The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-03 00:00:00

THE AUMY.--The following is a return of the number of
men voted for the army in each year, from 1835-6 to 1842-3,
both inclusive. the number of all ranks serving in Great
Britain, including the recruiting troops and companies in the
pay of the East India Company, and showing also the num-
ber of all ranks serving in India:—
Great Britain. India. Total.
1835-6
1836-7
1837-8
1838-9
1839-40
1810-1
1841-2 ...... 82,051 29,070 ......121,121
1842-3

The number of men of all ranks actually serving on the sth

of April

1840
1841
1842

Great Britair
.... 94,979 .
.... 94,468 .

97,792

India. Total.
23,434
27,330 . .
27,359

THE NAVY.—The following are the numbers of all the
flag and other officers, petty officers, seamen, and boys of all
her Majesty's ships and vessels in commission and at the
royal dockyards on the Ist of January, 1843:—Admirals, 2;
Vice-Admirals, 4 ; Rear-Admirals, 7 ; Commodores, 2 ;
Flag-Lieutenants, 11; Secretaries, 14; Clerks and retinue of
Flag-Officers, 125 ; Captains. 62 ; Commanders, 84 ; Lieu-
tenants, 521 ; Master of the Fleet, 1 ; Masters, 121 ; Chap-
lains, 54; Inspector of the Hospitals and Fleets, 1 ; Depu-
ties, 2; Surgeons, 141 ; Pursers, 116; Naval Instructors,
28 ; Mates, 489 ; Second Masters, 144 ; Assistant Surgeons,
232; Warrant-Officers, 755; Engineers, 118; Midshipmen,
555; Masters' Assistants, 224; Volunteers, 330; Clerks,
223; Schoolmasters, 25; and Petty Officers, 6,518.
Total officers of all grades
Able and ordinary seamen, landsmen, and
boys, including Kroomen and Chinese
Coolies

Total for effective naval services on the Ist
of January last, exclusive of Marines.... 30,044
The vote for the year 1842-3 for the number of seamen was
30,500; that proposed to be taken for the ensuing financial
year 1843-4 is 26,500 seamen and 2000 boys.

SIR HUGH Gouoii.—The following is from an eye wit-
ness of the interesting ceremony it describes :—" While at
Nankin I went on board the admiral's ship Cornwallis, 72
guns, and witnessed the ceremony of investing Sir Hugh
Gough with the insignia of the order of the Grand Cross of
the Bath. This highly-interesting and imposing ceremony
was performed by Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker, K.C.8., by
the Queen's special command, and there is but one instance
of its having been done in a similar manner before. The
Queen's letter, which was read, was the most flattering and
complimentary to Sir Hugh Gough that the English language
would allow of. It regretted the gallant officer's absence from
England, which deprived her Majesty of the pleasure of con-
ferring it personally ; but strictly charged the admiral to do
it in the most marked and public manner possible, to con-
vince the general of the desire of the Crown to make suitable
acknowledgment of his services in China. Royal salutes
were fired, the ship full of people in full dress. Prayers were
read, and after the ceremony the good old English fashion of
eating and drinking took place. The Chinese Tartar General
with his staff came on board, but too late."

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE

GLASGOW, PAISLEY, KILMARNOCK, AND AYR RAIL-
WAY.—The twelfth half-yearly meeting of the proprietors of
this railway was held at Glasgow on Monday last. The re-
port stated that the passenger traffic had been materially
affected by the continued depression in trade, though the
traffic in goods and parcels presented a more cheering aspect,
as the increase, compared with the corresponding six months
of last year, had been £1,347 15s. 7d. The directors have
borrowed £61,790 at 44 per cent., and an additional sum of
£lB,OOO at 4 per cent., and they had set aside £739 17s. 6d.
to go to the contingent fund. This left a sum of £7,812 10s.
which enabled the directors to recommend a dividend of
12s. 6d. per share on the 15th March. The Kilmarnock
branch, it was expected, would be permanently opened in
April. Mr. Smith, from Preston, was then introduced, and
submitted a number of interesting statements respecting the
propriety of establishing a line of steamers to ply between
Ardrossan and Fleetwood. The Earl of Eglinton and other
gentlemen strongly recommended the proposal to the share-
holders.

EASTERN COUNTIES' RAILWAY.—On Monday last the
opening of this line from Shoreditch to Colchester took place.
A. train started at a quarter to ten with those invited to in-
spect the line. The pace to Romford was pretty good, the
station there was reached in 22 minutes. Twenty minutes
more were consumed before the train reached Brentwood,
when a stoppage of ten minutes took place to arrange some
necessary matters before proceeding further. On arriving at
the new ground the pace was very slow, and, after passing
over a causeway of timber, resembling an enormous scaffold-
ing, and similar to those on American railroads, on which
the rails were laid, the trains came to a stand still in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of two ragged looking woods, about
three miles beyond Brentwood. There they remained stuck
fast for about two hours and a half, whilst a number of la-
bourers were employed to render the rails passable. Gangs
of these people passed and repassed the train, carrying ham-
mers, pieces of wood, rail, &c., and were anxiously asked
by those within the carriages what was going on, how long
they were to be detained, and other questions. which
curiosity, impatience, and alarm suggested. To those inter-
rogatories no reply was given, and the annoyance was
aggravated by the grins and chuckling of the boors at their
disaster. Alter some time consumed in this manner, a gen-
_

tieman, who was understood to be Mr. Hall, informed the
company that those who chose to return to London might
do so, by getting into the hindmost train; and that those
who chose to proceed would be safely brought back from
Colchester to London. This announcement induced a large
number to leave their seats in the advanced train, and wade
through the mud and clay, which was up to their knees,
about 300 yards, to the train which was to take them back.
About half an hour after the secession of this division of the
proprietary, the foremost train began to advance, but in less
than five minutes became again stationary, and after some
further delay Mr. Hall, who struggled most manfully through
a perfect quagmire of clay, informed the whole of the anxious
party that the engineer, Mr. Braithwait, would not hold
himself responsible under the circumstances for the further
progress of the train, and therefore it would return to Lon-
don with the company. It did accordingly return, and after
some further delay, the various visitors and proprietors
reached the Shoreditch station by six o'clock. Without
giving any opinion with whom the blame rests for this dis•
appointment, because at the meeting of the proprietors that
subject will be fully discussed, and from the feeling excited
by this failure a very strong degree of exasperation exists,
we must say that very great blame attaches somewhere, and
that the proprietors and those invited were treated in a man-
ner which deserves the severest reprehension.
SHEFFIELD, ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, AND MANCHESTER
RAILWAY.—The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held on Tuesday last, at the Albion Hotel, Manchester ;
John Parker, Esq., in the chair.—The Chairman said that
the directory had no longer such difficulties to contend with
as they had for a time experienced. Since the last meeting,
they had realised a large sum by the re-issue of the forfeited
shares; besides which they had obtained £50,000 from the
Exchequer Loan Commissioners, and £52,000 from the public
on mortgage security. The company were obliged to go to
_ .

Parliament for an extension of the time for purchasing land,

and in this bill power would be obtained to raise a further capital
of £600,000, and to limit the number of directors to ten.—M r.

James Perry. , of Dublin, read the report of the directors.
Since the partial opening of the line, in November, 1841,
the gross receipt, principally for passengers, had been, to the
31st December last, £14,065 Os. 2d. ; which, when the ex-
penses were deducted, would leave a balance in favour of the
company of £3,914 ss. lid. Since the first opening to
Godley, down to the present day, involving a period of six-
teen months, although the number of passengers conveyed
amounted to 512,276, being 43,275 of the first class, 79,102
of the second class, and 389,899 of the third class, not a
single accident had occurred by which injury had been sus-
tained by any one passenger. Since the last half-yearly
meeting contracts on very advantegeous terms had been en-
tered into for the construction of the Diming Vale Viaduct,
the intervening portion of the line from thence to the western
face of the Summit Tunnel, and also another portion near the
town of Sheffield, and the works comprised in these con-
tracts were progressing with activity. The operations
at the tunnel were extended, so as to insure the comple-
tion, by the end of the year 1844. of the whole of that stu-
pendous work, and within the estimated cost. Should no
unforeseen difficulty arise, the directors entertained a well-
grounded expectation that the whole of the railway would be
ready for the conveyance of passengers and goods early in
1845. They were happy in being further enabled to state,

that the letting of the late contracts fully justified the opinion
they had always entertained, that the works would be finished
within the sum mentioned in the published estimates by dr.

Locke. The projected branch railways to Ashton-under-
Lyne and Stalybridge, and also to form a junction with the
North Midland Railway, at Barnsley, had been postponed
for the present, in consequence of these measures not having
met with the support which the directors anticipated. In
concluding their report, the directors assured the proprietors
that it was their firm determination to conduct the affairs of
the company with a due regard to economy and efficiency in
every department. The engineer's report was next read, and
gave a highly satisfactory account of the progress of the works
during the last six months. The report was unanimously
adopted; and Messrs. Charles Appleby, James Perry, J.
Sidebo►tom, and W. A. Thorneley were re-elected without
opposition. On the motion of Mr. John Chapman, a vote
of thanks was unanimously passed to the chairman for his
conduct in the chair, and the proceedings then terminated.

A noisy and tumultuous meeting of teetotallers took place
on Wednesday, at Windsor. Not a few of those present had.
evidently been enjoying something stronger than Bohea or
Twankgy. The proceedings throughout the evening were a
series of rows, fights, and disturbances. The property of the
corporation was seriously damaged ; the forms and benches
broken, and several chairs, during a ineltre, shivered into a
hundred pieces. The police, who were ordered to be present
after the first outbreak, ejected several of the most violent.
PRIVILEGES OF LAWYERS.—One of the bright particular
sages of the extreme gauche of the Edinburgh Council, who
deems it his duty to favour his afflicted colleagues with his
sentiments on every pint, and whose happy peculiarity it is
o render every subject as clear as macadamised mud, emitted
the following neat touch at the Council on Tuesday :—" As
to the privilege of lawyers," said he, "they are just this—
the pawnbrokers pay a license for taking in pledges, and the
lawyers just do the same, they pay a license for taking in
clients." The Council went into convulsions at the hit,
which, it is justice to say, was, however, quite an unconscious
one to the utterer.

DEBTOR AND CREDITOR.—The Morning Herald of Sa-
urday last, says, " Some further alterations in the law of

debtor and creditor are expected to be made during the present
session of Parliament, particularly with reference to insol-
vency. A very important feature in the new Insolvent
Debtors Act was incidently noticed to-day, in a case before
the Learned Commissioner Fonblanque, which will perhaps
be considered in the contemplated amendment. By the new
act a party can file a petition and obtain an interim order, on
I which all proceedings against his property and person are
stayed. The stoppage is procured on an er parte application,
and on its expiration further time could be obtained on the
pretence of settling with creditors, by which means a party
could obtain two months or more time cessation from all pro-
ceedings, and then contrive or suffer the application to the
court to become vitiated. In a case to-day it was admitted
that the applicant had pleaded to an action in order to gain
time to get the interim order from the court, and it was added
that he was now prepared to give a judgment to the action,
having obtained his protection.