The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-10-08 00:00:00

LOCAL MEETINGS.

EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.--On Friday night a
public meeting of the Early Closing Association was held
at the Charitable Institution-house, in Slater-street, Mr.
Butt in the chair. The room was densely crowded, and
after a variety of speeches, it was unanimously resolved
that an energetic effort should be made to induce the
shopkeepers to close at six o'clock in the months of No-
vember, Decelnber, January, and February, and at seven
o'clock during the remainder of the year; the speakers
stating that Messrs. Frisby, Dyke, and Co., Jeffrey and
Morrish, and Carmichael and Co., were favourable to the
movement.

DOCK COMMITTEE, THURSDAY.—After intimating that
the sub-committees had nothing to report, the Chairman
brought before the committee the resolutions passed by
the Dock trustees, to the effect that they could not legally
take into consideration some of the proceedings of the
Dock Committee, on the ground that they related to what
is termed in Council " new matter," and which consisted
of recommending to apply to Parliament for powers to
extend and amend the present Dock acts, &c. After
some discussion, during which .allusidn was made to the
differences which existed between the Town-clerk and the
Dock solicitor on the subject, it was, on the motion of
Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Sandbach, resolved that
the Dock solicitor be called in to give his opinion in the
matter. Mr. North, on being introduced, read his opi-
nion in writing. After assigning at length the grounds of
his opinion, Mr. North thus concludes :—" It follows
that, in my opinion, the said resolution of the Dock
Trustees, at their meeting yesterday, was not in accord-
ance with the 6th Geo. IV., and is, therefore, void in
law, and that the proceedings of the Dock Committee then
laid before the Trustees, not having been then annulled
by the latter, in manner prescribed by that act, then were,
and now stand, ipso facto, confirmed."—After some little
conversation, it was agreed that the opinion of the solici-
tor should be sent to the Town-clerk, and the subject
then dropped.—A letter was read from Mr. John Grantham
on the subject of screw steamers. Referred.—A letter
from the post-master relative to the appropriation of cer.
tain apartments, occupied by Mr. Lord, for postal accom-
modation, and the rent to be paid for such apartments,
was, in the absence at Mr. Stewart, referred to Mr.
Samuel Holme.
BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONERS.—The usual monthly
meeting of this board was held on Tuesday. Richard
Bryans, Esq., was called to the chair. The Lighting and
Watching Committee recommended the appointment of
six additional policemen. They also gave a statement,
founded on a report of the superintendent of police, that
it having been intimated that the daily attendance of Mr.
J. S. Jackson was not to be expected, it was stated that
the committee having no funds in their possession to pay
for a stipendiary magistrate, it was resolved that the sub-
ject be recommended to the gt'neral board, to consider
the propriety of appointing a stipendiary magistrate, or
another resident magistrate, as might seem most advisable.
According to the proceedings of the Ferry Committee, it
appeared that the claim against Mr. Hughes, for arrears of
rates due to the commissioners, had been referred to a
sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. Mills and Gough,
and that those gentlemen had reported that Mr. Hughes
did not owe the committee anything of the claim made by
the commissioners. From the proceedings of the Ferry
Committee it appeared that the receipts for the month of
September, 1849, were £1,464 4s. 10d. ; the receipts for
1850, £1,871 2s. 10d. ; that the receipts from the 23d
April, 1849, to 30th September, were £9,527 6s. 2d.,
and for the same period of 1850, £13,818 14s. 7d. The
total expenditure for the latter period was X 8,626 15s 10d.
A rather lengthy discussion then ensued as to the pro-
priety of furnishing an extra boat to meet the .2 p.m.
train from Chester, in case the train did not arrive until
after the regular boat had left the Monks' Ferry. There
had been counter resolutions on the subject in the com-
mittee, and on the confirmation of the proceedings being
moved by Mr. Ravenscroft, Mr. Watson moved an
amendment, the effect of which was to furnish an extra
boat to meet the train, in case of necessity. After some
discussion, the board divided, when there appeared, for
the amendment 12 against it, 4 ; majority, 8.
WEST DERBY GUARDIANS.—At the usual weekly
meeting, on Wednesday, Mr. Alpass brought a case of
complaint against Mr. Tomkins, the relieving-officer of
Toxteth-park. According to the statement of Mr. Al-
pass, Mr. Tomkins had been guilty of great cruelty and
neglect of duty in the case of a poor woman who had
applied for relief. Mr. Tomkins, under much excite-
ment, denounced the statement as ungenerous and grossly
false. It was resolved that the guardians of Toxteth-
park should he constituted a committee to investigate the
subject, and report to the board.—A communication was
read from Mr. Stephens, one of the medical officers,
stating that the relieving-officer (Mr. Latham) had again
attempted to remove paupers under medical treatment,
without a certificate from the medical-officer, and in one
case of this nature the patient was in so precarious a state
that the removal might have resulted in death. Mr.
Latham admitted there were cases in which he had acted
without the required certificate. He was censured by the
board, and told not to act again in like manner.—During
the proceedings a little scene took place between Mr.
Thos. Smith and Mr. Shaw. Mr. Smith attached his
name, as overseer, to one of the collector's monthly
statements. Mr. Shaw having observed him doing so,
after the document was replaced on the table, erased the
name. Much confusion ensued for some time, which
was ultimately suppressed by the chairman observing,
that it was wrong in any guardian to write on any docu-
ment after it was before the board.—Mr. Harrison brought
forward a motion to the effect that for Toxteth-park there
should be three relieving-officers, one at a salary of £l3O,
and the other at a salary of £lOO a year; that for the
rural district of West Derby, including Allerton, Garston,
Childwall, Wavertree, Kirby, Fazakarley, and 'Aintree,
there should be one officer, at £lO ; and that for Nether-
ton, Lunt, Sefton, Litherland, Orrell, and Ford there
should be one officer, at a salary of £6O a year. The
officers in all cases to reside within and as near the cen-
tre of their respective districts as practicable. After a
long conversation. the motion was carried by is to 11.

ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHIEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—
The opening meeting of the above society was held on
Wednesday evening last at the Royal Institution. The
president of the society, Mr. J. A. Picton, F.S.A., in the
chair. After some account being given by Mr. Frank
Howard of the society's last summer excursion, the paper
for the evening, entitled "The Genealogy of Architecture
and the Fine Arts," by Mr. Samuel Huggins, was read.
The object of the writer was to present a theory of art
generally ; to exhibit the origin and relations of its dif-
ferent branches. The fine arts being the arts of the
beautiful, his task, he said, would be to trace that prin-
ciple from its source, which divided his subject into three
distinct heads :—The beautiful exists in nature,—in the
human mind or imagination,—and in art. The feeling
for the beautiful, he remarked, belongs to all, but only
the artist can embody it. The power of expression is the
faculty for reproducing in the sphere of art, The great
principles of design were common to all the fine arts, and
an architect would be a better architect for knowing some-
thing of those arts which claim kindred with his own.
He need not be able to paint a picture. but he should
understand the great principles of painting and sculpture,
and know in what way they are identical with those of
architecture. In conclusion, he lamented the want of a
national system of education in the principles of taste,
and complained that less had been done to facilitate the
study of the fine arts than of the other branches of re-
fined and useful acquirement.

SELECT VESTRY.—The fortnightly meeting was held
on Tuesday. The Rev. Rector Campbell presided. The
following tenders for supplies to the parish for the ensu-
ing half year were accepted :—Vaughan and Staveiey,
candles and soap ; Joseph Bingham, smallwares ; Wm.
Procter, tobacco and snuff; Chapman and Callis, iron-
mor gery and tin wares; Erre and Higgins, drysaltery ;
James Parker, ale and harm ; Adamson and Tapley,
linen and woollen drapery*; Bryan Renshaw, peas; Jas.
Capey, stays; Henry Tate and Co., groceries; Jas. Hall,
beef and mutton ; James Marsden and Son, brushes ;
George Glover, clogs; William Dixon, window glass;
James Johnson, timber; John Paint, coffins; John
Nicholson, leather, &c. ; Robert H. Frazer, printing and
stationery ; Charles Barlow, boots and shoes ; Robert
Neilson, coals ; Henry Bate, hay and straw ; Bryan
Henshaw, flour, meal, and oatmeal ; Charles W. Harvey,
for sweet milk at sd. per gallon—the price for which it is
stated to have been offered by parties tendering for the
workhouse.—Some dissatisfaction was exp-essed by seve-
ral members that the contract with Mr. Bingham should
have been renewed.—Mr. Brown called attention to one
fact which appeared on the minutes ; the maintenance of
the officers of the school was now costing 6s. 4d. per
head, against 3s. Bd. last year—nearly double.—Mr.
Harbord called attention to the necessity of re-organi-
sing, on a larger and more efficient scale, Mr. Gray's
department. By doing so, he thought it quite possible
to save many thousands a-year to the parish. The pre-
sent impossibility of exercising a proper revision had
caused a loss in four years, in lunatics alone, of £2,700.
The subject was referred to the Finance Committee to
report upon ; and Mr. Brown announced that it was his
intention, when the report was presented, to call for a
similar inquiry into all the other departments.—Mr.
Savage called attention to the proposal of the Dock
Committee to establish an Emigrant's Home, a plan
which would act injuriously to the ratepayers in the
neighbourhood. He thought the Vestry ought to take
the matter up ; and moved that a memorial be sent to
the Council against the project. After some discussion,
during which the general feeling of the board appeared
to be opposed to the measure, on the ground that it would
be injurious to shopkeepers, and would not ultimately
afford the required protection to emigrants, Mr. Savage's
motion was adopted. A memorial was drawn up, re-
spectfully requesting the Council to withhold its consent
from the project till due inquiry has been made into its
probable consequences.