The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-16 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COTTON MARKET.

By the kindniss of Messrs. Stewart and Wright, of
New York, we have been favored, per steamer Caledonia,
with a copy of their usual packet circular, together with
an account of the state of the American market, a day
later than is brought by the ordinary channels. The most
important feature of this communication is the increased
estimate now formed of the amount of the crop, arising
from its being ascertained that much cotton has been
saved, which had been previously reported as destroyed
by the rains in December last. Messrs. Stewart and
Wright, after a full inquiry and consideration, give it as
the most prevalent opinion that the crop will. be between
1,800,000 and 1,850,000 bales. The receipts, in Ameri-
can ports, to the latest dates this year, amount to 1,503,345
against 1,880,538 to the same period last year, showing a
deficit this year of 377.193 bales. The number of bales
received subsequent to this period last year was 498,357,
which, if equalled this year would make, with the quantity
previously arrived, 2,001,682 bales as the amount of this
year's crop. It is not believed, however, that there can
be so large a quantity to arrive this year, owing to the in-
ducements. which have existed this season for planters to
urge their stocks forward to a speculative market. Two-
thirds is calculated upon, which will make, with present
receipts, 1,831,936 bales as the crop of 1833 to 1844. In
some of the ports, especially Mobile and New Orleans,
the receipts were at the last dates already beginning to
fall off; and it was confidently anticipated that a material
decrease would soon be observable ; at the present moment
there is much more cotton in course of shipment than at
any period since the commencement of the season; and a
steady shipping business was looked forward to.
The market had been heavy up to the arrival of the
Caledonia, with Liverpool dates to the sth inst., specula-
tion having entirely ceased, and prices declining, to the
extent for " fair' of about one cent below the com-
mencement of the month. In the latter part of the month,
however, a fair business had been doing at the reduced
rates for export and American consumption. The news
by the Caledonia reduced prices another half cent, which
brought buyers on English account freely into market.
The following is the letter of Messrs. Stewart and
Wright, containing the latest intelligence :
" New York, 3 p.m., March 30.
" A large number of buyers made their appearance yes-
terday. Sales amounted to about 7,000 bales, so near our
extreme quotations as to amount to an advance of a of a
cent on nearly the total sales, which were entirely' for the
execution of orders for European account. The Conti-
nental buyers took several large lists to.daY ; the market
has a firmer tone, and the bidding has been general, but
for small lots only : sales amount to 1,000 bales ; pur-
chasers are supplied with difficulty now, as nearly all the
lots, which were ordered to be sold on the arrival of the
steamer from Liverpool of sth March, have been closed,
and holders generally ask an advance or withdraw from
the market. Freights are dull at 7-16ths of a penny for
square cotton to Liverpool, and 1 cent to Havre. Exchange
closes stiff at 81 percent. premium."
The effect of the news by the Caledonia has been to in-
duce holders of cotton in Liverpool to sell at a decline of
ith of a penny upon Friday's prices, on account mainly of
the large quantity now on the passage, or in course of
shipment to this port, and the great increase of the ar-
-rivals of stock in American ports. The amount of busi-
ness done to day at this reduction has been small, not
reaching more than about 2,500 bales, with a dull heavy
feeling pervading the market

ARRIVAL OF THE NEW HEAD CONSTABLE.—Mr.
Miller, the successor of Mr. Wbitty, arrived here on Sa-
turday. By his own suggestion, however, we understand
that he will not formally enter upon his office until next
week, intending to devote the present to the attainment
of a knowledge of the localities, &c., of the town. From
all that we have head of Mr. Miller's past management
of a similar post—and those testimonials are highly flat-
tering—we have no doubt that he will discharge most ef-
ficiently his very important and responsible duties. There
is a suggestion, by-the-bye, which we may here take the
opportunity of making to him, and which has repeatedly
been conveyed to us by various correspondents. It is
that those members of the police force who are off duty
on the Sunday should be assembled-by their inspectors at
the various stations, and taken by them to some place of
public worship. This practice is, we believe, followed in
most other towns; and it is one, upon the propriety of
which we need not remark.
EXTRAORDINARY EXHUMATION ON THE COAST OF
AFRICA.—The ship " Britannia," Capt. E. Wylie, left
Ichaboe, on the west coast of Africa, whither she bad
been for guano, on the 7th February, and arrived at this'
port on Sunday last with a cargo of that article. The
captain reports that on the 15th of January a "mummy"
was dug out of the guano, and close upon it there was a
common oak stave with the inscription " Columbus
Delano, 1791," cut apparently with an ordinary scribe
for marking wood. It was found only four feet below
the surface, and no idea could be formed of the depth at
which it had originally been buried ; so that supposing it
to have been merely covered under the then level, the
accumulation of the guano over the long intermediate
period of 53 years, could not have much exceeded 2k to 3
feet. It is remarkable that the body was in a state of
perfect preservation, and equally so was the canvas in
which it was enclosed, being perfectly fresh and strong.
The fact will furnish materials for conjecture to chemists
and druggists.
THE SHABBY RADICALS.—One of the shabby ruses of
the Radical faction, at the recent Easter Vestry, was the
attempt made to throw dust in the eyes of the public by
proposing, along with the list put forward by their own
tools, the names of respectable Conservatives. Of these
two or three were put forward without their consent, or
even their knowledge of the doubtful honour about to be
conferred upon them. Mr. Schofield, a conservative,
who was proposed as churchwarden, in opposition to Mr.
John Wilkinson, was thus proposed against his will, and
gave his own vote for his opponent. Mr. Thomas Tay-
lor, and, we believe, Mr. Mould, were both out of town,
and were not consulted upon the subject of their nomina-
tion. Another candidate, who was present at the vestry,
and thus sanctioned his nomination, had not, we are in-
formed, paid his rates at the time, and therefore was not
entitled even to hold up his band at the meeting, much
less to go to the poll. What is more conclusive still of
the factiousness of the whole proceedings ; the name of
one gentleman—a conservative—was refused to be with-
drawn by his radical proposer, Mr. John Smith, although
it was intimated to him that that gentleman had by letter
expressed his disinclination to contest the honor, or even
to serve if elected.

A FORGED BEGGING CERTIFICATE.—Yesterday, at
the police-court, a man, who gave his name as Alex-
ander, was placed at the bar, on a charge of obtaining
money by means of a false certificate, which was produced.
It was written in a good hand, was dated the 4th instant,
and purported to be signed by " John Tomkinson, mason
and bu•lder." It stated in effect that John Atkinson had•
been fifteen months in Mr. Tomkinsoa's employ ; that in
October last he fell from a building ; that he had until
lately been in the infirmary, bulOwas now convalescent;
that his goods - had been sold up for rent ; and that the
undersigned recommended him to the notice of the bene-
volent—so that he might raise £7 9s. "to save himself
and family from the unhappy situation into which he was
plunged." Appended were the signatures, or pretended
signatures, of a number of respectable parties, with sums
affixed opposite to their names of from 2s. 6d. to £l.
Amongst the names were those of Messrs. Tomkinson,
Samuel Holme, W. Fawcett, Joshua Edwards, R. Bicker-
steth, (Rev.) T. Tattershall, Edward Cropper, (Rev.)
Hugh M'Neile, &c. Mr. Tomkinson was in attendance,
and stated that the certificate was altogether false, and his
name to it was a forgery. The Rev. Mr. Ewbank also
said that he had been called upon by the prisoner, and
seeing the names of Mr. M`Neile and others, he had given
the prisoner Is., without signing his name. The prisoner
was apprehended on leaving the house. Some of the sig-
natures were real. Mr. Rushton commented on the
heartless conduct of the prisoner, who, like many others,
had ingeniously taken advantage of the charitable feelings
of the humane, and ordered the prisoner to be imprisoned
for three months. _ _ _ _

RATHBONE THE ILL-TEMPERED.—If, in the proceed-
ings of any meeting in Liverpool, assembled to discuss
questions of a local or a public nature, you meet with any
language peculiarly offensive, or marked by a more than
ordinary amount of venom and spitefulness, depend upon
it, in nine cases out of ten, you will find that its utterer
was William Rathbone. Other gentlemen can pursue
I public and even party objects, without violating the
courtesies of life and levelling studied insults against those
who differ from them. Other gentlemen meet their poli-
tical opponents on 'Change, on the magisterial bench, or
in the private circle, without forgetting that, although of
different opinions, they are still fellow citizens. But it is
not thus with William Rathbone. Once start this unhappy
old man upon any political scent, and away he goes, with a
viciousness perfectly unaccountable. Place him upon a
platform, with permission to open his mouth, and although
other gentlemen can keep in view the object of which they
are in pursuit, and that alone, William Ra thbone can scarcely
utter ten consecutive words which do not convey insult to
some one, and proclaim to the world that, beneath the
puritanical garb which he wears, a mass of bitter and ran-
corous-ndch
hablackena
ficatrli
mlo wni t iyit
nh
Lsn ivtbeser
frpoeoraoecl hu. s . An in-
The
passion is boiling which, if it could have free scope,
wouldßadical stance
so
and drt ch
hAi s n at
uni
have
;exTapnd
hee-
rienced a crushing defeat during the past week William Rathbone has accordingly been more than ordi-
narily waspish and vicious. He has looked daggers at his
political opponents, and so more than usually savage and
bitter against the Church that we wouldn't have answered
for the safety of the rectors, or any one of the clergy, if be
had met them while the fit was upon him. The chance
for a display of cannibalism, however, was not offered
him ; and he had to endure the workings of his accumu-
lated bile until Friday evening, when the " great free
trade banquet" afforded him an opportunity of partially
relieving himself. On this occasion he had entrusted to
him the duty of proposing the health of the Chairman—to
an ordinary man one would have imagined a very simple
duty, and not at all likely to bring the speaker foul of the
Church or of Churchmen. But William Rathbone is not
at all an ordinary man ; and fish, flesh, and fowl, dessert,
and wine, having become an anti-Church acidulation upon
his stomach, he proceeded to perform his task as follows:
" Gentlemen have told us to-night of the ignorance of
other places, but I can tell them we have ignorance in
Liverpool, ay, and in the pulpit, too, even though it be
occupied by M'Neile.—(Oh, oh.) We have had quoted
in the pulpit Russell's history, and been gravely told that
it was Lord John Russell's history. (Hear, and oh! oh !)
I beg leave to give you the health of our chairman—(loud
applause.)"
' Unhappy old man I The clergy in general, and the Rev.
Hugh 111'Neile in particular, must torment his spirit
sorely, to warrant their being lugged in thus unceremo-
neously upon an arena where they were so little expected,
and so much out of place I What earthly connexion could
there be between " Russell's History," or " Lord John
Russell's History," and either the Corn-laws or the
health of the member for Wolverhampton ?

PROPOSAL TO DEPRIVE THE PORT OF LIVER-
POOL OF THE SALT TRADE.

Of all the strange projects which have recently been
mooted by our Manchester neighbours, for the gratifica-
tion of their unaccountable spleen against the people and
the prosperity of this town, the most absurd has this week
been placed before the world in the columns of the Man-
chester Guardian. It is now seriously proposed, (in ad-
dition to the abortive inland bonding schemes, ship ca-
nals, and other similar devices, by which the property of
the town was menaced with what Lord Melbourne would
call " heavy blows and great discouragements," and a large
portion of our coasting trade was to be made to escape the
local dues, cartage, porterage, &c., of Liverpool,) to run
away with a valuable part of our export trade itself, and
transfer it, not to Manchester--that bubble has burst
long ago—but to the port of Hull, by the ingenious plan
of transporting to that port, by inland carriage, the arti-
cles to be exported ! Amongst the principal of these we
may enumerate salt, Welsh slates, iron, &c. We give
the routine of the operation proposed, from the Guardian
of Wednesday :
" At present the salt is brought down the river Weaver,
from Northwich, &c. to below Frodsham, where the
Weaver enters the Mersey, thirteen or fourteen miles
above Liverpool, and the boats thence proceed to the
docks at Liverpool. By the arrangements now being
made the salt will in future be carried from the sources of
its manufacture, down the Weaver, and then instead of
proceeding down the Mersey to Liverpool, it will be con-
veyed in the boats up the Mersey and Irwell navigation
to Runcorn, whence at present it may be brought to Man-
chester, either by the same navigation, or by the Duke of
Bridgewater's canal ; and, if the project elsewhere noticed
of converting that canal into a railway, be carried out,
then by that line it may be brought to Manchester. In
any case, however, it will be brought hither to a station
near the Victoria Bridge, and will then be loaded in a pe-
culiar form of covered waggon, constructed for the pur-
pose, by which it will be conveyed by the Manchester and
Leeds, Leeds and Selby, and Selby and Hull lines of
railway to Hull, and there shipped for the continent.
We understand that about3oo of the waggons are now be-
ing made, under a contract. Otte great advantage of this
change in the mode of transit is expected to be, that the
foreign vessels, now coming so often in ballast to Liver-
pool, will, as opportunity serves, bring cargoes of grain,
&c. from the Baltic and other parts of the continent to
Hull ; and thus a sort of interchange of two necessary
commodities may be established. We hear that salt is
not the only article of commerce destined in this way to
change its usual port of export. Welsh slates will in all
probability find a similar means of transit across the coun-
try, to be shipped at Hull for the continent.—Since the
above was written, we find a paragraph, confirming this
statement, in the Eastern Counties Herald, which we in-
sert elsewhere."

It is perhaps scarcely necessary, to Liverpool readers,
to offer many reasons in objection to the impracticability
of carrying out this precious piece of mingled spitefulness,
folly, and jobbing—yes, JOBBING! But we may be ex-
cused if we say a few words upon the animus of the par-
ties by whom it is suggested. The notion of carrying salt,
slate, &c. by canal and railway, from the west to the east
coast, for shipment to the continent, is sheer absurdity,
for the very obvious reason that the expense of the inland
carriage, transhipment, &c., alone, would be far greater
than the freight from. Liverpool to a European port.
Besides, were the operation practicable, it might be more
cheaply carried out by means of an already:exiiting chan-
nel, the Leeds and Liverpool canal, than by the aid of
" the peculiar form of covered carriages" devised by the
speculative ingenuity of Leeds and Manchester railway
jobbers. We can afford therefore to laugh at the Quixotism
of the scheme, whilst we deprecate the motives of the pro-
jectors. What has this " good old town" of Liverpool
done amiss, that we are to be conthanally kept in fear of
being " clawed up" by the millocracy of Minchester ?
What can be the object of this ready adoption, by our
neighbours, of any and every whimsy which folly and
spite can devise to injure us ? Why should it grieve them
that the commerce of the world is pouring its wealth into
this port, through the channel of our noble river ; that the
shipping of Liverpool ploughs every sea, and the useful
products of the adjacent districts are conveyed by it to
every foreign market? Surely, it is not envy; surely it is
not the paltry feeling which prompted the snarlings of the
dog in the manger.
We can imagine no well-founded cause of bitterness—
no cause which a sensible and an honest man would not
blush to avow. But we can fancy a little scheming. We
can imagine the effect of a generally-entertained belief in
the various cock-and-bull stories, circulated by the gen-
tlemen bitten with this anti-Liverpool mania, upon the
price of certain railway stocks. Once let it be credited
that some hundred thousand tons per annum of salt and
Welsh slates are going to be forwarded, like drapers' par-
cels, overland from this port to Hull for shipment—a spe-
cies of " carrying coals'to Newcastle," or " going round-
about for the nearest ;" and how Leeds and Manchester
shares will look up—how Leeds and Selby and Selby and
Hull will jump to premiums!
But, it wont do. This is not the age in which Mun-
chausens and Bobadils pass current for sensible men, or
the world can be gulled by projected roads to the moon,
or plans of extracting gold from sunbeams. Gentlemen
Millocrat. and Leaguers, you are simply making your-
selves ridiculous!

PATRIOTISMor AN IRISH TOWN-COUNCILLOR.:

The character of an Irish Municipal body is admirably
exemplified by the proceedings of the Town Council of
Cork, at a meeting held on Thursday sen'night. A mem-
ber of the Council in question had conceived the splendid
idea that it was necessary to their dignity that they should
appear at the recent Munster Provincial Festival," in
honour of, the about-to-be-martyred O'Connell, in the
robes of their office ; and accordingly delivered himself
of a motion to the effect that such robes (being non-
existent) should be provided for the occasion. In behalf
of this motion a Mr. Councillor Dowden argued " that if
the Queen came there, the handmaiden?fTory politics"

—(how complimentary !)—" she would- be met with all
matters appertaining to respect; and he did not think
that the Majesty of England, who ruled by birthright,
should have more honor and respect paid to her than the
Majesty of intellect and good feeling which kept Ireland
quiet, waiting for a better day." Her Majesty, in plain
terms, should have,no more respect paid her than Daniel
O'Connell her convicted subject; (!) and on her name
being mentioned by another speaker, and the indecency
of the two names being treated upon a footing of equality
commented upon, the same patriotic individual ejaculated
" We know nothing about her !"

A still more startling and almost as loyal and patriotic

(!) a sentiment was expressed by this pattern town-coun-
cillor, upon the subject of things in general. " He, Mr.
Councillor Dowden, did not know a greater oppression
the country could suffer under than what were called the
laws of the land—they were an atrocious oppression, which
he hoped the next great reformation would get rid of—
(oh, oh.) They were a system of deliberate lying, du-
plicity, humbug, and jusuistry—(oh, oh.) He was for
doing away with the craft of the law—the craft of the
church—the craft of the army, and the craft of medicine
—(laughter.)" Why not add to the list "the craft" of
such Town Councils as this of Cork ?

As the climax of the absurdity 'of this affair of munici-
pal robes, it was admitted by the assembled philosophers
that although their motion was carried, neither tailors
nor money could be found to carry it into execution ; and,
in all probability, the municipality of Cork, like the cele-
brated Paddy from the same locality, wore simply their
coats, buttoned behind, in the ordinary fashion of their
city.

REPORTED CONVERSION OF THE BRIDGEWATER
CANAL INTO A RAILWAY.—The Manchester Guardian
notices a rumour, to the effect that Lord Francis Eger-
ton has an intention (and, according to some accounts,
has given directions to have that intention carried into
effect) of draining dry the Bridgewater Canal, from Man-
chester to Runcorn, and converting it into a railway, for
the conveyance of goods and passengers, and by steamers
from Runcorn to Liverpool. To carry into effect this
project, it is said—and we believe truly—that there will be
no necessity to go to parliament, the land occupied by the
canal and the banks on its sides being sufficient for the
construction of a line of railway, without further purcha-
ses being made; and the fact of the canal being through-
out upon a level, without a single lock during its whole
length, the construction must be very inexpensive, con-
sisting merely of the draining, the widening, perhaps, of
some portions, in order to accommodate two lines of rails,
for which, at present, it may not afford sufficient space,
the erection of sufficient bridges, the ballasting and rails,
and the expense of stations, &c. It is further said that
the dock of the Ellesmere Company will be made the
depot for the transhipment of goods and passengers be-
tween Liverpool and Manchester. Of course, we cannot
vouch for the accuracy of this report; but we cannot by
any means discover that the project to which it refers
is one at all unlikely to be in the contemplation of the
noble lord, the owner of the property to be so dealt with.
Lord Francis has already, it is well known, by his pur-
chase of the River Irwell Companies' property, provided
himself with a good water communication, by which to
convey his heavy freight ; and although the distance of
the route by the proposed railway to Runcorn, and by the
Mersey to Liverpool, may be somewhat longer than the
Present direct railway communication between the two
towns, (the canal being 32 miles long, and the distance
by the river from Runcorn about eighteen miles,)
the small cost of construction, and the perfect level
of the line, when constructed, and consequently light cost
of working, may possibly enable such new line to become
a very formidable competitor for a certain portion of the
traffic. It is not the first time that it has been proposed
to convert canals into railways. It is not the first time
that such conversion of this very canal has been mooted ;
and it must strike any one, that if the importance of the
present passenger traffic upon it, and the quantity of
freight requiring quick despatch, are sufficient to warrant
the recent efforts made, by the adoption of steamers
suited for the canal boats and other expensive appliances,
to ensure speed of transit, the substitution of a railway for
a canal may be equally warranted. Such a railway, too,
ma/ ultimately be carried forward, crossing the Merseyat Runcorn Gap, through the Gateacre valley to Liver-
pool. We are speaking, however, with respect to the pro-
ject, quite upon speculation ; and shall not therefore, en-
ter further into any discussion of it, but content ourselves
with merely bringing its main features before our readers.
- On Thursday night a fire broke out in the whiting ma-
nufactory of Mr. Richardson, Leeds-street, It was got
out by the fire-police.