The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

the meeting on the unanimity that had prevailed. This,
in fact, was only a continuation of that union which cha-
racterised the whole of the proceedings of the commis-
sioners. Although he had the honour of presiding over
the board of Commissioners, he could assure those pres-
ent that there was no want of zeal and labour on their
part, and that they acted throughout with a view to the
general interest ; and he felt assured that the ratepayers
generally felt satisfied that their confidence in that body
was not misplaced. Cheers.)
The meeting then separated.

THE ANTI-MONOPOLY ASSOCIATION AGAIN

DEFEATED

Another meeting, called by the Anti-Monopoly Asso-
ciation, was held on Thursday last, at Lascelle's Rooms,
Great Richmond-street. The room, which holds about
600 persons, was half filled. At seven o'clock the chair
was taken by some gentleman, who modestly voted him-
self into it, and a Mr. DANSIE, one of the council of the
association, then delivered a lecture, containing about the
usual amount of free-trade trash. He eulogized the ob-
jects of the league, and denounced the land-owners, re-
hashed the old hackneyed speeches of Messrs. Cobden,
Bright, and Co., and promised the meeting that Lord
Morpeth was coming out as a corn-law repealer. At the
close of the lecture, Mr. SAMUEL ALLEN, a factory
operative, late of Manchester, came forward and gave a
detailed account of his experience of 18 years' connection
with the factory system as overlooker, &c. He spoke of
the gradual and systematic reduction of wages by manu-
facturers, and the substitution of machinery for manual
labour, and latterly the employment of women and
children in factories, leaving the man to stop at home and
nurse. Mr. Allen then moved "That it is the duty of
the legislature to protect the agricultural interest of this
country, and that the objects of the Anti-Corn-Law
League is a reduction of wages, and to grind down the
operative classes for their own selfish and mercenary pur-
poses."
Mr. EDWARD PARRY, an operative, seconded 'Mr.
Allen's motion, and drew the attention of the meeting to
the pauperized condition of the manufacturing districts as
compared with the agricultural districts ; also the entrap-
ping of the agricultural labourers into the manufacturing
districts. He also asked the lecturer a very pertinent
question, namely, " Why did not some of the tyrant ma-
nufacturers speculate in land, as he frequently saw an-
nouncements by Mr. George Robins of such property for
sale, and if it was so good a thing, as they represented it,
to become'landowners, surely they would try which paid
best interest—land or cotton." He also drew the attention
of the meeting to the treatment of children in factories,
and concluded by calling upon the meeting never to rest
satisfied till they had protection to native industry, and
saw the accursed New Poor-Law erased from the statute
books of our land.

Mr. NASH moved as an amendment, "That if the re-
peal of the corn-laws did not benefit the working classes,
it was the duty of the legislature to tax machinery and
protect the working classes."
Mr. DANSIE, the lecturer, seconded the amendment,
and said that he agreed in a great measure with the pre-
ceding speakers, that machinery was a curse to this coun-
try, and that the working man should be protected.
The CHAIRMAN dissented from Mr. Dansie's views of
machinery, and, after repeated calls from the meeting to
put the motiun, the amendment was put and lost, when
the chairman admitted the motion to be carried by a con-
siderable majority.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed by accla-
mation, and the meeting separated, with three cheers for
Richard Oastler, the poor man's friend, and the Kentish
fire.

CONSERVATINE DINNER.-PRESENTATION
OF PLATE.

On Friday evening last about 150 of the operative Con-
servatives of the North and Soutk Toxteth Wards, and
their friends, sat down to a dinner in the Toxteth-hall, to
commemorate the victories they had achieved in the mu-
nicipal contests of the last and former years. The room
was tastefully decorated with flags emblematic of truth
and loyalty. The large and splendid flag presented by
Lord Sandon and Sir Howard Douglas to the operative
shipwrights, with motto, " For our God, our Queen, and
our Country," was hung from the roof above the chair-
man, Mr. Joseph Harrison, and was guyed out to the end
of the room, thus placing the chair and its supporters
beneath a canopy formed by the banner under which they
had long energetically fought. The dinner, though plain,
was such as to give the utmost satisfaction.
After a dessert of 'excellent fruit, &c., the CHAIRMAN,
in a neat address, in which he recounted the glorious con-
servative victories, the attainment of which was princi-
pally owing to the instrumentality of the operative con-
servatives attached to their Queen and their country,
proposed the health of " Our sovereign the Queen," which
was received in a manner that at once demonstrated the
estimation in which the Sovereign is held by those un-
ceasing supporters of the glories of our constitution in
Church and State. the operative Protestants of Liverpool.
"God save the Queen" was then sung by the meeting.
The next toasts were "The Queen Dowager," "The
Duke of Wellington," " Sir Robert Peel and the Con-
servative Members of the House of Commons," and
" Our Glorious Constitution in Church and State."

These were all enthusiastically received, and were fol-
lowed by the Conservative Members of the Borough,"
to whose conduct Mr. Longworth appropriately alluded.
The Chairman then said they had now got a little nearer
home, and gave " The Health of the Conservative Mem
bers of North and South Toxteth Wards." They had
done much for the wards, and he trusted would do much
more. Through their influence they had got Scriptural
education in their schools, and this alone should be suffi-
cient to ensure them the esteem of every lover of
Christianity; but beyond this he was sure that their re-
, presentatives in the council would use their most strenuous
exertions to promote the interests of the town, and the
welfare of their two wards. (Given with three times
three, and amidst tremendous applause.)
Mr. SHEPPARD rose, and thanked the assembly for the
honour they had done him in drinking his health. In no
affair since the commencement of his career in council
had he experienced so much sincere pleasure. The great
mark of respect shown to him was certainly uncalled for ;
he had done no more than his duty, and he trusted he had
done it with that zeal and fidelity that met their views.
The support be received from those around him was, in
reality, support to the cause to which they were all mhtu-
ally attached. Since last he had had the pleasure of ad-
dressing them several events had occurred, to which he
wished to revert—one of them related to dock extension.
He had read the evidence for and against the proposed
measures, and consulted with men better versed than him-
self in the affair, and, like a faithful juror, had returned
his verdict • one, he trusted, that would facilitate the
commerce of the port, and add to the corporate coffers.
By a map at Mr. Okell's, he found that the corporation
held from ¶lOO to 1100 acres of land at the south end of the
town, while at the north they had not more than about
200, yet he voted for docks at the north for the increasing
steam navigation, and for docks at the south for the ac-
commodation of vessels in the timber trade. He then al-
luded to scriptural education, showing how condusive it
was to the happiness of all classes, teaching men to love
their God, honour their Sovereign, and respect the law.
He humourously noticed the Irish state trials. The next
toast was " Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," to which
Mr. Jones responded • after which, Mr. Davies sang a
a song descriptive of the late Irish trials, and the " tailed"
man's visit to Liverpool. It went off with great eclat.
The pleasing duty then devolved on the chairman to
present a silver snuff box, a small token of respect, to Mr.
Short, whose exertions in the cause are well known—he
having been four years secretary of the association. Mr.
Short, observed the chairman, had stuck to them through
thick and thin, and this small gift was presented as a
slight token of the universal esteem in which he was held.
There were, he believed, only two donors who were not
operatives, and the subscription was limited to half-a-
crown ; Mr. Short might feel gratified in receiving such a
token of respect, but he could not feel more gratified than
he (the chairman) did in presenting it. (Loud and con-
tinued cheers.)
Mr. SHORT returned thanks and said, it was not until
a few hours before he entered the room that he was aware
of such a gift being intended. There were others who bad
worked as hard in the cause as he had, for he had done no
more than became a true lover of his country and her in-
stitutions ; when with others they took the vessel in charge,
she was " all aback," the radical breakers were on the
lee, and she was fast nearing them : a whip ship was in
sight, bearing down, but the hunting was nailed. to the
mast-head, and bid defiance to the revolutionary blasts ;
they got the sailmaker on board, hauled their wind, and
by good management she was now securely moored, with
her best bower down, in a safe haven, where he was sure
the crew were ready when their exertions were wanted.
After again thanking them he sat down amidst deafening
applause. The snuff box was an exceedingly chaste and
valuable one, bearing a suitable inscription.
The health of the chairman, vice-chairman, Mr. Inman,
Mr. Clay, and others were then given, and each of these
gentlemen replied, illustrating the benefits arisinc, from
operative protestant associations, and meetings like the ,
present one. Mr. Inman saying, every attempt to pre- I
vent a mutual good feeling between the employers and
the employed must militate against both parties. Several
excellent songs were sang, and the band played effectively
a new march, called the " Orangeman's March," which
is now being published. After which the company sepa-
rated, all highly delighted, and looking forward to the fre-
quent recurrence of such social meetings.

The inquiry before the coroner, on the body of the in-
fant sent to the vicar of Cheltenham, has terminated,
but nothing was elicited tending in the least degree to
implicate any person in this mysterious affair.
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT: FORTY LIVES LOST.—Ha-
verfordwest, Feb. 16.—Late last evening an account
reached this place that a fearful accident had occurred at
Lanshipping Colliery, five miles from Haverfordwest.
Whilst the men were at work in the pit, the drift of which
extended about half a mile under a branch of the river,
the water broke in, and forty persons were drowned or
buried beneath the earth which fell on them; eighteen
managed to get to the mouth of the pit, and were saved ;
the remaining forty, it is supposed, will never more be
seen, and the works are completely destroyed. The es-
cape of some of the men was almost miraculous, having
passed those who were nearer out and told them of the
danger; but so instantaneous was the burst of water, that
no steps could be taken to ensure safety. About half of
those who perished were boys; the remainder were men,
many of whom have left large families who were dependent
on them for support. This most unfortunate event has
spread a gloom over the whole town. Lanshipping Col-
liery is the property of Colonel Owen, who generally re-
sides there and personally superintends it. He was on a
visit with his family at Sir Charles Morgan's (his father-
in-law) when the above accident occurred.