The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-25 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

LATEST FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

LATER FROM THE WEST INDIES.
Since our first form went to press, giving the intelligence
brought by the West Indian steamer, which arrived at
Southampton on Sunday, we have received the following
additional news :

The brig Greenock, of Glasgow, was lost at St. Domingo,
on the 4th June, loading mahogany for Liverpool ; part
of her crew came home passengers per Forth.
The Forth observed a fleet of men of war, consisting of
five brigs, one frigate, and four line of battle ships, stand-
ing in for the land.near the Dodmans, on the morning of
the 18th. The weather being hazy, they were soon lost
sight of.

Intelligence from Port-au-Prince states that horrible
massacres continue to be perpetrated, but at Martinique
comparative tranquility prevailed.
The Royal Mail Company's steamer Lee was wrecked
on a reef sixty miles north of Belize, on the 10th of
June; crew saved.

Bermuda was in an unsettled state, in consequence of a
report being current, when the packet left, that an attempt
would be made by a large party of Irish from New York
to rescue the convict Mitchel. A ship had arrived thither
from Halifax with the intelligence that a large body of
his countrymen were making preparations for this pur-
pose. The government at Bermuda were, notwithstanding
the improbability of such a course of proceeding, adopting
precautionary measures to resist any attempt that may
be made.

All the colonies were healthy, and rain had fallen in
great abundance in most of the West India Islands. A
slight shock of an earthquake had been felt in the island of
St. Thomas, but no damage whatever had been done either
to life or property.

was reporter the slave population at Cuba had
evinced symptoms of an outbreak, but the government
were fully prepared for any emergency.

ine carnage done to public and private property, by
the late events in Paris, has been estimated at 10,000,000
francs, or about £400,000 sterling.
A curious case of injury is recorded in connexion with

the recent outbreak in'Nris. It is related of one indivi-
dual that a ball went in at one cheek and out through the
other, but. as his mouth hannened to be °nen. it touched

nor his teeth.
In St. Petersburgh, on the 7th of Jul
1,571 persons ill of the cholera, to th

there were

1,071 were added

overed, 576 died ; on the
'ere attacked during the
On the 9th there were

Bth there were 3,790 sick, 853
day-574 died, 172 recovered.
3,817 patients In the hospitals.
Cape of Good Hope papers to the 18th of May state
that the Boers beyond the Orange river had made con-
munications to the government —,nld

wawa would lead to the
were prepared to abide by the regula-
cent considering them as calculated to

The Port Philip papers of the 14th of March report
favourably respecting the improving prospects of that
settlement. Trade was better. Wheat by the latest
quotations was worth 4s. 4d. to 4s. 9d. per bushel, and

flour 12s. per 100 lb,
Papers from Sydney contain a report of the opening of
the Legislative Council by commission on the 21st of
_ _

March, when the address Of the Governor was read by the
Colonial Secretary. This address congratulates the
colony on its continued progress ; the exports in 1847 of
the two leading staples, wool and tallow, having largely
exceeded those of the previous year, the wool by
5,700,000, the tallow by 49,000.
The Madrid Gazette announces that the Commander
of the Carbineers had defeated, in the valley of Erro, the
united bands of Ilzarbe and Zubiri, with the loss of nine

killed and thirty wounded. Another encounter had taken
place between Brigadier Eguiluz and the faction of Itur-
mendi, in the valley of Ega, in which seventeen of the
latter were killed and many made prisoners.
The Paris papers of Saturday contain the following tele-
graph despatch, received on Friday:—" The Austrians
entered Ferrara on the 14th of July, to the number of

5000. They occupied the principal pcists of the town, and
levied a war contribution on the inhabitants. The Pope
protested against the occupation, and the Chamber of De-

BURN'S COMMERCIAL GLANCE.-STATISTICS
OF THE COTTC

N TRADE

By the able Glance of Mr. Burn, of Manchester, just
►blished, we are furnished with an accurate view of the
oaress of the cotton ma/la:whin, for thn react month. •

I. we are

,ppy to obs,

The trade 1:

satisfactory than could have been expected.
not reached its full extent in more pros-
We are not working to the full extent of

perous years
whic

:h our machinery is capable ; but we find that the
average weekly consumption of cotton during the first six

crease over the consumption of the first six months of
1847 ; and we have an increase also of our stock of ra
material, which was, on the 3

June, 832,634 bales

31 wee

;ks'consump-tion, against 491,393, with which we

commenced the yea-r

There has been a falling off, as we have anticipated, in
our exports of the leading articles of manufacture. In
cotton yarn the decrease is from 51,462,499 lbs. in 1847,
13 in the past six months. The countries whose
)n of this article has failed us are the Hanse
To Turkey and the Levant and
a considerable increase. Our

~ and China

THE WATER QUESTION.—LETTER 111.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Stn,—Since my last letter was written, I have been
reminded of a point of some importance, mid which natu-
rally strikes one as having somethinc, mysterious about it.
We are frequently told that we should have made our ob-
jections to the Rivington scheme at the proper time ; that
is, before the committee of the House of Commons. It
is contended that no bill ever encountered a more severe
opposition, and that surely all its weak points must have
been well sifted. I will attempt an explanation of this.
When the bill was before parliament, the Water Works
Companies went up prepared to make a strong fight for
the local supply. While there, however, the Corporation
found they could make no progress till they had agreed to
purchase the interest of both companies, and this was
consequently arranged. The parties, therefore, who had
gone to London expressly for this purpose were silenced,
and the opposition was then chiefly that of mill-owners,
canal companies, and parties interested in rival schemes.
Consequently, the local supply question was almost, if not
wholly, without an advocate.
But let us not look back : we wish to make no accusa-
tions. If we, as ratepayers, have neglected our interest,
we must suffer; but this should not close our eyes to the
future, now that they have been in some measure opened.
And now, again, the cry is raised—" indifference to the
wants of the poor"—" neglect of the health of the town."
many of those who are now asking for more time to test
the local supply, (for this is all we ask,) need not fear to
stand before their townsmen on this question too. We
do seek the health, welfare, and happiness of the poor,
knowing that our own comfort is inseparably connected
with theirs—and it rejoices me to read the following para-
graph in the papers of last week :
" HEALTH OF THE TOWN.—We are glad to learn, from
a report presented to the health committee, by Dr. Dun-
can, that the health of the town is at present in a very
satisfactory state. During the quarter ending Ist July,
about 2000 deaths were registered in the parish of Liver-
pool, being 900 less than during the previous quarter,
and 2800 less than during the previous quarter of last
year. Since the beginning of May, the mortality has
been below the average of the
gratifying to know tho
mendous ravages am‘
lent than it has usually been even in ordinary
During the month of June, only 26 deaths took you
' from fever, while in June, 1847, there were not less than

particularly

which cornruitted such tr

us last year, is lea

769. The different fevei-shed; and the wards in the
Workhouse which were temporarily devoted to fever pa-
tients„ were closed some time ago, the old fever hospital
(built forty years since) affording sufficient accommoda-
tion for the cases now requirinz it "
But let me ask, has the R
or has even a better suonlv

for it is only quite 1
in the quantity.

gton_water effected this

ply that any change has been made
er God's blessing, it is to a

No : um
great extent due to the efforts of our Corporation, in an-
other department of which several of the Water Com-
mittee are actively engaged ; and we thank them most
sincerely for the labour they bestow upon it.

Would you ask where we are to see the workings of the
efforts here alluded to ? I answer, inquire into the duties
of Mr. Newlands, Dr. Duncan, Mr. Fresh, and others.
Though perhaps much remains to be done, you will there
see enough to account for our more healthy condition.
Proper sewers and drainage are the foundation of all

y operations. These are being carefully attended
to, and the course laid down by Mr. Newlands is the cor-
rect one, viz., to take a comprehensive view of the posi-
tion of the whole town, and proceed with such parts as
are most required and as the funds can be spared.

..,ieansing the courts and driving the peoplefrom thecellars
isthe next step, and thishasbeen and is in effectualprogress.
General cleanliness, ventilation, and other essentials to
health are being urged upon the people. All this and
much more is in operation, and the practical results may
be seen in the report of Dr. Duncan, above quoted.
The habitation of the poor man, to be healthy, should
ventilo. d.".•

be above grounC

Lean, wel

ed, and dry

6 gallons -of water per head per diem, will keep every thing
clean and wholesome, and provide for all wants,—more
would be useless or worse than useless.

While, however, all these measures are producing so
many good results, the utmost economy is essential. The

high-rtes that now burden the town counteract much
that sanatory measures tend to alleviate ; the latter ope-
rate gradually to thin the population► and to force it from
the dense and less healthy districts to those that are more
elevated, while the former occupants of these parts in their
turn retire to the out-townships. But it is now too evi-
dent that the existing pressure is greatly counteracting
this beneficial tendency by causing the masses to close in
again upon the heart of the town. This is one of the argu-

ments on which we urge the propriety of further inquiry
before a fresh and uncertain outlay is commenced.
Discussions have arisen as to who should have charge of
the water pipes within the borough. I should not have
thought that this subject could have caused a moment's he-
sitation. As a matter of course the corporation engineer
must have the sole control,—no other system can work
long without serious injury to the public interests.
Before leaving the subject I propose, as briefly as possi-
ble, to enumerate some of those points which may be
styled "fallacies." They are of two classes, viz., those
which arise from an ignorance of the true bearings of the
case, and those which arise either from giving undue

portance to trifles, or from drawing wro'n'g inferences from
facts in themselves true. Not however desiring to judge
of motives, I will leave the public to draw their own con-
clusions. •

I.—ln these discussions, it is a common fallacy, in at-

tempts to show that the local supply must be very expen-
sive, to make calculations like the following, viz. :—lf to
pump 3,000,000 gals. costs £5,000 ner annum, 16,000,000
will cost £26,666; and, if one well, with its engine, costs
£50,000, and only yields 1,500,000 gallons, wells for
16,000,000 will cost £533,000—a larger sum than the
Rivington scheme. There are three great fallacies here.
Instead of 16,000,000 of fresh water, we may not, for many
years, require more than 6,000,000, which our present
wells will supply, with a trifling expenditure. Next: a
well with its appendages need not cost £50,000; for in-
stance,—Windsor Station cost about £27,000. And lastly,
the expense of pumping by no means increases in propor-
tion to the quantity of water raised. In some cases, the
only additional expense will be in coals.
2.—Tt is a fallacy to suppose that we go into the extreme
of asserting that the local supply can last for ever. We
merely say that it will probably last for many years ; and,
when more is wanted, that the additional quantity may be
obtained, at a trifling expense, compared with the present
contemplated outlay. And we say, also, that great re-
liance, founded on past experience, may be placed on the
wells, while there is considerable uncertainty as to the

Rivington water

3.--:The failure of Berry-street well is no argument
against the local supply—it was not very deep, and the
machinery was in bad condition, so that there was no effort
made to preserve it. Owing to the large number of wells
there can be no doubt that the level of the water under the
town becomes lower ; this . operation is, however,
very slow, and is easily followed up at a trifling expense.
We are aware that any benefit from surface water in the
town is almost wholly lost; but we have no evidence to

show that the supply derived from the deep springs which
are tapped by boring is at all diminished, or has an injurious

e wells

from this source,

grounded expectations that large additions may be made to

file supply, at a light expense.
4.—lt is a decided fallacy to expect profitable increase
in the water rents by carrying the pipes beyond the
borough—an argument often urged to reconcile us to pay-
ing for so much more water than we are likely to use. The
cost of the pipes is not provided for in the estimate, and it
will be a long time before they can be laid with any pros-
pect of returning 5 per cent. interest. _

s.—lt is a great fallacy to suppose that the water rents
will be much increased because of the Rivington water
being brought here; with either supply the demand will
probably gradually extend. A few additional tenants
amongst the manufacturers may be induced to take the
Rivington water at a very low rate, but it must be recol-
lected that, if a reduction is made to some, it must to all
those who are at present paying a much higher rate : and
thus not increase the gross receipts.
6. I believe T am quite safe in styling as fallacies those
attempts which are made to depreciate our local wells. I
have reason to believe that, except that the general level
of the water is lower, (owing perhaps to the loss of sur-
face water,) the quantity is as abundant as ever, and the
quality is equal to what it ever was. I believe also there
is no doubt of our being able to increase the quantity,
when required, to a very great extent.
7.—1 should have devoted a few lines to refute Mr.
Spencer's table of experiments, showing the supposed
quantity of salt in the town wells, had not Mr. Spencer
himself (though rather tardily, 1 confess) shown the in-
correctness of the published statement of his experiments.
8.- th the -f the ln^"' -ly con-

L.—Do. ...ends and toes o. cal suppi,
3tantly persevere in the error of supposing that we ever
intend to use salt water for fires, and on this mistake,
sometimes I fear intentionally made, is raised a great ob-
jection to the salt water scheme. We do not propose to
use salt water for fires—we contemplate that the fresh
water mains will always be full, and therefore ready for
fires at all times. The quantity required is but a trifle
compared with the other dercane- ' would not be felt

Salt water for watering streets, flushing sewers, washing
courts, and for public baths, is all we ever contend for ;
and, for these purposes, salt water is very superior to fresh.
9.—lt would be a fallacy to attempt to leave the deci-
sion of this question to either one or three persons, as has
been proposed ; we have within ourselves the safest test—
leave it to the practical men who are now in the employ-
ment of the corporation, only give them time and the
question will. be fairly tried. They should not, however,
have the fear of the displeasure of the Water Committee
before their eyes, but be allowed to feel that it is no longer
a party question. _ _

10.--It would perhaps be unkind to clear away the very
pleasing fallacy in which some persons indulge, in con-
templating the amount of work which is in store for the
poor when the Rivington works are in progress. The
people out beyond Chorley• have certainly a very keen
sense of the benefits to be thus derived to t

,emselves

as I found on a recent visit to that locality, but what
good it will do to our own
but if the local supply is

maintained

they will have 3

chance of keeping in their own hands what 'little is to be

11.—It is a very great fallacy to suppose that our local
supply is in the least injured by drainage from sewers and
cess-pools ; the perfect freedom from all organic matter,
of the well water, is our best proof ; and here we have an
unquestionable advantage over the Rivington water.
Having now, Mr. Editor, sufficiently taxed your kind-
ness, and the patience of your readers, I will close my
poor remarks by again recommending a calm and good
tempered oonsideration of this important though tiresome
subject—let there be no calling names, especially in the
council—no bitterness—no p_rty spirit—no concealment