The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-26 00:00:00

DOCK COMMITTEE.—TguitsnAy.

Present, Messrs. Moore, (in the chair,) Nicol, Houg:
ton, Middleton, Chilton, Wood, Henderson, Smith,
Mann, Aikin, Royden. Tobin, Bold, and Kendall.
The tender of John Howell and Co., for excavating the
new dock, east side of Regent-road, was accepted.
The Finance Committee of the Corporation applied to
the trust to form a foundation at the level of the present
quay surface, at King's Dock, necessary for the erection
of a new sea-wall opposite the Queen's warehouses.
Mr. NIcoL explained that the Dock Committee were to
build a foundation-wall for a superstructure, to be erected
afterwards by the Corporation, who were of course to pay
the expense of the foundation.
The CHAIRMAN.—The fact is, we can do it, and they
cannot.
Mr. AIKIN.—WC have saved the Corporation many
thousands of pounds.
The CnattattaN.—No doubt of it.
The Sub-Committee reported they could not interfere
with the complaint of Rankin and Gilmour. The matter
rested with the magistrates. Mr. Hartley disclaimed
anything personal in causing the information to be laid.
He said he neither knew nor cared to whom the timber
belonged.
Mr. Clements reported that a Inciter match had been
found in one of the transit sheds ; and that in consequence
the men working in it had been searched. Upon one a
number of matches were found, and almost all had tobacco
pipes in their possession. The police officer had laid an
information against the party upon whom the matches
were found, but it had not been heard.
The CHAIRMAN.—That is one of the first sensible
things that man has done.
The by-laws, prepared in conformity with the act of
parliament for regulating the use of lights on board vessels,
were read. The first prohibits the use of lights in the
graving docks, except for the purpose of smoking or fu-
migating vessels; the second prohibits their use in the
docks or basins for any other purpose than to inspect the
condition of vessels ; and the third enacts that parties
offending against these laws shall be liable for every such
offence to a fine of £5. In all cases permission to be ob-
tained before any light can be used. Several members
thought it would be advisable to have a clause introduced
in the next act, authorizing shipowners to use lights for
the purpose of finishing the loading of a cargo, in cases of
necessity. The by-laws were ordered to be printed and
published. '
A series of standing orders were read and referred fcr
consideration till next week, Mr. Aikin objecting to any
alteration in the present system.
APPOINTMENT OF SUB-COMMITTEES.
Mr. BOLD, seconded by Mr. ROYDEN, proposed that
Mr. Molyneux, Mr. Evans. Mr. B orstall, and Mr.
Houghton should constitute the Sub-committee of
Finance.
Mr. AIKIN asked if it were intended, by proposing Mr.
Evans for the Finance Committee, to strike him off the
Committee of Works. If so, he should oppose it.
Mr. BOLD said that was the object. Mr. Evans had
upon every occasion, not only in that room, but in the
Council, in the town, and in the House of Lords, opposed
the measures which were now about to be carried out, and
it was thought that the man who had so opposed them was
not the proper person to carry their measures out.
Mr. AIKIN.—I am sure Mr. Bold 's misinformed. Mr.
Evans has not opposed the works. 1 never heard of him
opposing them.
Mr. NicoL said Mr. Evans was a most strenuous oppo-
nent of dock extension altogether ; but, leaving that aside,
Mr. Evans would make a very useful member of the
Finance Committee, for he invariably took an active part
in the discussion of dock matters.
Mr. AIKIN conceived it would be very little short of an
insult to the public. He conceived that the great question
at issue, and generally felt to be so on 'Change, was whe-
ther the principle of erecting warehouses round the docks
should or should not be established, and Mr. Evans was
returned by a very large majority, as every one of the
rate-payers who voted for him would tell them, because of
the great struggle he made in favour of these warehouses.
Just at the time he left the committee, ceasing to be a
member of the Council, the rate-payers elected him, and
sent him back to the committee, and certainly he should
be the last member put out of the committee, where his
services in that department of the dock estate would be
most useful. He (Mr. Aikin) thought it would be in-
sulting to Mr. Evans and to the constituency who sent
him there.
Mr. Nicol, could not help thinking, what Mr. Aikin
had said was not complimentary to Mr. Evans, but it was
a matter of feeling.
Mr. MANN.—Supposing Mr. Evans was put on the
Committee of Works, would he be enabled to carry ware-
houses round the docks at present in progress ?
The CHAlRMAN.—Certainly not.
Mr. MANN.—Then it cannot be a matter of insult.
Mr. TOBIN had the same objections to Mr. Evans being
on the Committee of Works, that he had to his being on
the Parliamentary Committee. It was his (Mr. Tobin's)
intention to move, that he should be placed on the Marine
Committee, seeing they had lost two valuable members,
Mr. Holt and Mr. Bulley.
Mr. AIKIN, seconded by Mr. Woon, then moved, that
before they proceeded to vote on each committee, they
should have the various members of each committee
named.

This having been agreed to,
Mr. TOBIN named, as the Sub-Committee of Works,
Messrs. Nicol, Middleton, Wood, Aikin, Shand, and
Sandbach.
Mr. MANN named, as Harbour-Masters' Sub-Com-
mittee, Messrs. Kendall, Boyden, Chilton, Smith, Moon,
and Bold.
Mr. CHILTON named, as the Marine Surveyor's Com-
. mittee, Messrs. Tobin, Ripley, Mann, and Henderson.
Mr. Atictiv said he should move that the name of Mr.
Wood be substituted for that of Mr. Evans on the Finance
Committee. He knew of no man mote likely to do the
financial part of the business better than Mr. Wood. And
he was sure Mr. Wood would understand that he did not
at all doubt his capability to be on the Committee of
Works; but he was anxious that Mr. Evans, who had
been so excellent a member, should be continued, parti-
cularly as they were going on to the finishing of those
warehouses, for the obtaining the privilege of building
which they were mainly indebted to him.
Mr. WOOD seconded the amendment; but it was lost
by a majority of 11 to 2, the mover and seconder being
the only parties who voted for it.
The sub-committees were then appointed as above, and
financial matters were then proceeded with.

--- _ -
EXTRAORDINARY CASE AT THE COURT OF
REQUESTS,

On Tuesday, at the Court of Requests, a man named
James Brownbill, a watch-finisher, of Comus-street, was
the defendant in a case in which Mr. James Parker, (rep-
resentatiAe of St. Anne's Ward,) claimed from him £5,
being the amount of a promissory note, payable on de-
mand. Mr. Parker's bookkeeper was present, and Brown-
bill acknowledged having received the money, but stated
that it had been lent in consideration that he should vote
for Mr. Parker at the then coming municipal election,
and that he was to pay it in the course of six months.
The Commissioner, Mr. Lowndes, adjourned the case
until Friday, to give Mr. Parker an opportunity to attend,
as this statement in some degree reflected on the charac-
ter of that gentleman, and might perhaps involve him in
a penalty. It was resumed on that day, and Brownbill
having again admitted the debt to be owing, the Com-
missioner bad him sworn in order that he might hear what
he might plead for delay of payment. Brownbill then
said—Mr. Parker lent me £5 in consideration that I
should vote for him. After I signed that note, I saw what
was in it, and I said I could not pay it on demand—l
could not pay it sooner than six months. With that he
patted me on the shoulder, and said, "Do not put your-
self out of the road; you can pay it when you can."
When I asked him to lend me the money he said he could
not do it himself, but would go to the treasurer of the
committee and see what he could do. He at first offered
it me on no conditions, saying that he would give it me;
but I said it would be of no use for what I wanted, and
again asked him to lend me £5. He said he would
be back at three o'clock, but he came back at one o'clock,
and brought the money with him. There was nobody
present but Mr. Parker and myself. This was on the
Thursday but one before the election, the 24th of Oc-
tober. The note specified that the £5 was for goods. I
voted against him on the day of election. Mr. Wigge,
the collector, called for the money after the election, and
in consequence I went to Mr. Parker's office. When I
saw him I told him I could not pay it at present; he told
me to go to Mr. Bradley, and complained that I had
voted and canvassed against him.—The promissory note
was handed to the bench, and Brownbill remarked that it
was " for goods," and he had received no goods. The
commissioner handed him the note, and he stated that
it was the same. The commissioner remarked that it did
not set forth that it was "for goods," but "for value re-
ceived.
The Commissioner then told Mr. Parker that it was
quite optional for him to enter into any remarks or to
make any statement, because the matter was connected
with an act of Parliament that subjected parties to penal-
ties.
Mr. Parker thanked the Commissioner for his kindness
in adjourning the case, and expressed the utmost willing-
ness to state everything which had occurred. He was
then sworn, and said—the first thing that drew his atten-
tion to this matter was an application from the wife of
the defendant, who called at his office. She left word for
him to call upon her husband, and he did so. They
showed him a letter from Poulton-in-the-Fylde, which
letter he read at the time. It purported to state that her
mother was in a dying state, and begged that Mrs.
Brownbill would go down as soon as she could. Mr.
Brownbill then said his brother's wife was lately dead, and
they wanted mourning. He pleaded for a long time, and
then he (Mr. Parker) said, if a sovereign would be of
any service he would give it. Brownbill then asked for
£5. He said that was a large sum, and he would not like
to lend that without some sort of security. Brownbill
offered him a silver watch as security. He said he did
not want that, but, if he would give him his note of
hand, he would lend it. He accordingly went back to
the house with the stamp and gave him the money. Both
Brownbill and his wife expressed much gratitude, and as
he was going out Brownbill said, "Mr. Parker, one good
turn deserves another, I'll vote for ycu." He (Mr.
Parker) said, " Brownbill, I have nothing to do with
your vote. Do as you like with it," 'That was all that
passed with regard to voting. He never saw Brownbill
from that day, which was the 24th of October, until the
day he came to the office. When he (Mr. Parker) had
read the letter, Brownbill drew his attention to the post-
mark upon it, saying it was genuine, (or to that effect,
as we understood Mr. Parker.) He (Mr. Parker) had