The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-06-25 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

MISCELLANEOUS.

When the railroad from Calais to Paris is completed,
the whole distance from the metropolis of England to the
metropolis of France may be done in 12 hours.
BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, June, 21.—We have had
rather more business doing in our sugar market this
week, but prices are again more in favor of the buyer ;
565. to 665. are the extremes of the market. In Bengali
and Mauritius some small parcels of each description
have been disposed of at about the previous value. In
rum the sales reach 60 puncheons Jamaicas at full prices.
No sales reported in molasses. Gazetted average price of
sugar, June 18, is 335. 9d. per cwt.
SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.—A few days agn, as some
workmen were employed in quarrying a rock close to the
Tweed, about a quarter of a mile below Rutherford-mill,
a gold thread was discovered embedded in the stone at a
depth of eight feet. How long this remnant of a former
age has remained in the situation from which it was
taken. will baffle the skill of the antiquary or geologist to
determine. A small bit of the thread has been sent to
our office for the inspection of the curious.—Kelso
Chronicle.

SUGAR Durres.—On Saturday the biil on which the
recent division took place which bas been amended in
committee, and on report, was printed. The duties impos-
ed by 6 and 7 Will. IV., c. 26, and 3 and 5 Vic., c. 17,
are to be continued till the sth July 1845, with the custom
duties, and an additional duty of five per cent. Her
Majesty by order in council to declare the sugars of other
countries to be admissible as not being the produce of
slave labour. By the seventh provision, power is given to
Her Majesty by order in council to declare, that the
sugars of countries with which her Majesty has treaties of
reciprocacity as to duties, be admissible at 345, per cwt.
additional. Her Majesty may allow the importation of
sugar, the growth of certain British possessions, at the
lower rate of duty. There are 25 sections in the bill.

ADMISSION OF ATTORNIES.—The result of the exa-
mination of candidates for admission on the roll of attor-
nies in last Trinity Term, shows a larger increase on that
branch of the legal profession, 71 having passed exami-
nation, whilst four were postponed, and four who had
given notice did not attend, and a large number failed to
perfect their testimonial of services, besides which, one of
the candidates for ,admission withdrew during the exami-
nation. Upon referring to the examination of the last
Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter. and Trinity Terms, it ap-
pears that in Michaelmas 106, in Hilary 90, Easter 92,
and Trinity T, rm 71, passed, showing a total for the last
four terms of 359. This number, we believe, includes
some instances in which the examiners reported specially
with reference to questions of service of clerkship, and
which were submitted to the decision of the judges.
MYSTERIOUS CASE.—Yesterday week an aged man,
named Crosby, and his wife, residing at a quiet village
called Long Sutton, near Cambridge. lost their lives by
poison, administered by a stranger. The old couple were
in the receipt of an annuity of £5O, and the half-yearly
payment of £25 was made only the week before last.
Early in the forenoon of Monday, the old man (who had
been walking about the streets in the morning in his usual
health) rushed out of his house and complained to his
neighbours that he and his wife had been poisoned by a
woman who had put something into their tea. Two sur-
geons were immediately in attendance, but they both died
in about two hours. A considerable quantity of arsenic
was discovered in the remaining quantity of the tea. A
strange female had been on the premises, but nobody
could tell who she was. The inquest was adjourned until
Monday (yesterday.)
PICRFORD v. GRAND JUNCTION RAILWAY COMPANY.
—Sir T. Wilde took up the argument in the Vice Chan-
cellor's Court on Friday morning, the opening of which
was commenced on the 29th of January last. The object
of the motion is to restrain the Grand Junction Railway
from doing a number of acts mentioned in the notice, the
general effect of which is to impose upon Messrs. Pick-
ford and Co. some excessive charges in the carriage of
goods, and especially small parcels on the Grand Junction
line of railway, by which the plaintiffs alleged they will be
unable to compete with other carriers. The suit is found-
ed upon a judgment in the Court of Exchequer, which
has already decided in favour of the plaintiffs, that the
charges complained of were unreasonable under the pro-
visions of the company's act, and, therefore, illegal ; and
the motion seks to restrain a continued violation of the
legal rights of the plaintiffs, which the judgment has
established, The Vice Chancellor refused the application
on the ground that the plaintiffs had delayed to bring
forward the case.

LIBEL.—In the Common Pleas, on Friday, a clergy-
of the name of Forth brought an action against the
Times newspaper, for an alleged libel, charging the plain-
tiff with having been suspended by the Bishop of London.
The plaintiff, who was formerly an officer in the army, and
who, in 1803 left the former service for the church, was,
in July, 1843 brought before Mr. Clive, magistrate at the
Wandsworth Police-office, charged with having assaulted
his landlord, who demanded some rent from him. The
rev. gentleman was fined 205.: and, in default of payment,
was committed to Kingston Goal. In consequence of the
representations of the Times that the rev. gentleman was
in a state of destitution, several donations were sent to
Mr. Clive. Shortly afterwards a report appeared of some t[
remarks made by Mr. Clive on the bench, to the effect
that Mr. Forth bad not claimed the money in Mr. Clive's
hands, and that Mr. Clive had made some inquiries as to '
induce him to relinquish all correspondence with Mr. ,
Forth and his family. To this repo, t the Times added a
statement that the Rev Mr. Forth had been suspended by
the Bishop of London which was the libel complained of.
The jury were locked up until Saturday, when not being
able to come to a decision, they were discharged.
A RESPECTABLE DEPUTATION.—A deputation of
paytriots, intrusted with an address to her Majesty, from
the citizens of Dublin, praying for the remission of the
sentence, by the liberation of the great agitator, passed
through this town on Sunday week, having arrived that ,
morning by the Royal Adelaide Steamer from Dublin,
and have since been duly presented to the sovereign.
The party consisted of the celebrated (sub) agitator 1
of the Linen Hall Ward in Dublin, Thomas Atkins,
whose calling any of our readers may see described
in gilt letters, upon a green signboard, fashioned in the
shape of a blouse—" TAILOR TO O'CONNELL ," Mr.
Sinnot, a poor-law guardian and publican, carr) ing on busi-
ness in the respectable neighbourhood of Barrack-street,
adjoining the Royal Barracks, Dublin; Myles Tobin,
town councillor, grocer and dram-seller, of Capel-street,
Dublin ; and a Mr. Cumming, or Curran, (we could'nt
make out which,) equally
if we might judge
from his manners and
these to be presented to royalty ! Her Majesty may be
appearar,ce. respectable, A
nice specimen
excused if, when relieved of their presence, she had ex-
claimed in the language of the great dramatist, " Give us
an ounce of civet, good apothecary." But of such stuff,
it would seem, deputations are made up (as O'Connell's
tailor would say) from the now respectable city of Dublin!
AN ARISTOCRATIC DEFAULTER.—A letter from Rome
of the 12th inst., quoted by the Gazette des Tribunaux,
says :—" The disappearance of Count Rocchi, of Ancona,
the receiver-general of the province, has created a general
alarm. He was involved to a large amount in the failure
of a banking-house of Paris, and resolved to relieve him-
self at the expense of those who bad placed confidence in
him. Ile consequently collected all he could possibly
obtain, converted into money nearly all the negociable
paper he held, made every preparation for his departure,
procured a passport for Venice, and embarked in an
Austrian steamer with his wife. tis believed that he has
gone thence to Trieste, with the intent of gaininc, a more
secure retreat. The Apostolic Chamber had in his
hands 215,000 f., which he has taken to the last penny;
but the funds of Notre Dame de Loretto and the
Casino of the town have suffered by his delinquency
much more deeply. The total amount of what be has
carried away is estimated at more than 1,000,000 f. I
The government is nearly covered by securities; but the
rest of the creditors will lose all, as the landed estates of
the count are all settled on his wife. The government
has appointed a commission for inquiring into this de-
plorable affair."
LISTON, THE COMEDIAN, AN USHER.—Liston—the
[ incomparable John Liston—in 1800 held the situation of
usher at Archbishop Tenison's School, St. Martin's
During a temporary absence of the master, (commonly
called " Pownall the Pompous,") the lads petitioned their
viceroy for permission to act a play, on a certain nigbt in
Whitsun week. The drama was quite original, entitled
"Tippoo Saib," and written by one of the leading boys,
who has long since been known to the world as a dramatic
composer. This lad could write, but, like the great Dry-
den, could not embody his own conceptions. Something
was to be done in respect of their chief actor, for the part
Tippoo was first-rate ha its kind, and required an equal
genius for its impersonation. " I know a chap, young
Carey," said one of the boys "who does Cupids and de-
vils at Drury-lane—a regular Tippoo, allover—he'll come,
twarrant you." On one of his " collar days," therefore,
application was made to young Kean, or Carey, for his
valuable assistance. The youth jumped at the proposal •,
" but I must give Aunt Tid the slip," said he, " in good
time—must run away—tis fineish weather—l'll be oil to
my old lodgings, the trees in St. James's Park .” and the
future Richard was as good as his word. 15 • escending
from his rookery at stated times, young Kean attended the
furtive rehearsals, painted
a famous Seringapatans, worked
away at the dresses—in fact,
was both the van and flank
of the mighty armament. The night arrived. Liston, the
equally truant usher, occupied his
stage-box ; the beadle of the parish tn chair, as a kind of
sundry minor functionaries of St. Martiwnlse-ipnr_etteenp. and
The business commenced most prosperously—all werellehis.
de-
lighted ; but the ecstacy participated by the chief ee
and the virgin bard, was a sum of bliss which rarely falls
falls
to the children of this world. Scarcely had a round
plause
subsided into mute attention, when of ap-
a growl, more
startling and terrific than had ever awakened the echoes
of Mysore, occasioned the affrighted party to turn
their
eyes in one common direction. Putman the Pompous,
the very aspect of Titus Oates, had returned unexpectedly
to St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and was at this moment
grinning a ghastly smile through an iron grating
froni
the
staircase, which commanded an entire view of the whole
scenic effects: All was immediate consternation--a bull
in a crockery booth, or a tiger's spring on travellers i
I
pose, could scarcely have surpassed this moment of''d re
may. Down rushed the infuriate pedagogue, and armed
with his well-known ferrule, commenced layingabout
him with all the vigour which an extra glass had inspired
and all the malice which was so peculiarly his,
Sprawling fell the beadle over the already prostrate David
Baird, while the Marshal Harris crept like a rabbit into
' the burrow of Liston's capacious pocket. Liston, a tithe
of whose comic cast has since won him immortalbonours
would have moved the gi avity of a very a retch under the
gibbet. Tippoo, so prematurely routed, had vaulted on a
fregit: bookcase, from which citadel he was to hive fallen
in the coming scene, whilst the poet himself bobbed with
[ agile evitation under the reiterating bamboo, like a seara_
mouch at Sadler 's Wells.—Ahareorth's APTazine.

THE WALLASEY DOCK, AND THE EVIDENCE
PRO AND CON.

A pamphlet,* which has just been banded to us, arrives
most opportunely, to enable us to present to our readers,
in a comprehensive form, a description of the actual
nature of the works proposed to be formed upon the site
of Wallasey Pool ; the evidence by which they have been
supported, and carried through the ordeal of a commit-
tee of the House of Commons, together with that offered
against the passing of the Bill in its present shape. For
our entering upon this duty, the only apology which we
feel it necessary to plead, is the ignorance of the great
mass of the public of the real merits of the project, and
the vast importance of the questions at issue between its '
promoters and opponents; which involve no less a con-
siderations than the very existence of this port, and the
security of the navigation of the river.
At the risk of being tedious, and to render more in-
telligible the remarks which we shall have to make, and
the evidence which we shall take the liberty of quoting,
we shall offer here a description of the proposed works,
as given before the committee on the Bill, by the engineer.
Mr. Bendel describes them as consisting of " a large
basin or low water harbour of 37 or 38 acres, with 12 feet
depth of water at low water spring tides, or 20 feet 9
inches below the level of the Liverpool Dock sill. At
the head of the basin is an embankment across the Pool,
which converts Wallasey Pool into a large float, which
may be called a reservoir, or a lake. The area et high
spring tides to the grass line is about 170 acres ; but with
a high tide that would flow over the grass line, it is about
208 acres. The area of what the lake would be, when
the water is lowered down to what is called the perma-
nent level, would be on an average 150 acres. The plan
also proposes a pair of tide gates of 70 feet opening, the
level of the sill to be 6 feet below the Liverpool datum.
Within the dam an area of 12 acres is to be excavated to
a depth of 19 feet below the permanent level line, 6 to 7
feet below the same datum; that is, an excavation down
to the level of the sill of the great gates to the extent of
12 acres. There is also a small dock close to Birkenhead
connected with a lock of 30 feet. The lock leads to a
small dock, which is particularly well placed, being close
to the leading thoroughfares of Birkenhead. The area
of this small dock is three acres, and it communicates
with the large float and also with the tidal basin by a lock
suitable for the river craft and coasters. The plan further
shows a tidal harbour of 10 acres near Woodside Ferry,
which Mr. Bendel says would be quite sufficient for all
the vessels requiring to beach on Wallasey Bank ; and
would form a harbour for steamers as well as for river
craft."

Such then is the plan of the promoters as explained by
themselves—an outer basin of 37 or 38 acres, with a bot-
tom 20 feet 9 inches below the level of the Liverpool
dock sill ; a twelve and a three acre inner dock, and an
embankment across the mouth of the pool, with tide gates
to make the upper part of it into a float. Let us see then
how it is proposed to work out this plan.
It is stated : •

" Ist. That the proposed large tidal basin could be main-
tained by the process of sluicing at the depth of 12 feet
below low water-mark, which operation of sluicing could
be continued daily throughout the year," the great dock
or rather float forming a reservoir for the necessary water. ,
Upon the successful operation of this sluicing, depends,
of course, the keeping open of the outer basin and the
fate of the whole scheme, for Mr. Rendal states, that
" Unless you could have a large quantity of water to be
passed through this basin, not in the ordinary way of
scour, but rather as an artificial river (that is a subaqueous
river) running through, there would be a difficulty of
keeping open a basin of that size." The following are
his views as to the operations of such sluicing :
" A gentle current produced by the sluicing under the
vessels in the basin will be the means of keeping the basin
clear with the daily operations in running off the water.
The velocity of the water passing from the sluices is to
be 30 feet a second ; and to produce a velocity of two
miles an hour through the basin, that gentle velocity
which will take out the daily accretions, but will not dis-
turb the ground.
" ' The vessels in the tidal basin are to be the means
of exciting that kind of disturbance in the water when
the water is in gentle current. which will be required to
carry out the daily accretions ; we can command that
kind of current passing under the vessels from their being
afloat, which will keep the bottom clear of the daily ac-
cretions.' "

Here Mr. Rendel goes upon the supposition that his
" subaqueous river" will continue in a current under the
upper portion of the water in the basin until it reaches the
river. But upon this point, bear Mr. Page, the value of
whose opinion as an engineer may be estimated by the
fact that his plan for embanking the Thames has been
adopted by the commissioners, appointed by her Majesty,
to inquire into the most effectual means of improving the
metropolis. Mr. Page says, " the water delivered from
the sluices would tend to rise and diverge from the point
of discharge ;" he remarks, " that the idea to produce a
current under water in a basin, and to maintain it, is
something new. My opinion," says Mr. Page, " is, that
to produce any effect by scouring in that basin, it would
be requisite to put the whole quantity of water in the
basin in motion; and again he says, " the velocity given
to the water in the basin would be most rapid if let out at
low water. In the London Docks they scour with water
in the lock,—at low water with five feet water in the lock
—and the whole quantity of water is put in motion there,
sometimes to such an extent that you can see the bottom
of the lock, being 45 feet wide ; the mud is carried out,
hut not to any great distance, and is raked into the river
by a steam-vessel." He thinks that a river such as pro-
posed (that i the subaqueous river) would "form a bar,
and that the water would pass out over the bar."
Mr. Vignoles, another eminent engineer, thinks that
the effect desired would not be produced, be.cans'e the
large body of water which comes with a certain force
through the sluices into the bottom of the basin will soon
be very rapidly diminished, and the effect dissipated; the
effect will be, he says, to "create a current in the oppo-
site direction, flowing inwards to the upper portion of the
water ; and, setting aside the question that no vessel
during that period would be able to lie there at all, the
effect would be such a diminution of the whole power,
that it is not likely to flow out at more than a mile and a
half an hour."

Another eminent engineer, Mr. Walker, after the pro-
posed mode of sluicing had been explained to him by Mr.
Rendel himself, " does not think that the basin can by any
artificial sluicing be preserved at the proposed depth."
Again, with respect to the time at which the sluicing is
to be carried on, the promoters of the scheme say that
this will be " daily;" that "as the sluices be daily
run, any accumulations will be removed"—that " the
sluicing will go on every day regularly," &c. Instead,
however, of this being the case, it appears that there
would be no sluicing in this great tidal basin during seem
consecutive days of every month, and that there could
not be any discharge whatever during ninety-nine days in
the year. Accumulation, therefore, must take place
during the seven consecutive days in each month, to re-
move which, additional force of water or other means
must be employed. It is urged, however, by Mr. Rendel,
in reply to this argument, that on such occasions of sus-
pension of the sewer there will be neap tides, when the
water will not be so much loaded with mud, a plea which
we leave the reader to take for what it is worth.

It is quite obvious from what we have quoted of the
evidence, that the practicability of this part of the plan is
very doubtful; and such appears to have struck the coun-
sel for the promoters ; for when addressing them in sum-
ming up the evidence, Mr. Cockburn observed—
" But what then ; supposing the sluicing will not do,
what will be the consequence; we shall have to dredge?"
And then the learned advocate exclaims, " Is there any
difficulty in dredging in this basin more than in any
other? you dredge in almost every harbour in the world,
and we must dredge here ; supposing it should turn out
that Mr. Rendel and Mr. Cubitt are wrong in their own
view of that, we shall have to dredge, and to do that which
in 99 harbours of every 100 in the world they are obliged
to do."

Here, then, we have the leading feature of the scheme—
the sluicing which was economically to keep open the
great tidal basin, by which such vast advantages were to
accrue to the shipping in our river,—already abandoned

in despair, or certainly fast tending to such conclusion.
That abandonment, too, appears of necessity to involve

,
also an abandomient of the dam and of the reservoir,
both of which were devised purposely for an object, which
it appears will ultimately have to be performed, at an ex-
pense, as stated by Captain Manghan, of the London
Docks, of between £20,000 to £30,000 a-year.
In reply more particularly to the engineering objections
urged against the scheme, it is contended by the pro-
moters—
" 2d. That there would not be an entire abstraction
each tide of the whole contents of Wallasey Pool above
the proposed dam.
"3d. That the abstraction of tidal water by the pro-
posed works would not injure the Victoria Bar.
"4th. That the water to' be penned up in Wallasey
Pool would, when let out (after half-ebb) scour the Vic-
toria Bar.
"sth. That the turning out of the vcatcr would instantly
affect the bar.

"--.6th. That the proposed sea-wall would improve the

. .
navigation of the river, and would. by 'increasing the ve-
locity of the current opposite to 'Wallasey Pool, cause a
greatr quantity of water to flow up the river."
We will as briefly as we can refer to each of these seria-
tim. With respect to No. 2, " Mr. Rendel says the
water is not abstracted ; but ' if the whole were ab-
stracted, we pre giving you back at a time 1,600,000 yards
of water, which is more valuable for your purposes.! "
Mr. Pape, however, we conceive, places the =Wr in_
its proper light, in his reply:to the following questions
put to him before the committee :—" When you have
once penned up the water in Wallasey, Pool, and got a
certain' quantity in the tidal basin, you have abstracted it
once for all; you do not continue to abstract a. fresh
quantity every tide?' To which Mr. Page answers,
' Unless you allow that water to pass out at such times
that it shall operate on the sea channels of the Mersey,
you abstract the whole quantity of water from 'Wallasey
Pool;' and the counsel again. urges
,the point, You say.
that you take a certain quantity from the river, and you
pen it up; you do not mean that the penning up abstracts
that quantity of : water every tide r. To which page
answers, To he sure I do. It is a clear, case for this
reason—the water, if not penned up, would run out at
every tide.' ".
With respect to the injury to be clone to the bar at the
Victoria Channel, Mr, Bendel remarks that ", the actual
lossnf water arising from the works, if you limit the tide
to 18 feet 3 inches, is 2;500,000 cubic yards or tons, and
tt at the abstraction of that quantity is not a matter .of
importance under the circumstances;" anti lie further
admits the great importance of the question, and contends
that the . embankment will be- " a positive good." But
against this opinion we set the following authorities :
Mr George Rennie is asked if the excluSion of the
water at Wallasey Pool will be inexpedient, to,which he
answers :
" The doctrine I have always, in conjunction with other
engineers who have reported upon this subjectr held, is

simply this, that it is very desirable and necessary to keep
-all the creeks and havens of the whole estuary into which
the sea water runs sacred, that is, that they should not be
encroached upon. With reference to the creek in ques-
tion, that formed part of our report : I made a report on
the subject in 1822, and subseq,lently in 1834 and 1836,
and there we enjoined, and I individually enjoined, the
necessity of keeping that open for the uses of the river, on
the ground that it would be depriving the harbour of so
much space over which the tidal water flows, and pro
tanto do injury to the navigation of the river, that is with
regard to the sea channels. The real difficulty at present
is at the Victoria Bar, which is the neck of the bottle."
When Mr. Rennie is asked whether he thinks the exclu-
sion of the water at Wall.ns,,y Pool would be inexpedient,
he says, " I would not answer that by the word inexpe-
dient; it would be at war with the doctrines we have
maintained."

Mr. Page says—" I cannot imaeine that any abstrac-
tion of tidal water from Wallasey Pont, or any other part
of the Mersey, so far as the tide flows, but particularly
these portions in this locality, will not injure the sea chan-
nels. if you take the case that all the water which passes
out of the Mersey over the sand banks is not available to
scour the sea channels, you will take away almost all the
tidal water of the Mersey ; and again, it is urged as proof
that the waters from the Wallasey Pool are not beneficial
to the sea channels, because they run out at an early part
of the tide, but (continues Mr. Page) they do not run out
so early as is supposed."
Mr. Vignoles considers that the abstraction of any of
the water, and especially that taken away from the wide
part of the pool, where there is a large quantity at a later
period of the tide, is " exceedingly injurious.
Mr. Giles gives similar evidence. "The abstraction of
any quantity must, pro tanto, diminish the scour of the
tide at Victoria Bar."
Mr. Walker says " it is not a question how much the
risk is, but a question of certainty ; and that, so far as the
quantity of tidal water is reduced, the sea channels are
injuriously interfered with."
With respect to the scouring power of the water let
off through the sluices at half ebb, Mr. Bendel, for the
promoters, says—" The most efficient water for scouring
is that which passes off at half tide, according to the pre-
sent state of things" ; and, i❑ reply to another question,
he states that the quantity of water which comes from
Wallasey Pool in its present state, after half tide, is
1,399,000 yards, whereas 1,600,000 yards will be the
amount available after the construction of the new works.
It must be borne in mind, however, that 7,000,000 tons
is the quantity now available for scour every tide, and
not 1,390,000. With respect, however, to the scouring
effect of this 1,600,000 yards, Mr. Page says, that if dis-
charged after half tide, it " would not reach the bar" ;
and, if discharged before, it would reach it. But, then,
what becomes of the proposed scour of the tidal basin,
the best time for cleansing which would be low water or
a little before, that the ebb tide may carry down the silt.
Mr. Page and Mr. Bendel are thus at issue as to the best
time of discharging the waters held in suspension in the
upper pool ; and it appears plain that the scour of the bar
cannot be made to assimilate with the scour of the tidal
basin.
Mr. Vignoles and Mr. Giles both confirm the views of
Mr. Page on this point. The former says, that the water
discharged "before half-ebb contributes to the scour;"
and the latter says, that " if the range between half ebb
and low water is to be taken as the choice time of scour.
ing, the mean would reduce it to the last quarter of the
ebb ; and at that last quarter the discharge of water would
be too late to reach the Victoria Bar at the distance of
13 miles." The latter gentleman also moat satisfactorily
demolishes the argument founded on the alleged silting
up of Wallasey Pool, in its present state, for he finds that
the sections recently taken by Mr. Page and Mr. Draine,
without any previous concert, show the same, or nearly
the same, quantities with those taken by himself between
the years 1819 to 1823.
It is contended further by the promoters that the turn-
' ing out of the water from Wallasey Pool would instantly
affect the bar of the Victoria Channel.
Mr. Bendel says, " I cannot at an hour before low 1
water discharge this large mass of water, 1,600,000 el.')
yards, into the basin, without producing a mlnr Juin. It
is that momentum which produces the (Y,ct." "It is
not the mere precise narticles of water that go to the Vic-
toria Bar; but I will be bound that they shove some par-
ticles a-head of them that would not otherwise go there."
Mr. Cubitt also observes :—" If you let out suddenly a
quantity of water into the end of any trough, it will begin
instantly to run over the other end. The particles of
water will not get there; it lifts water, and produces the
effect of a wave."

In opposition, however, to this fallacy, we have the
opinions of Mr. Page, that such an operation as pouring
water into the end of a trough would produce a wave
which would pass over the other end in a time propor-
tioned
to,the quantity; and of Professor Lewis, (professor
of mathematics and natural philosophy in the college of
civil engineers,) who says that " water turned into the.
Mersey will not affect Victoria Bar, in the way of scour-
ing it, until the water actually arrives at the bar."
The argument is insisted upon that the erection of the
proposed sea-wall would improve the navigation of the
river; and that by increasing the velocity of the current
opposite to Wallasey Pool, a greater quantity of water
would flow up the river. Mr. Page denies this, and says
that " the water in Wallasey Pool will itself form a dart.
at the flood tide, which will pass up the same water as if
there were a solid embankment." It must be borne in
mind, too, that the narrows of the river are below these
proposed works; and the effect consequently of the em-
bankment will be to diminish the estuary in which the
water to scour is held, rather than to increase the force of
the scour or of the current. This fact was pressed upon
the attention of Mr. Rendel, and although fenced with,
sufficient was admitted to show that in his opinion any
embankment " abridging the receptacle for the tidal
water," or formed " in a part of the estuary above these
narrows at Liverpool will be inexpedient."
Here we must pause, omitting for the present any in-
quiry as to whether the proposed tidal basin at Woodside
Ferry would compensate for the beaching grounds of
Wallasey banks, or the advantages or disadvantages of the
entire scheme as compared with the docks about to be
erected by the Dock Committee in Liverpool. Our
readers, especially those most deeply interested in the
important questions involved, will doubtless refer to the
pamphlet itself, which we can recommend as ably argued,
and full of just views and much information upon the
entire subject.
* Comparison of the evidence taken before the Committee on the
Birkenhead Docks Bill in the House of Commons. London:
Printed by James and Luke J. Hansard, near Lincoln's-Inn-fields.
1544.

STANZAS, BY A LADY,
Written on board the Steamship Brilannia,June 13,1844

Roll on, roll on, ye giant waves,
In grandeur fierce and wild!
Old Ocean, though he madly raves,
Must own me as his child.
Roll on across our liquid path,
With hoarse and sullen roar;
And all your gathered wealth of wrath
In whitened vengeance pour.

I am as fearless as the bird
Who makes the wave her home,
And weaves her nest, with song unheard,
Amid the breakers' foam ;
Who boldly dips her snowy wing
In surge as purely white,
Then soars aloft in airy ring,
With scream of wild delight.

Away! and round yon distant rock
In stormy fury rave :
Ye may the timid landsman shock,
But not the sailor brave!
llur bold and gallant bark disdains
The might of raging tides :
Swift o'er old Neptune's vast domains
A queen Britannia rides!

She scatters from her whirling wheels
The foam that marks her pace,
As hurls the war-horse from his heels
The dust of battle chase;
licr canvass to the breeze she flings,
As to the strong, free air
The eagle gives his noble wings,
And leaves his mountain lair.

God shield the bark from every ill,
And bless her faithful crew,
Her officers of worth and skill,
Iler FlEwirr brave and true:
And bless the veteran known to fame,
Whom once the mater bore
To battle fur his country's china—
The valiant " Cot monoitY" :

God bless the men and mighty lauds
Old Ocean rolls between—
The President who ours commands,
And England's Royal Queen
May virtue each with glory crown;
May dark oppression cease;
And cry or battle never drown
The silver song of peace.

Boston, Mass.

A. M. C. EI)MOND.

Punch says, "It is no wonder Captain Parry and his
crew were nearly starved while in the arctic zone, inas-
much as it appears the foolish fellows persisted in going
in their bear (bare) skins!"
• Now that Orangemen are excluded from the police-
force, Punch thinks it would be but fair that the magis-
trates should also put down that portion of the fair sex
called " orangewomen," whose supporters strew the
footwalks so plentifully with orange peel, that the limbs
of the lieges are in constant danger.
RUINED GAMESTERS DESPISED.—It may be thought
that a gentleman who has lost above a thousand pounds
in a gambling-house may have the right of entree by pres-
cription. Nothing is more unlike the fact. From the
height of its prosperity to its declension, every oscillation
in his course is noted with the nicest observation ; for
instance, playing for lower stakes, a more frebile excite-
ment when losing, occasionally borrowing of a friend, a
cheque not punctually Paid, and finally, a small sum bor-
rowed of the hank, to enable him to take up a bill under
a very pressing emergency : these are the. little circum-
stances which lead tolls ultimate exclusion. On some
fine evening during the ensuing season :he calls, thinking
to be admitted as heretofore, but he is stopped at the first
door, with the ready excuse that "there is nothing doing."
On the next call he is told that.there is no play going
on.No play ; So you said the last time I called,
1, and I have since understoood from a friend that there was
' playa I- et me in ; I want to see. the manager." " lie is
not in, Sir." " Oh, very well ; I shall take some other
opportunity of seeing him." When he does see the
chef, the latter expresses most sincere regret at the oc-
currence, and makes a most specious promise to have the
interdict removed. Tons assured; who now is to oppose
his entrance? Not the porter, surely! Yes, the very
same porter still insists that the great man is not within
—that he knovvs.nothing about the explanation given, and
therefore cannot admit him. Thus repulsed, the appli-
cant murmurs a threat about 'not paying, and thus the
matter ends. What is here stated must be understood las
applying to commoners; for a peer, however poor, can
always be turned to some account.—Bentley's Miscellany.