The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-08 00:00:00

to take goods from the Albert Warehouses to their oa n
warehouses could do so at all hours ?

Mr. MooltE replied that they could get them at any
hour they pleased.
Mr. Arms said the fact was, that although the Albert
Dock and Warehouses might be of use hereafter,
.et
until the rates were made conformable to the wishes of
the public, both were remaining unoccupied ; for the
other day in that fine, large dock, there were only two
vessels. He had urged in committee that the rules and
rates were not conformable to the feelings of the buyers ;
he had said that they were contradictory, and a mass of
absurdity, discreditable to the Dock Committee; and he
suggested that the associated bodies of the town ought to
have been consulted prior to their adoption.
Mr. MANN said it was very easy to find fault, hut
when there were upwards of 500 articles brought before
the committee, upon each of which there were four de-
scriptions of rates, and upon each three or four different
descriptions of weight and size and quantity, the Council
would have some idea of the difficulty under which that
committee had laboured. He wished the rates to be as
low as possible to cover the expenses; but he hoped the
merchants would bear in mina that there must be a
charge over and above the mere porterage rate, for there
was an expensive staff to be kept up, in the shape of
landing clerks, wharfingers, &c. . _

Mr.-H
ORSFALL said he had transmitted to the Dock
Committee the unanimous opinion of the African Asso-
ciation, that the charge on palm oil was cent. per cent.
higher at the Albert Dock than elsewhere ; and that rate
had excluded vessels altogether, The original rate set
down was 3d. per ton, but it had been altered to 4d.
Mr. AIKIN was prepared to show that the rates for
rent were 100 per cent. as compared with other ware-
houses. _ _

Mr. I-tanonn considered the list of rates very fair.
For the last 20 years he never charged less than 3d. a ton
for palm oil in his warehouses, acd he had received so
much as sd. and Gd. for the deposit of oil in bis vaults.
He defied any one to prove that 3d. a ton would be remu-
nerative for depositing oil in vaults. He advised them to
pause before they proceeded much further in their new
undertaking, because the two millions of warehouse pro-
perty in Liverpool could always go lower than them in
rates and charges.
Mr. Amts was not in favour of high charges at the
Albert Dock ; neither was he an advocate for having them
too low.

Mr. EVANS was unable to give an opinion as to the
rates, because he had not seen the book, but he felt con-
fident that if the up-town warehouses offered to take
cotton for nothing, the Albert warehouses would get the
article at a charge of a penny. He had no fear of the
competition of the warehouse owners.
Mr. TYRER stated that one of the vessels, of 400 tons,
which had already entered the Albert Dock, had saved
£lOO by the saving of about 20 days in the time of her
discharge.
Mr. Moons replied; and after Mr. Horsfall had an-
nounced that from and after the 26th instant dock porters
would be employed by the committee on all the dock
quays, the proceedings were confirmed.
George Williamson was appointed messenger at the
Town-hall, in the room of John Loader, dismissed.
The Special Committee, appointed on the 19th of May
last, to make the necessary preparations and arrange-
ments for the reception and entertainment of Prince Al-
bert, on the occasion of his honouring the town with a
visit, reported that £3500 would cover the whole of the
expenses of that visit.
Mr. TINNE moved, pursuant to notice, that it is desi-
rable to proceed with the erection of a❑ additional num-
ber of fresh water baths and warehouses, and that s
an instruction to the Heaith Committee to consider the
number and the most suitable sites.
The motion was carried unanimously.

SOUTH LANCASHIRE ASSIZES

NISI PRIUS COURT.-TUESDAY

The trial of GERARD v. MUSPRATT, for an alleged
nuisance, was resumed this morning.
Mr. Samuel Curtis was called and examined.—He said
he had been engaged in the nursery business for 50 years,
during a large portion of which time he had been with the
Duke of Newcastle. Had nearly 4,000 acres of woodland
under his management, and of meadow, wood, and arable
land altogether about 20,000. Was now engaged in lay-
ing out the Victoria Park, London. Surveyed the woods
on plaintiff's estate last week. Examined the Haydock
boundary plantation. That part towards
.the works was
very healthy. The woods in the neighbourhood of New-
hall seem in good health. The foliage on each side of the
canal was very good. Saw some trees which were rather
bare about the roots, which were unhealthy. The gar-
den, as seen from the terrace, seemed healthy. The
woods were not sufficiently drained. There were some
portions of dry land also where the woods did not flou-
rish, from the arid nature of the soil. The roots bad
penetrated as far as the soil was good, and then the tree
decayed. Thought the causes of such decay as he saw
were quite natural. The trees in that part of the country
have a list in one direction. Those on the New-hall
estate incline towards the works, and the most luxuriant
foliage is on that side. Many of the trees along the
boundary wall were ripe. They were full grown, and
would never be better. There were insects upon the
leaves of the oaks, which changed their colour. Syca-
more leaves have generally a blotched appearance. There
is a clover field just outside the boundary wall, on the
side next the works. It looked very well, and had no
appearance of ill health. In the more recent plantations
the trees have been put down when too far advanced in
growth. The young plantations are very foul. There
seemed never to have been a tool used among them. The
game on the estate seemed to be well preserved. The
Scotch firs are usually doing well. On the average of
the last few years would think they had grown on the
average a foot each, and in some cases two feet.

CrOss-examined.—Did not see much injury done by
game. The crop of clover seemed a second crop. The
country was not a rich country. It was chiefly a coal
formation. Did not inquire as to the precise age of the
trees in the new plantation when nut down. Should
think they had been planted when nine or ten years old.

After the examination of a nutnher of witnesses who
held land in the neighbourhood, who stated they per-
ceived no ill effects from the vapour,
Mr. Miller, M.D., was galled, who stated that he,
with Dr. Brett and Sir Robert Kane, of Dublin, had
made a series of experiments at the works. Muriatic
acid gas is evolved in the process ; part of it is condensed,
and part escapes into the air. There is what is called a
decomposing chamber, the gas from which passes into a
tower filled with pieces of coke, and through which, from
the top, a stream of water is constantly flowing. The gas
is thus absorbed by the water. No gas escapes from the
flue at the top of that tower. There are besides six re-
verberatory furnaces on the old plan. Connected with
these was a long horizontal flue, communicating with the
main chimney. A stream of water flowed through it,
which would condense a great portion of the gas. Tested
the air as it passed out of that flue into the main chimney
at two different periods in the process. The muriatic
acid gas, when in the greatest quantity, was in the pro-
portion of 1 to 1,866 parts of atmospheric air ; in the
second experiment, Ito 6,500 parts. The vapour has the
greatest tendency to fall in moist weather. It would pass
to a greater distance in dry. Thought the gas would be
diluted 50 times in half a mile, and that it would not be
appreciable at the distance of two miles.
In cross-examination he stated, that if the gas was
sufficiently powerful, at the distance of two miles, to
make the eyes smart, it was certainly appreciable.
In answer to some further questions by his LORDSHIP,
the witness said the gas was very pungent, and would be
perceptible to the smell in extremely minute quantities.
White vapour might arise from steam ; that, however,
would be dispersed in a distance of 100 or 200 yards.
Dr. Brett gave evidence not differing materially from
that of the last witness.

Mr. Martin replied, and the Judge having summed up,
the jury, after considerable deliberation, returned a ver-
dict for the plaintiff—damages £l,OOO.

ANOTHER ALLEGED INJURY FROM AN ALKALI
MANUFACTORY.

GERARD, BART., V.
_CROSSFIELD AND ANOTHER

This was another special jury cause, similar to the last,
in which Sir John Gerard, Bart., was plaintiff, and Simon
and James Crossfield were the defendants. The declara-
tion stated that the defendants carried on an alkali manu-
factory at St. Helens, and that certain noxious gases and
vapours were emitted therefrom which damaged the plain-
tiff's trees. The defendants pleaded not guilty.
Mr. MARTIN stated the case, which he said was ex-
actly of the same character as the last. Sir John Gerard
was the owner of considerable property in the neighbour-
hood of St. Helens, and amongst other places he was the
proprietor of Garswood estate, which was the old pro-
perty of the Gerard family, and from which they removed
some time ago to New-hall. Garswood faced to the west,
where the works of the defendants were situated, and by
those works, it would be proved, damage to the extent of
£4,000 had been done to the estate. In 1838 and 1839
the defendants erected their chimney, and immediately
after so much damage was done that they agreed to allow
compensation to the amount of £l,OOO ; but the works
had since been continued, and, of course, the damage was
constantly going on, so that either Sir John must aban-
don his property altogether, or he must come into court,
and seek for damages from a jury of his country. It
would be proved that, although some efforts towards con-
densation might have been made by them, yet that as
entire condensation was impracticable, destruction to Sir
John's timber had followed. In the event he trusted the
jury would give such compensating damages as the plain-
tiff was entitled to recover.

WEDNESDAY.
SIR JOHN GERARD, BART.. V. CROSSFIELD

The further hearing of this cause occupied the court
nearly the whole of the day. The jury, after an absence
from court for one hour, returned a verdict for the plain-
tiff—Damages £4OO.

SIR JOHN GERARD, BART., V. GAMBLE

This was a similar action to the last for the recovery of
damages for injuries caused by the alkali works of the de-
fendant. The case was referred.

THURSDAY.
A SHARE TRANSACTION.-LUCAS V. HOATSON.
Henry Walker Lucas, sharebroker, of Liverpool, was
the plaintiff, and Joseph Cocking Hoatson, sharebroker,
of Halifax, the defendant. The action was brought to
recover the balance of an account arising out of a share
transaction, amounting to £9Bl 10s., bought by plaintiff
for defendant. It appeared that in August, 1841, the de-
fendant ordered the plaintiff to purchase for him 100
shares in the London and Croydon Railway ; the shares
were obtained from a gentleman named Langdon, and
paid for by the plaintiff, but the defendant afterwards re-
fused payment. Verdict for the plaintiff for the amount
sought.
ALLEGED DETENTION or A WILL..-THOMPSON V.

HEIRS AND ANOTHER.
James Thompson, of Thingwall Farm, was the plain-
tiff, and Messrs. rernhezton and ileyes, solicitors, of