The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-05 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

In the adve:ti,ement of the Licensed Victuallers' Ball. in our
last public,tion, the price of the tickets was stated
instead of Jos.
The gentleman alluded to by" Fair Play" is certainly deservng
of :he hon birth, dignity. and princely liberality; and
wer we assured that he desired the office, we sh uld be the
first to enforce his c.aims to the utmost of our power.
We were compelled at a late Hour to withdraw several letters
and paragraphs.

Ebt Eiberpoot

TUESDAY MORAING, NOV. 5, 1844

'We should imagine that the result 'of Friday's
municipal contests must have convinced all but the
stupidly obstinate of the Radical party in this town
of their unhappy and hopeless political imbecility.
" The friends of justice to all classes, and the welfare
of the town at large,"—as our 'poor Mercury ludi-
crously styles his faction—have been victorious in
one contest! " A number of persons of a certain
description"—as the same oracle styles the Conser-
vative candidates for municipal honours—have de-
feated, in fair fight, the " well-connected gentlemen,
it to appear in the pubac service, and able to com-
prehend the bearings (f• questions effecting the general
and local policy of this great community ; and—
strange to say !—that community itself has had the
casting voice in the struggle. Surely in this there
must be something Radically wrong. We must
_ . _ _

want a reform of the Municipal Reform Bill ; and
we long to know what is to be the specific, by which
the Radical faction—the rejected of the people—
the despised of the constituencies which themselves
created—are to be restored to authority in the local
affairs of our borough. Positively, if things go on
at the present rate, before long we shall not have a
single specimen of the genus to ornament and en-
lighten the Council chamber—a calamity to be de-
plored!
We w7sh we could say that the faction have made
their exit from the political aren;,, like gentlemen.
They have not. Their proceedings on this occasion
have exhibited them in a very different light, as we
shall briefly' spew. In North Toxteth they carried
the contest to a close, with a candidate who had not
only declared, by letter to his committee, that he
•• could not, on any consideration whtever, under-
take the duties of a common councillor," but had
even intimated that, if they persevered, and he was
elected, they must "he prepared to pay the fine of
his non-serving of the (dice.' Surely this was wan-
ton and disgraceful factiousness ! In South Tox-
teth, again, the► fought the contest against the Con-
servative, with a candidate wit) had previously de-
clared by letter that lie " must decline, in the most
explicit manner, the honour" of b ing proposed;
and enumerated such a list of bodily afflictions to
prevent him, as renic'red the liberty taken with his
name a piece of heartless cruelty. The very letter
in which this intimation was conveyed, and which
stated that, "whilst I am writing I am writhing with

pain," should surely have preserved him from being
so indecently trifled with, and from the additional
pain of the defeat which has resulted. The nomina•
tion of Mr. Gladstone- for Great George's Ward, in
the Radical interest, contrary to his expressed
wishes, is similarly scandalous, whilst the pro-
ceedings of the faction in Pitt-street are perfectly
disreputable to all parties connected with them.
The most rotten of the disfranchised rotten boroughs
never took more scandalous measures for getting up
a contest, or proved themselves less worthy of the
franchise, than the parties in question.
We are sure that the whole of these proceedings
will meet with the reprobation of the respectable
• members of the Whig-Radicil party. No course
can he imaoined, so.eininently calculated to prolong
their exclusion from the confidence of their fellow-
townsmen, than a continuance of such practices.
We beg pardon : there is --one influence almost
equally efficacious, viz : the twaddling insolence
with which their opponents are continually bespat-
tered by such scribes as those of the Liverpool
Mercury, of which the article from which we have
quoted above, affords a few specimens. Whig,
Radicalism in Liverpool has indeed cause to ex-
claim " save me from my friends ! "

The announcements conveyed in the address of
Mr. Moss, at the meeting of the Grand Junction
Comp'tny, on Friday last, possess an interest not
only to the holders of shares in that Company, but
to all who are embarked. in Railway undertakings.
IVe are now formally made aware of the fact, which
we ha I always anticipated, that those two great
Railway properties, the Grand Junction, and the
London and Bit mingham Lines, have ceased to be
carried on in concert with e ,ch other—have entered
indeed upon a course of antagonism; and we hare,
in the address in question, the opinions of a gentle-
man, perhaps better and more intimately conversant
with Railway management than any other man in
the kingdom, as to the effect, upon the interests of
the Company over which he presides, of the unfor-
tunate split which has taken place. These opinions
we purpose examining, having tirst, however, briefly
noticed the proceedings which the Grand Junction
Company have resolved upon adopting, with a view
of strengthening their position.
The course, Mr. Moss states, is for the GrandJ unc-
ton, "to be prepared for any alternative"; and an-
nounces that, accordingly, "all needful measures
are being taken for putting before parliament their
Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, and also their
Shrewsbury and Stafford Lines," relying upon the
judgement and fair consideration of the Board of
Trade, to decide which of the rival schemes offered,
are the most likely to be conducive to the public
benefit. Mr. Moss cannot think that parliament
will allow new lines to be made, running parallel
and close to the Line of the Grand Junction Com-
pany ; but, allowing the worst to happen, and such
competition to be directed against them, he believes
that, " the lines authorised, or to be authorised,
north and south, as well as in Ireland, will, to a
great extent, compensate them for any loss of traffic
which threatens them"; and, he reminds the share-
holders that they possess an advantage in the race
of competition, arising from the cheapness of con-
struction of their own Railway. He depends, too,
upon the arrangements recently made and contem-
plated, for promoting the convenience of the public,
amongst which, he mentions most prominently, the
increased number of second class trains already pro-
vided; the increased comfort and reduced price of
the third class trains, and improvements now mak-
ing, and hereafter to be made at their stations.
From all these considerations, he deduces the con-
clusion that, "if parliament would only protect
them against unnecessary competing Lines,, the
public would be vastly benefitted, for the Company
have no wish for exclusive advantages, their view
being to divide with the public the profit of increased
traffic, both in the way of low prices, and increased
accommodation."

We agree with the hulk of the opinions here ex-
pressed; and, with Mr. Moss, feel assured that par-
liament will not sanction any needless competing
Lines, provided the Grand Junction fairly, and in
earnest set themselves to the work of providing all
the reasonable accommodation within their power
to the various important localities which lie adjacent
to their Line. We cannot, however, but regard it
as an unfortunate circumstance, and one calculated
to weigh seriously against them with any Commit-
tee, before whom their claims to protection may be
laid, that they have hitherto done so very, very little
in this direction, considering the vast margin of
profit at their disposal. A Company, which con-
cedes to the loudest requirements of the public only
upon compulsion, is not usually the object of public
sympathy, when attacked in their monopoly :and
we are not, therefore, so certain as we should other-
wise have been—nor, we suspect, is Mr. Moss him-
self—that several of the proposed competing Lines,
to which, as natural appendages to their own Line,
the Grand Junction Company might have fairly laid
claim, will not be thrown into the hands of their
present projectors. The legislature, as evidenced
by the Railways Regulation Bill of last year, appear
to have arrived at the conclusion that some strong
coercive policy is required to force existing Corn
panics into concessions to the convenience of the
public; and there are many schemes sanctioned last
session, which tend to prove that the weapon, in
which their greatest reliance is placed, is encourage-
ment to competing Lines. We cannot, therefore,
assure the proprietors of the Grand Junction Line,
of immunity from legislatorial reprisal for the past.
Their fancied exclusive property in the country
through which their Line runs will, we are confident,
be strongly and successfully attacked; and, although
we rely, with as great a confidence as Mr. Moss
himself, in the elasticity and resources of the con-
cern over whose interests he so ably and honestly
presides, we fear that, for a time, the shareholders
must prepare for some sacrifices of interest upon
their investments and less imposing dividends.
The future welfare of the concern to, however,

still in the hands of the direction, and may be ad-
vanced, or sacrificed,- according to the extent to
which they prepare themt•elves to carry out those
improvements of which, their important Line is so
capable, and, we may add, so greatly in need ; and
here we may address to them a few words of advice
—of complaint inOeed—suggested by that portion
of Mr. Moss's speech which points to the proposed
future proceedilgs of the Company. Mr. Moss al-
ludes to improvements to be made in the Company's
stations. We have heard too of projects for short-
ening the Line from near Warrington to Liverpool,
by which, the outrageously large angle, at present
seen upon the map of this line, will, to some extent,
be cut off. But really, and seriously, we must tell
the Board that, such alterations as we have heard are
in projection will not satisfy, and ought not to
satisfy, the public. The Company must do some-
thing on a more extended scale. They must not
hope to be permitted to drag their traffic some miles
round to a junction with the Liverpool and Man-
chester at Iduyton or Rainhill, for the sake of saving
the cost of an independent station. Both stations
of the Liverpool and Manchester Line are already
incompetent enough for the accommodation of its
own legitimate business ; and when so great a dis-
tance can be saved by the Grand Junction, by a di-
rect line from near Runcorn Gap to the south end
of the town, the expense of a separate station and
tunnel ought nor to he an object of consideration,
with a Company so wealthy and prosperous as this
has ever been, and is at the present moment. In
such an effort the public and the legislature would
recognize a bona-fide desire on the part of the Com-
pany to make the best use of the extensive means
at their disposal; and without such an effort we are
satisfied that the encroachments of rival undertak-
ings must go on and become, at no distant date,
seriously damaging to their interests.
We have made these remarks with all good feel-
ing towards those of our fellow-townsmen, and others
who are embarked in this undertaking, and we trust
that they will he taken in the same spirit in which
they are offered. They may be found worthy of
consideration.

The retirement of Mr. Sands from the office of
Mayor, at the close of the municipal year, affords us
an opportunity, which we gladly embrace, of making
a few remarks upon the mode in which he has dis-
charged the important functions of that high office.
Mr. Sands, it will be remembered, entered upon the
discharge of those functions under circumstances of
some difficulty. A charge had been preferred
against him, affecting his private character as a tner-
chant ; and some men there are who would have
preferred to waive their claim to such an honour,
rather than undergo the searching ordeal necessary
to clear them from the imputations brought against
them. Mr. Sands was not such a man. He went
boldly to the proof of the perfect purity of his
actions. He was absolved from every thing which
could savour of even the appearance of dishonoura-
ble conduct, by arrimpllrtial tribunal ; and he en-
tered upon his duties, as Mayor of the second town
in the empire, with a character for probity and
honesty, not sallied in the slightest degree by the
attempt made to do it injury.
Entering upon such an office under such circum-
stances, the conduct of Mr. Sands in his official ca-
pacity has naturally been more strictly subjected to
criticism than, otherwise, it might have been; and
we rejoice to say that even the tongue of malice can-
not bring against it an imputation. We do not
affect to say that it has been to our own perfect sa-
tisfaction. Upon one subject, and upon one alone
(which will be sufficiently recognized by those who
have been in the habit of perusing our leading
columns), we have felt it necessary to object to his
proceedings and opinions. We pass this by, how-
ever. We know that, on that occasion, the conduct
of the Mayor %ITS dictated from motives the most
pure of what he was led to believe was his duty ;
and we:readily forbear all further notice of the subject
We can well afford to an honourable man the right
of private judgement, and esteem him still honest
and consistent, although he may differ from us upon
any particular point not all-important to the cause
of which we are the humble and unworthy advocates.
In the hands of Mr. Sands,—and we have
watched his career attentively,—the duties of the
Mayoralty of Liverpool have been performed•with
dignity and credit to the tow-,, over which he has
had to preside. It has fallen to his lot, during his
tenure of office, to dispense the hospitalities of the
Town-hall to many distinguished visitors. It has
been his privilege to entertain royalty ; and none
who have attended his entertainments upon any of
these occasions can say that the honor and credit of
this great town were not munificently sustained by
him. But better even than this,—because mere
vanity and ostentation could not be said to have been
the impelling causes of action—we point to the
readiness shewn by Mr. Sands, on ali occasions, to
make his high office subserve to the cause of charity
and the social amelioration of his fellow-townsmen.
In this use of his dignity no man within our memory
has excelled the gentleman of whose merits, as
Mayor of Liverpool, we are at present recording our
humble opinions.
We take leave of the subject. It required not
even this length of remark. We may, h :wever,
further express our grateful sense of the personal
amenity which has ever distinguished Mr. Sands,
whilst occupying his high office; and assure him that
he will retire into his station as a member of the
council with the good wishes of all, with whom his
more elevated station has brought him into contact.

A paragraph appeared in the Journal of Saturday,
and was copied into the Albion of Monday, contain-
ing statements respecting the forthcoming election
of mayor, and aldermen of this borough, to which we
feel hound to give the most decided contradiction. It
is asserted—and sneeringly asserted too—that Mr.
James Lawrence is to he elevated to the mayoralty,
by a species of compromise with other gentlemen,
supposed to be aspirants to the office, and agreed to
at a preliminary meeting of Conservative members
of the Council ; and a list of names is given of the
parties to be elected aldermen, as a set off to the
withdrawal of opposition to Mr. Lawrence. The
whole of these details are. pure inventions,—as false
as they are utterly ridiculous.
No such preliminary meeting as is spoken of has
been held. Of that we are well assure& And,
further, we are perfectly confident that Mr. James
Lawrence would never submit to owe his elevation
to the mayoralty to such a degrading compromise
with other aspirants, as is alleged to have taken
place. Mr. Lawrence submits his claims to that
honour entirely to the unbiassed and unbought con-
sideration of the members of the Council ; and we
believe will be elected by their unanimous voice,
although certainly in accordance with no procon-
certed arrangement by which his honor can be com-
promised. _ _ _

With respect to the parties to be elected to the
office of aldermen, we are assured that not only has
no such arrangement—no such "compromise"—
been entered into, upon the terms alleged by the
Journal, and copied by the Albion, but no arrange-
ment at all has, at this moment, been come to, or,
so far as we are aware, attempted. We could not
point, nor do we believe that any other man could
now point, to the name of a single gentleman whose
aspirations to the honor of election to the office of
alderman is secure, or, from any other consideration
than his merit, likely to be responded to by the
majority of the Council.
We are unwilling, for reasons which on a former
occasion we have given, to enter more at length into
this subject, or to suggest anything to the Council
with respect to the course for them to adopt. We
leave the elections to he made unreservedly to their
good judgment and consideration.

THE FUNDS, SATURDAY NIGHT.—The funds have
scarcely supported the currency of yesterday. business
having been limited, and the market closing early. Con-
sols for money left off this afternoon 991 to 1 ; and for
the account, 991 to par. B ink Stock closed 203 to 205 •
India Stock, 287 to 289; India Bonds, 89s. to 91s. pre-
mium ; '1 hree per Cents. Reduced. 99 to 1 ; New Three-
and-a-quarter per Cents., 1011 to 101 ; and Long Annui-
ties, 12. Exchequer-bills continue to feel the influence
of th, increased demand for money, leaving off to-day at
655. to 675. premium, which within the last fortnight
shows a decline of Bs. premium in these securities, the
quotation having been previously 735. to 755. premium.
In the foreign market business was of the least impor-
tance. Spanish is quoted rather firmer, but the Stock
Exchange had closed before The Times was received in
the city with the news of the attempt to assassinate
neral Narvaez and Baion de Meer. The effect is antici-
pated to be unfavourable when the market opens on Mon-
day. Spanish Three per Cents. this afternoon closed at
351 to -1 ; Five per Cents., an to 24. The other prices
were—Belgian, 101 to 102 ex div. ; Brazilian, 851 to 864 ;
Chilian, 101 to 103; Colombian, 131 to 14; Danish, 881
to 894; Dutch Two•and-a-Half per Cents., 621 to*; the
Four per Cents, 954 to I ; the Five per Cents., 984 to 99 ;
Mexican, 341 to 4 the Deferred, 15 to 1: and Russian,
1181 to 119 i.

THE WATCH .COMMITTEE AND THE LATE

HEAD-CONSTABLE.

We must say that we have seldom approached a subject
with greater difficulty—with greater regret, that the
duty should be imposed upon us.—than we now approach
the consideration of the questions at issue between Mr.
Miller, our late Head-cons,able, and the Watch Corn•
mittee. Upon the appointment of this gentleman to his
onerous and important office, we imagined that we re-
cognised, in his character and reputed fitness, abundant
motives for his selection by the Watch Committee. We
advocated his claims accordingly ; and, via to a very
recent period, we have been wader the impression that he
was fulfilling the expectations of that committee and of
the town Tke event of his retirement, even, we regarded
as only attribu'able to a mistake, on his part, of his duties,
and a wrong impression as to the extent to which he was
subject to the controlling power of the Committee. Upon
this subject We knew that differences had arisen, which
we trusted that the good sense of Mr. Miller would ena-
ble him to reconcile with the perfect performance of his
duty. Entertaining these views, we regretted the ne-
cessity which be felt of resigning his tru,t, and were pre-
pared to part with him. in the perfect conviction that he
had done his utmost t t earn the respect, even although he
could not fulfil the expectations, of the body by whom he
was appointed.
We would willingly have been left under these imnres.
sions, as, we are sure, would the -Watch Committee.
But—oh what a curse it is to have injudicious advisers,
or a headstrong temper!—Mr. Miller has- not been con-
tent with the considerate manner in. which the reasons
for his retirement have been sought to be placed before
the public by the Watch Committee, but has rushed into
print, with an evident inclination to provoke a contro-
versy and a sifting of the whole subject of his conduct in
the office which ht held. With the letter from him which
has resulted it is now our duty to deal ; and being driven
by himself to the performance of that duty, be cannot
complain if we do it unreservedly.
Mr. Miller wishes it to be understood that the sole
ground of his offence is his disobeyal of express orders
on the day of the laying of the foundation stone of the
docks at Birkenhead. Of the precise degree of his cul-
pability, here. more anon. In the meantime we must beg
to remind him that. although with the charitable intent
to allow his character to go forth to the world with as
little damage as possible. his admitted neglect, or viola-
tion of orders on this occasion was alleged by the Watch
Committee as the ground of their dissatisfaction with
him, it was nol, as he nau,t well know, the only ground.
Mr. Miller was not discharged because of his proceedings
on that day. A select committee had for a week pre-
viously, as was well known, through the press, and par-
ticularly well known to himself, been sitting to inquire
into the general conduct of the police, his own conduct
included. On the very day of his admitted delinquency,
the general committee had been summoned, by the secre-
tary's letter, dated four days previously, to receive the
report of the special committee. It was received during
his absence from the duties prescribed to him on that
day; and we state without reservation that, will that re-
port before it, independent of any thing else, the Board
could have had no other alternative than that of enforcing
Mr. Miller's removal from his office. The late head cow.
stable therefor., is a little disingenuous when he makes use
of the Board's kind consideration for his own future pros-
pects, to raise a charge of undue severity against him.
And now, with respect to the circumstances under
which Mr. iller went to Birkenhead, in direct contra-
riety to the orders of the Watch Committee. We give,
at foot, his own statement,. and proceed to supply the real
facts, which are a little tortured, and such parts of them
as it suits h s purpose to conceal suppressed by him.
An application was made to the Watch Committee of
Liverpool, by the Birkenhead commissioners, for a num-
ber of the force to attend on the.occasion of the laying of
the foundation stone of the new docks, in order to prevent
any breaches of the peace which might occur. To this
application the Watch Committee acceded, by granting a
force of fifty men for the occosion, to be sent under the
superintendence of an inspector; and; on a subsequent
application from Mr Miller to be permitted to accompany
them, he was informed that the arrangements were already
made, and that an inspector was sufficient. The subsequent
Proceedings of Mr. Miller are detailed in his letter sub-
joined : but some very important circumstances, bearing
materially upon the conduct of the chairman of the board,'
whom Mr. Miller accuses of unauthorised interference,
are omitted to be mentioned. Mr. Miller says, correctly,
that on his return in the afternoon, he was reproved by
the daily board, then sitting. He was, in addition, in-
formed that he must for the remainder of the day confine
himself to the superveillance of the force in the town ;
and that the charge of the police attending at the Pier-
head and at Birkenhead was to be confided to Mr. Dow-
ling. A resolution of the daily board to that effect was
duly recorded in their minutes ; and yet Mr. Miller's
own letter acknowledges his contumacious disregard of
its requirements. He deliberately took upon himself to
perform Mr. Dowling's duties. He ordered an additional
force to be sent over to Birkenhead; an-t, when remon-
s:rat sel with by Mr. Lawrence and reminded of the res.)-
lotion of the Committee, he persisted in refusing to v ith-
draw that order. He argues in his letter, in defence or
such refusal, that he was not subject to the individual
orders of the Chairman of the Watch Committee. We
say that he was at least bound to obey the resolution of
the Board itself, and abstain from interference with that
portion of the force which had been placed under the
orders of Mr. Dowling. We tell him MO' eover that Mr.
Lawrence had authority to interfere, being auti orised -by
he Committee t see their orders carried into effect; and
we tell him, further, that Mr. Lawrence never did so in-
terfere as he has represented him doing. Mr. Lawrence
never sent back a man of the, Force. Mr. Dowling, who was
in charge of the Force, end to whom it wasl,St tojmige of
the necessity of their proceeding to Birkenhead, did what
Mr. Miller states to have been so officiously shone by the
Chairman himself.

We are sorry that Mr. Miller has compelled us to enter
into these particulars, and much suspect that, in the pro-
ceedings which he has taken in this matter, he has been
misled by evil advisers. We know, and he knows hilitself
too, that the conduct of the board towards him has been
most considerate ; they were forbearing to the last. Wilful
men however—and he certainly appears a most wilful on, --
will have their way, and must of course bear the conse-
quences. If Mr. Miller is not satisfied to do so—if he
wishes a public investigation into his case—let him de-
mand an enquiry into all the circum-tances of his conduct
since he took charge of the force, and we are confident it
will not be refused him. Will he try this issue ? It is a
more wanly one than the course which he is at present
pursuing.

of this responsible office. I will add, in conclusion, for
the satisfaction of the many influent al gentlemen in this
town who took an interest in my election, the following
cwilmunication which I received from Sir J3mes Camp-
bell since my arrival in Liverpool, tes,ifying the opinion
which he and a large portion of the. community of Glas-
gow entertained of my services as Superintendent of Po-
lice there, after a discharge of the duties during-. eight
years.

I am, sir, your most obedient servant, H. MILLER.
Liverpool. Ist Nov., 1844.
[Mr. Miller then gives a letter which enclosed the very
handsome subscription of £360 by persons in Glasgow.]

LETTER OF CONDOLENCE TO A FRIEND IN

MISFORTUNE.