The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-11 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

PROPOSED DIVISION OF THE WEST DERBY UNION.—
At the weekly meeting of the West Derby Guardians on
Wednesday, a discussion of much importance in reference
to the division of the union took place. A few weeks ago
the Poor-law Commissioners sent down a communication
to the guardians, in answer to a memorial from the latter,
in which the commissioners made two propositions to
them. One was to separate Toxteth-park, Childwall,
Wavertree, and Allerton from the present union, and the
other, to erect a new workhouse in Toxteth- park, and
appropriate the present workhouse at Everton as an
industrial school. Mr. Harrison proposed that a new
workhouse should be erected in Toxteth-park. The Rev.
W. Badnall proposed, as an amendment—" That with
regard to the second proposition of the Poor-law Board,
the plan propounded therein is highly objectionable to
this board." Mr. Badnall spoke at considerable length.
A long and rather warm discussion ensued, in which
several of the guardians took part ; and, on a division,
Mr. Badnall's amendment was carried by a majority of
15 to 6.

THE BIRKENHEAD DOCK COMMISSIONERS.—The
monthly meeting was held on Wednesday. The proceed-
ings of the Works Committee for the past month included
a minute to the effect that the Law-clerk should inform
Mr. Rendel that it was desirable he should name an early
day for delivering up all plans, papers, documents, Ike.,
and receiving the amount of salary due to him ; also, that
it should be ascertained who were the proper parties to
defray the expense of lowering the Corporation road, and
putting it in a proper state of repair. Confirmed.—The
Chairman stated the result of the proceedings in London
relative to the new dock bill. The chairman added that
the bill would, no doubt, pass through the House of
Lords in about a fortnight or three weeks. On the whole,
the bill would be admitted to be in a more favourable
position than it was formerly. Mr. Hicklin thought it
desirable that the Board should be correctly informed
as to the estimates of Mr. Rendel, respecting which some
strong remarks had been made. He produced a report of
Mr. Robert Stephenson, who, after an examination of the
plans and other documents, spoke in terms of approval of
the dock works generally, and estimated the total cost at
£345,480. The chairman produced a number of docu-
ments, in order to show that the estimates of Mr. Rendel
were inconsistent, and that they had been the means of
misleading the Board. The original estimate was
£338,148, but the total cost of the outer works would be
upwards of £600,000. He also read a letter from Mr.
Rendel, in which that gentleman proposed the carrying
out of the Morpeth Dock ; and he (the chairman) conten-
ded that the scheme was not originated, as had been
stated, by several of the commissioners interested, and
they were not at all to blame in the matter.—Some dis-
cussion took place as to whether the statements made by
Mr. mann and the Chairman should be recorded on the
books, but no resolution to that effect was adopted.
DOCK COMMITTEE, THURSDAY.—It appeared from the
minutes, that, at the last meeting, after the reporters had
left the room, the committee had an interview with Mr.
.Cubitt, when it was decided to remove the new landing
stage to the northern site. This will render it necessary
to block up the ferry slip. A communication was read
from the Ferries' Committee, stating that the small land-
ing stage could be removed at any time aftel' two days'
notice. Mr. J. Hartley said he expected they would be
able to get the bridges on the last day of the present
month, when they would have the highest tide.—Mr.
Chilton and Mr. Sandbach were appointed to revise, with
the Chairman, the list of dock rate-payers qualified to
vote in the election of members of the Dock Committee.
—Thejoint opinion of Mr. James Crompton and Mr. J.
R. Quain, barristers, was read, as to the payment of
freight out of deposits, and the sale of goods in the Albert
Dock warehouses. It confirmed the opinion of the dock
solicitor (Mr. Worthington), and was to the following
effect :—" We are of opinion that the Dock Committee
are authorized, on the expiration of fifteen days, after
making the deposits respectively, to pay freights out of all
deposits which may have been made pursuant to the pro-
visions of the 4th Victoria, cap. 30, whether such deposit
has been made before the passing of the 11th and 12th
Victoria, or afterwards. We are also of opinion, that in
all cases where the deposit had not been made within
ninety days after the goods have been warehoused, pur-
suant to the 4 Vic. cap. 30, that such goods may be sold
on giving the notice mentioned in sec. 30, and that these
powers to sell apply to goods warehoused before the pass-
ing of the 11th and 12th Vic., as well as to goods ware-
housed afterwards." The sub-committee was authorized
to carry out these powers, reporting to the general com-
mittee from time to time. A letter was read from some
company, with a high sounding name, requesting a mono-
poly of the walls round the docks for bill posting, oroffer-
ing to keep the walls altogether clear of bills. The pro-
position was laughed at, and the letter ordered to lie on
the table. Mr. Royden called the attention of the com-
mittee to the necessity of a landing-stage at the south end,
and said the only site was opposite the Toll-house. He
asked when the works there were likely to be gone on
with. The Chairman said they had begun to put down
the engine, but they could do nothing till they got their
line of rails.
THE WATER QUESTION.—On Tuesday evening a pub-
lic meeting of the National Confederation was held at the
Music-hall, to memorialize the Council not to proceed
with the Rivington Pike water scheme until it was ascer-
tained whether the necessary supply could or could not
be obtained from the more immediate locality. The chair
was occupied by Lawrence Heyworth, Esq., who stated
that the question was whether the inhabitants might not,
in obtaining water from a great distance, incur a great and
unnecessary expenditure. Mr. T. Urquhart moved a re-
solution, to the effect that the inhabitants ought to be
satisfied of the merits of the Corporation Pike scheme
before they were rendered responsible. He spoke gene-
rally against the Corporation scheme, which he believed,
if prosecuted, would supply them with bad water. He
was much more in favour of the Bala Lake proposition,
which would, if carried into effect, supply the town with
abundant and pure water, if, in course of years, a larger
supply were required than could be derived from the red
freestone in the neighbourhood of the town. Mr. J.
Grantham, C.E., proposed the second resolution, to the
thheeorhatteeipnaeyd- e rf
rs
otmh a
tthae si uniffimcei edni
et
tl
es uvpi pc li
effect that it had not been proved to the satisfaction of
yn ot
yf
owf at t
he
er tco owunl d. nllo
et
denied that he had any expectation, as a professional man,
of receiving one shilling's worth of benefit from either the
carrying out or the abandonment of the Rivington Pike
scheme. He reviewed the proceedings of the Council, for
the purpose of showing that Mr. M`Donald, in his esti-
mate of water from the red sandstone, was correct, and
that Mr. Hawkesley, in his estimate, was wrong. He
also reviewed these proceedings to prove that the Council
had given no scientific evidence to show that there was
not a sufficient quantity of water to be found in the red
sandstone. He sharply alluded to the conduct of the
expressed a practical
Corporation in giving Mr. M`Donald notice to quit their
asenrdviecoenemeieernetlyioubsecaopuisneiohn theagenalainnsfully t
Pike scheme. He
showed that at present there was a satisfactory supply
from the wells, and thus concluded:—" What did this
meeting propose to the Council ? Why this—that the
men now in the employ of the Corporation should go on
supplying the town until they cried out that they had no
more. Then bore and excavate and use salt water; and
thus fifteen years at least would pass over before wo
should be necessitated to go to the Pike, or anywhere
else for an additional supply, should such supply be re-
quired." (Applause.) Mr. Jeffery seconded the resolu-
tion in an able address, in which he hit off the headstrong-
ness of the Corporation in persisting in a scheme so spe-
culative, expensive, unpopular, and unnecessary. Mr.
Spencer went into some statistics, which he had collected,
with a view to show that local wells would not yield the
quantity of water required. He was so evidently an in-
terested advocate of the Corporation scheme, that he was
interrupted, and finally put hors de combat. Mr. Picton
moved " That all necessary steps should be taken by the
Town Council, by borings or otherwise, to ascertain whe-
ther a sufficient supply can, or cannot, be obtained in the
immediate vicinity of the town, before incurring further
expense in the prosecution of any other scheme." A
memorial to the Council, embodying the substance of the
foregoing resolutions, was adopted. All the resolutions
were passed without a show of a hand by any of the few
dissentients.

THE
LIVERPOOL CONSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATION.

On Tuesday last, the quarterly meeting of this associ-
ation was held at the Clarendon Rooms,—Mr. Alderman
Molyneux in the chair. That gentleman expressed his
regret that Mr. S. Holme's health prevented his atten-
dance, and read a letter from him to the effect that had
he not been forbidden by his physician he would have
been present.
Mr. BUCKMASTER, the secretary, then read the report.
The following are the heads :
The memorial to the Council, calling their attention to the
frivolous objections made by parties on the registries, had been
presented, and received very general support.
The committee had drawn up a petition to the Commons
praying for the exemption of Liverpool from the operations of
the Health of Towns Bill. The petition was signed by 1661
persons. The deputation from the committee had had an in-
terview with Lord Morpeth, and have since reported-
-Ist. That a petition signed by one-tenth of the ratepayers of
any borough having a local act must be presented.
2cl. That on that petition a local enquiry must be made.
3d. That should the local enquiry confirm the petition, then
a special act has to be passed to place it on Lord Morpeth's
bill. Thus, for the present, it rests; but it is the opinion of
the deputation that it is next to an impossibility Liverpool will
ever be affected by it.
The committee had taken some steps with respect to the Na-
vigation Laws, and being solicited to oppose any alteration in
the fundamental principles of those laws, Mr. Booker, Mr. G.
H. Horsfall, and -Mr. James Tobin, agreed to propose and se-
cond certain resolutions.

At the request of some influential merchants, the committee
had drawn up a petition to the House of Commons, praying
for enquiry into the negligence of officials in the Colonial Office,
withholding certain documents of great importance from the
committee on the Sugar Duties. It was signed in a very short
time by most of the leading mercantile men of the town, and
had been forwarded for presentation. The committee in con-
clusion state : _ _

"That in the present condition of the country, when doc-
trines subversive of that real liberty which is enjoyed under
our monarchial institutions are openly promulgated, when our
finances are injured, our commerce prostrated, our colonies
ruined, and our artizans thrust upon the nation by parliament,
under the specious name of free trade, it is the paramount duty
of all lovers of their country to join an association, which has
for its objects the preservation of our liberties under that form
of government winch has for ages stood the test of trial, and to
preserve our privileges on the basis of commercial reciprocity
with all nations, in order to insure for the artizan, the peasant,
the operative, and the merchant seaman, that fair reward for
his labour which Englishmen have been used to enjoy. And,
combined with a provident expenditure, to enforce a sound
and equitable system of taxation, which shall combine the
greatest return to the national exchequer, with the least pres-
sure on the English producer and consumer."

Dr. TRENCH, on rising to move the adoption of the re-
port, was received with rapturous applause. He said :
The absence of Mr. Holme imposes upon me the agree-
able duty of now moving the adoption of the quarterly re-
port. It is gratifying to recognise, in these labours of
your committee, the successful advocacy of those great
constitutional principles which form the basis of this asso-
ciation ; and it is encouraging for us to know that the Li-
verpool public has responded, with enthusiastic adherence,
to all those appeals which have been made to English
honesty, in favour of English faith, vested rights, and good
old English customs. (Cheers.) It is no vain boast to
assert, that the impulsive tide of selfishness, which passed
with irresistible force over the length and breadth of the
land—which filled the country with the crude fallacies of
Manchester economists—which swept Whigs and Peelites
into the whirlpool of free-trade, and into the shoals of ex-
pediency—which threatened to overwhelm the moral
grandeur of this great empire as effectually as it has effaced
the prosperity and social happiness of the citizens—that
this mighty wave of error, which the Times was wont to
call " the great fact," has been first stemmed in Liver-
pool. Yes, sir, the ebb shall date from those large town
meetings of our borough, where Christian philanthropy
warred face to face with the dreamy notions of the fol-
lowers of the Cobden Rousseau ; and where English mer-
chants defended, in this mart of commerce, the claims of
British industry, British capital, British colonies, and
British ships, against the bastard liberalism of slave-deal-
ing traders. Yes, sir, the ebb is certain, though it may be
slow; for its reflux is impeded by many a foul encum-
brance, and many an accumulated wreck ; but the tide
will surely obey the great law of error and pass away, and
men will wonder at their own simplicity. They will
wonder and make a by-word of Charlatanry, of Cobden
and his £7o,ooo—(hear, hear, and laughter)—of the base-
ness of Sir Robert, and his treachery to his party. They
not wonder at such an old fact as the Whig's incom-
petency. The report of your committee refers to the op-
position given by this association to Lord Morpeth's
health of town's bill. Now, sir, it is a cunning device of
Whiggism to insert some single seed of their political gar-
ner in every social measure whish is offered to the public ;
and it is consistent with the Machiavellian policy to know
that this seed will germinate and bring forth the fruits of
evil. Now, sir, the Whig seedling of the gentle Morpeth
is called centralization. It is an exotic—an early yield of
' Robespierre's Free Trade of Liberty ;" and it is not the
least curious of the anomalies of these modern times, that
this centralization, with this accompanying functionarism,
which sprung up in the wildest moments of the French
Revolution, and became the crushing instrument of the
tyranny of the Jacobin democracy, should have been
adopted by all the despotic states of the continent as the
suitable machinery of their government. And yet it is
scarcely curious, if we recal the numerous bastiles of the
Whig poor-law with which it has already defaced the once
beautiful surface of once merry England. Now, sir, this
system of centralization is repugnant to the spirit of the
English constitution—it is opposed to the municipal self-
government, and to all control of the people over the ad-
ministrators of their financial expenditure. It leads to all
the abuses of unrestrained patronage, and all the wasteful-
ness of uncontrolled commissioners, and yet its financial
cost is nothing to its moral cost in that deteriorating in-
fluence on the industry, the habits, and the moral condi-
tion of the people. It was on those high grounds that
this association opposed Lord Morpeth's bill, and I must
congratulate the committee on the energy they displayed
in obtaining for Liverpool an exemption from its baneful
influence. I need hardly say how cordially I sympathise
with those concluding sentences of the committee's report
which portray the pressing dangers of these troublous times
and urge upon us the necessity of unrelaxed exertion in
the good cause. It is, sir, when the spirit of anarchy and
civil discord stalks over the nations of continental Europe
—when the sedition of the English Chartist and the trea-
son of the Irish Repealer add force to the propogandism
of French Republicans—it is when inexoraole theorists
would follow the phantoms of their crazy imaginations
through all the horrors of a bloody contest—it is in such
appalling times as these in which we live that an English-
man may ask, with anxious apprehension,—Who are our
country's ministers ?—who are the pilots of the looming
storm ? Oh, sir, they are a shifty set—imbecile in coun-
cil, yet bold and powerful in patronage—unknown by le-
gislative acts, yet familiar by Gazette appointments.
These Russells, Elliotts, and Greys are the t.evastating
locusts of our land—the instruments of a wrathful lispen-
sation on our afflicted country. Who are our pilots for
the coming storm ? They are placemen by profession—
statesmen by an accident—ministers by the sufferance of
contending parties. They have neither wisdom to ori-
ginate, honesty to maintain, power to carry into effect,
any legislative:measures. Do I do them justice ? Look
at their budget ! It was carelessly improvised at a sit-
ting, heedlessly altered in a night, and recklessly aban.
doned in a day. They have a Chancellor of the Exche-
quer who announced the necessity of increased taxation
for increased defences of the country, and who proves, in
one short month, that this plea was trickey cheatery.
They have a Prime Minister squeaking out his haling
finalities when the great colonial empire is hastening to
destruction. They have secretaries hulling documents,
and they have the Lord Grey, " proud of his name, but
unmindful of his honesty," asserting his right as a peer of
parliament to falsify the petitions of his clients. It was,
sir, a law of ancient chivalry, that he who perverted the
truth, qui de'guisoit la ve'rite, was a craven knight; and
yet tis nobleman shall boldly boast an infamy in the once
honoured hall of England's peers. They have a foreign
secretary—our friend the protean Palmerston—who, wield-
ing the mighty force of England's name, forgets or trans-
poses the proud motto, " parcere subjectis et debellare
superbos," for he is a bully to the weak and a paltroon to
the strong. He forgets his country's interests in the gra-
tification of official piques and places, the honour of Eng-
land in subserviency to some paltry personality. These
are our pilots, and may we not reasonably fear for the good
ship in the looming storm. Oh, sir, who amongst us does
not wish for one day of the honest purpose and strong arm
of Billy Pitt I beg to move the adoption of the report.
Dr. Trench resumed his seat amid loud and long continued
bursts of applause.
Mr. Councillor TOBIN, on rising, was received with
loud cheers. He said—Sir, in rising to second the adop-
tion of the report, T cannot but feel, after the eloquent
-speech you-have just heard from Dr. Trench, that any-
thing I may say will fall dead upon your cars. There is,
however, one subject mentioned in the concluding part
of the report, relative to finance, upon which I would
take the liberty of addressing a few words to the Associ-
ation ; and as it was only this morning I was solicited to
take part in the proceedings of to-day, my remarks must
necessarily be incomplete. Sir, the subject of finance
has been attracting a great deal of attention, more parti-
cularly at the present time, and it must be approached
with delicacy. We have several financial associations
rising up around us, and I hope much good may be ob-
tained from these associations. I go with them some
way, -tut certainly not all the way. I go with them to a
great extent in their desire for retrenchment, and a re-
vision of the pension list ; and while I would be no nig-
gard in dealing with those who deserved well of their
country, I would use the pruning-knife towards those
who had done no good service to the state, and who are
now fattening on the industry of the people. One word
with regard to direct taxation. So far as I have been
enabled to give consideration to that system, it appears
to me to be almost impracticable. In a country lightly
taxed, it may be the best mode; but in a country heavily
burdened as this is, it seems to me to be impracticable ;
for you must bear in mind, that we have an exceedingly
heavy debt that swallows up half the revenue of England.
If, indeed, the plan of William Pitt—whose name has
been already mentioned and is embodied with our
principles—had been followed out, we might turn our
attention to a system of direct taxation ; because, if
his sinking fund had been preserved, the national
debt would have been wiped away two years ago.
Having only had an hour or two to arrange my thoughts,
I will, instead of using my own words, read to you the
sentiments of an eminent writer who has attracted much
attention in this country—l allude to Alison. He writes,
with reference to direct taxation, " unlike the indirect
taxes which are paid without being felt, or forgotten in
the enjoyment of the objects on which they are laid, it
brings the bitterness of taxation in undisguised nakedness
to every individual, and produces in consequence a degree
of discontent and exasperation which nothing but the
excitement of continual warfare or a sense of uncontrol-
lable necessity can induce a nation to bear." Gentlemen,
in these times of public discontent, I believe the plan of
direct taxation would produce more discontent, and that.
were it adopted, the institutions of the country would
stand in imminent danger. (Hear, hear.) Again, Alison
says with regard to direct land taxation—and you must

recollect, gentlemen, that it is direct land taxation you
are now called upon, by one of the existing associations,
to sanction.—" That direct land taxation during the
progress of the revolution attracted the attention of the
Emperor Napoleon ; his sagacious mind at once per-
ceived the superiority of taxes on consumption, which
compounded with the prices of the articles on which
they were laid were hardly felt as a grievance ; under his
auspices indirect taxes were organised." Already, you
are well aware, a very great experiment has been tried
with land. The corn laws have been abolished. Land
has not yet had a struggle since their abolition, but I very
much fear that shortly, after two or three years of good
harvests on the continent, there will be a struggle of life
and death amongst the owners and tenants of land in
this country. Now, then, is not the time to saddle the
land with an additional heavy burden. Land pays less
interest than anything else. We will suppose it pays
something like 3 per cent. If you charge half per cent.
on its value, as is supposed, it becomes a tax on the
income derivable from land of seventeen per cent. Now,
are you prepared to charge the land with seventeen per
cent. ? If you are, I can only say that I think it a doubt-
ful and dangerous experiment. In support of my view
on this question, I find that Hume in his Essays writes
to this effect : " Historians inform us that one of the
chief causes of the destruction of the Roman State, was
the alterations which Constantine introduced into the
finances by substituting an almost universal direct tax in
lieu of almost all the tithes, customs, and excise, which
formerly composed the revenue of the empire." This is
the very same scheme you are now called upon to sanction
by the Reform Association. Gibbon, again, corroborat-
ing this view, says :—" Constantine increased the ordinary
taxation of the country by direct taxes on land, &c., which
were very oppressive—mark the result—in the rich and
fertile province of Campania, the garden of Italy,
within sixty years after the death of Constantine an ex-
emption from taxation was granted, on an actual survey,
to 330,000 acres, one-eighth of the whole province, of
desert and uncultivated land ; as the footsteps of barba-
rians had not yet been seen in Italy, the cause of this
amazing desolation, which is recorded in the laws, can
only be ascribed to the administration of the Roman
emperors." I purpose not to take up your time further ;
but, before I conclude, I would offer a word of advice to
those misguided men who are so recklessly seeking organic
changes in this country. I would ask these men—or
rather I would ask their leaders to instruct them as to
what has been the result of commotions and revolutions
in this and other countries at all periods. I know of no
revolution in which taxation was not afterwards increased.
Under the Commonwealth, the taxes of this country were
£5,000,000, being five times as much as under the unfor-
tunate Charles ; and the permanent revenue of Cromwell,
when he came to power, was double that of the unhappy
monarch who preceded him. In France, again, after the
revolution. when Louis Philippe came to the throne, taxes
were i m med iatel y in creased from £39,000,000 to £60,000,000
in 1831. Sir, would it not be well for those who are now
anticipating cheap taxation, from organic and revolution-
ary change, to be made acquainted with these and other
equally instructive facts which stand recorded on the page
of history ? (Loud cheers.)
The motion was here put, and the report unanimously
adopted.
Mr. H. C. CHAPMAN in an excellent speech, justly
condemnatory of many of the votes of Mr. Cardwell,
moved a vote of thanks to the honorary officers, which
was seconded in a very able address by Mr Josias Booker.
Mr. DRINKWATER urged the friends of the constitution
to join the ranks of the association, and hoped that at the
next election any honest man, whether he were a son of
the aristocracy or of the democracy, would meet with
their support, and that they would not travel to the end
of the country again, and bring those who were little bet-
ter than old women to represent Liverpool. (Applause.)
He then said a few words in defence of the consistency of
Mr. Cardwell upon the income tax division, and expressed
his opinion upon the issue of five millions of notes.
The vote of thanks to the chairman, secretary, and
committee having been carried by acclamation.
The CHAIRMAN briefly replied. He exhorted the
members of the association to cultivate a spirit of unity
among themselves, and to spread a knowledge of religious
and loyal principles amongst the humbler classes of the
community—pointing to France as a lamentable example
of the anarchy caused in that unhappy country, by a peo-
ple who had never been scripturally instructed.