The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-22 00:00:00

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL,

a spring cart along Oldham-road at apace so rapid that
he had lost nearly all control over the horse. Deceased
and a deaf brother came out of the Vulcan Tavern, and
were crossing the road, arm in arm, when they were both
knocked down by the cart, the wheel going over the head
of Thomas Shelmerdine, and so injuring him that he died
on the following day. The other brother was thrown into
a state of insensibility. There were in the cart three or
four persons, who were coming from Oldham to Man-
chester. and they had urged the prisoner to drive rapidly.
—A verdict of not guilty was returned.

On Wednesday a special meeting was held.
Upon the motion of Mr. SAMUEL HOLME, seconded by
Mr. PLIIMPTON, Mr. John Bent was elected alderman;
Mr. Naylor having failed to qualify.

THE RIVINGTON PIKE SCHEME

NISI PRIUS COURT.—FRIDAY.
(Before Mr. Justice ERLE.)
COPE P. THE THAMES HAVEN DOCK AND RAILWAY
COMPANY.—Evidence was called in favour of the ease for
the defendants.—The evidence in this case, which pos-
sessed no public interest, was of a very contradictory cha•

Mr. LACE, in proposing the auee..... ca Luc acrva
said it was satisfactory to the Water Committee that they
were able to make the report which had just been read,
for they were perfectly satisfied that the works could be
carried out within the parliamentary estimate of £480,000,
if they were now proceeded with. In order to keep the
CROWN COURT.—SATURDAY. cost of the works within the estimate, it was necessary
William White, 32, James Winterbottom, 27; and that they should be proceeded with without delay. The
Stephen Naylor, 23, apparently agricultural labourers, Council would easily conceive that it would not be proper
pleaded guilty to having, at Pemberton, set fire to a barn to give details of the estimates, but he (Mr. Lace) might
and sutbuildings, belonging to James Rothwell. Mr. observe that with respect to the principal item of expense
Justice Cresswell, after lecturing them on the enormity of —that was the pipes—it had been ascertained that it
their offence, sentenced them to transportation for fifteen would be considerably under the estimate. With respect
years. to the other works, Mr. Stewart, one of the Water Corn-
Abraham Rigg pleaded guilty to a burglary at the house mittee, thought it advisable to ascertain the quantity of
of James Mather, at Bury.—Sentence deferred. work from actual survey. Mr. Weightinan was sent for
Thomas Cain, 19, railway labourer, was found guilty of that purpose ; and it was satisfactory to state that his
the manslaughter of Peter Meadows, at Wigan, on the estimate came to within 5,000 yards of Mr. Hawksley's
20th of June. The parties quarrelled when the prisoner computation, Mr. Hawksley's being the larger one. He
threw deceased down, and kicked him about the head. might also add that Mr. Holme and Mr. James Holme—
The jury looked on the case as the result of a drunken both practical men—had been over to the Rivington dis-
row, and recommended the prisoner to mercy. Sentence trict, and they were both perfectly satisfied, from their
deferred. own knowledge of building, that the works would be
Stephen Marsden, 28, was aentenced to seven years' carried out within Mr. Hawksley's estimates, if they
transportation for having stolen £5O in bank notes, eleven were begun within a month. Liverpool
was at present
sovereigns, a gold and silver watch, &c., from the house of entirely dependent for water on two engines, and if the
Mrs. Greenhalgh, the Pineapple Inn, at Darcy Lever, one at Green-lane and the other at Windsor were to
near Bolton. The prisoner was implicated in the robbery break down they would be thrown for weeks without any
with four other persons, three of whom were transported sufficient supply. Would, therefore, he wished to know,
for the offence at the last assizes. The chief witness in any gentleman take upon himself the responsibility of not
the case was an accomplice of the name of Fog. taking the means to obtain a sufficient supply ? They
John Smith, 40, and William Dixon, 19, were sen- had no tanks to put water into, and if they had tanks they
tented to eighteen months imprisonment, with hard la- had no water to put into them, for the supply was be-
bour for an assault on Robert Breeze, at Manchester. coming less and less every day. As to the assertion that
The prosecutor was inspector of nuisances in that town, there was a sufficiency of water under the red sandstone,
and the prisoners were nightmen, who, on the 17th June the Council would no doubt think that that matter had
(not being employed by the corporation), were removing been discussed ad nauseam, and satisfactorily disposed of.
night soil with a donkey cart, and thereby rendered them- They had not had one scientific epi aion in favour of there
selves liable to a penalty of 40s. The prosecutor dis- being a sufficient supply under the sandstone, and not
covered the prisoners at the work, and tried to turn the the opinion of one practical man against the Pike scheme.
donkey towards the Police-office, when Smith struck him No practical man had pretended that they ought to go on
several severe blows with his spade, which confined him boring and sinking wells. They could not without an act
under medical care for nearly five weeks. The prisoner of parliament go out of the borough for water, and he
Smith said he wished he had killed him. In his defence felt certain that they would be opposed by the whole sur-
Smith made an incoherent speech, alleging that he only rounding district of country in which Prescot and mime-
wanted to gain an honest livelihood, and that since the rous smaller places were situated, and that the quantity
corporation had monopolised the exclusive right, number- procured would become less and less every day, though.
less ashpits were not half-cleansed. His Lordship lee- they would be robbing the wells in the district. Gentle-
tured the prisoners for uttering sentiments. which implied men spoke of the expense of going on with the Rivington
their belief that the authorities were bound to provide scheme, but the fact was that it would be a saving of
them with work. If servants could choose their own expense. They would save the expense of new wells.
master, the latter were equally entitled to choose their They would save the expense of engines. They would
own servants. save the expense of working eleven engines, which would
John Hammond, 24, was sentenced to twelve months' cost £15,000 a-year. Supposing there were to be no
imprisonment, with hard labour, for a burglary at a beer- increase in the population of Liverpool, the deficiency to
house in Canal-street, Manchester, kept by Mr. Stanton, be provided for would not cost the inhabitants 4d. in the
and stolen four boxes of cigars, a violin, and six shillings pound upon their assessments ; whereas if the population
in copper. Henry Peace was indicted along with the pri- doubled—and they confidently looked for an increase
soner, but was acquitted. the number of inhabitants—the charge would be nothing.
John Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty of a burglary at Pen- But they could not do that with water from the red sand-
dleton, and also to having stolen some wearing apparel stone ; for the cost of that was five per cent., whilst the
from James Heathcote, at Lancaster. Sentence deferred. cost of the Rivington water would be nothing. He con-
Nathan Lindley, 38, was sentenced to seven years eluded with moving the adoption of the report.
transportation for a burglary at the house of Robert Mr. Alderman Nicol, seconded the motion.
Tootle, at Kersley, on the 10th June last. The prisoner Mr. BeerNErr regretted that lie could not support the
had been convicted previously of felony. report. He believed the quantity and quality of the
John Taylor, 26, was sentenced to seven years trans- water at Soho-street station were as good as ever they
portation for a burglary at the house of Edmund Pickup, were. He also believed that the quantity and quality of
at Tottington High End, on the 19th June. the water at Green-lane were excellent ;in fact, the
The Grand Jury found "no bill" against Mary Ann quantity there was inexhaustible. The engine was insuf-
Scott for stabbing Ellen Scott, with intent, &c., on the ficient to raise the quantity without being overstrained,
ground of the prisoner being insane. and during the time M'Gregor and Kennedy were snaking
Patrick Crawley, 32, was sentenced to three months their experiments at Green-lane, about three-quarters of
imprisonment for having feloniously stabbed John Grogan a million of gallons were daily running to waste down the
with intent, &c. The offence was committed during a ditches. It would take two or three years to obtain water
drunken quarrel. from the Pike; and, therefore, if Dr: Duncan was co rater
Henry Ward, 20, was sentenced to six months impri- in saying that the cholera would probably be upon us in
sonment for a similar offence, at Salford, committed under three or four months, the Pike scheme could not be ren-
like influence. dered available in cleansing the town when the cholera
-ode its are - He discredited all statements about

The TOWN-CLERK read the report of the Water Com-
mittee, which was to the effect that the Rivington Pike
scheme could be carried out and executed for the sum
mentioned in the parliamentary estimates (£480,000),
that there ought to be no further delay in proceeding with
the works, and that the Committee ought to be authorized
to take immediate steps for the purpose of proceeding
with them.
The Tow N-cc
Code

read a memorial from the National
aeration, in which they protested in the name of
aoninst the urosecution of the Pike scheme.

racter.—His Lordship having summed up the evidence, the
jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £lOO.
In two cases verdicts were taken by consent, after
which several undefended actions were disposed of.

maw _ -ppearance. a.
NISI PRIUS COURT.—SATURDAY. the decline of the local supply. He was given to under-
NASMYTH AND OTHERS v. WOOLLEY.—This was an stand that our present supply was fed by rivers from a
action to recover £77 6s. ld. for the manufacture and distance, and that it was not circumscribed by the coal
fitting up of a pan used in the process of distilling rosin. fields surrounding the town. The fissures in rocks ex-
The plaintiffs are engineers at Patricroft, and the defendant tended for enormous distances. Fissures in Scotland were
is a rosin distiller at Manchester, and the question was formed by eruptions in Italy. (A laugh.) This was an
whether the pan was constructed of proper materials and historical and undeniable fact. Now, the yield at the
in a workmanlike manner. The jury found for the plain- Pike at the time he visited it in May—certainly a dry
tiffs for the amount claimed. season—was under three millions ; and if this were so, it
The other action tried to-day was a case of alleged tres- would take 124 millions of gallons in dry months in order
pass, brought by Mr. Andrew, a coalowner at Middleton, to compensate the mill-owners and proprietors of the
against the high sheriff, for the seizure of certain house- Douglas canal. This enormous abstraction from the
hold goods, his property, conveyed to him as security for reservoirs would reduce the quantity for local supply very
money owing from one James Kershaw. A very long considerably ; in fact, it would lay bare the bottoms of
argument took place on a point of law raised by the counsel the reservoirs and beds. Who then would be to blame ?
for the defendant, but ultimately it was arranged to with- He would not blame either the water committee or the
draw a juror, which was accordingly done, and so the case Town-Clerk ; but would these gentlemen take upon
terminated. I themselves the responsibility in case of failure ?
Mr. EARLE, Mr. LACE, and other members of the
Committee, cried simultaneously—Yes, yes, yes.
Mr. BENNETT wished that more information on the
THE ANDERTON CARRYING COMPANY.—At a meeting Mr. LACE.—You have had every report before you.
on Saturday this company was finally dissolved, and the Mr. BENNETT meant to say that the reports submitted
sale of the property to the Earl of Ellesmere confirmed. to the Council had not satisfied him of the propriety of
Five hundred pounds were voted to the directors and the Pike scheme. (A laugh.) He thought the chances
secretary of the company. of failure at the Pike considerably overbalanced all chances
LIVERPOOL UNITED GAS-LIGHT COMPANY.---On of success, and therefore he opposed the report, and
Tuesday the half-yearly ordinary meeting was held. The moved as an amendment that the whole subject be re-
chair was taken by Wm. Fosberre, Esq. The directors ferred to a committee, to ascertain whether the necessary
recommended that a dividend after the rate of £5 per local supply can be obtained from this district, and whether
£lOO share, for the half-year ending 30th June last, be Mr. M'Donald's estimates are borne out by facts.
declared upon the several shares in the Liverpool United Mr. EARLE and Mr. RATHBONE alluded to what they
Gas-light Company, excepting such of the shares as re- called the ignorant and malicious attacks made upon the
present the £25 shares in the late Liverpool New Gas and Water Committee by the Mercury and Journal, and said
Coke Company, upon which the whole amount was not that the conduct of that committee was far above any
called up on the Ist January last, and that upon these a aspersion or insinuation.
dividend of £1 Is. Bd. be declared. The chairman moved After a very long debate, during which most of the old
that the report be received and adopted, which was unani- arguments were re-produced, the Council divided, when
mously agreed to ; and a dividend of £5 per £lOO share, there appeared—For the amendment, 15 ; against it, 24.
and so on in proportion for the lesser shares, was declared •, The amendment was consequently lost.
the dividends to be paid, less the income tax, on the 25th
instant.
LIVERPOOL AND BOOTLE WATER-WORKS.—On Tues-
day a meeting was held for the purpose of closing the
affairs of the company. Mr. William Holt read a state-
ment of the accounts, from which it appeared that the
balance to be divided was about £3OBB. It was agreed
that £lOO should be placed in the hands of Mr. Johnson,
to be appropriated in the purchase of an annuity, or in
some other way laid out for the benefit of Robert Ger-
man, known by the name of " Old Robert," a very old
servant of the company, who had been at the works at
Bootle from the time the bill was obtainel £5OO was
voted to Mr. Rogers, the secretary. Mr. John Holmes,
in the course of some conversation, stated that the origi-
nal shares in this company cost the proprietors £BOO.
Mr. Gill said it never paid anything like 5 per cent. It
was then resolved that, after paying the outstanding ac-
counts, the balance of the funds should be divided
amongst the shareholders in the proportion of their

LOCilla MEETINGS,

COMMITTAL OF JOSEPH CUDDY FOR TREA-

SONABLE CONSPIRACY,

On Tuesday Joseph Cuddy, who acted as salesman to
the notorious Dr. Reynolds, and who was stopped in
Byrom-street with a bag containing 31 pike heads, was
brought up at the police-court, for final examination.
.kmes O'Brien, in whose house in Hurst-street a variety
of pikes and other weapons were discovered, was brought
up at the same time ; and the evidence in the case, which
ran to very considerable length, was read over.

The MaTor, Wm. Earle, 'Esq., and other magistrates,
occupied seats on the bench with Mr. Rushton.
Mr. Robinson, of the firm of Messrs. Lowndes, Robin-
son, and Bateson, solicitors, appeared on behalf of the go-
vernment. Mr. Yates, sen., defended the prisoners.
Walter Willick (officer 370) was the first witness called.
He deposed to the various meetings he had attended at
Circus-street and Great Howard-street, and to the lan-
guage made use of by the various speakers.
Richard Janet was next examined. He accompanied
the first witness to the meetings in Circus-street and Great
Howard-street, and he heard Dr. Reynoldssay at the lat-
ter, "if you cannot buy muskets buy pitch forks." "any
man who does not join the clubs,' said the chairman,
" shall be hanged to a lamp-post." The prisoner Cuddy
was present at the meeting in the Baptist chapel. He
was also present at several of the other meetings. He was
at a meeting held the 14th June, in Circus-street, when
the people were counselled to get pikes. Cuddy at that
meeting exhibited a pike-head, and said be could make
similar heads for 2s. 6d. a piece. Mr. M‘Manus, the
merchant, was at the meeting in Circus-street, and he
called upon the people to form themselves into clubs. He
said he would receive no boon from England, and before
that day:three months Ireland should have her rights or
he would have blood. Witness went over with Mr.
M`Manus in the same steamer to Ireland, and saw him
go into the Irish Felon office. Witness then went to the
Castle, and gave information, and by directions from the
Castle he seized M'Manus's luggage at Kingstown. It
contained, amongst other things, a complete set of mili-
tary uniform, green and gold, and a pair of pistols. A
Mr. Somers made use of the following language at the
Music-hall : " I tell the merchants, that as I think I see
Warsaw in flames, to take care lest a spark of ignition may
not reach this town ; and I tell them that before the news
is four hours in Liverpool of an intended massacre in my
country—l care not, mind you, gentlemen, it there were
200,000 British bayonets there and 100,000 special consta-
bles—l care not for them all (a voice : We'll maul them')
despite all these efforts, and despite as much more, the
, martyrs dying on the scaffold and on the plain would have
the consolation in giving their last throe of looking up to
heaven and seeing the skies reddened with the blaze of the
Babylons of England."
The other depositions consisted of the evidence of about
20 witnesses. It was of a most voluminous character,
and occupied a considerable time in reading. The evi-
dence went to prove in a variety of ways the connexion of
Cuddy with the Irish clubs and the leaders of the rebel
party. It exposed an organized system of correspon-
dence between the Confederate clubs in Dublin and those
in Liverpool, connecting the prisoner Cuddy and the
notorious Dr. Reynolds (for whom Cuddy sold pikes)
with them in their several movements. The fact of
Cuddy being discovered with a bag full of pikes was fol-
lowed up by evidence proving him to have regularly at-
tended the Confederate and club meetings in this town,
and the public meetings generally where Dr. Reynolds
was in the habit of speaking sedition. Other evidence of
a corroboratory nature was added, which represented the
accused to be prominently mixed up in the entire pro-
ceedings connected with the intended outbreak.
Cuddy was fully committed for trial at the assizes ; and
the other prisoner was remanded until Saturday.

shares.
NORTH AND SOUTH WALES BANK.—The annual
meeting of the proprietors was held on Friday, at the
Clarendon Rooms, Richard Griffiths, Esq., in the chair.
The report was read by Mr. Rae, the manager. It stated
that the hopes entertained of an early resumption of busi-
less by the bank had been realized; but the difficulties
of the times had prevented shareholders from subscribing
in the new issue of preferential shares, and the bank had
consequently been thrown upon its existing advances, for
funds to resume business with safety. The advances on
the 23rd October, were £750,000, and by the 22nd Janu-
ary they were reduced to £165,000. The circulation this
half-year had necessarily fallen off—averaging only
£15,000. The profit and loss account still left a balance
of profit of £1,069,190, making the aggregate profit of the
year £12,850, which had been transferred to the credit of
the bad debt amount. Since December, the liabilities of
the bank to the public, had been diminished nearly
£200,000, while the assets had been improved. The
whole liabilities were now £180,000: at the time of the
suspension they exceeded £600,000. The circulation
had risen in a few months from £7OOO to £20,000. The
directors looked cheerfully to the future. The report
was adopted. In answer to a question, the chairman
said that the directors felt sure of recovering all the capi-
tal lent to the Birkenhead Dock Company and Commis-
sioners, in a short time. The retiring directors were re-
appointed; the sum £BOO was allowed to them, and the
meeting adjourned.
DOCK COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS.—The chairman,
Mr. Bramley-Moore, at the meeting on Thursday, read
a letter from the Duke of Wellington, as follows :
" Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington presents his
compliments to Mr. Moore. He received his note on
the Bth instant, with plans of the Liverpool docks enclo-
sed therewith. He is much flattered by the honour con-
ferred on him by calling one of the docks and basins by
the name borne by him. He begs Mr. Moore to assure
the Dock Executive that he feels a most lively interest in
the prosperity of the town of Liverpool, and that he will
ever be willing to make every exertion to promote its
interest whenever it may be in his power." The letter
was enclosed in a handsome gilt morocco case. The
Chairman, in reply to a question, explained that he had
not sent a letter to Lord Stanley in consequence of not
having a plan of the docks to send with it. He had only
written to the Earl of Harrowby and the Duke of Wel-
lington, but the plans would be ready in a few days. A
report was read exculpating the keepers of the telegraph
from blame in the transmission of certain signals on the
27th ult., a complaint respecting which had been made
by Mr. Aikin, but the committee had directed that, in
future, greater vigilance should be used in attending to
signals from the eastward. Mr. Aikin said he was satis-
fied the telegraph might be made of much greater utility.
Communications might be made to ships in the offing,
whereas now the only communication given was that such
a ship was off Holyhead. The Chairman thought the
telegraph should not be used except for information of a
THE FATE FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE GREAT WESTERN'
public character. It was fixed that the annual inspection RAILWAY.—At the Devizes assizes, on Wednesday,
of the telegraph, which generally occupies five days,
George Pargeter was indicted for the manslaughter of
should commence on Monday. Mr. Tobin asked whether
Arthur Augustus Lea, at Swindon, on the 10th of May
proper certificates had yet been given as to the ages of last. Mr. Lea was a gentlemen of Wadham College,
the new north dock masters, and protested against per.
Oxford, and was killed on the Great Western Railway,
sons being appointed subject to certificates. The com-
in consequence of the accident which happened to the
mittee should have been satisfied with the certificates, express train driven by the prisoner. He was found guilty,
and then appointed the candidates. The Chairman pro- and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The
mired that the matter should be strictly investigated.
stoker and another man were acquitted.