAPIST ATTACK.-011 Wednesday eveni
last, the savage feeling of he Irish Papists at Bradfo'
was again displayed by their taking offence at the war
" Croppy," and " Boyne Water. The consequen
was, that a man was stabbed with a knife, and othe
more or less injured. The wounded man now lies in
dangerous state, and an Irishman named Payne is in cu
Cody charged with the assassin-like deed. No proceedin
will be adopted until the sufferer is pronounced out
danger.—Bradford paper.

• -
FATAL MtsTAKE.---Mrs. Smith, aged 70, wife of a
farmer, of Clains,Worcestershire,lost her life on Thursday
by a fatal mistake. She had for some time been attended
by a doctor who prescribed an aperient mixture. On the
same day Mr. Smith wanted a wash to dress some sheep
for the foot rot, and having written a recipe from a book,
both papers were sent to a druggist. The quantities of
both were alike, and they were sent in two bottles, boa
labelled but in one parcel. The nurse who attended en.
Smith took the wrong bottle by mistake, and administered%
the quantity prescribed, which in place of be;.,,g the ape—
rient mixture, was a strong solution of virdives and,
aqu,fort is, and caused her death in a sh.'4rt tirae,all medical
aid being unavailing.

HYDROPRORIA.—On Thursday afternoon, a fine boy,•
named Charles Evans, aged 13, of Lisson-grove, died
from hydrophobia. About six weeks ago he was standing
at his parents' door, when a dog of the mongrel breed
came running In and out of the shop. To frighten it away
the deceased attempted to kick it, when the beast sprang
at him, and, catching his right hand in its mouth, inflicted
a severe bite in the thick part of it, drawing blood. Ever/
attention was paid to the wound, which in a few days
completely healed. Subsequently the same dog bit two
cats of its master's, and both dog and cats died, within a
short time of each other, mad. A day or two afterwartds
deceased seemed quite altered in his manner, and exhi-
bited symptoms of impaired intellect; and on Tuesday
last hi; father's housekeeper was about to wash his face,
as he appeared so lethargic in his manner, when he be-
came suddenly very outrageous, gnashing his teeth, and
pushing her away, and was with difficulty soothed. He
was attended by a surgeon, but continued getting worse
until Thursday, when he expired.---London paper.
FIDELITY OF THE DOG.—A remarkable instance of
canine sagacity, courage, and fidelity, occurred last week,
a short distance from this place. On Tuesday week, MT:
Bushell, farmer, of Eckington, having walked into the
home orchard at the time when the cows were being
milked, at some distance, was set upon by a bull. The
bull's attack was so fierce and unexpected that Mr:
Bushell could not get out of the way of the infuriated
animal. Having overtaken him, it tossed him almost
into the branches of an apple tree ; the sufferer fell to the
ground, and the bull repeated his attack, goring and
trampling his victim in the most savage style. Justwhen
Mr. Bushell had given up all hope of rescue, his dog, of
the shepherd breed, flew to the spot, and instantly recog-
nising his master, attacked the bull with the most deter-
mined bravery. He " pinned" him at once, and standing;
over his master's prostrate body, defended him from fur-
ther harm, save scratches from his own claws, as he was
compelled to move about by the struggles of the bull.
After a fight between dog and bull of some minutes over
Mr. Bushell's body, the former proved the victor, and
the bull took to his heels, leaving the field to his brave
and faithful opponent. Mr. Bushell is severely bruised
about the head.— Worcester Journal.

DISTRESSED STATE OF THE COOPERS' TRADE.—A
copy of the memorials and petitions addressed to the
Treasury and to the Board of Trade, from the coopers of
the United Kingdom, on the condition of their trade,
has just been printed by order of the House of Commons.,
The memorials are from the masters and journeymen
coopers of Glasgow, Greenock, Gainsborough, Leith,
Bristol, London, Liverpool, and Hull, and make out a
strong case in favour of a further reduction of the import
duties on foreign staves. The memorialists agree in
stating that the coopers' trade throughout the kingdom it;
in a very depressed state, one half of the working coopers
being out of employment. Under the new tariff the re-
duction on the duty on staves imported from the conti-
nent of Europe, was on the average 14 per cent., while
practically no reduction was made on colonial staves, and
staves from the United States were prohibited altogether
by the duty of 66 per cent. No drawback of the duty ip
allowed on the coopers work being exported, and as the
duty averages 30 per cent. on the cost price to the English
cooper, while the United States coopers are charged with
no duty whatever in that timber growing country, and
their work is only liable to a trifling duty in the British
colonies, it ceases to be matter of surprise that the trade
is fast leaving this country, and going to the United
States. The question of the duty on staves is now under
the careful consideration of the Government.

A SWINDLER CAUGHT AT LAST.—At the Sheriff's
Court, in Edinburgh, on Saturday week, Thomas Parr
Gilmour, alias Thom, or Thomas Gilmour, so well known
in this town and neighbourhood, was charged with having-
assumed the fictitious character of partner of pretended
firms in Leith, which he designated " John Lee, & Co.,
and " Thom, Gilmour, & Co. ;" and with, having under
this character, forged, and uttered as genuine, letters
which induced Mr. John Edmunds, coal merchant, Poo-
typrdd, Cardiff, to ship to Jersey, to the care of a mer-
chant there, a quantity of coal on account of the pretended
firms, and the cosi having been sold, the sum of £17135. 7a•
being the free proceeds of the sale, it was transmitted to
the accused. From the evidence it appeared also that the
prisoner went to Leith in the spring of 1843, where he
took lodgings under the name of Mr. Thom, and COgic
a clerk to write six dozen and a half of letters to var
i
menced a system of wholesale imposition. He emplP,Ye
ious
houses throughout the kingdom, containing orders to
large amount, and of a heterogeneous nature, such as
chains and anchors from Newcastl •, confectionery from
Liverpool and logs of mahogany from London. These
letters bore the signature of "John Lee, & C 0.," in which
name the prisoner procured a private box in the Post-office,
but which he afterwards changed to " Thom, Gilmour, &
Co." lie also, under the name of Mr. Thom, endea-
voured to procure a quantity of wine from a merchant in
Leith ; but iti consequence cf the evasive manner in which
he answered all questions in reference to his vocation, be
succeeded in obtaining only three bottles of wine as sam-
ples, one of which he paid for. The jury returned a ver
dict ofguilty. He was sentenced to be imprisoned for
twelve calendar months.

ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.—In the month of June,
1837, the schooner Ebenezer, a regular trader for coals
to this port, J. Little, commander and part owner, sailed
from Plymouth for Shields, for a cargo of coals, having a
regular crew, and a passenger named Edward Jeffery'
son of the late Mr. T. Jeffery, who died about three
years since,
J. and
NV. C
was
forollmiear, n ytyirenabresra-nafaeiriChlfivanl
town. It appears the Ebenezer arrived safely at Shields,
took in a cargo of coals, and sailed again for this port,
tsservoafntof
this
havittg still on board the young man Edward Jeffery,
whose design had been to take a summer excursion to
Shields and return again. Coming down the North
Channel, when off Yarmouth the schooner experienced a
severe gale, which lasted a day and night, and when bi
the violence of the storm she was shattered and went
down ; and it was believed at the time, for no one head,
anything about her for two months after, that every soul
on board had perished. However, the desk of Captain
Little, with some papers enclosed, was washed into Yar-
mouth at the latter end of July, which left no doubt on
the minds of the friends of those on board, that every
soul had perished • and the captain's widow, Mr. and
Mrs. Jeffery, and family, went all into deep mourning*
But the sequel of the story is, that Jeffery and another,
after having clung to the wreck for several hours, were
picked up by a foreign vessel bound to India, which
touched et the Cape. Jeffery and his companion were
put on shore •, but being destitute of money and clothing,
to return to his friends, he entered on board the Arrow,
which was then lying there bound on a surveying expedi-
tion to the Falkland Island. There it appears she has
been for the last six years ; and, after returning and
cruising on the coast of Africa for some time, has take,
two very large slavers; and on Saturday she arrived-ill
Portsmouth Barbour, when Jeffery sent a communication
to his friends, whose feelings may be better imagined than
described.—Plymouth Journal.
MYSTERIOUS CASE.—On Tuesday an inquest was held
on the body of a lady of great personal charms, the wile
of a medical gentleman, whose death took place from the
effects of prussic acid.—The deceased, Rachael Belaney,
the wife of J. Belaney, Esq., surgeon, came to London,
on Tuesday week, and took lodgings in Tracey-street'
Stepney, where she remained in company with her hes-
band. It appeared the lady was enciente, and on Satur-
day morning her husband sent for a black draught, which
she took. Mr. Belaney has himself, for a length of tins
past, been in the habit of taking small quantities of prus-
sic acid for a complaint he laboured under.ndidn shortlywt
heenH tteutmbaoftrbroelekersre;
d;oe.idl
a:.
of the phials containing the prussic acid, when he poured
the contents into a tumbler, andowneTnhtuirnstdoathe next morn
andw
heard eOa
wife,r
hd
rs
.C 1 commencedarßevaeeit scream
takenn ieny
:ehwt
tmteeiwnrntnehiedgdfro:ai
fd'lslsoit
iehdMehffbageeetireden.xstsg-eptrsßnroradeffoe beingma forn, Belaney
give me some water," ahsohocratlllyed
s
further appeared that immediately after the death of his
fdteuevimnehdeloewora,rgsbotoatffkh.ebneN;ing on the drawers. The
ante or the stomach-pump.
bad been negligent as to the prussic acid, but not trim''
of deceased's stomach, and discovered inthiinta
nal, the unfortunate lady having drunk from the wrong
band of ts
Epsom prussic acid, as well as some traces of m
testimony to the apparent affection with which the Pr'
saner treated his wife. Dr. Letheley tried the content*
Thursday further
tifdatthahitglecreentasphelpssreereiari
witnesses
ess
bosesiponvs:
prisoner
ce
of
the deceased
Gadarmreitttte,dsutargehoimn,
thatsaid thhea t
destroythe bs:
the phial which contained the prussic acid after his wile, r
death.—Mr. Belaney had not practised as a surgeon
several years.—Mr. Charnock, on the part of his client,
requested a postponement of the inquiry. He was ansiciu
for Mr. Belaney's sake, to throw all the light possible on
the subject. The inquest was adjourned until (yesterdT
Monday. At the hearing before the magistrates they
aroutett,
timated that some important evidence, calculated W tbr."be
light on this case and on another accusation against t.'ll,
prisoner, would, in all probability, be brought fortOrio
The mystery which attached to the magistrates' "o„ut
has in some measure been cleared away by a statertt.
which appeared in the Tyne Mercury of TuesdaY. wed
That paper, after mentioning the great sensation prourii,
by the account of Mrs. Belaney's death, and the extrae.r.rye
nary circumstances attending it, says, "Two letters No.
been received in North Sunderland—one stating that IL' de
Belaney was very ill, and that two physicians were atti7v,..
ing her, and the other announcing her death ; both, will
übat
ever, had been written after her decease. It is said will
the body of Mrs. Skelly, the mother of the deceased, the
be disinterred, as there are suspicions afloat as to
an-
cause of her death, more especially from the strange 133 y,
ner in which the funeral was conducted. Mrs. Belaney
whose death has cast a gloom over the village, 'lowa
years of age, and beloved by a large number of de ,fi.s,
friends. She was daughter of the late Mr. and Jtii
of North Sunderland,"

V

June 25, I S-14.

CORRESPONDENCE.

BIRKENHEAD DOCKS.

O I'HE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
1,..A proposal for building docks and warehouses at Bir-
kenhead having been sent to me, 1 presume, to induce rue
become a shareholder in the contemplated joint stock
Int'anY. I have, as became me, given it due considera-
cm. The first observation I have to make is, that the
proposals
contain no name of reference, nor any sponsors,
but are cast forth on the world as an unknown foundling ;
and another is, that if the scheme was a good one, I think
Year own townsmen possess both discrimination and
wealth enough to raise the sum of £400,000, without it
being necessary to apply to the capitalists of London. I
have taken some trouble to examine the plans and the
evidence adduced before the committee of the Commons,
and I hope sha'l be pardoned if I make a few observe-
,,,°_ns upon the extraordinary misstatements which I find
scattered through the " proposals" which have been sent
ic; me, for lam w old enough to know that those who
v fish to sellno , are anxious to advertise its freshness.
The Proposals commence by showing the want of dock
accommodation at Liverpool ; and this fact is, I believe,
generaltY admitted. But the Dock Trustees of Liverpool
are now before parliament to obtain power for the con-
!traction of 42 acres of additional dock accommodation;
alc!1I recollect reading the speeches of Messrs. Evans and
Atkin
some time ago who declared most emphatically
that
when the Albert who
and warehouses were coal-
Plated, there would be abundant dock room for soms
Years to come, and on this ground they opposed any dock
extension at all, as utterly needless. If, therefore, those
gentlemen are to be believed, and parliament sanction the
construction of 42 acres in addition to the Albert Duck, ,I
earhat docks at Birkenhead may not prove a very pro-
fitablejnvestment, in the face of superabundant accom-
modationvs at Liverpool. with a power in the hands of the
;Jock Committee to reduce their dock rates one shilling a
4.1 whenever it may suit their purpose to do so ; and
'which will probably take place so soon as the £400,000 is
'converted into masonry, and a return for the capital ex-
pended is begun to be looked for.
t6ool3ntin addition to the sum now stated for docks,
Is wanted to form a warehousing cowpony, or,
is theooo
whole a million of money ! I should not object to
7
e7Zientil'' to the plan if I could see any prospect of
not t g"
return, but I confess that I am obtuse enough
o discover the 10 per cent. of which the prospectus
7anta• lam told that the merchants of Liverpool set
their faces against warehouses managed by companies, and
insist upon doing their own business, and thus opposed a
clause in the Fire Bill giving that power tv others which
they declared should not go out of their own hands, and
the clause was obliged to be withdrawn. I do not say
that they were right in doing so, but I mention a fact to
illustrate my assertion.
It may be the case that warehouses at Birkenhead may
Oblige the owners of warehouses at Liverpool to reduce
their rents so as to meet the competition ; but that reduc-
tion would make an awful difference in the per centage at
Birkenhead ; and it is probable that instead of it being 10
per cent., it may prove to be like a lady's fortune, a given
amount first halved, and the remainder divided by four.
Much stress is laid on the contiguity of Liverpool
warehouses to other buildings. Now, that danger has
been diminished by the alterations made and to be made
by the late Fire Prevention Act, and when that act is
fully carried out in all its spirit, the ravages of fire will be
very limited. The charge of such high premiums by the
insurance companies is for two purposes. Firstly, as a
corrective of the present system; and, secondly, to reco-
ver the prodigious sums which they have lost. It is not,
my opinion, reasonable to anticipate that mercantile
produce will be insured at Birkenhead for ls. 6d. per cent.
as the prospectus asserts. I have it from the best author-
ity here that cotton, upon which so much stress is laid,
will be followed wherever it goes by a high rate of insu-
rance; and in Manchester the rates upon the insurance
of cotton stowed in detached and fire-proof buildings has
been raised from is. to 205., and yet your prospectus as-
sumes in your differential charges, Is. 9d! A contrast is
drawn between the advantages of Birkenhead and Liver-
pool in reference to the cartage. Now 1 understand it is
a fact, that the cartage of all the produce imported into
Liverpool, and usually warehoused, never yet amounted
to £lOO.OOO in any one year. Spread this sum over the
!aloe of the goods, and the fraction is so diminutive that
I can hardly calculate it. Even cotton, a bulky article, is
done for 2d. a bale, worth from £8 to £lO, and in nine
cases oat of ten 10 per cent. is absolutely deducted even
from the 2d. Now, if you set against the cartage of goods
the expense that might be incurred by lighters for convey
log portions of goods across the Mersey, and which will
have to be done in assorted cargoes, I think the extra ex-
penses connected with Birkenhead will be greater than
the cartage at Liverpool. Besides, it is assumed in the
charges for 1,000 bales of cotton, in all instances, that the
r
is the third length. This is a gratuitous assump-
""'s.e I am assured on good authority, tested by former
experience, that the first length only is paid by the im-
porter,ou ks and the additional lengths invariably by the ware-
se-
--ever. Exposure of goods on the quays to wea-
ther is one of the alleged objections to the Liverpool docks.
Why, it is notorious that all the dock quays are surround-
ed with sheds, and that there is no exposure of any thing
except timber, to the weather. And it is also notorious,
that the Woods and Forests have tied out the Birkenhead
Commissioners from erecting any thing but sheds and huts
on the margin of the tidal basin and three-acre dock,
which the bill, if obtained, empowers them to make. One
111 almost tempted to exclaim with the Frenchman, in re-
ference to the generality of prospectuses, " They lie like
epitaphs.,
Pilferage is another alleged evil deprecated in Liver-
r°l- I deprecate it everywhere, and sincerely wish that
there may be neither chicanery nor pilferage at the Bir-
kenhead warehouses ; but the experience of a life has
shewn me, that we have in general more to fear from the
pilferage of our own servants, than from the professional
thief who breaks our locks and carries away our sugar
and coffee. Ido believe that the charge of pilfering at
Liverpool has been much exaggerated. I have had some
knowledge of the state of things both in Liverpool and
London, and I unhesitatingly assert that the loss in weight
on cargoes has been in general much less in Liverpool
than it has been in London. Some time back a public
meeting was held at the Commercial Sale-rooms, in Min-
cing-lane, London, to take into consideration the best
mode of redressing the grievances under which the coffee
trade laboured by the loss of weight in their goods while
under the charge of the various dock companies. The
account is so remarkable, that I copy it for your informa-
tion from a newspaper now in my possession :
" FURTHER SERIOUS LOSS, FROM PILFERAGE, IN THE LONDON
DOCK WAREHOUSES.

" On Friday, the 2-,th ult., a meeting of those interested in
the colonial and foreign coffee trade was held at the Commer-
cial Sale-rooms, Mincing-lane. for the purpose of receiving a
report from the committee appointed to consider the best means
to be adopted to redress serious grievances, to which the trade
for a long period has been subjected. The chair was taken by
Mr. Edwards.
The Chairman said that the committee had lykd interviews
With the directors of the principal docks, who had promised
every assistance in remedying the evil complained of. He
moved that the report of the committee be read.
The Hon. Secretary then read the following report
That, in pursuance of the desires of the trade, they have
solicited and obtained interviews with the directors of the East
and West India, the London, and the St. Katharine D ;ck Com-
p„anies, and have laid before them statements of the losses con-
tantly sustained, in consequence of the delivery weights of cqnree
acing seriously short of the landing weights, on which payments
-e made both for coffee and duty. They have also drawn the
attention'
of the several directors to the great discrepancies
Which
shown in the delivery weights. and have ventured to
express doubts as to whether such discrepancies can be solely
the effect of natural causes.
" That the directors of the several dock companies have
declared their readiness to act in any manner which may be
suggested, in order to prevent such losses, and to exercise the
greatest care and vigilance, so that deficiencies may not be the
result of want of attention, or any other cause which such care
and vigilance may prevent.
" ' That not any of the directors seem, however, to subscribe
to the opinion that any other cause than that of absorpti n by
atmospheric influence has operated to produce the losses com-
plained of.
' That, notwithstanding this conviction on the part of the
directors, the committee cannot hut retain their former opinion,
tbat many cases show discrepancies q zite irreconcileable with
such conclusion, and also that the business of weighing and
.tarring packages on landing is frequently carried through so
hastily as not to ensure proper security to the buyers ; and that
many coffees are lauded in packages not sufficient y strong to
bear further transit, and which the directors of the dock com-
panies state that they have no power to alter, but with the
sanction of the importers, which, as entailing expense, ense, is gene-
rally withheld.

" ' EDWARD EDWARDS, Chairman
JAMES C. QUICK, Hon. Sec.

" 21st Nov., 1842.'
" Mr. Moffatt rose to move a resolution that the report be
adopted. He expected no redress from the dock companies, and
thought that government ought to be to, in order that
the trade should not be charged on the landing
Re-
cently, in a parcel of fire bales of Mocha coffee,tnere ws.
as a loss
Of 531bs. One bale was deficient, in another purchase he had
made, of 271bs.
deficiencies," Mr. Chenery and other parties spoke of great
that could not arise from natural causes.
" Tile report was adopted.
" Mr. Condor had been thirty-two years in the trade, and in
the last two or three years the decrease in the weight of bales
of coffee had augmented. He moved a resolution in favour of
applying to the First Lord of the Treasury against the levying
of the duty on coffee at the landing weight.
"The resolution was carried, and the committee was strength-
ened by several parties Of influence in the trade, to give weight
to the representations to the government.
" The thanks of the meeting were given to the committee,
and the meeting then adjourned."

When, therefore, you take for your model the docks
and warehouses of London, do not consider them to be
perfect. They are not, however, crammed with cotton,
Birkenhead
at Liverpool, nor as it is intended those at
insurance-offices,
should be: and yet such is the caution of the
riVrance-offices, that they will only take a very limited
a ; and it is a fact the truth of which you may easily
ascertain,T. that a great part of the goods in the various
London dock-warehouses is not covered at all.
Now
want of classification at Liverpool is spoken of.
::1131" I am informed that the insurance regulations and
the Fire Prevention Bill are not only obliging classifica-
tion, but actually compelling the alteration of existing
Warehouses.
The prospectus holds out that the floating dock of 150
acres, the tidal bason or harbour of 37 acres, and the
sluices, &c., are to be constructed by the Commissioners
(2f Birkenhead at an expense of £400,000. How the in-
terest of this outlay (which will probably be increased
when the work comes to be paid for) is to be raised, is
not stated ; nor is it for me to inquire. As the Crown
is,"3elY takes all the land they make, and as the tidal
,arbour will be non-productive, and will require a consi-
uarable annual expense for sluicing and dredging, ma-
Nernent, repairs of gates, locks, &c., I must assume
14at the interest will be paid by the ferry, the sale of
township land, or by a tax upon the population. Which-
ever may be the case, it is clear that £20,000 a-year for
ever., must be sunk upon forming a mere entrance to the
t'..,_"k; for it is absurd to suppose that such a sum can
-'5O deepen 150 acres of pool, and convert that space into
a dock. And yet the prospectus would lead one to sup-