The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

opinion was decidedly, and absolutely, and altogether in
favour of the Watch Committee—(hear, hear)—whose
conduct throughout appeared to him, and he believed it
would appear to the council as a body, to have been
marked by very much forbearance and good sense, con-
trasting strongly and advantageously, as he thought, with
that of the magistrates, who appeared to him to have mis-
understood their proper course. (Hear, hear.) Their
latter proceedings especially—their resolution was, as he
thought, misconceived, while he thought the direction
that it should be read to every member of the police force
was most offensive and in very bad taste. Indeed, one
could not but see in the whole proceeding, a determina-
tion to revive a recent grievance, and a petulant attempt
to damage the Watch Committee. rather than a dignified
rebuke of a grave offence. (Hear, hear.) If the magis-
trates had expressed their own opinion on the facts be-
fore them, and they could have hardly expressed it too
strongly, and conveyed that opinion cautiously to the
Watch Committee, whose sole and undoubted right it
was to act upon it they would have had the approbation
and thanks of the whole community, whereas the very
reverse was now the fact, an undue sympathy to meet the
offence having been created by their own very injudicious
method of dealing with it. He had felt that in some
form the expression of some such opinion as this, under
present circumstances, was eminently due to the Watch
Committee, and he hoped it would be received as his
apology for introducing the subject to the council. (Hear.)
Mr. AIKIN thought it was neither the province of Mr.
North nor that of the council to sit in judgment upon the
magistrates. Mr. North admitted that the magistrates
were in duty bound to take cognizance of the very grave
offence, but thought they might have done it in a more
dignified manner. Now he (Mr. Aikin) was present at
the fist meeting of the magistrates, and he must take
this opportunity to state that there was more of provoca-
tion then than met the eye—that there was something con-
nected with the look, tone, and manner, of Mr. Hodgson
calculated to provoke far beyond the use of words. He
believed that Mr. North would do no great credit to him-
self by making an attack, nominally on the bench of ma-
gistrates, but in reality on the Stipendiary Magistrate,
than whom a more honourable man never existed.
Mr. NORTH, in explanation, said that he had purposely
abstained from reading the newspapers on the subject,
and that, so far from making any attack on Mr. Rushton
individually, all he looked at was the resolution of the
magistrates in their collective capacity.
Mr. HODGSON thought that Mr. Aikin had no parti-
cular right to complain of an attack on one individual,
when he converted it into an attack on another, with a
degree of virulence hardly exceeded by the stipendiary
himself. He (Mr. Hodgson) was not going to reply.
He was willing to leave the whole case to be judged of by
the public ; but he persisted in saying that a less moving
cause for action on the part of the magistrates was not to
be conceived than that of Mr. Parker. It now appeared
that he (Mr. Hodgson) had provoked the ire of the ma-
gistrates—that his awful looks—his provoking looks, had
disturbed the whole bench, the stipendiary into the bar-
gain, who himself was so highly gifted with mild looks
and submissive gestures—(loud laughter, and cries of
hear, hear.) Certainly this was a power he (Mr. Hodg-
son) never fancied he possessed before,—(continued laugh-
ter.) He took his own views of the duties of men hold-
ing Her Majesty's commission. He thought they should
be uninfluenced by either heat or cold, or warmth of pas-
sion—that they were particularly called on, as judges, to
execute right and justice, not to become informers, and
to be free from the spirit of advocates.
Mr. Hugh HORNITY hoped it would not go forth to the
public, that the council looked at the alleged interference
with the police as a light matter. He admitted that the
resolution of the magistrates was drawn up hastily, on
the spur of the moment. He thought then, as well as
now, that it would have been better to adopt the plan of
Mr. North—that of expressing a strew: opinion about
theinterference, and having such a resolution submitted
to the Watch Committee. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HODGSON called attention to the circumstance
that Mr. Earle, the unsuccessful opponent of Mr. Parker
at the last election for St. Anne's Ward, was one of the
magistrates at the first meeting, and that the Commis-
sioner of Police was forbade to communicate with the
Watch Committee.

Mr. HARBORD said that if the Watch Committee were
to yield to the inlerterence of the magistrates, then the
former body might as well be dissolved at once.
After some further conversation,
Mr. PARK ER said it was not his intention to say a word
on the subject. He left his case in the hands of the
council; and if they thought him unworthy, he should
resign his seat and appeal again to his constituency.
The proceedings of the Watch Committee were then
confirmed.

DOCK COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of the Dock Committee were read and
confirmed. A letter from Mr. Alderman Horsfall, re-
signing his seat as a member of the Dock Committee, on
account of pressure of business, was also read ; but, at
the request of Mr. Moore and Mr. G. H. Lawrence,
Mr. Horsfall was induced to withdraw his letter and to
continue a member of the Duck Committee.
In reply to a question from Mr. KAYE,
Mr. MOORE said that the site for the intended new fort
had been submitted for approbation, and that a report
was expected.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
The attendance at the Corporation Schools for the last
month was reported as follows :

80y5....
Girls....
Infants..

North. South.
251 179
148 133
152 194

551 506
The numbers on the books were—North, 712 ; South,
Gil. The proceedings were confirmed.

HEALTH OF THE TOWN COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee having been read
and confirmed,

Mr. AsriNm.L reported that plans for the new baths
had been prepared and would be ready for the next coun-
cil meeting.

Mr. BLACKBURN complained that the scavenging of
the streets was being very much neglected.
Mr. PARKER said there were 7,000 cellars occupied
contrary to the act—that Liverpool was in consequence
the most unhealthy town in the kingdom, and that the
council were indirectly the cause of the deaths of hundreds
of thousands of their fellow-creatures. He promised to
submit a motion on the subject at the next council.
Mr. BIRKETT said that, until last Monday, Mr. Parker
hld not attended a meeting of the Health Committee for
a period of four months, and that it was exceedingly
wrong for him to make the statements he had just uttered.
The fact was, the committee were doing all they could,
but the act was beset with difficulties.
Mr. PARKER said there was not a court in his ward
that he had not been in—(loud laughter) ; and, therefore,
he was not quite so inactive as Mr. Birkett would have
the council to suppose.
CORONER'S ACCOUNTS.
The
d a
r read
ud Coroner'saccounts,referredto the Fn
amoivalnie Committee.ticngtolol. los. 2d.,
were
Mr. PARKER.—The amount is higher than ever.
Mr. Moou.E.—Yes ; it's the month of November. (A
laugh.)
lIUSKISSON'S BRONZE STATUE.

The MAyoti read a letter from Mrs. Huskisson, in
which she returned thanks for the sanction the council
had given to her request, and said that Mr. Gibson, on
his return from Rome, would select a site in the open
area, at the Custom-house, for the bronze statue of her
lamented husband.

The letter was ordered to be recorded on the minutes.

THE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTION.

The MAYOR read a long memorial from Rectors Brooks
and Campbell, praying for a grant in aid of the Liverpool
Collegiate Institution. The memorial set forth that a
sound religious education, in accordance with the doc-
trines of the established church, was imparted at the
Collegiate Institution ; that the cost of the building, in-
cluding land, furniture, and fittings, amounted t0X36,600,
of which £24,905 had been voluntarily raised, and £7,360
advanced by trustees; that there were in the Upper School
101 pupils, in the Middle 261, in the Lower 377, and in
the Evening School 315, making a total of 1051; that the
evening school was open to the working classes ; that
there were 795 subscribers to the lectures ; and the me.
morialists concluded by praying for a grant out of the
surplus income of the corporation, to support an institu-
tion which was open to all the inhabitants of the borough
without distinction.

Mr. SHEPPARD.—If you want to give anything, the
Royal Institution has a prior claim, for they have edu-
cated a great number of your fellow-townsmen, and my
son among the rest. (Loud laughter.) I don't know'
how lam to take that cheer. lam the only Irish gen-
tleman in the council, and I hope the same courtesy will
be shown to me that Irish are inclined to show to English
gentlemen. My son was born in your town ;heis a
fellow-townsman, therefore, of a great many of you; and
he obtained high collegiate honours at Oxford. (Great
laughter.) Alderman Swainson's son has also obtained
high honours. I think it my duty as a parent to speak
highly of Dr. Duff.
Mr. PROCTER rose, but was almost immediately stopped
by Sir THOMAS BRANCKER asking if he was not a donor
to the institution, and had not, therefore, a pecuniary in-
terest in the establishment?
Mr. PROCTER admitted that he was a donor, and so
were thirty-five others of the council, but denied that he
had any pecuniary interest.
Mr. SHEPPARD.—Have you any direct or indirect in-
terest ? (A. laugh.)
Mr. PROCTER.—NOt that I am aware of.
Mr. SHEPPARD.—Have you a son?
Mr. PROCTER.--1 have a son—an only son. What
does pecuniary interest mean?
Mr. SHEPPARD.—Why, pecuniary interest means—
(Loud laughter, during which the remainder of the sen-
tence was inaudible.)
The TOWN-CLERK decided that donors were not enti-
tled to speak or vote on the question, as it appeared such
parties had a right to nominate pupils on lower terms,
and that they had, therefore, a pecuniary interest.
Mr. PARKER asked whether £2,000 bad not been
granted for the erection of the unsightly entrance to the
Railway Station in Lime-street?
Sir THOMAS BRANCKER.—Yes ; but that was in the
days of bribery and corruption, under the old council.
(Loud laughter.) I voted against it.
After a lengthened conversation had taken place, and a
variety of motions had been submitted and withdrawn, it
was at length resolved, that the many difficulties which
surrounded the question should be laid before the memo-
rialists by the Mayor.
The council, having disposed of all the business on the
paper, adjourned at a quarter to three o'clock.

On Wednesda
£5O by Mr. Rushton, for having pined 100 tons of salt-
y, Messrs. Green and Taylor were fined
petre in a shed which was not fire-proof according to the
provisions of the dock act ; but if the saltpetre was re-
moved in twenty days to a proper warehouse, the fine was
ordered not to be levied.