The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-11-14 00:00:00

7, URT II E R REMARKS

There is, we learn from the same authority, no feeling
whatever entertained by the parties who have originated
and developed the plan submitted, to establish a port an-
tagonist to Liverpool itself; but, on the contrary, they
consider the whole as an extension, called for by the re-
quirements of the times, of the common port,—the parties
looking for no personal advantage beyond what that ex-
tension may effect in the increase of our river trade, and
the consequent increased value of the general property on
the other side of the water. Even the land just purchased
by Mr. Laird will be under a comparative disadvantage,
as, from the intended plan, it will be situated considerably
in the back ground with reference to the dock. The ma-
nagement, moreover, being vested in the Birk,nbead
Commissioners, need, it is presumed, excite no alarm, in-
asmuch as they are eligible to office on the suffrages of the
£lO householders, who will have the power of ejecting any
or all of them, on a showing of unfairness or mismanage-
ment.

One main consideration with regard to the undertaking
is, that it will be accomplished without resorting to taxation
present or prospective. The whole of the works are in-
tended to be constructed by the elected Commissioners of
Birkenhead, with funds raised on the credit of the under-
taking, and whatever rates are received beyond what is
necessary to pay the interest of the loans, and whatever
funds arise from property acquired and disposed of, will
be applied in reducing the principal of the debt until the
works arc relieved from all incurnbrances ; the rate, if any
be necessary afterwards, will be required merely for nzain-
Mining the works. Should more property be acquired
than is necessary to discharge the debt, the surplus may
tie realized and applied to the annual charge of mainte-
nance, and the works will then become FREE OF ALL
RATES.

Practical men have given it as their opinion that the
walling in of the Pool, in place of obstructing the cleans-
ing tidal waters of the Mersey, will, by giving the current
a more direct flow " through the neck of the bottle
below,"—the grand reservoir or basin being the wide ex-
panse from South Birkenhead to Runcorn—will not only
tend to keep the lower and more navigable part of the
river quite as deep as it now is, but by a diversion in the
set of the tides, will in all probability reduce, or entirely
wash away, Pluckington Bank, and other obstructions
on this side.

The cost of the contemplated erections is stated to be
about £300,000; but even taking into account all the
facilities stated, this will, we conjecture, be found to be
considerably under the mark. In first estimates we have
generally found that one-half more, at least, may be al-
lowed—if not nearly double, before all contingencies can
be met. The sum stated is, however, so small for the
completion of the docks, and the quantity of land that will
be made around them, that any per-centage over the
amount stated is scarcely worthy of consideration.

The projectors do not contemplate the taking of any
land by compulsory process. Theyconsider that they re-
quire none to carry out the plan stated, and will leave
those whose contiguous land may hereafter come into re-
quisition to pursue the course most beneficial to them-
selves. All they require is about 1,000 yards for the for-
mation of a road. The fact here stated entirely removes
the idea of any attempt to benefit immediate and indivi-
dual interests.

We may state, that nine-tenths of the rate-paying
and moneyed inhabitants of Birkenhead are mer-
chants or traders of Liverpool, and that the intended work
may, therefore, be said to be almost a home or " family
affair." Though we do not go, in our estimate, quite so
far on this point, it cannot, we think, be denied that Bir-
kenhead has risen out of the wealth and proximity of " the
good old town.";and if her rapidly rising bantling has
grown in a few years from infancy to somewhat approach-
ing to manhood, we do not see why we should not, with
a good grace, acknowledge the relationship, and laying
down the necessary parental regulations, hold oat the
hand of fellowship and mutual good-will.

We regard to the Admiralty, an unequivocal opinion
has been expressed b) them. as well as by many distin-
guished nautical men, that docks in the Pool will be not
only a local, but a great national advantage.

The following are some actuttional interesting particu-
lars connected with the history of the Pool :
In 1824, the late Mr. Wm. Laird purchased 50 acres
of land from F. R. Price, Esq., and established his boiler
and iron-ship building yard, in May of that year. This
was the first effort made to reclaim that otherwise expanse
of waste; and from this germ, comparatively minute and
isolated, has sprung, as from the acorn the noble oak,
(though much more rapidly,) those scions and shoots of
commerce, that give promise of rising to stateliness and
maturity. Shortly after this beginning, the Patent Slip
and the copper-works of Messrs. Bibby and Co. (origi-
nally established by Messrs. Ormerod of Manchester, as
a boiler-manufactory) were commenced, and steamers of
large burthen have since been passing, from time to time,
up the Pool, and a considerable coaling trade is now car-
ried on within it.

Mr. Laird and Sir John Tobin purchased in 1836 a
considerable tract of laud in the Pool, from Mr. Price,
and had the whole margins and tidal space surveyed by
the most eminent engineers of the day,—Messrs. Telford,
Nimmo, and Stephenson,—who conjointly reported so
favourably of its adaptations for commercial purposes,
that the Liverpool Corporation came forward, and pur-
chased from the respective owners the marginal land be-
tween the Pool and Woodside, and also some portion of
the land on the Seacombe shore.

The following is an estimate of the expense of con-
structing docks, basins, &c., (according to the plan, by
the late Mr. Laird, which we this day present to our
readers,) at Wallasey Pool and Woodside Bank ; but,
assuming its accuracy at the time, we may state that the
expense of the engineering operations in the construction
of such works has been much reduced by experience, and
the application of improved machinery :

ESTIMATE IN 1837.
Sea-wall fronting river, extending from Woodside
Pier to Seacombe Point, 1,700 running yards,

at £4O per yard
Dock and basin walls, 10,800 running yards, at

„
£3O per yard
Excavations, 3,340,000 cubic yards, at 9d,
Paving, 484,000 square yards, at 2s. .....
Locks, gates, graving docks, and extras .

324,000
125,250
48,400
84,350

£650,000

DIMENSIONS OF DOCKS.
Wallasey D0ck..... 73 acres, 6,000 yards frontage
Woodside Dock .... 21 „ 1,300 „ If
Half-tide Dock .... 31 „ 2,000 „ )9
Entrance Basins.... 17 „

ADVANTAGES.
Land gained, at present covered at spring tides,
available for ship and timber yards, ware-
houses, &c., 968,000 square yards, worth
21s £1,016,400
Additional value to adjoining land, belonging
to the Corporation of Liverpool, 206 acres,
suppose ss. per yard

240,000

£1,256,400

ARREST OF MR. GILMOUR.—It appears that, since
the celebrated Mr. Gilmour, a gentleman well remembered
in this locality, was released from gaol at Edinburgh, he
has been retaken at Glasgow, and taken back on another
charge.
SCRIPTURE READERS.—On Sunday last, the Rev. J.
Jones, preached a sermon at St. Andrew's Chtarch, on the
utility of employing competent persons to read the scrip-
tures to the working classes at their own residences. The
collection amounted to £36.

On Monday last the life of an infant six weeks old was
unfortunately taken away by an over-dose of syrup of
poppies incautiously administered by its mother. The
parties resided at Runcorn.

CONVEYANCE OF TRANSPORTS.—At the Kirkdale ses-
sions, on Wednesday week, the magistrates oppointed Mr.
William Sheldon the contractor for the conveyance
of transports for the next year.
DEE BANK COLLIERY. In the Court of Queen's
Bench, on Monday, upon the motion of Mr. Jervis, Q.C.,
the court granted rule to show cause why the verdict for
the plaintiff, at the late Chester assizes, in the cause
'• Hanmer v. Eyton," should not be set aside, and a new
trial had; or, why the damages should not be reduced to
the sum of £1614 ; or, why there should not be a special
case, embodying the facts.

AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On Saturday last, a per-
son was brought up at the County Police-office, charged
with having been one of the parties who were poaching
on the preserves of the Earl of Derby at Knowsley, and
who shot one of the watchers named Kenyon, who is ex-
pected to die every hour. It seems that on Friday morn-
ing last, about five o'clock, three of Lord Derby's keepers
were watching the preserves at Knowsley, when they
heard a gun fired, and having called one or two other
helpers, they all lay down in a hedge which they expected
the poachers to pass. Shortly afterwards twelve or fifteen
men were seen approaching. The keepers now jumped
up, when one of the poachers (alleged to be the prisoner
now in custody) called out, " Go at them ! " and a gun
was immediately fired, which was returned by Kenyon,
the only one of his party who had a gun. Five shots
were then fired by the poachers, one of which took effect
on Kenyon, the shot tearing open his bowels. He was
assisted home, where he now lies in a state almost to
preclude the possibility of recovery. The prisoner was
remanded.

COURSING MATCH AT ALTCAR.—A splendid race was
run over Altcar on Wednesday last, between Mr. Svers's
red dog Crosby, (own brother to Gambler,) and the cele-
brated bitch Lady Harkaway, the property of the well-
known Romish controversialist, Father Tom Maguire,
who has, it seems, laid down for a time his controver-
sial weapons and entered, with his customary enthusiasm,
into the more healthy pursuit of field sports. In the first
heat Crosby took a lead of six yards, and made the first
turn. Father Tom's bitch then rushed in and killed—
making a dead heat. In the second heat Crosby again
took the lead, and again made the first turn ; the bitch
again got in, made two or three points and won. In the
third heat Crosby a third time took the lead 20 yards,
and won in the most gallant style, the hare being a good
one. In the fourth and last course Crosby took the lead,
and again made the first turn, the bitch as usual slipped
in, and making her two or three turns won the
imatch.
Crosby is beautiful red dog him and Father Tom,
,w lo was
present, repeatedly declared the fastest he over saTw.
Crosby afterwards won a match with a dog of Mr.
Blundell's with the greatest ease.