The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-21 00:00:00

POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY

The usual meeting of this rising Institution was held
last evening in the theatre of the Royal Institution. Mr.
W. Milner, the president, was in the chair. Mr. C. F.
Salt read a list of subscriptions to a public library, ex-
plaining fully its objects, and soliciting the support of the
members to their furtherance. He mentioned that in the
rear of the premises in which they were assembled, suit-
able rooms would be erected for the purpose ; and as the
Corporation had no power to aid the funds, he hoped the
meeting would use their most powerful exertions, as the
whole Institution would be then thrown open to the
public.
Mr. M`Nicholl, who was assisted by Mr. Vernon, jun.,
then gave a description of a moveable steam-crane, which
is so ingenious that with a stationary engine three motions
may be at once attained—viz., longitudinal, transverse,
and litting, and vice versa. The machine is simple, and
may be worked by a boy. The description was most

interesting.
Mr. T. C. ARCHER then brought forward a number of
samples of the vegetable fibres imported into Liverpool,
and gave a very interesting description of each. He first
showed the error of attribnting all the fibres bearing the
name of hemp, as for instance, Jute hemp, Manila hemp,
Sunn hemp, and Pite hemp to the same plant or genus, the
being the produce of a species of Corchorus, the
2d of Musa textiles, the Sunn of Crotalaria juncea and the
last from the Agave or American Aloe. He also described
the Piassava and the Palm which produces it,
the vegetable silk, a species of Chorizia allied to the
Cotton Plant, also the Cotton Plant itself, Coir, and seve-
ral other interesting substances. The lecture was inter-
spersed with interesting facts respecting other products.
and their botanical relations. Mr. Archer's object was to
shew that much yet remains to be learned even of those
articles, the names of which are familiar as household
words, and from the saatisfaction expressed, we should
judge he succeeded to his utmost wishes. A vote of
thanks was accorded to him, and also to Mr.
Mr. W. Milner was re-electen president, and liberally
contributed five pounds towards the proposed library.
The members, after spending a very instructive evening,
separated shortly after ten o clock.

T doiaepauthstiionn.
THE London last year were 48,579, or, lin 45
ofthhee population.
UCKFIELD BURGLARS.—The six men have been
committed for trial for the late atrocious burglary at the
residence of the Misses Farncombe.
On Saturday, a man named Routledge, the principal of
a gang of swindlers, was again remanded, at Worship-
street, London, on a charge of fraudulently obtaining from
Mr. R. K. Johnson, glass manufacturer, St. Helens, the

sum of £213, which was forwarded tathe prisoner to meet
an acceptance which he had sent to Mr. Johnson, and

Nothing is more remarkable than the progress which
s been made in chemistry in Liverpool since Dr. Mus-

Pratt opened his college. Three years ago it was almost
impossible to get a retort or any piece of chemical appara-
tus in the town of Liverpool ; now that the towu has got
Dr. Muspratt's laboratory, such apparatus may be every
where found, and other laboratories are springihg up.
The college will be opened for the session in

DISASTERS AT SEA.—The shipping intelligence of the
r— hna hrnnoht before list n numhPr of oripvnnc

marine disasters. We learn from Savannah that Lord
Sandon, from this port, went ashore and became a total
wrpek. crew and part of materials saved.—At San Fran-

cisco the bark Glocester, a storeship belonging to Messrs.
Starkey, careened over during a gale, filled and sank. She
had a largeinumber of iron-houses on board.—Yesterday
the following letter from Mr. Driver, dated " Dublin,
Jan. 10th" was received by. Mr. Cqurt :—" I regret to
inform you of the loss of the brig Wilson. of Cork, from
Demerara to Liverpool, on the Five-milg Point, county
Wicklow. She was driven ashore on the morning of the
16th, and immediately became a total wreck. The cap-
tain, two mates, and two of the crew are drowned. She
was laden with rum and sugar ; 78 casks of rum have been
saved and stored at Wicklow ' • a cask of rum having
drifted ashore yesterday, two of the country people died
in consequence of drinking it. Mr. Driver has gone
down to Five-mile Point this morning.
LAUNCHES.—On Saturday at noon a fine ship, of 776
tons burden,
_was launched from the yard of Messrs. P.

Challoner and Sons. • She has been bunt . le•-•
Brown and Harrison and Messrs. James Browne and Co,
She is constructed of English and Guinea oak, and green
heart and East India teak. She is a fine model, and her

classification at Lloyd's, A 1 for thirteen years, is a gua-
rantee of her quality. Her name—The Monarchy—was
given to her by Miss Browne, daughter of Mr. James
Browne, one of the owners.—Another launch, of a still
larger ship, took place in about a quarter of an hour after-
wards, from the building-yard of Mr. Clarke. The
measurement of this ship, new register, is 836 tons ; her
extreme length, 150 feet 2 inches ; breadth, 34 feet ; and
depth. 22 feet 2 inches. She is frigate-built, with full
quarter galleries. She is not yet classed. She is built
for the firm of C. W. and F. Shand. After all had been
made clear, the magnificent structure was seen to move,
and this was announced by a cheer from the persons in
front of her bow, which, being taken up by the surround-
ing crowd, increased into one loud shout of joy as the ship
glided into the element for which she was intended. She
was christened the Shand, the baptismal honours being
performed by Mrs. Francis SAW,