The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-02-25 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

The friends of the national scheme for secular education
held a public meeting, in the Concert-hall, on Wednesday,
Mr. J. A. Picton, councillor, in the chair. There was a
numerous attendance, and amongst the gentlemen on the
platform were the Revs. J. Edwards, J. A. Baynes, Not-
tingham ; and Messrs. W. Ferguson, Wm. Cross, W.
Rathbone, jun., C. E. Rawlins; jun., Mellor, W. Estill,
J. Aikin, J. C. Dyer, (Manchester,) &c.

WEST DERBY GUARDIANS.—At the usual weekly
meeting, on Wednesday, Mr. Roskell presided. After a
smart discussion, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr.
Shaw, seconded by Mr. Coward, that in consequence of
some continuation of irregularity in the present system of
out-door relief in the district of West Derby, the overseers
of the poor of the township be requested to submit to this
board, at the next meeting, any complaint they may think
desirable, and that in the meantime the relieving-officer
be requested to allow the said overseers to have access to
his books. It was resolved, that the sum of £l5 be paid
to the Southern Hospital as a subscription from the
township of Toxteth-park.
BIRKENHEA D COMMISSIONERS.—A special meeting was
held yesterday week, to adopt a petition against a Bill
" for making better provision for the execution of the
works of the trustees of the Birkenhead Docks." Strong
objection was taken to the clauses in the bill which pro-
posed to change the trust, to take away all power from
Birkenhead, and to remove the meetings of the trustees
to London. Several members expressed themselves
warmly against these clauses as likely to prove most pre-
judicial to Birkenhead. A petition against the bill was
adopted, with a modification, at the suggestion of Mr.
Greene, that no subsequent steps be taken after the pre-
sentation without the further sanction of the board.
ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCII2EOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—
At the usual fortnightly meeting of this society, held on
Wednesday evening, Mr. Arthur Holme occupied the
chair. A short conversation took place on the subject of
desiccating timber.—Mr. Holme said that, as far as he
understood the subject, it was a process of passing a cur-
rent of air over timber. The air was heated in a furnace,
and then, either by a fan, or other mechanical means,
was blown over the timber, so that the drying was effected
in a very short time. He did not know the result of that
system ; but he thought that if the timber was dried too
rapidly it would either crack or would be liable to give
way again. He alluded to Payne's process, which gives
the timber an artificial coating, which resists the plane of
the carpenter, and is not considered successful.—lt was
suggested that a portion of the time at the next meeting
should be devoted to considering the proper situation for
the organ of St. George's-hall. Mr. H. P. Horner ad-
verted to the competition going forward amongst the
profession for a design for the proposed Palatine Club,
and deprecated the suggestion for the use of stucco in the
place of honest brick or stone.—An interesting discussion
next took place rel tive to the durability of Bath stone in
buildings. Instances of its failure were mentioned, but
Mr. Holme was of opinion that it would answer in Liver-
pool quite as well as the best Yorkshire stone we had got,
provided it was laid on the quarry bed, and brought from
neighbourhoods that could be depended upon.—Mr. H.
Deacon, F.C.S., of St. Helens, read a very instructive
and diverting paper on the " Manufacture of Blown
Glass." He set out by glancing at the historical portion
of his subject, and it appeared from an ancient writer,
named Blancourt, who had compiled a work on the sub-
ject, the original glass-blowers were all of them gentle-
men, the noblemen of art. Mr. Deacon turned from
ancient to modern practice, and described the various
processes of blowing glass. Alluding to Messrs. Pilking-
ton's extensive works at St. Helens, he said that between
eight and nine hundred workpeople were employed, and
they had a school for the education of the boys attended
by 117 pupils. The thanks of the society were unani-
mously voted to Mr. Deacon, whose interesting discourse
was elucidated by numerous specimens and illustrations.