The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-14 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

THE STRIKE IN THE BUILDING TRAMS.—This strike
may be said to be at an end in Manchester, The plumbers,
who have perhaps been amongst the most determined of
the turn-out,,, have last week agreed that they should be
at liberty individually to obtain work on any terms they
could. The j )iners' shops are all pretty well filled, and
none but excellent hands have now a chance of obtaining
employment there.

BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS.—The monthly meet-
ing of this body was held on Tuesday last, Mr. W. Potter
in the chair. Mr. Townsend was appointed Deputy
Town-clerk. One hundred and fifty new lamps and lamp-
posts were ordered for the township. The proceedings of
several committees were read and confirmed. The Finance
Committee stated that £10,571 of the last rate imposed
bad been collected; £13,800 remained uncollected; and
that counsel's opinion had been taken as to the land pro-
posed to be given to the intended new hospital, and any
such gift was declared to be illegal. Mr. Thompson said
it was a hard case, as the committee of the charity had,
by the assurances that had been given, been induced to
lay out £lOO in plans, and £5O in erecting a wall round
the building. After some conversation, in which it was
stated by Mr. Townsend that a clause might be intro-
duced in some future bill empowering the appropriation
of the particular piece of land for a &finite object, it was
agreed that nothing in the interim could be done except a
subscription. The proceedings were confirmed. The
proceedings of the Ferry Committee mentioned that orders
had been given to Mr. Hazelden to furnish information
respecting the ferry establishment, the cost of boats, and
expenses of working; that a letter had been received
from Mr. William Jackson, stating that the repairing of
iron steamers on the gridiron was a great nuisance to his
tenant, Mr. Gieave, and notice was therefore given to the
commissioners that in future the permission to repair the
boats on his property would be withdrawn. Orders were
also given to provide apparatus to consume the smoke of
the steam-boats. The receipts of the past month were
reported .£2otB, for the like month in 1845 they were
£2049: The proceeding were confirmed.
ACADEMICAL EDUCATION—.We beg to direct the at.
tendon of our friends and the public generally, to the re-
opening of Great George-street Academy, in this town,
which is announced to take place on Tuesday, the 23rd
instant. Mr. W. M. Fisher, the spirited proprietor, is a
gentleman of high attainments in ancient and modern li-

teratu re. lie is not only distinguished for the accuracy
and extent of his scholarship, but also for his admirable

system of intellectual training, by which the youthful
mind is brought to observe and reflect—to understand
every subject clearly, comprehensively, and systematically.
The number and respectability of his pupils bear ample
testimony to the efficiency of his instructions. The va-
rious departments of natural and experimental philosophy
are fully and clearly explained by Mr. Fisher, in his aca-
demical lectures, which have been expressly prepared for
the instruction of his own cl•sses. These useful and in-
teresting subjects are familiarly illustrated by means of
his varied and beautiful apparatus. All his classics are
particularly distinguished for their intimate acquaintance
with the Holy Scriptures. By reference to the prospec-
tus, it will be seen that the course of instructions pursued
in this esteilishment compri-es every branch of literature
requisite to complete the scholar, the merchant, and the
gentleman. Mr. Fisher has recently added to his library
a costly apparatus, many new requisite sliders on astro-
nomy, as well as several splendid achromatic object glasses
of immense power. We trust that towards the close of
the year, some of the clergy will again call upon Mr.
Fisher to deliver, in behalf of the Church Missionary
Society, his popular course of astronomical lectures, il-
lustrated by 1 is superb diagram, and thus afford another
intellectual treat to the admirers of that interesting and
sublime science.

DOCK COMMITTEE.—At the usual weekly meeting on
Thursday the following members were present :—Messrs.
Moore, (in the chair,) Bold, Kendall, Molyneux, Rankin,
Mann, Aikin, Middleton, Wood, Gladstone, and Wilson.
An application was read from the Dublin and Belfast
Steam Packet Companies, for some bet,er accommodation
for their two large steamers, the Sea King and Windsor.
After some discussion the subject was referred.—The
Secretary placed before the Committee a letter from the
friends of the late lamented Mr. llorsfall, containing an

expression of grateful thanks to the members for their
kindness as shown in a letter they bad sent.—The Chair-
man stated that he had received a letter from a Mr. Fs-
pratt, stating that that individual had in his possession a
model of the Royal George, which he was anxious to dis-
pose of. It had been examined by several practical men
as well as by an officer who had ssiled on boarc

George, and it was declared by all to be a most perfect
piece of workmanship. As the Committee were uncertain
whether they had the power of

j-ct was deferred, it being understood that the members
would take an opportunity of inspecting it. The price
asked Was £5O, which was said to he much under its value.

—Previous to the retiring of the reporters, the Chairman
said he was anxious that it should be understood by the
public that tick.-ts would be i•sued, and might be obtained
from any member of the Committee, for admission to the
Albert Docks, on the visit of Prince Albert. He had re-

might relieve him from a great deal of trouble if the public
were made acquainted with the fact. The tickets were
not at present ready for delivery, but would shortly be so,
and any family of respectability would be enabled to obtain
them. Mr. Aikin considered it was rather premature to

NOTES ON THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING.

That unfortunate St. George's Hall is a perfect cormo-
rant. It swallows up the income of the Corporation at a
truly terrific rate, and with scarcely a sign of ever being

satisfied

finished; an ornament to the town—an object which the
Liverpudlians of the next generation will point at with
much the same sort of pride as a Cockney points to the
Monument, or a millowner to his chimney ; but the
thought will intrude upon us, all the while, that a vast
amount of money has been uselessly expended upon it,
which might, with infinitely more advantage, hay

applied elsewhere. Every pillar of this ornamental erec-
tion would have built a church or improved a street. The
cost of carving and scrollwork would have sufficed to add
two years to the average life of our population, if devoted
to the sanatory improvement of the town._ Sensible and

end, in providing decorations before we have secured the
useful and the wholesome. Perhaps, when they look at
some of our miserable and filthy courts and streets, they

girl, who had found a horde, and spent it in a sbewy
bonnet, neglecting the repair of her rags, and forgetting
to wash the smut from her face. .

" a sculptarel'

£3,soo!—upon What, we observe, is call
for the south pediment of this building, with cherubs and
emblematical figures, of all meanings or no meanin

We know nothing ourselves of this design
temporaries, however, tell us that the following is a des-

Our con-

cription of it :
"The model iq a very beautiful piece of workmanship.
In the middle sits Britannia enthroned. On her left she
holds out the olive branch to the four quarters of the
globe. On her right she points the spear, as protecting
her own agriculture and arts. At her feet is Neptune.
To the left of Britannia, Ceres and Apollo are in a car,
the horses controlled by Discretion. Domestic Happi-
ness is represented by a labourer holding a plough, and

his wife a distaff, with a child at her feet. The Manufac-
tures, especially metallurgy, are figured by labourers at
. .

the anvil, w

o have

been employed in the fa

ercury presen

bended knee, and with a young nezro, acknowledges the

liberty she owes to Britannia
which fill up the frontispiece, the number of figures being
thirty-two in all.
Even from this meagre description of the "sculpture,"
we muss say that, to the connoiseurs in such matters, it
is dirt cheap at £3,509. For instance, it must be a sur-
prising performance for a female to be " on her left hold-
ing out the olive branch to the four quarters of the globe."
There must be some other quarters on'the right, which
are likely to feel offended; and especially so, us on the
right she is indulging in a little of what is vulgarly called
gammon. In this direction "she points the s. ear, as
protecting her own agriculture and arts." So, at least,
say our contemporaries. But how pointing a spear at an

'here are of

her devic

object is protecting it, we must leave to the imaginative
to discover. More probably, this pointing the spear
means that Britannia is insanely stabbing her own agri-
culture and arts. She has certainly got rid of the habit

protecting

fellow !

t is ungratefu

him, consic

lering a.

`or her,

ample upon

the object is to show the scurvy way in which she treats
her gallant seamen•

" Ceres and Apollo in a car, controlled by Discretion,"
we really cannot solve. hat Ceres has to do with
Apollo, or either with our Courts of Law, or with Liver-

pcol, is past our comprehension. Discretion, however,
we conclude, is a sculpture of the organization of Mr.
William Earle, the presiding genius of this building, who
might almost claim the title to sit fur the Apollo of this
" sculpture."

The next is another funny groupe. Domestic happi-
ness is thought by the artist, or the reporters, to be re-

presented by a labourer holding a plough, and his wi
a distaff, with a child at her feet!" The labourer,

Le more t

hinge a week to live upon. The distaff carries us back a
century, or so. and is a sly hit of the artist at the way in
which Domestic Happiness is, now.a-days, overthrown
by our factory system. The child at her feet is no doubt
intended to show that, in the domestic happiness state,
mothers have no time to nurse their babies. " M.rcury

representing Europe, America, and Asia," must be in a
position of considerable difficulty. We presume be is

pourtra)ed with a copper nose, his Asiatic feature; a
German paunch, or attired, en blouse, to present Europe;
and a atm in his mouth to point out his American pre-
tensions. No doubt, the large responsibility imposed

upon Mercury
in Lord.street

It is clear that it will require a most imaginative per-
sonage to understand the whole of the thirty-two figures

of superior showmaii—to point out to visitors their various
names and significations, otherwise they might be rather

,uzzling.
We cannot adopt Mr. Birkett's noti3ns as to the sen-
iments to be conveyed by the pediment, instead of this

in Church and State" is rather too antique for a modern
building, although the idea might easily be pictorially
conveyed. For instance, an old chair with the bottom